A Source Book for Ancient Church History - Mirrors

79neither of which cases is that of a true Christian. And whenUrbicus ordered him to be led away to punishment, a certainLucius, who was also himself a Christian, seeing the unreasonablejudgment, said to Urbicus: “What is the ground of thisjudgment? Why have you punished this man: not as an adulterer,nor fornicator, nor as one guilty of murder, theft, or robbery, norconvicted of any crime at all, but who has only confessed that heis called by the name of Christian? You do not judge, O Urbicus,as becomes the Emperor Pius, nor the philosopher, the son ofCæsar, nor the sacred Senate.” And he, replying nothing else toLucius, said: “You also seem to me to be such an one.” Andwhen Lucius answered, “Most certainly I am,” he then orderedhim also to be led away. And he professed his thanks, since heknew that he was going to be delivered from such wicked rulersand was going to the Father and King of the heavens. And still athird came forward and was condemned to be punished.(b) Passion of the Scilitan Martyrs.Text: J. A. Robinson, Text and Studies, I, 2, 112-116,Cambridge, 1891; reprinted in R. Knopf, Ausgewählte Märtyreracten,34 ff., Tübingen, 1901.The date of this martyrdom is July 17, 180 A.D. Scili, the placeof residence of these martyrs, was a small city in northwesternProconsular Africa. For an account of ancient martyrologies,see Krüger, §§ 104 ff.When Præsens, for the second time, and Claudianus were consuls,on the seventeenth day of July, and when Speratus, Nartzalus,Cittinus, Donata, Secunda, and Vestia were brought into thejudgment-hall at Carthage, the proconsul Saturninus said: Yecan win the indulgence of our lord the Emperor if ye return to asound mind.[067]