head but have exhibited many glorious evidences of a vigorous and Juvenile Vertue You to whom God who comprehendeth the whole world hath granted the special prerogative of building and renewing this terrestrial Temple for Christ his only begotten and his first born word and for his holy and sacred Spouse You whom one may term either a new Beseleel the Architect of the holy Tabernacle or another Salomon King of a new and far more excellent Jerusalem or a second Zorobabel in regard You have added a far greater splendour to the Temple of God than it had before Also You the Sheep of Christ's sacred flock the Seat and Mansion of good Doctrines the School of modesty and the Reverend and Religious Auditory of piety We who have long since heard by reading the holy Scriptures the Miraculous works of God and the loving kindness of the Lord declared by his wonders towards mankind may now sing Hymns and Psalms to God being instructed to say O God we have heard with our ears our fathers have told us the work which thou didst in their days in the times of old But now having not barely by hearing and reports only perceived the exalted Arm and celestial right hand of our all good and supream God and King but in reality and as we may say with these very eyes seen the truth and verity of those things which were heretofore recorded we may sing a second triumphant Hymn and breake forth into these express words saying Like as we have heard so have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts in the city of our God But in what City except in this new built and framed by God Which is the Church of the living God the Pillar and ground of the truth Concerning which another divine Oracle speaketh thus Very excellent things are spoken of thee thou city of God In which Church since God the giver of all good by the Grace of his only begotten Son hath convened us let every one here assembled cry out with a loud voice as it were and say I was glad when they said unto me we will go into the house of the Lord. And again Lord I have loved the beauty of thine house and the place where thine honour dwelleth And not only every particular person but let us all together rejoyce and shout forth praises with one spirit and one mind saying Great is the Lord and highly to be praised in the city of our God even upon his holy hill For he is truly great and his house is great lofty and spacious and more beautiful than the sons of men Great is the Lord who only doth marvellous things Great is he who doth magnificent things and such as are past finding out glorious and stupendious of which there is no number Great is he who altereth times and seasons who deposeth and constituteth Kings who raiseth up the poor from the earth and exalteth the beggar from the dunghil He hath thrust down the mighty from their seats and hath exalted the humble from the earth He hath filled the hungry with good things and hath broken in pieces the armes of the proud Not only amongst the Faithful but amongst the Infidels also he hath confirmed the authority of those relations heretofore recorded of him of old 'T is he who worketh miracles 't is he that doth great things 't is he who is Lord of all he who is the framer of the whole world he who is Almighty All-good he that is the one and only God In obedience to whom let us sing a new song to him who only doth wonderful things for his mercy endureth for eveâ—â— Who smote great Kings and slew mighty Kings for his mercy endureth for ever For the Lord remembred us when we were in a low condition and hath redeemed us from our Enemies And let us never cease thus to praise God the Father of all Also him who is the second Author of all good to us who is our Master in instructing us in the knowledge of God the Teacher of true piety the destroyer of the wicked the slayer of Tyrants the reformer of our lives Jesus our Saviour when we were in despair him let us extol having his name always in our mouth For he alone who is the only and Best Son of the Best and greatest Father in complyance with his Father's love to mankind most willingly cloathed himself with our nature who were buried in Corruption and like a careful Physician who for the healths sake of his Patients looks into the wounds lightly stroketh the sores and from other mens calamities attracteth grievances upon himself he himself hath by himself saved us who were not only diseased and oppressed with foul ulcers and wounds already putrified but also lay amongst the dead from the very Jaws of death For there was no other in heaven that had so much power as inoffensively to minister health to so many it was he only therefore who after he had touched our burdensome corruption he alone who after he had endur'd our labours he alone who after he had taken upon himself the punishment of our impieties raised us when we were not only half dead but lay altogether impure and stincking in the Graves and Sepulchers and both in times past and now through his earnest compassion towards us even beyond our hopes and expectations preserveth us and imparteth to us an exuberancy of his Fathers good things T is he who is the Authour of life the Introducer of light our great Physician King Lord and the Anointed of God But even then when all mankind by the wiles of detestable Devils and the operations of spirits hated by God lay buried in an obscure night and thick darkness he only by his appearance with the rayes of his light dissolv'd the manifold chains of our sins like melting wax And now when by reason of his so great love and beneficence towards us the envious Devil Enemy to all that is good and the favourer of evil was in a manner burst with grief and marshalled all his fatal forces against us and when at first having like a mad Dog who with his teeth gnaws the stones that were thrown at him spending the fury he was put into against those that provoked him upon the liveless things thrown at him turn'd his beastly rage upon the stones of the Oratories and upon the sensless piles of the buildings he thought with himself that he had procur'd the utter desolation of the Churches also when afterwards he sent forth terrible hissings and his serpentine expressions one while by the menaces of impious Tyrants at another time by the blasphemous Decrees of profane Presidents and moreover belched forth the virulency of his death and with his venemous and deadly potions poisoned those souls that were captivated by him and had in a manner destroyed them by the pernicious sacrifices of dead Idols when lastly he
their bold attempts and this they did not whilst they were surrounded with the delights and pleasures of Life for thus any one might perhaps suppose that they performed this with a regard to kindness and clemency but at such time as they were pursued with stripes inflicted on them from Heaven Who after so many and such impetuous storms of Persecution and in the very heat and extremity of dangers thorowout the whole world kept fixt to the Precepts of His Divine Doctrine infinite numbers of men that were zealous followers of a Philosophick Life and strict worshippers of the Deity also women that were in Holy Orders and Quires of Virgins which Dedicated the whole time of their Lives to a perpetual chastity of body and mind and taught them abstinence from food and most willingly to continue without meat and wine during the space of many days and to lead a hard and austere oourse of life with a singular modesty and temperance Who hath so far prevailed upon women and numerous multitudes of men that they should exchange the food of their Bodies for that rational food that agrees with their rational souls which food is gotten by a perusal of Divine Lessons Who hath taught Barbarians and Peasants women children and servants and innumerable multitudes of all Nations to despise Death and to perswade themselves that their Souls are immortal and that there is an Eye of justice which inspects humane affairs and that they should expect a future judgment from God to pass upon the pious and the impious and that for that reason they ought to lead just holy and sober lives For 't is in no wise possible that those who are not thus disposed should submit themselves to the yoke of piety All which egregious performances are even at this present accomplished only by Our Saviour But let us omit these things Come on we will now apply our selves to a conviction of Him whose mind is as hard as flint by such interrogatories as these Tell me Friend and utter words that are rational Let your expressions be the products not of a foolish and stupid heart but of a soul endued with reason and understanding Tell me I say after you have often and duely weighed the matter with your self Which of all the Sages who in times past have been famous was known in the same manner with Our Saviour and proclaimed so infinite a number of ages since by the Oracles of the Prophets amongst the children of the Hebrews anciently God's beloved people Who in their minds had a fore-knowledge of the place of His Birth and of the times of His Coming and of His manner of Life of His Miracles likewise of His Discourses and of His famous actions and left them on record in the sacred Volumns Who hath shown Himself so swift a Revenger of those audacious Attempts against Himself that immediately after that impious fact committed against Himself the whole Nation of the Jews should be pursued and punished by an invisible Power and their Royal Seat utterly demolished and overthrown from its very foundations and the Temple together with all the Ornaments and rich furniture therein levell'd with the Ground Who hath uttered predictions both concerning those impious men and also in reference to the Church founded by Him over the whole world exactly correspondent to the affairs themselves and hath actually demonstrated and confirm'd the truth of those Predictions in such a manner as Our Saviour hath done Concerning the Temple of the Impious He had said Behold your house is left to you desolate and there shall not remain a stone upon a stone in this place which shall not be thrown down But concerning His own Church He spake in this manner I will build my Church upon a rock and the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it To have brought at first from fishing men that were contemptible and illiterate and afterwards to have constituted them Law-givers and Teachers to the whole world what and how mighty a thing does this seem to You As for His promise to them that He would make them Fishers of men He not only uttered it in words but performed it actually and abundantly and conferr'd on them so great a degree of strength and power that they composed writings and published Books and the authority of all those Books was so great that being rendred into all Languages as well of Greeks as Barbarians thorowout the whole world they are studiously read by all Nations and the Contents of them are believed to be divine Oracles of how mighty a prevalency is this in order to a clear demonstration of His Divinity How considerable likewise is that namely that He foretold things future and long before it hapned assured His disciples that they should be brought before Kings and Princes and should be punished and undergo the extreamest of Torments not for any foul act of their own but only on account of their confession of His Name Moreover that He fitted and prepared them chearfully to endure these things and so fortified them with the Arms of Piety that in their Conflicts with their adversaries their minds appeared firmer than an Adamant what powerfulness of expression is it which that matter does not exceed Likewise that not only those who had followed Him but their successours also and again they who immediately succeeded them and at length such as have lived in this our present age should with so undaunted a resolution unite the Forces of their minds that although they had done nothing worthy of death yet with pleasure would endure all manner of punishments and every sort of Torture on account of their eximious Piety towards the supream God what degree of admiration does not this surpass What King did ever continue His Reign during so vast a number of Ages Who does thus wage war after death and does erect Trophies over His Enemies and does subdue every place Country and City as well Grecian as Barbarian and does vanquish His Opposers by an invisible and latent Hand And which is the chiefest thing of all that hath been hitherto rehearsed that Peace by His Power procured for the whole world concerning which we have already spoken what we judged agreeable how should it not stop the mouthes of all slanderers In as much as the Unity and Concord of all Nations did really concur in time with the Preaching of Our Saviour and with the Doctrine by Him disseminated over the whole world and in regard both of them had long before been foretold by the Prophets of God I mean the Universal Peace of the Nations and the Doctrine delivered by Christ to the Nations The whole length of the day would be insufficient for me Dread Sir should I attempt to sum up in one those most clear and cogent arguments of Our Saviour's Divine Power drawn from the things which are
than when the Christians were put to flight and murdered in all Cities not by an incursion of Enemies and Barbarians but of their own Fellow-Citizens Vales. †Or The Oracles of the Tripods were made false a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It must be written 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or if you will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which reading we have followed in our Version Portesius also and Morinus understood these words concerning the Pythia or Priestess of Apollo But in the excellent Fuketian Manuscript this whole place is written thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. For this reason he Apollo suffered his mournfull long hair to hang down neglected c whereto agrees S r Henry Savils Copy Presently in the same Copies the reading is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in what manner of end these things terminated Vales. †Or Call upon a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the Greek Title of this chapter 't is truer written 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a youth For Constantine was not then a child when as an Hostage he resided at Diocletian's Court. For he was delivered by his Father Constantius to Diocletian on the year of Christ 291 after Constantius had been made Caesar by Diocletian At which time Constantine was about 15 years old For he dyed on the year of Christ 337 in the 62 year of his age Vales. * Or Deceived in mind by errour b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the Fuk. and Savil. Manascripts the reading is truer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 't is the same in the King's Copy Vales. * Or Invented c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He alludes to the point of an instrument to write with Constantine expresses himself with much of Eloquence in saying that those Laws concerning the Persecution of the Christians were written with the bloudy points of Swords So some of the Ancients tell us that Drâ—co's Laws were written with bloud not with ink Vales. d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to produce I had rather say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to stretch which is an usual expression with Eusebius Vales. * Or That gravity of piety a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So above at book 1. chap. 27 Eusebius speaking of Severus Caesar says 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 became a cheap and easie sacrifice of death where see what we have noted concerning that expression For the Translatours perceived nothing here Vales. In the Greek Text of Valesius's Edition the term 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is left out but it occurs in Robert Stephens b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the Fuketian Copy the reading is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A little after in the same Copy and in the Kings Sheets 't is written 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vales. The reading in Robert Stephens is the same also * Kept or Preserved †Or The rites of their Sanctimony * Or Mixt together * Or Greatest †Or Reach forth ‖ Or Power a He means The Catholick Church which in the next chapter he terms the House of Truth In the sacred Scriptures 't is called The Pillar and Ground of Truth A little after from the Fuketian and Savil. Manuscripts and from the King's Sheets write 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. which those detestable c. Vales. * Or By a wickedness of demolishment a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the Fuketian Copy the reading is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But that is the true reading which I found in the Kings Sheets 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which indeed is far more elegant and we have rendred it accordingly Vales. b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The meaning is Let every one follow what religion he has a mind to By which words Constantine leaves His Subjects an entire Liberty of worshipping the Deity according as every one shall have a mind For the Most Religious Prince earnestly desired indeed that all Mortalls should come to the Faith of Christ but he never compelled any one to that He wish't that the Heathens were freed from their Pristine Errour notwithstanding he prohibited not the Ceremonies and sacrifices of the Temples as he himself attests hereafter at chap. 60. Vales. ‖ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Valesius renders it quam nascentibus nobis donasti which thou gavest us when born I understand neither the Emperour's nor Valesius's meaning a Concerning the Originall and Antiquity of the Christian Religion Eusebius writes the same in the beginning of his Ecclesiastick History and in his books de Evangelicâ Demonstratione Vales. * Or Concerning Thy Self * Charge or Administration †Or Way ‖ Or Circuit * Or Station a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to a set time as Christophorson seems to have read And so the reading is in the Fuketian and Savilian Manuscripts Vales. †Or Slides by ‖ Or Usefull advantages b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is so manifold a divinity to wit of the Sun Moon Stars and Elements concerning which he hath spoken above For all these unless they were governed by the Beck and Power of one God would likewise be Gods 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 therefore imports a power subject to no dominion which we commonly term an Independency which is proper to God only Vales. c He means the Gods of the Heathens as I have said above to wit the Sun Moon and the rest of the Elements of the world which Antiquity worshipped for Gods Presently from the Fuketian Copy write 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the reading also is in the Kings Sheets Vales. * Or Studies †Or The Discipline is confirmed c. a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the Fuketian and S r Henry Savils Copy the reading is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. who are sincerely studious of Virtue Vales. b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is whosoever suffers not himself to be cured or freed from the disease of Idolatry let him impute it to himself in regard the Medicine is ready Christophorson has rendred this place ill thus alteri qui sanari vult non vitio vertat let him not blame another who has a mind to be cured I say nothing concerning Portesius who wanders from the true sense almost every where But Musculus has rendred these words not unhappily Vales. †Or Presides over the Cure ‖ Or The common Inheritance of that good given us Valesius renders it The fellowship a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the Kings Copy 't is over written in the same hand 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 received Both readings may be born with Vales. b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the faith of the Truth That is The true Faith For 't is the same as if he should have said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Truth of the Faith He expresses himself so again hereafter Vales. c These words are taken out of S t Paul's Epist. to the Colos. chap. 1. v. 13. Further as he here terms Gentilism the power of darkness
which he was upon to the Studious in sacred matters About the same time Eusebius comprized a Description of the Jerusalem-Church and of the sacred Gifts which had been consecrated there in a small Book and Dedicated it to the Emperour Constantine Which Book together with his Tricennalian Oration he had plac'd at the close of his Books concerning the Life of Constantine But this Book is not now extant At the same time also Five Books were written by Eusebius against Marcellus the last three whereof De Ecclesiasticâ Theologiâ he Dedicated to Flaccillus Bishop of Antioch Now Flaccillus entred upon that Bishoprick a little before the Synod of Tyre which was conven'd in the Consulate of Constantius and Albinus on the year of Our Lord's Nativity 335. 'T is certain Eusebius in his First Book against Marcellus De Ecclesiasticâ Theologiâ Chap. 14 writes in express words that Marcellus had been deservedly condemned by the Church Now Marcellus was first condemned in the Constantinopolitan Synod by those very Bishops who had consecrated Constantine ' s Church at Jerusalem that is on the year of Christ 335 or else 336 as Baronius will have it Indeed Socrates acknowledges but Three Books of Eusebius ' s against Marcellus those namely which are entituled De Ecclesiasticâ Theologiâ whereas nevertheless the whole Work against Marcellus was by Eusebius comprized in Five Books Farther of all Eusebius's Books the last seem to be those Four concerning the Life of Constantine For they were written after the death of that Emperour whom Eusebius did not long survive For he dyed about the beginning of Constantius Augustus ' s Reign a little before the death of Constantine Junior which hapned when Acindynus and Proculus were Consuls on the year of Christ 340 as may be gathered from Socrates's Second Book Now what Scaliger says in his Animadversions upon Eusebius pag. 250 of the last Edition that Eusebius's Books against Prophyrius were written under Constantius Son to Constantine the Great can't so easily be admitted of by us in regard 't is confirmed by the Testimony of no ancient Writer But what the same Scaliger adds in that very place that the three last Books of The Evangelick Demonstration the eighteenth namely ninteenth and twentieth were written by Eusebius against Prophyrius therein he does manifestly blunder Saint Jerome writes indeed that Eusebius answered Porphyrius in three Volumes that is in the eighteenth nineteenth and twentieth who in the twelfth and thirteenth of those Books which he published against the Christians had attempted to confute the Book of the Prophet Daniel But Saint Jerome does not mean Eusebius's Books concerning Evangelick Demonstration as Scaliger thought but the Books he wrote against Porphyrius which had this Title 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Books of Confutation and Apology as may be gathered from Photius's Bibliotheca Farther I am of Opinion that these Books were written by Eusebius after his Ecclesiastick History And this I conjecture from hence because Our Eusebius in the Sixth Book of his Ecclesiastick History where he produces a famous passage out of Porphyrius's Third Book against the Christians makes no mention of those Books wherein he had answered Porphyrius whenas nevertheless he is wont to be a diligent Quoter of his own works and does frequently referre the Studious to the reading of them But because a fit opportunity presents it self I have a mind to make some few Remarks here concerning his Books of Ecclesiastick History For on their account chiefly all this Labour hath been undertaken by us Indeed much hath been written by Our Eusebius for the profit and advantage of the Catholick Church and in confirmation of the truth of the Christian faith partly against the Jews and partly against the Heathens Nevertheless amongst all his Books his Ecclesiastick History does deservedly bear away the Bell. For before Eusebius many persons had written Books in defence of the Christian Faith and by most cogent Reasons had confuted the Jews Contumacy and the Errour of the Heathens But there was no person before Eusebius who would deliver to posterity an History of Ecclesiastick Affairs On which account Our Eusebius is the more to be commended who was both the first that found out this Subject and also after he had attempted it left it entire and perfect in every respect 'T is certain although many have been found after him who incited by his example have undertaken to commit to writing Ecclesiastick matters yet they have all begun their History from those times wherein Our Eusebius had closed his Work but the History of the foregoing times which he had set forth in Ten Books they have left to him entire and untoucht Wherefore should any one have a mind to term him the Father and Founder of Ecclesiastick History truly that person would seem to give him this surname not absurdly nor without cause Now what way Eusebius applied himself to this Subject 't is not hard to conjecture For whereas in the last part of his Chronical Canons he had accurately noted the Time of Our Lords Coming and of his passion the names also of the Bishops who had sate in the four chief Churches and of the famous men who had flourished in the Church and lastly in their own time and order had digested the Heresies and Persecutions wherewith the Church had been disquieted He was led by the hand as 't were by little and little to the writing an Ecclesiastick History that he might handle those matters more largely and copiously in his Ecclesiastick History which in his Chronical Canons he had comprized in a Summary as ' t were Indeed he himself in the Preface to his Ecclesiastick History does plainly shew that which I have said Where also he requests that Pardon may be granted him by candid Readers if peradventure he shall not so largely and copiously pursue and finish this Subject for he says that he was the first person who applied himself to this sort of writing and first began to walk in a way which had not before been worn by any one's footsteps But this may seem to some persons not so much an excuse and desire of Pardon as an endeavour to procure praise and glory Farther notwithstanding it appears evident from Eusebius ' s own Testimony that he wrote his Ecclesiastick History after his Chronological Canons yet 't is strange that Both those Works proceed to one and the same Limit namely to Constantine's twentieth year which was the year of Christ 325. That moreover may deservedly be wondred at that although the Nicene Synod was celebrated on Constantine's Vicennalia yet no mention is made of it either in his Chronicon or Ecclesiastick History For whereas in his Latine Chronicon at the Fifteenth year of Constantine these words occur Alexandrinae Ecclesiae 19. ordinatur Episcopus Alexander c Alexander is ordained the nineteenth Bishop of the Alexandrian Church by whom Arius the Presbyter being ejected out of that
the faith dedicated to Adrian And this mans book is to this day preserved by many persons CHAP. IV. Who were ennobled with the Title of Bishops over the Roman and Alexandrian Churches in this Emperours time IN the third year of Adrians Empire Alexander the Bishop of Rome died having compleated the tenth year of his administration Xystus was successour to him and about that time Primus dying in the twelfth year of his Presidency over the Alexandrian Church Justus succeeded him CHAP. V. Who were Bishops of Jerusalem from our Saviour even to these times MOreover the space of time which the Bishops of Jerusalem spent in their Presidency over that See I could in no wise find preserved in writing For as report says they were very short lived But thus much I have been informed of from old records that unto the Siege of the Jews in Adrian's time there were in number fifteen successions of Bishops there all whom they say were by birth Hebrews who had sincerely embraced the knowledge of Christ in so much that by those who were then able to give judgment as to such matters they were approved to be worthy of the Episcopal Office For that whole Church at Jerusalem was made up of believing Jews who had continued steadfast in the faith from the Apostles times even to the then Siege wherein the Jews revolting again from the Romans were vanquished and destroyed by no small wars The Bishops therefore that were of the circumcision then ceasing it will be now requisite to give a catalogue of them in their order from first to last The first therefore was James called the brother of the Lord after him the second was Simeon the third Justus the fourth Zaccheus the fifth Tobias the sixth Benjamin the seventh John the eighth Matthias the ninth Philip the tenth Seneca the eleventh Justus the twelfth Levi the thirteenth Ephres the fourteenth Joseph the fifteenth and last Judas And thus many were the Bishops of the City of Jerusalem from the Apostles to this time we are now treating of all which were of the Circumcision But now Adrian being in the twelfth year of his Empire Telesphorus the seventh from the Apostles succeeded Xystus who had compleated the tenth year of his Episcopal Office over the Romans and within a years space and some months Eumenes the sixth in order succeeded in the Presidency over the Alexandrian Church his immediate predecessour there having sate eleven years CHAP. VI. The last Siege of the Jews in the time of Adrian BUt when the rebellion of the Jews again increased exceedingly Rufus the president of Judea having had auxiliary forces sent him from the Emperour marched out against them and making use of their madness and desperation as an occasion of his sparing none he slew Myriads together both of men women and children and by the Law of war reduced their country to servitude and subjection to the Romans The Leader of the Jews at that time was by name Barchochebas a name indeed that signifies a Star but otherwise he was a man that was a murderer and a robber who by reason of his name did monstrously pretend to his followers being slaves that he was a star come down from heaven to enlighten them who were now oppressed with servitude But the war growing sharp in the eighteenth year of Adrian's Empire at the City Betthera which was the best fortified place and not far distant from Jerusalem and the Siege continuing a long time the innovatours also having been utterly destroyed by famine and thirst and the authour of this their madness undergone condigne punishment from that time that whole Nation was altogether interdicted to enter into the country about Jerusalem the Law Edict and Sanctions of Adrian having commanded them that they should not so much as from a far off behold their paternal soyle Ariston of Pella relates this Thus the City being made destitute of the Jewish Nation and wholly cleared of its old inhabitants was possessed by forreigners that dwelt there and afterwards made a Roman City and changing its name was in honour of the Emperour Aelius Adrianus called Aelia And when there was a Church there gathered of the Nations that dwelt in it Mark was the first who after the Bishops of the circumcision undertook the publick administration of matters there CHAP. VII Who at that time were the Authours of false doctrine NOw the Churches throughout the whole world shining like most bright stars and the faith in our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ flourishing among all mankind the Devil that hater of good as being always the enemy of truth and most malicious impugner of mans salvation using all his arts and stratagems against the Church at first armed himself against it with outward persecutions But then afterwards being excluded from them he made his assaults by other methods making use of evil men and Impostours as being the pernitious instruments for destroying of souls and ministers of perdition devising all ways whereby these impostours and deceivers cloathing themselves with the title of our Religion might both lead into the Pit of destruction those of the Faithfull whom they had enticed to themselves and also divert such as were unskilfull in the Faith from the way that leads to the comfortable Word by such means as they attempted to put in practise From that Menander therefore whom we a little before manifested to have been the successour of Simon there was hatcht a Serpentine breed double mouthed as it were and double headed which constituted the Founders of two different and disagreeing Heresies Saturninus by birth an Antiochian and Basilides an Alexandrian whereof the former in Syria the other in Egypt set up Schools of most detestable Heresies Moreover Irenaeus makes it manifest that Saturninus feigned mostly the same things that Menander did but that Basilides under a pretext of more mystical matters most mightily enlarged his inventions forming monstrous and fabulous fictions for the making up of his impious Heresie There being many Ecclesiastical men therefore who at that time were defenders of the Truth and eloquent maintainers of the Apostolical and Ecclesiastical doctrine some of them forthwith comprized in writing explanatory accounts of the fore-manifested Heresies which they left as cautions and preventions to posterity of which there is come to our hands a most strenuous confutation of Basilides of Agrippa Castor's a most eminent Writer in those times wherein he discovers the horrible imposture of the man disclosing therefore his secrets he says that he made four and twenty books upon the Gospel and that he counterfeited for himself Prophets named by him Barcabbas and Barcoph and some others who never were in being and that he gave them barbarous names to astonish those who were admirers of such things and that he taught that it was a thing indifferent to taste of meats offered to Idols and that in times of persecutions those did
to send this Edict to the Common-Council of Asia CHAP. XIII The Rescript of Antoninus to the Common Council of Asia concerning our Religion THe Emperour Caesar Mareus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus Armenicus Pontifex Maximus Tribune of the People XV Consul III. to the Common Councill of Asia sendeth greeting We know indeed that the Gods doe take care this sort of men should not continue undiscovered For it is much more sutable for them to punish such as resuse to pay them Adoration than for you You confirm those whom you molest and disquiet in their opinion which they have embraced whilest you accuse them of impiety And it would please them much more to seem to be accused and put to death for their own God than to live upon which account they are become conquerours and doe willingly lose their lives rather than they will be induced to doe what you command them But concerning the Earthquakes which either have been or yet doe happen it will not be inconvenient to advertise you because you despond and are out of heart when such accidents come to pass to compare your manner of life and behaviour with theirs They at such times put a greater confidence in God but you during the whole time upon which account you seem to us to err through ignorance neglect the Gods and are careless both of all other religious performances and also of the worship of the immortal God And the Christians who adore him you are enraged at and persecute even to death Concerning these men many Governours of Provinces heretofore wrote to our most divine father To whom he returned answer that such men should not be molested unless it appeared they attempted any thing prejudicial to the State of the Roman Empire And many also have given us intimation concerning these men whom we answered pursuant to our Fathers decree If therefore any one shall still persevere to give disturbance to any one of these sort of men because he is a Christian the party accused shall be acquitted although it evidently appears he is a Christian but the accuser shall be obnoxious to punishment This Edict was publisht at Ephesus in the publick assembly of Asia That these things were thus done Melito Bishop of the Church at Sardis who flourisht in the same times does evidently attest by what he has said in his most usefull Apologie which he made to the Emperour Verus for our Religion CHAP. XIV Some memoires of Polycarp the disciple of the Apostles AT this time Anicetus presiding over the Roman Church Irenaeus relates that Polycarp who till now survived came to Rome and discourst Anicetus about a question that arose concerning Easter-day And the same Authour delivers another relation concerning Polycarp in his third book against Heresies which I judged requisite to adjoyn to what has been mentioned concerning him it is thus And Polycarp who was not onely instructed by the Apostles and conversant with many that saw Christ but also was by the Apostles ordained Bishop of the Church of Smyrna in Asia whom we also saw in our younger days for he lived to a great age and being very antient ended his life by a glorious and most renowned Martyrdom This Polycarp I say continually taught what he had learned of the Apostles such points as the Church now teacheth and such onely as are true all the Churches throughout Asia doe attest this and also all those who to this day have been successours to Polycarp who doubtless is a witness much more worthy to be credited and gives a firmer assurance to the truth than either Valentinus or Marcion or any other Authours of corrupt opinions This Polycarp coming to Rome in the times of Anicetus converted many of the foresaid Hereticks to the Church of God declaring that he had received the one and onely truth from the Apostles which was taught by the Church And there are some yet surviving who heard him relate that John the disciple of the Lord going into the Bath at Ephesus to wash himself and seeing Cerinthus in it leapt out having not bathed himself but said let us make hast away least the Bath fall Cerinthus that enemy of the Truth being within it This same Polycarp also when Marcion on a time came into his presence and said to him Take acquaintance of us returned him answer I take notice of thee to be the first begotten of the devill So exceedingly cautious were the Apostles and their disciples not so much as by speech to have any converse with such as were corrupters of the Truth as Paul also said A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject knowing that he that is such is subverted and sinneth being condemned of himself There is extant also of this Polycarp's a most incomparable Epistle written to the Philippians from which those who are desirous to be carefull about their own salvation may learn the character of his Faith and the publication of the Truth Thus far Irenaeus But Polycarp in his said Epistle to the Philippians which is still extant quotes some authorities out of the first Epistle of Peter Moreover Antoninus surnamed Pius having compleated the two and twentieth year of his Reign died and was succeeded by M Aurelius Verus who also was named Antoninus and was his son and his brother Lucius CHAP. XV. How in the Reign of Verus Polycarp together with others suffered Martyrdom in the City of Smyrna AT this time when most sore persecutions were stirred up in Asia Polycarp ended his life by Martyrdom The account of whose death as it is yet extant in writing we judged most requisite to be inserted into this our History It is an Epistle written from the Church over which he presided to the Churches throughout Pontus which sets forth the sufferings of Polycarp in these words The Church of God which is at Smyrna to the Church at Philomelium and to all the congregations of holy Catholick Church every where the mercy peace and love of God the Father and of our Lord Jesus Christ be multiplied we have written unto you brethren both concerning others who suffered Martyrdom and also about the blessed Polycarp who by his own Martyrdom sealed up as it were and put an end to the persecution After these words before their relation concerning Polycarp they give an account of the other Martyrs describing their constancy of mind during their torments For those they say who stood round were astonished when they saw them first lacerated with scourges even as deep as their in-most Veins and Arteries insomuch that the hidden parts of their bodies and their bowels were visible then laid upon the shells of a sort of Sea-fish and on some very sharp heads of darts and Javelins strewed on the ground and undergoing all sorts of punishments and torments and in fine thrown to the wild beasts to be devoured But most especially they relate that
of the Syriack and particularly out of the Hebrew tongue whereby he plainly intimates himself to have been converted from being a Jew to the faith of Christ. He makes mention also of other things as contained in the unwritten traditions of the Jews Now not onely he but also Irenaeus and all the Antients doe call the Proverbs of Solomon the book of Wisdom that contains the Precepts of all Virtue and treating of those books which are termed The Apocrypha he relates that some of them were forged by certain Hereticks in his times But we must now proceed to another Writer CHAP. XXIII Concerning Dionysius Bishop of the Corinthians and the Epistles he wrote ANd first we are to speak of Dionysius who had the Episcopal Chair of the Corinthian Church and liberally and copiously communicated his divine labours not onely to those committed to his charge but also to such as inhabited Countreys remote and at a great distance rendring himself most serviceable and usefull to all persons by those general Epistles he wrote to divers Churches Of which number one is that to the Lacedaemonians containing the first rudiments of and institutions in the true Faith and moreover an exhortation to Peace and Unity Another of them is that to the Athenians which is excitatory to Faith and to lead a life answerable to the Precepts of the Gospel in which point he reproves the negligence of the Athenians who had in a manner apostatized from the Faith since the time that Publius their Bishop suffered Martyrdom during the persecutions which then happened he makes mention also of Quadratus who was constituted their Bishop after the Martyrdom of Publius and attests that by his labour and industry the congregations of the Christians were re-assembled and the ardour of their faith revived and re-kindled He relates moreover that Dionysius the Areopagite who was converted to the Faith by the Apostle Paul according to the account given in the Acts of the Apostles was made the first Bishop of the Athenian Church There is also extant another Epistle of his to the Nicomedians wherein he impugneth the Heresie of Marcion and strenuously asserts and defends the exact Rule of Truth He wrote likewise to the Church at Gortyna and to the rest of the Churches in Creet and commends Philip their Bishop because the Church under his charge was renowned for many signal acts of fortitude and admonishes them to use caution against the deceit and perversness of Hereticks And in the Epistle he wrote to the Church of Amastris together with the other Churches throughout Pontus he mentions Bacchylides and Elpistus as being the persons that incited him to write he annexes likewise several expositions of holy Scripture and by name mentions Palma their Bishop He recommends to them many things concerning marriage and chastity and commands those that recover from any lapse whatsoever whether vitiousness or Heretical errour to be affectionately received In the same Volume is contained another Epistle to the Gnossians wherein he admonishes Pinytus the Bishop of that Church not to impose the heavy yoak of continency upon the brethren as if 't were necessary but to have a regard to the infirmity of most men To which Pinytus returning an answer does greatly admire and extol Dionysius but withall exhorts him that in future he would impart stronger food and nourish up the people under his charge by sending again to them some letters that contain more perfect and solid doctrine least being continually accustomed to such milky expressions they should grow old in a childish discipline In which Epistle both the Orthodox Faith of Pinytus and his sollicitude for the proficiency of those under his care his eloquence also and understanding in divine matters is most accurately and to the life represented Moreover there is extant an Epistle of Dionysius's to the Romans superscribed to Soter at that time the Bishop there out of which it 's not amiss here to insert some words wherein he much commends the usage and custome of the Romans observed by them even untill the times of the persecution raised in our own age he writes thus For this hath been your custome even from the beginning of your conversion to Christianity to be divers ways beneficial to all the brethren and to send relief to most Churches throughout every City sometimes supplying the wants of such as are in necessity at others furnishing those brethren with necessaries that are condemned to work in the mines By such charitable gifts which from the beginning you have been accustomed to transmit to others being Romans you retain the custom received from your Roman fore-fathers Which usage your blessed Bishop Soter has not onely diligently observed but greatly improved being both instrumental and ready in the conveyance of your bounty designed for the Saints and also comforting with blessed words as a tender and affectionate father does his children those brethren that come as strangers to you In the same Epistle also he makes mention of the Epistle of Clemens to the Corinthians and manifests that 't was very antiently customary to recite it publickly in the presence of the Church for he says This day therefore being the holy day of the Lord we have now passed over wherein we read over your Epistle which as also the former Epistle of Clemens's written to us we continuing to read henceforward shall abound with most excellent Precepts and instructions Further the same Writer speaking of his own Epistles which by some forgers were corrupted says thus For I wrote some Epistles being thereto requested by the brethren but the emissaries of the devil have filled them with darnell expunging some passages out of them and adding other some for whom a Woe is reserved It s no wonder therefore that some attempt to adulterate the holy writings of the Lord since they have basely falsified such as are of an inferiour authority Besides these there is extant another Epistle of Dionysius's written to Chrysophora a most faithfull Sister to whom he writes what is agreeable and imparts to her such Spiritual food as is convenient for her Thus much concerning the writings of Dionysius CHAP. XXIV Concerning Theophilus Bishop of the Antiochians THere are extant of this Theophilus's whom we declared to have been Bishop of the Antiochian Church three books written to Autolycus containing the first rudiments of the Faith He has another Tract also extant entitled Against the Heresie of Hermogenes wherein he quotes authorities out of the Revelation of St John there are besides some other books of his wherein are delivered the first principles of our Faith Moreover whenas in that age the Hereticks like darnell did nevertheless corrupt the pure seed of the Apostolick doctrine the Pastours of Churches were every where very earnest and industrious to chase them away being as it were savage and wild beasts from the sheep of Christ partly by admonishing and exhorting the brethren and partly by encountring
about the word of God you have often requested me to make you some short Collections and excerptions both out of the Law and the Prophets about those things that belong to our Saviour and all the Articles of our Faith and moreover you being very desirous to have an accurate account of the books of the Old Testament how many they are in number and in what order they were written I have made it my business to doe all this and to satisfie your desire herein For I well know with what an ardour of faith you are enflamed and how earnest your desires are after knowledge and that by reason of your love of God you greatly prefer these before all other things striving earnestly to obtain eternal salvation When therefore I travelled into the East and came into that Countrey where these things were heretofore Preacht and done I made an accurate inquiry about the books of the Old Testament a Catalogue whereof I have herewith sent you Their names are these The five books of Moses to wit Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomie Joshua Judges Ruth the four books of the Kings the two books of the Chronicles the Psalms of David the Proverbs of Solomon which is also called the book of Wisdom Ecclesiastes the song of Solomon Job the prophecies of Esaiah and Jeremiah one book of the twelve minor Prophets Daniel Ezechiel Esdras Out of these I have made some short Collections which I have divided into six books But thus much concerning the writings of Melito CHAP. XXVII Concerning Apollinaris Bishop of the Hierapolitane Church ALthough several books written by Apollinaris are extant among many men yet these onely of his are come to our knowledge to wit His Apology to the foresaid Emperour his five books against the Gentiles his two books concerning truth and his two books against the Jews Also those books he wrote afterwards against the Heresie of the Cataphrygians which not long after occasioned great distâ—â—bances but at that time it began to make its first appearance Montanus with his false Prophets then laying the foundation of his Errour And this is what we had to say concerning Apollinaris CHAP. XXVIII Concerning Musanus and his Writings THere is extant of Musanus's whom we mentioned a little before a most sharp piece written by him to some brethren who turned to the Heresie of the Encratitae which then first sprang up and introduced â— new and most pernicious false opinion into the world Tatianus as report says was the Authour of this Heresie CHAP. XXIX Concerning Tatianus and his Heresie VVE mean that Tatianus whose words we quoted a little before treating concerning the admirable Justin who we told you was a disciple of that Martyr's Irenaeus evidences this in his first book against Heresies where he writes thus concerning this Tatianus and his Heresie From Saturninus and Marcion sprang those Hereticks called Encratitae who taught that marriage was unlawfull rejecting that Primitive institution of God and tacitely accused him because he created Male and Female for the propagation of Mankind They were assertours also of an abstinence from the eating those things that as they termed them had life shewing hereby their ingratitude towards God who Created all things They deny likewise that the first man was saved And this is a Tenet lately invented amongst them of which impious assertion one Tatianus was the first broacher Who having been an Auditour of Justin as long as he converst with him disclosed no such false opinions but after his Martyrdom he revolted from the Church and being arrogant and puâ—â— up with the conceit of his being an Ecclesiastical Doctour as if he were better then any body else he was the composer of a new form of Doctrine of his own making inventing stories about invisible ages in the same manner as Valentinus did and asserting with Marcion and Saturninus that Matrimony was nothing less than corruption and whoredom and framing some new arguments to disprove the Salvation of Adam Thus far Irenaeus concerning the Heresie of the Encratitâ— which then was broacht But not long after one whose name was Severus did consolidate and strengthen the foresaid Heresie and so was the occasion that the followers of that Sect were called by reason of his name Severiani They approve indeed of the Law the Prophets and the Gospels expounding the sentences of holy Scripture according to a peculiar sense and meaning of their own but they speak reproachfully of the Apostle Paul and reject his Epistles neither doe they admit of the Acts of the Apostles But Tatianus their first founder put together a confused heap of collections extracted out of the four Gospels which he entitled a Diaâ—â—ssarωn i. e. a Gospel made up of the four Gospels which book is at this time extant in the hands of some men They say also that he was so audacious as to alter some sayings of the Apostle Pauls and to express them in more elegant terms undertaking to correct the composition and order of his phrase He left a very great number of books among which his book against the Grecians is look't upon to be an excellent piece and is commended by most men in which work giving an account of the series of times in the former ages of the world he has made it evident that Moses and the Prophets amongst the Hebrews were much more antient than all the famous men amongst the Grecians Indeed that book of his seems to be the best and most usefull piece of all his writings But thus far concerning these things CHAP. XXX Concerning Bardesanes the Syrian and those books of his that are extant FUrther in the Reign of the same Emperour when Heresies were numerous in Mesopotamia one Bardesanes a most eloquent man in the Syrian tongue and an excellent disputant wrote some Dialogues against Marcion and several others who were Authours and assertors of different Opinions which he publisht in his own country language as also many other works which his Scholars for he had very many Auditours and was a powerful maintainer of our faith translated out of the Syriack into the Grecian language Amongst which is his Dialogue concerning Fate written to Antoninus an incomparable piece 'T is said he wrote several other Tracts upon occasion of the persecution at that time raised against us This man was at first a follower of Valentinus's but having mislik't that Heresie and confuted many of the fabulous Tenets of the founder thereof he was satisfied in himself that he had turned to a truer opinion but notwithstanding he did not wholly clear himself of the filth of his ancient Heresie Moreover at the same time Soter Bishop of the Roman Church departed this life The End of the Fourth Book of the ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY THE FIFTH BOOK OF THE Ecclesiastical History OF EUSEBIUS PAMPHILUS The PREFACE MOreover Soter Bishop of the Roman Church having presided there eight years ended his life
Episcopal Office to Linus of whom Paul has made mention in his Epistles to Timotheus Anencletus succeeded him after whom in the third place from the Apostles Clemens had the Bishoprick allotted to him who had seen the blessed Apostles and was conversant with them and as yet he had the preaching of the Apostles sounding in his ears and their tradition before his eyes and not he alone for at that time there were many yet remaining alive who had been taught by the Apostles In the times of this Clemens when no small dissension rose among the brethren at Corinth the Church of Rome sent a most compleat and agreeable Epistle to the Corinthians joyning them together in peace and renewing their faith and the tradition they had lately received from the Apostles And after some few words he says Evarestus succeeded this Clemens and Alexander Evarestus then Xystus was constituted the sixth from the Apostles after him Telesphorus who suffered a glorious Martyrdom after him Hyginus then Pius after Pius Anicetus Soter having succeeded Anicetus Eleutherus is now in possession of the Episcopal Office in the twelfth place from the Apostles In this same order and succession both the tradition of the Apostles in the Church and also the promulgation of the truth is descended unto us CHAP. VII That even to those times miracles were wrought by the faithfull ALl this being agreeable to what we have delivered in the foregoing Books of our History Irenaeus has given his assent to in those five books of his which he entitled The Confutation and Overthrow of Knowledge falsly so called in the second book of which Subject he does in these words manifest that even in his days there remained in some Churches examples of the divine and wonderfull power of God in working miracles saying So far are they from raising the dead as the Lord and the Apostles did by prayer And frequently amongst the brotherhood the whole Church of one place having with much fasting and prayer requested the soul of the defunct has returned into his body and the man has had the benefit of life conferred upon him by the prayers of the Saints And again after the interposition of some words he says But if they say that the Lord wrought such miracles as these in appearance only not really we will bring them to the oracles of the Prophets and from thence demonstrate that all things were thus predicted concerning him and most undoubtedly done by him and that he onely is the Son of God Therefore they which are his true disciples receiving grace from him doe in his name perform all things for the benefit of the rest of mankind according as every one of them hath received the gift from him For some of them do certainly and truely cast out devils in so much that those very persons who were cleansed from evil spirits frequently become believers and continue in the Church Others have the fore-knowledge of things future and visions and utter prophetick predictions Others by the imposition of their hands heal the sick and restore them to their former soundness and moreover as we said the dead also have been raised who continued with us many years after What shall we say more We cannot declare the number of the gifts which the Church throughout the whole world having received from God in the name of Jesus Christ who was crucified under Pontius Pilate does daily perform for the benefit of the Nations She uses no deceit towards any person neither does she sell her gifts for as she has freely received them from God so she freely ministers them to others And in another place the same Authour writes thus In like manner as we have heard many brethren in the Church who had prophetick gifts and by the Spirit spoke all sorts of languages who also revealed the secrets of men in such cases as 't was profitable and necessary and explained the mysteries of God And thus much concerning this matter to wit that diversities of gifts continued with such as were worthy untill those times before manifested CHAP. VIII After what manner Irenaeus makes mention of the divine Scriptures BUt because in the beginning of this work of ours we promised that we would produce in due place the words of the ancient Ecclesiastick Presbyters and Writers wherein they have delivered in writing the traditions concerning the books of the Old and New Testament which came to their hands of which number Irenaeus was one Come on we will here adjoyn his words and first what he has said of the sacred Gospels after this manner Matthew published his Gospel among the Hebrews written in their own Language whilest Peter and Paul were Preaching the Gospel at Rome and founding the Church After their death Mark the disciple and interpreter of Peter delivered to us in writing what Peter had Preached Luke also the follower of Paul compiled in a book the Gospel Preach't by him Afterwards John the disciple of the Lord he that leaned on his breast publisht a Gospel when he lived at Ephesus a City of Asia Thus much the forementioned Authour has said in the third book of the foresaid work And in his fifth book he discourses thus concerning the Revelation of John and the number of Antichrist's name These things being thus and this number being extant in all accurate and antient copies and those very persons who saw John face to face attesting the truth of these things even reason doth teach us that the number of the beasts name according to the computation of the Grecians is made apparent by the letters contained in it And after some other passages he speaks thus concerning the same John We therefore will not run the hazard of affirming any thing too positively concerning the name of Antichrist for if his name were to have been openly declared in this age it would have been express't by him who saw the Revelation For it was not seen long since but almost in our age about the end of Domitian's Reign Thus much is related by the foresaid Authour concerning the Revelation He mentions also the first Epistle of John and produces many authorites out of it as also out of the second Epistle of Peter He not onely knew but also approved of the book called Pastor saying Truly therefore hath that book said which contains this Before all things believe that there is one God who created and set in order all things and so forth He quotes some words out of the Wisedom of Solomon saying in a manner thus The vision of God procures incorruption and incorruption makes us neer unto God He makes mention also of the sayings of an Apostolick Presbyter whose name he has concealed and annexes his expositions of the divine Scriptures Moreover he makes mention of Justin Martyr and Ignatius quoting also authorities out of their writings The same person has promised to confute Marcion in a separate Volume by arguments pickt out
succession was the thirtieth from the Apostles CHAP. XIII Concerning Rhodon and the dissention of the Marcionites which he has made mention of ABout the same time also Rhodon born in Asia who as himself relates had been instructed at Rome by Tatianus whom we mentioned before wrote many books and together with others ingaged against the Heresie of Marcion Which he relates was in his time divided into several opinions He has recorded the Authours of this dissention and with exquisite diligence confuted the lies invented by every one of them Hear therefore what he has written in these words Wherefore also they disagree amongst themselves because they are assertours of an opinion which is ill put together For Apelles one of their gang who boasts of his age and pretends to lead a more abstemous and strict course of life confesses there is but one principle but says the Oracles of the Prophets proceed from an opposite spirit being induced to believe this by the responses of a Virgin possessed with a devil by name Philumena But others of them in like manner as does Marcion himself the Mariner assert there are two Principles of which number are Potitus and Basilicus and these followers of that Wolfe of Pontus being unable to find out the distinction of things which neither could he doe have given themselves over to rashness and have simply and without any thing of demonstration affirmed there are two Principles Others again differing from these and running themselves into worse assertions suppose there are not onely two but also three natures Of which sort Syneros was the ringleader and first founder as the defenders of his doctrine doe say The same Authour writes that he discours't with Apelles he says thus For the old man Apelles having had a conference with us was convinc't that he maintained many things that were false upon which account he said â—aith should in no wise be too severely inquired into but that every one should persist in what he had believed For he asserted that those who hoped in Christ crucified should be saved provided they be found doing of good works He concluded the question concerning God to be to him as we said before the most obscure thing of all For he affirmed there was but one principle as our religion asserts Then having set forth his whole opinion he subjoyns these words But when I said to him whence have you this demonstration or for what reason can you affirm there is but one principle tell us He answered that the prophecies confuted themselves because they uttered nothing that was true For they disagree and are false and opposite to themselves but how there was but one principle he profes't he knew not but was induced onely to think so After this when I conjured him to speak the truth he swore he spoke what was true to wit that he knew not how there could be one unbegotten God but he believed it I laughed and reprehended him because he stiled himself a Doctour and knew not how to make good what he taught But in the same book which he dedicated to Callistion the said Rhodon doth confess that he himself was instructed at Rome by Tatianus Moreover he says Tatianus compiled a book of Questions wherein Tatianus having promised to explain the dark and obscure passages of the sacred Scriptures this Rhodon professes he would set forth the solutions to his Quâ—stions There is also extant of this Persons a Comment upon the six days Work of the Creation Indeed this Apelles uttered many impious expressions against the Law of Moses in many books speaking irreligiously of the divine Scriptures and using his utmost diligence to confute and as he thought to overthrow them But thus much concerning these things CHAP. XIV Concerning the False Prophets of the Cataphrygians MOreover that adversary of Gods Church who hates goodness and makes mischief his chiefest delight omitting in no wiâ—e any ways or methods of Treachery towards men caused new Heresies again to grow up against the Church the followers whereof crawl'd like venemous Serpents all over Asia and Phrygia and boasted that Montanus was the Paraclete and that the two women Priscilla and Maximilla his companions were his prophetesses CHAP. XV. Concerning the Schism of Blastus raised at Rome OThers also sprang up at Rome whom Florinus degraded from being a Presbyter of the Church headed Blastus was in like manner intangled in the same errour Which two persons drew away many from the Church and inticed them to imbrace their opinion each of them severally endeavouring to introduce innovations against the Truth CHAP. XVI What has been committed to memory concerning Montanus and his False Prophets MOreover That power which is the defender of the Truth raised up Apollinaris Bishop of Hierapolis whom we made mention of before and together with him many others who at that time were eloquent and learned men as it were a strong and inexpugnable defence against the said Heresie of the Cataphrygians By which persons we have a copious subject left us for this our History One of the said persons therefore in the preface to his work against the Cataphrygians does in the first place shew that he assaulted them with unwritten arguments For he begins after this manner Having a sufficient while since been enjoyned by thee Beloved Avirciâ—s Marcellus to write a book against the Heresie of Miltiades till now I have in a manner continued doubtfull and unresolved not that I wanted ability both to confute falsehood and also to give evidence to the truth but I was fearfull and cautious lest to some I should seem by writing to add to or make a further determination about the doctrine of the new covenant of the Gospel to which nothing must be added nor any thing taken away from it by him that resolves to lead a life agreeable to the Gospel it self But being lately at Ancyra a City of Galatia and finding the Church then filled with the noise of this New not as they call it Prophecy but as it shall be demonstrated False Prophecy as well as I was able God assisting me I discourst frequently in the Church many Days both concerning these very things and also about other points proposed by them insomuch that the church did greatly rejoyce and was confirmed in the Truth but the adversaries were at that time confuted and the enemies of God made sorrowfull When therefore the Presbyters of that place requested me to leave some written Record of what had been spoken against those adversaries to the Word of Truth Zoticus Otrenus our fellow Presbyter being then present also I did not indeed doe that but promised that by the assistance of the Lord I would write here and send it quickly and carefully unto them Having said these words and some others after these in the Preface of his book he proceeds and sets forth the Authour of the foresaid Heresie
which was written by me and Pamphilus the holy Martyr of our times which we fellow-labourers carefully and joyntly compos'd upon the account of some of his quarrelsome Accusers CHAP. XXXIV Concerning Philip the Emperour WHen Gordianus had held the Roman Empire six complete years Philip together with his son Philip succeeded him The report is that he being a Christian upon the day which is the last of the Vigils of Easter was desirous to be a partaker together with the congregation of the prayers of the Church but could in no wise be permitted to enter into the Church by him who was then Bishop before he had made a general confession of his fins and recounted himself amongst their number who were reckon'd the Lapsed and stood in the place of penitents for had he not done this he would not have been admitted by the Bishop because of his many offences and 't is reported that he willingly obey'd and demonstrated in his deeds the sincerity and devoutness of his affection towards the fear of God CHAP. XXXV How Dionysius succeeded Heraclas in his Bishoprick IT was the third of Philip's Reign in which Heraclas dyed after he had Govern'd the Church sixteen years and Dionysius succeeded him in the Bishoprick of Alexandria CHAP. XXXVI What other books were written by Origen AT this time therefore the faith as it was meet daily encreasing and our doctrine being boldly preach'd amongst all men Origen 't is said was now above sixty years old and because he had now gotten a most excellent habit of speaking through long use and exercise he permitted the Notaries to write his discourses which he delivered in publick but never before this time would he suffer that to be done About this time he wrote eight books against a book of Celsus the Epicurean intitled The word of Truth He also wrote twenty five Volumes upon Matthew's Gospel and those upon the Twelve Prophets of which books we have found onely twenty five There is also extant an Epistle of his to Philip the Emperour another to his wife Severa and several others to divers other persons which being scattered here and there in several mens hands as many of them as we could find preserved being above an hundred in number we have collected and digested into proper books by themselves that they may not hereafter be again dispers'd He wrote also to Fabian Bishop of Rome and to several other Prelates of Churches concerning his own Orthodoxie you have also the declarations of these things in the sixth book of the Apology we wrote in defence of him CHAP. XXXVII Concerning the dissention of the Arabians AGain about the same time there sprang up in Arabia Introducers of another Opinion alienating from the Truth These affirm'd that mens souls even in this present life expired together with their bodies and were turn'd to corruption together with them but that they should again revive together with the bodies at the time of the Resurrection No small Synod being call'd together upon this account Origen is again sent for thither and having disputed publickly concerning this question he managed the cause so well that those who before were fallen into errour changed their sentiments CHAP. XXXVIII Concerning the Heresie of the Helcesaïts AT that time also sprang up another perverse Errour call'd the Heresie of the Helcesaïts which was stifled in its birth Origen mentions it in his Homily to the people upon the eighty second Psalm in these words Lately there came one highly conceited of himself for his ability to defend that Atheistical and most wicked Opinion call'd the Opinion of the Helcesaïts which lately was raised in opposition to the Church I will explain to you what evil things that Opinion asserts that ye be not drawn away by it It reject's somethings of every part of the Scripture but makes use of some Texts both out of the Old and also out of the Evangelical Scripture it rejects the Apostle Paul wholly It says 't is an indifferrent thing to deny the Faith It â—olds also that upon necessity a wise man would deny Christianity with his mouth but not with his heart also at the same time They also carry about with them a book which they say fell down from heaven and every one that hears it and believes it shall obtain Remission of sins a Remission different from that which Jesus Christ bestowed But let thus much suffice concerning these things CHAP. XXXIX Concerning what happened in the times of Decius BUt in the mean while Decius succeeds Philip after he had Reigned seven years who because of his hatred towards Philip rais'd a Persecution against the Churches In which Fabian being Martyr'd at Rome Cornelius succeeds in that Bishoprick And Alexander the Bishop of Jerusalem in Palestine is again brought before the Governour 's Tribunal for Christ's sake And was very famous for his second confession at Caesarea where he was imprisoned being now adorned with a venerable old Age and reverend gray haires After his noble and famous testimony before the Governour 's Tribunal he expired in Prison and Mazabanes was pronounced his successour in the Bishoprick of Jerusalem Also Babylas Bishop of Antiochia died in like manner as did Alexander in prison after his confession and Fabius is preferred to be Bishop of that Church Moreover how many and how great afflictions happened to Origen in this Persecution and what was the end of these things the Devil with all his forces enviously setting himself in opposition to this man and fighting against him with all subtilty and power assailing him particularly above all those who were set upon at that time how many and how great things he also suffered for the Doctrine of Christ as bonds and bodily torments the punishment of the Iron Chain in the inmost recesses of the Prison how he was put upon the Rack his feet for several days being stretch'd so wide as to the distance of four holes how valiantly he sustain'd the menaces of fire and all other Tortures inflicted by his Enemies what also was the exit of these things the Judge with his utmost power earnestly endeavouring that he might not be slain Lastly what expressions he left behind him and how comfortable to the comfortless All these particulars many of his Epistles do both truly and accurately comprehend CHAP. XL. Concerning what things happened to Dionysius I Will also Record some things concerning Dionysius out of his Epistle to Germanus Where speaking concerning himself he makes this relation I speak in the presence of God and he knows that I lie not I never made my escape of my self nor without the Divine appointment But before to wit at the same time when the Decree for the Persecution came out from Decius Sabinus sent out his Deputy to make inquisition for me and I stay'd at home four days expecting the arrival of the Deputy But he went about
made their escape by flight THese affairs concerning Arsenius having been thus transacted they who had contrived this fraud were reduced to a straight But Achab who was also called John Athanasius's Accuser slipt away out of the Court of judicature and so made his escape in the tumult Thus Athanasius cleared himself from this accusation without making use of any exception For he was confident that the bare sight of Arsenius being alive would abash the Sycophants CHAP. XXXI That Athanasius fled to the Emperour upon the Bishops not admitting of his defence at his second accusation BUt in his disproof of the false accusations brought against Macarius he made use of legal exceptions And first he excepted against Eusebius and his companions as being enemies alledging that no man ought to be judged by his adversaries Afterwards he said that it must be demonstrated that Ischyras the Accuser had really procured the dignity of a Presbyter For so it was written in the Libel of Accusation But when the Judges would not allow of any of these exceptions Macarius's cause was brought in After that the Accusers were almost wearied out and quite faint the further hearing of the cause was defered till such time as some persons should make a journey into Mareotes that they might make inquisition upon the place concerning all matters that were doubtful But when Athanasius perceived that those very persons were ordered to go whom he had excepted against for Theognis Maris Theodôrus Macedonius Valens and Ursacius were sent he cried out that their proceedings were treacherous and fraudulent For it is unjust said he that Macarius the Presbyter should be kept in bonds and that his Accuser together with his Adversaries the judges should go and that this was done for this reason to wit that the memorials of the Acts might be made up in favour of one side only After Athanasius had spoke these words aloud and made protestation before the whole Synod and Dionysius the president when he saw that no body took notice of him he privately withdrew Those therefore that were sent to Mareotes having registred the Acts in favour of one side only as if those things had been most certainly true which the Accuser had deposed made their return to Tyre CHAP. XXXII That after Athanasius's departure he was deposed by the Vote of the Synod AThanasius being gone away fled immediately to the Emperour The Synod in the first place condemned him in his absence for deserting his cause But when the Acts which had been made up in Mareotes arived they passed the sentence of deposition against him loading him with reproaches in the Libel of his deposition but mentioned not a word how shamefully the Sycophants had been vanquished in the accusation of the murder Arsenius also who was reported to have been murdered was received by them He had at first been a Bishop of the Melitian Heresie But he subscribed Athanasius's deposition as being at that time Bishop of the Hypselites And thus which was very strange he that was reported to have been murdered by Athanasius being alive deposed Athanasius CHAP. XXXIII How the Synod having left Tyre came to Jerusalem and after the celebration of the feast of Dedication of the New Jerusalem readmitted Arius to communion IN the interim the Emperours Letters arrived commanding the Synod to give their speedy attendance at New Jerusalem And immediately with all possible expedition they hastned from Tyre to Jerusalem Where after they had finished the solemnities of the consecration of the places they readmitted Arius and his associates into the Church saying that they did it in obedience to the Emperours Letters by which he had signified to them that he was fully satisfied as touching Arius and Euzoïus's faith Moreover they wrote Letters to the Church of Alexandria that all envy and hatred was now banished and that the affaires of the Church were in a peaceable and sedate posture and that Arius in regard by his repentance he had acknowledged the truth was in future to be received by them and that deservedley as being a member of the Church But they obscurely intimated that Athanasius was deposed from his Bishoprick by their saying that all envy and hatred was now banished Moreover they wrote to the Emperour informing him of the same affaires Whilst the Bishops were transacting these things other Letters came unlookt for from the Emperour which signified to them that Athanasius was fled to him for refuge and that upon his account they must necessarily come to Constantinople Now the Emperours intervening Letter is as followeth CHAP. XXXIV That the Emperour by his Letter summoned the Synod to attend him that Athanasius's case might be accurately discussed in his presence VICTOR CONSTANTINUS MAXIMUS AUGUSTUS to the Bishops Assembled at Tyre IT is indeed unknown to Us what hath tumultuously and tempestuously been determined by your Synod But the truth seemeth in a manner to be perverted by a certain turbulent disorder to wit whilst by reason of your mutual contention which you are desirous should be insuperable you consider not those things that are well pleasing to God But it will We hope be the work of Divine Providence to dissipate the mischiefs of this pertinacious contentiousness after they are manifestly detected and to make it perspicuous to Us how great a care you that have been convened have had of the Truth and whether you have determined the matters that have been discussed by you without any favour or malice Therefore all of you must of necessity with speed attend upon Our piety that you your selves may render an accurate account of what hath been done by you Now for what reason we thought it requisite to write these things to you and to summon you before our selves by this Letter you shall understand from the sequel As We were making our entry into Constantinople the City that bears Our name scituaâ—e in Our own most flourishing Countrey it hapned that We then rode on Horse-back on a sudden Athanasius the Bishop together with some Presbyters whom he had about him approacht Us in the midst of the high way so unexpectedly that he put Us into a consternation For God the Inspectour of all things is our witness that at first sight We were unable even to discern who he was had not some of Our servants upon Our enquiry told Us as it was meet both who he was and what injuries he had suffered At that time We neither spoke to nor had any discourse with him But when he requested that he might be heard and We had refused that and in a manner ordered he should be removed from our presence with a greater confidence he said that he desired nothing else but your appearance here that being necessitated thereto he might in Our presence make a complaint of his sufferings Wherefore in regard this seemed reasonable to Us and a matter befitting Our times We willingly gave order for the
places to Jovianus every one of them hoping they should induce him to embrace their own Creed AFter Jovianus's return out of Persia the Ecclesiastick commotions were again renewed For the Prelates of the Churches made it their business to prevent one another each of them expecting that the Emperour would give his assent to their Creed But he had from the beginning adhered to the Homoöusian Faith and openly declared that he preferred that Creed before all others And by his Letters he encourages Athanasius Bishop of Alexandria who immediately after Julianus's death had recovered the Alexandrian Church But being then made more confident and couragious by the Emperours Letters he was freed from fear on all hands The Emperour likewise recalled those Bishops who had been banished by Constantius and had not procured their own revocation by Julianus Moreover all the Heathen Temples were then shut up And the Daemon Priests themselves absconded some in one place some in another The Philosopers also laid aside their Palliums and cloathed themselves in the common and ordinary habit Likewise that Publick pollution caused by the bloud of sacrifices which they had celebrated in Julianus's Reign even to loathsomness was then taken away CHAP. XXV That the Macedonians and Acacians meeting together at Antioch confirmed the Nicene Creed BUt the affairs of the Christians were in no wise in a sedate posture For the principal heads of every party made their addresses to the Emperour supposing they should obtain from him power and authority against those by them reputed to be their adversaries And in the first place those termed Macedoniani present a Libel to him requesting that they who asserted the Son to be unlike the Father might be ejected out of the Churches and themselves put into their places The persons who presented this Supplicatory Libel were Basilius Bishop of Ancyra Silvanus of Tarsus Sophronius of Pompeiopolis Pasinicus of Zelae Leontius of Comani Callicrates of Claudiopolis and Theophilus of Castabali The Emperour having received their Libel sent them away without an answer He exprest himself only thus to them I abominate said he Contentiousness But I Love and Honour those that are desirous of Unity and Concord When these expressions were divulged in the hearing of the other parties they mollified the stiffness of those who were desirous of Contention And this fell out agreeable to the Emperours intent and design Moreover the contentious disposition of the Acacians was then also clearly manifested and they evidently demonstrated their continual usage of complying with their sentiments who were vested with the supream power For meeting together at Antioch in Syria they entred into discourse with Melitius who having separated from them a little before had embraced the Homoöusian opinion And this they did in regard they saw Melitius was highly esteemed by the Emperour who then resided at Antioch Having therefore made a profession of the Homoöusian opinion and confirmed the Nicene Creed by a general consent they drew up a Libel which they presented to the Emperour The Contents whereof are these To the most Pious and most Dear to God Our Lord JOVIANUS VICTOR AUGUSTUS The SYNOD of Bishops present at ANTIOCH Assembled out of divers Provinces Even we our selves are fully satisfied most Pious Emperour that your Piety has in the first place studied to Assert and Constitute the Peace and Unity of the Church Nor are 〈◊〉 insensible that You have rightly judged a Draught of the true and Orthodox Faith to be the Head and Fountain of this Unity Wherefore that we may not be reputed of their number who adulterate the Doctrine of truth we declare to Your Piety that we do embrace and firmly adhere to the Creed of the holy Synod heretofore convened at Nicaea Especially since that term therein which to some seems new and unusual we mean the term Homoöusios has with Caution been explained by the Fathers so as to denote that the Son was begotten of the Fathers substance and that he is like the Father as to his substance Not as if any passion were to be understood in relation to that inexplicable Generation nor is the term Ousia taken by the Fathers according to any usual signification of it amongst the Grecians but 't is made use of in order to the subversion of what has been impiously and audaciously asserted by Arius concerning Christ to wit that he existed of things which are not Which Tenet the Anomaeans who are newly sprung up do with a far greater boldness and audaciousness impudently assert to the utter ruine of Ecclesiastick unity Wherefore we have annexed to this our Declaration a Copy of that Creed set forth by the Bishops convened at Nicaea which we also embrace It is this We believe in one God the Father Almighty and all the rest of the Creed I Meletius Bishop of Antioch have presented this Libel and do give my consent to what is above written And so do I Eusebius of Samosata Evagrius of Siculi Uranius of Apamaea Zoilus of Larissa Acacius of Caesarea Antipater of Rhosus Abramius of Urimi Aristonicus of Seleucia upon Belus Barlamenus of Pergamus Uranius of Melitina Magnus of Chalcedon Eutychius of Eleutheropolis Isacoces of Armenia The Great Titus of Bostra Petrus of Sippi Pelagius of Laodicaea Arabianus of Antros Piso of Adani by Lamydrion the Presbyter Sabinianus of Zeugma Athanasius of Ancyra by Orphitus and Aëtius Presbyters Irenius of Gaza Piso of Augusta Patricius of Paltus by Lamyrion the Presbyter Anatolius of Beroea Theotimus of Arabi Lucianus Arcenus We found this Libel recorded in that work of Sabinus's entitled A Collection of Synodick Acts. Moreover the Emperour had taken this resolution with himself that by kind words and perswasives he would extirpate the contentiousness of the disagreeing parties and he declared that he would not create trouble to any person of what belief soever he were of but that he would love and highly value such as should be the principal promoters of the Churches Unity That these things were after this manner done by him Themistius the Philosopher does also attest For in the Oration he composed upon his Consulate he admires the Emperour for his allowing every person a free liberty of worshipping the Deity in such a manner as he desired whereby he repressed the humours of flatterers Upon whom he made very facetious reflections saying 't is experimentally known that they worship the Purple not God and that such persons differ not from the Euripus which sometimes throws its Waves this way at others the quite contrary CHAP. XXVI Concerning the Death of the Emperour Jovianus AFter this manner did the Emperour at that time repress their fury who made it their business to cavill and contend Departing immediately from Antioch he went to Tarsus in Cilicia where he buried Julianus's Body Having performed all the Solemnities of his Funeral he is declared Consul Designing to
This was the twelfth year after the ruine of Nicomedia Soon after this Earthquake most part of Germa a City in the Hellespont was destroyed by another Earthquake Notwithstanding these accidents hapned yet neither was Eudoxius Bishop of the Arians nor the Emperour Valens put into any fear For they desisted not from persecuting those who dissented in opinâ—on from them Moreover these Earthquakes seemed to denote the disturbance of the Churches Wherefore many of the Sacerdotal Order as I have said were banished Only Basilius and Gregorius by a certain dispensation of divine providence suffered not banishment by reason of their eminent piety The first of these persons was Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia and the second presided over Nazianzum a small City near Caesarea But we shall mention Basilius and Gregorius in the procedure of our History CHAP. XII That those who embraced Macedonius's Opinion being reduced into streights by reason of the Emperours violence towards them sent an Embassage to Liberius Bishop of Rome and subscribed to the Homoöusian Creed WHen those who embraced the Homoöusian opinion had at that time been sorely disquieted and put to flight the Persecutors renewed their rage against the Macedonians Who being reduced to great streights by fear rather then force sent Embassies to one another throughout every City signifying that they must of necessity fly both to the Emperours Brother Valentinianus and also to Liberius Bishop of Rome and that 't was more eligible for them to embrace their Faith than to communicate with Eudoxius's party They sent therefore Eustathius Bishop of Sebastia who had been many times deposed Silvanus of Tarsus in Cilicia and Theophilus of Castabali which is also a City of Cilicia and gave them order that they should not dissent from Liberius concerning the Faith but should enter into communion with the Roman Church and confirm the Homoöusian Creed These persons carrying along with them their Letters who had dissented from Acacius at Seleucia arrived at Old Rome They could not go to the Emperour Valentinian himself for he was engaged in a War with the Sarmatae in the Gallia's But they delivered their Letters to Liberius He at first wholly refused to admit them for he said that they were of the Arian Faction and could in no wise be received into communion by the Church in regard they had rejected the Nicene Creed They made answer that by a retractation they had acknowledged the Truth that they had long since renounced the Anomoïan Creed and had professed that the Son was every way like to the Father and that the term Homoios differed not in its import from Homoöusios Having said thus much Liberius required of them a profession of their opinion in writing They presented him a Libel wherein were inserted the Contents of the Nicene Creed I have not here inserted the Letters written from Smyrna in Asia and from Pisidia Isauria Pamphilia and Lycia in which places they had held Synods because of their length But the Libel which the Embassadours sent with Eustathius delivered to Liberius runs thus TO OUR LORD BROTHER AND FELLOW MINISTER LIBERIUS EUSTATHIUS THEOPHILUS AND SILVANUS GREETING IN THE LORD By reason of the mad opinions of Hereticks who desist not from giving cause of offence to the Catholick Churches upon this account we say we desirous to deprive them of all opportunity of giving offence do approve of and assent to the Synod of Orthodox Bishops which has been convened at Lampsacus Smyrna and at several other places from which Synod We being employed as Legates do bring a Letter to your Benignity and to all the Italian and Western Bishops to hold and keep the Catholick Faith which having been established in the holy Nicene Synod in the Reign of Constantine of Blessed Memory by three hundred and eighteen Bishops hath hitherto always continued intire and unshaken in which Creed the term Homoousios is holily and piously made use of in opposition to Arius's perverse doctrine in like manner We also together with the foresaid persons do under our own hands profess that We have held the same Faith and do hold and will keep it to our last breath and We do condemn Arius and his impious doctrine together with his disciples and those that embrace his sentiments as also all the Heresie of Sabellius the Patripassians Marcionistae Photinians Marcelliani and that of Paul of Samosata and the doctrine of these Hereticks and all those who maintain the same Tenets with them in fine all the Heresies that are opposite to the foresaid holy Creed which was piously and Catholickly set forth by the holy Fathers at Nicaea But in a more especial manner we Anathematize that Draught of the Creed recited at the Ariminum Synod as being contrary to the foresaid Creed of the holy Synod convened at Nicaea To which it being brought from Nice a Town of Thracia the Bishops subscribed at Constantinople being over perswaded by fraud and perjury But our Creed and the foresaid persons confession of Faith also from whom we are employed as Legates is this We Believe in one God the Father Almighty the Framer of all things visible and invisible and in one only begotten God the Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God begotten of the Father that is of the substance of the Father God of God Light of Light very God of very God begotten not made of the same substance with the Father by whom all things were made which are in heaven and which are on the earth who for us men and for our salvation descended from heaven became incarnate and was made man and suffered and rose again the third day and ascended into the heavens and shall come to judge the quick and dead And we believe in the holy Spirit But those that affirm there was a time when he was not and that he was not before he was born and that he was made of things which are not or those that assert the Son of God existed of another Hypostasis or Substance or that he is Changeable or mutable these persons the Catholick and Apostolick Church of God does Anathematize I Eustathius Bishop of the City Sebastia I Theophilus and I Silvanus Legates of the Synod of Lampsacus of Smyrna and of other Synods have Voluntarily and willingly written this confession of Faith with our own hands And if any person after the publication of this Creed by Us shall be desirous of bringing any accusation either against Us or those that have sent Us let him come with Your Holiness's Letters before such Orthodox Bishops as Your Sanctity spall approve of and go to Tryal with Us in their presence And if any crimination shall be made out let the Authour thereof be punished Liberius having bound up and secured the Legates by this Libel admitted them to communion and afterwards dismist them with this Letter THE LETTER OF LIBERIUS BISHOP OF ROME TO THE BISHOPS OF THE MACEDONIANI To Our
before by reason of the persecutions And to Nectarius was allotted the Great City and Thracia Helladius successour to Basilius in the Bishoprick of Caesarea in Cappadocia Gregorius Bishop of Nyssa a City also in Cappadocia who was Basilius's brother and Otreïus Bishop of Meletina in Armenia had the Patriarchate of the Pontick Dioecesis for their allotment To Amphilochius of Iconium and Optimus Bishop of Antioch in Pisidia was assigned the Asian Dioecesis To Timotheus Bishop of Alexandria was given the superintendency over the Churches throughout Egypt The administration of the Churches throughout the East was committed to the Bishops of that Region to wit to Pelagius of Laodicea and Diodorus of Tarsus but to the Antiochian Church were reserved the priviledges of Honour which were given to Meletius then present They likewise decreed that if need required a Provincial Synod should determine the Ecclesiastick affairs of every Province These sanctions were confirmed by the Emperours own consent Such was the conclusion of this Syond CHAP. IX That the Emperour Theodosius ordered the body of Paulus Bishop of Constantinople to be honourably translated from the place of his Exile At which time also Meletius Bishop of Antioch departed this life AT that time the Emperour translated the body of Paulus the Bishop from the City Ancyra whom Philippus Praefect of the Praetorium had banished upon Macedonius's account and had ordered him to be strangled in Cucusus a Town of Armenia as I have already mentioned Theodosius therefore having received his body with much honour and reverence deposited it in the Church which now bears his own name which Church the embracers of Macedonius's opinion were heretofore in possession of at such time as they were separatists from the Arians but were then expelled by the Emperour because they refused embracing of his faith Moreover at the same time Melitius Bishop of Antioch fell into a distemper and died in praise of whom Gregorius Basilius's brother spoke a Funeral Oration Meletius's body was by his friends conveyed to Antioch Such as were favourers of Meletius did again refuse to be subject to Paulinus but caused Flavianus to be substituted in the place of Meletius By reason whereof a new division did again arise amongst the people Thus the Antiochian Church was afresh divided into two parties on account of their Bishops not of their faith CHAP. X. That the Emperour ordered a Synod of all the Sects to be convened at which time Arcadius his son was proclaimed Augustus and that the Novatians who as to their faith embraced the same sentiments with the Homoöusians were the only persons that had permission to hold their assemblies within the City But the other Hereticks were forced from thence BUt there were disturbances in other Cities also which hapned at such time as the Arians were ejected out of the Churches On account whereof I cannot choose but admire the Emperours judiciousness and prudence For he suffered not so far as it was in his power to prevent them the Cities to be filled with tumultuous disturbances but within a short space of time ordered a Synod of all the Heresies to be again convened supposing that by a mutual conference of the Bishops one concordant opinion would prevail amongst all men I am of opinion that this design of the Emperour 's was the cause of that fortunate success he then had For about the same time by a particular dispensation of divine providence the Barbarous Nations were reduced to a subjection to him And amongst others Athanarichus King of the Goths made a Surrendry of himself with all his own people unto him who soon after died at Constantinople Moreover at that time the Emperour proclaimed his Son Arcadius Augustus in the second Consulate of Merobaudes which he bore with Saturninus on the sixteenth of January Not long after these things the Bishops of every Sect arrived from all places in the same Consulate in the month June The Emperour therefore having sent for Nectarius the Bishop consulted with him what project should be made use of that the Christian Religion might be freed from dissentions and the Church reduced to an Union And he said that that Controversie which caused a separation in the Churches ought to be discussed that so by a removal of the Discord an agreement might be effected in the Churches At the hearing of this Nectarius was full of anxiety and sollicitude And having sent for Agelius then Bishop of the Novatians in regard he was a person that embraced the same sentiments with him as to the Faith he makes known to him the Emperours intent He as to other things was indeed a very pious person but being not very able to maintain a dispute concerning the Doctrine of Faith he proposes his Reader under him by name Sisinnius as a fit person to manage a Conference But Sisinnius an eloquent man and well experienced in affairs one who had an accurate skill in the expositions of the Sacred Scriptures and in Philosophick opinions knew that these Disputations do not only not unite dissentions but also raise Heresies to an higher degree of contention Upon which account he gave Nectarius this advice In regard he very well knew that the Ancients avoided the attributing a beginning of Existence to the Son of God for they apprehended him to be Coeternal with the Father he advises him to shun Logical disputes and to produce for evidences the Expositions of the Ancients and that the Emperour should propose to the Chiefs of each Heresie this question Whether they would entertain any respect for the Ancients who flourished before the dissention in the Church or whether they would reject them as estranged from the Christian Religion For if they reject them said he then let them dare to Anathematize them And if they shall be so audacious as to do that the multitude will forthwith extrude them by violence Upon the doing whereof the truth will undoubtedly obtain a manifest victory But if they shall refuse to reject the Ancient Doctours then it will be our business to produce the Books of the Ancients whereby our opinion will be attested and confirmed Nectarius having heard all this from Sisinnius goes in great hast to the Pallace and makes the Emperour acquainted with the advice which had been given him The Emperour embraces it with much eagerness and handled the matter prudently For without discovering his design he asked the Chiefs of the Hereticks this one question Whether they had any respect for and admitted of those Doctours of the Church who lived before the rise of the dissention Upon their non-refusal of them and their affirming that they highly revered and honoured them as being their Masters the Emperour enquired of them again whether they would acquiesse in them as witnesses of the Christian Religion worthy to be credited When the Chiefs of the Sects and their Logicians for they had amongst them many persons well
the Macedoniani were afflicted by Nestorius MOreover Nestorius behaved himself contrary to the usage of the Church and caused others to imitate himself in such things as 't is apparent from what hapned during his being Bishop For one Antonius Bishop of Germa a City in the Hellespont imitated Nestorius's rage towards the Hereticks and made it his business to persecute the Macedoniani taking the Patriarch's order as a pretext for his Apology The Macedoniani for some time endured his vexatiousness But after Antonius began to disquiet them more vehemently being unable to undergo his molestation any longer they grew desperate and brake out into a cruell madness and having privately sent some men who preferred what is pleasant before that which is good they murder him The Macedoniani having perpetrated this villanous fact Nestorius took hold of what had been done as an occasion of his own rage And he perswades the Emperours to deprive them of their Churches As well those Churches therefore which they had before the old walls of Constantinople as them they were possest of in Cyzicum were taken from them as were likewise many others which they had in the Villages of the Hellespont Some of them came over to the Catholick Church and embraced the Homoâ—usian Faith But as 't is proverbially spoken Drunkards never want wine nor Contentious persons strife It hapned therefore that Nestorius who busied himself in expelling other persons was himself turned out of the Church for this reason following CHAP. XXXII Concerning the Presbyter Anastasius by whom Nestorius was perverted to Impiety ANastasius the Presbyter who had come from Antioch with Nestorius was his intimate acquaintance Nestorius had an high esteem for him and made use of his advice in the management of business This Anastasius being Preaching one time in the Church uttered these words Let no man stile Mary Theotocos For Mary was a woman But 't is impossible for God to be born of a woman The hearing hereof disturbed many persons as well of the Clergy as Laity For they had been heretofore taught to confess Christ to be God and in no wise to separate him as man from the Divinity on account of his Incarnation whereto they were induced by the Apostle's words who saith Yea though we have known Christ after the flesh yet now henceforth know we him no more And again wherefore leaving the discourse concerning Christ let us press forwards to perfection A disturbance therefore having been raised in the Church as I have said about this matter Nestorius endeavoured to confirm Anastasius's expression for he was unwilling that the man for whom he had so great an esteem should be reproved as having spoken blasphemy and made frequent discourses concerning it in the Church in which he proposed contentious questions concerning this thing and every where rejected this term Theotocos This question therefore being entertained in one manner by some and in another by others on this account a dissention arose in the Church And being Engaged in an Encounter by night as it were sometimes they asserted these things at others those affirming and in like manner denying one and the same thing But Nestorius was supposed by most men to entertain such Sentiments as to assert the Lord Christ to be a meer man and to introduce the opinion of Paul of Samosata and Photinus into the Church Now so great a controversie and disturbance was raised about this matter that 't was thought necessary a Generall Councill should be convened But I my self after my reading the Books published by Nestorius found him to be an ignorant person And I will declare the truth unfeignedly For his vices which I have spoken of already I have not mentioned out of any hatred to him nor will I to gratifie any man lessen my account of the good which I found in him Nestorius seems not to me to be a follower either of Paul of Samosata's opinion or of Photinus's nor in the least to assert the Lord Christ to be a meer man But he was put into a fright by this term Theotocos only as if it had been a Bugbear And this befell him meerly by reason of his great Illiterateness For being naturally endowed with eloquence he was supposed to be a man of learning but in reality was unlearned and ignorant He likewise scorned to read the Books of Ancient Expositours For being puft up with pride by reason of his ability to speak well he minded not reading the Ancients with any thing of accuracy but thought himself better then any man else To begin therefore from hence he was wholly ignorant that in the Catholick Epistle of S t John to wit in the ancient Copies thereof it was thus written every spirit which separates Jesus from God is not of God For this sentence has been expunged out of the ancient Copies by those whose desire it is to separate the Divine nature from the humane Oeconomy Wherefore the Ancient Expositours have made this very remark to wit that some persons have depraved this Epistle being desirous to separate the Manhood of Christ from his Deity For the Humanity is joyned to the Divinity Nor are they any more two but one The Ancients emboldened by this Testimony scrupled not to stile Mary Theotocos For Eusebius Pamphilus in his third Book concerning the Life of Constantine has these express words For Emanuel endured to be born for us And the place of his Nativity is amongst the Hebrews termed Bethlehem Upon which account the Empress Helena most dear to God adorned the plaoe where the God bearing Virgin was delivered with admirable Monuments and illustrated that sacred Cave with all manner of ornaments And Origen in the first Tome of his Comments upon the Apostle's Epistle to the Romans expounding in what manner Mary may be termed Theotocos handles that Question largely 'T is apparent therefore that Nestorius was wholly ignorant in the writings of the Ancients For which reason as I have said he opposes this only term Theotocos For that he asserts not Christ to be a meer man as Photinus and Paul of Samosata did we are evidently informed even from his own discourses which he hath published Wherein he does in no place destroy the Hypostasis of the Word of God but every where professes him to have a proper reall and peculiar person and existence nor does he deprive him of a subsistence as did Photinus and Paul of Samosata Which Tenet the Manichaeans and Montanus's followers have been so audacious as to assert That this was Nestorius's opinion I my self have found partly by reading his own works and partly from the discourses of his Admirers Further this frigid and empty discourse of Nestorius has raised no small disturbance in the world CHAP. XXXIII Concerning the horrid wickedness commited upon the Altar of the Great Church by the fugitive servants THese things having been transacted after this manner there hapned a
Episcopate You may determine such things as may be agreeable to the Tradition of the Apostles For such matters as these having been well prepared and ordered Your Prudence will be able so to direct this Election according to the Canon of the Church and Apostolick Tradition as the Rule of Ecclesiastick discipline does require God keep you Beloved Brethren CHAP. LXIII In what manner He endeavoured to destroy Heresies SUch were the admonitions which the Emperour gave to the Prelates of the Churches advising them to do all things in order to the glory and commendation of the divine Religion But after he had made a riddance of all dissentions and had reduced the Church of God to an agreement and Harmony of doctrine He past from thence and was of opinion that another sort of impious persons were to be supprest and destroyed in regard they were the poyson of Mankind These were a sort of pernicious men who under the specious disguise of Modesty and Gravity ruined the Cities Whom Our Saviour somewhere terms false Prophets or ravenous Wolves in these words Beware of false prophets which come to you in sheeps clothing but inwardly they are ravening wolves Ye shall know them by their fruits By the transmission of a precept therefore to the Presidents of Provinces He put to flight the whole Tribe of these sort of persons But besides this Law the Emperour composed an enlivening Exhortation directed to them by name wherein he incited those men to hasten their repentance For he told them that the Church of God would be to them a Port of safety But hear in what manner He discoursed even to these persons in his Letter to them CHAP. LXIV Constantine's Constitution against the Hereticks VICTOR CONSTANTINUS MAXIMUS AUGUSTUS To the Hereticks ACknowledge now by the benefit of this Law O ye Novatianists Valentinians Marcionists Pauliani and you who are termed Cataphrygae in a word all of you who by your private Meetings breed and compleat Heresies in how many Lyes the vanity of your Opinions is wrapt up and in what manner your Doctrine is compounded of certain pernicious poysons in so much that by you the healthy are reduced to weakness and the living to a perpetual death Ye Enemies of Truth ye Adversaries of Life and ye Councellours of destruction All things amongst you are contrary to Truth agreeable to filthy impieties stuft with absurdities and fictions whereby you compose Lyes afflict the Innocent and deny Believers the light And sinning continually under a Mask of Divinity you defile all things Ye wound the innocent and pure consciences of men with blows that are mortal and deadly and ye ravish even the day it self I had almost said from the eyes of men But what necessity is there of recounting every particular Especially since neither the shortness of the time nor the urgency of Our Affairs will suffer Us to speak concerning your Crimes according as they deserve For your impieties are so large and immense so filthy and full of all manner of outragiousness that a whole day would not be sufficient for a description of them And besides 't is fit we should remove our ears and turn away our eyes from things of this nature least by a particular declaration of them the pure and sincere alacrity of Our Faith sâ—ould be defiled What reason is there then that We should any longer tolerate such Mischiefs Especially since Our long forbearance is the cause that even those who are sound become infected with this pestilential distemper as ' t were Why therefore do we not immediately cut off the roots as we may so term them of such a mischief by a publick animadversion CHAP. LXV Concerning the taking away the Meeting-places of hereticks WHerefore in as much as this perniciousness of your improbity is not any longer to be born with We declare by this Law that no one of you shall in future dare to hold Assemblies And therefore We have given order that all those your houses wherein you hold such Assemblies shall be taken away and this Care of Our Majesty does extend so far as that the congregations of your superstitious madness shall not meet together not only in publick but neither in a private house nor in any places whereto the Right or Title is peculiar Therefore what ever persons amongst you are studious of the true and pure Religion which is a thing far more commendable and better let them come over to the Catholick Church and hold communion with its sanctity by the assistance whereof they may arrive at the Truth But let the Errour of your perverted mindes I mean the execrable and pernicious dissent of Hereticks and Schismaticks be wholly separated from the felicity of Our Times For it becomes Our Blessedness which by God's assistance We enjoy that they who lead their lives buoy'd up with good hopes should be reduced from all manner of Extravagant Errour to the right way from darkness to the light from Vanity to the Truth Lastly from Death to Salvation And to the end that the force and power of this Remedy may be effectual and prevalent We have given order that all the Conventicles of your Superstition as We have said above I mean the Oratories of all sorts of Hereticks if it be fit to term them Oratories shall without any contradiction be taken away and without any delay delivered to the Catholick Church but that the rest of the places shall be adjudged to the publick and that no Licence shall be left to you of holding Meetings there in future So that from this present day your illegal Congregations shall not dare to meet either in any publick or private place Let it be published CHAP. LXVI That impious and prohibited Books having been found amongst the Hereticks very many of them returned to the Catholick Church IN this manner therefore the Dens of the Heterodox were by the Imperial Order laid open and the wild Beasts themselves that is the Ring-leaders of their impiety were put to flight Now some of those persons who had been deceived by them being put into a fear by the Emperour's Menaces crept into the Church with a mind and meaning that was false and counterfeit and for a time play'd the Hypocrites And because the Law commanded that a search should be made after the Books of those men they who made evill and forbidden Arts their business were apprehended On which account they practised dissimulation and did all things to the end they might purchase themselves safety But others of them betook themselves to a better hope with a purpose of mind that was hearty true and sincere Further the Prelates of the Churches made an accurate inspection into both these sorts of persons and such as they found coming over to the Church under a disguise who were hid under the skins of Sheep them they drove away
very Light of Truth and embracing the impenetrable darkness of Errour Nor was Force and Cruelty wanting especially when the Will of Princes gave assistance to the rash and heady impetus of the Vulgar or rather when they themselves headed an unseasonable Fury Wherefore this way of Life having been confirmed by the usage of many Generations was the Occasion of dismal Calamities to the men of those times But as soon as ever the presence of our Saviour shined forth immediately instead of unjust Actions Justice was advanc't in place of a most destructive Storm arose a Calm and all those things which had been predicted by the Prophets were fulfilled For after that Saviour of ours was taken up on high to his Father's House having enlightned the world with the Rayes of Modesty and Continence He founded a Church on earth like some sacred Temple of Virtue a Temple that is eternal and incorruptible wherein might be piously performed due Acts of worship both to God the supream Father and likewise an agreeable service to Himself But what did the mad wickedness of the Nations invent after these things It endeavoured to reject the Benefits and Favours of Christ and to ruine the Church constituted in order to the Salvation of all men and in place thereof to substitute its own Superstition Again hapned horrible Seditions Wars Fights Morosity a luxurious Furniture of Life and a love of Riches which having its Being in men contrary to nature a thing that is the property of wickedness does sometimes recreate by false and specious hopes at others it astonishes with Fear But let Her lie prostrate on the ground being vanquished by Virtue and as 't is fit She should let Her rend and tear Her self by reason of Her Repentance But at present we must discourse of those matters which appertain to the Divine Doctrine CHAP. II. An Address to the Church and to his Hearers that they would Pardon and amend his Mistakes HEar therefore Thou Master of the Ship who art possest of Chastity and Virginity And Thou Church that art the Nurse of immature and unskilfull Age To whose Care and Charge Truth and Clemency are committed From whose everlasting Fountain flows a Salutary Stream Be Ye Candid Hearers also Ye who worship God with sincerity and for that reason are His Care be Ye attentive not so much to the words themselves as to the truth of what is delivered and respect not Me that Speak but the Religious Office of Devotion rather For what can the benefit and advantage of an Oration be when the mind of the Speaker remains undiscovered Indeed I do peradventure attempt Great things But that which occasions my Boldness is the Love of God implanted in me for this Love puts a Force upon Modesty Wherefore my desire is that Ye who are eminently knowing in the Divine Mysteries should be joyned with Me as My Assistants to the end that if any mistake shall happen during My Speaking You may go along with Me and correct it Expect not any Perfect and Consummate Doctrine from Me but rather give a kind reception to the attempt of My Faith Farther may the most benign influence of the Father and Son be effectually present with us whilst we are uttering those things which it shall Command and Suggest to Our Mind For if any person professing Rhetorick or any other Art shall suppose Himself able without the Divine Assistance with an accuracy to perfect His Work He Himself as also the Work He has undertaken will be found ignorant and imperfect But such persons as have once obtained the Divine influence must neither loiter nor be careless Wherefore having beg'd Your Pardon for the length of this Our Preface We will enter upon the Head and Principal matter of Our design CHAP. III. That God is both the Father of The Logos and the Framer of the whole Creation and that it were impossible for things to consist if their Causes were diverse GOD who is above every Essence being always that Good which all things desire has no Generation and consequently no Beginning But He Himself is the Origine of all things that are brought forth But He who has His Procession from Him is united with Him again the disjunction and conjunction being performed in Him not locally but intellectually only For that Foetus exists not by any dammage of His Father's bowels as for instance those things do which are born of Seed but by the dispose of Divine providence Our Saviour has appeared that he might preside as well over this visible world as over all things and works framed therein The Cause therefore both of subsistence and Life to all things which are contained within the Complex of this world is derived from hence Moreover hence proceeds the Soul and every Sense and the Faculties by whose assistance those things which are signified by the senses are perfected What then does this Discourse conclude Thus much that there is one President over all things which are and that all things whatever are subject to his sole Dominion as well things Celestial as Terrestrial both Natural and also Organical Bodies For if the Dominion over all these things which are innumerable should be in the hands not of one but of many Partitions and Divisions of the Elements as 't is in the ancient Fables and Envy and a desire of having more powerfully contending to overcome would disturb the harmonious Concord of all things in regard those many would manage that portion allotted to each of them in a different manner But whereas this whole world does keep it self always in one and the same order 't is plain that this is not performed without Providence and that it has not proceeded from chance But who could ever have acknowledged a Framer of universal Matter To whom in the first place or in the last were prayers and supplications to have been assigned How could it be that by my worshipping one of them by choice I should not have been impious towards the rest Or having perhaps requested something necessary for this life shall I return thanks to that God who has given me assistance but revile him who was mine opposer But to whom shall I make my supplication that he may declare to me the occasion of my Calamity and may vouchsafe me a deliverance from it Let us suppose that an answer has been given us by Oracles and Prophecies but that these things are not in their power but belong to another God What is the Compassion then Of what sort is the providence of God towards man Unless perhaps some one of them inclinable to be kinder being more forcibly moved shall give assistance against another who is not in the least kindly disposed towards men Moreover
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Nauses as Eusebius does thrice in his Demonstrat Evangel B. 5. Chap. 17. in Hebrew he is Named 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Joshua Numb 11. v. 28. Vales. * Lament 4. 20. * Psal. 2. 1 2 7 8. * Hep. 7. 14. It is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning Priesthood c Or by the Spirit But all the M. SS Copies agree with our translation of it Vales. * Isai. 61. 1. * Psal. 45. 6 7. †Psal. 110. 1 2 3. †Gen. 14. 18. Heb. 7. 1. d Or Chief-Priest For so the Maz. Med. Fuk. and Savil. M. SS read it Vales. e Or Anâ—inting for some copies have it written 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vales. f That is From all eternity Vales. a At these words the Maz. and Fuk. M. SS and the Kings M. S. and the Old sheets begin the 4 th Chapter * Isai. 66. 8. * Isai. 62. 2 b Some Translatours as Musculus and D r Hanmer as appears by his Version and marginal Note thereat supposed that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. atar which is the word here used in the Original and is a Greek adverb was a proper name and a corruption of Terah the name of the father of Abraham of whom mention is made Gen. 11. But this is a great mistake For Terah the father of Abraham was not one of those whom God loved as it may be plainly collected from Sacred Scripture neither did our Eusebius think so as appears by his own words when he says a little after this in this Chapter concerning Abraham that he left the superstition of his fathers We have therefore translated these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And moreover Vales. * Psal. 105. 15. †Christs that is anointed * Gen. 15. 6. Rom. 4. 3. * Gen. 11. 3. Gen. 18. 18. 22. 18. a The first year of Augustus according to Eusebius's computation is that wherein Hirtius and Pansa were Consuls Therefore the fourty second year of Augustus falâ— on his thirteenth Consulship Thus much concerning the year wherein Christ was born Eusebius does no where expresly mention the day It was the common opinion of the Western Church that he was born on the 7. Kalend. January but the Eastern Church thought otherwise that he was born on the 8. Id. January i. e. on the 6 th day Jan. Vales. The learned have found so great difficulty in assigning the day of our Saviours Birth that Scaliger said Uniâ—â— Dei est non hominis deâ—inire i. e. God onely not man was able expressely to declare it It had been much better for these men to content themselves with the tradition of the Church rather than by such an elaborate unfruitful search to entangle the truth For the celebration of this festival many testimonies may be produced out of Origen Cyprian and Chrysostom each of these fathers deducing it from the practise of the first antiquity and S t Augustine makes it a Character of a son of the Church to solemnize the Festivals of it and this principally and by name of the Nativity To which may be added that of the Author of the Constitutions Constit. B. 5. c. 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Keep the days of the feasts and first the day of Christs Birth So that the Religion of this day non est nupera neque novitia is not modern nor newly begun though Scaliger said so And for the particular day the 25 th of December whereon this Festival is by us solemnized not to mention other testimonies which might be produced to this purpose In Joseph the Egyptian's Arabick Codex of the Counsels a M. S. in the Archives of the publick Library of Oxford of the gift of S t Thomas Roe this day as well as this Feast is affirmed to stand by Apostolical Canon The words of which as it is Transcribed by M r Gregory are in English these Also that you constitute an anniversary Feast at the Nativity of the Lord Christ on the Day on which he was Born and that was the five and twentieth of the first Canon i. e. of December For this is the principal of all the Feasts c. See M r Gregories Works Chap. 34. D r Hammond on the Festivals of the Church and the Learned Seldens Tract of Christmas-Day for further satisfaction b It is by learned men affirmed particularly by Js. Casaubon in Bar. p. 105. and is most probable that this decree of Taxing or inrolling every Person according to their Families and Estates was an effect of Augustus his curiosity and neither of his desire to enrich his Treasure nor to reform the excesses of those before him and this over-ruled by Gods special providence that this Emperour might serve to be instrumental to the conserving the record of the Birth of Christ whose Name and his mothers as well as Josephs were now inrolled And this is an evidence of the nature of this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that it was not a Tax for that would not have belonged to women and infants but to the possessours onely See D r Hammond on Luk. 2. v. 1. c There is a great disagreement amongst the Learned about this enrolment and valuation of mens Persons and Estates whether it was done once or twice Some say there were two both made by the same Cyrenius or Quirinius and both mentioned by St Luke the first he speaks of Chap. 2. 2. of his Gospel which was made a little before our Saviours Birth about the latter end of the Reign of Herod the great Sentius Saturninus being then president of Syria this say these men St Luke calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the first Taxing to difference it from that other mentioned by him Acts 5. 37. And whereas St Luke says Cyrenius at that time had the rule over Syria these words are to be taken in a loofer not stricter sense not that Cyrenius was then the standing Governour there 〈◊〉 the Romans but was sent by the Emperour particularly on this â—â—â—â—sion to take an Inventory of this part of the Empire forâ—iss confest that Sentius Saturninus was then the president of Syria The other Taxing mentioned in the Acts was made ten years after this after the banishment of Archelaus and about the insurrection of Judas of Galilee or Gaulanites This is the opinion of Scaliger Petavius Casaubon and Hammond On the other hand Valâ—â—iuâ— and with him as he thinks agrees our Eusebius in this Chapt. says there was but one Taxing which may be supposed to have been begun at the latter end of Herod the great his Reign about the time of Christs Birth and was not perhaps finished till ten years after when Cyrenius was president of Syria after the banishment of Archelaus his reasons are these Josephus mentions but one after this Enrolment once made why should it be repeated and that by the same person For if he had done it equally and exactly
of them ought to be allured to our side by various ways and arts Then he makes use of an instance of Physitians who that they may restore health to the sick devise all things which they believe may be of advantage to them These words 't is certain the Translatours understood nor in whose Versions the Reader will find all things contrary To this place is to be referred a passage of Eusebius in chap. 58. of this book where he says that the Emperour Constantine gave a great quantity of Gold to the Churches for the maintenance of the poor in regard he was desirous that all men should be invited even this way also to embrace the doctrine of the saving faith according to the example of the Apostle who in his Epistle to the Philippians says these words whether in pretence or in truth Christ is Preached Further in the Fuketian and Savilian Copies and in Turnebus's Book this whole place is written thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which questionless is the true reading This only I would have mended that instead of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it should be written 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and afterwards instead of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that the reading be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vales. d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 At this place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to partake of the doctrine of the salutary Faith in which sense 't is taken by S t Paul where he says that God would have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth This verb is in this sense proper to the Christian Religion In which signification nevertheless the Philosophers of the latter age used it as I remember I have read in the Commentaries of Proclus on Timaeus Vales. e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is rather to be written 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by understanding 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which was made use of a little before and we have rendred it accordingly But the Fuketian Copy has opened to us the true reading wherein 't is thus worded 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. But I suppose you are not ignorant that c. And so Turnebus had mended it at the margin of his Book from a Manuscript Copy Vales. f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A new and unusual word instead whereof it ought as I think to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 allowed The meaning of this passage is the same with that we have set in our Version For Constantine says that the Pagans are wont to be converted to our Religion on various accounts and occasions That some are drawn by the hope of food namely because of the Aims of the Christians Others by the hope of Patronage to wit on account of the authority of the Bishops who could do much with the Emperour and Grandees at Court 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies Patronage Protection or Favour as I have noted at Amm. Marcellinus which term John Chrysostome makes frequent use of In the excellent Fuketian Copy the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is wanting and this whole place is thus worded 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For some rejoyce as 't were on account of food others are wont to run under those who are possessed of or have procured Patronage Vales. g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Fuketian Copy and S r Henry Savil's have it written 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lovers of true discourses And in the same manner 't is mended in the margin of Turnebus's Book But the common reading exprest in our Version pleases me best by reason of those words which immediately follow to the end a tautology might be avoided A little after the Fuketian Copy and the Kings Sheets have it written 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in one Body not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as 't is in the common Editions In the same Copy I found it written 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For which reason they ought to fit and conform themselves to all men not as 't is commonly Printed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vales. †Or A friend of truth is rare * Or Brave exploit viz. the union of the Church * Or In relation to Peace †Or Cherished †Or His own writing * Or Piously †Or Partly ‖ Or Multitudes a Indeed Eusebius did afterwards perform what he here promises and in a peculiar volume comprized all the Letters and Sanctions of the Emperour Constantine which bore a reference to the Catholick Faith This I am informed of from the Medicaean Copy wherein at the close of his Eccles. Hist. Constantine's Letter to the Palestinians is written out which Eusebius hath recorded in the foregoing book and after the foresaid Letter these words occur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Let these things therefore be here placed by me But come on now let us from another head or beginning gather together the Laws and all the Letters of our Pious and most mild Emperour written in defence of the true Religion Vales. ‖ Or Body a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The first word ought I think to be expunged as being superfluous unless it should be made 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on account of its memorableness It may also be worded thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Turnebus at the margin of his Copy hath made it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 instead of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vales. a I supposed the word their was to be referred to the women which came early to the Sepulchre of our Lord. But Christophorson referred it to those stony and incredulous persons concerning whom Eusebius hath spoken a little before which I approve not of Vales. b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I would rather read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is from what place soever they could get it Vales. * Or Cover c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Christophorson has rendred this place very ill in this manner tum detestabiles ibi victiâ—â—as super impuras aras immolarâ— also to offer detestable victims there upon impure Altars But the term 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 does sufficiently shew that Eâ—sebius speaks not here concerning Victims or Beasts killed in Sacrifice but concerning Libations to wit Wine Milk and the like which the Heathens offered to their Gods Besides 't is wholly absurd that Victims should be killed upon the Altars For Sacrifices were killed by not upon the Altars This is a known Verse of Ovid Rode caper vitem Tamen hinc cùm stabis ad aras c. Vales. d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This place is imperfect of which sort very many occur in these Books of Eusebius It may as I think not unfitly be made good in this manner 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. in the like manner as 't is impossible c. Indeed Eusebius's following words do most plainly confirm this our emendation But Christophorson has confounded all things here as 't is apparent from his Version Vales. †Or Own * Military Commanders †Or Matters * Or Daemons * Or Of