calling it by this name; nothing of his striking his thigh and his stamping on the tribunal with his feet, and his reproving and insulting those that did not applaud nor clap* as in the theatres, nor exclaim and leap about at these things with his partisans, men and women around him, who were the indecent listeners to these things; but I say, reproving those that were modestly and orderly hearing as in the house of God: nothing of his harsh invectives in the congregation, against the expounders of the word, who had departed this life, and of his magnifying himself, not as a bishop, but as a sophist and juggler. Besides this, he stopped the psalms that were sung in honour of our Lord Jesus Christ, as the late compositions of modern men, but in honour of himself he had prepared women to sing at the great festival in the midst of the church, which one might shudder to hear. He suborned, also, those bishops and presbyters of the neighbouring districts and cities of his party, to advance the same things in their addresses to the people. For if we may here anticipate something of what we intend to write below, he does not wish to confess with us that the Son of God descended from heaven. And this we do not intend merely to assert in words, but it is proved abundantly from those records that we have sent you, and that too not the least, where he says that Jesus is from below. Whilst they who sing to his praise, and extol him among the people, say that he has descended as an angel from heaven. And these things he by no means prohibits, but the haughty mortal is even present when they are said. And as to these women, these adopted sisters,† as the inhabitants of Antioch call them, which belong to him, and the presbyters and deacons about him, whose incurable sins, in this and other respects, he conceals with them,

effectually to keep the magistrate separate from those present. Hence its name from the Latin secerno, to separate. The Latin word is used in the Greek text here.

* The practice here referred to, was that of shaking and striking the oraria, or linen handkerchiefs, in token of applause. It was accompanied with other expressions of popular approbation.

†The words literally mean, sub-introduced sisters, a sort of female companions, on such terms of familiarity as gave occasion to scandal.

though he is conscious of the facts, and has convicted them, he dissembles, in order to have them subservient to his purposes; so that fearing for themselves, they dare not venture to accuse him in regard to his impious conduct and doctrine. Besides this, he has made them rich, for which he is both beloved and admired by those who covet these things. But why should we write these things? For beloved, we know that the bishop and all the clergy ought to be an example to the people of all good works. Nor are we ignorant how many, by the introduction of such females, have fallen, or have incurred suspicion. So that should any one even grant, that nothing disgraceful has been done by him, yet it was a duty to avoid, at least, the suspicion growing out of the matter; so that no one might take offence, nor any be induced to imitate him. For how could any one reprove or admonish another to beware of yielding too much to this familiarity with a woman, lest perchance, he should slip, as it is written; especially when, after having already dismissed one, he retains two others with him, blooming in age and eminent for beauty, and takes them with him wherever he goes; and all this, too, indulging in luxury and surfeiting, on account of which things all around them are groaning and lamenting. But they are so much afraid of his tyranny and power, that they do not venture to accuse him. And these matters, indeed, one might perhaps correct, in a man who was of the catholic faith, and associated with us; but as to one who has trifled away the sacred mystery (of religion,) and who parades with the execrable heresy of Artemas, (for why should we not mention his father,) we deem it unnecessary to exact of him a reason for all these things."

After this, at the close of the epistle, they add the following. "We have been compelled, therefore, to excommunicate this man who sets himself up in opposition to God, and is unwilling to yield, and to appoint another bishop in his place over the catholic church; and this we trust, with the providence of God, viz., Domnus the son of Demetrianus, of blessed memory, and who before this presided with much honour over the same church, a man we believe fully endowed with all the excellent qualities of a bishop. We have also communicated this to you, that you may write, and

receive letters of communion from him. But the other may write to Artemas if he pleases, and those that think with Arte mas. may have communion with him." And this may suffice in this place. Paul, therefore, having thus fallen from the episcopate, together with the true faith, as already said, Domnus succeeded in the administration of the church at Antioch. But Paul being unwilling to leave the building of the church, an appeal was made to the emperor Aurelian, who decided most equitably on the business, ordering the building to be given up to those whom the Christian bishops of Italy and Rome should write. Thus, then, this man was driven out of the church with extreme disgrace, by the temporal power itself. And such was the disposition of Aurelian at this time; but in the progress of his reign, he began to cherish different sentiments with regard to us, and then proceeded, influenced by certain advisers, to raise a persecution against us. And the rumor of this was now every where abroad. But whilst he was already on the point, and so to say, in the very act of subscribing the decrees, the divine vengeance overtook him, all but, as we might say, restraining him from his design at the very elbow, and illustriously proving to all, that there can be no privilege granted the rulers of the world against the churches of Christ, unless by the sovereign hand of God, and the decree of heaven permitting it to be done for our correction and amendment, and in those times and seasons that he may approve. Aurelian, therefore, after a reign of six years, was succeeded by Probus, and he held the government the same number of years, when he was succeeded by Carus, together with Carianus and Numerianus. These again did not continue three full years, when the government devolved on Diocletian, and those subsequently associated with him. In their times the persecution of our own day was begun, and the destruction of the churches at the same time; but a little before this, Dionysius, who had been bishop of Rome for nine years, was succeeded by Felix.

nes,

CHAPTER XXXI.

The error of the Manichees, which commenced at this time.

In the mean time, also, that madman (uaveis Tas ppevas) Ma* as he was called, well agreeing with his name, for his dæmoniacal heresy, armed himself by the perversion of his reason, and at the instigation of Satan, to the destruction of many. He was a barbarian in his life, both in speech and conduct, but in his nature as one possessed and insane. Accordingly, he attempted to form himself into a Christ, and then also proclaimed himself to be the very paracletet and the Holy Spirit, and with all this was greatly puffed up with his madness. Then, as if he were Christ, he selected twelve disciples, the partners of his new religion, and after patching together false and ungodly doctrines, collected from a thousand heresies long since extinct, he swept them off like a deadly poison, from Persia, upon this part of the world. Hence the impious name of the Manichees spreading among many, even to the present day. Such then was the occasion of this knowledge, as it was falsely called, that sprouted up in these times.

• Our author here uses an epithet, av, instead of the proper name of this heretic. Eusebius here taking occasion to rail at the folly of Manes, by an allusion to his name, finds a word in his own language which seems to characterise, whilst it gives his name nearly. We cannot, however, infer from this, that Eusebius considered the name Greek. He doubtless knew as well as we, that Manes was a Persian name, or at least that it was not Greek. But he wanted nothing more than similarity of sound for his purpose.

Shorting is mistaken in supposing our author here to intimate the word was Greek. The truth is, the orientals call the name Mani, whence the Greek and Latin Manes. The resemblance of this name to the Greek is, madman, gave our author an opportunity to exercise his wit, by the application of the epithet with out the name.

† Paraclete.] See note, Book V. ch. 16. The names of three prominent leaders in delusion, to whom the holy epithet paraclete was either applied, or by whom it was claimed, however different their errors, seem almost to coalesce by alliteration; Montanus, Manes, Mahomet; the first a deluded and ignorant fanatic, the second a crazed philosopher, and the third an ambitious, artful voluptuary, presenting a singular concordia discors, all at antipodes in doctrine, yet all aspiring to the exalted attributes of the Paraclete.

CHAPTER XXXII.

Of those distinguished ecclesiastical writers of our own day, and which of them survived until the destruction of the churches.

Ar this time Felix, having held the episcopate at Rome five years, was succeeded by Eutychianus, and he did not hold the office quite ten months, when he left his place to be occupied by Caius of our own day. Caius, also, presided about fifteen years, when he was succeeded by Marcellinus. He was overtaken by the persecution, and in these times, also, Timæus, after Domnus, governed the church of Antioch, who was succeeded by our contemporary Cyrillus, under whom we have known Dorotheus, a learned man, who was honoured with the rank of presbyter of Antioch at that time. He was a man of fine taste in sacred literature, and was much devoted to the study of the Hebrew language, so that he read the Hebrew Scriptures with great facility. He, also, was of a very liberal mind, and not unacquainted with the preparatory studies pursued among the Greeks, but in other respects a eunuch by nature, having been such from his birth; so that the emperor, on this account, as if it were a great miracle, received him into his house and family, and honoured him with an appointment over the purple dye establishment of Tyre. Him we have heard in the church expounding the Scriptures with great judgment; after Cyrillus, the duties of the episcopal office in the church of Antioch were administered by his suscessor Tyrannus, under whom the destruction of the churches took place. At Laodicea, the church was governed by Eusebius, the successor of Socrates, who was sprung from an Alexandrian family. The occasion of his removal was the affair respecting Paul of Samosat, on which account having come to Syria, he was prevented from returning home by those who took great interest in the Scriptures there. He was also an amiable instance of religion among our contemporaries, as may be readily seen in those extracts from Dionysius, which we have inserted above. Anatolius was appointed his successor, a good man, as they say, in