Josephus in the Books were otherwise divided than now they are That division Eusebius followed and therefore no alteration is here to be made Vales. b The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is derived from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is an handfull as containing so many pieces of brass-money as would make an handfull to wit six This word from the Greeks came not onely to the Romans but after the time of the Seâ—ucidae to the Jews also so Ezr. 2. 69. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the greek word with a very little alteration rendred by the 72 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by us Drachms Now four Attich Drachms make one ordinary Shekel so I call it to distinguish it from that of the Sanctuary which was twice as much an ordinary shekel is two shillings and six pence in our Coin So that according to this account Herods largess came to six pounds and five shillings a man Suid. c Antipater who was beheaded by his fathers command five days before his death See Montagues Acts and Mon. d Aristobulus and Alexander who were strangled at Samaria by his special command Iâ— * Matt. 2. 22. a S t Luke mentions this Lysanias chap. 3. 1. But Josephus mentions him not in his account of this matter 'T is certain he was not Herods son nor yet his successour Vales. b Acts were Books wherein the scribes that belonged to the several places of judicature recorded the sentences pronounced by the Judges See Calvins Lex Jurid the word Acta These Acts of Pilate were counterfeited by the Enemies of Christianity in the Persecution under Maximinus as Eusebius affirms Lib. 9. c. 5. * Luk. 3. 1 2. a I know not why Eusebius put Lysanias in the middle between Herod and Phillip the sons of Herod the great For Luke whose words Eusebius does here profess that he follows in that famous place concerning the Baptism of Christ names Lysanias in the third place Wherefore Eusebius should have observed the same order especially because Lysanias was neither son nor successour to Herod Eusebius also seems to be reproveable here in that after he had said Pilate was then Procuratour of Judea he adds that the rest of Judea was governed by the Tetrarchs Herod Phillip and Lysanias But Lysanias never had any part of Judea For Abila was not a City of Judea but of Syria Yet Eusebius may be excused if we say that by Judea he understood the whole dominion of Herod the great For its manifest that he had the Tetrarchie of Lysanias given him by Augustus For the Roman Emperours used to bestow these Tetrarchies on those Kings that were their confederates and friends that they might thereby the more oblige them It s strange that there is no mention of this Lysanias of whom S t Luke speaks either in Josephus Dion or the rest b In all our copies this word is in the singular number High-priest but in S t Luke it is in the plural High-priests But these words of S t Luke doe no way mean what Eusebius perswades himself they doe to wit that Christ began to Preach in that year wherein Annas was High-priest and continued till Caiphas came on For first Luke speaks there concerning Johns preaching which was before Christs and not concerning our Saviours Then he says that that preaching of John was begun under Annas and Caiphas being High-priests not that there were two High-priests at the same time which is absurd and was never heard of but that Luke means by these words that in this fifteenth year of Tiberius Caiphas was High-priest and Annas was one that had born that Office very lately See D r Hammonds note on Luke chap. 3. v. 2. where he treats of this matter learnedly and largely Whosoever had born the High-priests Office those were called High-priests during their lives and took Tythes So Josephus declares B. 20. of Antiq. Vales. c Joseph Antiq. B. 18. chap. 4. Eusebius is here very much mistaken for Josephus does not speak of the same times that S t Luke does Josephus speaks of the first ten years of Tiberius's Reign in which time Valerius Gratus was Procuratour of Judea but Luke speaks of Tiberius's second ten years when Pilate was Governour of Judea Vales. d Or Phabi as some Copies read it Vales. e Or Joseppus or Josepus as it is in the old Editions of Rufinus Vales. f Eusebius understands Josephus so as if Josephus had said that those four High-Priests Annas or Ananus Ismael Eleazar and Simon executed the High-priest hood each the space of one year Indeed Josephus says this expresly of the two last but not so of the two first For he declares that Ismael indeed was put out a little after he was made High-priest by Valerius But Josephus is so far from making Ananus to have been High-priest but one year that from his words it is plainly gathered he held the High-priesthood three years at least See Josephus's Antiq. B. 20. chap. 8. Vales. g He means John 11 18. but the Evangelist does not say there that he was made High-priest that same year a I began the 11 chap. at these words following the autority of the Kings the Maz. and the Fuk. M. SS Vales. b Josephus in his 18 B. of Antiquit. 9 chap. says he was banisht by Caius Caesar to Lions in France Vales. * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. called is to be understood as Valesius supposes * There is a Catalogue of the 70 Disciples written by Dorotheus but it was not extant in Eusebius his time * Gal. 2. 11. where instead of Cephas we now read Peter * 1 Cor. 15. 5 6 7. a Many of the antient writers affirm that James the brother of our Lord he that was Ordained the first Bishop of Jerusalem was not of the number of the 12 Apostles but of the disciples of the Lord. Indeed Paul in his 1 Epist to the Cor. chap. 15. v. 7. seems to favour this opinion where reckoning up those to whom Christ appeared after his death after he hath named the 12 Apostles and five hundred others he adds After that he was seen of James c. Vales. a Or Abgarus for so he is called in some Copies Vales. b Abgarus was Ruler over one nation onely for he was Prince of the Arabians but not of them all For the Arabians were divided into many tribes and each tribe had its distinct Prefect This name was common to the Princes of Edessa It is an Arabick term and signifies most powerfull Vales. c In what part of the Old Testament these words occur I am yet to seek Indeed in the Gospel of S t John it is written that our Lord said to Thomas after his Resurrection Job 20 29. Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed But this Epistle of Christ to King Abgarus if it be genuine preceded that reprehension of the Apostle Thomas some years Vales. d Thomas indeed that was one of the twelve
therefore suggested to Nicetas the father of Herod but the brother of Dalcis do address to the Governour that he would not give us his body least as they said they leave him that was crucified and begin to worship this person and this they spoke upon account of the suggestion and importunity of the Jews who very diligently watcht us when we were about to take his body out of the fire but they were ignorant that we could never at any time relinquish Christ who suffered for the salvation of all those throughout the world who were to be saved nor yet worship any other For we adore him as being the Son of God but we have a worthy affection for the Martyrs as being the disciples and followers of the Lord because of their most exceeding great love shown to their own King and Master whose companions and fellow disciples we wish our selves to be The Centurion therefore perceiving the contentious obstinacy of the Jews caused the body to be brought forth and as 't is customary with them burnt it and so we at length gathered up his bones more highly to be prized than the most pretious gemms and more refined than the purest gold and deposited them in a decent place of burial whereat being assembled together the Lord grant we may with joy and gladness celebrate the Birth-day of his Martyrdom both in memory of those who have heretofore undergone and been victorious in this glorious conflict and also for the instruction and preparation of such as hereafter shall be exercised therein Thus much concerning the blessed Polycarp who together with twelve Philadelphians was crowned with Martyrdom at Smyrna who alone is so eminently famous and memorable amongst all men that even the heathens every-where doe make mention of him Such was the glorious exit of the admirable and Apostolick Polycarp whose story the brethren of the Church in Smyrna have in the fore-cited Epistle recorded and to the same writing concerning him are annexed other Martyrdomes undergone at the same City of Smyrna and at the same period of time wherein Polycarp suffered Amongst which number Metrodorus supposed to be a Presbyter of the Sect of the Marcionites was burnt to death But the most famous and eminent Martyr of those times was one Pionius Whose particular professions boldness and freeness in speaking Apologies and most learned orations in defence of the faith made both before the people and in the presence of the Governours and moreover his affectionate invitations and encouragements to those who in time of persecution fell into temptation and the consolatory speeches he used to such brethren as made him visits during his imprisonment and further than all this the torments and besides them the exquisite tortours he endured his being nailed to the stake and his fortitude amidst the fiery pile and lastly his death which was subsequent to all these miraculous sufferings whosoever are desirous to know all these particulars we remit them to the Epistle which contains a most ample account concerning him which we have inserted into that collection we made of the sufferings of the Primitive Martyrs Moreover there are extant the Acts and Monuments of others who suffered Martyrdom at Pergamus a City of Asia to wit of Carpus and Papulus and of a woman named Agathonica who after many and most eminent confessions of our faith were made perfect by a glorious death CHAP. XVI How Justin the Philosopher asserting the Christian Religion at the City of Rome suffered Martyrdom AT the same time also Justin of whom we made mention a little before having presented a second Apology to the foresaid Emperours in defence of our faith was crowned with divine Martyrdom Crescens the Philosopher whose life and manners were answerable to the appellation of a Cynick of which Philosophical Sect he was a follower formed and contrived the treacherous plot against him because Justin confuted him often in several disputes had in the presence of many auditours at length by his own Martyrdom he obtained the reward of that truth he was an assertour of Thus much this most studious follower of the truth perceiving before hand what was about to befall him does in his foresaid Apology expresly predict in these same words And I also my self doe expect to be treacherously betraied by some one of those called Philosophers and put in the stocks and perhaps by Crescens that illiterate fellow and one who is a lover of vain glorious boasting for the man is unworthy the name of a Philosopher because he declares in publick such things as he is altogether ignorant of and affirms the Christians to be impious and irreligious persons meerly to please and delight the multitude committing herein a great errour For in that he inveighs against us having never read the doctrine of Christ he is abominably wicked and much worse than the vulgar sort of men who most frequently are cautious in their discourses concerning those things they are ignorant in and avoid speaking falsely thereof But if he has read our doctrine and understands not the majestick sublimity thereof of if he understands it and behaves himself thus because he would not be suspected to be a Christian then he is far more base and wicked in that he makes himself the slave of popular applause and irrational fear For I would have you to know that when I proposed to and asked him some such questions as these I perceived and was convinced he indeed understood nothing at all and that you may know I speak what is true I am ready if those our disputations have not come to your knowledge to propose the queries again even in your presence And this exercise will by no means be misbecoming your Imperial Majesty But if both my questions and also his answers have been made known to you then it will be apparently manifest to you that he is altogether ignorant of our Religion But if he understands it but dares not freely declare himself because of his auditours he is no Philosopher as I said before but is manifestly evidenced to be an affector of popular applause and has no esteem for that most excellent saying of Socrates to wit that no man is to be preferred before the truth Thus far therefore Justin And that he was put to death according to his own prediction by a treacherous plot of which Crescens was the framer Tatianus a man who in the former part of his life had been a teacher of Rhetorick was well read in the Grecian learning and obtained no small repute by his being conversant therein who also has left in his works many monuments of his Ingenuity does relate in the book he wrote against the Grecians in these words And the most admirable Justin said truely that the foresaid persons were like thieves Then interposing some words concerning these Philosophers he adjoyns thus much Indeed Crescens who had made his nest
City of Constantinople and firmed the Ariminum Creed making some additions to it FOr the Emperour being returned from the Western parts resided in that City at which time also he made a person whole name was Honoratus the first Praefect of Constantinople having abolished the Proconsul's Office But the Acacians prevented and calumniated them before-hand to the Emperour having informed him that the Creed which they had set forth was not admitted by them Whereupon the Emperour was highly incensed and resolved to disperse them having commanded by an Edict which he published that such of them as were subject to publick Offices should be reduced to their former condition For several of them were liable to publick Offices some were subject to the bearing of those Offices belonging to the City Magistracy others to them appertaining to the Sodalities of Officialls or Apparitours in several Provinces These persons being after this manner disturbed the Acacians abode for some time at Constantinople and assembled another Synod to which they sent for the Bishops of Bithynia When therefore they were all met together being fifty in number amongst whom was Maris of Chalcedon they confirmed the Creed published at Ariminum which had the Consuls names prefixt Which Creed it would have been superfluous to have inserted here had they made no additions to it But in regard they added some words thereto we thought it necessary to set it down at this place again The contents of it are these We Believe in one only God the Father Almighty of whom are all things And in the only begotten Son of God begotten of God before all ages and before every beginning by whom all things visible and invisible were made Who is the only begotten born of the Father the only of the only God of God like to the Father who begat him according to the Scriptures Whose generation no person knoweth but the Father only who begat him We know this Person to be the only begotten Son of God who upon his Father's sending of him came down from the heavens according as 't is written upon account of the destruction of Sin and Death and was born of the holy Ghost and of the Virgin Mary according to the flesh as it is written and conversed with the disciples and having fulfilled every dispensation according to his Fathers Will he was crucified and died and was buryed and descended into the parts beneath the earth At whom hell it self trembled Who arose from the dead on the third day and was conversant with the disciples and after the completion of fourty days he was taken up into the Heavens and sitteth on the right hand of the Father he shall come in the last day of the Resurrection in his Fathers Glory that he may render to every man according to his works And we believe in the holy Ghost whom he himself the only begotten of God Christ our Lord and God promised to send as an Advocate to mankind according as 't is written the Spirit of truth whom he sent unto them after he was assumed into the Heavens But we thought good to remove the term Ousia which was used by the Fathers in a more plain and ordinary sense and being not understood by the people has given offence in regard 't is not contained in the sacred Scriptures and that in future not the least mention should be made thereof for as much as the sacred Scriptures have no where mentioned the substance of the Father and of the Son Nor ought the subsistence of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Ghost to be so much as named But we assert the Son to be like the Father in such a manner as the sacred Scriptures do affirm and teach Moreover let all the Heresies which have been heretofore condemned and which may have risen of late being opposite to this Creed published by us be Anathema This Creed was at that time recited at Constantinople Having now at length passed through the labyrinth of the Expositions of Faith we will reckon up their number After the Creed published at Nice they set forth two Expositions of the Faith at Antioch at the Dedication A third was that delivered to the Emperour Constans in the Gallia's by Narcissus and those that accompanied him The fourth was that sent by Eudoxius into Italy Three Draughts of the Creed were published at Sirmium one whereof was recited at Ariminum which had the names of the Consuls prefixt The eighth was that which the Acacians promulged at Seleucia The last was set forth at the City Constantinople with an addition For hereto was annexed that neither substance nor subsistence ought to be mentioned in relation to God Moreover Ulfila Bishop of the Goths did at that time first agree to this Creed For before this he had embraced the Nicene Creed being Theophilus's follower who was Bishop of the Goths and had been present at and subscribed the Nicene Synod Thus far concerning these things CHAP. XLII That upon Macedonius's being deposed Eudoxius obtained the Bishoprick of Constantinople BUt Acacius Eudoxius and those that were with them at Constantinople made it wholly their business that they also might on the other side depose some persons of the contrary party Now you must know that neither of the factions decreed these depositions upon account of Religion but for other pretences For though they dissented about the Faith yet they found not fault with one anothers Faith in their mutual depositions of one another Those therefore of Acacius's party making use of the Emperours indignation which he had kept concealed in his mind and earnestly indeavoured to wreak it against others but most especially against Macedonius do in the first place depose Macedonius both because he had been the occasion of many murders and also in regard he had admitted a Deacon taken in Fornication to Communion Then they depose Eleusius Bishop of Cyzicum because he had baptized one Heraclius Hercules's Priest at Tyre a person known to be a Conjurer and ordained him Deacon In the next place they depose Basilius or Basilas for so he was also called who had been constituted Bishop of Ancyra in the room of Marcellus as having unjustly tortured a certain person bound him with Iron chains and confined him to Prison also because he had fastned calumnies upon some persons and moreover in regard by his Letters he had disturbed the Churches in Africa Dracontius was deposed by them because he had removed from Galatia to Pergamus Moreover they deposed Neonas Bishop of Seleucia in which City the Synod had been convened as also Sophronius of Pompeiopolis in Paphlagonia Elpidius of Satala in Macedonia and Cyrillus of Jerusalem and others were ejected by them for other reasons CHAP. XLIII Concerning Eustathius Bishop of Sebastia BUT Eustathius Bishop of Sebastia in Armenia was not so much as admitted to make his defence because he had been long before deposed by Eulalius his
rather that the Divinity and Humanity have perfected to us one Lord and Christ and Son by an ineffable mysticall and secret concourse to an Unity And after some few words But in regard having personally united the humanity to himself on our account and for our salvation he proceeded from a woman for this reason he is said to have been born according to the Flesh. For he was not at first born a common and ordinary man of the Holy Virgin and after that The Word descended upon him but having been united from the very womb he is said to have undergone a Carnall Nativity that he might procure to himself the Nativity of his own Flesh. After the same manner we say he suffered and rose again not as if God The Word as to his own Nature suffered either the Stripes or the Transfixions of the Nails or any other of the wounds for the Deity is Impassible because 't is also Incorporeall But in regard that which had been made his own Body suffered on this account he is again said to have suffered for us For there was the Impassible Deity in a passible Body Most part of Cyrillus ' s other Letter hath been recorded in our foregoing Book But there is a passage in it which Johannes Bishop of the Antiochians had written in his Letter to which passage Cyrillus hath fully agreed this passage runs thus We confess the Holy Virgin to be Theotocos because God The Word took Flesh from Her and was made man and from that very Conception united to himself a Temple taken from Her But we know that those divine men do take the Evangelick and Apostolick Expressions uttered concerning the Lord sometimes in a common sense as spoken of one person at othâ—r whiles they divide them as uttered concerning two Natures And that they have delivered these Expressions as becoming God according to the divinity of Christ but those other as humble and mean agreeable to the same persons humanity To which words Cyrillus has subjoyned these Having read these your sacred Expressions We find that We our selves embrace the same Sentiments For there is one Lord one Faith one Baptism We have therefore glorified God the Saviour of all men rejoycing mutually that as well the Churches amongst us as those with you do profess a Faith that is agreeable both to the divinely inspired Scriptures and also to the Tradition of our Holy Fathers After the Reading hereof those of this Synod cried out in these words We do all believe thus Pope Leo believes thus Anathema to him that divides and to him who confounds This is the Faith of Leo the Arch-Bishop Leo believes thus Leo and Anatolius believe thus We all believe thus As Cyrillus so we believe The eternall memory of Cyrillus As Cyrillus's Letters are so are our Sentiments Thus we have believed thus we do believe Leo the Arch-Bishop thinks thus thus he believes thus he hath written Then an Interlocution having been made that Leo's Letter might also be read being rendred into Greek it was recited which Letter is extant in the Acts of the Councill After therefore the reading thereof the Bishops exclaimed This is the Faith of the Fathers This is the Faith of the Apostles We all believe thus we that are Orthodox do believe thus Anathema to him who believes not thus Peter by Leo hath uttered these words The Apostles have taught thus Leo hath taught piously and truly Cyrillus has taught thus Leo and Cyrillus have taught alike Anathema to him who believes not thus This is the true Faith the Orthodox think thus this is the Faith of the Fathers Why were not these words read at Ephesus Dioscorus hath concealed these Expressions It is recorded in the same Acts that when part of the fore-mentioned Letter of Leo was read the Contents whereof were these And in order to the paying that due debt of our Nature the divine Nature was united to a Nature passible to the end that for this was agreeable to our Remedies He being one and the same Mediatour of God and Men the Man Christ Jesus might be able to die by one and might not be able to die by the other the Illyrician and Palestine Bishops being in doubt as to this Expression Aetius Arch-deacon of the most Holy Church of Constantinople produced a passage of Cyrillus ' s the Contents whereof are these Again in regard his own Body by the grace of God according as the Apostle Paul saith hath tasted death for every man he himself is therefore said to have suffered death for us not as if he had experienced death as to what belongs to his own Nature For 't is stupidity and extream madness either to affirm or think this but because as I have even now said his Flesh tasted death And again as to an expression of Leo's Letter which runs thus For each Form acts with a communion of the other that which is proper to wit The Word operates that which is The Word ' s and the Flesh performs that which is of the Flesh and the one of these shines with Miracles but the other hath lain under injuries the Illyrician and Palestine Bishops being in doubt the same Aetius read a Chapter of Cyrillus the Contents whereof were these Of the expressions used concerning Christ some are most especially agreeable to God again others are agreeable to man But a third sort possess a certain middle place evidencing the Son of God to be God and also at the same time Man After this when the foresaid Bishops doubted at another place of Leo's Epistle which runs thus For although in our Lord Jesus Christ there is one person of God and of man nevertheless that is one thing whence there is in both a Community of Contumely and that is another whence there is a Community of Glory For from us he has humanity which is less than the Father But from the Father he has the divinity which is equall with his Father Theodoret after he had well considered this matter said that the Blessed Cyrillus had expresly spoken thus in these words And being made man and loosing nothing that was his own he continued what he was and the one dwelt in the other that is the divine Nature in man After this when the Illustrious Judges enquired whether there were any person who as yet doubted all answered that no person made any further doubt After whom Atticus Bishop of Nicopolis requested that a Truce of some few days might be allowed them to the end that with a sedate mind and undisturbed understanding such things might be decreed as were pleasing to God and to the Holy Fathers He desired also that Cyrillus's Letter written to Nestorius might be delivered to them in which Cyrillus intreats Nestorius that he would give his assent to his twelve Heads whereto all agreed And when the Judges by
Scaliger takes notice of this mistake of Jerom's in his Animadvers Eusebian p. 208. But he has there altered the reading of part of this place in Eusebius thus But the Martyr most beloved of God after he had beseech't the Judge by many intreaties that he might have leave to give an account of his faith before the Senate Which emendation is contradicted by all our M. S. copies and by reason it self Vales. h All Translatours have rendred this place without taking any notice of the particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in their Versions supposing it to be useless Which as I judge is not true first because the Senatours were not Judges neither had they Jurisdiction 2 Perennis who was the Judge in this cause had remitted Apollonius to the Senate not that the Senate should give judgment upon him but that Apollonius should give them an account of his religion He honoured the Senate so far that he would not condemn a Senatour before the Senate had had cognizance of his crime When therefore the Senate had heard Apollonius their answer was that the man should be judged according to the Law After this Apollonius was punished with death by the sentence indeed of Perennis himself but by the decree of the Senate because the Senate had heard him and given their consent that he should be condemned Vales. i He means the Rescript of Trajan which Eusebius mentions B. 3. chap. 33 at the latter end See the place and the note upon it Vales. a In his Chronicon Eusebius assigns fifteen years to Eleutherus and continues his Presidency to the last yearâ— of Commodus Between which two accounts of his there is a great disagreement Vales. b Nice phorus calls him Bacchylus But sometimes diminutive terms such as this is are written with â— double L. Vales. a The reading of the Maz. Med. Fuk. and Savill M. SS is the Churches of all Asia as we have translated it Asia may be taken in a threefold sense sometimes 't is taken for the third part of the world sometimes for a Province divided into nine Jurisdictions which was governed by a Roman Proconsul at other times 't is more strictly taken for that region which lies by the River Meander In these words of Eusebius 't is in my judgment to be taken in the second sense to wit for a Province which a proconsul governed Vales. * That is the fourteenth day after the appearance of the new Moon for the religious part of the Jewish Calendar was concerned in these appearances of the new Moon the reports whereof were made by the country people See the whole manner hereof described particularly by the Learned Doctor Cudworth in his excellent discourse concerning the true Notion of the Lords Supper pag. 67. See also M r Jo. Gregory of Oxford in his discourse concerning Upper-rooms p. 14 c. b The Learned Arch-Bishop Usher in his dissertation prefixt before Ignatius's Epistles thap 9. says that the Asiatics who celebrated Easter with the Jews on the first day of unleavened bread passed over that day with mourning and fasting after which day was ended they concluded their Lent-fast Which opinion Eusebius does here contradict in that he affirms expresly that the Asiatics did put an end to their fastings on the 14 th day of the first month although it were not Sunday Vales. c Here Eusebius does plainly declare that the Asiatics onely did at that time celebrate Easter with the Jews but that all the other Churches observed that festiyal on another day Wherefore I dissent from Halloixius Arch-Bishop Usher and others who suppose that the Syrians Mesopotamians and Cilicians did then keep Easter at the same time with the Asiaâ—ics 'T is evident that the Syrians and Mesopotamians were then right in their sentiments about this matter which appears from their councills here mentioned by Ensebius For Oâ—droena is a part of Mesopotamia But afterwards they fell to the Jewish observation of this Festival and that before the Nicene Councill as Athanasius asserts On the contrary the Asiatics forsaking their former errour embraced the sounder opinion in their observation of Easter which they did before the Nicene-Councill as appears from Constantines Epistle which Eusebius relates B. 3. chap. 18 and 19. of Constantines life Vales. d It was questioned amongst the Antients at what hour the Fast before Easter was to be concluded some were of opinion that it was to be continued to the dawning of Easter day after the Cock-crowing as may be seen in Epiphanius and Clemens others thought it was to be finished on the Saturday evening before Easter-day So Cyrill in Homil. Paschal Vales. e The Bishop of Caesarea before the Nicene Council and a longtime after had the dignity and honour of a Metropolitâ—â— and presided in all the Councils of Palestine as being Bishop of the chief See Nevertheless the Bishops of Jerusalem had a respect shown them their 's being the Apostolick Church which first had a Bishop Therefore the Bishops of that See were not under the Bishops of Caesarea but were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. were as to their priviledges independent of the See of Caesarea See the seventh Canon of the Nicene-Council Vales. f He was Bishop of Amastris in Pontus of whom Dionystus Bishop of Corinth makes mention in his Epistle to the Church of Amastris which Epistle our Eusebius speaks of B. 4. chap. 23. There was one which bore the same name to wit Palmas of the consular order whom Adrian commanded to be killed so says Spartianus Moreover Eusebius says this Palmas presided as being the most antient Bishop not that he was a Metropolitan For Heraclea not Amastris was Metropolis of the Cities of Pontus But in the Ecclesiastick Councils the precedency was different according to the diversity of times and places The plainest and most reasonable cause of precedency was that the antientest Bishop should take place of the rest Afterwards the Bishops of the Metropolitan Churches had that honour given them Vales. g Jerom in his book de Scriptor Ecclesiast expounds this place so as if Bacchylus had convened a Council in Achaia apart by himself for in this sense he takes the term 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here used by Eusebius But there may another sense be given hereof to wit that Bacchylus wrote a private Epistle in his own name concerning Easter not a Synodicall Letter as the rest did Eusebius Book 6. chap. 11. calls a private Lettor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vales. * He means Easter-day †Eusebius quotes part of this Epistle at the 31 chap. of his 3 d B. The Learned Reader upon comparing of the original Greek here and at the said 31 chapter will find some small difference upon which account our Version of the two places differs for we translated them as we found them a See B. 3. Chap. 31. note d. But the Jewish use of this plate of Gold can't be meant here for John was neither High-priest
Nestorius's deposition ibid. Chap. 6. Concerning Paulus Bishop of Emisa's journey to Alexandria and Cyrillu's commendation of Johannes on account of his Letter Page 405 Chap. 7. What the impious Nestorius writes concerning his own sufferings and how his tongue having at last been eaten out with worms he ended his life at Oasis ibid. Chap. 8. How after Nestorius Maximianus and after him Proclus then Flavianus were made Bishops of Constantinople Page 408 Chap. 9. Concerning the unfortunate Eutyches and how he was deposed by Flavianus Bishop of Constantinople and concerning the second to wit that theevish Synod at Ephesus ibid. Chap. 10. What was transacted by Dioscorus and Chrysaphius at the absurd Synod at Ephesus ibid. Chap. 11. This Wzitors Apology iâ— defence of the variety of Opinions amongst uâ—Christians and his derision of the Pagan Trifles Page 409 Chap. 12. In what manner the Emperour Theodosius prosecuted and expelled the Herefie of Nestorius Page 410 Chap. 13. Concerning Saint Symeon the Stylite ibid. Chap. 14. Concerning the Sâ—â—â— which appears frequently in the Piazza about the Pillar of Saint Symeon which this Writer and others have seen and concerning the same Saint's Head Page 412 Chap. 15. Concerning Saint Isidorus Peleusiots and Synesius Bishop of Cyrenae Page 413 Chap. 16. How the Divine Ignatius having been removed from Rome was deposited at Antioch ibid. Chap. 17. Concerning Attila King of the Scythae and how he destroyed the Provinces of the East and West And concerning the strange Earthquake and other dreadfull prodigies which hapned in the world Page 414 Chap. 18. Concerning the publick buildings in Antioch and who they were that erected them Page 415 Chap. 19. Concerning the several Wars which hapned both in Italy and Persia during the Reign of Theodosius ibid. Chap. 20. Concerning the Empress Eudocia and her daughter Eudoxia and how Eudocia came to Antioch and went to Jerusalem Page 416 Chap. 21. That Eudocia did many good actions about Jerurusalem and concerning the different Life and Conversation of the Monks in Palestine Page 417 Chap. 22. What Structures the Empress Eudocia built in Palestine and concerning the Church of the Proto-Martyr Stephen within which 〈◊〉 was piously buried moreover concerning the death of the Emperour Theodosius Page 419 Book II. Chap. 1. COncerning the Emperour Marcianus and what signes preceded declaring he should be Emperour Page 420 Chap. 2. Concerning the Synod at Chalcedon and what was the occasion of its being convened Page 421 Chap. 3. A description of the great Martyr Euphemia's Church which is in the City Chalcedon and a Narrative of the miracles performed therein Page 422 Chap. 4. Concerning thâ—se things which were agitated and established in the Synod and how Dioscorus Bishop of Alexandria was deposed but Theodoret Ibas and some others were restored Page 423 Chap. 5. Concerning the Sedition which hapned at Alexandria on account of Proterius's Ordination likewise concerning what hapned at Jerusalem Page 426 Chap. 6. Concerning the Drought which hapned and the Famine and the Pestilence and how in some places the earth in a wonderfull manner brought forth fruits of its own accord Page 428 Chap. 7. Concerning the Murder of Valentimianus and the taking of Rome and concerning those other Emperours who governed Rome after Valentinianus's death ibid. Chap. 8. Concerning the death of Marcianus and the Empire of Leo. And how the Hereticks of Alexandria slew Proretius and gave that Arch-Bishoprick to Timotheus Aelurus Page 429 Chap. 9. Concerning the Emperour Leo's Circular Letters Page 431 Chap. 10. Concerning those things which the Bishops and Symeones the Stylite wrote in answer to the Emperour Leo's Circular Letters Page 432 Chap. 11. Concerning the Banishment of Timotheus Aelurus and the Ordination of Timotheus Salophaciolus and concerning Gennadius and Acacius Bishops of Constantinople Page 433 Chap. 12. Concerning the Earthquake which hapned at Antioch Three hundred fourty and seven years after that which had hapned in the times of Trajane ibid. Chap. 13. Concerning the Fire which hapned at Constantinople Page 434 Chap. 14. Concerning the universal Calamities Page 435 Chap. 15. Concerning the Marriage of Zeno and Ariadne ibid. Chap. 16. Concerning Anthemius Emperour of Rome and those Emperours who succeeded him ibid. Chap. 17. Concerning the death of Leo and the Empire of Leo Junior and also concerning Zeno his Father Page 436 Chap. 18. An Epitome of the Acts at the Synod of Chalcedon set at the end of the second Book Page 437 Book III. Chap. 1. COncerning Zeno's Empire and concerning his Life pag. 448 Chap. 2. Concerning the Incursions of the Barbarians both in the East and in the West ibid. Chap. 3. Concerning Bafiliscus's Tyranny and Zeno's Flight Page 449 Chap. 4. That Basilisâ—us recalled Timotheus Aelurus and induced thereto by him sent his Circular Letters to all places in order to the abrogating of the Chalcedon-Synod ibid. Chap. 5. Concerning those persons who consented to Basiliscus's Circular Letters and rejected the Synod of Chalcedon Page 450 Chap. 6. That Timotheus Aelurus recovered the Bishoprick of Alexandria and having restored the priviledge of a Paâ—â—iarâ—hate to the Church of Ephesus Anathematized the Chalcedon Synod Page 452 Chap. 7. That the Monks having raised a Sedition by the perswasion of Acacius Basiliscus was put into a fear and wrote and promulged Circular Letters contrary to those he had published before ibid. Chap. 8. Concerning Zeno's return Page 453 Chap. 9. That after Basiliscus's death the Bishops of Asia that they might appease Acacins sent him a Penitentiary-Libell craving pardon for their offence in rejecting the Synod of Chalcedon ibid. Chap. 10. Concerning those who governed the Bishoprick of Antioch ibid. Chap. 11. That the Emperour Zeno took a resolution of persecuting Aeâ—urus but by reason of his age he had compassion on him and let him alone And how after Aelurus's death Petrus Mongus was ordained by the Alexandrians But Timotheus Proterius's successour by the order of the Emperour obtained the Chair of the A 〈…〉 Page 454 Chap. 12. Concerning Johannes who obtained the Presidency â—ver the Alexandrian Church after Timotheus and how Zeno outed him in regard he had forsworn himself and restored the Chair of Alexandria to Petrus Moâ—gus ibid. Chap. 13. That Petrus Mongus embraced Zeno â— Henoâ—â—con and joyned himself to the Pâ—oâ—â—â—ians Page 455 Chap. 14. Zeno's Hâ—noâ—iâ—on ibid. Chap. 15. Thâ—â— Johannes Bishop of Alexandria coming to Rome perswades Simplicius to write to Zeno concerning what had hapned and what Zeno wrote back in answer to him pag. 456 Chap. 16. Concerning Calendion Bishop of Antioch and that he was condemned to be banished on account of the friendship he was suspected to have held with Illus and Leontius also that Petrus Fullo entred into an Union with Mongus and with the Bishops of Constantinople and Jerusalem ibid. Chap. 17. Concerning those things written by Petrus to Acacius who had embraced the Chalcedon-Synod Page 457 Chap. 18. In what manner Johannes Bishop of Alexandria perswades Felix Pope of Rome to
God ibid. Chap. 25. The Victories of Constantine over the Barbarians and Britanni ibid. Chap. 26. How he took a resolution of freeing Rome from the Tyr anny of Maxentius ibid. Chap. 27. That Constantine weighing in his mind the deaths of those who had worshipped Idols chose rather the profession of Christianity ibid. Chap. 28. That whilst he was praying to God He shewed him a Vision to wit a Cross of Light in the Heavens it being then mid-day and an Inscription thereon which admonished him that by That he should Conquer Page 540 Chap. 29. That God's Christ appeared to him in his sleep and ordered him to make use of a Standard made in the form of a Cross in his Wars Page 541 Chap. 30. The making of that Standard framed in the fashion of a Cross. ibid. Chap. 31. A Description of the Standard made in fashion of a Cross which the Romans do now term The Labarum ibid. Chap. 32. That Constantine becoming a Catechumen read the Sacred Scriptures ibid. Chap. 33. Concerning the adulteries committed by Maxentius at Rome Page 542 Chap. 34. How the Praefect's Wife that she might preserve her chastity laid violent hands on her self ibid. Chap. 35. The slaughter of the People of Rome by Maxentius ibid. Chap. 36. Maxentius's Magick Arts against Constantine and the scarcity of Provisions at Rome Page 543 Chap. 37. The overthrow of Maxentius's Armies in Italy ibid. Chap. 38. Maxentius's Death on the Bridge of the River Tiber. ibid. Chap. 39. Constantine's Entry into Rome Page 544 Chap. 40. Concerning the Statue of Constantine which held a Cross and concerning its Inscription ibid. Chap. 41. The rejoycing over the Provinces and Constantine's Acts of Grace ibid. Chap. 42. The Honours conferred on the Bishops and the Building of the Churches ibid. Chap. 43. Concerning Constantine's Beneficence towards the Poor Page 545 Chap. 44. How he was present as the Synods of Bishops ibid. Chap. 45. In what manner he bore with the mad-men ibid. Chap. 46. His Victories over the Barbarians Page 546 Chap. 47. The Death of Maximin and others whose Plots Constantine discovered God making them known to him ibid. Chap. 48. The celebration of Constantine's Decennalia ibid. Chap. 49. In what manner Licinius afflicted the East Page 547 Chap. 50. In what manner Licinius attempted to frame Treacheries against Constantine ibid. Chap. 51. Licinius's Treacheries against the Bishops and his prohibitions of Synods ibid. Chap. 52. The Banishments and Proscriptions of the Christians ibid. Chap. 53. Licinius's Edict that Women should not meet in the Churches together with the men Page 548 Chap. 54. That he Cashiered from the Militia those who refused to sacrifice and forbad that such as were shut up in Prisons should have any nourishment given them ibid. Chap. 55. Concerning Licinius's Improbity and Avarice ibid. Chap. 56. That at length he undertook the raising a Persecution against the Christians Page 549 Chap. 57. That Maximianus having been afflicted with a Fistulous Ulcer that bred worms wrote a Law in favour of the Christians ibid. Chap. 58. That Maximinus being a Persecutour of the Christians fled away in a servile habit and hid himself ibid. Chap. 59. That Maximine blinded by the acuteness of his disease issued out a Law in favour of the Christians Page 550 Book II. Chap. 1. LIcinius's clandestine Persecution and his Murder of the Bishops at Amasia a City of Pontus pag. 551 Chap. 2. The demolishments of the Churches and Butcheries of the Bishops ibid. Chap. 3. In what manner Constantine was moved in behalf of the Christians when Licinius made preparations to persecute them Page 552 Chap. 4. That Constantine made provision for the War with prayers but Licinius with Divinations and Prophesies ibid. Chap. 5. What Licinius spake concerning Idols and concerning Christ whilst he was sacrificing in a Grove Page 553 Chap. 6. The Apparition seen in the Cities under Licinius's Government of Constantine's Souldiers pursuing the Forces of Licinius ibid. Chap. 7. That in the Battels whereever the standard made in the form of a Cross was there a Victory was obtained Page 554 Chap. 8. That fifty persons were made choice of to carry the Cross. ibid. Chap. 9. That one of the Cross-bearers who fled was killed but he that by Faith stood his ground was preferved ibid. Chap. 10. Various Fights and the Victories of Constantine Page 555 Chap. 11. Licinius's Flight and Inchantments ibid. Chap. 12. In what manner Constantine praying in a Tabernacle obtained the Victory ibid. Chap. 13. His Humanity towards the Souldiers that were taken prisoners ibid. Chap. 14. Again concerning his Prayers in the Tabernacle Page 55â— Chap. 15. Licinius's dissembled Friendship and his Worship of Idols ibid. Chap. 16. In what manner Licinius commanded his Souldiers not to make an Attack against the Standard of the Cross. ibid. Chap. 17. Constantine's Victory ibid. Chap. 18. Licinius's Death and the Triumphs celebrated over him Page 557 Chap. 19. The Publick rejoycings and Festivities ibid. Chap. 20. How Constantine made Laws in favour of the Confessours ibid. Chap. 21. How he made Laws concerning the Martyrs and concerning the Estates of the Churches Page 558 Chap. 22. In what manner he refreshed and cherish't the People also ibid. Chap. 23. That he publickly proclaimed God the Authour of Good and concerning the Copies of his Laws ibid. Chap. 24. Constantine's Law concerning Piety towards God and concerning the Christian Reliligion Page 559 Chap. 25. An example from ancient Times ibid. Chap. 26. Concerning the persecuted and the persecutours ibid. Chap. 27. That Persecution hath been the Occasion of mischief to those who waged War Page 560 Chap. 28. That God chose Constantine to be the Minister of Blessings ibid. Chap. 29. Constantine's Pious expressions towards God and his praise of the Confessours ibid. Chap. 30. A Law setting men free from Banishment from The Curia and from Proscription of Goods Page 561 Chap. 31. Those in Islands likewise ibid. Chap. 32. Also those who have been Condemned to the Mines and publick Works ibid. Chap. 33. Concerning the Confessours who have been employed in the Militia Page 562 Chap. 34. The setting at Liberty those free persons in the Gynaecea or them delivered over to slavery ibid. Chap. 35. Concerning the succession in inheriting the Goods of Martyrs and Confessours and of such persons as had been banished and of them whose Goods had been brought into the Treasury ibid. Chap. 36. That the Church is to be Heir to those who have no Relations and that the Legacies given by them shall remain firm Page 563 Chap. 37. That those who possess such places and Gardens and Houses shall restore them but without the Mean-profits ibid. Chap. 38. In what manner Supplicatory Libels ought to be presented in reference to these persons ibid. Chap. 39. That the Exchequer shall restore to the Churches Grounds and Gardens and Houses Page 564 Chap. 40. The Martyria and Coemiteries are ordered to be yielded up to the Churches ibid. Chap. 41.
concerning certain Problems such as are two Books Of Husbandry and as many of Drunkenness and some others having different and fit Titles Such is that Of the things which a sober mind prayeth for and which it detesteth and that Of the confusion of Languages and that Of flight and invention and that Of Assemblies upon account of obtaining Learning and concerning this subject Who is the Heir of Divine things or of division into parts equal and their contraries and also that Of the three Virtues which with others Moses wrote of Besides that Of them whose names are changed and for what reason they are changed in which Book he says he wrote Of Testaments the first and the second There is also another Book of his Of Removals in journey or shifting of places and of the life of a wise man perfected according to righteousness or Of unwritten Laws and also Of Giants and that God is immutable also That Dreams are sent from God according to the opinion of Moses five Books And thus many are the Books he wrote on Genesis which have come to our hands We have also known five Books of his of Questions and Solutions upon Exodus and also that of the Tabernacle and that of the Decalogue and those four Books of those Laws which in specie have reference to the chief heads of the Decalogue and that of those beasts fit for sacrifice and what be the kinds of sacrifices and that of the rewards and punishments propounded in the Law as well to the Good as to the Evil and of curses Besides all these there are extant of his particular Books as that Of Providence and a discourse compiled by him Of the Jews and of the man leading a Civil life also Alexander or That Brutes are endowed with Reason Besides of this That every wicked man is a slave to which follows in order this Book That every man studious of Virtue is free After these he compiled that Book Of contemplative life or of suppliants out of which we have cited those things concerning the lives of the Apostolical men Also The interpretations of the Hebrew names in the Law and in the Prophets are said to have been done by his diligence This Philo coming to Rome in the time of Caius wrote a Book of Caius's hatred of God which by way of Scoff and Ironie he entituled Of Virtues which Book it s said he rehearsed before the whole Roman Senate in the time of Claudius and the piece was so taking that his admirable works were thought worthy to be dedicated to the publick Libraries At the same time when Paul travelled from Jerusalem round about to Illyricum Claudius expelled the Jews from Rome At which time Aquila and Priscilla with other Jews departing from Rome arived in Asia where they conversed with Paul the Apostle then confirming the foundations of those Churches there newly laid by him Even the Holy book of the Acts teacheth us these things CHAP. XIX What a Calamity befell the Jews at Jerusalem on the very day of the Passover BUt Claudius yet ruling the Empire there happened to be so great a tumult and disturbance at Jerusalem on the feast of the Passover that there were thirty thousand Jews slain being those onely who by force were prest together about the gates of the Temple and troden under foot by one another So that that Festival was turned into mourning over the whole Nation and Lamentation throughout every family Thus much also Josephus relates almost word for word But Claudius made Agrippa the son of Agrippa King of the Jews having sent Felix Procuratour of the whole country of Samaria and Galilee and also of the Region beyond Jordan And when he had raigned thirteen years and eight months he dyed leaving Nero his successour in the Empire CHAP. XX. What was done at Jerusalem in the Reign of Nero. NOw in Nero's time Felix being Procuratour of Judea Josephus relateth in the twentieth Book of his Antiquities that there was again a Sedition of the Priests one against the other in these words There arose also a Sedition of the chief Priests against the Priests and the chief of the people of Jerusalem And each of them forming for themselves a company of most audacious fellows and such as indeavoured to make innovations behaved themselves as Captains and encountring they railed against each other and threw stones at one another There was no body to rebuke them but as in a City destitute of a Governour these things were licentiously done And so great impudence and presumptuous boldness possessed the chief Priests that they dared to send their servants to the threshing floors and take the Tythes due to the Priests Whence it came to pass that the poorest of the Priests were seen to perish for want of sustenance In such sort did the violence of the Seditious prevail over all justice and equity And again the same writer relates that at the same time there arose a sort of theeves in Jerusalem who in the day time as he says and in the very midst of the City killed those they met with but especially on the Festivals being mixt among the croud and hiding little daggers under their garments they stab'd the most eminent Personages and when they fell these murtherers would dissemble themselves to be of the number of those that grieved Whereby they were undiscovered because of the good opinion all men had of them And first he says Jonathan the High Priest was killed by them and after him many were slain daily and he says the fear was more grievous than the calamity in that every one as in war hourly expected death CHAP. XXI Of that Egyptian who is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles AFter these things Josephus adds having interposed some other words But the Egyptian false prophet annoyed the Jews with a greater mischief than these For he coming into the Country being a Magician and having gotten himself the repute of a Prophet gathered together about thirty thousand men such as he had seduced and leading them out of the wilderness to the mount called the mount of Olives prepared by force from thence to enter Jerusalem and having vanquished the Roman guards to seize the principality over the people resolving to make them his guard who together with him by violence entred the City But Felix prevented his attempt having met him with the Roman Souldiers and all the people joyned their assistance in repelling his injurious violence So that the Assault being made the Egyptian fled with a few and most of his party were slain and taken prisoners These matters Josephus relates in the second Book of his History and its worthy our observing together with what is here related of this Egyptian those things which are declared of him in the Acts of the Apostles There in the time of Felix it is said by the chief Captain at Jerusalem unto
CHAP. IV. Of the first Succession of the Apostles THat Paul therefore Preaching to the Gentiles laid the foundations of those Churches from Jerusalem and round about unto Illyricum is manifest both from his own words and also from what Luke has related in the Acts. Likewise in what Provinces Peter Preaching the Gospel of Christ to those of the Circumcision delivered the doctrine of the New Covenant is sufficiently apparent from his own words out of that Epistle of his which we have said is universally acknowledged as genuine which he wrote to the Jews that were dispersed throughout Pontus and Galatia Cappadocia and Asia and Bithynia Now how many and what sincere followers of them have been approved as sufficient to take the charge of those Churches by them founded it is not easie to say except such and so many as may be collected from the words of Paul For he had very many fellow labourers and as he termed them fellow souldiers many of which were by him vouchsafed an indeleble remembrance he having in his own Epistles ascribed to them an everlasting commendation But Luke enumerating in the Acts the disciples of Paul makes mention of them by name Moreover Timothy is reported to have been the first that was chosen to the Bishoprick of the Ephesian Church as also Titus of the Churches in Orâ—â—t Luke by original extract an Antiochian by profession a Physitian for the most part accompanied Paul and being diligently conversant with the rest of the Apostles has left us in two Books written by divine inspiration Lessons that are medicinable for our souls which he prâ—â—ured of them The one is the Gospel which he professes he wrote even as they delivered it unto him who from the beginning were eye witnesses and Ministers of the Word in all which things he says he had perfect understanding from the very first The other is the Acts of the Apostles which Treatise he composed now not of such passages as he had received by report but of what he had seen with his own eyes They say also that Paul was wont to mean the Gospel according to Luke when speaking as it were of his own Gospel he says According to my Gospel Of the rest of the followers of Paul Crescens is by the Apostle himself declared to be one who was sent by him into Gallia Linus also whom in his second Epistle to Timothy he mentions to be at Rome with him who was before manifested to have been the first that was chosen to the Bishoprick of Rome after Peter Clemens also who was likewise constituted the third Bishop of Rome is attested by Paul himself to have been his fellow labourer and companion in sufferings Furthermore that Areopagite by name Dionysius whom Luke in the Acts records to have been the first that believed after the Sermon made by Paul to the Athenians in Areopagus another Dionysius one of the Antients a Pastour of the Corinthian Church relates to have been the first Bishop of the Athenian Church But as we goe on with this work of ours we will in due place declare the successions of the Apostles in their several times Now we will proceed to that part of our History which follows in order CHAP. V. Of the last Siege of the Jews after Christs death AFter Nero who held the Government thirteen years Galba and Otho having reigned a year and six months Vespasian grown famous in the wars against the Jews was made Emperour in Judea being proclaimed by the Army there He therefore going immediately to Rome committed the management of the war against the Jews to his son Titus Moreover after the Ascension of our Saviour when the Jews besides the audacious wickedness committed against him had now contrived and executed very many cruel designs against his Apostles first Stephen being stoned to death by them then after him James the son of Zebedee and brother of John beheaded and last of all that James who was first chosen into the Episcopal seat there after our Saviours Ascension Murthered according to the fore mentioned manner when the rest of the Apostles were by innumerable wiles laid wait for to be put to death and being driven out of Judea were gone to Preach the doctrine of the Gospel to all nations assisted by the power of Christ who had said unto them Goe and teach all Nations in my Name And furthermore when the whole congregation of the Church in Jerusalem according to an Oracle given by revelation to the approved persons amongst them before the war were commanded to depart out of the City and inhabit a certain City they call it Pella beyond Jordan into which when those that believed in Christ had removed from Jerusalem and when the holy men had as it were totally relinquished the Princely Metropolis of the Jews and the whole Country of Judea then at length divine vengeance seized them who had dealt so unjustly with Christ and his Apostles and utterly destroyed that wicked and abominable generation from among men But how great calamities then befell the whole nation in every place and how they especially who were inhabitants of Judea were driven to the extremity of misery and how many Myriads of men together with women and children were destroyed by Sword and Famine and by infinite other kinds of death and how many and what Sieges there were of the Jewish Cities and how great miseries and more than miseries they beheld who fled into Jerusalem it self as into the best fortified Metropolis and also the manner and order of the whole war and every particular action therein and how at length the abomination of desolation predicted by the Prophets was set up in the very Temple of God heretofore famous but now about to suffer all manner of pollution and to undergoe its last destruction by fire He that is desirous to know it may accurately read all this in the History written by Josephus But how the same Writer relates that a multitude of about thirty hundred thousand persons assembled together from all parts of Judea at the time of the passeover feast were shut up in Jerusalem as it were says he in a prison I think it requisite to shew in those his own words For it was fit that at that very time wherein they had killed the Saviour and Benefactour of all Christ the Son of God that in the same days I say they should be shut up as it were in a Prison to receive that destruction from divine vengeance which awaited them But I will omit the particular relation of those miseries which befell them and their great sufferings by the Sword and otherwaies and doe think it necessary to propose onely the Calamities of the Famine that so they who shall read this our work may from that part of their sufferings understand that the divine punishment for their enormous impieties committed against the Christ of God did not long after
continued virgins to the end of their lives Also his other daughter who having lived by the guidance of the Holy Ghost died at Ephesus And moreover John who leaned on the breast of the Lord and was a Priest and wore a plate of gold and was a Martyr and a Doctor this John I say died at Ephesus And thus much concerning their deaths And also in the Dialogue of Caius of which we a little before made mention Proculus against whom he instituted the dispute agreeing with what we have inforced concerning the death of Philip and his daughters says thus After that also the four Prophetesses the daughters of Philip were at Hierapolis a City of Asia their Sepulchre is there and also their fathers Thus he Lâ—kâ— likewise in the Acts of the Apostles makes mention of the daughters of Philip that lived then at Caesarea of Judea with their father who were endowed with the gift of Prophecy saying word for word thus We came unto Caesarea and we entred into the house of Philip the Evangelist which was one of the seven and abode with him And the same man had four daughters virgins which did Prophecie Having thus far therefore treated of those things which came to our knowledge both concerning the Apostles and the Apostolick times and the Sacred Writings they left us both those that are questioned as doubtfull which yet are publickly read by many in most Churches and those also that are altogether Spurious and Repugnant to Apostolical sound Doctrine we now proceed to the subsequent part of our History CHAP. XXXII How Simeon the Bishop of Jerusalem suffered Martyrdom AFter the persecution of Nero and Domitian Report goes that under this Emperour whose times we now recount there was a persecution raised against us by piece-meal throughout every City which proceeded from a popular insurrection In which we have by tradition received that Simeon the son of Cleophas who we declared was constituted the second Bishop of the Church at Jerusalem finished his life by Martyrdom And this the same Writer attesteth several words of whose we have before quoted that is Hegesippus Who giving a relation of certain Hereticks adds that this Simeon being at that time by them accused and tormented divers ways and for the space of many days because he was a Christian struck with a great amazement both the Judge and those about him and at length died by the same kind of suffering that the Lord did Nothing hinders but that we may hear the Writer relating these things word for word thus Some of those Hereticks accused Simeon the son of Cleophas as being a descendant from David and a Christian and so he suffered Martyrdom when he was an hundred and twenty years old under Trajan the Emperour and Atticus of the Consular order then President of Syria And the same Authour says that those his accusers such as were of the Royal family of the Jews being at that time sought for happened to be convicted as belonging to that family Now should any one say that this Simeon was one of those who both saw and heard the Lord he would speak what is in no wise absurd having as an undoubted evidence thereof the great length of his Life and the mention made in the Gospels of Mary the wife of Cleophas whose son that he was our former words have manifested Also the same writer says that others related to one of those called the brethren of our Saviour whose name was Judas lived untill this Emperour's Reign after their profession of the Faith of Christ under Domitian before which we mentioned For thus he writeth They come therefore and preside over the whole Church as being Martyrs and of the Kindred of our Lord. And a profound Peace ensuing over the whole Church they continued alive till the times of Trajan the Emperour untill the foresaid Simeon the son of Cleophas who was Unckle to our Lord being accused by the Hereticks was in like manner also impeachâ— for the same thing before Atticus the president And being cruelly tortured for many days he with constancie professed the Faith of Christ in so much that the President and all those about him wondred greatly how a man of an hundred and twenty years old as he was could have endured such torments And in fine it was ordered he should be crucified Moreover the same man relating what was done in those times adds that untill then the Church continued a pure and undefiled Virgin those who endeavoured to corrupt the sound Rule of wholesom Doctrine if any such persons there were absconding themselves hitherto in obscure darkness But after the sacred company of the Apostles was by various kinds of death become extinct and that generation of those men who were accounted worthy to hear with their own ears the divine wisdom was gone then the conspiracy of impious errour took its rise from the deceit of false Teachers who in as much as not one of the Apostles was then surviving did now at length with a bare face attempt to Preach up the knowledge falsely so called in opposition to the doctrine of the Truth And thus much this Authour treating of these things has after this manner said But we will proceed to what in order follows of our History CHAP. XXXIII How Trajan forbad that the Christians should be sought after MOreover so great a persecution raged against us at that time in many places that Plinius Secundus the most eminent amongst the Governours of Provinces being moved at the multitude of Martyrs gave the Emperour an account of the great numbers of those that were destroyed because of their faith and together therewith certified him that he found they did nothing of impiety nor acted any thing contrary to the Laws onely that they rose at break of day and sung Hymns to Christ as unto God but that they abhor'd the commission of Adultery and Murder and such like horrid crimes and that they did all things consonant to the Laws Upon account of which Trajan made this Edict That the Christians should not be sought out but if by accident they were lighted on they should be punished Which being done the most vehement heat of the persecution that lay heavy upon us was in some measure quenched But to those who had a mind to doe us mischief there remained pretexts no whit less fair and specious in some places the people in others the Rulers of the Provinces fâ—â—ming treacheries against us in so much that even when there was no open and general persecution yet there were particular ones throughout the Provinces and very many of the Faithfull underwent various sorts of Martyrdomes We have taken this account out of Tertullians Apology written in Latine of which we before made mention the translation whereof is thus But we have found that the inquisition after us has been prohibited For Plinius Secundus when he was Governour of the
he was either sitting or standing should he have heard such words as these And this may be manifested from those Epistles of his which he wrote either to the neighbouring Churches to confirm them or to some brethren to admonish and exhort them Thus far Irenaeus CHAP. XXI How Apollonius suffered Martyrdom at Rome AT the same time of Commodus's Empire our affairs were converted into a quiet and sedate posture peace by the divine grace encompassing the Churches throughout the whole world In which interim the saving Word of God allured very many of all sorts of men to the religious worship of the universal God So that now many of those at Rome who were very eminent both for riches and descent did together with their whole housholds and families betake themselves to the attaining of salvation But this could not be born with by the envious devil that hater of good being by nature malicious Therefore he arms himself again inventing various Stratagems against us At the City Rome therefore he brings before the judgement seat Apollonius a man who was at that time one of the faithfull and very eminent for his Learning and Philosophy having stirred up one of his ministers who was fit for such a wicked enterprize to accuse this person Now this wretch having undertaken this accusation in an unseasonable time for according to the Imperial Edict the informers against those that were Christians were to be put to death had his legs forthwith broken and was put to death Perennis the Judge having pronounc't this sentence against him but the Martyr most beloved by God after the Judge had earnestly beseeched him by many entreaties and requested him to render an account of his Faith before the Senate having made a most elegant defence before them all for the faith he profest was as it were by a decree of the Senate condemn'd to undergoe a capital punishment For by an ancient Law 't was establisht amongst them that those Christians who were once accused before the judgment-seat should in no wise be dismist unless they receded from their opinion Moreover he that is desirous to know Apollonius's speeches before the Judge and the answers he made to the interrogatories of Perennis the oration also which he spoke before the Senate in defence of our faith may see them in our collection of the sufferings of the antient Martyrs CHAP. XXII What Bishops flourisht at that time MOreover in the tenth year of Commodus's Reign Eleutherus having executed the Episcopal office thirteen years was succeeded by Victor In the same year also Julianus having compleated his tenth year Demetrius undertook the Government of the Churches at Alexandria At the same time likewise Serapion whom we spake of a little before flourisht being the eighth Bishop from the Apostles of the Antiochian Church At Caesarea in Palestine presided Theophilus and in like manner Narcissus whom we made mention of before at that time had the publick charge over the Church at Jerusalem At Corinth in Achaia Bacchyllus was then the Bishop and at the Church of Ephesus Polycrates Many others 't is likely besides these were eminent at that time but we at it was meet have onely recounted their names by whose writings the doctrine of the true faith has been derived down to us CHAP. XXIII Concerning the Question then moved about Easter AT the same time no small controversie being raised because the Churches of all Asia supposed as from a more antient tradition that the fourteenth day of the Moon ought to be observed as the salutary feast of Easter to wit the same day whereon the Jews were commanded to kill the Lamb and that they ought always on that day whatever day of the week it should happen to be to put an end to their fastings when as notwithstanding 't was not the usage of the Churches over the rest of the world to doe after this manner which usage being received from Apostolick tradition and still prevalent they observed to wit that they ought not to put an end to their fastings on any other day save that of the resurrection of our Saviour upon this account Synods and assemblies of Bishops were convened And all of them with one consent did by their letters inform the Brethren every where of the Ecclesiastick decree to wit that the Mystery of our Lords resurrection should never be celebrated on any other day but Sunday and that on that day onely we should observe to conclude the Fasts before Easter There is at this time extant the Epistle of those who then were assembled in Palestine over whom Theophilus Bishop of the Church in Caesarea and Narcissus Bishop of Jerusalem presided In like manner another Epistle of those Assembled at Rome concerning the same question having Victor the Bishops name prefixt to it also another of those Bishops in Pontus over whom Palmas as being the most antient presided Also an Epistle of the Churches in Gallia which Irenaeus had the oversight of Moreover of those in Osdroëna and the Cities there and a private Letter of Bacchyllus's Bishop of the Corinthian Church of many others also all which having uttered one and the same opinion and sentiment proposed the same judgment and this we have mentioned was their onely definitive determination CHAP. XXIV Concerning the disagreement of the Churches throughout Asia OVer those Bishops in Asia who stifly maintained they ought to observe the antient usage heretofore delivered to them presided Polycrates Who in the Epistle he wrote to Victor and the Roman Church declares the tradition derived down to his own times in these words We therefore observe the true and genuine day having neither added any thing to nor taken any thing from the uninterrupted usage delivered to us For in Asia the great lights are dead who shall be raised again in the day of the Lords Advent wherein he shall come with glory from heaven and raise up all his Saints I mean Philip one of the 12 Apostles who died at Hierapolis and his two daughters who continued Virgins to the end of their lives also his other daughter having whilest she lived been inspired by the holy Ghost died at Ephesus And moreover John who leaned on the Lords breast and was a Priest wearing a plate of Gold and was a Martyr and a Doctor this John I say died at Ephesus Moreover also Polycarp Bishop at Smyrna and Martyr and Thraseas of Eusmema Bishop and Martyr who died at Smyrna What need we mention Sagaris Bishop and Martyr who died at Laodicea And moreover Papirius of Blessed memory and Melito the Eunuch who in all things was directed by the suggestion of the holy Spirit who lies at Sardis expecting the Lords coming to visit him from heaven when he shall be raised from the dead All these kept the day of Easter on the
the tenth and twentieth year of their Empire lead their lives in a firm and continued peace spending the time with festivities publick shews most splendid banquets and delights When their Empire was after this sort enlarged without any manner of impediment and daily augmented with an increase of greatness on a sudden they revoked the peace with us and raised a perfidious war against us The second year of this war was not compleated when a new and unexpected accident subverted the state of affairs almost throughout the whole Roman Empire For He that had the precedency amongst the foresaid Emperours having been visited by an unfortunate disease which drave him into a disordered and mad temper of mind betook himself to a private and Country life together with that Emperour who was the next in dignity to him These affaires were no sooner transacted after this manner but the whole Roman Empire was divided into two parts which as it has been recorded was an accident that never happened before Within some small interval of time the Emperour Constantius a person of extraordinary mildness throughout his whole life most favourable to his subjects and one that had a singular affection for the divine doctrine of our Religion ended his life according to the common sanction of nature leaving his own Son Constantine Emperour and Augustus in his stead And he was the first that was deified amongst the Romans being after his death vouchsafed all honours due to an Emperour He was the mildest and most benigne of all the Emperours and moreover the onely person of those Princes in our days that passed over the whole time of his government sutably to his Imperial Majesty he behaved himself with the greatest graciousness and candour imaginable towards all persons both in other matters and also was in no wise a confederate in the war raised against us but preserved those worshippers of God that lived under his government free from harm and injuries and having neither demolished the fabricks of the Churches nor attempted any other new design against us he obtained an honourable and thrice-happy conclusion of his life being the onely person of all the four Emperours that ended his life in his Imperial government fortunately and gloriously leaving his own Son a most prudent and pious Prince his successour Constantinus Son to this man being immediately from the very time of his fathers death proclaimed supream Emperour and Augustus by the Souldiers but long before that by the supream God exhibited himself an emulatour of his fathers piety towards our Religion Such a person was he afterwards Licinius by the common suffrage of the Emperours was declared Emperour and Augustus at which Maximinus was sorely displeased who untill that time had been honoured onely with the title of Caesar by all men He therefore being a person of a most tyrannical disposition by violence possest himself of that dignity and was by himself declared Augustus About that time Maximianus whom we before manifested to have re-assumed the Empire after his resignation of it being found to have contrived machinations in order to the death of Constantine ended his life by a most infamous death he being the first whose Monuments Statues and what ever else of that nature has been usually erected in honour of the Emperours were abolished upon account of his being a profane and most impious person CHAP. XIV Concerning the Morals of those that were the enemies of Religion MAxentius Son to this man who had possest himself of the government of Rome at first hypocritically pretended himself a professour of our faith that he might thereby please and flatter the people of Rome Upon this account he commanded his subjects to forbear persecuting the Christians making a shew of piety and being desirous to seem benign and much more mild than the former Governours But in his practises he manifested himself not to be such a manner of person as 't was hoped he would have proved But having applied himself to the commission of all sorts of impious facts he omitted no manner of action that was impure and libidinous He committed adulteries and rapes of all sorts He parted the husbands by divorce from their lawfull wives whom when he had by uncleanness abused he most dishonourably sent back again to their husbands Nor did he make it his business to be thus injurious towards obscure persons and those of mean quality but towards them especially who were advanced to the highest place of honour in the Senate of Rome insulting over the most eminent personages All persons therefore both the vulgar and the Magistrates as well the honourable as the obscure standing in great fear of him were sorely afflicted with his intollerable tyranny And although they were quiet and patiently bore the austere servitude they were opprest with yet none could so avoid the bloudy cruelty of the Tyrant For one time upon a very trivial pretence he delivered the people of Rome to be slain by his own guards And so innumerable multitudes of the Roman people not Scythians nor Barbarians but his own Citizens were killed with spears and all sorts of weapons in the midst of the City Moreover 't is impossible to enumerate how many slaughters were made of those that were Senatours to the end their estates might be seized infinite numbers of them being put to death at several times for various crimes framed against them At length as the complement of his impieties the Tyrant proceeded to exercise the delusions of Magick Art sometimes ripping up women great with child other whiles searching into the bowells of new-born infants he also killed Lyons and performed some other horrible rites to call forth the Daemons and repell the approaching war For he most undoubtedly presumed that by these performances he should obtain the victory Whilst this person therefore tyrannized at Rome 't is impossible to relate what mischievous acts he perpetrated and how miserably he enslaved his Subjects insomuch that they were reduced to such extream penury and want of necessary sustenance as 't is recorded by those of our times never happened at Rome nor any where else But Maximinus the Tyrant in the Eastern parts having secretly made a league with Maxentius the Tyrant at Rome as being his brother in wickedness endeavoured to keep himself concealed for a long time But being at last detected he suffered condign punishment It was wonderfull to observe how near a relation and brother-like affinity in wickedness this man exprest towards the Tyrant at Rome or rather how far he exceeded and surpassed him in the perpetration of nefarious facts For Inchanters and Magicians were by him promoted to the chiefest places of honour he was exceeding timorous and superstitious and a mighty favourer of the impostures about Idols and Daemons without divinations and responses of Oracles he presumed not to move any thing a nails breadth as the saying is Upon which account he
imposed a more cruel and sharper persecution upon us than the former Emperours had done commanding that Temples to the Gods should be erected in every City and that those places dedicated to their worship which by length of time were decayed should with all diligence be repaired He constituted priests for the Idols in every place and City and over them he appointed a chief Priest of every Province any one of those who had most worthily discharged all the publick Offices in the Court or Senate of the City and appointed him a military guard consisting of a set number of troops In fine he freely bestowed the Governments of Provinces and chiefest places of preheminence on all those that were impudent Soothsayers as being Religious persons and most acceptable to the Gods After this he proceeded to vex and oppress not one City onely or Country but all the Provinces in general that were under his government with exactions of Gold Silver and vast sums of money with most burthensome imposts and with various sorts of forfeitures succeeding one another Moreover depriving the rich of their estates laid up for them by their Ancestours he bestowed a vast treasure and heaps of money on those about him that were his flatterers Besides he was given to ebriety and drunkenness in such an high degree that in his cups he would rave and be out of his wits and in his drunkenness he would command such things to be done as the next day when sober he would repent of In sottishness and luxury no man was his equal exhibiting himself the master of debauchery both to his Princes and to his inferiour Subjects He permitted his Souldiers to live effeminate lives in all manner of deliciousness and intemperance but he perswaded his Presidents and chief Commanders who in a manner were his Colleagues in his Tyranny to break forth into extortion and covetousness towards those under their jurisdiction What need we relate those libidinous courses in which this man indulged himself or recount their multitudes which he vitiated by adultery For he passed through no City in his journey without committing whoredome with women and ravishing of virgins Moreover these his practises succeeded according to his desire against all persons the Christians onely excepted who having contemned death despised that his outragious Tyranny For the men having endured the fire the sword the being fastned to wooden engines with nails the wild beasts the being drowned in the depths of the Sea the cutting off their members the â—earings with hot irons the pricking and digging out of their eyes and the being maimed all over their bodies and besides all this famine the mines and bonds would rather demonstrate their patient sufferance under all these tortures for religion than they would forsake the adoration of God and worship Idols Again the women were not less corroborated by the doctrine of the divine word than the men some of whom underwent the same combats with the men and obtained rewards of their fortitude equal to them others haled away to be ravâ—shed were more ready to part with their lives than expose their bodies to be defiled Indeed one onely Christian woman the most emiâ—ent and famous of the Alexandrian women when the others had been vitiated by the Tyrant vanquished the dissolute and incontinent mind of Maximinus by her most valiant courage of mind She was a woman eminent for riches descent and learning but she preferred chastity before all these When the Tyrant had often solicited this woman to commit adultery with him he was indeed unable to kill her who was prepared to die because his lust was master of his cruelty but he punished her with exile and deprived her of her whole estate Infinite other women being unable to endure the hearing of the menaces of ravishment which the Governours of Provinces threatned them with underwent all sorts of tortures torments and capital punishments But the most admirable person above all these was that woman at Rome the most noble and truly chastest woman of all those whom Maxentius the Tyrant there whose practises were like Maximinus's attempted to vitiate For as soon as she understood that the Ministers which the Tyrant made use of for the performance of such villanies had assaulted her house now she also was a Christian and that her husband who was Prefect of the City at Rome had by reason of his fear permitted them to take her and carry her away with them having requested that a short time might be allowed her as if she would have adorned her body she went into her Chamber and being alone sheathed a sword in her own breast Expiring immediately hereupon she left indeed her Coâ—ps to those that came to conduct her to the Tyrant but by this act of hers which resounds more than any voice she has manifested to all men that now are and shall be in future ages that the courage of the Christians is the onely thing that is inexpugnable and which cannot be extirpated by death Such indeed and so great was the fertility of wickedness produced at one and the same time the authours of which were two Tyrants who had divided the East and West between themselves And now what man is he that making his researches into the cause of these so great calamities will be dubious in affirming the persecution raised against us to have been the originall of all these miseries Especially when he considers that these mighty disturbances in the Empire were not terminated before the Christians had the free and open profession of their Religion restored to them CHAP. XV. Concerning what happened to the Gentiles INdeed throughout the whole ten years space of the persecution there was no intermission of mutual conspiracies and intestine wars amongst them the Sea was impassible to those that made voyages over it Neither could any persons arrive at any Haven whatsoever â—ut they must induâ—e all sorts of scourges be tormented have their sides torn with nails and be interrogated by their undergoing all sorts of tortures whether they came from the Enemies Country and at last they underwent the punishment of crucifixion or were burnt to death Furthermore they provided shields breast-plates darts speares and other such like military instruments Also galleys and weapons for a Sea-fight were every where prepared Neither did any person expect any thing else but an incursion of the enemy After all these calamities followed a famine and a pestilence of which we will give a relation at an opportune place and time CHAP. XVI Concerning the change of affaires to a better posture SUch were the preparations during the whole time of the persecution which by the grace of God wholly ceased in the tenth year beginning to be somewhat remiss after the eighth year For after the divine and celestial grace demonstrated it self in a benigne and propitious inspection over us then the Governours in our times even those very Princes
another while the Historical parts of Scripture and again at other times the Evangelick and Apostolick writings I was I confess amazed when I first saw this man standing in the midst of a numerous Ecclesiastick congregation and repeating some parts of the divine Scripture For as long as I could only hear his voice I supposed him to have read what is usually rehearsed in such assemblies But when I approached very neer and saw plainly what was done to wit all the rest in the assembly standing round and having their eye-sight clear and perfect and him making use of the eyes of his understanding only in reality delivering oracles like some Prophet and far surpassing those that were sound and healthy in body I could not forbear praising and glorifying of God And I thought that I really beheld a firm and most evident instance to perswade me to believe that he is to be accounted truly a man not who appears so to be by the external shape of his body but who is such in respect of his mind and understanding For although this person had a mangled and deformed body yet he demonstrated the strength of his internal faculties to be great and most powerful Moreover God himself vouchsafed to allot these forementioned persons who living in a place apart by themselves spent their time according to the usual manner in prayers fastings and in the performance of other severe exercises of Religion a blessed and salutary death reaching out to them his propitious right hand But that malicious enemy of all goodness unable to endure them any longer in regard they were carefully armed against him with their continual prayers to God resolved to have them killed and removed from off the earth as being troublesome to him Which God permitted him to attempt and perform both that he should not be hindred from â—oing mischief agreeable to his own mind and purpose and that they might at length receive the rewards of their various combats Thus therefore nine and thirty persons were beheaded on one and the same day by an order from the most impious Maximin These were the Martyrdomes perpetrated in Palestine during the space of ten years and such was the persecution in our days which having been began from those times wherein the Churches were demolished was much increased in the times succeeding by the Governours insolencies Amidst which their various and different combats who were Religious Champions made an innumerable company of Martyrs throughout every Province to wit in Libya and throughout all Egypt Syria and all those Provinces which reach from the East round to the Country of Illyricum For those regions scituate beyond these now mentioned that is all Italy Sicily France and those which lie towards the Sun-setting Spain Mauritania and Africa having not indured the rage of the persecution full out the space of the two first years were vouchsafed a sudden visitation from God and obtained peace divine Providence taking compassion on the simplicity and faith of those men Further an accident a parallel to which the Records from the very first beginning of the Roman Empire cannot shew happened now first in these our days contrary to all expectation For during the persecution in our times the Empire was divided into two parts Those brethren which were inhabitants of the one part that just now mentioned enjoyed peace but such as dwelt in the other part of the Empire endured innumerable conflicts renewed against them successively But when divine grace gave some indications of its candid and compassionate visitation of us then those very Governours of ours who before had been raisers of the wars waged against us in our days having most miraculously altered their minds sounded a retreat extinguishing the flame of persecution kindled against us by Rescripts published in favour to us and by mild Edicts 'T is requisite that we Record their retractation The End of Eusebius Pamphilus's Book concerning the Martyrs of Palestine THE NINTH BOOK OF THE Ecclesiastical History OF EUSEBIUS PAMPHILUS CHAP. I. Concerning the counterfeited Cessation of the Persecution THIS Revocation contained in the Imperial Edict mentioned before was published in all parts of Asia and throughout the Adjacent Provinces After which publications thus made Maximin the Eastern Tyrant a person as impious as ever breathed and a most deadly enemy to the worship of the supream God being in no wise pleased with these Rescripts instead of the forementioned Edict issues out a verbal Order only to those Governours within his Jurisdiction that they should stop the persecution against us For in regard he durst not in any wise oppose the Decree of his superiours having concealed the forementioned Edict and taken such care as that it should not be publickly proposed in the Provinces under his Jurisdiction he gives order by word of mouth only to those Governours under him that they should put a stop to the persecution against us of which Order they inform one another by Letters For Sabinus who was then honoured with the Prefecture of the Praetorium the chiefest Office among them in a Latine Epistle to the Governours of the Provinces declared the Emperour's pleasure the contents of which Letter we have thus translated The Majesty of our most sacred Lords the Emperours by their earnest and most devout care have long since determined to render the minds of all men conformable to the true and holy Rule of living that by this means they who seem to have embraced usages different from those of the Romanes might be induced to exhibite due worship to the immortal Gods But the obstinate and most untractable perverseness of some mens minds was arrived at such an height that neither could the justice of the Imperial Decree prevaile with them to recede from their own resolutions nor the imminent punishment annexed strike any terrour into them Since therefore it might have happened that upon this account many would have precipitated themselves into danger the sacred Majesty of our Lords the most puissant Emperours according to their innate clemency judging it disagreeable to their own most sacred Intent that upon this occasion men should be surrounded with such great danger enjoyned our devotedness to write to your Prudence that if evidence be brought against any Christian for his following that way of worship observed amongst those of his own Religion you should secure him and set him free from all danger and molestation and that you should condemn none to be punished upon account of this pretence For since it has been manifestly evidenced that during so long a tract of time they could by no means be perswaded to desist from their perverse stubborness your Prudence therefore is enjoyned to write to the Curators to the Magistrates and to the Presidents of the Villages belonging to every City that they may understand that for the future they are not to take any further care concerning this affair Hereupon all the
mildness and clemency implanted by nature to which Law also there was a penalty annexed that they who shewed compassion upon the criminals should suffer the like afflictions with those towards whom they shew'd mercy and that such as charitably ministered to those in bonds and confined to prison should suffer the same punishment with them Such were Licinius's Ordinances What need we reckon up his innovations concerning marriages or his new laws about dying persons whereby he presumptuously abrogated the ancient good and wisely established Roman Laws and instead of them introduced certain barbarous and inhumane ordinances truly unjust and illegal he also invented several sorts of Taxes to the great oppression of the Subjects of his Provinces and all sorts of exactions of Gold and Silver surveying of lands and that cursed way of getting lucre from Countrey men which were not alive but long since dead Besides these things why should we reckon up the proscriptions of innocent men which he the Enemy of mankind was the Inventer of and the Imprisonments of men nobly descended and of an honourable repute Whose youthfull wives he forced from them by violence and delivered them to some of his impure slaves that they might be most injuriously vitiated What need we number the married Women Virgins and Maids whom in his decrepid age he abus'd to the fulfilling of his own soul's insatiable lust What need is there I say of enlarging upon these things whenas the exorbitant grosness of his last actions evinceth his first to be trivial and almost nothing In fine he arrived to such an heighth of madness that he made an attempt upon the Bishops and looking upon them in regard they were the servants of Almighty God to be enemies to his practises but daring not as yet to use open violence fearing his superiour he privily and craftily plotted against them and by the treacheries of his Presidents destroyed the eminentest of them The manner how he murthered them is strange and such as was never before heard of But his Actions at Amasia and the rest of the Cities of Pontus do far exceed the most superlative cruelty Where some of Gods Churches were again thrown down from their vast height to the very ground and others were shut up least any of those that did usually frequent them should meet there and render a due worship to God For he did not suppose that prayers were offered up for him being perswaded to entertain such thoughts as these by a consciousness of his own impieties But he was of opinion that all we did was in behalf of the Pious Emperour and to render God favourable to him Upon which account he resolved to assail us with his utmost rage Therefore those Presidents that were his flatterers being fully perswaded that this would be grateful to the Tyrant inflicted the same punishment upon some Bishops that they usually imposed upon Malefactours So that harmless and innocent men were haled away and without the least pretext punished like murtherers But others of them underwent a new kind of death having their bodies cut with a sword as Butchers do meat into a great many pieces and after this barbarous and most horrid spectacle they were thrown into the depths of the Sea to be made food for the fishes After this therefore the worshippers of God betook themselves to flight and the Fields the Deserts the Woods and Mountains were the receptacles of Christ's servants When the impious Tyrant had succeeded thus prosperously in these his attempts he afterwards entertained some thoughts of raising a general Persecution against all the Christians And he had undoubtedly been master of his desire nor could there have been any obstacle to hinder him from effecting of it had not God the Protectour of his own servants that he might prevent what would immediately have ensued caused Constantine his servant suddenly to appear as a Saviour and a great Light to all that were in a thick darkness and an obscure night conducting him with a mighty Arm into these parts CHAP. IX Concerning Constantin's Victory and concerning the prosperity procured by him to all those that live under the power of the Romans ON this man therefore did God from above bestow Trophies of Victory over the ungodly as being the worthy fruits of his piety But the impious Tyrant together with all his Counsellours and friends he laid prostrate on their faces before the feet of Constantine For when he was arrived at the highest degree of Madness the pious Emperour supposing he was not to be longer born with entring into a prudent and sober consideration with himself and having tempered the severity of Justice with his own natural clemency resolves upon succouring of those that were oppressed by the Tyrant and prepares to save a great part of mankind by cutting off and removing out of the way a few Pestilent and destructive persons For having before this made use of clemency only and shewing pity on him who deserved no compassion he did not profit him at all for he desisted not from the practise of his pristine impieties but rather increased his fury against the Subjects of his own Provinces There was no hope of deliverance now remaining to those that were oppressed and afflicted by this cruel Beast Wherefore Constantine the Protector of all good men having tempered his hatred of impiety with his love of virtue together with his Son Crispus a most mild and courteous Caesar marches forwards upon this expedition reaching out a helping hand to all that were in distress Both the Father therefore and the Son having for their Captain and Assistant the supream King and the Son of God the Saviour of all men divided the Armie so as on every side to encompass God's Enemies and got an easie Victory all things in that action having been rendred facil and successfully expedited for them by God according to their wish Immediately therefore even in the twinkling of an eye they who yesterday and the day before breathed forth Death and menaces became wholly extinct the remembrance even of their very names not in the least surviving them Their pictures also and other monuments dedicated to their honour received the deserved spots of ignominy and the same disgrace which Licinius had with his own eyes beheld the impious Tyrants heretofore involved in even he himself in like manner suffered For he himself received not instruction nor was he amended by his Neighbours stripes but walking on in the same path of wickedness with them deservedly wandred into the same precipice they did Thus was this person smitten and prostrated But Constantine the mighty Conquerour gloriously adorned with all the vertues of Religion together with his Son Crispus a Prince highly beloved of God and in all things like his Father recovered his own East and reunited the Roman Empire into one entire body as it heretofore was subjecting under their Peace the whole
commendation of Johannes on account of his Letter WHen Paulus Bishop of Emisa was arrived at Alexandria and had made a discourse which is still extant in the Church concerning this matter At which time also Cyrillus having highly commended Johannes's Letter wrote word for word thus Let the heavens rejoyce and the earth be glad For the partition wall is demolished that which caused grief and sadness is ceased and the occasion of all manner of dissention is taken away in regard Christ the Saviour of us all has restored peace to his own Churches and the most Religious Emperours and most dear to God have invited us thereto Who having been the most incomparable Emulators of their Ancestours piety do preserve the true Faith firm and unshaken in their own minds and they take an exquisite care of the Holy Churches to the end they may obtain both a far-spread and immortall Glory and also render their Empire most highly renowned To whom even the Lord of Hosts himself distributes good things with a plentifull hand gives them power to vanquish their adversaries and freely bestows Victory on them For he cannot lie who has said As I live saith the Lord I will glorifie them who Glorifie me When therefore My Lord and most Religious Brother and Fellow-Minister Paulus was come to Alexandria we were filled with joy and that most deservedly in regard so great a person was come to be an Intercessour and was willing to undergo Labours above humane strength that he might vanquish the Envy of the Devil unite divisions and by removing offences on both sides crown both Our and Your Churches with Concord and Peace And after the interposition of some words he Adds Moreover that this dissention of the Church was altogether frivolous and inexcusable we have been now fully satisfied since my Lord the most Religious Bishop Paulus has brought a paper which containes an irreprehensible confession of Faith and has affirmed that it was written by Your Sanctity and by the most Religious Bishops there Now the confession runs thus and 't is inserted in the very same words into this our Epistle But concerning Theotocos and so forth When We had read these Your sacred words and perceived that We Our Selves embraced the same Sentiments For there is one Lord one Faith one Baptism We glorified the Saviour of all men rejoycing mutually because as well your as our Churches do profess a Faith which is agreeable both to the divinely inspired Scriptures and also to the Tradition of our Holy Fathers These things may be known by him who is desirous of having an accurate account of those affairs transacted at that time CHAP. VII What the impious Nestorius writes concerning his own sufferings and how his tongue having at last been eaten out with worms he ended his life at Oasis BUt after what manner Nestorius was banished or what befell him after that or in what manner he departed out of this life and what rewards he received on account of his Blasphemy these particulars have not been related by the Writers of History All which had been forgotten and had been wholly lost and swallowed by length of time nor had been so much as heard of had not I accidentally met with a book of Nestorius's which contains a Narrative of these things This Father of Blasphemy therefore Nestorius who has not raised his building on that foundation which was laid but hath built his house on the sand and therefore it has soon faln down according to our Lord's parable making an Apology which was his desire in defence of his own Blasphemy against those who had accused him because he had introduced some innovation contrary to what was fitting and had not rightly requested that a Synod should be convened at Ephesus amongst other things writes to this effect that he wholly compelled thereto by necessity had betaken himself to the defence of this part in regard the holy Church was divided some affirming that Mary was to be termed Anthropotocos others Theotocos That therefore as he says he might not offend in one of these two viz. least he should either joyn things mortall with those that are immortall or else least by betaking himself to the other side he might be deprived of that other party who defended the term Theotocos he invented the word Christotocos He intimates further that at first the Emperour Theodosius out of that affection he bore towards him confirmed not the sentence of deposition pronounc't against him but afterwards that when some Bishops of both parties had been sent from the City Ephesus to Theodosius and when he also himself requested it he was permitted to return to his own Monastery which is scituate before the Gates of that City now called Theopolis and is not expressly named there by Nestorius But they say it is now termed Euprepius's Monastery which as we assuredly know stands before the City Theopolis distant from thence not more than two furlongs Moreover the same Nestorius says that having resided there during the space of four years he had all imaginable honour conferred upon him and enjoyed all manner of reverence and respect but that afterwards by the Edict of the Emperour Theodosius he was banished into that place called Oäsis But he has concealed that which is the principall thing For during his Residence there he in no wise desisted from his own Blasphemy In so much that Johannes Bishop of Antioch gave the Emperour an account thereof and Nestorius was condemned to perpetuall Banishment He wrote also another Book composed in the manner of a Dialogue to a certain Egyptian as it were concerning his banishment into Oäsis wherein he speaks more at large concerning these things But what punishments he underwent on account of the Blasphemies coyned by him not being able to lie concealed from God's all-seeing eye may be known from other Letters sent by him to the Governour of Thebäis For in those Letters you may find after what manner in regard he had not yet undergone condign punishment the judgment of God seized him and involved him in Captivity a calamity of all afflictions the most miserable But in as much as he was to endure greater punishments he was let go by the Blemmyae amongst whom he had been a Captive And removing from place to place about the utmost borders of Thebäis by the Edicts of Theodosius who had determined that he should return and being dash't against the earth he ended his days agreeable to his own forepast life like a second Arius declaring and foreshewing by his calamitous death what rewards are appointed for those who utter Blasphemy against Christ. For both those persons blasphemed Christ in a like manner Arius by terming him a Creature and Nestorius by thinking him to be a man To whom because he complains that The Acts at Ephesus were not
highest indignity took a resolution to cast every Dye as the saying is to the end she might be revenged both for what had been done in relation to the assassination of her husband and also for the reproach which had been brought upon her own Liberty For a woman is fierce and of an anger implacable if when she uses her utmost endeavour to preserve it inviolate her chastity be forcibly taken from her and especially by him who hath been her husband's Assassine She sends therefore into Africa to Gizerichus and having forthwith presented him with many Gifts and by her Declaration put him into a good hope of what was behind she prevails with him to make a sudden and unexpected Invasion upon the Roman Empire promising she would betray all to him Which having in this manner been performed Rome is taken But Gizerichus in regard he was a Barbarian and of a disposition inconstant and mutable kept not his promise even with her but having burnt the City and made plunder of all its riches he took Eudoxia together with her two daughters marched back went away and returned into Africa The elder of Eudoxia's daughters by name Eudocia he married to his own son Hunericus But the younger her name was Placidia together with her mother Eudoxia he sent some time after to Byzantium attended with an Imperial Train and a Guard to the end he might pacifie Marcianus For he had highly incensed him both because Rome had been burnt and also in regard the Imperial Princesses had been so contumeliously used Moreover Placidia is match't by Marcianus's order Olybrius having married her who was look't upon to be the eminentest personage amongst the Roman Senatours and after the taking of Rome had betaken himself to Constantinople Further after Maximus Avitus reigned over the Romans eight months He having ended his life by the Pestilence Majorianus held the Empire two years After Majorianus had been traecherously slain by Ricimeres Master of the Milice Severus possest the Empire three years CHAP. VIII Concerning the doath of Marcianus and the Empire of Leo. And how the Hereticks of Alexandria slew Proterius and gave that Arch-Bishoprick to Timotheus Aelurus MOreover during Severus's Governing the Romans Marcianus changed his Kingdom and departed to a better Inheritance when he had Governed the Empire seven years only having left amongst all men a truely royall Monument The Alexandrians informed of his death with much more animosity and a greater heat of mind renewed their rage against Proterius For the multitude is a thing with the greatest ease imaginable blown up into a rage and which snatches hold of the most triviall occasions as fuell for Tumults But above all others the populace of Alexandria are of this humour which City abounds with a numerous multitude made up mostly of an obscure and promiscuous company of Foreigners which by an unexpected and unaccountable boldness and precipitancy breaks out into violence and rage 'T is therefore for certain reported that any one there who makes complaint of the breaking any thing of small value which he carries may incite the City to a popular Tumult and may lead and carry the multitude whither and against whom he pleases For the most part also they are delighted with jests and sports as Herodotus relates concerning Amasis And this is the humour of the Alexandrians Nevertheless as to other things they are not such a fort of persons as that any one may despise them The Alexandrians therefore observing the time when Dionysius Commander of the Milice made his Residence in the Upper Egypt make choice of one Timotheus surnamed Aelurus to ascend the Archi-Episcopal-Chair a person who heretofore had followed a Monastick Life but afterwards was enrolled amongst the number of the Presbyters of the Alexandrian Church When they had led this person to the Great Church called Caesar's they ordain him their Bishop whilest Proterius was as yet living and personally officiating in his Episcopal Function Eusebius Bishop of Pelusium and Peter of Iberia Bishop of the little Town Majuma were present at the Ordination as he who wrote Peter's Life has told us in his account of these transactions Which writer affirms that Proterius was not murdered by the people but by one of the Souldiers Further after Dionysius had made his return to the City Alexandria with the greatest celerity imaginable to which he had been urged by the nefarious facts there perpetrated and was using his endeavours to extinguish the kindled fire of the Sedition some of the Alexandrians incited thereto by Timotheus as the Contents of the Letter written to Leo the Emperour do declare murder Proterius by running their swords through his bowells when he attempted to get away and had fled as far as the most Holy Baptistery And after they had tied a rope about him they hung him up at that place termed The Tetrapylum and shewed him to all persons jeering and crying out aloud that that was Proterius who had been killed After this they drag'd the body all over the City and then burnt it Nor did they abhor tasting of his very bowells according to the usage of Savage-beasts as the Supplicatory Libell wherein all these passages are contained sent by all the Bishops of Egypt and by the whole Clergy of Alexandria to Leo who after Marcianus's death as hath been said was invested with the Empire of the Romans doth evidence the Contents whereof are conceived in these express words To the Pious Christ-Lover and by-God-designed Leo Victor Triumphator and Augustus The humble Address presented by all the Bishops of Your Aegyptick Dioecesis and by the Ecclesiasticks in Your Greatest and Most Holy Church of the Alexandrians Whereas by Celestiall Grace You have been bestowed as a most Eximious Gift upon the World 't is no wonder if You cease not Most Sacred Emperour daily after God from making Provision for the Publick And after some other words And whilest there was an uninterrupted peace amongst the Orthodox Laïty both with us and also at the City Alexandria disturbances were raised again by Timotheus who made a separation of himself from the Catholick Church and Faith and cut himself off therefrom soon after the holy Synod at Chalcedon at which time he was but a Presbyter together with four or five persons only heretofore Bishops and some few Monks who together with him were distempered with the Hereticall errour of Apollinaris and that person On which account having then been canonically deposed by Proterius of divine memory and by a Synod of the Bishops of all Egypt they deservedly experienced the Imperial displeasure by Exile And after some words interposed And having taken his advantage of that opportunity when the Emperour Marcianus of Sacred Memory made his departure hence to God with impious Expressions as if he had been subject to no Laws he in a most shameless manner raged
Communion of Severus come on let us add a certain passage which we have been told by our Fathers although it be not as yet recorded in any History Cosmas Bishop of our Epiphania in the Vicinage whereof runs the River Orontes and Severianus Bishop of Arethusa a neighbouring City being disturbed at Severus's Synodick Letters severed themselves from his Communion and sent a Libell of Deposition to him whilst he sate Bishop of the City Antioch They deliver the Libell to one Aurelianus Arch-Deacon of the Church of Epiphania who in regard he feared Severus and dreaded the Grandeur of so great a Bishoprick after his arrivall at Antioch cloathed himself in the habit of a woman and comes to Severus jesting and playing the wanton and by all ways imaginable seigning himself to be a woman In fine having let down the Vail wherewith his head was covered as far as his breasts he lamented and by fetching deep sighs besought assistance and under the pretence of a Supplicatory Libell delivers a Deposition to Severus then going forth And without being taken notice of by any person withdraws out of the croud which followed Severus and by flying purchases his own safety before Severus knew what the Contents of the Libell were But Severus notwithstanding he had received the Libeâ— and understood what was contained therein nevertheless continued possest of his own See untill the death of Anastasius Further when Anastasius was informed of what had hapned to Severus for we must not omit the mentioning of an Act of Anastasius's which was wholly made up of Clemency and Humanity he orders Asiaticus who bore the command of the Militia in Phoenice Libanensis to eject Cosmas and Severianus out of their own Sees because they had sent a Libell of Deposition to Severus After Asiaticus was arrived in the Eastern parts and found many persons defending the opinions of Cosmas and Severianus and that their Cities made a stout resistance in favour of their own Bishops He gave Anastasius an account that those Bishops were not to be driven out of their own Sees without bloudshed So much of Clemency and Humanity therefore was there in Anastasius that he wrote expresly to Asiaticus that he would in no wise effect any thing though never so great and splendid if but a drop of bloud were to be spilt In this posture therefore were the affairs of the Churches over the whole world during the Empire of Anastasius Whom some persons judged to be an Enemy to the Chalcedon Synod and have expunged his name out of the Sacred Tables But at Jerusalem even whilst living he was Anathematized CHAP. XXXV Concerning the destruction of the Jsaurian Tyrants BUt it will not be disagreeable to the promise we have made before if to this History we annex some other Transactions worthy to be recorded which have hapned during the times of Anastasius Longinus Zeno's kinsman being arrived in that Country wherein he had been born as hath been shown before ingages in an open War against the Emperour And great Forces having been raised on the one side and on the other amongst which was Conon heretofore Bishop at Apamia a City of the Province of the Syrians who in regard he was an Isaurian bore Arms under the Isaurians at length the War was terminated in this manner The Isaurians who fought under Longinus were all cut off to one man But the heads of Longinus and Theodorus were sent to the Imperiall City by Johannes Scytha Which heads the Emperour ordered to be fixt upon Poles carried about and hung up in that Suburb termed Sycae situate over against Constantinople a gratefull spectacle to the Byzantines because of those mischiefes they had suffered from Zeno and the Isaurians Moreover the other Longinus surnamed Selinuntius the chief supporter of that Tyrannick Faction and together with him Indes are taken and sent alive to Anastasius by Johannes surnamed Gibbus Wherewith the Emperour and the Byzantines were highly pleased in regard Longinus and Indes were in the manner of a Triumph lead through the streets of the City and thorow the Cirque carrying Chains made of Iron which were put round their necks and about their hands From that time those Donatives heretofore termed The Isaurica began to be paid into the Imperial Treasury Now that was a sum of Gold paid every year to the Barbarians amounting to the weight of Fifty thousand pounds CHAP. XXXVI Concerning the Saracens that they made a Peace with the Romans THose Barbarians also termed Scenitae not without damage to themselves became petulant and insulted over the Roman Empire and ruined the Province Mesopotamia both the Phoenice's and Palestine But having received a severe overthrow from the Military Commanders in each Province at last they were quiet and by a generall consent that whole Nation made a Peace with the Romans CHAP. XXXVII Concerning the Siege of Amida and the building of the City Daras MOreover the Persians then subject to their King Cavades broke the League with the Romans and having left their native soyle in the first place invaded Armenia and took the small Town named Theodosiopolis after which they marched to Amida a well-fortified City of Mesopotamia which they laid Siege to and took But the Roman Emperour by vast Labour rebuilt it But if any one be desirous of having a particular knowledge of these matters and would read an Accurate Narrative of all these Transactions let him consult Eustathius who with much acuteness great Labour and a singular Elegancy hath written an History of these affairs Which Historian having brought down his History to these very times departed this life and left off writing at the twelfth year of Anastasius's Empire After this war was ended Anastasius makes Daras a place of Mesopotamia situate in the utmost confines of the Roman pale and being The Boundarie as it were of the Roman and Persian Empire a City from its being a Field which he fortified with a strong wall and adorned with various and those splended Buildings to wit Churches and other sacred Houses and with Royall Porticus's publick Baths and other Works of which the most eminent Cities do usually boast 'T is said by some persons that this place got the name of Daras because Alexander the Macedonian son to Phillip had totally vanquished Darius there CHAP. XXXVIII Concerning the Long Wall THe same Emperour perfected a vast Work worthy to be recorded which is usually termed The Long Wall situate in a very convenient place of Thracia This Wall is distant from Constantinople about Two hundred and eighty furlongs it embraces both the Seas and runs out like a Streight to the length of Four hundred and twenty furlongs it makes the Imperiall City from being a Peninsula almost an Island and affords a most convenient and safe passage to those who have a mind to sail from that place termed Pontus to
And that when he had sought amongst his own Priests for an expiation of such horrid and nefarious Murders as these and had found none for they openly declared that such black crimes as these could not be purged by sacrifice he adds that he accidentally met with an Egyptian who had come out of Iberia and that having received information from him that the Faith of the Christians abolished all manner of sin he embraced those things which the Egyptian had imparted to him And that from that time he relinquished the Religion of his Ancestours and made a Beginning of Impiety as he terms it Now that these things are notoriously false I will demonstrate immediately But in the first place I must give a Relation concerning The Chrysargyrum CHAP. XLI An Invective against Zosimus on account of the Reproaches and Calumnies he has cast upon Constantine and the Christians THou sayst therefore O destructive and impure Daemon that Constantine resolving to build a City equall to Rome at first attempted the erecting of such a great City in the mid way between Troas and Ilium and having laid the Foundations and raised the wall to an heighth afterwards he found Byzantium to be a place more Commodious and so incompassed that with walls which old City he enlarged to such a degree and adorned it with such splendid Buildings that it seemed not much inferiour to Rome which in so many years had by little and little arrived at that Greatness Thou sayst further that he distributed amongst the Byzantine people The Annona out of the publick stock and gave a vast sum of Gold to those who had removed together with him to Byzantium for the building of their own private houses Again thou writest word for word thus After Constantine's death the supream management of Affairs devolved only to his Son Constantius to wit after the death of his two Brothers And when Magnentius and Vetranio had set up for Tyrants he attacked Vetranio by perswasives For both their Armies being come together Constantius in the first place made a Speech to the Souldiers and put them in mind of his Fathers Liberality with whom they had waged many Wars and by whom they had been honoured with the greatest Gratuities Which when the Souldiers had heard they divested Vetranio of his purple and drew him out of the Tribunal clothed in a private habit Notwithstanding thou doest affirm that he underwent nothing of molestation from Constantius who together with his Father hath by Thee been loaded with so many Calumnies How therefore Thou canst judge it agreeable to affirm the same person to have been so Liberall and so Bountifull and yet so tenacious and sordid as to have imposed such an execrable Tax I am I must confess wholly ignorant Further that he neither slew Fausta nor Crispus nor for that reason received our Mysteries from any Egyptian hear the words of Eusebius Pamphilus who flourished in the same times with Constantine and Crispus and was frequently conversant with them For thou writest not even what thou hast received by Report much less the Truth in regard thou livedst a long time after to wit in the Reign of Arcadius and Honorius to whose Times thou hast brought down thine History or rather after them In the Eight Book of his Ecclesiastick History Eusebius writes word for word thus Within some small Intervall of time the Emperour Constantius a person of extraordinary mildness throughout his whole life most favourable to his Subjects and one that had a singular affection for the divine Doctrine of our Religion ended his life according to the common Sanction of Nature leaving his own Son Constantine Emperour and Augustus in his stead And after some other words Constantine Son to this man being immediately from that very time of his Fathers death Proclaimed supream Emperour and Augustus by the Souldiers but long before that by the supream God exhibited himself an emulatour of his Fathers Piety towards our Religion And at the close of his History he expresses himself in these very words But Constantine the mighty Conquerour gloriously adorned with all the Virtues of Religion together with his Son Crispus a Prince highly beloved of God and in all things like his Father recovered his own East Doubtless Eusebius who survived Constantine would never have so highly extolled Crispus if he had been murdered by his Father Moreover Theodoret relates in his History that Constantine at the very close of his life was made partaker of Salutary Baptism at Nicomedia and that he defer'd it till that time because he was desirous of being baptized in the River Jordan Thou sayst moreover most execrable and impurest of Mortalls that the Roman Empire from such time as the Christian Religion shewed it self hath decayed and been utterly destroyed which thou affirmest either because thou hast read nothing of what hath hapned in ancient times or else with a designed malice to attack the Truth For the contrary is manifestly apparent to wit that the Roman Empire hath increased together with our Faith Consider therefore how about the very time of the Advent of Christ our God amongst men most of the Cities of the Macedonians were ruined by the Romans Albania also and Iberia the Colchi and Arabians were made Subjects to the Romans Consider likewise how Caius Caesar on the Hundredth eighty second Olympiad in great fights subdued the Galli Germani and Britanni which Nations inhabited Five hundred Cities and annexed them to the Roman Empire as it has been recorded by Historians This is the Caesar who after the Consuls was the first Monarch of the Roman Empire who made a way out of Polytheism and Democracy and introduced a praevious Veneration of a Monarchy on account of that just ready to come The Monarchy of Christ. Immediately all Judaea and the Neighbouring Countries were annext to the Roman Empire in so much that The First Inrollment was then made in which Christ also together with others was Enrolled to the end that Bethlehem might publickly declare the completion of that Prophecie which had been uttered concerning it self For it hath been predicted by the Prophet Micah concerning it in this manner And Thou bethlehem in the Land of Juda art not the least amongst the Princes of Juda for out of thee shall come forth to me a Governour who shall rule my people Israel And after the Nativity of Christ our God Egypt was added to the Roman Empire Augustus Caesar under whom Christ was born having totally subdued Antonius and Cleopatra who killed themselves After which persons Cornelius Gallus is constituted Praefect of Egypt by Augustus Caesar and he was the First who Governed Egypt after The Ptolemies as it has been recorded by Historiographers Further how many Countries have been taken away from the Persians by Ventidius and by Corbulo Nero's Dux by Trajan also Severus and Carus by
by hunting out Various Calumnies against them And when he could not furnish himself with any the least offence of theirs nor had any pretext wherewith he might blame these men he issued forth a Law whereby he commanded that the Bishops should in no wise confer one with another in any place what ever nor should it be Lawfull for any one of them to go into the Church of his neighbour nor to convene Synods nor Councills or to consult about matters that were usefull and advantagious Now this gave him an occasion of vexing and disquieting us For if those of our Religion transgrest that Law of his they were oblieged to undergo punishment but if they paid an obedience to this his Order of necessity they must enervate the Laws of the Church For 't is impossible that the more momentous Controversies should by any other means be composed and rectified than by Synods And thus this Tyrant highly odious to God because he studied in all things to contradict the pious Emperour issued out such Orders as these in reference to us Christians For Constantine called together God's Priests in honour to those consecrated persons and for the promoting of mutuall Peace and Concord But Licinius attempting to abrogate whatever was well constituted endeavoured to disturb the harmonious agreement of the Churches CHAP. LII The Banishments and Proscriptions of the Christians ANd because Constantine who was God's friend vouchsafed the servants of God admission into his Imperial Pallaces the Enemy of God Licinius whose Sentiments were quite contrary hereto drove all God's Worshippers who lived under his Dominions from his Imperial Pallaces and sent into Banishment those persons in his Court that were faithfullest and best-affected to him And such persons as for their former brave actions had received from him honour and dignities them he ordered to serve others and to perform servile Offices And when he had seized upon the Goods of every one of them as if they had been some unhop't-for Gain at last he threatned to punish those with death who assumed to themselves the salutary name of Christians Further whereas he himself possest a mind that was incontinent and lustfull and committed infinite Adulteries and the most infamous Acts of obscenity it was his Sentiment that no man could be chast and continent and thus from his own distemper he past an ill judgement upon the Nature of mankind in generall CHAP. LIII Licinius's Edict that Women should not meet in the Churches together with the Men. VVHerefore he made a second Law wherein he gave Command that the men should not be present at prayers in the Church of God together with the women nor should womenkind frequent the Venerable Schools of Virtue Lastly that the Bishops should not deliver the Divine Precepts of Religion to women but that women should be made choice of to be the Teachers of women But whereas these things seemed Ridiculous to all persons he invented another device for the subversion of the Churches For he ordered that the solemn Assemblies of the people should be held without the Gates in the open fields affirming that the fresh air without the Gates was far more commodious for crouds than the Oratories situate within the City CHAP. LIV. That he Cashiered from the Militia those who refused to Sacrifice and forbad that such as were shut up in Prisons should have any nourishment given them BUt when he perceived they would not obey him even in this in future he went to work bare-fac't as we say and gave order that the Civill Milice should be removed from their attendance upon the Praesidial Office unless they were willing to sacrifice to Daemons The Offices therefore of Magistrates throughout every Province were emptied of pious and religious persons And he himself who made this Law was deprived of the prayers of holy men which he had bereaved himself of What need we besides these things make mention in what manner he gave order that no person should shew compassion to those afflicted in Prisons by ministring food to them nor that any one should take commiseration of such as perished with Famine in their Bonds that is that not so much as one good man should exist nor that those who by nature it self are drawn to a compassion of their neighbours should do any thing of good Indeed this was clearly the most impudent and unjustest of Laws and far out-did the utmost ferity of Nature To which Law there was a penalty also annext that they who shewed compassion should suffer the same Inflictions with those to whom they shewed it and that such as performed Offices of Humanity should be lyable to punishment CHAP. LV. Concerning Licinius's Improbity and Avarice SUch were Licinius's Constitutions But what need we reckon up his Innovations concerning Marriages Or his new Laws in relation to such as are ending their lives Whereby he presumptuously abrogated the ancient good and wisely established Roman Laws and instead of them introduced certain barbarous and inhumane Ordinances Besides he found out a thousand sorts of Exactions towards his Subjects On which account he invented New Surveys of Lands that he might compute a small field to be greater in measure because of his insatiable desire after unequall Exactions For this reason he enrolled in his Censuall Tables the names of countrymen who were not alive but had been dead long before procuring to himself from hence a filthy and ignominious gain For his sordidness had no measure nor was his unsatiableness to be circumscribed by any Limit Wherefore when he had filled all his Treasuries with Gold Silver and immense quantities of Riches he sighed and lamented his Poverty his mind being disquieted with the disease of Tantalus Why should I mention what punishments of Exile he inflicted on Innocent persons What proscriptions of Goods What Imprisonments of men well-descended and of eminent quality whose young wives he delivered to some impure slaves that they might be most injuriously vitiated How many married women virgins and young maids he himself attempted to force though his Body was now rendred decrepit by age 'T is needless to enlarge upon these things in regard the exorbitancy of his last Actions hath evinced his former to be triviall and in a manner nothing CHAP. LVI That at length he undertook the raising a Persecution against the Christians IN fine he proceeded to that height of madness that he armed himself against the Churches and sets upon the Bishops whom he accounted to be his chiefest Adversaries and look't upon them as Enemies who were friends to the Pious and Great Emperour On which account he sharpned his fury most especially against them having forsaken the way of sober and right reason Nor did he take into consideration the memory of them who had Persecuted the Christians before him nor of those whose Destroyer and Punisher he himself had been appointed because of
sacrifice for religious duties viz. their Proscuchae and Synagogucs the difference between them was this the Proseucha was a Plot of ground encompassed with a wall or some other inclosure and open above the use of it was properly for prayer a Synagogue was a covered edifice where the Law and Prophets were read and expounded and the people instructed in divine matters besides the Synagogues were within the Proscuchae without the Cities They were in use before the Captivity as may be gathered from Jos. 24. 26. Psal. 74. 7. See Acts 16. 13. M r Mede c So Caligula was called to distinguish him from Jullus Caesar who was also called Caius and was deified Vales. d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Conspicuous Valesius translates it praesens praesentes dii sunt vel qui statim praestant vel qui coluntur videntur Donat. in Terent. Phorm That is the Propitious or Conspicuous gods were such as were at hand or such as were visible to the worshippers Hence Antiochus King of Syria was called Epiphanes by his flatterers e Valesius thinks that by this Second Book of Virtues must be understood Philo's Book in Flaccum and his reason is because Philo does no where else but in that Book relate the calamities that befell the Jews of Alexandria f Jos. Bell. Jud. L. 2. c. 8. * Joh. 19. 15. g In this place Eusebius is mistaken in that he thought that those things which Josephus relates concerning the images of Tiberius brought into the City of Jerusalem by Pilate happened after the death of Christ. But Josephus attests in the 2 d B. of the Jewish wars and in his 18 B. Antiq. that this happened at the beginning of Pilates Government Now Pilate was sent by Tiberius into Judea in the twelsth year of his Reign It s absurd therefore to say that those mischiefs which befell the Jews long before Christs death happened to them for no other cause than for their wickedness committed against Christ. Besides Eusebius thought that one and the same Act of Pilate's was mentioned both by Philo and Josephus But Josephus speaks of the Images of the Emperour and Philo of the guilded Bucklers which had no image but onely the name of the Emperour to whom they were dedicated and Pilate's name that made that dedication Moreover what Josephus relates happened in the first year of Pilates Government but what Philo reports came to pass when Pilate had been many years Governour Vales. h Corban comes from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies promiscuously to draw nigh and to offer the Evangelist renders Corban a gift Matth. 15. v. 5. i. e. that which is presented and consecrated to God in the Temple it signifies also the place where the Offerings so called were laid up D r Hammond a That is by reason of despair This is confirmed by Eusebius in his Chronicon In the third year of Caius Caligula says he P. Pilate falling into great troubles killed himself King Agrippa apud Philon. in Legat. ad Caium gives this description of this Pilate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is he was of an inflexible nature and withall arrogant and cruel which testimony is so much the more considerable because it came out of Agrippa's mouth who was an eye-witness of Pilates detestable acts A character well befitting him that condemned our Saviour Vales. b There were amongst the Grecians games instituted for the exercise of their youth to the honour of Jupiter Olympus neer unto whose Temple they were performed in the Olympian field The time was as onely Pindar has revealed at the full moon which followed the Summer Solstice They were celebrated every fifth year and the interval was called an OLYMPIAD consisting of four Julian years and the ódd Bissextile day The restitution of these Games by Iphitus is so much more taken notice of than the first celebration by Hercules That this which was many years after is yet accounted for the first Olympiad upon which the Grecian Chronology fixeth it self as upon the certain term to which their reckoning does refer See M r Jo. Gregory of Oxford de Aeris Epoch Acts 11. 28 29 30. Acts 12. 1 2. a It was usual for those that were accused to be brought before the judgment-seat by a Souldier or Apparator the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will bear that sense as well as Accuser but we have translated it Accuser upon the account of Clemens his following words saying that this person asked James forgiveness which if he had accused him he had reason to doe but had he been onely an Officer or Souldier and had done no more but brought in James before the judge he may seem to have done no more then the duty of his place what he was commanded and so needed not have asked James forgiveness Vales. * Acts 12. 3. c. b This Herod called also Agrippa was eldest son to Aristobulus by Bernice his Wife daughter of ' Salome Sister to Herod the great which Aristobulus was eldest son to Herod the great by his Wife Mariamne the Assamonean See Montagues Acts and Mon. chap. 4. Sect. 34. So that this Herod was Grandchild to Herod the great Joseph Antiq. B. 18. c. 7. * Joseph Antiq. B. 19. c. 7. a This Festival was instituted first by Herod the great in honour of Augustus in the 192 Olympiad says Josephus Antiq. L. 16. c. 9. at the City Caesarea Agrippa went to Caesarea to celebrate it in the 4 year of Claudius at the beginning of the 206 Olympiad Vales. b He means Syria or which was part of it Phoenicia which was called the Province to distinguish it from Judea where Agrippa then reigned Indeed Luke says expresly Acts 12. 20. that the principal men of Tyre were then present which Tyre was the chief City of Phoenicia Vales. c Josephus calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an owl See his words in the B. and chap. last cited d To wit in the reign of Tiberius when Agrippa being in bonds and leaning against a tree as he stood before the palace of Tiberius saw an owl sitting over his head A German being by one of his fellow prisoners foretold this to portend great felicity to Agrippa See the story at large in Joseph Antiq. B. 18. c. 8. e This was the usual posture of the Hebrew mourners See Job 2. 3. Esai 47. 5. Lament 2. 10. Jonah 3. 6 c. consonant hereunto the Reverses of the medalls both of Vespasian and Titus made for the memory and celebration of the conquest of Judea were imprinted with a silent woman sitting on the ground and leaning her back to a palm-tree with this inscription Judaea Capta i. e. Judea subdued Note here that the Reverses made to commit victories to memory were always written upon with some representation of proper respect to the place conquered I know the posture of sitting is a ceremony of Roman lamentation too But it was first used among the Jews from whom the
not yet perswaded me to believe that the Legion Melitina was named the Lightning Legion upon that account Some may object that there was indeed a Legion called the Lightning Legion before Antoninus's time but that he gave the Legion Melitina that name also because of the benefit he received by their means But if it were so it ought to be called the second Lightning Legion and yet Dio makes no mention of any such Legion although he reckons up exactly all the Legions enrolled by the former Emperours Moreover Dio says that the Lightning Legion had its station in Cappadocia which agrees very well with the Legion Melitina In the book called Notitia Imperii Romani the prefecture of the 12 Legion termed Fulminea at Melitina is reckoned under the disposition of the Duke of Armenia Whence t is collected that Melitina was not the name of the Legion but of the Town wherein the 12 Legion called Fulminea abode But 't was not usual to give the Legions their denomination from the places where they were in Garison but from the Countreys wherein they were inrolled Therefore what Eusebius says concerning the Legion Melitina seems to me scarce probable Besides Rufinus purposely omitted this name of the Legion as I suppose because he knew that Melitina was the name of a Town in Armenia the less wherein the 12 Legion called Fulminea kept guard in his time But that I may freely say what I think it seems not very probable to me that a whole Legion of Roman Souldiers should at that time be Christians which yet Eusebius seems to affirm who errs in this also because he has not produced the place of Apollinaris nor shown the book wherein he wrote these things But the words with which Eusebius closes this whole story doe sufficiently shew that he himself doubted of the truth of this matter for thus he says in this chap. Let every one determine concerning these things according to his own pleasure Vales. e Tertullians words are these At nos è contrario èdimus protectorem si litera Marci Aurelii gravissimi Imperatoris requirantur quibus illam Germanicam sitim Christianorum forte militum precationibus impetrato imbriodis cussam contestatur Tertul. Apol. pag. 6. Edit Regal Paris 1634. f Quales ergo leges istae quas adversus nos soli exequntur impii injusti turpes truces vani dementes Quas Trajanus ex parte frustratus est vetando inquiri Christianos quas nullus-Hadrianus quanquam curiositatum omnium explorator nullus Vespasianus quanquam Judaeorum debellator nullus Pius nullus Verus impressit Tertul. Apol. pag. 6 and 7. Edit as before We have added these words of Tertullian here that the learned Reader may see how different the translation Eusebius here quotes is from the original copies of Tertullian which we now have g Baronius has placed the election of Irenaeus to the See of Lyons on the year of Christ 180. For after the death of Pothinus which happened in the year 179 he says that See was vacant till the heat of the persecution was over Vales. D r Cave in his Chronological Table says Pothinus died in the year of Christ 177 to whom succeeded Irenaeus the year following * 2 Tim. 4. 21. a Our M. SS copies read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I doctrine I would rather read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 succession as Christophorson S r Hen. Savill and the old Translatour of Irenaeus read it Vales. a The Mâ—â— Med. Fuk. and Savill M. SS read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 prayer the Kings M. S. and Robert Stephens 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 purity Vales. a These words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. of which number Irenaeus was one seem to be superfluous and written in the margin onely by some Scholiast But they are in the Maz. Med. Fuk. and Savil. M. SS Vales. b Irenaeus in that he affirms here that The Gospel according to Mark was written after the death of Paul and Peter does contradict what Eusebius related before at the 15 th chap. of the second book where he says Mark 's Gospel was publish't at Rome whilest Peter was alive and approved of by that Apostle But 't is no wonder that the antient fathers disagree amongst themselves in this matter seeing we have almost nothing of certainty about the writing of the sacred Gospels save that they are four and written by four several Authours But when or for what reason they were written and whether the Gospel of S. Matthew were first penned in Hebrew it s not very evident Vales. c All the ancient Ecclesiastick Writer as before was noted call that book the Wisedom of Solomon which we now call the Proverbi But that B. entitled now the Wisedom of Solomon is Apocryphal Vales. d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the term here in the original does properly signifie the sayings of wise men which are repeated by heart Vales. e Irenaeus is the ancientest writer that makes mention of Theodotion Wherefore we will see if from hence we can make out the time when Theodotion lived Epiphanius in his book de ponderib says Theodotion flourished under Commodus and then put forth his translation The Chronicon of Alexandria follows Epiphanius's opinion and says he publisht that work in the sixth year of the Emperour Commodus I Judge Theodotion to be somewhat ancienter For seeing Irenaeus has mentioned him in his books against Heresies which books t is manifest he wrote when Eleutherus was Bishop of Rome for he says so in the 3 d B. of thaâ— work we must necessarily grant that Theodotion flourisht before Eleutherus was made Bishop of Rome Vales. f Some of the Ancients doe declare that the Greek translation of the holy Scriptures was performed under Ptolemaeus the son of Lagus others mention it to have been done under Ptolemaeus Philadelphus Which latter opinion in that 't is confirmed by the authority of the greater number of writers has at last prevailed Anatolius says the translation of the 72 was made both in the Reign of Ptolomy the Son of Lagus and also in that of his successour Philadelphus which to me seems very probable For seeing Aristobulus Josephus and Tertullian doe say in express words that Demetrius Phalereus put Ptolomy upon this business and it being manifest that the said Demetrius was in great favour with and authority under Ptolomy the son of Lagus and died soon after him we must necessarily say that this translation if it were done by the procurement of Demetrius was begun in the Reign of Ptolomy the son of Lagus And seeing that Philadelphus reigned about two years together with his father being made his Colleague in the Kingdom therefore perhaps 't is related that this translation was made under both the Princes Vales. The Learned Petavius is of the same opinion with Valesius in this matter as may be seen from his Annotations on Epiphanius's Book de ponderib pag. 379. Edit Paris 1622. g Cleâ—oens Alexandrinus says
are wanting in the Maz. and Fuk. M. SS They are in the Kings M. S. And in the Med. M. S. they are written at the margin here in the same hand in which that M. S. is written Moreover although Eusebius here says he before related that Maximianus Herculius re-assumed the Imperial dignity yet hitherto I cannot find the place where Eusebius has said this Vales. n 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the expression here is to be understood in the same sense with that we explained a little before in this chapter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the first that was deisied See note i. in this thirteenth chapter Vales. * To Maximianus a Aurelius Victor in the life of Maxentius says the same adeo saevus uti praetorianis caedem vulgi quondam annuerit he was so cruel that one time he connived at his Guards for killing the common people Constantine having vanquished Maxentius did quite put down the Praetorian Cohorts i. e. those Souldiers whose office it was to guard the Emperours body upon pretence of this slaughter here mentioned they made among the common people but in reality that they should not attempt any alterations in the government nor make Emperours as they had done Maxentius whom they proclaimed Augustus Moreover Zosimus tells the same story here mentioned by our Eusebius but a little otherwise For he relates that when the temple of the God Genius at Rome was accidentally fired and the people flockt together to quench the fire a Souldier who derided this God of the Gentiles was killed by the common people upon which there immediately happened so great an uproar amongst the Souldiers that the whole City had been destroyed had not Maxentius intervened Vales. b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So our Authour words it in the Greek They were called Sâ—cerdotes i. e. chief Priests by the Gentiles who had the Temples of a whole Province under their care but the Flamines the Priests were those who in every Town and City took care of the performance of their Religious Rites See Valesius's notes on Amm. Marcellinus Book 28. pag. 375. Moreover Maximinus must not be supposed to have been the first that instituted these chief Priests of the Provinces for there were such Priests long before his time But Maximinus increased their honour and allowed them a guard i. e. Lictors and Apparitors thâ—se chief Priests of the Provinces were made out of the body of the Curiales i. e. those that were of the Court or Senate in every City see Valesius's notes on Amm. Marcell B. 28. p. 374. who had before born all publick Offices and discharged them worthily This place of high Priest of a Province was accounted so honourable that he that bore it took place of the Magistrates or Duumviri See the Gesta purgat Caeciliani B. 9. chap. 4. These high Priests had the power of entring into the secretum of the Judges and of being assessours with them as appears from the Acts of Theodorus the Martyr at November 9. c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Musculus translates it Statutis Laws Christophorson mandaâ—is commands Valesius indictionibus imposts or taxes Our Eusebius uses the same term at chap. 8. B. 10. Where speaking of Licinius he says 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. he invented several sorts of Taxes against his Subjects See book 10. chap. 8. note d. d See Eusebius's oration concerning the praises of Constantine c. 7. where this passage is repeated almost in the same words Vales. * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the term in the Greek Valesius renders it Clavorum suffixiones the being fastned with nails perhaps our Authour means crucifixion e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the expression in the Greek Some words seem to be wanting which may be thus supplied 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 having requested a short space of time for a recess Eusebius used the same phrase before when he spake of the Antiochian woman who with the two Virgins leapt into the River Vales. f At the margin of the Maz. and Savill M. SS I found this Scholion written for the explication of these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. How does this man admire those women who were the authours of their own deaths And yes the Judgment of the Church is not to record them amongst the number of the Martyrs who have been their own executioners For 't is an argument of fear rather than courage by death to prevent the dread of punishment But the Church looks upon those as Martyrs who suppose nothing to be dreadfull upon account of the confession of Christ but with alacrity suffer all tortures that a Tyrannick and devilish subtilty can produce against them The Authour of this Scholion has made a true remark to wit that the Church approves not of self-murder when men out of a fear of death or through desperation lay violent hands on themselves But as often as they are dâ—iven to do that by the instinct of the divine spirit which â—arely happens then the Church approves and admires that act but proposes it not for imitation See what S t Augustine thought concerning this matter in his first Book De civitate Dei chap. 26. Vales. a The persecution began in the year of Christ 303 when Diocletian was in his 8 th an Maximian in his 7 th consulate It ended in the year of Christ 312 then when Constantine having conquered Maxentius sent letters to Maximinus Emperour of the East to procure liberty for the Christians as our Eusebius relates in Book 9. Therefore the persecution lasted ten years as 't is here affirmed And so the years are noted in the M. S. copies of Eusebius's Chronicon as Pontacus has observed Epiphanius therefore is mistaken who in his Book De ponder Mensur says this persecution lasted twelve years See the following chapter where our Authour relates that the persecution ceased on the tenth year Vales. a At these words we began the 16 th chapter agreable to the Maz and Fuk M. SS But in the Med M. S. which Rob. Stephens followed in the distinction of the chapters there is no new chapter began here Vales. b He means Maximianus Galerius as 't is apparent from the following words for he was the Authour of the persecution raised against the Christians Rufinus in the 1â— th chapter of this book speaks thus concerning Gâ—lerius Ille verò qui â—i secundus â—n honore postmâ—dum etiam in primis successor â—uit qui in centor ac â—ignifâ—r nostra persecutionis extiterat c. i. e. But he who was the next in honour to him afterwards succeeded him in the first and chiefest place who also was the incendiary and first beginner of our persecution c. Cedrenus attests the same Vales. * Matth. 18. 7. c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He means his genitals which Victor in his Epitomo does confirm Galerius Maximianus says he consumptis genitalibus defecit d The phrase in the Greek is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉