Caesarea Maritima, Martyr Anastasius the Persian

According to his hagiography, Anastasius was born in Persia and belonged to the caste of Magi (as the priests of Zoroastrianism called themselves). Before his baptism, Anastasius was named Magundat and served as a cavalryman in the army of Khosrow II. He participated in the Persian conquest of Jerusalem in 614 AD. In 620 AD, he left the army and retired to the monastery of St. Sava near Jerusalem, where he was baptized by Bishop Modestus. Anastasius lived in the St. Sava monastery for 7 years, after which he went to preach in Caesarea Maritima.

During the Byzantine rule in the 6th century, a military fort was built near the dismantled Herodian theater. It was in this fort that the main garrison was stationed after Caesarea was conquered by the Persians. From the Praetorium, the Persian “marzpan” governed both provinces of Palestine. The majority of the population were Christians, and the head of the community was the “commerciarius” (Greek — κομμερκιάριος). By that time, the Persians had established a small Zoroastrian shrine, which was visited by the soldiers of the Persian garrison and the administration. In addition, there was a Jewish community and a small number of Samaritans living in the city. The latter never fully recovered from the persecutions by Emperor Justinian in the 6th century.

After his passionate preaching of Christianity, Anastasius was arrested and imprisoned in the fort, where he was visited by representatives of the local Christian community. The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Life-giving Cross (September 14, 627 AD) was approaching, and the head of the local Christian community was able to obtain permission from the Persian governor to release Anastasius for the duration of the holiday. Brothers from the St. Sava monastery came to support Anastasius. After the service, they all gathered for a meal at the home of the head of the Christian community. After the holiday, Anastasius returned to prison.

By the governor’s order, Anastasius was taken out of Caesarea and soon executed. We may never know whether the execution was the result of another twist in the long and bloody Byzantine-Persian war or whether the governor feared that the example of the former Persian aristocrat would inspire the local population.

The local Christian community of Caesarea remembered Anastasius. Soon, Byzantium reclaimed Palestine, and the relics of Anastasius were brought to Caesarea. A church was built in his honor next to the tetrapylon at the central intersection of the city.

On November 2, 631 AD, the relics of Anastasius were solemnly transferred to Jerusalem. Later, the saint’s relics were brought to Constantinople, where in the late 8th century, Empress Irene built a church in his honor.

This story adds a small piece of information to our understanding of the long Roman-Persian War, which lasted for more than four centuries (230–628) with varying success. The dramatic events of the early 7th century: the assassination of Emperor Maurice, the formal reason for the war by his adoptive son Khosrow II, the fall of Jerusalem, and ultimately the weakening of the two great powers, which could not cope with the new threat coming from the East. The Muslim conquest became possible not only because of the economic exhaustion of Persia and the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium), but primarily due to their ideological defeat. The initially tolerant policy of the Muslim conquerors towards people of other faiths allowed them to retain vast territories.

CAESAREA IN TRANSITION THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE FROM THE SOUTHWEST ZONE (AREAS CC, KK, NN) Joseph Patrich