The Third
Persecution, Under Trajan, A.D. 108
Trajan
being succeeded by Adrian, the latter continued this third persecution
with as much severity as his predecessor. About this time Alexander,
bishop of Rome, with his two deacons, were martyred; as were Quirinus and
Hernes, with their families; Zenon, a Roman nobleman, and about ten
thousand other Christians.
At the
martyrdom of Faustines and Jovita, brothers and citizens of Brescia, their
torments were so many, and their patience so great, that Calocerius, a
pagan, beholding them, was struck with admiration, and exclaimed in a kind
of ecstasy, "Great is the God of the Christians!" for which he was
apprehended, and suffered a similar fate.
The Fourth
Persecution, Under Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, A.D. 162
Polycarp, the venerable bishop of Smyrna, hearing that persons were
seeking for him, escaped, but was discovered by a child. After feasting the guards who apprehended him, he
desired an hour in prayer, which being allowed, he prayed with such
fervency that his guards repented that they had been instrumental in
taking him. He was, however, carried before the proconsul, condemned,
and burnt in the market place.
If we look
at history, most of the persecution and martyrdom did NOT come from the
Jews ... but from the Gentiles (Romans). Why is there no mention of
the ROMAN persecution in the New Testament? Because that was so
commonplace, it was assumed that everyone KNEW about THAT. Although there
was an occasional lifting of the oppression, the Gentile (or Roman) rule
was a constant reality.