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On the Glory of Martyrdom

Pseudo-Cyprian

Section 8

About this work

Author: Pseudo-Cyprian

8. For what is so illustrious and sublime, as

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by

a

robust

devotion

to

preserve

all

the

vigour

of

faith

in

the

midst

of

so

many

weapons

of

executioners

?

What

so

great

and

honourable

,

as

in

the

midst

of

so

many

swords

of

the

surrounding

guards

,

again

and

again

to

profess

in

repeated

words

the

Lord

of

one’s

liberty

and

the

author

of

one’s

salvation

?

—

and

especially

if

you

set

before

your

eyes

that

there

is

nothing

more

detestable

than

dishonour

,

nothing

baser

than

slavery

,

that

now

you

ought

to

seek

nothing

else

,

to

ask

for

nothing

else

,

than

that

you

should

be

snatched

from

the

slaughters

of

the

world

,

be

delivered

from

the

ills

of

the

world

,

and

be

engaged

only

as

an

alien

from

the

contagion

of

earth

,

among

the

ruins

of

a

globe

that

is

speedily

to

perish

?

For

what

have

you

to

do

with

this

light

,

if

you

have

the

promise

of

an

eternal

light

?

What

interest

have

you

in

this

commerce

of

life

and

nature

,

if

the

amplitude

of

heaven

is

awaiting

you

?

Doubtless

let

that

lust

of

life

keep

hold

,

but

let

it

be

of

those

whom

for

unatoned

sin

the

raging

fire

will

torture

with

eternal

vengeance

for

their

crimes

.

Let

that

lust

of

life

keep

hold

,

but

let

it

be

of

those

to

whom

it

is

both

a

punishment

to

die

,

and

a

torment

to

endure

(

after

death

)

.

But

to

you

both

the

world

itself

is

subjected

,

and

the

earth

yields

,

if

,

when

all

are

dying

,

you

are

reserved

for

this

fate

of

being

a

martyr

.

Do

we

not

behold

daily

dyings

?

We

behold

new

kinds

of

death

of

the

body

long

worn

out

with

raging

diseases

,

the

miserable

results

of

some

plague

hitherto

unexperienced

;

and

we

behold

the

destruction

of

wasted

cities

,

and

hence

we

may

acknowledge

how

great

is

to

be

considered

the

dignity

of

martyrdom

,

to

the

attainment

of

the

glory

of

which

even

the

pestilence

is

beginning

to

compel

us

.

Notes

9
[The heathen attributed this pestilence to the “atheism” of Christians, and hence persecuted them the more fiercely; and, as it was better to die by martyrdom than by the pestilence, he thus speaks. Death an advantage. Shaks., Hen. V., act. iv. sc. 1.]