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| Of the confiscation of the sacred treasures and taking away of the allowances.
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Chapter VIII.—Of the confiscation of the sacred treasures and
taking away of the allowances.627
| 627 τἠς τῶν
σιτηρεσίων
ἀφαιρεσεως. This deprivation is not further referred to in the text.
Philostorgius (vii. 4) says “He distributed the allowance of the
churches among the ministers of the dæmons,” cf. Soz. v. 5.
The restitution is recorded in Theod. iv. 4. The σιτομετριον
of St. Luke xii. 42. (cf.
τὴν
τροφήν in
Matt. xxiv.
45)
is analogous to the σιτηρέσια
of the text. Vide Suicer s.v. |
Even when the wicked had become acquainted with these events they set
themselves in array against the God of all; and the prince ordered the
holy vessels to be handed over to the imperial treasury. Of the great
church which Constantine had built he nailed up the doors and declared
it closed to the worshippers wont to assemble there. At this time it
was in possession of the Arians. In company with Julianus the prefect
of the East, Felix the imperial treasurer, and Elpidius, who had charge
of the emperor’s private purse and property, an officer whom it
is the Roman custom to call “Comes privatarum,”628
| 628 By
the constitution of Constantine the two great ministers of finance were
(i) the Comes sacrarum largitionum, treasurer and paymaster of
the public staff of the Empire; (ii) Comes rei privatæ, who
managed the privy purse and kept the liber beneficionum, an
account of privileges granted by the emperor. cf. Dict. Christ. Ant. i.
p. 634. | made their way into the sacred edifice.
Both Felix and Elpidius, it is said, were Christians, but to please the
impious emperor apostatised from the true religion. Julianus committed
an act of gross indecency on the Holy Table629
| 629 Τράπεζα is the word commonly employed by the Greek Fathers and in
Greek Liturgies to designate the Lord’s Table. Θυσιαστήριον
is used by Eusebius H. E. x. 4, for the Altar of the
Church of Tyre, but the earlier θυσιαστήριον
of Ignatius (Philad. iv.) does not appear to mean the
Lord’s Table. cf. Bp. Lightfoot Ap. Fathers. pt. II. ii. p.
258. |
and, when Euzoius endeavoured to prevent him, gave him a blow on the
face, and told him, so the story goes, that it is the fate of the
fortunes of Christians to have no protection from the gods. But Felix,
as he gazed upon the magnificence of the sacred vessels, furnished with
splendour by the munificence of Constantine and Constantius,
“Behold,” said he, “with what vessels Mary’s
son is served.” But it was not long before they paid the penalty
of these deeds of mad and impious daring.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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