Eusebius Book 6, Section 11

Passages / Book 6 / Section 11

6.11.1

XI. καὶ δὴ μηκέθ’ οἵου τε ὄντος λειτουργεῖν διὰ λιπαρὸν γῆρας, τὸν εἰρημένον Ἀλέξανδρον, ἐπίακοπον ἑτέρας ὑπάρχοντα παροικίας, οἰκονομία θεοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν ἅμα τῷ Ναρκίσσῳ λειτουργίαν ἐκάλει κατὰ ἀποκάλυψιν νύκτωρ αὐτῷ δι’ ὁράματος φανεῖσαν. ταύτῃ δ’ οὖν, ὡς κατά τι θεοπρόπιον, ἐκ τῆς Καππαδοκῶν γῆς, ἔνθα τὸ πρῶτον τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς ἠξίωτο, τὴν πορείαν ἐπὶ τὰ πεποιημένον εὐχῆς καὶ τῶν τόπων ἰατορίας ἕνεκεν πεποιημένον φιλοφρονέστατα οἱ τῇδε ὑπολαβόντες οὐκέτ’ οἴκαδε αὐτῷ παλινοστεῖν ἐπιτρέπουσιν καθ’ ἑτέραν καὶ αὐτοῖς νύκτωρ ὀφθεῖσαν μίαν τε φωνὴν σαφεστάτην τοῖς μάλιστα αὐτῶν σπουδαίοις χρήσασαν· ἐδήλου γὰρ προελθόντας ἔξω πυλῶν τὸν ἐκ θεοῦ προωρισμένον αὐτοῖς ἐπίσκοπον ὑποδέξασθαι· τοῦτο δὲ πράξαντες, μετὰ κοινῆς τῶν ἐπισκόπων, οἳ τὰς πέριξ διεῖπον ἐκκλησία γνώμης ἐπάναγκες αὐτὸν παραμένειν βιάζονται. μνημονεύει γέ τοι καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Ἀλέξανδρος ἐν ἰδίαις ἐπιστολαῖς ταῖς πρὸς ’Αωτινοΐτας, εἰς ἔτι νῦν παρ’ ἡμῖν σῳζομέναις, τῆς Ναρκίσσου σὺν προεδρίας, ταῦτα κατὰ λέξιν ἐπὶ τέλει γράφων τῆς ἐπιστολῆς, “ἀσπάζεται ὑμᾶς Νάρκισσος πρὸ ἐμοῦ διέπων τὸν τόπον τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς τὸν ἐνθάδε καὶ νῦν συνεξεταζόμενός μένος μοι διὰ τῶν εὐχῶν, ρݲιݲςݲ ἔτη ἠνυκώς, παρακαλῶν ὑμᾶς ὁμοίως ὁμοφρονῆσαι.”

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XI. And when he was no longer able to perform the ministry on account of ripe old age, the abovementioned Alexander, being bishop of another community, was called by a dispensation of God to a joint ministry with Narcissus, by a revelation which appeared to him in a vision at night. Whereupon, as if in obedience to some oracle, he made the journey from the land of the Cappadocians, where he was first deemed worthy of the episcopate, to Jerusalem, for the purpose of prayer and investigation of the sacred places. The people there gave him the most cordial welcome, and suffered him not to return home again, in accordance with another revelation which was seen by them also at night, and which vouchsafed an identical utterance of the clearest kind to those of them who were peculiarly zealous. For it indicated to them to go forth outside the gates and welcome as their bishop him who was fore-ordained of God. And doing this, with the common consent of the bishops who were administering the churches round about, they compelled him of necessity to remain. And in fact Alexander himself in a personal letter to the Antinoites, which is still to this day preserved among us, mentions Narcissus as holding the chief place along with him, writing as follows, in these very words, at the close of the letter: “Narcissus greets you, who before me was holding the position of bishop here, and now is associated with me in the prayers, having completed 116 years; and exhorts you, as I likewise do, to be of one mind.”

6.11.2

Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν οὕτως εἶχεν· τῆς δὲ κατ’ Ἀντιόχειαν ἐκκλησίας, Σεραπίωνος ἀναπαυσαμένου, τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν διαδέχεται Ἀσκληπιάδης, ἐν ταῖς κατὰ τὸν διωγμὸν ὁμολογίαις διαπρέψας καὶ μέμνηται καὶ τῆς τούτου καταστάσεως ’Αλέξανδρος Αντιοχεῦσιν γράφων ὧδε· “’Αλέξανδρος, δοῦλος καὶ δέσμιος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, τῇ μακαρίᾳ Ἀντιοχέων ἐκκλησίᾳ ἐν κυρίῳ χαίρειν. ἐλαφρά μοι καἰ κοῦφα τὰ δεσμὰ ὁ κύριος ἐποίησεν, κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς εἱρκτῆς πυθομένῳ τῆς ἁγίας ὑμῶν τῶν Ἀντιοχέων ἐκκΛησίας κατὰ τὴν θείαν πρόνοιαν Ἀσκληπιάδην τὸν ἐπιτηδειότατον κατ’ ἀξίαν τὴν πίστιν τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς ἐγκεχειρισμένον.”

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So was it with these matters. But when Serapion departed upon his rest, Asclepiades succeeded to the bishopric of the church at Antioch, and he was himself distinguished for his confessions in the persecution. Alexander also mentions his appointment, writing thus to the Antiochenes: “Alexander, slave and prisoner of Jesus Christ, to the blessed church of the Antiochenes, greeting in the Lord. Light and easy did the Lord make my bonds, when, at the time of my imprisonment, I learnt that by the divine Providence Asclepiades, whose worthy faith made him most suitable, had been entrusted with the bishopric of your holy church of the Antiochenes.”

6.11.3

ταύτην δὲ τὴν ἐπιστοΛὴν σημαίνει διὰ Κλήμεντος ἀπεσταλκέναι, πρὸς τῷ τέλει τοῦτον γράφων τὸν τρόπον· “ταῦτα δὲ ὑμῖν, κύριοί μου ἀδελφοί, τὰ γράμματα ἀπέστειλα διὰ Κλήμεντος τοῦ μακαρίου πρεσβυτέρου, ἀνδρὸς ἐναρέτου καὶ δοκίμου, ὃν ἴστε καὶ ὑμεῖς καὶ ἐπιγνώσεσθε· ὃς παρὼν κατὰ τὴν πρόνοιαν καὶ ἐπισκοπὴν τοῦ δεσπότου ἐπεστήριξέν τε καὶ ηὔξησεν τὴν τοῦ κυρίου ἐκκλησίαν.”

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This epistle he indicates had been sent by the hand of Clement, writing at the close in this manner: “These letters I sent unto you, my dear brethren, by the hand of Clement the blessed presbyter, a man virtuous and approved, of whom ye yourselves also have heard, and with whom ye will become acquainted; who also, when he was present here in accordance with the providence and overseership of the Master, established and increased the Church of the Lord.”