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Of the Manner in Which the Persecutors Died

Lactantius

Chapter 4

About this work

Author: Lactantius

Chap. IV.

This long peace, however, was afterwards interrupted.

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Decius

appeared

in

the

world

,

an

accursed

wild

beast

,

to

afflict

the

Church

,

—

and

who

but

a

bad

man

would

persecute

religion

?

It

seems

as

if

he

had

been

raised

to

sovereign

eminence

,

at

once

to

rage

against

God

,

and

at

once

to

fall

;

for

,

having

undertaken

an

expedition

against

the

Carpi

,

who

had

then

possessed

themselves

of

Dacia

and

Moefia

,

he

was

suddenly

surrounded

by

the

barbarians

,

and

slain

,

together

with

great

part

of

his

army

;

nor

could

he

be

honoured

with

the

rites

of

sepulture

,

but

,

stripped

and

naked

,

he

lay

to

be

devoured

by

wild

beasts

and

birds

,

—

a

fit

end

for

the

enemy

of

God

.

Notes

1
[Most noteworthy in corroboration of the earlier Fathers.]
2
[Jer. xxii. 19 and xxxvi. 30.]