The Passion of Marian and James · §8 · Acts of the Martyrs

Aemilianus reports his midday dream about rewards

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Aemilianus, a fellow prisoner with Marian and James, tells the brothers a dream in which his pagan blood brother questions him about prison and heavenly rewards.

Nor was this gracious favor given to one man or another alone. Aemilianus shared it in prison as well. Though in pagan estimation he was held to be of equestrian rank, he was still one of the brothers there. By continence of the flesh he had come to nearly his fiftieth year as a boy. In prison he kept fast upon fast with doubled fasting and prayers repeated again and again. Through them his devout mind was fed and made ready for another day for the solemn pledge of the Lord. At midday he lay down in sleep. Then, as soon as sleep left him, he opened to us the secrets of his vision.

"When I had been led out of prison," Aemilianus said, "a pagan man met me, that is my own blood brother. He was full of curiosity about our affairs, and he pressed me in a mocking voice. He wanted to know how we were faring in that punishing darkness and in the starvation of prison. I answered him, 'Soldiers of Christ have a most brilliant light even in darkness, and the word of God as satisfying food even in fasting.' When he heard this, he said, 'Know that all of you who are held in prison will face the death penalty if you persist resolutely.'"

"I feared he might be playing a composed lie with deceit," Aemilianus said, "so I wanted to make my hope sure. 'Shall we truly all suffer?' I asked. But he affirmed again, 'Sword and blood are near for you. Yet I would like to know whether all of you who despise this life are repaid with heavenly rewards that are undistinguished and equal.' I answered him, 'I am not fit to pass judgment on so great a matter. Lift your eyes to heaven for a little while. Now you will see a countless crowd of glittering stars. Does every star shine forth with equal honor of light? And yet the light for all is one.' At this he found with still more curiosity another question to ask. 'If there is any distinction,' he said, 'who among you are foremost in earning the will of the Lord by service?' 'Certainly above the rest there are two,' I said, 'whose names must not be told to you and are known to God.'"

"When he still pressed me harder and probed me more importunately," Aemilianus said, "I told him, 'They are those who, the more hardly and slowly they conquer, are crowned more gloriously. And for this it is written: It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 19:24).'"

Latin

Nec in uno hoc aut alio fuit ista dignatio. Namque Aemilianus, quamuis equestris ordinis gentiliter haberetur, unus tamen in carcere et ipse de fratribus, qui ad quinquagesimum prope aetatis annum carnis continentia puer uenerat, continuatis in carcere gemina superpositione ieiuniis et orationibus saepe repetitis, per quas deuota mens pasta in alium diem sacramento domini parabatur, in somno die medio reclinatus, mox quiete discussa talia nobis suae uisionis arcana patefecit. Producto mihi, inquit, e carcere homo gentilis, hoc est frater meus carnalis, occurrit. In res nostras admodum curiosus insultabunda uoce perquirit, sciscitans quatenus nos in illis poenalibus tenebris et inedia carceris haberemur. Cui responsum dedi, milites Christi et in tenebris clarissimam lucem et in ieiunio cibum saturabilem dei habere sermonem. Et cum haec audisset, Scitote, inquit, quod omnes uos qui in carcere habemini, si obnixe perstabitis, manebit poena capitalis. At ego qui uerebar ne conpositum luderet fraude mendacium, confirmare uotum meum uolui et Vere, inquam, patiemur omnes? At ille rursus affirmat: Gladius uobis et sanguis in proximo est. Sed uelim scire, inquit, an omnibus uobis, qui uitam istam contempnitis, indiscreta et aequalia munerum caelestium praemia rependantur. Cui responsum dedi: Non sum idoneus huius tam magnae rei ferre sententiam. Attolle, inquam, oculos paulisper ad caelum: iam uidebis innumerabilem turbam micantium siderum. Numquid stella omnis pari luminis honore praefulget? Et tamen lumen omnibus unum est. Ad haec ille curiosius iterum quod interrogaret inuenit. Ergo si qua discretio est, inquit, qui uestrum sunt in promerenda domini uoluntate potiores? Nimirum, inquam, prae ceteris duo, quorum nec tibi dicenda et deo nota sunt nomina. Nouissime incumbenti acrius et perscrutanti molestius, Ii sunt, inquam, qui quo difficilius et tardius uincunt, gloriosius coronantur; et propter hoc scriptum est: Facilius intrabit camelus per foramen acus, quam diues in regna caelorum.

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About this text

A friend who shared their road tells how Marian, a reader, and James, a deacon, were arrested near Cirta in Numidia, tortured, strengthened by visions in prison at Lambaesis, and beheaded by a river with many others.

The writer, who does not give his name, was a close companion of the martyrs, arrested with them but later released, writing to Christian brethren as the fraternity and people of God during the persecution under Emperor Valerian in Numidia. At Marian and James's own request he records their contest not to boast of their crown on earth but so the people may be armed by their example for faith.

Bishops Agapius and Secundinus suffered first after calling at the writer's house, and Marian and James were then arrested near Cirta, confessed Christ and their offices, suffered hanging torture, and endured prison with prayer. In prison they and fellow prisoner Aemilianus report their own visions in their own quoted words, with a tribunal voice and Cyprian heard and seen in Marian's account, a shining youth in James's, a rose crowned boy promising a heavenly meal in another, and a pagan blood brother whose questions in Aemilianus's dream are quoted and answered. After delay while many lay Christians were executed, the clerics were condemned by the governor at Cirta and beheaded together by a river outside the city, with light, white horsemen, Marian prophesying coming judgments, and Marian's mother rejoicing over his body, alongside Tertulla and Antonia, Mary the mother, Secundinus, and a twin boy with his mother.

A reader needs only a few renderings used here. Governor is the Roman provincial governor, reader is the lower clerical office Marian avows and deacon is the office James avows, confession of faith is the open avowal I am a Christian, crown is heavenly reward, execution platform is the high stepped place of display and death, official report is the written charge and confession sent with prisoners, and love feast is the heavenly meal after death. Cyprian is the dead bishop martyred at Carthage who appears to welcome them, the Decian persecution is the earlier persecution James had already survived, the only formal scriptural sentence is the camel through the needle's eye cited as Matthew 19:24 with parallels in Mark 10:25 and Luke 18:25, and the closing joy points to 2 Maccabees 7.

Printed text used

Translated from Oscar von Gebhardt, Acta martyrum selecta (Berlin: A. Duncker, 1902) (Latin)

This work has passed our source check. We made this study translation with AI help. No scholar has yet certified it as faithful and complete. Open Latin on any section, or the Latin source link, to see the source text. It is not a critical edition.

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