Saint Aretas of Najran, 95, martyred with 4,000 Christians in 523

Saint Aretas was the Christian governor of Najran, a city in southern Arabia. In 523, at the age of ninety-five, he was martyred along with more than four thousand Christians, including priests, monks, nuns, women, and children. The region was ruled by King Dhu Nuwas, who persecuted Christians and sought to eliminate Christianity.

He surrounded Najran with his army and demanded the inhabitants renounce Christ. The Christians refused, closed the gates, and resisted his attacks, choosing to remain faithful to their Savior. Unable to conquer the city by force, Dhu Nuwas promised that no one would be harmed if the gates were opened, claiming he only wished to collect taxes.

Trusting his word, the Christians opened the gates. The promise was broken. The elderly Saint Aretas, together with the clergy and leading citizens, was summoned and executed. A terrible massacre followed throughout Najran, and more than four thousand faithful Christians received the crown of martyrdom rather than abandon the Lord Jesus Christ.

When news of the persecution reached Emperor Justin, he appealed to the Ethiopian king Elesbaan, who defeated Dhu Nuwas and ended his rule. The surviving Christians later rebuilt their Church of the Holy Trinity and erected a church honoring Saint Aretas and the martyrs of Najran. The post includes a reflection that faithfulness to Christ is greater than fear, suffering, and even death, and notes that at ninety-five Saint Aretas had lived a long earthly life, yet his greatest testimony came through his final sacrifice.

It ends with the invocation: Holy Martyr Aretas and all the Martyrs of Najran, pray to God for us.