The Formation of Christendom, Volume II

196

Champagny remarks, that the emperors were never in the mind of the Romans sovereigns in the modern acceptation of the word, but life-presidents with absolute power.

197

Champagny, Les Antonins, iii. 311.

198

“Christianos esse passus est.” Lampridius.

199

Tillemont, Hist. Ecc. iii. 250.

200

Apolog. iv. “Jampridem, cum dure definitis dicendo, non licet esse vos, et hoc sine ullo retractatu humaniore describitis, vim profitemini et iniquam ex arce dominationem, si ideo negatis licere quia vultis, non quia debuit non licere.”

201

“Res olim dissociabiles, principatum et libertatem.” Tacit. Agric. 3.

202

“Primo statim beatissimi sæculi ortu.” Ibid.

203

Agricola, 2.

204

See Döllinger, Hippolytus und Kattistus, p. 187, who quotes from Dio Cassius, l. 75, p. 1267, Reimar. This was a. d. 203.

205

Tillemont, Life of Severus, iii. 75, from Dio: a. d. 206.

206

Tertullian, ad Martyres, 4: about a. d. 196.

207

Dio, quoted by Döllinger, ut supra.

208

Euseb. Hist. v. 21.

209

Tertullian, Apol. i. 37; ad Scap. 2.

210

De Rossi, Archeol. Cristiana, 1866, p. 33, makes this estimate.

211

From a passage in the account of the Martyrs of Lyons, a. d. 177 (Euseb. Hist. v. 1, p. 201, l. 3), it appears that the word “Church” was only given to a mother or cathedral church by writers of that time.

212

Thus S. Irenæus (iii. 3. 3) speaks of S. Peter and S. Paul as θεμελιώσαντες καὶ οἰκοδομήσαντες the Church of Rome, and of the Church of Ephesus (ibid. iv.) as τεθεμελιωμένη ὑπὸ Παύλου.

213

This S. Innocent states to S. Augustine and the African bishops in 417 as a fact well known to them: “Scientes quid Apostolicæ Sedi, cum omnes hoc loco positi ipsum sequi desideremus Apostolum, debeatur, a quo ipse episcopatus et tota auctoritas nominis hujus emersit.” Coustant, Epist. Rom. Pontif. 888.

214

Photius, συναγωγαὶ καὶ ἀποδείξεις, quoted by Döllinger, Hippolytus und Kallistus, p. 264, 5.

215

Can. 6. Concil. Nic. τὰ ἀρχαῖα ἔθη κρατείτω, τὰ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ καὶ Λιβύῃ καὶ Πενταπόλει, ὥστε τὸν Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐπίσκοπον πάντων τούτων ἔχειν τὴν ἐξουσίαν, ἐπειδὴ και τῷ εν Ῥωμῃ επισκοπῳ τοῦτο συνηθεσ εστιν. See Hagemann, die Römische Kirche, 596-8.

216

“Traducem fidei et semina doctrinæ.” De Præscrip. 20.

217

See Döllinger, Hipp. u. Kall. p. 338-343, for the meaning of this word in the time of S. Irenæus, as carrying with it a special magisterium fidei. “Presbyteros” was added as a title of honour to the name of Bishop. In S. Irenæus tho same persons have as Bishops the succession of the Apostles, as Presbyteri “the charisma of the truth.” Papias marks the Asiatic Presbyteri as those who had heard of S. John; and Clement of Alex. speaks of Presbyteri who, occupied with the office of teaching, and deeming it diverse from that of composition, did not write. Eclogæ xxvii. p. 996.

218

I am indebted for the above sketch of Gnosticism mainly to Schwane, Dogmengeschichte der vornicänischen Zeit, p. 648-51.

219

Tillemont, Hist. des Emp. iii. 281, deduces it from a passage of Origen on S. Matt. tom. iii. p. 857 c.

220

Frag. Epist. ad Florin. tom. i. p. 340.