Holy Hieromartyr Peter of Kapitōlias, Bishop of Buṣrâ

Saint Peter of Bayt Ra’as

Today in the Holy Orthodox Church, the fourth of October, we commemorate an early eighth-century martyr of the Islâmic conquests, an Arab bishop by the name of Peter. His Life was committed to writing by Saint John of Damascus. The original Greek of this document has been lost to time, but it still exists in a Georgian language recension.

Saint Peter [Gk. Πέτρος, Ar. Buṭrus بطرس] lived in what is now northwestern Jordan on the eastern side of the Jordan River, some thirty miles from the border with Syria, in what was then the Aramaic-speaking town of Kapitōlias – but which is now the Jordanian village of Bayt Ra’as. He lived much of his early life in this town – he married a woman and they had three children; he also became a priest who earned a good reputation as a man of compassion and careful forethought. After his wife’s death, at the age of thirty, he chose to become a monk.

The Christian community greatly esteemed Peter, and they chose him to succeed as Bishop of Buṣrâ. Although he did not enter this position willingly, he served faithfully for over twenty years, though the coming of Islâm troubled his flock, and many of them converted to the new creed – whether under threats of compulsion or under the enticements of riches and status. Saint Peter began to take steps to halt the advance of Islâm among his people, encouraging them to embrace instead an ethic of martyrdom – if not embracing death for Christ’s sake, at least enduring the material deprivation that was the result of jizya taxation and proscription from high office.

When Peter turned sixty, he was infected with a serious illness that, it seemed, would end his life. He called several of the notables of Damascus to him, including Muslims as well as Christians. They expected, given the news of Peter’s illness, that he would entrust to them his last wishes and get his affairs in order. Instead, when they arrived, Peter launched into an animated, spirited apologia of the Christian doctrines, of Christ’s death and Resurrection and of the Holy Trinity. He imprecated the Islâmic creed publicly, before several high-ranking Muslims. Yet, intriguingly enough, at this point they took no action against him – Saint Peter’s jeremiad was interpreted by the Muslims as the ravings of an old man in his illness. The Muslims decided to leave him alone.

Yet the bishop of Buṣrâ recovered his health and his strength, and instead of backing down, he redoubled his invective against those who would mutilate the Trinity. He proclaimed Christ Who is Risen on the street corners and in public squares of Bayt Ra’as, in a loud voice amplified by his faith and by the grace of God. No longer could the Muslims ignore him, or write off his proclamation of the Truth as the ravings of a man in fever.

And so he was arrested and brought before the Caliph of Damascus, al-Walîd. As he was being led from Kapitōlias to Damascus, the Christians of his city turned out of their homes and followed him as he was led into the city. In answer to the questions from the Caliph, the Bishop of Buṣrâ was fiery and defiant, and proclaimed Christ Risen every bit as loudly in al-Walîd’s presence as he had in the markets and on the streets. Al-Walîd sentenced the bishop to a particularly cruel and torturous method of mutilation and execution, to be carried out in Bayt Ra’as in full view of the people – and especially in front of his sons.

The executioners brought the people of Bayt Ra’as out into the main square and forced them to watch as Saint Peter’s tongue was cut out and his right hand and foot severed. They left him shackled there for a full day, then came back and severed his left hand and foot. Then they put out his eyes and nailed him to a cross, piercing his body with a spear three times. In this way the good and great Bishop attained to the crown of martyrdom in Christ, Whom he loved dearly. Saint Peter of Bayt Ra’as reposed on the eleventh of January, in the year 715. On the orders of the Caliph, in order to prevent the veneration of his relics, the soldiers kept watch over his body for five days, after which the remains of Saint Peter were burnt and the ashes scattered into a nearby river. They even took care to wash everything that Saint Peter touched so as to prevent Christians from venerating these objects.

Even so, the Christians in Buṣrâ continued to remember and venerate Saint Peter even if his relics were no longer present with them. Thanks to Saint John of Damascus, we still remember him and venerate him to this day. Holy hieromartyr Peter, you who showed your people the way of martyrdom in Christ, pray unto Him that our souls may be saved!