The Passion of Montanus and Lucius · §8 · Acts of the Martyrs

Sentence pronounced and Flavian kept back

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The prisoners letter has ended and an editor now adds what happened after long imprisonment.

They all wrote this together from prison. But the whole record of the blessed martyrs had to be set out fully. They themselves had said too little about themselves out of modesty, and Flavian had also laid this task on us in private, to add whatever was missing from their letter. So we have added below the rest that was needed.

They had been shut up for many months and had borne the pains of prison, suffering hunger and thirst for a long time. Then at last, late in the day, they were ordered to be led out and brought to the governor's court. All of them gave testimony with a glorious voice. But Flavian's assistant protested out of a perverse love, denying that Flavian was a deacon, though he made the same testimony as the others, that is Lucius, Montanus, Julian, and Victoricus. Sentence was pronounced, and Flavian was received back again.

Flavian had every reason for grief, since he had been separated from so good a company. Yet in the faith and devotion he had lived by, he believed that what was happening was what God willed, and wise devotion tempered the sorrow of his lonely abandonment. As he put it, "The king's heart is in the hand of God (Proverbs 21:1), so what reason is there for grief, or why should I be angry with a man who says only what he is commanded to say?" But we will tell more about Flavian later.

Greek

XII. Haec omnes de carcere simul scripserant, sed quia necesse erat omnem actum martyrum beatorum pleno sermone complecti, quia et ipsi de se per modestiam minus dixerant et Flavianus quoque privatim hoc nobis munus iniunxit, ut quicquid litteris eorum deesset adderemus, necessaria reliqua subiunximus. cum per plurimos menses reclusi tulissent carceris poenas et fame et siti diu laborassent, tandem sero produci iubentur et ad praetorium praesidis admoveri. et omnibus quidem gloriosa voce confessis, cum Flaviani adiutorium reclamaret amore perverso, negans eum diaconum, quod confitebatur in ceteros, id est Lucium, Montanum, Iulianum, Victoricum, dicta sententia est, Flavianusque rursum receptus est. et quamvis haberet plenam doloris materiam, quia scilicet de tam bono collegio separatus est, tamen fide et devotione qua vixit credebat: id fieri quod deus vellet, et tristitiam solitudinis destitutae religio sapientiae temperabat. dicebat etiam: Cum cor regis in manu dei sit, quae causa moeroris est, aut quare succensendum putem homini, qui hoc loquitur quod iubetur? sed de Flaviano postmodum plenius.

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About this text

Lucius, Montanus, Flavian and their companions write from prison at Carthage of their arrest, hunger and visions. A fellow Christian then tells how they died and what Flavian taught the church on his last day.

Montanus, Lucius and their fellow prisoners wrote this in prison at Carthage about 259, to fellow Christians they call dearest brothers, including brothers still to come. After arrest and imprisonment at Carthage they write to leave testimony of the greatness of God and of their suffering and endurance for the Lord for brothers who will come after.

Its argument is that God protects his servants in prison where threatened burning is extinguished by prayer and darkness becomes light and hunger and thirst are relieved through help brought by fellow Christians, and visions of lamps and a guiding child and milk filled bowls and white garments and promise of a more glorious crown assure them that Christ is with them, so they must hold unity and love and peace and unanimity since division forfeits sonship and inheritance. The reader meets fellow confessors Flavian and Julian and Victoricus and Primolus and Renus and Donatian and Victor the presbyter and Quartillosia and her martyred son and Cyprian who taught the faith and Leucius seen with him and Lucian and Herennian and Januarius who bring food. Their own words are quoted for Renus on lamps and Victor with the shining boy and the Lord in his vision and Quartillosia with her son and the youth with bowls and Montanus on his vision and Lucius at execution, and an editor completes the account in which Montanus preaches against idols and schism and hasty reconciliation of those who gave in under pressure and disrespect for leaders.

Here struggle means the whole trial of arrest and prison and execution and crown means heavenly reward and testimony means open declaration of faith and suffering means suffering and execution for Christ and hardship means affliction of prison want and endurance means patient endurance and unity means united love and peace means reconciliation after quarrel and leaders means appointed church leaders and those who gave in under pressure means Christians who failed under persecution and breakaway Christians means Christians outside the church and person preparing for baptism means one under instruction not yet baptized. The author uses Old Latin wording with LXX style book names and Psalm numbering, so Psalms give the LXX number alongside the modern number and quotations are woven in without modern references including Daniel 3 for the three youths in the fire and Psalm 119:105 LXX 118:105 and Psalm 50:15 LXX 49:15 and Matthew 18:19 and Matthew 5:9 and Romans 8:16 to 17 and Exodus 22:20. Primolus is an arrested Christian whose earlier declaration served as baptism and Renus is a fellow prisoner who dreams of lamps and Herennian is a subdeacon who carries food and Cyprian is the church teacher and Leucius is the figure seen with him.

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 Greek on any section to see the source text. It is not a critical edition.

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