Machine translation of the 1948–1954 Italian original. The original text is authoritative.
BABILA, saint, martyr. - Bishop of Antiochia, d. in 250. He would be that bishop who did not allow the emperor Filippo to enter the church except after performing the penance imposed upon him. Thus the Chronicon Paschale (which reports the testimony of the Antiochian bishop Leonzio, d. in 358) and the Liber in s. Babylon, attributed by many to s. Giovanni Crisostomo; Eusebio likewise recounts this event, but indicates neither the name of the bishop nor that of the city.
According to Eusebio, B. died in prison at Antiochia, whereas Crisostomo, following a less reliable tradition, says that he was beheaded. Buried in the Christian cemetery of the city, he was transferred to the suburb of Dafne by the Caesar Gallo (351–54) and again removed by Giuliano l'Apostata. The Martiro-logi siriao, geronimiano e romano commemorate him on 24 January with three children.
(fot. Alinari)
BABELE, TORRE di - Construction of the Tower of B. and confusion of tongues. Mosaic in the atrium of S. Marco in Venezia (13th century).
BIBL.: Eusebio, Hist. ecl., VI, 34 e 30; G. Crisostomo (dubbio), Liber in s. Babylam contra Julianum et contra Gentiles, 6 e 11; PG 50, 541 e 549-50; Chronicon Paschale, ed. L. Dindorf, I, Bonn 1832, pp. 503-504; Martyr. Hieronyminum, pp. 59-60; Martyr. Romanum, pp. 33-34; P. Franchi de' Cavalieri, in Note Agriografiche, VII (Studi e Testi, 49), Roma 1928, pp. 147-48; H. Delchaye, Les origines du culte des Martyrs, 2ª ed., Bruxelles 1933, pp. 36, 54, 193-95 e passim. Cesario van Hulst
Cite this article
“BABILA, SANTO, MARTIRE.” Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. II (1949), p. 373. Azione Romana digital edition, https://azioneromana.com/article/babila-santo-martire.
