Memorable Martyrs of the Early Church

Previously, I discussed what happened in the lives of the 12 apostles after the book of Acts concluded. It is, shamefully, often-forgotten by many Christians today that the 12 apostles suffered brutally for the sake of our Lord. They took this courage to the grave and beyond, and believe it or not, what the 12 apostles endured was merely the beginning of the Christian persecution. Now, I would like to discuss some of the most memorable martyrs of the early Church, as suggested by commenters on a recent community post.

Roman Gladiatorial Games

But first, let’s take a light-hearted intermission and talk about the gladiatorial games of Rome! For those unaware, these games required Roman soldiers to fight each other, and oftentimes Christians were killed for “entertainment.” These public executions were designed to invoke fear into Roman citizens who rebelled against the status quo. One could go to the Roman colosseum and watch these “games” at nearly any time of day.

According to Seneca, a Roman philosopher, “the combatants have no protective covering...Why have armor? Why bother with skill? All that just delays death. In the morning, men are thrown to lions and bears. At midday they are thrown to the spectators themselves. No sooner has a man killed, than they shout for him to kill another, or to be killed...In the end, every fighter dies...You may object that the victims committed robbery or were murderers. So what? Even if they deserved to suffer, what’s your compulsion to watch their sufferings?”

The persecution of Christians was especially humiliating, as they were “sometimes led around the arena in a procession dressed up as priests and priestesses of pagan cults, before being stripped naked and thrown to the wild beasts.” These “games” persisted until the early fifth century.

Additionally, when the Great Fire of Rome happened in 64 AD, many blamed Emperor Nero. Obviously, the emperor didn’t like these accusations, so he blamed the Christians. According to Tacitus, “to suppress the rumor, he falsely charged with the guilt, and punished with most exquisite tortures, the persons commonly called Christians, who were hated for their enormities.” Those “most exquisite tortures” consisted of burning Christians to death.