Letter 21

Lucian to his lord Celerinus — and if I am worthy to be called so, his colleague in Christ — greetings. I received your letter, dearest lord and brother, and it so overwhelmed me with your kindness that I was nearly overcome with joy. After so long a silence, reading your words was like drinking deep — especially when you, with such extraordinary humility, asked to be remembered by someone like me, a man who merely trembled before minor magistrates when confessing God's name. But you, by God's will, did not just frighten the great serpent — the forerunner of Antichrist — you conquered him, with that voice and those divine words. I know how you love the faith, how zealous you are for Christ's discipline. Now, beloved — already worthy to be counted among the martyrs — you have asked us about our sisters, and I wish we could speak of them without also remembering so great a crime. Then we would not need so many tears. But let me tell you what has happened here. The blessed martyr Paulus, while still alive, called me to him and said: "Lucian, in the presence of Christ I say to you — if anyone asks you for peace after I am called away, grant it in my name." All of us whom the Lord saw fit to call away during this tribulation agreed by letter to grant peace to everyone. So you see, brother, how I have carried out what Paulus commanded — and what we all decreed together while we were enduring this ordeal. By the emperor's command, we were locked in two cells and ordered to die of hunger and thirst. The heat from our torture was so unbearable that no one could stand it. But now we have reached the brightness itself. Therefore, beloved brother, greet Numeria and Candida — they shall have peace according to the command of Paulus and the other martyrs whose names I append: Bassus in the quarry, Mappalicus under torture, Fortunio in prison, Paul after torture, Fortunata, Victorinus, Victor, Herennius, Julia, Martial, and Aristo — all of whom, by God's grace, were nourished in prison by the provisions of the brethren. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. [Context: Lucian, a confessor imprisoned in Carthage, replies to Celerinus's emotional plea from Rome. He grants the requested peace for Celerinus's sisters, citing the deathbed command of the martyr Paulus. The letter provides a vivid glimpse of prison conditions — starvation, suffocating heat, torture — alongside the extraordinary claim these suffering Christians made: that their endurance gave them authority to forgive the sins of the lapsed.]

Epistle 21 Please help support the mission of New Advent and get the full contents of this website as an instant download. Includes the Catholic Encyclopedia, Church Fathers, Summa, Bible and more — all for only $19.99... Lucian Replies to Celerinus. Argument.— Lucian Assents to the Petition of Celerinus. 1. Lucian to Celerinus, his lord, and (if I shall be worthy to be called so) colleague in Christ, greeting. I have received your letter, most dearly beloved lord and brother, in which you have so laden me with expressions of kindness, that by reason of your so burdening me I was almost overcome with such excessive joy; so that I exulted in reading, by the benefit of your so great humility, the letter, which I also earnestly desired after so long a time to read, in which you deigned to call me to remembrance, saying to me in your writing, if I may be worthy to be called your brother, of a man such as I am who confessed the name of God with trembling before the inferior magistrates. For you, by God's will, when you confessed, not only frightened back the great serpent himself, the pioneer of Antichrist, (but) have conquered him, by that voice and those divine words, whereby I know how you love the faith, and how zealous you are for Christ's discipline, in which I know and rejoice that you are actively occupied. Now beloved, already to be esteemed among the martyrs, you have wished to overload me with your letter, in which you told us concerning our sisters, on whose behalf I wish that we could by possibility mention them without remembering also so great a crime committed. Assuredly we should not then think of them with so many tears as we do now. 2. You ought to know what has been done concerning us. When the blessed martyr Paulus was still in the body, he called me and said to me: Lucian, in the presence of Christ I say to you, If any one, after my being called away, shall ask for peace from you, grant it in my name. Moreover, all of us whom the Lord has condescended in such tribulation to call away, by our letters, by mutual agreement, have given peace to all. You see, then, brother, how (I have done this) in part of what Paulus bade me, as what we in all cases decreed when we were in this tribulation, wherein by the command of the emperor we were ordered to be put to death by hunger and thirst, and were shut up in two cells, that so they might weaken us by hunger and thirst. Moreover, the fire from the effect of our torture was so intolerable that nobody could bear it. But now we have attained the brightness itself. And therefore, beloved brother, greet Numeria and Candida, who (shall have peace ) according to the precept of Paulus, and the rest of the martyrs whose names I subjoin: viz., Bassus in the dungeon of the perjured, Mappalicus at the torture, Fortunio in prison, Paulus after torture, Fortunata, Victorinus, Victor, Herennius, Julia, Martial, and Aristo, who by God's will were put to death in the prison by hunger, of whom in a few days you will hear of me as a companion. For now there are eight days, from the day in which I was shut up again, to the day in which I wrote my letter to you. For before these eight days, for five intervening days, I received a morsel of bread and water by measure. And therefore, brother, as here, since the Lord has begun to give peace to the Church itself, according to the precept of Paulus, and our tractate, the case being set forth before the bishop, and confession being made, I ask that not only these may have peace, but also (all) those whom you know to be very near to our heart. 3. All my colleagues greet you. Do you greet the confessors of the Lord who are there with you, whose names you have intimated, among whom also are Saturninus, with his companions, but who also is my colleague, and Maris, Collecta, and Emerita, Calphurnius and Maria, Sabina, Spesina, and the sisters, Januaria, Dativa, Donata. We greet Saturus with his family, Bassianus and all the clergy, Uranius, Alexius, Quintainus, Colonica, and all whose names I have not written, because I am already weary. Therefore they must pardon me. I bid you heartily farewell, and Alexius, and Getulicus, and the money-changers, and the sisters. My sisters Januaria and Sophia, whom I commend to you, greet you.