St Maurice
In 285 AD, in Switzerland, St Maurice and his 6,600-strong Theban Legion, composed entirely of Coptic Christian soldiers, were martyred by emperor Maximian.
Relic
Category
Background
It was in the present day town of Saint-Maurice (canton of Valais) in Switzerland, known in the Roman times as Aguanum, that a Coptic officer named Maurice and 6,600 of his fellow soldiers died for the sake of Christ at the hands of the impious emperor Maximian (285 to 305 AD).
The story of these martyrs, commonly known as the Theban Legion, has been preserved for us by St Eucher, the bishop of Lyons, who died in 494 AD.
Under Maximian, who was an emperor of the Roman Empire with Diocletian as his colleague, an uprising of the Gauls known as Bagaude, forced Maximian to march against them with an army of which one unit was the Theban Legion composed of 6m600 men. This unit had been recruited from Upper Egypt and consisted entirely of Christians. They were good men and soldiers who, even under arms, did not forget to render to God the things of God, and to Caesar the things of Caesar.
After the revolt was put to an end, emperor Maximian issued an order that the whole army should join in offering sacrifices to the Roman gods for the success of their mission. The order included killing Christians (probably as a sacrifice to the Roman gods). Only the Theban Legion dared to refuse to comply with the orders. The legion withdrew itself, encamped near Aguanum and refused to take part in these rites.
Maximian was then resting in a nearby place called Octudurum. When these news came to him, he repeatedly commanded them to obey his rules and orders, and upon their constant and unanimous refusal, he ordered that the legion should be decimated. Accordingly, every tenth man was put to death.
A second decimation was ordered unless the men obeyed the order given. But there was a great shout through the legion camp, declared that they would never allow themselves to carry out such a sacrilegious order. They had been brought up as Christians and were instructed in the One Eternal God and were ready to suffer extreme penalties rather than do anything contrary to their religion.
When Maximian heard these news, he got angrier than ever. Like a savage beast, he ordered the second decimation to be carried out, intending that the remainder should be compelled to do what they hitherto refused. Yet they still maintained their resolve. After the second decimation, Maximian warned the remainder of the Theban legion that it was of no use for them to trust in their number, for if they persisted in their disobedience, not a man among them would be able to escape death.
The greatest mainstay of their faith in this crisis was undoubtedly their captain Maurice, with his lieutenants Candid, the first commanding officer, and Exuperius the Compidoctor. He fired the hearts of the soldiers with fervour due to his encouragement. Maurice, calling attention to the example of their faithful fellow soldiers, already martyrs, persuaded them all be be ready to die in their turn for the sake of their baptismal vow — the promise one makes at his baptismal to renounce satan and his abominable service and to worship only God. He reminded them of their comrades who had gone to Heaven before them. At his words, a glorious eagerness for martyrdom burned in the hearts of those most blessed men.
Relic of St Maurice
Fired thus by the lead of their officers, the Theban legion sent to Maximian (who was still enraged) a reply as loyal as it is brave:
Emperor, we are your soldiers but also the soldiers of the true God. We owe you military service and obedience, but we cannot renounce Him who is our Creator and Master, and also yours even though you reject Him. In all things which are not against His law, we most willingly obey you, as we have done up to this point. We readily oppose your enemies whoever they are, but we cannot stain our hands with the blood of innocent people (Christians). We have taken an oath to God before we took one to you, you cannot place any confidence in our second oath if we violate the first. You commanded us to execute Christians, behold we are such. We confess God the Father the creator of all things and His Son Jesus Christ, God. We have seen our comrades slain with the sword, we do not weep for them but rather rejoice at their honour. Neither this, nor any other provocation have tempted us to revolt. Behold, we have arms in our hands, but we do not resist, because we would rather die innocent than live by any sin.
When Maximian heard this, he realised that these men were obstinately determined to remain in their Christian faith, and he despaired of being able to turn them from their constancy. He therefore decreed, in a final sentence, that they should be rounded up, and the slaughter completed. The troops sent to execute this order came to the blessed legion and drew their swords upon those holy men who, for love of life, did not refuse to die. They were all slain with the sword. They never resisted in any way. Putting aside their weapons, they offered their necks to the executioners. Neither their numbers nor the strength of arms tempted them to uphold the justice of their cause by force.
They kept just one thing in their minds, that they were bearing witness to Him who was led to death without protest, and who, like a lamb, opened not His mouth; but that now, they themselves, sheep in the Lord's flock, were to be massacred as if by ravaging wolves.
Thus, by the savage cruelty of this tyrant, that fellowship of the saints was perfected. For they despised things present in hope of things to come. So was slain that truly angelic legion of men who, we trust, now praise the Lord God of Hosts, together with the legions of Angels, in Heaven forever.
