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| In what Manner the Nations in the Interior of India were Christianized in the Times of Constantine.
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Chapter XIX.220
| 220‘In this chapter Socrates has translated
Rufinus (H. E. I. 9) almost word for word; and calls those τόπους
ἰδιάζοντας ,
which Rufinus has termed conventicula. Now conventicula
are properly private places wherein collects or short prayers are made;
and from these places churches are distinguished, which belong to the
right of the public, and are not in the power of any private person. It
is to be observed that there are reasons for thinking that this
conversion of the Indians by Frumentius happened in the reign of
Constantius and not of Constantine’ (Valesius). See also Euseb.
H. E. V. 10, attributing an earlier work to the apostles Matthew
and Bartholomew; and Cave, Lives of the Apostles. The Indians
mentioned in this chapter are no other than the Abyssinians. The name
India is used as an equivalent of Ethiopia. The christianization of
Ethiopia is attributed by the Ethiopians in their own records to
Fremonatos and Sydracos. See Ludolf Hist. Eth. III. 2.
|
—In what Manner the Nations in the Interior of India were
Christianized in the Times of Constantine.
We must now mention in what
manner Christianity was spread in this emperor’s reign: for it
was in his time that the nations both of the Indians in the interior,
and of the Iberians first embraced the Christian faith. But I shall
briefly explain why I have used the appended expression in the
interior. When the apostles went forth by lot among the nations,
Thomas received the apostleship of the Parthians; Matthew was allotted
Ethiopia; and Bartholomew the part of India contiguous to that country:
but the interior India, in which many barbarous nations using different
languages lived, was not enlightened by Christian doctrine before the
times of Constantine. I now come to speak of the cause which led them
to become converts to Christianity. A certain philosopher, Meropius, a
Tyrian by race, determined to acquaint himself with the country of the
Indians, being stimulated to this by the example of the philosopher
Metrodorus, who had previously traveled through the region of India.
Having taken with him therefore two youths to whom he was related, who
were by no means ignorant of the Greek language, Meropius reached the
country by ship; and when he had inspected whatever he wished, he
touched at a certain place which had a safe harbor, for the purpose of
procuring some necessaries. It so happened that a little before that
time the treaty between the Romans and Indians had been violated. The
Indians, therefore, having seized the philosopher and those who sailed
with him, killed them all except his two youthful kinsmen; but sparing
them from compassion for their tender age, they sent them as a gift to
the king of the Indians. He being pleased with the personal appearance
of the youths, constituted one of them, whose name was Edesius,
cup-bearer at his table; the other, named Frumentius, he entrusted with
the care of the royal records. The king dying soon after, left them
free, the government devolving on his wife and infant son. Now the
queen seeing her son thus left in his minority, begged the young men to
undertake the charge of him, until he should become of adult age.
Accordingly, the youths accepted the task, and entered on the
administration of the kingdom. Thus Frumentius controlled all things
and made it a task to enquire whether among the Roman merchants
trafficking with that country, there were any Christians to be found:
and having discovered some, he informed them who he was, and exhorted
them to select and occupy some appropriate places for the celebration
of Christian worship. In the course of a little while he built a house
of prayer; and having instructed some of the Indians in the principles
of Christianity, they fitted them for participation in the worship. On
the young king’s reaching maturity, Frumentius and his associates
resigned to him the administration of public affairs, in the management
of which they had honorably acquitted themselves, and besought
permission to return to their own country. Both the king and his mother
entreated them to remain; but being desirous of revisiting their native
place, they could not be prevailed on, and consequently departed.
Edesius for his part hastened to Tyre to see his parents and kindred;
but Frumentius arriving at Alexandria, reported the affair to
Athanasius the bishop, who had but recently been invested with that
dignity; and acquainting him both with the particulars of his
wanderings and the hopes Indians had of receiving Christianity.221
He also begged him to send a bishop and clergy there, and by no means
to neglect those who might thus be brought to salvation. Athanasius
having considered how this could be most profitably effected, requested
Frumentius himself to accept the bishopric, declaring that he could
appoint no one more suitable than he was. Accordingly this was done;
Frumentius invested with episcopal authority, returned to India and
became there a preacher of the Gospel, and built several churches,
being aided also by divine grace, he performed various miracles,
healing with the souls also the bodily diseases of many. Rufinus
assures us that he heard these facts from Edesius, who was afterwards
ordained to the priesthood at Tyre.222
| 222εὐκτήρια: see
note 5, chap. 17 above.
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