54. But after these events
they returned to their master, and reported what had befallen them; and
at the same thee they got an account of the numerous ills which had
overtaken him. When, therefore, they got access to him, as I was
saying,2130
| 2130
Reading “dicebam.” But the Codex Casinensis gives
“dicebant,” and the Codex Reg. Alex. Vat. has
“decebat”—as became them. |
they called his
attention to all the sufferings they had had to
endure in each several
region; and as for the
rest, they urged it upon him that regard ought
now to be had to the
question of
safety;
2131
| 2131
Reading “converti ad salutem,” for “conventi,”
etc., as it is given in the Codex Casinensis. |
for they had been in great
terror lest
any of the miseries which were
inflicted on him should fall to their
own lot. But he counselled them to
fear nothing, and rose to
harangue them. And then, while he lay in
prison, he ordered them
to procure copies of the books of the
law of the
Christians; for these
disciples who had been despatched by him through the different
communities were held in execration by all men, and most of all by
those with whom the name of
Christians was an object of honour.
Accordingly, on receiving a
small supply of
money, they took their
departure for those
districts in which the books of the
Christians were
published;
2132
| 2132
Conscribebantur. [Note this concerning the Christian
books.] |
and pretending
that they were
Christian messengers,
2133
| 2133
Nuntios. But Codex Reg. Alex. Vat. gives “novitios,”
novices. |
they requested that the books might be
shown them, with a view to their acquiring copies. And, not to make
a lengthened narrative of this, they thus got possession of all the
books of our Scriptures, and brought them back with them to their
master, who was still in
prison. On receiving these copies, that
astute personage set himself to
seek out all the statements in our
books that seemed to favour his notion of a dualism; which, however,
was not really his notion, but rather that of Scythianus, who had
promulgated it a long time before him. And just as he did in
disputing with me, so then too, by rejecting some things and altering
others in our Scriptures, he tried to make out that they advanced his
own
doctrines, only that the name of
Christ was attached to them
there. That name, therefore, he pretended on this account to
assume to himself, in order that the people in the various communities,
hearing the holy and
divine name of
Christ, might have no
temptation to
execrate and harass
2134
| 2134 The
text gives “fatigarent.” But Codex Reg. Alex. Vat.
gives “fugarent”—expel. |
those
disciples of his. Moreover,
when they
2135
| 2135 The
text gives “invenientes.” The Codex Reg. Alex. Vat.
more correctly has “inveniens”—when he came upon. |
came upon the
word which is given us in our Scriptures touching the Paraclete, he
took it into his head that he himself might be that Paraclete; for he
had not read with sufficient care to observe that the Paraclete had
come already,—namely, at the time when the
apostles were still
upon
earth. Accordingly, when he had made up these impious
inventions, he sent his
disciples also to
proclaim these fictions and
errors with all
boldness, and to make these false and novel words known
in every quarter. But when the king of
Persia learned this fact,
he prepared to
inflict condign
punishment upon him. Manes,
however, received information of the king’s intention, having
been
warned of it in
sleep, and made his
escape out of
prison, and
succeeding in taking to flight, for he had bribed his
keepers with a
very large sum of
money. Afterwards he took up his residence in
the
castle of Arabion; and from that place he sent by the
hand of Turbo
the letter which he wrote to our Marcellus, in which letter he
intimated his intention of visiting him. On his arrival there, a
contest took place between him and me, resembling the disputation which
you have observed and listened to here; in which discussion we sought
to show, as
far as it was in our
power, that he was a false
prophet. I may add, that the
keeper of the
prison who had let him
escape was punished, and that the king gave orders that the man should
be sought for and apprehended wherever he might be found. And as
these things have come under my own cognizance, it was needful that I
should also make the fact known to you, that search is being made for
this fellow even to the present day by the king of
Persia.
E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
