The Tragedies of Tyrants Exercised Upon the Church of God, Chapter 7
Of the. 9. Tragical acte or perſecution, which was vnderunder Antoninus Verus, with his brother Lucius, and what worthy men exhibited Apologies of the chriſtian faith vntounto the Emperours. Chapter, vii.
THe yere of Chriſt, 170. and. 178. the Roman Emperours, Marcus Antoninus Verus, and his brother Lucius for none other cauſes then we hauehave aboue recited: ſharply perſecuted al chriſtians, that generallye were vnderunder the Romane Empire. This perſecution Hiſtoricians call the fourth, but I terme it the ninth. The exacte deſcription and at large therof, whoſo deſireth to beehold: let him reade the fourth, and fift bookes of Euſebius eccleſiaſticall hiſtorie. In this perſecution were ſlayn, not only many of the Chriſtian Church but alſo the moſte famous and renowmed doctoure of that age, who in teaching and writing, ſet frooth the chriſtian relygion, enlarged it, and defended it commendinge their doctryn with their moſt holly life, and bearinge wytnes therto with theyr owne blood. Among whom was Polycarpus, Diſcyple to the apoſtles, an extreme ould father, and miniſter of the congregatyon at Smyrna, whom they call the doctor of Polycarp.Aſia, and father of the Chriſtians: alſo the holye and paynfull Miniſter of chriſt, Pionius: both theſe wt many monotable chriſtians, were burnt Lykewyſe Pionius.y• moſt lerned and faythfull mynyſters of Chriſt: Iuſtinius a philoſopher, and Iraeneus Byſhop of Lions in Iuſtinus. Iraeneus.France, whoſe bookes in defence of the chriſtyan fayth, agaynſte all kyndes of errours and hereſies: are yet extant: were ſlayne wyth the ſword.
But chifly at Lions and Vienna in France nigh the riuer Rhodanus: was very mutch cruelty and extremitie ſhewen. This perſecution is deſcribed by the miniſters of Chriſte dwellynge at Vienna and Lions, in an epiſtle vntounto y• brethren of the congregations of Aſia and Phrygia, let him read that liſt herof, Phoianusthe foure firſt chapters of the firſte booke of Euſebius eccleſiaſtical hiſtorie: there among other thyngs, they declare how Photinus biſhop of Lyons, a worthie man, learned, and holly, and aboue foure ſcore and ten yéeres old, and therfore féeble of body, but valiant of minde and without all feare, was brought to the place of iudgement: of whom when there was required an accoumpt of his fayth, with a wounderfull courage hée profeſſed Chriſte and the Chriſtian faith: wherfore hée was by the raſhe & furious people ſtroken, buffeted, ſpurned, & without al regarde of age or callyng, reprochefully abuſed, ſo y• he was drawen backe agayne to the priſon for dead, where not longe after hée yéelded vp the ghoſt.
In the ſame place, are ſingularly deſcribed y• cruel torments, wherwith the holy men were long time tormēted, as Maturus. Sanctus. Blandina.Maturus, Sanctus, and Blandina, a woman of ſingular courage & conſtancy in the true faith, wt Attalus borne of a noble race, in faith more noble. All theſe Ataluswere ſlayne with moſt cruell and continuall tormentes, bicauſe they would not yéeld one iote from the trueth.
They write moreouer, how that the common raſkall multitude in this perſecution was ſo ſauedge, cruelly pricked foorth with anger and rage: y• they left nothyng vndone that appertayned to the moſt cruell and ignominious vſedge of them. For they would not permit the bodies of ſutch as were ſlayne in priſon, to bée honeſtly buried, but caſt them to dogges, who if they left any thyng, that they burned and threwe the aſſhes into Rhodanus: theſe turmentours in the meane time criyng alowd, as it is reported, behold, the Gods hauehave reuenged themſelues on the enemies of the Ethnicke religion, where is now their god? what maner of faith and religion is this, that ſpoyleth them thus of their liues? Thus thei reioiced, & triumphed Triumphyng of the people.like conquerours y• had defended and confirmed their owne religion: and on th'other part, the Chriſtians remained in great ſorow, heauines, and daunger. Whoſo deſiereth to vnderſtande more of this matter, let him read it in Euſebius in the epiſtle aboue recited.
Moreouer, there is ſet downe by Hermannus Contractus, in his chronicles, an whole catalogue of principall bleſſed martirs y• ſuffred in this perſecution. Wherfore, y• which I hauehave often ſayd, I ſay againe: is there any mā ſo ſimple and deuoyd of iudgment y• dareth to ſay that the doctrine and religion of the holy Martyrs and witneſſes of Chriſte was falſe, bicauſe God deliuered them ouer into y• handes of their enimies, gentils, and vnfaithful? ether y• their doctrine & religion was tru and righteous, bicauſe as apperteyninge to the body they vanquiſhed, ſlewe, and oppreſſed the faithfull? And who is ſo preſumptious that he will diſpute with God, why hée ſuffreth his dearly beloued Church to bée caſt down, and …roden vnderunder foote, with ſo many afflictions, and calamities?
But in this age, & the next following God through his grace, raiſed euen among y• gentiles, worthie & renowmed men, learned, holy, & wel diſpoſed, who offred vntounto y• Roman emperours, to the Senate, & lieutenants: bookes written wt diuine inſtinct, perſpicuous, and wiſe wherin they declared the innocencie of Chriſtians, confeſſing the faith of chriſt praiſing, & defendyng it, ſhewinge alſo, how falſly y• chriſtians were charged wt notorious crimes y• were layde againſt thē. This kinde of writyng they terme Apologies. In which apologies, thei vttred ſuch conſtancie, and valientneſſe of minde: y• thei durſt alſo to diſcipher, and diſproue, the errour & vanitie of y• Ethnick religion. I minde to ſet downe in this place, a catalogue and reherſal of al ſutch as wrote Apologies, & I wil note alſo the time of doyng of al thoſe things out of Euſebius, y• al men may perceaue how couragiouſly the Chriſtian religion ſet foorth herſelf openly, and without all feare, in midſt of perſecutions, gliſteryng therin as it were the ſunne, howbéeit there whiles the vnfaythfull perſecuted the ſame as hereſy & deceite, and waſhing the Chriſtians in their owne blood.
In the yere of Chriſt 119. Quadratus a graue and holy man, preferred an Apologye Quadratusor defence of the Chriſtians vntounto the Emperour Adrian. After sereous Granius.whom, the yere of our Lord. 122. Seremus Granius, one of the nobillytie of Rome, wrote alſo and Apologie to the ſame Emperour. Likewiſe Ariſtides a famous man, made meanes vntounto Adrian Ariſtides.in the ſame maner. Al whoſe writtings preuailed ſo much with the Emperour: that he directed his letters vntounto Minutius Fundanus lieuetenant of Aſia, In the eccleſ. Hiſt. boke. 4. cha. 9.commaundynge hym, that thence forward hée ſhould receiue no accuſations againſt Chriſtians for their relygion, vnleſſe they were accuſed of other crimes, and offences.
Afterward, in the yere of our Lord 141. Iuſtinus.Iuſtinus a Philoſopher, a man not only moſt renowmed at Rome, but alſo in other places: preferred an Apollogy for the chriſtians, vntounto Antoninus Pius y• Emperour. Which ſelfe ſame requeſt almoſt, Aſianus Appolinaris, byſhop of Aſianus. Appolinaris.Hierapolis, and Milciades who alſo exhibited their owne Apologies vntounto Antoninus. But the Emperour Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Pius, in his letters ſent to the Lieutenantes of Aſia, commaunded them that they ſhoulde in nowiſe moleſt the Chriſtians. The copie of this Epiſtle is to be found in the. 4. Milciades.booke, and. 13. Chapter of the eccleſiaſticall Hiſtory. Beſides all this, Athenagoras a Philoſopher of Athens, wrote Athenagorar.an Apology and defence of the Chriſtians, vntounto Marcus Aurelius Antoninꝰ, and vntounto Lucius Aurclus Commodus, whiche defence is yet extant, both in Gréeke and Latine.
At Rome alſo Appollonius a Senatour, Apollonius.a noble gentilman and wiſe, being accuſed of the Chriſtian religion: wrote a worthy booke of our Religion, and of the innocency of the Chriſtians, and reade it in Rome in the Senate. Notwithſtandyng hee was condemned to dye, the yere of our Lord. 188.
Laſt of all Tertulian, about the yer…e Tertulian.of our Lord. 209. wrote a ſingular boke in behalf of the Chriſtians, wherin hée declareth their innocencie, and the folly of the Ethnick religion, and contrariwiſe the trueth and excellencie, of the Chriſtian faith. This booke is yet remaininge in our daies.
By theſe and like reaſons it appeareth, that our true, auntient, & vndoubted Chriſtian faith, although y• worlde contemne it, raile at it, and perſecute it: neuertheleſſe is the only true, and autenticke faith.