Eusebius and the Christian Martyrs

Written by Kathy Simcox


Continued from page 1

Clearlyrepparttar Roman Christians were offered a swift, painless death, while their non-Roman compatriots were made to withstand a much slower torture. Atrepparttar 126794 risk of playing devil’s advocate, fromrepparttar 126795 Romans’ perspectiverepparttar 126796 Christians were disobedient and avoidedrepparttar 126797 specific questionsrepparttar 126798 governor asked them. For example, during his trial, Sanctus was severely tortured but stood up torepparttar 126799 onslaughts. When asked, he didn’t tellrepparttar 126800 governor his name, race, birthplace, nationality, or whether “he was a slave or free”. Instead, to every question he replied that he was a Christian. (142) Pothinus, when asked whorepparttar 126801 Christians’ god was, replied “If you are a fit person, you shall know”. (143) And Alexander, when asked what name God had, he replied “God hasn’t a name like a man”. (146) The governor had also asked who Alexander was, to which Alexander replied “I am a Christian”. (146) The martyrs perceived these answers as a testimony to their faith, butrepparttar 126802 Romans perceived them as antagonistic;repparttar 126803 governor would lose his temper and patience each time a Christian declared his or her faith (a rejection ofrepparttar 126804 Roman gods), or answered his questions in riddles. The Romans were not gettingrepparttar 126805 results they wanted fromrepparttar 126806 Christians (conformity torepparttar 126807 Roman gods instead of Christ) due to what they considered to berepparttar 126808 Christians’ insubordination and would thus send them “torepparttar 126809 ranks ofrepparttar 126810 martyrs”.

If there is one thingrepparttar 126811 writer of this account wants us to realize isrepparttar 126812 apparent superhuman strengthrepparttar 126813 Christians displayed while enduringrepparttar 126814 most abominable punishments and tortures inflicted upon them. They remained unbending and unyielding torepparttar 126815 Romans, firm in their confessions of faith and noble and heroic in their actions. (139, 141) The strength they found seemed to come from another world, forrepparttar 126816 punishmentsrepparttar 126817 writer describes is enough to make evenrepparttar 126818 strongest person quiver with fright:

Again they ranrepparttar 126819 gauntlet of whips…they were mauled byrepparttar 126820 beasts…culminating inrepparttar 126821 iron chair which roasted their flesh and suffocated them withrepparttar 126822 reek. (144)

This strength not only enabled each Christian to individually endurerepparttar 126823 impossible, it also strengthenedrepparttar 126824 resistance ofrepparttar 126825 Christians who were watching, encouraging them on to Christ’s glory: …the endurance ofrepparttar 126826 blessed saints, strengthened byrepparttar 126827 Lord and fortified in body and soul, stimulating and encouragingrepparttar 126828 rest. (143)

But Blandina was hung on a post and exposed as food forrepparttar 126829 wild beasts let loose inrepparttar 126830 arena. She looked as if she was hanging inrepparttar 126831 form of a cross, and through her ardent prayers she stimulated great enthusiasm in those undergoing their ordeal, who in their agony saw with their outward eyes inrepparttar 126832 person of their sisterrepparttar 126833 One who was crucified for them. (145)

I felt a sense of urgency from this writer; as he was describing each account, he was quick to point out several times howrepparttar 126834 martyrs were hastening to their deaths with a sense of purpose and resolve, filled with an almost unworldly bliss as their paths wound closer torepparttar 126835 one they called Master:

…they made light of their heavy load as they hastened to Christ. (139)

…they made a full confession of their testimony withrepparttar 126836 greatest eagerness. (140)

The faithful stepped out with a happy smile, wondrous glory and grace blended on their faces. (144)

Attalus too was loudly demanded byrepparttar 126837 mob, as he was a man of note. He strode in, ready forrepparttar 126838 fray, for he had trained hard inrepparttar 126839 school of Christ. (145)

Attalus’ actions, that he “strode in”, imply defiance andrepparttar 126840 steadfast faithrepparttar 126841 martyr had in his God, actionsrepparttar 126842 Romans again found infuriating. Some of Attalus’ fellow Christians reacted inrepparttar 126843 same manner:

Day after day they had been taken into watchrepparttar 126844 rest being punished, and attempts were mad to make them swear byrepparttar 126845 heathen idols. When they stood firm and treated these efforts with contempt,repparttar 126846 mob was infuriated with them. (147)

The Christian community’s members shared a common bond in Christ that gave them a sense of brotherhood; they treated each other with love and support. This bond, along withrepparttar 126847 belief that they were gaining Christ’s approval for not denying Him inrepparttar 126848 face of agony, enabledrepparttar 126849 group to stand up torepparttar 126850 Roman authorities with courage and resolve, acknowledging not onlyrepparttar 126851 support of one another, but that of Christ himself:

…as [Vettius] showed byrepparttar 126852 fullness of his love when he gladly laid down his own life in defense of his brother Christians. (140)

With allrepparttar 126853 horrible torture and deathrepparttar 126854 Romans inflicted onrepparttar 126855 Christian community in Lyons and Vienne, one is led to believerepparttar 126856 author blamed them forrepparttar 126857 Christians’ pain and suffering. This is notrepparttar 126858 case. Evidence ofrepparttar 126859 writer’s target is made obvious inrepparttar 126860 first few sentences ofrepparttar 126861 report:

The adversary swooped on us with all his might, giving us now a foretaste of his advent, which undoubtedly is imminent. (139)

He left no stone unturned in his efforts to train his adherents and equip them to attackrepparttar 126862 servants of God. (139)

Hence, it was not necessarilyrepparttar 126863 Romans inflictingrepparttar 126864 punishments, but rather an unseen yet potent evil spirit, a beingrepparttar 126865 Christians would call their adversary, Satan, orrepparttar 126866 Devil, that was influencingrepparttar 126867 Romans’ actions. Inrepparttar 126868 text there were many references regarding how Christians were “handed over to punishment by they devil”, enduredrepparttar 126869 onslaught ofrepparttar 126870 “evil one”, ensnared by “Satan”, and how they “unhesitatingly declared their faith without one thought forrepparttar 126871 devil’s promptings. (139,141, 147) These statements make clear that althoughrepparttar 126872 Romans themselves were doingrepparttar 126873 slaughtering, Satan was in fact influencing them to do so.

Vienne and Lyons, Roman-occupied cities inrepparttar 126874 second century A.D., hosted some ofrepparttar 126875 most gruesome spectacles inrepparttar 126876 history ofrepparttar 126877 Christian church. The small community that confessed Christ as their Lord was mercilessly mauled and slaughtered because its beliefs were considered offensive torepparttar 126878 Roman gods and its actions insubordinate to city authorities. The writer of these accounts considered Satan,repparttar 126879 adversary, to be extremely active in these tortures, influencingrepparttar 126880 Roman authorities to sendrepparttar 126881 Christians to their deaths, martyring them inrepparttar 126882 name ofrepparttar 126883 One they worshiped. The martyrs endured each punishment with resistance, strength of conviction, and joy, so much so thatrepparttar 126884 reader is left to marvel atrepparttar 126885 faith they had in their Christ, faith that was so profound that it has lasted for 2,000 years.

*This article has been reprinted on www.outofthecube.com.

REFERENCES

1. Eusebius: The History ofrepparttar 126886 Church from Christ to Constantine. Translated by G.A. Williamson. Penguin Books, 1965. pp. 139-148

About the Author Kathy Simcox, Columbus, Ohio, United States hrdude28@hotmail.com

Kathy works as an Administrative Assistant in the College of the Arts at The Ohio State University. She holds a BA in Psychology and is currently working on a second BA in Religious Studies. In addition to writing, her passions include hiking, biking, kayaking, photography, and singing in her Lutheran church choir. She is also known to read an occasional book.


Against Gnosticism: Why the Gnostic Christians were not Christian

Written by Kathy Simcox


Continued from page 1

What interested these Gnostics far more than past events attributed torepparttar “historical Jesus” wasrepparttar 126793 possibility of encounteringrepparttar 126794 risen Christ inrepparttar 126795 present. They alleged thatrepparttar 126796 risen Christ continued to reveal himself to certain disciples, representing how Christ’s presence could be experienced individually inrepparttar 126797 present moment. For Christians who wanted to know and experience Christ now, in there own individual present moment, this belief probably seemed like a quick fix. But I beg to differ.

It may be true that Christ’s resurrection is central to Christianity, but I want to take it further and say, putting our faith inrepparttar 126798 occurrence ofrepparttar 126799 resurrection is actually more central that simply stating it happened. Anyone is capable of saying it happened; not everyone is capable of believing it happened. There is significant difference betweenrepparttar 126800 two. One requires faith,repparttar 126801 other doesn’t. Here is where I believerepparttar 126802 Gnostics should not be considered Christian. In truth, we were not there two thousand years ago to seerepparttar 126803 resurrected Christ;repparttar 126804 reality ofrepparttar 126805 issue says that we honestly do not know ifrepparttar 126806 event occurred or not. But isn’t this what our faith is all about, believing in something not seen? This is whyrepparttar 126807 Christian faith is so beautiful. The mystery of it gives us hope of salvation and eternal paradise. The Gnostic Christians were adamant about experiencing Christ’s resurrection inrepparttar 126808 present moment, as opposed to relying onrepparttar 126809 belief that it happened inrepparttar 126810 past, a belief that requiresrepparttar 126811 central theme of Christianity: Faith. If a person experiences something inrepparttar 126812 present moment, they don’t need to have faith that it happened because they were there to experience it. Ifrepparttar 126813 Gnostics did not need faith, then I argue against their Christianity, for they did not find use forrepparttar 126814 essential driving force behind a Christian’s whole existence. I believe thatrepparttar 126815 proof of their heresy lies inrepparttar 126816 fact that Christian Orthodoxy, despite its evolution into many different denominations and doctrines, is still practiced by millions of people, whereas Gnosticism died out long ago. Although people inrepparttar 126817 modern world did not witness Christ’s bodily resurrection they still, two thousand years later, put their faith inrepparttar 126818 hope that it did. And sometimes, a simple hope is all a person needs.

BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. The Gnostic Gospels, Pg 7 2. A History of Christian Thought, Pg. 33 3. Exploring Christianity, Pg. 40 4. The Gnostic Gospel, Pg. 4 5. Ibid, Pg. 5 6. Ibid, Pg. 11 7. Ibid, Pg. 12

REFERENCES 1. Tillich, Paul. A History of Christian Thought. Simon and Schuster, Inc. New York, NY. 1968.

2. Monk, Robert, and Joseph Stamey. Exploring Christianity: An Introduction. Prentice-Hall, Inc. Englewood Cliffs, NJ. 1984.

3. Pagels, Elaine. The Gnostic Gospels. Random House:New York. 1979.

About the Author Kathy Simcox, Columbus, Ohio, United States hrdude28@hotmail.com

Kathy works as an Administrative Assistant in the College of the Arts at The Ohio State University. She holds a BA in Psychology and is currently working on a second BA in Religious Studies. In addition to writing, her passions include hiking, biking, kayaking, photography, and singing in her Lutheran church choir. She is also known to read an occasional book.


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