Anna Sanders Theological Seminary

Subject Church History

Master Gustavo Martínez

Student Juan Pablo Delgado Reyes

Book The Martyr of the Catacombs

Anonymous Author

Total Pages 134 Read 134

Anonymous Author

Many years ago an anonymous story titled The Martyr of the Catacombs: An
Episode from Ancient Rome was published. One specimen was providentially
rescued from an American sailing ship and is in the possession of the son of
Captain Richard Roberts, who commanded that ship and had to abandon it on the
high seas as a result of the disastrous hurricane that occurred in January 1876.

Theme of the book

The theme of the book The Martyr of the Catacombs is described as the story of a
man with a soldier's trade who, under orders to explore the Appian Way or rather
one of the main entrances to the catacombs, encounters a boy who guides him
towards the refuge of Christians where upon hearing the word of God and
observing customs they are shocked and decide to follow Jesus Christ until death.

Purpose of the book

Carefully reprinted, that work is presented here, having been jealously faithful to
the original even in its title. They brought to light this edition, animated by the lively
hope that the Lord will use it to make the faithful who reflect, as well as the
careless and unprepared and their descendants see in these last evil days, this
palpitating picture of how The saints of early times suffered for their faith in our
Lord Jesus Christ, under one of the cruelest persecutions of pagan Rome, and
which in the not distant future can be repeated with the same intensity of satanic
wrath, through the same Empire. Roman of imminent rebirth.
Hopefully it can awaken our conscience to the fact that, if the Lord delays his
coming, we must be forced to suffer for Him who voluntarily suffered so much for
us.
The Bible no longer occupies its rightful place in our schools and
Universities; family prayer is a lost habit; our Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten
and well-loved Son of the living God, is discredited and dishonored precisely in the
house of those who profess to be his friends; corporate testimony has disappeared
from the earth; Laodicea's call to repentance is not obeyed; and it is thus that the
Lord's promise of communion with Him is delivered only to the individual.
And even in these days the promise can reach us, to Smyrna: "Be faithful until
death and I will give you the crown of life."
The blood of the martyrs of Russia and Germany cries out from the earth, as a
warning to Christians in all countries.
But we can still extract from our souls the longing cry: "Come, Lord Jesus, come
quickly."
Without a doubt, the purpose not only of the author but of those who published it is
to raise awareness among the people of God to search for him, regardless of the
persecution that may be unleashed against those who profess Christ as Lord and
Savior.

Describe the structure of the book

The book is divided into the following 15 chapters with their respective themes
handled in a descriptive literary style.

Practically the author details with great peculiarity the events that occurred.

Chapter 1: THE COLISEUM --- Cruel carnage for the amusement of the
Romans.
Chapter 2: THE PRETORIAN CAMP --- Cornelius, the centurion, male
righteous and God-fearing.
Chapter 3: THE VIA APPIA --- Tombs in display of melancholy. They keep the
ashes that sleep on the Appian Way from the powerful.
Chapter 4: THE CATACOMBS --- No light, but only darkness That revealed
pictures of anguish, Regions of pain, disastrous shadows.
Chapter 5: THE SECRET OF CHRISTIANS --- The mystery of piety, God
manifested in flesh.
Chapter 6: THE GREAT CLOUD OF WITNESSES --- All of these died in
faith.
Chapter 7: THE CONFESSION OF FAITH --- And also all those who want
to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
Chapter 8: LIFE IN THE CATACOMBS --- Oh darkness, darkness,
darkness to the heat of the midday sun, Irrevocable darkness, total eclipse,
Without hope of the day coming!
Chapter 9: PERSECUTION --- Patience is necessary for you, so that after you
have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.
Chapter 10: THE CAPTURE --- The test of your patience.
Chapter 11: THE OFFERING --- Greater love has no one than this, that
someone lay down his life for his friends.
Chapter 12: THE TRIAL OF POLIO --- From the mouth of the little ones and
those who suck, you perfected praise.
Chapter 13: THE DEATH OF POLIO --- Be faithful until death and I will give
you the crown of life.
Chapter 14: THE TEMPTATION --- All this I will give you if you bow down
and worship me.
Chapter 15: LUCULO --- The memory of the righteous will be blessed.

Critical analysis and personal evaluation of the book

I found this book easy to read

This book is very interesting

Mention something you learned from the book that you didn't previously
know.

I knew that Christians suffered great persecution but I never imagined the
magnitude of it, the way in which the author describes the suffering of believers
moves me and shakes me in such a way that I long to love like them, defend the
faith like them and seek God like them.

Something that I will never forget is that the persecution reached even the most
innocent, those boys and girls who demonstrated the courage of a warrior.

I certainly learned what love for God can strengthen in the midst of persecution.

What was the most important thing for you?

The way Christians defended their faith by giving up everything, their friends,
family, property, lifestyle and staying on the natural surface to worship their God.

Choose a quote from the book and comment on it

THE CONFESSION OF FAITH

And also all those who want to live piously in
Christ Jesus, they will suffer persecution.

This part of the book impacted me, breaking that veil in my eyes, now I know that
following Jesus is not easy, it is something that requires commitment and loyalty in
the midst of adversity.

The author achieved the purpose

Yes, because now I am aware that I will suffer persecution for my loyalty to the
Lord and this does not mean that God does not love me but rather that he wants
me to show men that it is possible to give everything for Jesus.

Evaluate the author's ability to communicate

It is very good, it made me live the moment that I talk about in the book, the
reading came to life so that I felt what the characters felt.

Mention the teacher's objective in assigning the reading of this book

The objective was to understand and become more interested in the topic of the
early church in the midst of persecution so that we would become more interested
in the subject.

Personally, the book was excellent, it was something that truly changed my life, I
have never felt so much love for the Lord as I do now.