Webpage Ues-8 Page 12 TO INDEX
Chapter 1.
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 Savior and Redeemer of our souls, through
whom we pray that peace may be always preserved for us firm and undisturbed by
external troubles and by troubles of the mind.
2. Since in
accordance with thy wishes, my most holy Paulinus, we have added the tenth book
of the Church History to those which have preceded, we will inscribe it to thee,
proclaiming thee as the seal of the whole work; and we will fitly add in a
perfect number the perfect panegyric upon the restoration of the churches,
obeying the Divine Spirit which exhorts us in the following words:
3. "Sing unto
the Lord a new song, for he hath done marvelous things. His right hand and his
holy arm has saved him. The Lord hath made known his salvation, his
righteousness hath he revealed in the presence of the nations."
4. And in
accordance with the utterance which commands us to sing the new song, let us
proceed to show that, after those terrible and gloomy spectacles which we have
described, we are now permitted to see and celebrate such things as many truly
righteous men and martyrs of God before us desired to see upon earth and did not
see, and to hear and did not hear.
5. But they,
hastening on, obtained far better things, being carried to heaven and the
paradise of divine pleasure. But, acknowledging that even these things are
greater than we deserve, we have been astonished at the grace manifested by the
author of the great gifts.
6. And rightly do
we admire him, worshiping him with the whole power of our souls, and testifying
to the truth of those recorded utterances, in which it is said, "Come and
see the works of the Lord, the wonders which he hath done upon the earth; he
removes wars to the ends of the world, he shall break the bow and snap the spear
in sunder, and shall burn the shields with fire."
7.
Rejoicing in
these things, which have been clearly fulfilled in our day, let us proceed with
our account. The whole race of
God's enemies was destroyed in the manner indicated, and was thus suddenly swept
from the sight of men.
8.
So that again a
divine utterance had its fulfillment: "I have seen the impious highly
exalted and raising himself like the cedars of Lebanon and I have passed by, and
behold, he was not and I have sought his place, and it could not be found."
9. And finally a
bright and splendid day, overshadowed by no cloud, illuminated with beams of
heavenly light the churches of Christ throughout the entire world. And not even
those without our communion were prevented from sharing in the same blessings,
or at least from coming under their influence and enjoying a part of the
benefits bestowed upon us by God.
·
The restoration of the Churches.
10.
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.
11. And we
especially who placed our hopes in the Christ of God had unspeakable gladness,
and a certain inspired joy bloomed for all of us, when we saw every place which
shortly before had been desolated by the impieties of the tyrants reviving as if
from a long and death-fraught pestilence, and temples again rising from their
foundations to an immense height, and receiving a splendor far greater than that
of the old ones which had been destroyed.
12.
But the supreme
rulers also confirmed to us still more extensively the munificence of God by
repeated ordinances in behalf of the Christians; and personal letters of the
emperor were sent to the bishops, with honors and gifts of money.
13.
It may not be
unfitting to insert these documents, translated from the Roman into the Greek
tongue, at the proper place in this book, as in a sacred tablet, that they may
remain as a memorial to all who shall come after us.
·
The dedications in every place.
14. After this was
seen the sight which had been desired and prayed for by us all; feasts of
dedication in the cities and consecrations of the newly built houses of prayer
took place, bishops assembled, foreigners came together from abroad, mutual love
was exhibited between people and people, the members of Christ's body were
united in complete harmony.
15.
Then was
fulfilled the prophetic utterance, which mystically foretold what was to take
place: "Bone to bone and joint to joint," and whatever was truly
announced in enigmatic expressions in the inspired passage.
16. And there was
one energy of the Divine Spirit pervading all the members, and one soul in all,
and the same eagerness of faith, and one hymn from all in praise of the Deity.
Yea, and perfect services were conducted by the prelates, the sacred rites being
solemnized, and the majestic institutions of the Church observed, here with the
singing of psalms and with the reading of the words committed to us by God, and
there with the performance of divine and mystic services; and the mysterious
symbols of the Savior’s passion were dispensed.
17. At the same
time people of every age, both male and female, with all the power of the mind
gave honor unto God, the author of their benefits, in prayers and thanksgiving,
with a joyful mind and soul. And every one of the bishops present, each to the
best of his ability, delivered panegyric orations, adding luster to the
assembly.
Chapter
2
Panegyric on the splendor of affairs.
1. A Certain one
of those of moderate talent, who had composed a discourse, stepped forward in
the presence of many pastors who were assembled as if for a church gathering,
and while they attended quietly and decently, he addressed himself as follows to
one who was in all things a most excellent bishop and beloved of God, through
whose zeal the temple in Tyre, which was the most splendid in Phoenicia, had
been erected.
2. Friends
and priests of God who are clothed in the sacred gown and adorned with the
heavenly crown of glory, the inspired unction and the sacred garment of the Holy
Spirit; and thou, O pride of God's new holy temple, endowed by him with the
wisdom of age, and yet exhibiting costly works and deeds of youthful and
flourishing virtue.
3. To whom God
himself, who embraces the entire world, has granted the distinguished honor of
building and renewing this earthly house to Christ, his only begotten and
first-born Word, and to his holy and divine bride; - one might call thee a new
Beseleel, the architect of a divine tabernacle, or Solomon, king of a new and
much better Jerusalem.
4. Or also a new
Zerubabel, who added a much greater glory than the former to the temple of God;
-and you also, oh nurslings of the sacred flock of Christ, habitation of good
words, school of wisdom, and august and pious auditory of religion:
5. It was long ago
permitted us to raise hymns and songs to God, when we learned from hearing the
Divine Scriptures read the marvelous signs of God and the benefits conferred
upon men by the Lord's wondrous deeds, being taught to say `Oh God! We have
heard with our ears, our fathers have told us the work which thou didst in their
days, in days of old.'
6. But now as we
no longer perceive the lofty arm and the celestial right hand of our
all-gracious God and universal King by hearsay merely or report, but observe so
to speak in very deed and with our own eyes that the declarations recorded long
ago are faithful and true, it is permitted us to raise a second hymn of triumph
and to sing with loud voice, and say, `As we have heard, so have we seen; in the
city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God.'
7. And in what
city but in this newly built and God-constructed one, which is a `church of the
living God, a pillar and foundation of the truth,' concerning which also another
divine oracle thus proclaims, `Glorious things have been spoken of thee, oh city
of God.'
8. Since the
all-gracious God has brought us together to it, through the grace of his
Only-Begotten, let every one of those who have been summoned sing with loud
voice and say, `I was glad when they said unto me, we shall go unto the house of
the Lord,' and `Lord, I have loved the beauty of thy house and the place where
thy glory dwells.'
9. And let us not
only one by one, but all together, with one spirit and one soul, honor him and
cry aloud, saying, `Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of
our God, in his holy mountain.' For he is truly great, and great is his house,
lofty and spacious and `comely in beauty above the sons of men.’
10. Great is the
Lord who alone doeth wonderful things'; `great is he who doeth great things and
things past finding out, glorious and marvelous things which cannot be
numbered'; is great is he `who changed times and seasons, who exalted and
debases kings'; `who raises up the poor from the earth and lifts up the needy
from the dunghill.' `
11. He hath put
clown princes from their thrones and hath exalted them of low degree from the
earth. The hungry he hath filled with good things and the arms of the proud he
hath broken.'
12. Not only to the
faithful, but also to unbelievers, has he confirmed the record of ancient
events; he that works miracles, he that doeth great things, the Master of all,
the Creator of the whole world, the omnipotent, the all-merciful, the one and
only God.
13.
To him let us
sing the new song, supplying in thought, `to him who alone doeth great wonders:
for his mercy endures forever'; `to him which smote great kings, and slew famous
kings: for his mercy endures forever'; `For the Lord remembered us in our low
estate and delivered us from our adversaries.'
14. And let us
never cease to cry aloud in these words to the Father of the universe. And let
us always honor him with our mouth who is the second cause of our benefits, the
instructor in divine knowledge, the teacher of the true religion, the destroyer
of the impious, the slayer of tyrants, the reformer of life, Jesus, the Savior
of us who were in despair.
15.
For he alone,
as the only all-gracious Son of an all-gracious Father, in accordance with the
purpose of his Father's benevolence, has willingly put on the nature of us who
lay prostrate in corruption, and like some excellent physician, who for the sake
of saving them that are ill, examines their sufferings, handles their foul
sores, and reaps pain for himself from the miseries of another.
16. So us who were
not only diseased and afflicted with terrible ulcers and wounds already
mortified, but were even lying among the dead, he hath saved for himself from
the very jaws of death. For none other of those in heaven had such power as
without harm to minister to the salvation of so many.
17.
But he alone
having reached our deep corruption, he alone having taken upon himself our
labors, he alone having suffered the punishments due for our impieties, having
recovered us who were not half dead merely, but were already in tombs and
sepulchers.
18. And altogether
foul and offensive, saves us, both anciently and now, by his beneficent zeal,
beyond the expectation of any one, even of ourselves, and imparts liberally of
the Father's benefits,-he who is the giver of life and light, our great
Physician and King and Lord, the Christ of God.
19. For then when
the whole human race lay buried in gloomy night and in depths of darkness
through the deceitful arts of guilty demons and the power of God-hating spirits,
by his simple appearing he loosed once for all the fast-bound cords of our
impieties by the rays of his light, even as wax is melted.
20. But when
malignant envy and the evil-loving demon well-nigh burst with anger at such
grace and kindness, and turned against us all his death-dealing forces, and
when, at first, like a dog gone mad which gnashes his teeth at the stones thrown
at him, and pours out his rage against his assailants upon the inanimate
missiles.
21. He leveled his
ferocious madness at the stones of the sanctuaries and at the lifeless material
of the houses, and desolated the churches, -at least as he supposed, -and then
emitted terrible hissings and snake-like sounds, now by the threats of impious
tyrants, and again by the blasphemous edicts of profane rulers, vomiting forth
death.
22.
Moreover, and
infecting with his deleterious and soul-destroying poisons the souls captured by
him, and almost slaying them by his death-fraught sacrifices of dead idols, and
causing every beast in the form of man and every kind of savage to assault us.
23. Then, indeed,
the `Angel of the great Council,' the great Captain of God after the mightiest
soldiers of his kingdom had displayed sufficient exercise through patience and
endurance in everything, suddenly appeared anew, and blotted out and annihilated
his enemies and foes, so that they seemed never to have had even a name.
24. But his friends
and relatives he raised to the highest glory, in the presence not only of all
men, but also of celestial powers, of sun and moon and stars, and of the whole
heaven and earth, so that now, as has never happened before, the supreme rulers,
conscious of the honor which they have received from him, spit upon the faces of
dead idols, trample upon the unhallowed rites of demons, make sport of the
ancient delusion handed down from their fathers, and acknowledge only one God,
the common benefactor of all, themselves included.
25.
And they
confess Christ, the Son of God, universal King of all, and proclaim him Savior
on monuments, imperishably recording in imperial letters, in the midst of the
city which rules over the earth, his righteous deeds and his victories over the
impious.
26.
Thus Jesus
Christ our Savior is the only one from all eternity who has been acknowledged,
even by those highest in the earth, not as a common king among men, but as a
trite son of the universal God, and who has been worshiped as very God, and that
rightly.
27.
For what king
that ever lived attained such virtue as to fill the ears and tongues of all men
upon earth with his own name? What king, after ordaining such pious and wise
laws, has extended them from one end of the earth to the other, so that they are
perpetually read in the hearing of all men?
28. Who has
abrogated barbarous and savage customs of uncivilized nations by his gentle and
most philanthropic laws? Who, being attacked for entire ages by all, has shown
such superhuman virtue as to flourish daily, and remain young throughout his
life?
29.
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?
30. What king
prevails to such an extent, and even after death leads on his soldiers, and sets
up trophies over his enemies, and fills every place, country and city, Greek and
barbarian, with his royal dwellings, even divine temples with their consecrated
oblations, like this very temple with its superb adornments and votive
offerings, which are themselves so truly great and majestic, worthy of wonder
and admiration, and clear signs of the sovereignty of our Savior?
31. For now, too,
`He spoke, and they were made; He commanded, and they were created.' For what
was there to resist the nod of the universal King and Governor and Word of God
himself?
32. A special
discourse would be needed accurately to survey and explain all this; and also to
describe how great the zeal of the laborers is regarded by him who is celebrated
as divine, who looks upon the living temple which we all constitute, and surveys
the house, composed of living and moving stones,
33.
Which is well
and surely built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, the chief
cornerstone being Jesus Christ himself, who has been rejected not only by the
builders of that ancient building which no longer stands, but also by the
builders - evil architects of evil works.
34. Of the
structure, which is composed of the mass of men and still endures But the Father
has approved him both then and now, and has made him the head of the corner of
this our common church.
35. Who that
beholds this living temple of the living God formed of ourselves - this greatest
and truly divine sanctuary, I say, whose inmost shrines are invisible to the
multitude and are truly holy and a holy of holies - would venture to declare it?
Who is able even to look within the sacred enclosure, except the great High
Priest of all, to whom alone it is permitted to fathom the mysteries of every
rational soul?
36. But perhaps it
is granted to another, to one only, to be second after him in the same work,
namely, to the commander of this army whom the first and great High Priest
himself has honored with the second place in this sanctuary, the shepherd of
your divine flock who has obtained your people by the allotment and the judgment
of the Father, as if he had appointed him his own servant and interpreter, a new
Aaron or Melchizedec, made like the Son of God, remaining and continually
preserved by him in accordance with the united prayers of all of you.
37. To him
therefore alone let it be granted, if not in the first place, at least in the
second after the first and greatest High Priest, to observe and supervise the
inmost state of your souls, -to him who by experience and length of time has
accurately proved each one, and who by his zeal and care has disposed you all in
pious conduct and doctrine, and is better able than any one else to give an
account, adequate to the facts, of those things which he himself has
accomplished with the Divine assistance.
38. As to our first
and great High Priest, it is said, `whatsoever he sees the Father doing those
things likewise the Son also doeth.' So also this one, looking up to him as to
the first teacher, with pure eyes of the mind, using as archetypes whatsoever
things he sees him doing, produces images of them, making them so far as is
possible in the same likeness.
39.
In nothing
inferior to that Beseleel, whom God himself `filled with the spirit of wisdom
and understanding' and with other technical and scientific knowledge, and called
to be the maker of the temple constructed after heavenly types given in symbols.
40.
Thus this one
also bearing in his own soul the image of the whole Christ, the Word, the
Wisdom, the Light, has formed this magnificent temple of the highest God,
corresponding to the pattern of the greater as a visible to an invisible, it is
impossible to say with what greatness of soul, with what wealth and liberality
of mind, and with what emulation on the part of all of you, shown in the
magnanimity of the contributors who have ambitiously striven in no way to be
left behind by him in the execution of the same purpose.
41. And this place,
-for this deserves to be mentioned first of all, -which had been covered with
all sorts of rubbish by the artifices of our enemies he did not overlook, nor
did he yield to the wickedness of those who had brought about that condition of
things, although he might have chosen some other place, for many other sites
were available in the city, where he would have had less labor, and been free
from trouble.
42.
But having
first aroused himself to the work, and then strengthened the whole people with
zeal, and formed them all into one great body, he fought the first contest. For
he thought that this church, which had been especially besieged by the enemy,
which had first suffered and endured the same persecutions with us and for us,
like a mother bereft of her children, should rejoice with us in the signal favor
of the all-merciful God.
43.
For when the
Great Shepherd had driven away the wild animals and wolves and every cruel and
savage beast, and, as the divine oracles say, `had broken the jaws of the
lions,’ he thought good to collect again her children in the same place, and
in the most righteous manner he set up the fold of her flock, `to put to shame
the enemy and avenger,' and to refute the impious daring of the enemies of God.
44. And now they
are not, -the haters of God, -for they never were. After they had troubled and
been troubled for a little time, they suffered the fitting punishment, and
brought themselves and their friends and their relatives to total destruction,
so that the declarations inscribed of old in sacred records have been proved
true by facts. In these declarations the divine word truly says among other
things the following concerning them:
45. The wicked have
drawn out the sword, they have bent their bow, to slay the righteous in heart;
let their sword enter into their own heart and their bows be broken.' And again:
`their memorial is perished with a sound' and `their name hast thou blotted out
forever and ever'.
46.
For when they
also were in trouble they `cried out and there was none to save: unto the Lord,
and he heard them not.' But `their feet were bound together, and they fell, but
we have arisen and stand upright.' And that which was announced beforehand in
these words, -`O Lord, in thy city thou shalt set at naught their image,' -has
been shown to be true to the eyes of all.
47. But having
waged war like the giants against God, they died in this way. But she that was
desolate and rejected by men received the consummation which we behold in
consequence of her patience toward God, so that the prophecy of Isaiah was
spoken of her:
48.
Rejoice,
thirsty desert, let the desert rejoice and blossom as the lily, and the desert
places shall blossom and be glad.' `be strengthened, ye weak hands and feeble
knees. Be of good courage, ye feeble-hearted, in your minds; be strong, fear
not. Behold our God recompensed judgment and will recompense; he will come and
save us. `For,' he says, `in the wilderness water has broken out, and a pool in
thirsty ground, and the dry land shall be watered meadows, and in the thirsty
ground there shall be springs of water.'
49. These things,
which were prophesied long ago, have been recorded in sacred books; but no
longer are they transmitted to us by hearsay merely, but in facts. This desert,
this dry land, this widowed and deserted one, `whose gates they cut down with
axes like wood in a forest, whom they broke down with hatchet and hammer, whose
books also they destroyed, `burning with fire the sanctuary of God, and
profaning unto the ground the habitation of his name.
50. Whom all that
passed by upon the way plucked, and whose fences they broke down, whom the boar
out of the wood ravaged, and on which the savage wild beast fed,' now by the
wonderful power of Christ, when he wills it, has become like a lily. For at that
time also she was chastened at his nod as by a careful father; `for whom the
Lord loveth he chastened, and scourged every son whom he received.'
51. Then after
being chastened in a measure, according to the necessities of the case, she is
commanded to rejoice anew; and she blossoms as a lily and exhales her divine
odor among all men. `For,' it is said, `water hath broken out in the
wilderness,' the fountain of the saving bath of divine regeneration.
52.
And now she,
who a little before was a desert, `has become watered meadows. And springs of
water have gushed forth in a thirsty land.' The hands which before were `weak'
have become `truly strong'; and these works are great and convincing proofs of
strong hands.
53. The knees,
also, which before were `feeble and infirm,' recovering their wonted strength,
are moving straight forward in the path of divine knowledge, and hastening to
the kindred flock of the all-gracious Shepherd.
54.
And if there
are any whose souls have been stupefied by the threats of the tyrants, not even
they are passed by as incurable by the saving Word; but he heals them also and
urges them on to receive divine comfort, saying, `Be ye comforted, ye who are
faint-hearted; be ye strengthened, fear not.'
55.
This our new
and excellent Zerubabel, having heard the word which announced beforehand, that
she who had been made a desert on account of God should enjoy these things,
after the bitter captivity and the abomination of desolation, did not overlook
the dead body; but first of all with prayers and supplications propitiated the
Father with the common consent of all of you, and invoking the only one that
giveth life to the dead as his ally and fellow-worker, raised her that was
fallen, after purifying and freeing her from her ills.
56.
And he clothed
her not with the ancient garment, but with such an one as he had again learned
from the sacred oracles, which say clearly, `And the latter glory of this house
shall be greater than the former.'
57. Thus, enclosing
a much larger space, he fortified the outer court with a wall surrounding the
whole, which should serve as a most secure bulwark for the entire edifice.
58. And he raised
and spread out a great and lofty vestibule toward the rays of the rising sun,
and furnished those standing far without the sacred enclosure a full view of
those within, almost turning the eyes of those who were strangers to the faith,
to the entrances, so that no one could pass by without being impressed by the
memory of the former desolation and of the present incredible transformation.
His hope was that such an one being impressed by this might be attracted and be
induced to enter by the very sight.
59. But when one
comes within the gates he does not permit him to enter the sanctuary
immediately, with impure and unwashed feet; but leaving as large a space as
possible between the temple and the outer entrance, he has surrounded and
adorned it with four transverse cloisters, making a quadrangular space with
pillars rising on every side, which he has joined with lattice-work screens of
wood, rising to a suitable height; and he has left an open space in the middle,
so that the sky can be seen, and the free air bright in the rays of the sun.
60.
Here he has
placed symbols of sacred purifications, setting up fountains opposite the temple
which furnish an abundance of water wherewith those who come within the
sanctuary may purify themselves. This is the first halting-place of those who
enter; and it furnishes at the same time a beautiful and splendid scene to every
one, and to those who still need elementary instruction a fitting station.
61. But passing by
this spectacle, he has made open entrances to the temple with many other
vestibules within, placing three doors on one side, likewise facing the rays of
the sun. The one in the middle, adorned with plates of bronze, iron bound, and
beautifully embossed, he has made much higher and broader than the others, as if
he were making them guards for it as for a queen.
62. 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,
using unstinted liberality in his disbursements.
Chapter
3
1. It seems to me
superfluous to describe here in detail the length and breadth of the building,
its splendor and its majesty surpassing description, and the brilliant
appearance of the work, its lofty pinnacles reaching to the heavens, and the
costly cedars of Lebanon above them, which the divine oracle has not omitted to
mention, saying, `The trees of the Lord shall rejoice and the cedars of Lebanon
which he hath planted.'
2. Why need I now
describe the skillful architectural arrangement and the surpassing beauty of
each part, when the testimony of the eye renders instruction through the ear
superfluous? For when he had thus completed the temple, he provided it with
lofty thrones in honor of those who preside, and in addition with seats arranged
in proper order throughout the whole building.
3. And
finally placed in the middle the holy of holies, the altar, and, that it
might be inaccessible to the multitude, enclosed it with wooden lattice-work,
accurately wrought with artistic carving, presenting a wonderful sight to the
beholders.
4. And not even
the pavement was neglected by him; for this too he adorned with beautiful marble
of every variety. Then finally he passed on to the parts without the temple,
providing spacious exedrae and buildings on each side, which were joined to the
basilica, and communicated with the entrances to the interior of the structure.
5.
These were
erected by our most peaceful Solomon, the maker of the temple of God, for those
who still needed purification and sprinkling by water and the Holy Spirit, so
that the prophecy quoted above is no longer a word merely, but a fact; for now
it has also come to pass that in truth `the bitter glory of this house is
greater than the former.'
6. For it was
necessary and fitting that as her shepherd and Lord had once tasted death for
her, and after his suffering had changed that vile body which he assumed in her
behalf into a splendid and glorious body, leading the very flesh which had been
delivered from corruption to incorruption, she too should enjoy the
dispensations of the Savior.
7.
For having
received from him the promise of much greater things than these, she desires to
share uninterruptedly throughout eternity with the choir of the angels of light,
in the far greater glory of regeneration, in the resurrection of an
incorruptible body, in the palace of God beyond the heavens, with Christ Jesus
himself, the universal Benefactor and Savior.
8. But for the
present, she that was formerly widowed and desolate is clothed by the grace of
God with these flowers, and is become truly like a lily, as the prophecy says,
and having received the bridal garment and the crown of beauty, she is taught by
Isaiah to dance, and to present her thank-offerings unto God the King in
reverent words.
9.
Let us hear her
saying, `My soul shall rejoice in the Lord; for he hath clothed me with a
garment of salvation and with a robe of gladness; he hath bedecked me like a
bridegroom with a garland, and he hath adorned me like a bride with jewels; and
like the earth which brings forth her bud, and like a garden which causes the
things that are sown in it to spring forth, thus the Lord God hath caused
righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.'
10.
In these words
she exults. And in similar words the heavenly bridegroom, the Word Jesus Christ
himself, answers her. Hear the Lord saying, `Fear not because thou hast been put
to shame, neither be thou confounded because thou hast been rebuked; for thou
shalt forget the former shame, and the reproach of thy widowhood shalt thou
remember no more.' `
11. Not as a woman
deserted and faint-hearted I hath the Lord called thee, nor as a woman hated
from her youth, sati thy God. For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with
great mercy will I have mercy upon thee; in a little wrath I hid my face from
thee, but with everlasting mercy will I have mercy upon thee, sati the Lord that
hath redeemed thee.'
12.
Awake, awake,
thou who hast drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of his fury; for thou hast
drunk the cup of ruin, the vessel of my wrath, and hast drained it. And there
was none to console thee of all thy sons whom thou didst bring forth, and there
was none to take thee by the hand.' `
13. Behold, I have
taken out of thine hand the cup of ruin, the vessel of my fury, and thou shalt
no longer drink it. And I will put it into the hands of them that have treated
thee unjustly and have humbled thee.'
14. Awake, awake,
put on thy strength, put on thy glory. Shake off the dust and arise. Sit thee
down, loose the bands of thy neck.' `Lift up thine eyes round about and behold
thy children gathered together; behold they are gathered together and are come
to thee.
15.
As I live, said
the Lord, thou shalt clothe thee with them all as with an ornament, and gird
thyself with them as with the ornaments of a bride. For thy waste and corrupted
and ruined places shall now be too narrow by reason of those that inhabit thee,
and they that swallow thee up shall be far from thee.
16. For thy sons
whom thou hast lost shall say in thine ears, the place is too narrow for me,
give place to me that I may dwell. Then shalt thou say in thine heart, who hath
begotten me these? I am childless and a widow, and who hath brought up these for
me? I was left alone, and these, where were they for me?'
17. "These are
the things which Isaiah foretold; and which were anciently recorded concerning
us in sacred books and it was necessary that we should sometime learn their
truthfulness by their fulfillment.
18.
For when the
bridegroom, the Word, addressed such language to his own bride, the sacred and
holy Church, this brides man, -when she was desolate and lying like a corpse,
bereft of hope in the eyes of men,-in accordance with the united prayers of all
of you, as was proper, stretched out your hands and aroused and raised her up at
the command of God, the universal King, and at the manifestation of the power of
Jesus Christ; and having raised her he established her as he had learned from
the description given in the sacred oracles.
19.
This is indeed
a very great wonder, passing all admiration, especially to those who attend only
to the outward appearance; but more wonderful than wonders are the archetypes
and their mental prototypes and divine models; I mean the reproductions of the
inspired and rational building in our souls.
20. This the Divine
Son himself created after his own image, imparting to it everywhere and in all
respects the likeness of God, an incorruptible nature, incorporeal, rational,
free from all earthly matter, a being endowed with its own intelligence; and
when he had once called her forth from non-existence into existence, he made her
a holy spouse, an all-sacred temple for himself and for the Father.
21.
This also he
clearly declares and confesses in the following words: `I will dwell in them and
will walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.' Such
is the perfect and purified soul, so made from the beginning as to bear the
image of the celestial Word.
22. But when by the
envy and zeal of the malignant demon she became, of her own voluntary choice,
sensual and a lover of evil, the Deity left her; and as if bereft of a
protector, she became an easy prey and readily accessible to those who had long
envied her; and being assailed by the batteries and machines of her invisible
enemies and spiritual foes, she suffered a terrible fall, so that not one stone
of virtue remained upon another in her, but she lay completely dead upon the
ground, entirely divested of her natural ideas of God.
23. But as
she, who had been made in the image of God, thus lay prostrate, it was not that
wild boar from the forest which we see that despoiled her, but a certain
destroying demon and spiritual wild beasts who deceived her with their passions
as with the fiery darts of their own wickedness, and burned the truly divine
sanctuary of God with fire, and profaned to the ground the tabernacle of his
name.
24. Then burying
the miserable one with heaps of earth, they destroyed every hope of deliverance.
But that divinely bright and saving Word, her protector, after she had
suffered the merited punishment for her sins, again restored her, securing the
favor of the all-merciful Father.
25.
Having won over
first the souls of the highest rulers, he purified, through the agency of those
most divinely favored princes, the whole earth from all the impious destroyers,
and from the terrible and God-hating tyrants themselves.
26. Then bringing
out into the light those who were his friends, who had long before been
consecrated to him for life, but in the midst, as it were, of a storm of evils,
had been concealed under his shelter, he honored them worthily with the great
gifts of the Spirit.
27. And again, by
means of them, he cleared out and cleaned with spades and mattocks-the
admonitory words of doctrine -the souls, which a little while before had been
covered with filth and burdened with every kind of matter and rubbish of impious
ordinances.
28. And when he had
made the ground of all your minds clean and clear, he finally committed it to
this all-wise and God-beloved Ruler, who, being endowed with judgment and
prudence, as well as with other gifts, and being able to examine and
discriminate accurately the minds of those committed to his charge, from the
first day, so to speak, down to the present, has not ceased to build.
29. Now he has
supplied the brilliant gold, again the refined and unalloyed silver, and the
precious and costly stones in all of you, so that again is fulfilled for you in
facts a sacred and mystic prophecy, which says, `Behold I make thy stone a
carbuncle, and thy foundations of sapphire, and thy battlements of jasper, and
thy gates of crystals, and thy wall of chosen stones; and all thy sons shall be
taught of God, and thy children shall enjoy complete peace; and in righteousness
shall thou be built.'
30.
Building
therefore in righteousness, he divided the whole people according to their
strength. With some he fortified only the outer enclosure, walling it up with
unfeigned faith; such were the great mass of the people who were incapable of
bearing a greater structure.
31. Others
he permitted to enter the building, commanding them to stand at the door and act
as guides for those who should come in; these may be not unfit compared to the
vestibules of the temple. Others he supported by the first pillars, which are
placed without about the quadrangular hall, initiating them into the first
elements of the letter of the four Gospels.
32. Still others he
joined together about the basilica on both sides; these are the catechumens who
are still advancing and progressing, and are not far separated from the inmost
view of divine things granted to the faithful.
33. Taking from
among these the pure souls that have been cleansed like gold by divine washing,
he then supports them by pillars, much better than those without, made from the
inner and mystic teachings of the Scripture, and illumines them by windows.
34. Adorning the
whole temple with a great vestibule of the glory of the one universal King and
only God, and placing on either side of the authority of the Father Christ, and
the Holy Spirit as second lights, he exhibits abundantly and gloriously
throughout the entire building the clearness and splendor of the truth of the
rest in all its details.
35. And having
selected from every quarter the living and moving and well-prepared stones of
the souls, he constructs out of them all the great and royal house, splendid and
full of light both within and without; for not only soul and understanding, but
their body also is made glorious by the blooming ornament of purity and modesty.
36. And in this
temple there are also thrones, and a great number of seats and benches, in all
those souls in which sit the Holy Spirit's gifts, such as were anciently seen by
the sacred apostles, and those who were with them, when there `appeared unto
them tongues parting asunder, like as of fire, and sat upon each one of them.'
37.
But in the
leader of all it is reasonable to suppose that Christ himself dwells in his
fullness, 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. And the
souls of some of those, namely, who are committed to each of them for
instruction and care - may be seats for angels.
38. But the great
and august and unique altar, what else could this be than the pure holy of
holies of the soul of the common priest of all? Standing at the right of it,
Jesus himself, the great High Priest of the universe, the Only Begotten of God,
receives with bright eye and extended hand the sweet incense from all.
39. And the
bloodless and immaterial sacrifices offered in their prayers, and bears them to
the heavenly Father and God of the universe. And he himself first worships him,
and alone gives to the Father the reverence which is his due, beseeching him
also to continue always kind and propitious to us all.
40.
"Such is
the great temple which the great Creator of the universe, the Word, has built
throughout the entire world, making it an intellectual image upon earth of those
things which lie above the vault of heaven, so that throughout the whole
creation, including rational beings on earth, his Father might be honored and
adored.
41.
But the region
above the heavens, with the models of earthly things which are there, and the
so-called Jerusalem above, and the heavenly Mount of Zion, and the supramundane
city of the living God, in which innumerable choirs of angels and the Church of
the first born, whose names are written in heaven, praise their Maker and the
Supreme Ruler of the universe with hymns of praise unutterable and
incomprehensible to us,-who that is mortal is able worthily to celebrate this? `
42. For eye hath
not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of men those things
which God hath prepared for them that love him.'
43.
Since we, men,
children, and women, small and great, are already in part partakers of these
things, let us not cease all together, with one spirit and one soul, to confess
and praise the author of such great benefits to us, `
44. Who forgives
all our iniquities, who heals all our diseases, who redeems our life from
destruction, who crowns us with mercy and compassion, who satisfies our desires
with good things.' `For he hath not dealt with us according to our sins, nor
rewarded us according to our iniquities;' `for as far as the east is from the
west, so far hath he removed our iniquities from us.
45.
Like as a
father pities his own children, so the Lord pities them that fear him.'
nRekindling these thoughts in our memories, both now and during all time
to come, and contemplating in our mind night and day, in every hour and with
every breath, so to speak, the Author and Ruler of the present festival, and of
this bright and most splendid day, let us love and adore him with every power of
the soul.
46.
And now rising,
let us beseech him with loud voice to shelter and preserve us to the end in his
fold, granting his unbroken and unshaken peace forever, in Christ Jesus our
Savior; through who be the glory unto him forever and ever. Amen."
Chapter
4.
Copies of imperial laws.
1. Let us finally
subjoin the translations from the Roman tongue of the imperial decrees of
Constantine and Licinius.
2. "Perceiving
long ago that religious liberty ought not to be denied, but that it ought to be
granted to the judgment and desire of each individual to perform his religious
duties according to his own choice, we had given orders that every man,
Christians as well as others, should preserve the faith of his own sect and
religion.
3.
But since in
that rescript, in which such liberty was granted them, many and various
conditions seemed clearly added, some of them, it may be, after a little retired
from such observance.
4. When I,
Constantine Augustus, and I, Licinius Augustus, came under favorable auspices to
Milan and took under consideration everything which pertained to the common weal
and prosperity, we resolved among other things, or rather first of all, to make
such decrees as seemed in many respects for the benefit of every one.
5. Namely, such as
should preserve reverence and piety toward the deity. We resolved, that is, to
grant both to the Christians and to all men freedom to follow the religion,
which they choose, that whatever heavenly divinity exists may be propitious to
us and to all that live under our government.
6. We have,
therefore, determined, with sound and upright purpose, that liberty is to be
denied to no one, to choose and to follow the religious observances of the
Christians, but that to each one freedom is to be given to devote his mind to
that religion which he may think adapted to himself, in order that the Deity may
exhibit to us in all things his accustomed care and favor.
7.
It was fitting
that we should write that this is our pleasure, that those conditions being
entirely left out which were contained in our former letter concerning the
Christians which was sent to your devotedness, everything that seemed very
severe and foreign to our mildness may be annulled, and that now every one who
has the same desire to observe the religion of the Christians may do so without
molestation.
8.
We have
resolved to communicate this most fully to thy care, in order that thou may know
that we have granted to these same Christians freedom and full liberty to
observe their own religion.
9. Since this has
been granted freely by us to them, thy devotedness perceives that liberty is
granted to others also who may wish to follow their own religious observances;
it being clearly in accordance with the tranquility of our times, that each one
should have the liberty of choosing and worshiping whatever deity he pleases.
This has been done by us in order that we might not seem in any way to
discriminate against any rank or religion.
10. And we decree
still further in regard to the Christians, that their places, in which they were
formerly accustomed to assemble, and concerning which in the former letter sent
to thy devotedness a different command was given if it appear that any have
bought them either from our treasury or from any other person, shall be restored
to the said Christians, without demanding money or any other equivalent, with no
delay or hesitation.
11.
If any happen
to have received the said places as a gift, they shall restore them as quickly
as possible to these same Christians: with the understanding that if those who
have bought these places, or those who have received them as a gift, demand
anything from our bounty, they may go to the judge of the district, that
provision may be made for them by our clemency. All these things are to be
granted to the society of Christians by your care immediately and without any
delay.
12.
And since the
said Christians are known to have possessed not only those places in which they
were accustomed to assemble, but also other places, belonging not to individuals
among them, but to the society as a whole, that is, to the society of
Christians, you will command that all these, in virtue of the law which we have
above stated, be restored, without any hesitation.
13.
To these same
Christians; that is, to their society and congregation: the above-mentioned
provision being of course observed, that those who restore them without price,
as we have before said, may expect indemnification from our bounty.
14. In all these
things, for the behooves of the aforesaid society of Christians, you are to use
the utmost diligence, to the end that our command may be speedily fulfilled, and
that in this also, by our clemency, provision may be made for the common and
public tranquility.
15.
For by this
means, as we have said before, the divine favor toward us which we have already
experienced in many matters will continue sure through all time.
16. And that the
terms of this our gracious ordinance may be known to all, it is expected that
this which we have written will be published everywhere by you and brought to
the knowledge of all, in order that this gracious ordinance of ours may remain
unknown to no one."
· Copy of another imperial decree
17.
Greeting to
thee, our most esteemed Anulinus. It is the custom of our benevolence, most
esteemed Anulinus, to will that those things which belong of right to another
should not only be left unmolested, but should also be restored.
18.
Wherefore it is
our will that when thou receives this letter, if any such things belonged to the
Catholic Church of the Christians, in any city or other place, but are now held
by citizens or by any others, thou shalt cause them to be restored immediately
to the said churches. For we have already determined that those things which
these same. churches formerly possessed shall be restored to them.
19.
Since therefore
thy devotedness perceives that this command of ours is most explicit, do thou
make haste to restore to them, as quickly as possible, everything which formerly
belonged to the said churches,-whether gardens or buildings or whatever they may
be,-that we may learn that thou hast obeyed this decree of ours most carefully.
Farewell, our most esteemed and beloved Anulinus."
·
Copy of an epistle that a synod of
bishops be held.
20. "Constantine
Augustus to Miltiades, bishop of Rome, and to Marcus. Since many such
communications have been sent to me by Anulinus, the most illustrious proconsul
of Africa, in which it is said that Caecilianus, bishop of the city of Carthage,
has been accused by some of his colleagues in Africa, in many matters.
21.
And since it
seems to me a very serious thing that in those provinces which Divine Providence
has freely entrusted to my devotedness, and in which there is a great
population, the multitude are found following the baser course, and dividing, as
it were, into two parties, and the bishops are at variance.
22.
It has seemed
good to me that Caecilianus himself, with ten of the bishops that appear to
accuse him, and with ten others whom he may consider necessary for his defense
should sail to Rome, that there, in the presence of yourselves and of Retecius
and Maternus and Marinus, your colleagues, whom I have commanded to hasten to
Rome for this purpose, he may be heard, as you may understand to be in
accordance with the most holy law.
23.
But in order
that you may be enabled to have most perfect knowledge of all these things, I
have subjoined to my letter copies of the documents sent to me by Anulinus, and
have sent them to your above-mentioned colleagues.
24.
When your
firmness has read these, you will consider in what way the above-mentioned case
may be most accurately investigated and justly decided. For it does not escape
your diligence that I have such reverence for the legitimate Catholic Church
that I do not wish you to leave schism or division in any place. May the
divinity of the great God preserve you, most honored sirs, for many years."
· Copy of an epistle of another synod to be held
25.
"Constantine
Augustus to Chrestus, bishop of Syracuse. When some began wickedly and
perversely to disagree among themselves in regard to the holy worship and
celestial power and Catholic doctrine, wishing to put an end to such disputes
among them, I formerly gave command that certain bishops should be sent from
Gaul.
26. And that the
opposing parties who were contending persistently and incessantly with each
other, should be summoned from Africa; that in their presence, and in the
presence of the bishop of Rome, the matter which appeared to be causing the
disturbance might be examined and decided with all care.
27.
But since, as
it happens, some, forgetful both of their own salvation and of the reverence due
to the most holy religion, do not even yet bring hostilities to an end, and are
unwilling to conform to the judgment already passed, and assert that those who
expressed their opinions and decisions were few,
28. Or that they
had been too hasty and precipitate in giving judgment, before all the things
which ought to have been accurately investigated had been examined,-on account
of all this it has happened that those very ones who ought to hold brotherly and
harmonious relations toward each other, are shamefully, or rather abominably,
divided among themselves, and give occasion for ridicule to those men whose
souls are aliens to this most holy religion.
29.
Wherefore it
has seemed necessary to me to provide that this dissension, which ought to have
ceased after the judgment had been already given by their own voluntary
agreement, should now, if possible, be brought to an end by the presence of
many.
30.
Since,
therefore, we have commanded a number of bishops from a great many different
places to assemble in the city of Arles, before the calends of August, we have
thought proper to write to thee also that thou should secure from the most
illustrious Latronianus, corrector of Sicily, a public vehicle, and that thou
should take with thee two others of the second rank whom thou thyself shalt
choose, together with three servants who may serve you on the way, and betake
thyself to the above-mentioned place before the appointed day.
31. That by thy
firmness, and by the wise unanimity and harmony of the others present, this
dispute, which has disgracefully continued until the present time, in
consequence of certain shameful strife’ after all has been heard which those
have to say who are now at variance with one another, and whom we have likewise
commanded to be present, may be settled in accordance with the proper faith.
32. And that
brotherly harmony, though it be but gradually, may be restored. May the Almighty
God preserve thee in health for many years."
Chapter
5
Copy of an imperial epistle.
1. "Constantine
Augustus to Caecilianus, 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 and most holy catholic
religion, to defray their expenses, I have written to Ursus, the illustrious
finance minister of Africa, and have directed him to make provision to pay to
thy firmness three thousand folles.
2. Do thou
therefore, when thou hast received the above sum of money, command that it be
distributed among all those mentioned above, according to the brief sent to thee
by Hosius. But if thou should find that anything is wanting for the fulfillment
of this purpose of mine in regard to all of them, thou shalt demand without
hesitation from Heracleides, our treasurer, whatever thou finds to be necessary.
3.
For I commanded
him when he was present that if thy firmness should ask him for any money, he
should see to it that it be paid without delay.
4. And since I
have learned that some men of unsettled mind wish to turn the people from the
most holy and catholic Church by a certain method of shameful corruption, do
thou know that I gave command to Anulinus, the proconsul, and also to Patricius,
vicar of the prefects, when they were present, that they should give proper
attention not only to other matters but also above all to this, and that they
should not overlook such a thing when it happened.
5.
Wherefore if
thou should see any such men continuing in this madness, do thou without delay
go to the above-mentioned judges and report the matter to them; that they may
correct them as I commanded them when they were present. The divinity of the
great God preserve thee for many years."
· The exemption of the clergy.
6.
"Greeting
to thee, our most esteemed Anulinus. Since it appears from many circumstances
that when that religion is despised, in which is preserved the chief reverence
for the most holy celestial Power, great dangers are brought upon public
affairs; but that when legally adopted and observed it affords the most signal
prosperity to the Roman name and remarkable felicity to all the affairs of men.
7. Through the
divine beneficence,-it has seemed good to me, most esteemed Anulinus, that those
men who give their services with due sanctity and with constant observance of
this law, to the worship of the divine religion, should receive recompense for
their labors.
8. Wherefore it is
my will that those within the province entrusted to thee, in the catholic
church, over which Caecilianus presides, who give their services to this holy
religion, and who are commonly called clergymen, be entirely exempted from all
public duties, that they may not by any error or sacrilegious negligence be
drawn away from the service due to the Deity, but may devote themselves without
any hindrance to their own law.
9.
For it seems
that when they show greatest reverence to the Deity, the greatest benefits
accrue to the state. Farewell, our most esteemed and beloved Anulinus.
·
The subsequent wickedness of Licinius, and his death.
10. Such blessings
did divine and heavenly grace confer upon us through the appearance of our
Savior, and such was the abundance of benefits which prevailed among all men in
consequence of the peace which we enjoyed. And thus were our affairs crowned
with rejoicings and festivities.
11.
But malignant
envy, and the demon who loves that which is evil, were not able to bear the
sight of these things; and moreover the events that befell the tyrants whom we
have already mentioned were not sufficient to bring Licinius to sound reason.
12. For the latter,
although his government was prosperous and he was honored with the second rank
after the great Emperor Constantine, and was connected with him by the closest
ties of marriage, abandoned the imitation of good deeds, and emulated the
wickedness of the impious tyrants whose end he had seen with his own eyes,
13. And that chose
rather to follow their principles than to continue in friendly relations with
him who was better than they. Being envious of the common benefactor he waged an
impious and most terrible war against him, paying regard neither to laws of
nature, nor treaties, nor blood, and giving no thought to covenants.
14.
For
Constantine, like an all-gracious emperor, giving him evidences of true favor,
did not refuse alliance with him, and did not refuse him the illustrious
marriage with his sister, but honored him by making him a partaker of the
ancestral nobility and the ancient imperial blood, and granted him the right of
sharing in the dominion over all as a brother-in-law and co-regent, conferring
upon him the government and administration of no less a portion of the Roman
provinces than he himself possessed.
15.
But Licinius,
on the contrary, pursued a course directly opposite to this; forming daily all
kinds of plots against his superior, and devising all sorts of mischief, that he
might repay his benefactor with evils. At first he attempted to conceal his
preparations, and pretended to be a friend, and practiced frequently fraud and
deceit, in the hope that he might easily accomplish the desired end. \
16. But God was the
friend, protector, and guardian of Constantine, and bringing the plots which had
been formed in secrecy and darkness to the light, he foiled them. So much virtue
does the great armor of piety possess for the warding off of enemies and for the
preservation of our own safety. Protected by this, our most divinely favored
emperor escaped the multitudinous plots of the abominable man.
17. But when
Licinius perceived that his secret preparations by no means progressed according
to his mind,-for God revealed every plot and wickedness to the God-favored
emperor,-being no longer able to conceal himself, he undertook an open war.
18. And at the same
time that he determined to wage war with Constantine, he also proceeded to join
battle with the God of the universe, whom he knew that Constantine worshiped,
and began, gently for a time and quietly, to attack his pious subjects, who had
never done his government any harm. This he did under the compulsion of his
innate wickedness, which drove him into terrible blindness.
19. He did not
therefore keep before his eyes the memory of those who had persecuted the
Christians before him, nor of those whose destroyer and executioner he had been
appointed, on account of the impieties, which they had committed. But departing
from sound reason, being seized, in a word, with insanity, he determined to war
against God himself as the ally of Constantine, instead of against the one who
was assisted by him.
20. And in the
first place, he drove from his house every Christian, thus depriving himself,
wretched man, of the prayers, which they offered to God in his behalf, which
they are accustomed, according to the teaching of their fathers, to offer for
all men. Then he commanded that the soldiers in the cities should be cashiered
and stripped of their rank unless they chose to sacrifice to the demons. And yet
these were small matters when compared with the greater things that followed.
21.
Why is it
necessary to relate minutely and in detail all that was done by the hater of
God, and to recount how this most lawless man invented unlawful laws? He passed
an ordinance that no one should exercise humanity toward the sufferers in prison
by giving them food, and that none should show mercy to those that were
perishing of hunger in bonds; that no one should in any way be kind, or do any
good act, even though moved by Nature herself to sympathize with one's
neighbors.
22. And this was
indeed an openly shameful and most cruel law, calculated to expel all natural
kindliness. And in addition to this it was also decreed, as a punishment, that
those who showed compassion should suffer the same things with those whom they
compassionated; and that those who kindly ministered to the suffering should be
thrown into bonds and into prison, and should endure the same punishment with
the sufferers. Such were the decrees of Licinius.
23. Why should we
recount his innovations in regard to marriage or in regard to the dying -
innovations by which he ventured to annul the ancient laws of the Romans, which
had been well and wisely formed, and to introduce certain barbarous and cruel
laws, which were truly unlawful and lawless?
24.
He invented, to
the detriment of the provinces, which were subject to him, innumerable
prosecutions, and all sorts of methods of extorting gold and silver. New
measurements of land and injurious exactions from men in the country, who were
no longer living, but long since dead.
25. Why is it
necessary to speak at length of the banishments which, in addition to these
things, this enemy of mankind inflicted upon those who had done no wrong, the
expatriations of men of noble birth and high reputation whose young wives he
snatched from them and consigned to certain baser fellows of his own, to be
shamefully abused by them, and the many married women and virgins upon whom he
gratified his passions, although he was in advanced age.
26. Why, I say, is
it necessary to speak at length of these things, when the excessive wickedness
of his last deeds makes the first appear small and of no account?
For, finally, he reached such a pitch of madness that he attacked the
bishops, supposing that they - as servants of the God over all - would be
hostile to his measures.
27.
He did not yet
proceed against them openly, on account of his fear of his superior, but as
before, secretly and craftily, employing the treachery of the governors for the
destruction of the most distinguished of them. And the manner of their murder
was strange, and such as had never before been heard of.
28.
The deeds which
he performed at Amaseia and in the other cities of Pontus surpassed every excess
of cruelty. Some of the churches of God were again razed to the ground, others
were closed, so that none of those accustomed to frequent them could enter them
and render the worship due to God.
29. For his evil
conscience led him to suppose that prayers were not offered in his behalf; but
he was persuaded that we did everything in the interest of the God-beloved
emperor, and that we supplicated God for him. Therefore he hastened to turn his
fury against us.
30. And then those
among the governors who wished to flatter him, perceiving that in doing such
things they pleased the impious tyrant, made some of the bishops suffer the
penalties customarily inflicted upon criminals, and led away and without any
pretext punished like murderers those who had done no wrong.
31. Some now
endured a new form of death: having their bodies cut into many pieces with the
sword, and after this savage and most horrible spectacle, being thrown into the
depths of the sea as food for fishes.
32. Thereupon the
worshipers of God again fled, and fields and deserts, forests and mountains,
again received the servants of Christ. And when the impious tyrant had thus met
with success in these measures, he finally planned to renew the persecution
against all.
33. And he would
have succeeded in his design, and there would have been nothing to hinder him in
the work, had not God, the defender of the lives of his own people, most quickly
anticipated that which was about to happen, and caused a great light to shine
forth as in the midst of a dark and gloomy night, and raised up a deliverer for
leading into those regions with a lofty arm, his servant, Constantine.
Chapter
6.
The victory of Constantine.
1.
To him,
therefore, God granted, from heaven above, the deserved fruit of piety, the
trophies of victory over the impious, and he cast the guilty one with all his
counselors and friends prostrate at the feet of Constantine.
2. For when
Licinius carried his madness to the last extreme, the emperor, the friend of
God, thinking that he ought no longer to be tolerated, acting upon the basis of
sound judgment, and mingling the firm principles of justice with humanity,
gladly determined to come to the protection of those who were oppressed by the
tyrant, and undertook, by putting a few destroyers out of the way, to save the
greater part of the human race.
3.
For when he had
formerly exercised humanity alone and had shown mercy to him who was not worthy
of sympathy, nothing was accomplished; for Licinius did not renounce his
wickedness, but rather increased his fury against the peoples that were subject
to him, and there was left to the afflicted no hope of salvation, oppressed as
they were by a savage beast.
4. Wherefore, the
protector of the virtuous, mingling hatred for evil with love for good, went
forth with his son Crispus, a most beneficent prince, and extended a saving
right hand to all that were perishing. Both of them, father and son, under the
protection, as it were, of God, the universal King, with the Son of God, the
Savior of all, as their leader and ally, drew up their forces on all sides
against the enemies of the Deity and won an easy victory; God having prospered
them in the battle in all respects according to their wish.
5. Thus, suddenly,
and sooner than can be told, those who yesterday and the day before breathed
death and threatening were no more, and not even their names were remembered,
but their inscriptions and their honors suffered the merited disgrace.
6. And the things,
which Licinius with his own eyes had seen, come upon the former impious tyrants
he himself likewise suffered, because he did not receive instruction nor learn
wisdom from the chastisements of his neighbors, but followed the same path of
impiety which they had trod, and was justly hurled over the same precipice. Thus
he lay prostrate.
7.
But
Constantine, the mightiest victor, adorned with every virtue of piety, together
with his son Crispus, a most God-beloved prince, and in all respects like his
father, recovered the East which belonged to them; and they formed one united
Roman empire as of old, bringing under their peaceful sway the whole world from
the rising of the sun to the opposite quarter, both north and south, even to the
extremities of the declining day.
8. All fear
therefore of those who had formerly afflicted them was taken away from men, and
they celebrated splendid and festive days. Everything was filled with light, and
those who before were downcast beheld each other with smiling faces and beaming
eyes.
9. With dances and
hymns, in city and country, they glorified first of all God the universal King,
because they had been thus taught, and then the pious emperor with his
God-beloved children.
10. There was
oblivion of past evils and forgetfulness of every deed of impiety; there was
enjoyment of present benefits and expectation of those yet to come. Edicts full
of clemency and laws containing tokens of benevolence and true piety were issued
in every place by the victorious emperor.
11. Thus after all
tyranny had been purged away, the empire which belonged to them was preserved
firm and without a rival for Constantine and his sons alone.
12. And having
obliterated the godlessness of their predecessors, recognizing the benefits
conferred upon them by God, they exhibited their love of virtue and their love
of God, and their piety and gratitude to the Deity, by the deeds, which they
performed in the sight of all men.
13. The End, with
God's Help, of the Tenth Book of the Church History of Eusebius Pamphili.