Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

302 THE SECOND AGE OF THE MARTYR CHURCH.the heathen themselves confessed that never hadthey seen a woman who had borne so much andso long."66These three scenes of martyrdom at Koine, atSmyrna, and at Lyons, will give a notion of thegrounds upon which Eusebius asserts that in thereign of Marcus Aurelius innumerable martyrs suffered67throughout the world through popular persecutions.Respecting the following reign of Corn-modus he says, on the contrary, that the Churchenjoyed peace, for while the law which consideredChristianity an illicit religion had not been revoked,it was made capital to inform against anyone as Christian; and yet if the information toolplace, and the crime was proved, the punishmentof death ensued, as in the case of the senator Apol-lonius recorded by him.68 This state of thingswould seem to have lasted about seventeen years,until the year 197, when Severus, some time afterhis accession, became unfavourable to Christians.And it brings us to Tertullian, whose writings arefull of testimonies to the sufferings endured byChristians for their Faith. For some time thesesufferings would seem to fall under the same sortof intermittent popular persecution, which we have, seen prevailing in the time of Marcus: but in theyear 202 Severus published an edict forbiddingany to become Jews or Christians. And forth-C6 Ruinart, p. 69.67 Hist. V. i. fj.vpia5a.s [AapTvpow Stairpfyai iw Aac8 Ib. V. 21.