yet never attacked it; but he did not remain unmoved by its
teachings.
- Then, all of a sudden, Emperor Diocletian, like so
many of his predecessors and successors, broke the peace
which he had promised to the Christians, and began the
seventh persecution against them. The last year of the
papacy of Theonas was the beginning of a reign of terror,
which continued without respite for ten whole years. Such
were the atrocities committed, that many of the pagans
themselves were horrified and sought to hide the Christians.
After guiding the Church for nine years and nine
months, Abba Theonas went unto the joy of his Lord in the
year 295 A.D. For many centuries after, he remained the
spiritual guide of his people. In many of the existing old
manuscripts his successors always asserted with exaltation
that: "they never deviated from the teachings of Abba
Theonas".^7