ABSTRACT

The 60 martyrs of Gaza were soldiers who were executed for their refusal to convert to Islam shortly after the conquest of that town during the Muslim invasion of Palestine. They were executed in two groups, a first group of 10 at Jerusalem followed by the remaining 50 at Eleutheropolis. In contrast, the late recension requires that the martyrs spent 30 days in Gaza, 2 months in Eleutheropolis, and an unspecified amount of time in Jerusalem before the execution of the first group of martyrs. Bishop Peter Sophronius of Jerusalem had intervened on the part of these martyrs from an early stage with the result that he was already present at Eleutheropolis when an earthquake destroyed the mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem in early 640. An angel brought the news of the plight of the 60 martyrs to Florianus, who happened to be at Jerusalem at the time, immediately following their capture and imprisonment at Gaza.