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75

Concerning the false prophets among the Phrygians. 15 Concerning the schism that occurred in Rome under Blastus. 10 What is recorded concerning Montanus and the false prophets with him. 17 Concerning Miltiades and the treatises which he composed. 18 What Apollonius also refuted concerning the Phrygians and whom he mentioned. 19 Of Serapion, concerning the heresy of the Phrygians. 20 What Irenaeus discussed in writing with the schismatics in Rome. 21 How Apollonius was martyred in Rome.22 Which bishops were well-known at this time. 23 Concerning the question then agitated about the Passover. 24 Concerning the disagreement in Asia. 25 How a single vote was agreed upon by all concerning the Passover. 20 What of the learning of Irenaeus has also come down to us. 27 What also of the other writers who flourished at that time. 28 Concerning those who from the beginning put forward the heresy of Artemon, what their character was, and how they dared to corrupt the Holy Scriptures. Soter, then, the bishop of the church of the Romans, having presided for eight years, ends his life; him Eleutherus, the twelfth from the apostles, succeeds, and it was the seventeenth year of the emperor Antoninus Verus; in which, the persecution against us having been fanned more fiercely in some parts of the world, from the attacks of the populace in the cities, one may conjecture that myriads of martyrs became distinguished from what happened in a single nation, which things indeed, being truly worthy of unforgettable memory, have happened to be handed down in writing to those who came after. 5.pref.2 The complete account of these things is contained for us in our entire work, the *Collection of Martyrs*, which contains not only a historical narrative, but an instructive one as well; but as much as is related to the present treatise, I will select and set forth now. 5.pref.3 Others, then, composing historical narratives, would have certainly committed to writing victories in wars and trophies against enemies, and the prowess of generals and the valor of soldiers, men stained with blood and countless murders for the sake of children and country and other possessions; 5.pref.4 but our narrative account of the government which is according to God will inscribe on eternal pillars the most peaceful wars waged for the peace of the soul itself and those who in them have fought bravely for truth rather than for country, and for piety rather than for their dearest friends, proclaiming for everlasting remembrance the steadfastness of the athletes of piety and their much-enduring courage, their trophies against demons and their victories against invisible adversaries, and the crowns upon all these things. 5.1.1 Gaul, then, was the country in which the arena for those mentioned was prepared, whose distinguished metropolises, renowned beyond the others there, are Lugdunum and Vienna, through both of which the Rhone river flows, passing through the whole country with its great stream. 5.1.2 The most illustrious churches there, then, sent the account of the martyrs to those in Asia and Phrygia, relating what was done among them in this manner, 5.1.3 and I will set forth their own words. "The servants of Christ sojourning in Vienna and Lugdunum in Gaul, to the brethren throughout Asia and Phrygia who have the same faith and hope of redemption as us: peace and grace and glory from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord." 5.1.4 Then, after adding some other things by way of preface, they begin their account with these words: "The greatness, then, of the tribulation here and the great wrath of the Gentiles against the saints, and what the blessed martyrs endured, we are not competent to describe accurately, nor indeed is it possible to be contained in writing. 5.1.5 For with all his might the adversary fell upon us, giving a foretaste already of his coming which is destined to be without restraint, and he went through everything, accustoming and training his own beforehand against the servants of God, so that not only were we excluded from houses and baths and the market, 5.1.6 but even the

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Περὶ τῶν κατὰ Φρύγας ψευδοπροφητῶν. ΙΕ Περὶ τοῦ κατὰ Βλάστον ἐπὶ Ῥώμης γενομένου σχίσματος. Ι Ὅσα περὶ Μοντανοῦ καὶ τῶν μετ' αὐτοῦ ψευδοπροφητῶν μνημονεύεται. ΙΖ Περὶ Μιλτιάδου καὶ ὧν συνέταξε λόγων. ΙΗ Ὅσα καὶ Ἀπολλώνιος τοὺς κατὰ Φρύγας ἀπήλεγξεν καὶ τίνων ἐμνημόνευσεν. ΙΘ Σεραπίωνος περὶ τῆς τῶν Φρυγῶν αἱρέσεως. Κ Ὅσα Εἰρηναῖος τοῖς ἐπὶ Ῥώμης σχισματικοῖς ἐγγράφως διείλεκται. ΚΑ Ὅπως ἐπὶ Ῥώμης Ἀπολλώνιος ἐμαρτύρησεν.ΚΒ Τίνες κατὰ τούτους ἐπίσκοποι ἐγνωρίζοντο. ΚΓ Περὶ τοῦ τότε κινηθέντος ἀμφὶ τοῦ πάσχα ζητήματος. Κ∆ Περὶ τῆς κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν διαφωνίας. ΚΕ Ὅπως τοῖς πᾶσι μία ψῆφος περὶ τοῦ πάσχα συνεφωνήθη. Κ Ὅσα τῆς Εἰρηναίου φιλοκαλίας καὶ εἰς ἡμᾶς κατῆλθεν. ΚΖ Ὅσα καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν τῶν τηνικάδε συνηκμακότων. ΚΗ Περὶ τῶν τὴν Ἀρτέμωνος αἵρεσιν ἐξ ἀρχῆς προβεβλημένων οἷοί τε τὸν τρόπον γεγόνασιν καὶ ὅπως τὰς ἁγίας γραφὰς διαφθεῖραι τετολμήκασιν. Ὁ μὲν οὖν τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἐκκλησίας ἐπίσκοπος Σωτὴρ ἐπὶ ὄγδοον ἔτος ἡγησάμενος τελευτᾷ τὸν βίον· τοῦτον δωδέκατος ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων Ἐλεύθερος διαδέχεται, ἔτος δ' ἦν ἑπτακαιδέκατον αὐτοκράτορος Ἀντωνίνου Οὐήρου· ἐν ᾧ κατά τινα μέρη τῆς γῆς σφοδρότερον ἀναρριπισθέντος τοῦ καθ' ἡμῶν διωγμοῦ, ἐξ ἐπιθέσεως τῶν κατὰ πόλεις δήμων μυριάδας μαρτύρων διαπρέψαι στοχασμῷ λαβεῖν ἔνεστιν ἀπὸ τῶν καθ' ἓν ἔθνος συμβεβη κότων, ἃ καὶ γραφῇ τοῖς μετέπειτα παραδοθῆναι, ἀλήστου μνήμης ὡς ἀληθῶς ἐπάξια ὄντα, συμβέβηκεν. 5.πρεφ.2 τῆς μὲν οὖν περὶ τούτων ἐντελεστάτης ὑφηγήσεως τὸ πᾶν σύγγραμμα τῇ τῶν μαρτύρων ἡμῖν κατατέτακται συναγωγῇ, οὐχ ἱστορικὴν αὐτὸ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ διδασκαλικὴν περιέχον διήγησιν· ὁπόσα γέ τοι τῆς παρούσης ἔχοιτο πραγματείας, ταῦτ' ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος ἀναλεξάμενος παραθήσομαι. 5.πρεφ.3 ἄλλοι μὲν οὖν ἱστορικὰς ποιούμενοι διηγήσεις, πάντως ἂν παρέδωκαν τῇ γραφῇ πολέμων νίκας καὶ τρόπαια κατ' ἐχθρῶν στρατηγῶν τε ἀριστείας καὶ ὁπλιτῶν ἀνδραγαθίας, αἵματι καὶ μυρίοις φόνοις παίδων καὶ πατρίδος καὶ τῆς ἄλλης ἕνεκεν περιουσίας μιανθέντων· 5.πρεφ.4 ὁ δέ γε τοῦ κατὰ θεὸν πολιτεύματος διηγηματικὸς ἡμῖν λόγος τοὺς ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς τῆς κατὰ ψυχὴν εἰρήνης εἰρηνικωτάτους πολέμους καὶ τοὺς ἐν τούτοις ὑπὲρ ἀληθείας μᾶλλον ἢ πατρίδος καὶ μᾶλλον ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας ἢ τῶν φιλτάτων ἀνδρισαμένους αἰωνίαις ἀναγράψεται στήλαις, τῶν εὐσεβείας ἀθλητῶν τὰς ἐνστάσεις καὶ τὰς πολυτλήτους ἀνδρείας τρόπαιά τε τὰ κατὰ δαιμόνων καὶ νίκας τὰς κατὰ τῶν ἀοράτων ἀντιπάλων καὶ τοὺς ἐπὶ πᾶσι τούτοις στεφάνους εἰς αἰώνιον μνήμην ἀνακηρύττων. 5.1.1 Γαλλία μὲν οὖν ἡ χώρα ἦν, καθ' ἣν τὸ τῶν δηλουμένων συνεκροτεῖτο στάδιον, ἧς μητροπόλεις ἐπίσημοι καὶ παρὰ τὰς ἄλλας τῶν αὐτόθι διαφέρουσαι βεβόηνται Λούγδουνος καὶ Βίεννα, δι' ὧν ἀμφοτέρων τὴν ἅπασαν χώραν πολλῷ τῷ ῥεύματι περιρρέων ὁ Ῥοδανὸς ποταμὸς διέξεισιν. 5.1.2 τὴν οὖν περὶ τῶν μαρτύρων γραφὴν αἱ τῇδε διαφανέσταται ἐκκλησίαι ταῖς κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν καὶ Φρυγίαν διαπέμπονται, τὰ παρ' αὐταῖς πραχθέντα τοῦτον ἀνιστοροῦσαι τὸν τρόπον, 5.1.3 παραθήσομαι δὲ τὰς αὐτῶν φωνάς. «Οἱ ἐν Βιέννῃ καὶ Λουγδούνῳ τῆς Γαλλίας παροικοῦντες δοῦλοι Χριστοῦ τοῖς κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν καὶ Φρυγίαν τὴν αὐτὴν τῆς ἀπολυτρώσεως ἡμῖν πίστιν καὶ ἐλπίδα ἔχουσιν ἀδελφοῖς· εἰρήνη καὶ χάρις καὶ δόξα ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν». 5.1.4 εἶτα τούτοις ἑξῆς ἕτερα προοιμιασάμενοι, τὴν τοῦ λόγου καταρχὴν ποιοῦνται ἐν τούτοις· «τὸ μὲν οὖν μέγεθος τῆς ἐνθάδε θλίψεως καὶ τὴν τοσαύτην τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰς τοὺς ἁγίους ὀργὴν καὶ ὅσα ὑπέμειναν οἱ μακάριοι μάρτυρες, ἐπ' ἀκριβὲς οὔθ' ἡμεῖς εἰπεῖν ἱκανοὶ οὔτε μὴν γραφῇ περιληφθῆναι δυνατόν. 5.1.5 παντὶ γὰρ σθένει ἐνέσκηψεν ὁ ἀντικείμενος, προοιμιαζόμενος ἤδη τὴν ἀδεῶς μέλλουσαν ἔσεσθαι παρουσίαν αὐτοῦ, καὶ διὰ πάντων διῆλθεν, ἐθίζων τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ καὶ προγυμνάζων κατὰ τῶν δούλων τοῦ θεοῦ, ὥστε μὴ μόνον οἰκιῶν καὶ βαλανείων καὶ ἀγορᾶς εἴργεσθαι, 5.1.6 ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ