Inspiration Articles...

• My Confession

• The Peaceful Majority

• On Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs

• What Thomas Jefferson learned from the Muslim book of jihad

• Great Leaders

• Warriors Tools: It's a Matter of Protection (Part1)

• Ike: Warrior Wisdom

• The Concert

• God's Instrument': The Story of Squanto

• United States Supreme Court

• If looks could kill, you’d be dead - 1777 AD

• The White Battalion 1918 A.D

• The Battle of Monogahel

• The Thundering Legion: Part 1

• The Thundering Legion:  Part 2

Advertisements

H2H: Kettlebells Circuits

 Tell-A-Friend About T.A.

I first heard about the Roman XII “Thundering Legion” only a few months ago.  I was visiting a good friend of mine, who shared these soldier’s remarkable exploits.  I was so moved by this story that I decided to incorporate their legionary emblem into the Tactical Athlete logo, as a tribute to them.   

The “Thundering Legion” got its name from a battle in 172 AD, in Slovakia, when they were besieged, trapped in the mountains without water during a dry spell.   They were dying of thirst.  The leader, who was a non-Christian, sacrificed to the roman gods, but nothing happened.  In turn, the Christian soldiers of Legion XII asked him if they could pray for their safety and water.  Soon, a huge thunderstorm came, which allowed the legion to collect water. Lightning mixed with hailstones routed their attackers, resulting in an easy victory for the Romans.  In consequence to this miracle, the Legion was called “Thundering” (i.e. Legio XII Fulminata). 

Written below is a more detailed account of this mighty work of God.  Manuscript evidence is taken from both Christian and non-Christian sources.

In the words of Eusebius; "It is said that when Marcus Aurelius Caesar was forming his troops in order of battle against the Germans and Sarmatians, he was reduced to extremities by a failure of water. Meanwhile the soldiers in the so-called Melitene legion, which for its faith remains to this day, knelt down upon the ground, as we are accustomed to do in prayer, and betook themselves to supplication. And whereas this sight was strange to the enemy, another still more strange happened immediately,—thunderbolts, which caused the enemy's flight and overthrow; and upon the army to which the men were attached, who had called upon God, a rain, which restored it entirely when it was all but perishing by thirst.”  In consequence, the Emperor Marcus re-named this group of soldiers the “Thundering Legion”.

In addition, Tertullian speaks of "the letters of Marcus Aurelius, an Emperor of great character, in which he testifies to the quenching of that German thirst by the shower gained by the prayers of soldiers who happened to be Christians." "Marcus Aurelius in the German expedition obtained showers in that thirst by the prayers offered up to God by Christian soldiers."

The very fact of this event has been recorded on the column of Antoninus, is of itself a sufficient proof of its importance; but perhaps the reader will be more impressed by the pagan Dio Cassius description of it, which runs as follows: "When the Barbarians would not give them battle, in hopes of their perishing by heat and thirst, since they had so surrounded them that they had no possible means of getting water, and when they were in the utmost distress from sickness, wounds, sun, and thirst, and could neither fight, nor retreat, but remained in order of battle and at their posts in this parched condition, suddenly clouds gathered, and a copious rain fell, not without the mercy of God. And when it first began to fall, the Romans, raising their mouths towards heaven, received it upon them; next, turning up their shields and helmets, they drank largely out of them, and gave to their horses. And when the Barbarians charged them, they drank as they fought; and numbers of them were wounded, and drank out of their helmets water and blood mixed. And while they were thus incurring heavy loss from the assault of the enemy, because most of them were engaged in drinking, a violent hail-storm and much lightning were discharged upon the enemy. And thus water and fire might be seen in the same place falling from heaven, that some might drink refreshment, and others be burned to death; for the fire did not touch the Romans, or if so, it was at once extinguished; nor did the wet help the Barbarians, but burned like oil; so that, drenched with rain, they still needed moisture, and they wounded their own selves, that blood might put out the fire." This of course is rhetorically written, but men do not write rhetorically without a cause, and the effort of the composition shows the marvelousness of the occurrence.

So certain was this fact, that there nothing was left to the Pagans but to record it and to account for it.  They accounted for it by referring to their own divinities; they recorded it on medals and on monuments.

On the whole then we may conclude that the facts of this memorable occurrence are as the early Christian writers state them; that Christian soldiers did ask, and did receive, in a great distress, rain for their own supply, and lightning against their enemies;

"He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him – the dark rain clouds of the sky.  Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lighting.  The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.  He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies, great bolts of lighting and routed them." – Psalm 18:11-14

Thundering Legion: Part 2