Polycarp (seen above, second from left), disciple of the apostle John, was martyred by fire in the Roman arena in Smyrna, in modern Turkey, today in the year 155 or 156. Asked to renounce his faith, Polycarp replied: ‘Eighty-six years have I served him, and he has done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King who saved me?’
George Frederick Handel, composer of The Messiah (and a few other musical works), was born today in Germany in 1685. It was long traditional to stand during the great work’s Hallelujah Chorus, as King George III did on first hearing it. The rumour was that he had in fact nodded off, was woken by the explosion of sound, and leapt to his feet in alarm.
Today in 303 Emperor Diocletian launched the last and greatest assault of the Roman Empire upon the church. He ordered that all leaders be killed and all church buildings and Bibles be burnt, but Christians had become so numerous and socially acceptable that many local authorities wouldn’t go along with the culling, and so the church was here to stay.
Today in 1791, John Wesley preached his last sermon, in the dining room of a country house in Leatherhead, Surrey, on the text: ‘Seek the Lord while he may be found.’ He had been preaching several times a day, indoors and out, for over 50 years.
Image: Wikimedia