Letters (Epistulae)

8 ...Sidrac, Misac, and Abdenago, with all their household, would have perished completely. If those who despised this law and suffered what had been decreed did so deservedly, they ought to have said what these men say—that they are just, because they were suffering persecution for the sake of the king's law. They would certainly say this if they were as insane as these men are, who divide the members of Christ, who reject the sacraments of Christ, and who boast of persecution because they are prohibited by the laws of emperors—laws established for the unity of Christ—from doing such things. They falsely boast of their innocence and seek from men the glory of martyrs, which they cannot receive from the Lord.

9 But the true martyrs are those of whom the Lord says:

Blessed are they who suffer persecution for righteousness' sake.

Therefore, it is not those who suffer persecution for the sake of iniquity and the impious division of Christian unity, but those who suffer for the sake of righteousness, who are the true martyrs. For even Agar suffered persecution from Sarra original: "Agar" and "Sarra" refer to Hagar and Sarah (Gen 16:6); and she who acted was holy, while she who suffered was iniquitous. Should holy David, whom the iniquitous Saul persecuted, be compared to this persecution that Agar suffered? Certainly, it is vastly different—not because she suffered, but because he suffered for the sake of righteousness. Even the Lord was crucified with thieves; but what joined them in the suffering, the cause separated. Therefore, in the Psalm, that voice must be understood as that of true martyrs wishing to be distinguished from false martyrs:

Judge me, O God, and distinguish my cause from a nation that is not holy;

He did not say "distinguish my punishment," but "distinguish my cause." For the punishment of the wicked can be similar, but the cause of the martyrs is dissimilar, whose also...

Scriptural references: Matt 5:10; Gen 16:6; 1 Reg 18:8; Matt 27:38; Mark 15:27; Luke 23:33; Ps 42:1.