CHAPTER VIII

THE ECCLESIASTICAL WRITERS THEN FLOURISHING

AMONG these, Hegesippus holds a distinguished rank, many of whose writings we have already quoted, where we have given some things as he has delivered them from apostolic tradition. This author compiled, in five books, the plain tradition of the apostolic doctrine, in a most simple style of composition, and clearly shows the time in which he lived, where he writes respecting those that began to erect idols, as follows: “To whom they made cenotaphs and temples, as we see to this day. Among whom was Antinous, the slave of Adrian the emperor, to whose honour likewise games are celebrated, which has been done in our own days. For he (Adrian) also built a city, called after Antinous, and instituted prophets.” At this time also, Justin, a true lover of sound philosophy, whilst he yet continued exercising himself in the literature of the Greeks, likewise shows this very time in his Apology to Antonine, as follows: “I do not think it out of place here, to mention Antinous of our own day, whom all, notwithstanding they knew who and whence he was, yet affected to worship as a god.” The same author adds this remark, speaking of the Jewish war: “And, indeed, in the Jewish war which has happened in our times, Barchochebas, the leader of the Jewish revolt, commanded the Christians alone to be led to severe and dreadful tortures, unless they would deny and blaspheme Christ Jesus.” In the same work, also, showing his own conversion from the Greek philosophy to religion to be the effect of cool deliberation and judgment, and not without good reason, writes as follows: “For whilst I was delighted with the doctrines of Plato, and heard the Christians calumniated, but at the same time saw them intrepid at the prospect of death, and every thing deemed terrific, I reflected that it’ was impossible they should live devoted to vice and voluptuousness. For what lover of pleasure, or intemperate man, or what man deeming human flesh a delicacy, could embrace death in order to be deprived of the objects of his own desires; and would not rather strive to live always to escape the eye of the magistrate, and not inform against himself, in the expectation of certain death?” The same author, moreover, relates, that Adrian, having received letters from Serenius Granianus, the most illustrious proconsul, respecting the Christians, in which he states, that it did not appear just to put the Christians to death without a regular accusation and trial, merely to gratify the outcries of the populace; wrote back to Minucius Fundanus, proconsul of Asia, enjoining upon him to put no one to death, without an indictment and lawful accusation. Of this epistle, also, he (Justin) adds a copy in the Latin tongue, in which it was written. He also premises the following explanation. “Although we have good cause, from the epistle of your most illustrious father, the emperor Adrian, to request of you as we requested of him, that the Christians should be regularly tried; this we have requested, not so much because it was ordered by Adrian, as because we know that the object of our request is just. We have also subjoined a copy of Adrian’s epistle, that you may know we declare the truth likewise in this. And here it follows.” To this, the author adds the copy of the epistle, in the Latin tongue; and we have translated it into the Greek, according to the best of our abilities, as follows: