장음표시 사용
381쪽
CHAP. IV.-Rusticus threatens the Christiana with deata.
382쪽
Rusticus the prefeci pronounced sentence, saying, Letinose Who have refused to sacrifice to the goti and to feldio the command of the emperor be scourged, and ted aWayto suffer the punishment of decapitation, according to thelaws.' Tho holy martyrs having glorified God, and havinggone foris to the accustomed place, Were belleaded, and perfected inela testimony in the confession of the Savio . d some of tho faithfui haring secretiy removed theirbodios, laid them in a suitable place, the grace os our Lord Jesus Christ having Wrought along With them, to Whom bejory for ever and ever. Amen.' λ This passam admita ot another rendering. Loes Hasses, fossomingine common Latin version, thus translates : It waa our chies Wish toendum torturea for the inhe of our Lord Jesus Christ, and so to be
385쪽
Τ is ono of the most singular facts in early ecclesiaAtical historn that tho name of Athenagoras is Scarcely ever mentioned. Only tWo referencesto him and his writings h vo been discoVered. One of these occurs in the work of Methodius, On the Resum
rection of the Body, as preserved by Epiphanius Horr. lxiv.), and Photius Biblioth. ccxxxiv. . The other notice of him is
found in the writingsk of Philip of Sido, in Pamphylia, μοflourished in the early part of the fifth century. It is veryromata te that Eusobius should have been altogether silent regarding him ; and that writings, so elegant and poWersulas are thoso which stili exist under his name, should have been alto ed in early times to sink into almost entire oblivion. know With certainty regarding Athenagoras, that hemas an Athenian philosophor Who had Ombraced Christianitri and that his Apology, or, as he styles ii, WEmbas πρε- βείς, Was presented to the Emperors Aurelius and Commodusabout A.D. 177. IIo is supposed to have written a conside able number of Works, but the only other production of his extant is his treatiso on tho Resurrection. It is probablethat this Work was composed somowhat later stan the Apology see chap. xxxvi.), though iis exact date cannot bo determine l. Philip of Side also states that he precedod Pantaenus as head of tho catecheticat school at Aloxandria; but this is probablyincorreet, and is contradicted by Eusebius. Α more interest-ing and perhaps mell-founded statement is mado by the samo Writer respecting Athenagoras, to the effect that he was mon
386쪽
374 INTRODUCTOR T NON . over in Christianity Whilo reading the Scripturea in ordor tocontroveri them. Both his Apology and his treatiso on tho Resurrection display a practised pen and a richly cultured mind. IIo is is far the most elegant, and certainb at thosamo time ono of the silest, of the early Christian Apologisis.
387쪽
Lucius Aurelius Commodus, conquerors of A menia and Sarmatia, and more than ali, phil
In Four empire, greatest os fovereios, different nations have different customs and lams; and no Ono is hindered by law or fear of punishment hom folloWing his ancestrat usages, hoWever ridiculous theso may be. A citigen os Ilium calis Hector a god, and pays divine honours to Helen, tining hersor Adrastola. The Lacedaemonian Venerates Agamemnonas Zeus, and Phylonoe tho daughter of Tyndarus; and theman os Tenedos morships Tennes. The Athonian sacrificesto Erechtheus as Poseidon. The Athenians also performreligious rites and celebrato mysteries in honour of Agrauius and Pandrosus, Women Who Were deemed guilty os impie for opening the box. In Shori, among every nation and people, men offer Whatever sacrifices and celebrate Whatevermysteries they plerae. The Egyptians rechon among theirgods Men cais, and crocodiles, and serpents, and asps, and
388쪽
admiratiou of your mittaeis and gentienes' and your peace-sul and benevolent disposition toWards every man, individuals live in the possession os eques righis; and the cities, accordingto thoir rank, share in eques honour; and the whese empire, under your intelligent sWay, enjοys prosound peace. But sor are callia Christians you have not in lita mannor red; but although me commit no Wron nari illappear in the seques of this disco se, are es ali men most
389쪽
Ii, indeed, any one can convici us os a crime, bo it smali orgreat, me do not ais to be excused hom punishment, but aroprepared in underio the starpesi and most merciless inflictions. But is the accusation relates mereb to our name-and it is undent te, that up to the present time tho stories told aboutus rest on nothing better than the eommon undiscriminat gpopular inis, nor has any Christian been convicted of crime it mill devolvo on you, illustrious and benevolent and mostlearned fovereigns, to remove by law this despitesul trealmen so that, as inmughout the world both individuals and citi partata of yοur beneficence, me alio may seel gralaiul to Du, exulting that we are no longer the victima os false ammation. For it do not compori With your justice, that ostera When
instructed in philosophy and ali learning. For this reason, too, those Who are brought besore you for triat, though theymay be armigned on the gravest charges, have no fear, causethey know that you Will inquire respecting thela prolous isse, and not be influenred by names it thv mean nothing, nor by the charges contained in the indicimonis ii they shouid bofalse: they accepi mitti eques satisfaction, as rogatas ita sat
ness, the sentenoe Whether of condemnation or aequitiat.
Atiat, sterolare, is conceded as the common right os ali, me clata for o selves, that we shali not be halin and punishedbecause me are called Christians for What has the namo to
390쪽
378 PLO OF ATHENAGORAS for the name sor no Christian is a bad man unless ho falselyprofess our doctrines), but for the wrong Whicli has been dono. It is thus that Ws see the philosophers judged. None of themboforo triat is deemed by the judgo either good or bad onaccount of his science or ari, but is found guilty oi michednesshe is punished, Without thereby affring any stigma on philosophy for ho is a bad man sor not cultivating philosophy ina laWful mannor, but science is blamoloss), whilo it he refutes tho false charges he is acquitted. Let this eques justice, then, bo dono to us. Let the life of the accused persons beinvestigared, but let the name stand free from ali imputation. Ι must at tho ouiset of my defence entreat yοu, illustrio emperors, to listen to me impartially: not to be carried aWay by the common irrational talh and prejudge tho case, but toapply yοur destre of knowledge and love os truth to thooxamination of our doctrine also. Thus, While yοu on your part will not ere through ignorance, We also, is disprovingillo charges arising out of the undiscerning rumour of the multitude, shali cease to be assaited. CHAP. III.-Charges bro hi against the Christians. Threo things are alleged against us: atheism, Thyestean asis, indipodean intercourae. But ii these charges aretrue, Spare no classet proceed at once against our crimes;
than the brutes, what punishment that he can endum shali bedeomed adequale to such offences Τ But, it these things aroonly idio tales and empsy standers, originating in the faci that virtve is opposed by ira very nature to vice, and that contraries War against one another by a divine laW and you Me yo solves Witnesses that no such iniquities are committed by us,sor you sorbid informations to bo laid against us), it remains