AN ACCOUNT OF THE PIOUS MARTYRS AND WITNESSES OF JESUS CHRIST WHO SUFFERED DURING THE FIRST CENTURY: That is, from the death of Christ to the year A. D. 100. SUMMARY OF THE MARTYRS OF THE FIRST CENTURY. This first century did not pass without the shedding of much blood of the saints; for, since Jesus Christ himself, the Leader of all true believers, was subject to it, it was just, that his members should follow in the same path; yet John died before Christ. But after the death of Christ, the fire of persecution raged exceedingly, consuming nearly all of the beloved apostles and friends of Christ, according to the flesh. We have described those who followed Christ, their Captain, into suffering and death, according to the order of time; they are the following persons: Stephen, the deacon; the apostles, James, Philip, Barnabas, Mark the evangelist, Peter, Paul; some companions and friends of Paul, as Aristarchus, Epaphras, Silas, Onesiphorus, Prochorus, Nicanor, Parmenas, Olympas, Carpus, Trophimus, Materus, Egyetus, Hermagoras, Onesimus, Dionysius of Athens, and Timothy; but the latter was slain a few years after the others. In the meantime the preceding ones are followed by the apostles, Andrew, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, Simon Zelotes, Matthias, Luke the evangelist, Antipas, the faithful martyr of Jesus, John, whom Jesus loved, Urticinus, Vitalus, etc., all of whom obtained the martyrs’ crown, as may be seen from the following account. To Jesus Christ, the Son of God, we have accorded the first place among the martyrs of the new covenant; not in the order of time, for herein John was before, and preceded with his death; but on account of the worthiness of the person, because he is the head of all the holy martyrs, through whom they all must be saved. JESUS CHRIST THE SON OF GOD CRUCIFIED AT JERUSALEM. [Illustration: CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS CHRIST.] About three thousand, nine hundred and seventy years after the creation of the world, in the forty-second year of the reign of Augustus, the second Roman emperor, when the whole world was at peace, Jesus Christ was born of the virgin Mary, in the little town of Bethlehem, being the only and eternal Son of God, the Word by which all things are made, yea, God blessed forever. Matt. 16:16; John 1:14; Rom. 9:5. But his entrance into this world, as well as his progress and end, was full of misery, distress and affliction, indeed it may be said: He was born under the cross; brought up under the cross; he walked under the cross, and, finally died on the cross. Touching his birth, he was conceived of the Holy Ghost. His birth ushered him into great poverty; for he was not born in his maternal city, Nazareth, but on the journey to Bethlehem; which was the cause, that no suitable place could be prepared for his birth; yea, even more, he could obtain no place in the inn, but had to be born in a stable; and when he was born, he was wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger.