Sacrifice or Freeze: The 40 Martyrs of Sebaste

Illustration: forty Roman soldiers standing in mist on a frozen pond at night, a bath-house glowing amber on the shore

In the year 320, forty Roman soldiers were left naked all night on a frozen pond at Sebaste, for refusing to sacrifice. Warm baths waited on the shore for any man who gave in. Before dawn, one did. The number on the ice stayed forty. This is their story, and three more like it: Marcellus, … Read more