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Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

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226 THE FIRST AGE OF THE MAHTYR CHURCH.<strong>The</strong> next day Hadrian ordered the seven sons<strong>of</strong> Symphorosa to be brought before him. And,seeing that neither his threats nor his promises,nor the exhibition <strong>of</strong> the most fearful punishments,could shake their constancy, nor inducethem to sacrifice to idols, he caused seven polesto be planted round the temple <strong>of</strong> Hercules, onwhich they were raised by pulleys. <strong>The</strong>n Cre-scentius, the eldest, had his throat cut; Julian,the second, was run through the breast; Neme-sius was struck in the heart; Primitivus in thestomach; Justin in the back; Stacta3us in theside ; while the youngest, Eugenius, was cleft to_the middle.<strong>The</strong> day following the death <strong>of</strong> these brethrenHadrian came to the temple and ordered theirbodies to be removed, and to be cast into a deephole. <strong>The</strong> priests and sacrificers <strong>of</strong> the templecalled this spot the place <strong>of</strong> the Seven Executed.<strong>The</strong>ir blood stopped the persecution, which wasonly rekindled eighteen months afterwards.46As the rescript to Minucius Fundanus did notprevent the emperor from thus acting, neither wasit an obstacle to such an incident as this occurringin any part <strong>of</strong> the empire.That it was so likewise in the principate <strong>of</strong> hissuccessor, <strong>of</strong> all down to this period the most tranquiland the least persecuting, we have strong andclear evidence in the earliest <strong>of</strong> the extant apolo-46 Acts <strong>of</strong> S. Symphorosa, from Dom Ruinart, pp. 23-4.

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