Meditations — Marcus Aurelius
p. 15Tatian against the Greeks, which was a fierce attack on the established religions ; the address of Athenagoras to M. Antoninus on behalf of the Christians, and the Apology of Melito, bishop of Sardes, also addressed to the emperor, and that of Apolinarius. The first Apology of Justinus is addressed to T. Antoninus Pius and his two adopted sons M. Antoninus and L.
Verus ; but we do not know whether they read it.1 The second Apology of Justinus is entitled "to the Roman Senate ; " but this superscription is from some copyist. In the first chapter Justinus addresses the Romans. In the second chapter he speaks of an affair that had recently happened in the time of M. Antoninus and L.
Verus, as it seems ; and he also directly addresses the emperor, saying of a certain woman, " she addressed a petition to thee the emperor, and thou didst grant the petition. In other passages the writer addresses the two emperors, from which we must conclude that the Apology was directed to them. Eusebius (E. H. iv. 18) states that the second Apology was addressed to the successor of Antoninus Pius, and he names him Antoninus Verus, meaning M.
Antoninus. In one passage of this second Apology (c. 8), Justinus, or the writer, whoever he 1 Oro8ius, vli. 14, says that Justinus the philosopher presented to Antoninus Pius his work in defence of the Christian religion, and made him merciful to the Christians.
p. 16may be, says that even men who followed the Stoic doctrines, when they ordered their lives according to ethical reason, were hated and murdered, such as Heraclitus, Musonius In his own times, and others; for all those who in any way labored to live according to reason and avoided wickedness were always hated ; and this was the effect of the work of daemons.
Justinus himself is said to have been put to death at Rome, because he refused to sacrifice to the gods. It cannot have been in the reign of Hadrian, as one authority states ; nor in the time of Antoninus Pius, if the second Apology was written in the time of M. Antoninus ; and there is evidence that this event took place under M. Antoninus and L.
Verus, when Rusticus was praefect of the city.1 1 See the Martyrium Sanctorum Justini, &c, in the works of Justinus, ed. Otto, vol. II. 559. "Junius Rusticus Pracfectus Urbi erat sub imperatoribus M. Aurelio et L. Vero, id quod liquet ex Themistii Orat. xxxiv. Dindorf. p. 451, et ex quodam illorum rescripto, Dig. 49. i. 1, § 2" (Otto). The rescript contains the words " Junium Rusticum amicum nostrum Praefectum Urbi.
The Martyrium of Justinus and others is written in Greek. It begins, " In the time of the wicked defenders of idolatry impious edicts were published against the pious Christians botli in cities rod country pta for the purpose of compelling them to make ofleringa to vain idols. Accordingly the holy men (Justinus, Chariton, a woman Charito, Paeon, Liberianus, and others) were brought before Rusticus, the praefect of Rome."
p. 17The persecution in which Polycarp suffered at Smyrna belongs to the time of M. Antoninus. The evidence for it is the letter of the church of Smyrna to the churches of Philomelium and the other Christian churches, and it is preserved by Eusebius (E. H. iv. 15). But the critics do not agree about the time of Poly carp's death, differing in the two extremes to the amount of twelve years.
The circumstances of Polycarp's martyrdom were accompanied by miracles, one of which Eusebius (iv. 15) has omitted, but it appears in the oldest Latin version of the letter, which Usher published, and it is supposed that this version was made not long after the time of Eusebius.
The notice at the end of the letter states that it was transcribed by Caius from the copy of Irenaeus, the disciple of Polycarp, then transcribed by Socrates at Corinth ; u after which The Marty rium gives the examination of the accused by Rusticus. All of them professed to be Christians. Justinus was asked if he expected to ascend into heaven and to receive a reward for his sufferings, if he was condemned to death.
He answered that he did not expect : he was certain of it. Finally, the test of obedience was proposed to the prisoners ; they were required to sacrifice to the gods. All refused, and Rusticus pronounced the sentence, which was that those who refused to sacrifice to the gods and obey the emperor's order should be whipped and beheaded according to the law. The martyrs were then led to the usual place of execution and beheaded. Some of the faithful secretly carried off the bodies and deposited them in a fit place.
MABCUS AUBELIUS ANTONINUS. 15 Tatian against the Greeks, which was a fierce attack on the established religions ; the address of Athenagoras to M. Antoninus on behalf of the Christians, and the Apology of Melito, bishop of Sardes, also addressed to the emperor, and that of Apolinarius. The first Apology of Justinus is addressed to T. Antoninus Pius and his two adopted sons M. Antoninus and L. Verus ; but we do not know whether they read it.1 The second Apology of Justinus is entitled "to the Roman Senate ; " but this superscription is from some copyist. In the first chapter Justinus addresses the Romans. In the second chapter he speaks of an affair that had recently happened in the time of M. Antoninus and L. Verus, as it seems ; and he also directly addresses the emperor, saying of a certain woman, " she addressed a petition to you the emperor, and you did grant the petition." In other passages the writer addresses the two emperors, from which we must conclude that the Apology was directed to them. Eusebius (E. H. iv. 18) states that the second Apology was addressed to the successor of Antoninus Pius, and he names him Antoninus Verus, meaning M. Antoninus. In one passage of this second Apology (c. 8), Justinus, or the writer, whoever he 1 Oro8ius, vli. 14, says that Justinus the philosopher presented to Antoninus Pius his work in defence of the Christian religion, and made him merciful to the Christians.
16 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. may be, says that even men who followed the Stoic doctrines, when they ordered their lives according to ethical reason, were hated and murdered, such as Heraclitus, Musonius In his own times, and others; for all those who in any way labored to live according to reason and avoided wickedness were always hated ; and this was the effect of the work of daemons.
Justinus himself is said to have been put to death at Rome, because he refused to sacrifice to the gods. It cannot have been in the reign of Hadrian, as one authority states ; nor in the time of Antoninus Pius, if the second Apology was written in the time of M. Antoninus ; and there is evidence that this event took place under M. Antoninus and L.
Verus, when Rusticus was praefect of the city.1 1 See the Martyrium Sanctorum Justini, &c, in the works of Justinus, ed. Otto, vol. II. 559. "Junius Rusticus Pracfectus Urbi erat sub imperatoribus M. Aurelio et L. Vero, id quod liquet ex Themistii Orat. xxxiv. Dindorf. p. 451, et ex quodam illorum rescripto, Dig. 49. i. 1, § 2" (Otto). The rescript contains the words " Junium Rusticum amicum nostrum Praefectum Urbi.
The Martyrium of Justinus and others is written in Greek. It begins, " In the time of the wicked defenders of idolatry impious edicts were published against the pious Christians botli in cities rod country pta for the purpose of compelling them to make ofleringa to vain idols. Accordingly the holy men (Justinus, Chariton, a woman Charito, Paeon, Liberianus, and others) were brought before Rusticus, the praefect of Rome."
MARCUS AUBELIUS ANTONINUS. 17 The persecution in which Polycarp suffered at Smyrna belongs to the time of M. Antoninus. The evidence for it is the letter of the church of Smyrna to the churches of Philomelium and the other Christian churches, and it is preserved by Eusebius (E. H. iv. 15). But the critics do not agree about the time of Poly carp's death, differing in the two extremes to the amount of twelve years.
The circumstances of Polycarp's martyrdom were accompanied by miracles, one of which Eusebius (iv. 15) has omitted, but it appears in the oldest Latin version of the letter, which Usher published, and it is supposed that this version was made not long after the time of Eusebius.
The notice at the end of the letter states that it was transcribed by Caius from the copy of Irenaeus, the disciple of Polycarp, then transcribed by Socrates at Corinth ; u after which The Marty rium gives the examination of the accused by Rusticus. All of them professed to be Christians. Justinus was asked if he expected to ascend into heaven and to receive a reward for his sufferings, if he was condemned to death.
He answered that he did not expect : he was certain of it. Finally, the test of obedience was proposed to the prisoners ; they were required to sacrifice to the gods. All refused, and Rusticus pronounced the sentence, which was that those who refused to sacrifice to the gods and obey the emperor's order should be whipped and beheaded according to the law. The martyrs were then led to the usual place of execution and beheaded. Some of the faithful secretly carried off the bodies and deposited them in a fit place.
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