Rusticus, the city prefect, said to Justin before the
judgment seat, “First of all trust the gods and obey the
Emperor.”
Justin answered, “Obedience to the words of our Savior Jesus
Christ does not call for blame or condemnation.”
City Prefect Rusticus asked, “Which branch of knowledge do
you study?”
Justin answered, “I endeavored to acquaint myself with all
systems. In the end I surrendered to the true teachings of
the Christians. These teachings do not please those who are
caught up in false beliefs.”
City Prefect Rusticus answered, “And you enjoy the teachings
of these people, you utterly wretched man?”
Justin replied, “The wor****p of the God of the Christians
consists in our belief in the one God…who has made and
brought forth the whole creation, visible and invisible; and
in the Lord Jesus Christ whom the prophets foretold in this
way: He would appear to the human race as the herald of
salvation and the proclaimer of precious truth. Being only a
man, I feel too insignificant to say anything appropriate
about his boundless divinity. I do however acknowledge a
prophetic power. He whom I have called here the son of God
has been proclaimed beforehand. I know that through
inspiration from God the prophets foretold his future coming
to men.”
City Prefect Rusticus asked, “Where do you assemble?”
Justin answered, “Where each one wants to and is able to.
You probably believe that we all come together in one and
the same place. This is not so, for the God of the
Christians is not limited to any one place. He fills heaven
and earth. He is honored and glorified by the faithful
everywhere.”
City Prefect Rusticus said, “Answer, where do you assemble,
or in what place do you gather your followers?”
Justin answered, “I live up on the hill, close to the baths
of Timothy; during all this time (and I am now living in
Rome for the second time) I have not known any other meeting
place. I communicated the teachings of truth to anyone who
wished to see me there.”
Rusticus asked, “You still insist that you are a Christian?”
Justin answered, “I am a Christian.”
The city prefect turned to Chariton. “Now you tell me, are
you also a Christian?”
Chariton answered, “I am a Christian by the will of God.”
The city prefect now asked the woman Charito, “What do you
say, Charito?”
Charito answered, “I am a Christian by the gift of God.”
Rusticus turned to Euelpistus. “Tell me, what are you?”
Euelpistus, a slave of the Emperor, answered, “I, too, am a
Christian; through Christ I have been freed, and by the gift
of Christ I share the same hope.”
The city prefect asked Hierax, “And you are a Christian
too?”
Hierax answered, “Yes, I am a Christian, for my homage and
wor****p belong to the same God.”
Rusticus, the city prefect, asked, “Did Justin make you
Christians too?”
Hierax replied, “I was a Christian, and I will be a
Christian.”
Paeon, who was not among the accused and was standing by,
said, “I, too, am a Christian.”
City Prefect Rusticus asked, “Who taught you?”
Paeon said, “From our parents we accepted this wonderful
confession.”
Euelpistus said, “I heard the words of Justin with joy. But
I also learned to be a Christian from my parents.”
Rusticus, the city prefect, asked, “Where are your parents?”
Euelpistus said, “In Cappadocia [Asia Minor].”
Rusticus also asked Hierax, “Who are your parents?”
He answered, “Christ is our true father, and our faith in
him is our mother. My earthly parents died. I was taken away
from Iconium in Phrygia [Asia Minor], and from there I came
here.”
The city prefect, Rusticus, turned to Liberian. “What do you
say now? Are you a Christian too? Are you also godless?”
Liberian answered, “I, too, am a Christian, for I wor****p
and give homage to the only true God.”
The city prefect now turned once more to Justin. “Listen,
you who are called a learned man. You think that you possess
true insight; if you should be scourged and beheaded, do you
believe you will ascend into heaven?”
Justin answered, “I believe that if I endure these things I
shall have what he promises. For I know that the divine gift
will stay with all who live this way until the end of the
world.”
City Prefect Rusticus said, “Do you suppose, then, that you
will ascend into heaven and receive some reward there?”
Justin said, “I do not suppose it; I know it. I am certain
of it.”
The city prefect, Rusticus, said, “We have to come now
finally to the matter in hand. It is getting urgent. Come
here and with one accord offer a sacrifice to the gods.”
Justin answered, “No right-thinking person slanders
communion with God by going to godlessness.”
Rusticus, the city prefect, said, “Unless you obey, you will
be mercilessly punished.”
Justin answered, “It is our wish to be martyred for the sake
of our Lord Jesus Christ and so be saved. This will be our
salvation and our confidence at the much more fearful
judgment seat of our Lord and Savior, who will demand that
the whole world come before his forum.”
So also said the other martyrs, “Do what you will, for we
are Christians and do not sacrifice to idols.”
Then Rusticus, the city prefect, pronounced sentence: “These
people, who have refused to sacrifice to the gods and do not
obey the command of the Emperor, shall be scourged and taken
away to be beheaded according to the laws.”
Martyrdom of Justin, Chariton, etc., in Rome, about 163 or
167.
Bruderhof wrote:
> When the proconsul was present in Pergamum [Asia Minor],
Carpus and
> Papylus, joyful martyrs of Christ, were brought to him.
The proconsul
> sat down and asked, “What is your name?”
>
> The one who was questioned answered, “My first and chosen
name is
> Christian. But if you are asking for my name in the world,
then I call
> myself Carpus.”
>
> The proconsul declared, “The decrees of the emperors are
known to you,
> that you must wor****p the all-controlling gods. Therefore
I advise
> both of you to come forward and sacrifice.”
>
> Carpus replied, “I am a Christian. I honor Christ, the son
of God, who
> has come in the latter times to save us and has delivered
us from the
> madness of the Devil. I will not sacrifice to such idols.
Do what you
> please. It is impossible for me to offer sacrifices to
these delusive
> phantoms, these demons, for they who sacrifice to them
become like
> them.”
>
> The proconsul flared up, “Both of you, sacrifice to the
gods and
> listen to reason!”
>
> Carpus said joyfully, “Away with the gods who have created
neither
> heaven nor earth.”
>
> The proconsul said, “You must sacrifice; the Caesar has
commanded it.”
>
> Carpus answered, “The living do not sacrifice to the
dead.”
>
> The proconsul asked, “Do you believe that the gods are
dead?”
>
> Carpus replied, “If you would like to know, they were
never even men,
> nor did they ever live that they could die. Believe me,
you are caught
> up in a grave delusion.”
>
> The proconsul replied, “I have let you talk too much
nonsense and thus
> have misled you to blaspheme the gods and the majesty. You
shall not
> continue in this way. You will sacrifice or else – ! What
do you say?”
>
> Carpus said, “I cannot sacrifice. I have never yet
sacrificed to
> idols.”
>
> At once the proconsul ordered him to be hung up and had
his skin
> flayed with tools of torture, but he cried out again and
again, “I am
> a Christian! I am a Christian! I am a Christian!” Af-ter
this torture
> had gone on for a long time he lost his strength and could
not speak
> any more.
>
> The proconsul therefore turned his attention from Carpus
to Papylus
> and asked him, “Are you a councilor?”
>
> He answered, “I am a citizen.”
>
> The proconsul asked, “Of what city?”
>
> Papylus answered, “Thyatira.”
>
> The proconsul asked, “Do you have any children?”
>
> Papylus replied, “Oh yes, many of them, through God.”
>
> One of the surrounding crowd shouted, “He means he has
children by his
> Christian faith.”
>
> The proconsul shouted at him, “Why do you lie, saying that
you have
> children?”
>
> Papylus answered, “Will you understand that I am not lying
but saying
> the truth? In every district and city I have children in
God.”
>
> The proconsul said, “You will sacrifice or else – ! What
do you say?”
>
> Papylus answered, “I have served God since my youth. I
have never
> sacrificed to idols. I am a Christian. You cannot learn
anything else
> from me. There is nothing I can say which is greater or
more wonderful
> than this.” Then he also was hung up and his body was
flayed with
> three pairs of iron instruments of torture. He did not
utter a sound,
> but as a courageous fighter he endured the rage of the
tempter.
>
> When the proconsul saw their outstanding steadfastness, he
ordered
> them to be burned alive. They descended into the
amphitheater with
> brisk steps, that they might be freed from this world as
quickly as
> possible. Papylus was the first to be nailed to the stake.
When the
> flames leaped up he prayed quietly and gave up his soul.
Carpus was
> nailed on after him. He was full of joy…When he had spoken
and the
> fire was burning, he prayed, “Praise be to thee O Lord,
Jesus Christ,
> son of God, that thou didst deem me, a sinner, also worthy
of this
> part in thee!” After these words he gave up his soul.
>
> Agathonica was present when these things happened. She saw
the glory
> of the Lord which Carpus had seen and described. In this
she
> recognized a call from heaven and raised her voice
straight away.
> “This meal has been prepared for me. I must partake in it.
I must
> receive the meal of glory.”
>
> The people cried out, “Have pity on your son.”
>
> Agathonica joyfully answered, “He has God who can care for
him, for he
> is the provider for all. But I, why do I stand here?” She
threw off
> her clothes and jubilantly allowed herself to be nailed to
the stake.
>
> Those standing by burst into tears and cried, “A cruel
sentence! What
> unjust orders!”
>
> But she, standing erect and caught by the fire, cried out
three times,
> “Lord, Lord, Lord, help me, for I flee unto thee.” Then
she gave up
> her soul and was perfected with the saints.
> Ca. A.D. 165. Acts in Eusebius IV. 15–48.
>
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