This is an occasional series of readings from and brief notes
and commentary upon Eusebius of Caesarea’s The
Ecclesiastical History: Book 5, chapters 2-3. Listen here.
Notes and Commentary:
These chapters continue to discuss the piety and faithfulness
of the early Christian martyrs.
In chapter 2 it is noted that the martyrs, out of
humility, refused the title of being called martyrs but instead pointed to
Christ himself as “the faithful and true martyr (witness).”
A form of the term “confessors” is also used to describe
those who suffered for the faith.
The confessors and martyrs are also compared to Stephen, “the
perfect martyr,” from Acts 7, in that,
like Stephen they prayed for the very persons who tortured them and put them to
death.
It is noted that the martyrs loved peace but were treated
brutally.
Chapter 3 begins with an anecdote about a
certain Alcibiades who was fasting even in jail, taking only bread and water,
but who was exhorted by Attalus not to deny the goodness of creation (a form or
ascetic Gnosticism?), so that he began to eat normally with thanksgiving to God.
From there it mentions the spread of the teaching of those of
“the party of Montanus and Alicibiades [the aforementioned ascetic prisoner?]
and Theodotus in Phyrgia” who claimed to be prophets, and how the Christian of
Gaul helped by letters from the imprisoned martyrs were able to make a “pious
and orthodox” judgement on the Montanists, thus even while in prison the
martyrs served as ambassadors, keeping “the peace of the churches.”
Conclusion:
These chapters continue to praise the early martyrs, but they
also indicate the diversity of Christians during these times and the
distinctions that were bring drawn between the orthodox and the heterodox, both
of whom were being imprisoned and persecuted.
JTR
No comments:
Post a Comment