Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series • VOLUME 1
Eusebius — Church History, Constantine & Oration
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Chapter XVII.--The Martyrs whom Justin mentions in his Own Work.
Chapter XVII.--The Martyrs whom Justin mentions in his Own Work. 1. The same man, before his conflict, mentions in his first Apology [1183] others that suffered martyrdom before him, and most fittingly records the following events. 2. He writes thus: [1184] "A certain woman lived with a dissolute husband; she herself, too, hav…
1,047 wordsSECTION 122Chapter XVIII.--The Works of Justin which have come down to us.
Chapter XVIII.--The Works of Justin which have come down to us. 1. This writer has left us a great many monuments of a mind educated and practiced in divine things, which are replete with profitable matter of every kind. To them we shall refer the studious, noting as we proceed those that have come to our knowledge. [1192] 2. …
1,518 wordsSECTION 123Chapter XIX.--The Rulers of the Churches of Rome and Alexandria during the Reign of Verus.
Chapter XIX.--The Rulers of the Churches of Rome and Alexandria during the Reign of Verus. 1. In the eighth year of the above-mentioned reign [1208] Soter [1209] succeeded Anicetus [1210] as bishop of the church of Rome, after the latter had held office eleven years in all. But when Celadion [1211] had presided over the church …
790 wordsSECTION 124Chapter XXI.--The Ecclesiastical Writers that flourished in Those Days.
Chapter XXI.--The Ecclesiastical Writers that flourished in Those Days. 1. At that time there flourished in the Church Hegesippus, whom we know from what has gone before, [1217] and Dionysius, [1218] bishop of Corinth, and another bishop, Pinytus of Crete, [1219] and besides these, Philip, [1220] and Apolinarius, [1221] and Mel…
1,374 wordsSECTION 125Chapter XXII.--Hegesippus and the Events which he mentions.
Chapter XXII.--Hegesippus and the Events which he mentions. 1. Hegesippus in the five books of Memoirs [1227] which have come down to us has left a most complete record of his own views. In them he states that on a journey to Rome he met a great many bishops, and that he received the same doctrine from all. It is fitting to hea…
2,205 wordsSECTION 126[1239] On Menander and the Menandrianists, see Bk. II. chap. 26; on the Carpocratians, chap. 7, note 17; on the Valentinians, see chap. 11,
[1239] On Menander and the Menandrianists, see Bk. II. chap. 26; on the Carpocratians, chap. 7, note 17; on the Valentinians, see chap. 11, note 1; on the Basilidæans, chap. 7, note 7; on the Saturnilians, chap. 7, note 6. [1240] There is some dispute about this word. The Greek is Markianistai, which Harnack regards as equivale…
859 wordsSECTION 127Chapter XXIII.--Dionysius, Bishop of Corinth, and the Epistles which he wrote. [1245]
Chapter XXIII.--Dionysius, Bishop of Corinth, and the Epistles which he wrote. [1245] 1. And first we must speak of Dionysius, who was appointed bishop of the church in Corinth, and communicated freely of his inspired labors not only to his own people, but also to those in foreign lands, and rendered the greatest service to all…
2,148 wordsSECTION 128Chapter XXIV.--Theophilus Bishop of Antioch.
Chapter XXIV.--Theophilus Bishop of Antioch. 1. Of Theophilus, [1266] whom we have mentioned as bishop of the church of Antioch, [1267] three elementary works addressed to Autolycus are extant; also another writing entitled Against the Heresy of Hermogenes, [1268] in which he makes use of testimonies from the Apocalypse of John…
1,481 wordsSECTION 129Chapter XXV.--Philip and Modestus.
Chapter XXV.--Philip and Modestus. Philip who, as we learn from the words of Dionysius, [1272] was bishop of the parish of Gortyna, likewise wrote a most elaborate work against Marcion, [1273] as did also Irenæus [1274] and Modestus. [1275] The last named has exposed the error of the man more clearly than the rest to the view o…
2,681 wordsSECTION 130[1277] On Apolinarius and his writings, see chap. 27.
[1277] On Apolinarius and his writings, see chap. 27. [1278] Marcus Aurelius. [1279] The following list of Melito's works is at many points very uncertain, owing to the various readings of the mss. and versions. We have as authorities for the text, the Greek mss. of Eusebius, the History of Nicephorus, the translation of Rufin…
2,642 wordsSECTION 131[1297] A Sagaris, bishop and martyr, and probably the same man, is mentioned by Polycrates in his epistle to Victor (Euseb. V. 24) as buried
[1297] A Sagaris, bishop and martyr, and probably the same man, is mentioned by Polycrates in his epistle to Victor (Euseb. V. 24) as buried in Laodicea. This is all we know of him. The date of his martyrdom, and of the composition of the work On the Passover, depends upon the date of the proconsulship of Servilius (or Sergius) …
767 wordsSECTION 132Chapter XXVII.--Apolinarius, Bishop of the Church of Hierapolis.
Chapter XXVII.--Apolinarius, Bishop of the Church of Hierapolis. A number of works of Apolinarius [1315] have been preserved by many, and the following have reached us: the Discourse addressed to the above-mentioned emperor, [1316] five books Against the Greeks, [1317] On Truth, a first and second book, [1318] and those which h…
1,764 wordsSECTION 133Chapter XXVIII.--Musanus and His Writings.
Chapter XXVIII.--Musanus and His Writings. And as for Musanus, [1321] whom we have mentioned among the foregoing writers, a certain very elegant discourse is extant, which was written by him against some brethren that had gone over to the heresy of the so-called Encratites, [1322] which had recently sprung up, and which introdu…
2,471 wordsSECTION 134[1330] On Valentinus, see chap. 11, note 1. That Tatian was Gnostic in many of his tendencies is plain enough not only from these words of I
[1330] On Valentinus, see chap. 11, note 1. That Tatian was Gnostic in many of his tendencies is plain enough not only from these words of Irenæus, but also from the notices of him in other writers (cf. especially Hippolytus, Phil. VIII. 9). To what extent he carried his Gnosticism, however, and exactly in what it consisted, we …
1,200 wordsSECTION 135Chapter XXX.--Bardesanes the Syrian and his Extant Works.
Chapter XXX.--Bardesanes the Syrian and his Extant Works. 1. In the same reign, as heresies were abounding in the region between the rivers, [1337] a certain Bardesanes, [1338] a most able man and a most skillful disputant in the Syriac tongue, having composed dialogues against Marcion's followers and against certain others who…
1,392 wordsSECTION 136Book V.
Book V. Introduction. 1. Soter, [1345] bishop of the church of Rome, died after an episcopate of eight years, and was succeeded by Eleutherus, [1346] the twelfth from the apostles. In the seventeenth year of the Emperor Antoninus Verus, [1347] the persecution of our people was rekindled more fiercely in certain districts on ac…
1,097 wordsSECTION 137Chapter I.--The Number of those who fought for Religion in Gaul Under Verus and the Nature of their Conflicts.
Chapter I.--The Number of those who fought for Religion in Gaul Under Verus and the Nature of their Conflicts. 1. The country in which the arena was prepared for them was Gaul, of which Lyons and Vienne [1350] are the principal and most celebrated cities. The Rhone passes through both of them, flowing in a broad stream through …
2,221 wordsSECTION 13834. For the joy of martyrdom, and the hope of the promises, and love for Christ, and the Spirit of the Father supported the latter; but thei
34. For the joy of martyrdom, and the hope of the promises, and love for Christ, and the Spirit of the Father supported the latter; but their consciences so greatly distressed the former that they were easily distinguishable from all the rest by their very countenances when they were led forth. 35. For the first went out rejoic…
2,760 wordsSECTION 139[1353] Rom. viii. 18.
[1353] Rom. viii. 18. [1354] Of course official imprisonment cannot be referred to here. It may be that the mob did actually shut Christians up in one or another place, or it may mean simply that their treatment was such that the Christians were obliged to avoid places of public resort and were perhaps even compelled to remain …
1,612 wordsSECTION 140Chapter II.--The Martyrs, beloved of God, kindly ministered unto those who fell in the Persecution.
Chapter II.--The Martyrs, beloved of God, kindly ministered unto those who fell in the Persecution. 1. Such things happened to the churches of Christ under the above-mentioned emperor, [1392] from which we may reasonably conjecture the occurrences in the other provinces. It is proper to add other selections from the same letter…
947 wordsSECTION 141Chapter III.--The Vision which appeared in a Dream to the Witness Attalus.
Chapter III.--The Vision which appeared in a Dream to the Witness Attalus. 1. The same letter of the above-mentioned witnesses contains another account worthy of remembrance. No one will object to our bringing it to the knowledge of our readers. 2. It runs as follows: "For a certain Alcibiades, [1406] who was one of them, led …
936 wordsSECTION 142Chapter IV.--Irenæus commended by the Witnesses in a Letter.
Chapter IV.--Irenæus commended by the Witnesses in a Letter. 1. The same witnesses also recommended Irenæus, [1412] who was already at that time a presbyter of the parish of Lyons, to the above-mentioned bishop of Rome, saying many favorable things in regard to him, as the following extract shows: 2. "We pray, father Eleutheru…
2,240 wordsSECTION 143Chapter VI.--Catalogue of the Bishops of Rome.
[1434] See above, chap. 1, §29. [1435] Upon Irenæus, see Bk. IV. chap. 21, note 9. [1436] Cf. Adv. Hær. II. 3. 4, &c., and Eusebius, chap. 20, below. [1437] Adv. Hær. III. 3. 3. Chapter VI.--Catalogue of the Bishops of Rome. 1. "The blessed apostles [1438] having founded and established the church, entrusted the office of t…
759 wordsSECTION 144Chapter VII.--Even down to those Times Miracles were performed by the Faithful.
Chapter VII.--Even down to those Times Miracles were performed by the Faithful. 1. These things Irenæus, in agreement with the accounts already given by us, [1459] records in the work which comprises five books, and to which he gave the title Refutation and Overthrow of the Knowledge Falsely So-called. [1460] In the second book…
960 wordsSECTION 145Chapter VIII.--The Statements of Irenæus in regard to the Divine Scriptures.
Chapter VIII.--The Statements of Irenæus in regard to the Divine Scriptures. 1. Since, in the beginning of this work, [1466] we promised to give, when needful, the words of the ancient presbyters and writers of the Church, in which they have declared those traditions which came down to them concerning the canonical books, and s…
2,585 wordsSECTION 146Chapter IX.--The Bishops under Commodus.
[1497] poiesantos tou theou hoper hebouleto. This is quite different from the text of Irenæus, which reads facturos hoc quod ipse voluisset (implying that the original Greek was poiesontas touto hoper ebouleto), "to carry out what he [viz. Ptolemy] had desired." Heinichen modifies the text of Eusebius somewhat, substituting poie…
2,135 wordsSECTION 147Chapter XI.--Clement of Alexandria.
Chapter XI.--Clement of Alexandria. 1. At this time Clement, [1516] being trained with him [1517] in the divine Scriptures at Alexandria, became well known. He had the same name as the one who anciently was at the head of the Roman church, and who was a disciple of the apostles. [1518] 2. In his Hypotyposes [1519] he speaks of…
1,383 wordsSECTION 148Chapter XII.--The Bishops in Jerusalem.
Chapter XII.--The Bishops in Jerusalem. 1. At this time Narcissus [1530] was the bishop of the church at Jerusalem, and he is celebrated by many to this day. He was the fifteenth in succession from the siege of the Jews under Adrian. We have shown that from that time first the church in Jerusalem was composed of Gentiles, after…
1,039 wordsSECTION 149Chapter XIII.--Rhodo and his Account of the Dissension of Marcion.
Chapter XIII.--Rhodo and his Account of the Dissension of Marcion. 1. At this time Rhodo, [1535] a native of Asia, who had been instructed, as he himself states, by Tatian, with whom we have already become acquainted, [1536] having written several books, published among the rest one against the heresy of Marcion. [1537] He says…
2,306 wordsSECTION 150[1546] Of these two men we know only what is told us here. They are not mentioned elsewhere.
[1546] Of these two men we know only what is told us here. They are not mentioned elsewhere. [1547] See note 9. [1548] ho nautes. This word is omitted by many mss., but is found in the best ones and in Rufinus, and is accepted by most of the editors of Eusebius. Tertullian calls Marcion a ship-master (Adv. Marc. III. 6, and IV…
1,377 wordsSECTION 151Chapter XIV.--The False Prophets of the Phrygians.
Chapter XIV.--The False Prophets of the Phrygians. The enemy of God's Church, who is emphatically a hater of good and a lover of evil, and leaves untried no manner of craft against men, was again active in causing strange heresies to spring up against the Church. [1564] For some persons, like venomous reptiles, crawled over Asi…
3,050 wordsSECTION 152[1569] ten legomenen kata Phrugas hairesin. The heresy of Montanus was commonly called the Phrygian heresy because it took its rise in Phryg
[1569] ten legomenen kata Phrugas hairesin. The heresy of Montanus was commonly called the Phrygian heresy because it took its rise in Phrygia. The Latins, by a solecism, called it the Cataphrygian heresy. Its followers received other names also, e.g. Priscillianists (from the prophetess Priscilla), and Pepuziani (from Pepuza, t…
2,200 wordsSECTION 153[1586] i.e. Montanus.
[1586] i.e. Montanus. [1587] That synods should early be held to consider the subject Montanism is not at all surprising. Doubtless our author is quite correct in asserting that many such met during these years. They were probably all of them small, and only local in their character. We do not know the places or the dates of an…
1,739 wordsSECTION 154Chapter XVII.--Miltiades and His Works.
Chapter XVII.--Miltiades and His Works. 1. In this work he mentions a writer, Miltiades, [1603] stating that he also wrote a certain book against the above-mentioned heresy. After quoting some of their words, he adds: "Having found these things in a certain work of theirs in opposition to the work of the brother Alcibiades, [1…
1,953 wordsSECTION 155Chapter XVIII.--The Manner in which Apollonius refuted the Phrygians, and the Persons [1617] whom he Mentions.
Chapter XVIII.--The Manner in which Apollonius refuted the Phrygians, and the Persons [1617] whom he Mentions. 1. As the so-called Phrygian heresy [1618] was still flourishing in Phrygia in his time, Apollonius [1619] also, an ecclesiastical writer, undertook its refutation, and wrote a special work against it, correcting in de…
2,203 wordsSECTION 156Chapter XIX.--Serapion on the Heresy of the Phrygians.
[1629] This fragment gives us our only information in regard to this Alexander. That there may be some truth in the story told by Apollonius cannot be denied. It is possible that Alexander was a bad man, and that the Montanists had been deceived in him, as often happens in all religious bodies. Such a thing might much more easil…
1,835 wordsSECTION 157Chapter XX.--The Writings of Irenæus against the Schismatics at Rome.
Chapter XX.--The Writings of Irenæus against the Schismatics at Rome. 1. Irenæus [1661] wrote several letters against those who were disturbing the sound ordinance of the Church at Rome. One of them was to Blastus On Schism; [1662] another to Florinus On Monarchy, [1663] or That God is not the Author of Evil. For Florinus seeme…
2,218 wordsSECTION 158Chapter XXI.--How Appolonius suffered Martyrdom at Rome.
[1671] We know of only one epistle by Polycarp, that to the Philippians, which is still extant. Upon his life and epistle, see Bk. IV. chap. 14, notes 5 and 16. Chapter XXI.--How Appolonius suffered Martyrdom at Rome. 1. About the same time, in the reign of Commodus, our condition became more favorable, and through the grace o…
1,514 wordsSECTION 159Chapter XXII.--The Bishops that were well known at this Time.
Chapter XXII.--The Bishops that were well known at this Time. In the tenth year of the reign of Commodus, Victor [1678] succeeded Eleutherus, [1679] the latter having held the episcopate for thirteen years. In the same year, after Julian [1680] had completed his tenth year, Demetrius [1681] received the charge of the parishes a…
1,484 wordsSECTION 160Chapter XXIII.--The Question then agitated concerning the Passover.
Chapter XXIII.--The Question then agitated concerning the Passover. 1. A question of no small importance arose at that time. For the parishes of all Asia, as from an older tradition, held that the fourteenth day of the moon, on which day the Jews were commanded to sacrifice the lamb, should be observed as the feast of the Savio…
1,807 wordsSource & rights
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