We continue to look at the persecutions of the true
Christians beginning with the fourth persecution
under the reign of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus.
This started around the year 166. Many historians
differ in their year of beginning, some say 162, others
say 164, some 168, and one of the most ancient, A
Mellinus, gives no exact time. Though they might
disagree in the time element, they all agree that the
martyrs suffered inhuman tortures for their faith.
The Severity of the Fourth Persecution
Thieleman J. van Braght writes how atrociously the
sincere Christians were treated. “Everywhere, in all
the cities…the imperial edicts and decrees against the
Christians were posted up; by reason of which the
magistrates and officers proceeded very cruelly
against them, persecuting them even unto death, with
great atrocity and fury. For, no mode of torture,
punishment, or death, however great, severe, and
unmerciful, could be devised, produced, or planned,
by these wicked men, these tyrants, and instruments
of the devil, but what it was thought, that the
Christians, as accursed, as enemies of the kingdom,
and as the cause of all misfortune, deserved a
thousand times more. To be publicly mocked,
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eternally imprisoned, exiled, scourged, stoned,
strangled, handed, beheaded, and burned, was deemed
far too little.
“They began, at this time, to ply the poor people with
red hot plates until they were dead; to tear the flesh
from their bones with red hot tongues; to place them
upon iron stools over a slow fire; to fry them in iron
frying pans; to roast them on gridirons at slow fire; to
cast them, enveloped in close netting, before wild
bulls, to serve as sport for them, and be tossed into the
air by their horns.
“All this was accompanied with still another cruelty.
The bodies of the slain were thrown before the dogs,
and guards placed beside them, to prevent the
Christians from taking away and burying these
bodies. In short, the misery was so great, that at Lyons
alone Bishop Irenus with nineteen thousand of his
sheep were cruelly butchered.”
• Justinus, first scourged, and then beheaded with an ax
A.D. 168
• Polycarp, a disciple of the Apostle John, and Pastor of
the Church at Smyrna, put to death with fire and
sword A.D. 168
• Twelve Christians, who had come from Philadelphia
to Smyrna, put to death on the same day, with
Polycarp A.D. 168 (Thieleman J. van Braght quotes
A. Mellinus: “These are the particulars of the
martyrdom of Polycarp, who had come from
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Philadelphia to Smyrna, together with twelve others,
who willingly suffered death in the same manner with
him; whose names are not mentioned, that of Polycarp
alone being given, because, not only among the
Christians, but even among the Jews and the heathen,
he was famous far and wide for his extraordinary
godliness. These testimonies are finished and sealed
with precious blood of the Christians…”)
• Carpus, Papylus, Agathonica, and many other women
put to death at Pergamos about A.D. 168
• Germanicus, devoured by beasts at Smyrna A.D. 170
• Vetius, surnamed Pagathus, put to death on the River
Rhone in France, about A.D. 172
• Attalus, roasted in an iron chair, cast before the wild
beasts, his throat cut, and beheaded, on the River
Rhone, about 172 (van Braght writes that there were
several others that were martyred with him.)
• Alexander of Phrygia, first tortured, and then
executed with the sword, on the River Rhone, about
172 (It is said that he was a physician and was
executed the same day and place as Attalus and other
Christians.)
• Maturus, Sanctus, Blandina, and a youth from Pontus,
tormented, on the River Rhone, about 172
• Several ancient writers mention a man of ninety years
old, named Photinus, who was a teacher of the Church
at Lyons, France, being terribly tortured even though
he was unable to walk. He survived the torture but
died in prison two days later. This was about 179.
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• Alcibiades, martyred at Lyons in France about 179 (It
is believed that Attalus was his pastor.)
• Epipodius of Lyons, and Alexander, a Greek,
martyred at Lyons in France; the one beheaded, and
the other crucified, about 179
• Leonides, Plutarchies, and others, put to death about
180 (We are not told just where these died.)
This period of persecution was so great that according
to ancient writers, it caused an unexpected and terrible
pestilence that devastated countries and inhabitants,
especially Italy. It was so horrible that the Christians
were forgotten. It is recorded that many villages had
been so greatly affected that they became completely
depopulated and lay waste and empty.
Those listed previously were not the only ones that
were martyred. There were hundreds of others who
were not named.
Summary of the Martyrs of the Third Century
Thieleman J. van Braght writes: “There never was a
time in the church of Jesus Christ, in which so many
and great tyrants arose to destroy and extirpate the
people of God, as in this century; for scarcely had one
ceased, when another began; excepting a short
cessation under the Emperors Caracalla and Geta.”
He then begins to name several different emperors,
“who, though the world hailed them as “Gracious
Emperors,” were indeed nothing less than unmerciful,
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cruel, and bloodthirsty tyrants.” Under these
emperors died several thousand Christians, who are
not named at all. Yet there were many others who
were named among whom was Origen. Origen was
not a pastor, but supposedly a Christian who was a
very copious writer. The Catholics took his name as
one of their early adherents. A quick look at some of
his beliefs causes me to think that he was not sound
doctrinally. Regardless, history records him as one of
the “Christians” that ran afoul of the Roman Empire
and died because of it.
The Fifth Persecution was supposedly started under
the Emperor L. Septimus Severus and started about
the 201. The most violent persecution of this time was
in Egypt and Africa. Great multitudes of Christians
were brought to Alexandria from Egypt where they
were put to death in many ways.
• Rutilius, after many escapes, torn asunder, and then
burned, about 210, somewhere in Africa (Considering
the context of Thieleman J. van Braght’s writing, I
suspect that the year was probably 201, not 210.)
• Mavilus, of Adrumelen, torn by wild beasts, at
Carthage, about 201
• Perpetua and Felicitas, of Tuburbi in Mauritania, and
others, violently put to death, about 201 (Mauritania
is in Africa.)
• Leonides, the father of Origen, beheaded at
Alexandria, in Egypt, about 202
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• Five disciples of Origen, put to death at Alexandria,
in Egypt, about 203
• Two female disciples of Origen, burned alive at
Alexandria, about 204
• Basilides, who had been an executioner became a
Christian because of the death of a martyr, beheaded
at Alexandria, about 204
• Ireneus, after many torments, put to death at Lyons in
France, about 210 (Ireneus was born at Smyrna and
was a disciple of Polycarp. He became the pastor of
the Church at Lyons in the place of Photinus.)
This particular period of persecution came to an end
when Severus, after reigning for eighteen years, was
succeeded by his two sons. Even though they were
reportedly unmerciful, cruel, and bloodthirsty, did not
bother the Christians. Tertullian writes that it did not
cease entirely, but it still was a desirable time when
compared with the preceding severe and bloody
persecutions.
Around the year 223, the persecution was reinstituted
under Alexander Severus. There were many put to
death in Rome that same year.
The Sixth Persecution Started Under Maximin,
A.D. 237
• Several thousand people burned in their meeting
places, on different occasions, by the command of
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Maximin, about 237 (According to history, the
emperor sent his soldiers, when the Christians were
assembled in their houses of worship, locked them in,
wood piled all around the meeting place, and set fire,
causing all therein to be burned to death. None of
them are mentioned by name.
• Some sixty others put to death under the reign of
Maximin, in 239
• Alexander of the Church at Jerusalem, after many
torments, put to death at Jerusalem, and many others
in different places put to death, A.D. 247
The Seventh Persecution Began Under Decius
About 251
Concerning the cruelty and misery of this persecution,
Thieleman J. van Braght quotes Historian P. J.
Twisck. “He caused public mandates and decrees to
be issued and posted up, that if they would not
apostatize from Christ, to persecute the Christians
everywhere, and to execute them without mercy with
every kind of torture that could be devised. The
torments with which the poor Christians were put to
death in that day were very severe….They were
exiled, spoiled of their goods, sentenced to the mines,
scourged, beaten. Beheading and hanging were
thought far too insignificant, yea, no punishment at all
for them. Hot tar was most invariably poured over
them, roasted at a slow fire, stoned, pricked in the
face, eyes and the whole body with sharp pointed
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instruments, dragged through the streets over hard
pebbles and rough stones, dashed against rocks, cast
down from steep places, their limbs broken in pieces,
torn asunder with hooks, rolled about on sharp
potsherds, given as a prey and food to the wild beasts,
stakes driven through their loins, etc.
“There was scarcely a place where persecution was
not in vogue; Africa and Alexandria especially could
be called the school of martyrs. In short, Nicephorus
says in his 5th book, chap. 29, that to count the martyrs
of this time would be as easy as to undertake to count
the sands of the seashore.”
While I will not go into all the names of the many who
were martyred during this time, there are two that I will
mention.
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• Babylas, the pastor of the Church at Antioch, Syria,
situated on the river Orontes, beheaded along with
several others from the church, about 254 (It is
believed that this is the same church that sent out Paul
and Barnabas, and later, Paul and Silas, as recorded in
Acts 13.)
• Pionius, pastor of the Church at Smyrna, nailed to a
piece of wood and burned alive, in the city of Smyrna,
about 254
The Eighth Persecution Began under Valerian and
His son Gallien, About 259
Concerning this persecution, van Braght recorded this:
“In A.D. 259 the eighth persecution against the
Christians arose under the Emperor Valerian. He
issued an edict against the Christians, in which he
commanded that the Christians were not to assemble
themselves; and as this was not observed, a great
persecution arose everywhere.”
Van Braght quoting P. J. Twisck, writes of the cruelty
and the violence of this persecution. “The
martyrdoms,…were manifold: they were cast before
wild bests; they were beaten, wounded, executed with
the sword, burned, torn limb from limb, rent asunder,
pinched with red-hot tongs; rod-hot nails were driven
in their fingers and nerves. Some were hung up by
their arms, and heavy weights tied to their feet, and
thus were torn asunder gradually and with great pain.
Others, whose wounded bodies had been smeared over
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with honey, were placed naked on the earth in the hot
sun, to be tormented and stung to death by flies, bees,
and other insects. Others were beaten with clubs, and
cast into prison, until they miserably perished.
“Under the reign of the afore-mentioned cruel and
tyrannical Emperors,…many Christians had to wander
and roam about in foreign countries, in secluded
places, along shores, in caverns, on mountains, in
caves, amidst want and poverty; leaving comfort,
honor prosperity, peace, friends, money, and
property.”
I will mention but a few names under this persecution.
• Dionysius, Pastor of the Church at Alexandria, with
two of his fellow-believers, Gaius and Peter, after
much suffering, exiled into a desert place in Lybia,
three days journey from Paretonium, about 260
(Though spelled differently, this is the country of
Libya in northern Africa, that we know today.)
• Fructuosus, Pastor of the Church of Tarragona in
Spain, along with deacons, Augurius and Eulogius,
burned alive at Tarragona about 261
• Marinus, of noble descent, beheaded at Jerusalem
because he refused to turn from Jesus, about 262
• Priscus, Malchus, and Alexander, peasants, torn by
wild beasts at Cesarea, about 263
In 264, P. J. Twisck records that three hundred were
burned in a limekiln, because they would not throw
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incense on the coals, for a sacrifice in honor of Jupiter.
Philip, Pastor of the Church at Alexandria, was put to
death with the sword. I surmise that he succeeded
Dionysius as Pastor of the Church at Alexandria. The
time frame would be right for this to happen. There
were two others, Florentin and Pontius, that are said to
have been put to death in France, along with others.
The Ninth Persecution Began Under Aurelian
About 273
Van Braght quotes P. J. Twisck concerning Aurelian:
“Emperor Aurelian commenced the ninth persecution
against the Christians. He was by nature inclined to
tyranny, and was a furious bloodhound, as Eutropius
writes, so that he did not hesitate to kill his sister’s son,
and finally, through the atrocity of his own wicked
nature, and evil counsel suggested to him, he became
an enemy and persecutor of the Christians. He sent
letters to the Governors of the Roman country, that
they should vex the Christians; but when he was about
actually to carry the persecution into effect, he could
not sign the decrees which were to be issued against
the Christians, because God smote him, so that his
hand was paralyzed. Through divine judgment he was
terrified by thunder, lightning, and fire-darts, at the
time that he was constantly meditating how he might
slay and exterminate the Christians; and shortly after
was himself killed by his notary.”
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There are very few names that are given for this
persecution. This does not mean that it was not a
terrible time. Records seem to have been few that were
kept during this persecution.
The Tenth Persecution Began Under Diocletian
About 284 and was Followed by a Second Edict
Against the Christians in 302
Historians record that between the edict of 284 and the
edict of 302, many were put to death in different
places. Historical records indicate that there were
several who were tried, tortured, and put to death at
Aegaea in Cilicia, A.D. 285. In A.D. 290, others were
tortured and then thrown to wild beasts at Tarsus in
Cilicia.
By all accounts this tenth persecution of the Christians
by the Roman Empire was the most intense and worst
of all the persecutions up to that time. Van Braght
quotes a historian named J. Gysius. Gysius writes: In
A.D. 302, in the 19th year of his reign, the Emperor
Diocletian instituted a great and unmerciful
persecution against the Christians, which is called the
Tenth Persecution. Of this persecution, Salpitius
Severus, speaks thus: ‘About fifty years after Valerian
under the reign of Diocletian and Maximian, there
arose the most bitter persecution, which for ten
consecutive years ravaged God’s people. At this time
the whole world was stained with the holy blood of the
martyrs; for men hastened emulously to these glorious
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and famous contests, that is, to martyrdom, for the
name of the Lord; and to obtain, through a worthy and
honorable death, the honor which belongs to a martyr
was then sought with more eagerness, than at the
present time, through a false ambition, men seek after
a bishopric. Never was the [land] so greatly
depopulated as through this persecution, and never
were greater triumphs gained by us, than when by these
ten years of slaughter we could not be conquered.’”
This historian writes that the persecution extended all
over the then known world, Asia, Africa, Europe, and
all the islands. After he related the destruction of
several cities, he began to name several martyred in
many other places. J. Gysius writes again as quoted by
van Braght: “Many other cities had to taste in their
whole body the bitter cup of this persecution;
especially, Thebes and Antino, in Egypt; Nicopolis, in
Thracia; Aquileia, in Italy, where all the Christian
believers were slain; Florence, Bergamo, Berona,
Naples, Beneventum, and Venusia; in Gallia, Mareilles
and Treves, where Rictionarus proceeded with such
violence and cruelty, in this matter, that the blood
which was shed, colored many rivers; in Germany, the
city of Augusta, and even Spain, Britannia, Rhetia, and
other provinces were not exempt.”
Conclusion to Chapter Eight
With this persecution, we will bring to a close the time
period of the Church at Smyrna. Jesus said there would
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be persecutions ten days, and as we have seen there
were indeed ten time periods of persecution that was
brought on the Christians in this one alone.
Persecutions would actually never cease; they would
not be as pronounced as they were in the Roman
Empire.
Soon the persecutions would move from the Roman
Empire alone to the Roman Empire through what
would soon become the Roman Catholic Church.
Before we continue with Dr. Carroll’s Trail of Blood,
we will consider the Church at Pergamos.
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Church History Through the Trail of Blood
