Two Female Disciples of Origen

Among the disciples of Origen who became martyrs, several women are also mentioned as faithful martyrs. However, we shall refer to only two of them, one called Rhais, the other Marcella, who let their faith and their lives be tried with fire, like gold that is refined.

Rhais was a catechumen, that is, one who was receiving instruction in preparation for baptism, and so she had not yet sealed her faith with water; however, as Origen himself declares, she was baptized with fire, that is, burned alive.

Marcella was the mother of Potamiena (of whom the ancients speak with such high praise, as having also laid down her life for the faith; but whom we pass over, because of certain remarks which she addressed to Basilides, her executioner.) After unbearable and dreadful torments, she was burned little by little, with great constancy, until she was reduced to ashes; and so she exchanged this temporal life for an eternal one. See the authors mentioned above, compared with Mellinus, folio 57, column 4.