Eusebius Book 9, Section 1

9.1.1

Ι. Τὰ μὲν δὴ τῆς παλινῳδίας τοῦ προτεθέντος βασιλικοῦ νεύματος ἥπλωτο τῆς Ἀσίας πάντη καὶ πανταχοῦ κατά τε τὰς ἀμφὶ ταύτην ἐπαρχίας· ὧν τοῦτον ἐπιτελεαθέντων τὸν τρόπον αξιμῖνος, ὁ ἐπ’ ἀνατολῆς τύραννος, δυααεβέατατος εἰ καί τις ἄλλος, καὶ τῆς εἰς τὸν τῶν ὅλων θεὸν εὐσεβείας πολεμιώτατος γεγονώς, οὐδαμῶς τοῖς γραφεῖσιν ἀρεαθείς, ἀντὶ τοῦ προτεθέντος γράμματος λόγῳ προατάττει τοῖς ὑπ’ αὐτὸν ἄρχουσιν τὸν καθ’ ἡμῶν ἀνεῖναι πόλεμον. ἐπεὶ γὰρ αὐτῷ μὴ ἐξῆν ἄλλως τῆ τῶν κρειττόνων ἀντιλέγειν κρίαει, τὸν προεκτεθέντα νόμον ἐν παραβύατῳ θεὶς καὶ ὅπως ἐν τοῖς ὑπ’ αὐτὸν μέρεσιν μὴ εἰς προῦπτον ἀχθείη, φροντίσας, ἀγράφῳ προστάγματι τοῖς ὑπ’ αὐτὸν ἄρχουσιν τὸν καθ’ ἡμῶν διωγμὸν ἀνεῖναι προστάττει· οἳ δὲ τὰ τῆς παρακελεύσεως ἀλλήλοις διὰ γραφῆς ὑποαημαίνουαιν . ὁ γοῦν παρ’ αὐτοῖς τῷ τῶν ἐξοχωτάτων ἐπάρχων ἀξιώματι τετιμημένος Σαβῖνος πρὸς τοὺς κατ’ ἔθνος ἡγουμένους τὴν βααιλέως ἐμφαίνει γνώμην διὰ Ῥωμαϊκῆς ἐπιατολῆς· ἦς καὶ αὐτῆς ἡ ἑρμηνεία τοῦτον περιέχει τὸν τρόπον·

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I. The recantation of the imperial will set forth above was promulgated broadcast throughout Asia and in the neighbouring provinces. After this had thus been done, Maximin, the tyrant of the East, a monster of impiety if ever there was one, who had been the bitterest enemy of piety toward the God of the universe, was by no means pleased with what was written, and instead of making known the letter set forth above gave verbal commands to the rulers under him to relax the war against us. For since he might not otherwise gainsay the judgement of his superiors, he put the law set forth above in a corner; and, taking measures how it might never see the light of day in the districts under him, by an oral direction he commanded the rulers under him to relax the persecution against us. And they intimated to each other in writing the terms of the order. Sabinus, for instance, whom they had honoured with the rank of most excellent prefect, made known the Emperor’s decision to the provincial governors in a Latin epistle. The translation of the same runs as follows:

9.1.2

“ Λιπαρωτάτη καὶ καθωσιωμένῃ απουδῇ ἡ θειότης τῶν δεσποτῶν ἡμῶν θειοτάτων αὑτοκρατόπων τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὰς διανοίας πρὸς τὴν ὁαίαν καὶ ὀρθὴν τοῦ ξῆν ὁδὸν περιαγαγεῖν ἔτι πάλαι ὥρισεν, ὅπως καὶ οἱ ἀλλοτρίᾳ Ῥωμαίων συνηθείᾳ ἀκολουθεῖν δοκοῦντες τὰς ὀφειλομένας θρῃακείας τοῖς ἀθανάτοις θεοῖς ἐπιτελοῖεν· ἀλλ’ ἡ τινῶν ἔνατααις καὶ τραχυτάτη βουλὴ εἰς τοσοῦτον περιέστη ὡς μήτε λογισμῷ δικαίῳ τῆς κελεύσεως δύνασθαι ἐκ τῆς ἰδίας προθέαεως ἀναχωρεῖν μήτε τὴν ἐπικειμένην τιμωπίαν αὐτοὺς ἐκφοβεῖν. ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν συνέβαινεν ἐκ τοῦ τοιούτου τρόπου πολλοὺς εἰς κίνδυνον ἑαυτοὺς περιβάλλειν, κατὰ τὴν προσοῦσαν εὐγένειαν τῆς εὐαεβείας ἡ θειότης τῶν δεαποτῶν ἡμῶν τῶν δυνατωτάτων αὐτοκρατόρων ἀλλότριον εἶναι τῆς προθέσεως τῆς θειοτάτης τῆς ἰδίας δοκιμάξουσα τὸ ἐκ τῆς τοιαύτης αἰτίας εἰς τοαοῦτον κίνδυνον τοὺς ἀνθρώπους περιβάλλειν, ἐκέλευσεν διὰ τῆς ἐμῆς καθοαιώαεως τῆ σῇ ἀγχινοίᾳ διαχαράξαι ἵν εἴ τις τῶν χριατιανῶν τοῦ ἰδίου ἔθνους τὴν θρησκείαν μετιὼν εὑρεθείη, τῆς κατ’ αὐτοῦ ἐνοχλήσεως καὶ τοῦ κινδύνου αὐτὸν ἀποατήσειας καὶ μή τινα ἐκ ταύτης τῆς προφάαεως τιμωρίᾳ κολαστέον νομίσειας, ὁπότε τῇ τοῦ τοσούτου χρόνου αυνελεύαει συνέστη αὐτοὺς μηδενὶ τρόπῳ πεπεῖσθαι δεδυνῆσθαι ὅπως ἀπὸ τῶν τοιούτων ἐνατάαεων ἀναχωρήσαιεν . γραφαὶ τοιγαροῦν πρὸς τοὺς λογιατὰς καὶ τοὺς στρατηγοὺς καὶ τοὺς πραιποσίτους τοῦ πάγου ἑκάστης πόλεως ἡ σὴ ἐπιστρέφεια ὀφείλει ἵνα γνοῖεν περαιτέρω αὐτοῖς τούτου τοῦ γράμματος φροντίδα ποιεῖαθαι μὴ προαήκειν.’’

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With a most earnest and devoted zeal the Divinity of our most divine masters, the Emperors, has for a long time determined to lead all men’s thoughts into the holy and right path of life, so that those also who seemed to follow customs foreign to the Romans should perform the acts of worship due to the immortal gods. But the obstinacy and most unyielding determination of some was carried to such a length, that neither could they be turned back from their own purpose by just reasoning embodied in the order, nor did they fear the punishment that threatened. Since therefore it has come about that many by such conduct endanger themselves, in accordance with the noble piety that is theirs, the Divinity of our masters, the most mighty Emperors, deeming it foreign to their divine purpose that for such a reason they should so greatly endanger these men, gave commandment through my Devotedness to write to thy Intelligence, that if any of the Christians be found following the religion of his nation, thou shouldest set him free from molestation directed against him and from danger, nor shouldest thou anyone punishable on this charge, since so long a passage of time has proved that they can in no wise be persuaded to such obstinate conduct. Let it be thy Solicitude’s duty, therefore, to write to the curators and the duumvirs and the magistrates of the district of every city, that they may know that it is not beseeming for them to take any further notice of that letter.

9.1.3

Ἐπὶ τούτοις οἱ κατ’ ἐπαρχίαν τὴν τῶν γραφέντων αὐτοῖς ἐπαληθεύειν προαίρεσιν νενομικότες, λογισταῖς καὶ στρατηγοῖς καὶ τοῖς κατ’ ἀγροὺς ἐπιτεταγμένοις τὴν βασιλικὴν διὰ γραμμάτων ἑμφανῆ γνώμην· οὐ μόνον δ’ αὐτοῖς διὰ γραφῆς ταῦτα προυχώρει, καὶ ἔργοις δὲ πολὺ πρότερον, ὡς ἂν νεῦμα βααιλικὸν εἰς πέρας ἄγοντες, δάους εἶχον δεσμωτηρίοις καθειργμένους διὰ τὴν εἰς τὸ θεῖον ὁμολογίαν, εἰς φανερὸν προάγοντες ἠλευθέρουν, ἀνιέντες τούτων δὴ αὐτῶν τοὺς ἐν μετάλλοις ἐπὶ τιμωρίᾳ δεδομένους· τοῦτο γὰρ ἐπ’ ἀληθείας βασιλεῖ δοκεῖν ὑπειλήφααιν ἠπατημένοι. καὶ δὴ τούτων οὕτως ἐπιτελεσθὲν ἀθρόως οἷόν τι φῶς ἐκ ζοφερᾶς νυκτὸς ἐκλάμφαν , κατὰ πᾶσαν πόλιν συγκροτουμένας παρῆν ὁρᾶν ἐκκλησίας συνόδους τε παμπληθεῖς καὶ τὰς ἐπὶ τούτων ἐξ ἔθ’ οὑς ἐπιτελουμένας ἀγωγάς· καταπέπληκτο δ’ οὐ σμικρῶς ἐπὶ τούτοις πᾶς τις τῶν ἀπίστων ἐθνῶν, τῆς τοσαύτης μεταβολῆς τὸ παράδοξον ἀποθαυμάζων μέγαν τε καὶ μόνον ἀληθῆ τὸν χριστιανῶν θεὸν ἐπιβοώμενος. τῶν δ’ ἡμετέρων οἴ μὲν τὸν τῶν διωγμῶν ἀγῶνα πιστῶς καὶ ἀνδρικῶς διηθληκότες τὴν πρὸς ἅπαντας αὖθις ἀπελάμβανον παρρησίαν, ὅσοι δὲ τὰ τῆς πίστεως νενοσηκότες τὰς Ψυχὰς ἐτύγχανον κεχειμασμένοι, ἀσμένως περὶ τὴν ἁφῶν θεραπείαν ἔσπευδον, ἀντιβολοῦντες καὶ σωτηρίας δεξιὰν τοὺς ἐρρωμένους αἰτούμενοι τόν τε θεὸν ἵλεων αὐτοῖς γενέσθαι καθικετεύοντες· εἶτα δὲ καὶ οἱ γενναῖοι τῆς θεοσεβείασ ἀθληταὶ τῆς εἰς τὰ μέταλλα κακοπαθείας ἐλευθερούμενοι ἐπὶ τὰς αὐτῶν ἐστέλλοντο, γαῦροι καὶ φαιδροὶ διὰ πάσης ἰόντες πόλεως εὐφροσύνης τε ἀλέκτου καὶ ἢν οὐδὲ λόγῳ δυνατὸν εὐφροσύνης παρρησίας ἔμπλεοι. στίφη δ’ οὖν πολυάνθρωπα κατὰ μέσας λεωφόρους καὶ ἀγορὰς ᾠδαῖς καὶ ψαλμοῖς τὸν θεὸν ἀνυμνοῦντα τὰ τῆς πορείας ἤνυεν, καὶ τοὺς μετὰ τιμωρίας ἀπηνεατάτης μικρῷ πρόσθεν δεσμίους τῶν πατρίδων ἀπεληλαμένους εἶδες ἂν ἱλαροῖς καὶ γεγηθόσι προσώποις τὰς αὐτῶν ἑστίας ἀπολαμβάνοντας, ὡς καὶ τοὺς πρότερον καθ᾿ ἡμῶν φονῶντας τὸ θαῦμα παρὰ πᾶσαν ὁρῶντας ἐλπίδα, συγχαίρειν τοῖς γεγενη μενοις.

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whereupon the rulers of the provinces, having concluded that the purport of what had been written to them was a genuine expression, made known by means of letters the imperial resolve to curators, duumvirs and rural magistrates. And not only did they further these measures by writing, but also much more so by action. With a view to carrying out the imperial will, as many as they kept shut up in prisons for their confession of the Deity they brought into the light of day and set free, releasing such of these same persons as were consigned to the mines for punishment. For this, in truth, they mistakenly conceived to be the Emperor's pleasure. And when these things had thus been carried into effect, as though some light shined forth all at once out of a gloomy night, one might see churches thronged in every city, and crowded assemblies, and the rites performed thereat in the customary manner. And every single one of the unbelieving heathen was in no small degree amazed at these happenings, marvelling at the miracle of so great a change, and extolling the Christians' God as the only truly great God. And of our own people, those who had faithfully and bravely contended throughout the conflict of persecutions once more resumed their confident bearing in the sight of all; but those whose faith had been diseased and whose souls were storm-tossed eagerly strove for their own healing, beseeching and begging the strong for the right hand of safety, and supplicating God to be merciful to them. And then also the noble champions of godliness, freed from their evil plight in the mines, returned to their own homes. Proudly and joyously they went through every city, full of unspeakable mirth and a boldness that cannot even be expressed in words. Yea, thronging crowds of men went on their journey, praising God in the midst of thoroughfares and market-places with songs and psalms; and you might see those who shortly before had been prisoners undergoing the harshest punishment and driven from their native lands, now regaining with gay and joyful countenances their own hearths, so that even those who formerly were thirsting for our blood, seeing the wondrous thing contrary to all expectation, rejoiced with us at what had happened.