1 Earliest Rome

13.8 Christianity as the real religion
for western Christians, the developing cult of the martyrs, and the refocussing
of the city round new holy people and places.
The extract begins with part of the prayer Lawrence uttered while being
burnt alive.
See further: Delehaye (1933b); A.-M. Palmer (1989) 125-39, 243-5,
258-60; more general bibliography given at 6.7a.
Prudentius, Crowns of Martyrdom 2.433-536
(433) 'Grant, Christ, to your Romans that the city through which you have granted that
all other cities shall be of one mind in worship may be Christian. All the parts of the
empire are allied in faith; the world it has subdued grows gentle. May its capital too grow
gentle. May she see that lands far apart are uniting in one state of grace; may Romulus
become one of the faithful and let Numa himself now believe. The mistaken doctrine
from Troy still confounds a senate of Catos,' worshipping at secret altars the Penates
exiled from Phrygia . 2
The senate worships two-faced Janus and Sterculus 3
(I
cannot bear to mention all the monstrosities of the senators) and celebrates the festivals
of old Saturn. Erase, Christ, this shame, send forth your Gabriel, that the mistaken
blindness of lulus 4
may recognize the true god. Already we possess the most reliable
sureties of this hope, for already there rule here the two chief apostles, one who called the
gentiles , the other who occupies the foremost chair and opens the gates of eternity
which were entrusted to him . Depart adulterous Jupiter, defiled with sex with
your sister, 5
leave Rome free and flee from its people who are now Christ's. Paul exiles you
from here, the blood of Peter drives you out, and the deed of Nero, 6
for which you put
the sword in his hand, rebounds on you.
(473) 'I see that one day there will be an emperor who as the servant of god does not
allow Rome to serve foul and filthy rites, who will close and bar its temples, will block the
ivory doors, will condemn the accursed entrances, making them fast with bolts of brass.
Then finally will the marble works gleam, clean of all blood, and the bronze statues, now
worshipped as idols, will remain as innocent objects.' 7
(485) This was the end of his prayer, and with it the end of his bodily imprisonment;
his soul gladly departed on the heels of his words. Certain senators, whom the man's
extraordinary independence had persuaded to seek the favour of Christ, carried his body
on their shoulders. A new spirit had inflamed their hearts and compelled them from love
of the supreme god to hate their ancient follies. From that day the worship of the
shameful gods went cold; the people were not commonly at the shrines; there was a rush
to the tribunal of Christ. In this fight Lawrence did not arm himself with a sword, but
turned back the enemy's weapon against its bearer. While the devil fought the
unconquered witness of god