The Seven Sleepers is a story from the Christian Bible which tells of seven young men who hid in a cave near Ephesus in the 2nd century AD. According to the story, they were persecuted for their religious beliefs and sought refuge in the cave, where they fell asleep for two hundred years. When they awoke, they found that the world had changed dramatically.
Background of the Seven Sleepers
The story of the Seven Sleepers is found in the Christian Bible, specifically in the book of II Maccabees. This book is part of the Apocrypha, a collection of books written between 300 BC and 400 AD that were not accepted into the Jewish or Protestant canons. According to the account, in 250 AD, Emperor Decius issued an edict that all Christians must worship the Roman gods or face death.
The Cave of the Seven Sleepers
The Seven Sleepers were seven young men from Ephesus who refused to renounce their faith in Christ and were thus persecuted by the Roman government. To avoid capture, they hid in a cave near the city. The entrance to the cave was sealed with a large stone, trapping them inside. As they slept, the people of the city forgot about them and two hundred years passed.
The Awakening of the Seven Sleepers
In 449 AD, the Roman Empire had become Christian and Emperor Theodosius II ordered the cave to be opened. When the stone was removed, the Seven Sleepers awoke and were amazed to find that the world had changed so much. They were also surprised to discover that they had not aged a single day.
The End of the Story
The Seven Sleepers were brought before the Emperor and told him their story. The Emperor was so impressed by their faith that he granted them their freedom and declared that they should be remembered as a symbol of Christian heroism. The Seven Sleepers eventually died and were buried in a nearby church. The story of their miraculous awakening is celebrated every year on August 8th as the Feast of the Seven Sleepers.