The Tragedies of Tyrants Exercised Upon the Church of God, Chapter 8
Of the. 10. Tragicall Acte or perſecution, vnderunder Seuerus, and of the. 11. vnderunder Iulius Maximinus, of the. 12. vnderunder Traiane Decius, of the 13. vnderunder Valerianus, and of the 14. vnderunder Aurelianus the Emp. Chapter. viii.
ABout the yere of our Lorde Ieſus Chriſte. 204. Septimius Seuerus the Emperour, a prince of a firce diſpoſition, began ſharpely to perſecute the Chriſtian church. And in ſundry places in all prouinces of the Romane empire many woorthie men of the faithfull, were tormented and ſlayn, amonge all whom, as cheif, is numbred Leonidas, father of the moſt renowmed doctour Origen. Whoſe goodes after his death were all confiſcate, his wife and childrē amonge whom was Origen, brought to extreme beggerie. At Carthage, Perpetua, and Faelicitas were caſt vntounto wilde beaſtes and by them torne in péeces. And manie ſutch like accidentes chaunced in other places.
After this, Iulius Maximinus perſecuted y• Church of Chriſt. The ſame commaunded y• ſpecially the doctours and biſſhoppes of y• Chriſtians ſhould Note.bée ſought out, y• thoſe wt their ſermōs and preachings ſeduced the ſimple people, and mooued tumults in the empire: and therefore y• they ought to be put to death y• peace and quie…nes might be reſtored in y• empire, & y• ſubiects quight diſcharged from y• troubleſom doctrine. There were ſlaine in this perſecution very many miniſters of the congregations, among whō, as cheif ar numbred moſt worthy mē Pāphilus & Maximus Origen alſo at the ſame time to the farther comfort of the Church, wroate a Origen,booke of martirdome, where hée ſheweth that true Chriſtians ought openly to profeſſe with their mouth, and expreſſe in their déedes, the faith which they hauehave receaued, and if occaſion alſo ſhal ſerue: to bear witneſſe therof with their owne blood. At the ſame time ſprange vp the froward hereſie of the Helcheſaites hereſie.Helcheſaites, who taught that it was ſufficient to retaine the true faith in a mans hart and that it ſkilled not if a man were in enie daunger, to denay the ſame with his mouth: Although this doctrine doth openly repugne againſt the doctrine of the Goſpell and Apoſtles, as is to bée ſéene the .x. of Mathew, and .x. to the Rom. This perſecution conteinued thrée▪ whole yéere, duringe which time there was mutch precious, and innocent blood ſhedde.
Afterwarde, the yere of Chriſte 252. or accordinge to the ſupputation of other 254. Traianus Decius the emperour perſecuted the Church yet farre more cruelly, ſending a broade through out all the empire moſt vehement, and bloodie edictes. And this is the twelueth perſecution of the Chriſtian Church, which diſtroyed manie excellent and worthie men. For there were …layn in this perſecution Sixtus byſſhop of the Congregation at Rome, who was beheaded, & Laurence his deacon broyled vponupon a gridiron as Prudētious writeth by whom alſo is deſcribed ye martirdom of bleſſed Hyppolitus, who was torne in ſunder by wylde horſes. Babilas alſo byſſhop of Antioche was then ſlayn, a very famous man, and a noble miniſter of Chriſte. This Babilas, deſiered Babilasthat the chaine wherwith he was lead vntounto execution, might bée buried with him for an ornament, and delight vntounto him Serapion beinge firſt hacked with seradion.manie woundes and ſtabbed through, at the laſt was caſt downe headlonge from the top of his owne houſe. Macharius, Alexander & Epimachus: were burnt. Manie virgins moſt ſingularly with vertues adorned were moſt miſerably tormented and at length cruely ſlayn, as Appollonia, Eugenia, Victoria, Theodora, Anatholia, Ruffina and manie moe. There is extant in Euſebius in the ſixte boke of his eccleſiaſticall hiſtory, the 13. chapter, the Epiſtle of Dioniſius Biſſhop of Alexandria writen vntounto Fabianus of Antioche, wherein he reciteth the bleſſed Martirs which ſuffred martirdome in Alexandria vnderunder Decius. Likewiſe in Hermannus Contractus in his cronicles, is to be found a longe Catalogue of Martirs that in diuers places of the Roman Empire, ſuffred vnderunder Decius. In fine in this twelfe perſecution vnderunder Decius, it is not able welnigh to be recited what plenty of precious and holy bloud of innocent Chriſtians was ſhed, and many notable men beſids made away.
This cruell perſecution was ſcarce fully finiſhed: whē immediatly y•. 13. began about y• yere of Chriſt. 260. at commaundement of the Emperour Valerianus. In whiche perſecution were beheaded two of the chief doctours of the Chriſtian church, in Italye, Cornelius biſhop of Rome, & in Affrica, Cyprian byſhop of Carthage. There be alſo manye moe numbred in the cronicles, that at the ſame time receaued the crown of martirdom. At whiche time, the moſte cruel puniſhment of flawing was commonly vſed againſt chriſtians, to proue if by that meanes they would bée reduced from the chriſtian to y• Ethnick beléefe: but it was in vaine.
I cannot in this place paſſe ouer, but Martirs prouoked with pleaſure to reuolt.I muſt make ſome bréef reherſal of ſuch thinges as are written of theſe perſecutions vnderunder Detius, and Valerius, by Sainct Ierome in the lyfe of Paule the firſte Eremite, who reporteth that the perſecutors ſtudied not onelyonly to defile the innocencie of the chriſtians through dread, & practice of ſuch puniſhmēts and torturs as y• lyke had not bin heard before: but alſo by prouocation of luſt and pleſure. For when they could not ouerthrow them wt torments, they tempted them wt pleaſures, to cauſe them to fall, offring vntounto them bewtifull wemen y• ſhould allure them to lechery: In which place he ſheweth of a certen martir that bit of his toung betwene his teth, & ſpet it in his fine miks face, y• he might be ſo deliuered from her. At the ſame time Paule the Eremit fled into the wilderneſſe and liued a ſolitary life in a certen den, vntounto whom beefore hée died came Saynct Antonie. And theſe twayne were the firſt beeginners of Eremites life, that is to ſay, of thoſe that lead ther liues in wilde and deſert places, as though it were out of the worlde, a life full of hardnes and ſhapnes, laboringe with their handes, and vſinge great abſtinencie. Saint Ierome writeth that Antony died the yéere of Chriſte. 661. and in the .xv. yeere of his owne age. And out of this fountaine in proceſſe of time, ſprange Monkerie, which the Origin all of Monkes Friers, and heremites.holy Church of Chriſte knew not at all when it was moſt excellent, and pure. Béeſides that this life hath no warrant nor commaundement from the woorde of God, and is nothinge elſe but an inuention and deuiſe of men that were a fraide.
And like as in thoſe former perſecutiōs, they indeuored to pluck the chriſtians from the trueth, through alurementes of pleaſure: ſo likewiſe in our age many are carried awaye from the true faith and confeſſion thereof, and after knowledge of the trueth they are wrapped in errours through pleaſures honours, glory, ritches, prefermentes, gret offices, fat benefices as they terme them, or great reuenewes of y• church.
The yeare of our Lorde Chriſt. 273. Valerius Aurelianus obtayned the Empire, whom Hiſtoricians make the Aucthour of y•. ix. perſecution, which according vntounto our accoumpt is the. 14. This Aurelianus at firſt beginnyng of his raigne, was gentle and friendly towards Chriſtiās, but towards th'ende he changed his conditions: and through perſwaſion of naughty perſons, ſuffred himſelf to be abuſed, fully determinyng with him ſelfe to perſecute the Church of Chriſt. Euſebius teſtifieth in the 7. boke, and. 26. Chapter, of his eccleſiaſticall hiſtory, vntounto whom alſo Oroſius agréeeth, that he rather intended to execute this perſecution, then fully accompliſhed the ſame. Howbeit the Church at that time was in great peril & heaueneſſe, but when contrary vntounto expectation the Emperour was taken away: the perſecution ceaſed, and became nothinge.