Sine Dominico Non Possumus

The “Martyrs of Abitene,” martyred in 303, were Christians who lived in Abitene, a city of the Roman province called “Africa Proconsularis,” today’s Tunis. They were victims of Emperor Diocletian’s persecution, initiated after years of relative calm.

The emperor Diocletian ordered that “the sacred texts and holy testaments of the Lord and the divine Scriptures be found, so that they could be burnt; the Lord’s basilicas were to be pulled down; and the celebration of sacred rites and holy reunions of the Lord were to be prohibited” (Acts of the Martyrs, I).

Disobeying the emperor’s orders, a group of 49 Christians of Abitene (among them Senator Dativus, the priest Saturninus, the virgin Victoria, and the reader Emeritus) gathered weekly in one of their homes to celebrate Sunday Mass. Taken by surprise during one of the meetings in Octavius Felix’s home, they were arrested and taken to Carthage to Proconsul Anulinus to be interrogated.

When the Proconsul asked them if they kept the Scriptures in their homes, the martyrs answered courageously that “they kept them in their hearts,” revealing that they did not wish to separate faith from life

During their torture and torment, the martyrs uttered exclamations such as: “I implore you, Christ, hear me,” “I thank you, O God,” “I implore you, Christ, have mercy.” Along with their prayers they offered their lives and asked that their executioners be forgiven.

Among the testimonies is that of Emeritus, who affirmed fearlessly that he received Christians for the celebration. The Proconsul asked him: “Why have you received Christians in your home, transgressing the imperial dispositions?” Emeritus answered: “Sine dominico non possumus” (“We cannot live without Sunday”).