Abridgment of the Book of Acts and Monuments by Timothy Bright, Volume 1 · Book 1 · Persecution 1 – Persecution 2
IN the 17. of the raigne of Tiberius Nero, Tiberius Nero. Chriſt.Chriſt ſuffered the 34. yéere of his age. Tiberius rayſed no further perſecutiō, yet liued he ſeuen yéeres after the death of Chriſt, and raigned in all 23. yéeres.
Him ſuccéeded C. Caligula: C. Caligula.hée commaunded his Image to be ſet vp in the temple at Ieruſalem, and to be worſhipped. And after him ſuccéeded C. Nero, C. Nero.& D. Nero. D. Nero.Claudius raigned 13. yéeres. Domitius 14. In the latter end of whoſe raigne, Peter & Paule Peter and Paule.were put to death, for the faith of Chriſt. Anno 69.
About this time, an. 73. and 40. yéeres after the paſſiō of Chriſt, & the 3. yéere after the ſuffering of Peter and Paule, the Iewes were deſtroied,Titus. Veſpaſian. Iewes deſtroyed. by Titus, and Veſpaſian his father: (who ſuccéeded Nero) to the number of eleuen hundred thouſand, beſides a great number Veſpaſian ſlue in ſubduing Galile, & ſeuentéene thouſands mo that were ſold for ſlaues.
Stephen.Stephen the Deacon was the firſt martyr, put to death at Ieruſalem, and ſtoned by the Iewes.
After Stephen, ſuffered Iames Iames.the brother of Iohn, whom Herod Herod.ſlew with the ſword: and with him the partie that was cauſe of his perſecution: who beyng moued in conſcience, as Iames went to execution, confeſſed himſelfe to be a Chriſtian alſo, and were both beheaded together.
The ſame day that Stephen ſuffered, Nicanor Nicanor.one of ye 7. deacons, with 2000. 2000.other chriſtians, ſuffered for the faith.
Simon Simon.one of the deacons, and afterward biſhop of Boſrum in Arabia, was there burned: and Parmenas Parmenas.alſo an other of the Deacons, ſuffered for the faith.
Thomas, Thomas.who preached to the Parthians, Medes, Perſians, Germans, Heraconies, Bactries, and Magies, ſuffered in Calamina, a citie in Iudea, beyng ſlaine with a dart.
Simon ZelotesSimon Zelotes (who preached in Mauritania, and in the countrie of Aphrike, and in Britaine) was crucified.
Iudas.Iudas brother of Iames, called Thaddeus and Lebeus, who preached to the Ediſſens, and to al Meſopotamia, was ſlaine vnderunder Augarus Augarus.king of the Ediſſens in Berito.
Simon.Simon, brother to Iude, and Iames the yoonger, (which were ſonnes of Mary Cleopha, and of Alpheus) called Cananeus, biſhop of Ieruſalem after Iames, (as Dorotheus recordeth) was crucified in a citie of Egipt, in the time of Traianus Traianus.Emperour: but as Abdias writeth, he was ſlaine with his brother Iude, by a tumult of the people of Suanir, a citie of Perſidis.
Marke the Euangeliſt, & firſt B. of Alexandria, preached the Goſpel in Egypt: and there being drawn with ropes to the fire, was burned: and afterward buried in a place called there, Bucolus: vnderunder the reigne of Traianus the Emperor.
Bartholomeus Bartholomeusis ſaid to hauehave preached to the Indians, and to hauehave conuerted the Goſpel of S. Mathew into their tongue, where he continued a great ſpace: doing many miracles. At laſt in Albania a citie of great Armenia, after diuers perſecutions, he was beaten downe with ſtaues, then crucified, and after being excoriate, hee was at length beheaded. Iohan. de monte regali.
Andrew Andrew,the Apoſtle, and brother of Peter, was crucified at Patris, a citie in Achaia, (by the Gouernour Egeas Egeas.) embracing the croſſe, and ioying therein, the day before the Kalends of December.
Matthew, Matthew.otherwiſe called Leui, firſt a publicane, then an Apoſtle, after that he had conuerted to the faith Ethiopia, and all Egypt, Hircanus Hircanus.their king ſent one to runne him through with a ſpeare. Iohan. de monte regali.
Matthias Matthias.alſo, after that he had preached to the Iewes, was ſtoned, and beheaded by them.
Philip the Apoſtle,Philip and his daughters. after he had much laboured among the barbarous nations, was crucified, and ſtoned to death in Hierapolis, a citie of Phrygia, where he was buried, and his daughters with him. Iſodor.
Iames Iames.being required of the Iewes to diſſwade the people from the faith of Chriſt,Other. and that he ſhould ſtand & ſpeak from the battlements of the temple, that he might more conueniently be heard;The Iewes. he (contrary to their expectation) preaching Chriſt, was throwne downe from the battlementes headlong, and ſtoned: and one being preſent, tooke a Fullers inſtrument, wherewith they beate cloth, and ſmote him on the head, whereof he died, and was buried in that place. At which time alſo, other were put to death among the Iewes for the teſtimony of Chriſt.
The firſt Perſecution.
THe firſt was ſtirred vp by Nero Domitius, Nero Domit.the 6. Emperour: about the yere 67. Whoſe cruelty was ſuch againſt Chriſtians, that he had neither regarde of ſexe, condition of life, or age: ſo that open ſtréetes were ſpread with the dead carkaſes of Chriſtians. He cauſed perſecution throughout al the prouinces of the Romaine empire: and endeuoured vtterly to aboliſh the name of Chriſtians.
In that perſecution, Peter Peter.was crucified, his head downward: himſelfe requiring it ſhould be ſo, as vnworthy to be in all manner executed like Chriſt Ieſus. The cauſe was thought to be the reuenge of the death of Simon Magus: Simon Magus.who pretending to the people of Rome, to flée from ye mount Capitolinus vp into heauē, by the praier of Peter, was brought headlong downe: wherwith his legges & ioynts being broken, he died. At that time alſo, Peters wifePeters wife. ſuffered, béeing much encouraged by the words of her huſband Peter, whiles he hanged vponupon the croſſe. VnderUnder the ſame Nero, Paul Paul.was beheaded in the 14. yéere of Nero, the ſame day that Peter was crucified, and was buried in the way of Oſtia. But others (as Prudentius in his Periſtephano) writeth that they were put to death in one day: but Paule a yeere after Peter.
The ſecond Perſecution.
THe Church hauing had ſome reſt vnderunder Veſpaſian, Domitian Domitian.(brother to Titus) moued, (not long after) the 2. perſecution. He put to death al ye nephews of Iuda, Nephewes of Iuda.called the Lords brother, and cauſed to be ſought out and ſlain, al that could be found of the ſtock of Dauid: as Veſpaſian alſo did before him: leaſt yet he were to come of the ſtocke of Dauid, that ſhould enioy the kingdome. In the time of this tirant, Simeon, Simeon.Biſhop of Ieruſalem, after other torments, was crucified to death: whom Iuſtus Iuſtus.afterward ſuccéeded in that biſhoprick.
This Tyrant exiled Iohn Iohn.the Apoſtle and Euāgeliſt, into Pathmos, an. 97. And vnderunder Pertinax he was releaſed, and came to Epheſus, anno 100. where he continued vntill the time of Traianus, and there gouerned the Church in Aſia: where alſo he wrote his goſpel. And ſo liued til the yere 68. which was the yere of his age 99. Euſeb.
Flauia, Flauia.daughter to Flauius Clemens, one of the Roman Conſuls, ſuffered for the name of the Lord Ieſus: and was (with many other baniſhed out of Rome, into the Ile Pontia. Euſeb. lib. 3
A remnant of the flock of Dauid as yet remayned: who being brought to Domitian to be ſlaine, and hee percyuing them to be poore, and vnderſtanding from them, that the kingdome of Chriſt ſhould not be a worldly, but an heauenuenlie kingdome, let them goe, and ſtaied the perſecution. They (being diſmiſſed) had afterwarde the gouernment of Churches: and ſo continued in peace till the time of Traianus. Egeſip. & Euſeb. lib. 3. cap. 20.
In theſe perſecutions no kind of torment was omitted, that could be deuiſed againſt the Chriſtians:The 2. perſecution. and no kinde of ſlaunder kept back, that might empaire their credite, their bodies (after death) not being ſuffered to be buried: and yet the Church did dayly more, and more, encreaſe.
Euariſtus Euariſtus.Biſhop of Rome next to Clement, ſuccéeded in the third yere of Traianus, and ſuffered the xij. yere of his Raigne.
Alexander, Alexander.who ſuccéeded Euariſtus, conuerted a great part of the Senators of Rome to the faith. Among whom, one Hermes, Hermes.a great man in Rome, whoſe ſonne being dead, he raiſed to life, and reſtored ſight to his maide being blinde. Which Adrianus, the Emperor hearing of, ſent word to Aurelianus Gouernor of Rome, to apprehend Alexander, with Euentus, Euentus.and Theodulus, Theodulus.otherwiſe called Theodorus, his two Deacons, and Hermes, Hermes.to committe them to Warde, with Quirinus the Tribune, whoſe daughter named Albina, Albina.he cured: which mooued Quirinus, Quirinus.with all his houſe to be baptized, and ſuffred alſo for the faith of Chriſt.
In the ſecond yere of Hadrian, Aurelianus tooke Alexander, with Hermes, his wife, children, and whole houſholde, 1250. and threw them into priſon, and not long after, burnt them all in a Furnace. Whoſe crueltie being rebuked by Theodulus, another Deacon of Alexander, cauſed alſo vntounto himſelfe the ſame martirdome. Quirinus the ſame time (as ſaith Antoninus) hauing firſt his tongue cut out, then his handes and féete, afterwarde was beheaded, and caſt to the dogges.