File:Christian heroes and martyrs (1895) (14801569693).jpg

Identifier: christianheroesm00fost (find matches)
Title: Christian heroes and martyrs
Year: 1895 (1890s)
Authors: (Foster, William A.) (from old catalog)
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Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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emperortried to persuade him to give up his faith ; but Basil continued firm,and with prophetic spirit foretold the early death of the emperor, anddefeat of his army. Julian, upon hearing this, forgot his usual clem-ency, and told Basil, in great anger, that although he had been at firstinclined to pardon him, he now determined to let him remain in prisonfor the remainder of his life. The prisoner was therefore carried backto his cell. It is told of him, however, that after Julians death hewas released, and continued as long as he lived a fearless upholderof the Christian faith. Severus Denounces the Worship of Venus.Venus, goddess of love, was revered by the Romans as queenof the human heart. Emperors joined in worshipping her, heldfeasts in her honor, and the ablest of them, Julius Caesar, proudlyclaimed descent from her, and from Mars, the god of war. Themonth of April, as the beginning of spring, was held to be theappropriate season in which to celebrate the triumphs of this god-
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SEVERUS IS SCOURGED FOR REFUSING TO WORSHIP VENUS. 142 THE WORLDS CHRISTIAN MARTYRS. dess. Her temples were then thronged with worshippers, and mar-ble statues, representing her in all the glory of perfect womanhood,lovely in form and feature, were decked with flowers. It was against this popular idol that Severus, a Christian centurionin the Roman army, dared to raise his voice. Urged to join in a feastto be held in her honor, he not only refused to take any part in theheathen ceremony, but denounced Venus herself as representingall that was sensual and base in the human heart. Enraged to heartheir favorite deity thus reviled, the populace seized Severus anddragged him before the magistrate. Upon being questioned theprisoner repeated the words he had previously spoken, and was atonce condemned to be taken before the temple of the goddess hehad insulted, stripped, and scourged with the plumbetce, a whip madeof many leathern thongs, each ending in a little ball of lead. This sentence w

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