Traduction
Masquer
Histoire ecclésiastique
CHAPITRE VI : CATALOGUE DE CEUX OUI ONT ÉTÉ ÉVÊQUES DE ROME
« Après avoir fondé et édifié l'église, les bienheureux apôtres remirent à Lin la charge de la gouverner: c'est ce Lin dont Paul fait mention dans les épîtres à Timothée. Il eut pour successeur Anaclet.[2] Après lui, au troisième rang depuis les apôtres, Clément obtint l'épiscopat; il avait vu les bienheureux apôtres et les avait approchés ; leur prédication résonnait encore à ses oreilles et il avait leur tradition sous les veux. Il n'était du reste pas le seul, car beaucoup de ceux qui avaient été instruits par les apôtres, étaient alors encore vivants. [3] Sous ce Clément, un grave dissentiment naquit parmi les frères de Corinthe ; l'église de Rome leur écrivit une lettre très importante pour les réconcilier dans la paix et raviver leur foi ainsi que la tradition qu'elle avait récemment reçue des Apôtres. »1
[4] Et peu après Irénée dit : « A Clément succéda Évariste, et Alexandre à celui-ci ; ensuite fut établi 61 Xystus le sixième depuis les apôtres : après lui vint Télesphore qui a rendu glorieusement témoignage, puis Hygin, ensuite Pie, après lui Anicet, dont Soter fut le successeur, et maintenant Éleuthère qui détient la charge d'évêque, au douzième rang à partir des apôtres ;2 [5] c'est dans le même ordre et le même enseignement que la tradition des apôtres dans l'église et la prédication de la vérité sont venues jusqu'à nous. » 3
Traduction
Masquer
The Church History of Eusebius
Chapter VI.--Catalogue of the Bishops of Rome.
1. "The blessed apostles 1 having founded and established the church, entrusted the office of the episcopate to Linus. 2 Paul speaks of this Linus in his Epistles to Timothy. 3
2. Anencletus 4 succeeded him, and after Anencletus, in the third place from the apostles, Clement 5 received the episcopate. He had seen and conversed with the blessed apostles, 6 and their preaching was still sounding in his ears, and their tradition was still before his eyes. Nor was he alone in this, for many who had been taught by the apostles yet survived.
3. In the times of Clement, a serious dissension having arisen among the brethren in Corinth, 7 the church of Rome sent a most suitable letter to the Corinthians, 8 reconciling them in peace, renewing their faith, and proclaiming 9 the doctrine lately received from the apostles." 10
4. A little farther on he says: 11
"Evarestus 12 succeeded Clement, and Alexander, 13 Evarestus. Then Xystus, 14 the sixth from the apostles, was appointed. After him Telesphorus, 15 who suffered martyrdom gloriously; then Hyginus; 16 then Pius; 17 and after him Anicetus; 18 Soter 19 succeeded Anicetus; and now, in the twelfth place from the apostles, Eleutherus 20 holds the office of bishop.
5. In the same order and succession 21 the tradition in the Church and the preaching of the truth has descended from the apostles unto us."
-
Namely, Peter and Paul; but neither of them founded the Roman church. See above, Bk. II. chap. 25, note 17. ↩
-
On Linus, see above, Bk. III. chap. 2, note 1; and for the succession of the early Roman bishops, see the same note. ↩
-
2 Tim. iv. 21. ↩
-
On Anencletus, see above, Bk. III. chap. 13, note 3. ↩
-
On Clement, see above, Bk. III. chap. 4, note 19. ↩
-
Although the identification of this Clement with the one mentioned in Phil. iv. 3 is more than doubtful, yet there is no reason to doubt that, living as he did in the first century at Rome, he was personally acquainted at least with the apostles Peter and Paul. ↩
-
See the Epistle of Clement itself, especially chaps. 1 and 3. ↩
-
Upon the epistle, see above, Bk. III. chap. 16, note 1. ↩
-
aneousa ten pistin auton kai hen neosti apo ton apostolon par?dosin eilephei. The last word being in the singular, the tradition must be that received by the Roman, not by the Corinthian church (as it is commonly understood), and hence it is necessary to supply some verb which shall govern par?dosin, for it is at least very harsh to say that the Roman church, in its epistle to the Corinthians "renewed" the faith which it had received. The truth is, that both in Rufinus and in Irenaeus an extra participle is found (in the former exprimens, in the latter annuntians), and Stroth has in consequence ventured to insert the word katangelousa in his text. I have likewise, for the sake of the sense, inserted the word proclaiming, not thereby intending to imply, however, the belief that katangelousa stood in the original text of Eusebius. ↩
-
It is interesting to notice how strictly Eusebius carries out his principle of taking historical matter wherever he can find it, but of omitting all doctrinal statements and discussions. The few sentences which follow in Irenaeus are of a doctrinal nature, and in the form of a brief polemic against Gnosticism. ↩
-
Ibid. ↩
-
Upon Evarestus, see above, Bk. III. chap. 34, note 3. ↩
-
Upon Alexander, see Bk. IV. chap. 1, note 4. ↩
-
Upon Xystus, see IV. 4, note 3. ↩
-
Upon Telesphorus, see IV. 5, note 13. ↩
-
Upon Hyginus, see IV. 10, note 3. ↩
-
Upon Pius, see IV. 11, note 14. ↩
-
Upon Anicetus, see IV. 11, note 18. ↩
-
Upon Soter, see IV. 19, note 2. ↩
-
Upon Eleutherus, see Introd. to this book, note 2. ↩
-
diadoche, which is confirmed by the ancient Latin version of Irenaeus (successione), and which is adopted by Zimmermann, Heinichen, and Valesius (in his notes). All the mss. of Eusebius, followed by the majority of the editors, read didache, which, however, makes no sense in this place, and can hardly have been the original reading (see Heinichen's note in loco). ↩