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| Of Apollo and Daphne, and of the holy Babylas.
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Chapter
VI.—Of Apollo and Daphne, and of the
holy Babylas.
Julian,
wishing to make a campaign against the Persians, dispatched the
trustiest of his officers to all the oracles throughout the Roman
Empire, while he himself went as a suppliant to implore the Pythian
oracle of Daphne to make known to him the future. The oracle responded
that the corpses lying hard by were becoming an obstacle to divination;
that they must first be removed to another spot; and that then he would
utter his prophecy, for, said he, “I could say nothing, if the
grove be not purified.” Now at that time there were lying there
the relics of the victorious martyr Babylas621
| 621 Babylas, bishop of Antioch from 238 to 251, was martyred in the
Decian persecution either by death in prison (Euseb. H. E. vi.
39 μετὰ
τὴν
ὁμολογίαν ἐν
δεσμωτηρί& 251·
μεταλλάξαντος) or by violence. (Chrys. de s. B. c. gentes)
“Babylas had won for himself a name by his heroic courage as
bishop of Antioch. It was related of him that on one occasion when the
emperor Philip, who was a Christian, had presented himself one Easter
Eve at the time of prayer, he had boldly refused admission to the
sovereign, till he had gone through the proper discipline of a penitent
for some offence committed. (Eus. H. E. vi. 34.) He acted like a good
shepherd, says Chrysostom, who drives away the scabby sheep, lest it
should infect the flock.” Bp. Lightfoot, Ap. Fathers II. i. p.
40–46. | and
the lads who had gloriously suffered with him, and the lying prophet
was plainly stopped from uttering his wonted lies by the holy influence
of Babylas. Julian was aware of this, for his ancient piety had taught
him the power of victorious martyrs, and so he removed no other body
from the spot, but only ordered the worshippers of Christ to translate
the relics of the victorious martyrs. They marched with joy to the
grove,622
| 622 “The Daphnean Sanctuary was four or five miles distant from
the city.” “Rufinus says six, but this appears to be an
exaggeration.” Bp. Lightfoot l. c. | put the coffin on a car and went before it
leading a vast concourse of people, singing the psalms of David, while
at every pause they shouted “Shame be to all them that worship
molten images.”623
For they
understood the translation of the martyr to mean defeat for the
demon.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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