his master, after his apprehension, though {tine the Great erected one of the most he defended him at the time; but the sin-stately churches in the universe over the cerity of his repentance made an atone-place. Before we quit this article, it is ment for the atrociousness of his crime. The Jews, after the death of Christ, still continued to persecute the Christians, and even went so far as to order several of the apostles, among whom was Peter, to be scourged. This punishment they bore with the greatest fortitude, and rejoiced that they were thought worthy to suffer for the sake of Christ. requisite to observe, that previous to the death of St. Peter, his wife suffered martyrdom for the faith of Christ, and was exhorted, when going to be put to death, to remember the Lord Jesus. ST. PAUL, the apostle and martyr, was a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, born at Tarsus, in Cilicia. He was at first a great enemy to, and persecutor of the Herod Agrippa having caused St. James Christians; but after his miraculous conthe Great to be put to death, and finding version, he became a strenuous preacher that it pleased the Jews, resolved, in order of Christ's gospel. At Iconium, St. Paul to ingratiate himself farther with the peo- and St. Barnabas were near being stoned to ple, that Peter should fall the next sacri- death by the enraged Jews, wherefore they fice to his malice. He was accordingly fled to Lyconia. At Lystra, St. Paul was apprehended, and thrown into prison; but stoned, dragged out of the city, and left for an angel of the Lord released him, which dead. He, however, happily revived, and so enraged Herod, that he ordered the sen- escaped to Derbe. At Philippi, Paul and tinels who guarded the dungeon in which he Silas were imprisoned and whipped; and had been confined, to be put to death. St. both were again persecuted at ThessalonPeter, after various other miracles, retired ica. Being afterward taken at Jerusalem, to Rome, where he defeated all the arti- he was sent to Cesarea, but appealed to fices, and confounded the magic of Simon, Cæsar at Rome. Here he continued pristhe magician, a great favorite of the empe-oner at large for two years. Being reror Nero. He likewise converted to Chris-leased, he visited the churches of Greece tianity one of the concubines of that monarch, which so exasperated the tyrant, that he ordered both St. Peter and St. Paul to be apprehended. During the time of their confinement, they converted two of the captains of the guard, and forty-seven other persons, to Christianity. Having been nine months in prison, Peter was brought out thence for execution, when, after being severely scourged, he was crucified with his ST. JUDE, the apostle and martyr, the head downward; which position, however, brother of James, was commonly called was at his own request. His festival is ob- Thaddæus. Being sent to Edessa, he served on June 29, on which day he, as wrought many miracles, and made many well as St. Paul, suffered. His body converts, which stirring up the resentment being taken down, embalmed, and buried of people in power, he was crucified, A. D. in the vatican, a church was afterward 72; and the 28th of October is, by the erected on the spot; but this being de-church, dedicated to his memory. stroyed by the emperor Heliogabalus, the ST. BARTHOLOMEW preached in body was removed, till the twentieth bishop several countries, performed many miraof Rome, called Cornelius, conveyed it cles, and healed various diseases. He again to the vatican; afterward Constan- translated St. Matthew's gospel into the and Rome, and preached in France and Spain. Returning to Rome, he was again apprehended, and, by the order of Nero, martyred, by being beheaded. Two days are dedicated to the commemoration of this apostle; the one for his conversion, the other for his martyrdom; the first being on the 25th of January, and the latter on the 29th of June. THE CHRISTIAN MARTYROLOGY. 19 Indian language, and propagated it in that { was previously a disciple of John the Bapcountry; but at length, the idolaters grow-tist, and afterward not only one of the ing impatient with his doctrines, severely beat, crucified, and flayed him, and then cut off his head. The anniversary of his martyrdom is on the 24th of August. ST. THOMAS, as he was called in Syriac, but Didymus in Greek, was an apostle and martyr. He preached in Parthia and India, where, displeasing the pagan priests, he was martyred by being thrust through with a spear. His death is commemorated on the 21st of December. ST. LUKE, the evangelist and martyr, was the author of a most excellent gospel. He travelled with St. Paul to Rome, and preached to divers barbarous nations, till the priests in Greece hanged him on an olive-tree. The anniversary of his martyrdom is on the 18th of October. ST. SIMON, the apostle and martyr, was distinguished by the name of Zelotes, from his zeal. He preached with great success in Mauritania, and other parts of Africa, and even in Britain, where, though he made many converts, he was crucified by the then barbarous inhabitants of that island, A. D. 74; and the church, joining him with St. Jude, commemorates his festival on the 28th day of October. twelve apostles, but one of the three to whom Christ communicated the most secret passages of his life. The churches in Asia founded by St. John were, Smyrna, Pergamus, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea, and Thyatyra, to whom he directs his book of Revelations. Being at Ephesus, he was ordered by the emperor Domitian to be sent bound to Rome, where he was condemned to be cast into a caldron of boiling oil. But here a miracle appeared in his favor; the oil did him no injury, and Domitian therefore not being able to put him to death, banished him to Patmos to work at the mines. He was, however, recalled by Nerva, who succeeded Domitian after his decease, but was deemed a martyr on account of having undergone the mode of an execution, though it did not take effect. He wrote his epistles, gospel, and revelations, all in a different style, but they are all equally admired. He was the only apostle who escaped a violent death; lived the longest of any of them, being near 100 years of age at the time of his death; and the church commemorates the 27th day of December to his memory. ST. BARNABAS was a native of CyST. JOHN. This saint was, at once, a prus, but of Jewish parents: the time of prophet, apostle, divine, evangelist, and his death is uncertain, but supposed to be martyr. He is called the beloved disciple, about the year of Christ 73; and his festiand was brother to James the Great. Heval is kept on the 11th of June. w THE FIRST PRIMITIVE PERSECUTIONS UNDER NERO. HE first persecution, in space of five years, with tolerable credit to the primitive ages of himself, but then gave way to the greatest the church, was begun extravagance of temper, and to the most by that cruel tyrant Nero atrocious barbarities. Among other diaDomitius, the sixth em-bolical outrages, he ordered that the city peror of Rome, and A. of Rome should be set on fire, which was D. 67. This monarch reigned, for the done by his cfficers, guards, and servants. While the city was in flames, he went up to the tower of Maecenas, played upon his harp, sung the song of the burning of Troy, and declared that "he wished the ruin of all things before his death." Among the noble buildings burnt was the circus, or place appropriated to horse-races. It was half a mile in length, of an oval form, with rows of seats rising above each other, and capable of receiving, with ease, upward of 100,000 spectators. Many other palaces and houses were consumed; and several return for ill-usage, and not in the least rethousands of the people perished in thesenting any indignity. Aristarchus accomflames, were smothered or buried beneath {panied Paul from Ephesus into Greece, the ruins. dom, being tortured to death by the pagans at Philippi. ARISTARCHUS, the Macedonian, was born in Thessalonica, and being converted by Paul, became his constant companion. He was with that apostle at Ephesus, during a commotion raised in that city by Demetrius, the silversmith. They both re{ceived several insults upon the occasion from the populace, which they bore with Christian patience, giving good advice in where they were very successful in propagating the gospel, and bringing over many to Christianity. Having left Greece, they traversed a great part of Asia, and made a considerable stay in Judea, where they were very successful in making converts. After this, Aristarchus went, with Paul to Rome, where he suffered the same fate as the apostle; for, being seized as a Christian, he was beheaded by the command of Nero. This dreadful conflagration continued nine days; when Nero, finding that his conduct was greatly blamed, and a severe odium cast upon him, determined to lay the whole upon the Christians, at once to excuse himself, and have an opportunity of witnessing new cruelties. The barbarities exercised upon the Christians, during the first persecution, were such as even excited the commiseration of the Romans them- TROPHIMUS, an Ephesian by birth, and a selves. Nero even refined upon cruelty, Gentile by religion, was converted by Paul and contrived all manner of punishments to the Christian faith, and accompanied his for the Christians. In particular, he had master in his travels. Upon his account some sewed up in the skins of wild beasts, the Jews raised a great disturbance in the and then worried by dogs till they expired; temple at Jerusalem, the last time Paul was and others dressed in shirts made stiff within that city. They even attempted to murwax, fixed to axletrees, and set on fire in der the apostle, for having introduced him, his gardens. This persecution was gene-being a Greek, into the temple. Lysias, ral throughout the whole Roman empire; the captain of the guard, however, interbut it rather increased than diminished the spirit of Christianity. Besides Paul and Peter, many others, whose names have not been transmitted to posterity, and who were some of their converts and followers, suf-tle made him bishop of that province, and fered; the facts concerning the principal of whom we shall proceed to describe. posed, and rescued Paul by force from their hands. On quitting Jerusalem, Trophimus attended his master first to Rome, and then to Spain; passing through Gaul, the apos left him in the city of Arles. About a twelvemonth after, he paid a visit to Paul ERASTUS, the chamberlain of Corinth, in Asia, and went with him, for the last was converted by Paul, and determined to time, to Rome, where he was witness to follow the fortune of that apostle. For this his martyrdom, which was but the forerunreason he resigned his office, and accom-ner of his own; for, being soon after seized panied Paul in his voyages and travels, till on account of his faith, he was beheaded the latter left him at Macedonia, where he by order of Nero. was first made bishop of that province by the Christians; and afterward suffered martyr JOSEPH, commonly called BARSABAS, was a primitive disciple, and is usually deemed |