The Basics: Birth date and place unknown; died 345 in what is now Iran; canonized pre-congregation; feast day, April 22. Martyr.
The Story: Tarbula’s brother, the bishop Symeon, already had been executed by King Shapur II. Symeon’s martyrdom had been particularly cruel; on the day he was beheaded, he was the last of one hundred Christians to be killed. But Tarbula’s end would be even more gruesome. It came when Shapur’s wife fell ill, and religious officials who had Shapur’s ear blamed Tarbula, calling her a sorceress. After her arrest, along with a sister and a servant, one of the priests offered to save the group if Tarbula would be intimate with him. Tarbula refused… and was sawed in half.
What We Can Learn from Tarbula: It’s convenient to find someone to blame when we’re having a problem, the way Shapur, the queen, and the religious leaders blamed Tarbula for the queen’s illness. Where are you unfairly finding fault with someone or putting responsibility for your own actions on someone else?
To Learn More About Tarbula: The Ecclestical History of Sozomen, an early history of the Church, is available online and includes a short chapter on Tarbula.
To Learn More About Other Women Saints and Blesseds: Come back next week, or consider buying my book, Sisterhood of Saints: Daily Guidance and Inspiration.
