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| Conversion of the Indians.
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Chapter XXII.—Conversion of the Indians413
| 413 Περι τῆς
᾽Ινδῶν
πίστεως.
The term “India” is used vaguely, partly from the old
belief that Asia and Africa joined somewhere south of the Indian Ocean.
Here the Indians are Abyssinians. | .
At this
period, the light of the knowledge of God was for the first time shed
upon India. The courage and the piety of the emperor had become
celebrated throughout the world; and the barbarians, having learnt by
experience to choose peace rather than war, were able to enjoy
intercourse with one another without fear. Many persons, therefore, set
out on long journeys; some for the desire of making discoveries, others
from a spirit of commercial enterprise. About this period a native of
Tyre414
| 414 The
version adopted by Rufinus, the earliest extant authority for this
story, is followed, in the main, by Socrates, Sozomen, and Theodoret.
The Tyrian traveller is named Meropius. | , acquainted with Greek philosophy, desiring
to penetrate into the interior of India, set off for this purpose with
his two young nephews. When he had accomplished the object of his
wishes, he embarked for his own country. The ship being compelled to
put in to land in order to obtain a fresh supply of water, the
barbarians fell upon her, drowned some of the crew, and took the others
prisoners. The uncle was among the number of those who were killed, and
the lads were conducted to the king. The name of the one was
Ædesius, and of the other Frumentius. The king of the country, in
course of time, perceiving their intelligence, promoted them to the
superintendence of his household. If any one should doubt the truth of
this account, let him recall to mind the history of Joseph in the
kingdom of Egypt, and also the history of Daniel, and of the three
champions of the truth, who, from being captives, became princes of
Babylon. The king died; but these young men remained with his son, and
were advanced to still greater power. As they had been brought up in
the true religion, they exhorted the merchants who visited the country
to assemble, according to the custom of Romans415
| 415 The
words of Sozomen (ii. 24) corresponding with the passage in which
Rufinus (i. 9) speaks of meeting “romano ritu orationis
caussa,” are ᾗ
ῥωμαίοις
ἔθος
ἐκκλησιάζειν, i.e. to assemble to worship after the manner civilized
citizens of the Empire, and not like savages. The expression has
nothing to do with the customs of the Church of Rome, in the later
sense of the word, as has sometimes been represented. Cf. Soc. I.
19, τὰς
χριστιανικὰς
ἐκτελεῖν
εὐχάς | , to
take part in the divine liturgy. After a considerable time they
solicited the king to reward their services by permitting them to
return to their own country. They obtained his permission, and safely
reached Roman territory. Ædesius directed his course towards Tyre,
but Frumentius, whose religious zeal was greater than the natural
feeling of affection for his relatives, proceeded to Alexandria, and
informed the bishop of that city that the Indians were deeply anxious
to obtain spiritual light. Athanasius then held the rudder of that
church; he heard the story, and then “Who,” said he,
“better than you yourself can scatter the mists of ignorance, and
introduce among this people the light of Divine preaching?” After
having said this, he conferred upon him the episcopal dignity, and sent
him to the spiritual culture of that nation. The newly-ordained bishop
left this country, caring nothing for the mighty ocean, and returned to
the untilled ground of his work. There, having the grace of God to
labour with him, he cheerfully and successfully played the husbandman,
catching those who sought to gainsay his words by works of apostolic
wonder, and thus, by these marvels, confirming his teaching, he
continued each day to take many souls alive416
| 416 “The king, if we identify the narrative with the Ethiopian
version of the story, must have been the father of the Abreha and
Atzbeha of the Ethiopian annals.” “Frumentius received the
title of Abbana, or Abba Salama” (cf. Absalom), “the Father
of Peace.” “The bishopric of Auxume” (Axum, about 100
miles S.W. of Massowah) “assumed a metropolitan character.”
(Dict. of Christ. Biog., Art. Ethiopian Church). Constantius afterwards
wrote to the Ethiopian Prince to ask him to replace Frumentius by
Theophilus, an Arian, but without success (Ath. Ap. ad Const.
31). | .E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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