Zenobios and Zenobia

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Zenobius and Zenobia
Martyrs
Born3rd century AD
Diedc. 290 AD
Aegae, Cilicia, Roman Empire
Venerated inEastern Orthodox Church
Catholic Church
Feast30 October

The Holy Martyrs Zenobios and Zenobia (died c.290; Greek:Ζηνόβιος καὶ Ζηνοβία; occasionally (and incorrectly) Σινόβιος καὶ Σινοβία; Latin: Zenobius et Zenobia, Slavonic: Зиновій и Зиновія) are recognized by Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church; their day is October 30.[1][2][3][4]

According to the Byzantine hagiography, Zenobius and his sister Zenobia were from Aegae, Cilicia. Zenobios was a physician and because of his divine healing powers he was consecrated bishop of Aegae. They were tortured and beheaded around 290, during Diocletian's persecutions.[5][6]

It has been argued that the characters are mythological, possibly arisen from the confusion of the reading of martyrologies.[7] Hippolyte Delehaye suggested a possible compilation by an unknown hagiographer who put together parts from the hagiography of Saints Cosmas and Damian with mentions of various saints named Zenobios/Zenobius.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b ЗИНОВИЙ И ЗИНОВИЯ at the Orthodox Encyclopedia (in Russian)
  2. ^ CВЯЩЕННОМУЧЕНИК ЗИНОВИЙ, ЕПИСКОП ЕГЕЙСКИЙ, И СЕСТРА ЕГО ЗИНОВИЯ (in Russian)
  3. ^ Свети мъченици Зиновий и Зиновия (in Bulgarian)
  4. ^ "Calendar of Saints - 30 October".
  5. ^ "The Holy Martyrs Zenobius and His Sister Zenobia" from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America website (assessed December 13, 2014)
  6. ^ Charlotte Mary Yonge, History of Christian names. By the author of The heir of Redclyffe, 1884, p. 62
  7. ^ "Zenobiusz" (retrieved December 13, 2014) (in Polish)