# An Extract From The Letters Which The Aforementioned Martyr Phileas Wrote Concerning The Persecution At Alexandria, To The Church Of Christ At Thumis, And Left For The Admonition And Consolation Of All Believers; Containing The Awfulness Of The Torments Inflicted On The Believers, And How Steadfastly They Bore Up Under Them.

4th century (source section) · Historical source

Source: Martyrs’ Mirror. Original heading: AN EXTRACT FROM THE LETTERS WHICH THE AFOREMENTIONED MARTYR PHILEAS WROTE CONCERNING THE PERSECUTION AT ALEXANDRIA, TO THE CHURCH OF CHRIST AT THUMIS, AND LEFT FOR THE ADMONITION AND CONSOLATION OF ALL BELIEVERS; CONTAINING THE AWFULNESS OF THE TORMENTS INFLICTED ON THE BELIEVERS, AND HOW STEADFASTLY THEY BORE UP UNDER THEM.

Century of containing source section; exact event date not assigned

NOTE.—The first part of the letter of bishop Phileas is translated
thus by Eusebius in his Church History, 8th book, 10th chapter.

Phileas writes: “The holy martyrs who fought
with us, have left us good examples. Being taught
out of the divine Scriptures, they fixed the eyes of
their hearts on God, and voluntarily, without the
least fear, apprehended death for the sake of the
truth. For they constantly bore in mind that our
Lord Jesus Christ became man for our sakes; and
that he has taught us, to fight against sin even unto
death. For, being equal with God, he thought it
not robbery, but made himself of no reputation, and
took upon him the form of a servant. And being
found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself unto
death, even the death of the cross. The holy martyrs
followed his example, enduring all pain and
torment, that they might not stain the conscience of
their faith; for the perfect love which was in them
cast out all fear. It is impossible for me to describe
the power, patience, and steadfastness of the martyrs,
yea, it is scarcely credible except for those
who have seen it with their own eyes; for they were
exposed, and every one was at liberty to inflict upon
them whatever contumely or torment he pleased,
and if any invented a new mode of torture, he was
permitted to torment them with it himself.”

Thus far Eusebius’ translation; what now follows, is thus related
by Mellinus, from the above letter of Phileas.

“As every heathen had been given full power
over the Christians, to inflict upon them all manner
of vexation, mockery, and ignominy, yea, to put
them to death in every way; they beat some with
sticks, others with rods, scourges, whips, thongs,
ropes, or whatever they could the most readily lay
hold of; which spectacle was changed now and then
170
by new kinds of torture and beating which the
Christians had to undergo. Some of them had
their hands tied behind their backs, and were suspended
from a gibbet, and then all their members
were stretched apart by executioner’s instruments.
They were then, through the command of the magistrate,
scourged with iron rods on the whole body,
not only on their sides, as was customary to do
with murderers, but even on the belly, the shins,
buttocks, and some on all the most sensitive parts
of the body. Others were suspended by one hand
to the ceiling of a gallery, and thus stretched limb
from limb, which exceeds every other torture.
Others were tied back to back to pillars or columns,
but so that their feet did not touch the ground; and
the more the executioners or their assistants tightened
the ropes, the more were the martyrs tormented
by the weight of their own bodies. And
this cruel torment lasted not only while the President
was engaged in examining them, but he often
let them hang a whole day in this torment. While
the President or criminal Judge would go from one
to the other to examine them on the rack, he had
his servants closely observe the first ones, to see
whether any of them, overcome by the intensity of
the torments, were ready to yield. He also commanded
his executioners that they should tighten
the ropes on them the longer the more. But if they
should see that the martyrs were almost ready to
die, then they should take them down, and drag
them over the ground, over stones, shells, potsherds,
and caltrops. For they had no other consideration
for the Christians, then how they might
subject them, if it were possible, to a thousand
deaths—just as though they were not human beings.

“Over and above all the tortures mentioned, the
enemies of Christ invented still another mode of
torment for his anointed, or holy martyrs; for after
they had tormented them, they placed some with
their feet in the block, and violently stretched apart
their legs, as far as they possibly could, even to the
fourth hole, and there fastened them, so that the
bodies of the martyrs must of necessity lie backwards
over the block, yea, that they, on account of
their many wounds, could neither move nor stir.
Others, who had been taken down from the racks
or torture-stakes, were thrown half dead upon the
bare ground, which was far more horrible to behold
than when they were still being tormented. Of these
some died under the executioner’s hands, while
they were being tormented; others, in whom life
was not yet extinct, were thrown half dead back
into prison, and in a few days perished of pain;
others, again, who triumphed over their long imprisonment,
were healed and restored. These became
much stronger in the faith than they had been
before, and when it was left to the free choice of
each of them, either to touch the shameful heathen
sacrifices, and thereby be delivered from all trouble,
yea, from death itself, and be invested with the
former freedom; or to refuse to sacrifice, and receive
sentence of death, they without the least deliberation
chose the latter, and boldly went unto death,
knowing full well, that it is written in the word of
God: ‘He that sacrificeth unto strange gods shall
be cut off from the people.’ Again: ‘Thou shalt
have no other gods before me.’ ”

Thus far the words of the martyr Phileas, which
he wrote in a letter to the brethren of the church of
Thumis, of which he was pastor, while he was still
in prison, and before he had received his sentence
of death; by which letter he wished to inform his
church of his condition in prison, as well as to admonish
them in the true godliness in Christ, and
that they should steadfastly continue therein after
his death, which was soon to follow. Compare
Eusebius, concerning the death of Phileas, with
A. Mellinus, 1st book, fol. 101, col. 2, 3.





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