Azad

d. c. AD 342 (martyr) · Palatine eunuch · Favourite of Shapur II · Martyr · Seleucia-Ctesiphon (Sasanian Persia)

The Nicene Age

Who Azad was

A eunuch of the palace and a personal favourite of the king, whose death changed the shape of the whole persecution. Shapur was so grieved by it that he issued a second edict restricting the killing to bishops, priests, monks and nuns — so the general slaughter of the Persian laity ends, on Sozomen’s account, because one courtier was killed by mistake. Distinct from the deacon Azadan.

Verified single attestation

Named once in the sources within the horizon; no other ancient witness names him.

Also listed in martyrs.

Common questions

When did Azad die?

Azad is dated d. c. AD 342 (martyr) in the archive, which places Azad in the Nicene Age (AD 313–400). The dating is traditional and approximate; the archive marks it as uncertain rather than fixing a year the sources do not give.

Which early sources mention Azad?

Azad is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from Sozomen. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.

Where was Azad from?

The archive associates Azad with Seleucia-Ctesiphon (Sasanian Persia).

Who were Azad’s contemporaries?

The archive links Azad to 2 other figures, including Usthazades and Shapur II. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.

Primary-source mentions (1)

Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.

Ecclesiastical History II.11 (the persecution under Shapur II)

c. AD 445

The eunuch Azades, a very great favourite with the king, was slain on this occasion; but the king was so afflicted at his death, that he thereupon published another edict, which restrained the persecution from that time to the bishops, priests, monks, and nuns.

Sozomen · Ecclesiastical History II.11 · source text