The Passion of Montanus and Lucius · §9 · Acts of the Martyrs

Walking to execution with joy

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The editor narrates the condemned confessors being led out to execution after Flavian was taken back into custody.

Meanwhile the rest were led to the place of the sacrifice. People streamed together from every side, outsiders as well as all the brothers. Although they were already devoted to the other witnesses of God, for the sake of the religion and faith they had learned when Cyprian taught them, they now gathered with fuller service and in greater numbers. There you could see the martyrs of Christ, the brightness of their faces testifying to the joy of their glory. Even if they had said nothing, they could have called the rest to follow their courage. But words were not lacking either, for each of them strengthened the people with his urging. Lucius, besides his inborn gentleness and his upright and modest reserve, had also been broken by serious illness and the hardship of prison. So he went ahead alone with fewer companions, lest the crush of too great a crowd hinder the shedding of blood. Yet he too did not keep silent, but taught his companions as best he could. When the brothers said to him, "Remember us," Lucius says, "You remember me." What humility in a martyr, to claim nothing for his own glory even in the very moment of suffering! Julian and Victoricus also, after long urging peace upon the brothers and commending all the clergy, especially those who had visited them in the hunger of prison, came to the place of suffering with joy and without fear.

Greek

XIII. Interim ceteri ducebantur ad victimae locum. concursus fit undique gentilium et omnium fratrum, qui quamvis obsequentes aliis et ceteris dei testibus pro religione et fide, quam Cypriano docente didicerant, tunc tamen officio pleniore et copia maiore convenerant. erat illic videre martyres Christi felicitatem gloriae suae vultus hilaritate testantes, ita ut possent ceteros provocare ad propriae virtutis exempla, etiamsi tacerent. sed nec sermonis largitas defuit. nam cohortatibus suis singuli plebem corroboraverunt. et Lucium quidem praeter ingenitam lenitatem et probam ac modestam verecundiam infirmitas etiam gravis et labor carceris fregerat, ac propterea cum comitibus paucioribus solus ante praecessit, ne multitudinis nimiae pressura defusioni sanguinis invideret. qui tamen et ipse non tacuit, sed comites suos quomodo potuit instruxit. cui cum dicerent fratres: Memento nostri, Vos, inquit, mei mementote. quanta martyris humilitas, de gloria sua nec sub ipsa passione praesumere! Iulianus quoque et Victoricus insinuata diu fratribus pace et commendatis omnibus clericis, maxime eis qui famem carceris visitaverant, ad passionis locum cum gaudio et sine pavore venerant.

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About this text

Lucius, Montanus, Flavian and their companions write from prison at Carthage of their arrest, hunger and visions. A fellow Christian then tells how they died and what Flavian taught the church on his last day.

Montanus, Lucius and their fellow prisoners wrote this in prison at Carthage about 259, to fellow Christians they call dearest brothers, including brothers still to come. After arrest and imprisonment at Carthage they write to leave testimony of the greatness of God and of their suffering and endurance for the Lord for brothers who will come after.

Its argument is that God protects his servants in prison where threatened burning is extinguished by prayer and darkness becomes light and hunger and thirst are relieved through help brought by fellow Christians, and visions of lamps and a guiding child and milk filled bowls and white garments and promise of a more glorious crown assure them that Christ is with them, so they must hold unity and love and peace and unanimity since division forfeits sonship and inheritance. The reader meets fellow confessors Flavian and Julian and Victoricus and Primolus and Renus and Donatian and Victor the presbyter and Quartillosia and her martyred son and Cyprian who taught the faith and Leucius seen with him and Lucian and Herennian and Januarius who bring food. Their own words are quoted for Renus on lamps and Victor with the shining boy and the Lord in his vision and Quartillosia with her son and the youth with bowls and Montanus on his vision and Lucius at execution, and an editor completes the account in which Montanus preaches against idols and schism and hasty reconciliation of those who gave in under pressure and disrespect for leaders.

Here struggle means the whole trial of arrest and prison and execution and crown means heavenly reward and testimony means open declaration of faith and suffering means suffering and execution for Christ and hardship means affliction of prison want and endurance means patient endurance and unity means united love and peace means reconciliation after quarrel and leaders means appointed church leaders and those who gave in under pressure means Christians who failed under persecution and breakaway Christians means Christians outside the church and person preparing for baptism means one under instruction not yet baptized. The author uses Old Latin wording with LXX style book names and Psalm numbering, so Psalms give the LXX number alongside the modern number and quotations are woven in without modern references including Daniel 3 for the three youths in the fire and Psalm 119:105 LXX 118:105 and Psalm 50:15 LXX 49:15 and Matthew 18:19 and Matthew 5:9 and Romans 8:16 to 17 and Exodus 22:20. Primolus is an arrested Christian whose earlier declaration served as baptism and Renus is a fellow prisoner who dreams of lamps and Herennian is a subdeacon who carries food and Cyprian is the church teacher and Leucius is the figure seen with him.

Printed text used

Translated from Oscar von Gebhardt, Acta martyrum selecta (Berlin: A. Duncker, 1902) (Latin)

This work has passed our source check. We made this study translation with AI help. No scholar has yet certified it as faithful and complete. Open Greek on any section to see the source text. It is not a critical edition.

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