| Theban Legion |
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| ancient roman saints | |
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| egyptian saints | |
| 286 deaths | |
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It should be noted at the outset that there are no official inscriptions mentioning a "Theban" legion, and that such a naming does not follow the Roman conventions by which the historical legions were identifiedNote the existence of Legio I ''Maximiana'' , also known as ''Maximiana Thebaeorum'' ('' Notitia Dignitatum '', VII ).. Denis Van Bercham of the University of Geneva disputed the veracity of the legend of the Theban legion in his work "The Martyrdom of the Theban Legion" (Balse, 1956). He determined that the timelines were incorrect, the practice of decimation had not been practiced for at least a century (see Ammianus Marcellinus for Julian's misinterpretation of decimation) and that service by Christians in the pre-Constintine army was relatively rare. One scholarly publication published University College Cork Professor of Classics David Woods' article "The Origin of the Legend of Maurice and the Theban Legion", Journal of Ecclesiastical History 45 (1994), 385-95, which determined that the model of Maurice and the Theban Legion based on Eucherious' letter was a complete fiction. According to the tradition the garrison of the Legion was the city of Thebes, Egypt . There the Legion were quartered in the east until the emperor Maximian ordered them to march to Gaul, to assist him against the rebels of Burgundy. The Theban Legion was commanded in its march by Mauritius, Candidus, and Exupernis, all of whom are venerated as saints. At the Swiss town of Saint Maurice-en-Valais , then called Aguanum (see Aargau ), so it was said, the bloody orders were given— since the Legion had refused to a man, to sacrifice to the Emperor— to "decimate" it by putting to death a tenth of its men. This act was repeated until none were left. Bodies identified as the martyrs of Aguanum were discovered and identified by Theodore, Bishop of Octudurum, who was in office at 350. The basilica he built in their honor attracted many pilgrims; its remains can still be seen, part of the abbey begun in the early 6th century on land donated by King Sigismund Of Burgundy . The earliest surviving document describing "the holy Martyrs who have made Aguanum illustrious with their blood" is a letter from Eucherius, Bishop Of Lyon written about 450, which describes the succession of witnesses from the martyrdom to his time, a span of about 150 years. The bishop had journied to Agaunum, and reports on his visit: "We often hear, do we not, a particular locality or city is held in high honour because of one single martyr who died there, and quite rightly, because in each case the saint gave his precious soul to the most high God. How much more should this sacred place, Aguanum, be reverenced, where so many thousands of martyrs have been slain, with the sword, for the sake of Christ." Eucherius' letter to Bishop Salvius reinforced the existing pilgrimage. Many were coming from diverse provinces of the empire, according to Eucherius, devoutly to honor these saints, and (important for the abbey of Aguanum) to offer presents of gold, silver and other things. He mentions many miracles, such as casting out of devils and other kinds of healing "which the power of the Lord works there every day through the intercession of his saints." The tale was embroidered in later retellings and figured in the '' Golden Legend '' of Jacobus De Voragine and was included among the Persecution Of Christians detailed in '' Foxe's Book Of Martyrs '', an early Protestant stand-by. The tradition is strengthened by the historical reputation of the Eremite s and other Hermit saints of the Egyptian desert, the most famous of whom was Saint Anthony and the almost fanatical Christian following they inspired during the first two centuries. The first monks in the Christian tradition are known as the "Desert Fathers". Saints associated with the Theban legion:
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