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pretexts wanting, sometimes on the part of the populace, and sometimes on the part of the local rulers who were contriving plots against us, so that even without open persecutions partial ones broke out in different provinces, 3.33.3 and more of the faithful struggled in various martyrdoms. The account is taken from the Latin Apology of Tertullian, which we have mentioned above, the translation of which is as follows: “And yet we have found that searching for us has also been forbidden. For Plinius Secundus, when he was governor of a province, having condemned some Christians and deprived them of their rank, was disturbed by their number, because he did not know what he ought to do next; he communicated with Trajan the emperor, saying that besides their unwillingness to worship idols, he had found nothing impious in them; and he also reported this, that the Christians rose at dawn and sang hymns to Christ as to a god, and to preserve their discipline they were forbidden to commit murder, adultery, greed, theft and the like. To this Trajan replied in a rescript that the tribe of Christians should not be sought out, but if they were met with, they should be punished.” And this was how things were then; 3.34.1 As for the bishops of Rome, in the third year of the reign of the aforementioned emperor, Clement, having handed over the ministry to Evarestus, departed this life, having presided over the teaching of the divine word for nine years in all; and after Symeon had finished his course in the manner described, the throne of the episcopate in Jerusalem was succeeded by a certain Jew named Justus, who was himself one of the very many of the circumcision who at that time had come to believe in Christ. And indeed at this time there flourished in Asia Polycarp, a companion of the apostles, having been entrusted with the episcopate of the church in Smyrna 3.36.2 by the eye-witnesses and ministers of the Lord; at which time Papias was well known, himself also bishop of the community in Hierapolis, and Ignatius, who is still famous among many to this day, who had been allotted the episcopate at Antioch, second in succession to Peter. 3.36.3 Report has it that he was sent up from Syria to the city of the Romans, to become food for wild beasts 3.36.4 for the sake of his testimony to Christ. And making his journey through Asia under the most careful guard of soldiers, he strengthened the communities in each city where he stayed with oral addresses and exhortations, advising them above all to be on their guard against the heresies which were then for the first time becoming prevalent, and he urged them to hold fast to the tradition of the apostles, which for the sake of security he thought it necessary to set down in writing, now that he was bearing witness. 3.36.5 And so, being in Smyrna, where Polycarp was, he wrote one letter to the church at Ephesus, mentioning its pastor, Onesimus, and another to the one in Magnesia on the Maeander, where again he made mention of the bishop, Damas, and another to the one in Tralles, 3.36.6 whose ruler at that time, he relates, was Polybius. In addition to these, he also wrote to the church of the Romans, in which he also offers an exhortation that they should not, by begging him off from his martyrdom, deprive him of his longed-for hope; from which it is worthwhile to quote very briefly in illustration of what has been said. He writes, then, word for word: 3.36.7 “From Syria to Rome I am fighting with wild beasts, by land and sea, by night and day, being bound to ten leopards, that is, a company of soldiers, who, even when treated well, become worse. But in their wrongdoings I am the more instructed; yet I am not thereby 3.36.8 justified. May I have joy of the beasts that are ready for me, which I pray may be found speedy for me; which I will also entice to devour me speedily, not as they have not touched some, out of fear. And if 3.36.9 they are unwilling when I am willing, I will compel them. Bear with me; what is profitable for me, I know. Now I begin to be a disciple. May nothing envy me, of things visible and invisible, that I may attain to Jesus Christ; fire and cross and packs of wild beasts, scattering of bones, mangling of limbs, grinding of the whole

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λείπεσθαι προφάσεις, ἔσθ' ὅπῃ μὲν τῶν δήμων, ἔσθ' ὅπῃ δὲ καὶ τῶν κατὰ χώρας ἀρχόντων τὰς καθ' ἡμῶν συσκευαζομένων ἐπιβουλάς, ὡς καὶ ἄνευ προφανῶν διωγμῶν μερικοὺς κατ' ἐπαρχίαν ἐξάπτεσθαι πλείους 3.33.3 τε τῶν πιστῶν διαφόροις ἐναγωνίζεσθαι μαρτυρίοις. εἴληπται δ' ἡ ἱστορία ἐξ ἧς ἀνώτερον δεδηλώκαμεν τοῦ Τερτυλλιανοῦ Ῥωμαϊκῆς ἀπολογίας, ἧς ἡ ἑρμηνεία τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν τρόπον· «καίτοι εὑρήκαμεν καὶ τὴν εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐπιζήτησιν κεκωλυμένην. Πλίνιος γὰρ Σεκοῦνδος ἡγούμενος ἐπαρχίου κατακρίνας Χριστιανούς τινας καὶ τῆς ἀξίας ἐκβαλών, ταραχθεὶς τῷ πλήθει, διὸ ἠγνόει τί αὐτῷ λοιπὸν εἴη πρακτέον, Τραϊανῷ τῷ βασιλεῖ ἀνεκοινώσατο λέγων ἔξω τοῦ μὴ βούλεσθαι αὐτοὺς εἰδωλολατρεῖν οὐδὲν ἀνόσιον ἐν αὐτοῖς εὑρηκέναι· ἐμήνυεν δὲ καὶ τοῦτο, ἀνίστασθαι ἕωθεν τοὺς Χριστιανοὺς καὶ τὸν Χριστὸν θεοῦ δίκην ὑμνεῖν καὶ πρὸς τὸ τὴν ἐπιστήμην αὐτῶν διαφυλάσσειν κωλύεσθαι φονεύειν, μοιχεύειν, πλεονεκτεῖν, ἀποστερεῖν καὶ τὰ τούτοις ὅμοια. πρὸς ταῦτα ἀντέγραψεν Τραϊανὸς τὸ τῶν Χριστιανῶν φῦλον μὴ ἐκζητεῖσθαι μέν, ἐμπεσὸν δὲ κολάζεσθαι.» καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἐν τούτοις ἦν· 3.34.1 τῶν δ' ἐπὶ Ῥώμης ἐπισκόπων ἔτει τρίτῳ τῆς τοῦ προειρημένου βασιλέως ἀρχῆς Κλήμης Εὐαρέστῳ παραδοὺς τὴν λει τουργίαν ἀναλύει τὸν βίον, τὰ πάντα προστὰς ἔτεσιν ἐννέα τῆς τοῦ θείου λόγου διδασκαλίας· ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ Συμεῶνος τὸν δηλωθέντα τελειωθέντος τρόπον, τῆς ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις ἐπισκοπῆς τὸν θρόνον Ἰουδαῖός τις ὄνομα Ἰοῦστος, μυρίων ὅσων ἐκ περιτομῆς εἰς τὸν Χριστὸν τηνικαῦτα πεπιστευκότων εἷς καὶ αὐτὸς ὤν, διαδέχεται. ∆ιέπρεπέν γε μὴν κατὰ τούτους ἐπὶ τῆς Ἀσίας τῶν ἀποστόλων ὁμιλητὴς Πολύκαρπος, τῆς κατὰ Σμύρναν ἐκκλησίας πρὸς τῶν αὐτοπτῶν καὶ ὑπηρετῶν τοῦ κυρίου τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν ἐγκεχει3.36.2 ρισμένος· καθ' ὃν ἐγνωρίζετο Παπίας, τῆς ἐν Ἱεραπόλει παροικίας καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπίσκοπος, ὅ τε παρὰ πλείστοις εἰς ἔτι νῦν διαβόητος Ἰγνάτιος, τῆς κατὰ Ἀντιόχειαν Πέτρου διαδοχῆς 3.36.3 δεύτερος τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν κεκληρωμένος. λόγος δ' ἔχει τοῦτον ἀπὸ Συρίας ἐπὶ τὴν Ῥωμαίων πόλιν ἀναπεμφθέντα, θηρίων 3.36.4 γενέσθαι βορὰν τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν μαρτυρίας ἕνεκεν. καὶ δὴ τὴν δι' Ἀσίας ἀνακομιδὴν μετ' ἐπιμελεστάτης φρουρῶν φυλακῆς ποιούμενος, τὰς κατὰ πόλιν αἷς ἐπεδήμει, παροικίας ταῖς διὰ λόγων ὁμιλίαις τε καὶ προτροπαῖς ἐπιρρωννύς, ἐν πρώτοις μάλιστα προφυλάττεσθαι τὰς αἱρέσεις ἄρτι τότε πρῶτον ἐπιπολαζούσας παρῄνει προύτρεπέν τε ἀπρὶξ ἔχεσθαι τῆς τῶν ἀποστόλων παραδόσεως, ἢν ὑπὲρ ἀσφαλείας καὶ ἐγγράφως ἤδη μαρτυ3.36.5 ρόμενος διατυποῦσθαι ἀναγκαῖον ἡγεῖτο. οὕτω δῆτα ἐν Σμύρνῃ γενόμενος, ἔνθα ὁ Πολύκαρπος ἦν, μίαν μὲν τῇ κατὰ τὴν Ἔφεσον ἐπιστολὴν ἐκκλησίᾳ γράφει, ποιμένος αὐτῆς μνημονεύων Ὀνησίμου, ἑτέραν δὲ τῇ ἐν Μαγνησίᾳ τῇ πρὸς Μαιάνδρῳ, ἔνθα πάλιν ἐπισκόπου ∆αμᾶ μνήμην πεποίηται, καὶ τῇ ἐν Τράλ3.36.6 λεσι δὲ ἄλλην, ἧς ἄρχοντα τότε ὄντα Πολύβιον ἱστορεῖ. πρὸς ταύταις καὶ τῇ Ῥωμαίων ἐκκλησίᾳ γράφει, ᾗ καὶ παράκλησιν προτείνει ὡς μὴ παραιτησάμενοι τοῦ μαρτυρίου τῆς ποθουμένης αὐτὸν ἀποστερήσαιεν ἐλπίδος· ἐξ ὧν καὶ βραχύτατα εἰς ἐπίδειξιν τῶν εἰρημένων παραθέσθαι ἄξιον. γράφει δὴ οὖν κατὰ λέξιν· 3.36.7 «ἀπὸ Συρίας μέχρι Ῥώμης θηριομαχῶ διὰ γῆς καὶ θαλάσσης, νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας, ἐνδεδεμένος δέκα λεοπάρδοις, ὅ ἐστιν στρατιωτικὸν τάγμα, οἳ καὶ εὐεργετούμενοι χείρονες γίνονται, ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἀδικήμασιν αὐτῶν μᾶλλον μαθητεύομαι· ἀλλ' οὐ παρὰ τοῦτο 3.36.8 δεδικαίωμαι. ὀναίμην τῶν θηρίων τῶν ἐμοὶ ἑτοίμων, ἃ καὶ εὔχομαι σύντομά μοι εὑρεθῆναι· ἃ καὶ κολακεύσω συντόμως με καταφαγεῖν, οὐχ ὥσπερ τινῶν δειλαινόμενα οὐχ ἥψαντο, κἂν 3.36.9 αὐτὰ δὲ ἄκοντα μὴ θέλῃ, ἐγὼ προσβιάσομαι. συγγνώμην μοι ἔχετε· τί μοι συμφέρει, ἐγὼ γινώσκω, νῦν ἄρχομαι μαθητὴς εἶναι. μηδέν με ζηλώσαι τῶν ὁρατῶν καὶ ἀοράτων, ἵνα Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπιτύχω· πῦρ καὶ σταυρὸς θηρίων τε συστάσεις, σκορπισμοὶ ὀστέων, συγκοπαὶ μελῶν, ἀλεσμοὶ ὅλου