 Early church historian Eusebius described Severus as a persecutor.The Christian apologist Tertullian stated that Severus was well disposed towards Christians, employed a Christian as his personal physician and had personally intervened to save several high-born Christians known to him from the mob.Eusebius' description of Severus as a persecutor likely derives merely from the fact that numerous persecutions occurred during his reign, including those known in the "Roman Martyrology" as the martyrs of Madauros, Charalambos and Perpetua and Felicity in Roman-ruled Africa.