The Roman Emperors used to become deities after they died. Indeed, Emperor Antonius had his wife, Faustina, deified when she died and an enormous temple was built in her honor. When Antonius died, the Senate likewise deified him and the place became known as the Temple of Antonius and Faustina. The columns are still there, but the central temple was torn down and a Christian church was erected in its middle. The Christians attempted to bring down the pillars as well, even tried cutting through them, but were unable. So, the scarred pillars still stand as do the steps leading up to what was the door of the temple. On these steps is a grill. The old Romans used to sacrifice and cook goats and food on it, to try and get Antonius and/or Faustina to give them a break in their hard lives.
Lawrence, a Christian before Christians were cool in Rome, was approached by an Emperor (I don�t remember which one) and was told to bring all the riches of the church to him by the following morning or he would be killed. So, Lawrence, sarcastically or otherwise, rounded up all the poor in Rome, all the downtrodden and walked up to the Emperor�s Palace with them, up on the Palatine Hill and presented them as the riches of the church.
He was grilled on the steps of the temple. Not actually on the rack, mind you. He was suspended above it, face up, so he wouldn�t die of smoke inhalation. The Emperor watched from his palace on the hill and awaited Lawrence's tortured screams. Lawrence, however, didn't say a word. Didn�t scream or whimper for eight solid hours. Instead of his watching flock abandoning him, the crowd, as a whole, began to convert to Christianity. If it could power Lawrence to take this kind of abuse, surely they could get some use out of it. Seeing this reversal of his intent, the Emperor made his way down into the city and approached Lawrence. He said that he would take Lawrence down, spare his life, if he renounced Christianity right then and there (sound like Braveheart yet?). Lawrence finally opened his mouth and spoke:
"You can turn me over now. I think I�m done on this side." |
