Fox's Book of Martyrs
Chapter II
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 excuse himself, and have an opportunity
of glutting his sight with new cruelties. This was the occasion of the first
persecution; and the barbarities exercised on the Christians were such as even
excited the commiseration of the Romans themselves. Nero even refined upon
cruelty, and contrived all manner of punishments for the Christians that the
most infernal imagination could design. In particular, he had some sewed up in
skins of wild beasts, and then worried by dogs until they expired; and others
dressed in shirts made stiff with wax, fixed to axletrees, and set on fire in
his gardens, in order to illuminate them. This persecution was general
throughout the whole Roman Empire; but it rather increased than diminished the
spirit of Christianity. In the course of it, St. Paul and St. Peter were
martyred.
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
Chapter 3 - Persecutions of Christians in Persia
Fox's Book of Martyrs - Introduction
Chapter 1 - Christian Martyrs to the First General
Persecutions