Martin Leaves the Army

Meanwhile the barbarians were pouring into the two provinces of Gaul, and Julian Caesar, gathering an army together at the city of the Vangiones, began to hand out a bonus to the soldiers. As was the custom on such occasions, they were called forward one by one, until it came to Martin’s turn. He judged this a fitting moment to ask for his discharge, for he did not think it would be right for him to take a bonus if he was not going to go on serving. So he said to Caesar: “Up to now I have served you as a soldier. Allow me now to become a soldier for God. Let the man who is going to serve you take your bonus. I am a soldier of Christ: it is not lawful for me to fight.” [a]

At these words the tyrant flew into a rage, declaring that Martin was leaving the service out of fear of the battle that was to be fought the next day, and not from any religious feeling. But Martin, full of courage, and all the more determined because of the danger set before him, said: “If this conduct of mine is put down to cowardice and not to faith, I will take my stand unarmed in front of the battle line tomorrow, and in the name of the Lord Jesus, protected by the sign of the cross and not by shield or helmet, I will pass safely through the ranks of the enemy.” He was ordered, therefore, to be thrown back into prison, so that he might prove his words true by facing the barbarians unarmed. But on the following day the enemy sent envoys to negotiate for peace, and surrendered both themselves and everything they had.

In these circumstances, who can doubt that this victory was due to the holy man? It was granted to him that he should not be sent unarmed into the fight. And although the good Lord could have kept his own soldier safe even among the swords and spears of the enemy, he took away all need for fighting, so that Martin’s blessed eyes would not be pained by seeing others die. For Christ did not need to win any other victory on behalf of his own soldier than this: that the enemy was subdued without bloodshed, and no one died.