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ID: 901000034
Page link: http://vocab.getty.edu/page/ia/901000034
Record Type: Event/Narrative

Seven Sleepers of Ephesus (Christian narrative)

Note: Christian story cited as a metaphor for the doctrine of the Resurrection of the Body. According to the story, during the persecution of Christians under the Roman emperor Decius, seven (eight in some versions) Christian soldiers, in order to avoid pagan sacrifices, were concealed in a cave near Ephesus, to which the entry was later sealed. They fell into a miraculous sleep, being rescued 200 years later under the Eastern Roman emperor Theodosius II. The story is one of the many examples of the legend about a person who falls asleep and years later wakes up to find the world changed. Main source for the story is Menologion (Lives of Saints, Symeon Metaphrastes, 10th century); the story may have some connection to the account of the people of the cave mentioned in the Qur'an. The earlier origins of the seven sleepers could include ancient Hindu scriptures of the story of the deity Indra who underwent penance in hiding in a lotus stem.

Names:
Seven Sleepers of Ephesus (Christian narrative) (preferred,English-P,D,P)
Seven Sleepers (Christian narrative) (English,U,N)
Sept dormants (Christian narrative) (French,U,P)
Septem dormientes (Christian narrative) (Latin,U,P)
De septem dormientibus (Christian narrative) (Latin,U,P)
Siebenschläfer (Christian narrative) (German,U,P)
Sieben Schläfer (Christian narrative) (German,U,P)
Zevenslapers (Christian narrative) (Dutch,U,P)
Set dormanz (Christian narrative) (undetermined,U,P)
اصحاب الکھف (Christian narrative) (Arabic,U,P)

Hierarchical Position:
Legend, Religion, Mythology (P)
....<Christian iconography> (P)
........<Other Christian narratives> (P)
............Seven Sleepers of Ephesus (Christian narrative) (I)
Related Iconography:
source is .... Menologion
..........(Literature and Performing Arts, Named written and performed works, Literary works: History, Biographies, Menologion (hagiographies, Symeon Metaphrastes, 10th century)) [901001186]
source is .... Golden Legend
..........(Literature and Performing Arts, Named written and performed works, Literary works: History, Biographies, Golden Legend (biographies, Da Voragine, ca. 1260)) [901001158]
has parallels with .... Penance of Indra
..........(Legend, Religion, Mythology, Hindu iconography, Hindu narratives, Penance of Indra (Hindu narrative)) [901001199]

Other Relationships:
actor is .... Theodosius II, Emperor of Rome (Byzantine emperor, 401-450)
.....(Non-Artists) (ULAN)
topic is .... miracles
.....(events (activities), Events (hierarchy name)) (AAT)
topic is .... resurrection (doctrinal concept)
.....(doctrinal concepts, religious concepts, religions and religious concepts, Associated Concepts (hierarchy name)) (AAT)
actor is .... sleeper (person by common activity)
.....(groups of people by activity, groups of people, people (agents), People (hierarchy name)) (AAT)
located in .... Ephesus
.....(İzmir, Turkey, Asia) (TGN)
actor is .... Caesar Gaius Messius Quintus Traianus Decius Augustus (Roman emperor, 201-251)
.....(Non-Artists) (ULAN)
actor is .... soldiers
.....(people in military occupations, people by occupation, people (agents), People (hierarchy name)) (AAT)

Sources:
Seven Sleepers of Ephesus (Christian narrative)
................Catholic Encyclopedia [online], republished from 1913 edition (2003-) accessed 7 October 2010
................Encyclopedia Britannica Online (2002-) accessed 7 October 2010
................Library of Congress Authorities online (2002-) n 93104580
Seven Sleepers (Christian narrative)
................Catholic Encyclopedia [online], republished from 1913 edition (2003-)
Sept dormants (Christian narrative)
................Library of Congress Authorities online (2002-)
Septem dormientes (Christian narrative)
................Encyclopedia Britannica Online (2002-)
De septem dormientibus (Christian narrative)
................Library of Congress Authorities online (2002-)
Siebenschläfer (Christian narrative)
................Library of Congress Authorities online (2002-)
Sieben Schläfer (Christian narrative)
................Wikipedia (2000-)
Zevenslapers (Christian narrative)
................Library of Congress Authorities online (2002-)
Set dormanz (Christian narrative)
................Library of Congress Authorities online (2002-)
اصحاب الکھف (Christian narrative)
................Archaeology Magazine [online] (2000-)
Iconography Record Sources:
................ Catholic Encyclopedia [online], republished from 1913 edition (2003-) accessed 7 October 2010
................ Encyclopedia Britannica Online (2002-) accessed 7 October 2010
................ Iconclass Illustrated Edition (2022-) 11H(SEVEN SLEEPERS) the Seven Sleepers (children) of Ephesus
................ Ashmolean Museum of Art [online] (2000-) http://www.ashmolean.org/ash/objects/makedetail.php?pmu=730&mu=732>y=qsea&sec=&dtn=15&sfn=Artist%20Sort,Title&cpa=1&rpos=0&key=AN1988.23
................ Metropolitan Museum of Art [online] (2001-) http://metmuseum.org/exhibitions/view?exhibitionId={9302f8ac-f691-48ff-a8e0-030b3299e284}&oid=469857

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