Gaul, then, was the country in which the arena of the events to be related was set; its renowned and distinguished mother-cities, surpassing the others in that region, were Lyons and Vienne, through both of which the river Rhone flows in its abundant stream as it traverses the whole land.
The most illustrious churches of this region therefore sent to the churches throughout Asia and Phrygia a written account concerning the martyrs, relating in this manner what had taken place among them.
And I shall set down their own words: 「The servants of Christ sojourning in Vienne and Lyons of Gaul, to the brethren in Asia and Phrygia who hold the same faith and hope of redemption as we: peace, grace, and glory from God the Father and from Christ Jesus our Lord.」
Then, after some further prefatory remarks, they begin their narrative thus: 「The greatness of the affliction here, and the exceeding rage of the heathen against the saints, and all that the blessed martyrs endured, we are not able to recount with exactness, nor indeed is it possible for it to be comprehended in writing.」
For with all his might the adversary fell upon us, foreshadowing already his coming which is shortly to be without restraint; and he went through everything, training his own people and exercising them beforehand against the servants of God, so that we were not only shut out from houses and baths and the market-place, but they even forbade any of us to appear at all in any place whatever.
But the grace of God arrayed its forces against him: it rescued the weak, and set in opposition steadfast pillars, men able through endurance to draw to themselves all the assault of the evil one. These came to close quarters with him, bearing every kind of reproach and punishment; counting many things as few, they hastened to Christ, truly showing that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us.
And first they nobly endured all that was heaped upon them en masse and in heaps by the mob—shouts, blows, draggings, plunderings, stonings, imprisonments, and all that an enraged multitude is wont to inflict upon supposed enemies and foes.
And so, being brought up into the market-place by the tribune and the chief authorities of the city, and being examined before all the multitude and having confessed, they were shut up together in prison until the coming of the governor.
Afterwards, when they were brought before the governor, and he was using all manner of cruelty against us, Vettius Epagathus, one of the brethren, full of love toward God and toward his neighbour—whose manner of life was so exact that, though young, his reputation equalled the witness of the aged Zacharias; for he walked blameless in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, untiring in every service toward his neighbour, having much zeal for God and being fervent in spirit—being such a man, could not bear the judgement so unreasonably passed against us, but was filled with indignation, and asked that he himself be heard in defence of the brethren, to the effect that there is nothing godless or impious among us.
But when those around the judgement-seat cried out against him—for he was a man of note—and the governor would not endure the just request thus put forward by him, but only asked this, whether he too were a Christian; and when he confessed in a most clear voice, he too was taken up into the lot of the martyrs. He was called the Advocate of the Christians, but he had the Advocate within himself, the Spirit, in fuller measure than Zacharias; which he showed by the fullness of his love, in that he was well pleased to lay down even his own life for the defence of the brethren. For he was, and is, a genuine disciple of Christ, following the Lamb wherever he goes.
From this point the rest began to be distinguished, and the first martyrs became manifest and ready, who with all eagerness fulfilled the confession of martyrdom; but there appeared also those who were unready and untrained and still weak, unable to bear the strain of so great a contest, of whom about ten in number proved abortive. These caused us great grief and immeasurable mourning, and checked the eagerness of the rest who had not yet been arrested; yet these, though suffering all terrors, nevertheless remained present with the martyrs and did not forsake them.
Then indeed we were all greatly terrified because of the uncertainty of their confession, not fearing the punishments inflicted, but looking to the end, and dreading lest any should fall away.
Yet day by day those who were worthy were arrested, filling up their number, so that from the two churches were gathered together all the zealous, and those by whom especially the affairs here were held together.
There were also arrested certain heathen household servants of our members, since the governor had publicly commanded that all of us be sought out. These, by the snare of Satan, fearing the tortures which they saw the saints suffering, and being urged on to this by the soldiers, falsely accused us of Thyestean banquets and Oedipodean intercourse, and of things which it is not lawful for us either to speak of or to think of, nor even to believe that any such thing ever happened among men.
When these things were noised abroad, all men were turned into wild beasts against us, so that even those who formerly had been moderate for kinship's sake then became greatly enraged and gnashed against us. And there was fulfilled that which was spoken by our Lord, that 「a time will come when whoever kills you will think that he is offering worship to God.」
Thereupon the holy martyrs endured sufferings beyond all description, while Satan was ambitiously striving that through them too some blasphemous word might be uttered.
And beyond all measure the whole rage both of the mob and of the governor and of the soldiers fell upon Sanctus the deacon from Vienne, and upon Maturus, newly enlightened indeed yet a noble contender, and upon Attalus, a Pergamene by race, who had always been a pillar and support of the Christians there, and upon Blandina, through whom Christ showed that the things which among men appear cheap and unsightly and contemptible are accounted worthy of great glory with God, on account of love toward him shown in power and not boasted of in outward appearance.
For while we were all afraid, and her mistress in the flesh, who was herself one of the contending martyrs, was in anguish lest Blandina should not even be able to make her confession boldly because of the weakness of her body, Blandina was filled with such power that those who in succession tortured her in every way from morning until evening were worn out and exhausted, and themselves confessed that they were defeated, having nothing more they could do to her; and they marvelled that she still remained breathing, though her whole body was torn and laid open, and they testified that one form of torture alone was sufficient to take away life, let alone such and so many.
But the blessed woman, like a noble athlete, kept regaining her youth in the confession; and her recovery and rest and freedom from pain amid all that befell her was to say, 「I am a Christian, and among us nothing evil is done.」
And Sanctus too, himself enduring nobly, beyond measure and beyond all human strength, all the outrages of men—while the lawless ones hoped, through the persistence and the magnitude of the tortures, to hear from him something improper—withstood them with such firmness that he would not tell even his own name, nor his nation, nor the city whence he came, nor whether he were slave or free, but to all questions answered in the Latin tongue, 「I am a Christian.」 This he confessed again and again instead of name and city and race and everything else; and no other utterance did the heathen hear from him.
Hence there arose a great contention between the governor and the torturers against him, so that, when they no longer had anything they could do to him, at the last they fastened heated brass plates to the tenderest parts of his body.
And these parts were being burned, but he himself remained unbending and unyielding, firm in his confession, refreshed and strengthened by the heavenly spring of the water of life that proceeds from the belly of Christ.
And his poor body was a witness of what had happened to it—all one wound and bruise, contracted and having lost the outward human form—in which Christ, suffering, accomplished great glories, bringing the adversary to nought, and showing for the example of the rest that there is nothing fearful where the Father's love is, and nothing painful where Christ's glory is.
For when, after some days, the lawless ones again tortured the martyr, and supposed that, since his body was swollen and inflamed, if they applied the same instruments of punishment they would overcome him—seeing he could not even endure the touch of a hand—or that, dying under the tortures, he would put fear into the rest: not only did nothing of this kind happen to him, but, beyond all human expectation, his poor body rose up and was straightened in the subsequent tortures, and recovered its former appearance and the use of its limbs; so that, through the grace of Christ, the second torturing became to him not a punishment but a healing.
And there was a certain Biblis, one of those who had denied, whom the devil, thinking that he had already swallowed her up, and wishing to condemn her through blasphemy as well, led to torture, compelling her to utter godless things concerning us, as one already broken and unmanly.
But she, under the torture, came to her senses, and, as it were, awoke out of a deep sleep, being reminded through the temporal punishment of the eternal punishment in Gehenna; and she contradicted the blasphemers, saying, 「How could such men eat children, when they are not permitted to eat the blood even of irrational animals?」 And from that time she confessed herself a Christian, and was added to the lot of the martyrs.
And when the tyrannical instruments of punishment had been brought to nought by Christ through the endurance of the blessed ones, the devil devised other contrivances: confinement in the prison in darkness and in the most grievous place, and the stretching of their feet in the stocks, drawn apart to the fifth hole, and the rest of the outrages which enraged underlings, and these too full of the devil, are wont to inflict upon those shut up; so that most of them were suffocated in the prison—all those, that is, whom the Lord willed thus to depart, manifesting his glory.
For some, having been bitterly tortured, so that it seemed they could no longer live even if they obtained every care, remained in the prison, destitute indeed of care from men, but reinvigorated by the Lord and strengthened both in body and in soul, and exhorting and comforting the rest. But the young ones, lately arrested, whose bodies had not been tortured beforehand, did not bear the weight of the confinement, but died within.
And the blessed Pothinus, who had been entrusted with the ministry of the bishopric in Lyons, being over ninety years of age and very weak in body, scarcely breathing because of the bodily weakness that was upon him, yet reinvigorated by eagerness of spirit through the desire of martyrdom that lay within him, was himself also dragged to the judgement-seat—his body being loosed both by old age and by sickness, yet his soul kept within him, that through it Christ might triumph.
He, being brought by the soldiers to the judgement-seat, while the civic authorities escorted him and the whole multitude made shouts of every kind against him, as though he were the Lord himself, rendered the good testimony.
And being examined by the governor as to who was the God of the Christians, he said, 「If you are worthy, you shall know.」 Thereupon he was dragged about without mercy, and suffered various blows—those nearby outraging him in every way with hands and feet, having no respect even for his age, and those at a distance hurling at him whatever each had in hand; and all considered that they greatly transgressed and were impious if any one fell short in his insolence toward him, for they thought that thus they would avenge their gods. And, scarcely breathing, he was cast into the prison, and after two days breathed his last.
Then indeed a great dispensation of God came to pass, and the immeasurable mercy of Jesus was manifested—rarely occurring among the brotherhood, yet not falling short of the skill of Christ.
For those who at the first arrest had denied were imprisoned themselves also and shared in the terrors; for at this time their denial was of no advantage to them. But those who confessed what they indeed were, were imprisoned as Christians, no other charge being brought against them; while these others were held as murderers and polluted persons, being punished twice as much as the rest.
For those former ones were lightened by the joy of martyrdom, and the hope of the things promised, and love toward Christ, and the Spirit of the Father; but these latter were greatly tormented by their conscience, so that, as they passed by, their faces were conspicuous among all the rest.
For the one company went forth cheerful, with much glory and grace mingled in their countenances, so that even their bonds lay about them as a becoming ornament, like a bride adorned with embroidered cloths of gold, and they breathed forth at once the sweet savour of Christ, so that some supposed they had been anointed with worldly perfume; but the others were downcast and humbled and unsightly and full of all unseemliness, and besides were reproached by the heathen as ignoble and unmanly, having the charges of murderers, and having lost the all-honoured and glorious and life-giving Name. And the rest, beholding these things, were strengthened, and those being arrested confessed without hesitation, giving no thought to any diabolical reasoning.
After interposing some remarks between these, they again add: 「After this, finally, the manners of their departure as martyrs were divided into every kind. For weaving one crown out of various colours and all sorts of flowers, they offered it to the Father. It was fitting, therefore, that the noble athletes, having endured a varied contest and won a great victory, should receive the great crown of incorruptibility.」
Maturus, then, and Sanctus and Blandina and Attalus were led to the wild beasts, into the public arena and into the common spectacle of the heathen's inhumanity, a day of beast-fighting being purposely appointed because of our people.
And Maturus and Sanctus again passed through every kind of torment in the amphitheatre, as though they had suffered nothing at all—rather, as though, having already through many rounds beaten down their adversary, they were now contending for the crown itself. They endured again the customary scourgings inflicted there, and the dragging about by the wild beasts, and all that the maddened populace, some from one side and some from another, kept shouting for and demanding; and above all the iron chair, upon which their bodies were roasted and filled the air with the smell of burning flesh.
But not even thus did the persecutors cease, but raged still more, wishing to overcome their endurance. Yet not even so did they hear from Sanctus anything other than the utterance of confession which he had been wont to speak from the beginning.
These men, then, after their life had long held out through a great contest, were at the last sacrificed, having throughout that day been themselves made a spectacle to the world in place of all the variety of the gladiatorial shows.
But Blandina, hung upon a stake, was set forth as food for the beasts that were let in; and she, by being seen hanging in the form of a cross, by her earnest prayer wrought much eagerness in those who were contending, as they beheld in the contest, even with their outward eyes, in the person of their sister, him who was crucified for them, that he might persuade those who believe in him that everyone who suffers for the glory of Christ has fellowship forever with the living God.
And when none of the beasts at that time touched her, she was taken down from the stake and brought back again into the prison, being kept for another contest, in order that, having conquered through more exercises, she might both make the condemnation of the crooked serpent irrevocable, and might encourage the brethren—she, small and weak and despised, having put on the great and invincible athlete, Christ—having through many rounds beaten down the adversary, and through the contest crowned herself with the crown of incorruptibility.
And Attalus too was loudly demanded by the crowd—for he was a man of renown—and he entered as a contender ready, because of his good conscience, since he had been genuinely trained in the Christian discipline, and had always been among us a witness of the truth.
And being led around the amphitheatre, with a tablet going before him on which was written, 「This is Attalus the Christian,」 and while the populace swelled with rage against him, the governor, learning that he was a Roman, ordered him to be taken back together with the rest who were in the prison—concerning whom he had written to Caesar, and he was awaiting the decision from him.
And the intervening time was for them neither idle nor unfruitful, but through their endurance the immeasurable mercy of Christ was made manifest. For through the living the dead were made alive, and the martyrs bestowed grace upon those who were not martyrs; and there came much joy to the Virgin Mother, in that those whom she had cast forth as dead she received back alive.
For through those martyrs the greater part of those who had denied were again brought to the womb and again conceived and rekindled to life, and learned to confess; and now living and braced up, they came forward to the judgement-seat—God, who desires not the death of the sinner but is gracious toward repentance, making the moment sweet for them—that they might once more be questioned by the governor.
For when Caesar had written that they should be beaten to death, but that if any should deny, these should be released, the governor—the local festival here beginning to be held (and this is a much-thronged festival, with people coming together to it from all the nations)—brought the blessed ones up to the judgement-seat, making a theatrical show of them and parading them before the crowds. Wherefore he again examined them, and as many as seemed to possess Roman citizenship, of these he cut off the heads, but the rest he sent to the beasts.
And Christ was greatly glorified in those who had formerly denied, but then confessed contrary to the heathen's expectation. For these were examined privately, as though they were to be released, but confessing, they were added to the lot of the martyrs. But there remained outside those who had never any trace of faith, nor any sense of the wedding garment, nor any thought of the fear of God, but who even through their conduct blasphemed the Way—that is, the sons of perdition.
But all the rest were added to the Church. And while these were being examined, a certain Alexander, a Phrygian by race and a physician by profession, who had spent many years in the Gauls and was known to almost all for his love toward God and his boldness in the word (for he was not without a share of the apostolic gift), standing by the judgement-seat and by a nod urging them on to the confession, was manifest to those standing around the judgement-seat as one in travail.
And the crowds, being incensed that those who had formerly denied were again confessing, cried out against Alexander, as though he were the cause of this. And when the governor had him stand forth and examined him as to who he was, and he had declared that he was a Christian, the governor, being filled with wrath, condemned him to the beasts. And on the following day he entered together with Attalus also; for the governor, to gratify the crowd, gave up Attalus too again to the beasts.
And these, having passed through all the instruments devised for torture in the amphitheatre, and having endured a very great contest, at the last were themselves also sacrificed—Alexander neither groaning nor uttering any sound at all, but communing in his heart with God.
And Attalus, when he was set upon the iron chair and was being burned all around, while the smell of burning rose from his body, said to the multitude in the Latin tongue, 「Behold, this which you do is to eat men; but we neither eat men nor do any other evil thing.」 And being asked what name God has, he answered, 「God has not a name as a man has.」
After all these things, on the last day of the gladiatorial shows, Blandina was again brought in, together with Ponticus, a boy of about fifteen years; and these had been brought in day by day to behold the punishment of the rest, and were compelled to swear by their idols. And because they remained steadfast and set the idols at nought, the multitude was enraged against them, so as neither to pity the boy's youth nor to respect the woman.
They exposed them to all the terrors and led them through every torture in turn, repeatedly compelling them to swear, but were unable to accomplish this. For Ponticus, being encouraged by his sister—so that even the heathen saw that she was the one exhorting and strengthening him—having nobly endured every torture, gave up his spirit.
And the blessed Blandina, last of all, like a noble mother who had encouraged her children and sent them forth victorious to the King, herself also measuring over again all the conflicts of her children, hastened to them, rejoicing and exulting at her departure, as though invited to a marriage feast rather than cast to the beasts.
And after the scourges, after the beasts, after the gridiron, at the last she was cast into a net and thrown to a bull; and having been well tossed by the animal, yet no longer having any sense of what was befalling her, because of her hope and her hold upon the things she had believed and her communion with Christ, she too was sacrificed; and the heathen themselves confessed that never among them had a woman suffered such and so many things.
But not even thus was their madness and their cruelty toward the saints sated. For, like wild beasts stirred up by a savage creature, those wild and barbarous tribes were hardly to be appeased, and their insolence took yet another peculiar beginning upon the bodies of the dead.
For their being defeated did not shame them, because they had no human reasoning, but rather it inflamed their wrath like that of a beast; and the governor and the populace displayed against us the same unjust hatred, that the Scripture might be fulfilled: 「Let the lawless be lawless still, and let the righteous be righteous still.」
For they cast those who had been suffocated in the prison to the dogs, carefully keeping watch night and day lest any should be buried by us; and then, setting forth what remained of the beasts' and the fire's work—here mangled, there reduced to coals—and the heads of the rest together with their severed bodies, they likewise kept them unburied and guarded with military watch for many days.
And some kept raging and gnashing their teeth at them, seeking to take some further vengeance upon them; others laughed and mocked, magnifying at the same time their idols and ascribing to them the punishment of these; while the more reasonable, and those who seemed to some degree to sympathize, reproached them much, saying, 「Where is their God, and what profit did their religion bring them, which they chose even before their own life?」
And the things on their side had such variety, while our affairs stood in great mourning, because we were not able to hide the bodies in the earth. For neither did night avail us for this, nor did money persuade them, nor did entreaty move them; but in every way they kept watch, as though they would gain something great if the bodies should not obtain burial.
Following upon these, after some other things, they say: 「The bodies of the martyrs, then, having been exposed to mockery and left in the open air for six days, were afterwards burned and reduced to ashes by the lawless ones, and swept into the river Rhone that flows near by, so that not even a relic of them might still appear upon the earth.」
And they did these things as though able to conquer God and to deprive them of their rebirth, in order that, as they said, they might not even have a hope of resurrection, 「trusting in which they bring in to us some strange and new religion, and despise terrors, coming ready and even with joy to death. Now let us see whether they will rise again, and whether their God is able to help them and to deliver them out of our hands.」