Several Thousand Persons Burned in their Meeting Places for the Evangelical…

In the new Keysers Chronijk a cruel and wicked deed is told, which Emperor Maximin carried out against the Christians. The author says: The Christians were gathered in their churches or meeting places, praising their Savior, when the Emperor sent out his soldiers and had all the churches or meeting places locked up, and then wood placed around them and set on fire, in order to burn all the Christians inside. But before the wood was lit, he had it proclaimed that whoever would come out and sacrifice to the god Jupiter would be safe in his life, and would also be rewarded by the Emperor. They answered that they knew nothing of Jupiter; that Christ was their Lord and God, and that in the honor of His name, and calling upon that name, they would live and die. It is to be counted a special miracle that among so many thousand Christians not one was found who wanted to go out and save his life by denying Christ; for they all stayed together with one accord, singing and praising Christ, as long as the smoke and vapor let them use their tongues. P. J. Twisck, 3rd book, page 64, column 1, from Chron. Mich. Sach., folio 146, Niceph., book 7, chapter 6. Hast. Mandri, folio 10.