BahnamChristian Male Biblical name meaning

According to Syriac tradition, Bahnam was an Assyrian monk who lived in the 5th century AD. He is venerated as a saint in the Syrian Orthodox Church. Bahnam is said to have been born in the village of Mar Qardukh in the region of Adiabene. He is known for his heroic acts of feeding the poor and converting non-Christians to Christianity. When the Persian king, Mihr-Nasar, issued a decree ordering all Christians to abandon their faith or face persecution, Bahnam refused and was taken to Persia to be put on trial. During the trial, Bahnam miraculously healed a dying soldier who was present, converting the soldier to Christianity. Impressed by this miracle, the king granted Bahnam and his companions their freedom. Bahnam returned to Adiabene and continued his work of converting non-Christians to Christianity.

5th century AD

Another tradition holds that Bahnam was a Christian martyr in Iraq during the Islamic conquest of the 7th century AD. According to this account, Bahnam was a priest in the city of Mosul. When the Muslim army arrived, Bahnam refused to renounce his faith or to pay the jizya tax for non-Muslims. He was subsequently taken captive and taken before the caliph, Umar ibn al-Khattab. Bahnam is said to have miraculously healed the caliph's paralyzed son, converting the caliph's family to Christianity. However, when Umar discovered that Bahnam had not truly converted them, but had only healed his son to save his own life, he had Bahnam executed.

7th century AD