Who were Perpetua and Felicity?
Perpetua and her slave Felicity (or Felicitas) were third-century Christians who bravely faced martyrdom together. They are remembered for their steadfast faith in the face of suffering and are named saints of the Catholic Church. Their story is recorded in “The Passion of St. Perpetua, St. Felicitas, and their Companions,” which is thought to be…
Who were Saints Cyril and Methodius?
Saints Cyril and Methodius were a pair of missionary brothers who forged paths in the field of Bible translation. They worked among the ninth-century Danubian Slavs (indigenous Europeans living in the Danube River basin) and developed a written language for them. Saints Cyril and Methodius were so influential in this mission field that some people…
Who was Justin Martyr?
Justin (approximately AD 100–165) was a Christian teacher, writer, and ultimately a martyr. He was a native of Samaria who moved to Ephesus to study philosophy in his search for truth. Justin was impressed with the character of Christians who were martyred for their faith. One day while walking and thinking, he met an old…
Who was Lactantius?
Lucius Caecilius Firmianus Lactantius (c.250–c.325), who lived and worked within the Roman Empire, was one of the earliest examples of a Christian apologist. While details about his life are scarce, we know that he lived through the persecution of Emperor Diocletian and that his written works are valuable for understanding the perspective of Christians in…
How did the apostle Peter die?
The Bible doesn’t tell us how the apostle Peter died. The most commonly accepted church tradition is that Peter was crucified upside-down in Rome. Tradition says that, when Peter was put to death, he requested to be crucified on an inverted cross. The reason for his request was that, because he had denied Jesus on…
Who was Quadratus of Athens?
Quadratus of Athens, or Saint Quadratus of Athens, was a pastor in the early church, supposedly in Athens, Greece. He is mentioned in the writings of church historians Eusebius and Jerome. Most of the writings of Quadratus of Athens are lost today, but we do know he wrote an apologetic argument for Christ’s deity to…
Who was Ambrose of Milan?
Ambrose of Milan (AD 339–397), also called St. Ambrose, was the first early church father to be born into a Roman Christian family. He is best remembered for his successful fight against Arianism, his contributions to church music, his stance on the separation of church and state, and his mentorship of the church father Augustine.…
What is Polycarp’s Letter to the Philippians?
Polycarp was an early church leader, the bishop of Smyrna, and a disciple of the apostle John. Since he had direct contact with one of the apostles, he is considered an Apostolic Father—a church leader who was trained by and immediately followed the apostles. Polycarp’s Letter to the Philippians is actually a cover letter for…
Did the Apostle Thomas take the gospel all the way to India?
The apostle Thomas was one of the original twelve disciples of Jesus (Matthew 10:3). He is sometimes known as “Doubting Thomas,” because he declared that he would not believe that Jesus was resurrected until he could touch Jesus’ wounds (John 20:25). He is also known as one of the first missionaries in the early church.…
Who was Clement of Rome?
Clement of Rome was an early church father who lived and ministered at the close of the apostolic era near the end of the first century. He was a bishop of the church in Rome and is primarily known for a letter that he wrote from Rome to the church at Corinth. This letter is…