7

were affixed to it, but they flew away from the one carrying it when he was in the midst of dangers. And it is said that no other soldier who was ever ministered to by this sign, as is likely in war, met with a dire misfortune and became wounded or a captive. 1.5.1 I am not unaware, however, that the Hellenes say that Constantine, after putting to death some of his closest relatives and having a hand in the death of Crispus his own son, repented and consulted about purification with Sopater the philosopher, who at that time presided over the school of Plotinus; but that he declared there was no purification for such sins; and that the emperor, being distressed at the refusal, happened upon some bishops, who promised to cleanse him from all sin by repentance and baptism, and that he was pleased with them for having spoken to the purpose, and admired the doctrine, and became a Christian, and led his subjects 1.5.2 to do the same. But it seems to me that these things have been fabricated by those who are eager to slander the Christian religion. For Crispus, on account of whom they say Constantine needed purification, died in the twentieth year of his father's reign, having previously established with him many laws in favor of the Christians, since he was honored with the second rank of the empire and was a Caesar, as the dates subjoined to the laws and the names of the legislators still now testify. And as for Sopater, in the first place it was not likely that he would have come into conference with Constantine when he was ruling 1.5.3 only the portion by the ocean and the Rhine. For on account of the dispute with Maxentius, Roman affairs were in turmoil while he was tarrying in Italy; and it was not easy at that time to visit the Gauls and Britons and the inhabitants of those regions, among whom it is agreed that Constantine partook of the Christian religion, before he marched against Maxentius and proceeded to Rome and Italy. And witnesses to this are again the dates 1.5.4 and the laws which he enacted on behalf of the religion. But even if we should easily concede somehow that the emperor met with Sopater or inquired of him by letter concerning the things he wished, it was surely not plausible that the philosopher would be ignorant that Heracles, the son of Alcmena, was purified at Athens after the slaughter of his children by the mysteries of Demeter, and after the murder of Iphitus, whom he unjustly killed 1.5.5 although he was a guest and a friend. That the Hellenes, therefore, did profess purifications for such offenses, what has been said is sufficient, and it proves the falsehood of those who fabricated that Sopater declared the contrary. For I would not say that the man who was at that time the most distinguished among the Hellenes for his learning was ignorant of these things. 1.6.1 But the churches under the rule of Constantine were doing well according to their desire and daily increased, being deemed worthy of the benefactions of a benevolent and like-minded emperor; and moreover, even before this, the divine power had kept them unacquainted with persecutions and disturbance. For while the churches throughout the rest of the world were being persecuted, Constantius alone, the father of Constantine, permitted the Christians to worship without fear. Indeed, I have learned that something wonderful and 1.6.2 worthy of record was done by him. Wishing to test which of the Christians in his palace were good and noble men, he called them all together and proclaimed that if they chose to sacrifice and worship in like manner, they would remain about his person and keep their same rank; but if they refused, they were to depart from the palace, 1.6.3 being thankful that they did not also incur punishment. And when they were divided into two groups, some betraying their religion, and others preferring the divine to their present circumstances, he determined to use as friends and counselors those who had remained faithful to the higher cause; but the others he turned away from as unmanly and rascals and thrust them away from his company, reasoning that those who had so readily become traitors to God would never be loyal to their emperor. Hence it was that, reasonably, while Constantius was still alive, it did not seem unlawful to be a Christian for the Gauls and Britons beyond the Italians and all who inhabit the region of the Pyrenees mountains 1.6.4 as far as the

7

προσεπήγνυντο, τοῦ δὲ φέροντος καὶ μέσου τῶν κινδύνων ὄντος ἀφίπταντο. λέγεται δὲ μήτε ἄλλον πώποτε τούτῳ τῷ σημείῳ διακονούμενον, οἷά γε εἰκὸς ἐν πολέμῳ στρατιώτην, σκαιᾷ περιπεσεῖν συμφορᾷ καὶ τραυματίαν ἢ αἰχμάλωτον γενέσθαι. 1.5.1 Οὐκ ἀγνοῶ δέ, ὡς ῞Ελληνες λέγουσι Κωνσταντῖνον ἀνελόντα τινὰς τῶν ἐγγυτάτω γένους καὶ τῷ θανάτῳ Κρίσπου τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ παιδὸς συμπράξαντα μεταμεληθῆναι καὶ περὶ καθαρμοῦ κοινώσασθαι Σωπάτρῳ τῷ φιλοσόφῳ κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ προεστῶτι τῆς Πλωτίνου διαδοχῆς· τὸν δὲ ἀποφήνασθαι μηδένα καθαρμὸν εἶναι τῶν τοιούτων ἁμαρτημάτων· ἀδημονοῦντα δὲ τὸν βασιλέα ἐπὶ τῇ ἀπαγορεύσει περιτυχεῖν ἐπισκόποις, οἳ μετανοίᾳ καὶ βαπτίσματι ὑπέσχοντο πάσης αὐτὸν ἁμαρτίας καθαίρειν, ἡσθῆναί τε τούτοις κατὰ σκοπὸν εἰρηκόσι καὶ θαυμάσαι τὸ δόγμα καὶ Χριστιανὸν γενέσθαι καὶ τοὺς ἀρχομένους 1.5.2 ἐπὶ τοῦτο ἀγαγεῖν. ἐμοὶ δὲ δοκεῖ ταῦτα πεπλάσθαι τοῖς σπουδάζουσι τὴν Χριστιανῶν θρησκείαν κακηγορεῖν. Κρίσπος μὲν γάρ, δι' ὅν φασι Κωνσταντῖνον καθαρμοῦ δεηθῆναι, τῷ εἰκοστῷ ἔτει ἐτελεύτησε τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς ἡγεμονίας, ἔτι περιὼν πολλοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ θέμενος νόμους ὑπὲρ Χριστιανῶν, ἅτε δὴ κατὰ τὸ δεύτερον σχῆμα τῆς βασιλείας τετιμημένος καὶ Καῖσαρ ὤν, ὡς εἰσέτι νῦν μαρτυροῦσιν οἱ τοῖς νόμοις ὑποτεταγμένοι χρόνοι καὶ τῶν νομοθετῶν αἱ προσηγορίαι. Σώπατρον δὲ πρῶτον μὲν οὐκ εἰκὸς ἦν εἰς ὁμιλίαν ἐλθεῖν Κωνσταντίνῳ μόνης τῆς πρὸς τῷ ὠκεανῷ καὶ τῷ ῾Ρήνῳ μοίρας 1.5.3 ἡγουμένῳ. διὰ γὰρ τὴν πρὸς Μαξέντιον διαφορὰν ἐπὶ τῆς ᾿Ιταλίας διάγοντα ἐστασίαζε τὰ ῾Ρωμαίων· καὶ οὐκ εὐπετὲς ἦν τότε ἐπιδημεῖν Γαλάταις καὶ Βρεττανοῖς καὶ τοῖς τῇδε κατοικοῦσι, παρ' οἷς συνωμολόγηται τῆς τῶν Χριστιανῶν θρησκείας μετασχεῖν Κωνσταντῖνον, πρὶν ἐπὶ Μαξέντιον στρατεῦσαι καὶ παρελθεῖν ἐπὶ ῾Ρώμην καὶ ᾿Ιταλούς. καὶ μάρτυρες τούτου πάλιν οἱ χρόνοι 1.5.4 καὶ οἱ νόμοι οὓς ὑπὲρ τῆς θρησκείας ἔθετο. εἰ δὲ καὶ ῥᾳδίως ὡδίπως συγχωρήσομεν ἐντυχεῖν Σωπάτρῳ τὸν βασιλέα ἢ δι' ἐπιστολῆς αὐτοῦ πυθέσθαι περὶ ὧν ἠβούλετο, οὐ δήπου πιθανὸν ἦν τὸν φιλόσοφον ἀγνοεῖν, ὡς ῾Ηρακλῆς ὁ ᾿Αλκμήνης ᾿Αθήνῃσιν ἐκαθάρθη μετὰ τὴν τεκνοκτονίαν τοῖς ∆ήμητρος μυστηρίοις καὶ μετὰ τὸν ᾿Ιφίτου φόνον, ὃν ξένον τε ὄντα καὶ φίλον 1.5.5 ἀδίκως ἀνεῖλεν. ὡς μὲν οὖν οἱ ῞Ελληνες τῶν τοιούτων πλημμελημάτων καθαρμοὺς ἐπηγγέλλοντο, ἀπόχρη τὰ εἰρημένα καὶ ψεῦδος κατηγορεῖ τῶν ἐναντία ἀποφήνασθαι Σώπατρον πλασαμένων. οὐ γὰρ ἂν εἴποιμι ταῦτα ἠγνοηκέναι τὸν ἐπισημότατον τότε παρ' ῞Ελλησιν ἐπὶ παιδεύσει γεγενημένον. 1.6.1 Αἱ δὲ κατὰ τὴν ἀρχομένην ὑπὸ Κωνσταντίνου ἐκκλησίαι καταθυμίως ἔπραττον καὶ ὁσημέραι ἐπεδίδουν εὔνου καὶ ὁμόφρονος βασιλέως εὐεργεσιῶν ἀξιούμεναι· ταύτας δὲ καὶ ἄλλως πρὸ τούτου διωγμῶν καὶ ταραχῆς ἀπειράτους τὸ θεῖον ἐφύλαξε. διωκομένων γὰρ τῶν ἀνὰ τὴν ἄλλην οἰκουμένην ἐκκλησιῶν μόνος Κωνστάντιος ὁ Κωνσταντίνου πατὴρ ἀδεῶς θρησκεύειν συνεχώρησε τοῖς Χριστιανοῖς. ἀμέλει τοιόνδε τι θαυμαστὸν καὶ 1.6.2 συγγραφῆς ἄξιον ἔγνων εἰργάσθαι αὐτῷ. δοκιμάσαι θέλων τίνες τῶν ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις Χριστιανῶν ἄνδρες εἰσὶ καλοὶ καὶ ἀγαθοί, συγκαλέσας πάντας προηγόρευσεν, εἰ μὲν ἕλοιντο θύειν καὶ θρησκεύειν ὁμοίως, ἀμφ' αὐτὸν εἶναι καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς μένειν ἀξίας· εἰ δὲ παραιτήσαιντο, ἐξιέναι τῶν βασιλείων 1.6.3 χάριν ἔχοντας ὅτι μὴ καὶ τιμωρίας προσώφλησαν. ἐπεὶ δὲ εἰς ἑκάτερον διεκρίθησαν, οἱ μὲν τὴν θρησκείαν προδόντες, οἱ δὲ τῶν παρόντων τὰ θεῖα προτιμήσαντες, ἔγνω φίλοις καὶ συμβούλοις χρῆσθαι τοῖς περὶ τὸ κρεῖττον πιστοῖς διαμείνασι· τοὺς δὲ ὡς ἀνάνδρους καὶ κοβάλους ἀπεστράφη καὶ τῆς πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ὁμιλίας ἀπεώσατο, λογισάμενος μήποτε ἔσεσθαι περὶ βασιλέα εὔνους τοὺς ὧδε ἑτοίμους θεοῦ προδότας γεγενημένους. ἐντεῦθεν εἰκότως ἔτι Κωνσταντίου περιόντος οὐκ ἐδόκει παράνομον χριστιανίζειν τοῖς ᾿Ιταλῶν ἐπέκεινα Γαλάταις τε καὶ Βρεττανοῖς καὶ ὅσοι περὶ τὸ Πυρηναῖον ὄρος 1.6.4 οἰκοῦσι μέχρι τοῦ