Fox's Book of Martyrs
Chapter II
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 surprise,
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.
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.
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, engaged
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 offence. 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.
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
Christians; 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 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 same 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.
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 in a 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 particular
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, comforting 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