Persecution

Maturus, Sanctus, Blandina, And A Youth From Pontus, Most Miserably Tormented, On The River, Rhone, About The Year 172

It is manifest from the ancient writers, that in and about the time that Attalus was slain, various other martyrs were likewise put to death for the sake of Jesus Christ, almost in the same manner, or, at least, with equally great torments. Some of these martyrs are not mentioned, while others are, namely, Maturus, Sanctus, Blandina, and a youth of fifteen years, from Pontus. Touching the circumstances of their suffering and death, we find that…

Continue reading

Alexander Of Phrygia, First Dreadfully Tortured, And Then Executed With The Sword, For The Confession Of The Son Of God, On The River Rhone, About The Year 172

The ancient writers mention also a certain pious man, called Alexander, a physician, and native of Phrygia, who was put to death on the same day and place when and where the above mentioned Attalus laid down his life. Concerning the cause of his imprisonment and death, it is stated, that, when Attalus and other Christians were being examined, this Alexander of Phrygia stood near the judgment seat, and…

Continue reading

Attalus, Roastes In An Iron Chair, Cast Before The Wild Beasts, His Throat Cut, And Beheaded, On The River Rhone, About The Year 172

At the time that this awful pressure of conscience continued under the Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, ceasing not until those who endeavored to live a Christian life according to their faith, had ended their lives under many torments, it came to pass that a certain pious Christian, called Attalus, who had been…

Continue reading

Vetius, Surnamed Pagathus, Put To Death On The River Rhone In France. About The Year 172

[J. Gysius fixes the beginning of this persecution of the Christians, at Lyons and Vienne, on the river Rhone, in the year 179; but other authentic Writers commence it with the year 172.]

When the persecution of the Christians on the River Rhone, at Lyons and Vienne, in France, did not cease, but increased the longer the more, so that those who confessed the name of Christ, were forbidden, first their houses, then…

Continue reading

Germanicus, An Eminently Pious Man, Devoured By The Beasts, At Smyrna In Asia Minor, For The Testimony Of Jesus Christ, A.D. 170

In P. J. Twisck’s Chronicle is found the following account for the year A. D. 170: Germanicus, with other dear friends of God, had to suffer severe persecution and torture for the name of Christ, and was finally cast before the wild beasts, and thus willingly ended his life.”

Concerning the cause of his conversion, suffering and death, other authors write…

Continue reading

Carpus, Papylus, Agathonica And Many Other Women, Put To Death At Pergamos, In Asia Minor, For The Confession Of The True Faith, About The Year 168

It is recorded that about the same time that the aforementioned Christians were martyred, several other pious persons suffered death for the name of Jesus Christ, and the confession of the Son of God; among whom are mentioned…

Continue reading

Twelve Pious Christians, Who Had Come From Philadelphia To Smyrna, Put To Death On The Same Day, With Polycarp, The Aforementioned Martyr, A. D. 168

In the letter which the Holy Ghost directed John to write to the angel of the church at Smyrna, which we mentioned above, it is indicated, that not only the teacher, who is called an angel, namely Polycarp, but also some of the church, would have to suffer for the name of Jesus Christ. We read: “Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried” (Rev. 2:10). This was also fulfilled in truth. For it is stated, that not only Polycarp, the leader of the church at Smyrna, but with him also…

Continue reading

Polycarp, A Disciple Of The Apostle John, And Bishop Of The Church At Smyrna, Put To Death With Fire And Sword, For His Faith In The Son Of God, A. D. 168

We read in the Revelation of John, that the Lord commanded His servant John, that he should write a few things to the angel (that is, the bishop or teacher) of the church at Smyrna, for the admonition of the teacher as well as for the service of the church, saying: “Unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These tilings saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; I know thy works, and tribulation…

Continue reading

Justinus, First Scourged, And Then Beheaded, For The Testimony Of Jesus Christ, A. D. 168

Justinus was called a son of Priscus Bacchus, and was born of Greek parents, at Neapolis in Palestine.

In its proper place we have spoken of the views of Justinus concerning baptism on faith, and have shown that he was sound and correct in them. Now, however, it is proper for us to speak of his spiritual birth, of his heavenly fatherland, and how conclusively he showed that he was a child of God, and a citizen…

Continue reading

Of The Fourth Persecution Of The Christians, Under Marcus Aurelius And Lucius Verus, Which Was Commenced About The Year 166

P. J. Twisck, in his Chronicle, gives as the beginning of the fourth persecution, the year A. D. 162; the writers of the Introduction to the Martyrs’ Mirror of the Defenseless Christian, fix the beginning in the year 164 (page 37, col. 2); J. Gysius, in Hist. Mart., fol. 16, col. 2, places it in the year 168, and A. Mellinus makes no mention at all as to the exact time of that persecution. However, all these writers abound with accounts of the inhuman tortures, which the faithful martyrs had to suffer…

Continue reading

Felicitas With Her Seven Sons, Januarius, Felix, Phillipus, Sylvanus, Alexander, Vitalis And Martialis, Put To Death For The Faith, At Rome, AD 164

Felicitas was a Christian widow at Rome, and had seven sons, whose names were Januarius, Felix, Philippus, Sylvanus, Alexander, Vitalis, and Martialis. These lived together with their mother in one house, as an entire Christian church. Of the mother it is stated, that by her Christian communion, (conversation) which she had with the Roman women, she converted many to Christ. The sons, on their part, also acquitted themselves well by winning…

Continue reading

Lucius, A Pious Christian, Also Put To Death At Alexandria, According To The Preceding Sentence, Together With Another, Who Made The Same Profession, About The Year 144

In Historia Ecclesia Eusebii Pamphilii Caesariensis, mention is made of a certain Lucius, who was greatly dissatisfied with the sentence and execution of the aforementioned pious man Ptolomeus, and, therefore demanded a reason for it from the judge, at the same time confessing himself a Christian; which cost him his life, even as it did the man for whom he interceded…

Continue reading

Ptolomeus, A God-fearing Man, Put To Death At Alexandria, In Egypt, For The Faith In Jesus Christ, About The Year 144

It is stated that Ptolomeus was a pious and God-fearing man, who had converted his wife from the blindness of heathendom to the faith. He was apprehended for the truth of Christ. Asked, whether he was a Christian, he, as a lover of the truth, immediately confessed that he was. After this confession, he was cast into prison, in which he suffered so long as to become…

Continue reading

Getulicus, Symphorosa With He Sons, Cerialus And Amantius, Put To Death For The Faith, At Frivoli; And Saphira And Sabina At Rome, A. D. 136

Getulicus, a teacher at Frivoli in Italy, Symphorosa with her sons, and Cerialus and Amantius, were put to death in that city for the faith. It is also stated that Saphira, a maiden from Antioch, and Sabina, the widow of Valentinus, had to lay down their lives, at Rome, for the same reason. Joh. Gysii Hist. Mart., fol. 15, col. 4.

Continue reading

Severe Persecutions Of The Believers About The Year 130

About this time, writes P. J. Twisck, the instruments of the devil could not invent punishments severe enough, but what they considered the Christians worthy of. For they were watched in their houses as well as without; men cried out against them in all public places; they were scourged, stoned, and dragged about; their goods were plundered; they were…

Continue reading

Faustina And Jacobita Put To Death, For The Faith, At Brescia; And Elentherus With His Mother Anthia, In Sicily, A.D. 120

About this time several persons were put to death for the name of Christ; as Faustina and Jacobita, at Brescia in Italy; Elentherus with his mother Anthia, and others, at Messina in Sicily, etc.; all of whom…

Continue reading

Phocus, bishop of Sineppe, thrown into a lime kiln filled with boiling water in Pontus, AD 118

Continue reading

Justus And Pastor, Slain For The Faith At Complutum, About The Year 116

That Justus and Pastor were deprived of life at Complutum, a city in Spain, for the same reason for which the aforementioned martyrs were slain, namely, for the testimony of Jesus, the Son of God, this we find stated in different ancient writers. See above.

Continue reading

Publius, Barsimaeus, Barbelius, And His Sister Barba, Slain For The Name of Jesus Christ About The Year 112

It is also stated that Publius, bishop of the church at Athens, a good and pious man, was slain for the name of Christ; likewise, Barsimseus, bishop of the church at Edessa, and with him, Barbelius and…

Continue reading

Onesimus, A Friend Of The Apostle Paul, Brought From Rome To Ephesus, And There Stoned To Death, A.D. 111

Onesimus, a servant of Philemon, by descent a Colossian, had run away from his master, and had come to Rome, where he was recognized by the apostle Paul—who was imprisoned there—and sent back to his master, with recommendatory letters tending to reconciliation, as may be seen in the epistle of Paul to Philemon…

Continue reading

Ignatius, A Disciple Of The Apostle John, Devoured By Wild Beasts In A Circus At Rome, For The Testimony Of The Son Of God, A.D. 111

Continue reading

The Ethiopian Or Eunuch Of Queen Candace, Who Was Baptised By Philip, Put To Death For The Name Of Christ, In The Island Of Caprobano, A.D. 110

Immediately after Rufus and Zosimus, A. Mellinus introduces the Ethiopian or eunuch of Queen Candace in Ethiopia, who was converted by Philip to the faith in Jesus Christ, and thereupon baptized, as we read…

Continue reading

Simon Cleophas, One Of The Seventy Disciples Of Christ, Crucified By Atticus, Under Trajan, A.D. 109

Simon Cleophas was the son of Cleophas and Mary, and a cousin of our Lord Jesus, because he was the son of the brother of Joseph, the supposed father of Christ. After the death of the apostle James he was chosen, by common consent, bishop of the church at Jerusalem; hence he must be distinguished…

Continue reading

A Summary of the Martyrs of the Second Century

[The two Roman, or, properly speaking, Greek Emperors, Trajan and Marcus Aurelius raised the principal persecutions against the Christians, in this century. This is amply shown in the following account, as well as what persons suffered for the name of Christ in these persecutions.

In the persecutions through Trajan there were slain, after enduring much suffering, Simon Cleophas, who was a hundred and twenty years old, Rufus and Zosimus, the Ethiopian baptized by Philip, Ignatius, Onesimus, Dionysius Areopagita, Publius, Barsimeus, Barbelius and his sister Barba, Justus and Pastor, Phocas, Faustina, Jacobita, Felicitas with her seven sons, and Lucius.

Under Marcus Aurelius there suffered, Justinus…

Continue reading

Summary Of Baptism In The Second Century

The witnesses as regards the ordinance of the baptism of Jesus Christ, who have written in this century, are few, and their accounts are brief, but mostly clear and conclusive. First appears one Dionysius, surnamed Alexandrinus, who writes to his friend Sixtus about a certain brother, who considered the baptism of the heretics no baptism at all, and, therefore requested to be rebaptized.

He is followed by Justinus, who, in his letters written in defense of the Christians, as well as in his disputation with…

Continue reading

Of Different Other Persons Who Were Slain For The Name Of Christ About A. D. 100

According to ancient history there were also slain for the testimony of the Son of God; In France, Lucianus, bishop of the church of Bellovaco; Maximianus and Julianus, elders; Nicasius, bishop of the church of Rouen; Quirinus, an elder; Scubiculus, a deacon; Pascientia, a virgin. In Italy, Romulus, bishop of the church of Fesula, and others . . .

Continue reading

Vitalus, Buried Alive At Ravenna For The Name Of Jesus Christ; And His Wife Beaten To Death With Sticks, At Milan, About A.D. 99

Continue reading

Urticinus, A Pious Christian, Beheaded With The Ax, At Ravenna, A.D. 99

Next to Timothy is placed Urticinus or Ursinius, a physician at Ravenna in Italy. Having been reported to the Judge Paulinus, as being a Christian, he was tortured in manifold ways for the name of Christ. Having borne all with constancy, and still refusing to sacrifice to the gods of the heathen, he was finally sentenced by the judge, to be beheaded with the ax.

When Urticinus received this sentence of death . . .

Continue reading

Timothy, The Spiritual Son Of The Apostle Apul, Stoned To Death By The Heathen Idolaters At Ephesus, About A. D. 98

Timothy was a native of Lystra in Lycaonia. His father was a Greek, but his mother and grandmother, though of Jewish descent, were Christian believers, the one named Eunice, the other Lois; by whom he was instructed from his youth in the holy Scriptures. Acts 16:1; 2 Tim. 1:5.

Timothy was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium; wherefore Paul received him as his companion in the ministry of the holy Gospel among the Gentiles. Acts 16:2, 3.

Continue reading

John, The Holy Evangelist, Banished To The Isle of Pathos, By Emperor Domitian, A.D. 97

Continue reading