Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series • VOLUME 1
Eusebius — Church History, Constantine & Oration
SECTION 241
Chapter IX.--Those in Thebais. [2536]
Chapter IX.--Those in Thebais. [2536] 1. It would be impossible to describe the outrages and tortures which the martyrs in Thebais endured. They were scraped over the entire body with shells instead of hooks until they died. Women were bound by one foot and raised aloft in the air by machines, and with their bodies altogether b…
1,198 wordsSECTION 242Chapter X.--The Writings of Phileas the Martyr describing the Occurrences at Alexandria.
Chapter X.--The Writings of Phileas the Martyr describing the Occurrences at Alexandria. 1. Since we have mentioned Phileas as having a high reputation for secular learning, let him be his own witness in the following extract, in which he shows us who he was, and at the same time describes more accurately than we can the martyr…
1,128 wordsSECTION 243Chapter XI.--Those in Phrygia.
Chapter XI.--Those in Phrygia. 1. A small town [2547] [2548] of Phrygia, inhabited solely by Christians, was completely surrounded by soldiers while the men were in it. Throwing fire into it, they consumed them with the women and children while they were calling upon Christ. This they did because all the inhabitants of the city…
717 wordsSECTION 244Chapter XII.--Many Others, both Men and Women, who suffered in Various Ways.
Chapter XII.--Many Others, both Men and Women, who suffered in Various Ways. 1. Why need we mention the rest by name, or number the multitude of the men, or picture the various sufferings of the admirable martyrs of Christ? Some of them were slain with the axe, as in Arabia. The limbs of some were broken, as in Cappadocia. Some…
1,371 wordsSECTION 245Chapter XIII.--The Bishops of the Church that evinced by their Blood the Genuineness of the Religion which they preached.
Chapter XIII.--The Bishops of the Church that evinced by their Blood the Genuineness of the Religion which they preached. 1. As for the rulers of the Church that suffered martyrdom in the principal cities, the first martyr of the kingdom of Christ whom we shall mention among the monuments of the pious is Anthimus, [2554] bishop…
2,353 wordsSECTION 246[2569] The abdication of Diocletian and Maximian, the two Augusti, took place on May 1, 305, and therefore a little more, not a little less,
[2569] The abdication of Diocletian and Maximian, the two Augusti, took place on May 1, 305, and therefore a little more, not a little less, than two years after the publication of Diocletian's First Edict. The causes of the abdication have been given variously by different writers, and our original authorities are themselves in…
1,821 wordsSECTION 247Chapter XIV.--The Character of the Enemies of Religion.
Chapter XIV.--The Character of the Enemies of Religion. 1. Maxentius his son, who obtained the government at Rome, [2578] at first feigned our faith, in complaisance and flattery toward the Roman people. On this account he commanded his subjects to cease persecuting the Christians, pretending to religion that he might appear me…
1,709 wordsSECTION 248Chapter XV.--The Events which happened to the Heathen. [2583]
Chapter XV.--The Events which happened to the Heathen. [2583] 1. During the entire ten years [2584] of the persecution, they were constantly plotting and warring against one another. [2585] For the sea could not be navigated, nor could men sail from any port without being exposed to all kinds of outrages; being stretched on the…
1,192 wordsSECTION 249Chapter XVII.--The Revocation of the Rulers.
Chapter XVII.--The Revocation of the Rulers. 1. Wrestling with so many evils, he thought of the cruelties which he had committed against the pious. Turning, therefore, his thoughts toward himself, he first openly confessed to the God of the universe, and then summoning his attendants, he commanded that without delay they should…
2,402 wordsSECTION 250[2595] epi ta hupo ton archaion katast?thenta. Latin: ad veterum instituta.
[2595] epi ta hupo ton archaion katast?thenta. Latin: ad veterum instituta. [2596] pleistoi. Latin: multi. [2597] pantoious than?tous hupepheron. Latin: deturbati sunt. [2598] te aute aponoi& 139; diamenonton. Latin: in proposito perseverarent. [2599] tous oikous, en hois sunegonto, sunthosin. Latin: conventicula sua compona…
1,864 wordsSECTION 251Chapter I.
Chapter I. 1. The first of the martyrs of Palestine was Procopius, [2617] who, before he had received the trial of imprisonment, immediately on his first appearance before the governor's tribunal, having been ordered to sacrifice to the so-called gods, declared that he knew only one to whom it was proper to sacrifice, as he him…
1,405 wordsSECTION 252Chapter II.
Chapter II. 1. What occurred to Romanus on the same day [2627] at Antioch, is also worthy of record. For he was a native of Palestine, a deacon and exorcist in the parish of Cæsarea; and being present at the destruction of the churches, he beheld many men, with women and children, going up in crowds to the idols and sacrificing…
989 wordsSECTION 253Chapter III.
Chapter III. 1. In the course of the second year, the persecution against us increased greatly. And at that time Urbanus [2633] being governor of the province, imperial edicts were first issued to him, commanding by a general decree that all the people should sacrifice at once in the different cities, and offer libations to the…
1,427 wordsSECTION 254Chapter IV.
Chapter IV. 1. Maximinus Cæsar [2642] having come at that time into the government, as if to manifest to all the evidences of his reborn enmity against God, and of his impiety, armed himself for persecution against us more vigorously than his predecessors. 2. In consequence, no little confusion arose among all, and they scatte…
1,865 wordsSECTION 255Chapter V.
Chapter V. 1. About the same time, in the city of Tyre, a youth named Ulpianus, [2650] after dreadful tortures and most severe scourgings, was enclosed in a raw oxhide, with a dog and with one of those poisonous reptiles, an asp, and cast into the sea. Wherefore I think that we may properly mention him in connection with the ma…
983 wordsSECTION 256Chapter VII.
Chapter VII. 1. Again, in Cæsarea, when the persecution had continued to the fifth year, on the second day of the month Xanthicus, [2656] which is the fourth before the Nones of April, on the very Lord's day of our Saviour's resurrection, [2657] Theodosia, a virgin from Tyre, a faithful and sedate maiden, not yet eighteen years…
1,216 wordsSECTION 257Chapter VIII.
Chapter VIII. 1. Up to the sixth year the storm had been incessantly raging against us. Before this time there had been a very large number of confessors of religion in the so-called Porphyry quarry in Thebais, which gets its name from the stone found there. Of these, one hundred men, lacking three, together with women and infa…
1,017 wordsSECTION 258Chapter IX.
Chapter IX. 1. After such noble acts of the distinguished martyrs of Christ, the flame of persecution lessened, and was quenched, as it were by their sacred blood, and relief and liberty were granted to those who, for Christ's sake, were laboring in the mines of Thebais, and for a little time we were beginning to breath pure ai…
1,526 wordsSECTION 259Chapter X.
Chapter X. 1. On the fourteenth day of the following month Appellæus, [2673] the nineteenth before the Kalends of January, certain persons from Egypt were again seized by those who examined people passing the gates. They had been sent to minister to the confessors in Cilicia. They received the same sentence as those whom they h…
2,279 wordsSECTION 26026. The ministers of slaughter straightway seized him as he was doing this and led him to Firmilianus. Acting as was his custom, he condemne
26. The ministers of slaughter straightway seized him as he was doing this and led him to Firmilianus. Acting as was his custom, he condemned him to a slow fire. Thereupon Julian, leaping and exulting, in a loud voice gave thanks to the Lord who had judged him worthy of such things, and was honored with the crown of martyrdom. …
787 wordsSECTION 261Chapter XII.
Chapter XII. 1. I think it best to pass by all the other events which occurred in the meantime: such as those which happened to the bishops of the churches, when instead of shepherds of the rational [2694] flocks of Christ, over which they presided in an unlawful manner, the divine judgment, considering them worthy of such a ch…
1,717 wordsSECTION 262Book IX.
Book IX. Chapter I.--The Pretended Relaxation. 1. The imperial edict of recantation, which has been quoted above, [2710] was posted in all parts of Asia and in the adjoining provinces. After this had been done, Maximinus, the tyrant in the East,--a most impious man, if there ever was one, and most hostile to the religion of th…
1,549 wordsSECTION 263Chapter II.--The Subsequent Reverse.
Chapter II.--The Subsequent Reverse. 1. But the tyrant who, as we have said, ruled over the districts of the Orient, a thorough hater of the good and an enemy of every virtuous person, as he was, could no longer bear this; and indeed he did not permit matters to go on in this way quite six months. [2719] Devising all possible m…
888 wordsSECTION 264Chapter III.--The Newly Erected Statue at Antioch.
Chapter III.--The Newly Erected Statue at Antioch. After this man had carried on all kinds of war against us and had caused our people to be diligently hunted up in their retreats, as if they were unholy thieves, and had devised every sort of slander and accusation against us, and become the cause of death to vast numbers, he f…
761 wordsSECTION 265Chapter V.--The Forged Acts.
Chapter V.--The Forged Acts. 1. Having therefore forged Acts of Pilate [2731] and our Saviour full of every kind of blasphemy against Christ, they sent them with the emperor's approval to the whole of the empire subject to him, with written commands that they should be openly posted to the view of all in every place, both in co…
1,080 wordsSECTION 266Chapter VII.--The Decree against us which was engraved on Pillars.
Chapter VII.--The Decree against us which was engraved on Pillars. 1. The memorials against us [2738] and copies of the imperial edicts issued in reply to them were engraved and set up on brazen pillars in the midst of the cities, [2739] --a course which had never been followed elsewhere. The children in the schools had daily i…
1,363 wordsSECTION 267Chapter VIII.--The Misfortunes which happened in Connection with these Things, in Famine, Pestilence, and War.
Chapter VIII.--The Misfortunes which happened in Connection with these Things, in Famine, Pestilence, and War. 1. The customary rains and showers of the winter season ceased to fall in their wonted abundance upon the earth and an unexpected famine made its appearance, and in addition to this a pestilence, and another severe dis…
1,334 wordsSECTION 268Chapter IX.--The Victory of the God-Beloved Emperors. [2748]
Chapter IX.--The Victory of the God-Beloved Emperors. [2748] 1. Thus when Constantine, whom we have already mentioned [2749] as an emperor, born of an emperor, a pious son of a most pious and prudent father, and Licinius, second to him, [2750] --two God-beloved emperors, honored alike for their intelligence and their piety,--be…
2,271 wordsSECTION 269[2754] See above, note 2.
[2754] See above, note 2. [2755] Constantine's battle with Maxentius, described in this chapter, took place on the sixth anniversary of the latter's accession, Oct. 27, 312 (see Lactantius, De Mort. pers. 44 and 46). For particulars respecting Constantine himself and his campaign against Maxentius, see Dr. Richardson's prolegom…
1,095 wordsSECTION 270Chapter X.--The Overthrow of the Tyrants and the Words which they uttered before their Death. [2777]
Chapter X.--The Overthrow of the Tyrants and the Words which they uttered before their Death. [2777] 1. The circumstances which drove him to this course were the following. Being no longer able to sustain the magnitude of the government which had been undeservedly committed to him, in consequence of his want of prudence and imp…
2,125 wordsSECTION 271Chapter XI.--The Final Destruction of the Enemies of Religion.
Chapter XI.--The Final Destruction of the Enemies of Religion. 1. Thus when Maximinus, who alone had remained of the enemies of religion [2789] and had appeared the worst of them all, was put out of the way, the renovation of the churches from their foundations was begun by the grace of God the Ruler of all, and the word of Chr…
969 wordsSECTION 272Book X.
Book X. Chapter I.--The Peace granted us by God. 1. Thanks for all things be given unto God the Omnipotent Ruler and King of the universe, and the greatest thanks to Jesus Christ the Saviour and Redeemer of our souls, through whom we pray that peace may be always preserved for us firm and undisturbed by external troubles and b…
1,143 wordsSECTION 273Chapter II.--The Restoration of the Churches.
Chapter II.--The Restoration of the Churches. 1. All men, then, were freed from the oppression of the tyrants, and being released from the former ills, one in one way and another in another acknowledged the defender of the pious to be the only true God. And we especially who placed our hopes in the Christ of God had unspeakable…
2,218 wordsSECTION 27419. Who has founded a nation which of old was not even heard of, but which now is not concealed in some corner of the earth, but is spread a
19. Who has founded a nation which of old was not even heard of, but which now is not concealed in some corner of the earth, but is spread abroad everywhere under the sun? Who has so fortified his soldiers with the arms of piety that their souls, being firmer than adamant, shine brilliantly in the contests with their opponents? …
2,222 wordsSECTION 27542. In the same way, arranging the number of vestibules for the corridors on each side of the whole temple, he has made above them various o
42. In the same way, arranging the number of vestibules for the corridors on each side of the whole temple, he has made above them various openings into the building, for the purpose of admitting more light, adorning them with very fine wood-carving. But the royal house he has furnished with more beautiful and splendid materials…
2,236 wordsSECTION 27667. But in the leader of all it is reasonable to suppose [2905] that Christ himself dwells in his fullness, [2906] and in those that occupy
67. But in the leader of all it is reasonable to suppose [2905] that Christ himself dwells in his fullness, [2906] and in those that occupy the second rank after him, in proportion as each is able to contain the power of Christ and of the Holy Spirit. [2907] And the souls of some of those, namely, who are committed to each of th…
2,219 wordsSECTION 277Chapter V.--Copies of Imperial Laws. [2915]
[2881] aithrion, the Latin atrium. [2882] Psa. civ. 16. [2883] i.e. in the apse, or chancel, not in the middle of the nave, or body of the church. [2884] exedras kai oikous. Large basilicas were always provided with additional rooms, and adjacent buildings, such as baptisteries, diaconica, secretaria, &c., which were used for…
2,237 wordsSECTION 27824. May the Almighty God preserve thee in health for many years."
24. May the Almighty God preserve thee in health for many years." [2915] Heinichen gives 'Antigrapha basilikon nomon peri ton christianois prosekonton as the title of this chapter. All but three of the mss., however, agree in limiting the title to the first three words, the last four being given by the majority of them as the t…
2,307 wordsSECTION 279[2934] Cæcilianus had been arch-deacon of the church of Carthage under the bishop Mensurius, and had been a diligent supporter of the latter
[2934] Cæcilianus had been arch-deacon of the church of Carthage under the bishop Mensurius, and had been a diligent supporter of the latter in his opposition to the fanatical conduct and the extreme rigor of the stricter party during the persecution. In 311 he became bishop, and lived until about 345. We know nothing about his …
1,101 wordsSECTION 280Chapter VI. [2951] --Copy of an Imperial Epistle in which Money is granted to the Churches. [2952]
Chapter VI. [2951] --Copy of an Imperial Epistle in which Money is granted to the Churches. [2952] 1. "Constantine Augustus to Cæcilianus, [2953] bishop of Carthage. Since it is our pleasure that something should be granted in all the provinces of Africa and Numidia and Mauritania to certain ministers of the legitimate [2954] a…
1,289 wordsSource & rights
Historical text source: Christian Classics Ethereal Library. The downloaded text itself records Public Domain.