tion. A. D. 98 to 138. The Third quence of my edict, in which (agreeably to your command) I forbad such Persecu societies. This being the whole of their statement, I judged it quite necessary to examine two young women, who were said to be deaconesses, by torture, in order to get at the real truth; but I found out nothing except absurd and raving superstition. I have thought proper, therefore, to suspend all further proceedings in order to consult you. For it appears to me a matter which calls for serious deliberation, especially on account of the great number of the persons involved, many of all ranks and ages, and of both sexes, being already under maidens prosecution, and more will soon be in the same situation. Not that I think it racked for impossible to check and master the evil: this at least is certain, that the temples which were nearly deserted have begun to be frequented, and the sacred solemnities which had been intermitted are again attended, and victims, which lately were very scarce, owing to the scarcity of purchasers, are now selling every where. Whence it is easy to conjecture, that crowds might be reclaimed from their error, if only pardon should be promised to such as repent. Two Christ. feared, and inquired for by the emperors. The Epistle of Trajan to Pliny. You have followed just the course which you ought, my dear Secundus, in dealing with the Christians who have been brought before you; for no specific rule can be framed so as to be of universal application. These people, however, must not be purposely sought after: if they be brought before you and convicted, they must be punished; yet with this restriction, that if any one declares that he is not a Christian, and shall prove that he is not by the fact of supplicating our gods, however suspected for the past, let him be pardoned on his repentance. Tertullian,' writing upon this letter of Trajan, above prefixed, thus saith: "O sentence of necessity confused! as men innocent he would not have them to be sought for, and yet causes them to be punished as persons guilty." And thus the rage of that persecution ceased for a time, although, notwithstanding, many naughty-disposed men and cruel officers there were, who, upon false pretence to accomplish their wicked minds, ceased not to afflict the Christians in divers provinces : and especially if any occasion were given (never so little) for the enemies to take hold of, or if any commotion were raised in the provinces The stock abroad, by and by the fault was laid upon the Christians. As in of David Jerusalem, after that the emperor Trajan had sent down his commandment that whosoever could be found of the stock of David, he should be inquired out and put to death: upon this Hegesippus, writing, saith, that certain sectaries there were of the Jewish nation, that accused Simeon, the bishop then of Jerusalem and son of Cleophas, to be of the stock of David, and that he was a christian. Punish- Of the which his accusers it happened also (saith the said Hegesippus), that certain of them likewise were apprehended and taken to be of malicious the stock of David, and so right justly were put to execution themselves, who sought the destruction of others. As concerning Simeon the blessed bishop, the aforesaid Hegesippus thus writeth: That Simeon the Lord's nephew, when he was accused to Atticus the proconsul by the malicious sect of the Jews, to be of the line of David, and to be a Christian, was scourged during the space of many days together, The age, being a hundred and twenty years of age. In which his martyrdom he endured so constantly, that both the proconsul and all the multityrdom of tude did marvel to see him of that age so constantly to suffer; and so at last, being crucified, finished his course in the Lord, for whom he suffered, as partly before also is recorded. ment of God upon accusers. death, and mar Simeon. (1) Apol. cap. ii.-ED. Persecution. A. D. 98 to In this persecution of Trajan above specified (which Trajan next The Third followed after Nerva), besides the other aforementioned, also suffered Phocas bishop of Pontus,' whom Trajan, because he would not do sacrifice to Neptune, caused to be cast into a hot lime-kiln, and afterward to be put into a scalding bath; where the constant godly martyr, in the testimony of Christ, ended his life, or rather entered into life.2 138. In the same persecution suffered also Sulpitius and Servilianus, Phocas, two Romans; whose wives are said to be Euphrosyne and Theodora, and marwhom Sabina did convert to the faith of Christ, and who after were tyr. also martyred. Of which Sabina, Jacobus Philippus (author of the book called "Supplementum") reporteth that she was beheaded on the mount Aventine in Rome, by Elipidus the prefect, in the days of Adrian. Under whom also suffered Seraphia, a virgin of Antioch, as Hermannus and Antoninus witness.* The aforenamed authors, Antoninus and Equilinus, make mention moreover of Nereus and Achilleus, who, in this persecution of Trajan, had the crown of martyrdom, being put to death at Rome. Eusebius maketh mention of one Sagaris, who, about the same time, suffered martyrdom in Asia, Servilius Paulus being then proconsul in that province. 6 bishop martyr. In this persecution, beside many others, suffered the blessed martyr Ignatius, of Christ, Ignatius, who, unto this day, is had in famous reverence among very many. This Ignatius was appointed to the bishopric of Antioch next after Peter in succession. Some do 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; and admonished them especially, and before all other things, to beware and shun those heresies risen and sprung up newly among them, and that they should cleave and stick fast to the tradition of the apostles; which he, for their better safeguard, being now about to suffer martyrdom, judged it necessary to put in writing. Accordingly, having come to Smyrna, where Polycarp was, he wrote one epistle to the church of Ephesus, wherein he maketh mention of Onesimus as their pastor; and another he wrote to the church at OnesiMagnesia on the Mæander, wherein also he mentioneth Damas as tor at their bishop. Also another he wrote to the church at Tralles, the Ephesus. bishop of which church at that time he noteth to be one Polybius. Another he wrote to the church at Rome, wherein he exhorts them not to use means for his deliverance from martyrdom, lest they should deprive him of that which he most longed and hoped for.8 (1) Rather of Sinope in Pontus. See Baron. Annal. Eccles. ann. 114, § 4. Basnage (Annales Politico-eccles.) has alluded to his martyrdom under ann. 130, § 4.-Ed. (2) Anton. (tit. vii. capitul. 3.) Equil. et Fascic. temporum. (3) Ex Supp. Chr. [p. 159, edit. 1485. See suprà, p. 113. note 1.-ED.] (4) Anton. (tit. vii. cap. 5, § 6.) Hermannus Contractus "obiit anno 1054 conscripto Chronico clarus; (Hallervord. p. 728) genere et doctrinâ egregius, gente Suevus-chronicon scripsit de vi. mundi ætatibus ad annum 1054." See "Meuselii Biblioth. Hist." tom. i. p. 69; who states that there was an edition of this writer in a collection of Chronicles by Sichardus, (Basil. 1529) and also in the "Rerum German. Scriptores veteres;" Francof. 1584, collected by Pistorius.-ED. (5) Antoninus (tit. vii. capit. 1, § 7.) places their martyrdom under Domitian. (6) Lib. iv. cap. 26. Eusebius quotes from Melito, and adds (from Polycrates) lib. v. c. 24, that he was a bishop, and suffered at Laodicea.-ED. (7) Ex Euseb. lib. iii. cap. 35, 36. (8) Ex Hier. in Catalogo Script. Eccles., whence Foxe's text is corrected.-ED. mus, pas The Third Persecu tion. A. D. 98 to Strict But it will be worth while citing a short passage thereof, in confirmation of what has been said.' "From Syria to Rome," saith he, "I fight with wild beasts, by land and by sea, by night and by day, being chained among ten leopards (that is, a band of soldiers), who are made even worse by kind treatment. By their injuries, 138. however, I learn daily the more to be a disciple of Jesus;—yet am I not hereby justified. O that I were come to the real wild beasts, which are prepared for handling me! May I find them eager to dispatch me! I will encourage them to devour of Igname without delay, and not use me as some, whom through fear they would not touch. And if they will not dispatch me willingly, I will provoke them to it. Pardon me; I know what is good for me. Now I begin to be a disciple. I care for nothing, of visible or invisible things, so that I may but win Christ. ing zeal to 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!" tius. His notable constancy and burn Christ. Ignatius devoured of wild beasts. Such things wrote he from the aforesaid city of Smyrna, to the congregations which we have recited. And even when he was now sentenced to be thrown to the beasts, such was 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." He suffered in the eleventh year of Trajan the emperor. Besides this godly Ignatius, many thousands also were put to death in the same persecution, as appeareth by the letter of Pliny the younger above recited, written to the emperor. Jerome in his Publius, book intituled "Catalogus Scrip. Eccles."3 maketh mention of one Publius, bishop of Athens, who, for the faith of Christ, the same time martyr. during this persecution, was put to death and martyred. bishop of Athens, A.D. 117. Zeno, with 10,203 martyrs, slain for Christ. ADRIAN, EMPEROR. Next after this Trajan, succeeded Adrian the emperor, under whom suffered Alexander the bishop of Rome, with his two deacons Euentius and Theodorus; also Hermes and Quirinus, with their families, as late before was declared. It is signified moreover in the histories, that in the time of this Adrian Zeno, a nobleman of Rome, with ten thousand two hundred and three were slain for Christ." Henry de Herford and Bergomensis make mention of ten thousand, as being crucified in the days of this Adrian, on mount Ararat, crowned with crowns of thorn, and thrust into the sides with sharp darts, after the example of the Lord's 6 (1) A new translation from the Greek is substituted for Foxe's.-ED.] (2) Hæc Eusebius et Hieronym. [Cat. Scrip. Eccl. cap. 26]. "Annus decimus Trajani respondet anno Christi 107; atque ad illum annum quoque martyrium S. Ignatii referunt Usserius Tillemontius aliique V. D. Sed Joh. Malelam Antioch. si sequimur, non ante annum xviii. Imperii Trajani accidit, Christi cxv. quam sententiam argumentis gravissimis confirmarunt viri non minus præstantes Jo. Pearsonus in Dissertat. postuma de anno quo S. Ignatius condemnatus est, vulgata a T. Smitho in luculenta Epist. Ignatii editione quam notis Pearsonii suisque illustratam publicavit Oxon. 1709, et Guil. Lloydius Episc. Asaphensis in Diatriba ejusdem argumenti edita a Pagio in Crit. Baronianâ ad an. 107, § 4. Pro anno decimo Trajani, male quidam codices undecimo.” Vid. Fabric. not. in "Biblioth. Eccles." (Hamb. 1718) p. 78. Bp. Pearson's Dissertation is reprinted in the Patres Apostolici." (Oxon. 1838) vol. ii. p. 504.—ED. (3) Cap. 29. (4) He is called Theodulus by Baronius, ann. 132, § i.-ED. (5) Baron. Martyr. Rom. July 9th.-ED. (6) Henricus de Hervordia and Bergomensis, lib. viii. [Henricus de Hervordia-ita dictus, quia ex urbe Hervordia in Westphalia oriundus fuit - -scripsit "Chronicon Generale" ad an. 1855, quod "de factis memorabilibus " inscripsit. See Oudin. Comment. de Scrip. Eccles. tom. iii. col. 973. -ED.] Whether Persecu tion. passion; whose captains (as Antoninus' and Vincentius' declare) The Third were Achaicus, Heliades, Theodorus, and Carcerius. this story be the same with the other above of Zeno or not, it is doubted.3 As touching the miracles done, and the speaking of the angel, I refer the certainty thereof to Vincentius, and such other like authors, where more things seem to be told than be true. A. D. 98 to 138. us, with dren, There was one Eustachius a captain, whom Trajan in time past Eustachihad sent out to war against the barbarians. After he had by God's his wife grace valiantly subdued his enemies, and now was returning home and chilwith victory, Adrian, for joy, meeting him in his journey to bring martyred. him home with triumph, by the way first would do sacrifice to Apollo for the victory gotten, willing also Eustachius to do the same with him. But when Eustachius could by no means thereto be enforced, being brought to Rome, there with his wife and children he suffered martyrdom under the foresaid Adrian. It were a long process here to recite all the miracles contained, or rather suspected, in the story of this Eustace-concerning his conversion and death; how the crucifix appeared to him between the horns of an hart; of the saving of his wife from the shipmen; of one of his sons saved from the lion, the other saved from the wolf; of their miraculous preservation from the wild beasts, and from the torments of fire-mentioned in Bergomensis, Vincentius, and others. All which as I find them in no ancient records, so I leave them to their authors, and the compilers of the legends. 5 66 nus and At Jobita. We read also of Faustinus and Jobita, citizens of Breschia in FaustiItaly, who suffered martyrdom with like grievous torments. the sight whereof one Calocerius, seeing their so great patience in so great torments, cried out with these words, Verily great is the God of christians:" which words being heard, forthwith he was apprehended, and being brought to the place of their execution, was made partaker of their martyrdom.' rius, with his mo The history of Nicephorus maketh mention of Anthia, a godly Eleuthewoman, who committed her son Eleutherius to Anicetus bishop of Rome, to be brought up in the doctrine of christian faith; who ther Anafterwards, being bishop of Illyricum, was beheaded with his afore- martyrs. said mother Anthia.' thia, and Pas Justus also, and Pastor, two brethren, with like martyrdom ended Justus their lives in a city of Spain, called Alcala, under the said Adrian tor, marthe emperor. tyrs. Sympho Likewise Symphorissa, the wife of Getulus the martyr, with her rissa, with her seven (1) Antoninus, archbishop of Florence, drew up a Chronicle of some value, entitled "Summa children, Historialis," which closes with the year 1459. It was published at Venice 1480; at Basle 1502; martyred. and is included in a modern edition of his works, Florentiæ, 1741. Meuselii Biblioth. Hist. i. p. 92. The history in the text will be found at tit. vii. capit. 5, § 4.-ED. (2) Vincentius was a monk of Beauvais, of the Dominican order, and wrote a huge historical work, under the title of "Speculum Historiale," to the year 1254, at the persuasion of Louis IX. An edition appeared in 4 vols. folio, at Strasburg, 1473, and the eighth at Douay, in 1624 Meusel. Biblioth. Hist. i. p. 82. Foxe has used these Chronicles, apparently, through the Magdeburg Centuriators, cent. ii. cap. 3, col. 11-13. Antoninus himself (in the place cited in the last note) refers us to Vincentius, lib. xi. cap. 88.--ED. (3) Foxe here confounds the Zeno just mentioned with another Zeno, whose martyrdom is cele- (5) Calocerus in Baronius, ann. 122, § 2.-ED. Persecu tion. A. D. The Third seven children, is said about the same time to suffer; who first was much and often beaten and scourged; afterwards was hanged up by the hair of her head; at last, having a huge stone fastened unto her, was thrown headlong into the river, and, after that, her seven children in like manner, with sundry and divers kinds of punishment diversly martyred by the tyrant. 98 to 138. Sophia, The story of Hermannus, and Antoninus, and others, report with her of Sophia, with her three children also; also of Seraphia and children, Sabina, as having suffered under the said emperor, about the year martyred. of our Lord 130. three Women who became As concerning Alexander bishop of Rome, with his two deacons, also with Hermes, Quirinus, Seraphia and Sabina, some writers (as Bede and Marianus Scotus) record that they suffered under Trajan. Others again (as Otho of Frisinghen; with like more) report that they suffered in the fourth year of this emperor Adrian:1 but of these martyrs sufficient hath been said before. A little before, mention was made of Symphorissa, otherwise named Symphorosa, wife of Getulus, with her seven sons. This Getulus or martyrs. Getulius was a minister or teacher (as witness the Martyrology [and Chronicle] of Ado) in the city of Tibur, which Getulus, with Cerealis, Amantius, and Primitivus, by the commandment of Adrian, were condemned to the fire; wherein they were martyred and put to death. The names, moreover, of the seven sons of this Symphorosa I find to be Crescens, Julianus, Nemesius, Primitivus, Justinus, Stacteus, and Eugenius, whom the [Martyrology and] Chronicle of Ado declare to have been put to death at the commandment of Adrian, being fastened to seven stakes, and so racked up with a pulley, and at last were thrust through; Crescens in the neck, Julianus in the breast, Nemesius in the heart, Primitivus about the navel, Justinus cut in every joint of his body, Stacteus run through with spears, Eugenius cut asunder from the breast to the lower parts. Next day their bodies were all together cast into a deep pit, by the idolatrous priests entitled " Ad septem Biothanatos." After the martyrdom of whom Symphorosa, the mother, did likewise suffer, as is before declared. 3 While Adrian the emperor was at Athens, he was initiated into the Eleusinian and most of the other mysteries of the Greeks; after which he gave free leave and liberty, whosoever would, to persecute Quadra- the Christians. Whereupon Quadratus, a man of no less excellent logy of zeal than of famous learning, being then bishop of Athens, and doctrine. disciple of the apostles, or at least succeeding incontinent the age of tus' apo christian the apostles, and following after Publius (who a little before was martyred for the testimony of Christ), did offer up and exhibit unto Adrian the emperor a learned and excellent apology in the defence of the christian religion; wherein he declared the christians, without all just cause or desert, to be so cruelly intreated and persecuted. The (1) According to Baronius; ann. 122. § 2-ED. (2) Adonis Martyrologium, ad June 27th. Adonis Viennensis Archiep. breviarium Chronic. ad an. 1353, published (as so often the case with Foxe's authorities) Basilea, 1568; the Martyrologium was reprinted in "Opera D. Georgii," 2 tom. folio, Romæ, 1745.-ED. (3) Invisens Eleusina:" Hier. Cat. Scrip. Eccl. cap. 29. "Dicere debuerat, invisens Eleusinia, ut Jo. Scaliger probat animad. in Eusebii Chronicon." E. S. Cypriani not. apud Fabric. "Biblioth. |