The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire · Character
The Seven Sleepers of Ephesus
Also known as Seven Sleepers
- Supporting
- First seen · Book 1 · Ch. 148
There's something timeless about their stillness, as if they've stepped outside the ordinary flow of days. Their youth seems preserved like wine sealed in amphorae, waiting for a moment centuries away.
- Gender
- male
- Age
- Youths at time of concealment, appeared unchanged after 187 years
- First appears
- Book 1 · Ch. 148
- Books
- 1
The Seven Sleepers of Ephesus were seven noble Christian youths who concealed themselves in a cavern during persecution, only to awaken 187 years later during the reign of Theodosius II. Their miraculous preservation and subsequent peaceful death became one of Christianity's most enduring legends of divine protection.
Description
Seven noble youths of Ephesus, appearing as young men with dark hair and olive skin, dressed in simple late Roman clothing. Their faces bear expressions of serene peace, their forms preserved unchanged as if time itself had paused around their resting place in the cavern.
Story so far
BOOK 1The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire / Table of Contents with links in the HTML file to the two Project Gutenberg editions (12 volumes)
Appearances
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