The Nicene Age · AD 313–400
Pusai
d. c. AD 341 (martyr) · Chief artisan of the royal household · Martyr · Seleucia-Ctesiphon (Sasanian Persia)
The Nicene Age
Who Pusai was
Superintendent of King Shapur’s craftsmen, and one of the few figures in the persecution whose death is caused by a single sentence. Standing at the execution of Simeon’s hundred clergy he saw the aged presbyter Anninas trembling and told him to close his eyes and take courage. He was arrested on the spot for addressing the king with such freedom, and executed by a method Sozomen describes exactly. His daughter, a consecrated virgin, was denounced and killed the same day.
Named once in the sources within the horizon; no other ancient witness names him.
Also listed in martyrs.
Common questions
When did Pusai die?
Pusai is dated d. c. AD 341 (martyr) in the archive, which places Pusai 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 Pusai?
Pusai 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 Pusai from?
The archive associates Pusai with Seleucia-Ctesiphon (Sasanian Persia).
Who were Pusai’s contemporaries?
The archive links Pusai to 4 other figures, including Anninas, Martha, daughter of Pusai, Simeon bar Sabbae 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 445Pusices, the superintendent of the king’s artisans, was present at the execution; perceiving that Anannias trembled… he said to him, ‘O old man, close your eyes for a little while and be of good courage, for you will soon behold the light of Christ.’ … The executioners pierced the muscles of his neck in such a manner as to extract his tongue.Sozomen · Ecclesiastical History II.11 · 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 one place the sources put Pusai.