[Peter of Capitolias] was educated in the sacred scriptures
from childhood and held foremost in his soul the study of ecclesiastical laws
and practices, by gathering the mind and his thoughts toward God at every moment
as if he were his only wish and desire and delighting his mouth with divine words.
Therefore, by God’s command and assistance, he learned from the sacred scriptures
by gathering the old and new together. Thus he found the way of salvation, and
he considered everything of this life less significant and more deceptive than
shadows and dreams; instead, he chose to take up the cross and follow the Lord.
(“Passion of Peter of Capitolias (d. 715),” trans. Stephen J. Shoemaker, in Three
Christian Martyrdoms from Early Islamic Palestine [Middle Eastern Texts Initiative;
Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Press, 2016], 7)
