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| From the Apology Addressed to Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. PREVIOUS SECTION - NEXT SECTION - HELP
II.
From the Apology Addressed to Marcus
Aurelius Antoninus.3608
3608 In
Eusebius, Hist. Eccl., l. c. |
For the race of the pious is now persecuted in a
way contrary to all precedent, being harassed by a new kind of
edicts3609 everywhere in
Asia. For unblushing informers, and such as are greedy of other
men’s goods, taking occasion from the orders issued, carry
on their robbery without any disguise, plundering of their property
night and day those who are guilty of no wrong.
If these proceedings take place at thy
bidding,3610
3610 The reference
must be to private letters: for in any of the leading cities of
Asia a mandate of the emperor would have been made public before the
proconsul proceeded to execute it.—Migne. | well and
good.3611
3611 ῎Εστω καλῶς
γενόμενον seems to
be here used in the sense of καλῶς alone. The
correctness of Migne’s translation, recte atque ordine facta
sunto, is open to doubt. | For a just sovereign will never
take unjust measures; and we, on our part, gladly accept the honour of
such a death. This request only we present to thee, that thou
wouldst first of all examine for thyself into the behaviour of these
reputed agents of so much strife, and then come to a just
decision as to whether they merit death and punishment, or deserve to
live in safety and quiet. But if, on the contrary, it shall turn
out that this measure, and this new sort of command, which it would be
unbecoming to employ even against barbarian foemen, do not proceed from
thee, then all the more do we entreat thee not to leave us thus exposed
to the spoliation of the populace.
For the philosophy current with us flourished in
the first instance among barbarians;3612
3612 The Jews.
Porphyry calls the doctrines of the Christians βάρβαρον
τόλμημα. See
Euseb., Hist. Eccl., vi. 19.—Migne. | and, when
it afterwards sprang up among the nations under thy rule, during the
distinguished reign of thy ancestor Augustus, it proved to be a
blessing of most happy omen to thy empire. For from that time the
Roman power has risen to greatness and splendour. To this power
thou hast succeeded as the much desired3613 possessor; and such shalt thou
continue, together with thy son,3614
3614 Commodus,
who hence appears to have been not yet associated with his father in
the empire.—Migne. | if thou
protect that philosophy which has grown up with thy empire, and which
took its rise with Augustus; to which also thy more recent
ancestors paid honour, along with the other religions prevailing in
the empire. A very strong proof, moreover, that it was for
good that the system we profess came to prevail at the same time that
the empire of such happy commencement was established, is
this—that ever since the reign of Augustus nothing untoward has
happened; but, on the contrary, everything has contributed to the
splendour and renown of the empire, in accordance with the
devout wishes3615 of all.
Nero and Domitian alone of all the emperors, imposed
upon by certain calumniators,
have cared to bring any impeachment against our doctrines. They,
too, are the source from which it has happened that the lying slanders
on those who profess them have, in consequence of the senseless habit
which prevails of taking things on hearsay, flowed down to our
own times.3616
3616 ’Αφ᾽ ὧν καὶ
τὸ τῆς
συκοφαντίας
ἀλόγῳ
συνηθείᾳ
περὶ τοῦς
τοιούτους
ῥυῆναι
συμβέβηκε
ψεῦδος. | But the
course which they in their ignorance pursued was set aside by thy pious
progenitors, who frequently and in many instances rebuked by their
rescripts3617 those who
dared to set on foot any hostilities against them. It appears,
for example, that thy grandfather Adrian wrote, among others, to
Fundanus, the proconsul then in charge of the government of Asia.
Thy father, too, when thou thyself wast associated with him3618
3618 The reading of
Valesius, σοῦ
τὰ πάντα
συνδιοικοῦντος
αὐτῷ, is here adopted. | in the administration of the empire,
wrote to the cities, forbidding them to take any measures adverse to
us: among the rest to the people of Larissa, and of Thessalonica,
and of Athens, and, in short, to all the Greeks. And as
regards thyself, seeing that thy sentiments respecting the
Christians3619 are not only
the same as theirs, but even much more generous and wise, we are the
more persuaded that thou wilt do all that we ask of
thee.
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