During the reign of Diocletian, St. Theodore of Cyrene was an enemy of the state. Not only was he a Christian, not only was he a bishop, he was also a scribe.[1] He made the reproduction of Christian texts for churches which needed them. He took great care in his work. Not only was he said to be skilled in calligraphy, in the artistic rendering of the letters, but he was meticulous in his work, working slowly to prevent scribal errors. As possession of Christian books was forbidden, he willingly put his life at risk for the sake of his faith by producing a large Christian media presence in Cyrene and its surroundings.
Theodore, like many priests and bishops of his era, had been married. His son, Leo, stood against Theodore and his Christian faith. Leo was a fervent supporter of empire, and with it, the ancient pagan traditions which Rome believed made it great. Christians had long been seen as a problem, causing Rome to decline from its glory by ignoring and despising its ancient gods.
Diocletian, wanting to make Rome great again, wanting Rome to return to its former glory, promoted, therefore, the religious and cultural sensibilities which it possessed when its glory was at its highest. Diocletian, trying to ascertain what he should do, consulted the Oracle of Apollo at Didyma, and was told that the impious were hindering Apollo’s ability to give advice and aid to Rome. Convinced that the impious were the Christians who did not offer sacrifice to the gods, Diocletian began his great persecution against the Christian faith.
Leo agreed with Diocletian. He was angered at his father’s rejection of Rome’s pagan traditions, and he believed Theodore’s media campaign against the pagans had to be stopped. Rome deserved to be respected and its authority unquestioned.
The district governor in Cyrene was Digianus. Leo denounced his father, telling the governor that not only was Theodore a leader in Christian faith, but he possessed many Christian books, using them to persuade people to become Christians who would then abandon the glorious customs of Rome. Because of Theodore, people were sacrificing neither to the glory of the emperor or the other gods whose grace benefited the empire.
Theodore, and several other Christians with him, including the holy women Cyprilla, Lucia and Aroa, were put on trial. Even though the Roman authorities tortured them, threatening to execute them unless they renounce their faith and sacrifice to the gods, Theodore and his companions held fast to their faith. Theodore, knowing it was his son who betrayed him, nonetheless proclaimed his forgiveness to his son, as well as to the Roman officials who treated him with great cruelty. Likewise, even after he had been beaten with tin rods, and given another chance to help Diocletian make Rome great again by sacrificing to the gods; he used what strength he had to knock the offering over and confirm his faith. The authorities, angry at Theodore’s resistance, had his tongue cut out before throwing him into prison, hoping to torture him the next day and make him recant his faith. But instead, Theodore died during the night. His companions, however, were to be executed, making them holy martyrs of the faith, joining Theodore in being remembered and celebrated on the fourth of July.
Despite the intentions of Leo, Digianus, and Diocletian, neither Christianity nor its books had been eradicated. Others took over and continued the media campaign against the empire. Christians resisted the claims of Rome and its pseudo-greatness. They did not deny that there had been some sort of glory in the past, but they saw it was mixed, a glory which was founded upon much evil. Christians not did think Rome could or should return to the glory of the past, but yet they also saw some good in its history and promoted it when it could be found; they presented it and showed how it was best fulfilled in the Christian faith, that true glory was not found in might which demanded allegiance to itself, but in the path established by Christ. Rome was strong, but it was crumbling apart from the inside; the glory was all for show and only a few received its full benefits. Christians were working from within, helping the people, showing them love and respect, creating as it were a state within the state, with the Christian resistance growing the more Rome tried to beat it down. Jesus, in talking about the kingdom of heaven, could be seen to indicate how this would happen:
Another parable he put before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened” (Matt: 13:21-33 RSV).
The seed of faith had been planted in Rome. It grew strong, transforming Rome from within. Try as they might, the authorities of Rome could not squash the Christian faith. The kingdom of God was spreading throughout the land, growing not only like a mustard seed, but also like flour which rose up with the leavening of the martyrs. Nationalistic pride, patriotism, should not make Christians ignore the evils being done by the land they live in. Christians must not sacrifice the common good for the vain leaders of their nation. They must always be the leaven, working, like Theodore, to resist the evil before them, taking it to the media when they can. They should not be afraid of being called enemies of the state if the state and its leaders want what is evil; instead, like Theodore, with a pure heart, they should cry out as loud as they can for what is good and demand their leaders to listen and follow the common good for as long as they have breath.
[IMG=Diocletian interrogating St. George. A fragment of the fresco from Nakipari monastery, Svaneti, Georgia [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons]
[1] Because Cyrene was under the jurisdiction of Alexandria, St. Theodore of Cyrene had been ordained by St. Theonas of Alexandria, the 16th Patriarch of Alexandria (281-300).
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