Mar Shimun Bar Sabbai - The persecuted Patriarch of great faith

The commemoration of our late Patriarch Mar Shimun Bar Sabbai was celebrated in our Church calendar last Friday. As we look to this great historical leader, let us take a moment to reflect upon the great faith he upheld in his Lord as a leader and shepherd of the persecuted flock of the Assyrian Church of the East during the Persian reign of King Sapor II (339-379 A.D).

When the Persian emperor began a war with the recently converted Christian Roman empire, Sapor was influenced by the native Zoroastrian priests of his nation to persecute the Christians of Persia; namely, the members of the Church of the East.

Christians were ordered to pay a double tax as a contribution to the cost of war and Mar Shimun Bar Sabbai, the Catholicos Patriarch was ordered to collect this tax from his people. Mar Shimun refused to collect the tax on the grounds that his people were poor, and he was not a tax collector.

Mar Shimun was immediately arrested and the destruction of our churches and church property immediately followed. Mar Shimun was offered freedom for himself and his people if he would worship the sun, the Emperor’s God only once.

Mar Shimun’s response that led him to his timely destiny will forever be remembered in history: “The sun went into mourning when its Lord and Creator died”.

The Emperor begged the Patriarch in the name of their personal friendship to yield; but the Catholicos Patriarch remained firm, and on the morning of Good Friday along with five bishops and a hundred clergy, he sealed his testimony with his blood in the year 339 A.D.

Mar Shimun Bar Sabbai suffered for two noble causes, his faith in Christ and his duty to his people. Let us make the persecutions that our forefathers endured for their faith stand as a constant reminder for us to not take our faith in Christ, and our freedom to worship Him for granted.

In the moments when we are tempted to turn away from our God even just once through the many distractions we face in the 21^st century, let us be encouraged by the strong, unswerving faith of Mar Shimun Bar Sabbai, who wilfully accepted martyrdom instead of denying His God  for even just one moment.