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| Outrages on Good Friday and Easter Day, 339.
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§4. Outrages on Good Friday
and Easter Day, 339.
In addition to all this, after such a notable and
illustrious entry into the city, the Arian Gregory, taking pleasure in
these calamities, and as if desirous to secure to the heathens and
Jews, and those who had wrought these evils upon us, a prize and price
of their iniquitous success, gave up the church to be plundered by
them. Upon this license of iniquity and disorder, their deeds were
worse than in time of war, and more cruel than those of robbers. Some
of them were plundering whatever fell in their way; others dividing
among themselves the sums which some had laid up there458
; the wine, of which there was a large
quantity, they either drank or emptied out or carried away; they
plundered the store of oil, and every one took as his spoil the doors
and chancel rails; the candlesticks they forthwith laid aside in the
wall459
| 459 ἐν τῷ
τοιχί& 251·.
[Reference uncertain.] | , and lighted the candles of the Church before
their idols: in a word, rapine and death pervaded the Church. And the
impious Arians, so far from feeling shame that such things should be
done, added yet further outrages and cruelty. Presbyters and laymen had
their flesh torn, virgins were stript of their veils460
| 460 ἀπομαφοριζόμεναι; see Sophocles’ Lexicon under μαφόριον | ,
and led away to the tribunal of the governor, and then cast into
prison; others had their goods confiscated, and were scourged; the
bread of the ministers and virgins was intercepted. And these things
were done even during the holy season of Lent461
| 461 Lent
and Passion Week was the season during which Justina’s
persecution of St. Ambrose took place, and the proceedings against St.
Chrysostom at Constantinople. On the Paschal Vigils, vid. Tertull.
ad Uxor. ii. 4. [Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. iv. p. 46] p.
426, note n. Oxf. Tr. | ,
about the time of Easter; a time when the brethren were keeping fast,
while this notable Gregory exhibited the disposition of a Caiaphas,
and, together with Pilate the Governor, furiously raged against the
pious worshippers of Christ. Going into one of the churches on the
Preparation462
| 462 παρασκευὴ, i.e., Good Friday. [Apr. 13, 339,] The word was used for
Friday generally as early as S. Clem. Alex. Strom. vii. p. 877.
ed. Pott. vid. Constit. Apostol. v. 13. Pseudo-Ign. ad Philipp.
13. | , in company with the Governor and the
heathen multitude, when he saw that the people regarded with abhorrence
his forcible entry among them, he caused that most cruel person, the
Governor, publicly to scourge in one hour, four and thirty virgins and
married women, and men of rank, and to cast them into prison. Among
them there was one virgin, who, being fond of study, had the Psalter in
her hands, at the time when he caused her to be publicly scourged: the
book was torn in pieces by the officers, and the virgin herself shut up
in prison.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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