the ten primitive persecutions.
the first persecution under nero, a. d. 67.
the first persecution of the church took place in the year 67, under nero, the sixth emperor of rome. this monarch reigned for the space of five years, with tolerable credit to himself, but then gave way to the greatest extravagancy of temper, and to the most atrocious barbarities. among other diabolical whims, he ordered that the city of rome should be set on fire, which order was executed by his officers, guards, and servants. while the imperial city was in flames, he went up to the tower of mac?nas, 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 commisseration 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 the skins of wild beasts, and then worried by dogs till 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 ephesian, converted by st. paul, and fellow-labourer with him; joseph, commonly called barsabas; and ananias, bishop of damascus; each of the seventy.
the second persecution, under domitian, a. d. 81.
the emperor domitian, who was naturally inclined to cruelty, first slew his brother, and then raised the second persecution against the christians. in his rage he put to death some of the roman senators, some through malice; and others to confiscate their estates. he then commanded all the lineage of david to be put to death.[20]
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 saviour'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 till 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 after.
the third persecution, under trajan, a. d. 108.
nerva, succeeding domitian, gave a respite to the sufferings of the christians; but reigning only thirteen months, his successor trajan, in the tenth year of his reign a. d. 108, began the third persecution against the christians. while the persecution raged, pliny 2d, a heathen philosopher wrote to the emperor in favor of the christians; to whose epistle trajan returned this indecisive answer: "the christians ought not to be sought after, but when brought before the[21] magistracy, they should be punished." trajan, however, soon after wrote to jerusalem, and gave orders to his officers to exterminate the stock of david; in consequence of which, all that could be found of that race were put to death.
symphorosa, a widow, and her seven sons, were commanded by the emperor to sacrifice to the heathen deities. she was carried to the temple of hercules, scourged, and hung up, for some time, by the hair of her head: then being taken down, a large stone was fastened to her neck, and she was thrown into the river, where she expired. with respect to the sons, they were fastened to seven posts, and being drawn up by pullies, their limbs were dislocated: these tortures, not affecting their resolution, they were martyred by stabbing, except eugenius, the youngest, who was sawed asunder.
phocas, bishop of pontus, refusing to sacrifice to neptune, was, by the immediate order of trajan, cast first into a hot lime-kiln, and then thrown into a scalding bath till he expired.
trajan likewise commanded the martyrdom of ignatius, bishop of antioch. this holy man was the person whom, when an infant, christ took into his arms, and showed to his disciples, as one that would be a pattern of humility and innocence. he received the gospel afterward from st. john the evangelist, and was exceedingly zealous in his mission. he boldly vindicated the faith of christ before the emperor, for which he was cast into prison, and tormented in a most cruel manner. after being dreadfully scourged, he was compelled to hold fire in his hands, and, at the same time, papers clipped in oil were put to his sides, and set on fire. his flesh was then torn with red hot pincers, and at last he was despatched by being torn to pieces by wild beasts.
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 ecstacy, "great is the god of the christians!" for which he was apprehended, and suffered a similar fate.
many other similar cruelties and rigours were exercised against the christians, until quadratus, bishop of athens, made a learned apology[22] in their favour 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 favour.
adrian dying a. d. 138, was succeeded by antoninus pius, one of the most amiable monarchs that ever reigned, and who stayed the persecution against the christians.
the fourth persecution, under marcus aurelius antoninus, a. d. 162.
this commenced a. d. 162, under marcus aurelius antoninus philosophus, a strong pagan.
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, &c. upon their points, others were scourged till 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. twelve other christians, who had been intimate with polycarp, were soon after martyred.
the circumstances attending the execution of this venerable old man, as they were of no common nature, so it would be injurious to the credit of our professed history of martyrdom to pass them over in silence. it was observed by the spectators, that, after finishing his prayer at the stake, to which he was only tied, but not nailed as usual, as he assured them he should stand immoveable, 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 agathonica, a pious woman, suffered martyrdom at pergamopolis, in asia.
felicitatis, an illustrious roman lady, of a considerable family[23] 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 behaviour of one 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, till 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 confute heresies of all kinds. as the pagans began to treat the christians with great severity, justin wrote his first apology in their favour. 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 succour. a miraculous deliverance immediately ensued; a prodigious quantity of rain fell, which, being caught by the men, and filling their dykes, afforded a sudden[24] and astonishing relief. it appears, that the storm which miraculously flashed in the faces 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 amphitheatre, 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.
the torments were various; and, exclusive of those already mentioned, the martyrs of lyons were compelled to sit in red-hot iron chairs till their flesh broiled. this was inflicted with peculiar severity on sanctus, already mentioned, and some others. some were sewed up in nets, and thrown on the horns of wild bulls; and the carcases of those who died in prison, previous to the appointed time of execution, were thrown to dogs. indeed, so far did the malice of the pagans proceed that they set guards over the bodies while the beasts were devouring them, lest the friends of the deceased should get them away by stealth; and the offals left by the dogs were ordered to be burnt.
the martyrs of lyons, according to the best accounts we could obtain, who suffered for the gospel, were forty-eight in number, and their executions happened in the year of christ 177.
epipodius and alexander were celebrated for their great friendship, and their christian union with each other. the first was born at lyons, the latter at greece. epipodius, being compassionated by the governor of lyons, and exhorted to join in their festive pagan worship, replied, "your pretended tenderness is actually cruelty; and[25] the agreeable life you describe is replete with everlasting death christ suffered for us, that our pleasures should be immortal, and hath prepared for his followers an eternity of bliss. the frame of man being composed of two parts, body and soul, the first, as mean and perishable, should be rendered subservient to the interests of the last. your idolatrous feasts may gratify the mortal, but they injure the immortal part; that cannot therefore be enjoying life which destroys the most valuable moiety of your frame. your pleasures lead to eternal death, and our pains to perpetual happiness." epipodius was severely beaten, and then put to the rack, upon which being stretched, his flesh was torn with iron hooks. having borne his torments with incredible patience and unshaken fortitude, he was taken from the rack and beheaded.
valerian and marcellus, who were nearly related to each other, were imprisoned at lyons, in the year 177, for being christians. the father was fixed up to the waist in the ground; in which position, after remaining three days, he expired, a. d. 179. valerian was beheaded.
apollonius, a roman senator, an accomplished gentleman, and a sincere christian, suffered under commodus, because he would not worship him as hercules.
eusebius, vincentius, potentianus, peregrinus, and julius, a roman senator, were martyred on the same account.
the fifth persecution, commencing with severus, a. d. 192.
severus, having been recovered from a severe fit of sickness by a christian, became a great favourer 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. turtullian, 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. potamiena, 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.[26]
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.
iren?us, 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, iren?us wrote him a synodical epistle, in the name of the gallic churches. this zeal, in favour 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 amphitheatre. 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 year 205, on the 8th 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[27] manner of his death is not recorded; and urban, bishop of rome, met the same fate a. d. 232.
the sixth persecution, under maximinus, a. d. 235.
a. d. 235, was in the time of maximinus. in cappadocia, the president, seremianus, did all he could to exterminate the christians from that province.
the principal persons who perished under this reign were pontianus, bishop of rome; anteros, a grecian, his successor, who gave offence to the government, by collecting the acts of the martyrs, pammachius and quiritus, roman senators, with all their families, and many other christians; simplicius, senator; calepodius, a christian minister, thrown into the tyber; martina, a noble and beautiful virgin; and hippolitus, a christian prelate, tied to a wild horse, and dragged till 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 a. d. 249, a violent persecution broke out in alexandria, at the instigation of a pagan priest, without the knowledge of the emperor.
the seventh persecution, under decius a. d. 249.
this was occasioned partly by the hatred he bore to his predecessor philip, who was deemed a christian, and partly to 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[28] good prelate. he was accordingly seized; and on the 20th of january, 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 endeavour the conversion of their neighbours, and to do every thing in their power to rescue them from the snares of the devil."[29]
lucian having answered in this manner, marcian said, that "then 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 enamoured 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 endeavours, who, enraged 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 the 5th of feb. 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.[30]
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 till 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.[31]
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 thus 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 till his death, which happened when he was in the sixty-ninth year of his age.
gallus, the emperor, having concluded his wars, a plague broke out in the empire: sacrifices to the pagan deities were ordered by the emperor, and persecutions spread from the interior to the extreme parts of the empire, and many fell martyrs to the impetuosity of the rabble, as well as the prejudice of the magistrates. among these were cornelius, the christian bishop of rome, and lucius, his successor, in 253.
most of the errors which crept into the church at this time, arose from placing human reason in competition with revelation; but the fallacy of such arguments being proved by the most able divines, the opinions they had created vanished away like the stars before the sun.
the eighth persecution, under valerian, a. d. 257,
began under valerian, in the month of april, 257, and continued for three years and six months. the martyrs that fell in this persecution were innumerable, and their tortures and deaths as various and painful. the most eminent martyrs were the following, though neither rank, sex, or age were regarded.
rufina and secunda, 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.[32]
stephen, bishop of rome, was beheaded in the same year, and about that time saturnius, the pious orthodox bishop of thoulouse, 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.
laurentius, generally called st. laurence, the principal of the deacons, who taught and preached under sextus, followed him to the place of execution; when sextus predicted, that he should, three days after, meet him in heaven.
laurentius, looking upon this as a certain indication of his own approaching martyrdom, at his return gathered together all the christian poor, and distributed the treasures of the church, which had been committed to his care, among them.
this liberality alarmed the persecutors, who commanded him to give an immediate account to the emperor of the church treasures. this he promised to do in three days, during which interval, he collected together a great number of aged, helpless, and impotent poor; he repaired to the magistrate, and presenting them to him, said, "these are the true treasures of the church." incensed at the disappointment, and fancying the matter meant in ridicule, the governor ordered him to be immediately scourged. he was then beaten with iron rods, set upon a wooden horse, and had his limbs dislocated. these tortures he endured with fortitude and perseverance; when he was ordered to be fastened to a large gridiron, with a slow fire under it, that his death might be the more lingering. his astonishing constancy during these trials, and serenity of countenance while under such excruciating torments, gave the spectators so exalted an idea of the dignity and truth of the christian religion, that many became converts upon the occasion, of whom was romanus, a soldier.
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[33] 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 splendour, and all the dignity of pomp.
about the year 246, c?cilius, 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 c?cilius 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."
a. d. 250, cyprian was publicly proscribed by the emperor decius, under the appellation of c?cilius 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 rigour of the persecution abating, he returned to carthage, and did every thing 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 now governor, who condemned him to be beheaded; which sentence was executed on the 14th of september, a. d. 258.
the disciples of cyprian, martyred in this persecution, were lucius, flavian, victoricus, remus, montanus, julian, primelus, and donatian.[34]
at utica, a most terrible tragedy was exhibited: 300 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 stratagem, 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 83 years of age. this not satiating his desire of revenge, he soon after ordered his body to be flayed alive, and rubbed with salt, under which torments he expired; and thus fell one of the most tyrannical emperors of rome, and one of the greatest persecutors of the christians.
a. d. 260, gallienus, the son of valerian, succeeded him, and during his reign (a few martyrs excepted) the church enjoyed peace for some years.
the ninth persecution under aurelian, a. d. 274.
the principal sufferers were, felix, bishop of rome. this prelate was advanced to the roman see in 274. he was the first martyr to aurelian's petulancy, being beheaded on the 22d 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 pr?neste, 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 a stop to 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[35] 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 favour 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 6666 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 till 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 were 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[36] should be put to death, which was accordingly executed by the other troops, who cut them to pieces with their swords, 22d sept. 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 22d of june, a. d. 287, at verulam, now st. albans, in hertfordshire, where a magnificent church was erected to his memory about the time of constantine the great. this 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 till his joints were dislocated: his body was then torn with wire scourges, and boiling oil and pitch poured on his naked flesh; lighted torches were applied to his sides and armpits; and after he had been thus tortured, he was remanded back to prison, and died of the barbarities he had suffered, october 31, a. d. 287. his body was sunk in the somme.
the tenth persecution under diocletian, a. d. 303,
under the roman emperors, commonly called the era of the martyrs, was occasioned partly by the increasing numbers 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, till he had accomplished his purpose.
the fatal day fixed upon to commence the bloody work, was the[37] 23d 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 denominations 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 greatest 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 despatch 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.[38]
it is necessary now to particularize the most conspicuous 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 splendours of a court, untainted 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 endeavours 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's 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 towards heaven, and prayed to god to endue him with patience, after[39] 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 batons, 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 amphitheatre, 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 the 11th of october, a. d. 303.
romanus, a native of palestine, was deacon of the church of c?sarea, 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, nov. 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 honour 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 labours, 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 till he expired.[40]
cyprian, known by the title of the magician, to distinguish him from cyprian, bishop of carthage, was a native of antioch. he received a liberal education in his youth, and particularly applied himself to astrology; after which he travelled for improvement through greece, egypt, india, &c. 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 persecution of diocletian, cyprian and justina were seized upon as christians, when the former was torn with pincers, and the later chastised and, after suffering other torments, 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 behaviour, ordered her to be tortured. her sides were accordingly torn by hooks, and her breasts burnt in the most shocking manner, till she expired by the violence of the flames, dec. 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, and his limbs dislocated, his flesh torn with hooks, and 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, jan. 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[41] others of less consideration, all auditors of saturninus, were tortured in a similar manner, and perished by the same means.
agrape, chioma, 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, she was burnt, april 1, a. d. 304, at the same place where her sisters suffered.
agatho, a man of a pious turn of mind, with cassice, phillippa, 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 honours to diocletian, suffered martyrdom, by a variety of tortures, in the year 321, comforting his soul till he expired with the prospect of those 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 honour in the city of rome. having exclaimed against the worship of idols, they were apprehended, and scourged, with the plumbet?, 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[42] 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. dec.. 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 then 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, of 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 endeavours 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; were all, on account of being christians, condemned by the governor of campania, to be devoured by the wild beasts. the savage animals, however, not touching them, 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[43] 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 ph?nicia, 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 c?sarea, 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 firmer 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, 16th jan. a. d. 310.
peter, the sixteenth bishop of alexandria, was martyred nov. 25, a. d. 311, by order of maximus c?sar, 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 endeavoured 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.
galerius was visited by an incurable and intolerable disease, which began with an ulcer in his secret parts and a fistula in ano, that spread progressively to his inmost bowels, and baffled all the skill of physicians and surgeons. untried medicines of some daring professors drove the evil through his bones to the very marrow, and worms began to breed in his entrails; and the stench was so preponderant as to be perceived in the city; all the passages separating the passages of the urine, and[44] excrements being corroded and destroyed. the whole mass of his body was turned unto universal rottenness; and, though living creatures, and boiled animals, were applied with the design of drawing out the vermin by the heat, by which a vast hive was opened, a second imposthume discovered a more prodigious swarm, as if his whole body was resolved into worms. by a dropsy also his body was grossly disfigured; for although his upper parts were exhausted, and dried to a skeleton, covered only with dead skin; the lower parts were swelled up like bladders, and the shape of his feet could scarcely be perceived. torments and pains insupportable, greater than those he had inflicted upon the christians, accompanied these visitations, and he bellowed out like a wounded bull, often endeavouring to kill himself and destroying several physicians for the inefficacy of their medicines. these torments kept him in a languishing state a full year, and his conscience was awakened, at length, so that he was compelled to acknowledge the god of the christians, and to promise, in the intervals of his paroxysms, that he would rebuild the churches, and repair the mischief done to them. an edict in his last agonies, was published in his name, and the joint names of constantine and licinius, to permit the christians to have the free use of religion, and to supplicate their god for his health and the good of the empire; on which many prisoners in nicomedia were liberated, and amongst others donatus.
at length, constantine the great, determined to redress the grievances of the christians, for which purpose he raised an army of 30,000 foot, and 8000 horse, which he marched towards rome against maxentius, the emperor; defeated him, and entered the city of rome in triumph. a law was now published in favour of the christians, in which licinius was joined by constantine, and a copy of it was sent to maximus in the east. maximus, who was a bigoted pagan, greatly disliked the edict, but being afraid of constantine, did not openly avow his disapprobation. maximus at length invaded the territories of licinius, but, being defeated, put an end to his life by poison. licinius afterwards persecuting the christians, constantine the great marched against him, and defeated him: he was afterwards slain by his own soldiers.
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.
