Christian heroes and martyrs . ed atThessalonica. They had been educated in the Christian faith, buthad taken great care to remain undiscovered, and had retired to alonely place. When at last found out and seized, they seemed tolose their timidity, blamed themselves for being so fearful, and prayedto God to strengthen them for the great trial they had to undergo. When Agape was examined before Dulcatius, the governor, shewas asked whether or not she was disposed to obey the laws ?She answered that she was a Christian, and could not comply withany laws which required the worship of idols; that
Christian heroes and martyrs . ed atThessalonica. They had been educated in the Christian faith, buthad taken great care to remain undiscovered, and had retired to alonely place. When at last found out and seized, they seemed tolose their timidity, blamed themselves for being so fearful, and prayedto God to strengthen them for the great trial they had to undergo. When Agape was examined before Dulcatius, the governor, shewas asked whether or not she was disposed to obey the laws ?She answered that she was a Christian, and could not comply withany laws which required the worship of idols; that her resolutionwas fixed, and nothing should deter her from continuing in sister Chionia replied in the same manner. Then the gov-ernor, not being able to make them swerve from their faith, pro-nounced sentence of condemnation against them, and the two weretaken out and burned to death. Irene, the youngest of the three sisters, was a beautiful girl, onlyabout eighteen years of age. She had been forced to witness the fate. IRENE BURNED AT THESSALONICA 120 THE WORLDS CHRISTIAN MARTYRS. of her two sisters in the hope of arousing her fears and breaking herspirit. But when she had been taken away from the dreadful sceneand brought before the governor, she replied to his questions as fear-lessly as her sisters had done. In vain Dulcatius urged the girl toreturn to the worship of the heathen gods, and to take part in thefeasts held in their honor. She refused utterly to have anything todo with them, and boldly declared that she would rather follow hersisters to the fire than abandon the true faith. When the governor found that he could not influence the girl,he ordered her to be exposed in the streets, to the insults of thesoldiery. This shameful order having been carried out, wood wasbrought, and a fire kindled near the city wall, amidst the flames ofwhich the young martyrs heroic spirit ascended beyond the reachof mans cruelty. Martyrdom of Theodotus and Others. Theotecnus, th
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