The Monk And The Martyr

The ideal of Christian perfection does not change from age to age but remains forever essentially the same. Nevertheless, the manner in which Christians attempt to realize that ideal in their own lives may vary considerably according to the age in which they live, and according to the circumstances in which they find themselves placed. During the apostolic age, and during the time of the great persecutions, when almost every Christian might expect to end his life as a martyr, the disposition to