# Babylas, Bishop Of The Church At Antioch, And Three Youths, Urban, Philidian, And Epolonius, Beheaded At Antioch, For The Name Of Jesus Christ, About The Year 254. [Previous page: NEMESIUS, A PIOUS CHRISTIAN, BURNED FOR HIS FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST, TOGETHER WITH SEVERAL MALEFACTORS, AT ALEXANDRIA, ABOUT THE YEAR 253.](/en/stories/mm-nemesius-a-pious-christian-burned-for-his-faith-in-jesus-christ-together-with-several-malefactors-at-alexandria-about-th/) · [Book contents](/en/sources/martyrs-mirror/#book-contents) · [Next page: PIONIUS, BISHOP OF THE CHURCH AT SMYRNA, NAILED TO A PIECE OF WOOD AND BURNED ALIVE, IN THE CITY OF SMYRNA, FOR THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS CHRIST, A. D. 254.](/en/stories/mm-pionius-bishop-of-the-church-at-smyrna-nailed-to-a-piece-of-wood-and-burned-alive-in-the-city-of-smyrna-for-the-testimon/) Babylas, bishop of the church of Antioch, the capital of Syria, situated on the river Orontes, was a very godly and faithful shepherd of the flock of Christ. Knowing beforehand that this severe persecution was threatening the church of Christ, he very diligently instructed not only men and women, but also children in the principles of the Christian faith, and constantly admonished them in his preaching, not only to believe in Christ, but also to suffer for his name. Touching the cause of his imprisonment, the ancients have briefly described it thus: namely, that the Emperor Decius came to one of the congregations of the Christians, and requested to be admitted; but that the shepherd of that congregation or church, namely Babylas, in order to spare the congregations, opposed him boldly, saying, that it was not lawful for him thus audaciously to enter the house of the living God, and to view the mysteries of the Lord with his polluted eyes, or to 131 touch them with his murderous hands still covered with blood. The Emperor, unable to bear this, had Babylas, together with several others, seized, bound with chains, and placed in severe confinement. Those who were apprehended with him, and were finally put to death, were, as appears from the records, three young men, brothers, and were called, Urban, Philidian, and Epolonius; who, as some suppose, were his bodily, but according to others, his spiritual children, because he had won them for Christ through the doctrine of the truth. When the hour of his departure began to draw near, that he was to be offered, and his disciples or other good friends came to visit him in prison, he earnestly asked, as a last request of them, to bury him with his fetters, chains, and bonds. Concerning his death, Eusebius Pamphilius writes: “Bishop Babylas fell asleep in the Lord, in prison, at Antioch, after having made his confession, in all things like Alexander.” Hist. Eccl. Edit. A. D. 1588, lib. 6, cap. 39, fol. 121, letters F, G. But as all the other fathers who have written of Babylas speak of him as a martyr, they also state that he was executed with the sword. The records of his death, faithfully collected by Suidas and others from the most ancient writers, read thus: “When Babylas was sentenced by the Emperor Decius to be beheaded, together with the aforementioned three young men, he sang the comforting words of the 116th psalm, on his way to the place of execution: ‘Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. He hath delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.’ ” When Babylas and the three young men had arrived at the place where they were to be beheaded, Babylas begged, that they would first put to death before his eyes, the three youths (whether they were his bodily or his spiritual children) so that they might not be deterred or discouraged by his death from dying for the name of Christ. While the executioners were busy executing the children, he prayed to the Lord, saying: “Here am I, Lord, and the children whom thou hast given me.” And thus he encouraged the children, steadfastly to suffer for the Lord. After this, Babylas also fell asleep very peacefully in the Lord, having commended his soul into the hands of the Lord, to bring it to the eternal rest of which he had spoken immediately before his death. The mother of these children, and the brethren of the church of Antioch buried the dead bodies of these martyrs in a decent manner, together with the chains and fetters with which Babylas had been bound during his life. Thus, this good father and his dear children took an honorable departure from this world together on the same day, and are awaiting now the blessed hope and the revelation of the great God, and their Savior, Jesus Christ, for whose honor and glory they suffered these things. Abr. Mell., 1st book, fol. 68, col. 4, and fol. 69, col. 1, 2, from Euseb., lib. 6, cap. 29. Epiphan. lib. de Mens. and Pond. Hieron. Catal. in Origene. Chrysost. Eunt. Gent. and Homil. 9 ad Ephes. Suidas in Babyla. acta ex Patribus Collecta. Suid. in Hist. sub. nom. Babylæ. NOTE.—P. J. Twisck, who begins this persecution by Decius, with the year 251, fixes the death of this man, Babylas, in the second year of his reign, namely, A. D. 252. Chron. 3d book, p. 70, col. 1, from Hist. Andr., fol. 21. But Abr. Mellinus, who begins the persecution with the year 253, fixes his death in A. D. 254 (although the printer has erroneously made it A. D. 264; for Decius reigned only two years), and this is consequently the second year of Decius. We have followed the latter author. ## Original source [Read this passage on Project Gutenberg](https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/65855/pg65855-images.html#Page_131) [Edition details](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65855) [Previous page: NEMESIUS, A PIOUS CHRISTIAN, BURNED FOR HIS FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST, TOGETHER WITH SEVERAL MALEFACTORS, AT ALEXANDRIA, ABOUT THE YEAR 253.](/en/stories/mm-nemesius-a-pious-christian-burned-for-his-faith-in-jesus-christ-together-with-several-malefactors-at-alexandria-about-th/) · [Book contents](/en/sources/martyrs-mirror/#book-contents) · [Next page: PIONIUS, BISHOP OF THE CHURCH AT SMYRNA, NAILED TO A PIECE OF WOOD AND BURNED ALIVE, IN THE CITY OF SMYRNA, FOR THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS CHRIST, A. D. 254.](/en/stories/mm-pionius-bishop-of-the-church-at-smyrna-nailed-to-a-piece-of-wood-and-burned-alive-in-the-city-of-smyrna-for-the-testimon/) --- Page: https://history.truechristian.church/en/stories/mm-babylas-bishop-of-the-church-at-antioch-and-three-youths-urban-philidian-and-epolonius-beheaded-at-antioch-for-the-name/ [Contribute a correction or addition](https://github.com/trueChristian/history.truechristian.church/issues/new?title=Correction%3A+Babylas%2C+Bishop+Of+The+Church+At+Antioch%2C+And+Three+Youths%2C+Urban%2C+Philidian%2C+And+Epolonius%2C+Beheaded+At+Antioch%2C+For+The+Name+Of+Jesus+Christ%2C+About+The+Year+254.&body=%23%23+Page+or+topic%0ABabylas%2C+Bishop+Of+The+Church+At+Antioch%2C+And+Three+Youths%2C+Urban%2C+Philidian%2C+And+Epolonius%2C+Beheaded+At+Antioch%2C+For+The+Name+Of+Jesus+Christ%2C+About+The+Year+254.%0A%0APage%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fhistory.truechristian.church%2Fen%2Fstories%2Fmm-babylas-bishop-of-the-church-at-antioch-and-three-youths-urban-philidian-and-epolonius-beheaded-at-antioch-for-the-name%2F%0A%0ARecord%3A+mm-babylas-bishop-of-the-church-at-antioch-and-three-youths-urban-philidian-and-epolonius-beheaded-at-antioch-for-the-name%0A%0ADate+currently+shown%3A+c.+254%0A%0A%23%23+Correction+or+addition%0A%0A%0A%0A%23%23+Sources+and+evidence%0APlease+include+book%2Fpage+references%2C+archive+links%2C+or+first-hand+documentation.%0A%0A%0A%0A%23%23+Image+credit+%28if+applicable%29%0ACreator%2C+source%2C+and+permission+or+public-domain+basis.%0A%0A%0A%0ASubmitted+for+review%3B+this+issue+does+not+publish+changes+automatically.)