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Martyr3rd century

Martyr Asterius the Senator of Caesarea

3rd century

Also known as Asterius the Senator

A Roman senator who, taking up the body of the martyr Marinus to bury it with honor, was himself put to death for Christ.

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Commemorated as

The Holy Martyr Asterius the Senator of Caesarea

Life

Asterius was a Roman senator of the third century who, by the witness of the synaxarion, kept the Christian faith during the persecutions of the emperors Valerian and his son Gallienus. He is remembered chiefly for the act that cost him his life: the honorable burial of the soldier-martyr Marinus at Caesarea in Palestine, after which he too was put to death for Christ.

His commemoration is closely bound to that of Marinus, and the two are often remembered together. The historical evidence linking Asterius's burial of Marinus to his own martyrdom is regarded by some sources as not entirely secure, and the tradition is received accordingly.

Troparion & Kontakion2 hymnsReadHide
TroparionTone 3

Your holy martyr Asterius, O Lord,
through his sufferings has received an incorruptible crown from You, our God.
For having Your strength, he laid low his adversaries,
and shattered the powerless boldness of demons.
Through his intercessions, save our souls!

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

KontakionTone 2

(Podoben: “You sought the heights...”) You appeared as a bright star announcing Christ with your radiance,
which is repulsive to this world, O Martyr Asterius;
extinguishing the allure of false gods,
you enlighten the faithful,
always interceding for us all.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

Timeline3 momentsReadHide
  1. 3rd centuryA senator under Valerian and GallienusAccording to the synaxarion account, Asterius lived during the reigns of the emperors Valerian (253-259) and his son Gallienus (260-268), holding the rank of Roman senator while remaining a Christian amid the persecutions of the time.
  2. 3rd centuryThe burial of the martyr MarinusAsterius was present at the execution of the martyr Marinus, a soldier of Caesarea. When it was over, he removed his senatorial garment, wrapped the martyr's head and body in it, and carried the relics away to bury them reverently.
  3. 3rd centuryMartyrdom by beheadingFor having honored a Christian martyr, Asterius was himself condemned to death and beheaded at Caesarea in Palestine.

Contributions & Legacy

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The Companion of Marinus

The martyr Marinus, with whom Asterius is remembered, was a soldier serving as a centurion at Caesarea. By the account preserved in the tradition, Marinus was a secret Christian; when a rival demanded that he offer the customary sacrifice to the emperor before taking up his post, he was set before a choice between his sword and a book of the Gospels. He chose the Gospels and, refusing the sacrifice, was beheaded.

It was at this execution that Asterius, a senator of rank, openly identified himself with the condemned Christian. Laying aside the marks of his own station, he took the senatorial robe from his shoulders and used it to gather and wrap the body of Marinus for burial. The gesture turned a private act of reverence into a public confession, and it drew upon Asterius the same sentence that had fallen on the soldier he honored.

Veneration

Asterius is venerated as a martyr in both the Eastern Orthodox Church and, by shared pre-schism commemoration, the Roman Catholic Church. In the Orthodox calendar his feast is kept on August 7, the day on which Marinus is also remembered; in the Western calendar the two are commemorated on March 3.

The synaxarion further relates a tradition that Asterius expelled a demon from a pagan idol at Caesarea Philippi, an act said to have halted a pagan sacrificial festival. This account is received as part of the saint's tradition rather than as independently documented history.

Companions2 figuresShowHide
The soldier-martyr whose body Asterius buried; commemorated together on August 7.
Martyr Marinusthe Soldier of Caesarea
The soldier-martyr whose body he took up and buried honorably, by the account of Eusebius.
Martyr Marinusof Rome
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Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints