MĂRŪTĂ, bishop of MARTIROPOLIS (MAJFERQAT), saint. - Born around the middle of the 4th century to the prefect of the province of Sophene, he was an eminent physician and went several times to Persia as envoy of the Byzantine court. Having cured the daughter of Sapor II, he obtained from him the end of the persecution against Christians and many relics of the martyrs, which he deposited at Majferqat, for this reason also called Martiropolis. In 403 M., at Constantinople, took part in the Synod that condemned his friend St. Giovanni Crisostomo. In 410 he was again at Seleucia-Ctesiphon, where he took part in the Synod; indeed, the election in 411 of Mar Ahaj as katholikos is attributed to M. Probably M. remained in Persia for several more years, as the official protector of that Church. He must have died before 420. His feast is on 4 December.
The few writings of M. have value only for the history of law and liturgy. Thus the Treatise on Heresies (ed. I. Rahmani, in Studia Syriaca, IV, Monte Li-
