WEBVTT

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BOOK NINE.

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PART TWO.

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CHAPTERS NINE THROUGH ELEVEN.

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CHAPTER NINE.

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THE VICTORY OF THE GOD-BELOVED EMPERORS.

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Thus when Constantine, whom we have
already mentioned as an emperor,

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born of an emperor, a pious son of a most
pious and prudent father, and Licinius,

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second to him, two god-beloved emperors,
honoured alike for their intelligence and

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their piety, being stirred up against the
two most impious tyrants by God,

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the absolute ruler and saviour of all,
engaged in formal war against them,

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with God as their ally, Maxentius was
defeated at Rome by Constantine in a

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remarkable manner, and the tyrant of the
east did not long survive him,

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but met a most shameful death at the hand
of Licinius, who had not yet become

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insane.

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Constantine, who was the superior both in
dignity and imperial rank, first took

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compassion upon those who were oppressed
at Rome, and having invoked in prayer the

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God of heaven, and his word, and Jesus
Christ himself, the saviour of all,

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as his aid, advanced with his whole army,
proposing to restore to the Romans their

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ancestral liberty.

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But Maxentius, putting confidence rather
in the arts of sorcery than in the

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devotion of his subjects, did not dare to
go forth beyond the gates of the city,

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but fortified every place and district and
town which was enslaved by him,

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in the neighborhood of Rome and in all
Italy, with an immense multitude of troops

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and with innumerable bands of soldiers.

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But the emperor, relying upon the
assistance of God, attacked the first,

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second, and third army of the tyrant,
and conquered them all, and having

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advanced through the greater part of
Italy, was already very near Rome.

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Then, that he might not be compelled to
wage war with the Romans for the sake of

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the tyrant, God himself drew the latter,
as if bound in chains, some distance

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without the gates, and confirmed those
threats against the impious which had been

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anciently inscribed in sacred books,
disbelieved indeed by most as a myth,

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but believed by the faithful, confirmed
them in a word, by the deed itself to all,

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both believers and unbelievers,
that saw the wonder with their eyes.

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Thus, as in the time of Moses himself and
of the ancient God-beloved race of

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Hebrews, he cast Pharaoh's chariots and
host into the sea, and overwhelmed his

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chosen charioteers in the Red Sea,
and covered them with the flood.

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In the same way, Maxentius also,
with his soldiers and bodyguards,

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went down into the depths like a stone,
when he fled before the power of God which

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was with Constantine, and passed through
the river which lay in his way,

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over which he had formed a bridge with
boats, and thus prepared the means of his

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own destruction.

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In regard to him one might say,
he digged a pit and opened it and fell

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into the hole which he had made,
his labor shall turn upon his own head,

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and his unrighteousness shall fall upon
his own crown.

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Thus then, the bridge over the river being
broken, the passageway settled down,

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and immediately the boats with the men
disappeared in the depths, and that most

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impious one himself first of all,
then the shield-bearers who were with him,

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as the divine oracles foretold,
sank like lead in the mighty waters,

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so that those who obtained the victory
from God, if not in words, at least in

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deeds, like Moses the great servant of
God, and those who were with him,

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fittingly sang as they had sung against
the impious tyrant of old, saying,

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Let us sing unto the Lord, for he hath
gloriously glorified himself.

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Horse and rider hath he thrown into the
sea, a helper and a protector hath he

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become for my salvation.

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And, Who is like unto thee, O Lord,
among the gods?

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Who is like unto thee, glorious in
holiness, marvellous in glory,

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doing wonders?

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These and the like praises Constantine,
by his very deeds, sang to God,

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the universal ruler and author of his
victory, as he entered Rome in triumph.

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Immediately all the members of the senate
and the other most celebrated men,

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with the whole Roman people, together with
children and women, received him as their

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deliverer, their saviour and their
benefactor, with shining eyes and with

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their whole souls, with shouts of gladness
and unbounded joy.

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But he, as one possessed of inborn piety
toward God, did not exult in the shouts,

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nor was he elated by the praises,
but perceiving that his aid was from God,

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he immediately commanded that a trophy of
the Saviour's passion be put in the hand

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of his own statue.

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And when he had placed it, with the saving
sign of the cross in its right hand,

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in the most public place in Rome,
he commanded that the following

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inscription should be engraved upon it in
the Roman tongue, by this salutary sign,

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the true proof of bravery, I have saved
and freed your city from the yoke of the

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tyrant, and moreover, having set at
liberty both the senate and the people of

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Rome, I have restored them to their
ancient distinction and splendour.

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And after this, both Constantine himself
and with him the Emperor Licinius,

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who had not yet been seized by that
madness into which he later fell,

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praising God as the author of all their
blessings, with one will and mind drew up

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a full and most complete decree in behalf
of the Christians, and sent an account of

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the wonderful things done for them by God,
and of the victory over the tyrant,

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together with a copy of the decree itself,
to Maximinus, who still ruled over the

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nations of the East and pretended
friendship toward them.

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But he, like a tyrant, was greatly pained
by what he learned, but not wishing to

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seem to yield to others, nor, on the other
hand, to suppress that which was

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commanded, for fear of those who enjoined
it, as if on his own authority,

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he addressed, under compulsion,
to the governors under him, this first

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communication in behalf of the Christians,
falsely inventing things against himself

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which had never been done by him.

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Copy of a Translation of the Epistle of
the Tyrant Maximinus Jovius Maximinus

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Augustus to Sabinus.

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I am confident that it is manifest both to
thy firmness and to all men that our

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masters Diocletian and Maximianus,
our fathers, when they saw almost all men

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abandoning the worship of the gods and
attaching themselves to the party of the

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Christians, rightly decreed that all who
gave up the worship of those same immortal

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gods should be recalled by open
chastisement and punishment to the worship

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of the gods.

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But when I first came to the East under
favorable auspices and learned that in

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some places a great many men who were able
to render public service had been banished

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by the judges for the above-mentioned
cause, I gave command to each of the

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judges that henceforth none of them should
treat the provincials with severity,

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but that they should rather recall them to
the worship of the gods by exhortations.

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Then when, in accordance with my command,
these orders were obeyed by the judges,

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it came to pass that none of those who
lived in the districts of the East were

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banished or insulted, but that they were
rather brought back to the worship of the

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gods by the fact that no severity was
employed toward them.

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But afterwards, when I went up last year
under good auspices to Nicomedia and

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sojourned there, citizens of the same city
came to me with the images of the gods,

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earnestly entreating that such a people
should by no means be permitted to dwell

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in their country.

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But when I learned that many men of the
same religion dwelt in those regions,

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I replied that I gladly thanked them for
their request, but that I perceived that

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it was not preferred by all, and that if,
therefore, there were any that persevered

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in the same superstition, each one had the
privilege of doing as he pleased,

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even if he wished to recognize the worship
of the gods.

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Nevertheless, I considered it necessary to
give a friendly answer to the inhabitants

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of Nicomedia and to the other cities which
had so earnestly presented to me the same

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petition, namely, that no Christians
should dwell in their cities, both because

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this same course had been pursued by all
the ancient emperors, and also because it

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was pleasing to the gods, through whom all
men and the government of the state itself

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endure, and to confirm the request which
they presented in behalf of the worship of

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their deity.

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Therefore, although before this time
special letters have been sent to thy

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devotedness, and commands have likewise
been given that no harsh measures should

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be taken against those provincials who
desire to follow such a course,

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but that they should be treated mildly and
moderately, nevertheless, in order that

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they may not suffer insults or extortions
from the beneficiaries, or from any

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others, I have thought meet to remind thy
firmness in this epistle also that thou

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shouldst lead our provincials rather by
flatteries and exhortations to recognize

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the care of the gods.

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Hence, if any one of his own choice should
decide to adopt the worship of the gods,

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it is fitting that he should be welcomed,
but if any should wish to follow their own

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religion, do thou leave it in their power.

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Wherefore, it behooves thy devotedness to
observe that which is committed to thee,

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and to see that power is given to no one
to oppress our provincials with insults

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and extortions, since, as already written,
it is fitting to recall our provincials to

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the worship of the gods rather by
exhortations and flatteries.

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But in order that this command of ours may
come to the knowledge of all our

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provincials, it is incumbent upon thee to
proclaim that which has been enjoined in

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an edict issued by thyself.

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Since he was forced to do this by
necessity, and did not give the command by

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his own will, he was not regarded by any
one as sincere or trustworthy,

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because he had already shown his unstable
and deceitful disposition after his former

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similar concession.

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None of our people, therefore,
ventured to hold meetings, or even to

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appear in public, because his
communication did not cover this,

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but only commanded to guard against doing
us any injury, and did not give orders

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that we should hold meetings, or build
churches, or perform any of our customary

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acts.

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And yet Constantine and Licinius,
the advocates of peace and piety,

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had written him to permit this,
and had granted it to all their subjects

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by edicts and ordinances.

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But this most impious man did not choose
to yield in this matter until,

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being driven by the divine judgment,
he was at last compelled to do it against

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his will.

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CHAPTER X.

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THE OVERTHROW OF THE TYRANTS AND THE WORDS
WHICH THEY UTTERED BEFORE THEIR DEATH The

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circumstances which drove him to this
course were the following.

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Being no longer able to sustain the
magnitude of the government which had been

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undeservedly committed to him,
in consequence of his want of prudence and

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imperial understanding, he managed affairs
in a base manner, and with his mind

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unreasonably exalted in all things with
boastful pride, even toward his colleagues

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in the empire who were every respect his
superiors, in birth, in training,

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in education, in worth and intelligence,
and, greatest of all, in temperance and

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piety toward the true God, he began to
venture to act audaciously and to arrogate

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to himself the first rank.

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Becoming mad in his folly, he broke the
treaties which he had made with Licinius

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and undertook an implacable war.

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Then, in a brief time, he threw all things
into confusion, and stirred up every city,

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and having collected his entire force,
comprising an immense number of soldiers,

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he went forth to battle with him,
elated by his hopes in demons,

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whom he supposed to be gods, and by the
number of his soldiers.

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And when he joined battle, he was deprived
of the oversight of God, and the victory

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was given to Licinius, who was then ruling
by the one and only God of all.

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First the army in which he trusted was
destroyed, and as all his guards abandoned

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him and left him alone and fled to the
victor, he secretly divested himself as

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quickly as possible of the imperial
garments which did not fitly belong to

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him, and in a cowardly and ignoble and
unmanly way mingled with the crowd,

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and then fled, concealing himself in
fields and villages.

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But though he was so careful for his
safety, he scarcely escaped the hands of

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his enemies, revealing by his deeds that
the divine oracles are faithful and true,

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in which it is said, A king is not saved
by a great force, and a giant shall not be

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saved by the greatness of his strength.

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A horse is a vain thing for safety,
nor shall he be delivered by the greatness

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of his power.

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Behold, the eyes of the Lord are upon them
that fear him, upon them that hope in his

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mercy, to deliver their souls from death.

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Thus the tyrant, covered with shame,
went to his own country.

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And first, in frantic rage, he slew many
priests and prophets of the gods whom he

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had formerly admired, and whose oracles
had incited him to undertake the war,

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as sorcerers and impostors, and besides
all as betrayers of his safety.

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Then, having given glory to the god of the
Christians, and enacted a most full and

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complete ordinance in behalf of their
liberty, he was immediately seized with a

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mortal disease, and no respite being
granted him, departed this life.

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The law enacted by him was as follows.

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Copy of the Edict of the Tyrant in behalf
of the Christians, translated from the

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Roman tongue.

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The Emperor Caesar Caius Valerius
Maximinus, Germanicus, Sarmaticus,

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Pius, Felix, Invictus, Augustus.

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We believe it manifests that no one is
ignorant, but that every man who looks

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back over the past and knows and is
conscious that in every way we care

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continually for the good of our
provincials, and wish to furnish them with

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those things which are of a special
advantage to all, and for the common

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benefit and profit, and whatever
contributes to the public welfare,

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and is agreeable to the views of each.

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When, therefore, before this, it became
clear to our mind that under pretext of

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the command of our parents, the most
divine Diocletian and Maximianus,

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which enjoined that the meetings of the
Christians should be abolished,

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many extortions and expoliations had been
practiced by officials, and that those

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evils were continually increasing,
to the detriment of our provincials toward

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whom we are especially anxious to exercise
proper care, and that their possessions

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were in consequence perishing,
letters were sent last year to the

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governors of each province, in which we
decreed that, if any one wished to follow

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such a practice or to observe this same
religion, he should be permitted without

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hindrance to pursue his purpose,
and should be impeded and prevented by no

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one, and that all should have liberty to
do without any fear or suspicion that

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which each preferred.

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But even now we cannot help perceiving
that some of the judges have mistaken our

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commands, and have given our people reason
to doubt the meaning of our ordinances,

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and have caused them to proceed too
reluctantly to the observance of those

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religious rights which are pleasing to
them.

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In order, therefore, that in the future
every suspicion of fearful doubt may be

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taken away, we have commanded that this
decree be published, so that it may be

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clear to all that whoever wishes to
embrace this sect and religion is

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permitted to do so by virtue of this grant
of ours, and that each one, as he wishes

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or as is pleasing to him, is permitted to
practice this religion which he has chosen

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to observe according to his custom.

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It is also granted them to build Lord's
houses.

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But that this grant of ours may be the
greater, we have thought good to decree

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also that if any houses and lands before
this time rightfully belonged to the

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Christians, and by the command of our
parents fell into the treasury,

17:21.520 --> 17:25.600
or were confiscated by any city,
whether they have been sold or presented

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to any one as a gift, that all these
should be restored to their original

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possessors, the Christians, in order that
in this also every one may have knowledge

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of our piety and care.

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These are the words of the tyrant which
were published not quite a year after the

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decrees against the Christians engraved by
him on pillars, and by him to whom a

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little before we seemed impious wretches
and atheists and destroyers of all life,

17:52.160 --> 17:56.620
so that we were not permitted to dwell in
any city nor even in country or desert,

17:57.320 --> 18:02.500
by him decrees and ordinances were issued
in behalf of the Christians, and they who

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recently had been destroyed by fire and
sword, by wild beasts and birds of prey,

18:08.240 --> 18:12.860
in the presence of the tyrant himself,
and had suffered every species of torture

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and punishment, and most miserable deaths
as atheists and impious wretches,

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were now acknowledged by him as possessors
of religion, and were permitted to build

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churches, and the tyrant himself bore
witness and confessed that they had some

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rights.

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And having made such confessions,
as if he had received some benefit on

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account of them, he suffered perhaps less
than he ought to have suffered,

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and being smitten by a sudden scourge of
God, he perished in the second campaign of

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the war.

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But his end was not like that of military
chieftains who, while fighting bravely in

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battle for virtue and friends,
often boldly encounter a glorious death.

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For like an impious enemy of God,
while his army was still drawn up in the

18:59.460 --> 19:04.540
field, remaining at home and concealing
himself, he suffered the punishment which

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he deserved.

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For he was smitten with a sudden scourge
of God in his whole body, and harassed by

19:10.760 --> 19:16.000
terrible pains and torments, he fell
prostrate on the ground, wasted by hunger,

19:16.460 --> 19:21.460
while all his flesh was dissolved by an
invisible and God-sent fire, so that the

19:21.460 --> 19:26.320
whole appearance of his frame was changed,
and there was left only a kind of image,

19:26.460 --> 19:31.600
wasted away by length of time to a
skeleton of dry bones, so that those who

19:31.600 --> 19:35.760
were present could think of his body as
nothing else than the tomb of his soul,

19:36.140 --> 19:40.160
which was buried in a body already dead
and completely melted away.

19:41.300 --> 19:45.980
And as the heat still more violently
consumed him in the depths of his marrow,

19:46.420 --> 19:50.600
his eyes burst forth, and falling from
their sockets left him blind.

19:51.140 --> 19:56.020
Thereupon still breathing and making free
confession to the Lord, he invoked death,

19:56.320 --> 20:01.080
and at last, after acknowledging that he
justly suffered these things on account of

20:01.080 --> 20:04.500
his violence against Christ, he gave up
the ghost.

20:06.060 --> 20:07.120
CHAPTER XI.

20:07.500 --> 20:10.320
THE FINAL DESTRUCTION OF THE ENEMIES OF
RELIGION.

20:11.480 --> 20:16.320
Thus when Maximinus, who alone had
remained of the enemies of religion and

20:16.320 --> 20:20.960
had appeared the worst of them all,
was put out of the way, the renovation of

20:20.960 --> 20:25.280
the churches from their foundations was
begun by the grace of God the Ruler of

20:25.280 --> 20:30.060
all, and the word of Christ, shining unto
the glory of the God of the universe,

20:30.640 --> 20:34.480
obtained greater freedom than before,
while the impious enemies of religion were

20:34.480 --> 20:37.800
covered with extremist shame and dishonor.

20:38.920 --> 20:44.080
For Maximinus himself, being first
pronounced by the emperors a common enemy,

20:44.440 --> 20:49.960
was declared by public proclamations to be
a most impious, execrable, and God-hating

20:49.960 --> 20:55.000
tyrant, and of the portraits which had
been set up in every city in honor of him

20:55.000 --> 20:59.860
or of his children, some were thrown down
from their places to the ground and torn

20:59.860 --> 21:04.720
in pieces, while the faces of others were
obliterated by daubing them with black

21:04.720 --> 21:09.140
paint, and the statues which had been
erected to his honor were likewise

21:09.140 --> 21:14.200
overthrown and broken, and lay exposed to
the laughter and sport of those who wished

21:14.200 --> 21:15.840
to insult and abuse them.

21:16.780 --> 21:20.900
Then also all the honors of the other
enemies of religion were taken away,

21:21.260 --> 21:26.300
and all those who sided with Maximinus
were slain, especially those who had been

21:26.300 --> 21:31.220
honored by him with high offices in reward
for their flattery, and had behaved

21:31.220 --> 21:33.060
insolently toward our doctrine.

21:34.260 --> 21:39.580
Such an one was Peusetius, the dearest of
his companions, who had been honored and

21:39.580 --> 21:44.400
rewarded by him above all, who had been
consul a second and third time,

21:44.680 --> 21:49.500
and had been appointed by him chief
minister, and Culsianus, who had likewise

21:49.500 --> 21:54.360
advanced through every grade of office,
and was also celebrated for his numberless

21:54.360 --> 21:59.160
executions of Christians in Egypt,
and besides these not a few others,

21:59.480 --> 22:04.460
by whose agency especially the tyranny of
Maximinus had been confirmed and extended.

22:06.220 --> 22:11.360
And Theoteknus also was summoned by
justice, which by no means overlooked his

22:11.360 --> 22:16.400
deeds against the Christians, for when the
statue had been set up by him at Antioch,

22:16.640 --> 22:21.060
he appeared to be in the happiest state,
and was already made a governor by

22:21.060 --> 22:21.920
Maximinus.

22:22.540 --> 22:27.640
But Licinius, coming down to the city of
Antioch, made a search for impostors,

22:28.000 --> 22:32.860
and tortured the prophets and priests of
the newly erected statue, asking them for

22:32.860 --> 22:34.920
what reason they practiced their
deception.

22:35.740 --> 22:40.240
They, under the stress of torture,
were unable longer to conceal the matter,

22:40.640 --> 22:44.620
and declared that the whole deceptive
mystery had been devised by the art of

22:44.620 --> 22:45.360
Theoteknus.

22:45.360 --> 22:50.100
Therefore, after meeting out to all of
them just judgment, he first put

22:50.100 --> 22:54.560
Theoteknus himself to death, and then his
confederates in the imposture,

22:54.900 --> 22:57.180
with the severest possible tortures.

22:57.780 --> 23:03.380
To all these were added also the children
of Maximinus, whom he had already made

23:03.380 --> 23:07.980
sharers in the imperial dignity,
by placing their names on tablets and

23:07.980 --> 23:08.440
statues.

23:09.200 --> 23:13.260
And the relatives of the tyrant,
who before had been boastful and had in

23:13.260 --> 23:17.320
their pride oppressed all men,
suffered the same punishments with those

23:17.320 --> 23:21.480
who have been already mentioned,
as well as the extremist disgrace.

23:21.940 --> 23:26.360
For they had not received instruction,
neither did they know and understand the

23:26.360 --> 23:28.600
exhortation given in the holy word.

23:29.260 --> 23:33.980
Put not your trust in princes,
nor in the sons of men, in whom there is

23:33.980 --> 23:34.760
no salvation.

23:34.760 --> 23:38.100
His spirit shall go forth and return to
his earth.

23:38.500 --> 23:40.780
In that day all their thoughts perish.

23:41.300 --> 23:46.900
The impious ones having been thus removed,
the government was preserved firm and

23:46.900 --> 23:51.600
undisputed for Constantine and Licinius,
to whom it fittingly belonged.

23:52.120 --> 23:56.620
They, having first of all cleansed the
world of hostility to the divine being,

23:56.800 --> 24:01.300
conscious of the benefits which he had
conferred upon them, showed their love of

24:01.300 --> 24:06.680
virtue and of God, and their piety and
gratitude to the deity, by their ordinance

24:06.680 --> 24:08.180
in behalf of the Christians.

24:09.540 --> 24:11.580
End of Book 9, Part 2