Edition
ausblenden
De mortibus persecutorum
2.
[1] Extremis temporibus Tiberii Caesaris, ut scriptum legimus, dominus noster Iesus Christus a Iudaeis cruciatus est post diem decimum Kalendas Apriles duobus Geminis consulibus. [2] Cum resurrexisset die tertio, congregavit discipulos, quos metus comprehensionis eius in fugam verterat, et diebus XL cum his commoratus aperuit corda eorum et scripturas interpretatus est, quae usque ad id tempus obscurae atque involutae fuerunt, ordinavitque eos et instruxit ad praedicationem dogmatis ac doctrinae suae disponens testamenti novi sollemnem disciplinam. [3] Quo officio repleto circumvolvit eum procella nubis et subtractum oculis hominum rapuit in caelum. [4] Et inde discipuli, qui tunc erant undecim, adsumptis in locum Iudae proditoris Mathia ‹et› Paulo dispersi sunt per omnem terram ad evangelium praedicandum, sicut illis magister dominus imperaverat. Et per annos XXV usque ad principium Neroniani imperii per omnes provincias et civitates ecclesiae fundamenta miserunt. [5] Cumque iam Nero imperaret, Petrus Romam advenit et editis quibusdam miraculis, quae virtute ipsius dei data sibi ab eo potestate faciebat, convertit multos ad iustitiam deoque templum fidele ac stabile collocavit. [6] Qua re ad Neronem delata cum animadverteret non modo Romae, sed ubique cotidie magnam multitudinem deficere a cultu idolorum et ad religionem novam damnata vetusta transire, ut erat execrabilis ac nocens tyrannus, prosilivit ad excidendum caeleste templum delendamque iustitiam et primus omnium persecutus dei servos Petrum cruci adfixit, Paulum interfecit. [7] Nec tamen habuit impune. Respexit enim deus vexationem populi sui. Deiectus itaque fastigio imperii ac devolutus a summo tyrannus impotens nusquam repente comparuit, ut ne sepulturae quidem locus in terra tam malae bestiae appareret. [8] Unde illum quidam deliri credunt esse translatum ac vivum reservatum, Sibylla dicente matricidam profugum a finibus ‹terrae› esse venturum, ut quia primus persecutus est, idem etiam novissimus persequatur et antichristi praecedat adventum, [9] ‹quod ne›fas est crede re; sicut duos prophetas vivos esse translatos in ultima ‹tempora› ante imperium Christi sanctum ac sempiternum, cum descendere coeperit, ‹quidam sanctor›um pronuntiant, eodem modo etiam Neronem venturum putant, ‹ut praecu›rsor diaboli ac praevius sit venientis ad vastationem terrae et huma‹ni ge›neris eversionem.
Übersetzung
ausblenden
Of the Manner in Which the Persecutors Died
Chap. II.
In the latter days of the Emperor Tiberius, in the consulship of Ruberius Geminus and Fufius Geminus, and on the tenth of the kalends of April, 1 as I find it written, Jesus Christ was crucified by the Jews. 2 After He had risen again on the third day, He gathered together His apostles, whom fear, at the time of His being laid hold on, had put to flight; and while He sojourned with them forty days, He opened their hearts, interpreted to them the Scripture, which hitherto had been wrapped up in obscurity, ordained and fitted them for the preaching of His word and doctrine, and regulated all things concerning the institutions of the New Testament; and this having been accomplished, a cloud and whirlwind enveloped Him, and caught Him up from the sight of men unto heaven.
His apostles were at that time eleven in number, to whom were added Matthias, in the room of the traitor Judas, and afterwards Paul. Then were they dispersed throughout all the earth to preach the Gospel, as the Lord their Master had commanded them; and during twenty-five years, and until the beginning of the reign of the Emperor Nero, they occupied themselves in laying the foundations of the Church in every province and city. And while Nero reigned, the Apostle Peter came to Rome, and, through the power of God committed unto him, wrought certain miracles, and, by turning many to the true religion, built up a faithful and stedfast temple unto the Lord. When Nero heard of those things, and observed that not only in Rome, but in every other place, a great multitude revolted daily from the worship of idols, and, condemning their old ways, went over to the new religion, he, an execrable and pernicious tyrant, sprung forward to raze the heavenly temple and destroy the true faith. He it was who first persecuted the servants of God; he crucified Peter, and slew Paul: 3 nor did he escape with impunity; for God looked on the affliction of His people; and therefore the tyrant, bereaved of authority, and precipitated from the height of empire, suddenly disappeared, and even the burial-place of that noxious wild beast was nowhere to be seen. This has led some persons of extravagant imagination to suppose that, having been conveyed to a distant region, he is still reserved alive; and to him they apply the Sibylline verses concerning
"The fugitive, who slew his own mother, being to come from the uttermost boundaries of the earth;"
as if he who was the first should also be the last persecutor, and thus prove the forerunner of Antichrist! But we ought not to believe those who, affirming that the two prophets Enoch and Elias have been translated into some remote place that they might attend our Lord when He shall come to judgment, 4 also fancy that Nero is to appear hereafter as the forerunner of the devil, when he shall come to lay waste the earth and overthrow mankind.