A General Martyrology, Chapter 18
CHAP. XVIII. The Persecution of the Church under Julian the Apostata, Anno Christi, 365·
IUlian was Nephew to Constantius the son of Constantine, and was by him made Caesar, and sent against the Germans, where after some smaller victories having overcome his enemies in a great and bloody battel, he was by his Army made Augustus, and after Constantius his death, succeeded in the whole Empire, both of the East and West. He was brought up in the Christian Religion, and was endowed with excellent parts;His Apostacy. but when be came to the Empire, he Apostatized from his former profession, and turned Heathen, and became a deadly enemy to the Church of Christ, and a great persecutor of it.
The first thing that he did, was to open the Idol Temples; shut up by his Predecessors, and to suffer the Gentiles to commit their superstitious Idolatries, and publickly to adore their Idols: Then his next design was to supplant the true Christian Religion, being induced thereto by the devil and his own wickedness: And the better to effect the same, he practised a means never before used by any, which was to shew himself pitifull, and not cruel; perceiving that by means of the torments inflicted on the Martyrs,Devilish subtilty. the holy Christian Faith was greatly increased; and therefore he took a contrary course, and sought by gifts, favours, flatteries, and by bestowing offices and dignities, to draw them to renounce the Christian Faith, and to sacrifice to false gods, and by this means there were not a few, who being covetous and ambitious, desiring to be rich and honoured, fell from their Christian profession.
Then did he make Laws and general Decrees, that no Christian should be Master of any Arts or Sciences,Christians might not study. neither should study in any Schools, that so through the desire of Learning they might turn Idolaters, or else they should remain ignorant and illiterate, and so be insufficient to preach the Christian faith.
He also ordained that no Christian should have any charge, or hold any office of Justice,They may be in no Offices. neither should be a Captain in the Wars, nor enjoy any other dignity. Thus he used all the inventions that possibly he could devise, to make War against Jesus Christ, without shedding any Christian blood, that so he might take the Crown from the holy Martyrs,The most dangerous persecution. which they formerly obtained by the persecution of the sword: and indeed this was the greatest and most dangerous Persecution that ever the Church endured.
Amongst other of his subtill devises to bring Christianity into contempt,Christ…ans made the object of scorn. this was one; He entertained about him many witty, but wicked persons, who made it their business to scoff at, and deride the Christians with all manner of base jears; and those which excelled most in this wicked practise▪ he most loved and honoured, advancing them to offices, both in his Court and Army.
During his short reign, though himself put none to death, as is before specified; yet the heathen Idolaters, in sundry places, proceeded far otherwise; especially in Palestine, where they burnt many Christians alive, others they stripped naked, and tying cords to their feet, dragged them up and down the paved streets,Barbarous cruelty. till their flesh was torn from their bones; Upon others they poured scalding water: Some they stoned, or beat out their brains with clubs: and having thus murthered them, they burnt their bodies, and then took their bones, and mingled them with the bones of Camels and Asses, that they might not be known for mens bones.
The Christians in Alexandria were most cruelly used by the Ethnicks, or Pagans: Some were slain with the sword, some were fastned to the Cross, some brained, some stoned; and such was their rage against Christianity, that one brother spared not another, nor parents their children, nor children their parents.
Emilianus was burned in Thracia. Domitius was slain in his cave. Theodorus for singing a Psalm at the removing of the body of Babilas, Emilianus. Domitius. Theodorus.being apprehended, was examined with exquisite torments, and so cruelly excruciated from morning till almost noon, that hardly he escaped with life, and being afterwards asked by his friends how he could endure such extream torments, he said, that at first he felt some pain, but afterwards there stood by him a young man,A miracle of Mercy. who as he was sweating with the pain, wiped away his sweat, and oft-times so refreshed him with cold water, wherewith he was so delighted, that when he was let down from the Engine, it grieved him more then before.
Artemius also, a Captain of the Egyptian souldiers,Artemius. Two brethren Martyrs. was beheaded for his Religion, though other causes were pretended. Two Christian brethren were dragged through the streets, and murthered by the Idolatrous people of Gaza.
But the cruelty of the wicked Arethusians exceeded against the Christian Ministers and Virgins,Barbarous cruelty. whom they set forth naked before the multitude to be scorned by them. Then did they cover them with hogs-meat, and ripping up their bellies, put barly into them, and so caused their bowels and flesh to be devoured by their hungry swine.
Their cruelty most raged against Marcus Arethusius, Marcus Ar… thusius.the Christian Bishop of that City, who formerly, by the command of Constantine, had pulled down their Idol-Temple, and set up a Church for the Christians in the room thereof; The Arethusians knowing how Julian hated him, accused him as a Traitor and enemy to the Emperour: Whereupon at first he prepared himself to fly, but when he perceived that some of his friends were apprehended in his stead, he returned,Courage. and of his own accord offered himself to those that thirsted for his blood: Whom when they had gotten, neither pitying his old age, nor reverencing his holy and blameless Conversation, they stript him naked, and pitifully beat him; then they cast him into a foul, filthy sink: then they caused Boies to thrust him in with sharp sticks to augment his pain:Barbarous cruelty. Lastly, They put him into a basket▪ anointed him with hony and broth, and so hung him abroad in the heat of the sun, to be meat for wasps and flies to feed upon; and this they did to enforce him, either to build up their Idol-Temple again, or to give them money to pay for the doing of it, but he stoutly refusing both; they profered to forgive one half, if he would pay the other; which he still refusing, and contemning all their torments, they at last demanded of him but a small sum of money, but he answered, It is as great wickedness to confer one half-penny in case of impiety, as if a man should give the whole. Whereupon, despairing to prevail, they left him, and went their ways.
CyrillusAlso Cyrillus, a Deacon in Hieropolis, who in Constantines time had broken in pieces the Images of the Gentiles, they took him, ript up his belly, drew the liver out of his body, which with barbarous inhumanity they chawed with their teeth: But the Lord suffered not this brutishness to go unpunished,God's judgement on Persecutors. for their teeth shortly after fell out of their jaw-bones, and their tongues rotted in their mouths, and they fell stark blind.
Julian when he came to Constantinople, offered sacrifice in the Cathedral Church to the Goddess Fortune; about which time Maris, Bishop of Chalcedon in Bythinia, being blind, caused himself to be led to the Emperour,Maris …oldly reproveth Julian. whom he rebuked sharply, calling him an impious person, an Apostate, and an Atheist; he on the contrary called the Bishop, Blind fool, saying further, Thy God of Galilee will not restore thee thy sight again! Blasphemy.Maris replied, I thank God which made me blind, lest that ever I should set mine eies upon so ungracious a face as thine is.
In the Market-places of the Cities, Julian set up his own Image, amongst the Images of the heathen gods, to the end that whosoever should do civil reverence to his Image,Devilish subtilty. might also seem to worship the gods of the Gentiles; and that they who would not bow to the Idols, might seem to refuse due reverence to the Emperour. When he distributed gold to his Captains and souldiers, he erected an Altar near to his Throne, with coals burning upon it, and incense on a Table by, & none might receive the gold before he had cast incense on the coals upon the Altar, by which subtilty he circumvented many, who discerned not his purpose to intangle them with the rites of Idolatrous services.
All about Antioch he dedicated all the fountains to the goddesses of the Gentiles, and caused all the Victuals that were sold in the Market to be sprinkled with heathenish holy water:Christian wisdom. yet did the Christians without scruple drink of the water, and eat of the meat according to that rule, Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, and ask no question for conscience sake, &c.
Juventius and Maxentius.Juventius and Maxentius, two brave Captains, used much boldness and liberty in reproving him for his heathenish superstition, which so enraged him, that he caused them to be put to death.
In Caesarea, the Inhabitants being most Christians, had formerly overthrown the Temples of Jupiter and Apollo; and now in Julians time, they overthrew the Temple of Fortune, which so enraged him,Christian courage. that he disfranchised them, exacted of them three hundred pounds weight of gold, and compelled their Clergy to serve in War-fare, threatning further to put to death all the Inhabitants thereof at his return, but it pleased God that his own death prevented it.
About this time, Julian going to enquire of the Oracle of Apollo at Delphos, there came down fire from heaven, and destroyed the Temple, and beat the Image of Apollo in pieces,Apollo's Image broken with lightning. like to the smallest powder or dust.
When he came to Antioch, there was a noble woman, called Publia, who had the Education and government of divers young virgins, these she caused, as Julian passed by her house, to sing with a loud voice, The Idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the works of mens hands, &c. This so angred the Emperour, that he sent them a command to sing no more as he went that way; but Publia was so far from fearing him, that the next time he came, she made them sing the same verse, and to add to it, Let God arise, and his enemies shall be scattered, &c. This so incensed Julian, that he sent for her to him, scoffed at her, and caused her to be clapt on the cheeks in a disgracefull manner; but she looked upon it as a great honour thus to suffer reproach for Christs sake; and coming home, she caused her maids still to sing Psalms of the Emperours fury and madness.
Afterwards the Emperour intending to war against the Persians, Christians fined.set a great fine upon every ones head that would not sacrifice to the Idols, whereby he much enriched himself by the spoil of the Christians.
Then were false Accusations forged against Athanasius, so that he was forced to flie; yet he thus comforted himself and friends,Athanasius driven away. Nubecula est, cito pertransibit, This persecution is but a little cloud, and will soon pass away.
In his flight, he took a ship upon the river Nilus to fly to Thebais, but Julian sent an Earl after him, to bring him back again, who pursuing him with sails and ores, had almost overtaken his ship, whereupon the Marriners would have run her ashore, and fled into a wilderness that was hard by, to whom Athanasius said, Quid turbamini filii? Courage.quin in occursum eamus persecutori nostro, ut intelligat, quia longe major est qui nos defendit, quam qui persequitur: My sons, why are you thus affrighted? Let us rather turn and meet our pursuer, that he may know, that he is greater which defends us, then he that follows to apprehend us. Hereupon the Marriners turned back again, and the Earl supposing nothing less then that Athanasius was in the ship that came towards him, he only called to them,A special providence. and enquired whether they had not heard of Athanasius? they answered, that they had seen Athanasius a little before; whereupon he hastned forward to overtake him, and Athanasius in his ship returned back privately into Alexandria, where he lay hid till that persecution was over.
Julians Officers in exacting the fines of the Christians, demanded more then they were assessed at, and sometimes tormented their bodies also, of which wrongs when they complained to the Emperour▪ he scoffingly answered them,Blasphemy. Its your part, when you are injured, to take it patiently, for so your God commandeth you.
At Meris in Phrygia, the Governor Commanded the Idol-Temple to be set open and cleansed, and began himself to worship the Idols: Whereupon some Christians, inflamed with zeal, in the night time, brake into the Temple, threw down the Idols, and stamped them to powder.Zeal. The Governour being wonderfully incensed herewith, purposed to execute some Christian Citizens which were innocent and guiltless; whereupon the Authors of their own accord, presented themselves before him, chusing rather to die for the truth, then that others should suffer for their sakes;Courage. Thereupon the Governor commanded them to sacrifice to the Idols, or else he would severely punish them; but they, setting at nought his threats, prepared themselves to suffer what he could inflict; Then did he assay them with all kinds of torments, and at last laid them on the grid-iron, and broiled them to death, to whom they said, If thou long, O Tyrant, for broiled meat, turn up the other side, lest in eating, the blood run about thy teeth.
When Julian went against the Persians, of very malice and hatred against the Christians, whom scornfully he called Galilaeans, he made a vow, that if he obtained the victory, he would sacrifice to his gods the blood of those Christians which would not sacrifice to the Idols: But what the issue of that exepdition was, See in my second part, in the Life of Jovianus.
Collected out of the imperial History, and Socrates Scholasticus, Theodor. and the Magd. Hist. Cent. 4.