Continued:
Christian martyrs of Rome
Martrydom
of Peter and Paul
 Late
in the persecution, the apostles Peter and Paul, were martyred. An unquestioned
tradition among early Christian communities -- affirmed today by many
historians and archeologists -- says that Peter met his death at Nero's
circus on the Vatican and Paul was beheaded along the Via Ostia near
the place where Constantine later built a church in his honor. Details
of their martyrdom are unknown, but like others they must have been
arrested, put in chains, questioned, and sentenced before being executed.
There are later
legends, of course. One says they were imprisoned in the Mamertime Prison,
near the Capitoline Hill, where they converted and baptized their jailers.
Peter escaped and fled along the Via Appia until he reached the place
where the chapel, Domine, Quo Vadis? now stands. There he met Jesus
coming into the city. "Where are you going, Lord?" Peter asked. When
Jesus told him he was going to join those suffering, the apostle turned
to embrace the same fate.
The Ordeal of
a Frightened Church
Legends like these
have dubious historical value, but do they suggest something about the
early persecution?
The Christians
of Rome, considered part of the city's Jewish community in the middle
of the 1st century, enjoyed the extensive privileges bestowed on the
Jews by the Romans at that time; they must have felt safe and secure,
until Nero's arbitrary attack. Their troubles with Claudius around 49
were only minor. How shocking Nero's sudden blow! Certainly brave martyrs
emerged in the persecution, but in those chaotic days how many wavered
or fell?
One wonders if
the story of a frightened Peter, fleeing in fear, then regaining strength
for his ordeal, was a lesson in hope for Christians who, taken by surprise,
wavered, fled in terror, denied and betrayed?
next:
words for a persecuted Church
The
first Christian martyrs •
Cecilia, an early saint •
Lawrence, the deacon
Sebastian, the soldier saint • act
with Compassion • front
page
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