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Ἐκκλησιαστικὴ ἱστορία

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[4.17.1] ὁ δ' αὐτὸς ἀνὴρ πρὸ τοῦ κατ' αὐτὸν ἀγῶνος ἑτέρων πρὸ αὐτοῦ μαρτυρησάντων ἐν τῆι προτέραι μνημονεύει ἀπολογίαι, [4.17.2] χρησίμως τῆι ὑποθέσει καὶ ταῦτα ἱστορῶν· γράφει δὲ ὧδε· «γυνή τις συνεβίου ἀνδρὶ ἀκολασταίνοντι, ἀκολασταίνουσα καὶ αὐτὴ πρότερον· ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ διδάγματα ἔγνω, ἐσωφρονίσθη, καὶ τὸν ἄνδρα ὁμοίως σωφρονεῖν πείθειν ἐπειρᾶτο, τὰ διδάγματα ἀναφέρουσα τήν τε μέλλουσαν τοῖς οὐ σωφρόνως καὶ μετὰ λόγου ὀρθοῦ βιοῦσιν ἔσεσθαι ἐν αἰωνίωι πυρὶ κόλασιν ἀπαγ[4.17.3] γέλλουσα. ὃ δὲ ταῖς αὐταῖς ἀσελγείαις ἐπιμένων, ἀλλοτρίαν διὰ τῶν πράξεων ἐποιεῖτο τὴν γαμετήν· ἀσεβὲς γὰρ ἡγουμένη τὸ λοιπὸν ἡ γυνὴ συγκατακλίνεσθαι ἀνδρὶ παρὰ τὸν τῆς φύσεως νόμον καὶ παρὰ τὸ δίκαιον πόρους ἡδονῆς ἐκ παντὸς πειρωμένωι [4.17.4] ποιεῖσθαι, τῆς συζυγίας χωρισθῆναι ἐβουλήθη. καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἐξεδυσωπεῖτο ὑπὸ τῶν αὐτῆς, ἔτι προσμένειν συμβουλευόντων ὡς εἰς ἐλπίδα μεταβολῆς ἥξοντός ποτε τοῦ ἀνδρός, βιαζομένη ἑαυτὴν [4.17.5] ἐπέμενεν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὁ ταύτης ἀνὴρ εἰς τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν πορευθείς, χαλεπώτερα πράττειν ἀπηγγέλθη, ὅπως μὴ κοινωνὸς τῶν ἀδικημάτων καὶ ἀσεβημάτων γένηται μένουσα ἐν τῆι συζυγίαι καὶ ὁμοδίαιτος καὶ ὁμόκοιτος γινομένη, τὸ λεγόμενον παρ' ὑμῖν ῥεπού[4.17.6]διον δοῦσα ἐχωρίσθη. ὁ δὲ καλὸς κἀγαθὸς ταύτης ἀνήρ, δέον αὐτὸν χαίρειν ὅτι ἃ πάλαι μετὰ τῶν ὑπηρετῶν καὶ τῶν μισθοφό ρων εὐχερῶς ἔπραττεν μέθαις χαίρουσα καὶ κακίαι πάσηι, τούτων μὲν τῶν πράξεων πέπαυτο καὶ αὐτὸν τὰ αὐτὰ παύσασθαι πράττοντα ἐβούλετο, μὴ βουλομένου ἀπαλλαγείσης, κατηγορίαν [4.17.7] πεποίηται, λέγων αὐτὴν Χριστιανὴν εἶναι. καὶ ἣ μὲν βιβλίδιόν σοι τῶι αὐτοκράτορι ἀνέδωκεν, πρότερον συγχωρηθῆναι αὐτῆι διοικήσασθαι τὰ ἑαυτῆς ἀξιοῦσα, ἔπειτα ἀπολογήσασθαι περὶ τοῦ κατηγορήματος μετὰ τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων αὐτῆς διοίκησιν, [4.17.8] καὶ συνεχώρησας τοῦτο· ὁ δὲ ταύτης ποτὲ ἀνὴρ πρὸς ἐκείνην, μὲν μὴ δυνάμενος τὰ νῦν ἔτι λέγειν, πρὸς Πτολεμαῖόν τινα ὃν Οὐρβίκιος ἐκολάσατο, διδάσκαλον ἐκείνης τῶν Χριστιανῶν [4.17.9] μαθημάτων γενόμενον, ἐτράπετο διὰ τοῦδε τοῦ τρόπου. ἑκατόνταρχον εἰς δεσμὰ ἐμβαλόντα τὸν Πτολεμαῖον, φίλον αὐτῶι ὑπάρχοντα, ἔπεισε λαβέσθαι τοῦ Πτολεμαίου καὶ ἀνερωτῆσαι εἰ, αὐτὸ τοῦτο μόνον, Χριστιανός ἐστιν. καὶ τὸν Πτολεμαῖον, φιλαλήθη ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀπατηλὸν οὐδὲ ψευδολόγον τὴν γνώμην ὄντα ὁμολογήσαντα ἑαυτὸν εἶναι Χριστιανόν, ἐν δεσμοῖς γενέσθαι ὁ ἑκατόνταρχος πεποίηκεν, καὶ ἐπὶ πολὺν χρόνον ἐν τῶι δεσμω[4.17.10]τηρίωι ἐκολάσατο· τελευταῖον δὲ ὅτε ἐπὶ Οὐρβίκιον ἤχθη ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ὁμοίως αὐτὸ τοῦτο μόνον ἐξητάσθη, εἰ εἴη Χριστιανός· καὶ πάλιν, τὰ καλὰ ἑαυτῶι συνεπιστάμενος διὰ τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ [4.17.11] διδαχήν, τὸ διδασκαλεῖον τῆς θείας ἀρετῆς ὡμολόγησεν. ὁ γὰρ ἀρνούμενος ὁτιοῦν ἢ κατεγνωκὼς τοῦ πράγματος ἔξαρνος γίνεται ἢ ἑαυτὸν ἀνάξιον ἐπιστάμενος καὶ ἀλλότριον τοῦ πράγματος τὴν ὁμολογίαν φεύγει· ὧν οὐδὲν πρόσεστιν τῶι ἀληθινῶι Χρισ[4.17.12]τιανῶι. καὶ τοῦ Οὐρβικίου κελεύσαντος αὐτὸν ἀπαχθῆναι, Λούκιός τις, καὶ αὐτὸς ὢν Χριστιανός, ὁρῶν τὴν ἀλόγως οὕτως γενομένην κρίσιν, πρὸς τὸν Οὐρβίκιον ἔφη· τίς ἡ αἰτία τοῦ μήτε μοιχὸν μήτε πόρνον μήτε ἀνδροφόνον μήτε λωποδύτην μήτε ἅρπαγα μήτε ἁπλῶς ἀδίκημά τι πράξαντα ἐλεγχόμενον, ὀνόματος δὲ Χριστιανοῦ προσωνυμίαν ὁμολογοῦντα, τὸν ἄνθρωπον τοῦτον ἐκολάσω; οὐ πρέποντα Εὐσεβεῖ αὐτοκράτορι οὐδὲ φιλοσόφωι Καίσαρος παιδὶ οὐδὲ ἱερᾶι συγκλήτωι κρίνεις, ὦ Οὐρβίκιε. [4.17.13] καὶ ὅς, οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἀποκρινάμενος, καὶ πρὸς τὸν Λούκιον ἔφη· δοκεῖς μοι καὶ σὺ εἶναι τοιοῦτος, καὶ τοῦ Λουκίου φήσαντος· μάλιστα, πάλιν καὶ αὐτὸν ἀπαχθῆναι ἐκέλευσεν· ὃ δὲ χάριν εἰδέναι ὡμολόγει· πονηρῶν γὰρ δεσποτῶν τῶν τοιούτων ἀπηλλάχθαι ἐπεῖπεν καὶ παρὰ ἀγαθὸν πατέρα καὶ βασιλέα τὸν θεὸν πορεύεσθαι. καὶ ἄλλος δὲ τρίτος ἐπελθὼν κολασθῆναι προσετιμήθη». τούτοις ὁ Ἰουστῖνος εἰκότως καὶ ἀκολούθως ἃς προεμνημονεύσαμεν αὐτοῦ φωνὰς ἐπάγει λέγων· «κἀγὼ οὖν προσδοκῶ ὑπό τινος τῶν ὠνομασμένων ἐπιβουλευθῆναι» καὶ τὰ λοιπά.

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The Church History of Eusebius

Chapter XVII.--The Martyrs whom Justin mentions in his Own Work.

1. The same man, before his conflict, mentions in his first Apology ¹ others that suffered martyrdom before him, and most fittingly records the following events.

2. He writes thus: ² "A certain woman lived with a dissolute husband; she herself, too, having formerly been of the same character. But when she came to the knowledge of the teachings of Christ, she became temperate, and endeavored to persuade her husband likewise to be temperate, repeating the teachings, and declaring the punishment in eternal fire which shall come upon those who do not live temperately and conformably to right reason.

3. But he, continuing in the same excesses, alienated his wife by his conduct. For she finally, thinking it wrong to live as a wife with a man who, contrary to the law of nature and right, sought every possible means of pleasure, desired to be divorced from him.

4. And when she was earnestly entreated by her friends, who counseled her still to remain with him, on the ground that her husband might some time give hope of amendment, she did violence to herself and remained.

5. But when her husband had gone to Alexandria, and was reported to be conducting himself still worse, she--in order that she might not, by continuing in wedlock, and by sharing his board and bed, become a partaker in his lawlessness and impiety--gave him what we ³ call a bill of divorce and left him.

6. But her noble and excellent husband,--instead of rejoicing, as he ought to have done, that she had given up those actions which she had formerly recklessly committed with the servants and hirelings, when she delighted in drunkenness and in every vice, and that she desired him likewise to give them up,--when she had gone from him contrary to his wish, brought an accusation concerning her, declaring that she was a Christian.

7. And she petitioned you, the emperor, that she might be permitted first to set her affairs in order, and afterwards, after the settlement of her affairs, to make her defense against the accusation. And this you granted.

8. But he who had once been her husband, being no longer able to prosecute her, directed his attacks against a certain Ptolemaeus, ⁴ who had been her teacher in the doctrines of Christianity, and whom Urbicius ⁵ had punished. Against him he proceeded in the following manner:

9. "He persuaded a centurion who was his friend to cast Ptolemaeus into prison, and to take him and ask him this only: whether he were a Christian? And when Ptolemaeus, who was a lover of truth, and not of a deceitful and false disposition, confessed that he was a Christian, the centurion bound him and punished him for a long time in the prison.

10. And finally, when the man was brought before Urbicius he was likewise asked this question only: whether he were a Christian? And again, conscious of the benefits which he enjoyed through the teaching of Christ, he confessed his schooling in divine virtue.

11. For whoever denies that he is a Christian, either denies because he despises Christianity, or he avoids confession because he is conscious that he is unworthy and an alien to it; neither of which is the case with the true Christian.

12. And when Urbicius commanded that he be led away to punishment, a certain Lucius, ⁶ who was also a Christian, seeing judgment so unjustly passed, said to Urbicius, Why have you punished this man who is not an adulterer, nor a fornicator, nor a murderer, nor a thief, nor a robber, nor has been convicted of committing any crime at all, but has confessed that he bears the name of Christian? You do not judge, O Urbicius, in a manner befitting the Emperor Pius, or the philosophical son ⁷ of Caesar, or the sacred senate.'

13. And without making any other reply, he said to Lucius, Thou also seemest to me to be such an one.' And when Lucius said, Certainly,' he again commanded that he too should be led away to punishment. But he professed his thanks, for he was liberated, he added, from such wicked rulers and was going to the good Father and King, God. And still a third having come forward was condemned to be punished."

14. To this, Justin fittingly and consistently adds the words which we quoted above, ⁸ saying, "I, too, therefore expect to be plotted against by some one of those whom I have named," &c. ⁹