The Nicene Age · AD 313–400
Miles of Susa
bishop before AD 315; martyred c. 340/341 · Bishop of Susa · Martyr · Susa (Beth Huzaye), Sasanian Persia
The Nicene Age
Who Miles of Susa was
A former Persian soldier who converted, became bishop of Susa, and led the opposition to Papa bar Aggai’s claim of primacy for Seleucia-Ctesiphon. Sozomen knew his Syriac Life and retells it: failing to win a city, he cursed it, and it was later destroyed by the king’s own army. He had travelled to Jerusalem and to the monks of Egypt before his death. His is the earliest Persian martyrdom with a witness inside the horizon — the Syriac Martyrology of 411.
Also listed in martyrs and bishops beyond the great sees.
Common questions
When did Miles live?
Miles of Susa is dated bishop before AD 315; martyred c. 340/341 in the archive, which places Miles 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 Miles?
Miles of Susa is named in 2 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Syriac Martyrology of 411 and Sozomen. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Miles from?
The archive associates Miles of Susa with Susa (Beth Huzaye), Sasanian Persia. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Who were Miles’ contemporaries?
The archive links Miles of Susa to 2 other figures, including Papa bar Aggai and Shapur II. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.
Primary-source mentions (2)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
The Syriac Martyrology of 411 (the earliest surviving Christian calendar of the East)
c. AD 411[The earliest witness — within the horizon — to the commemoration of Mar Miles.]Syriac Martyrology of 411 · Martyrology of 411
The Syriac martyrology copied at Edessa in AD 411 and bound into British Library Add. 12150 — the oldest surviving Christian calendar of saints. Edited by François Nau in Patrologia Orientalis 10 (1915).
Ecclesiastical History II.14 (the persecution under Shapur II)
c. AD 445Miles, former Persian soldier, who converted and became a bishop… Miles also went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem and to the monks of Egypt.Sozomen · Ecclesiastical History II.14 · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 272 · Aurelian awards the Antioch church, AD 272
- AD 301 · Hripsime and her company, AD 301
- AD 303 · The Great Persecution begins, AD 303
- AD 303 · The search of the church at Cirta, AD 303
- AD 306 · The Council of Elvira, AD 306
- AD 311 · Galerius’ edict of Serdica, AD 311
- AD 313 · The Edict of Milan, AD 313
- AD 314 · The Council of Arles, AD 314
- AD 320 · Silvanus tried before Zenophilus, AD 320
- AD 325 · The Council of Nicaea, AD 325
- AD 339 · The persecution of Shapur II, AD 339
Place
Places served
The 2 places the sources put Miles, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.
- 1Susa
- 2Sasanian Persiaprovince only