Martyr of the Catacombs: A Tale of Ancient Rome

by An Anonymous Christian, Frederick Davidson (Narrator)

This fictional classic describes the factual persecution endured by the early Christians living in the catacombs beneath Rome through the character of Marellus, a captain in the Praetorian Guard and despised Christian. Penned by an anonymous nineteenth-century author, Martyr of the Catacombs has challenged and encouraged the faithful for over a hundred years.

Runtime: 3 hours, 39 minutes

Genres: Historical Fiction, Christian

4 pages, Audio CD

Published February 1, 2003

About the author

Comment: probably Rev. William Henry Withrow

Reviews

[Jemimah]

I enjoyed this book, that it was about a Soldier becoming a Christian and how the Christians lived in or around Rome. However, I did find it sad at near the end.

[Noel]

This was an absolutely amazing book. It was not only a great story but had so much depth of doctrine as well. It was honestly one of my favorite books to read. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to study history as well as doctrine. It really gave me an understanding of what the early christians suffered at the hands of the Roman empire.

[Bo]

This was an interesting book, but also sobering (and at times disturbing, without being overly graphic) to read of the cruelty of the Romans, in their appetite for blood-shed of both man and beast. This was often directed towards Christians, but not solely towards them. When a society loses its regard for human life, it often culminates in the end of that society. We would do well to learn from history.

This book zeroed in on the persecution of the Christians in the early centuries, leaving me filled with admiration for their commitment to Christ - to following Him no matter the cost. It also causes one to soberly reflect on their own commitment.

Four and a half stars.

(My copy of the book looks like the above, but had more pages, and I think was published at an earlier date.)

[Stafford Thompson]

I appreciated that the setting is during the reign and persecution of Decius rather than another Nero persecution setting. My only complaint is that the ancient church surely did not consider the bread and wine of the Lord's Supper only "symbols" of His Body and Blood.

[Charlie]

Even though it was fiction, it was sobering to read and realize what the Christians of the early church in Rome suffered during the persecutions there. A huge amount of Scripture was quoted as dialogue in the book.

[Katarina Janoskova]

Propaganda

[Sophie]

É uma história muito interessante e bem diferente, mas é uma linguagem bem rebuscada.

[Lazy tea writer]

Reminds me a lot of the book The Robe. The last chapter made me ugly cry. It’s mine now. 😘

[Estera Patcas]

shivers down the spine .. but it’s glorious.. and hopeful

[Marilyn]

If you want to get an in depth glimpse of what it was like being a Christian in the first century read this. My skin crawled as I ‘followed’ the soldier into the damp smoky tunnels of the Catacombs. The reading dates are appropriate.

[Talyah]

One of the most moving books I've ever read.

[Michal]

The story was excellent, both engaging and thought-provoking. However, there were a lot of historical rabbit trails that interuppted the flow of the story.