Writing Assignment 7: Dialogue

Saint Januarius in the Amphitheatre

“Please Timotheus, have mercy on us. We do not wish to anger you, or to condemn all of Paganism because of our beliefs. We have found a faith that can unite us all, and will welcome us all, and we only wish to be free to believe as we may.” I have never seen a man defend his beliefs so nobly! Especially not to the ruler of Campania! How brave Januarius is, for standing up to Timotheus, who is tempted to condemn us to death, I am sure. I need to be brave like Januarius, for all Christians, and for my own life!

“Yes, please, Timotheus…”

“That is alright, Proculus. Let me handle this, as I am in the position to do so.” How rude…I only wish to defend Januarius. I suppose he believes he can do so on his own. Please God, let us be saved!

“I cannot excuse you and your men, Januarius. Through your betrayal of the Gods, and have insulted them and, in turn, you have insulted me. The fiery furnace is the fate that awaits you and your men, and I am sure your God will not be able to save you there!”

“If that is your decision, Timotheus, then so be it. But I do believe that God will save us, for we have our own ways of asking for his help.”

Who is that grabbing my arm? “Januarius, the soldiers are taking us away! Should we fight?!”

“No Proculus, there is no need. We will go without a fight. Pray to God as we leave. Pray that he will save us.”

Please God, help us. Help Januarius, Festus, Socius, Desiderius, Eutyches, Acutius, and me. We follow you and are faithful, and we do not wish to burn in the flames of the fiery furnace. I do not believe it is our time to die quite yet, for we still need to spread your word, and build a family of Christians who will love and follow you. Oh no! We are approaching the furnace. I can see it now! Please God, as quickly as you can, please protect us from these flames.

“I have prayed, Januarius, but I do not know how much good it will do.”

“I prayed too, Proculus. It has done something, I am sure. Just have faith! It is in His hands now.”

“Festus, you heard Januarius. Have faith! Try to look confident. Pray!”

“Oh Proculus, your innocence fools you. I do not see how we will get out of this one. See there—Januarius just entered the furnace. I fear it is your turn.”

My lord the furnace is hot! “Oh Januarius! How can we survive this? I fear that there is nothing we can do now, save die in the good graces of God, for I can feel the fire on my toes now, and they burn!”

“Wait a moment, Proculus. For already, I can no longer feel the flames licking at my feet. Our prayers have been answered.”

“My Lord, You are right! They are no longer hot. This is God’s doing?”

“Of course it is. I told you he would help us. As the others come in, they will also not be harmed. We are saved, at least from this.”

Oh, thank you! I cannot believe this is really happening—that God has truly protected us. He is the mighty power! I am sure of that now! And for as long as I live, I will follow him, for he has blessed me beyond all expectations.

“Proculus, I hear the guards coming now to open the doors of the furnace. Stay near. I am sure they will try something new, and that Timotheus is extremely angry that the furnace did not kill us. He most likely has some other fate for us up his sleeve.”

“Don’t worry, Januarius. I have new confidence now. God will protect us again! No matter what Timotheus tries next. I am sure of it. But where do you think they will be taking us now?”

“You are going to the amphitheatre, you scum! Where you will be fed to the lions and bears! I doubt your God has control over what they do!” This soldier has a demented twinkle in his eye that I do not like. I hope he is not right in his predictions. But oh, how I should hate to be killed in a theatre for all to see. How humiliating it will be to have all the citizens yelling and throwing things at us, like our death is their entertainment. How society welcomes that behavior I will never guess!

“Don’t lose face, Proculus. Just remember to be confident and proud, and don’t listen to anything that the people shout at us. I will see to it that God protects us again. He, after all, created the animals as well, and should be able to control their fates just like He controls ours.” I hope Januarius is right. God has proven his abilities to us once now. Perhaps he will show them to us again.

Walking with these soldiers in the midst of these crowds is too humiliating to bear. Ugh, they are throwing bad fruit at me! How it stinks! Januarius is too great a man to deserve this. Why do people ridicule us like this?

“Ha ha! Let’s see how tasty the bears and lions think you are! Hopefully you will not be to their liking! Here, take this rotten fruit. Perhaps it will ward them off! Ha ha ha!" What scum, they do not deserve my attention. I must hold my head up high like Januarius, and set an example for the others, so that they can have hope, too!

“Proculus, pray again, for we are approaching the theatre. Ask for protection from the lions and bears. I see them now and they look ominous. I will try to tame them, but I need the help of God.”

“Of course, Januarius, I will do what I can. Best of luck to you, and if we are not successful, I will see you in the afterlife!

Dear God, help Januarius tame the animals. They will eat us if he does not, and we need your help in controlling them. Please, give Januarius the authority and power over them that he so desperately needs now!

“Animals, obey me! Be tame before us. We do not with to harm you. Let us be friends, for we were both created by the same hands!”

I cannot believe my eyes! It is working! Januarius raises his hands in blessing and the lions kneel down to lick his feet. Oh thank you God, your mercy has saved us!