Telemachus

This was a short Article copied from Voice of the Martyrs:

Telemachus, January 1 - 404 A.D.

The brave actions of one man ended the gruesome Coliseum games in ancient Rome for good. For his peaceful protest against barbarianism, Telemachus paid with his life. During the reign of the Roman Empire, Romans attended gladiatorial games at the Coliseum for entertainment. There gladiators would fight criminals, prisoners and vicious animals until death.

A hermit monk named Telemachus traveled to Rome just in time to attend games celebrating a Roman army victory. Telemachus watched in horror as gladiators struck down fighter after fighter. He could stand it no longer. He leapt into the arena. "Do not requite God's mercy," Telemachus screamed, "in turning away the swords of your enemies by murdering each other!" Neither the crowd nor the combatants paid any attention. Desperate, he ran from gladiator to gladiator, imploring them to stop. The crowd mocked him, shouting, "Sedition! Sedition! Down with him! This is no place for preaching! The old customs of Rome must be observed! On gladiators!"

Some accounts say Telemachus was struck down by those fighting in the arena. Others say the indignant spectators stoned the peacemaker to death. In either case, his actions and his death had a far reaching impact on Rome. Telemachus made others aware that the gory killing contests had no place among true Christians. Upon hearing that the peaceful man had been slain, the Christian Emperor Honorarius issued an edict banning gladiatorial combats. Telemachus saved countless others with his passionate, selfless act.

Have you ever seen an open air preacher passionately sharing the gospel in front of a strip club, mall, bar district or park bench? Maybe you too have thought "This isn't the place for preaching." My dear friends has the culture influenced you so much that you don't realize the preacher isn't the problem?

Telemachus was one man. God can use one man to change a culture... now imagine if it was an army of evangelists!