FOX'S BOOK OF MARTYRS CHAPTER II
FOX'S BOOK OF MARTYRS
CHAPTER II
The Ten Primitive Persecutions
The First Persecution, Under Nero, A.D. 67
The first persecution of the Church took place in the year
67, under Nero, the sixth emperor of Rome. This monarch reigned for the space
of five years, with tolerable credit to himself, but then gave way to the
greatest extravagancy of temper, and to the most atrocious barbarities. Among
other diabolical whims, he ordered that the city of Rome should be set on fire,
which order was executed by his officers, guards, and servants. While the
imperial city was in flames, he went up to the tower of
Macaenas, played upon his harp, sung the song of the burning of Troy, and
openly declared that 'he wished the ruin of all things before his death.'
Besides the noble pile, called the Circus, many other palaces and houses were
consumed; several thousands perished in the flames, were smothered in the
smoke, or buried beneath the ruins.
This dreadful conflagration continued nine days; when Nero, finding that his
conduct was greatly blamed, and a severe odium cast upon him, determined to lay
the whole upon the Christians, at once to
To their names may be added, Erastus, chamberlain of Corinth; Aristarchus, the Macedonian, and Trophimus, an Ephesians, converted by St. Paul, and fellow-laborer with him, Joseph, commonly called Barsabas, and Ananias, bishop of Damascus; each of the Seventy.
The Second Persecution, Under Domitian, A.D. 81
The emperor Domitian, who was naturally inclined to cruelty,
first slew his brother, and then raised the second persecution against the
Christians. In his rage he put to death some of the Roman senators, some
through malice; and others to confiscate their estates. He then commanded all
the lineage of David be put to death.
Among the numerous martyrs that suffered during this persecution was Simeon,
bishop of Jerusalem, who was crucified; and St. John, who was boiled in oil,
and afterward banished to Patmos. Flavia, the daughter of a Roman senator, was
likewise banished to Pontus; and a law was made, "That no Christian, once
brought before the tribunal, should be exempted from punishment without
renouncing his religion."
A variety of fabricated tales were, during this reign, composed in order to
injure the Christians. Such was the infatuation of the pagans, that, if famine,
pestilence, or earthquakes afflicted any of the Roman provinces, it was laid
upon the Christians. These persecutions among the Christians increased the
number of informers and many, for the sake of gain, swore away the lives of the
innocent.
Another hardship was, that, when any Christians were brought before the
magistrates, a test oath was proposed, when, if they refused to take it, death
was pronounced against them; and if they confessed themselves Christians, the
sentence was the same.
The following were the most remarkable among the numerous martyrs who suffered
during this persecution.
Dionysius, the Areopagite, was an Athenian by birth, and educated in all the
useful and ornamental literature of Greece. He then travelled to Egypt to study
astronomy, and made very particular observations on the great and supernatural
eclipse, which happened at the time of our Savior's crucifixion.
The sanctity of his conversation and the purity of his manners recommended him
so strongly to the Christians in general, that he was appointed bishop of
Athens.
Nicodemus, a benevolent Christian of some distinction, suffered at Rome during
the rage of Domitian's persecution.
Protasius and Gervasius were martyred at Milan.
Timothy was the celebrated disciple of St. Paul, and bishop of Ephesus, where
he zealously governed the Church until A.D. 97. At this period, as the pagans
were about to celebrate a feast called Catagogion, Timothy, meeting the
procession, severely reproved them for their ridiculous idolatry, which so
exasperated the people that they fell upon him with their clubs, and beat him
in so dreadful a manner that he expired of the bruises two days later.
The Third Persecution, Under Trajan, A.D. 108
In the third persecution Pliny the Second, a man learned and
famous, seeing the lamentable slaughter of Christians, and moved therewith to
pity, wrote to Trajan, certifying him that there were many thousands of them
daily put to death, of which none did any thing contrary to the Roman laws
worthy of persecution. "The whole account they gave of their crime or
error (whichever it is to be called) amounted only to this-viz. that they were
accustomed on a stated day to meet before daylight, and to repeat together a
set form of prayer to Christ as a God, and to bind themselves by an
obligation-not indeed to commit wickedness; but, on the contrary-never to
commit theft, robbery, or adultery, never to falsify their word, never to
defraud any man: after which it was their custom to separate, and reassemble to
partake in common of a harmless meal."
In this persecution suffered the blessed martyr, Ignatius, who is held in
famous reverence among very many. This Ignatius was appointed to the bishopric
of Antioch next after Peter in succession. Some do say, that he, being sent
from Syria to Rome, because he professed Christ, was given to the wild beasts
to be devoured. It is also said of him, that when he passed through Asia, being
under the most strict custody of his keepers, he strengthened and confirmed the
churches through all the cities as he went, both with his exhortations and
preaching of the Word of God. Accordingly, having come to Smyrna, he wrote to
the Church at Rome, exhorting them not to use means for his deliverance from
martyrdom, lest they should deprive him of that which he most longed and hoped
for. "Now I begin to be a disciple. I care for nothing, of visible or
invisible things, so that I may but win Christ. Let fire and the cross, let the
companies of wild beasts, let breaking of bones and tearing of limbs, let the
grinding of the whole body, and all the malice of the devil, come upon me; be
it so, only may I win Christ Jesus!" And even when he was sentenced to be
thrown to the beasts, such as the burning desire that he had to suffer, that he
spake, what time he heard the lions roaring, saying: "I am the wheat of
Christ: I am going to be ground with the teeth of wild beasts, that I may be
found pure bread."
Trajan being succeeded by Adrian, the latter continued this third persecution
with as much severity as his predecessor. About this time Alexander, bishop of
Rome, with his two deacons, were martyred; as were Quirinus and Hernes, with
their families;
Zenon, a Roman nobleman, and about ten thousand other Christians.
In Mount Ararat many were crucified, crowned with thorns, and spears run into
their sides, in imitation of Christ's passion. Eustachius, a brave and
successful Roman commander, was by the emperor ordered to join in an idolatrous
sacrifice to celebrate some of his own victories; but his faith (being a
Christian in his heart) was so much greater than his vanity, that he nobly
refused it. Enraged at the denial, the ungrateful emperor forgot the service of
this skilful commander, and ordered him and his whole family to be martyred.
At the martyrdom of Faustines and Jovita, brothers and citizens of Brescia,
their torments were so many, and their patience so great, that Calocerius, a
pagan, beholding them, was struck with admiration, and exclaimed in a kind of
ecstasy, "Great is the God of the Christians!" for which he was
apprehended, and suffered a similar fate.
Many other similar cruelties and rigors were exercised against the Christians,
until Quadratus, bishop of Athens, made a learned apology in their favor before
the emperor, who happened to be there and Aristides, a philosopher of the same
city, wrote an elegant epistle, which caused Adrian to relax in his severities,
and relent in their favor.
Adrian dying A.D. 138, was succeeded by Antoninus Pius, one of the most amiable
monarchs that ever reigned, and who stayed the persecutions against the
Christians.
The Fourth Persecution, Under Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, A.D. 162
Marcus Aurelius, followed about the year of our Lord 161, a
man of nature more stern and severe; and, although in study of philosophy and
in civil government no less commendable, yet, toward the Christians sharp and
fierce; by whom was moved the fourth persecution.
The cruelties used in this persecution were such that many of the spectators
shuddered with horror at the sight, and were astonished at the intrepidity of
the sufferers. Some of the martyrs were obliged to pass, with their already
wounded feet, over thorns, nails, sharp shells, etc. upon their points, others
were scourged until their sinews and veins lay bare, and after suffering the
most excruciating tortures that could be devised, they were destroyed by the
most terrible deaths.
Germanicus, a young man, but a true Christian, being delivered to the wild
beasts on account of his faith, behaved with such astonishing courage that
several pagans became converts to a faith which inspired such fortitude.
Polycarp, the venerable bishop of Smyrna, hearing that persons were seeking for
him, escaped, but was discovered by a child. After feasting the guards who
apprehended him, he desired an hour in prayer, which being allowed, he prayed
with such fervency, that his guards repented that they had been instrumental in
taking him. He was, however, carried before the proconsul, condemned, and burnt
in the market place.
The proconsul then urged him, saying, "Swear, and I will release thee;--reproach
Christ."
Polycarp answered, "Eighty and six years have I served him, and he never
once wronged me; how then shall I blaspheme my King, Who hath saved me?"
At the stake to which he was only tied, but not nailed as usual, as he assured
them he should stand immovable, the flames, on their kindling the fagots,
encircled his body, like an arch, without touching him; and the executioner, on
seeing this, was ordered to pierce him with a sword, when so great a quantity
of blood flowed out as extinguished the fire. But his body, at the instigation
of the enemies of the Gospel, especially Jews, was ordered to be consumed in
the pile, and the request of his friends, who wished to give it Christian
burial, rejected. They nevertheless collected his bones and as much of his
remains as possible, and caused them to be decently interred.
Metrodorus, a minister, who preached boldly, and Pionius, who made some
excellent apologies for the Christian faith, were likewise burnt. Carpus and
Papilus, two worthy Christians, and Agatonica, a pious woman, suffered
martyrdom at Pergamopolis, in Asia.
Felicitatis, an illustrious Roman lady, of a considerable family, and the most
shining virtues, was a devout Christian. She had seven sons, whom she had
educated with the most exemplary piety.
Januarius, the eldest, was scourged, and pressed to death with weights; Felix
and Philip, the two next had their brains dashed out with clubs; Silvanus, the
fourth, was murdered by being thrown from a precipice; and the three younger
sons, Alexander, Vitalis, and Martial, were beheaded. The mother was beheaded
with the same sword as the three latter.
Justin, the celebrated philosopher, fell a martyr in this persecution. He was a
native of Neapolis, in Samaria, and was born A.D. 103. Justin was a great lover
of truth, and a universal scholar; he investigated the Stoic and Peripatetic
philosophy, and attempted the Pythagorean; but the behavior of our of its
professors disgusting him, he applied himself to the Platonic, in which he took
great delight. About the year 133, when he was thirty years of age, he became a
convert to Christianity, and then, for the first time, perceived the real
nature of truth.
He wrote an elegant epistle to the Gentiles, and employed his talents in
convincing the Jews of the truth of the Christian rites; spending a great deal
of time in travelling, until he took up his abode in Rome, and fixed his
habitation upon the Viminal mount.
He kept a public school, taught many who afterward became great men, and wrote
a treatise to confuse heresies of all kinds. As the pagans began to treat the
Christians with great severity, Justin wrote his first apology in their favor.
This piece displays great learning and genius, and occasioned the emperor to
publish an edict in favor of the Christians.
Soon after, he entered into frequent contests with Crescens, a person of a
vicious life and conversation, but a celebrated cynic philosopher; and his
arguments appeared so powerful, yet disgusting to the cynic, that he resolved
on, and in the sequel accomplished, his destruction.
The second apology of Justin, upon certain severities, gave Crescens the cynic
an opportunity of prejudicing the emperor against the writer of it; upon which
Justin, and six of his companions, were apprehended. Being commanded to
sacrifice to the pagan idols, they refused, and were condemned to be scourged,
and then beheaded; which sentence was executed with all imaginable severity.
Several were beheaded for refusing to sacrifice to the image of Jupiter; in
particular Concordus, a deacon of the city of Spolito.
Some of the restless northern nations having risen in arms against Rome, the
emperor marched to encounter them. He was, however, drawn into an ambuscade,
and dreaded the loss of his whole army. Enveloped with mountains, surrounded by
enemies, and perishing with thirst, the pagan deities were invoked in vain;
when the men belonging to the militine, or thundering legion, who were all
Christians, were commanded to call upon their God for succor. A miraculous
deliverance immediately ensued; a prodigious quantity of rain fell, which,
being caught by the men, and filling their dykes, afforded a sudden and
astonishing relief. It appears that the storm which miraculously flashed in the
face of the enemy so intimidated them, that part deserted to the Roman army;
the rest were defeated, and the revolted provinces entirely recovered.
This affair occasioned the persecution to subside for some time, at least in
those parts immediately under the inspection of the emperor; but we find that
it soon after raged in France, particularly at Lyons, where the tortures to
which many of the Christians were put, almost exceed the powers of description.
The principal of these martyrs were Vetius Agathus, a young man; Blandina, a
Christian lady, of a weak constitution; Sanctus, a deacon of Vienna; red hot
plates of brass were placed upon the tenderest parts of his body; Biblias, a
weak woman, once an apostate. Attalus, of Pergamus; and Pothinus, the venerable
bishop of Lyons, who was ninety years of age. Blandina, on the day when she and
the three other champions were first brought into the amphitheater, she was
suspended on a piece of wood fixed in the ground, and exposed as food for the
wild beasts; at which time, by her earnest prayers, she encouraged others. But
none of the wild beasts would touch her, so that she was remanded to prison.
When she was again produced for the third and last time, she was accompanied by
Ponticus, a youth of fifteen, and the constancy of their faith so enraged the multitude
that neither the sex of the one nor the youth of the other were respected,
being exposed to all manner of punishments and tortures. Being strengthened by
Blandina, he persevered unto death; and she, after enduring all the torments
heretofore mentioned, was at length slain with the sword.
When the Christians, upon these occasions, received martyrdom, they were
ornamented, and crowned with garlands of flowers; for which they, in heaven,
received eternal crowns of glory.
It has been said that the lives of the early Christians consisted of
"persecution above ground and prayer below ground." Their lives are
expressed by the Coliseum and the catacombs. Beneath Rome are the excavations
which we call the catacombs, whivch were at once temples and tombs. The early
Church of Rome might well be called the Church of the Catacombs. There are some
sixty catacombs near Rome, in which some six hundred miles of galleries have
been traced, and these are not all. These galleries are about eight feet high
and from three to five feet wide, containing on either side several rows of
long, low, horizontal recesses, one above another like berths in a ship. In
these the dead bodies were placed and the front closed, either by a single
marble slab or several great tiles laid in mortar. On these slabs or tiles,
epitaphs or symbols are graved or painted. Both pagans and Christians buried
their dead in these catacombs. When the Christian graves have been opened the
skeletons tell their own terrible tale. Heads are found severed from the body,
ribs and shoulder blades are broken, bones are often calcined from fire. But
despite the awful story of persecution that we may read here, the inscriptions
breathe forth peace and joy and triumph. Here are a few:
"Here lies Marcia, put to rest in a dream of peace."
"Lawrence to his sweetest son, borne away of angels."
"Victorious in peace and in Christ."
"Being called away, he went in peace."
Remember when reading these inscriptions the story the skeletons tell of
persecution, of torture, and of fire.
But the full force of these epitaphs is seen when we contrast them with the
pagan epitaphs, such as:
"Live for the present hour, since we are sure of nothing else."
"I lift my hands against the gods who took me away at the age of twenty
though I had done no harm."
"Once I was not. Now I am not. I know nothing about it, and it is no
concern of mine."
"Traveler, curse me not as you pass, for I am in darkness and cannot
answer."
The most frequent Christian symbols on the walls of the catacombs, are, the
good shepherd with the lamb on his shoulder, a ship under full sail, harps,
anchors, crowns, vines, and above all the fish.
The Fifth Persecution, Commencing with Severus, A.D. 192
Severus, having been recovered from a severe fit of sickness
by a Christian, became a great favorer of the Christians in general; but the
prejudice and fury of the ignorant multitude prevailing, obsolete laws were put
in execution against the Christians. The progress of Christianity alarmed the
pagans, and they revived the stale calumny of placing accidental misfortunes to
the account of its professors, A.D. 192.
But, though persecuting malice raged, yet the Gospel shone with resplendent
brightness; and, firm as an impregnable rock, withstood the attacks of its
boisterous enemies with success. Tertullian, who lived in this age, informs us
that if the Christians had collectively withdrawn themselves from the Roman
territories, the empire would have been greatly depopulated.
Victor, bishop of Rome, suffered martyrdom in the first year of the third
century, A.D. 201. Leonidus, the father of the celebrated Origen, was beheaded
for being a Christian. Many of Origen's hearers likewise suffered martyrdom;
particularly two brothers, named Plutarchus and Serenus; another Serenus, Heron,
and Heraclides, were beheaded. Rhais had boiled pitch poured upon her head, and
was then burnt, as was Marcella her mother. Potainiena, the sister of Rhais,
was executed in the same manner as Rhais had been; but Basilides, an officer
belonging to the army, and ordered to attend her execution, became her convert.
Basilides being, as an officer, required to take a certain oath, refused,
saying, that he could not swear by the Roman idols, as he was a Christian.
Struck with surpsie, the people could not, at first, believe what they heard;
but he had no sooner confirmed the same, than he was dragged before the judge,
committed to prison, and speedily afterward beheaded.
Irenaeus, bishop of Lyons, was born in Greece, and received both a polite and a
Christian education. It is generally supposed that the account of the
persecutions at Lyons was written by himself. He succeeded the martyr Pothinus
as bishop of Lyons, and ruled his diocese with great propriety; he was a
zealous opposer of heresies in general, and, about A.D. 187, he wrote a
celebrated tract against heresy. Victor, the bishop of Rome, wanting to impose
the keeping of Easter there, in preference to other places, it occasioned some
disorders among the Christians. In particular, Irenaeus wrote him a synodical
epistle, in the name of the Gallic churches. This zeal, in favor of
Christianity, pointed him out as an object of resentment to the emperor; and in
A.D. 202, he was beheaded.
The persecutions now extending to Africa, many were martyred in that quarter of
the globe; the most particular of whom we shall mention.
Perpetua, a married lady, of about twenty-two years. Those who suffered with
her were, Felicitas, a married lady, big with child at the time of her being
apprehended, and Revocatus, catechumen of Carthage, and a slave. The names of
the other prisoners, destined to suffer upon this occasion, were Saturninus,
Secundulus, and Satur. On the day appointed for their execution, they were led
to the amphitheater. Satur, Saturninus, and Revocatus were ordered to run the
gauntlet between the hunters, or such as had the care of the wild beasts. The
hunters being drawn up in two ranks, they ran between, and were severely lashed
as they passed. Felicitas and Perpetua were stripped, in order to be thrown to a
mad bull, which made his first attack upon Perpetua, and stunned her; he then
darted at Felicitas, and gored her dreadfully; but not killing them, the
executioner did that office with a sword. Revocatus and Satur were destroyed by
wild beasts; Saturninus was beheaded; and Secundulus died in prison. These
executions were in the 205, on the eighth day of March.
Speratus and twelve others were likewise beheaded; as was Andocles in France.
Asclepiades, bishop of Antioch, suffered many tortures, but his life was
spared.
Cecilia, a young lady of good family in Rome, was married to a gentleman named
Valerian. She converted her husband and brother, who were beheaded; and the
maximus, or officer, who led them to execution, becoming their convert,
suffered the same fate. The lady was placed naked in a scalding bath, and
having continued there a considerable time, her head was struck off with a
sword, A.D. 222.
Calistus, bishop of Rome, was martyred, A.D. 224; but the manner of his death
is not recorded; and Urban, bishop of Rome, met the same fate A.D. 232.
The Sixth Persecution, Under Maximus, A.D. 235
A.D. 235, was in the time of Maximinus. In Cappadocia, the
president, Seremianus, did all he could to exterminate the Christians from that
province.
The principal persons who perished under this reign were Pontianus, bishop of
Rome; Anteros, a Grecian, his successor, who gave offence to the government by
collecting the acts of the martyrs, Pammachius and Quiritus, Roman senators,
with all their families, and many other Christians; Simplicius, senator;
Calepodius, a Christian minister, thrown into the Tyber; Martina, a noble and
beautiful virgin; and Hippolitus, a Christian prelate, tied to a wild horse,
and dragged until he expired.
During this persecution, raised by Maximinus, numberless Christians were slain
without trial, and buried indiscriminately in heaps, sometimes fifty or sixty
being cast into a pit together, without the least decency.
The tyrant Maximinus dying, A.D. 238, was succeeded by Gordian, during whose reign,
and that of his successor Philip, the Church was free from persecution for the
space of more than ten years; but in A.D. 249, a violent persecution broke out
in Alexandria, at the instigation of a pagan priest, without the knowledge of
the emperor.
The Seventh Persecution, Under Decius, A.D. 249
This was occasioned partly by the hatred he bore to his
predecessor Philip, who was deemed a Christian and was partly by his jealousy
concerning the amazing increase of Christianity; for the heathen temples began
to be forsaken, and the Christian churches thronged.
These reasons stimulated Decius to attempt the very extirpation of the name of
Christian; and it was unfortunate for the Gospel, that many errors had, about
this time, crept into the Church: the Christians were at variance with each
other; self-interest divided those whom social love ought to have united; and
the virulence of pride occasioned a variety of factions.
The heathens in general were ambitious to enforce the imperial decrees upon
this occasion, and looked upon the murder of a Christian as a merit to
themselves. The martyrs, upon this occasion, were innumerable; but the
principal we shall give some account of.
Fabian, the bishop of Rome, was the first person of eminence who felt the
severity of this persecution. The deceased emperor, Philip, had, on account of
his integrity, committed his treasure to the care of this good man. But Decius,
not finding as much as his avarice made him expect, determined to wreak his
vengeance on the good prelate. He was accordingly seized; and on January 20,
A.D. 250, he suffered decapitation.
Julian, a native of Cilicia, as we are informed by St.
Chrysostom, was seized upon for being a Christian. He was put into a leather
bag, together with a number of serpents and scorpions, and in that condition
thrown into the sea.
Peter, a young man, amiable for the superior qualities of his body and mind,
was beheaded for refusing to sacrifice to Venus. He said, "I am astonished
you should sacrifice to an infamous woman, whose debaucheries even your own
historians record, and whose life consisted of such actions as your laws would
punish. No, I shall offer the true God the acceptable sacrifice of praises and
prayers." Optimus, the proconsul of Asia, on hearing this, ordered the
prisoner to be stretched upon a wheel, by which all his bones were broken, and
then he was sent to be beheaded.
Nichomachus, being brought before the proconsul as a Christian, was ordered to
sacrifice to the pagan idols. Nichomachus replied, "I cannot pay that
respect to devils, which is only due to the Almighty." This speech so much
enraged the proconsul that Nichomachus was put to the rack. After enduring the
torments for a time, he recanted; but scarcely had he given this proof of his
frailty, than he fell into the greatest agonies, dropped down on the ground,
and expired immediately.
Denisa, a young woman of only sixteen years of age, who beheld this terrible
judgment, suddenly exclaimed, "O unhappy wretch, why would you buy a
moment's ease at the expense of a miserable eternity!" Optimus, hearing
this, called to her, and Denisa avowing herself to be a Christian, she was
beheaded, by his order, soon after.
Andrew and Paul, two companions of Nichomachus, the martyr, A.D. 251, suffered
martyrdom by stoning, and expired, calling on their blessed Redeemer.
Alexander and Epimachus, of Alexandria, were apprehended for being Christians:
and, confessing the accusation, were beat with staves, torn with hooks, and at
length burnt in the fire; and we are informed, in a fragment preserved by
Eusebius, that four female martyrs suffered on the same day, and at the same
place, but not in the same manner; for these were beheaded.
Lucian and Marcian, two wicked pagans, though skilful magicians, becoming
converts to Christianity, to make amends for their former errors, lived the
lives of hermits, and subsisted upon bread and water only. After some time
spent in this manner, they became zealous preachers, and made many converts.
The persecution, however, raging at this time, they were seized upon, and
carried before Sabinus, the governor of Bithynia. On being asked by what
authority they took upon themselves to preach, Lucian answered, 'That the laws
of charity and humanity obliged all men to endeavor the conversion of their neighbors,
and to do everything in their power to rescue them from the snares of the
devil.'
Lucian having answered in this manner, Marcian said, "Their conversion was
by the same grace which was given to St. Paul, who, from a zealous persecutor
of the Church, became a preacher of the Gospel."
The proconsul, finding that he could not prevail with them to renounce their
faith, condemned them to be burnt alive, which sentence was soon after
executed.
Trypho and Respicius, two eminent men, were seized as Christians, and
imprisoned at Nice. Their feet were pierced with nails; they were dragged
through the streets, scourged, torn with iron hooks, scorched with lighted
torches, and at length beheaded, February 1, A.D. 251.
Agatha, a Sicilian lady, was not more remarkable for her personal and acquired
endowments, than her piety; her beauty was such, that Quintian, governor of
Sicily, became enamored of her, and made many attempts upon her chastity
without success. In order to gratify his passions with the greater conveniency,
he put the virtuous lady into the hands of Aphrodica, a very infamous and
licentious woman. This wretch tried every artifice to win her to the desired
prostitution; but found all her efforts were vain; for her chastity was
impregnable, and she well knew that virtue alone could procure true happiness.
Aphrodica acquainted Quintian with the inefficacy of her endeavors, who, enaged
to be foiled in his designs, changed his lust into resentment. On her
confessing that she was a Christian, he determined to gratify his revenge, as
he could not his passion. Pursuant to his orders, she was scourged, burnt with
red-hot irons, and torn with sharp hooks. Having borne these torments with
admirable fortitude, she was next laid naked upon live coals, intermingled with
glass, and then being carried back to prison, she there expired on February 5,
251.
Cyril, bishop of Gortyna, was seized by order of Lucius, the governor of that
place, who, nevertheless, exhorted him to obey the imperial mandate, perform
the sacrifices, and save his venerable person from destruction; for he was now
eighty-four years of age. The good prelate replied that as he had long taught
others to save their souls, he should only think now of his own salvation. The
worthy prelate heard his fiery sentence without emotion, walked cheerfully to
the place of execution, and underwent his martyrdom with great fortitude.
The persecution raged in no place more than the Island of Crete; for the
governor, being exceedingly active in executing the imperial decrees, that
place streamed with pious blood.
Babylas, a Christian of a liberal education, became bishop of Antioch, A.D.
237, on the demise of Zebinus. He acted with inimitable zeal, and governed the
Church with admirable prudence during the most tempestuous times.
The first misfortune that happened to Antioch during his mission, was the siege
of it by Sapor, king of Persia; who, having overrun all Syria, took and
plundered this city among others, and used the Christian inhabitants with
greater severity than the rest, but was soon totally defeated by Gordian.
After Gordian's death, in the reign of Decius, that emperor came to Antioch,
where, having a desire to visit an assembly of Christians, Babylas opposed him,
and absolutely refused to let him come in. The emperor dissembled his anger at
that time; but soon sending for the bishop, he sharply reproved him for his
insolence, and then ordered him to sacrifice to the pagan deities as an
expiation for his ofence. This being refused, he was committed to prison,
loaded with chains, treated with great severities, and then beheaded, together
with three young men who had been his pupils. A.D. 251.
Alexander, bishop of Jerusalem, about this time was cast into prison on account
of his religion, where he died through the severity of his confinement.
Julianus, an old man, lame with the gout, and Cronion, another Christian, were
bound on the backs of camels, severely scourged, and then thrown into a fire
and consumed. Also forty virgins, at Antioch, after being imprisoned, and
scourged, were burnt.
In the year of our Lord 251, the emperor Decius having erected a pagan temple
at Ephesus, he commanded all who were in that city to sacrifice to the idols.
This order was nobly refused by seven of his own soldiers, viz. Maximianus,
Martianus, Joannes, Malchus, Dionysius, Seraion, and Constantinus. The emperor
wishing to win these soldiers to renounce their faith by his entreaties and
lenity, gave them a considerable respite until he returned from an expedition.
During the emperor's absence, they escaped, and hid themselves in a cavern;
which the emperor being informed of at his return, the mouth of the cave was
closed up, and they all perished with hunger.
Theodora, a beautiful young lady of Antioch, on refusing to sacrifice to the
Roman idols, was condemned to the stews, that her virtue might be sacrificed to
the brutality of lust. Didymus, a Christian, disguised himself in the habit of
a Roman soldier, went to the house, informed Theodora who he was, and advised
her to make her escape in his clothes. This being effected, and a man found in
the brothel instead of a beautiful lady, Didymus was taken before the
president, to whom confessing the truth, and owning that he was a Christian the
sentence of death was immediately pronounced against him. Theodora, hearing
that her deliverer was likely to suffer, came to the judge, threw herself at
his feet, and begged that the sentence might fall on her as the guilty person;
but, deaf to the cries of the innocent, and insensible to the calls of justice,
the inflexible judge condemned both; when they were executed accordingly, being
first beheaded, and their bodies afterward burnt.
Secundianus, having been accused as a Christian, was conveyed to prison by some
soldiers. On the way, Verianus and Marcellinus said, "Where are you
carrying the innocent?" This interrogatory occasioned them to be seized,
and all three, after having been tortured, were hanged and decapitated.
Origen, the celebrated presbyter and catechist of Alexandria, at the age of sixty-four,
was seized, thrown into a loathsome prison, laden with fetters, his feet placed
in the stocks, and his legs extended to the utmost for several successive days.
He was threatened with fire, and tormented by every lingering means the most
infernal imaginations could suggest. During this cruel temporizing, the emperor
Decius died, and Gallus, who succeeded him, engaging in a war with the Goths,
the Christians met with a respite. In this interim, Origen obtained his
enlargement, and, retiring to Tyre, he there remained until his death, which
happened when he was in the sixty-ninth year of his age.
Gallus, the emperor, having concluded his wars, a plague broke out in the
empire: sacrifices to the pagan deities were ordered by the emperor, and
persecutions spread from the interior to the extreme parts of the empire, and
many fell martyrs to the impetuosity of the rabble, as well as the prejudice of
the magistrates. Among these were Cornelius, the Christian bishop of Rome, and
Lucius, his successor, in 253.
Most of the errors which crept into the Church at this time arose from placing
human reason in competition with revelation; but the fallacy of such arguments
being proved by the most able divines, the opinions they had created vanished
away like the stars before the sun.
The Eighth Persecution, Under Valerian, A.D. 257
Began under Valerian, in the month of April, 257, and
continued for three years and six months. The martyrs that fell in this
persecution were innumerable, and their tortures and deaths as various and
painful. The most eminent martyrs were the following, though neither rank, sex,
nor age were regarded.
Rufina and Secunda were two beautiful and accomplished ladies, daughters of
Asterius, a gentleman of eminence in Rome. Rufina, the elder, was designed in
marriage for Armentarius, a young nobleman; Secunda, the younger, for Verinus,
a person of rank and opulence. The suitors, at the time of the persecution's
commencing, were both Christians; but when danger appeared, to save their fortunes,
they renounced their faith. They took great pains to persuade the ladies to do
the same, but, disappointed in their purpose, the lovers were base enough to
inform against the ladies, who, being apprehended as Christians, were brought
before Junius Donatus, governor of Rome, where, A.D. 257, they sealed their
martyrdom with their blood.
Stephen, bishop of Rome, was beheaded in the same year, and about that time
Saturninus, the pious orthodox bishop of Toulouse, refusing to sacrifice to
idols, was treated with all the barbarous indignities imaginable, and fastened
by the feet to the tail of a bull. Upon a signal given, the enraged animal was
driven down the steps of the temple, by which the worthy martyr's brains were
dashed out.
Sextus succeeded Stephen as bishop of Rome. He is supposed to have been a Greek
by birth or by extraction, and had for some time served in the capacity of a
deacon under Stephen. His great fidelity, singular wisdom, and uncommon courage
distinguished him upon many occasions; and the happy conclusion of a
controversy with some heretics is generally ascribed to his piety and prudence.
In the year 258, Marcianus, who had the management of the Roman government,
procured an order from the emperor Valerian, to put to death all the Christian
clergy in Rome, and hence the bishop with six of his deacons, suffered
martyrdom in 258.
Let us draw near to the fire of martyred Lawrence, that our cold hearts may be
warmed thereby. The merciless tyrant, understanding him to be not only a
minister of the sacraments, but a distributor also of the Church riches,
promised to himself a double prey, by the apprehension of one soul. First, with
the rake of avarice to scrape to himself the treasure of poor Christians; then
with the fiery fork of tyranny, so to toss and turmoil them, that they should
wax weary of their profession. With furious face and cruel countenance, the
greedy wolf demanded where this Lawrence had bestowed the substance of the
Church: who, craving three days' respite, promised to declare where the
treasure might be had. In the meantime, he caused a good number of poor
Christians to be congregated. So, when the day of his answer was come, the
persecutor strictly charged him to stand to his promise. Then valiant Lawrence,
stretching out his arms over the poor, said: "These are the precious
treasure of the Church; these are the treasure indeed, in whom the faith of
Christ reigneth, in whom Jesus Christ hath His mansion-place. What more
precious jewels can Christ have, than those in whom He hath promised to dwell?
For so it is written, 'I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty,
and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in.' And again,
'Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye
have done it unto me.' What greater riches can Christ our Master possess, than
the poor people in whom He loveth to be seen?"
O, what tongue is able to express the fury and madness of the tyrant's heart!
Now he stamped, he stared, he ramped, he fared as one out of his wits: his eyes
like fire glowed, his mouth like a boar formed, his teeth like a hellhound
grinned. Now, not a reasonable man, but a roaring lion, he might be called.
"Kindle the fire (he cried)--of wood make no spare. Hath this villain
deluded the emperor? Away with him, away with him: whip him with scourges, jerk
him with rods, buffet him with fists, brain him with clubs. Jesteth the traitor
with the emperor? Pinch him with fiery tongs, gird him with burning plates,
bring out the strongest chains, and the fire-forks, and the grated bed of iron:
on the fire with it; bind the rebel hand and foot; and when the bed is
fire-hot, on with him: roast him, broil him, toss him, turn him: on pain of our
high displeasure do every man his office, O ye tormentors."
The word was no sooner spoken, but all was done. After many cruel handlings,
this meek lamb was laid, I will not say on his fiery bed of iron, but on his
soft bed of down. So mightily God wrought with his martyr Lawrence, so
miraculously God tempered His element the fire; that it became not a bed of
consuming pain, but a pallet of nourishing rest.
In Africa the persecution raged with peculiar violence; many thousands received
the crown of martyrdom, among whom the following were the most distinguished
characters:
Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, an eminent prelate, and a pious ornament of the
Church. The brightness of his genius was tempered by the solidity of his
judgment; and with all the accomplishments of the gentleman, he blended the
virtues of a Christian. His doctrines were orthodox and pure; his language easy
and elegant; and his manners graceful and winning: in fine, he was both the
pious and polite preacher. In his youth he was educated in the principles of
Gentilism, and having a considerable fortune, he lived in the very extravagance
of splendor, and all the dignity of pomp.
About the year 246, Coecilius, a Christian minister of Carthage, became the
happy instrument of Cyprian's conversion: on which account, and for the great
love that he always afterward bore for the author of his conversion, he was
termed Coecilius Cyprian. Previous to his baptism, he studied the Scriptures
with care and being struck with the beauties of the truths they contained, he
determined to practise the virtues therein recommended. Subsequent to his
baptism, he sold his estate, distributed the money among the poor, dressed
himself in plain attire, and commenced a life of austerity. He was soon after
made a presbyter; and, being greatly admired for his virtues and works, on the
death of Donatus, in A.D. 248, he was almost unanimously elected bishop of
Carthage.
Cyprian's care not only extended over Carthage, but to Numidia and Mauritania.
In all his transactions he took great care to ask the advice of his clergy,
knowing that unanimity alone could be of service to the Church, this being one
of his maxims, "That the bishop was in the church, and the church in the
bishop; so that unity can only be preserved by a close connexion between the
pastor and his flock."
In A.D. 250, Cyprian was publicly proscribed by the emperor Decius, under the
appellation of Coecilius Cyprian, bishop of the Christrians; and the universal
cry of the pagans was, "Cyprian to the lions, Cyprian to the beasts."
The bishop, however, withdrew from the rage of the populace, and his effects
were immediately confiscated. During his retirement, he wrote thirty pious and
elegant letters to his flock; but several schisms that then crept into the
Church, gave him great uneasiness. The rigor of the persecution abating, he
returned to Carthage, and did everything in his power to expunge erroneous
opinions. A terrible plague breaking out in Carthage, it was as usual, laid to
the charge of the Christians; and the magistrates began to persecute
accordingly, which occasioned an epistle from them to Cyprian, in answer to
which he vindicates the cause of Christianity. A.D. 257, Cyprian was brought
before the proconsul Aspasius Paturnus, who exiled him to a little city on the
Lybian sea. On the death of this proconsul, he returned to Carthage, but was
soon after seized, and carried before the new governor, who condemned him to be
beheaded; which sentence was executed on the fourteenth of September, A.D. 258.
The disciples of Cyprian, martyred in this persecution, were Lucius, Flavian,
Victoricus, Remus, Montanus, Julian, Primelus, and Donatian.
At Utica, a most terrible tragedy was exhibited: three hundred Christians were,
by the orders of the proconsul, placed round a burning limekiln. A pan of coals
and incense being prepared, they were commanded either to sacrifice to Jupiter,
or to be thrown into the kiln. Unanimously refusing, they bravely jumped into
the pit, and were immediately suffocated.
Fructuosus, bishop of Tarragon, in Spain, and his two deacons, Augurius and
Eulogius, were burnt for being Christians.
Alexander, Malchus, and Priscus, three Christians of Palestine, with a woman of
the same place, voluntarily accused themselves of being Christians; on which
account they were sentenced to be devoured by tigers, which sentence was
executed accordingly.
Maxima, Donatilla, and Secunda, three virgins of Tuburga, had gall and vinegar
given them to drink, were then severely scourged, tormented on a gibbet, rubbed
with lime, scorched on a gridiron, worried by wild beasts, and at length
beheaded.
It is here proper to take notice of the singular but miserable fate of the
emperor Valerian, who had so long and so terribly persecuted the Christians.
This tyrant, by a stretagem, was taken prisoner by Sapor, emperor of Persia,
who carried him into his own country, and there treated him with the most
unexampled indignity, making him kneel down as the meanest slave, and treading
upon him as a footstool when he mounted his horse. After having kept him for
the space of seven years in this abject state of slavery, he caused his eyes to
be put out, though he was then eighty-three years of age. This not satiating
his desire of revenge, he soon after ordered his body to be flayed alive, and
rubbed with salt, under which torments he expired; and thus fell one of the
most tyrannical emperors of Rome, and one of the greatest persecutors of the
Christians.
A.D. 260, Gallienus, the son of Valerian, succeeded him, and during his reign
(a few martyrs excepted) the Church enjoyed peace for some years.
The Ninth Persecution Under Aurelian, A.D. 274
The principal sufferers were: Felix, bishop of Rome. This
prelate was advanced to the Roman see in 274. He was the first martyr to
Aurelian's petulancy, being beheaded on the twenty-second of December, in the
same year.
Agapetus, a young gentleman, who sold his estate, and gave the money to the
poor, was seized as a Christian, tortured, and then beheaded at Praeneste, a
city within a day's journey of Rome.
These are the only martyrs left upon record during this reign, as it was soon
put to a stop by the emperor's being murdered by his own domestics, at
Byzantium.
Aurelian was succeeded by Tacitus, who was followed by Probus, as the latter
was by Carus: this emperor being killed by a thunder storm, his sons, Carnious
and Numerian, succeeded him, and during all these reigns the Church had peace.
Diocletian mounted the imperial throne, A.D. 284; at first he showed great
favor to the Christians. In the year 286, he associated Maximian with him in
the empire; and some Christians were put to death before any general
persecution broke out. Among these were Felician and Primus, two brothers.
Marcus and Marcellianus were twins, natives of Rome, and of noble descent.
Their parents were heathens, but the tutors, to whom the education of the
children was intrusted, brought them up as Christians. Their constancy at
length subdued those who wished them to become pagans, and their parents and
whole family became converts to a faith they had before reprobated. They were
martyred by being tied to posts, and having their feet pierced with nails.
After remaining in this situation for a day and a night, their sufferings were
put an end to by thrusting lances through their bodies.
Zoe, the wife of the jailer, who had the care of the before-mentioned martyrs,
was also converted by them, and hung upon a tree, with a fire of straw lighted
under her. When her body was taken down, it was thrown into a river, with a
large stone tied to it, in order to sink it.
In the year of Christ 286, a most remarkable affair occurred; a legion of
soldiers, consisting of six thousand six hundred and sixty-six men, contained
none but Christians. This legion was called the Theban Legion, because the men
had been raised in Thebias: they were quartered in the east until the emperor
Maximian ordered them to march to Gaul, to assist him against the rebels of
Burgundy. They passed the Alps into Gaul, under the command of Mauritius,
Candidus, and Exupernis, their worthy commanders, and at length joined the
emperor. Maximian, about this time, ordered a general sacrifice, at which the
whole army was to assist; and likewise he commanded that they should take the
oath of allegiance and swear, at the saame time, to assist in the extirpation
of Christianity in Gaul. Alarmed at these orders, each individual of the Theban
Legion absolutely refused either to sacrifice or take the oaths prescribed.
This so greatly enraged Maximian, that he ordered the legion to be decimated,
that is, every tenth man to be selected from the rest, and put to the sword.
This bloody order having been put in execution, those who remained alive were
still inflexible, when a second decimation took place, and every tenth man of
those living was put to death. This second severity made no more impression
than the first had done; the soldiers preserved their fortitude and their
principles, but by the advice of their officers they drew up a loyal
remonstrance to the emperor. This, it might have been presumed, would have
softened the emperor, but it had a contrary effect: for, enraged at their
perseverance and unanimity, he commanded that the whole legion should be put to
death, which was accordingly executed by the other troops, who cut them to
pieces with their swords, September 22, 286.
Alban, from whom St. Alban's, in Hertfordshire, received its name, was the
first British martyr. Great Britain had received the Gospel of Christ from
Lucius, the first Christian king, but did not suffer from the rage of
persecution for many years after. He was originally a pagan, but converted by a
Christian ecclesiastic, named Amphibalus, whom he sheltered on account of his
religion. The enemies of Amphibalus, having intelligence of the place where he
was secreted, came to the house of Alban; in order to facilitate his escape,
when the soldiers came, he offered himself up as the person they were seeking
for. The deceit being detected, the governor ordered him to be scourged, and
then he was sentenced to be beheaded, June 22, A.D. 287.
The venerable Bede assures us, that, upon this occasion, the executioner
suddenly became a convert to Christianity, and entreated permission to die for
Alban, or with him. Obtaining the latter request, they were beheaded by a
soldier, who voluntarily undertook the task of executioner. This happened on
the twenty-second of June, A.D. 287, at Verulam, now St. Alban's, in
Hertfordshire, where a magnificent church was erected to his memory about the
time of Constantine the Great. The edifice, being destroyed in the Saxon wars,
was rebuilt by Offa, king of Mercia, and a monastery erected adjoining to it,
some remains of which are still visible, and the church is a noble Gothic
structure.
Faith, a Christian female, of Acquitain, in France, was ordered to be broiled
upon a gridiron, and then beheaded; A.D. 287.
Quintin was a Christian, and a native of Rome, but determined to attempt the
propagation of the Gospel in Gaul, with one Lucian, they preached together in
Amiens; after which Lucian went to Beaumaris, where he was martyred. Quintin
remained in Picardy, and was very zealous in his ministry. Being seized upon as
a Christian, he was stretched with pullies until his joints were dislocated;
his body was then torn with wire scourges, and boiling oil and pitch poured on
his naked flesh; lighted torches were applied to his sides and armpits; and
after he had been thus tortured, he was remanded back to prison, and died of
the barbarities he had suffered, October 31, A.D. 287. His body was sunk in the
Somme.
The Tenth Persecution, Under Diocletian, A.D. 303
Under the Roman emperors, commonly called the Era of the
Martyrs, was occasioned partly by the increasing number and luxury of the
Christians, and the hatred of Galerius, the adopted son of Diocletian, who,
being stimulated by his mother, a bigoted pagan, never ceased persuading the
emperor to enter upon the persecution, until he had accomplished his purpose.
The fatal day fixed upon to commence the bloody work, was the twenty-third of
February, A.D. 303, that being the day in which the Terminalia were celebrated,
and on which, as the cruel pagans boasted, they hoped to put a termination to
Christianity. On the appointed day, the persecution began in Nicomedia, on the
morning of which the prefect of that city repaired, with a great number of
officers and assistants, to the church of the Christians, where, having forced
open the doors, they seized upon all the sacred books, and committed them to
the flames.
The whole of this transaction was in the presence of Diocletian and Galerius,
who, not contented with burning the books, had the church levelled with the
ground. This was followed by a severe edict, commanding the destruction of all
other Christian churches and books; and an order soon succeeded, to render
Christians of all denomination outlaws.
The publication of this edict occasioned an immediate martyrdom, for a bold
Christian not only tore it down from the place to which it was affixed, but
execrated the name of the emperor for his injustice. A provocation like this
was sufficient to call down pagan vengeance upon his head; he was accordingly
seized, severely tortured, and then burned alive.
All the Christians were apprehended and imprisoned; and Galerius privately
ordered the imperial palace to be set on fire, that the Christians might be
charged as the incendiaries, and a plausible pretence given for carrying on the
persecution with the greater severities. A general sacrifice was commenced,
which occasioned various martyrdoms. No distinction was made of age or sex; the
name of Christian was so obnoxious to the pagans that all indiscriminately fell
sacrifices to their opinions. Many houses were set on fire, and whole Christian
families perished in the flames; and others had stones fastened about their
necks, and being tied together were driven into the sea. The persecution became
general in all the Roman provinces, but more particularly in the east; and as
it lasted ten years, it is impossible to ascertain the numbers martyred, or to
enumerate the various modes of martyrdom.
Racks, scourges, swords, daggers, crosses, poison, and famine, were made use of
in various parts to dispatch the Christians; and invention was exhausted to
devise tortures against such as had no crime, but thinking differently from the
votaries of superstition.
A city of Phrygia, consisting entirely of Christians, was burnt, and all the
inhabitants perished in the flames.
Tired with slaughter, at length, several governors of provinces represented to
the imperial court, the impropriety of such conduct. Hence many were respited
from execution, but, though they were not put to death, as much as possible was
done to render their lives miserable, many of them having their ears cut off,
their noses slit, their right eyes put out, their limbs rendered useless by
dreadful dislocations, and their flesh seared in conspicuous places with
red-hot irons.
It is necessary now to particularize the most conspicious persons who laid down
their lives in martyrdom in this bloody persecution.
Sebastian, a celebrated martyr, was born at Narbonne, in Gaul, instructed in
the principles of Christianity at Milan, and afterward became an officer of the
emperor's guard at Rome. He remained a true Christian in the midst of idolatry;
unallured by the splendors of a court, untained by evil examples, and
uncontaminated by the hopes of preferment. Refusing to be a pagan, the emperor
ordered him to be taken to a field near the city, termed the Campus Martius,
and there to be shot to death with arrows; which sentence was executed
accordingly. Some pious Christians coming to the place of execution, in order
to give his body burial, perceived signs of life in him, and immediately moving
him to a place of security, they, in a short time effected his recovery, and
prepared him for a second martyrdom; for, as soon as he was able to go out, he
placed himself intentionally in the emperor's way as he was going to the
temple, and reprehended him for his various cruelties and unreasonable
prejudices against Christianity. As soon as Diocletian had overcome his
surprise, he ordered Sebastian to be seized, and carried to a place near the
palace, and beaten to death; and, that the Christians should not either use
means again to recover or bury his body, he ordered that it should be thrown
into the common sewer. Nevertheless, a Christian lady named Lucina, found means
to remove it from the sewer, and bury it in the catacombs, or repositories of
the dead.
The Christians, about this time, upon mature consideration, thought it unlawful
to bear arms under a heathen emperor. Maximilian, the son of Fabius Victor, was
the first beheaded under this regulation.
Vitus, a Sicilian of considerable family, was brought up a Christian; when his
virtues increased with his years, his constancy supported him under all
afflictions, and his faith was superior to the most dangerous perils. His
father, Hylas, who was a pagan, finding that he had been instructed in the
principles of Christianity by the nurse who brought him up, used all his
endeavors to bring him back to paganism, and at length sacrificed his son to
the idols, June 14, A.D. 303.
Victor was a Christian of a good family at Marseilles, in France; he spent a
great part of the night in visiting the afflicted, and confirming the weak;
which pious work he could not, consistently with his own safety, perform in the
daytime; and his fortune he spent in relieving the distresses of poor
Christians. He was at length, however, seized by the emperor Maximian's decree,
who ordered him to be bound, and dragged through the streets. During the
execution of this order, he was treated with all manner of cruelties and
indignities by the enraged populace. Remaining still inflexible, his courage
was deemed obstinacy. Being by order stretched upon the rack, he turned his
eyes toward heaven, and prayed to God to endue him with patience, after which
he underwent the tortures with most admirable fortitude. After the executioners
were tired with inflicting torments on him, he was conveyed to a dungeon. In
his confinement, he converted his jailers, named Alexander, Felician, and
Longinus. This affair coming to the ears of the emperor, he ordered them
immediately to be put to death, and the jailers were accordingly beheaded.
Victor was then again put to the rack, unmercifully beaten with batoons, and
again sent to prison. Being a third time examined concerning his religion, he
persevered in his principles; a small altar was then brought, and he was
commanded to offer incense upon it immediately. Fired with indignation at the
request, he boldly stepped forward, and with his foot overthrew both altar and idol.
This so enraged the emperor Maximian, who was present, that he ordered the foot
with which he had kicked the altar to be immediately cut off; and Victor was
thrown into a mill, and crushed to pieces with the stones, A.D. 303.
Maximus, governor of Cilicia, being at Tarsus, three Christians were brought
before him; their names were Tarachus, an aged man, Probus, and Andronicus.
After repeated tortures and exhortations to recant, they, at length, were
ordered for execution.
Being brought to the amphitheater, several beasts were let loose upon them; but
none of the animals, though hungry, would touch them. The keeper then brought
out a large bear, that had that very day destroyed three men; but this
voracious creature and a fierce lioness both refused to touch the prisoners.
Finding the design of destroying them by the means of wild beasts ineffectual,
Maximus ordered them to be slain by the sword, on October 11, A.D. 303.
Romanus, a native of Palestine, was deacon of the church of Caesarea at the
time of the commencement of Diocletian's persecution. Being condemned for his
faith at Antioch, he was scourged, put to the rack, his body torn with hooks,
his flesh cut with knives, his face scarified, his teeth beaten from their
sockets, and his hair plucked up by the roots. Soon after he was ordered to be
strangled, November 17, A.D. 303.
Susanna, the niece of Caius, bishop of Rome, was pressed by the emperor
Diocletian to marry a noble pagan, who was nearly related to him. Refusing the
honor intended her, she was beheaded by the emperor's order.
Dorotheus, the high chamberlain of the household to Diocletian, was a
Christian, and took great pains to make converts. In his religious labors, he
was joined by Gorgonius, another Christian, and one belonging to the palace.
They were first tortured and then strangled.
Peter, a eunuch belonging to the emperor, was a Christian of singular modesty
and humility. He was laid on a gridiron, and broiled over a slow fire until he
expired.
Cyprian, known by the title of the magician, to distinguish him from Cyprian,
bishop of Carthage, was a native of Natioch. He received a liberal education in
his youth, and particularly applied himself to astrology; after which he
traveled for improvement through Greece, Egypt, India, etc. In the course of
time he became acquainted with Justina, a young lady of Antioch, whose birth,
beauty, and accomplishments, rendered her the admiration of all who knew her. A
pagan gentleman applied to Cyprian, to promote his suit with the beautiful
Justina; this he undertook, but soon himself became converted, burnt his books
of astrology and magic, received baptism, and felt animated with a powerful
spirit of grace. The conversion of Cyprian had a great effect on the pagan
gentleman who paid his addresses to Justina, and he in a short time embraced
Christianity. During the persecutions of Diocletian, Cyprian and Justina were
seized upon as Chrisitans, the former was torn with pincers, and the latter
chastised; and, after suffering other torments, both were beheaded.
Eulalia, a Spanish lady of a Christian family, was remarkable in her youth for
sweetness of temper, and solidity of understanding seldom found in the
capriciousness of juvenile years. Being apprehended as a Christian, the
magistrate attempted by the mildest means, to bring her over to paganism, but
she ridiculed the pagan deities with such asperity, that the judge, incensed at
her behavior, ordered her to be tortured. Her sides were accordingly torn by
hooks, and her breasts burnt in the most shocking manner, until she expired by
the violence of the flames, December, A.D. 303.
In the year 304, when the persecution reached Spain, Dacian, the governor of
Terragona, ordered Valerius the bishop, and Vincent the deacon, to be seized,
loaded with irons, and imprisoned. The prisoners being firm in their
resolution, Valerius was banished, and Vincent was racked, his limbs
dislocated, his flesh torn with hooks, and he was laid on a gridiron, which had
not only a fire placed under it, but spikes at the top, which ran into his
flesh. These torments neither destroying him, nor changing his resolutions, he
was remanded to prison, and confined ina small, loathsome, dark dungeon,
strewed with sharp flints, and pieces of broken glass, where he died, January
22, 304. His body was thrown into the river.
The persecution of Diocletian began particularly to rage in A.D. 304, when many
Christians were put to cruel tortures and the most painful and ignominious
deaths; the most eminent and paritcular of whom we shall enumerate.
Saturninus, a priest of Albitina, a town of Africa, after being tortured, was
remanded to prison, and there starved to death. His four children, after being
variously tormented, shared the same fate with their father.
Dativas, a noble Roman senator; Thelico, a pious Christian;
Victoria, a young lady of considerable family and fortune, with some others of
less consideration, all auditors of Saturninus, were tortured in a similar
manner, and perished by the same means.
Agrape, Chionia, and Irene, three sisters, were seized upon at Thessalonica,
when Diocletian's persecution reached Greece. They were burnt, and received the
crown of martyrdom in the flames, March 25, A.D. 304. The governor, finding
that he could make no impression on Irene, ordered her to be exposed naked in
the streets, which shameful order having been executed, a fire was kindled near
the city wall, amidst whose flames her spirit ascended beyond the reach of
man's cruelty.
Agatho, a man of a pious turn of mind, with Cassice, Philippa, and Eutychia,
were martyred about the same time; but the particulars have not been
transmitted to us.
Marcellinus, bishop of Rome, who succeeded Caius in that see, having strongly
opposed paying divine honors to Diocletian, suffered martyrdom, by a variety of
tortures, in the year 324, conforting his soul until he expired with the
prospect of these glorious rewards it would receive by the tortures suffered in
the body.
Victorius, Carpophorus, Severus, and Severianus, were brothers, and all four
employed in places of great trust and honor in the city of Rome. Having
exclaimed against the worship of idols, they were apprehended, and scourged,
with the plumbetae, or scourges, to the ends of which were fastened leaden
balls. This punishment was exercised with such excess of cruelty that the pious
brothers fell martyrs to its severity.
Timothy, a deacon of Mauritania, and Maura his wife, had not been united
together by the bands of wedlock above three weeks, when they were separated
from each other by the persecution. Timothy, being apprehended, as a Christian,
was carried before Arrianus, the governor of Thebais, who, knowing that he had
the keeping of the Holy Scriptures, commanded him to deliver them up to be
burnt; to which he answered, "Had I children, I would sooner deliver them
up to be sacrificed, than part with the Word of God." The governor being
much incensed at this reply, ordered his eyes to be put out, with red-hot
irons, saying, "The books shall at least be useless to you, for you shall
not see to read them." His patience under the operation was so great that
the governor grew more exasperated; he, therefore, in order, if possible, to
overcome his fortitude, ordered him to be hung up by the feet, with a weight
tied about his neck, and a gag in his mouth. In this state, Maura his wife,
tenderly urged him for her sake to recant; but, when the gag was taken out of
his mouth, instead of consenting to his wife's entreaties, he greatly blamed
her mistaken love, and declared his resolution of dying for the faith. The consequence
was, that Maura resolved to imitate his courage and fidelity and either to
accompany or follow him to glory. The governor, after trying in vain to alter
her resolution, ordered her to be tortured, which was executed with great
severity. After this, Timothy and Maura were crucified near each other, A.D.
304.
Sabinus, bishop of Assisium, refusing to sacrifice to Jupiter, and pushing the
idol from him, had his hand cut off by the order of the governor of Tuscany.
While in prison, he converted the governor and his family, all of whom suffered
martyrdom for the faith. Soon after their execution, Sabinus himself was
scourged to death, December, A.D. 304.
Tired with the farce of state and public business, the emperor Diocletian
resigned the imperial diadem, and was succeeded by Constantius and Galerius;
the former a prince of the most mild and humane disposition and the latter
equally remarkable for his cruelty and tyranny. These divided the empire into
two equal governments, Galerius ruling in the east, and Constantius in the
west; and the people in the two governments felt the effects of the
dispositions of the two emperors; for those in the west were governed in the
mildest manner, but such as resided in the east felt all the miseries of
oppression and lengthened tortures.
Among the many martyred by the order of Galerius, we shall enumerate the most
eminent.
Amphianus was a gentleman of eminence in Lucia, and a scholar of Eusebius;
Julitta, a Lycaonian of royal descent, but more celebrated for her virtues than
noble blood. While on the rack, her child was killed before her face. Julitta,
of Cappadocia, was a lady of distinguished capacity, great virtue, and uncommon
courage. To complete the execution, Julitta had boiling pitch poured on her
feet, her sides torn with hooks, and received the conclusion of her martyrdom,
by being beheaded, April 16, A.D. 305.
Hermolaus, a venerable and pious Christian, or a great age, and an intimate
acquaintance of Panteleon's, suffered martyrdom for the faith on the same day,
and in the same manner as Panteleon.
Eustratius, secretary to the governor of Armina, was thrown into a fiery
furnace for exhorting some Christians who had been apprehended, to persevere in
their faith.
Nicander and Marcian, two eminent Roman military officers, were apprehended on
account of their faith. As they were both men of great abilities in their
profession, the utmost means were used to induce them to renounce Christianity;
but these endeavors being found ineffectual, they were beheaded.
In the kingdom of Naples, several martyrdoms took place, in particular,
Januaries, bishop of Beneventum; Sosius, deacon of Misene; Proculus, another
deacon; Eutyches and Acutius, two laymen; Festus, a deacon; and Desiderius, a
reader; all, on account of being Christians, were condemned by the governor of
Campania to be devoured by the wild beasts. The savage animals, however, would
not touch them, and so they were beheaded.
Quirinus, bishop of Siscia, being carried before Matenius, the governor, was
ordered to sacrifice to the pagan deities, agreeably to the edicts of various
Roman emperors. The governor, perceiving his constancy, sent him to jail, and
ordered him to be heavily ironed; flattering himself, that the hardships of a
jail, some occasional tortures and the weight of chains, might overcome his
resolution. Being decided in his principles, he was sent to Amantius, the
principal governor of Pannonia, now Hungary, who loaded him with chains, and
carried him through the principal towns of the Danube, exposing him to ridicule
wherever he went. Arriving at length at Sabaria, and finding that Quirinus
would not renounce his faith, he ordered him to be cast into a river, with a
stone fastened about his neck. This sentence being put into execution, Quirinus
floated about for some time, and, exhorting the people in the most pious terms,
concluded his admonitions with this prayer: "It is no new thing, O
all-powerful Jesus, for Thee to stop the course of rivers, or to cause a man to
walk upon the water, as Thou didst Thy servant Peter; the people have already
seen the proof of Thy power in me; grant me now to lay down my life for Thy
sake, O my God." On pronouncing the last words he immediately sank, and
died, June 4, A.D. 308. His body was afterwards taken up, and buried by some
pious Christians.
Pamphilus, a native of Phoenicia, of a considerable family, was a man of such
extensive learning that he was called a second Origen. He was received into the
body of the clergy at Caesarea, where he established a public library and spent
his time in the practice of every Christian virtue. He copied the greatest part
of the works of Origen with his own hand, and, assisted by Eusebius, gave a
correct copy of the Old Testament, which had suffered greatly by the ignorance
or negligence of former transcribers. In the year 307, he was apprehended, and
suffered torture and martyrdom.
Marcellus, bishop of Rome, being banished on account of his faith, fell a
martyr to the miseries he suffered in exile, January 16, A.D. 310.
Peter, the sixteenth bishop of Alexandria, was martyred November 25, A.D. 311,
by order of Maximus Caesar, who reigned in the east.
Agnes, a virgin of only thirteen years of age, was beheaded for being a
Christian; as was Serene, the empress of Diocletian. Valentine, a priest,
suffered the same fate at Rome; and Erasmus, a bishop, was martyred in
Campania.
Soon after this the persecution abated in the middle parts of the empire, as
well as in the west; and Providence at length began to manifest vengeance on
the persecutors. Maximian endeavored to corrupt his daughter Fausta to murder
Constantine her husband; which she discovered, and Constantine forced him to
choose his own death, when he preferred the ignominious death of hanging after
being an emperor near twenty years.
Constantine was the good and virtuous child of a good and virtuous father, born
in Britain. His mother was named Helena, daughter of King Coilus. He was a most
bountiful and gracious prince, having a desire to nourish learning and good
arts, and did oftentimes use to read, write, and study himself. He had
marvellous good success and prosperous achieving of all things he took in hand,
which then was (and truly) supposed to proceed of this, for that he was so
great a favorer of the Christian faith. Which faith when he had once embraced,
he did ever after most devoutly and religiously reverence.
Thus Constantine, sufficiently appointed with strength of men but especially
with strength of God, entered his journey coming towards Italy, which was about
the last year of the persecution, A.D. 313. Maxentius, understanding of the
coming of Constantine, and trusting more to his devilish art of magic than to
the good will of his subjects, which he little deserved, durst not show himself
out of the city, nor encounter him in the open field, but with privy garrisons
laid wait for him by the way in sundry straits, as he should come; with whom
Constantine had divers skirmishes, and by the power of the Lord did ever
vanquish them and put them to flight.
Notwithstanding, Constantine yet was in no great comfort, but in great care and
dread in his mind (approaching now near unto Rome) for the magical charms and
sorceries of Maxentius, wherewith he had vanquished before Severus, sent by
Galerius against him. Wherefore, being in great doubt and perplexity in
himself, and revolving many things in his mind, what help he might have against
the operations of his charming, Constantine, in his journey drawing toward the
city, and casting up his eyes many times to heaven, in the south part, about
the going down of the sun, saw a great brightness in heaven, appearing in the
similitude of a cross, giving this inscription, In hoc vince, that is, "In
this overcome."
Eusebius Pamphilus doth witness that he had heard the said Constantine himself
oftentimes report, and also to swear this to be true and certain, which he did
see with his own eyes in heaven, and also his soldiers about him. At the sight
whereof when he was greatly astonished, and consulting with his men upon the
meaning thereof, behold, in the night season in his sleep, Christ appeared to
him with the sign of the same cross which he had seen before, bidding him to
make the figuration thereof, and to carry it in his wars before him, and so
should we have the victory.
Constantine so established the peace of the Church that for the space of a
thousand years we read of no set persecution against the Christians, unto the
time of John Wickliffe.
So happy, so glorious was this victory of Constantine, surnamed the Great! For
the joy and gladness whereof, the citizens who had sent for him before, with
exceeding triumph brought him into the city of Rome, where he was most
honorably received, and celebrated the space of seven days together; having,
moreover, in the market place, his image set up, holding in his right hand the
sign of the cross, with this inscription:
"With this wholesome sign, the true token of fortitude, I have rescued and
delivered our city from the yoke of the tyrant."
We shall conclude our account of the tenth and last general persecution with
the death of St. George, the titular saint and patron of England. St. George
was born in Cappadocia, of Christian parents; and giving proofs of his courage,
was promoted in the army of the emperor Diocletian. During the persecution, St.
George threw up his command, went boldly to the senate house, and avowed his
being a Christian, taking occasion at the same time to remonstrate against
paganism, and point out the absurdity of worshipping idols. This freedom so
greatly provoked the senate that St. George was ordered to be tortured, and by
the emperor's orders was dragged through the streets, and beheaded the next
day.
The legend of the dragon, which is associated with this martyr, is usually
illustrated by representing St. George seated upon a charging horse and
transfixing the monster with his spear. This fiery dragon symbolizes the devil,
who was vanquished by St. George's steadfast faith in Christ, which remained
unshaken in spite of torture and death.
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