Chapter 122
Among the numerous gospels in circulation among the Christians of the first three centuries, there was one ent.i.tled "The Gospel of the _Egyptians_." Epiphanius (A. D. 385), speaking of it, says:
"Many things are proposed (in this Gospel of the Egyptians) in a hidden, _mysterious manner_, as by our Saviour, as though he had said to his disciples, that the Father was the same person, the Son the same person, and the Holy Ghost the same person."
That this was one of the "_Scriptures_" of the Essenes, becomes very evident when we find it admitted by the most learned of Christian theologians that it was in existence "_before either of the canonical Gospels_," and that it contained the doctrine of the _Trinity_, a doctrine not established in the Christian church until A. D. 327, but which was taught by this Buddhist sect in Alexandria, in Egypt, which has been well called, "Egypt, the land of Trinities."
The learned Dr. Grabe thought it was composed by _some Christians in Egypt_, and that it was published _before either of the canonical Gospels_. Dr. Mill also believed that it was composed _before either of the canonical Gospels_, and, what is more important than all, _that the authors of it were Essenes_.
_These "Scriptures" of the Essenes were undoubtedly amalgamated with the "Gospels" of the Christians, the result being the canonical Gospels as we now have them._ The "Gospel of the Hebrews," and such like, on the one hand, and the "Gospel of the Egyptians," or Essenes, and such like, on the other. That the "Gospel of the Hebrews" spoke of Jesus of Nazareth as the son of Joseph and Mary, _according to the flesh_, and that it taught _nothing_ about his miracles, his resurrection from the dead, and other such prodigies, is admitted on all hands. That the "Scriptures" of the Essenes contained the whole legend of the Angel-Messiah, which was afterwards added to the history of Jesus, _making him a_ CHRIST, _or an Anointed Angel_, is a probability almost to a certainty. Do we now understand how all the traditions and legends, originally _Indian_, escaping from the great focus through _Egypt_, were able to reach Judea, Greece and Rome?
To continue with our subject, "why Christianity prospered," we must now speak of another great support to the cause, _i. e._, _Persecution_.
Ernest de Bunsen, speaking of Buddha, says:
"His religion has never been propagated by the sword. It has been effected entirely by the influence of peaceable and persevering devotees."
Can we say as much for what is termed "the religion of Christ?" No! this religion has had the aid of the sword and firebrand, the rack and the thumb-screw. "_Persecution_," is to be seen written on the pages of ecclesiastical history, from the time of Constantine even to the present day.[444:1] This Christian emperor and saint was the first to check free-thought.
"We search in vain," (says M. Renan), "in the collection of Roman laws _before Constantine_, for any enactment aimed at free thought, or in the history of the emperors, for a persecution of abstract doctrine. Not a single _savant_ was disturbed. Men whom the Middle Ages would have burned--such as Galen, Lucian, Plotinus--lived in peace, protected by the law."[444:2]
Born and educated a pagan, Constantine embraced the Christian faith from the following motives. Having committed horrid crimes, in fact, having committed murders,[444:3] and,
"When he would have had his (Pagan) priests purge him by sacrifice, of these horrible murders, and could not have his purpose (for they answered plainly, it lay not in their power to cleanse him)[444:4] he lighted at last upon an _Egyptian_ who came out of Iberia, and being persuaded by him that the Christian faith was of force to wipe away every sin, were it ever so heinous, he embraced willingly at whatever the Egyptian told him."[444:5]
Mons. Dupuis, speaking of this conversion, says:
"Constantine, soiled with all sorts of crimes, and stained with the blood of his wife, after repeated perjuries and a.s.sa.s.sinations, presented himself before the heathen priests in order to be absolved of so many outrages he had committed.
He was answered, that amongst the various kinds of expiations, there was none which could expiate so many crimes, and that no religion whatever could offer efficient protection against the justice of the G.o.ds; and Constantine was emperor. One of the courtiers of the palace, who witnessed the trouble and agitation of his mind, torn by remorse, which nothing could appease, informed him, that the evil he was suffering was not without a remedy; that there existed in the religion of the Christians certain purifications, which expiated every kind of misdeeds, of whatever nature, and in whatsoever number they were: that one of the promises of the religion was, that whoever was converted to it, as impious and as great a villain as he might be, could hope that his crimes were immediately forgotten.[445:1] From that moment, Constantine declared himself the protector of a sect which treats great criminals with so much lenity.[445:2] He was a great villain, who tried to lull himself with illusions to smother his remorse."[445:3]
By the delay of baptism, a person who had accepted the _true_ faith could venture freely to indulge their pa.s.sions in the enjoyment of this world, while they still retained in their own hands the means of salvation; therefore, we find that Constantine, although he accepted the faith, did not get baptized until he was on his death-bed, as he wished to continue, as long as possible, the wicked life he was leading. Mr.
Gibbon, speaking of him, says:
"The example and reputation of Constantine seemed to countenance the delay
Eusebius, in his "Life of Constantine," tells us that:
"_When he thought that he was near his death_, he confessed his sins, desiring pardon for them of G.o.d, and was baptized.
"Before doing so, he a.s.sembled the bishops of Nicomedia together, and spake thus unto them:
"'Brethren, the salvation which I have earnestly desired of G.o.d these many years, I do now this day expect. It is time therefore that we should be sealed and signed with the badge of immortality. And though I proposed to receive it in the river Jordan, in which our Saviour for our example was baptized, yet G.o.d, knowing what is fittest for me, hath appointed that I shall receive it in this place, _therefore let me not be delayed_.'"
"And so, after the service of baptism was read, they baptized him with all the ceremonies belonging to this mysterious sacrament. So that Constantine was the first of all the emperors who was regenerated by the new birth of baptism, and that was signed with the sign of the cross."[446:1]
When Constantine had heard the good news from the Christian monk from Egypt, he commenced by conferring many dignities on the Christians, and those only who were addicted to Christianity, he made governors of his provinces, &c.[446:2] He then issued edicts against heretics,--_i. e._, those who, like Arius, did not believe that Christ was "_of one substance with the Father_," and others--calling them "enemies of truth and eternal life," "authors and councillors of death," &c.[446:3] He "_commanded by law_" that none should dare "to meet at conventicles,"
and that "all places where they were wont to keep their meetings should be _demolished_," or "confiscated to the Catholic church;"[446:4] _and Constantine was emperor_. "By this means," says Eusebius, "_such as maintained doctrines and opinions contrary to the church, were suppressed._"[446:5]
This Constantine, says Eusebius:
"Caused his image to be engraven on his gold coins, in the form of prayer, with his hands joined together, and looking up towards Heaven." "And over divers gates of his palace, he was drawn praying, and lifting up his hands and eyes to heaven."[446:6]
After his death, "effigies of this blessed man" were engraved on the Roman coins, "sitting in and driving a chariot, and a hand reached down from heaven to receive and take him up."[446:7]
The hopes of wealth and honors, the example of an emperor, his exhortations, his irresistible smiles, diffused conviction among the venal and obsequious crowds which usually fill the apartments of a palace, and as the lower ranks of society are governed by example, the conversion of those who possessed any eminence of birth, of power, or of riches, _was soon followed by dependent mult.i.tudes_. Constantine pa.s.sed a law which gave freedom to all the slaves who should embrace Christianity, and to those who were not slaves, he gave a white garment and twenty pieces of gold, upon their embracing the Christian faith. The common people were thus _purchased_ at such an easy rate that, in one year, _twelve thousand men were baptised at Rome_, besides a proportionable number of women and children.[447:1]
To suppress the opinions of philosophers, which were contrary to Christianity, the Christian emperors published edicts. The respective decrees of the emperors Constantine and Theodosius,[447:2] generally ran in the words, "that all writings adverse to the claims of the Christian religion, in the possession of whomsoever they should be found, should be committed to the fire," as the pious emperors would not that those things tending to provoke G.o.d to wrath, should be allowed to offend the minds of the piously disposed.
The following is a decree of the Emperor Theodosius of this purport:
"We decree, therefore, that all writings, whatever, which Porphyry or anyone else hath written against the Christian religion, in the possession of whomsoever they shall be found should be committed to the fire; for we would not suffer any of those things so much as to come to men's ears, which tend to provoke G.o.d to wrath and offend the minds of the _pious_."[447:3]
A similar decree of the emperor for establis.h.i.+ng the doctrine of the Trinity, concludes with an admonition to all who shall object to it, that,
"Besides the condemnation of divine justice, they must expect to suffer the severe penalties, which _our_ authority, guided by heavenly wisdom, may think proper to inflict upon them."[447:4]
This orthodox emperor (Theodosius) considered every heretic (as he called those who did not believe as he and his ecclesiastics _professed_) a rebel against the supreme powers of heaven and of earth (he being one of the supreme powers of earth), _and each of the powers_ might exercise their peculiar jurisdiction _over the soul and body of the guilty_.
The decrees of the Council of Constantinople had ascertained the _true_ standard of the faith, _and the ecclesiastics, who governed the conscience of Theodosius, suggested the most effectual methods of persecution_. In the s.p.a.ce of fifteen years he promulgated at least fifteen severe edicts against the heretics, _more especially against those who rejected the doctrine of the Trinity_.[448:1]
_Arius_ (the presbyter of whom we have spoken in Chapter x.x.xV., as declaring that, in the nature of things, _a father must be older than his son_) was _excommunicated_ for his so-called _heretical_ notions concerning the Trinity. His followers, who were very numerous, were called Arians. Their writings, _if they had been permitted to exist_,[448:2] would undoubtedly contain the lamentable story of the persecution which affected the church under the reign of the impious Emperor _Theodosius_.
In Asia Minor the people were persecuted by orders of Constantius, and these orders were more than obeyed by Macedonius. The civil and military powers were ordered to obey his commands; the consequence was, he disgraced the reign of Constantius. "The rites of baptism were conferred on women and children, who, for that purpose, had been torn from the arms of their friends and parents; the mouths of the communicants were held open by a wooden engine, while the consecrated bread was forced down their throats; the b.r.e.a.s.t.s of tender virgins were either burned with red-hot egg-sh.e.l.ls, or inhumanly compressed between sharp and heavy boards."[448:3] The princ.i.p.al a.s.sistants of Macedonius--the tool of Constantius--in the work of persecution, were the two bishops of Nicomedia and Cyzicus, who were esteemed for their virtues, and especially for their charity.[448:4]
Julian, the successor of Constantius, has described some of the theological calamities which afflicted the empire, and more especially in the East, in the reign of a prince who was the slave of his own pa.s.sions, and of those of his eunuchs: "Many were imprisoned, and persecuted, and driven into exile. Whole troops of those who are styled _heretics_ were ma.s.sacred, particularly at Cyzicus, and at Samosata. In Paphlagonia, Bithynia, Gallatia, and in many other provinces, towns and villages were laid waste, and utterly destroyed."[449:1]
Persecutions in the name of Christ Jesus were inflicted on the heathen in most every part of the then known world. Even among the Norwegians, the Christian sword was unsheathed. They clung tenaciously to the wors.h.i.+p of their forefathers, and numbers of them died real martyrs for their faith, after suffering the most cruel torments from their persecutors. It was by sheer compulsion that the Norwegians embraced Christianity. The reign of Olaf Tryggvason, a Christian king of Norway, was in fact entirely devoted to the propagation of the new faith, by means the most revolting to humanity. His general practice was to enter a district at the head of a formidable force, summon a _Thing_,[449:2]
and give the people the alternative of fighting with him, or of being baptized. Most of them, of course, preferred baptism to the risk of a battle with an adversary so well prepared for combat; and the recusants were tortured to death with fiend-like ferocity, and their estates confiscated.[449:3]
These are some of the reasons "why Christianity prospered."
NOTE.--The learned Christian historian Pagi endeavors to smoothe over the crimes of Constantine. He says: "As for those few murders (which Eusebius says nothing about), had he thought it worth his while to refer to them, he would perhaps, with Baronius himself have said, that the young Licinius (his infant nephew), although the fact might not generally have been known, had most likely been an accomplice in the treason of his father. That as to the murder of his son, the Emperor is rather to be considered as unfortunate than as criminal. And with respect to his putting his wife to death, he ought to be p.r.o.nounced rather a just and righteous judge. As for his numerous friends, whom Eutropius informs us he put to death one after another, we are bound to believe that most of them deserved it, and they were found out to have abused the Emperor's too great credulity, for the gratification of their own inordinate wickedness, and insatiable avarice; and such no doubt was that SOPATER the philosopher, who was at last put to death upon the accusation of Adlabius, and that by the righteous dispensation of G.o.d, for his having attempted to alienate the mind of Constantine from the true religion." (_Pagi Ann._ 324, quoted in Latin by Dr. Lardner, vol.
iv. p. 371, in his notes for the benefit of the _learned_ reader, but gives no rendering into English.)
FOOTNOTES:
[419:1] "Numerous bodies of ascetics (Therapeutae), especially near Lake Mareotis, devoted themselves to discipline and study, abjuring society and labor, and often forgetting, it is said, the simplest wants of nature, in contemplating the hidden wisdom of the _Scriptures_. Eusebius even claimed them as _Christians_; and some of the forms of monasticism were evidently modeled after the _Therapeutae_." (Smith's Bible Dictionary, art. "_Alexandria_.")
[420:1] Comp. Matt. vi. 33; Luke, xii. 31.
[420:2] Comp. Matt. vi. 19-21.
[420:3] Comp. Matt. xix. 21; Luke, xii. 33.
[420:4] Comp. Acts, ii. 44, 45; iv. 32-34; John, xii. 6; xiii. 29.
[420:5] Comp. Matt. xx. 25-28; Mark, ix. 35-37; x. 42-45.
[420:6] Comp. Matt. xxiii. 8-10.