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| Epistle of Antoninus to the common assembly of Asia. PREVIOUS SECTION - NEXT SECTION - HELP
1917
[Regarded as spurious.]
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Christians" title="186" id="viii.ii.lxx-p2.1"/>The
Emperor Cæsar Titus Ælius Adrianus Antoninus Augustus Pius, Supreme
Pontiff, in the fifteenth year of his tribuneship, Consul for the third
time, Father of the fatherland, to the Common Assembly of Asia, greeting:
I should have thought that the gods themselves would see to it that such
offenders should not escape. For if they had the power, they themselves
would much rather punish those who refuse to worship them; but it is you
who bring trouble on these persons, and accuse as the opinion of atheists
that which they hold, and lay to their charge certain other things which
we are unable to prove. But it would be advantageous to them that they
should be thought to die for that of which they are accused, and they
conquer you by being lavish of their lives rather than yield that
obedience which you require of them. And regarding the earthquakes which
have already happened and are now occurring, it is not seemly that you
remind us of them, losing heart whenever they occur, and thus set your
conduct in contrast with that of these men; for they have much greater
confidence towards God than you yourselves have. And you, indeed, seem at
such times to ignore the gods, and you neglect the temples, and make
no recognition of the worship of God. And hence you are jealous
of those who do serve Him, and persecute them to the death. Concerning
such persons, some others also of the governors of provinces wrote to my
most divine father; to whom he replied that they should not at all
disturb such persons, unless they were found to be attempting anything
against the Roman government. And to myself many have sent intimations
regarding such persons, to whom I also replied in pursuance of my
father’s judgment. But if any one has a matter to bring against any
person of this class, merely as such a person,1918
1918 That is, if any one accuses a Christian
merely on the ground of his being a Christian. | let the
accused be acquitted of the charge, even though he should be found to be
such an one; but let the accuser be amenable to justice.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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