Sarah the Martyr
Encyclopedia
Sarah is a 4th century martyr venerated as a saint in the Coptic Orthodox Church. She is commemorated on the 25th day of Baramouda
(May 3).
Unable to baptise
her two sons in Antioch
on account of the persecutions of the Emperor Diocletian
, she took them by boat to Egypt
. A great storm blew up, and in fear of her sons drowning unbaptised, she performed their baptisms herself, cutting her breast, marking the cross on their foreheads and over their hearts in her blood, and dipping them three times in the sea, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
. The storm died down, and the ship reached Alexandria
. Sarah immediately took her sons to Pope Peter I for official baptism, but when he went to baptise them, the water froze. He continued baptising other children and came again to Sarah's children at the end, but three times he tried, and three times the water froze, whereupon he said, "It is indeed one baptism."
On returning to Antioch, she was accused by her husband of having gone to Alexandria to commit adultery with Christians, and sent before the Emperor, but refused to confess, or reveal her true purpose (which probably would have resulted in death anyway). She and her two sons were burned. The year was probably AD 303 or 304.
Paremoude
Parmouti , also known as Barmouda, is the eighth month of the Coptic calendar. It lies between April 9 and May 8 of the Gregorian calendar. Paremoude was also the fourth month of the Season of Proyet in Ancient Egypt, when the Nile floods recede and the crops start to grow throughout Egypt...
(May 3).
Unable to baptise
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
her two sons in Antioch
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the...
on account of the persecutions of the Emperor Diocletian
Diocletian
Diocletian |latinized]] upon his accession to Diocletian . c. 22 December 244 – 3 December 311), was a Roman Emperor from 284 to 305....
, she took them by boat to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. A great storm blew up, and in fear of her sons drowning unbaptised, she performed their baptisms herself, cutting her breast, marking the cross on their foreheads and over their hearts in her blood, and dipping them three times in the sea, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
. The storm died down, and the ship reached Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
. Sarah immediately took her sons to Pope Peter I for official baptism, but when he went to baptise them, the water froze. He continued baptising other children and came again to Sarah's children at the end, but three times he tried, and three times the water froze, whereupon he said, "It is indeed one baptism."
On returning to Antioch, she was accused by her husband of having gone to Alexandria to commit adultery with Christians, and sent before the Emperor, but refused to confess, or reveal her true purpose (which probably would have resulted in death anyway). She and her two sons were burned. The year was probably AD 303 or 304.