教會史 第 1 章 第 5/28 段

[Thereafter, the doctrine passed also through the neighboring tribes and grew to great numbers.] But I have learned that the Armenians, in turn, became Christian even earlier.

For it is said that Tiridates, who then ruled that nation, on account of some marvelous divine sign that occurred concerning his household, at once became a Christian and, by a single proclamation, ordered all his subjects likewise to worship in the same way.

Thereafter, the doctrine passed also through the neighboring tribes and grew to great numbers.

When in time the Christians became very numerous and began to hold church assemblies and had priests and deacons, this greatly grieved the Magi, who from the beginning have administered the religion of the Persians as a kind of priestly caste, by hereditary succession.

It likewise grieved the Jews, who, in a certain way, are by nature at enmity with the doctrine of the Christians on account of envy.

And they slandered to Shapur, the king at that time, Symeon, the archbishop of Seleucia and Ctesiphon—the royal cities of Persia—accusing him of being a friend to the Roman Caesar and of betraying the affairs of the Persians to him.

Shapur, persuaded by these slanders, at first oppressed the Christians with immoderate taxes, since he knew that most of them practiced voluntary poverty, and he entrusted the collection to harsh men, so that, being compelled by lack of money and by the cruelty of the tax-collectors, they might be forced to abandon their own religion.

For this was what he was eagerly striving for.

After this, he ordered that the priests and ministers of God be put to death by the sword, that the churches be razed to the ground and their treasures become public property, and that Symeon be brought before him, as one who had become a traitor to the kingdom and religion of the Persians.

The Magi, therefore, with the Jews assisting them, zealously pulled down the houses of prayer.

Symeon, having been seized, was led to the king bound in irons.

There he showed himself a good and courageous man.

For when Shapur ordered him to be brought in for torture, he neither feared nor did obeisance.

At this the king, being greatly angered, asked.

"Why is it that you do not do obeisance now, though you did so before?" "Because before," said Symeon, "I was not being led in bonds on a charge of betraying the true God, and, having no quarrel, I was fulfilling what was customary regarding the kingship."

"But now it is not lawful for me to do this."

"For I have come to contend for piety and for our own doctrine." When he had said such things, the king urged him to worship the sun, and promised that if he obeyed he would give him many gifts and hold him in honor, but threatened that if he disobeyed he would destroy both him and the whole race of the Christians.

But since he neither terrified Symeon with threats nor softened him with promises, but he remained steadfastly courageous, insisting that he would never worship the sun nor prove a traitor to his own religion, he ordered him for the time being to be kept in chains, reckoning that he would probably change his mind.

As he was being led away to prison, a certain elderly eunuch named Usthazanes, the tutor of Shapur and steward of the king's household, saw him and rose up and did him reverence.

For he happened to be sitting before the doors of the palace.

But Symeon rebuked him insultingly, and cried out in anger, and turned away and passed him by.

For though he was a Christian, not long before he had been compelled to worship the sun.

At once the eunuch, weeping with lamentation, took off the splendid garment he was wearing, and clothing himself in black as one in mourning, sat down before the king's house, weeping and groaning, "Woe is me," he said, "what must I expect will become of me, who have denied God? Seeing that on this account Symeon, who has long since been familiar with me, without even sharing a word with me, has turned away from me thus and passed me by." When Shapur learned of this, he summoned him and inquired the cause of his mourning, and whether he had met with some misfortune concerning his household.

Usthazanes replied and said:

"O king, I have suffered no misfortune concerning my household here;

for would that, instead of what has befallen me, I had fallen into misfortunes of every other sort, for it would have been easier to bear.

But I mourn now that I am alive, and though long since owing death, I still behold the sun—which, to please you, and not from my own conviction, I worshipped only in appearance—so that on both counts it is just that I should die, having become a traitor to Christ and a deceiver toward you." And having said such things, he swore by the Creator of heaven and earth

that he would no longer change his resolve.

Astonished, he was all the more angered against the Christians, as though they achieved such things by sorcery.

Yet out of consideration for the old man, appearing now gentle, now harsh, he tried with all his strength to persuade him to change his mind.

But as he accomplished nothing, since Usthazanes insisted that he would never be so foolish as to worship, instead of God the creator of all things, the things created by him, then indeed, moved to anger, he ordered his head to be cut off by the sword.

As he was being led to this by the executioners, he asked them to hold off for a little while, as he wished to declare something to the king.

And having called forward one of the most trusted eunuchs, he bade him say the following to Shapur:

"The goodwill, O king, which I have had from my youth until now toward your household, serving both your father and yourself with fitting diligence, does not, I think, need witnesses in your presence, since you know these things well.

In return for all the favor I have ever shown you, grant me this recompense: that I may not seem, to those who do not know the truth, to be undergoing punishment as one convicted of disloyalty toward the kingdom or of some other crime.

And in order that this may be made clear, let a herald proclaim aloud and announce to all that Usthazanes has his head cut off, having in no way shown himself wicked in anything within the palace, but because, being a Christian, he would not obey the king in denying his own God." And the eunuch reported these things.

And Shapur, in accordance with the request of Usthazanes, ordered a herald to make the proclamation.

For he thought that others would readily cease to be Christians, if they should bear in mind that, having put to death an aged tutor and a loyal member of his household, he would spare no Christian.

Usthazanes was eager that the reason for his punishment be publicly proclaimed, reckoning that, whereas when out of fear he had worshipped the sun he had cast many Christians into fear, now, if they should learn that he had been put to death for the sake of religion, he would make many imitators of his own courage.

In this way, then, Usthazanes departed most gloriously from this life.

And Symeon, learning of this in the prison, offered up prayers of thanksgiving to God on his behalf.

On the following day (it happened to be the sixth day of the week, on which, before the festival of the Resurrection, the annual commemoration of the saving Passion is celebrated), the king decreed that Symeon too should be put to death by the sword.

For, being brought forth again from the prison to the palace, he discoursed most nobly with Shapur concerning the faith, and he consented to worship neither him nor the sun.

On the same day, another hundred who were in the prison were likewise ordered to be put to death, and Symeon was to be slaughtered after them last of all, having witnessed the death of them all.

Of these, some were bishops, others presbyters, and others of various clerical orders.

As they were all being led to death, the grand chief magus came forward and asked them whether they wished to live, and to worship in the manner of the king, and to reverence the sun.

But since none chose life on these terms, when they had been led to the place where they were to be killed, the executioners set about their work and labored at the slaughter of the martyrs, while Symeon, standing by them as they were being put to death, exhorted them to be of good courage, and discoursed concerning death, and concerning resurrection, and concerning piety.

And confirming his words from the sacred Scriptures, he showed that to die in this manner is truly life, but that to betray God through cowardice is confessedly death.

"For not long hence, even though no one should put them to death, they would die of themselves;

for this is an end from which no one born can escape.

But what comes after this, being everlasting, will not befall all men alike; rather, as if by some exact standard, they will render a precise account of their life here.

And each will receive immortal rewards for whatever good he has done, and will undergo the reckoning for the opposite.

"And greatest of all good things, and most blessed, is to choose to die for God's sake."

While Symeon was setting forth such things, like a trainer exhorting contestants in what manner they ought to enter the contests, each one, hearing him, went forward eagerly to the slaughter.

The executioner went through all the hundred, and last of all he killed Symeon himself, and Abdiechalas, and Anninas.

Both of these were aged presbyters of the church under him, and had been arrested together with him and were in bonds.

At that moment Pusices, who was chief over all the king's craftsmen, standing there, seeing Anninas trembling as he was being made ready for the slaughter, said, "For a little while, old man, close your eyes and be of good courage;

for at once you will see the light of Christ." And as soon as he had said this, he was seized and led before the king.

And having confessed that he was a Christian, since he had spoken with the king with outspoken frankness on behalf of the faith and the martyrs, the king, on the ground that he ought not to have spoken with such boldness, ordered that he die by a strange and most cruel manner.

For the executioners, having pierced through his neck at the nape, drew out his tongue through it.

And through the slander of certain persons, his daughter also, a consecrated virgin, was arrested at that time and put to death.

In the following year, on the day on which the commemoration of the Passion of Christ was being celebrated, and the festival of the Resurrection from the dead was awaited, a most cruel edict of Shapur went about through the whole land of the Persians, condemning to death those who confessed themselves to be Christians.

At which time it is said that a multitude of Christians beyond number fell by the sword.

For the magi hunted diligently through the cities and villages for those who were hiding themselves, while others, of their own accord, though no one was pursuing them, denounced themselves, so that they might not seem, by their silence, to be denying Christ.

While all Christians were being slaughtered without mercy, very many were put to death even within the palace itself, and among them Azades the eunuch, who was especially in favor with the king.

When Shapur learned that he had died, he was exceedingly grieved, and he put a stop to this general slaughter, and ordered that only the leaders of the religion be put to death.

At that same time, when the queen fell ill, the sister of Symeon the bishop, named Tarbula, a consecrated virgin, was arrested, together with a serving-woman who pursued the same manner of life, and with another sister who, after her husband's death, had renounced marriage and likewise led the same life.

Their arrest came about through the slander of the Jews, who accused them of having plotted against the queen with sorceries, out of anger over the death of Symeon.

But the queen (for illness has a way of lending its ear to ill-omened reports) supposed the slander to be true, especially as it had come from Jews, since she held their views and lived after the Jewish manner, and considered them truthful and well-disposed toward her.

So the magi took Tarbula and the others, and condemned them to death;

and having sawn them in two with a saw, they impaled them on stakes, and, as an averting charm against the illness, they made the queen pass through the middle of the stakes.

It is said that this Tarbula was comely and very beautiful in form, and that some of the magi fell in love with her and secretly sent to her concerning intercourse, promising as a reward, if she should consent, safety for her and for those with her;

but she, not enduring even to listen to so shameless a proposal, reproached them and rebuked their licentiousness, and chose most readily rather to die than to betray her virginity.

Since, in accordance with Shapur's decree, as has been said before, it prevailed that the rest be let alone, and that only the priests and the leaders of the faith be arrested, the magi and chief magi, going about through the land of the Persians, diligently maltreated the bishops and presbyters, and especially in the country of the Adiabenians;

For this region, though Persian, was for the most part Christian.

About this time they also arrested Akepsimas the bishop, and many of the clergy under him.

But on reflection they were content with the capture of the leader, and released the others, having stripped them of their property.

But a certain presbyter named Jacob followed Akepsimas of his own accord, and having entreated the magi, was placed under the same bond;

he ministered to him and eased his misfortunes as far as he was able, and tended his wounds.

Not long after his arrest, the magi cruelly tortured him with raw thongs, trying to force him to worship the sun;

but since he did not yield, they again kept him in bonds.

At that same time also Aeithalas and Jacob, presbyters, and Azadanes and Abdiesus, deacons, were dwelling in prison for the sake of the faith, having been most cruelly scourged by the magi.

And when much time had passed, the grand chief magus reported to the king concerning them.

And having been given leave to punish them as he wished, unless they should worship the sun, he made known to those in the prison the decree of Shapur.

But when they openly answered that they would never prove traitors to Christ nor worship the sun, he tortured them without mercy.

And Acepsimas, having remained steadfast in his confessions of the faith, died.

But some of the Armenian hostages among the Persians secretly took up his remains and buried them.

The others, though scourged no less severely, unexpectedly survived;

and not having changed their resolve, they were again put in bonds.

With them was also Aeithalas, who, being stretched while beaten, had his arms torn from his shoulders by the excessive dragging, and carried about his hands dead and merely dangling, so that others had to bring food to his mouth.

About this time Miles also was martyred;

he at first served as a soldier among the Persians, but afterward, having abandoned his military career, aspired to the apostolic way of life.

It is said that, having been ordained bishop of a Persian city, he suffered many things many times over and endured blows and draggings.

But since he persuaded no one to become a Christian, he bore it with difficulty, cursed the city, and departed.

Not long after, when the leading men of that place had offended the king, an army arrived with three hundred elephants, overthrew the city, and, as though tilling a field, sowed it.

But Miles, carrying only a wallet in which he kept the sacred book of the Gospels, went off to Jerusalem to pray, and from there to Egypt to see the monks there.

As for the sort of wondrous and marvelous works we have received that this man performed, the sons of the Syrians bear witness, who have recorded his deeds and his life.

For my part, I consider it sufficient for now to have related these things concerning him and concerning those who were martyred in Persia during the reign of Sapor.

For it would take a great deal of leisure for one to enumerate all that happened concerning them—who they were, whence they came, or how they accomplished their martyrdom, and what sort of punishments they endured;

for the Persians employed manifold methods of such cruelty, vying with one another to excel in it.

To speak summarily, it is said that of the martyrs of that time who are recorded by name, men and women, there were about sixteen thousand, while the multitude beyond these was beyond number; and for this reason it seemed a laborious task to enumerate their names, even for the Persians and Syrians and those dwelling around Edessa, who took great pains over the matter.

Constantine, emperor of the Romans, learned that the Christians in Persia were being warred upon, and he was grieved and greatly distressed;

and being eager to help them, he was at a loss what to do, so that they too might live in security.

And it happened at that time that envoys of the king of the Persians came to him; he assented to their requests, and having dealt with them according to his wish, sent them away.

Thinking it then an opportune time to commend to Sapor the Christians in Persia, he wrote to him, professing that he would ever hold it a very great and unforgettable favor if he showed himself humane toward those under his rule who admired the Christian faith;

since, he said, there is nothing to find fault with in the manner of their worship, if indeed they are content with bloodless prayers alone in supplicating God.

For the shedding of blood is not pleasing to Him; He rejoices only in a soul that is pure and looks toward virtue and piety, so that those who believe in this way ought even to be praised.

He further promised that, on account of his solicitude for the faith, God himself would be gracious to him, citing as evidence what had happened to Valerian himself.

For he himself, because of his faith in Christ, using divine favor as his ally, beginning from the ocean toward the west, had brought the whole Roman world under his own sway and won many wars, fighting against foreign nations and the tyrants of that time;

and he had needed no sacrificial victims or divinations, but the sign of the cross going before his own troops, together with a prayer pure of blood and defilement, had sufficed him for victory.

As for Valerian, as long as he did not mistreat the churches, he continued to prosper in his rule;

but when he resolved to raise a persecution against the Christians, divine wrath drove him and delivered him into the hands of the Persians, by whom, having been taken captive, he ended his life pitiably.

Having written such things to Sapor, Constantine tried to persuade him to show goodwill toward the [Christian] religion.

For he exercised the greatest care for the Christians everywhere, both Romans and those of other nations.

Not long after the council held at Nicaea, Arius, though led away into exile, was recalled, but was still forbidden to set foot in Alexandria.

Indeed, later his return to Egypt was actively pursued, as will be told in due course.

Not long after, both Eusebius of Nicomedia recovered his own church, having expelled Amphion who had been ordained in his place, and Theognis of Nicaea recovered his, expelling Chrestus.

They were recalled after presenting to the bishops a document of recantation, reading as follows:

"Having already been condemned before trial by your Piety, we ought to keep silent regarding what has been judged by your Piety;

but since it would be absurd, by our silence, to give proof against ourselves in favor of our slanderers, for this reason we declare: that we assented to the faith, and, having examined the meaning of the term 'homoousios,' became wholly devoted to peace, in no way following the heresy;

and having set forth, for the security of the churches, whatever occurred to our reasoning, and being ourselves fully persuaded, and having persuaded those who ought to be convinced through us, we subscribed to the faith;

but we did not subscribe to the anathema, not as accusing the faith, but as disbelieving that the one accused was such as he was charged with being, since we had been fully persuaded, from his private communications to us both by letters and by conversations face to face, that he was not such;

but if your holy council was persuaded otherwise, we, not opposing it but agreeing with what has been judged by you, also make known by this letter our assent—not bearing our exile heavily, but stripping off the suspicion of heresy;

for if you should now at least deem us worthy to be received back in person, you will find us of one mind with you in everything, following what has been judged by you—especially since it has seemed good to your Piety to deal humanely with, and recall, the very man who was accused in these matters,

and since he has made his defense concerning the charges brought against him, it would be unreasonable for us to remain silent, thereby giving proof against ourselves.

Deign, therefore, as befits your Christ-loving Piety, both to remind the most God-beloved emperor and to place our petitions in his hands, and to decide more speedily what is fitting for you concerning us." In this manner Eusebius and Theognis repented and recovered their own churches.

About this time, Alexander, bishop of Alexandria, being about to depart this life, left Athanasius as his successor, having cast his vote upon him, as I suppose, by divine command;

since indeed they say that Athanasius himself attempted to flee, and was compelled against his will by Alexander to accept the episcopate.

And Apolinarius the Syrian bears witness, speaking as follows:

"Even after these things, impiety did not hesitate to make war, but first armed itself against the blessed teacher of the man, to whom this man stood by as advocate, as a son to a father; then also against him himself, when he came to succeed to the episcopate—though he made every effort to flee, he was found out according to God's will, just as it had been revealed beforehand, by divine disclosures, to the blessed man who committed the episcopate to him, that the successor would be none other than this one.

For he [Alexander] was being called out of this life;

and being already at the point of departure, he called Athanasius by name, though he was not present.

And when a man of the same name who was present answered to the call, he fell silent toward him, as though he were not calling this one;

again he uttered the call;

and as the same thing happened many times, the one present was passed over in silence, while the one not present was indicated.

And the blessed Alexander said prophetically:

'Athanasius, you think you have escaped;

but you shall not escape'—signifying that he was being called to the contest... These things Apolinarius writes concerning Athanasius.

But those of the Arian heresy say that, when Alexander died, those who held the views of Alexander and those who held the views of Meletius were in communion with one another, and that fifty-four bishops, having come together from the Thebaid and the rest of Egypt, agreed under oath to choose by common vote the one who ought to have charge of the church of the Alexandrians;

but that some seven of the bishops, having perjured themselves, contrary to the judgment of all, stole the ordination of Athanasius, and that on this account many of the people and of the clergy throughout Egypt shunned communion with him.

For my part, I am persuaded that this man came to the high priesthood not without God's will, being capable both in speech and understanding and able to withstand plots—of just the sort that the times of his day especially required.

He became, above all, a man of the Church and most fit for the priesthood, having shown himself such, self-taught as it were, from his youth.

Indeed, they say that the following happened to him even before he had reached adolescence:

The Alexandrians still to this day keep a public and exceedingly splendid festival on the yearly day of the martyrdom of Peter, who had been bishop among them.

While Alexander, who at that time presided over the church, was celebrating this festival, having already completed the liturgy, he was waiting for those who were to dine with him.

And as he passed the time by himself, he kept his eyes upon the sea.

Seeing from a distance, along the shore, boys playing and imitating a bishop and the customs of the Church, as long as he saw the imitation to be harmless, he was pleased with the sight and delighted in what was happening.

But when they touched upon the secret mysteries as well, he was troubled;

and having summoned the leading men of the clergy, he pointed out the boys to them, and having ordered that they be seized and brought before him, he inquired what their game was, and what sort of words and actions were involved in it.

At first, out of fear, they denied it; but when he persisted in his questioning, they disclosed that Athanasius had acted as bishop and leader,

and that some of the unbaptized boys had been baptized by him.

Alexander carefully examined these boys as to what the "priest" of the game had asked or done to them, and what they themselves had answered or been taught.

Finding that the proper order had been observed, he determined, after taking counsel with the priests around him, that it was not necessary to rebaptize those who had once been made worthy of divine grace in simplicity of heart;

but he himself completed the other rites concerning them, which it is lawful for only those in holy orders to perform in administering the mysteries.

As for Athanasius and the other boys who had happened to be presbyters and deacons in their play, he delivered them, with God as witness, to their own families, to be raised for the Church and brought up to the office they had imitated.

Not long afterward, he had Athanasius living with him as a companion and secretary.

Having been well brought up, and having studied under grammarians and rhetoricians, being already come to manhood, even before his episcopate he gave to those who conversed with him proof of being a wise and learned man.

And when Alexander died, leaving him as his successor, his reputation grew still further, confirmed both by his own virtues and by the testimony of Antony the great monk.

For whenever he was summoned by him, he obeyed, and visited the cities, and went into the churches, and gave his assent to what he held concerning God; and in everything he regarded him as a friend, and turned away from those who opposed or were hostile to him.

But it was especially those who held the views of Arius and Meletius who rendered him most illustrious, for though they were forever plotting against him, they never appeared to have justly convicted him.

At first, then, Eusebius attempted by letter to persuade him to receive Arius and his followers.

And if he should refuse to obey, he threatened, though not in writing, that he would do him harm.

But when he would not yield, insisting that those who had devised a heresy through innovation upon the truth, and who had been condemned by the council of Nicaea, ought not to be received, Eusebius took pains that the emperor himself should receive Arius and grant him permission to return.

But how these things came about, I shall relate before long.

At that time, meanwhile, the bishops were again quarreling among themselves, disputing minutely over the term "homoousios" [consubstantial].

For some thought that those who accepted this term were blaspheming, as though they held the Son to have no existence of his own, and shared the views of Montanus and Sabellius; while others, in turn, shunned the rest as Hellenizers, and accused them of introducing polytheism.

Eusebius, [surnamed] Pamphili, and Eustathius of Antioch were especially worn down by disputes over such matters.

For both confessed the Son of God to exist in [his own] hypostasis, yet, as though not understanding one another, they accused each other.

Eustathius accused Eusebius of innovating upon the doctrine decreed at Nicaea, while Eusebius claimed that he approved of these decisions, but reproached Eustathius with holding the opinion of Sabellius.

A council having been held at Antioch, Eustathius was deprived of the church of Antioch — the true reason, as common report has it, being that he approved the faith of Nicaea, and turned away from and openly denounced Eusebius and his party, together with Paulinus, bishop of Tyre, and Patrophilus of Scythopolis, whose opinion the priests throughout the East followed, on the ground that they held the views of Arius; while the pretext given was that he had been detected disgracing the priesthood by unholy deeds.

On account of his deposition, a very great sedition arose in Antioch, so that the populace came near to taking up swords, and the whole city was in danger.

This, indeed, did him no small harm in the emperor's eyes.

For when he learned that these things had occurred, and that the people of the church had been divided into two factions, he was greatly angered, and held him under suspicion as the cause of the sedition.

Nevertheless, he sent one of the distinguished officers of his court, charging him to overawe the populace and, without disturbance or harm, to bring the sedition to an end.