2
The love between Leander Maximinus and the fair Calliliana grew in magnitude as the weeks progressed. Hardly was one without the other, and it became well-known that the gem merchant of Rome was intoxicated with his beautiful new slave girl. "He will soon tire of her," scoffed the old matrons, as they gossiped to one another in the marketplace, "Maximinus is a man after all. There are other women…"
"Did he not purchase
her at the slave auction?"
"Greek she is, and a beauty
besides. A thousand denarii he paid for her, I heard!"
"I heard that the young woman is one of those Christians…"
"Maximinus himself is so beneficent; he may adhere to the teachings of that faith as well…"
Leander merely smiled to himself when he heard such talk. He was quick to assure questioners that yes, Calliliana was a Greek he had purchased from an auctioneer, yes, she was as beautiful as they said, and no, he had not paid one thousand denarii for her (he had, in fact, paid much more). Only one topic did he not discuss with the general public—the topic of his faith.
The rumors were indeed true. Leander Maximinus, wealthy gem merchant of Rome, was a follower of Christianity. His acts of philanthropy were well known to all who knew him and even those who had never met the young man knew of his generosity to all who needed it. He had been converted to Christianity in a most unlikely place—the Coliseum, that infamous palace of torment, had been the birthplace of his new life.
As a lad scarce come to manhood, Leander has accompanied some friends of his father's to see the "games"—one Christian after another meet their deaths in ways successively more horrific than the last. He had looked with disgust upon his fellow countrymen as they laughed and cheered the torture of these innocents; had silently wept in his heart as he watched them all bravely meet their fates. One in particular had inspired his pity and his respect.
A young man, no older than he, stood alone in the center of the arena surrounded only by the ghastly instruments by which he was to die. He looked up into the crowd, his fierce eyes fearlessly gazing as those who had come to watch him perish. As an executioner moved towards him, he held up a hand, and the crowd hushed.
"People of Rome," he began, his voice strong and unafraid, "I bear you no ill-will for that which you are about to do to me. I die following the example of One far greater than I, than you, than any other on this earth—One who has forgiven me my sins and will forgive yours."
"Enough!" cried the executioner. He lunged for the young man with his sword drawn, but the lad leapt artfully away.
"Listen!" he cried, desperately evading the strikes of the Roman, "Hearken to my words! The Christ, which you killed on a cross, has risen to new life! It is for Him I die, and proudly! I die with my sins forgiven—and so can you!" At just that moment, the executioner's blade struck home. The young man fell, surrounded by an ever widening pool of his own blood. As he sank towards the gore-soaked ground, Leander leant forward to catch whatever the young man might have to say. With eyes rolling in pain, it seemed to the wealthy young Roman that the dying man sought out one in the crowd. Maximinus followed his eyes until they came to rest on the face of a lovely young woman, a woman with skin as fair as her tresses were dark, and pitiful eyes brimming with many tears. "Do not weep for me…" the brave Christian murmured…then fell to the ground.
Perhaps there were more voices that did not cheer the death of the man than those two. But as Maximinus felt tears well in his own eyes, as he watched the young woman sink back into the arms of her friends and her slender body shake in a fit of weeping, it seemed that the earth shook with joy at the slaughter of an innocent. Overcome with emotion, the young Roman stood and attempted to force his way over to the girl, tried to find some way to ask forgiveness for his people and comfort her in her loss…but she was hastily escorted by her companions from the arena. As he helplessly watched her leave, he wondered in his heart, Who is this who teaches men how to die?
It was after this sight that Maximinus studied all he could of the teachings of Christ—and it was not long before the young man became a secret follower of Christianity. He told no one of his new faith—he still felt that he could not himself face such a dreadful death as the one the young man in the Coliseum had faced—but he felt a longing in his heart to share what he believed with those that he loved.
So it was that one night, not long after he had saved Calliliana from her dreadful fate, that he gathered his courage and spoke to her of his faith…