Of Various Severe Persecutions Instituted In And About This Time, Against The Christians, In Many Kingdoms, Principalities, Provinces, And Countries, By Jews, Heathen, And False Or Apostate Christians; Of Which We Shall Briefly Point Out The Principal Ones.

We have counted from Abraham Mellinus alone, besides from many ancient writers referred to by him, who have more fully recorded the martyrdom of this time, fifteen persecutions in this century, which were raised most vehemently against the Christians, in various countries.

In order to condense this as much as possible, so as not to weary the reader, we shall not present the account of the aforementioned author word for word, but extract from it the pith and import thereof, and present it as clearly as is possible for us to do. In the 2d book of the History of the Persecutions, etc., under the head: “Exposition of Satan bound a thousand years,” fol. 293, col. 1–4, are described, in consecutive order, among other things, the aforementioned persecutions, within the bounds of the sixth century, namely, from A. D. 518 to the close of the century; which we have briefly summed up thus:

First of all, mention is made of many oppressions by the Jews, heathen, and others; by which all Christendom was kept in commotion, from the reign of the Emperor Constantine the Great, to that of Justin the Great (fol. 293, col. 2); however, since said oppressions occurred before the time of Justin the Great, that is before A. D. 518, we will leave them, as not belonging to the number mentioned by us.