A Cruel Persecution, in the Year 926

It is recorded that in the year 926 there appeared, from a different quarter than the one we have spoken of, namely, from Denmark, a cruel tyrant who was king of that country, and whose name matched his deeds well. His name was Worm, and everything he did was gnawing, biting, and devouring, so that he brought much trouble, misery, and grief upon the followers of the Christian faith, persecuting them, tormenting them, and, as it appears, killing and destroying them.

P. J. Twisck mentions this tyrant in these words: "At this time there was in Denmark King Worm, a cruel tyrant and persecutor of the Christian faith." Chron., folio 329, column 1, from Leonh., book 4, folio 190.

NOTE. King Worm was not the first tyrant to arise in Denmark, since in the previous century we spoke of the tyranny the Danes practiced then against the Christian believers. Just before the account of this Danish persecution we lamented, and with good reason, that no more than two martyrs are mentioned in the whole persecution, and very little of their confessions, except the circumstances. But here we have still more reason for regret, since not one person is mentioned of all those who were persecuted and martyred, though their number, it seems, was very great. Moreover, their confession of faith, for which nevertheless many, to all appearances, suffered and were martyred or put to death, is not mentioned at all. Still, this matter is not entirely without light or information, since it is stated of the tyrant who began this persecution that he was a persecutor of the Christian faith.

Whether, then, he persecuted all who bore the name of Christians, or only the Christian believers (who seem to be the ones in view here), it is clear that the true and sincere believers, who had no settled place to live and were scattered throughout the world, did not escape. For they necessarily often had to live among the Christians who were such in name only, indeed among the wicked Christians, with whom they frequently had to suffer when distress arose, though not for the same reason. I will not speak of the fact that the wicked Christians themselves, whenever it suited them, persecuted the faithful and good Christians terribly, and, after many torments, put them to death in a worse manner than the heathen did. So, to all appearances, when that tyrant persecuted the Christian believers, or, as our author says, the Christian faith, he put to death not a few, or at least here and there some, of the orthodox and true Christians, because of their faith, besides what they often had to suffer from others.

Here we will let the matter rest, and we will take a similar view, and judge in the same way, according to the nature and rule of divine love, of other persecutions of the Christian believers that we may speak of later. We will take care, however, not to present persecutions where there may be evidence that those persecuted were not faithful and sincere, but only apparent or professed Christians. For the former we shall search out, but the latter we shall avoid. We will now proceed with our task.