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266:
262:, who had been taken into custody along with her master, also a Christian. Her companions greatly feared that on account of her bodily frailty she might not remain steadfast under torture. But although the legate caused her to be tortured in a horrible manner, so that even the executioners became exhausted "as they did not know what more they could do to her", still she remained faithful and repeated to every question "I am a Christian, and we commit no wrongdoing."
345:
of torture and outlasts her tortures. Blandina prevails once more against her persecutors within the town's amphitheater as she prays for herself and her companions, posed as though she were being crucified. Blandina's companions witness this, see Christ within her, and get inspired as she takes on the "crooked serpent." Blandina is able to defeat her adversaries time and time again because she clothed herself in Christ and, "won the crown of immortality."
55:
303:
She was bound to a stake, mirroring the image of a cross, and wild beasts were set on her. While being restrained on the stake, Blandina began to pray passionately for both her companions and her captors. According to legend, the beasts never touched her and she was removed from the stake and thrown
201:
In the first two centuries of the
Christian era, it was the local Roman officials who were largely responsible for the persecution of Christians. In the second century, the emperors treated Christianity as a local problem to be dealt with by their subordinates. The number and severity of persecutions
336:
Throughout the story of the martyrs of Lyon, Blandina is portrayed as mother who sends her children to become martyrs for God before becoming a martyr herself, "Blandina herself passed through all the ordeals of her children." Blandina's relationship to the youngest of the martyrs, Ponticus, is also
344:
Blandina, as with many early
Christian martyrs, is also represented as an athlete for Christ. Athletes in this sense were Christians who were willing to "compete" through martyrdom and die for Christ. Despite being referred to as frail, small, and weak, Blandina is able to endure a full day's worth
278:
Due to fear of being tortured, slaves had testified against their masters that the
Christians committed cannibalism and incest when assembled, which was a common rumor about Christians during this and later centuries. The legate desired to wring confession of this misconduct from the Christian
202:
of
Christians in various locations of the empire seemingly increased during the reign of Marcus Aurelius. The extent to which Marcus Aurelius himself directed, encouraged, or was aware of these persecutions is unclear and much debated by historians.
332:
Of all the martyrs of Lyon, Blandina is the only female to receive attention throughout the narrative and appears significant through her representations as a mother and an athlete. Blandina also holds significance through her allusions to Christ.
235:. Almost all we know of Blandina comes from a letter sent from the Church of Lyon to the Churches of Asia Minor. Eusebius gives significant space for her life and death in his book as he quotes from the aforementioned epistle to
283:
the legate stated that those who held to their
Christian belief were to be executed and those who denied their faith were to be released, and the legate received instructions from the Emperor Marcus Aurelius allowing the
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back in jail. After enduring this for a number of days, in an effort to persuade her to recant, she was led into the arena to see the sufferings of her companions. Finally, as the last of the martyrs, she was
258:, a civil magistrate, threw a number of Christians, who confessed their faith, into prison. When the legate returned, the imprisoned believers were brought to trial. Among these Christians was Blandina, a
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who persisted in the faith to be executed by beheading, but those without citizenship were to be tortured. Blandina was therefore subjected to new tortures with a number of companions in the town's
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300:, a 15-year-old boy and the youngest of the martyrs, who was encouraged by Blandina to have faith in Christ which gave Ponticus the strength to continue.
240:
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416:
341:. Through these sections Blandina is given a maternal role and serves as one example of motherhood for other Christian women to look to.
681:
722:
712:
537:
Kirsch, Johann Peter. "St. Blandina." The
Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 23 Apr. 2013
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The amphitheater in Lyon has a plaque that details the story of the martyrs and
Blandina is the only martyr mentioned by name.
628:
560:
481:
441:
707:
374:
293:
270:
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732:
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renames herself
Blandine after reading about the saint, and gives a two-page account of her martyrdom.
516:
216:
125:
243:
so that the latter, when they ventured to show themselves publicly, were harassed and ill-treated.
17:
460:
Barnes, Timothy D., "Legislation
Against the Christians," Journal of Roman Studies, Vol. 58 (1968)
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121:
471:
31:
312:, which tossed her into the air with his horns. In the end, she was killed with a dagger.
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The Myth of
Persecution: How Early Christians Invented a Story of Martyrdom
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308:, placed on a red-hot grate, enclosed in a net and thrown before a wild
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236:
661:
Standing at Lyon: An examination of the Martyrdom of Blandina of Lyon.
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Dying to be Men: Gender and Language in Early Christian Martyr Texts
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After the New Testament: 100-300 CE: A Reader in Early Christianity
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323:(1886), typanum of the Church of Saint-Blandine de Lyon, Lyon
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296:) at the time of the public games. One such companion was
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The traditional account regarding Blandina is reported by
155:, depicted tied to a pillar with a lion and bear near her
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who, after some of their number had endured frightful
30:"Blandine" redirects here. For the given name, see
189:(modern Lyon, France) during the reign of Emperor
59:Blandina severely burned and thrown to wild bulls
694:
239:. The Roman populace in Lyon had been excited
469:
684:All-Merciful Savior Orthodox Mission website
476:. Da Capo Press, Incorporated. p. 295.
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417:List of Christian women of the patristic age
231:, suffered martyrdom in 177 in the reign of
601:(2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
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646:(London: Oneworld, 2022), pp. 132-33.
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383:The troubled teenage protagonist of
357:Blandine in St Irenaus Church, Lyon.
728:Ante-Nicene Christian female saints
688:Catholic Encyclopedia: St. Blandina
27:2nd century Gallic Christian martyr
24:
653:
605:
439:Saint of the Day, June 2: Blandina
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362:Her feast is celebrated on June 2.
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667:
585:
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223:Blandina belonged to the band of
279:prisoners. In his report to the
254:, a military commander, and the
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637:
470:McLynn, Frank (1 August 2010).
327:
321:The Martyrdom of Saint Blandina
294:Amphitheatre of the Three Gauls
663:Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press.
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505:
454:
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1:
723:2nd-century Christian martyrs
713:Christian slaves and freedmen
682:Icons of St. Blandina, martyr
623:. Columbia University Press.
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271:Amphithéâtre des Trois-Gaules
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659:Goodine, Elizabeth. 2014.
337:compared to the mother in
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373:are named after her. See
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126:Eastern Catholic Churches
113:
103:
75:
64:
52:
39:
619:Cobb, Stephanie (2008).
708:2nd-century Roman women
473:Marcus Aurelius: A Life
451:. Retrieved 2012-03-18.
387:'s award-winning novel
122:Eastern Orthodox Church
107:177 AD (aged around 15)
580:Historia Ecclesiastica
551:Moss, Candida (2013).
517:Historia Ecclesiastica
358:
324:
275:
241:against the Christians
217:Historia Ecclesiastica
169:
109:Lugdunum, Roman Empire
597:Erhman, Bart (1999).
356:
318:
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32:Blandine (given name)
718:People from Lugdunum
499:Lives of the Saints
412:Acts of the Martyrs
402:Persecution in Lyon
246:While the imperial
206:Traditional history
449:SaintPatrickDC.org
444:2012-03-06 at the
359:
325:
292:(now known as the
276:
130:Anglican Communion
733:Christian martyrs
630:978-0-231-14498-8
562:978-0-06-210455-7
555:. HarperCollins.
483:978-0-306-81916-2
407:Scillitan Martyrs
159:
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114:Venerated in
16:(Redirected from
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446:Wayback Machine
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375:Sainte-Blandine
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319:Jules Comparat,
233:Marcus Aurelius
225:martyrs of Lyon
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118:Catholic Church
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738:Virgin martyrs
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250:was away, the
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185:who died in
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86:Roman Empire
520:, Book 5.2.
339:4 Maccabees
703:177 deaths
697:Categories
423:References
385:Tess Gunty
237:Asia Minor
147:Attributes
252:chiliarch
180:Christian
79:c. 162 AD
576:Eusebius
512:Eusebius
442:Archived
396:See also
367:communes
306:scourged
298:Ponticus
229:tortures
212:Eusebius
187:Lugdunum
178:) was a
171:Blandine
90:(modern
82:Lugdunum
47:Blandina
18:Blandine
281:emperor
256:duumvir
214:in his
197:Context
627:
559:
480:
371:France
349:Legacy
248:legate
183:martyr
166:French
141:2 June
96:France
70:martyr
66:Virgin
310:steer
260:slave
137:Feast
42:Saint
625:ISBN
557:ISBN
478:ISBN
365:Two
153:bull
104:Died
92:Lyon
76:Born
68:and
369:in
193:.
699::
607:^
587:^
578:,
543:^
525:^
514:,
431:^
220:.
176:AD
168::
151:A
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84:,
633:.
565:.
486:.
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34:.
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