Of the Cruelty and Misery of This Persecution

P. J. Twisck, after saying something in praise of this Emperor, begins at once to give an account of the tyranny he used against the Christians, saying: "He caused public orders and decrees to be issued and posted up, that if they would not apostatize from Christ, the Christians were to be persecuted everywhere, and executed without mercy with every kind of torture that could be devised." The torments by which the poor Christians were put to death in that day were very severe, as we may read in Dionysius, Gregory, Cyprian, Eusebius, Vincentius, and others. They were exiled, stripped of their goods, sentenced to the mines, scourged, beaten. Beheading and hanging were thought far too insignificant, indeed, no punishment at all for them. Hot tar was almost always poured over them; they were roasted at a slow fire, stoned, pricked in the face, the eyes, and the whole body with sharp-pointed instruments, dragged through the streets over hard pebbles and rough stones, dashed against rocks, thrown down from steep places, their limbs broken in pieces, torn apart with hooks, rolled about on sharp potsherds, given as a prey and food to the wild beasts, stakes driven through their loins, and so on.

There was hardly a place where persecution was not going on; Africa, and Alexandria especially, could be called the school of the martyrs. In short, Nicephorus says in his 5th book, chapter 29, that to count the martyrs of this time would be as easy as to undertake to count the sands of the seashore. See, P. J. Twisck, 3rd book, for the year 251, page 67, column 2, and page 68, column 1, from Euseb., book 7, chapter 1. Chron. Mich., folio 154. Chron. Carionis, book 3. Seb. Fr., folio 17. Hist Andrw, folio 177, 2nd part, folio 174. Paul Merul., folio 212-214. Leonh. Krentz. Chronologiae, folio 16, 17. Chron. [n191-1] Car., folio 236. Jan Crespin., folio 53.

We shall begin with the persecution which at this time took place at Alexandria against the pious and defenseless Christians; for that reason this place was called by the ancients the "Scaffold of all tyranny."