| Scillitan Martyrs | |
|---|---|
| Born | 2nd-century, North Africa |
| Died | 17 July 180, Scillium, Africa Proconsularis; Now within Kasserine Governorate, Tunisia |
| Martyred by | Vigellius Saturninus |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Canonized | Pre-congregation |
| Feast | 17 July |
The Scillitan Martyrs were a company of twelve North African Christians who were executed for their beliefs on 17 July 180 AD. The martyrs take their name from Scilla (or Scillium), a town in Numidia. The Acts of the Scillitan Martyrs are considered to be the earliest documents of the church of Africa and also the earliest specimen of Christian Latin.[1]
It was the last of the persecutions during the reign of Marcus Aurelius, which is best known from the sufferings of the churches of Vienne and Lyon in South Gaul. Marcus Aurelius died on 17 March of the year in question, and persecution ceased sometime after the accession of his son Commodus. A group of sufferers called the Madaurian martyrs seems to belong to the same period; in the correspondence of St Augustine, Namphamo, one of their number, is spoken of as an "archimartyr," which appears to mean a protomartyr of Africa.