Three Martyrs at Caesarea

In the persecution of Valerian we have described, three men at Caesarea in Palestine shone out in their confession of Christ and were adorned with a divine martyrdom, becoming food for wild beasts. One of them was called Priscus, another Malchus, and the third was named Alexander. They say that these men lived in the country, and at first they reproached themselves as careless and lazy: the time was handing out prizes to those who longed with a heavenly desire, and they were neglecting them, not seizing the crown of martyrdom while they could. Having thought it over in this way, they set out for Caesarea, went straight before the judge, and met the end already described. Besides these, they relate that in the same persecution and the same city a woman went through a similar contest. But report has it that she belonged to the sect of Marcion. [a]