From the text edited by Constantine Suysenko at Acta Sanctorum, October vol. 4, 39-41.
Words and phrases in italics are variant readings noted by Suysenko.
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Sub Decio praeside immanis fuit persecutio Christianorum. Ibidem quaedam erat virgo, nomine Reparata, annorum duodecim; hilari mente erat, corpore casta, Christum adorabat amplius, quam negaret. [Editor's note: Amabat Christum ardentius, quam ut periculum esset, ne eumdem negaret, "She loved Christ so ardently that she would not deny him if there were danger."]
Introit ergo Decius praeses in civitatem Caesariensem: tunc venerunt omnes cives ad eum, et dixerunt ei: Haec Virgo deridet deos nostros, invictissime; et adorat nescimus quem, qui dicitur Christus. Tunc jussit Decius praeses, Puellam ad se venire; et cum eam videret pulcherrimam esse, sermonibus blandis cum ea loqui coepit, dicens: Puella, o felix mater, quae te nutrivit! et ego novi, quia nobili genere orta es, accede huc, et sacrifica diis immortalibus. |
Under the Governor Decius there was a great persecution of Christians [in Caesarea of Palestine]. In that city there was a young girl of twelve named Reparata, cheerful of spirit and chaste of body, who adored Christ more than she feared any peril. When Decius arrived in the city all the citizens came to him and said, "There is a young girl who makes fun of our gods with impunity and adores someone unknown to us by the name of Christus."
Decius ordered the girl to be brought to him, and when he saw how beautiful she was he said to her sweetly, "Girl how happy must be your mother who nursed you. I can tell you are of noble blood. Come here and sacrifice to the immortal gods." |
| 2 Sancta Reparata respondit: Ecce enim, sum plus, minus annorum duodecim, sufficit mihi jam, transituram vitam vidisse; aliam spero, fidens in eum, qui me voluit nasci et utero matris meae, et me ipsam desidero immolare Domino Deo meo, Jesu Christo. Notum tibit sit, inimice Dei excelsi, quia te, et omnes tibi consentientes perdet. Decius praeses dixit: Antequam pereas, consule tibi. S. Reparata respondit: Ego non me possum consolari; consolabitur me Dominus Deus meus, qui pro nobis dignatus est mori. Decius praeses dixit: Si verus est Deus, in quem credis, quomodo in terram descendit et passionem suscepit? S. Reparata respondit: Passionem suscepit, ut nos de laqueo mortis liberaret: induit se formam servitutis ut ad libertatem omnes perduceret. |
2 St. Reparata answered, "I am about twelve years old, enough to have seen the transitoriness of this life. I place my hope in another life, confident in him who wished me born from my mother's womb. It is myself I wish to sacrifice, to my Lord God, Jesus Christ. O enemy of God on high, know that you and all who follow you will perish."
Decius said, "It is you who should take heed, before you perish." St. Reparata answered, "I cannot console myself, it is the Lord my God who consoles me, he who deigned to die for us." Decius said, "If he is truly God, this one you believe in, how is it that he came to earth and had to undergo torment and death?" St. Reparata answered, "He underwent his passion in order to free us from the bonds of death. He put on the form of a slave in order to lead us all to freedom." |
| 3 Decius praeses dixit: Abnega ergo, quem dicis, Christum, et immola diis immortalibus. S. Reparata respondit: Anathema, tu immola diis tuis, stercore plenis: ego autem non cessabo confiteri Dominum meum Jesus Christum, in quem confidit anima mea. Ipsi parata sum immolare hostiam laudis. Decius praeses dixit: Vide, quanta tormenta possis sustinere. S. Reparata respondit: nullo modo me confundis, sed magis confirmas animam meam. Decius praeses dixit: Plumbo ollam implete, et calefactam ante eam afferte. Primum poenam illi ostendite; et, si sacrificare noluerit, sic eam perfundite. S. Reparata respondit: Deus verax est ad liberandam Ancillam suam, et eruet me de hac poena. Haec cum dixisset, continuo exhibuerunt plumbum. Sanctam tum liquato plumbo perfusam, sed illaesam mansisse, plumbo mox frigido facto. |
3 Decius said, "Now deny this one you call Christ and sacrifice to the immortal gods.
St. Reparata answered, "You are cursed. You sacrifice to your gods who are full of shit. But I will not cease to trust in my God, Jesus Christ, and entrust my soul to him. I am ready to sacrifice to him the sacrifice of praise. Decius said, "Let's see how much suffering you can sustain." St. Reparata answered, "You will not disconcert me, you will only strengthen my spirit." Decius said to his men, "Fill a pot with lead and get it boiling. Show it to her, and if she will not sacrifice pour it over her." St. Reparata answered, "God can be trusted to free his servant and save me from this pain." When she had said this, they showed her the hot lead again. When the it was poured over her it immediately went cold and she was unharmed. |
| 4 Decius praeses dixit: Qualis duritia Virginis, quae malis tormentis sibi ingerit, jubeo dari sententiam. S. Reparata respondit: Ego malis tormentis sententiam non intro; sed plurimum adjuvor a Domino meo. Decius praeses dixit: Lampades accendite, et mamillas de pectore ejus abstollite. S. Reparata respondit: Frigidus est ignis tuus; me autem amplificavit caritas Christi, quem spero videre. Decius praesis dixit: Caminum accendite, et per ignem eam deficite, quo usque pereat. Cumque adimpleretur praeceptum praesidis, et duceretur Puella, et dum intoriret, coepit psallere in camino, dicens: Sicut cedrus exaltata sum super Libanum, et sicut cypressus in montem Syon, quasi myrra dedi suavitatem odoris: et tu, Domine Jesu, fac mecum misericordiam, sicut fecisti Sydrac, Misac, et Abdenago: et deambulabat, quasi super rorem. |
4 Decius said, "She is a tough young woman to sustain such bitter torments, in my opinion."
St. Reparata replied, "They are not bitter torments in my opinion, for I have been helped by my God." Decius said, "Light some torches and burn the breasts off her chest." St. Reparata replied, "Your fire is cold, but mine is made greater by the love of Christ, whom I hope to see." Decius said, "Light the furnace, and burn her to death." When his command was carried out and the girl was brought to the fire and cast into it, she began to sing psalms inside the furnace, saying, "I am raised up like the cedar of Lebanon, and like the cypress on Mount Zion. Like myrrh I have given up the odor of sweetness. O Lord Jesus, have mercy on me as you did for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego." And she walked about in the furnace as if she were walking on dew. |
| 5 Decius vero ante praetorium deambulabat: proxime locus erat ibi, ubi fornax accendebatur; cumque audisset eam psallentem in virtute Dei, dixit ad suos: Ecce, qualis Virgo in malis suis: credo, victi sumus: machaeram afferte, et viscera ejus incidite. Et fecerunt, sicut praecepit: et continuo resolidata sunt membra ejus. Tunc S. Reparata respondit: Haec sunt tormenta tua, antiquissime inveterator malorum dierum? Nihil me potes nocere; sed magis confortas animam meam. Decius praeses dixit excubitoribus suis: Novaculam afferte, et decalvate eam, et per publicanos ducite eam. S. Reparata respondit: Ignominias sustineo, et decalvata in publico pervenire cupio: scio enim, qualiter pro hoc, quod patior, quomodo a te exiget Deus meus, Jesus Christus, inimice Dei. |
5 Decius was also walking about, before the praetorium. The burning furnace was nearby, and he heard her singing of the power of God. He said to his men, "Look how this virgin behaves in the midst of torment. I think we have been defeated. Bring a sword and cut out her bowels."
They did as he said, and her insides kept growing back. Then St. Reparata said, "Are these your torments, ancient artificer of evil? You cannot harm me, only strengthen my spirit." Decius said to his guards, "Bring a razor and shave off her hair, and lead her through the streets." St. Reparata replied, "O enemy of God, I can withstand ignominy and gladly go bald in public, because I know how my God, Jesus Christ, will repay you for what I am suffering." |
| 6 Decius praeses dixit: Si ad deformitatem metuis venire, accede, et immola diis invictissimis. S. Reparata respondit: Audisti, quia dixi tibi: Non immolo diis tuis; sed Deo offero sacrificium mundum, et victimam jubilationis. Vide autem, quid facias; quia in conspectu Judicis mei causam tecum dictura sum. Multi vero ibidem circumstantes compuncti corde territi sunt. Decius praeses dixit: Miror, te tam duro corde esse: jam consule tibi, antequam pereas ab oculis nostris. S. Reparata dixit: O vis diaboli, quantis argumentis mihi insistis! Miser a facie Dei peristi. Decius praeses dixit: Ducite verbosam, et decollate obnoxiam, et caput ipsius auferte ab oculis meis. |
6 Decius said, "If you have any fear of disfigurement give in and sacrifice to the unconquered gods."
St. Reparata said, "Listen to what I tell you. I will not sacrifice to your gods, but to God I offer a pure sacrifice, a jubilant victim. Look out for what you are doing, for I am going to take my case with you to my Judge." At this many who were standing by felt fear in their hearts. Decius said, "I am amazed that you have such a hard heart. Take thought, before you perish here." St. Reparata said, "O power of the devil, how long will you keep arguing. You will vanish wretched from the face of God." Decius said, "Get this obnoxious chatterbox out of my sight and cut off her head." |
| 7 Sancta vero Reparata, cum duceretur a spiculatoribus, ait: Gratias tibi ago, Domine Jesu Christe, qui me de hoc saeculo peregrinationis ad te dignatus es perducere cum palma triumphi virginitatis. Audientes vero spiculatores percutiebant caput ejus, et cecidit: et continuo de collo ejus exivit columba alba, quae primo eam confortabat, cum esset in certamine. Accedentes vero Christiani pauci viri timorati rapuerunt corpus ejus, et conditum aromatibus sepelierunt eum, et requievit in pace octavo Idus Octobris, regnante Domino Jesu Christo, cui est honor et imperium in saecula saeculorum. Amen. | 7 As the executioners were leading her away St. Reparata said, "I thank you, Lord Jesus Christ, who have deigned to lead to you me out of this world of wanderings with the palm of virgin triumph." Hearing this the executioners cut off her head, and it fell, and from her neck there flew a white dove, the spirit that had strengthened her in her tribulations. She rested in peace on the eighth day of October in the reign of the Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be honor and power, world without end. Amen. |
Transcribed and translated by Richard Stracke, Emeritus Professor of English, Georgia Regents University