I have recently begun reading this book, mainly because it has been a reverenced work of literature throughout history and also because I want to be well-read. I am unsure of its historical accuracy, and doubtless most of the martyrs whose deaths are described had already departed from certain parts of Biblical truth, but it is an interesting book nevertheless, and already I have found a few passages that I would like to share.
From chapter two, speaking of the catacombs:
When Christian graves have been opened, the skeletons tell their own terrible tale. Heads are found severed from the body, ribs and shoulder blades are broken, bones are often calcined from fire. But despite the awful story of persecution that we may read here, the inscriptions breathe forth peace and joy and triumph. Here are a few: Read More
A few years back, my sister and I were looking through some of our grandmother’s books in a back bedroom when we came across one with a curious title. The words Ailenroc’s Book grabbed our attention, and as we gingerly opened the frail green volume we soon discovered who Ailenroc was. She wrote in the short preface “I do not think I shall live to see [this book] out, but I want to bespeak for it a kind reception. Of faults it has many; but I am sure they are not of the heart, and it is a pleasure to me to think that I have written nothing that can do harm.” Ailenroc, or more properly, Cornelia Alexander, was an elderly Christian lady of Alabama.