Introduction
Many people in the world value their lives, and they cannot sacrifice it for any reason. However, Telemachus sacrificed his life for the sake of the helpless slaves and political prisoners. He found a crowd in Rome being entertained by the gladiator fights. He could not find it logical for people to cheer up because of the death of a human being. Telemachus leapt in between the spectators to the fighting ground and ordered the gladiators to stop in the name of Jesus Christ.
At first, the crowd took Telemachus’ orders for a joke, and they laughed at the emaciated creature who tried to mediate the furious gladiators. However, as Telemachus insisted that the gladiators stop the fighting, the crowd became upset because the brave man distracted their entertainment. Within no time, Telemachus was stoned to death. This paper will give a detailed description of the early life of Telemachus, his journey to Rome, the puzzling gladiators that caused the man’s death and the great life lesson from the story of the amazing life of Telemachus.
Telemachus’ time in 400 AD
Telemachus was a monk who lived in 400 AD. He resided in Turkey and belonged to the Asia Minor group. Gladiator games were common at that time, and Emperor Honorius, though a Christian sponsored the games. It should be mentioned that Christians were the spectators, and they enjoyed every bit of the fights that caused the death of human beings. The gladiator fights that entertained the so-called ‘Christians’ disturbed Telemachus because the fights caused murder and not entertainment and murder is against the will of God. So, Telemachus could not understand the Christianity and humanity in the hearts of the spectators and the sponsor.
Telemachus’ call to go to Rome
Telemachus was a man of God, and while in prayer, he felt a strong urge to go to Rome, which was a calling from the Creator. Telemachus did not know exactly what God wanted of him, and neither did he know where he was going. However, Telemachus responded and departed. In Rome, he was welcomed by the jubilations of a crowd that celebrated a war won against the Goths, and afterwards, Telemachus headed to the Colosseum.
Telemachus witnesses the gladiator fights
The journey to Rome was a pilgrimage one, and Telemachus witnessed the gladiators fight in the Colosseum. It seemed like a joke to him, but “Christians” ululated as they obtained entertainment from the gladiators fighting that would cause the deaths of human beings. Most interesting was the fact that Emperor Honorius, who was a staunch Christian, sponsored the games. From Telemachus’ perspective, the gladiator fights were not games, but they were actual scenes of murder. Gladiators came in, fully armed with spears and swords, and started the fight. After a series of fights, those who unfortunately died would be dragged from the fighting ground, and a new group of fighters would come in.
At the time that Telemachus observed the fight, Emperor Honorius was in high spirits as he rejoiced his conquest against the Goths. The crowd applauded and yelled of excitement whenever their opponents lost the battle. For Telemachus, the whole incident was like a horror movie. He could not understand what type of Christians the people were, or what word of God the crowd believed. According to God’s commandments, killing is an offence, and Telemachus could not withstand the whole scenario so he really had to intervene. The man gathered all his courage and went straight to the fighting ground.
Telemachus’ intervention in the gladiator fights
Telemachus was a weakened bald headed fellow who could have shied away from the furious gladiators. However, Telemachus was courageous enough, and he struggled to find his way to the fighting ground. He shouted and begged the gladiators to stop fighting in the name of Jesus. The gladiators were ready to start another fight after clearing away the bodies of the dead fighters. However, the brave man stood between the gladiators, held them apart, and urged them to rethink if they were really doing the right thing.
On looking at Telemachus’ scrawny body, the crowd found it funny that he had all the courage to go and stop the furious gladiators from fighting. Still, Telemachus persisted to beg the gladiators. Within no time, the crowd lost patience and booed because Telemachus was interfering with their entertainment. So, the gladiators slew the man, and the furious crowd stoned Telemachus to death (Solarion, 2005).
Telemachus’ death
When Telemachus died, silence prevailed in the whole colosseum. People came into their senses and they realized that they were really joking with a human life. One after another, the spectators left the colosseum in silence. Telemachus’ death on January 1, 404 AD marked a new life chapter in the Rome history. Emperor Honorius declared the end of the gladiator wars after Telemachus was stoned to death, and to date, Christians celebrate saint Telemachus’ martyrdom on January 1.
Conclusion
Nowadays, people have become so selfish that they only care about the lives of those people who matter to them. Telemachus’ martyrdom is an example that Christians must follow to portray their true act of faith (Foxe, 2010). This man sacrificed his life for the sake of hundreds of people who could have died in all the subsequent gladiatorial fights. Even though the gladiators belonged to slaves and political prisoners, they had a right to live because everyone’s life has certain value.
Like Telemachus, Christians should be willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of the individuals who do not have the powers to protect themselves. Moreover, Christians ought to be prayerful people, as God speaks to His people through prayers. Though Telemachus died long time ago, his amazing life will be celebrated for generations to come.
References
Foxe, J. (2010). Foxe’s book of martyrs. (W. Berry, Ed.). Whitefish, MT: Kessinger publishing.
Solarion, R. (2005). Apollonius of Tyana & the shroud of Turin. Bloomington, India: Author House.
Terryn, W. C. (2012). Saint Telemachus. Mauritius: International Book Market Service Limited.