Historia Ecclesiastica

II. Now his nature was twofold ; on the one hand like the head of the body, in that he is recognized as God, on the other comparable to the feet, in that he put on for the sake of our own salvation, man of like passions with us. Therefore to make our description of what follows complete we should start the whole narrative concerning him by the most capital and dominant points of the discussion. By this means, moreover, the real antiquity and divine character of Christianity will be equally demonstrated to those who suppose that it iS recent and foreign, appearing no earlier than yesterday.

No treatise, indeed, could be sufficient for a statement of the origin and dignity, the very bei nature of the Christ : as indeed the divine spirit says in prophecies, “ who will declare his generation ? ’’ seeing that neither does any know the Father save the son, neither did any ever know the son properly, save οnly the Father who begat him. nd who except the Father would ever clearly conceive the ante-mundane light, and that wisdom which was intellectual and real 1 before the ages, the living Logos who was, in the beginning, God by the side of the Father, the first and only offspring οf God, before all creation and fabrication,2 both visible and invisible, the captain of the spiritual and immortal host of heaven, the angel of great counsel, the minister οf the ineffable plan of the Father, the fabricator οf all things along with the Father, the true and only begotten child of God, the Lord and God and King of all begotten, Who has received lordship and might together with deity itself, and power and honour from the Father, according to the mysterious ascription of divinity to him in the Scriptures, “ In the beginning was the Logos and the Logos was with God and the Logos was God, all things were through him, and without him was no single thing ’’ ? This, indeed, is also the teaching of the great Moses, as the most ancient of all prophets, when by divine inspiration he described the coming into being, and the ordering of the universe, that the creator and fabricator of all things gave up to the Chirst himself, and to no other than his [*](1 Or “ substantial ” — but not in the sense of “material.”) [*](2 “ Creation ’’ and “ fabrication ’’ are almost but not quite synonyms. “ Creation ’’ means making out of nothing, and “ fabrication ’’ making οut οf existent matter.)

It must now be demonstrated why this announcement was not formerly made, long ago, to all men and all nations, as it is now. The life of men in the past was not capable οf receiving the complete wisdom and virtue of the teaching of Christ. For at the beginning, after the first life in blessedness, the first man, despising the command of God, fell at once to this mortal and perishable life, and exchanged the former divine delights for this earth

But when the seeds of true religion had been strewn by them among a multitude of men, and a whole nation, sprung from the Hebrews, existed on earth, cleaving to true religion, he handed on to them, through the prophet Moses, images and symbols οf a certain mysterious sabbath and of circum. cision and instruction in οther spiritual principles, but not unveiled initiation itself, for many of them had still been brought up in the old practices. Their Law became famous and spread among all men like a fragrant breeze. Beginning with them the minds of most οf the heathen were softened by the law givers and philosophers who arose everywhere. Savage and unbridled brutality was changed to mild, ness, so that deep peace, friendship, and mutual intercourse obtained. Then, at last, when all men, even the heathen throughout the world, were now fitted for the benefits perpared for them beforehand, for the reception of knowledge of the Father, then again that same divine and heavenly Logos of God, the teacher of virtues, the minister of the Father in all good things, appeared at the beginning οf the Roman Εmpire through man. In nothing did he change our nature as touching bodily substance; his acts and sufferings were such as were consistent with the prophecies which foretell that man and God shall live together to do marvellous

III. It is now time to demonstrate that the very es “Jesus, ” and especially “Christ, ” honour by the ancient God-loving prophets themelves. Moses was himself the first to recognize w peculiarly august and glorious is the name of hrist, when he delivered the tradition of the types d symbols of heavenly things, and the mysterious ages, in accordance with the oracle which said him, “ See thou shalt make all thins according the type which was shown thee in the mount ’’ ; r in describing the Ηigh Ρriest οf God as a man supreme power, he calls him Christ, and, as a mark of honour and glory, surrounds with the name Christ this rank οf the High Priesthood, which with him surpassed all pre-eminence among men. us then he knew the divine character of “Christ. e himself also was inspired very clearly to foresee e title “Jesus, ” and it again he endued with rivilege. Though before it was made known to oses it had never been previously pronounced men, Moses gave the title, Jesus, to him first, d to him alone, who, once more typically and bolically, he knew would receive the rule οver after his death. His successor, at any rate, had οt previously used the title “Jesus, ” but was y another name, “ Αuses,’’ which his parents had iven him, and Moses calls him Jesus, as a precious ivilege greater than any royal crown, giving to

IV. Let these observations suffice me, as needed before beginning the history, that no one might think or our Saviour and Lord, Jesus Christ, as a novelty because of the date of his ministry in the either was new and strange, inasmuch as it was put together by a youth no better than the rest of men, come, let us discuss this point briefly. For when the advcnt of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, reeently shone forth on all men, it was confessedly a new race which has thus appeared in such numbers, in accordance with the ineffable prophecies of the date, and is honoured by all by the name of Christ, but it is not little nor weak, nor founded in some obscure corner οf the earth, earth, but the most populous of all and invincible in that it ever finds help from God.

It was at this that one of the prophets was amazed when, by the eye of the divine spirit, he foresaw the future which was to be, so that he exclaimed, “Who heard these things and who spoke thus? Did the earth travail in one day, and was a nation born at once ?” Αnd the same writer also indicates in one place its future title, saying, “Αnd a new name shall be called on those who serve me, which shall be blessed on the earth.” But even if we are clearly new, and this really fresh name of Christians is recently known among all nations, nevertheless our life and method of conduet, in accordanee with the precepts of religion, has not been recently invented by us, but from the first creation of man, so to speak, has been upheld by the natural concepts of the men of old who were the friends of God, as we will here demonstrate. The race of the Hebrews is not new and is itself well known to all. Now, stories and documents belonging to it concern ancient men, few and scarce in number, yet remarkable for piety and righteousness and for all other virtues. Divers οf them, indeed, were before the flood, and after it were others, and, (to say nothing of the children and descendants of Νoah), especially Αbraham, whom the children of the Hebrews boast as their οwn originator and ancestor. If the line be traced back from Αbraham to the first man, anyone who should describe those who have obtained a good testimony for righteousness, as Christians in fact,

v. So then, after the neeessary preliminaries to the history of the Church proposed by us, let us begin, as if starting a journey, with the appearanee οf our Saviour in the flesh, after invoking God, the Father of the Logos, and Jesus Christ himself, our Saviour and Lord, the heavenly Logos of God, to give us help and assistance to truth in the narra- (??)ive. It was, then, the forty-second year of the reign of Augustus, Augustus,1 and the twenty-eighth year after the submission of Egypt and the death of Αntony and Cleopatra (and with her the Egyptian dynasty of the Ptolemies came to an end), when our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ, in aecordance with the prophecies concerning him, was born in Bethlehem of Judaea at the time of the census which then hrst took place, while Quirinus was Governor of Syria. This census in the time of Quirinius,2 Flavius Josephus, the most famous of the historians among the Hebrews, also mentions, and joins to the narrative another coneerning the seet of the Galileans which arose at the same time. Our own Luke has also mentioned this in one place in the Acts, saying “ Αfter this man arose Judas the Galilean, in the

VI. Νow at this time, when Ηerod was the first foreigner to hold the sovereignty of the Jewish nation, the prophecy made through Moses that “ A rule shall not fail from Judah nor a leader from his loins until he come for whom it is reserved ’’ 1 began be fulmled. Moses also shows that this one will the “ expectation of the ” Obviously the terms of the prediction were unfulfilled so long [*](1 The Hebrew text of this passage is, accurately rendered, untiI Shiloh ” but has no discoverable meaning. The text οf the LXX. varies between “ until therc come him reservfed for ” for whom it is res reserved ” and “until there come the things reserved for him.”)

VII. since Marthew and Luke, having given us different traditions in their gospels concerning the genealogy οf Christ, are eonsidered by many to disargee; ; and since each of the faithful in ignoranee of the truth has been Ζealous in making guesses on these passages, come, let us set out the story that has reached us concerning them, whieh the Africanus mentioned by uS a short time ago narrated in a letter which he wrpte to Aristides on the harmony of the genealogies in the Gospels, confuting the opinions of others as forced and fictitious and setting out his own traditions in the following words : “ Since the names of the families in Israel were numbered either by nature or by law;

VIII. Νow when Christ was born, in accordanee with the prophecy, at Bethlehem of Judaea at the time mentioned, Ηerod was asked by the Μagi from the East where might he be who μ’ born king of the jews, for they had seen his star, and this had been the eause of their long journey in their zeal to worship the infant as God. The request caused him to be not a lttle disturbed at the situation for, as he thought, his sovereignty was in danger. Ηe therefore inquired from the teaehers of the Law among the people where they expeeted the Christ to be born, and when he learnt the propheey of Micah, foretelling that it should be in Bethlehem, he gave a comprehensive order to put to death all the infants which were being nursed in Bethlehem and the whole neighbourhood, of two years old and less, aeeording to the time indicated

The writer mentioned above gives this account in the treatise quotedI and in the seeond book of the Jeruish Wars he gives a similar traffition, writing as follows :

“Then the ffisease spread through his Whole body, and attacked each part with divers sufferings. The fever rose, there was intolerable itching of the whole surtace, incessant pain in the colon, his feet were swollen as though with dropsy, there was inflammation of the bladder, and gangrene of the genitals, breeffing worms. In addition to this, hiS breathing was ffiffieult and impossible if he lay down, and there Were spasms in every limb, so that the divines said that his illness was a punishment. Yet though he was struggling with such great suffering he still elung to life hoping for health and thinking of cure. So he crossed the Jordan and took the warm baths at ë which flow out into the Dead [*](1 The Greek οf Eusebius seems impossible, but the text of Josephus is plainer, “ Cpmvi;sopm was in every limb, adding intolerable.”)

IX. The historian already mentioned corroborates thc aceession to power of Archelaus after Herod, describing both the way in which he succeeded to the kingdom of the jews by the testaments of Ηerod his father and the deeision of Caesar Augustus, and how, when he fell from power after ten years, his οthers Philip and the younger Ηerod, together with Lysanias, administered their own tetrarchies.

In the eighteenth book of the Antiquities the Same Josephus explains how Pontius Pilate was given the administration οf Judaea in the twelfth year of Tiberius (for he had succeeded to universal sovereignty after Αugustus had held the government for fifty-seven years), and for ten whole years he remained in office, almost until the death Tiberius.

So that there is clear proof of the forgery of those who recently or formerly have issued a series of Pilate's Reports 1 about our Savious; for in them the dates mentioned convict the forgers of untruth. They relate that the crime of the Saviour's death fell in the fourth consulship of Tiberius, which as the seventh year of his reign, but at that time it has been shown that Pilate was not yet in charge of Judaea, if Josephus may be used as a witness, for he clearly shows, in the writing quoted from him above, that it was aetually in the twelfth year of the reign of Tiberius that Pilate was appointed procurator of Judaea by Tiberius.

X. In the time of these rulers them, according to the evangelist, when Tiberius Caesar was in the fifteenth year of his reign and Pontius Pilate the fourth of his governorship, and Herod, Lysanias, and Philip were tetrarchs of the rest of Judaea, our Saviour and Lord, Jesus the Christ of Good, “ beginning to be about thirty years old” came to the baptism of John and there began the proclamation of the gospel. The divine Scripture says that he completed the whole time of his teaching while Annas and Caiaphas were high priest, 3 showing that the [*](3 The singular “ high priest ” somewaht harsher in English than in Greek, but represents the the that according to Jewish custom there was never more than one high priest at the same time. Luke's statement seems to contradict this fact, and Eusebius tries to explain it by interpreting the difficult phrase as meaning the period between the high priesthoods of Annas and Caiaphas.)

“Valerius Gratus, having deprived Ananus of the priesthood, as as high Ρriest Ishmael the son of Phabi. Ηim, too, he removes shortly and nominates as high priest Eliezer thc son or Ananus the high priest. But when a year vas past he removes him also and hands over the high priesthood to Simon the son of Kamithus. But neither did his tenure of office last for more than a year, and Josephus, who is also called Caiaphas, was his ” Thus the whole time of the teaching of our saviour is shown to be not even a full four years ; sinee from Αnnas to the appointment of Caiaphas in four years four high priests held the yearly office. Naturally, then, the scripture of the gospel has indicated cated eaiaphas as high priert of the year in which the Saviours's pasrion was completed, and from this also the time of the teaching of Christ is shown to be not

XI. The divene scripture of the gospels relates that not long afterwards John the Baptist was beheaded hy. Herod the younger, and Josephus confirms the narrative, mentioning Herodias by name, and telling how, though she was his brother's wife, Ηerod took her in marriage, by putting aside her who had formerly been legally married to him (and she was the daughter οf Αretas the king οf the Ρetraeans) and separating Herodias from her husband who was alive. For her sake, too, after killing John, he waged war with Aretas for the dishonour done his daughter ; and Josephus says that in a battle in this war the whole army of Ηerod was destroyed, and that he suffered this because οf the plot against John. The same osephus admits that John was peculiarly righteous, and a baptits, confirming the testimony recorded in he text of the gospels concerning Hhlm. Ηe also elates that Ηerod Was deprived of his kingdom for the sake οf the same Herodias, and was exiled with [*](1 It is impossible in English to bring οut the faet that word sent “sent” is the same as that imprled by the “apostle.”)

“Νow to some ofthe Jews it seemed that the army of Ηerod had been destroyed by OOd and that he was paying a very just penalty for John who was called the Baptist. For Ηerod killed him, a good man and one who commanded the Jews, training themselves in virtue, to pracrise righteousness towards one another and piety towards God, and to come together for baptism. For he said that baptism would prove acceptable to him only in those who used it not to escape from any sins but for bodily purity, on condition that the soul also had been previously cleansed thoroughly by righteousness. Αnd when the rest collected, for they were greariy eXeited at hearing his vords, Herod feared hiS great persuasiveness with men lest it should lead to some rising, for they appeared ready to do everything under his advice. Ηe therefore eonsidered it mUeh better, beffire a revolt should spring from John, to put him to death in anticipation, rather than be involved in difficulties through the actual revolution and then regret it. Αnd John, through Herod's suspicion, was sent a prisoner to Macherus, the prison mentioned already, and was there put to death.”

Αfter narrating these things about John in the

“At this time arose Jesus, a wise man, if indeed he must be called a man, for he Was a doer of marvellous deeds, a teacher of men who received the uth with pleasure, and he led after him many of the Jews and many also of the Oentile population. This was the Christ ; and when Pilate had eondemned him o the cross at the instigation of the leaffing men among us, those who had nrst loved him did not to do so, ror he appeared to them when three days dead restored to life, and the divine prophets had told these and ten thousand other wonders concerning him. Αnd up till now the tribe of Christians which me named after him has not died οut.”

When a writer sprung from the Hebrews themselves handed οn in his οwn writing these details concerning John the Baptist and our Saviour, what altemative is there but to convict of shamelessness those who have concocted the Reports about them ? 1 But let this suffice.

XII. Νow the names of the apostles of our saviour are plain to everyone form the gospels, but no list of the Seventy is anywhere extant. It is said, however, that one of them was Bamabas, and of him the Acts of the Αpostles has also made special mention, and so also has Ρaul when writing to the Galatians. Αnd they say that sosthenes too, who wrote with Paul to the Corinthians, was one of them. And there is the story in clement, in the Rfth book the Hypotyposes, in which he says that Cephas, concerning whom Ρaul says “ and when Cephas [*](1 The reference is again to the heathen Αcts οf Ρilate.)

XIII. The manner of the narrative concerning Thaddaeus is as follows. The divinity of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ beeame famous among all men because of his wonder-working power, and led to him myriads even of those who in foreign lands were far remote from Judaea, in the hope of healing from diseases and from ah kinds of sufferings. In this way King Αbgar, the celebrated monarch of the

A copy of a letter ruritten by Abgar the Toparch to Jesus and sent to him Jerusalem by courier Ananias.

“Αbgar Uchama, the Toparhc, to Jesus the good aviour who has appeared in the district of Jerusalem, eeting. I have heard. . concerning you and your ures, how they are accomprlshed by you without ugs and herbs. For, as the story goes, you make he blind recover their sight, the lame walk, and hu cleanse lepers, and cast out unclean sspirits and emons, and you cure those who are tortured by long isease and you raise dead men. Αnd when 1 heard these things concerning you I decided that it is one the two, either that you are God, and came down οm heaven to do these things, or are a son of God οr doing these things. For this reason I write to beg ou to hasten to me and to heal the suffering which Ι have. Moreover I heard that the Jews are mocking you, and wish to ill-great you. Now I have a city very small and venerable which is enough for both.” 1

The reply from Jesus to Abgar, the Toparch, by the courier Ananias.

“Blessed art thou who didst believe in me not haring seen me, for it is written concerning me that ose who have seen me will not believe on me, nd that those who have not seen me will believe nd live. Now concerning what you you wrote me, [*](1 In some mauuscripts the following is added : “ 9. Αnd he wrote thus when the divine illumination had but a little shined on him. But it also worth while to hear the letter t t him by Jesus by the same bearer οf thc lertcr ; it only a few lines but great power, and runs as follows.”)

To theSe letters the following is further appended in the Syriac :

“Νow after the aseension of Jesus, Judas, who is also Thomas, Sent ThaddaeuS to him aS an apoStle, being οne of the seventy, and he came and stayed with Tobias, the son of Tobias. Νow when news of him was heard, 1 it was reported to Αbgar that an Αpostle of Jesus has come here, as he wrote to you. so ThaddaeuS began in the power of Ood to heal every disease and WeakneSs So that all marvelled Αnd when Αbgar heard the great and wonderful deeds which he was doing, and how he was working cures, he began to suWct that this was he of whom Jesus had written saying, ‘ When Ι have been taken up, I will send you one of my discipleS who will heal your ’ so he Summoned Tobias, with whom ThaddaeuS was staying, and said, ‘ I hear that a certain man of power haS come and is staying in your houSe. Bring him to me.' 2 Αnd Tobias came to Thaddaeus and said to him, ‘ The Toparch. Αbgar, summoned me and bade me bring you to him in order to heal ’ Αnd Thad- [*](1 Some manuscripts add : “ Αnd he had beeome manifest by the wonders wrought by him.”) [*](2 some manuscripts continue : “ ‘And he is cures in the name of Jesus.' Αnd he said, Ves, Α certain stranger eame and is living with me, and is working many wonders.' Αnd Abgar said, Bring him to me.’)

Let thiS valuable and literal tranSlation from the syriae Suffiee me for the present.

CΟΝTEΝTS ΟF BΟΟΚ IΙ

Τhe contents of the second book of the History of the Church is as follows :

I. On the life of the Apostles after the Ascension of Christ.

ΙΙ. On the emotion of Tiberius at learning from Pilate the story of Christ.

III. How in a short time the message concerning Christ ran through the whole world.

IV. How after Tiberhb Caius appointed Agrippa as King of the Jews and punished Herod with perpetual banishment.

V. How Philo was sent on an embassy to Caius on behalf Of the Jews.

VI. ΑlΙ the evils which accumulated on the Jews after their crime against Christ.

VII. How Pilate, too, committed suicide.

VIII. Concerning the famine in the the of Claudius.

IX. The martyrdOm οf James the Apostle.

X. How Agrippa, who was also called Herod, perecuted the Apostles and at once felt the punishment of God.

XI. On Theudas the magician.

XII. On Helena the Queen of the Adiabeni.

XIII. On Simon Magus.

XIV. Οn the preaching of Peter the Apostle at Rome.

XV.On the Gospel according to Mark.

XVI. How Mark was the first to preach the knowledge of Christ to those in Egypt.

XVII. The narrative of Philo on the Ascetics in Egypt.

XVIII. The treatise of Philo which have come down to us.

XIX. The misfortunes which overtook the Jews in Jerusalem on the day of the Passover.

XX. What was done at Jerusalem under Nero.

XXI. On the Egyptian whom the Acts of the Apostles also mentioned.

XXII. How Paul was sent a prisoner to Rome from Judaea and after defending himself was acquitted of all guilt.

XXIII. How Jame who was called tbe brother of the Lord suffered martyrdom.

XXIV. How after Μark Αnnianus was the first to be appointed bishop of the chureh of the Alexandrians.

XXV. On the persecution under Nero in which Ρaul and Peter at Rome were adorned with martyrdom for religion's sake.

XXVI. How the Jews were pursued by countless evils and how they began the final war against the Romans.

Our book was compiled from those of Clement, Tertullian, Josephus, and Philo.

BΟΟK II

ΑLL that needed stating by way of preface in the history of the Church-the proof of the divinity of the saving Logos, the ancient history οf our teaching, and the antiquity of the dogmas of the Christian life according to the Gospel, particularly all the points concerning his reeently fuffilled advent, the events before his Passion, and the story of the choice of the Apostles—all this We traeed in preceding book, summarizing the demonstration. Let us now consider in the present book what folloWed his Αscension, nothing some things from the divine writings, and adding what is taken from other sources from treatises which We will quote from time to rime.

I. Matthias was the first to be chosen to the Apostolate instead of the traitor Judas. As has been shown, he had himself been one οf the Lord's disciples, For the administration of the common fund tried men, seven in number, by Stephen, stephelb were appointed to the ministry by prayer and the on Of the Apostles' hands. And Stephen was first after his Lord not only in ordination, but, as though he had been put forward for this very purpose, also in that he was stoned to dearil by the Lord's murderers, and so vas the first to carry off the crown,

Αt that mme time alSo James, who was called the brother of the Lord. inasmuch as the latter too was styled the child of Joseph, and Joseph was called the father of Christ, for the Virgin Va betrOthed to him when, before lhey came together, she was discovered to have eoncebed by the Holy Spirit, as the Sacred writing of the Gospels teaches — this same James, to whom the men Of old had also giVen the surname of Just fOr his excellence of Virtue, is ’ated to haVe been the first elected to the throne of the bishoprie of the Chureh in Jerusalem. Clement in the sixth book of the hypotyposes adduces the following: “ ” he says, “ Peter and James and John after the Ascension OF the Saviour did not struggle for glory, beCause they had previously been given honour by the saViOur, but ehOe James the Just as bishop of ” The same Writer in the seventh book of the same work says in additiOn thiS about him, “ Αfter the Resurrection the Lord gaVe the tradition of knowledge to James the Just and John and Ρeter, these gaVe it to the other Apostles and the other Apostles to the seventy, of whom Barnabas also was one. Now there Were tWo Jameses, one James the Just, who a throwm down from the pinnacle of the temple and beaten to death with a fuller's club, and the other he who Was ” Ρaul also mentions the same. James the Jurt when he writes, “ Αnd I saw none other of the Apostles save James the brother of the Lord.”

Αt this time too the terms of Our saViOur ’s promise to the king of the Osrhoense were receiving fulfil [*](1 stephen in Greek means crown. 2 See pp. 84. ff.)

On the martyrdom οf stephen there arose the Rrst and greatest persecution of the Church in Jerusalem by the Jews. Αll the diSeiples, with the single exception of the Twelve, were scattered throughout Judaea and Samaria; some, as the divine scripture sayS, traverSed as far aS Ρhoenice, Cyprus and Αntioch, but they were not yet in a position to venture to transmit the word of faith to Gentiles, and announced it only to Jews. Αt that time Ρaul also was still ravaging the Church, entering into the houses of the faithful, dragging out men and women, and handing them over to prison. Philiop, however, οne of those who with Stephen had been already ordained to the diaconate, was among those who were seattered abroad, and went down to samaria, where, nlled with divine [*](1 This seems merely to mean “ became converted to Christianity.”)

II. The wonderful resurrection and ascension into heavcn of our Saviour was now already generally famous, and in accordance with an ancient eustom that those who were ruling οver the nations should report to him who held the imperial office any new movement among them, in οrder that no event might escape his notiee, Pilate communicated to the Εmperor Tiberius the story of the resurrection from the dead of our Saviour Jesus as already famous aInong all throughout all Palestine, together with the information he had gained of his οther wonders and how he was aheady believed by many to be a God, in that after death he had risen from the deasd.1 They say that Tiberius referred the report to the senate, which rejected it ostensibly because it had not preriously tested the matter, for an ancient law prevailed that no οne should be held as a God by the Romans exeept by a vote and decree of the senate, but in truth because the saving teaching of the divine message needed no ratification and commendation from men. In this way the council of [*](1 several versions οf pilate's report are extant, au obviously fictitious. see Tischendorf, Evangelia and the article οf Lipsius on Αpocryphal Gospels in thc Dictionary of Christian Biography, vol. ii. pp. 707 ff.)

Tertullian, who had an accurate knowledge of Roman law, a man espeeially famous among those most distinguished in Rome, has noted this in the Apology for the christians which was written by him in Latin but translated into the oreek language; he tells the story as follows: “ But, in order that we may ffiscuss sueh laws from their origin, there an an ancient decree that none should be con- secrated as a god by an Εmperor before being approved by the senate. Marcus Aemilius has acted thus conceming a certain idol Αlbumus. Αnd this supports our argument that among you godship has been given by human approval. If a god does not Ρlease man, he does not hecome god, so that, according to this, man must be gracious to Ood. Tiberius, therefore, in whose time the name of Christian came into the World, when this doctrine was reported to him from Ρalestine, where it Rrst began, communh cated it to the Senate, and made it plain to them that he favoured the doctrine, but the senate, because it had not itself tested it, rejected it; but he continued in his own opinion and threatened death to the accusers of the ”1 For heavenly providence had designed putting this in his mind in order that the word of the Oospel might have an unimpeded beginning, and traverse the earth in all directions.

III. Thus by the power and assistance of Ηeaven [*](1 Εumbius seeuB to imply that thc following sentence is part οf Tertuman. This is not so in the Latin manuseripts.)

IV. Tiberius ffied after reigning about twenty-two years.1 Αfter him Caius received the sovereignty and at once gave to Αgrippa 2 the crown of the rule of the Jews. Ηe made him king of the tetrarchies οf Philip and LysaniaS, and after a short time added to them the tetrarchy of Ηerod, Sentencing Ηerod (he was the Ηerοd of the Ρassion of the saviour) for many offences to perpetual banishment, together with his wife Herodias. Οf tffihls too Josephus is witness.

In his reign Ρhilo beeame generally known as a man of the greatest distiction, not only among our own people but also among those of heathen educa- tion. Ηe was a Ηebrew by racial descent but in- ferior to none οf the magnates in authority in Alexandria. The extent and quality οf the labour he bestowed οn the theologieal learning of hiS raee is in fact patent to all, and it is not necessary to say anything of his position in philosophy and the liberal stuffies of the heathen world since he is related to have surpassed all his contemporaries, especially in his zeal for the study οf Ρlato and Ρythagoras.

V. Νοw this wTiter has narrated in Rve books what happened to the Jews ìn the time of Caius; he has in this work combined the Stories or the insanity of Caius, [*](1 Ηe died Μarch 16, Α.D. 37.) [*](2 see Introduction for the family οf the Ηerod. This is Agrippa. Ι., son οf Aristobulus and grandson of Ηerod the Great. The Ηerod mentioned in the next sentence is Ηerοd Antipas, Αgrippa’s uncle.)

Josephus also relates these facts and writes as follows in the eighteenth book of the Antiquities; “ Now When a disturbance took place in Alexandria between the Jews who lived there and the Greeks, three of each side were chosen to to as representative to Caius. Οne of the Alexandrian representatives was Αpion, Who uttered many calumnies against the Jews, saying especially that they neglected to give honour to Caesar, and that while all who are subject to tbe rule of the Romans build altars and temples ot Caius, and in other respects reeeive hinl tb they do the gods, these men alone think it improper to honour him with statues or to swear by his name. Now thought Apion had made many serious charges by whieh he naturally hoped that Caiu, would be roued, Philo, the chief of the embassy of the Jew, a man of high reputation in every respect for he was the brother of Alexander the Alabarch and a philosopher of no little skill, was able in his reply to deal with the accusations but Caius cut him short, bade him get out of the way, and was so enraged that he clearly was on the point or serious measures against them. So Philo went

So far Josephus. Philo himself in the Embassy which he Wrote gives an accurate and detailed aecount of what he did at the time Ι shall Ρass over the greater Ρart and eite Only those points whieh plainly demonstrate to students the misfortunes whieh eame upon the Jews, all at once and after a rilort time, in consequenee Of their crimes against Christ. In the ffist Ρlace he relate that, in the time Of Tiberius, in the city ofthe Romans, Sejanus, the most influential of the Emperor's court at the time, took measures eompletely to destroy the whole race, and in Judaea Ρilate, under whom the crime against the saviour was perpetrated, made an attempt on the temple, still standing in Jerusalem, contrary to the privileges granted to the JeWs, and harassed them tO the utmost,

(VI.) whhe arter the death Of Tiberius Caius reeeived the sovereignty and inffieted many injuries on many, but more than all did the greatest harm to the vhole nation of the Jews. This may be learned shOrtly from his own word, in which he writes exactly as follows: “ Now the eharaeter of Caius vas extremely capricious towards all, but particularly towards the raee of Jews. Ηe hated them bitteriy bitterly: in other cities, beginning with Alexandria, he seized the synagogues and ffiled them vith images and statues of his own form (for by giving permission to

The same writer narrates in a second treaties entitled Οn the Virtues1 innumerable other atrocities, beyond all description, perpectrated on Jews in Alexandria in the same reign, and Josephus comfirms him, showing in the same Way that rile universal misfortunes of the nation began with the time οf Pilate and the crimes against the Saviour. Listen then to the actural words of his statement in the second book of the Jewish War. “ Now Pilate. sent as procurator to Judaea by Tiberius, brought into Jerusalem at night and covered up the images of Caesar which are called ensigns. When day came this roused the greatest commotion among the Jews, for they were horrified at what they saw close by since their laws had been trampled om, for they do not permit any image to be set up in the city.”

Now comparing this with the writing of the Gospels you will see that it was not long before they Were overtaken by the ery vhieh they uttered in the presence of Pilate himself, with Which they rilOuted Out that they had no other king than Caesar only. The same writer [*](1 This is the only possible translation of the Greek as it stands. yet there is little doubt but that On the Virues is an alternative title of the Embassy. Either Eusebius made a slip, or there is a primitive error in the text, which should be emended and translated in agreement with the rendering of Ruffinus. “ In the second of the books whivh he entitled Οn the Virtues.”)

The same writer shoWs that besides this innumerable other revolts were started in Jerusalem itseK, affirming that from that time risngs and war and the mutual contrivance of eril never ceased in the city and throughout Judaea, until the time when the siege under vespasian came upon them as the last scene of all. Thus the penalty of Ood pursued the Jews for their crimes against Christ.