PART I.

CENT. the occasion of martyrdom to many, even under II. the best emperors. For, as often as an accuser appeared, and the person accused of an adherence to Christianity confessed the truth of the charge, the only alternative then was apostasy or death, since a magnanimous perseverance in the Christian faith was, according to the edict of Trajan, a capital crime. And, accordingly, the venerable and aged Simeon, son of Cleophas, and bishop of Jerusalem, was, by this very law, crucified in consequence of an accusation formed against him by the Jews [r]. By the same law, also, was the great and pious Ignatius, bishop of Antioch, ordered by Trajan himself to expire in the Roman theatre, exposed to the rapacity of furious beasts [s]; for, as the law denounced simply death to such as were convicted of an attachment to Christ, the kind of punishment was left by the legislator to the choice of the judge.

Persecu

Adrian.

III. Such of the Christians as could conceal tion under their profession were indeed sheltered under the law of Trajan, which was, therefore, a disagreeable restraint upon the heathen priests, who breathed nothing but fury against the disciples of Jesus. The office of an accuser was also become dangerous, and very few were disposed to undertake it, so that the sacerdotal craft was now inventing new methods to oppress the Christians. The law of Trajan was, therefore, artfully evaded under the reign of his successor Adrian. The populace, set in motion by their priests, demanded of their magistrates with one voice, during the public games, the destruction of the Christians; and the magistrates, fearing that a sedition might be the consequence of despising or opposing

[r] Eusebius, Hist. Eccles. lib. iii. cap. xxxii. p. 103. [$] See the Acta Martyrii Ignatiani, published by Ruinart, and also in the Collection of the Apostolic Fathers.

II. PART I.

opposing these popular clamours, were too much CENT. disposed to indulge them in their request. During these commotions, Serenus Granianus proconsul of Asia, represented to the emperor how barbarous and unjust it was to sacrifice to the fury of a lawless multitude, persons who had been convicted of no crime. Nor was his wise and equitable remonstrance without effect; for Adrian, by an edict issued out to these magistrates, prohibited the putting the Christians to death, unless they were regularly accused and convicted of crimes committed against the laws; and this edict appears to have been a solemn renewal of the law of Trajan [t]. The moderation of the emperor, in this edict, may, perhaps, have been owing to the admirable apologies of Quadratus and Aristides, infavour of the Christians, which were every way proper to dispel the angry prejudices of a mind that had any sense of equity and humanity left. But it was not from the Romans alone, that the disciples of Christ were to feel oppression; Barcochebas, the fictitious king of the Jews, whom Adrian afterwards defeated, vented against them all his fury, because they refused to join his standards, and second his rebellion [u].

cution un

IV. The law of Adrian, according to its natural The persesense, seemed to cover the Christians from the fury der Antoniof their enemies, since it rendered them punish- nus Pius. able on no other account than the commission of crimes, and since the magistrates refused to interpret their religion as the crime mentioned in the imperial edict. Therefore their enemies invented a new method of attacking them under the reign of Antoninus Pius, even by accusing them of impiety and atheism. This calumny was refuted

in

[Compare Eusebius, Hist. Eccles. lib. iv. cap. ix. with Balduinus ad Edicta Princip. in Christianos, p. 73. [u] Justin Mart. Apologia secunda, p. 72. edit. Colon.

II.

PART I.

CENT. in an apology for the Christians, presented to the emperor by Justin Martyr, in consequence of which, this equitable prince ordered, that all proceedings against them should be regulated by the law of Adrian [w]. This, however, was not sufficient to suppress the rage of blood-thirsty persecution; for, some time after this, on occasion of some earthquakes which happened in Asia, the people renewed their violence against the Christians, whom they considered as the authors of those calamities, and treated consequently in the most cruel and injurious manner. The emperor, informed of these unjust and barbarous proceedings, addressed an edict to the whole province of Asia, in which he denounced capital punishment against such as should, for the future, accuse the Christians, without being able to prove them guilty of any crime [x].

The persecution un

V. This worthy prince was succeeded by Marder Marcus cus Aurelius Antoninus the philosopher, whom Antoninus. most writers have celebrated beyond measure on

account of his extraordinary wisdom and virtue. It is not, however, in his conduct towards the Christians that we must look for the reasons of these pompous encomiums; for here, the clemency and justice of that emperor suffer a strange

eclipse.

[w] Eusebius, Hist. Eccles. lib. iv. cap. xxvi. p. 148. [x] Eusebius, Hist. Eccles. lib. iv. cap. xiii. p. 126. It is proper to be observed, that the word crime, in several former edicts, had not been sufficiently determined in its signification; so that we find the enemies of the Christians, and even the Roman magistrates, applying this term to the profession of Christianity. But the equitable edict of this good emperor decided that point on the side of humanity and justice, as appears from the letter he addressed to the province of Asia, in favour of the persecuted Christians, and which concludes with the following words: "If any one, for the future, shall molest "the Christians, and accuse them merely on account of their religion, let the person thus accused be discharged, though "he is found to be a Christian, and the accuser be punished "according to the rigour of the law."

II.

eclipse. He did not, indeed, revoke the edict CENT. of Antoninus Pius, or abrogate the laws which the preceding emperors had enacted in favour of PART 1. the Christians; but he did what was equally pernicious to them. Without examining impartially their cause, he lent an easy and attentive ear to all the most virulent insinuations of their enemies, and more especially to the malignant calumnies of the philosophers, who accused them of the most horrid crimes, and the most monstrous impiety, and charged them with renewing the shocking feast of Thyestes, and the incestuous amours of the Theban prince. So that, if we except that of Nero, there was no reign under which the Christians were more injuriously and cruelly treated, than under that of the wise and virtuous Marcus Aurelius; and yet there was no reign under which such numerous and victorious Apologies were published in their behalf. Those which Justin Martyr, Athenagoras, and Tatian drew up upon this occasion, are still extant.

mities suf

VI. This emperor issued out against the Chris- The calatians, whom he regarded as a vain, obstinate, and fered by the vicious set of men, edicts [y] which, upon the Christians whole were very unjust; though we do not know, under him. at this distance of time, their particular contents.

In

and

consequence of these imperial edicts, the judges magistrates received the accusations, which even slaves, and the vilest of the perjured rabble brought against the followers of Jesus. And the Christians were put to the most cruel tortures, and were condemned to meet death in the most barbarous forms, notwithstanding their perfect innocence, and their persevering and solemn denial of the horrid crimes laid to their charge. The imperial edicts were so positive and express against inflicting

VOL. I.

M

[y] See Melito ap. Euseb. Hist. Eccles. lib. iv. cap. xxvi.

p. 147.

PART I.

CENT. inflicting punishment upon such of the Christians II. as were guilty of no crime, that the corrupt judges, who through motives of interest or popularity, desired their destruction, were obliged to suborn false accusers to charge them with actions that might bring them within the reach of the laws. Hence many fell victims to cruel superstition and popular fury, seconded by the corruption of a wicked magistracy, and the connivance of a prince, who, with respect to one set of men, forgot the principles of justice and clemency which directed his conduct towards all others. Among these victims, there were many men of illustrious piety, and some of eminent learning and abilities, such as the holy and venerable Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, and Justin Martyr, so deservedly renowned for his erudition and philosophy [2]. Many churches, particularly those of Lyons and Vienna, were almost entirely destroyed, during this violent persecution, which raged in the year 177, and will be an indelible stain upon the memory of the prince by whose order it was carried on [a].

Their state under Com

VII. During the reign of Commodus, the mod and Christians suffered very little; no general perseSeverus. cution raged against them; and any cruelties they

endured were confined to a small number, who had newly abandoned the Pagan superstitions [b]. But the scene changed towards the latter end of this century, when Severus was declared emperor. Then Asia, Egypt, and the other provinces, were dyed with the blood of martyrs, as appears

from

[*] A full account of their martyrdom is to be found in the valuable work of Ruinart, intitled, Acta Sincera Martyrum

[a] See the letter of the Christians at Lyons, concerning this persecution, which is to be found in Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History, book v. chap. ii. as also in Fox's Martyrology, vol. i. [6] Eusebius, Hist. Eccles. lib. v. cap. xxiv. p. 191. cap. xvi. p. 183. cap. xviii. p. 186. cap. xix. p. 187.