WEBVTT 00:19.690 --> 00:23.030 CHURCH HISTORY by EUSEBIUS OF CAESAREA. 00:23.350 --> 00:25.530 Translated by Arthur Cushman McGiffert. 00:25.530 --> 00:29.450 Book 2, Part 2, Chapters 10-17. 00:31.390 --> 00:32.210 Chapter 10. 00:32.770 --> 00:36.610 Agrippa, who was also called Herod, having persecuted the apostles, 00:37.150 --> 00:39.870 immediately experienced the divine vengeance. 00:42.020 --> 00:46.390 The consequences of the king's undertaking against the apostles were not long 00:46.390 --> 00:51.010 deferred, but the avenging minister of divine justice overtook him immediately 00:51.010 --> 00:54.750 after his plots against them, as the Book of Acts records. 00:55.570 --> 01:00.450 For when he had journeyed to Caesarea, on a notable feast day, clothed in a 01:00.450 --> 01:04.830 splendid and royal garment, he delivered an address to the people from a lofty 01:04.830 --> 01:06.450 throne in front of the tribunal. 01:07.050 --> 01:11.130 And when all the multitude applauded the speech, as if it were the voice of a god 01:11.130 --> 01:15.570 and not of a man, the scripture relates that an angel of the Lord smote him, 01:15.790 --> 01:18.550 and being eaten of worms he gave up the ghost. 01:20.250 --> 01:25.070 We must admire the account of Josephus for its agreement with the divine scriptures 01:25.070 --> 01:29.790 in regard to this wonderful event, for he clearly bears witness to the truth 01:29.790 --> 01:33.890 in the 19th book of his Antiquities, where he relates the wonder in the 01:33.890 --> 01:34.770 following words. 01:36.450 --> 01:40.550 He had completed the third year of his reign over all Judea when he came to 01:40.550 --> 01:43.610 Caesarea, which was formerly called Stratos Tower. 01:44.370 --> 01:48.530 There he held games in honor of Caesar, learning that this was a festival observed 01:48.530 --> 01:50.210 by the people in behalf of Caesar's safety. 01:50.690 --> 01:54.190 At this festival was collected a great multitude of the highest and most 01:54.190 --> 01:55.710 honorable men in the province. 01:57.750 --> 02:02.050 And on the second day of the games he proceeded to the theater at break of day, 02:02.470 --> 02:05.710 wearing a garment entirely of silver and of wonderful texture. 02:06.450 --> 02:10.790 And there the silver, illuminated by the reflection of the sun's earliest rays, 02:11.290 --> 02:16.110 shone marvelously, gleaming so brightly as to produce a sort of fear and terror in 02:16.110 --> 02:17.330 those who gazed upon him. 02:18.950 --> 02:23.430 And immediately his flatterers, some from one place, others from another, 02:23.850 --> 02:28.150 raised up their voices in a way that was not for his good, calling him a god, 02:28.370 --> 02:33.010 and saying, Be thou merciful, if up to this time we have feared thee as a man, 02:33.330 --> 02:37.010 henceforth we confess that thou art superior to the nature of mortals. 02:39.070 --> 02:43.650 The king did not rebuke them, nor did he reject their impious flattery. 02:43.650 --> 02:48.230 But after a little, looking up, he saw an angel sitting above his head. 02:48.570 --> 02:52.350 And this he quickly perceived would be the cause of evil as it had once been the 02:52.350 --> 02:53.330 cause of good fortune. 02:53.710 --> 02:56.250 And he was smitten with a heart-piercing pain. 02:57.850 --> 03:02.390 And straightway distress, beginning with the greatest violence, seized his bowels. 03:02.810 --> 03:07.390 And looking upon his friends he said, I, your god, am now commanded to depart 03:07.390 --> 03:08.090 this life. 03:08.090 --> 03:12.690 And fate thus on the spot disproves the lying words you have just uttered 03:12.690 --> 03:13.510 concerning me. 03:14.050 --> 03:17.890 He who has been called immortal by you is now led away to die. 03:18.590 --> 03:22.010 But our destiny must be accepted as God has determined it. 03:22.430 --> 03:27.310 For we have passed our life by no means ingloriously but in that splendor which is 03:27.310 --> 03:28.270 pronounced happiness. 03:29.870 --> 03:33.510 And when he had said this he labored with an increase of pain. 03:33.510 --> 03:38.510 He was accordingly carried in haste to the palace while the report spread among all 03:38.510 --> 03:41.110 that the king would undoubtedly soon die. 03:41.790 --> 03:46.210 But the multitude, with their wives and children, sitting on sackcloth after the 03:46.210 --> 03:49.710 custom of their fathers, implored God in behalf of the king. 03:49.970 --> 03:52.970 And every place was filled with lamentation and tears. 03:53.530 --> 03:58.490 And the king, as he lay in a lofty chamber and saw them below lying prostrate on the 03:58.490 --> 04:01.430 ground, could not refrain from weeping himself. 04:03.090 --> 04:08.270 And after suffering continually for five days with pain in the bowels, he departed 04:08.270 --> 04:12.730 this life, in the fifty-fourth year of his age and in the seventh year of his reign. 04:13.650 --> 04:18.570 Four years he ruled under the emperor Caius, three of them over the tetrarchy of 04:18.570 --> 04:23.210 Philip, to which was added in the fourth year that of Herod, and three years during 04:23.210 --> 04:24.930 the reign of the emperor Claudius. 04:26.410 --> 04:30.750 I marvel greatly that Josephus, in these things as well as in others, 04:31.070 --> 04:33.450 so fully agrees with the divine scriptures. 04:34.150 --> 04:38.310 But if there should seem to anyone to be a disagreement in respect to the name of the 04:38.310 --> 04:42.570 king, the time at least and the events show that the same person is meant, 04:42.990 --> 04:47.610 whether the change of name has been caused by the error of a copyist, or is due to 04:47.610 --> 04:50.770 the fact that he, like so many, bore two names. 04:53.070 --> 05:00.810 Chapter 11 The Impostor Theodos and His Followers Luke, in the Acts, introduces 05:00.810 --> 05:05.190 Gamaliel as saying, at the consultation which was held concerning the apostles, 05:05.730 --> 05:10.530 that at the time referred to, rose up Theodos boasting himself to be somebody, 05:10.770 --> 05:14.630 who was slain, and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered. 05:15.430 --> 05:18.950 Let us therefore add the account of Josephus concerning this man. 05:18.950 --> 05:23.270 He records in the work mentioned just above the following circumstances. 05:48.950 --> 05:52.710 But sent a troop of horsemen against them, who fell upon them unexpectedly, 05:53.010 --> 05:57.150 and slew many of them, and took many others alive, while they took Theodos 05:57.150 --> 06:00.790 himself captive, and cut off his head, and carried it to Jerusalem. 06:01.630 --> 06:05.770 Besides this he also makes mention of the famine, which took place in the reign of 06:05.770 --> 06:07.850 Claudius, in the following words. 06:09.910 --> 06:16.830 Chapter 12 Helen, the Queen of the Osroenians And at this time it came to 06:16.830 --> 06:21.150 pass that the great famine took place in Judea, in which the Queen Helen, 06:21.470 --> 06:26.170 having purchased grain from Egypt with large sums, distributed it to the needy. 06:27.390 --> 06:31.590 You will find this statement also in agreement with the Acts of the Apostles, 06:31.830 --> 06:36.150 where it is said that the disciples at Antioch, each according to his ability, 06:36.410 --> 06:41.030 determined to send relief to the brethren that dwelt in Judea, which also they did, 06:41.250 --> 06:44.470 and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Paul. 06:46.430 --> 06:50.770 But splendid monuments of this Helen, of whom the historian has made mention, 06:51.150 --> 06:55.970 are still shown in the suburbs of the city which is now called Elea, but she is said 06:55.970 --> 06:57.890 to have been Queen of the Adiabene. 07:00.670 --> 07:08.250 Chapter 13 Simon Magus But faith in our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ having now 07:08.250 --> 07:13.130 been diffused among all men, the enemy of man's salvation contrived a plan for 07:13.130 --> 07:15.170 seizing the imperial city for himself. 07:16.070 --> 07:20.850 He conducted thither the above-mentioned Simon, aided him in his deceitful arts, 07:21.070 --> 07:24.990 led many of the inhabitants of Rome astray, and brought them into his own 07:24.990 --> 07:25.430 power. 07:27.110 --> 07:31.650 This is stated by Justin, one of our distinguished writers who lived not long 07:31.650 --> 07:33.210 after the time of the Apostles. 07:33.750 --> 07:36.210 Concerning him I shall speak in the proper place. 07:36.670 --> 07:40.530 Take and read the work of this man, who in the first apology, which he 07:40.530 --> 07:44.290 addressed to Antonine in behalf of our religion, writes as follows. 07:45.750 --> 07:50.370 And after the ascension of the Lord into heaven, the demons put forward certain men 07:50.370 --> 07:55.050 who said they were gods, and who were not only allowed by you to go unpersecuted, 07:55.310 --> 07:57.310 but were even deemed worthy of honors. 07:57.830 --> 08:02.710 One of them was Simon, a Samaritan of the village of Ghito, who, in the reign of 08:02.710 --> 08:07.090 Claudius Caesar, performed in your imperial city some mighty acts of magic by 08:07.090 --> 08:12.070 the art of demons operating in him, and was considered a god, and as a god was 08:12.070 --> 08:16.550 honored by you with a statue, which was erected in the river Tiber, between the 08:16.550 --> 08:21.490 two bridges, and bore this inscription in the Latin tongue, Simoni Deus Sancto, 08:21.810 --> 08:24.010 that is, to Simon the Holy God. 08:25.950 --> 08:29.510 And nearly all the Samaritans, and a few even of other nations, 08:29.670 --> 08:31.710 confess and worship him as the first god. 08:31.910 --> 08:36.210 And there went around with him at that time a certain Helena, who had formerly 08:36.210 --> 08:40.930 been a prostitute entire of Phoenicia, and her they called the first idea that 08:40.930 --> 08:41.990 proceeded from him. 08:43.770 --> 08:48.310 Justin relates these things, and Irenaeus also agrees with him in the first book of 08:48.310 --> 08:52.970 his work, Against Heresies, where he gives an account of the man and of his profane 08:52.970 --> 08:54.010 and impure teaching. 08:54.530 --> 08:58.870 It would be superfluous to quote his account here, for it is possible for those 08:58.870 --> 09:02.690 who wish to know the origin and the lives of the false doctrines of each of the 09:02.690 --> 09:06.590 heresiarchs that have followed him, as well as the customs practiced by them 09:06.590 --> 09:10.930 all, to find them treated at length in the above-mentioned works of Irenaeus. 09:12.910 --> 09:16.250 We have understood that Simon was the author of all heresy. 09:16.770 --> 09:20.530 From his time down to the present, those who have followed his heresy have 09:20.530 --> 09:24.910 feigned the sober philosophy of the Christians, which is celebrated among all 09:24.910 --> 09:26.670 on account of its purity of life. 09:27.010 --> 09:31.170 But they nevertheless have embraced again the superstitions of idols, which they 09:31.170 --> 09:35.530 seem to have renounced, and they fall down before pictures and images of Simon 09:35.530 --> 09:40.310 himself and of the above-mentioned Helena, who was with him, and they venture to 09:40.310 --> 09:43.490 worship them with incense and sacrifices and libations. 09:45.650 --> 09:49.990 But those matters which they keep more secret than these, in regard to which they 09:49.990 --> 09:54.450 say that one upon first hearing them would be astonished, and, to use one of the 09:54.450 --> 09:58.930 written phrases in vogue among them, would be confounded, are in truth full of 09:58.930 --> 10:04.310 amazing things, and of madness and folly, being of such a sort that it is impossible 10:04.310 --> 10:09.030 not only to commit them to writing, but also for modest men even to utter them 10:09.030 --> 10:12.350 with the lips on account of their excessive baseness and lewdness. 10:14.430 --> 10:19.830 For whatever could be conceived of viler than the vilest thing, all that has been 10:19.830 --> 10:24.430 outdone by this most abominable sect, which is composed of those who make a 10:24.430 --> 10:29.170 sport of those miserable females that are literally overwhelmed with all kinds of 10:29.170 --> 10:29.730 vices. 10:32.590 --> 10:39.290 Chapter Fourteen The Preaching of the Apostle Peter in Rome The evil power, 10:39.510 --> 10:43.910 who hates all that is good and plots against the salvation of men, constituted 10:43.910 --> 10:48.610 Simon at that time the father and author of such wickedness, as if to make him a 10:48.610 --> 10:52.470 mighty antagonist of the great inspired apostles of our Saviour. 10:54.050 --> 10:58.410 For that divine and celestial grace which cooperates with its ministers by their 10:58.410 --> 11:02.410 appearance and presence quickly extinguished the kindled flame of evil, 11:02.770 --> 11:07.010 and humbled and cast down through them every high thing that exalted itself 11:07.010 --> 11:08.510 against the knowledge of God. 11:10.610 --> 11:15.190 Wherefore neither the conspiracy of Simon nor that of any of the others who arose at 11:15.190 --> 11:18.450 that period could accomplish anything in those apostolic times. 11:18.910 --> 11:23.110 For everything was conquered and subdued by the splendors of the truth and by the 11:23.110 --> 11:27.410 divine word itself, which had but lately begun to shine from heaven upon men, 11:27.870 --> 11:31.950 and which was then flourishing upon earth and dwelling in the apostles themselves. 11:33.770 --> 11:38.330 Immediately the above-mentioned imposter was smitten in the eyes of his mind by a 11:38.330 --> 11:43.270 divine and miraculous flash, and after the evil deeds done by him had first been 11:43.270 --> 11:47.910 detected by the apostle Peter in Judea, he fled and made a great journey across 11:47.910 --> 11:52.070 the sea from the east to the west, thinking that only thus could he live 11:52.070 --> 11:53.290 according to his mind. 11:55.090 --> 11:59.210 And coming to the city of Rome, by the mighty cooperation of that power 11:59.210 --> 12:03.650 which was lying in wait there, he was in a short time so successful in 12:03.650 --> 12:08.530 his undertaking that those who dwelt there honored him as a god by the erection of a 12:08.530 --> 12:08.890 statue. 12:10.370 --> 12:15.110 But this did not last long, for immediately during the reign of Claudius, 12:15.510 --> 12:19.210 the all-good and gracious Providence, which watches over all things, 12:19.550 --> 12:24.210 led Peter, the strongest and greatest of the apostles, and the one who on account 12:24.210 --> 12:28.650 of his virtue was the speaker for all the others, to Rome against this great 12:28.650 --> 12:29.730 corrupter of life. 12:31.150 --> 12:36.250 He like a noble commander of God, clad in divine armor, carried the costly 12:36.250 --> 12:39.650 merchandise of the light of the understanding from the east to those who 12:39.650 --> 12:44.030 dwelt in the west, proclaiming the light itself, and the word which brings 12:44.030 --> 12:47.150 salvation to souls, and preaching the kingdom of heaven. 12:49.290 --> 12:56.170 Chapter 15 The Gospel According to Mark And thus when the divine word had made its 12:56.170 --> 13:00.450 home among them, the power of Simon was quenched and immediately destroyed, 13:00.730 --> 13:02.150 together with the man himself. 13:02.790 --> 13:07.190 And so greatly did the splendor of piety illumine the minds of Peter's hearers, 13:07.450 --> 13:11.530 that they were not satisfied with hearing once only, and were not content with the 13:11.530 --> 13:15.750 unwritten teachings of the divine gospel, but with all sorts of entreaties they 13:15.750 --> 13:20.230 besought Mark, a follower of Peter, and the one whose gospel is extant, 13:20.550 --> 13:23.690 that he would leave them a written monument of the doctrine which had been 13:23.690 --> 13:25.430 orally communicated to them. 13:26.110 --> 13:29.770 Nor did they cease until they had prevailed with the man, and had thus 13:29.770 --> 13:33.350 become the occasion of the written gospel which bears the name of Mark. 13:35.370 --> 13:39.210 And they say that Peter, when he had learned, through a revelation of the 13:39.210 --> 13:43.390 Spirit, of that which had been done, was pleased with the zeal of the men, 13:43.690 --> 13:47.390 and that the work obtained the sanction of his authority for the purpose of being 13:47.390 --> 13:48.370 used in the churches. 13:48.950 --> 13:52.410 Clement, in the eighth book of his Hypotipices, gives this account, 13:52.770 --> 13:56.250 and with him agrees the bishop of Hierapolis named Poppius. 13:56.950 --> 14:00.930 And Peter makes mention of Mark in his first epistle which they say that he wrote 14:00.930 --> 14:05.930 in Rome itself, as is indicated by him when he calls the city by a figure 14:05.930 --> 14:11.010 Babylon, as he does in the following words, The church that is at Babylon, 14:11.390 --> 14:15.790 elected together with you, saluteth you, and so does Marcus my son. 14:18.570 --> 14:19.690 Chapter 16. 14:20.110 --> 14:23.990 Mark first proclaimed Christianity to the inhabitants of Egypt. 14:25.410 --> 14:29.570 And they say that this Mark was the first that was sent to Egypt, and that he 14:29.570 --> 14:33.410 proclaimed the gospel which he had written, and first established churches in 14:33.410 --> 14:34.010 Alexandria. 14:35.510 --> 14:39.470 And the multitude of believers, both men and women, that were collected 14:39.470 --> 14:43.870 there at the very outset, and lived lives of the most philosophical and excessive 14:43.870 --> 14:48.650 asceticism, was so great that Philo thought it worthwhile to describe their 14:48.650 --> 14:52.450 pursuits, their meetings, their entertainments, and their whole manner of 14:52.450 --> 14:52.830 life. 14:55.090 --> 14:56.450 Chapter 17. 14:57.010 --> 14:59.390 Philo's account of the ascetics of Egypt. 15:00.890 --> 15:05.230 It is also said that Philo, in the reign of Claudius, became acquainted at Rome 15:05.230 --> 15:07.610 with Peter, who was then preaching there. 15:08.110 --> 15:11.650 Nor is this indeed improbable, for the work of which we have spoken, 15:11.930 --> 15:16.450 and which was composed by him some years later, clearly contains those rules of the 15:16.450 --> 15:19.250 church which are even to this day observed among us. 15:20.430 --> 15:24.670 And since he describes as accurately as possible the life of our ascetics, 15:25.030 --> 15:29.530 it is clear that he not only knew, but that he also approved, while he 15:29.530 --> 15:34.590 venerated and extolled, the apostolic men of his time, who were as it seems of the 15:34.590 --> 15:38.990 Hebrew race, and hence observed, after the manner of the Jews, the most of 15:38.990 --> 15:40.410 the customs of the ancients. 15:41.930 --> 15:47.290 In the work to which he gave the title, On a Contemplative Life or On Suppliants, 15:47.730 --> 15:51.690 after affirming in the first place that he will add to those things which he is about 15:51.690 --> 15:56.470 to relate nothing contrary to truth or of his own invention, he says that these men 15:56.470 --> 16:00.730 were called Therapeuti, and the women that were with them Therapeutrides. 16:01.490 --> 16:05.750 He then adds the reasons for such a name, explaining it from the fact that they 16:05.750 --> 16:10.130 applied remedies and healed the souls of those who came to them by relieving them 16:10.130 --> 16:14.310 like physicians of evil passions, or from the fact that they served and 16:14.310 --> 16:16.850 worshipped the deity in purity and sincerity. 16:18.910 --> 16:23.990 Whether Philo himself gave them this name, employing an epithet well-suited to their 16:23.990 --> 16:28.510 mode of life, or whether the first of them really called themselves so in the 16:28.510 --> 16:33.110 beginning, since the name of Christians was not yet everywhere known, we need not 16:33.110 --> 16:33.990 discuss here. 16:35.710 --> 16:39.950 He bears witness, however, that first of all they renounce their property. 16:40.610 --> 16:45.210 When they begin the philosophical mode of life, he says, they give up their goods to 16:45.210 --> 16:50.150 their relatives and then, renouncing all the cares of life, they go forth beyond 16:50.150 --> 16:54.790 the walls and dwell in lonely fields and gardens, knowing well that intercourse 16:54.790 --> 16:58.250 with people of a different character is unprofitable and harmful. 16:58.710 --> 17:03.130 They did this at that time, as seems probable, under the influence of a 17:03.130 --> 17:07.850 spirited and ardent faith, practicing in emulation the prophet's mode of life. 17:09.630 --> 17:13.970 For in the Acts of the Apostles, a work universally acknowledged as 17:13.970 --> 17:18.430 authentic, it is recorded that all the companions of the apostles sold their 17:18.430 --> 17:22.250 possessions and their property and distributed to all according to the 17:22.250 --> 17:26.050 necessity of each one, so that no one among them was in want. 17:26.730 --> 17:32.090 For as many as were possessors of lands or houses, as the account says, sold them and 17:32.090 --> 17:36.190 brought the prices of the things that were sold and laid them at the apostles' feet, 17:36.570 --> 17:40.570 so that distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. 17:42.530 --> 17:46.750 Philo bears witness to facts very much like those here described and then adds 17:46.750 --> 17:47.750 the following account. 17:48.390 --> 17:53.070 Everywhere in the world is this race found, for it was fitting that both Greek 17:53.070 --> 17:56.030 and barbarian should share in what is perfectly good. 17:56.630 --> 18:01.110 But the race particularly abounds in Egypt, in each of its so-called gnomes, 18:01.450 --> 18:03.270 and especially about Alexandria. 18:04.790 --> 18:09.630 The best men from every quarter emigrate, as if to a colony of the Therapeutes' 18:09.850 --> 18:14.890 fatherland, to a certain very suitable spot which lies above the Lake Maria upon 18:14.890 --> 18:19.930 a low hill excellently situated on account of its security and the mildness of the 18:19.930 --> 18:20.430 atmosphere. 18:22.110 --> 18:26.410 And then a little further on, after describing the kind of houses which they 18:26.410 --> 18:31.110 had, he speaks as follows concerning their churches, which were scattered about here 18:31.110 --> 18:31.650 and there. 18:32.150 --> 18:36.830 In each house there is a sacred apartment which is called a sanctuary and monastery, 18:37.450 --> 18:41.510 where, quite alone, they perform the mysteries of the religious life. 18:41.970 --> 18:46.550 They bring nothing into it, neither drink nor food, nor any of the other things 18:46.550 --> 18:51.310 which contribute to the necessities of the body, but only the laws and the inspired 18:51.310 --> 18:55.890 oracles of the prophets, and hymns and such other things as augment and make 18:55.890 --> 18:57.530 perfect their knowledge and piety. 19:00.190 --> 19:05.050 And after some other matters, he says, the whole interval from morning to evening 19:05.050 --> 19:09.130 is for them a time of exercise, for they read the holy scriptures, 19:09.430 --> 19:13.010 and explain the philosophy of their fathers in an allegorical manner, 19:13.430 --> 19:17.510 regarding the written words as symbols of hidden truth which is communicated in 19:17.510 --> 19:18.590 obscure figures. 19:20.330 --> 19:24.510 They have also writings of ancient men, who were the founders of their sect, 19:24.850 --> 19:27.670 and who left many monuments of the allegorical method. 19:28.350 --> 19:31.450 These they use as models, and imitate their principles. 19:33.790 --> 19:37.850 These things seem to have been stated by a man who had heard them expounding their 19:37.850 --> 19:38.630 sacred writings. 19:39.170 --> 19:43.510 But it is highly probable that the works of the ancients, which he says they had, 19:43.830 --> 19:48.570 were the gospels, and the writings of the apostles, and probably some expositions of 19:48.570 --> 19:52.470 the ancient prophets, such as are contained in the epistle to the Hebrews, 19:52.830 --> 19:54.930 and in many others of Paul's epistles. 19:57.050 --> 20:01.250 Then again he writes as follows concerning the new psalms which they composed, 20:01.630 --> 20:06.250 so that they not only spend their time in meditation, but they also compose songs 20:06.250 --> 20:11.390 and hymns to God, in every variety of meter and melody, though they divide them, 20:11.490 --> 20:14.430 of course, into measures of more than common solemnity. 20:16.130 --> 20:20.970 The same book contains an account of many other things, but it seemed necessary to 20:20.970 --> 20:25.210 select those facts which exhibit the characteristics of the ecclesiastical mode 20:25.210 --> 20:25.730 of life. 20:26.990 --> 20:31.810 But if any one thinks that what has been said is not peculiar to the gospel polity, 20:32.210 --> 20:36.450 but that it can be applied to others besides those mentioned, let him be 20:36.450 --> 20:40.770 convinced by the subsequent words of the same author, in which, if he is 20:40.770 --> 20:44.730 unprejudiced, he will find undisputed testimony on this subject. 20:45.190 --> 20:47.010 Philo's words are as follows. 20:48.890 --> 20:53.990 Having laid down temperance as a sort of foundation in the soul, they build upon it 20:53.990 --> 20:54.930 the other virtues. 20:55.590 --> 21:00.510 None of them may take food or drink before sunset, since they regard philosophizing 21:00.510 --> 21:04.650 as a work worthy of the light, but attention to the wants of the body as 21:04.650 --> 21:09.510 proper only in the darkness, and therefore assign the day to the former, but to the 21:09.510 --> 21:11.410 latter a small portion of the night. 21:13.390 --> 21:18.270 But some, in whom a great desire for knowledge dwells, forget to take food for 21:18.270 --> 21:23.030 three days, and some are so delighted and feast so luxuriously upon wisdom, 21:23.430 --> 21:27.490 which furnishes doctrines richly and without stint, that they abstain even 21:27.490 --> 21:33.290 twice as long as this, and are accustomed, after six days, scarcely to take necessary 21:33.290 --> 21:33.730 food. 21:34.320 --> 21:38.950 These statements of Philo we regard as referring clearly and indisputably to 21:38.950 --> 21:40.330 those of our communion. 21:42.440 --> 21:47.030 But if after these things any one still obstinately persists in denying the 21:47.030 --> 21:51.350 reference, let him renounce his incredulity and be convinced by yet more 21:51.350 --> 21:55.670 striking examples, which are to be found nowhere else than in the evangelical 21:55.670 --> 21:57.170 religion of the Christians. 21:58.870 --> 22:02.950 For they say that there were women also with those of whom we are speaking, 22:03.250 --> 22:07.570 and that the most of them were aged virgins who had preserved their chastity 22:07.570 --> 22:12.210 not out of necessity, as some of the priestesses among the Greeks, but rather 22:12.210 --> 22:17.070 by their own choice, through zeal and a desire for wisdom, and that in their 22:17.070 --> 22:21.110 earnest desire to live with it as their companion they paid no attention to the 22:21.110 --> 22:26.830 pleasures of the body, seeking not mortal but immortal progeny, which only the pious 22:26.830 --> 22:28.890 soul is able to bear of itself. 22:30.970 --> 22:35.890 Then after a little, he adds still more emphatically, they expound the sacred 22:35.890 --> 22:39.010 scriptures figuratively by means of allegories. 22:39.490 --> 22:44.370 For the whole law seems to these men to resemble a living organism, of which the 22:44.370 --> 22:48.550 spoken words constitute the body, while the hidden sense stored up within 22:48.550 --> 22:50.490 the words constitutes the soul. 22:51.410 --> 22:55.370 This hidden meaning has first been particularly studied by this sect, 22:55.810 --> 23:00.750 which sees, revealed as in a mirror of names, the surpassing beauties of the 23:00.750 --> 23:01.190 thoughts. 23:03.290 --> 23:07.350 Why is it necessary to add to these things their meetings, and the respective 23:07.350 --> 23:11.630 occupations of the men and of the women during those meetings, and the practices 23:11.630 --> 23:16.150 which are even to the present day habitually observed by us, especially such 23:16.150 --> 23:19.410 as we are accustomed to observe at the feast of the Saviour's Passion, 23:19.910 --> 23:23.130 with fasting and night-watching and study of the Divine Word? 23:24.930 --> 23:29.830 These things the above-mentioned author has related in his own work, indicating a 23:29.830 --> 23:34.370 mode of life which has been preserved to the present time by us alone, recording 23:34.370 --> 23:39.250 especially the vigils kept in connection with the great festival, and the exercises 23:39.250 --> 23:43.730 performed during those vigils, and the hymns customarily recited by us, 23:44.050 --> 23:49.030 and describing how, while one sings regularly in time, the others listen in 23:49.030 --> 23:54.030 silence, and join in chanting only the close of the hymns, and how on the days 23:54.030 --> 23:58.750 referred to they sleep on the ground on beds of straw, and to use his own words, 23:59.090 --> 24:03.430 taste no wine at all, nor any flesh, but water is their only drink, 24:03.670 --> 24:06.270 and the relish with their bread is salt and hyssop. 24:08.350 --> 24:12.970 In addition to this, Philo describes the order of dignities which exists among 24:12.970 --> 24:17.470 those who carry on the services of the Church, mentioning the diaconate and the 24:17.470 --> 24:20.810 office of bishop, which takes the precedence over all the others, 24:21.350 --> 24:25.910 but whosoever desires a more accurate knowledge of these matters may get it from 24:25.910 --> 24:27.370 the history already cited. 24:28.870 --> 24:33.390 But that Philo, when he wrote these things, had in view the first heralds of 24:33.390 --> 24:37.630 the gospel, and the customs handed down from the beginning by the apostles is 24:37.630 --> 24:38.770 clear to everyone.