women were cast into brothels to suffer shame before being executed.34 The gruesome list of the different methods goes on. According to Eusebius, judges often tried to outdo one another by devising and assigning new forms of punishment and execution.35 Ironically, the more the Christians were persecuted, the more their numbers grew. Tertullian had it right when he said, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” A renowned church historian corroborates Tertullian’s claim, saying, “Many