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Maximilian of Tebessa is often cited as an example of early Christian pacifism. When Roman officials pressured him to accept a military seal and swear the sacramentum <\/em> by reminding him that other Christians served without qualms, he still refued, saying \u201cThey know what is expedient for them; but I am a Christian, and I cannot do evil.\u201d <\/p>\n What, exactly, is the evil that he would have to do? Killing? Swearing? Idolatry? It\u2019s not easy to tell. <\/p>\n The debate with the Roman official focuses on whether or not Maximilian will accept the brand that was part of the incorporation into the army. He consistently refuses, arguing that he already bears the seal of Christ: <\/p>\n \u201cDion said to Maximilianus, \u2018Serve and accept the seal.\u2019 He replied, \u2018I will not accept the seal: I already have the seal of my Christ.\u2019 Dion the proconsul said, \u2018I will send you to your Christ right now.\u2019 He replied, \u2018I wish that you would do so. That is even my title to glory.\u2019 Dion said to his staff, \u2018Let him be marked.\u2019 And when he was resisting, he replied, \u2018I do not accept the world\u2019s seal, and if you give it to me, I will break it, since I value it at nought. I am a Christian. It is not permitted to me to bear the lead upon my neck after [having received] the saving seal of my Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, he whom you do not know, who suffered for the life of the world, whom God surrendered for our sins. All of us Christians serve Him. Him we follow as the source of life and author of salvation.\u2019\u201d <\/span> <\/p>\n The closest he gets to condemnation of military action per se is this exchange: \u201cDio said, \u2018What wrong do they who serve do ?\u2019 Maximilianus replied, \u2018You know well what they do.\u2019\u201d That might refer to violence, rape, theft, intimidation, or any other of a host of evils perpetuated by members of the Roman military. But we cannot say; it might also refer simply to the religious demands of membership in the army, which Maximilian, like Tertullian, saw as incompatible with his Christian faith. <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Maximilian of Tebessa is often cited as an example of early Christian pacifism. When Roman officials pressured him to accept a military seal and swear the sacramentum by reminding him that other Christians served without qualms, he still refued, saying \u201cThey know what is expedient for them; but I am a Christian, and I cannot […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3021,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4847","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\n