If you love me, keep my commands. John 14:15
Crispina (304)
Obedient to Death
“I do observe an edict: that of my Lord Jesus Christ.” This was the response of 4th century martyr Crispina when she was tried on the charge of not obeying the imperial edict to sacrifice to the gods for the welfare of the Emperor Diocletian. The proconsul Annius Anullinus tried to persuade her to change her mind and renounce her faith, but she refused.
Threats of death and shaming Crispina, a married mother of good position, by cutting off her hair failed to move her. So Anullinus, losing his patience, finally concluded, “We cannot put up with this impious Christian any longer.”
The proceedings were read, and she died by the sword in the place of her birth, Numidia, North Africa, on 5 December 304. In his writing, Augustine of Hippo frequently praises Crispina as an obedient martyr who put God before other gods.
Eternal God, my sovereign Lord, I acknowledge all I am, all I have, is yours. Give me such a sense of your infinite goodness that I may return to you all possible love and obedience.
John Wesley (1703-91)