BABILA, SANTO, MARTIRE - Enciclopedia Cattolica, Vol. II, p. 373

Machine translation of the 1948–1954 Italian original. The original text is authoritative.

BABYLAS, Saint, Martyr. — Bishop of Antioch in 250. He is said to be the bishop who did not allow Emperor Philip to enter the church until he had performed the penance imposed upon him. This is reported by the *Chronicon Paschale* (which cites the testimony of the Antiochene bishop Leontius, d. 358) and the *Liber in s. Babilam*, attributed by many to St. John Chrysostom; Eusebius also relates this event, but does not mention either the name of the bishop or that of the city.

According to Eusebius, B. died in prison at Antioch, while Chrysostom, following a less reliable tradition, states that he was beheaded. Buried in the Christian cemetery of the city, his remains were later transferred to the suburb of Daphne by Caesar Gallus (351–54) and again removed by Julian the Apostate. The Syriac, Hieronymian, and Roman *Martyrologies* commemorate him on January 24 together with three children.

BIBL.: Eusebius, *Hist. eccl.*, VI, 34 and 39; G. Chrysostom (doubtful), *Liber in s. Babylon contra Iulianum et contra Gentiles*, 6 and 11; PG 50, 541 and 549–50; *Chronicon Paschale*, ed. L. Dindorf, I, Bonn 1832, pp. 503–504; *Martyrologium Hieronymianum*, pp. 59–60; *Martyrologium Romanum*, pp. 33–34; P. Franchi de’ Cavalieri, in *Note Allegoriche*, VII (*Studi e Testi*, 49), Rome 1928, pp. 147–48; H. Delehaye, *Les origines du culte des Martyrs*, 2nd ed., Brussels 1933, pp. 36, 54, 193–95 and passim.