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History Series: Telemachus
History of Telemachus: the Monk Who Ended the Roman Gladiatorial Games
January 1, A.D. 404
January 1, A.D. 404, marked Rome’s last known gladiatorial games.
What part did an obscure Christian monk from the East play in this epic change in Roman entertainment?
This is the story of St. Telemachus, whose festival is celebrated today and has been remembered throughout the last 1600 years.
You may have never heard of the name. Or you may know it as the name of the son of Homer’s Odysseus (Ulysses), who was tutored and protected by Mentor while his father was away fighting in the Trojan War.
Here’s the background of the little-known monk, how he brought an end to the Imperial gladiatorial games, and how the story has been adapted over the centuries until it was used 40 years ago by an American President at an international event.
Origin of Telemachus Narrative
The church historian Theodoret, bishop of Cyrrhus in Syria, first told the story in the 5th century in his succinctly titled Ecclesiastical History, a History of the Church in 5 Books from A.D. 322 to the Death of Theodore of…