When they [the believers] heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. (Acts 4.24)
One text reappears in the ancient martyr-acts more than any other: Acts 4:24.It is used by Apollonius in his interrogation. 'Yes, I am a Christian...and hence I worship and fear the God who who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them.' (Musurillo's Acts of the Christian Martyrs, p. 91). When Pionius is asked 'which go do you worship?' he replies 'the God who...'. (p. 157). Cyprian likewise identifies the singular object of his worship. Fructuosus likewise (p. 179). Irene declares herself unwilling to sacrifice 'for the sake of the God almighty who...' (p. 289). Crispina says 'May they never find it easy to make me offer sacrifice to demons: but I sacrifice to the Lord who...' (p. 305). Euplus adds an affirmation of the Trinity (p. 317). Phileas cites this text in answer to the question 'which God?' (p. 339-41).
What can we infer from this? A couple of suggestions:
1- the martyrs and their martyrologists consciously identified themselves with the situation of the apostles and the early church recorded in the book of Acts, and saw the language recorded there as theirs to use. They took what was recorded as a prayer and used it as a part of their witness to their captors and interrogators.
2 - an affirmation of monotheism in all its aspects is a crucial to the martyr's perception of their own witness. That is, worship was due to this one deity without compromise or comparison. He is not a tribal deity. For a Gentile Christian this must have been axiomatic.
3 - this is not because of a soteriological motif (which surprises me) but because of his sovereign power in creation. This verse attests to the power and worth of God, the Christian God, over all creation - this isn't a matter of inner conscience, but of universal declaration, even (dare I say) truth.
4 - the Christian's identity is ordered to this affirmation of the sovereignty of God. 'I am a Christian' they say, 'namely, one who worships the Lord of everything and not just of Rome'.
