The New Faith (1911)
Claus Valerius, a Roman patrician, wounded at the head of his Legion, came to his country home to recuperate, accompanied by his friend Epicurus, an old Roman voluptuary. Loitering about his beautiful grounds one day, he came upon one of his servants, a young female slave, so deeply engrossed in reading from a scroll that she was entirely unconscious of his presence Curious at seeing so much knowledge in a young girl, he asked her to read her tablets and found her to belong to that strange new sect called Christians. He talked much with her and became interested as the beauties of her faith were unfolded to him, and he realized its spirituality and unselfishness, especially when contrasted with the sodden materialism of old Epicurus, who wished to have her whipped. One day as he slept on a bench in the garden, a great tarantula crept fearfully close to his neck. The slave girl, at the risk of her life, dashed it to the ground and more than ever Valerius wondered at the Christian spirit of self-sacrifice. To put her to the test, he agreed with Epicurus that her life should be threatened if she did not sacrifice to Venus, and she was willing to die by torture rather than do so. More and more the sweet influence of the girl grew upon Valerius and the greedy old Epicurus, seeing how things were going, hastened back to Rome to tell Emperor Caligula, secure the forfeiture of his estates, and so feather his own nest. Realizing at last that he loved the girl, Valerius called her to him and wished to confer upon her the honor of concubinage, but to his surprise, she esteemed it not an honor but an ignominy, and confessing her love for him, preferred death to shame. At last love, pure and whole, conquered him and he sought her out to tell her that he would marry her according to her Christian rites. But it was too late, Epicurus and a soldier, bearing the mandate of Caligula approached. Even now they triumphed over the cruelty of the Emperor by dying in each other's arms.
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GenresDrama
Short
IMDbPro
See more details at IMDbPro
| Filmmakers | Role |
|---|---|
| Hobart Bosworth | Director |
| William Nicholas Selig | Producer |
| Cast | Role |
|---|---|
| Hobart Bosworth | |
| Betty Harte | |
| Nick Cogley | |
| Frank Clark |
