He humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with manna, with which neither you nor your ancestors were acquainted, in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
Deuteronomy 8:3 (NRSV)
Euplius (304)
Scriptures Banned
Euplius was a Sicilian Christian who owned a book of the Gospels at a time when the Emperor Diocletian forbade the scriptures. Euplius let it be known that he possessed the book, and was ushered before the Roman governor who questioned him about how he had got hold of it. When asked to give it up, Euplius refused, saying that within the book was to be found eternal life. Very much angered by this, the governor condemned Euplius to death. He was subjected to torture and executed with the Gospels hung around his neck on 12 August 304. His final words were: “Thanks be to thee, O Christ. O Christ, help. It is for Thee that I suffer.”
Christ himself says to his Father, “Your Word is truth.” May the almighty God, our heavenly Father, give us the love and light of truth to shine in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Nicholas Ridley (c. 1500-55)