Crosses CHAP. IX Concerning those who suffered at Thebais BUT the pains and tortures which the Martyrs underwent at Thebais surmount all relation who were torn all over their bodies untill they expired with sharp shells instead of torturing irons Women were tied by one of their feet and drawn up on high into the air with their heads downwards by certain machines and their bodies being naked and wholly uncovered were made a most detestable most cruel and inhumane spectacle to all that lookt upon them Again others being bound to trees and boughs were killed For by certain engines they drew together the two strongest boughs and having fastned the Martyrs legs to each of them they suffered the boughs to return into their natural site designing thereby to pull asunder their members against whom they had invented these ways of death And all these things were performed not for a few days or during some short time but continued for the space of whole years sometimes no more than ten at other times above twenty in number were destroyed sometimes not less then thirty at others neer sixty and again at another time an hundred men together with very small children and women were killed in one day being condemned to various and interchangeable sorts of punishments We also our selves being conversant in those places saw very many destroyed together in one day whereof some were beheaded and others underwent the punishment of fire Insomuch that the Executioners sword became blunt and being rendred unfit for use was broken and the Executioners themselves being tired succeeded one another by turns At which time also we beheld a most admirable ardour of mind and a truly divine strength and alacrity in those who believed in the Christ of God For no sooner was sentence pronounced against the first but others ran hastily from some other place before the Judges tribunal and confest themselves to be Christians They regarded not dangers nor those various sorts of tortures but with an undisturbed fearlesness made a bold confession of the worship of the supream God and with joy laughter and delight received their last sentence of death in such sort that they sang and to the very time of their expiration shouted forth hymns and thanksgivings in praise of God the maker of all things such admirable persons were these But these in a most especial manner deserved the greatest admiration who although eminent for riches nobility glory eloquence and Philosophy yet preferred the true Religion and the faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ before all these Of this sort was Philoromus a person that bore no ordinary office was the Emperours Rationalist at Alexandria who together with his dignity and Roman honour being attended with a guard of Souldiers did daily exercise a judiciary power Phileas also Bishop of the Church of the Thmuitae a person eminent for his discharge of the publick Offices and places of Magistracy in his own country and famous for his Philosophick studies These two persons although they were intreated by very many of their relations and friends and moreover by personages of honour yea notwithstanding the Judge himself besought them to take pitty on themselves and have compassion on their wives and children yet could in no wise be induced by such persons as these that out of a desire to preserve their own lives they should contemn the laws made concerning the confession and renunciation of our Saviour But having stoutly bore up against all the menaces and contumelies of the Judge with a manly and Philosophick mind or rather with a pious and religious heart they were both beheaded CHAP. X. The written informations of Phileas the Martyr concerning what was done at Alexandria BUT because we have said that Phileas was a person worthy of great esteem for his Graecian literature let him be produced as a witness for himself both to demonstrate what a person he was and also to relate the Martyrdoms which in his time happened at Alexandria which he will declare more accurately than we can in these words OUT OF PHILEAS'S EPISTLE TO THE THMUITAE All these Examples Prescripts and good Documents being deposited for us in the divine and sacred Scriptures the blessed Martyrs who were conversant amongst us without any delay manifestly fixed the eye of their mind upon the supream God and willingly embracing death upon account of piety they steadfastly adhered to their calling for they found that our Lord Jesus Christ had been incarnate for us that he might abolish all manner of sin and provide us with assistances for our entrance into life eternal For he thought it not robbery to be equal with God but made himself of no reputation and took the form of a servant And being found in fashion as a man he humbled himself unto death even the death of the Cross. Wherefore the Martyrs who were full of Christ zealously affecting the best gifts endured all manner of sorrow and all sorts of tortures that could be invented not onely once but some of them a second time also And when the Souldiers that were of the guard endeavoured with much earnestness to strike a terrour into them not onely by all manner of menaces in words but by deeds they were in no wise discouraged in mind because perfect love casteth out fear Whose fortitude and courage under each torture what words would be sufficient to relate For free leave being granted to all persons that would be injurious towards them some beat them with clubs others with rods othersome with scourges again some scourged them with thongs of leather others with ropes And the spectacle of these tortures was variously enterchanged and full of malicious cruelty For some of the Martyrs having their hands bound behind them were hung at an Engin of wood and every member of their bodies was distended by certain machines After that the Tormentours by command of the Judge made use of iron-nailes to torture them with all over their bodies which were applied not onely to their sides as Murtherers are usually tormented but also to their bellies their legs and to their cheeks Others being lifted up were hung by one hand at a Gallery the stretching of whose joynts and members was a sharper pain to them than all sorts of tortures Others were bound face to face to Pillars their feet not touching the ground that so their bonds being strained by the heaviness of their bodies might with stretching be the closer drawn together and this they endured not only as long as the Governour talked with them and was at leisure to hear them but almost a whole day together for when he went away to hear others he left Officers that were impowred by him to be watchfull over the former Martyrs whether any one of them being overcome by the sharpness of his tortures would seem to abandon his resolution He also commanded they should be strained with bonds
His hands by casting it into the fire and afterwards by pulling it out of the flames entire and unconsum'd in the very same manner the Word of God who confers life on all desirous to demonstrate that mortal instrument which He had made use of in order to the salvation of men to be superiour to Death and to render it a partaker of His own life and immortality underwent a most usefull and advantagious dispensation forsaking His Body during a very short time and surrendring up to Death that which was mortal that its own nature might hereby be proved then soon after rescuing it from Death again in order to the manifestation of His Divine Power by which power He made it apparent that that Eternal Life which He had promised was superiour to all the force of Death Now the reason of this thing is evident and perspicuous For whereas it was altogether necessary for His disciples that with their own eyes they should see a manifest and undoubted Reparation of life after death in which life He had taught them to place their Hopes in regard His design was to render them Contemners and Vanquishers of death not without reason it was that He would have them behold this with their own eyes For it behoved such persons who were about entring upon a pious Course of life by the clearest view to behold and imbibe this first and most necessary Lesson of all and much more those who were forthwith to Preach Him thoroughout the whole world and to declare to all men the knowledge of God the foundation of which knowledge had before been laid by Him amongst all Nations Which persons ought to rely and ground upon the firmest and most undoubted perswasion of a life after death to the end that without any fear or dread of Death they might with alacrity undertake the Combat against the errour of the Nations who worship many Gods For unless they had learnt to dispise Death they would never have been provided against those perils they were to undergo Wherefore when as 't was requisite He would arm them against the power of Death He did not deliver them a Precept in naked words and bare expressions nor as the usage of men is did He compose an Oration concerning the immortality of the soul made up of Perswasives and Probabilities but really and actually shewed them the Trophies erected against Death This then was the first and most Cogent reason of Our Saviour's engagement with Death For He shewed His disciples that death which is formidable to all was nothing and by a clear view rendred them eye-witnesses of that Life promised by Him which very life He made the First-Fruits of our common hope and of a future life and immortality with God A second reason of His Resurrection was the demonstration of that Divine Power which had dwelt in His Body For in regard men had heretofore deified mortal persons who had been vanquished by Death and had usually termed them Heroes and Gods whom Death had subdued on this very account the most Compassionate Word of God did even here manifest who He was shewing men that His own nature was above Death And He not only raised His Mortal Body after 't was separated from His Soul to a second Life but proposed that Trophy of immortality which by His conquest of Death He had erected to be viewed by all and in His very death taught that He alone was to be acknowledged the true God who had been crown'd with the Rewards of Victory over Death I could also assign you a third reason of Our Lord's death He was a Sacred Victim offered up for the whole Race of mankind to God the Supream King of the Universe A Victim sacrificed instead of the Flock of men a Victim which routed and destroyed the Errour of Diabolical Superstition For after that one Victim ad eximious sacrifice namely the most Holy Body of Our Saviour was slain for mankind and offered up as the Substitute to ransome the Life of all Nations who being before bound by the impiety of Diabolical Errour stood convict of Treason as 't were thenceforward all the power of impure and profane Daemons became extinct and all manner of terrestrial and fraudulent Errour was forthwith weakened dissolv'd and confuted The Salutary Sacrifice therefore taken from among men namely the very Body of the Divine Word was sacrificed in place of the whole Flock of men And this was the Victim delivered unto death concerning which mention is made in the Expressions of the Sacred Scriptures which are sometimes worded in this manner Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world sometimes they run thus as a sheep He was led to the slaughter and as a Lamb before His Shearer He was dumb And they likewise tell us the reason by adding these words He bears our sins and is tortured with pain for us and we esteemed Him to be in labour and in stripes and in affliction But He was wounded for our sins and He was bruised by reason of our iniquities The chastisement of our peace was upon Him with His stripes we are healed All we like sheep have gone astray every one has wandered in His own way and the Lord hath delivered Him for our sins For these reasons therefore the Humane Instrument of God the Word was sacrificed But this Great High-Priest consecrated to God the Chief Governour and Supream King being something else besides a Victim namely The Word of God The Power of God and The Wisdom of God soon recalled His mortal Body from death and presented it to His Father as the First-fruits of Our common Salvation having erected this for all mankind as the Trophy of that Victory which He had gain'd over Death and over the Army of Daemons and made it the final Abolishment of those humane Victims which of old had been usually offered in sacrifice BUT whereas these things are thus 't is now seasonable we should come to the demonstrations if indeed the truth of these matters has any need of demonstration and if it be indeed necessary to produce testimonies in confirmation of deeds that are manifest and evident Take therefore these demonstrations having first prepared your ears in order to a candid hearing of our discourse All Nations upon the Earth were heretofore divided and the whole Race of men was minc't into Provinces into various dominions over each Nation and place into Tyrannies and manifold Principalities On which account fights and continued Wars Depopulations and Captivities as well in the Countries as Cities never left them Hence the numerous Subjects of Histories Adulteries and Rapes of women hence the calamitous destruction of Troy and those Tragedies of the Ancients whereof mention is made amongst all men The Causes of which calamities should any one ascribe to their errour in
Nam cum duae rationes abâ—undi ex hâc vit â sibi reliquae essent For whereas two reasons of departing out of this Life were remaining to Him As if in the Greek the reading were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eusebius's meaning therefore is this whereas the one of two things was of necessity to be done by Christ in the close of His Life namely that He should either yield up His Body to be wholly consumed by death or else should declare Himself to be superiour to death c. You see how different this meaning is from that of the Translatour For Christ had not a twofold reason for departing out of this life but one only namely Death For as the Poet says Omnes una manet mors one Death awaits all persons But in death one of these two things remained to be performed by Christ that he should either wholly submit to death and deliver up His Body to it as some rich Spoyles or else should shew Himself to be above Death and should rescue His Body as a prey out of the jaws of Death Besides Eusebius has shown a little before that death was necessarily to have been undergone by Christ. For had He been minded to withdraw His Body privately and as 't were by stealth out of this life without doubt all persons would have believed Him to have been a Ghost or Apparition not a true and real man He produces other reasons also whereby He may confirm this Which when He had set forth at length He concludes in this manner On account of all these reasons says He in as much as 't was wholly necessary that His Body should have an end befitting God allotted to it Christ thus dispenc'd His own death The one of these two things was to be done by Him in the end of this His Life as I have said already And these words hang together excellently well But the Translatour's exposition differs widely from Eusebius's meaning in regard Eusebius would demonstrate that a single not a double reason for departing out of this life was left remaining to Christ. Vales. f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I should chuse to write 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and as of a Play make a most reproachfull Catastrophe or calamitous conclusion of His whole Life Vales. g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to darken as 't is in the Fuketian Copy Vales. * Or With the greatest decency †Or Heard h 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Something must of necessity be added thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some Vessel that can't be burnt 'T is certain in the Fuketian Copy the reading is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in which manner Christophorson read A little after in the Fuketian Manuscript 't is thus worded 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pulling it out of the flames entire and unconsum'd not as the reading is in the Geneva-Edition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vales. * Or Gain a belief of the Miracle so Valesius i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 At this place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seems to be taken by Eusebius for the death or passion of Christ. So he has said above in this chapter concerning Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 therefore I say His death is in this manner dispenc't and ordered See what I have noted at the First Book of his Eccles. Histor. Chap. 1. Note b. 'T is certain Epiphanius calls the Sacrament of the Eucharist 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the worship of the Lord's Passion Vales. k These words must be helpt by a favourable interpretation For Christ left not His own Body during the least moment of time In regard as 't is wont commonly to be said that which he had once assumed he never parted with But He suffered His own Body to be for some time destitute of the Company of His Soul Presently in the Fuketian Copy the reading is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But I would rather write 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and surrendring up to death that which was mortal Vales. l For Christ rising from the dead plainly declared that eternal life which He had preacht to all men to be superiour to every death And this the Translatour understood not who though his Version be otherwise elegant enough yet frequently wanders from the true sense in so much that in this particular the Version of this Panegyrick may seem far meaner than the Translation of the Ecclesiastick History Vales. m 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I had rather write 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is it behoved Which reading the Translatour seems to have followed Vales. n 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What Eusebius says namely that Christ before He dyed had sprinkled some seeds of the knowledge of God amongst the Nations may be understood two ways For either He means the seeds which were by nature put into mens minds whereby they are instructed in the knowledge of God or else He means the preaching of Christ who when conversant on earth had declared the worship of the true God not only to the Jews but to the Gentiles also Vales. o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Here Eusebius has made use of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 instead of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or perswasion whereas nevertheless 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is wont to be more frequently used to signifie the greater Cable of a Ship In the same sense with that here he has made use of this word in his Book concerning the Martyrs of Palestine Chap. 13 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a firm and most evident instance to perswade me to believe Clemens Alexandrinus uses the same word frequently Chrysostome in Hom. 1. On the Epistle to the Ephesians notes that this is a common but homely term whereby is meant a certain vehemency and eagerness of will his words are these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vales. p 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c against the Errour c. A little after I read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shewing them the Trophies The Fuketian Copy confirms both Emendations Vales. q 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This place is not a little difficult For how can what Eusebius says be understood that that life namely which Christ has promised is the first-fruits of a future Life with God Questionless by the Life promised to us by Christ Eusebius means the Resurrection which is as 't were the Entrance and Beginning of that eternal Life with God Or rather he means the Resurrection of Christ's Body which was the first-fruits and pledge as 't were of our hope and Resurrection as Eusebius tells us in the close of this Chapter Vales. * Or Himself †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 See Grotius De Satisfac Christi Chap. 9. r 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 An elegant term taken from the secretest mysteries of Magicians and Conjurers who asserted that men were to be sacrificed to the end the life of others might be redeemed So Antinous was
but that others in regard as to their Nature they were like irrational creatures would relye upon their own senses rather Wherefore that no person whether good or ill might be in doubt he performed it openly and hath exposed this Blessedness and admirable Cure to publick view restoring again to life those that were dead and commanding that such as had been deprived of their senses should again recover their former soundness of sense But that he rendred the Sea solid and in the midst of a Storm ordered a Calm to arise and in fine that after he had performed wonderfull works and from an incredulity had brought men over to a most strong Faith He ascended up into Heaven whose work was this save God's and a performance of a most transcendent power Nor did that time which was nearest to his Passion want those Sights that were highly admirable when the darkness of night obscured the brightness of day and totally eclips'd the Sun For a terrour had seized all people every where who believed that the end of all things was now come and that a Chaos such a one as had been before the Composure of the World would now prevail Moreover the Cause of so great a Calamity was inquired into and what horrid impiety that might be which had been committed by men against the Deity Till such time as with a pleasing greatness of mind God had with contempt look't upon the contumely of the Impious and had restored all things and beautified the whole Heaven with the usual course of the Stars The Face therefore of the world which in a manner had been wholly covered with mourning and sadness was again restored to its Native beauty CHAP. XII Concerning those who knew not this Mystery and that their ignorance is voluntary and what great blessings await those who know it and especially them who have died in Confession BUt some one of those with whom 't is usual to blaspheme will peradventure say that God was able to have made the will of men better and more tractable and mild I demand therefore what better method what more effectual attempt in order to the amendment of ill men than God's own speaking to them Has not He when present and rendred visible to all taught them modestie and sobriety of life If therefore the Command of a God who was present hath availed nothing how could the admonition of one absent and un-heard be of force What therefore was the Obstacle of that most Blessed Doctrine The perverse untractable and fierce humour of men For when with an angry and displeased mind we receive those things which are well and fitly enjoyned the acuteness of our understanding is dull'd as 't were and clouded Besides it was pleasure to them to neglect the commands and in a loathing and disdainfull manner to give ear to the Law that was made For had they not been negligent and careless they had received rewards befitting their attention not only in this life present but in that to come also which is really and truly The Life For the reward of those who obey God is an immortal and eternal Life The attaining whereof is possible to them only who shall know God and shall propose their own lives as some perpetual Exemplar for their imitation that have resolved to live by way of Emulation with a desire of excelling On this account therefore the Doctrine was delivered to the wise that what they shall command might in a pure mind be preserved with care by their companions and that the observance of God's Command might thus continue true and firm For from such an observance and from a pure Faith and a sincere Devotion towards God springs a fearlesness and contempt of Death Such a mind as this therefore gives a resistance to the Storms and Tumults of the world being fortified in order to Martyrdom by an inexpugnable strength of Divine Virtue And when with a magnanimity it has conquered the greatest Terrours it is vouchsafed a Crown from Him to whom with courage and constancy it hath born witness Nevertheless it does not boast in respect hereof For it knows I suppose that even this is the Gift of God that it has both endured Tortures and hath also chearfully fulfilled the Divine Commands Farther such a life as this is followed by an immortal Memory and an Eternal Glory and that most deservedly For both the life of a Martyr is found to be full of modesty and of a Religious observance of the Divine Commands and his death likewise appears full of magnanimity and Gallantry Wherefore Hymns Psalms commendations and praises are after this sung to God the Inspectour of all things and such a Sacrifice of thanksgiving as this is performed in memory of these persons a Sacrifice not polluted with bloud and void of all manner of violence Neither is the Odour of Frankincense required nor a kindling of the Funeral-pile but a pure Light only as much as may be sufficient for the enlightning them who pray to God Sober Feasts and Banquets are likewise celebrated by many made for the relief and refreshment of the indigent and to help them who have been deprived of their Estates and Country Which Banquets should any one think to be burthensome and inconvenient his Sentiment would be repugnant to the Divine and most Blessed Discipline CHAP. XIII That a difference of the parts of the Creation is necessary and that a propensity to Good and Evil springs from the will of men and therefore that the Judgment of God is necessary and agreeable to Reason BUt now some persons do boldly and inconsiderately presume to find fault with God even in this matter What was his meaning say they that he has not framed the nature of things one and the same but has commanded that even most things should be produced different and therefore should be endued with a nature and disposition that are contrary Whence springs a diversity of the Morals and Wills of us men It had peradventure been better both as to what respects an obedience to the Commands of God and as to an accurate Contemplation of Him and in reference to a confirmation of the Faith of every particular person that all men had been endued with one and the same disposition But we answer 't is altogether ridiculous to desire that all men should be of one and the same humour and disposition and 't is absurd not to consider and remark this that the constitution of the whole world is not the same with that of those things which are in the world or this that Natural things are not of the same substance with those that are Moral Or Lastly this that the Affections of the Body are not the same with those of the Mind For the rational Soul does far excel this whole world and is so
who is over all and worshipped him with virtuous works and not with the ceremonious service of the Law delivered afterwards by Moses Unto him being such a one it was said that In him shall all the Tribes of the earth and all Nations be blessed The very same manner of Religion which Abraham followed is found at this present among Christians alone throughout the world practised by them in works which are far more evident than words What then hindreth but that we may henceforth confess that one and the same way of living and the same kind of Religion is common to us who have our name from Christ with them who of Old sincerely served God and were so dear unto him It plainly appears therefore that that perfect and exact rule of Religion which hath been delivered unto us by the Doctrine of Christ is neither New nor Strange but if we ought to speak the truth the first the onely and the true one And of these matters let thus much suffice CHAP. V. Of the times of our Saviours Manifestation unto Men. BUt after this preparation wherein by way of Preface we have laid down such things as are fit to usher-in the Ecclesiastical History we design it now remaineth that we take the first step as it were of our journey from the appearance of our Saviour in the flesh calling upon God the Father of the Word and upon Jesus Christ himself of whom we Treat our Saviour and Lord the heavenly Word of God that he will be our help and fellow-labourer in the declaration of the Truth It was now therefore the two and fortieth year of the Reign of Augustus and the eight and twentieth year after the subduing of Egypt and the death of Antonius and Cleopatra in whom the Rule of the Ptolomees in Egypt ceased when our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ at the time of the first Taxing which was when Cyrenius was Governour of Syria was born in Bethlehem of Judea agreeable to the Prophecies that went before of him Which Taxing under Cyrenius Flavius Josephus a most famous Historiographer among the Hebrews maketh mention of adding thereto another History concerning the Sect of the Galileans which sprang up about the same time whereof amongst us also Luke in the Acts of the Apostles maketh mention saying thus After this man rose up one Judas of Galilee in the days of the Taxing and drew away much people after him he also himself perished and all even as many as obeyed him were dispersed The same indeed Josephus before mentioned in his eighteenth Book of Antiquities doth agree in and confirm thus word for word Cyrenius one of the number of the Roman Senatours a man who had born all Offices and by all the degrees of Honour had climbed at length to the Consulship and who was greatly renowned in other respects came with a few men into Syria being sent on purpose by Caesar as Judge of the Nation and to take the Valuation of their Estates And a little after he saith Judas Gaulanites a man of the City named Gamala having taken unto him one Saddochus a Pharisee earnestly sollicited the people to Rebellion Both of them affirming that the Taxing of this Tribute inferred nothing but manifest Servitude and exhorting the whole Nation to maintain their Liberty And in his Second Book of the Wars of the Jews he writeth thus of the same Person At that time a certain Galilean by name Judas stirred up the people of that Region to defection upbraiding them for paying Tribute so tamely to the Romans and having God their Sovereign for suffering mortal men to be their masters So far Josephus CHAP. VI. That in his time according to the Predictions of the Prophets the Princes of the Jewish Nation who before by succession had held the Principality surceased and that Herod the First of the Aliens became their King NOw at that time when Herod the First of them who by descent was a Forreigner had obtained the Rule over the Jewish Nation the Prophecy written by Moses was fulfilled which said There shall not want a Prince in Juda neither a Leader fail of his Loyns untill he come for whom it is reserved Whom he declares to be the expectation of the Gentiles Indeed the things of that Prophesie hung unaccomplished all the time that it was lawful for the Jews to live under Princes of their own Nation who taking their beginning as high as Moses himself continued down their Reign even to the Empire of Augustus under whom Herod the First Forreigner had the Government of the Jews granted him by the Romans who as Josephus declares was by his fathers side an Idumaean by his mothers an Arabian But as Affricanus one not of the vulgar sort of Writers says they who have been more accurate about his pedegree say he was the son of Antipater who was the son of one Herod an Ascalonite who was one of the servants which Ministred in the Temple of Apollo This Antipater being taken by Idumaean theeves while he was yet a child remained a long time among them because his father being one of a mean Estate was not able to redeem him And being brought up after their manner of breeding became at length very familiarly acquainted with Hyrcanus the High-priest of the Jews This very mans son was that Herod who lived in the time of our Saviour When therefore the principality of the Jews was come into the hands of this Alien then was the expectation of the Gentiles even at the doors according unto that Prophesie For then the Line of their Native Princes and Governours was broken off which had been drawn down by a continued Succession from Moses himself untill that time For before they were taken Captives and carried into Babylon Kings reigned over them beginning from Saul who was the first and from David Before their Kings Princes bore Rule over them whom they called Judges beginning their Government after Moses and his Successour Jesus After their return from Babylon there ceased not amongst them a form of Government an Aristocracie together with an Oligarchie the best ruling and they but few in number For the High-Priests had held that preeminence untill Pompey the Roman Captain coming upon them by main force besieged and ransacked Jerusalem polluted the Holy places by entring into the Sanctuaries of the Temple and sent prisoner to Rome the High-priest whose name was Aristobulus with his sons who by succession from his Progenitors had continued unto that time both Prince and Priest and committed the Office of High-priesthood unto his brother Hyrcanus and from that time â—orth made the whole Jewish Nation become Tributary to the Romans And indeed not long after Hyrcanus the last of those to whom the High-priesthood by succession befell being taken prisoner by the Parthians Herod the first Forreigner as I said before had the Government of the Jewish nation delivered to him by the Roman
heard concerning Jesus by his disciple and Apostle Thaddaeus who without the help of Herbs or Medicines restored him to his former soundness And not onely him but one Abdus also the son of Abdus who had the Gout he coming and falling down at Thaddaeus's feet received a blessing by prayer and the laying on of his hands and was healed Many others also of the same City with them were cured by the Apostle who wrought wonderfull Miracles and Preached the Word of God After all this Agbarus spake thus We believe Thaddaeus whatever thou dost thou performest by the power of God and therefore we greatly admire thee But We pray thee moreover give us some farther account of the Advent of Jesus How and after what manner it was of his power also and by what virtue he wrought those mighty Works we have heard I shall now be silent replied Thaddaeus because I am sent to publish the Word of God But assemble all the men of thy City together to me to morrow and I will Preach the Word of God to them and will disperse the Word of life among them and expound the Advent of Jesus after what manner it was his Commission and for what reason his Father sent him the power of his Works the Mysteries he declared to the world by what power he wrought so great Miracles his new Preaching the slender and mean reputation he made himself of the despicableness of his outward man how he humbled himself even unto death how he lessened his Divinity how many and great things he suffered of the Jews how he was Crucified how he descended into Hell and rent asunder that Inclosure never before severed how he rose again and together with himself raised those from the dead who had layn buried many ages how he descended from heaven alone but ascended to his Father accompanied with a great multitude how with glory he is set down at the right hand of God his Father in Heaven and how he will come again with power and glory to judge both quick and dead Agbarus therefore commanded the men of his City to come together very early and hear Thaddaeus Preach After this he commanded that Gold and Silver should be given to Thaddaeus But he refused it saying how shall we who have left all that was our own take any thing that is anothers These things were done in the Three hundredth and fortieth year All this being translated word for word out of the Syriack Tongue and not unprofitable to be read we have thought good to set down opportunely in this place THE SECOND BOOK Of the Ecclesiastical History OF EUSEBIUS PAMPHILUS The PREFACE WHatsoever was necessary to be premised by way of Preface to Our Ecclesiastical History both concerning the Divinity of the comfortable Word the Antiquity of the points of our doctrine and Evangelical Politie and also moreover concerning the Manifestation our Saviour lately made of himself his Passion and the Election of the Apostles we have Treated of in the foregoing Book and briefly summed up the proofs thereof Now therefore in this we will diligently look into what followed upon his Ascension partly from what we find noted in Holy Writt and partly from other Records which we will mention in due place CHAP. I. Of those things which were instituted by the Apostles after the Ascension of Christ. FIRST of all therefore Matthias who as before hath been manifested was one of the Lords disciples by lot was elected into the Apostleship of the Traitour Judas Then seven approved men were by prayer and imposition of the Apostles hands Ordained Deacons for the publick Administration of the Churches affairs of which number Stephen was one who immediately after his Ordination as if he had been made Deacon onely for this was the first that after the Lord was slain by those very Jews that had been the Lords murtherers who stoned him to death And thus he being the first of the worthily victorious Martyrs of Christ gained a Crown answerable to his Name Then James also who was termed the brother of the Lord because he also was called the Son of Joseph for Joseph was the father of Christ to whom Mary being Espoused before they came together she was found with child of the Holy Ghost as the Sacred History of the Gospel doth declare This same James I say who for his eminent virtue the Antients surnamed the Just was as they relate the first that had the Episcopal seat of the Church at Jerusalem delivered to him So Clemens affirms in the sixth Book of his Institutions For he says That after our Saviours Ascension Peter James and John although our Lord had preferred them before the rest did not contend for the Dignity but chose James the Just Bishop of Jerusalem The same Author in the seventh Book of the same work says this farther of him The Lord after his Resurrection conferred the gift of Knowledge upon James the Just John and Peter which they delivered to the rest of the Apostles and those to the Seventy Disciples one of whom was Barnabas But there were two James's the one surnamed the Just who was cast head-long from the Battlement of the Temple and beaten to death with a Fullers Club the other was beheaded Paul makes mention of this James the Just writing thus Other of the Apostles saw I none save James the Lords brother At this time also all that our Saviour had promised to the King of the Osdroënians was fulfilled For Thomas moved thereto by Divine impulse sent Thaddaeus to Edessa to be a Preacher and Evangelist of the Doctrine of Christ as from a Record there found we have a little before manifested He when he was come thither did in the Name of Christ both cure Agbarus and also astonished all the Inhabitants of the country with the wonderfulness of his Miracles And when he had sufficiently prepared them with such Works and brought them to an adoration of Christs power he made them disciples of his wholesome Doctrine From that very time untill now the whole City of the Edessens has continued to be Consecrated to Christs Name enjoying no trivial evidences of our Saviour's graciousness towards them And these things are said as from the History of the old Records We will now return again to Holy Writ After the Martyrdom of Stephen when the first and sorest persecution of the Church at Jerusalem by the Jews arose all the disciples of Christ except the Twelve onely being scattered throughout Judea and Samaria some of them travelling as far as Phoenice and Cyprus and Antioch as Holy Scripture testifieth were not able to be so bold as to communicate the Word of Faith to the Gentiles but Preach't to the Jews onely At that time Paul also untill then made havock of the Church entring into every house of the faithfull haling men and women and committing them to prison Moreover Philip one of those who was ordained
Paul when the multitude of the Jews raised a tumult against him Art not thou that Egyptian which before these days madest an uproar and leddest into the wilderness four thousand men that were murtherers But thus much concerning the times of Felix CHAP. XXII How Paul being sent bound from Judea to Rome having made his defence was wholly acquitted BUt Festus is by Nero sent as successour to this Felix in whose time Paul having pleaded for himself is carried bound to Rome Aristarchus was with him whom somewhere in his Epistles he deservedly stiles his fellow prisoner And Luke who committed to writing the Acts of the Apostles concluded his History here having shewed that Paul lived two full years at Rome enjoying in a great measure his liberty and that he Preached the Word of God no man forbidding him Then having made his defence it is moreover reported that the Apostle travelled again upon account of the ministration of Preaching and that coming the second time to the same City he ended his life by martyrdome in this Emperours Reign At which time being in bonds he wrote the second Epistle to Timothy signifying therein both his former defence and also his approaching death Take his own Testimonie hereof At my first answer says he no man stood with me but all men forsook me I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge notwithstanding the Lord stood with me and strengthened me that by me the Preaching might be fully known and that all the Gentiles might hear and I was delivered out of the mouth of the Lion By which words he makes it plainly evident that at the first time that his Preaching might be fulfilled he was delivered out of the mouth of the Lion speaking as it was likely of Nero because of his cruelty But afterwards he has not added any thing like unto these words He shall deliver me out of the mouth of the Lion for by the Spirit he saw that his end was now near at hand wherefore having said and I was delivered out of the mouth of the Lion he adds this The Lord shall deliver me from every evil work and will preserve me unto his heavenly Kingdom evidently signifying that his martyrdom was at hand which he more plainly foretels in the same Epistle saying For I am now ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand Moreover in this second Epistle to Timothy he manifestly declares that onely Luke was then with him when he wrote it but at his first answer that not so much as he was with him then Whence 't is aggreable to reason to think that Luke concluded the Acts of the Apostles at that time having continued the History so long as he accompanied Paul These things we have spoken that we may make it manifest that the martyrdom of Paul was not consummated at that first coming of his to Rome which Luke mentions For its likely that Pauls Apology for his opinion was more easily admitted by Nero he behaving himself more mildly at the beginning of his Empire but proceeding afterwards to the commission of most horrid and villanous Acts those things against the Apostles together with many other persons were by him taken in hand CHAP. XXIII How James called the brother of the Lord was Martyred MOreover Paul having appealed to Caesar and being by Festus sent to Rome the Jews who had plotted a design against him being now disappointed of their expectation set upon James the brother of the Lord to whom the Episcopal seat at Jerusalem was given by the Apostles and of this sort were their villanous practises against him Leading him forth publickly they required him to renounce the faith of Christ before all the people But when he contrary to the expectation of all had spoken freely and with a greater boldness than they looked for before the whole multitude and had confessed that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ was the Son of God being no longer able to endure the Testimony of the man they slew him who was believed by all to be a most just person by reason of that singular eminence he arrived to in his leading a Philosophical and pious course of life taking the vacancy of the Government as a fit oportunity for this their Licentiousness For Festus being at that time dead in Judea that Province was without a President and Procuratour Now the manner of this James's death the words of Clemens before quoted by us have manifested he having declared that he was cast headlong from the battlement of the Temple and beaten to death with a club But moreover Hegesippus being one of those who were of the first succession after the Apostles does in the fifth Book of his Commentaries most accurately relate these things concerning this James speaking after this manner James the brother of our Lord undertook together with the Apostles the Government of the Church That James who was surnamed the Just by all even from the times of our Lord untill ours For many were called by the name of James but this man was holy from his mothers womb He drank neither wine nor strong drink nor eat any creature wherein there was life There never came Rasour upon his head he anointed not himself with oyl neither did he use a Bath To Him onely it was lawfull to enter into the Holiest of Holie's He wore no woollen but linnen garments and went into the Temple alone where he was found upon his knees making supplication for the forgiveness of the people in so much that his knees were become hard and brawny like those of a Camel by reason of his continual kneeling to worship God and to make supplication for the remission of the people Wherefore upon account of his most eminent righteousness he was called Justus and Oblias which signifies in English the defence and righteousness of the people as the Prophets declare concerning him Therefore certain men of the seven Heresies among that people of the Jews which we have before written of in our Commentaries asked him which is the gate of Jesus And he said that That Jesus was the Saviour Some of them believed that Jesus was the Christ but the forementioned Sects believed neither the Resurrection nor that he was to come to reward every man according to his works But as many as believed believed by the means of James Therefore many of the chief men believing there was a commotion among the Jews and Scribes and Pharisees who said that all the people were in danger to think Jesus to be the Christ. Coming altogether therefore unto James they said unto him we beseech thee restrain the people for they are in an errour concerning Jesus supposing him to be the Christ we entreat thee perswade all those that come together at the day of the passover that they may think aright concerning Jesus For we all put our confidence in thee and we and
having reigned something more than a year Trajan succeeded him It was his first year wherein Cerdo succeeded Avilius who had governed the Alexandrian Church thirteen years This Cerdo was the third from Annianus who first presided there At this time also Clemens yet governed the Roman Church he being also the third that after Paul and Peter had the Episcopal dignity there Linus being the first and after him Anencletus CHAP. XXII That Ignatius was the Second that presided over the Alexandrian Church MOreover Euodius having been constituted the first Bishop at Antioch the second was Ignatius a man famous in those times Simeon likewise was the second who after our Saviours brother at the same time entred upon the publick charge over the Church at Jerusalem CHAP. XXIII A Relation concerning John the Apostle AT the same time the Apostle and also Evangelist John the same whom Jesus loved remaining yet alive in Asia governed the Churches there being returned from his Exile in the Island after the death of Domitian For that he was hitherto alive it is sufficiently confirmed by two who evidence the matter and they are very worthy of credit having been constant assertours of Catholick sound Doctrine I mean these persons Irenaeus and Clemens Alexandrinus The former of whom in his second book against Heresie writes thus word for word And all the Elders that were conversant in Asia with John the disciple of our Lord do testifie that John delivered it to them for he continued among them untill Trajans time And in the third book of that work he manifests the same thing in these words Moreover the Church at Ephesus was founded indeed by Paul but John continuing among them untill Trajans time is a most faithfull witness of the Apostolick Tradition And Clemens likewise having evidently shown the time adds withall a Relation very necessary for those who delight to hear good and profitable things in that work of his which he entitled who that rich man is that shall be saved Let us therefore take his book and read the story which is thus Hear a Relation which is not a feigned story but a real truth delivered concerning John the Apostle and kept in remembrance For after the death of the Tyrant he returned from the Island Patmos to Ephesus and being thereto requested he went to the neighbouring Provinces in some places constituting Bishops in others setting in order whole Churches and other where electing into the Clergy some one or other of those who were made known to him by the Spirit Coming therefore to one of the Cities not far distant the name whereof some mention and moreover having refreshed the brethren at length casting his eyes upon a youth of a goodly stature of body comely countenance and lively disposition he lookt upon him whom he had Ordained Bishop and said This youth I doe with all imaginable care commit to thy charge in the presence of the Church and of Christ as a witness And when he had undertaken this charge and promised his utmost care thereof John declared and desired the same again And afterwards returned to Ephesus But the Presbyter taking home the youth committed to his custody educated him kept him within compass and cherished him and at length baptized him but after that he abated something of his great care and caution over him because he had fortified him with that most absolute defence to wit the Seal of the Lord. But having obtained his freedom a little too early some idle dissolute young men that were inured to all manner of vice keep him company and first of all they entice him with sumptuous Banquets then going out by night to rob and strip those they could meet with they carry him a long with them afterwards they desire him to be their complice in greater rogueries So by little and little he was accustomed to lewdness and because he was high spirited having once left the right way like a strong hard mouthed horse holding the bitt between his teeth he was so much the more fiercely hurried into destruction In fine despairing of the salvation of God he spent not his thoughts now upon any trifling designe but attempted some enormous wickedness in as much as he was wholly past all hope he scorned to run the hazard of so mean a punishment as other theeves did Taking therefore those his accomplices and having formed them into a Troop of theeves he was readily made their commander in chief being the fiercest the most bloudy and cruelest person of them all Sometime after and there happening some necessity for it they send again for John who after he had set in order those things upon account whereof he came said Come on Bishop restore us that which was committed to thy custody which I and Christ delivered to thee to take care of in the presence of the Church as witness over which thou dost preside But he at first was astonished supposing himself to be falsely accused about money which he had not received neither could he give credit to John concerning his demand of what he had not nor yet durst he disbelieve him But when John had said I demand the young man and the soul of our brother the old man fetching a deep sigh and also weeping said he is dead How and what kind of death To God said he he is dead for he proved wicked and extreamly naught and in conclusion a thief And now instead of continuing in the Church he hath taken possession of the mountain with a troop of associates like himself The Apostle therefore having rent his garment and with a great outâ—ry smiting his head I left said he an excellent keeper of our brothers soul But let an horse be presently brought me and let me have a guide to direct me in the way He rode as he was forthwith from the Church and coming to the place is taken by the watch which the Theeves had set he flyes not nor makes entreaty but calls out For this purpose I came bring me to your captain he in the mean time armed as he was stood still but as soon as he knew John approaching being ashamed he fled But he forgetfull of his Age with all possible speed pursued him crying out Son why doest thou flee from thy Father unarmed and aged Have compassion on me my son fear not as yet there is hopes of thy salvation I will intercede with Christ for thee if need require I will willingly undergoe death for thee as the Lord underwent it for us I will by way of recompence give my soul for thine stand still believe me Christ hath sent me He having heard this first stood still looking downward then he threw away his armour afterwards trembling he wept bitterly and embraced the approaching old man craving pardon as well as he could for crying and being as it were baptized the second time with tears onely he hid his right
Hebrews the rest they made small account of They observed also the Sabbath and all other Judaical rites in like manner as the Jews doe but on Sundays they performed the same things with us in remembrance of the Lords Resurrection From whence because of such opinionâ— by them held they got this name to wit the appellation of Ebionites a name that betokens the poverty of their understanding For by this name a begger is called amongst the Hebrews CHAP. XXVIII Of the Arch-Heretick Cerinthus WE have heard that at the same time there was one Cerinthus a Founder of another Heresie Caius whose words I before quoted in that disputation of his now extant writes thus concerning him But Cerinthus also who by Revelations written by himself as it were by some great A postle hath feigned monstrous narrations as if they had been shewed him by Angels and sets them abroach amongst us saying that after the Resurrection the Kingdom of Christ will be terrestriall and that men living again in the flesh at Jerusalem shall be subject to desires and pleasures He also being an enemy to divine Scripture and desirous to induce men into errour says that there shall be the number of a thousand years spent in a nuptial feast And Dionysius also who in our time was chosen Bishop of the Church of Alexandria in his second book concerning promises speaking something of the Revelation of John as from antient tradition mentions this man in these words But Cerinthus the Founder of the Heresie called from him the Cerinthian Heresie was they say the authour of that book being desirous to put a creditable name upon his own Forgery For this was one of the tenets of his doctrine that the Kingdom of Christ should be terrestrial and those things which he being a lover of his body and altogether carnally minded earnestly lusted after in them he dreamt the Kingdome of Christ consisted to wit in the satiety of the belly and of those parts beneath the belly that is in meats drinks and marriages and in those things whereby he thought these might with a greater pretence and shew of piety be procured that is in feasts sacrifices and in the â—laying of offerings Thus far Dionysius But Ireneus in his first book against Heresies does recite some more secret false opinions of this mans and in his third book he delivers in writing a certain story unworthy to be forgotten as from the tradition of Polycarpe saying that John the Apostle going on a time to the Bath to bathe himself and understanding that Cerinthus was within retired in great hast from that place and fled out at the door not enduring to goe under the same roof with him and that he perswaded those who were with him to doe so also saying Let us be gone least the Bath fall Cerinthus that enemy of the truth being within it CHAP. XXIX Of Nicholas and those Hereticks who bear his name AT this time the Heresie called the Heresie of the Nicholaites continued for a very short time of which also the Revelation of John makes mention These boasted of Nicholas one of the Deacons who together with Stephen were Ordained by the Apostles to minister to the poor as the Authour of their Sect. Now Clemens Alexandrinus in the third of his StromatwÌ„n relates thus much of him word for word He they say having a beautifull wife being after our Saviours ascension blamed by the Apostles for his jealousie brought his wife forth and permitted her to marry whom she had a mind to For this deed they report is agreeable to that saying of his to wiâ— That we ought to abuse the flesh Those therefore who follow his Heresie simply and rashly assenting to this saying and imitating this deed doe most impudently give themselves over to fornication But I am given to understand that Nicholas made use of no other woman besides her he married and that those of his children which were daughters remained virgins when they were old and his son continued undefiled by women Which things being thus his bringing of his wife over whom he was said to be jealous forth before the Apostles was a sign of his rejecting and bridling his passion and by those words of his that we ought to abuse the flesh he taught continence and an abstaining from those pleasures which are with so much earnestness desired by men For I suppose he would not according to our Saviours commandment serve two masters pleasure and the Lord. Moreover they say that Matthias taught the same doctrine that we should war against the flesh and abuse it allowing it nothing of pleasure but that we should inrich the soul by Faith and Knowledge Let thus much therefore be spoken concerning those who endeavoured about that time to deprave the truth but on a sudden were wholly extinct CHAP. XXX Concerning those Apostles that are found to have been married BUt Clemens whose words we even now recited after that passage of his before quoted does reckon up those Apostles that are found to have been married upon account of such as despise marriage saying what will they reprehend even the Apostles also For Peter and Philip begat children and Philip matcht his daughters to husbands Paul also in one of his Epistles fears not to name his wife whom he carried not about with him that he might with more expedition perform his Ministration But because we have mentioned these things it will not be troublesome to produce also another story of his worthily memorable which he hath set forth in the seventh of his StromatwÌ„n after this manner Now they say that S t Peter seeing his wife led to be put to death rejoyced because she was called by God and because she was returning home and that calling her by her name he exhorted and comforted her saying O woman Remember the Lord. Such was the wedlock of the Saints and such the entire affection of most dear friends And thus much being pertinent to the subject now in hand we have here seasonably placed CHAP. XXXI Of the Death of John and Philip. INdeed both the time and manner of the death of Paul and Peter and moreover the place where after their departure out of this life their bodies were deposited we have before manifested concerning the time of John's death we have already also in some sort spoken but the place of Sepulchre is demonstrated by the Epistle of Polycrates who was Bishop of the Ephesian Church which he wrote to Victor Bishop of Rome wherein he mentions both him and also Philip the Apostle and his daughters after this manner For also in Asia the great Lights are dead which shall be raised again at the last day the day of the Lord 's coming wherein he shall come with glory from heaven and shall find out all his Saints I mean Philip one of the twelve Apostles who died at Hierapolos and two of his daughters who
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
after this manner This their stubborn contention therefore against the Church and this New Heretical separation from it had this original There is said to be a certain Village in that Mysia which borders upon Phrygia called by the name of Ardaba There they say one of those who had newly embraced the Faith by name Montanus when Gratus was Proconsul of Asia by reason of his immoderate desire after and love for the chief place gave the adversary an entrance into himself and was filled with the devil and being on a suddain possest with a â—urious and frantick temper of mind became perfectly mad and began to utter strange and barbarous expressions foretelling what was to come a thing which is contrary to the order and institution of the Church received from antient tradition and propagated by a continued succession Now of those who at that time were at the hearing of his counterfeited expressions some with indignation rebuked him as being moved by and possest with a devil and a spirit of errour and as being a disturber of the multitude they prohibited him also to speak for they were mindfull of the Lords premonition and his menaces whereby we are commanded with vigilancy to beware of the coming of false Prophets But others as if they had been inspired by the Holy Ghost and with the gift of Prophecy conceiving also very high thoughts of themselves and being unmindfull of the Lords premonition provoked that infatuating flattering and seducing spirit to speak and being enticed and deceived by it forbad it should any more be silenâ—'t By this art or rather by this method of subtilty and mischief the devil plotted destruction against those who were disobedient to the Lords premonition and being undeservedly honoured by them he excited and enkindled their minds which had forsaken the true Faith For he stirred up two other women and filled them with a counterfeit spirit so that they like the fore-mentioned person uttered extravagant foolish and strange expressions and those who delighted in and boasted of that matter that spirit pronounced blessed and puft them up with the greatness of the promises Sometimes also making use of conjecturall and credible arguments he condemned them publickly that so he might also seem a reproving Spirit Those few who were deceived were Phrygians But this insolent spirit taught them to revile the whole Church under heaven because this spirit of false Prophecy received neither honour from nor found any way of entrance into it For when the faithfull throughout Asia had met often and in many places of Asia upon this account and had inquired into this new doctrine and determined it to be prophane and rejected this Heresie they were expelled out of the Church and interdicted communion with the Faithfull Having related thus much in the beginning of his work and subjoyned throughout that whole book a confutation of their errour in his second book he says these words concerning the death of the forementioned persons Whereas therefore they have termed us the Murderers of the Prophets because we have not admitted of their prattling and lying Prophets for these they say are those whom the Lord promised to send his people let them answer us for God's sake is there any one of those most excellent who even from Montanus and his women began to speak that hath been persecuted by the Jews or slain by the impious not one Is there any one of them who has been apprehended and crucified for the name of Christ None at all Neither hath any of their women been scourged in the Synagogues of the Jews or stoned not one of them any where or in any wise yea Montanus and Maximilla are said to have dyed another manner of death For t is famed both these persons incited thereto by that furious spirit hanged themselves not together but each of them at the time of their death as t is strongly reported And so they dyed and put an end to their lives after the same manner that the traitour Judas did In like manner also common â—ame says that that admirable fellow Theodotus who was as it were the first Procuratour of that they stiled their Prophecie was possest with a false ecâ—tasie of mind as if at some time or other he should be lifted up and assumed â—nto heaven and that having given himself wholly up into the power of that spirit of errour he was thrown into the air by him and dyed miserably 'T is said indeed that this thing was thus done but in as much as we saw it not we doe not suppose O Macarius that we certainly know any thing hereof For peradventure Montanus Theodotus and the foresaid woman dyed after this manner perhaps they did not so die Again in the same book he says the holy Bishops of that time did attempt to confute the spirit which was in Maximilla but were prohibited by others to wit those that were favourers of that spirit He writes thus And let not the spirit in Maximilla say to me as 't is related in the same book of Asterius Urbanus I am driven as a wolf from the sheep I am not a wolf I am the Word the Spirit and the Power but let him evidently manifest and prove that Power in the Spirit and let him by that Spirit compell those that were then present to confess that they tried and conferred with that babling spirit I mean those approved men and Bishops Zoticus of the Town Comanes and Julianus of Apamea whose mouths Themison and those of his party having stopped would not suffer that lying spirit to be reproved by them Again in the same book having interposed some words to confute the false Prophecies of Maximilla he evidences both the time when he wrote these things and also mentions her predictions wherein she had foretold there should be Wars and Commotions the falsehood of which predictions he reprehends in these words And has not this lie been already made apparently manifest For to this day 't is more than thirteen years since this woman died and yet there has not been either a particular or an universal war in the world Yea rather by the mercy of God the Christians have had a firm and lasting peace And thus much out of his second book Out of the third I will also add some few words where he says thus to those who boasted that many even of their party had suffered as Martyrs When therefore they can return no answer having been confuted in all passages we have mentioned they endeavour to flee to the Martyrs saying they have many Martyrs and that is a certain and undoubted evidence of that power by them called the Prophetick spirit But this in my judgment is much more untrue For some followers of other Heresies doe boast they have many Martyrs and yet we shall not I think upon this account embrace their opinion nor confess they have the truth amongst them Those also
Affairs were forc'd through the necessity of their offices they held and they induced others of their acquaintance who being summon'd by name repaired to their impure and profane sacrifices Some looked pale and trembled as if they themselves were about to have been sacrifices and victimes not sacrificers to their Idols So that they rendred themselves the subject of laughter to the multitude that stood round about them because they demonstrated themselves to all to be fearfull both of death and of sacrificing But others of them ran to the Altars more willingly protesting very confidently that they never were Christians before Concerning whom the Lords prediction is most true that they shall hardly be saved As for the rest some of them adhered to the one or the other of those parties we have mentioned some fled away others were apprehended And of these though some proceeded so far as till they came to bonds and imprisonment and others of them had been imprisoned several days yet before they were brought to the tribunal they renounc'd the Faith Some of them after they had persisted some time in suffering torments yet for fear of what might follow renounc'd their Religion But the stedfast and blessed Pillars of the Lord being strengthened by him and having received power and patience equal and answerable to their strong faith became admirable witnesses of his kingdom The first of which was Julianus a Gouty man who could neither goe nor stand he together with two other men who carried him was brought before the Judge one of those persons straightway deny'd Christ. But the other whose name was Cronion but was sirnamed Eunus together with the old man Julianus having confessed the Lord rode upon Camels through the whole City which you know is very large and were scourged as they sate on high and at last in the presence of all the multitude standing round they were consum'd by an exceeding hot fire A Souldier who attended on them as they were lead to the stake thrust away all those who abused them and when the people exclaim'd against him this most valiant champion of God by name Besas was call'd in question and after he had behav'd himself nobly in a great combat in defence of Piety he was beheaded Also another man a Libyan born both according to his name and also agreeable to the divine benediction truly stil'd Macar after much exhortation of the Judge to a renunciation being nothing subdu'd therewith was burned alive After these Epimachus and Alexander after a tedious imprisonment which they endur'd having suffered infinite sorts of tortures as iron scratchers scourges were also burned to death with unslaked lime with them also four women Ammonarium an holy Virgin whom the Judge for a long time and with much earnestness tortured because she had before hand said she would utter nothing he should enjoyn her when she had verified her promise she was led to execution Now the rest were these Mercuria a most virtuous and venerable Matron and Dionysia the mother of a numerous issue but did not love her children more then the Lord also another Ammonarium The Judge being now ashamed that he tortured them yet in vain and that he was thus overcome by women slew them with the sword before they underwent the tryall of tortures For Ammonarium their leader had suffered torments for them all Heron also and Ater and Isidorus Aegyptians and with them Dioscorus a lad of about fifteen years of age were set before the Judge Who first of all endeavoured to deceive the youth with words as thinking him flexible and easie to be perswaded he endeavoured also to force him by torments supposing him to be remiss and inclineable to yield but Dioscorus was neither mov'd with perswasions nor yielded he to torments When the Judge had most barbarously torn the rest with stripes and they persisted he delivered them also to the fire but he dismiss'd Dioscorus because he was lovely in the eyes of the people and he also himself admired him for his most prudent answers to his questions Saying he allow'd him space for repentance because of his tender age And now the most excellent Dioscorus continues with us reserved for a greater and more lasting combat Also one Nemesion another Aegyptian was falsly accused as a companion of theeves but having before the Centurion cleared himself of this accusation brought against him as being most absurd he was impeach'd as being a Christian and brought bound before the Governour who most unjust man having inflicted upon him double as many torments and stripes as upon the theeves commanded him to be burnt amongst theeves Blessed man Who was honoured after Christ's example Moreover a whole file of Souldiers to wit Ammon and Zeno and Ptolomy and Ingenuus and with them the old man Theophilus stood together before the place of judicature And when a certain man was accused for being a Christian and inclined to a renunciation of his Religion they standing by gnashed upon him with their teeth made grimaces at him with their countenances stretched out their hands and shewed mimick and antick gestures with their bodies in so much that all mens eyes were turned towards them before any one came to lay hands on them they ran to the place where the accused usually sate confessing themselves to be Christians Upon which the Governour and the Assessours were surprized with a great fear The accused seem'd most couragious at what they were about to suffer but the Judges trembled So they went out of the place of judicature in a kind of Pomp and State and rejoyced at the testimony they were to give to the Faith God making them to triumph gloriously CHAP. XLII Concerning some other things which Dionysius relates SEveral others were torn in pieces by the Heathens both in the Cities and in the Countrey Villages one of them I will hear speak of for examples sake Ischyrion was a Mercenary Officer under one of the Magistrates He whom he served injoyned him to sacrifice but when he obeyed him not he was injurious to him when he still persisted to be disobedient he basely reproacht him After he had patiently sustained all this he took a great stake and having run it through his guts and bowels murdered him What need I to reckon up the multitudes which wandered in deserts and mountains and dyed by Pestilence thirst and cold and by diseases thieves and savage beasts such of them as survived are witnesses of their choice and victory but I will adde one fact for a manifestation of the truth hereof There was one Chaeremon a very aged man Bishop of the City called Nile he together with his wife fled unto the mountain Arabius but never returned neither could they or any thing of their bodies ever be found although the Brethren searched all places carefully Also many about this mountain Arabicus were taken captives and inslaved by the barbarous Saracens some
without any commiseration and afterwards when they were dead that they should be thrown on the ground and drag'd up and down For they ought not he said to take the least care of us but that all persons should so think of and behave themselves towards us as if we were not men This second torture after they had beaten us with stripes our Adversaries invented There were some also who after they had been scourged lay in the stocks both their feet being stretched to the fourth hole in so much that they were forced to lie in the stocks with their bellies upwards being unable to stand because of their fresh wounds caused by the stripes which they had all over their bodies Others threw themselves upon the ground where they lay by reason of the innumerable wounds made by their tortures yielding a more miserable spectacle to those that lookt on them than in the very time of their being tortured and bearing in their bodies the various and different sorts of tortures invented for them These things being thus performed some of the Martyrs expired under their tortures having made the adversary ashamed by their persevering constancy Others being half dead were shut up in prison where having been sorely afflicted with the smart of their wounds they ended their lives not many days after The residue having been refreshed with methods of cure became more stout and confident by time and their abode in prison Therefore when afterwards command was given that they should choose whether by touching the detestable sacrifices they would free themselves from all molestation and obtain from them an execrable liberty or whether refusing to sacrifice they would receive the sentence of death without any delay they chearfully proceeded forth to death For they well knew what was before prescribed to us by the sacred Scriptures for he says the word of God that sacrificeth to other Gods shall be utterly destroyed And again Thou shalt have no other Gods but me Such were the expressions of Phileas the Martyr a true Philosopher and also a sincere lover of God which he sent to the Brethren of his Church before his last sentence of condemnation being yet in prison whereby he informed them both in what condition he was in and also exhorted them stifly to retain their piety in Christ after his death which was now approaching But what need we spend many words in relating the conflicts of the divine Martyrs over the whole world whose new combats were succeeded by other conflicts that were as new and especially when as they were assaulted not in an ordinary way but in an hostile manner CHAP. XI Concerning what was done in Phrygia FOr at that time some armed Souldiers invested a whole City of Christians that was very populous in Phrygia and having set it on fire burnt the men together with the women and children whilst they called upon Christ the supream God The reason hereof was this the whole body of inhabitants of that City the Curator the Duumvir together with all the rest who were of the Magistracy and all the common people professing themselves to be Christians would in no wise obey those that commanded them to sacrifice to Idols Another person also by name Adauctus a man descended from a noble family in Italy that had obtained a Roman dignity a person that had passed through all degrees of honour in the Palace of the Emperours in so much that he had faithfully discharged the Office of Receiver General which amongst them is called The Master of the private Revenue and that of Rationalist besides all this he was famous for his virtuous performances in Religion and for his confessions of the Christ of God was adorned with the crown of Martyrdom having undergone the conflict upon account of Religion whilst he bore the Office of Rationalist CHAP. XII Concerning many other men and women who suffered Martyrdom in a various and different manner WHat need is there now of mentioning the rest by name or of recounting the multitude of men or delineating the various sorts of tortures endured by the admirable Martyrs of Christ Part whereof were beheaded as it happened to those in Arabia and part were killed by having their legs broken as it befell those in Cappadocia Some being hung up on high by the feet with their heads downwards a slow fire having been kindled under them were suffocated with the smoak that ascended from the combustible matter set on fire so it befell those in Mesopotamia others had their noses the tips of their ears and their hands cut off and the other members and parts of their bodies were mangled as it happened at Alexandria What need is there of renewing the remembrance of what was done at Antioch where some were broyled on Grid-irons set over the fire not till they were killed but that their punishment might be prolonged others were more ready to thrust their right hands into the fire than to touch the impious sacrifices Whereof some avoiding the being put to the test whether they would sacrifice before they would be apprehended and fall into the hands of those that laid wait for them threw themselves headlong from the tops of high houses having accounted death to be a gain because of the malitiousness of the impious Also a certain holy woman admirable for her virtuous soul and her comely body eminently famous beyond all at Antioch for riches descent and reputation had educated two daughters virgins that were eminent for beauty and in the flower of their age in the precepts of Religion when many moved thereto by envy used all manner of industry in inquiring out the place where they absconded and it being at length understood they lived in a forrein country they were with much diligence summoned to Antioch after the woman knew that she and her daughters were now incompassed with the Souldiers nets perceiving her self and daughters reduced to an inextricable state of perill she exhorted the virgins expresly declaring to them the mischiess that would befall them from the Souldiers and that of all evils ravishment was the most intollerable the meances whereof it was unlawfull for them to endure even to hear Moreover having said that to yield up their souls to the service of devils was worse than all sorts of death and all manner of destruction there was but one way she declared to avoid all these evils which was to flie to the Lord for refuge Immediately after these words having all agreed to embrace the same advice they adorned their bodies with a decent dress when they had gone half their journey having intreated their guard for a short recess out of the way and that being granted them they threw themselves into a River which ran hard by thus these persons drowned themselves At the same City of Antioch another pair of virgins in all points divine and truly Sisters eminent for descent splendid
the great Council of Nice was this We believe in one God the Father Almighty Maker of all things visible and invisible and in one Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God begotten of the Father the only begotten that is of the substance of the Father God of God and Light of Light very God of very God begotten not made of the same substance with the Father by whom all things were made that are in heaven and in earth who for the sake of us men and for our salvation descended and was incarnate and was made man and he suffered and arose again the third day ascended into the Heavens he shall come to Judge the quick and the dead We also believe in the Holy Ghost But the holy Catholick and Apostolick Church doth anathematize those that aver that there was a time when the Son of God was not and that he was not before he was begotten and that he was made of nothing Or that say he was made of another substance or essence or that he is either created or convertible or mutable This Creed three hundred and eighteen Bishops approved of and embraced and as Eusebius testifies being unanimous in their suffrages and sentiments they subscribed it There were only five that refused to allow of it who misliked the word Homoousios these were Eusebius Bishop of Nicomedia Theognis Bishop of Nice Maris of Chalcedon Theonas of Marmarica and Secundus of Ptolemais For in regard they asserted that that is Consubstantial which is from another either by Partition or by Derivation or by Eruption by Eruption as the Branch from the Root by Derivation as Children from their Parents by Partition as two or three pieces of Gold from the whole Mass but that the Son of God is from the Father by none of these three ways Therefore they said they could not give their assent to this draught of the Creed Therefore after a tedious cavil about the term Homoöusios they deny'd to subscribe the degradation of Arius Upon which account the Synod anathematized Arius and all those that were of his opinion adding this besides that he should be prohibited from entring into Alexandria The Emperour also did by his Edict banish Arius Eusebius and Theognis Eusebius and Theognis soon after their banishment exhibited their penetentiary Libells and assented to the belief of Homoöusios as we shall declare in the procedure of our History At the same time Eusebius sirnam'd Pamphilus Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine having made some small Hesitancy in the Synod and considered with himself whether he might securely admit of this form of Faith at length together with all the rest gave his assent and subscrib'd he also sent a Copy of the form of Faith to the people within his Diocess and explain'd to them the term Homoöusios lest any one should have an ill opinion of him because of his Hesitancy Thus therefore he wrote word for word It is very probable beloved that you may have heard what hath been done concerning the Ecclesiastick Faith in the great Council convened at Nice in regard report doth usually outrun an accurate Narrative of the matters Transacted But fearing lest by such a bare report the matter might be represented to you otherwise then really it is we thought it requisite to send to you first that form of Faith which we our selves proposed to the Council and likewise that other published by the Bishops who made some additions to ours That form of Faith drawn up by us which was read in the presence of our most pious Emperour and appeared to all to be sound and Orthodox runn's thus As we have receiv'd by tradition from our Predecessours the Bishops then when we were instructed in the first principles of the Faith and received Baptism as we have learnt from the divine Scriptures and as during our continuance in the Presbytership and also since we have been intrusted with a Bishoprick we have believed and taught so we also now believe and do make a publick declaration to you of our Faith which is this We believe in one God the Father Almighty maker of all things visible and invisible and in one Lord Jesus Christ the Word of God God of God Light of Light Life of Life the only begotten Son the first born of every creature begotten of God the Father before all worlds by whom also all things were made who for our salvation was incarnate and conversed amongst men who suffer'd and rose again the third day he ascended unto the Father and shall come again in Glory to Judge the quick and the dead We also believe in one Holy Ghost We believe that each of these Persons is and doth subsist that the Father is truely the Father the Son really the Son and the Holy Ghost really the Holy Ghost as our Lord also when he sent his Disciples out to Preach said Go ye and teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Concerning which Articles we do aver that we thus maintain and hold them that these are our sentiments of them that this was our Opinion formerly that this Opinion we will till death retain that we will persevere in this belief and anathematize every impious Heresie We call God Almighty and Jesus Christ our Lord to witness that these were sincerely and heartily our sentiments ever since we were capable of knowing our selves and that we do now think and speak what is most true and we are ready to demonstrate to you by most infallible proofs and to perswade you that both in times past we thus believ'd and likewise thus Preached When this Creed was propos'd by us there was no body that could oppose it Moreover our most pious Emperour did himself first attest its truth he protested that he himself was of the same Opinion and exhorted all to assent to and subscribe these very Articles and unanimously to agree in the profession of them this one only word Homoöusios being inserted which term the Emperour himself thus explained saying he suppos'd that the word Homoöusios was not to be taken in such a sense as is agreeable to the affections of the body and therefore that the Son had not his subsistance from the Father either by Division or Abscission For it is impossible said he that an immaterial intellectual and incorporeal nature should be subject to any corporeal affection but our sentiments of such things must be expressed in divine and mysterious terms Thus did our most wise and pious Emperour Philosophize But the Bishops upon the occasion of adding this word Homoöusios drew up this form of the Creed The Creed We believe in one God the Father Almighty maker of all things visible and invisible and in one Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God the only begotten of the Father that is of the substance of the Father God of God Light of Light very God of very
before them but although this seems to be so yet he was forbid to enter Alexandria Which is evident from this to wit that he afterwards invented a way for his own return into the Church and the City Alexandria by having made use of a counterfeited repentance as we shall relate in its due place CHAP. XV. That Alexander dying after the Nicene Synod Athanasius was consecrated Bishop of the City Alexandria SOon after upon the death of Alexander Bishop of Alexandria Athanasius was promoted to the presidency over that Church Rufinus relates that this person when he was very young did together with those that were his equals in age play at a kind of an holy sport this play was an imitation of the sacerdotal function and of those persons order that were Clergy men In this sport therefore Athanasius was elected Bishop and every one of the rest of the children acted either a Presbyter or a Deacon This sport the children plaid at on that day whereon was celebrated the Memory of Peter the Martyr and Bishop Alexander Bishop of Alexandria accidentally passing by at that time saw all their play And having afterwards sent for the children he enquir'd of them what place had been allotted to every one of them in the play supposing that from what had been done some thing might be portended concerning each of them And he gave order that the children should be educated in the Church and instructed in learning but most especially Athanasius Afterwards when he was come to a maturity of age he ordain'd him Deacon and took him along with him to Nice that he might assist him in the disputations there at such time as that Synod was convened These things Rufinus has related concerning Athanasius in his books of Ecclesiastick History nor is it at all unlikely that these things hapned for many such like acts are frequently found to have been done Thus much we have hitherto said concerning Athanasius CHAP. XVI How the Emperour Constantine having enlarged the City heretofore call'd Byzantium named it Constantinople THe Emperour after the dissolution of the Council spent his time in delight and pleasure As soon therefore as he had finished the publick Festivities of his Vicennalia he forthwith imployed himself very diligently about reedifying and erecting of Churches This he did as well in other Cities as in that that bore his own name Which City being formerly call'd Byzantium he very much enlarged he encompassed it with magnificent walls and beautified with several Edifices and having made it equal to the Imperial City Rome he named it Constantinople and did by a Law establish that it should be call'd New Rome Which Law was engraven on a pillar of stone and exposed to the publick view being erected in the Strategium neer to the Emperours Statue on horseback He also founded two Churches in the same City the one of which he named Irêne and the other he called the Apostles nor did he only improve and enlarge the affaires of the Christians as I have said but did also subvert the superstition of the Gentiles For he took their images out of their Temples and set them up in the most publick places that they might serve to beautifie the City Constantinople he also expos'd the Delphick Tripods openly in the Hippodrome But it will perhaps seem superfluous to mention these things now For they are sooner beheld with the eyes than the relation of them can be heard But at that time the Christian Religion was mightily propagated and increased For the divine Providence did amongst other things reserve that more especially for the times of Constantine And thus has Eusebius Pamphilus in a magnifick stile recorded the praises of this Emperour But yet we judge it not unseasonable for us to speak briefly of them according to our ability CHAP. XVII How Helena the Emperours Mother came to Jerusalem and having there found Christs Cross which she had sought for a long time built a Church HElena the Emperours Mother from whose name Drepanum which was formerly only a Village but made a City by the Emperour was call'd Helenopolis being admonished by God in her dreames travell'd to Jerusalem And when she found that place which was formerly Jerusalem desolate as the Prophet predicted like a lodge set up to preserve apples she searched diligently for Christs Sepulchre wherein he was buried and whence he arose and though with great difficulty yet by God's assistance â—he found it out What was the reason of this difficulty I will in few words explain Those that embraced Christs Doctrine did after the time of his Passion pay an high respect to that monument But the Heathens who abhorred the Christian Religion having covered the place with an heap of earth erected thereon a Temple to Venus and set up her image there designing wholly to suppress the memory of that place And this plot of theirs had for a long time succeeded But the Emperours Mother had notice hereof Wherefore having thrown down the image remov'd the earth and wholly cleared the place she finds three Crosses in the monument one of them was that blessed Cross on which our Saviour had hung the other two were those on which the two thieves that were crucified with him had dyed There was also found with the Crosses Pilates Title whereon he had written in divers Languages and proclaim'd that that Christ who was crucified was the King of the Jews But in regard 't was dubious which of these was the Cross that was searched for the Emperours Mother was not a little troubled hereat This trouble the Bishop of Jerusalem by name Macarius soon eased her of and by the power of his faith cleared the doubt For he requested a sign of God and obtained it the sign was this A certain woman of that vicinage having been oppressed with a tedious and lasting distemper was now just at the point of death The Bishop therefore commanded every one of the Crosses to be appli'd to her now expiring being perswaded in himself that if the woman were toucht by the pretious Cross of the Lord she should recover Nor was his hope frustrated For the two Crosses which were not our Lords being applied the woman nevertheless continued in her dying condition but when the third the true and genuine Cross was applied the dying woman immediately recovered and was made whole After this manner was the Cross found out the Emperours Mother erected over the place where the Sepulchre was a most magnificent Church and call'd it New Jerusalem building it opposite to that old deserted Jerusalem she left there one half of the Cross inclosed in a silver case as a relique to be seen by those that should desire it The other half she sent to the Emperour which when he had receiv'd being fully perswaded that that City would be perfectly secure wherein such a relique as this was preserv'd he hid it within his own Statue
desire Athanasius having received these Letters at Aquileia for there he abode after his departure from Serdica hastned immediately to Rome And having shown the Letters to Julius the Bishop he caused great joy in the Roman Church For they supposed that the Emperour of the East had now given his assent to their Faith in regard he invited Athanasius to come to him But Julius wrote this Epistle to the Clergy and Laity in Alexandria concerning Athanasius The Epistle of Julius Bishop of Rome to those of Alexandria Julius to the Bishops and Presbyters and Deacons and to the Laity inhabiting Alexandria his beloved Brethren health in the Lord. I also rejoyce with you beloved Brethren because you now see before your eyes the fruit of your Faith For that this is truly so any one may see in our brother and fellow Bishop Athanasius whom God hath restored to you upon an account both of his purity of life and also of your prayers Hence it is apparent that you have continually offered up to God prayers which were pure and full of charity For being mindfull of the Celestial promises and of the course of life tending thereto which you have been instructed in by the Doctrine of our foresaid Brother you certainly knew and according to that true Faith which is implanted in you were apprehensive of this that your Bishop could not be perpetually seperated from you whom you carried in your pious minds as being continually present Wherefore I need not make use of many words in this my Letter to you For your Faith hath prevented whatever could have been said by me and by the grace of Christ those things have been fulfilled which you in common prayed for and desired I rejoyce therefore with you for I will say it again because you have preserved your souls inexpugnable in your defending of the Faith Nor do I any whit less rejoyce with my Brother Athan sius because although he hath undergone many sharp afflictions yet he was not one hour unmindfull of your love and your desire For although he seemed to have been withdrawn from you for a time yet he was continually conversant with you in spirit And I am of opinion Beloved that all the trialls and troubles which have hapned to him are not inglorious For both your and his Faith hath thereby been made known and approved amongst all men For had not so many and great afflictions befell him who would have believed either that you should have had so great a respect and love for so eminent a Bishop or that he should have been adorned with such excellent virtues by reason of which he is in no wise to be defrauded of his hope in the heavens He hath therefore obtained a testimony of confession every way glorious both in this and in the world to come For after his many and various sufferings both by Land and Sea he hath trodden under foot all the treachâ—ries of the Arian Heresie and after his having been frequently assaulted and brought into danger through envy he hath despised death being guarded by Almighty God and our Lord Jesus Christ hoping that he should not only avoid his Enemies Plots but also be restored in order to your consolation bringing back to you greater Trophies by reason of your being conscious of having done what was just and good Upon which account he hath been rendred glorious even as far as the ends of the whole earth being approved for his integrity of life undauntedly persisting in the defence of his resolution of mind and Celestial Doctrine and evidently declared by your constant and perpetual judgment to be intirely beloved by you He returns therefore to you now far more bright and glorious than when he departed from you For if the fire tries and refines pretious metalls I mean Gold and Silver what can be said of so eminent a Personage according to his worth who having vanquished the fire of so great afflictions and so many perills is now restored to you having been declared innocent not by our determination only but by that of the whole Synod Receive therefore Beloved Brethren with all Divine Glory and joy your Bishop Athanasius together with those who have been his fellow sufferers And rejoyce in that you enjoy your desires who have nourished and quenched the thirst of your pastour hungring if I may so speak and thirsting after your piety with your comfortable writings For you were a consolation to him during his abode in strange Countries and you have cherished him with your most faithfull souls and minds whilst he was Persecuted and assaulted with treacheries Indeed I rejoyce already whilst I consider and foresee in my mind the joy of every one of you at his return and the most pious meetings which will be given him by the populace and the glorious solomnity of those which will be assembled and what manner of day that will be wherein our brother shall make his return when forepast calamities shall have an end and his pretious and wish't for return shall unite all persons in an alacrity of mind exprest by the highest degree of joy Such a joy as this does as to the greatest part of it reach even as far as us to whom Heaven 't is manifest hath granted this favour that we should be able to come to the knowledge of so eminent a Personage It is fit therefore that we should close this Letter with a prayer May God Almighty and his Son our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ afford you this perpetual grace rendring you the reward of your admirable Faith which you have demonstrated towards your Bishop by a glorious testimony that better things may await you and your posterity both in this and in the world to come which Eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither have entred into the heart of man the things that God hath prepared for them that love him through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom Glory be to Almighty God for ever and ever Amen I wish you good health beloved Brethren Athanasius confiding in these Letters went into the East The Emperour Constantius received him not then with an incensed mind But upon the suggestion of the Arians he attempted to circumvent him And speaks to him thus You have indeed recovered your See by the Synods determination and our consent But in regard there are some of the people in Alexandria who do refuse to hold communion with you suffer them to have one Church in the City To which request Athanasius immediately made this return and says It is in your power O Emperour to command and do what you will I also ask and request this favour of you which I desire you would grant me When the Emperour had readily promised him to grant it Athanasius forthwith added that he desired to receive the same favour that the Emperour had required should be granted him for he also requested that throughout every City one
therefore he rendred the whole time of his Reign even undisturbed and pacate and consecrated his whole Family his wife namely and children and all his servants to one God the supream King In so much that that Company which conversed together within the walls of his Pallace differed in nothing from a Church of God Amongst whom were Ministers of God also who performed uninterrupted Acts of worship to the Deity in behalf of the Emperour's safety when as commonly amongst the rest not so much as the bare name of those sort of men that were Religious was permitted to be mentioned CHAP. XVIII That after the Resignation of Diocletian and Maximian Constantius was the first Augustus and was adorned with a Numerous Issue FUrther in recompense of these things a reward from God attended him not long after in so much that he obtained the first and chiefest place of the Empire For those Augusti who were His Seniours by what means I know not divested themselves of their Imperial Dignity which sudden Change befell them on the first year after the demolishment of the Churches from whence forward only Constantius was declared the first and Chiefest Augustus Who at first was adorned with the Diadem of the Caesars together with Galerius and had obtained precedency but after he had given an Egregious Specimen of his own worth in that digniâ—y of Caesar he was invested with the highest honour amongst the Romans and was styled the First Augustus of those Four afterwards proclaimed Moreover he was the only person that excelled all the other Emperours in a numerous issue being surrounded with a great Quire of Children as well Males as Females Lastly after he had attained to a mature old Age and being ready to pay the Common debt of Nature was at the point of making his departure out of this life then did God again demonstrate himself to him the performer of wonderfull Works and by his providence took care that Constantine the eldest of his Sons should be present with him at his Death in order to his taking possession of the Empire CHAP. XIX Concerning his Son Constantine who when a young man came into Palestine together with Diocletian FOr he convers't with the Emperours who were his Father's Colleagues and made his Residence amongst them agreeable to that ancient Prophet of the Lord Moses as we have already said And having newly past over his years of childhood and arrived at those of his youth he was vouchsafed the highest honour and esteem amongst the foresaid Emperours At which Age of his we Our Selves saw him when he past through the Province of Palestine in Company with the Senior Augustus At whose right hand he stood and appeared a most excellent and glorious person to those who were desirous of seeing him and such a one as even then gave indications of an Imperial height of mind For as to the beautifull shape of his body and his tallness of Stature there was no other person that might be compared to him Moreover he so far excelled his equalls in strength and courage that he was a terrour to them But he was far more illustrious and eminent for the Virtues of his mind than for his bodily endowments and accomplishments And in the first place he beautified his mind with modesty after that with Polite Literature and as well an innate prudence as a wisdome infused from above adorned him in a most transcendent manner CHAP. XX. The departure of Constantine to his Father because of Diocletian's treacherous designes against him FUrther when the then Emperours perceived that the Young man was Couragious strong and Great and endewed with an height and vigour of mind they were wounded with fear and envy They watch't therefore in expectation of a fit opportunity wherein agreeable to their desire they might involve him in ignominy and disgrace Which the young man being sensible of for the treacherous designes which had been once and twice framed against him by the consent and appointment of God were discovered He opened away to his own safety by flying and herein likewise he imitated the great Prophet Moses Further God gave him his assistance in all things and by his Divine providence disposed affairs in such a manner that he should be present with his Father in order to his succeeding him in the Empire CHAP. XXI The Death of Constantius who left his Son Constantine Emperour WHen therefore he had avoided these Treacherous contrivances he made all imaginable hast to his Father into whose presence he came after a long space of time At that instant of his arrivall his Father was at the very point of dying When therefore Constantius beheld his Son present with him whom he did not in the least expect he leapt from his Bed and cast his arms about him and affirming that that only Grief which troubled him now ready to conclude his life to wit the absence of his Son was wholly removed out of his mind he put up a prayer of thanks to God and said that now he accounted Death to be better for him than Immortality Further when he had disposed of his affairs in a manner agreeable to his own mind and had taken leave of his Sons and Daughters who like a Quire surrounded him on every side He ended his life in his Pallace lying on his Royall Bed after he had surrendred the Administration of his Empire agreeable to the Law of Nature into the hands of his eldest Son CHAP. XXII How after the Death of Constantius the Army saluted Constantine Augustus NOr did the State continue deprived of an Emperour But Constantine was adorned with his Fathers Purple and proceeding forth of his Father's House gave all men a demonstration that by a resurrection as 't were the Father continued as yet to Reign in him his Son Then he lead out his Father's Funerall accompanied with the Friends of his Father some of whom went before others followed and with all the splendour imaginable celebrated the Obsequies of that Pious Prince All persons honoured the Thrice-blessed Emperour with Acclamations and Praises and agreed in an unanimous consent that the succession of the Son in the Empire was a Resurrection of the dead Father And forthwith even at the first word they Saluted the young Prince Emperour and Augustus with fortunate Acclamations Which expressions uttered in praise of the Son were an ornament indeed to the dead Emperour but they loudly proclaimed the Son Blessed who was declared the Successour to so great a Father Moreover all the Provinces subject to his Empire were filled with gladness and a joy that was inexpressible because they had not during the smallest moment of time been deprived of the assistance of an Imperiall Providence and inspection Thus in the Emperour Constantius God gave a demonstration to all persons of our Age that
which the Emperour himself had dedicated to his God as the fairest sacred present CHAP. XXXIX A description of the Area Exhedrae and Porches HEnce at those passages which to them that goe out lie before the Church he interposed an Area or Court In which place there were first the Atrium then the Porticus's on both sides and last of all the Gates of the Atrium After which the Porches of the whole Structure placed in the very middle of the Street where there was a Market being most beautifully adorned gave such as were making a journey abroad a most amazing prospect of the things seen within CHAP. XL. Concerning the Number of the Donaria THis Church therefore which was a manifest evidence of the salutary Resurrection the Emperour erected and beautified it throughout with a furniture that was magnificent and truly Imperial He adorned it likewise in a various manner with inexpressible ornaments of innumerable consecrated Gifts consisting of Gold Silver and pretious Stones The Composure of which ornaments being wrought with the most curious workmanship and eminent for greatness number and variety we are not now at leisure to describe particularly CHAP. XLI Concerning the Building of the Churches at Bethlehem and on the Mount of Olives HAving likewise in the same Country found other places ennobled with two Sacred Caves he beautified them also with magnificent ornaments To that Cave wherein our Saviour first made his Divine appearance where also he endured to be born in the flesh he attributed a becoming Honour But in the other Cave he honoured the Memory of our Lord's Ascent into the heavens which had heretofore hapned on the top of a Mountain And these places he adorned most magnificently and at the same time eternized the Memory of His own Mother who had procured so great a Good for Mankind CHAP. XLII That Helena Augusta the Mother of Constantine going to Bethlehem on account of Prayer built these Churches FOr in regard she had resolved to pay the due debt of her pious affection to God the supream King and had determined that she ought to give thanks with Supplications for her own Son so glorious an Emperour and for his Sons the Caesars most dear to God her Grand-children though now very aged yet she hastned and came with a youthfull mind being a woman of a singular prudence that she might view that admirable Ground and with a care and sollicitude truly Royal might make a Visit to the Eastern Provinces Cities and people But after she had given a due Veneration to the Footsteps of our Saviour agreeable to that prophetick Expression which runs thus Let us worship at the place where his Feet have stood immediately she left the fruit of her own piety even to posterity CHAP. XLIII Again Concerning the Church at Bethlehem FOr she forthwith dedicated two Churches to that God whom she had adored the one at the Cave wherein Christ was born the other on the Mountain whence he had ascended into Heaven For Emanuel endured to be born for us under the earth and the place of His Nativity is by the Hebrews termed Bethlehem And therefore the Empress most dear to God adorned the place where the Theotocos was delivered with admirable Monuments and illustrated that Sacred Cave with all manner of Ornaments Not long after which the Emperour honoured it also with Imperial sacred Gifts increasing his Mother's Magnificence with Monuments of Silver and Gold and with various Curtains Further the Emperour's Mother in memory of his Ascent into the Heavens who is the Saviour of all raised stately Edifices in the Mount of Olives erecting a sacred House together with an holy Church upon the very top of the Mount Moreover here as the true History attests the supream Saviour in the very Cave informed his disciples in secret Mysteries But the Emperour himself in this place also reverenced the supream King with all manner of sacred Gifts and Ornaments And these two stately and most beautifull Monuments worthy of an eternal Memory erected at the two sacred Caves Helena Augusta the Religious Mother of a Religious Emperour dedicated to God Her Saviour being the indications of a pious affection Her Son reaching out to Her the right hand of His Imperial power Not long after which this aged woman received a reward worthy of her Labours For having passed the whole time of her Life unto the very Threshold of old age in all manner of felicity and having as well in words as deeds brought forth plentifull fruits of the saving precepts and having for that reason lead a Life void of trouble and grief in the greatest healthiness both of body and mind at length she obtained from God both an end befitting her piety and a reward also of her good works even in this life present CHAP. XLIV Concerning Helena's greatness of Mind and Beneficence FOr whilst she was taking her progress round the whole East with a Royal Magnificence she heapt innumerable benefits and favours both on Cities and on every private person also who approacht her and with a liberal hand she distributed numerous largesses amongst the Military Forces But on the poor naked and on such as were destitute of all help and comfort She bestowed very many Gifts making distributions of money to some plentifully supplying others with clothes to cover their bodies Othersome She set at Liberty from bonds as also them afflicted with the slavery of the Mines She likewise freed some that were opprest by the violence of persons more powerfull than themselves and again re-called others from banishment CHAP. XLV In what manner Helena was religiously conversant in the Churches HAving rendred her self eminent by such actions as these in the interim she in no wise neglected Her piety towards God For She was seen to come constantly into the Church of God and beautified the sacred houses with splendid ornaments not contemning the Churches even in the smallest Cities You might therefore have beheld this admirable woman in a modest and decent garb associating her self with the rest of the multitude and demonstrating her Reverence towards God by all manner of pious actions CHAP. XLVI How being eighty years old and having made her Will she ended her Life BUt at length when after she had lived a sufficient space of time she was called to a better allotment having prolonged her life till about the eightieth year of her age and being arrived at the very confines of death she composed ordained and declared her last Will and Testament constituting her only Son sole Emperour and Lord of the world Her heir together with his Sons the Caesars Her Grand-children and distributing to each of Her Grand-children those her own Goods whatever she was possest of throughout the whole world Having in this manner made Her
when a Storm poured on them from Heaven swept them away and in one moment rendred them invisible in so much that neither kindred nor issue nor any the least relique of their memory was left remaining amongst men but though they were numerous yet in a minute having first had stripes inslicted on them from Heaven they all perished utterly and became extinct Such was the conclusion of these mens outragious Fury whereby they had made an Insurrection against God But this Our Emperour who armed with the Salutary Trophy â—ad alone fal'n upon the Enemies or rather was not alone for he who is the sole Emperour was present with and assisted Him hath built new Oratories far better than those which a little before had been demolisht and hath made the latter much more magnificent than the former were one while adorning the City which bears his own name with various Churches of God at another time honouring the chief City of Bithynia with a most stately and most beautifull Church He hath likewise grao't the chiefest Cities of the other Provinces with Ornaments of this nature Moreover when he had made choice of two eminent places in the East the one in the Province of Palestine because the vivifick Stream of saving faith has from thence as from a Spring diffused it self and overflowed all Nations the other in the Metropolis of the whole East which graces the name of Antiochus in this latter as 't were in the Head of all the Provinces of that Tract he hath consecrated to God a most glorious matchless Structure in respect both of its Largeness and Beauty For he hath encompassed the whole Temple with a large circuit on the out side but within he hath raised the Basilica it self to an immense height and has built it in an Eight-square Figure and has variously adorned it and having surrounded it on all sides with many lodging Rooms and Exhedrae has crowned it with a variety of Ornaments In this manner were these Edifices compleated But in the Province of the Palestinians in that City heretofore the Royal Seat of the Hebrews in the middle of the City at the very Martyrium of Our Saviour he has erected a Basilica of a vast bigness and an Holy House in Honour of the Salutary Cross and has beautified it richly and with all manner of magnificence And he hath grac't the Monument of the supream Saviour which deserves an eternal Memory and the Trophies that He raised against Death with Ornaments that are inexpressible And having selected three places in that Country which are honoured with three Mystick Caves He has beautified each of them with magnificent Structures to that Cave wherein Our Saviour first made his Divine appearance he hath assigned a befitting honour in the other he has illustrated the memory of his last Assumption in the Top of the Mount but in that Cave which is in the midst between the other two he has extoll'd the Combats and Victory of Our Saviour All these Caves the Emperour has adorned magnificently thereby declaring to all persons the Salutary Sign of the Cross. Which Sign gives the Emperour the reward of his piety increases his whole Family and the time of his Reigne and confirms the Throne of his Empire by many periods of years reserving the Fruits and Rewards of Virtue for His most excellent Children and for His own Kindred and for their Descendants And this is a most convincing argument of the power of that God whom the Emperour does worship that He hath poyz'd the Scale of Justice with equal weights on both sides and has assigned to each Party a fit and proportionate Reward For the punishment due to impiety immediately seized those who had assaulted and demolisht the sacred Houses and they were forthwith swept away without any Stock or Kindred without any House or Family But this Our Emperour who by Acts of Piety of all sorts pays an Honour to His Lord and who one while erects Churches to Him at another time manifests and makes Him known to His Subjects by those Sacred Gifts which he hath dedicated to Him in all parts of the world is most certainly known to have Him and that most deservedly the Preserver and Keeper of his Family Empire and Race In this manner have God's performances been made known by the Divine power and Virtue of the Salutary Sign COncerning which Sign the Discourse might be large wherewith they are well acquainted who have been initiated in those Mysteries delivered to them by divine persons For this is that truly saving Sign a thing wonderfull indeed to be related but far more admirable to be conceived in what manner as soon as it appeared on earth That alone hath obsoured all those Fables many ages since invented concerning the Gods and hath delivered up Errour to darkness and oblivion but hath discovered to all persons that Intellectual Light which had illustrated the minds of men the One namely and the true God Therefore all people now changed to a better and more enlightened Condition spit on the faces of their dead Idols trample under foot the impious Rites of Daemons and deride that ancient Errour handed down to them from their Ancestours And on the other side men have every where founded Schooles of sacred Literature and are all trained up as 't were in the Precepts of the saving Discipline to the intent that they may no longer dread things Created which are visible to the eyes of flesh nor lift up their eyes to the Sun Moon and Stars and stop in an admiratian of those Bodies but may confess Him who transcends all these Him who can't be perceived by sight or any sense to be the Creator of all things and may learn to worship Him alone All which singular and extraordinary Blessings and Favours conferred on men had their rise from this Great and admirable Signe By the power and virtue whereof all those Ills which were before now are not and those Goods which before were not are every where resplendent deriving their Lustre from the Rayes of Piety Also Discourses Precepts and Exhortations to a Sober and Pious Life are Preach't in the hearing of all Nations yea even the Emperour Himself Preaches And this is the greatest wonder that so mighty an Emperour does with so loud a Voice call out to the whole world like some Interpreter to God the supream King and does invite all those Governed by Him to the knowledge of the true God And that in the midst of the Imperial Palace the trifling and ridiculous Composures of impious men are not recited as the usage was heretofore but the Priests and Ministers of God persons conspicuous for their Piety with Royal Hymns and Praises do celebrate the Festival That the sole God He who is the Emperour of the Universe is declared and set forth to all and that the Evangelick Word who promiseth us all
c. For Petrus Mongus condemned not the Chalcedon Synod together with Leo's Epistle once but oftner Vales. b Liberatus makes mention of this Abbot Nephalius in his Breviarium chap. 18. Vales. * Or Fully a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I had rather make it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this interim Further 't is to be observed that Evagrius does in the first place relate Acacius's death For of those three Schifmaticks who rent in sunder the Orientall Church to wit Acacius Bishop of Constantinople Petrus of Alexandria and Petrus of Antioch the first that departed out of this life says Evagrius was Acacius then Petrus Bishop of Alexandria who was termed Mongus and last of all died Petrus Fullo But Victor Thunonensis in his Chronicon relates that the first that died of those three I have mentioned was Petrus Bishop of Antioch For his words are these Post Consuletum secundum Longini c. After Longinus's second Consulate Petrus Bishop of Antioch dies under condemnation and in his place Calendion is ordained But the Eastern Bishops as persons ignorant consecrate Johannes surnamed Codonatus Bishop over the said Antiochian Church to whom succeeded Petrus the Heretick This was the year of Christ 488 Dynamius and Sifidius being Consuls But on the year following wherein Probinus and Eusebius were Consuls the same Victor Thunonensis records Acacius's death in these words Eusebio V. C. Cos. Acacius Constantinopolitanus Episcopus sub damnatione moritur c. The most famous personage Eusebius being Consul Acacius Bishop of Constantinople dies under Condemnation and in his room Flavita is ordained Bishop to whom he dying in the third month of his Promotion Euphemius Keeper of the Decrees of the Chalcedon Synod was successour in the Bishoprick And on the next year Longinus and Faustus being the second time Consuls the same Victor relates that Petrus Bishop of Alexandria died under Condemnation But Baronius in his Ecclefiastick Annalls relates indeed the death of these three Schismaticks in the same Order with Victor Thunonensis but not on the same year For he says that Petrus Fullo died on the year of our Lord's Nativity 486. And that Acacius died two years after that is on the year of Christ 488 But in Mongus's death he agrees exactly with Victor But I had rather follow Victor's opinion who places Fullo's death on the year of Christ 488. For Calendion was created Bishop of Antioch on the year of our Lord's Nativity 482 as 't is manifest from Pope Simplicius's Epistle and in regard he held that Bishoprick four years as Theophanes does attest it must necessarily be said that Petrus Fullo who on Calendion's being ejected was put into his place had possession of the See of Antioch on the year of Christ 486. But who can believe that Petrus Fullo who committed so many and such notorious Facts during the time of his Episcopate should have died a few months after his promotion Petrus Fullo therefore died not on the year of Christ 486 as Baronius thought But this argument is with ease refuted for 't is grounded barely on Theophanes's authority who attributes four years to Calendion's sitting Bishop But Calendion sate Bishop during the space of one year only For he was ejected by the treachery of his Ordainer Acacius a little after the Roman Synod on the year of Christ 483 as we are informed from Pope Felix's Letter to all the Presbyters and Archimandrites at Constantinople and throughout Bithynia and from the Authour of the Gesta de nomine Acacii But Theophanes and Cedrenus are notoriously mistaken who relate that Petrus Fullo departed this life after Petrus Mongus Whom Pope Gelasius has refuted in his Epistle to the Orientalls who does attest that of those two Petrus Fullo died first Vales. b Theophanes relates that Fravita wrote Synodick Letters to Petrus Bishop of Alexandria wherein he denyed that he communicated with Felix Bishop of Rome And on the other hand that he sent Synodick Letters to Felix wherein he declared to him that he had no society of communion with Petrus Bishop of Alexandria Theophanes assignes only three months continuance in his Bishoprick to the same Fravita as does likewise Victor Thunonensis and not four as Evagrius affirms in this chapter Vales. c There were at Alexandria two sorts of Hereticks to wit the Dioscoritae and the Esaiani concerning whom Liberatus speaks in his Breviary The Dioscoritae wholly condemned and anathematized the Chalcedon Synod But the Esaiani following Zeno's Edict that is His Henoticon did not indeed in any wise admit that Synod yet they pronounc't not an Anathema against it Vales. d Evagrius says not expresly on what year Petrus Bishop of Antioch died nor can it be gathered from his words that he died after Petrus Bishop of Alexandria Yea rather the contrary may be extracted from Evagrius's words For if Petrus Bishop of Antioch had survived Petrus Alexandrinus doubtless Athanasius who succeeded Petrus Bishop of Alexandria would have sent his Synodick Letters to Petrus Bishop of Antioch For these Synodick Letters were wont to be sent by the Patriarchs at the very beginning of their Patriarchate In regard therefore Athanasius sent his Synodick Letters to Palladius Bishop of Antioch it appears from thence that Petrus Antiochenus died long before Petrus Alexandrinus Further concerning Athanasius's Synodick Letters Liberatus in his Breviarium says these words Non post multum tempus c. No long time after dies also Petrus Mongus at Alexandria and after him Athanasius is ordained in that See who himself also communicated with the Constantinopolitan Antiochian and Hierosolymitane Church in the Edict Vales. * Flavianus's †Or Till some times of Anastasius a Zeno brought over Armatus to his own side not only by gifts and presents but by promises also For he promised that as soon as he had recovered the Empire he would make Armatus perpetuall Magister or Master of the present Militia and his Son Basiliscus Caesar and his own Assessour as Theophanes tells us in his Chronicon pag 107. Whose words because they are corrupted nor could be understood by the Translatour I will annex here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is But he also as it frequently happens being blinded with gifts sent from Zeno and with a promise of the perpetuall Mastership of the Milice and that Zeno would make his Son Basiliscus Gaesar and his Assessour returned with Zeno against Basiliscus I write therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and with a promise of the perpotuall Mastership of the Milice Theophanes terms the perpetuall power of Master of the Milice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Author of the Alexandrian Chronicle does fully confirm our Emendation For he writes that Zeno had made a promise to Armatus that be would grant to him the Magisteriall power of the present Milice as long as he should live Suidas relates much concerning this Armatus in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which seem to have been taken out of
the memory by statley c. c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Some thing seems to be wanting here or at least the words are transposed Therefore I would have the place restored thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 erecting a sacred c. But Christophorson understood these words so as if Eusebius should say that Helena built two Churches in the Mount of Olives one on the top the other in the Cave which nevertheless I do not think to be true For the Authour of the Jerusalem Itinerarie tells us that one Church was built there by Constantine And Eusebius in his Panegyrick chap. 9. towards the end speaking of that Martyrium which Constantine built at Jerusalem expresses himself in the same manner as he does here viz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Where you see that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are joyned and used concerning one and the same Church And he terms the Basilica 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because people came thither to pray but the whole Sacred House which being inclosed within one circuit contains within it self the Atrium Porticus's Secrelaric Baptistcrie and the Church it self he terms 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which Eusebius does most plainly declare below at chap. 50 of this book where he speaks concerning the Dominicum Aureum which Constantine built at Antioch And thus the passage of Eusebius in the close of his Panegyrick concerning Constantine's Tricennaliae is to be explained as likewise a passage in his tenth book and another in chap. 45. of this book where he joyns together 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 'T is something otherwise in the fifth Law Cod. Theod. de his qui ad Ecclesias consugiunt For there 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is called the Basilica or Oratory where the Altar is But the Church is termed that whole Building within the circumference whereof are contained the Atrium Porticus's Cells Baths and lastly the Oratory it self Vales. d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Author of the Itinerarium Hierosolymitanum has these words Inde ascendis in montem Oliveti ubi dominus discipulos docuit ante passionem Thence you go up to Mount Olivet where our Lord taught his Disciples before his Passion Bede in his book de Locis Sanctis chap. 7. has this passage Tertia quoque ejusdem montis ad australem Bethaniae partem Ecclesia est There is a third Church aâ—so of the same Mount at the South part of Bethanie where the Lord before his Passion spoke to his Disciples concerning the day of Judgment He means the place in Saint Mathew chap. 24. This Sermon therefore Eusebius here terms 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 secret Mysteries because the Lord then spake concerning secret things viz. about the end of the world concerning Christ's coming and the last judgment For even the Apostles came then to the Lord secretly as Saint Matthew says in regard they were desirous to know Mysteries and the Revelation of things future as Jerome on Mathew writes But that which Eusebius says viz. that our Loâ—d delivered these Mysteries to the Apostles in the Cave is not expresly recorded in the Gospel Yea the contrary seems possible to be made out from the Gospel For 't is related therein that the City Jerusalem was in sight to the Disciples when our Lord Preach't these things They were not therefore in the Cave but in an open place Yet it may be answered that that Cave had several holes of which sort there were many Caves in Palestine as the Itineraries inform us Indeed whereas Saint Matthew affirms that the Disciples came to our Lord secretly 't is probable that that discourse in the Cave was made by Our Lord whilst he stayed there Vales. c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The first word is to be expunged as being superfluous Eusebius seems to allude to the usage of the Gentiles who performed their Mithriaca Sacra Sacrisices in honour of the Sun in a Cave as Porphyry in his book de Abstinentia Jerome and others inform us The Fuketian Manuscript confirms our conjecture in which the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is wanting Vales. * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 companions †Or The fruit * Or Magnificence of Imperial power †Or Right hand * Or She gave her self to be seen coming c. †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Valesius renders it Sacella Chappell 's ‖ Or Grave and mean or frugal * Or Emperour Monarch and Lord c. †Or So Great ‖ Or Cherishing her with all c. * Or Undergoe a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Her soul therefore was reformed or new-framed These words seem to favour of Origen's doctrine to which our Eusebius was too much addicted For the souls of the Blessed are not reformed into an Angelick substance Indeed Origen believed that in the Resurrection Bodies would be turned into souls and Souls would be changed into Angels as Saint Jerome says some where Vales. a He means Rome For thither the dead Body of Helena Augusta was carried and after two years was conveyed to Constantinople as Nicephorus tells us book 8. chap. 30. But Socrates book 1. chap. 17. transcribing Eusebius's words interprets 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 New-Rome Which errour of Socrates Baronius does deservedly reprove in regard by the name of the Imperial City Eusebius is always wont to mean Rome Besides Constantinople was not yet dedicated and therefore could not be called the Imperial City whenas then it was only old Byzantium Nevertheless Cedrenus has followed Socrates who also adds this that Helena died twelve years before Constantine By this computation Helena must have died on the year of Christ 325 or 326. On which year nevertheless she is said by Eusebius and Rufinus to have gone to Jerusalem Besides after the death of Crispus Caesar and Fausta Augusta Helena was for some time alive as Zosimus attests book 2. Further Crispus was slain in the seventh Consulate of Constantinus Augustus which he bore with Constantius Caesar on the year of Christ 326 as 't is recorded in Idatius's Fasti. The death of Helena therefore may rightly be assigned to the year of our Lord 327 as Sigonius thinks book 3. de Imperio Occidentali Vales. b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It must be written 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For 't is referred to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as we have rendred it And so I found it mended in Moraeus's Book at the margin Nor is it otherwise written in the Fuk. and Savil. Copies and in the Kings Sheets Vales. * Or These things †Or Worthy of Emulation * Churches a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I had rather make it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is far more elegant So indeed it occurs written in the Fuketian Copy and in the Kings Sheets Vales. †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with the gore of bloud * Image †Or Fountains †Or Symbols a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the Fuketian Copy 't is written