Sublime Courage | AdventAI

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jan 8, 1875

Sublime Courage.

MEN have been martyrs for a mistake, and willingly suffered death for a false belief, but it would be hard to find the instance of heathen devotion that could match for lofty and triumphant daring this story of self-sacrifice by one of the early Christians:—

A great many years ago, a Roman emperor said to a Greek architect, “Build me a coliseum, and when it is done I will crown you, and I will make your name famous through all the world, if you will only build me a grand coliseum.” The work was done. The emperor said, “Now we will crown that architect. We will have a grand celebration.” The coliseum was crowded with a great host.

The emperor was there and the Greek architect, who was to be crowned for putting up this building. And then they brought out some Christians, who were ready to die for the truth, and from the doors underneath were let out the lions, hungry, three-fourths starved. The emperor arose amid the shouting assemblage, and said, “The coliseum is done, and we have come to celebrate it to-day by the putting to death of Christians at the mouth of these lions, and we have come here to honor the architect who has constructed this wonderful building. The time has come for me to honor him, and we further celebrate his triumph by the slaying of these Christians.” Whereupon the Greek architect sprang to his feet and shouted, “I also am a Christian!” And they flung him to the wild beasts, and his body, bleeding and dead, was tumbled into the dust of the amphitheater.