Martyr
Martyr Ismail the Persian, of Chalcedon
IV век — †362
Martyr Ismail the Persian — one of three martyr-brothers (Manuel, Sabel, Ismail), sons of a pagan Persian nobleman and a Christian mother who secretly baptized them; serving as envoys of the Persian king Alamundar, they refused to take part in a pagan sacrifice and were tortured to death by order of Emperor Julian the Apostate at Chalcedon in 362.
Martyr Ismail was one of three brothers — Manuel, Sabel, and Ismail — born to a pagan Persian nobleman; their mother, a secret Christian, baptized and raised her sons in the faith.
The brothers served as military envoys of the Persian (Arab-Persian) client-king Alamundar, sent to negotiate a peace treaty with the Roman Emperor Julian the Apostate (r. 361-363). When they were required to take part in a pagan sacrifice, they refused and openly confessed themselves Christians.
For this, Julian ordered them imprisoned at Chalcedon and subjected to brutal torture: they were nailed by their hands and feet to trees, nails were driven into their heads, and needles were pushed under their fingernails — and finally they were beheaded by the sword. According to tradition, when Julian ordered the martyrs' bodies burned, an earthquake occurred that swallowed their remains; two days later the relics miraculously reappeared, giving off fragrance, which converted many pagans to Christ.
The martyrdom is dated to 362, consistent with the reign of Julian the Apostate (361-363).