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Ephesus
Seven Sleepers

The heroes of a famous legend that, because it affirmed the resurre ction of the dead, had a lasting popularity in all
Christendom and in Islām during the
Middle Ages. According to the story, during the persecution of
Christians (ad 250) under the
Roman emperor Decius, seven (eight in some versions)
Christian soldiers were concealed near their native city of Ephesus in a cave to which the entry was later sealed. There, having protected themselves from being forced to do pagan sacrifices, they fell into a miraculous sleep. During the reign (ad 408–450) of the Eastern Roman emperor
Theodosius II, the cave was reopened, and the Sleepers awoke.

The emperor was moved by their miraculous presence and by their witness to their
Christian
doctrine of the body’s resurrection. Having explained the profound meaning of their experience, the Seven died, whereupon
Theodosius ordered their remains to be richly enshrined; and he absolved all bishops who had been persecuted for believing in the Resurrection.
Located on the northern slopes of Mount
Pion, near
Ephesus, The
Grotto of Seven
Sleepers has been discovered by both
Christians and
Moslems with a growing interest.
According to the Christian legend seven young men were walled in during the reign of Decius (250) and yet were seen alive in the streets of
Ephesus during
the reign of
Theodosius II some years after the Council of
Ephesus (431). In the Koran, it is claimed that the sleepers slept
309 years in their tombs. A church has been built above this
Grotto
by the Christians.
During excavations in the area, the
church and
several tombs have been brought to daylight. Some inscriptions of
Seven Sleepers have been noticed on the walls of the church.
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