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| The Emperor Valens, appeased by the Oration of Themistius the Philosopher, abates his Persecution of the Christians.
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Chapter XXXII.—The Emperor Valens, appeased by
the Oration of Themistius the Philosopher, abates his Persecution of
the Christians.
In the meanwhile Valens, making
his residence at Antioch, was wholly undisturbed by foreign wars; for
the barbarians on every side restrained themselves within their own
boundaries. Nevertheless, he himself waged a most cruel war against
those who maintained the ‘homoousian’ doctrine, inflicting
on them more grievous punishments every day; until the philosopher
Themistius by his Appealing Oration668
| 668This oration of Themistius is extant in a Latin
translation by Dudithius appended to G. Remo’s Themisttii
Phil. orationes sex augustales, and entitled, ad Valentem, pro
Libertate relligionis. The passage alluded to by Socrates is found
in Dudithius as follows: ‘Wherefore, in regard God has removed
himself at the greatest distance from our knowledge, and does not
humble to the capacity of our understanding; it is a sufficient
argument that he does not require one and the same law and rule of
religion from all persons, but leaves every man a license and faculty
concerning himself, according to his own, not another man’s,
liberty and choice. Whence it also happens that a greater admiration of
the Deity, and a more religious veneration of his eternal majesty, is
engendered in the minds of men. For it usually comes to pass that we
loathe and disregard those things which are readily apparent and
prostrated to every understanding.’
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somewhat moderated his severity. In this speech he tells the emperor,
‘That he ought not to be surprised at the difference of judgment
on religious questions existing among Christians; inasmuch as that
discrepancy was trifling when compared with the multitude of
conflicting opinions current among the heathen; for these amount to
above three hundred; that dissension indeed was an inevitable
consequence of this disagreement; but that God would be the more
glorified by a diversity of sentiment, and the greatness of his majesty
be more venerated, from the fact of its not being easy to have a
knowledge of Him.’ The philosopher having said these and similar
things, the emperor became milder, but did not completely give up his
wrath; for although he ceased to put ecclesiastics to death, he
continued to send them into exile, until this fury of his also was
repressed by the following event.
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