The Persecution and the Meaning of Martyrdom in the Bible

John 15:18-21

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you... If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you... because they do not know Him who sent Me."

John 16:1-4

“These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues [today it might be from churches]; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them."

John 17:14-18

"I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one."

John 12:42-44

"Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God."

Matthew 10:16-20

“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues....But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you."

Romans 8:35-39

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ...Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

History

There are more than 60 catacombs in Rome. This is the biggest complex and was declared as the official cemetery of the Church in the third century by Pope Zephyrinus I.

In the early first century, the first Christian community didn't have their own cemeteries here in Rome, most of the martyrs were buried in "Necropolis", including St. Peter and St. Paul, the two pillars of the Church.

In the Second century, few of the Roman wealthy families and the aristocrats converted to Christianity. They started to donate their lands and belongings to the Church. Few of these lands were utilized to bury the martyrs and their Christian brothers and sisters, in particular way the poor and the slaves.

Pope Callixtus I

In the third century, Pope Zephyrinus I (199-217) acquired a land along the oldest road of Roman Empire in "Via Appia Antica", and built the actual catacomb. This was declared as the "official cemetery of the Church".

He appointed deacon Callixtus to be the first administrator of this Catacomb. Callixtus came from a very poor family and was an ex slave (Liberti). According to some sources, he worked for a Roman rich person by administrating a bank, however this bank got bankrupt and was accused as the cause and eventually was imprisoned in Sicily with hard labor in a mine. Later he was freed. He was ordained deacon by the Pope and assigned as the first administrator of the catacomb for 20 years. After years of dedication in the catacomb, deacon Callixtus (217-222) was elected Pope succeeding Pope Zephyrinus. Eventually this Catacomb was named after him. He was buried in the catacomb of Calepodius on the Aurelian way. At present his remain believed to be found in the basilica of St. Mary at Trastevere.

St. Cecilia martyr

In the 4th century, Christianity reaches its golden era. Emperor Constantine with the edict of Milan (313 AD) gave the freedom of Cult to the Christians. Eventually, this catacomb became very important to the first Christian community, and became a pilgrim place and turned to be an underground shrine. There were 16 Popes of the third century buried underground and more than 70 martyrs buried underground too, including the young martyr St. Cecilia. The catacomb contained half a million deceased people buried from the 3rd-century till 5th-century.