Quintus's fear and the lesson against self-surrender
Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.
The church of Smyrna is reporting the martyrdoms, and after describing Germanicus's courage it now tells of Quintus, a Phrygian who had forced himself and others to come forward voluntarily but then shrank back.
But one man, named Quintus, was a Phrygian who had recently come from Phrygia.When he saw the wild beasts, he lost his courage.This was the very man who had forced himself and certain others to come forward of their own accord.The proconsul pleaded with him at length and persuaded him to swear the oath and offer sacrifice.For this reason, then, brothers and sisters, we do not praise those who hand themselves over, because the gospel does not teach this.