Wereka and Batwin
Encyclopedia
Wereka and Batwin were two of several Christian
Gothic
martyr
s burned alive in church by the local district royal officer and sacred pontiff
, otherwise known as goði
, *Wingureiks (or Wingourichos, or Jungerik) in the 370s. Both titles in the same manner that Athanaric
himself had at a larger level.
Those killed included:
Gaatha, her daughter Doulkilla, and Wellas, brought their relics to Cyzicus
between 383 and 392. Wellas was martyred after returning north of the Danube.
Wereka and Batwin are named in both Gothic and Greek sources, but the persecutor (Wingourichos), the other martyrs, and the others, are only named in Greek sources, which may err slightly in their transliteration of Gothic names.
They were recognized as saint
s, with a feast day of March 26 in the Arian
calendar, and October 23 in a Gothic
calendar.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
Gothic
Goths
The Goths were an East Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin whose two branches, the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths, played an important role in the fall of the Roman Empire and the emergence of Medieval Europe....
martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
s burned alive in church by the local district royal officer and sacred pontiff
Pontiff
A pontiff was, in Roman antiquity, a member of the principal college of priests . The term "pontiff" was later applied to any high or chief priest and, in ecclesiastical usage, to a bishop and more particularly to the Bishop of Rome, the Pope or "Roman Pontiff".-Etymology:The English term derives...
, otherwise known as goði
Gothi
A goði or gothi is the Old Norse term for a priest and chieftain. Gyðja signifies a priestess.The name appears in Wulfila's Gothic language translation of the bible as gudja for "priest", but in Old Norse it is only the feminine form gyðja that perfectly corresponds to the Gothic form...
, *Wingureiks (or Wingourichos, or Jungerik) in the 370s. Both titles in the same manner that Athanaric
Athanaric
Athanaric was king of several branches of the Thervingian Goths for at least two decades in the fourth century. His name, Athanareiks, means "Year King" or "King for the Year" comes from the Gothic word Athni meaning "year" and the Gothic Reiks meaning "king."A probable rival of Fritigern, another...
himself had at a larger level.
Those killed included:
- Wereka or Ouerkas, a papa or presbyterPresbyterPresbyter in the New Testament refers to a leader in local Christian congregations, then a synonym of episkopos...
, - Batwin or Bathouses, a bilaifs or presbyterPresbyterPresbyter in the New Testament refers to a leader in local Christian congregations, then a synonym of episkopos...
, - Arpulas, a monkMonkA monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
, - Abippas, Hagias, Ruias, Egathrax, Eskoes, Silas, Sigetzas, Swerilas, Swemblas, Therthas, and Philgas, all laymenLaityIn religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
, - Anna, Alas, Baren, Moiko, Kamika, Oneko, and Anemais, all laywomenLaityIn religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
, - And the four children of Wereka and Batwin.
Gaatha, her daughter Doulkilla, and Wellas, brought their relics to Cyzicus
Cyzicus
Cyzicus was an ancient town of Mysia in Anatolia in the current Balıkesir Province of Turkey. It was located on the shoreward side of the present Kapıdağ Peninsula , a tombolo which is said to have originally been an island in the Sea of Marmara only to be connected to the mainland in historic...
between 383 and 392. Wellas was martyred after returning north of the Danube.
Wereka and Batwin are named in both Gothic and Greek sources, but the persecutor (Wingourichos), the other martyrs, and the others, are only named in Greek sources, which may err slightly in their transliteration of Gothic names.
They were recognized as saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
s, with a feast day of March 26 in the Arian
Arianism
Arianism is the theological teaching attributed to Arius , a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt, concerning the relationship of the entities of the Trinity and the precise nature of the Son of God as being a subordinate entity to God the Father...
calendar, and October 23 in a Gothic
Goths
The Goths were an East Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin whose two branches, the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths, played an important role in the fall of the Roman Empire and the emergence of Medieval Europe....
calendar.