The Power of Saints and the Power of Nature in the North African Accounts of Martyrdoms

Abstract

The North African martyr stories, especially the earlier ones, rarely mention miraculous elements. However, when they do appear, they are often connected with elements of nature or animals. The bodies of the Donatist martyrs Isaac and Maximianus are returned by the sea; the body of another, Marculus, is preserved from the effects of a fall; the fire meant to consume Lucius and Montanus is extinguished; and beasts do not want to attack the virgin girls. This paper analyses these stories.