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was being worn down, but at other times was recovering. And from this, sometimes both the others and Gaius were pleased that he would die, but at other times they were afraid that he would live. So Gaius, fearing that he might recover, did not give him anything to eat when he asked, on the pretext that he would be harmed, and threw many thick cloaks on him as if he needed warmth, and so smothered him, having lived seventy-seven years and four months and nine days, of which he reigned as sole ruler for twenty-two years and seven months and seven days. He passed away on the twentieth day of March. In his fifteenth year our Lord Jesus Christ was baptized, and in the eighteenth he was handed over and crucified and rose again. Eusebius relates that Pilate, who was then procurator of Judaea, wrote to Tiberius about the Lord, as it was the custom for the rulers of the provinces to report new developments among them to the one directing the empire, so that nothing of what was happening in each of the provinces might be unknown to him. For he says that when the resurrection of our Savior from the dead was already being proclaimed to all in all of Palestine, Pilate communicated the things concerning it to Tiberius the emperor, who, having learned of his other miracles and that after death he had risen from the dead and was already believed by many to be a god, reported these things to the senate; but that body rejected the report, because it had not first approved this itself, as an old law was in force that no one should be deified among the Romans otherwise than by 3.12 a vote and decree of the senate. So when it had rejected the report concerning our Savior, Tiberius, holding to the opinion which he also had before, devised nothing untoward against the teaching of Christ. As a witness to these things Eusebius brings forward Tertullian, a Roman man and one of the illustrious men in Rome, in a certain work set forth by him in the Roman dialect, but translated into the Greek language, saying these things: "There was an ancient decree that no god should be consecrated by anyone before he had been approved by the senate. Tiberius, therefore, in whose time the name of the Christians entered the world, when this doctrine was reported to him from Palestine where it first began, communicated it to the senate, making it clear to them that he was pleased with the doctrine. But the senate, since it had not approved it itself, rejected it. But he remained in his opinion, threatening death to the accusers of the Christians." Eusebius relates that Tiberius did these things after learning about the divinity of our Savior and his resurrection from the dead, having selected them from the writing of Tertullian. And so Tiberius died, and he was succeeded by Gaius, the son of Germanicus and Agrippina, whom they also nicknamed Germanicus and Caligula. For even though Tiberius had left the supreme power also to his own grandson Tiberius, yet Gaius, having sent his will to the senate, had it made invalid, on the grounds that he had been of unsound mind, inasmuch as he had entrusted the rule of the Romans 3.13 to a boy, who was not even permitted to enter the senate house. So he thus immediately deprived him of the rule, and after this, having adopted him, he killed him on the pretext that he had prayed for his death, and he distributed much money to the soldiers and the people, some from the will of Tiberius, and some from that of Livia, which Tiberius had not provided. And if he had spent the rest properly, he would have seemed magnanimous and magnificent; but as it was, spending insatiably also on dancers and horses and gladiators and other such things, he emptied the treasuries, which had become large, in a short time, and further proved about himself that he had done those other things too out of frivolity and lack of judgment. And not even into the third year did he preserve any part of them, but immediately was in need of very much more. And in this same manner he also behaved in other matters. For having become the most adulterous of men, and having seized one woman who was being given in marriage to a man, and having snatched away others who were already married and living with certain men, he hated all the others except for one; and he certainly would have hated her too, if for longer
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μὲν κατεπονεῖτο, τοτὲ δὲ ἀνερρώννυτο. κἀντεῦθεν ἐνίοτε μὲν ηδοντο οι τε λοιποὶ καὶ ὁ Γάιος ὡς τελευτήσοντος, ἐνίοτε δὲ ὡς καὶ ζησομένου πεφόβηντο. δείσας ουν ὁ Γάιος μὴ καὶ ἀνασωθῇ, ουτε φαγεῖν αἰτήσαντι εδωκεν, ὡς τάχα βλαβησομένῳ, καὶ ἱμάτια πολλὰ καὶ παχέα ὡς θερμασίας δεομένῳ προσέβαλε, καὶ ουτως ἀπέπνιξεν αὐτόν, ζήσαντα ετη ἑπτὰ πρὸς τοῖς ἑβδομήκοντα καὶ μῆνας τέσσαρας καὶ ἡμέρας ἐννέα, ἀφ' ων δύο καὶ εικοσιν ἐνιαυτοὺς ἐμονάρχησε καὶ μῆνας ἑπτὰ καὶ ἡμέρας ἑπτά. μετήλλαξε δὲ τῇ εἰκοστῇ τοῦ Μαρτίου ἡμέρᾳ. Τούτου τῷ πεντεκαιδεκάτῳ ετει ἐβαπτίσθη ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν ̓Ιησοῦς Χριστός, ἐν δὲ τῷ ὀκτωκαιδεκάτῳ παρεδόθη καὶ ἐσταυρώθη καὶ ἀνέστη. ἱστορεῖ δὲ ὁ Εὐσέβιος τὸν Πιλάτον τῆς ̓Ιουδαίας τηνικαῦτα ἐπιτροπεύοντα γράψαι τὰ περὶ τοῦ κυρίου τῷ Τιβερίῳ, εθους οντος τοῖς τῶν ἐθνῶν αρχουσι τὰ παρὰ σφίσι καινοτομούμενα δηλοῦν τῷ τὴν μοναρχίαν ἰθύνοντι, ιν' αὐτῷ μηδὲν ἀγνοῆται τῶν παρ' ἑκάστοις τῶν ἐθνῶν γινομένων. ηδη γάρ φησι τῆς ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστάσεως τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν εἰς απαντας ἐν πάσῃ τῇ Παλαιστίνῃ διαβεβοημένης, τὰ περὶ αὐτῆς ὁ Πιλάτος ἐκοινώσατο Τιβερίῳ τῷ αὐτοκράτορι, ος τάς τε αλλας αὐτοῦ πυθόμενος τερατείας καὶ ὡς μετὰ θάνατον ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστὰς θεὸς ειναι παρὰ πλείστοις ηδη πεπίστευται, ἀνήνεγκε μὲν τῇ συγκλήτῳ ταῦτα· ἐκείνη δὲ τὸν λόγον ἀπώσατο, οτι μὴ πρότερον αὐτὴ τοῦτο δοκιμάσασα ην, παλαιοῦ νόμου κεκρατηκότος μὴ αλλως τινὰ παρὰ ̔Ρωμαίοις θεοποιεῖσθαι μὴ οὐχὶ 3.12 ψήφῳ τῆς συγκλήτου καὶ δόγματι. ταύτης δ' ουν ἀπωσαμένης τὸν περὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν λόγον, τὸν Τιβέριον, ην καὶ πρῴην ειχε γνώμην τηρήσαντα, μηδὲν ατοπον κατὰ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ διδασκαλίας ἐπινοῆσαι. μάρτυρα δ' ἐπὶ τούτοις παράγει Τερτυλιανὸν ὁ Εὐσέβιος, ανδρα ̔Ρωμαῖον καὶ ενα τῶν ἐν τῇ ̔Ρώμῃ λαμπρῶν, ἐν συγγραφῇ τινι παρ' αὐτοῦ ἐκτεθείσῃ ̔Ρωμαϊκῇ διαλέκτῳ, μεταβληθείσῃ δ' εἰς τὴν ̔Ελλάδα φωνήν, λέγοντα ταῦτα "παλαιὸν ην δόγμα μηδένα θεὸν ὑπό του καθιεροῦσθαι πρὶν ὑπὸ τῆς συγκλήτου δοκιμασθῇ. ὁ Τιβέριος ουν, ἐφ' ου τὸ τῶν Χριστιανῶν ονομα εἰς τὸν κόσμον εἰσεληλύθει, ἀγγελθέντος αὐτῷ ἐκ Παλαιστίνης τοῦ δόγματος τούτου ενθα πρῶτον ηρξατο, τῇ συγκλήτῳ ἀνεκοινώσατο, δῆλος ων ἐκείνοις ὡς τῷ δόγματι ἀρέσκεται. ἡ δὲ σύγκλητος, ἐπεὶ οὐκ αὐτὴ δεδοκιμάκει, τοῦτο ἀπώσατο. ὁ δὲ ἐν τῇ αὐτοῦ γνώμῃ εμεινεν, ἀπειλήσας θάνατον τοῖς τῶν Χριστιανῶν κατηγόροις." ταῦτα ὁ Εὐσέβιος ἱστορεῖ τὸν Τιβέριον ποιῆσαι μαθόντα περὶ τῆς θεότητος τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν καὶ τῆς ἐκ νεκρῶν αὐτοῦ ἀναστάσεως, ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Τερτυλιανοῦ συγγραφῆς αὐτὰ ἐκλεξάμενος. Καὶ ὁ μὲν Τιβέριος ουτως ἀπεβίω, διεδέξατο δὲ αὐτὸν ὁ Γάιος ὁ τοῦ Γερμανικοῦ καὶ τῆς ̓Αγριππίνης παῖς, ον καὶ Γερμανικὸν καὶ Καλλιγόλαν ἐπωνόμαζον. εἰ γὰρ καὶ ὁ Τιβέριος καὶ τῷ ἰδίῳ ἐγγόνῳ τῷ Τιβερίῳ τὴν αὐταρχίαν κατέλιπεν, ἀλλ' ὁ Γάιος τὰς διαθήκας αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸ συνέδριον πέμψας ἀκύρους παρεσκεύασε γενέσθαι, ὡς παραφρονήσαντος, οια 3.13 παιδί, ῳ μηδ' εἰσελθεῖν ἐξῆν εἰς τὸ βουλευτήριον, αρχειν τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων ἐπιτρέψαντος. τῆς μὲν ουν ἀρχῆς αὐτὸν ουτως αὐτίκα παρέλυσε καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο εἰσποιησάμενος ἀπέκτεινεν ὡς τελευτῆσαι αὐτὸν εὐξάμενον, χρήματα δὲ πολλὰ τοῖς στρατιώταις καὶ τῷ δήμῳ διένειμε, τὰ μὲν ἐκ τῶν Τιβερίου διαθηκῶν, τὰ δὲ ἐκ τῶν τῆς Λιβίας, α ὁ Τιβέριος οὐ παρέσχε. καὶ ειπερ καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ δεόντως ἀνήλισκε, μεγαλόνους αν καὶ μεγαλοπρεπὴς εδοξε· νῦν δὲ καὶ εἰς ὀρχηστὰς καὶ ιππους καὶ μονομάχους καὶ τοιουτότροπα ετερα ἀπλήστως δαπανῶν, καὶ τοὺς θησαυροὺς μεγάλους γεγονότας διὰ βραχέος ἐξεκένωσε καὶ ἑαυτὸν προσεξήλεγξεν οτι εὐχερείᾳ καὶ ἀκρισίᾳ κἀκεῖνα πεποίηκε. καὶ οὐδ' ἐς τρίτον ετος μέρος αὐτῶν τι διέσωσεν, ἀλλ' εὐθὺς παμπόλλων προσεδεήθη. Τῷ δ' αὐτῷ τούτῳ τρόπῳ καὶ ἐς τὰ αλλα ἐκέχρητο. μοιχικώτατός τε γὰρ ἀνδρῶν γεγενημένος, καὶ γυναῖκα μίαν μὲν ἁρπάσας ἐκδιδομένην ἀνδρί, αλλας δὲ ηδη ἐκδεδομένας καὶ συνοικούσας τισὶν ἀποσπάσας, πλὴν μιᾶς τὰς αλλας ἐμίσησε· πάντως δ' αν κἀκείνην ἐμίσησεν, εἰ ἐπὶ πλέον