Today is Valentine's Day and I bet you that the last thing you thought of this morning was a Christian martyr being beheaded but the reality is that's the tradition of how Valentine's Day began.
According to tradition, the true story of Valentinus,is about a courageous Christian man who lived in third century Rome.
He performed secret marriage ceremonies in the woods, going against the Roman emperor's edicts. As his arrest unfolds, he is dragged before the emperor who is furious not only at the weddings, but also because Valentinus refuses to worship Roman gods. For these crimes, Valentinus is sentenced to death. Valentinus proclaims Jesus is God's Son and invites the emperor to believe in Him and be saved.
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Also, just so you can see some other coverage, History.com offers this perspective on what happened.