Background
He was born in fourth-century Chaldor to a Zoroastrian mother.
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Abdas Susa
Edit ProfileEducation
After Abdas was educated and reached adulthood, he was ordained a Christian priest, and built up in his hometown a monastery and a school, which he took personal care of and which grew to have around 60 teachers, as some say.
Career
The latter educated him in matters of virtue. Abdas baptized many converts in Chaldor, which caused the magi to arrest him. In his prison, Abdas was subjected to humiliations, hunger and pain, but remained a Christian until his release.
This tree brought many people around it, where they built a monastery, which Abdas later joined and used as a base to preach his faith.
Abdas became a bishop over Kaskhar (Susa), and many people become his disciples. Engaged in a dispute with the local magi in AD 420, he was accused of burning down one of their temples, a pyramid of Ahura Mazda.
King Yazdegerd ordered the bishop to restore and repair the building at his own expense. Upon Abdas"s refusal the King ordered the destruction of the churches.
Beyond this, Abdas is supposed to have helped Maruthas in driving out a demon from Yezdegerd"s son.
Nothing else certain is known of him. Tradition adds to this that he was one of the first martyred in the persecution (he was clubbed to death), and for this he is considered a saint. His companions in the killings included the priests Hashu and Isaac, the secretary Ephrem, the hypodeacon Papa, the laymen Daduk and Durdan, and Papa, a brother of Abdas himself.
