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Epistula ecclesiarum apud Lugdunum et Viennam

The Martyrdom of those perfected in Lugdunum

1.3 The servants of Christ sojourning in Vienna and Lugdunum of Gaul to the brothers throughout Asia and Phrygia who have the same faith and hope of redemption as we do: peace and grace and glory from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 1.4 Then next, after giving some further prefatory remarks, they begin their account in these words. The greatness, therefore, of the tribulation here and the great anger of the nations against the saints, and how much the blessed martyrs endured, we are not competent to describe accurately, nor indeed is it possible for it to be contained in writing. 1.5 For with all his might the adversary attacked, giving a prelude of his own coming, which is soon to be without restraint, and he went through all things, habituating and training his own against the servants of God, so that we were not only barred from houses and baths and the market, but were even forbidden any one of us to appear at all in any place whatsoever. 1.6 But the grace of God acted as a general against him, and rescued the weak, and set against him firm pillars, able through their endurance to draw to themselves the whole attack of the evil one; who went to close quarters with him, enduring every kind of reproach and punishment; who, counting the many things as few, hastened to Christ, truly showing that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us. 1.7 And first, they nobly endured what was heaped upon them by the populace all together: shouts and blows and draggings and robberies and stonings and imprisonments, and all that an enraged crowd is accustomed to do to enemies and foes. 1.8 And so, having been brought into the marketplace by the chiliarch and the ruling authorities of the city, they were examined in the presence of the whole crowd, and having confessed, they were shut up in the prison until the arrival of the governor. 1.9 Afterwards, when they were brought before the governor, and he was using all his cruelty against us, Vettius Epagathus, one of the brothers, possessing a fullness of love toward God and toward his neighbor, whose way of life was so scrupulous that although he was a young man, he was counted equal to the testimony of the presbyter Zacharias. For he had walked blameless in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, and was unwearied in every service to his neighbor, having great zeal for God, and fervent in spirit. Being such a person, he could not bear the judgment so irrationally made against us, but was greatly indignant, and requested that he himself also be heard in defense of the brothers, that there is nothing godless or impious among us. 1.10 But those around the tribunal cried out against him, for he was a man of distinction, and the governor did not tolerate the just demand he put forward, but only asked this: if he himself were also a Christian. And when he confessed with a most clear voice, he himself also was taken up into the order of the martyrs, being called the Advocate of the Christians, but having the Advocate in himself, the Spirit more than Zacharias, which he demonstrated by the fullness of his love, being pleased to lay down his own life for the defense of the brothers. For he was and is a genuine disciple of Christ, following the Lamb wherever he goes.

1.11 From that point, then, the rest were distinguished, and the first martyrs became manifest and ready, who with all eagerness fulfilled the confession of their martyrdom, but there also appeared those who were unready and untrained and still weak, of the contest

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Epistula ecclesiarum apud Lugdunum et Viennam

Μαρτύριον τῶν ἐν Λουγδούνῳ τελειωθέντων

1.3 Οἱ ἐν Βιέννῃ καὶ Λουγδούνῳ τῆς Γαλλίας παροικοῦντες δοῦλοι Χριστοῦ τοῖς κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν καὶ Φρυγίαν τὴν αὐτὴν τῆς ἀπολυτρώσεως ἡμῖν πίστιν καὶ ἐλπίδα ἔχουσιν ἀδελφοῖς· εἰρήνη καὶ χάρις καὶ δόξα ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν. 1.4 εἶτα τούτοις ἑξῆς ἕτερα προοιμιασάμενοι, τὴν τοῦ λόγου καταρχὴν ποιοῦνται ἐν τούτοις. τὸ μὲν οὖν μέγεθος τῆς ἐνθάδε θλίψεως καὶ τὴν τοσαύτην τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰς τοὺς ἁγίους ὀργὴν καὶ ὅσα ὑπέμειναν οἱ μακάριοι μάρτυρες ἐπ' ἀκριβὲς οὔθ' ἡμεῖς εἰπεῖν ἱκανοὶ οὔτε μὴν γραφῇ περιληφθῆναι δυνατόν. 1.5 παντὶ γὰρ σθένει ἐνέσκηψεν ὁ ἀντικείμενος προοιμιαζόμενος ἤδη τὴν ἀδεῶς μέλλουσαν ἔσεσθαι παρουσίαν αὐτοῦ, καὶ διὰ πάντων διῆλθεν ἐθίζων τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ καὶ προγυμνάζων κατὰ τῶν δούλων τοῦ θεοῦ ὥστε μὴ μόνον οἰκιῶν καὶ βαλανείων καὶ ἀγορᾶς εἴργεσθαι ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ καθόλου φαίνεσθαι ἡμῶν τινα αὐτοῖς ἀπειρῆσθαι ἐν ὁποίῳ δήποτε τόπῳ. 1.6 ἀντεστρατήγει δὲ ἡ χάρις τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἀσθενεῖς ἐρρύετο, ἀντιπαρέτασσε δὲ στύλους ἑδραίους δυναμένους διὰ τῆς ὑπομονῆς πᾶσαν τὴν ὁρμὴν τοῦ πονηροῦ εἰς ἑαυτοὺς ἑλκύσαι· οἳ καὶ ὁμόσε ἐχώρουν αὐτῷ πᾶν εἶδος ὀνειδισμοῦ καὶ κολάσεως ἀνεχόμενοι· οἳ καὶ τὰ πολλὰ ὀλίγα ἡγούμενοι ἔσπευδον πρὸς Χριστόν, ὄντως ἐπιδεικνύμενοι ὅτι οὐκ ἄξια τὰ παθήματα τοῦ νῦν καιροῦ πρὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν δόξαν ἀποκαλυφθῆναι εἰς ἡμᾶς. 1.7 Καὶ πρῶτον μὲν τὰ ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄχλου πανδημεὶ σωρηδὸν ἐπιφερόμενα γενναίως ὑπέμενον, ἐπιβοήσεις καὶ πληγὰς καὶ συρμοὺς καὶ διαρπαγὰς καὶ λίθων βολὰς καὶ συγκλείσεις καὶ πάνθ' ὅσα ἠγριωμένῳ πλήθει ὡς πρὸς ἐχθροὺς καὶ πολεμίους φιλεῖ γίνεσθαι. 1.8 καὶ δὴ ἀναχθέντες εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν ὑπό τε τοῦ χιλιάρχου καὶ τῶν προεστηκότων τῆς πόλεως ἐξουσιῶν ἐπὶ παντὸς τοῦ πλήθους ἀνακριθέντες καὶ ὁμολογήσαντες, συνεκλείσθησαν εἰς τὴν εἱρκτὴν ἕως τοῦ ἡγεμόνος τῆς παρουσίας. 1.9 μετέπειτα δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν ἡγεμόνα ἀχθέντων αὐτῶν κἀκείνου πάσῃ τῇ πρὸς ἡμᾶς ὠμότητι χρωμένου, Οὐέττιος Ἐπάγαθος, εἷς ἐκ τῶν ἀδελφῶν, πλήρωμα ἀγάπης τῆς πρὸς τὸν θεὸν καὶ πρὸς τὸν πλησίον κεχωρηκώς, οὗ καὶ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἠκρίβωτο ἡ πολιτεία ὡς καίπερ ὄντα νέον συνεξισοῦσθαι τῇ τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου Ζαχαρίου μαρτυρίᾳ. πεπόρευτο γοῦν ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ἐντολαῖς καὶ δικαιώμασι τοῦ κυρίου ἄμεμπτος καὶ πάσῃ τῇ πρὸς τὸν πλησίον λειτουργίᾳ ἄοκνος, ζῆλον θεοῦ πολὺν ἔχων, καὶ ζέων τῷ πνεύματι. τοιοῦτος δή τις ὢν τὴν οὕτως καθ' ἡμῶν ἀλόγως γινομένην κρίσιν οὐκ ἐβάστασεν ἀλλ' ὑπερηγανάκτησε καὶ ἠξίου καὶ αὐτὸς ἀκουσθῆναι ἀπολογούμενος ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ὅτι μηδὲν ἄθεον μηδὲ ἀσεβές ἐστιν ἐν ἡμῖν. 1.10 τῶν δὲ περὶ τὸ βῆμα καταβοησάντων αὐτοῦ, καὶ γὰρ ἦν ἐπίσημος, καὶ τοῦ ἡγεμόνος μὴ ἀνασχομένου τῆς οὕτως ὑπ' αὐτοῦ δικαίας προταθείσης ἀξιώσεως, ἀλλὰ μόνον τοῦτο πυθομένου εἰ καὶ αὐτὸς εἴη Χριστιανός, τοῦ δὲ λαμπροτάτῃ φωνῇ ὁμολογήσαντος, ἀνελήφθη καὶ αὐτὸς εἰς τὸν κλῆρον τῶν μαρτύρων, παράκλητος Χριστιανῶν χρηματίσας, ἔχων δὲ τὸν παράκλητον ἐν ἑαυτῷ, τὸ πνεῦμα πλέον τοῦ Ζαχαρίου, ὃ διὰ τοῦ πληρώματος τῆς ἀγάπης ἐνεδείξατο, εὐδοκήσας ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἀπολογίας καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ θεῖναι ψυχήν· ἦν γὰρ καὶ ἔστι γνήσιος Χριστοῦ μαθητής, ἀκολουθῶν τῷ ἀρνίῳ ὅπου ἂν ὑπάγῃ.

1.11 Ἐντεῦθεν δὴ διεκρίνοντο οἱ λοιποί, καὶ φανεροὶ καὶ ἕτοιμοι ἐγίνοντο πρωτομάρτυρες, οἳ καὶ μετὰ πάσης προθυμίας ἀνεπλήρουν τὴν ὁμολογίαν τῆς μαρτυρίας, ἐφαίνοντο δὲ καὶ οἱ ἀνέτοιμοι καὶ ἀγύμναστοι καὶ ἔτι ἀσθενεῖς, ἀγῶνος