304 AD – Crispina Defies Persecution – A North African Mother Stands Against Rome and Seals Her Faith With Martyrdom

304 AD Crispina Defying Persecution

Published on: 2025-07-28 04:00

In 304 AD, Crispina, a wealthy African Christian, faced execution under Diocletian’s persecution. Her bold faith in the face of death inspired early Christians, urging modern believers to stand courageously for Christ. 

The judge mocked her. The crowd jeered. Her children cried. The executioner stood ready. But Crispina didn’t flinch.

She was rich. Respected. A mother. A Roman citizen from Africa Proconsularis. She had everything to lose. And yet… she wouldn’t say the words they wanted.

“Offer incense to the emperor.” “Just say the gods are real.” “Save your life.”

But instead, she said: “I am a Christian—and I will not offer sacrifice to idols.” (verbatim, Acts of the Martyrs)

They shaved her head. Stripped her of dignity. Paraded her as a fool. But in heaven’s eyes, she stood taller than any empress.

And when the sword finally fell… the church remembered her name: Crispina.

From the That’s Jesus Channel, welcome to COACH—where we are tracing the story of Church Origins and Church History. I’m Bob Baulch. On Mondays, we stay between 0 and 500 AD.

Today, we return to the year 304 AD—to a time of terror, trials, and unshakable faith.

The Roman emperor Diocletian had unleashed one of the fiercest persecutions in Christian history. Churches were destroyed. Scriptures were burned. Christians were arrested, tortured, and executed if they refused to sacrifice to the emperor’s gods.

In this firestorm, one unlikely voice rang out.

Crispina. A wealthy African noblewoman. Mother of children. Respected in society. And… a devoted Christian.

Her trial was recorded by the early church in a document called the Acts of the Martyrs of Crispina.📌 It preserves her words, her defiance, and her unwavering devotion to Christ—despite pressure, humiliation, and death.

We don’t have volumes of her theology. But we have her testimony. And sometimes… that’s more powerful than any sermon.

This is the story of a woman who died for Christ… …and still lives in the memory of the church.

Crispina was born into privilege. She lived in Thagora, a city in North Africa—modern-day Algeria. She had status. She had family. And most historians agree… she could’ve lived out her days in peace.

But she made one dangerous decision: She followed Jesus.

By 304 AD, that decision had become a crime. Emperor Diocletian, trying to restore Rome’s ancient gods and traditions, issued a series of edicts against Christians.🔏

• Churches were demolished.
• Scriptures were confiscated.
• Christians were ordered to sacrifice to Roman gods or face death.

Crispina was arrested in her hometown. She was brought before the Roman proconsul Annius Anullinus.📌 And from the beginning… they underestimated her.

The trial began with offers of clemency. The judge urged her to simply burn incense to the gods. It wasn’t about belief—it was about allegiance. Just one gesture. A small public act. She could go home to her children.

But Crispina stood firm. “I will not do what you ask. I am a Christian.” (verbatim, Acts of Crispina)

They shaved her head—a deliberate act of shame for a woman in Roman society. But she didn’t resist. They mocked her in front of the crowd. But she stood with peace. They warned her of death. But she smiled.

Crispina had already died… to the world. Now, she was ready to live for Christ—even if that meant dying again.

The trial transcript preserved in the Acts of Crispina is brief, but stunning. It captures the back-and-forth between the judge and this quiet woman who refused to be broken.

“You must obey the emperor’s command,” the judge insisted. “The emperor is a man,” Crispina replied. “I obey God, who is above all.” (paraphrased from Acts)

The audience, likely filled with neighbors and Roman citizens, mocked her. They shouted insults. They called her insane.

But her calm reply cut through the noise: “You may destroy this body, but you cannot harm my soul.” (paraphrased)

Then came the sentencing. The judge declared that since Crispina refused to sacrifice, she was guilty of treason. She was to be beheaded publicly.📌 And according to the record, she accepted the verdict without fear.

She didn’t protest. She didn’t weep. She simply prepared to die. A mother… A noblewoman… A martyr.

Her execution took place not in some back alley, but in the town square—meant to be a spectacle.🔏 A warning to others.

But instead… it became a witness.

Churches later celebrated her name in the African martyrologies, and Augustine of Hippo would mention her in his sermons as an example of courageous womanhood.📌 She joined a long line of martyrs—Perpetua, Felicitas, Agnes, Cecilia— who showed that faith was stronger than fear.

Her story, though o