Saint Socrates and Stephen
Venerated inEastern Orthodox Church
Roman Catholic Church
Feast17 September

Socrates and Stephen (both died circa 307) are a pair of Christian martyrs. Their feast day is 17 September.

They are recorded in certain martyrologies as having been martyred in Britain during the persecution of Diocletian,[1] which took place from 303 to 311. With Saint Alban and Saints Julius and Aaron, they are the only victims registered in the Martyrologies as British.

Tradition puts the scene of the martyrdom of Saints Socrates and Stephen in South Wales. But this is very uncertain.[2] It has been conjectured by some that what may have happened was that "in Britannia" was mistakenly written for "in Bithynia".[3]

Notes

  1. ^ Butler, Alban (1799). The Lives of the Primitive Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints... Vol. IX (3rd ed.). J. Moir. p. 237. Their names are illustrious in the British martyrologies.
  2. ^ Monks of Ramsgate. "Socrates and Stephen". Book of Saints 1921. CatholicSaints.Info. 1 September 2016Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ Farmer, David. The Oxford Dictionary of Saints 5th rev. ed, OUP, 2011 ISBN 9780199596607

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