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On the Glory of Martyrdom

Pseudo-Cyprian

Section 4

About this work

Author: Pseudo-Cyprian

4. Therefore, since martyrdom is the chief thing,

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there

are

three

points

arising

out

of

it

on

which

we

have

proposed

to

ourselves

to

speak

:

What

it

is

,

how

great

it

is

,

and

of

what

advantage

it

is

.

What

,

then

,

is

martyrdom

?

It

is

the

end

of

sins

,

the

limit

of

dangers

,

the

guide

of

salvation

,

the

teacher

of

patience

,

the

home

of

life

,

on

the

journey

to

which

those

things

moreover

befall

which

in

the

coming

crisis

might

be

considered

torments

.

By

this

also

testimony

is

borne

to

the

Name

,

and

the

majesty

of

the

Name

is

greatly

enhanced

:

not

that

in

itself

that

majesty

can

be

diminished

,

or

its

magnitude

detracted

from

,

by

the

guilt

of

one

who

denies

it

;

but

that

it

redounds

to

the

increase

of

its

glory

,

when

the

terror

of

the

populace

that

howls

around

is

giving

to

suffering

,

fearless

minds

,

and

by

the

threats

of

snarling

hatred

is

adding

to

the

title

whereby

Christ

has

desired

to

crown

the

man

,

that

in

proportion

as

he

has

thought

that

he

conquered

,

in

that

proportion

his

courage

has

grown

in

the

struggle

.

It

is

then

,

therefore

,

that

all

the

vigour

of

faith

is

brought

to

bear

,

then

facility

of

belief

is

approved

,

when

you

encounter

the

speeches

and

the

reproaches

of

the

rabble

,

and

when

you

strengthen

yourself

by

a

religious

mind

against

those

madnesses

of

the

people

,

—

overcoming

,

that

is

,

and

repelling

whatever

their

blasphemous

speech

may

have

uttered

to

wrong

Christ

in

your

person

;

as

when

the

resisting

breakwater

repels

the

adverse

sea

,

although

the

waves

dash

and

the

rolling

water

again

and

again

beats

upon

it

,

yet

its

immoveable

strength

abides

firm

,

and

does

not

yield

even

when

covered

over

by

the

waves

that

foam

around

,

until

its

force

is

scattered

over

the

rocks

and

loses

itself

,

and

the

conquered

billow

lying

upon

the

rocks

retires

forth

into

the

open

spaces

of

the

shore

.

Notes

5
[Ps. lxiv. 3. The revilings of the multitude are reckoned by the Psalmist among the most cruel tortures of Christ; and we cannot doubt that the early Christians found the like cruelty of the heathen a daily martyrdom, before they came to their crowning passion. Compare Tertullian, vol. iii. p. 712.]