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Chapter One

Greece April 3, 304

Agape, Chionia, and Irene were the daughters of pagan parents living in Thessalonica, but they came to faith in Christ and collected copies of various New Testament books until Emperor Diocletian issued a decree in A.D. 303 making it a capital offense to possess any portion of the Christian Scriptures.

Dismayed, the girls fled to the mountains and lived in a cave where they could study the Scriptures in peace. An older Christian woman visited them each week, brought whatever they needed, took their handiwork back to town to sell, and distributed any excess to the poor. One day a spy followed her to see why she made so many trips up the mountain, and he discovered the girls praying in their cave. Somehow he overcame them, bound and dragged them down the mountain, and turned them over to Governor Dulcetius.

Suspecting that the sisters were Christians, Dulcetius tried to get them to eat food offered to the Roman gods. They not only refused; they also abandoned their former timidity and boldly announced that they were Christians. The governor then questioned them about why they wouldn't comply with the emperor's edict and the laws of the land. Agape said, "I believe in the living God, and will not by an evil action lose all the merit of my past life." Her sister Chionia replied in much the same way, and Irene explained that she disobeyed the laws because she did not want to offend God.

Then the governor tried to get the sisters to reveal where they had hidden their books and papers, but they would not tell him. "Who drew you into this persuasion?" asked the governor.

"Almighty God," answered Chionia.

"No, no. I want to know who induced you to believe this."

"Almighty God and his only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ."

"You think you can defy the just commands of our emperor, but you shall receive the punishment you deserve. I sentence Agape and Chionia to be burned alive for disobeying the emperor and professing this rash and false religion, Christianity."

The sentence on the two older sisters was carried out on March 25. Possibly because of her youth, Irene was returned to prison.

Within a few days, the authorities found the hidden Scriptures, and the governor again examined Irene. "Your madness is plain, girl, keeping so many Scriptures of the impious Christians. If you have not taken warning from the punishment of your sisters, your punishment is unavoidable. But even now I'll pardon you if you will worship the gods. What do you say? Will you obey the orders of the emperors? Are you ready to sacrifice to the gods and eat of the victims?"

"By no means, for those that renounce Jesus Christ, the Son of God, are threatened with eternal fire."

Then the governor, hoping to obtain the names of other Christians, tried to get her to reveal who had influenced her and told her to hide the Scriptures or even who knew that they possessed them.

Irene replied, "Nobody but the Almighty, from Whom nothing is hid: for we concealed them even from our own domestics, lest they should accuse us."

The angry governor then condemned her to a slower death, to be exposed naked in a soldiers' brothel with only one small loaf of bread per day. But Irene was miraculously protected from molestation until her sentence was changed and she was condemned to death. One version says she was burned as her sisters had been. Another says that before the flames reached her, she was shot through the throat with an arrow on April 3, 304.

THEY BROUGHT THE APOSTLES IN BEFORE THE COUNCIL. "DIDN'T WE TELL YOU NEVER AGAIN TO TEACH IN THIS MAN'S NAME?" THE HIGH PRIEST DEMANDED. "INSTEAD, YOU HAVE FILLED ALL JERUSALEM WITH YOUR TEACHING ABOUT JESUS, AND YOU INTEND TO BLAME US FOR HIS DEATH!" BUT PETER AND THE APOSTLES REPLIED, "WE MUST OBEY GOD RATHER THAN HUMAN AUTHORITY...." AT THIS, THE HIGH COUNCIL WAS FURIOUS AND DECIDED TO KILL THEM. ACTS 5:27-29, 33

Agnes

Rome ca. 304, honored January 21

In Greek, the name Agnes means "chaste," and in Latin, the word agnus means "lamb." On the walls of the catacombs near the road known as the Via Nomentana in Rome is a faded painting of a young girl with a lamb at her feet. The girl in the painting is Agnes, one of the most beloved martyrs of the primitive church.

By means of a military overthrow, Diocletian became emperor of Rome in 284 and immediately set about restoring the empire's former glory and unity. Christianity was well established by then, however, and hindered the revival of the pagan religious practices. Caesar Galerius, Diocletian's powerful lieutenant, convinced him that he had to purge the empire of Christians, and so in 303 he began the last and fiercest of the persecutions of Christianity by the Roman emperors.

A Virgin Dedicated to Christ

Agnes was a young believer of only about twelve or thirteen who it is said had determined to remain a virgin as the bride of Christ, a not uncommon vow among believers of that time. According to records from as early as the fourth century, suitors from prominent Roman families became angered by her refusal to wed and denounced Agnes to the prefect of Rome as a Christian.

The judge at first tried to cajole and entice her to recant, but Agnes paid no attention, repeating that she could have no other spouse than Jesus Christ. He then threatened her, displaying such instruments of torture as iron hooks, racks, and fire, but the young woman expressed no fear.

Seeing that he was getting nowhere, the governor threatened to send her to a brothel. Agnes reportedly responded, "You may stain your sword with my blood, but you will never be able to profane my body, because it is consecrated to Christ." This so infuriated the governor that he immediately sent her to a public brothel with the instruction that anyone was free to abuse her. Tradition says many young men went to take advantage of this offer, but upon seeing her, they were all afraid to approach her-all except one, who when he reached out was instantly blinded by a flash and fell to the ground. Agnes, who had been singing hymns, took pity on him and by prayer restored his sight.

When the governor heard that all respected her, he was even more frustrated and condemned her to be beheaded. According to Bishop Ambrose, writing in 377, Agnes was transported with joy on hearing this sentence and still more at the sight of the executioner. She "went to the place of execution more cheerfully than others go to their wedding."

Her body was buried near the Via Nomentana, a short distance outside Rome. A church was built on the spot in the time of Constantine, and the body, which has been preserved, is that of a young girl about thirteen who suffered decapitation.

SEED OF THE CHURCH

Ambrose wrote: "At such a tender age a young girl has scarcely enough courage to bear the angry looks of her father and a tiny puncture from a needle makes her cry as if it were a wound. And still this little girl had enough courage to face the sword. She was fearless in the bloody hands of the executioner. She prayed; she bowed her head. Behold in one victim the twofold martyrdom of chastity and faith."

GOD BLESSES YOU WHO ARE HATED AND EXCLUDED AND MOCKED AND CURSED BECAUSE YOU ARE IDENTIFIED WITH ME, THE SON OF MAN. WHEN THAT HAPPENS, REJOICE! YES, LEAP FOR JOY! FOR A GREAT REWARD AWAITS YOU IN HEAVEN. AND REMEMBER, THE ANCIENT PROPHETS WERE ALSO TREATED THAT WAY BY YOUR ANCESTORS. LUKE 6:22-23

INTO ALL THE WORLD

The Establishment of the Early Church

Before returning to heaven, Jesus told his disciples, "Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere" (Mark 16:15).

Nothing has brought more persecution to Christians than their efforts to obey this command. In fact, except for the Reformation, all major waves of persecution of Christians throughout the centuries correspond to the church's evangelistic surges or a counter attack to earlier evangelism.

Jesus wisely warned his followers that this would be the case:

Beware! For you will be handed over to the courts and beaten.... And you must stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. This will be your opportunity to tell them about me-yes, to witness to the world. When you are arrested, don't worry about what to say in your defense, because you will be given the right words at the right time. For it won't be you doing the talking-it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will betray brother to death, fathers will betray their own children, and children will rise against their parents and cause them to be killed. And everyone will hate you because of your allegiance to me. But those who endure to the end will be saved. (Matthew 10:17-22)

Jesus said, "When you are arrested" (emphasis added), with no question in his mind that this would be the fate of his followers. But he also identified the reason: "Everyone will hate you because of your allegiance to me" (v. 22).

In the book of Acts, we read that the church grew from 120 to 3,000, then 5,000 men (not including women and children). Then "crowds of both men and women" joined. At several points thereafter, we read, "the number of believers greatly increased." Some estimates suggest there may have been as many as 20,000 believers in Jerusalem at the time of Stephen's martyrdom and the subsequent persecution from which "all the believers except the apostles fled.... But the believers who had fled Jerusalem went everywhere preaching the Good News about Jesus" (Acts 8:1, 4).

Persecution followed them just as Jesus had predicted it would, first in the form of Saul of Tarsus and his posse tracking down and arresting Christians to bring them back to Jerusalem for imprisonment, and then as both Jews and pagans resisted the gospel in the towns and cities around the Mediterranean to which the Christians had fled.

After Herod executed James (Acts 12:2), the apostles and other leaders also dispersed from Jerusalem. Tradition (and in some cases Scripture) identify these destinations:

Andrew Achaia

Antipas Turkey

Barnabas Cyprus

Bartholomew Caspian Sea

James the Greater Spain

John Ephesus

Jude Thaddeus Persia

Luke Greece

Mark Egypt

Matthew Ethiopia

Matthias Ethiopia

Paul and Peter Rome

Philip Hierapolis

Simon the Zealot Syria

Thomas India

Timothy Ephesus

Rome was remarkably tolerant of foreign religions but not of any perceived threat to its authority. Though law-abiding by precept, Christians faced two problems. First, Rome tested the loyalty of its subjects by requiring emperor worship, and faithful Christians refused to worship any false gods. Second, Christians went even further. They declared Jesus their King (Acts 17:7), which was seen as a direct challenge to Rome.

Nevertheless, intense persecution was not constant during the reign of the fifty-four Roman emperors from A.D. 30 to A.D. 311. Instead, it came in waves or at the whim of regional governors. In fact, it wasn't until A.D. 249-251 that Emperor Decius made an empirewide attempt to wipe out Christianity. The emperors most responsible for persecuting Christians were ...

Claudius (A.D. 41-54). Expelled the Jews from Rome in 52. Christians were seen at that time as a Jewish sect and therefore caught up in the purge.

Nero (A.D. 54-68). This madman tried to blame the Christians for the fire that resulted from his own neglect and swept Rome in 64. A large number of believers were executed, possibly including Paul, Peter, Aristarchus, Epaphras, Priscilla and Aquila, Andronicus and Juina, Silas, Onesiphorus, and Porphyrius.

Domitian (A.D. 81-96). John may have been describing Rome under this emperor as the "Mother of Harlots ... drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus" (Revelation 17:5-6, NKJV).

Trajan (A.D. 98-117). Wrote that Christians were "not to be hunted out. [Although] any who are accused and convicted should be punished, with the proviso that if a man says he is not a Christian and makes it obvious by his actual conduct-namely, by worshipping our gods-then, however suspect he may have been with regard to the past, he should gain pardon from his repentance."

Marcus Aurelius (A.D. 161-180). Was responsible for the forty-eight "Martyrs of Lyons" in 177.

Septimius Severus (A.D. 193-211). In 203, Perpetua and Felicitas were among the many believers martyred in the arena under this emperor.

Decius (A.D. 249-251). In an attempt to shore up a faltering empire, he attempted to purge it of "disloyal" subjects by requiring pagan religious observances. That broad net, of course, challenged all Christians, including Fabian, the bishop of Rome, who was martyred in 250.

Valerian (A.D. 253-260). Attempted to divert attention from Rome's decline by blaming the empire's troubles on the Christians. Following Decius's example, he required everyone to sacrifice to the gods. Origen, Cyprian, and Deacon Lawrence lost their lives during this persecution.

Diocletian (A.D. 284-305). Mounted possibly the most organized attempt to wipe out Christianity in his attempt to restore the empire. The massacre of the Theban Legion and the martyrdom of Agape, Irene, and Chionia; Andronicus, Probus, and Tarachus; Alban; and Agnes were among scores of others that occurred during this period.

Maximinus (A.D. 308-313). Was defeated by Emperor Licinius, with whom he had ruled the eastern half of the Roman Empire, and died soon after. By this time more than 700,000 Coptic Christians had been killed.

Approximately a hundred years earlier, Tertullian in his Apology had written, "The oftener we are mown down by you, the more in number we grow; the blood of Christians is seed," and certainly that was proving true throughout the Roman Empire. By 311, many executioners had literally grown tired from all their work. Galerius, successor to Diocletian, finally admitted defeat in trying to stamp out Christianity.

The dousing of the flames was greatly aided by Constantine, who in an attempt to gain control of the empire, tried to eliminate his rivals. One night he had a vision of a glowing cross in the sky bearing the words, "Conquer by this."

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