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diff --git a/42895.txt b/42895.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 17fbf5c..0000000 --- a/42895.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,10792 +0,0 @@ - ARIUS THE LIBYAN - - - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost -no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license. - - - -Title: Arius the Libyan -Author: Nathan Chapman Kouns -Release Date: June 08, 2013 [EBook #42895] -Language: English -Character set encoding: US-ASCII - - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ARIUS THE LIBYAN *** - - - - -Produced by Al Haines. - - - ARIUS - THE LIBYAN - - _A ROMANCE_ - _OF THE PRIMITIVE CHURCH_ - - - BY - NATHAN CHAPMAN KOUNS - - - - NEW YORK AND LONDON - D. APPLETON AND COMPANY - 1914 - - - - - COPYRIGHT BY - D. APPLETON AND COMPANY - 1883. - - - - Printed in the United States of America - - - - - CONTENTS. - - BOOK I. - -CHAPTER - - I. Locus in Quo - II. To Us a Child is Born: to Us a Son is Given - III. How Men lived in the Kingdom of Heaven - IV. Fine Training for a Christian Man - V. A Pagan Hermit, Old and Gray - VI. Flotson of the Middle Sea - VII. Theckla finds One God and heareth of Another - VIII. Who is Hapi? - IX. The Democracy of Faith - X. Faith and Philosophy - XI. "For the Work's Sake" - XII. The One Thing Needful - XIII. The Net Result of Law - XIV. The Blind Receive their Sight - XV. Love and Parting - XVI. Before the Temple of Serapis - XVII. Crucified unto the World - - - BOOK II. - - I. "His Most Catholic Majesty" - II. A Naval Question - III. The Politics of Religion - IV. The Prophecy of Gaius - V. A Born Ecclesiastic - VI. The One Great Battle of Christendom! - VII. The Subversion of the Primitive Church - VIII. The Abdication of Constantine - IX. "I have no Superior but Christ" - X. The Communion of the Saints - XI. One Jot that passed from the Law - XII. An Imperial Repentance - XIII. Well done, Good and Faithful Servant - - - - - ARIUS THE LIBYAN. - - - BOOK I. - - - - CHAPTER I. - - LOCUS IN QUO. - - -A long time ago, Etearchus, King of Axus, in Crete, married a second -wife (as many better men have also done), and she persuaded him to get -rid of Phronime, the pretty daughter of his former spouse. Thereupon -Etearchus agreed with a merchant of Thera that he would take Phronime -away in his ship and let her down into the sea. The merchant, true to -the letter of his bargain, did let her down into the sea, but true also -to that natural tenderness toward a pretty woman which inspires the -breast of every man who is fit for anything in this world, he quickly -drew her up again by a rope which he had fastened around her lissome -waist for that purpose, and conveyed her safely enough to Thera. - -There Phronime met another man, Polymnestus by name, a descendant of the -ancient Minyae, who also had a keen eye for feminine beauty, and him she -married. By this Polymnestus our Phronime gave birth to a man-child, -who grew up to be a terrible stammerer, and was therefore called Battus. - -And afterward, when Grinus, the Theran king, made a pilgrimage to the -oracle of Delphi to see whether the oracle would tell him some remedy -for a fearful drought which then afflicted all the land of Thera, Battus -the Stammerer went along with him to see whether the same sacred oracle -would tell him some remedy by which to cure himself of stuttering. To -both of these suppliants the oracle made the same answer, and this -answer was as follows: "FOUND A CITY IN LIBYA!" But they did not know -where Libya was, and were, therefore, very low-spirited about finding -any cure for the drought and for the stammering; until it chanced that -upon their homeward voyage they fell in with an ancient fisherman, -Corobius by name, who had once been driven by storms upon the African -coast, and he undertook to pilot them to Libya. - -And afterward, it was about 630 B.C., Battus the Stutterer went with a -colony to Libya, and founded there the city of Cyrene, almost ten miles -from the Mediterranean, nearly two thousand feet above the level of the -sea, with the grand Barcan mountains rising between it and the great -desert of the same name. From this colony afterward sprang (Pentapolis, -the Grecian five-cities) Cyrene, Bernice, Arsinoe, Barca, and Apollonia. - -Thus far testifieth Herodotus, the father of history, who, if not always -entirely trustworthy, is certainly no greater liar than the rest of the -tribe. - -Battus became king of all Cyrenaica, and his descendants, by the name of -Battidae, did rule that land, and maintain the prosperity of Cyrene -through eight generations, until the Ptolemies of Egypt conquered the -country, and under their patronage Apollonia, the seaport, became the -chief city. - -It would be a great error to suppose that because Cyrene was on the -northern coast of Africa, and near the vast and arid Barcan Desert, it -was therefore an unpleasant seat. On the contrary, it may well be -doubted whether a more delightful locality can be found on earth. All -Pentapolis is remarkably healthful and pleasant, especially Cyrene and -its vicinity. The lofty mountain-range slopes gently away to the very -sands of earth's middle sea, the waters of which temper the heat of the -climate, while the high mountains lying farther inland ward off the hot -blasts of the desert. In Cyrene, and between the city and the sea, a -luxuriant soil produces almost every fruit, flower, and grain known to -both tropical and temperate latitudes. The grand fountain of Apollo, -which the Arabs of our age call 'Ain Sahat, gushed up in the very midst -of it. The mean temperature is 85 deg. Fahr., and the variations -thereof are gradual and insignificant. - -In the year 26 B.C., Apion, the last lineal descendant of the Egyptian -Ptolemies, bequeathed the city to the Romans. - -Cyrene, so happily situated, became noted, not only for its prosperity -and salubriousness, but for the intellectual life and activity of its -inhabitants. It long possessed a famous medical school; it gave to fame -Callimachus, the poet; Carneades, the founder of the new academy at -Athens; Aristippus, the disciple of Socrates; Eratosthenes, the -Polyhistor; and Synesius, one of the most elegant of ancient Christian -writers. - -Not far from beautiful and prosperous Cyrene, on one of those gentle -declivities which were washed by the waters of the Mediterranean, there -was, in A.D. 265, a comfortable stone farm-house, pleasantly located in -the midst of a considerable tract of cultivated lands. The farm faced a -small bay and the limitless sea northwardly; southwardly the high range -of the Barcan mountains rolled grandly away, their nearer slopes -inclosing the farm between the highlands and the bay, and imparting to -the beautiful place a most attractive sense of quiet and seclusion from -the busy world. The house was one story high, containing seven rooms, -and the ground plan of it was exactly the outline of a cross, there -being four rooms and a portico in the length thereof, and three in its -greatest width. - -At this house, in the last-named year, was born a man-child, whose fate -it was to become one of the grandest, purest, least understood, and most -systematically misrepresented characters in human history--Arius the -Libyan, the Heretic--whose fortunes, good and evil, whose experiences, -heterodox or orthodox, shall be followed in these pages with genuine -love and admiration, with profoundest pity also, and yet with a sincere -desire to deal justly with his grand and beautiful memory, seeking to -"nothing extenuate nor set down aught in malice." - - - - - CHAPTER II. - - TO US A CHILD IS BORN: TO US A SON IS GIVEN. - - -The family resident at the Libyan farm-house consisted of only the -swarthy Egyptian Ammonius; his young wife Arete, who, although an -Egyptian, had somehow acquired a purely Greek name, a fact which -indicated vast influence that the great Grecian city of Alexandria had -long exerted over Egypt; and an old female domestic that had belonged to -Arete's mother during even her girlhood, and was called Thopt, the -abbreviation of some ancient Coptic name, the letters of which still -served to point out the fact that in her infancy she had been dedicated -to the service of some one of the gods of the Nile. - -The tropical sun was just rising along the Libyan coasts, when old Thopt -came into the apartment in which sat Ammonius awaiting news of his wife, -bearing in her arms a creature that was swaddled up in such innumerable -bandages that it looked like a new and diminutive mummy, and, presenting -this pygmy to the father, the old woman said: "It is a man-child, and a -fine one! But he hath a forehead like a ram." - -And Ammonius carefully but awkwardly took the parcel into his own hands, -and looked upon it with curious emotion, whereupon the manikin began to -cry so suddenly and vigorously that Ammonius would have let it drop upon -the floor if old Thopt had not seized it just as the lapse began. - -"How fareth the little man's mother?" said he, "and may I not go in to -see her immediately?" - -"She rallieth from her trial wonderfully," answered old Thopt, "and even -now inquireth after thee." - -And the great, rough, swarthy man went into his wife's room, and, -bending over her, he kissed her with exceeding tenderness: "May the Lord -help thee, mother," he said, "for thou art mother now, and doubly dear -to me!" - -"Bless thee, husband!" said Arete; "and remember that thou hast promised -me that, if the babe should prove to be a boy, thou wouldst have him -educated for the ministry of Christ. May the Lord raise him up for his -own glory!" - -"Amen!" replied Ammonius, fervently. "I did so promise thee, Arete, and -will so do if the Lord will. Already our pleasant farm is so famous for -its excellent cattle, that whereas I did call the house Baucalis -because, when the wind bloweth from the east, the water runneth through -the narrow entrance into the little bay, with a murmur like the gurgling -of wine from a bottle, the neighbors call the place Boucalis because -they say that no land in all Cyrenaica produceth more or better cattle. -So, little mother, thou need not fear but that with the cattle and with -shipments of corn to Alexandria, whence the merchants transport it unto -Puteoli and Rome far across the sea, we shall be able to give thy boy -all proper training to become a presbyter, or even a bishop, if he -liveth and showeth a godly disposition." - -"And thou wilt never let the love of gain, nor of worldly honors, grow -upon thee until thou shalt repent thee of this purpose, and so determine -that it would be better for the boy to betake himself to business -affairs and acquire wealth rather than to serve God wholly?" - -"Nay, verily," cried Ammonius; "for the matter lieth nearer to my heart -than even thou knowest, Arete." - -"For what reason, then, good husband?" - -"I have often told thee, little mother, that I was a boy in a temple on -the Nile, dedicated to Amun, or Ammon, as mine idolatrous name doth -signify, and that at an early age I fled therefrom and betook myself to -the river and to the sea, and did prosper so that I got first an -interest in a ship, and afterward the sole ownership thereof, and made -many long and prosperous voyages. I have told thee, also, in all -details, how, on a voyage from Alexandria unto Italy, the storm drove us -upon a rocky island where our destruction seemed imminent, until, while -we all were momently expecting death, a quiet and almost unnoticed -passenger, who had come from Antioch unto Alexandria and was journeying -with us to Puteoli, did pray for us to Jesus Christ, and stilled the -storm, and so saved the ship and all our lives. I have often told thee -how this good Bishop of Antioch did lead me into the knowledge and love -of Christ, and how I sold my ship and cargo, and gave one half of my -property to the Church, that other Egyptians might be converted, and -with the other moiety bought this farm, having known the pleasant coasts -of Cyrenaica for many years; and then returned to Alexandria to bring -thee hither that we might as stewards of the Lord manage this estate -together. But I did not tell thee that when the bishop asked me whether -I experienced any vocation for the preaching of the word, and I did tell -the holy man that neither natural gifts nor education fitted me for that -sacred calling, I did then vow to the Lord that if any son were given -unto me I would teach him as far as I might be able to do in the love -and learning of the gospel, and would send him unto Antioch to be more -thoroughly instructed. So thou seest, dear little mother, that not only -thine and mine own inclinations, but also mine obligation given unto -God, bindeth me to bestow upon the boy all the teaching I can give unto -him, and to afford to him every reasonable opportunity for greater -learning. And I pray that he may escape the physical infirmity which, -even more than the lack of learning, hath kept me from the public -ministry of the word!" - -"It is a strange and perplexing thing," laughed Arete, "and yet amusing. -For all the Christians of our region rely upon thy strong good sense and -modest learning in every private matter, whether of business or of -religion; yet it seemeth so pitiful that, if thou standest upon thy feet -to speak to any assembly, thou dost straightway begin to jerk and -wriggle like a serpent, and to hiss and stammer so that thou canst not -talk intelligibly, although thou hast more brains and learning than many -who are eloquent." - -"I long thought it to be my duty to try to overcome these physical -defects, but, if at any time my heart is deeply moved, I can not talk, -and it is useless to try it any more. We shall strive both by teaching -and by prayer to train the boy better." - -"Dost thou not remember, Ammonius, that evening in our boat upon the -dear old Nile, what a distressful time thou didst endure in thine -attempt to ask me to become thy wife?" And the little woman laughed and -laughed until her eyes were full of happy tears. - -"Yea," answered Ammonius, "nor indeed do I think that I did ever ask -thee at all. I did, after many efforts, get thee to say what words thou -wouldst have a man use who loved thee and wanted thee to be his wife, -and all I could do was to cry out, 'I say that to thee, Arete--I say all -that and more!' and in mine embarrassment verily I could utter nothing -else!" - -"But," laughed the little woman, "afterward I did make thee say the -words over and over again, albeit I might almost as soon have trained a -parrot to repeat them." - -"But I trust thou hast never regretted the trouble thou didst take in -teaching me how to court thee," said Ammonius. - -"Nay, verily," she answered, "but I think it was the most amusing -courtship that hath ever happened." - -And, while husband and wife pleasantly conversed, old Thopt brought the -child back to his mother, and announced that Christian women from other -farms along the coast had come to offer their congratulations and any -assistance that might be needed. It was singular to observe that while -the adjacent country, from Apollonia to Cyrene, and all around, was -settled by Egyptians, Greeks, Jews, and Romans, and while some women and -girls of all of these nationalities, during the next few days, made -visits of sympathy to the family at Baucalis, none came except those who -were known to each other to be Christians, no matter what their -nationality might be. Practically the faith of Jesus had broken down -all ethnic, social, and political barriers among those who professed it; -and the only class distinction which was recognized at all was between -those who were Christians and those who were not. The persecution, which -had begun seven years before under the Emperor Valerian, had raged in -Libya as fiercely as in any portion of the Roman Empire, and, although -intermittent in its character, there had quite recently been cruelties -enough, extending in some instances to martyrdom, chiefly at the -instigation of Jewish and pagan priests, to render it necessary for the -Christians to conduct their religious rites and social intercourse with -a certain degree of secrecy, and to preserve their ancient means of -instantaneous recognition in constant use, so that, when a Christian -might meet any one who was not familiarly known to him, an almost -imperceptible sign served as a challenge by which he was instantly -enabled to tell, without an inquiry or a spoken word, whether the -stranger might be a Christian or not. Of course, if any one came who -failed to recognize the sign, another movement, almost as imperceptible, -served to warn all Christians present that there was one near them who -did not profess their faith; so that there was little danger in their -usual intercourse with each other or with their pagan neighbors. - -On the eighth day after the birth of the boy, a few Christians assembled -at the farm, and the services of a presbyter of Cyrene were procured. -They first engaged in singing and in prayer, and then a portion of the -gospel was read and the communion administered, after which the child -was baptized. Preparatory to this ceremony there was quite a discussion -among them as to the name by which the boy should be baptized, the young -mother being desirous to call him by the name of some of the holy men -who had suffered martyrdom for Jesus, or had otherwise become especially -dear and honored throughout the Christian communities. To this the -fatal objection was urged that such a selection of a name might arouse -evil-minded neighbors to the fact that there were Christians among them, -and so render the family unnecessarily and perhaps dangerously obnoxious -to the malice of any who might ever harbor ill-will against them. -Ammonius insisted upon calling the boy after the name of a Roman who had -been his partner in the old sea-faring days, and whom he had highly -esteemed, although he might be still a pagan so far as Ammonius knew; -and so the child was finally christened "Arius." - -"It is almost the Greek name of the god of war whom the heathen -worship," said the presbyter. - -"He shall be a warrior," answered Ammonius--"a soldier of Christ; and -the military designation is not inappropriate." - -"It is almost the name for a ram!" said another. - -"I desire him to become the leader of a flock," said Ammonius, "and the -name is well enough." - -"It is almost the name of one of the signs of the zodiac," said another. - -"I pray that the boy's thoughts and hopes may be fixed upon celestial -things," said Ammonius, "and the name is well enough." - -"It almost signifies that he shall be most lean and spare," said yet -another. - -"I would not desire him to look like a glutton or a drunkard," said -Ammonius, "and surely the name is well enough." - -"It may signify 'entreated' or 'supplicated,' or 'execrated,' or -'accursed,'" said the presbyter, "and is certainly a strange name." - -"I would ever have him sought after by the good and hated by the evil," -answered Ammonius, "and I will not change the name. Let him be called -Arius. Besides," he added, "what is in a name? Mine own idolatrous -name signifieth 'dedicated to Am-un,' yet I hope ye take me to be a -Christian. I call the farm Baucalis, from the murmur of the waters on -the garden shore, but ye call it Boucalis, because it breedeth good -cattle. Arius!--what doth it matter whether it meaneth this or that? I -know it for the name of an honorable man and faithful friend, and, if -the boy become what I hope to see him, he shall make both the name -Baucalis and Arius loved and honored by the faithful everywhere. If he -turneth out ill, a prouder name might be disgraced by him; therefore let -him be called Arius." - -And so the babe was christened. - -"I perceive," said the presbyter, after the religious services were -ended and all of them partook of suitable refreshments and engaged in -conversation, "that thou hast fixed thy heart upon having this child -devoted unto the service of our Lord. It seemeth strange to me that, -having such a pious desire for him, thou that art learned and -intelligent hast never thyself sought to preach the gospel of our Lord!" - -"I might truly have rejoiced so to do," answered Ammonius, "but that the -python's influence prevented me." - -"The python!" exclaimed the presbyter; "why, brother, what can the -serpent have to do with thee?" - -"This," replied Ammonius. "Some time before I came into the world, at -Alexandria, to which great city strangers resort from the four quarters -of the world even as unto imperial Rome, there came certain priests out -of India to witness the ceremonies of a great festival in honor of a new -Apis, and in their train certain jugglers who wrought various wonders, -and carried with them immense pythons which they had charmed and -rendered harmless. While my mother stood on the propylon of our house, -watching the vast procession, one of the pythons, that had its tail -entwined round the neck and body of an Indian passing below, suddenly -sprang up out of its coil erect, and brandished its hideous head before -my mother's face, so that she fainted thereat with terror. When I came -into the world she was horrified at being able to trace out in the -conformation of my head and face the similitude of the cobra; and with -many prayers and offerings she had me early dedicated to Ammon, thinking -that perchance the idol might remove the peculiarity of my features -which made me loathsome in her sight by continually recalling the -fearful image of the python. As I grew older, this conformation largely -faded out, but all my life, whenever my feelings or passions are -aroused, involuntary action of the muscles runneth from the feet upward, -and maketh me to writhe like a serpent, and throweth a sibilant -sharpness into my voice, so that anything like public speaking is -well-nigh impossible to me; and I am compelled to master all emotions -and to preserve a perfect serenity of mind, in order to avoid this -serpentine appearance which is distressful to some and fearful unto -others, and am compelled to speak in the slow, methodical manner thou -hearest. But for this affliction, I would gladly have entered into the -public service of the Master. God grant that my boy inherit not this -strange malady! Pray thou for him." - -"Yea, most gladly and earnestly will I," said the presbyter. "But -repine thou not, my brother; for, although thou preachest not publicly, -thy godly walk and conversation are a living sermon, which all who know -thee must ponder with delight and edification." - -And afterward the presbyter departed, and all who had attended the -service went each one his own way, with sincerest benedictions upon the -little family of Baucalis, and warmest sympathy with the earnest desire -of the parents that their babe might live and grow up to be a minister -of Christ. - - - - - CHAPTER III. - - HOW MEN LIVED IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. - - -Soon the ripple of excitement caused by the arrival of the young Arius -at the Baucalis farm passed away, and the life of the dwellers there -resumed its wonted quiet. Ammonius, generally bareheaded and naked from -the waist up and from the knees down, as the custom of the country was, -his olive skin glistening with healthful perspiration, pursued the -various labors of the farm, and his wife attended to the fruits and -vegetables nigh the house; and old Thopt prepared their food, and did -the washing which their simple style of living rendered necessary; and -both women devoted the hours not otherwise employed to the manufacture -of woolen, cotton, and linen goods for domestic uses. Neither Jewish, -Greek, nor Roman women generally adopted the luxurious manners and -elegance of dress and ornament common to noble or opulent Egyptians; and -those Egyptians who dwelt in the agricultural portions of Cyrenaica, -especially those who were Christians, followed the simpler manners of -the same classes among their neighbors. At the Baucalis farm everything -about the house was scrupulously clean and neat, manifestly designed for -comfort and convenience, nothing for ostentation. In the business of the -place, out-doors and in-doors, there was never seen any of that driving -spirit which indicates a thirst for accumulation, but all duties were -prosecuted as if reasonable diligence were esteemed to be both a duty -and a pleasure. At the end of a year's labor Ammonius would have felt -no concern at all if he had found that he had not gained a single coin -beyond the sum requisite to pay taxes, but he would have experienced a -humiliating sense of shame and unworthiness if the occupant of so fine a -farm had failed to have enough and to spare for every call of charity, -for every reasonable claim upon his hospitality, or for liberal -contribution to every work in which the Church was interested. Corn, -wheat, and barley, variously prepared for table use, a large variety of -fruits both preserved and fresh, and many kinds of vegetables, formed -their chief food. Fish of choice kinds, and in great abundance, was in -common use, and domestic fowls were raised by all. The consumption of -flesh was not an everyday thing with these simple and healthful people. -Twice, or, at most, thrice a week neighbors would club together and kill -and part among themselves a kid or sheep. Beef was little used among -them, and was raised for market chiefly. Swine's flesh they never used, -and they wondered at the Roman appetite for coarse, strong meat dishes. -The light, pleasant wine made everywhere along the coast was in general -use among them all. The every-day dress of both sexes was cotton cloth, -a short kilt reaching from the shoulder to the knee, and over this, when -not actively at work, a loose gown covering the person from neck to -ankle, and confined at the waist with a girdle or sash of bright-colored -cloth. They had garments of finest wool and linen for extraordinary -occasions. - -In this region the Christian communities were not formally organized -upon the communistic basis of the primitive Church, because all of them -were in a nearly equally prosperous condition, and there were none among -them who were "poor" in the sense of requiring assistance. The few that -were in any way incapacitated for earning a livelihood were related by -ties of blood to one or more families, able and always willing to afford -them every needful comfort and assistance. But no Christian family was -ever known to refuse anything for which a needy person asked, in money, -clothing, food, or whatever they possessed; and in this respect it made -little difference what might be the religion or nationality of the -applicant. To refuse to give to one that asked would have seemed to any -of these Christians to be a wicked, almost sacrilegious, violation of -the very words of Jesus: "_Give to him that asketh, and from him that -would borrow of thee, turn not thou away._" They regarded all property -of Christians as in the ownership of the Church, and themselves only as -stewards intrusted with the management of this or that portion thereof. -Hence every call of presbyter or bishop for assistance to less fortunate -communities, and every individual application for aid, was gladly and -promptly responded to; and they regarded it as part of their profession -of faith to find some healthful occupation for every one that was able -and willing to do anything for the common good. In the cities of -Cyrenaica were many Christians engaged in multiform avocations, but even -there the Christian communities were so temperate and diligent that few -among them wanted anything; and the union of the faithful furnished such -a perfect safeguard against the ills of life that they were not only -able to care for those of their own number who might be overtaken by any -calamity, but were always able and willing to afford assistance to -foreign communities less fortunately situated, when requested so to do. -In short, all and far more than modern "poor-laws," Masonic, -Odd-Fellows', and other eleemosynary associations, marine, life, and -fire companies, have been enabled to do toward the amelioration of the -condition of the unfortunate, was far more perfectly accomplished by -these Christian communities, that recognized as a matter of faith the -principle of all human charity which extends beyond mere alms-giving, -_that the average prosperity of the community should extend to each -individual thereof when overtaken by any misfortune_--a redeeming -principle which Jesus and his apostles taught in its most perfect and -effective form as the "communion of saints," the partnership or -fellowship of the holy ([Greek: _koinonia ton hagion_]); community of -property and rights among all who believe; a principle which good men -have been vainly seeking to restore in some form ever since the -subversion of Christianity, in the fourth century, by the agency of -numberless nugatory statutes and associations; a divine truth which in -its Christless forms of "communism," "socialism," and "Nihilism," now -threatens the very existence of law and order throughout Christendom; a -system perhaps impossible to any government which recognizes the -legality of private-property rights, and is therefore committed to -Mammon-worship. - -But these Christians had learned a higher truth than any known to human -laws: they were the owners of nothing; they were only stewards of their -Lord's goods; the wealth which they accumulated and held for the common -good was to them "true riches"; the wealth which any individual held for -himself and his own private aggrandizement was the "mammon of -unrighteousness." Hence no Christian could be in want while the -community was prosperous; no community could suffer while any other -communities accessible to them by land or sea had anything to spare; and -the faith of Christ made the general prosperity of all Christians insure -the individual prosperity of each one; so that there were no "rich" and -no "poor" among them. - -Plato's dreams of a perfect community ("Republic") admitted human -slavery--Jesus Christ taught the freedom, equality, and fraternity of -all men: Sir Thomas More's "Utopia" abolished marriage, and proposed to -hold women in common--Jesus Christ elevated marriage into a sacrament; -denied man's right to "hold" woman at all; proclaimed freedom and -equality _for her_ also, repudiating the universal idea that she was a -chattel, and teaching that she is a soul endowed with the same rights, -duties, and responsibilities as are inherent in the soul of man. Modern -reformers propose to "divide" out all property, and limit individual -acquisitions thereof; but Jesus proposed to divide out nothing, and to -limit nothing; but, that all things should be accumulated, owned, and -used in common, as every one hath need, just as air, and sunlight, and -the boundless sea are common. The word "catholic" ([Greek: _kata -holos_]) was unknown to Jesus and the New Testament; the word "common" -([Greek: _koiyos_]) was the key to all of his teachings, social, -spiritual, and political. - -The only relation which these Christians sustained to the "government" -of Cyrenaica, or to that of Rome, was to pay the taxes demanded of them; -and they had no concern as to who might be emperor or proconsul, except -so far as these rulers might be disposed to persecute the Christians, or -otherwise. They paid taxes, to avoid giving offense, even as Jesus -himself had paid tribute, although born under Roman rule, and not a -"stranger," and not liable to pay tribute; but they never acknowledged -the Roman authority in any other way. It would have been an -ineffaceable stigma on the character of a Christian to summon another -Christian before a civil magistrate for any cause; they would not "go to -law before the heathen." If any differences arose between any, they -left it to some of the brethren to consider the matter and adjust it; -and they considered themselves bound to abide by the settlement reached, -by bonds of faith and love stronger than human statutes can be made. If -any became careless of right and duty, or actively wicked, his nearest -friends remonstrated with him, and, if he refused to abandon his sinful -course, the presbyters reproved him; and, if this proved ineffectual in -working out the needed reformation, they brought the offender before the -Church, and either succeeded in drawing him back into the right way, or, -if he proved incorrigible, they simply refused henceforth to fellowship -with him, and held him as a publican and a sinner. They never had -recourse to any temporal penalties to enforce the law of Christian -brotherhood; knowing that no one who refused to be controlled without -the use of force was a Christian, they publicly disowned him, and that -was the end of it. For they had been taught from the beginning that the -essential difference between the kingdom of heaven and every other -kingdom established upon earth consisted in the fact that human -governments recognize private property-rights in estates, rank, offices, -prerogatives, and seek to enforce these legal, fictitious rights by -temporal penalties, contrary to reason and justice; while Jesus -denounced all such private rights as Mammon-worship, and all statutes -enacted to enforce them as lies of the Scribes and Pharisees; and never -fixed, and never authorized his apostles to fix, any temporal penalties -whatever. They understood perfectly well that the necessary and -inevitable result of all law-and-order systems is to produce a ruling -class at the top of every political fabric to whom all of its benefits -inure, an oppressed or enslaved people at the bottom upon whose weary -shoulders rest all of the burdens and the waste of life, and between -these extremes ecclesiasticisms and an army (always on the side of the -ruling classes and against the multitudes) seeking to adjust their -mutual legal rights and duties by the agency of bayonets and prayer--a -system of laws creating fictitious rights, creating legal offenses by -the disregard of these pretended rights, and denouncing legal penalties. -But they knew that Jesus died as much for the children of Barabbas as -for the offspring of Herod; and that every statute, custom, or -superstition which attempts to make one of the babies "better" than the -others is a fraud on our common humanity and a violation of the law of -Christ. For the kingdom of heaven was organized upon the basis of -community of rights and property among all who believe, thereby removing -all inducements to commit such crimes as treason, larceny, and fraud, -which exist only by force of the statutes creating and punishing them; -for civilization itself is the parent of all crime except murder or -lust, which might sometimes occur from the mere ebullition of brutal -passion and instinct in low and base natures. Hence those Christians, -who "called nothing they possessed their own," regarding themselves as -only stewards of the Lord's goods, held by them for the common good of -all believers, had no use for the Roman government or any other, and -cared nothing for it except so far as taxes and persecutions, imposed or -omitted, might affect the temporal welfare of individuals and of the -communities of which they were members. They were citizens of a kingdom -in but not of the world, desiring to be at peace with all worldly -kingdoms. They knew that Jesus proclaimed a good news or gospel for the -poor, the very foundation-stone of which is the absolute equality, -liberty, and fraternity of man; and they learned from the same divine -Teacher that kings, lords, nobles, all personal and class distinctions -among men, are the mere creation of legal fiction, sustained by unjust -force, like slavery and piracy, and do not exist in the nature of things -or by the will of God; and that these laws are everywhere only the -utterances of selfishness crystallized into the form of statutes, -customs, or decrees, government over the people being nothing more nor -less than an organized expression of faith in the ancient lie that -private property (in estates, rank, or prerogatives) is the one thing -sacred in human life, and that laws and penalties are necessary to -maintain it; which faith is the idolatry of Mammon, the only paganism -that Jesus denounced by name, and declared to be utterly antagonistic to -the worship of God. They understood, therefore, that in place of -attempting (as all human legislators have ever done) to provide a more -perfect law-and-order system for the protection of private rights, our -Lord designed to abolish all private property, and with it all the -unjust laws and penalties by which the worship of Mammon is maintained. -Hence, in place of teaching to men a better slave-code than the world -had known before, Jesus taught freedom for all men. In place of teaching -a more effective art of war, he proclaimed the gospel of peace, love, -justice. In place of ordaining only more wise and just regulations for -governing the intercourse of men with their female chattels, he elevated -monogamic marriage into a holy sacrament, and applied to man and wife -alike the same divine law of personal rights, duties, and -responsibilities. In place of teaching better laws for the government -of men by other men as erring, sinful, and selfish as themselves, he -taught that all such laws and government are unnecessary to any people -who believe that there is something more sacred, higher, and holier than -private rights, and are willing by faith to renounce all human, -statutory advantages in order to acquire divine truth. - -So in beautiful Cyrenaica, while Greek and Roman, Egyptian and Jew, -concerned themselves about politics, and struggled for offices, and -toiled beyond measure for useless gain, the Christian communities -pursued the calm and even tenor of their way, meeting on every Sabbath -for religious services and instruction; closing each week-day's labor -with a pleasant formula of evening prayer; training up their sons and -daughters to despise all the false statutory and customary distinctions -and vanities of worldly life "after which the Gentiles seek"; teaching -them to seek knowledge, especially the knowledge peculiar to their -faith; to love all men, especially the brethren; and to regard this -earthly life as but the threshold of a higher, holier, and more perfect -state of being that lay only a few brief, fleeting years away from every -one of them. And so, while the sun arose and set; while the harvests -were grown and garnered; while the pure and fadeless sea lapsed along -the fertile garden of the Baucalis farm, and new lives came upon the -stage of human action, and older ones were gathered into the rest -appointed for all the living, peace and plenty, charity and love, purity -and truth, blessed the dwellers at the stone cottage by the sea-side. - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - - FINE TRAINING FOR A CHRISTIAN MAN! - - -The boy Arius increased in stature, and learned, even before he had -learned the alphabet, to think that he knew and loved the Lord. For -from the time that he could talk, daily, after the little family had -completed their healthful tasks, they spent an hour in repeating to him, -and in teaching him to repeat after them, some simple passage out of the -New Testament, so that the child had memorized a whole gospel before he -had learned to read the written text, and become familiar with the -general course of the Old Testament Scriptures, particularly with the -salient and beautiful narratives wherewith the sacred word abounds. -After he grew older his father taught him both to speak and write the -Latin and Hebrew equivalent of every word in the Greek text; so that -Arius acquired the three languages together. The father watched with -intense and painful anxiety to ascertain whether the singular affliction -which his mother's terror of the python had entailed upon himself had -been transmitted to his son, and rejoiced to see that, while some -unmistakable traces thereof appeared in the boy's voice and manner, they -were so slight as not only not to be unpleasantly obtrusive, but were -even attractive, as perhaps every marked peculiarity, which is of a -graceful character, is attractive in a man. - -At twelve years of age, Arius was an unusually tall and slender lad, -peculiar in the shape of his bold, shaggy head, peculiar in the length -and litheness of his shapely neck, peculiar in the mesmeric luminosity -of his dark and tender eyes, and in the singular but incisive sweetness -of his voice. He spoke, wrote, and read Greek and Latin with fluency, -and was well informed in the Hebrew tongue; and yet he was scarcely -conscious of the fact that under his father's wise and careful training -he had been a student almost from his infancy, so steadily, easily, and -gradually, had he progressed in the acquisition of knowledge. The New -Testament written on parchments in the uncial text; the "Pastor of -Hermas," which, in those days, was thought to be of almost apostolical -authority; and copies of some of the letters of Polycarp, Irenaeus, and -Clement, were almost the only books which Ammonius owned, as the cost of -a library in those days was enormous. From these they would read a few -verses at a time, and translate them into Latin as they went along. A -presbyter at Cyrene loaned them the Old Testament, from which the boy -copied and memorized such parts as his father directed him to learn, as -having the directest bearing upon the life and doctrine of Jesus. The -boy did his full share of labor in all the working of the farm, and took -the bath daily in the little bay on which it fronted (as in fact all the -family were accustomed to do), and at night father, mother, and son, -read and translated from the Scriptures; and occasionally the boy was -made to stand up and repeat by rote the Apostles' Creed, the -Paternoster, the Prayer of Agur, the son of Jakeh, Paul's beautiful hymn -in praise of Agape, or some other favorite passage, sometimes in one -language and sometimes in another. In these little recitations, as -often as the boy's feelings were enlisted, there came a peculiar and -fascinating sibilation into his voice; his hand, chiefly the right hand, -would move and wave with a strange, easy, vibrant motion, almost as if -it involuntarily strove to accentuate the syllables of the sonorous -text; his head would dart up and lean slightly forward from the long and -shapely neck, like the crest of some splendid cobra, peering forward -toward the hearer, and his dark eyes dilated with a strange mesmeric -light; and altogether the lad had a very peculiar and impressive -appearance. But these slight hereditary traces of the python's -influence were never unpleasantly obtrusive, and the father did not -think it to be necessary to impose upon the son that life-long -self-restraint and self-consciousness which, in his own case, had been -requisite to guard himself against serpentine manifestations of emotion. -But his own long and careful effort and study in this respect qualified -him to impart to the boy a marvelously distinct and peculiar -accentuation, which made every word he uttered as clear and perfect as a -pearl--as distinct and resonant as trumpet-notes. - -But while Ammonius was thus cautious and diligent in training his son to -acquire critical exactness in his knowledge of the philology and history -of the sacred text, he was not the less anxious to imbue his mind with -the very spirit that distills upon the faithful heart out of the words -of uncorrupted truth. This he strove to do by continually spurring the -boy's intelligence to seek for the real significance of our Lord's life -and teachings, the differences between his philosophy and ethics and -those of other renowned moralists and teachers; the essential -differences between the kingdom which Jesus established in the world and -all worldly kingdoms; the great fact, indeed, that Jesus taught not only -the purest ethics in a few sweeping principles which cover the whole -range of human life and experience, but taught also social and political -truth essential to the establishment and maintenance of human rights and -liberty. Yet the man's instructions were not dogmatic; they belonged to -no sect or system of religion or of philosophy; they consisted chiefly -in exciting in the mind of the youth an honest desire to know the truth, -and of questions and suggestions designed to aid him in discovering it -for himself. The manner of instruction generally pursued by Ammonius -may be gathered from one or two of their evening exercises, like the -following. - -The boy read this passage: "_Now when John had heard in the prison the -works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, and said unto him, Art -thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and -said unto them, Go and show John again those things which ye do hear and -see: the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are -cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have -the gospel preached unto them. And blessed is he whosoever shall not be -offended in me._" - -Then said Ammonius, "What lesson dost thou understand to be taught in -this place, Arius?" - -"Obviously it teacheth," answered the boy, "that John desired to know of -Jesus whether he might be 'he that should come,' that is, Christ. In -place of answering the question directly, he pointed them to the -miracles which they saw him even then performing, as if he knew that -these wonderful works would be sufficient to satisfy John of his -divinity. This and other passages seem also to show that miracles are -the only proper evidence that can be offered that Jesus is the Christ." - -"All that is on the surface," answered Ammonius, "and is well enough. -But canst thou see nothing deeper in the words? Is there nothing -strange in the answer of Jesus that provoketh inquiry, or needeth -comment? Read the passage again, Arius, and see what else thou canst -find in it." - -Then the lad reread the passage very carefully, and he said: "The blind -receive sight: a miracle; the lame walk: a second miracle; the lepers -are cleansed: a third miracle; the deaf hear: a fourth miracle; the dead -are raised up: a fifth and greater miracle. It seemeth strange to me -that our Lord should add, as if it were a greater miracle than all the -others, and the crowning proof of his Messiahship, the fact that the -poor have the gospel preached unto them. Is it a fact, father, that -before the coming of Jesus the gospel had never been preached unto the -poor? Was the Jewish scripture only for the rich?" - -Ammonius smiled, but answered: "The rolls of the law, the Jewish -scriptures, were read on the Sabbath-day in every synagogue, and both -the rich and the poor were required to be present and hear it. Perhaps -the gospel of which Jesus speaks was not in the Jewish scriptures, or -else was only taught in laws and prophecies which the Jews had not -correctly interpreted." - -"But it could not have been our gospel," said Arius, "for no part of the -New Testament was then written. I wonder what this gospel was; and why -it was good news to the poor rather than to the rich; and why our Lord -said that whoever should not take offense at the gospel was blessed. -Why should any one take offense at it? Why did they crucify him for -proclaiming it? Why did the chief priests and rulers of the people so -bitterly hate the gospel?" - -"If thou wilt follow up these questions and learn the true answers -thereto," said Ammonius, "thou wilt get hold of a fine, large truth!" - -"Wilt thou aid me therein?" - -"Yea, so far as I am able to do so; and to that end I ask thee if thou -canst tell what reason is repeatedly given in the gospels why the -Pharisees 'were offended' at our Lord's teachings; why they 'derided' -him; in a word, why they hated him and his gospel?" - -"Yea! The reason that is always given for their hatred of Jesus is that -they were 'covetous'?" - -"Dost thou think that the fact that they were rich and covetous could -account for their rejection of their own scriptures, which showed them -the Messiah plainly, and in which they all believed, unless the gospel -which Jesus taught in some way antagonized their legal right to their -property?" - -"Nay, verily," said the boy. "The gospel must have interfered with -their property, or the fact that they were 'covetous' would not be given -as the reason for their hatred of Jesus." - -"Then let us examine what this gospel was that was 'good news to the -poor.' Dost thou remember any other place in which the same words -occur?" - -"Yea," answered Arius. "It is written in Luke: '_And he came to -Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went -into the synagogue on the Sabbath-day, and stood up for to read. And -there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when -he had opened the book, he found the place where it is written, The -spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the -gospel to the poor: he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted; to -preach deliverance to the captives; and recovering of sight to the -blind; to set at liberty them that are bruised; to preach the acceptable -year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and gave it again to the -minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all of them that were in the -synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day -is this scripture fulfilled in your ears._'" - -"Now canst thou find the place in Isaiah referred to in the text?" - -"Yea," replied Arius; "it readeth as follows: '_The spirit of the Lord -God_ is upon me; because he hath anointed me to _preach good tidings_.'" - -"Stop," said Ammonius; "thou seest that the 'gospel' is the same thing -which the prophet calleth 'good tidings?'" - -"Yea," answered the lad, "but whence cometh this expression of 'the -acceptable year of the Lord,' and what signifieth it?" - -"It cometh from the statute of the year of jubilee, set forth at large -in the book of Leviticus. When thou shalt examine this statute fully, -thou shalt find that it is emphatically a law against private property, -providing that debts expire every seventh year, and that all Israel was -prohibited from seeking to make gain every seventh year, and from saving -what they had already made. Thou wilt see that it was a statute -restoring all real estate every fiftieth year to the original possessors -thereof, and providing for the release of all prisoners, the manumission -of all slaves, the cessation of all oppressions--a year of joy to all -that were poor and afflicted. Thou wilt see that Isaiah, and other -prophets also, foretold that this great and acceptable year of jubilee -was simply a type of the condition, social and political, which should -be established permanently in the kingdom of heaven: and that our Lord -declared that this prophecy was fulfilled in himself. Thou wilt find, -if thou shalt grasp this one truth in its fullness, that the gospel -which was good news to the poor was simply the fulfillment of the -prophecies concerning Christ--the permanent establishment of 'the -acceptable year'; and that the Pharisees, who were rich and 'covetous,' -hated the gospel because it required all who believe to hold all rights -and property in common for the good of all; and they preferred their own -selfish aggrandizement to the common good of all; and thou wilt see that -the chief priests and rulers of the people conspired together to crucify -Jesus, not because they ever doubted his divinity and Messiahship, but -because they worshiped Mammon more than God. For the same reason, Rome, -that welcomed every heathen superstition under heaven, and built a -Pantheon for all the gods, persecuted the Christians from the very -beginning, because the gospel of our Lord is eternally opposed to -Mammon-worship, war, slavery, polygamy, and the princes and powers of -the earth--a kingdom in which Christ only is king, and all men are -brethren." - -"And it must have been hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of -heaven," said Arius, "only because he had to consecrate all earthly -possessions to the common Church, and abdicate all human titles and -prerogatives." - -"Yea," said Ammonius, "that was the property-law laid down by Jesus; and -it was verily easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than -for a rich man to comply with the law. But thou shouldst trace this -truth through all the laws of the Jews, through all the prophecies and -through all the parables of Christ; and thou wilt then understand how -the law was a schoolmaster leading men to Jesus. Thou wilt understand -how it is that in the Church all are free, equal, and fraternal, while -in all other kingdoms there are kings, princes, lords; masters, and -slaves; the rich and the poor; and universal selfishness, pride, -ambition, usury, extortion, licentiousness, oppression, and wrong; and -thou wilt more and more love and worship our blessed Lord for -establishing the only system upon which true liberty and true religion -ever will be possible for the masses of mankind." - -Then the bright, patient, hopeful student resolved that he would never -cease to read and to ponder upon the fullness of the gospel until he had -thoroughly explored all the possible bearings of the divine, social, -political, and spiritual system of our Lord upon human life, and its -relations to all other kingdoms organized on earth. The lad had learned -more than the meaning of an isolated text; he had found a broad -principle that rests at the very basis of all profitable reading and -interpretation of the sacred word. - -And in this sort of school he learned the wisdom of the primitive -Church. - - - - - CHAPTER V. - - A PAGAN HERMIT, OLD AND GRAY. - - -At the age of sixteen, the lad Arius was very thoroughly informed in -knowledge of the kingdom of heaven as that knowledge had been taught in -the Church from the very days of Jesus and the twelve. In those days -the only written authorities relied upon by Christians were the four -gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The letters of Paul, especially -those written against Judaism, the epistles of Peter, of John, of Jude, -of Hermas, Irenaeus, Polycarp, and others, were held in high esteem as -the deliberate utterances of wise and pious men; but even the humblest -Christian never hesitated to quote the gospels and the Acts against any -of them with whose opinions he was dissatisfied. The wilderness of -creeds and dogmas which in later times grew up out of these epistles was -entirely unknown to primitive Christianity; yet the perusal of them was -advantageous to the young man in many ways. The journeys of Paul -aroused in his active mind a keen desire to know more of the world, and -of the religion, manners, and customs of other nations; and the -knowledge that Ammonius had acquired of different lands and peoples, -both by his sea-faring observations and by such reading and conversation -as circumstances had rendered possible to him, seemed to have been -absorbed by his son in the long years of constant and affectionate -intercourse between them; and this was no small stock of information, -for the Mediterranean was then in every sense the "middle" sea, the -highway of the world; and it was impossible for a shrewd, intelligent -ship-owner and sailor like Ammonius to navigate its waters for years -without being brought into personal contact with men out of every nation -under heaven. - -In the same way the lad had almost unconsciously acquired an intimate -knowledge of the fauna and flora of Cyrenaica, and in fact of Northern -Libya, and could name almost every plant, animal, bird, and insect in -the vicinity of Baucalis; so that even at this early age he had laid the -foundations of future acquisitions in every department of knowledge that -was in any way accessible unto him, and had acquired a sturdy habit of -independent thought and examination about everything that came within -the range of his observation. - -On Sabbath evenings (the word Sunday was then unknown to the Christian -world) he loved to wander along the sea-shore, or through the wooded -mountains that everywhere around Baucalis rose up from the water's edge -and rolled away like gigantic and immovable billows high and higher -southwardly toward the great Barcan plateau. - -On one bright afternoon he had wandered farther westward than ever -before, going far beyond the limits of the land appurtenant to the farm. -He was weary with climbing over the endless hills, and reclined to rest -upon a projecting rock beneath an ample shade of forest-trees, and gazed -away over the calm and brilliant expanse of the peaceful Mediterranean. -But not long had he rested there when his quick ear caught the sound of -slow and measured footfalls as some unseen person paced slowly back and -forth upon a diminutive plateau that stretched still farther westwardly -along the mountain-side. The intervening foliage hid the person from -sight, and, the lad's curiosity being aroused by the presence of a -stranger in a spot so secluded, he quietly went forward, and a few steps -brought him to the place where this little stretch of level ground had -been carefully denuded of trees and seemed to be cultivated as a garden. -Then he saw a tall, gray-haired, venerable-looking man, with downcast -eyes, and slow, deliberate step, coming in his direction along a narrow -walk that led directly through the cultivated land. Almost at the same -instant the aged man perceived him also, but quietly pursued his way, -and, when he had come near, Arius respectfully bowed and saluted him. -The ancient returned his salutation, and added words which the boy did -not understand, but the lad said, in the Greek tongue, then in common -use throughout Cyrenaica: "I think thou speakest the language of Egypt, -which I do not comprehend. If thou wilt speak in Latin or in Greek, I -can understand thy wishes or thine orders." - -The old man gazed at him in astonishment, but answered in the Greek -tongue: "Surely thou art an Egyptian!--and in the course of a long life -I have never met with a son of Egypt that could not speak his -mother-tongue if he could speak at all!" - -"Yea, sir," answered Arius, "I am altogether a son of Egypt, although -born on an adjacent farm, but my parents would never use that language, -and, while they carefully instructed me in Greek and in Latin and in -Hebrew, and in the Aramean tongue of the Israelites now in use, they -would never permit me to learn an Egyptian word." - -"Strange enough!" said the ancient. "Dost thou know any reason why thy -parents thus forbade thee to acquire the primitive and wonderful old -speech of the land of Kem?" - -"Yea, sir," answered Arius. "I have heard my father say that in his -childhood he was placed in a temple and dedicated to Ammon, and that -when he grew older he liked neither the temple nor the god, and fled -away to follow another course of life; and I think that he believed the -language of the Nile region to possess some peculiar power over every -son of Egypt, and that to preserve me from that influence, whatever it -may be, he desired of me that I would never seek to learn that -speech--at least not for many years to come." - -"And thy father was wise," cried the ancient; "for, if ever the powers -of darkness gave any gift to man, it surely was the strange language of -the dwellers by the Nile. Centuries before there were any such peoples -as Greeks and Romans, centuries before the Israelites became a nation, -so long ago that the universe seems growing old since then, and the -earth itself hath nodded out of the line on which the mighty pyramid was -built up to point to the polar star, even then, boy, the language of -Egypt was a perfect instrument of thought, adapted with superhuman -cunning to the purposes of idolatry, with rhythms and intonations in the -utterance of it, that prick the sensuality of human nature like a goad, -and deaden conscience with some mysterious, witch-like power which the -intelligence can no more resist than the charmed bird can escape the -python's fascination, and no more explain than it can explain why the -iron touched by the magic stone pointeth for evermore unto the north. -It is the natural language of sensualism and idolatry, and ought to be -blotted out of human speech. I tell thee, lad, thy father was wise to -forbid thee from seeking to acquire that fearful tongue!" - -"But thou art thyself an Egyptian," said Arius, "and I suppose thou hast -long used the wonderful language which thou dost condemn." - -"Yea," answered the ancient, "but the speech I use is the hieratic form, -invented by the priests for the very purpose of keeping their souls free -from the polluting power of the popular forms of speech, to which a pure -thought or expression is well-nigh impossible. But didst thou come -hither to seek me out," asked the ancient, "or was thy coming -accidental? What is thy name? Of what religion art thou? Why hast -thou come to me?" - -The old man spoke hurriedly and apparently with much anxiety, and the -boy could not conjecture the cause of his manifest excitement, but after -a moment's reflection upon the bitter and strange denunciation of man's -ancient speech, and the subsequent things spoken by his companion, he -replied in singularly musical and persuasive tones, the mesmeric light -burning in his eyes, the bold, peculiar head erect and slightly bending -forward toward him whom he addressed: "My name, sir, is Arius; my coming -hither is purely accidental, as I supposed this mountain-side to be -entirely uninhabited; my religion is that of our Lord and Saviour Jesus -Christ!" - -"Thou art a Christian," said the ancient, in tones of great -astonishment; "so young too, but clear, bold, and settled in the new -faith, as thy voice and manner undoubtedly proclaim. I am much pleased -with thee, boy. Come thou with me, where I dwell alone, for I desire to -speak with thee more fully. Wilt thou not come, Arius!" - -"Willingly, sir, if the distance be not too great," replied the lad. - -"It is very nigh," said the ancient; and then he turned and followed the -path west for, perhaps, fifty yards, and then the path led southwardly -for about the same distance, and stopped at an abrupt and densely wooded -elevation in the side of the mountain. Arius saw that a rough but -substantial stone wall formed the outside of a room that was for the -most part composed of a cavity under the rock; and having passed through -a door, on each side of which was a long, narrow window admitting light -into the apartment, the ancient said: "Here is my dwelling, Arius; come -thou within." - -The room was nearly twenty feet square: the floor was smoothly covered -with dry, white sand, procured perhaps by pulverizing sand-rocks taken -from the mountain; there was a wooden table in the middle of the -apartment, above which a huge oil-lamp was suspended, and a smaller -table upon one side, upon which rested a complete service of beautifully -fashioned earthen plates, cups, pitchers, dishes, and similar articles. -There were several large and comfortable chairs made of huge reeds -curiously interwoven, and a couch constructed of the same material, and -covered deep but smoothly with lamb-skins, dressed with the wool on. -Everything about the place indicated a rather coarse but genuine -comfort, even to the presence of several beautiful goats that came with -their kids to the door and gazed in at the old man with confidence and -affection, as if he were a familiar and trustworthy friend. - -"Be thou seated, my son," said the ancient, "and, if thou wilt eat, I -have here goat's milk, bread, and dried fish and fruits in abundance." - -"I am not an hungered," answered the lad, "but partake of the bread and -milk to honor thy hospitality," which he did, and found both excellent. -"Thy very palatable bread," he said, "is the same with that made at my -home by Thopt, and is, she saith, the same that priests at Memphis -always preferred to eat." - -"Even so," replied the ancient, "and at Memphis for many years, indeed, -I did eat thereof, and learned there the manner of the preparation of -it." - -And, when the lad had finished his slight repast, the old man said: -"Thou art a Christian, boy; in what, then, dost thou believe? Tell me -briefly, what dost thou believe?" - -Then the lad stood up as he had been accustomed to do at home: the fine -but peculiar head involuntarily erected itself upon his long and shapely -neck, and drooped a little forward, a strange, scintillant light gleamed -in his sweet, dark eyes; his elevated and extended right hand waved -gently from side to side like the _baton_ of a music-master, and his -musical, penetrating voice rang out clearly and incisively as he said: -"I believe in God, the Father Almighty, and in Jesus Christ, his -only-begotten Son, our Lord, who was conceived of the Holy Ghost, born -of the Virgin Mary, crucified under Pontius Pilate, dead, and buried; -the third day he rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven, and -sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty, whence he shall -come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, in -the holy common Church, in the forgiveness of sin, in the resurrection -of the dead, and in the life everlasting. Amen!" - -"So thou believest!" said the ancient. "But why dost thou say -'only-begotten' son? Are not all men the sons of God, even as the Greek -poet saith, 'For we also are his offspring?'" - -"Yea!" answered Arius, "all men are his sons by creation, and some of -them by adoption--Jesus alone by generation; he was 'begotten,' not -made." - -"True! true!" said the ancient; "so teach the gospels, which I have here -with me. So thou believest! When didst thou learn this faith, thou -whole Egyptian; and dost thou never doubt it?" - -"I know not when I learned it," answered Arius; "I was learning it from -my mother when I lay helplessly upon her breast; I was learning it from -my father when he dandled me upon his knees; every day and hour of my -life I have learned it more and more;" and then, involuntarily rising -upon his tiptoes, like a python standing upon its tail, with his head -erect and bending slightly forward, and sparkling eyes agleam, he -exclaimed, "and I was never such an idiot as to doubt it at all." - -Then, as if modestly conscious of some impropriety in such demonstrative -utterances in the presence of one so aged and venerable, he sank lower -upon his chair with an ingenuous blush. - -"O glorious certitude of youth and hope!" said the ancient, mournfully. -"O bold, triumphant faith, fitting its possessor for happy and jubilant -exertion in the accomplishment of all life's aims and purposes! Thou -wast 'never such an idiot as to doubt it!' But I, that have seen nigh -fourscore years of misery, do doubt it much and painfully. I that have -mastered all the arts, science, and religion of ancient Egypt--a land -that was wrinkled with age centuries before the era of old Moses; I that -know both all that the priests of Kem ever taught the people, and also -the higher and more recondite forms of ignorance in which the priests -themselves believed--I verily know nothing! I can scarcely believe in -anything save universal spiritual darkness, for which no day-spring -cometh, and universal wretchedness, for which there is no cure. O -wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death?" - -The bloodless hands were clasped upon the ancient's aching breast, the -noble gray head was bowed with hopeless sorrow, the weary eyes seemed -dim with long and bitter anguish. Arius gazed upon him with -astonishment and sympathy. Then the grand gifts of every born minister -of Christ, the missionary's yearning to instruct, the physician's -longing for the power to heal and to strengthen, moved in the boy's -heart, and once more he sprang to his feet, and with extended hand that -quivered with emotion like the python's tongue, and tearful, scintillant -eyes, and head bent forward from the long, lithe neck, and a strange -thrill in his vibrant musical voice, he cried: "Who shall deliver thee? -Surely Jesus Christ, our Lord! He saveth even unto the uttermost all -that come unto God by him. Believe and live!" - -"So! so!" said the ancient, in tones of hopeless weariness. "Believe and -live! Believe and live! 'He that believeth on me shall never die! He -that believeth on me, though he were dead, yet shall he live again.' O -new, strange faith, hidden through all the dynasties like the Nile's -undiscoverable source, yet ever hinted at in the few high, arid, -half-intangible truths in which the priests of Ra believed! What if it -be true? What if the spiritual dualism of the first cause, which the -priests gradually elaborated into the splendid pageantry and elegant -mysticism of Hesiri-Hes, and the offspring Horus, has at last become an -actual truth by the incarnation of the spiritual Son of the one God that -is necessarily a spiritual hermaphrodite? Through the long centuries the -priests secretly sneered at the polytheisms which they taught to the -people, and they did believe in one God that was utterly unknown to the -masses of mankind, for whom they had neither name nor symbol; and they -conceived him to be a dual entity, containing in himself the fullness of -double spiritual sexhood; and they stood in awe of some grand revelation -which they supposed would some time be made to mankind when this one, -almighty, hermaphrodite spirit should 'beget' with one side of his -spiritual nature and 'conceive' with the other, and incarnate its son in -flesh, and save man by assuming human nature. This they saw -foreshadowed in Hesiri-Hes; this was the mystery which the priests -perceived in every Apis, the emblem of one 'hidden' like the fountains -of the Nile; for in the hieratic language Hapi, which is 'hidden,' -signifies both the sacred river and the sacred bull; for this they -prepared the mummy that a body might be ready for the returning soul -when 'the hidden' should be revealed; this, the sacred scarabaei dimly -intimated, and this was the secret mystery that lurked beneath the veil -of Hes that 'no mortal hand hath lifted.' Some such glorious revelation -must have flitted past Greek Plato's vision, when he longed for a -clearer statement of the will of God to men, and prophesied the coming -man. This was the grand thought of Moses, the monotheist, when in the -same breath he denounced all forms of polytheism, and yet designated the -one God whom he worshiped by a name which is the plural number of a -Hebrew noun"; and, as if he had forgotten the presence of Arius -altogether, who sat listening to this strange monologue with silent -wonder, the ancient continued the unconscious utterance of his fervid -meditations: "So hath it been throughout the world with every ancientest -form of all original myths; for while Assyria and the Medo-Persians and -other comparatively modern nations, and afterward the Greeks and Romans, -borrowed only the lower, vulgar forms which the Egyptians had fashioned -for popular use, in China Chang and Eng symbolized the original -conception of one dual God that afterward degenerated into -anthropomorphism; and in India Indra and Agni, a primitive conception -that antedates Brahma, Siva, and Vishnu, by countless centuries, and is -the burden of the ancientest and uncorrupted Rig-Veda, bears unequivocal -testimony to the same primitive conception; and the Buddhas taught that -they were, perhaps believed themselves to be, earthly manifestations of -the spiritual self-conception of one dual God: for polytheism was never -the original form of any primitive nation's faith, and every people that -began with paganism borrowed from some older nation in which the -original faith had already been degraded. Strange! most strange! Oh, if -it could be proved! If it could only be proved that Jesus of Nazareth -is, in very truth, the incarnation of that which was to be 'begotten' -and 'conceived' of the one dual God, and born of a woman into the world, -how grandly would the fact vindicate the primitive utterances of all -human faith, and translate its vague but splendid dreams into a glorious -reality! It must be true! Surely it must be true! For among -Egyptians, Chinese, Indians, and Jews, this original faith preceded all -idolatries!" - -Then, buried in profoundest meditation, the old man ceased to speak. -But after a time he roused himself, and looking upon the astonished -youth he said: "And thou believest all this! thou hast 'never been such -an idiot as to doubt it!' Happy art thou, boy, if thou shalt preserve -unfalteringly and unquestioningly thy serene and all-reliant faith." - -But the lad's sturdy independence of thought asserted itself, and he -answered: "Nay, sir! I have professed faith in none of the things of -which thou speakest. I believe in one God and in Jesus Christ, his -only-begotten Son, and in the Holy Ghost. I believe not in Hesiri-Hes, -nor in Chang and Eng, nor in Indra and Agni, nor in any gods which Moses -denounced as falsest idols. Nor in Jupiter, nor Venus, nor Mars, nor in -any of the gods that came into fashion with the heathen long since Moses -died." - -The ancient smiled approvingly, and replied: "Thou art altogether in the -right, my son. Many of the gods in which the nations believe were born -long after the records kept by the Egyptian priests began; but all were -born of the myths which Egyptian, Chinese, and Indian priests wove about -the grand, primitive conception of one dual God. The idolaters of other -lands received in various forms the mythologies which the priests wove -about the most ancient, simple faith, which was primarily the same for -all, only the children of Abraham refused to add anything to the -original conception, clinging obstinately to the primitive monotheistic -idea; and yet Moses designates the one God by his name of _Adonai_, the -plural number of a Hebrew noun; and when the one God speaks of himself -he uses the words 'we,' 'our,' and 'us': _Let us make man in our own -image and likeness_. Thou seest that it would be contrary to reason -that the original utterance of every faith should be the affirmation of -God that was one, and yet more than one, unless the divine being is -spiritually hermaphrodite, having a double spiritual sexhood. Thou -seest that, if this were not so, Moses could not have used the plural -number to designate one God. Thou seest that, if it were not so, the -only act possible to God would have been creation, not generation; and -thy faith in 'the only-begotten Son' must have been false; and the very -ancientest forms of faith would have been demonstrated to be merely -impossible falsehood--impossible, because there can not be a falsehood -which does not originate in and grow out of a truth; for falsehood is a -perversion or misconception of the truth; for falsehood is not that -which hath no existence, but is the wrong statement or conception of -that which doth exist. If it were not so, my son, thy faith in God the -Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, would be merest polytheism, for three are -not one, nor is one three; but the three may be one divine nature and -family. For the one God was always conceived of by the primary faiths as -a dual being, possessed of both elements of spiritual sexhood perfectly; -and 'begotten' is a proper thing to say of one side of the dual God, and -'conceived' is a proper thing to say of the other; and so thou mayst -believe, without any imputation of polytheism, in Christ, as a being -'begotten,' not created; 'conceived,' not made. Would that I knew that -Jesus of Nazareth is he!" - -"This learning is entirely new to me," said the lad. "Perhaps it is -higher than I am yet able to comprehend. I believe in just precisely -what the gospels say, no more, no less; that Jesus is the Christ, -only-begotten Son of God, conceived of the Holy Ghost, before there was -a creation, and born of the Virgin into the world long after God by him -had made all things that are created. But, with thy profound knowledge -of all these mysteries, how is it that thou thyself dost not believe? -Who and what art thou, thou ancient, learned, yet unhappy man, whom may -our Lord soon bless and save?" - -"I love thee, boy, but I am old, and now too weary to talk more with -thee. Wilt thou not come unto me again? I desire to live in seclusion -as I have done for years, and beg of thee to speak of me to none; but -come again thyself whenever thou canst." - -"I will return upon the seventh day hence," said Arius, "and speak of -thee to none except my father's family, and thou wilt not be annoyed by -them. And so fare-thee-well, sir, and may the peace of God come upon -thee!" - -"Amen!" said the ancient, "and farewell!" - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - - FLOTSON OF THE MIDDLE SEA. - - -In the evening of that day upon which Arius encountered the strange old -eremite upon the mountainside, draggled skirts of clouds swept across -the northern horizon, and distant lightnings gleamed upon the waves. -During the night the storm came nearer and nearer, and before sunrise -the wind roared wildly over the Baucalis farm, and the troubled sea -broke in foam and thunder for many a league along the coast. All day -the tempest raged, but with nightfall the clouds broke away, although -the turbulent waves continued to roll and tumble on the coast, and the -angry waters gurgled through the narrow entrance into the little bay -upon which Baucalis fronted. The dwellers at the farm watched the -magnificent display from their open windows, but saw no sign of any ship -belabored by the storm, and, after their usual religious exercises, -retired to rest, thankful that there seemed to be no wreck along their -coasts. During the night the sea ran down, and when Arius, early in the -beautiful morning, went to the garden's edge beside the water, there was -only a gentle swell perceivable upon the bosom of the deep, and a faint -murmur of the waters crowding into and out of the narrow opening of the -bay with a gurgling noise from which the farm derived its name. The lad -pursued his usual occupation, until his attention was caught by a sound -under the bank below him, as if some one gently and regularly struck -upon the rock; and the boy then stepped forward, and, parting with his -hands the fringe of shrub and weeds that grew upon the verge of the -land, he gazed down into the waters of the bay, and at once discovered -that the unusual sounds were made by the striking of the ends of some -spars that composed a small raft against the rock, with the rise and -fall of every wave. He also saw that two long spars or fragments of a -ship's mast had been fastened across two others so as to form a small -square between them, and that a large bull's hide was securely stretched -over this square, leaving the four ends of the timbers extending beyond -it. He also saw the outline of a human form lying supinely upon the -hide, and of a smaller figure, with its head resting upon the other, -both covered over with a bright-hued woolen quilt. - -The lad called loudly to his father, who was at work in an adjacent -field, but at a considerable distance from him, and, as soon as he had -caught his attention, Arius sprang down the bank to ascertain whether -the persons so quietly lying upon the raft were still alive. The ends -of the timbers projected far beyond the hide upon which they lay, and -the boy found himself in deep water almost at his first step from the -shore; but he had been accustomed to daily baths in the bay from -childhood, and without fear or hesitation he boldly dashed in between -the projecting timbers toward the hide on which the bodies lay. The -noise he made in calling Ammonius, and in dashing through the water, -roused up one of the sleepers on the raft, and she slightly raised her -head, and with her hand threw back the woolen covering, and Arius saw -the swarthy face of a young Egyptian girl of twelve turned upon him with -wide-open, wondering eyes. The other form was that of a woman, but she -neither spoke nor moved, and Arius thought she must be dead. But the -girl did speak, and the boy thought she used the Egyptian tongue, -although he could not understand her words. Then he said, "Maiden, -canst thou speak in Greek." - -A swift gleam of intelligence broke over the child's wan face, and she -joyfully answered: "Yea! for in Alexandria Greek is the common speech of -all, whether they be Romans, Egyptians, or Jews!" - -"Art thou wet?" - -"Yea," she said, "soaked in salt water for I know not how long; but I -have slept soundly, and mamma has not even yet waked up." - -"If thou art so thoroughly wet already, a little more water will not -hurt thee; so put thine arms about my neck, hold fast, and I will carry -thee to land." - -"But mother!" she cried; and then becoming frightened that she did not -awake, she kissed her passionately, saying: "Mamma! mother! wake up! We -have drifted to the shore!" - -Then the poor lady murmured words that neither of them could comprehend, -but she made no attempt to move, and seemed to be talking unconsciously. -Then Arius took the girl's hand in his, saying gently: "My father will -soon be here, and together we can take thy mother from the raft. Come -thou with me." - -Then the girl raised herself up into a sitting posture, and Arius, -holding to the spar with one hand, with the other drew her down into the -sea beside him, saying: "Now put up thine arms and hold on tightly; it -is but a few feet to the shore." - -And the girl said, "I can swim as well as thou, but I am weary and cold -and hungry, and will put one hand on thy shoulder." And when she had -done so the boy went hand over hand along the spar, and drew himself and -her rapidly shoreward, until his feet rested firmly upon the bottom, and -then he caught the child up in his arms and lifted her up to the dry -ground. - -By this time, Ammonius, coming with all speed, had reached the bank -above them, and at one swift, intelligent glance comprehended the scene -in all its pitiful details; then he sprang down the bank beside them, -and said unto Arius, "Doth the woman yet live?" - -"Yea, father, she was talking even now; but I scarcely think she knew -what things she said." - -"Run thou unto the house swiftly, tell thy mother, and bring hither a -saw." - -And the boy sprang up the bank instantly and ran homeward. Then -Ammonius spoke kindly to the girl, saying, "How farest thou, little -maiden?" - -And the child said: "I am well enough, but wet and hungry. But mamma is -ill. Please bring her to the land." - -"Yea, maiden; soon will my son return with a saw, wherewith I can saw -off two of the timbers where they cross the other two, and so draw the -raft up close to the land, and then lift thy mother gently and safely to -the shore. Dost thou understand me, child?" - -"Yea," she answered, "and I see that it is best to wait. But I want my -mother; she is sick indeed." - -Very soon the agile youth returned, bringing the saw with him, and -Ammonius immediately swam out to the bull's hide, and sawed away two of -the timbers at the intersection thereof, and quickly drew the raft close -up against the shore, and took up the quilt and cast it to Arius, -telling him to spread it out upon the ground, and in his strong arms -lifted up the unconscious woman and bore her up the bank and gently laid -her upon the quilt. Soon Arete and old Thopt joined them; and Arius and -his mother took each an end of the quilt upon which the woman lay, and -Ammonius gathered up the other two ends, and they bore her gently but -swiftly to the cottage; and old Thopt took the girl's hand in hers and -followed them as quickly as her growing infirmities permitted. - -Arete and old Thopt stripped the poor lady of her elegant apparel that -was soaked through with sea-water, and rubbed her vigorously with woolen -cloths, clothed her with warm woolen gowns out of Arete's wardrobe, and -gave her hot tea made of such shrubs as were known to their simple -domestic pharmacy. The sufferer manifestly got much relief from this -treatment, but it was only too apparent that the terrible exposure to -which she had been subjected had taken hold upon the very roots of life -in her beautiful but delicate frame. Her unconscious murmurs were -uttered in the Egyptian tongue, and, no sooner had old Thopt heard it, -than a strange excitement seized her, and she answered the lady in the -same strange speech, crooning over her like a mother over a sick child, -or more like some affectionate animal licking its wounded young; for the -Egyptian speech evidently shows the syllabication into articulate sounds -of thoughts that were primarily expressed in signs and grimaces--the -translation of brute means of communication into words; and its original -rudimentary form is as direct and unveiled in the expression of passion -and emotion as the actions of an animal could be. - -The maiden, Theckla, having been well rubbed, well clad in dry garments, -and well fed with hot soup and viands, seemed almost free from any ill -effects of her long exposure upon the raft; and, being assured that her -mother was tenderly cared for, rapidly recovered her strength and -spirits. - -The famous medical school at Cyrene educated many men in all the -learning of a profession which was then in its infancy, and so -thoroughly infested with charlatanism that even the most eminent -professors of the art of healing commanded but small respect among -intelligent people; and the Christians especially had no faith in their -pretended ability to cure disease. In ordinary cases they trusted to -careful nursing, and the curative power of nature in people whose -freedom from vice and whose simple, healthful manner of life gave the -patient every chance of recovery, without the use of incantations, -charms, and poisons, which then constituted the chief resources of -professional pharmacy; and in desperate cases they anointed the stricken -one with oil, obtained the prayers of the Church in his behalf, and -calmly awaited the issue; having neither any inordinate love of life nor -any distressful fear of death, and looking upon even a fatal issue of -the illness as a change that was often better than recovery--a happy -release from the cares and uncertainties of earthly life, that was -neither to be too rashly sought for nor too anxiously avoided. Hence -the women at the farm themselves assumed the care of their interesting -patient, and gave her constant and affectionate attention, but no drugs -except such simple remedies as were in common family use, of all of -which old Thopt had a very thorough knowledge. The old woman believed -that sound and refreshing sleep is the secret of health and longevity, -and that no one would die so long as this blessing was obtainable; and -hence, in her opinion, the poppy was a panacea. The bark of certain -species of the willow she knew to be good against malarial fevers, and -this was her favorite remedy in every disease which manifested a -remittent or intermittent form. She had no hesitation in declaring that -the lady would be ill a long time, and that whether she would live or -die must depend upon the vital forces she had to draw upon; for old -Thopt had always remained at least a semi-pagan, and, if there was any -Christianity in her, it was inextricably tangled up with the remnants of -the old religion which she had learned in her home upon the Nile. She -loved her mistress passionately and devotedly, just as a faithful dog -might have loved, and she refused to accept the freedom offered to her -by Arete when, under the influence and instructions of Ammonius, that -lady had become a Christian; because one of the fixed and immovable -articles of her ancient creed was that many Egyptians were created to be -slaves, and that she was one of them; so that it would have been a -measureless impiety for her to set up herself to be free. If she had any -hatred of the new religion, it grew out of the fact that that faith -undertook to abolish the relation of mistress and slave between Arete -and herself. She had not undressed and washed her patient without -immediately perceiving that she was one of that aristocratic class who -had come into the world to enjoy all of its advantages, and to be waited -upon by slaves, as was demonstrated to old Thopt's satisfaction by the -fineness of her kilt, girdle, and gown, and by the delicate pink-color -of her flesh beneath it; and the old woman would as soon have thought of -organizing a rebellion against Anubis, the jackal-headed god himself, as -to have thought of withholding proper reverence and care from the -superior being who had been cast upon her guardianship. So that the -Christian charity of Arete and the inborn sense of duty and obligation -which generations of inherited servitude had made second nature in old -Thopt combined to secure faithful and untiring care in behalf of the -sick woman, and one or the other of them was in attendance upon her day -and night. - -But as Ammonius had carried her from the raft to the land, and on the -way up to the house, he had heard her utter unconsciously, in the -Egyptian language, disjointed sentences which caused him much anxiety; -and, as soon as her immediate wants had been attended to, he charged the -family that they were not in any way to apprise the lady that she had -fallen into the hands of Christians until such time as he might deem it -proper to instruct them otherwise; but that they should be as diligent -in their care of her as if she had been the sister of them all. Before -the close of the first day's watching beside her patient, Arete found -ample reason, in the lady's feverish revelations, for the injunctions -which her husband had given concerning her. She talked almost -incessantly: now of her home in Alexandria; now of the rulers of Egypt; -now of her husband Amosis, and of her daughter; now of some special -mission which Amosis had undertaken at Rome; now of the fearful tempest; -now of a desperate struggle upon the raft between her husband and some -one else, in which both had fallen into the sea together. The substance -of this disjointed and feverish babbling left no doubt upon Arete's mind -that the lady's husband was in the service of the rulers of Egypt, and -high in the confidence of both the priests and of the government; nor -that he was a bitter adversary of the Christians; nor that, when -overtaken by the tempest, he was on his journey to Rome, to obtain from -the Emperor larger authority to persecute the Christians, even to -extermination, in Egypt and throughout Northern Libya. She gathered also -that when the officer and his wife and child had betaken themselves to -the raft as their last hope of safety, some one, seeing that all order -and discipline were lost, inflamed by a guilty passion for the beautiful -woman, had leaped upon the raft with them as it was leaving the vessel's -side, and that a desperate struggle had occurred between the husband and -the intruder, in which both had fallen into the sea; and that the lady -herself regarded the very name of Christians with detestation and -horror, and fully sympathized with her husband's purpose to persecute -them; and she had expected him to reap great and rapid advancement from -his zeal against the churches. And, although not unconscious of the -element of danger lurking in their intercourse with such a conscientious -hater of Christianity, Arete felt even larger compassion for her -beautiful patient's pagan darkness than for her physical illness; but -she fully realized the propriety of her husband's caution upon the -subject. - -And so the weary days went by, and on the sixth morning the fever broke, -and left the poor lady with restored consciousness, but physically as -weak and helpless as an infant. - -During these days, Arius and Theckla had become fast friends. She was a -beautiful child, but an Egyptian of the aristocratic class. Her hair, -which was as black as jet, curled profusely all around and over her -shapely head in luxuriant masses. Her forehead was low and broad, the -face a perfect oval from the full temples to the point of the plump, -delicate, projecting chin, while the small, full-lipped mouth was red as -a cherry, the upper lip notably short and voluptuous. The black, -arched, delicate eyebrows nearly met at the root of the high, straight, -delicately chiseled nose, and the large, dark eyes, soft, black, and -fathomless, free alike from fire and languishment, were of a kind found -nowhere on earth except along the Nile--full, wide-open eyes that seemed -calm and untroubled as the sightless orbs of any sphinx, yet full of -mystery as is the old, old land of Kem. Arius soon discovered that the -girl was remarkably bright and quick, but that she could neither read -nor write, all the instruction she had ever received (and she had been -very carefully taught) having been communicated by oral teaching. Her -native tongue was, of course, that of Egypt, but she spoke Greek with -fluency, and Latin also, but with difficulty and hesitation. - -On the evening of the day on which she had been rescued from the waves, -the boy and girl were playing and chatting together in the shade before -the cottage. The sun was just sinking beyond the distant -mountain-range, when the girl said, "Do you go at sunrise or at sunset?" - -"Go whither?" said Arius. - -"Why, to worship Mentu, or Atmu, of course! Do you not worship?" - -"Worship whom?" asked Arius. - -"Oh," she answered, "old Ea, or Ptah, or Hesiri-Hes, or the other gods, -any of them you prefer?" - -"I do not worship any of them," said Arius. - -"Perhaps, then," said Theckla, "thou art an atheist, and hatest all of -the gods; and that is very wrong. For papa says that the atheists are -little better than the Christians themselves, and that it is owing to -their evil influence that so many young people in Alexandria are growing -up to believe in nothing. But, blessed be the gods, I have been brought -up in religion!" - -"And which of the gods dost thou love and worship most?" - -"I love none of them surely, but I fear and worship Ptah, Ra, and -Hesiri-Hes, the cross old things; because mamma says that they are the -most respectable; and I fear them much, especially the terrible, -implacable, pitiless Ma-t." - -"But do you not think," said Arius, "that you would rather worship some -loving, compassionate, and holy deity, whom you could love, and obey -because you loved him?" - -"Oh, that would be funny, would it not?--for a girl to fall in love with -a god! I never thought of such a thing before, but I believe," she -added, with an arch glance at Arius, "that I would like a really nice -handsome boy better than any of the plebeian gods!" - -"What dost thou mean, Theckla, by saying 'the plebeian gods'?" - -"Oh, I mean the new-fangled deities that have come into fashion during -the last two or three thousand years--the cheap, low-priced divinities -worshiped by the slaves and by the mechanics, like Sebek, the -crocodile-headed, and all that contemptible crowd. Mamma says that -we--that is, the nobility, you know--ought not to pay any attention to -any of them except the dreadful old gods, like Ra, Ptah, Hesiri-Hes, and -the other ancient divinities; because our own family is older and more -honorable than any of them except the high, dreadful old fellows that -have lived forever. Still, boy, thou hadst better worship even the -wretched Sebek than to be an atheist or a Christian; for papa says so." - -Then the boy's heart yearned to tell the beautiful pagan of the God in -whom he believed, but, remembering his father's caution on that subject, -he chose rather to avoid further conversation of the kind, and started -off toward the bay to take his evening bath. - -"Whither goest thou?" asked the little maiden. - -"I am going to the bay to take a bath, as I do daily." - -"That will be fine sport," she cried, "and I am going with you!" - -And Theckla sprang to her feet, and ran along beside him. The boy -reached the water's edge, and, casting aside the loose gown habitually -worn about the farm, he plunged into the bay and struck out from the -shore, the play of his limbs being almost unimpeded by the close-fitting -under-garment reaching from the neck to midway of the thigh; and -instantly the young girl, whom old Thopt had arrayed in the short, -sleeveless kilt and long gown which the women usually wore, threw off -her outside gown and plunged in after him, exclaiming: "Oh, it is nicer -than Lake Mareotis! But I have swum with papa from the great Pharos to -the Kibotos in the little harbor of Eunostos!" and she swam after the -boy as gracefully as a mermaid. Soon she caught up with him, and, -having placed her little hands upon his head, she suddenly straightened -out her arms with all her strength, and raising herself up with a lithe -and joyous spring above him, with all her weight she plunged his head -down far beneath the surface, and swam laughingly away. The boy came up -instantly and pursued the fleeing maiden, and as soon as he could catch -up with her, which was no easy task, he said, "Thou shalt go under too, -Theckla!" but she was so excellent a swimmer, and so quick and active, -that for a long time she baffled all his efforts to get her head beneath -the waves. She laughed and struggled, and defied him, and exulted -greatly that he was not able to give her such a ducking as she had given -him, until, at last, he wound his long arms around her, pinioning both -of hers, and, clasping her to his bosom, stood straight up, and they -sank together until his feet touched the bottom, from which he sprang -upward to the surface. Then the lad kissed her and released her, -saying, "Wilt thou dip me again, Theckla, or hast thou had enough of -it?" - -But the girl clasped her hands above her head, threw herself suddenly -downward, and for a moment her little feet flashed above the water as -she dived, and instantly afterward she clasped the boy's legs in her -arms and pulled him again beneath the surface, and rose above the waves -before he had recovered himself. And so they sported in the calm waters -of the bay until the twilight began to thicken over the valley, when -they started for the shore, and the girl swam beside him as lightly as a -gull, and, having thrown their long gowns around them, hand in hand they -walked back to the cottage. - -Theckla's first inquiry was of her mother, and, finding that she -continued ill, she obstinately refused to leave her after it grew dark, -even for a moment, but stretched herself out upon the couch beside her -and slept until morning. - -So it was every evening. During the day-time Arius was her favorite -companion, but she seemed to have an unconquerable aversion to darkness, -and would not leave her mother's side while it continued. Ammonius told -them to let her have her own way, as terror of the dark hours was part -of the old religion in which she had been raised. - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - - THECKLA FINDS ONE GOD AND HEARETH OF ANOTHER. - - -So passed the days away, and Arius and Theckla became as firmly bound to -each other as if they had been raised together all their little lives. -On the second day after her coming, Arius had resumed his usual tasks in -the garden and in the fields; and when he came home at noontide she -seemed rejoiced to see him, and demanded with playful imperiousness, -"Where hast thou been all the morning, Arius?" - -"I have been at work in the garden," replied the boy. - -"At work!" she exclaimed; "digging with thy hands? Why, thou art not a -slave!" - -And the boy answered, laughing merrily: "Nay, I call no man master; I am -as free as any Caesar!" - -"Why, then, dost thou work? Verily, I thought that none but slaves and -mechanics ever labor." - -"But thou dost greatly err. It is true that some Greeks, Romans, and -Jews, suppose that none ought to labor except those whom they call -'vile'; or rather they call all who labor 'vile,' but I do not accept -their monstrous definitions, having been thoroughly taught that the only -man who is free is he who lives by his labor without dependence upon -relatives, or upon the offices which are distributed by the favoritism -of the dissolute and wicked creatures whom they call emperors, Caesars, -proconsuls, and such titles; and I am free-born, and will maintain my -liberty." - -"Why, then, dost thou toil?" - -"Because we need to toil in order to live comfortably and independently, -as we are not rich, and do not desire to be so; but I never will be any -man's servant. And, also, because it is noble and right to toil in some -way, and every one who is not idiotic, deformed, or afflicted, is unfit -to live unless he follows some honorable and useful vocation." - -"Thou art the very nicest boy I know," she said, "but it seemeth so -strange to me that thou shouldst labor with thy hands, and shouldst talk -as if thou didst believe that it is good and not degrading to do so. I -never heard such things. But I will go with thee this afternoon and see -what thou doest." - -"Thou mayst do so," said Arius, "and thou mayst help me with my work if -thou wilt." - -But the little maiden held up her hands that looked like delicate -wax-work, and laughingly cried out, "Even with these hands?" - -"Yea," said the boy, merrily, "even with those, tender and pretty as -they are." - -So after the midday meal, when Arius went back to the patch of onions at -which he was at work, Theckla accompanied him, and stood awhile watching -him as he dug up the tubers. - -"What is to be done with these?" she asked. - -"They are to be gathered up into little heaps, and carried hence to the -house, and stored away until wanted." - -"Why, I can pile them up for you," she cried, and straightway she began -to gather the onions up as fast as the boy dug them, saying: "I wonder -what mamma would think if she knew I was learning to work? But it is -good, and I will help thee every day." - -"Thou shalt not weary thyself," said the boy, "and thou shalt quit as -soon as thou dost desire to do so." - -But she would not stop, and continued at the task for several hours, -until it was completed, seeming to be delighted with her newly -discovered ability to be of use. - -"What other work hast thou to do?" - -"Nothing else, Theckla, except to take some salt to the cattle in the -pasture, beyond the field, and thou mayst go into the house. I will not -be long absent." - -"But I will not go to the house, Arius; I will go with thee, and see the -large-eyed beasts." - -"Come on, then," said the boy, and, taking up the bag of salt which he -had brought from the barn, he led the way along the shore of the little -bay until they had passed beyond the field, where they came upon the -edge of the pasture-land, and there Arius scattered the salt along a -great trough of wood, to which some of the cattle had hurried up as soon -as they saw the boy, and others came one after another, until more than -a score were contentedly licking up the salt; and among them a fine -bull-calf that was peculiarly marked. The kindly-treated herd were tame -and fearless, and, as soon as young Theckla saw the bull, she gazed at -him with the most intense interest, and ran up to the animal, crying -out, excitedly: "Lo, the god! the god! the beautiful young Apis!" - -"What dost thou mean now?" said Arius. - -"Why, boy," she answered, joyously, "thou art the most fortunate boy -that ever lived. Seest thou not the god--the sacred bull--the beautiful -young Apis? Seest thou not the black-colored hide; the triangular white -spot upon his forehead; the hairs on his back roughened out into the -form of an eagle; the crescent white spot upon his right side? Oh, if -he hath a knot under his tongue in the shape of a scarabaeus, the sacred -beetle of Ptah, he hath then all the marks that reveal the bull to be a -god! Wilt thou not look under his tongue and see?" - -The boy gazed upon her with mingled pity, amusement, and contempt. He -had read and heard of the worship of idols and of beasts, but had never -before witnessed an actual exhibition of such idolatry. "Why, Theckla," -he answered, "the bull is no more a god than thou art a cow. I am -amazed that so sensible a girl should be capable of such folly as to -think this beast a god." - -"But he is an Apis, Arius, and the priests of the temple at Memphis -would give thee his weight in gold for him. They would come hither in a -royal procession to carry him hence; they would keep him for forty days -at Nilopolis, and for forty days at Memphis, and the noblest of the -women in the city would go in naked and worship him; and he would be fed -like a great king as long as he lives, and when he dies he would become -an Osor-hapi, a great god, and would secure thy soul. Surely the -priests must know that he is a great god, or they would not build such -grand temples in honor of Apis, and worship him with such magnificent -and costly ceremonies and processions. I verily fear that thou art an -atheist, Arius, but I have been raised up to be religious, and I know." - -"Theckla," answered the boy, "I can take a goad in my hand and drive -this sort of a god whithersoever I will; I can catch his tail in my -hands and twist it until he shall bellow with pain. If thou wilt hold -out to him an ear of corn in thine hand, he will follow thee about like -a dog; and thou callest the beast a god! Theckla, I am verily ashamed -of thy foolishness." - -But the young girl looked gravely at her companion, and said in tones of -solemn warning and reproof: "Arius, thou dost not believe in Ea, Ptah, -Shu, Seb, Set, Mentu, Atmu, nor in Hesiri-Hes; and thou dost laugh at -the sacred Hathors, and thou dost mock the bull-god Apis!--Boy, dost -thou believe in anything? Or art thou an atheist?" - -"Yea," cried Arius, laughing, "I believe thou art the brightest and the -prettiest little pagan in the world; and some time I shall explain to -thee what I believe, and convince thee of the folly of thy polytheistic -and idolatrous notions. But not now, for thy god and the other beasts -with him have salt enough, and we must return home." - -They went back along the bay-shore, and the sun was nigh the tops of the -distant mountains; and Arius, walking a little in advance of Theckla, -heard a sudden plunge into the water, and looking back he saw the little -maiden swimming boldly out into the bay, and immediately he plunged in -after her. They swam, dived, raced, scuffled, and sported in the pure -and healthful element until twilight began to gather over the lowlands, -and then, hand in hand, they wandered back to the cottage, Theckla going -immediately to her mother's apartment, whose side she would not leave so -long as the night lasted--a horror of darkness being incident to the -Egyptian religion, derived, perhaps, from the grand midnight ceremonies -of the Memphian priests in which annually with torches and processions, -and weird and impressive wailings, they celebrated the world-wide search -of Isis for the dismembered body of the consort whose mangled limbs the -hatred of the evil Seth had scattered about the earth. - -Theckla wanted to tell her mother about the wonderful young Apis, but -old Thopt peremptorily enjoined silence upon her, and forbade the sick -lady to talk in her present excessively debilitated condition. For it -was manifest that her recovery was exceedingly doubtful, and that even -the slightest excitement or effort might be fatal to her. She lay -quietly enough, and while she recognized Theckla, and seemed to -understand the few Egyptian words spoken to her by Arete and old Thopt, -which were carefully limited to repeating to her that she had been very -ill, and must remain entirely quiet, and neither talk nor even think, -she seemed almost to have forgotten the shipwreck and the loss of her -husband; and the two women who watched her devotedly even doubted -whether she knew that she was away from home. They looked forward with -great anxiety to the time when she might grow strong enough to shake off -this healthful lassitude of extreme exhaustion, and realize her unhappy -circumstances. But the recent past seemed to have been blotted out of -her memory, and she lay quiet and uncomplaining, apparently content with -her surroundings; and the anxious nurses carefully avoided everything -that could even by chance arouse her drowsy intelligence, and renew the -consciousness of grief that seemed to slumber in her brain. - -The Sabbath-day came round again, and, with the rising of the sun, young -Theckla bounded out of her mother's room, calling aloud for Arius. It -was usual on the Sabbath for the family at Baucalis to go to some house -of a Christian in the vicinity, where would be gathered together a small -assemblage of the faithful for religious services, or to have the -neighbors assemble at the farm for the same purpose. On this day, -however, Arete and old Thopt would be necessarily detained at home by -the illness of the Egyptian Hatasa; and Ammonius, who still thought it -prudent, both upon her account and upon his own, not to inform her that -she was enjoying the hospitality of a family belonging to the hated sect -that was everywhere spoken against, and that was persecuted throughout -Libya even more bitterly than elsewhere in the Roman Empire, ordered -that Arius should take charge of Theckla for the day, and determined -himself to go to the assembly, in order to consult certain of the -brethren about his future course in reference to his involuntary guests. -Arius then informed his father about the singular recluse he had met -with upon the mountain on the preceding Sabbath, of his promise to visit -him upon that day, and asked his permission to go, saying that he would -take Theckla with him if his father had no objection to suggest, and -would invite the singular and learned old man to visit them. To this -Ammonius readily gave his consent, and Arius thereupon told Theckla of -the facts, and invited her to accompany him, to which she -enthusiastically assented. The farm vineyard produced a wine almost -identical with the famous Mareotic, which was praised from the mouth of -the Nile to Athens and to Rome. It also produced figs, pomegranates, -apricots, peaches, oranges, citrons, lemons, limes, and bananas, which -the Christians commonly called the "fruits of paradise," because in that -latitude they were in season the whole year through. It also produced -various melons, among them a delicious watermelon, yellow on the inside, -lotus, and olives. In their garden, also, grew the rose, the jasmine, -the lily, the oleander, chrysanthemums, geraniums, dahlias, helianthus, -and violets, and they could raise almost every vegetable known to both -tropical and temperate zones. - -Arius procured a basket, and enlisted the services of old Thopt by -telling her that he was about to visit an ancient Egyptian hermit who -dwelt alone upon the mountain, and desired to take him a lot of good -things to comfort his loneliness; and that kind-hearted creature soon -had a few bottles of excellent wine, some bread-loaves of finest flour, -and quite an assortment of choice fruits, both preserved and fresh, -packed into the basket, the whole crowned with a beautiful bouquet -plucked by Theckla's dainty fingers. Arius, bearing his basket, and -followed by the agile girl, pursued his way along the little bay until -he had passed by it westwardly, and then began the long but gradual -ascent of the mountain, upon a small plateau of which dwelt the aged -eremite. In less than two hours they had reached the plateau in front -of the hermitage, and soon beheld the ancient seated near his own door, -his weary eyes gazing far away over the brilliant expanse of the -Mediterranean. The approach of the two young people caught his -attention, and with a genial smile the old man welcomed them. Taking -the girl's hand in his own, he murmured: "She is a bright and lovely -child, and a true daughter of Kem" (the Black-land). He spoke in the -Egyptian language, which he knew Arius did not understand, but the girl -answered in the same tongue: "Yea, father, I am from To-mehit" (the -North-land), "and was born in Alexandria." - -Then the ancient said with surprise: "How is it that thou speakest -Egyptian, when thy brother knoweth no word of the strange old language? -Or _is_ he thy brother?" - -This he said in Greek, and Arius answered, "Nay, she is not my sister, -but is a guest in my father's house." - -Then he succinctly narrated the story of the rescue of Theckla and her -mother from the raft. The old man listened with much interest to the -boy's graphic recital; and then, turning to Theckla, he said: "Child, -art thou, too, a Christian like thy friend Arius; or art thou still in -bondage to the false and fearful gods of Kem?" - -Then the girl showed in her speaking face her loathing and abhorrence -for the very name of Christ, and turning hastily to Arius she cried: -"Art thou, then, a Christian? Belongest thou to that accursed and -criminal association? Oh, say it is not so, or I will never, never love -thee any more!" - -But the boy drew himself up proudly and answered: "Yea, Theckla, I am a -Christian, thank the boundless mercy of God! And, when thou shalt have -learned what it is to be a Christian, I trust that thou wilt follow -Jesus thyself, and love me and all other Christians more and more. For -verily we are not such a people as thou hast been taught to believe us -to be, any more than our bull is a god, as thou didst suppose." - -"I do not very much believe in Apis," she said, "but the common people -do. Ah! Arius, I am so sorry to hear this thing of thee! Why, if my -mother had known that ye were Christians, she would sooner have died -upon the raft than have gone into thy father's house, or to have -suffered any one of you to touch her with your hands. Oh, I am so vexed -to find that thou art connected with such a people!" - -Then said Arius: "Thy mother is well cared for; and thou must let her -know nothing until she hath become stronger; thou wouldst only distress -her by informing her of the fact of our being Christians, and it could -do no good to tell her." - -Then the girl drew nigh to him with tearful eyes, and crossed her little -hands upon his shoulder, and leaned her head against them, and, looking -up into his eyes with sorrow and tenderness, said: "Ye have been so good -and kind to both of us, that I can not help loving all the people at thy -home, and I do love thee, although thou art a Christian; but it is a -terrible thing; for papa says that to be a Christian is worse than to be -an atheist." - -These things all occurred in a moment, and the ancient, seeing that it -had not been the purpose of Arius to inform the maiden concerning his -religion, and that he himself had unwittingly brought about the -disclosure of the fact, said unto them: "Come within and be seated, my -children; I desire to talk to both of you." - -And, when they had gone within, Arius set his basket upon the old man's -table, saying: "I have brought unto thee wine, bread, and fruits, as a -token of my reverence for thine age and learning. I desire to be -friendly with thee." - -The old man seemed to be much touched by the boy's speech and manner, -and gently answered: "I thank thee, truly, and far more for thy kind -words than for any gifts. Not often do the ancient enjoy the friendship -of the young, although nothing else on earth can be more pleasant unto -them." - -"But the heart of a Christian needeth renewal," said Arius, "if it be -not always both young enough to sympathize with the youngest, and old -enough to sympathize with even the very oldest. The very core of our -religion is the _Agape_, a love which is not measured by age nor -accident, but goeth out freely to every one that needeth it." - -The old man looked upon the boy with wonder, saying: "That is beautiful, -indeed; there is no such truth in any other religion." - -And the girl said, "That is good and strong, Arius, although it be a -Christian dogma." - -Then the ancient said: "I desire that ye will listen to me carefully for -a moment, and thou especially, Theckla. Children, I am nigh upon -fourscore years of age. My name is Am-nem-hat. In mine infancy I was -placed in the great temple at Thebes, and dedicated to the service of -Amen-Ba, Mut, and Kuhns, the Theban triad. My family was ancient and -honorable in Egypt, and their influence and wealth opened the way for me -to all priestly honors and learning. I remained in that temple fifty -years, during twenty-five of which I was a priest, and I gradually -mastered all the wisdom, learning, and mysteries of the priesthood, -until my fellows determined that I should be elevated to the highest -rank in the sacerdotal service, and I was ordained and inaugurated to be -high-priest at Ombos, where I continued for five-and-twenty years -longer. The triad which throughout all Egypt is worshiped as -Hesiri-Hes, and Horus, we at Thebes worshiped as Amen-Ra, Mut, and -Kuhns, and at Ombos as Ptah-Pukht and Imhotep. But, while during all -these years I exercised the functions and exhausted the learning of the -priesthood, I forever sought after Ma-t, the Goddess of Truth, she that -in her own hall, in the lower world, is called Two Truths, by whom the -dead are judged.--Dost thou know something of the fearful Ma-t, young -Theckla?" - -"Yea," answered the girl, with a perceptible shudder, "I know her well, -and tremble at the dreadful thought of her! So wise! so hard and -pitiless! so tearless, and yet so just! The terrible Ma-t, without -mercy, incapable of love, unmoved by hate, implacable, emotionless, the -fearful judge, the Truth!" - -"Then listen to me, child! I worshiped through all these lonely years -as a faithful, conscientious priest, and memorized the book of the dead, -and studied the mysteries of medicine, of astronomy, and of mathematics, -and sought unceasingly to know the awful Ma-t! Dost thou think that I -am one who ought to know whether any of the gods of Kem are true or -false?" - -Then Theckla fell upon her knees before the ancient priest, and lifting -her little hands to him she cried: "Yea, father, thou knowest! Ancient, -honorable, learned priest, thou knowest! Teach thou Arius to believe in -the three great gods, to seek the awful Ma-t, and to abandon the -pernicious Christian faith, for thou art wise! thou knowest all the -truth!" - -"Listen then, Theckla. Five years ago, driven by the quenchless -curiosity of an unsatisfied but earnest soul, I caused to be brought -before me one who preached to men of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, because I -had heard that these Christians were irreclaimable from the errors of -their superstition, and I desired to test the question whether they -could be persuaded to return unto the old religion. I kept him with me -many days, while we discussed these things, and then sent him from me -unconvinced. And afterward I fled from the temple secretly, in an open -boat, in which I had placed my most valuable possessions, and floated -down the Nile. Thence I wandered along the coast to Alexandria, where, -for a great sum, secretly I purchased all the sacred writings of the -Jews and Christians, and, after many days more of wandering along the -coast, I found this spot and have since then dwelt here alone, still -seeking for the truth. For--art thou listening to me, Theckla?--a -horror of great darkness had fallen upon my soul. I know that Amen-Ra, -Mut, and Kuhns, are not true gods! Apis is nothing but a bull; Anubis -is only a jackal; Sebek is a crocodile and nothing more; and even the -most ancient gods, if there be any truth in them at all, are only the -visible emblems of some higher truth which the very priests have -forgotten, if, indeed, they ever knew it. I have hoped and half -expected to find that this unknown truth, this 'hidden' thing which is -not Hapi, might be that which the Christians promulgate; but this I do -not know. Nevertheless, my child, I tell thee that the gods of Kem are -no true gods; and I counsel thee to learn of Arius that which he -believeth! For falsehood is not profitable; and I realize that all my -days have been consumed in learning and in teaching only errors; and it -is sad and terrible." - -Both of them heard the old man's confession with awe and sympathy, and -when, overcome by strong emotion, he had ceased to speak, Theckla gave -way to a passionate burst of tears; but, as soon as she could regain her -self-control, she turned to the ancient and with strange earnestness -exclaimed, "O Father Am-nem-hat, high and honorable priest, hast thou, -too, become a Christian?" - -"Nay," replied the old man solemnly, "I have only learned the bitter -lesson that the gods of Egypt are all false: I have not found a true God -yet, if any such there be." - -"Thou shalt yet find him," cried Arius, "to the joy and consolation of -thy spirit, and thine old age shall be filled with the peace of God that -passeth all understanding; for he that seeketh findeth, and to him that -knocketh shall it be opened." - -Then they were all silent for a time. Then some of the kids came up to -the door, and Theckla, oppressed with the sadness and solemnity of the -last few minutes, sprang up, crying out: "O the pretty, happy kids! May -I go out and play with them?" - -And the old man, with a pleasant smile, answered, "Yea, my child, if -thou wilt not leave the plateau." - -And Theckla bounded out of the house, and was soon engaged in a lively -romp with the sportive young goats. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - - WHO IS HAPI? - - -The absence of Theckla gave Arius the opportunity he desired to call out -from Am-nem-hat a fuller expression of certain theological ideas -suggested by the ancient during their first conversation, the -remembrance of which had been the subject of frequent meditation ever -since; and the boy said: "Since I last saw thee, Father Am-nem-hat, many -circumstances have combined to prevent me from giving to the things -which I heard from thee that careful consideration which I desired to -bestow upon them; yet I have pondered much upon those philosophic views -which thou didst utter concerning the dualism of God. I desire to hear -more fully thereof; for although I know that Christianity is, for the -most part, a practical, experimental thing, concerning the heart and the -life of a man rather than a philosophical or theological system, -concerning which Jesus himself had naught to say, as if he preferred to -leave dogmas and ceremonies to the Scribes and Pharisees, so that it is -possible for one to be a genuine and faithful Christian with little -knowledge of philosophy or of science, yet it behooves the young -especially to seek for information concerning every question that can -arise out of the faith." - -"Thou must understand," said Am-nem-hat, "that I do not assume to be a -teacher of thy religion. Being set free from the bondage of Egyptology, -and left, as it were, without any religion for the last five years, I -have given much time and study to Christianity, reading the Scriptures, -of course, by the light of all that I have learned of other systems, and -seeking only to discover the truth. There is one thing, which I had -long supposed to be true, which recent thought and investigation seem to -establish beyond any great room for doubt. That thing is the fact that -the old Egyptians believed the human spirit to be of divine origin, -engaged throughout earthly life in a warfare between good and evil, and -that its final state was determined after death by a solemn judgment -rendered according to the deeds done in the body. This warfare -continued through all the dynasties alike until during the eighteenth -dynasty, the priesthood, fearing that the principle, or god of evil, was -about to triumph, got together and obtained a royal decree, ratified by -the sacerdotal order, to banish Seth (the evil god) out of Egypt, and -out of the religion of Kem; but this action failed to have that salutary -influence which had been expected from it. The fact itself was, -perhaps, the most singular one in Egyptian history; but our sacred -records leave no doubt that the royal and sacerdotal authorities united -in a solemn decree for the banishment of Seth, in order to secure the -future safety of the human soul. I have just as little doubt that -originally they believed in one supreme God, who was conceived of as a -dual being, combining in himself both the poles of spiritual sex-hood -perfectly, and giving birth to a third divinity, by which the triad, -that is constantly repeated under different names, was made complete. -Hence I declared to thee that nothing could save the Christian faith -from the imputation of polytheism except the assumption that the God of -the Christians, like the original myth of all primitive faith, hath in -himself a double spiritual sex-hood, of which Christ is the Son, -'begotten,' not created; 'conceived,' not made; divine, because as the -son of man is human, the Son of God must be divine. If this is not -true, then the Christ of these Scriptures, no matter how pure and -exalted he may have been, was either a created being, or else he was -only a mere appearance, a mere _simulacrum_ of Deity, a pious fraud, who -merely _seemed_ to live among men, and to die for their justification, -but did not do so in reality." - -The old man paused at this point, but the boy, keeping steadily in view -the matter which had aroused his own interest in the conversation, said, -"But are there any proofs of the divine dualism and trilogy of which -thou hast so confidently spoken?" - -"I think so," said the ancient, "but the original idea has been overlaid -and hidden for countless centuries by the myths and symbolisms and -external ceremonies devised by ancient priests to express them for the -common people, until the priests themselves perhaps only dimly perceived -the original truth, and regarded the symbolism itself as true--a most -bare and flagrant idolatry. For when, at some indefinite yet very -remote period, religion became blended with government and the priests -sought rather to control public affairs than to maintain a true worship, -the religious idea became so degraded that the sun, which was originally -only the symbol of a higher, unseen God, was mistaken for a God itself, -and worshiped as such; and this degradation increased with ages, until -finally any one who could build a sculptured sarcophagus, and pay for -the embalming processes, ritualistic prayers, incantations, charms, and -ceremonies, was declared to be in Hesiri justified. According to the -inscriptions on the sepulchres, no rich man was damned, and -respectability on earth and salvation after death were dependent upon -money alone. There was nothing to be done in the way of restraining -one's self from evil, nothing to be done in the way of active -benevolence. The chief business of an Egyptian's life was to acquire -sufficient wealth to build a costly tomb, and the most expensive event -in a man's experience was his funeral. Hence the rich were all saved, -and the poor were mostly condemned, without regard to personal character -and action. Yet all the while the most pious and learned of the priests -clearly perceived, even through the mists of error, superstition, and -selfishness, which debased the ancient faith, the primitive truth that -God was one--a dual being that was to become a triad by the generation -of a Son." - -"I think," said Arius, "that I comprehend the argument; yet I desire to -hear the proofs of this divine dualism more explicitly stated." - -"The proofs thereof, derived from the dualism in the original faith of -the most ancient races (as the Egyptian, Indian, and Chinese), and from -the fact that the monotheist Manes, or Moses, called his one God by a -name which is the dual or plural number of a Hebrew noun, have already -been suggested to you. But, in the ancient religion of Egypt, this -dualism pervaded the whole system everywhere. There was even a dual name -for everything--the one common, the other sacred or hieratic. The -ancient name of Egypt, 'Kem,' signified both the 'Black-land' and also -the 'black man' or people. The local name, Mizraim, was a dual word, -signifying both upper and lower Egypt, in which 'To-mehit' was the -north-land, and 'To-res,' the south-land, and the sacred name of the -river, which the Greeks call the Nile, was 'Hapi'; and the same word was -applied to Apis, the bull-god; and in both cases the word was used to -denote 'the hidden,' 'the concealed,' the source of the Nile being -believed to be undiscoverable, and the being of whom Apis was originally -the symbol being yet 'hidden,' 'unrevealed.' No matter where, or by -what name, the one supreme, self-existent, self-productive Creator of -all things was worshiped, he was originally worshiped as a dual entity, -a double god, at once father and mother of a third manifestation that -was always a son. Primarily Apis, 'the hidden,' 'the concealed,' simply -meant that this third person was yet unrevealed; but just as Ra (the -sun), originally the symbol of the one God, became substituted for God -himself, afterward Apis becomes the real 'hidden' thing, of which he was -primarily only a symbol, and his spiritual form seems to have become -Horus. Yet Ra is rarely associated with a female consort; but, when he -is so, it is always with a female Ra, and never with an inferior being. -But, even after this idolatry became established, the higher priests -preserved the original idea of a dual god, to be made a triad by the -generation of a son; and everywhere in Egypt, no matter by what local -names their gods were called, this trilogy was affirmed in every temple. -The very essence of the ancient Egyptology, therefore, is the idea of -one dual god, that becomes a trilogy by the generation of a son. The -same thing is true of the most ancient form of the Indian and Chinese -polytheisms. Thou must perceive, therefore, that in the original faith -of all the primitive nations, the divine being is Father-mother, which -is one dual God, and a son. If, therefore, the Christian religion -presents the idea of a spiritual dualism made a trilogy by the -generation of a son, it maintains the very idea of the Deity, which is -the core of all the primitive religions--Egyptian, Indian, Chinese, and, -I think, Jewish also." - -"If thou art not weary," said Arius, "I would desire much to hear thee -declare how these views, which are entirely new to me, agree with thy -reading of our sacred books." - -"I will cheerfully state the result of my investigations," said the -ancient, "again reminding thee that I read them only as I have done the -sacred books of every other people known to me, and not as one having -any especial authority to declare the meaning thereof." - -"I know perfectly well as to that," said the boy, "but desire to know -what thou hast found therein in reference to this opinion of thine." - -"I have found first, as I have already suggested, that Moses, who was a -monotheist, and a bitter enemy of all polytheistic ideas, constantly -uses the plural number of a Hebrew noun to name the one God in whom he -believed. According to the prophetic portions of the Jewish scriptures, -I find that the Son of God was to be born of a virgin, and the trilogy -was to be manifested to man by the incarnation of this son. Now, in the -sacred books of the Christians, the four called Gospels, Christ is -always called the Son of God, and Jesus is called Christ. Uniformly -that which stands in the same relation to God that was attributed to the -earthly manifestation of the divine nature by all original faiths is the -Christ; that which in the Christian system occupies the same relation to -the divine nature which was borne by the feminine side of the dual God -of all the original faiths is called the Holy Ghost. This expression -(Holy Ghost) occurs two hundred and twelve times in the New Testament, -and in every instance the words are in the Greek neuter gender, which -expresses nothing as to sex. The common declaration concerning Christ -is that he was 'begotten' of God: a man is begotten of his father; he -was 'conceived' of the Holy Ghost: a man is conceived of his mother. My -interpretation, therefore, must be that these scriptures teach us that -the one God is a divine dualism, a double spiritual Being, the -Father-Ghost, and that the Christian trilogy is completed by the -generation of a son of this Father-Ghost which is one double God; and -that as far as sex-hood can be predicated of a spiritual nature, Christ, -the Son, is a spirit begotten and conceived of God his Father-Mother, by -whom the worlds were made, and who was afterward manifested in the flesh -by assuming human nature. This is what thy scriptures teach me: I know -not whether it be true; but it is a glorious statement of that which was -the original faith of all primitive peoples before mankind lapsed into -idolatry; for every high-priest in Egypt assuredly knoweth that -polytheism was not the first faith of men." - -"But," said Arius, "is not the Holy Ghost called 'he' in the paragraph -from John which readeth--'And I will pray the Father, and he shall give -you another Comforter, that HE may abide with you forever; the Spirit of -truth; whom the world can not receive, because it seeth HIM not, neither -knoweth HIM: but ye know HIM, for HE dwelleth with you and shall be in -you'; and in that passage which readeth as follows: 'But the Comforter, -the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, HE shall teach you -all things': and do not these readings conflict with your idea that the -name of the third person in the Christian triad expresses nothing as to -sex?" - -"I think not so," answered the ancient, "because it is evident that in -these places the only thing that can be meant by the 'Holy Ghost' and -the 'Spirit of truth' is the Paraclete, the Comforter; and while the -Greek word for comforter is a noun of the masculine gender, the words -'Holy Ghost' and 'Spirit of truth' still retain their neuter form, -although put in apposition with it; and the pronouns 'he' and 'him' take -their masculine form from the word comforter, and not from the words -Holy Ghost and Spirit, which are always neuter, and express nothing as -to sex. Besides this, I do not find anywhere in the scriptures any -characteristics which are essentially masculine ascribed to the Holy -Ghost, and I do find many which are essentially feminine." - -"Wilt thou state any other argument, if there be any, that maintaineth -this grand idea of a dual God that becometh a triad by the generation of -a son?" - -"There is another," said the ancient, "which is conclusive to my mind -that the doctrine of thy scriptures is as I have stated it. In Genesis -it is written that God said, 'Let _us_ make man in our own image'; and, -also, it is written, 'Male and female created he them.' It seemeth to -me that this 'image' and 'likeness' hath a deeper signification than the -mere similitude of man's character to that of God can convey. God is a -spirit, according to these scriptures, and no resemblance can be -imagined between human beings and him in regard to physical -constitution. So far as the characters constituted the 'image and -likeness,' the books show that it would include only the first man on -one side, and God the Father on the other. But the words are generic: -'us' and 'our' the triad, on one side, and 'man' (that is 'male and -female,' the human race) on the other, and I suppose the 'image and -likeness' spoken of is one found in the essential nature of man, in his -constitution and relations. For as in heaven, so in earth; in both, the -trilogy includes Father, Mother, Son: trinity is family; and the -essential point of the image and likeness between the human and the -divine subsists in the fact that human nature necessarily exists as a -triad--father, mother, son; just as the divine nature must do. This -seemeth to me to be the only ground from which it is possible to -predicate divinity of Jesus Christ without involving the whole Christian -system in the mazes of polytheism; for if he be divine otherwise than in -this fact of generation, there must be more than one God. In strict -accordance with this view, I have observed that in those nations which -are ignorant of this feminine aspect of the dual god, wives are -degraded--are mere chattels, mere slaves; in others, that (like Egypt) -recognize the divine feminine nature, but hold that she is inferior to -the masculine element of this dualism, wives are tolerated, are not shut -up in seclusion, are not mere slaves and chattels; while among the -Christians alone who hold the absolute equality of Father and Spirit, -womanhood is glorified and made honorable; and Jesus himself elevated -marriage almost, if not altogether, into a religious sacrament." - -"The views you present seem very like the truth," said the boy, -musingly, "and they are certainly grand enough to be true. But they are -entirely new to me, and I shall not fail to give them such study and -meditation as my sense of the magnitude of the subject involved may -demand. I have never heard any discussion upon the nature of the -relation of the three persons of our Christian trilogy." - -"I think," said the ancient, "thou wilt find that it is a mere mistake -to suppose that there are three, for the sacred books teach me that -there are only two, the Father-Ghost, or double God, but one only; and -the Son of this one God. The perfectest flowers in nature are -hermaphrodites." - -"But wilt thou inform me whether any perfect, self-producing creature, -possessed of animal life, hath ever been discovered?" - -"Never," answered the ancient. "The partial realization of such a -condition, the rare approximations thereto, which have been curiously -noted by Egyptian priests for centuries and myriads of years, have been -universally regarded as a deformity, and not as a perfection. Yet the -priesthood say that the fact was perfectly realized, according to Moses, -in the case of the first man; for the first woman was not created as the -man was, but proceeded out of him; and the account given by Moses -afterward means just that. I could say many things upon this matter -indeed, but for the fact that the oath of secrecy, taken at every step -of his progress in the sacerdotal life by every Egyptian priest, was -vast and solemn; intended to cover his whole future life, and secure his -silence under every possible mutation of his own fortune. The sphinxes, -with wide-open eyes and sealed lips, and faces that are inscrutable and -calm, revealing nothing that might show a trace of any passion, emotion, -thought, or purpose, and yet full of intelligence and power, are the -perfect symbol of the Egyptian priesthood; and I know not just how far -these obligations are binding upon me." - -"I will not question thee," said Arius, "but will endeavor to profit by -whatever thou mayst be at liberty to declare." - -"Thou mayst some day find use for the fact that was well known to the -priesthood, who were the repository of all knowledge in the land of Kem, -that in the embryonic or total life, both in animals and in man, there -is absolutely no distinction of sex. Up to a short period prior to its -birth, it is impossible to determine whether the offspring will be male -or female--from which fact it seems to follow that sex is not a primary -or essential function of animal existence, but dependent upon conditions -during gestation which centuries of investigation have failed to -disclose. Dost thou remember how bitterly the sacred books of the -Israelites, from Moses down, denounce Baal, and Ashtaroth, and the -star-god Remphan, and all the secret rites of the national religions of -all other people except their own, the Egyptians included? Hast thou -observed that many of the ceremonies which other nations practiced as -part of religion are denounced by Moses as crimes punishable with death? -Hast thou observed that throughout the Jewish scriptures, and especially -throughout the Pentateuch, there are bitter and vindictive laws and -customs devised for the express purpose of segregating the Israelites -from all other peoples, for building up, as it were, a wall of partition -between them and all other nations--and this, notwithstanding the fact -that it would have been natural and right for Moses and his people, if -they believed themselves to be in possession of the truth, to seek to -impart that truth to others, and so procure the universal acceptance -thereof? Hast thou marked the fact that the missionary spirit, which -was the glory of every other religion, so as to create continual wars -undertaken for the sole purpose of forcing other peoples to adopt the -religion of the conqueror, was constantly repressed by the Jewish laws -and branded as a crime? And hast thou ever reflected upon the real -signification of these facts?" - -"Yea," answered Arius, "and I have been taught that God, by Moses, so -commanded the Jews in order to preserve the peculiar people from being -seduced into following after strange gods, and adopting the idolatries -which were everywhere believed in. For the idolatries thou hast named, -and every false religion which had for its symbol a moon, a cow, a cock, -or any symbol intended to indicate the fecundity of Nature, was only the -worship of that very mystery of sex of which thou hast spoken such -strange things, the deification of lasciviousness, the apotheosis of -sensualism." - -"They finally became so, indeed," said Am-nem-hat, sadly, "when the -original truth became thoroughly corrupted; but it was not so in the -beginning. For if thou wilt keep in mind the fact that the original -faith of every primitive nation held the true God to be a dualism that -was to become a triad by the generation of a Son; if thou wilt remember -that this Son was also held to be Hapi, 'the hidden,' 'the concealed,' -'the unrevealed,' even as unto this day the high-priest of every temple -in Egypt will declare unto thee; and, considering these things, thou -wilt not surely say that the grand roll of Egyptian priests, stretching -back for more than thirty centuries of recorded history from this age of -ours, were all mere sensualists. On the contrary, thou wilt see in these -singular rites and ceremonies, even in their present degraded form, the -signs and symbols of a deathless longing in the hearts of that grand, -pure, holy race of sacred priests, and of a search prosecuted over land -and sea, through heaven, and earth, and hell, during all the fruitless -and slow-gliding centuries, by every art, science, and resource known to -men--a longing and a search after Hapi, 'the hidden one,' 'the concealed -Son,' 'the unrevealed Saviour,' for whom the whole creation groaneth--a -sublime spectacle, sad and grand enough to move a god to pity! For -while the crowd see only a splendid pageant in that annual festival in -which, with torches and with magnificent display, the priests and the -whole population at Memphis wander over the city, the river, and the -lake, seeking in earth, and fire, and water, for the dismembered body of -the dual god, thou wilt find among them aged, pure, sad, learned men, -who see in the same grand spectacle the perpetual memorial of their -world-old search for Hapi, 'the concealed'; and, if thou couldst gaze -into their shut, silent, sorrowful hearts, thou wouldst see all the -faculties of soul and spirit exhaling in a yearning prayer that he might -come! and at the gate of every temple thou wouldst find the priestly -symbol, the Sphinx, the sleepless watcher, cut out of imperishable -stone, 'gazing right on with calm, eternal eyes,' till Hapi come!--for -such is the true signification of Hesiri-Hes, whom the Greeks call -Osiris-Isis! And even in the later and more degraded worship of the -bull-god Apis, while the common crowd see only the apotheosis of -sensualism, as thou hast called it, in the fact that, when a new Apis is -discovered, devout women at Memphis, during forty days, expose -themselves stripped naked to the gaze of the sacred brute, the sad-faced -priests realize that the endless and unavailing search to discover Hapi, -'the concealed,' had sometimes been prosecuted by unlawful means, -against which Moses, in the Jewish scriptures, denounced the penalty of -death. And the period of forty days was purposely chosen in order to -cover by a few days, in both directions, a lunation of the moon; for the -worship of the moon-god universally connected the lunations of that -planet with the sexhood of women. But thou wouldst greatly err if thou -shouldst believe that in its original, undegraded form, this worship was -sensualism; for it began with some new effort to wring out of the -mystery of sex the secret of Hapi, 'the concealed'; and was glorified by -the fact that it was part and parcel of the weary, world-old search -after him! Oh, will he ever come?" - -Then the boy sprang to his feet, to the very tips of his toes, his right -hand vibrating, his head erected and bent forward, his dark eyes -gleaming with mesmeric light, his whole form and face glowing with -passionate and quivering emotion, and he cried aloud: "Thou art pious -and aged and learned! Thou teachest me much! But I will also teach -thee something! As surely as thou livest, Hapi, the Hidden, whom thou -callest the desire of all nations, hath already come in the flesh, and -his name is Jesus Christ." - -"Perhaps so, perhaps so," said the ancient, mournfully. "But the priests -of Kem, during the past three thousand years, often imagined that they -had found him, and as often met with bitter disappointment. The Sphinx -still watches with unwinking gaze for the solution of the mighty -problem, and the old are difficult to convince." - -But at that moment Theckla burst in upon them, flushed and weary with -her romping with the goats, crying out, "O sacred Hapi, I am so hungry -and so tired!" Then the old man spread out a linen cloth upon the table, -and, at his desire, Arius and Theckla placed thereon the table-ware and -the dainties taken from the basket which the boy had brought, while he -took from a little spring nigh his hermitage a jar of cool, refreshing -goat's milk: and they three did feast right joyously. - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - - THE DEMOCRACY OF FAITH. - - -It was indeed a singular thing to hear, the usual conversation of those -young people about religious questions upon which the greatest minds of -subsequent ages have spent their force without exhausting them; but it -should be remembered that everything like exact science was then in its -infancy: all that was actually known of medicine, chemistry, geology, -geometry, geography, botany, and even of mathematics, could be very -quickly learned; and around this narrow limit of ascertained truth -spread a boundless wilderness of vagrant speculation, in which the -seeker after learning might wander a whole lifetime without ever being -able to add one single valuable fact to the stock of knowledge; so that -religion, whether Christianity or paganism, was universally regarded as -the one thing that might most profitably be learned and known; and -education, even from infancy, consisted in acquiring the knowledge of -it: and this education was among the heathen chiefly objective, handling -the visible, tangible symbols of a superstition which possessed only the -most meager elements of subjective truth and power, except, perhaps, for -the higher priests who had been initiated into mysteries unknown to the -common people; while among the Christians the process was almost -reversed. Christianity had no objective life, except in the person of -Jesus Christ; and the subjective power which it possessed upon both -intellect and consciousness had no assignable limits, inasmuch as it -seemed to make the martyrs almost insensible to physical pain, and yet -could produce a moral sensitiveness so acute that to be conscious of -willful deception might work the death of the body, as in the case of -Ananias and Sapphira when they lied to Peter about the consecration of -their property to holy uses. This education among the Egyptians, -especially among females of the higher classes, was chiefly oral, but -among the Christians the young were taught both orally and by the -written text. - -One of the strangest and yet most logical results of the Christian -teachings and practice (and one which has been, for very sufficient -reasons, ignored by the theologians) was to develop a radical and -uncompromising spirit of democracy throughout the Christian communities -or churches. The early Christians uniformly held that they, as -Christians, belonged to a kingdom which was in, but not of, the world--a -kingdom for which no earthly potentate had right or power to legislate; -and this living faith loosened the bond of allegiance and dissolved the -sense of obligation as to all human authority, and was the negation of -the lawfulness of temporal government over the subjects of the kingdom -for which they recognized no king but Christ. While, for the sake of -peace, they were willing to render unto Caesar the things which are -Caesar's, by paying taxes to that government under which they lived, and -by even yielding ready obedience to all laws and customs which did not -come in conflict with the higher law of the kingdom, the rights of -conscience, they universally regarded these laws as extraneous to their -own organization, foreign statutes, imposed upon them from without; and, -being solicitous to render unto God the things which are God's, they -steadily abstained from any participation in the affairs of government, -and quietly assumed the right to judge for themselves whether any law, -regulation, or custom, prescribed by the sovereign power, or other human -authority, was or was not such as they might conscientiously obey. And, -while they would no more have thought of holding office under pagan -rulers or of participating in their legislation and government than they -would have thought of accepting the priesthood of a heathen temple and -participating in its idolatrous worship, they obeyed all laws alike, -except such as conflicted with conscience, and these they refused to -obey in the very face of persecutions, torture, and death. But this -fearless assertion of the rights of conscience necessarily involved the -right to sit in judgment upon all human laws and the powers that -ordained them, and to determine for themselves whether the law was -lawful. That helpless spirit of blind obedience to the decrees of -despotic governments which characterized the pagan peoples was, -therefore, impossible to the Christians. In the very teeth of -universally established law and custom, they steadily refused to bear -arms, to own slaves, to seek any legal redress in civil courts, to -follow the law of their domicile in regard to the ownership of property -or the succession to estates of the deceased, just as they refused to -sacrifice to the gods, or to call any man master. Under the same lofty -conception of the rights of conscience, in lands where women were bought -and sold like cattle, they refused to practice polygamy; and in lands -where female chastity was unknown and plural wives and concubines were -esteemed to be the insignia of honor and influence, they clave fast to -that monogamic marriage which Jesus had elevated into a holy sacrament; -and while throughout the world women were regarded as slaves, as -domestic chattels, or, at the very best, as an inferior race and a -necessary evil, so that the birth of a female child was looked upon as a -household calamity, the Christian faith that the Holy Ghost conceived -Christ before he was born of a virgin and manifested in the flesh, -glorified and exalted the dignity of womanhood and maternity, and -created the idea of personal responsibility, rights, and duties for both -sexes alike. The logical tendency of Christianity was, therefore, to -originate the idea of personal liberty for all men, unknown to the world -before; to repudiate the heathen doctrine of the divine character and -right of kings; to sit in judgment upon their laws, and to intelligently -obey, or refuse to obey, them; in a word, to cultivate and exercise, as -a matter of religious faith, that spirit of personal independence, both -of action and of thought, which we in later times denominate democracy, -the concrete form of which was the election of deacons, presbyters, and -bishops by the people unto whom they ministered. - -But this habit of independent thought did not tend as in later times in -the direction of ecclesiastical schisms; because, if any one embraced a -doctrinal error, either it was maintained by him as an individual -opinion; or if a mistaken zeal led him to proclaim it publicly, and seek -thereby to bind the consciences of other Christians, the matter soon -came to the knowledge of the churches, and, when the Church assembled to -consider the alleged error, the Holy Paraclete directed the counsels of -the assembled bishops and presbyters, so that their deliverances were -infallibly correct, and were universally accepted as final. So that, -during the first three centuries, no heresy could survive the -condemnation of a Christian council, and no learning, zeal, and genius -could give to heresy such vitality and power as to seriously threaten -the peace of the Church. Even Peter could not force the observance of -the rite of circumcision upon the free Christian communities; and the -heresies of Menander, Cerinthus, Nicolaus, Valentinius, Marcion, -Tatianus, Blastus, Montanus, Artimon, and others, perished almost as -soon as they had been condemned. - -It was perfectly natural, therefore, that while both Arius and Theckla -were almost children in many respects, they should both be far advanced -in religious learning, each of them in harmony with one of the separate -systems under which they had been reared; and that they should be, in -many attitudes of thought and feeling, a pleasing enigma to each other. -The girl, although brimful of bright and pleasing fancies, had all her -life been accustomed to accept as truth whatever was taught to her as -such, and the very basis of her training had been implicit and -unquestioning obedience to authority without reason, so that she had -never, perhaps, attempted to exercise an independent thought, judgment, -or inquiry about any question of religious, political, or social life, -her existence having been passed in strict and unconscious conformity to -rigid Egyptian customs, into the molds and forms of which she had been -fashioned from her infancy. The illness of her mother, which left her -to the freedom of thought, expression, and action, characteristic of -every Christian household, was a new and intoxicating experience to the -girl; and, whatever else it might be possible for her to become, it was -manifestly impossible that she could ever again resiliate into the moral -and social mummyism of ordinary Egyptian female life. The bondage of -Egypt was broken. - -But the boy, fixed and immovable in his faith in the few salient and -all-important doctrines covered by the Apostles' Creed, as that creed -was taught during the first three centuries, as to everything else, had -been freed by his training from the shackles of authority, and so -unconsciously enjoyed and exercised "the liberty of the gospel" in which -he had been reared by questioning, investigating, trying every -phenomenon--social, religious, and political--that came within the range -of his observation and experience. - -Am-nem-hat imagined that in these two youthful but well-instructed young -people he beheld the living incarnation of the opposing civilizations -under which they had been reared; and it was a pathetic and beautiful -thing to see with what eager intentness he noted almost every inflection -of their voices, every expression of their countenances, almost every -peculiar turn and change of their thoughts, while he encouraged them to -talk, hardly caring what might be the subject of their conversation. - -At the beginning of their little feast the ancient said: "Arius, if ye -Christians have any custom of thank-offering, prayer, or libations, -before ye partake of food, I would desire to have thee perform or repeat -it now." - -Then answered Arius: "We make no libation or offering, nor are we -restricted to any set formula for returning thanks to God; but generally -we repeat the [Greek: _Pater hemon_]." - -"Wilt thou do so now?" - -Then the boy said, "Yea, gladly"; and, while they watched him narrowly, -he solemnly said: "Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy -name: thy kingdom come: thy will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us -daily our daily bread; and forgive us our debts as we forgive debtors: -and let us not be led into trial, but deliver us from trouble: for thine -is the kingdom, and the power, and the truth, forever." - -Then said Am-nem-hat, "Theckla, what form of worship hast thou been -taught to observe before partaking of thy daily food?" - -And the girl said: "On solemn occasions, our fathers make libations; but -it is not according to Egyptian customs, or religion, for a female to -meddle with any sacred rite, beyond her own private devotions, as thou, -O priest, must assuredly know." - -"Dost thou know the reason, Theckla, that woman is thus excluded, not -only from participation in the sacred rites, but from every place that -is inconsistent with the idea that she must of necessity be either a -slave or a domestic pet, having right to existence only as the appanage -of a man upon whom she is dependent as slave, wife, or daughter?" - -"Nay," she answered; "but I have been so taught, and, therefore, it must -be right and proper." - -"I will tell thee, Theckla, for it is verily a thing which every female -ought to know. The reason of it is that the original idea of God was -that of a dual being, equally divine and glorious in both aspects of his -double nature. But nearly all nations, as they sank deeper and deeper -into idolatry, degraded the feminine conception of this dualism, and -some of them utterly lost it. In Egypt they have held Hes to be consort -of Hesiri, and, although inferior to him, yet entitled to great honor. -Hence the Egyptian women have never been shut up, kept in seclusion and -ignorance, and esteemed only as slaves or as chattels, as is universally -the case among nations that have entirely fallen away from the divine -truth. But I tell thee, Theckla, that the religion of the Christians -alone maintains the absolute equality of the Godhead, by maintaining the -Holy Ghost, the Mother of Nature, to be consubstantial with the Father, -and hence it alone elevates woman to her true position, and endows her -with responsibility, respect and honor, rights and duties; so that, -although all men on earth should reject and curse the Christ, every -woman, who is true to herself and to her sex, should cleave unto him in -spite of pain and even death itself. Do thou remember these things, -Theckla; and, when thou shalt see with what respect, honor, and love the -Christian husband treateth his wife and daughters, remember thou that -the vast difference between them and other men, in that regard, ariseth -not out of any difference in the nature or disposition of the -individuals, but out of the difference in their religion only; for that -faith regardeth women as persons, not as things. Forget not these -truths, Theckla! for, whether it be true or false, Christianity alone -hath ever done justice to womanhood, wifehood, maternity; and the woman -who does not love and follow Jesus betrayeth herself and her sex." - -"Surely thou, also, art a Christian!" said the young girl. - -"Nay," answered Am-nem-hat; "I say not that to thee! For I can not -understand what it is to be a Christian. But, having carefully studied -this religion as I have done all others known among mankind, I do -solemnly assure thee that it is the only one on earth that is fair and -just to chaste and intelligent women. For it teacheth that the equal, -consubstantial Holy Spirit conceived a Saviour that was virgin-born; and -it so serveth to redeem all womanhood from centuries of contempt and -degradation; for no man who hath an intelligent faith in Christianity -can ever regard woman as the mere instrument of his pleasure, or as the -mere slave of his will, but as a friend, helpmate, and companion, worthy -of love, honor, and respect; so that, whether it be true or false, every -woman should cleave thereto, because it is for her, at least, temporal -salvation. For Christianity differeth as radically from all other -religions in regard to the esteem in which it holdeth women as it does -in regard to slavery and to the poor. And while the rich and the great -may hate this system because it would deprive them of the social and -political precedence which every other religion maintaineth for them, -the slaves, the poor, and the women should never forget that Jesus -Christ is the truest friend they ever had on earth." - -Then said Arius, "Father Am-nem-hat, why art not thou a Christian, -having views of our religion that are so wise and just?" - -And the old man answered: "That thing, my son, I can not tell thee, nor -can I comprehend it for myself. I can not understand what is the -precise attitude of mine own spirit toward Christianity. Canst thou -instruct me?" - -"Nay, verily," said Arius. "In my heart I yearn for the power to say -something that might open thine eyes unto the light; but my small -knowledge and experience serve not to enable me to understand how it is -possible that one so aged and so wise, so well instructed in our Lord's -own teachings, can fail to be a Christian. But my father was an -idolater in his youth, and he is learned in our religion. If thou wilt -go home with us, thou shalt be received with honor and affection, and -he, perhaps, can give thee aid. Wilt thou not go?" - -"I thank thee much," said Am-nem-hat. "But the way is long, and the -mountain steep, for one so old as I. And besides, it seemeth to me that, -if human knowledge and patient thought could extort any final truth out -of the mute lips of Nature, even I could have made her speak!" - -"But," said the boy, "the tree of knowledge is not that of life. Even -the most ignorant and depraved find peace in believing, and I have met -with none so wise as thou. If thou wilt come to us, I will bring hither -on to-morrow a she-ass, gentle and sure of foot, which my mother is -accustomed to ride, and will walk beside thee to our home, if only thou -wilt come." - -"Yea," cried Theckla, "thou must surely come! For I will tell my mother -that I have met the high-priest of Ombos, and she will long much to see -thee." - -Then Am-nem-hat, as if overpowered by their persuasions, replied: "Ye -are both so kind to an old and lonely man that I can not resist your -entreaties, and will even do as ye desire; for ye know not what pleasure -the old may derive from the polite and hearty attentions of the young." - -Then the two young people bade the old man a kind farewell, and, with -the light heart of youth and health, took their way homeward down the -mountain. And when they had come to the edge of the pasture-land they -met with some of the cattle, and among them was the young bull-calf -whose peculiar markings had so excited the wonder and superstition of -Theckla; and Arius cried out laughingly: "Lo, Theckla! there is thy god, -and thou shalt ride home upon the back of the beast." - -And he cut a long withe and fastened it upon the horns of the bull, and -led up the gentle beast, and, seizing the young girl in his arms, he -lifted her astride of the fat, round calf, and led him along. And, when -Arius mocked and ridiculed the young Apis, the girl joined in his -merriment, and he was glad to see that she was fast losing all -superstitious reverence for the brute, and for all the other pagan -deities; for her growing contempt for Apis necessarily struck at her -reverence for the whole system, of which a bull with a black hide, a -triangular white spot on his forehead, a spread-eagle in the hairs of -his back, a crescent white spot upon his side, and a knob like a -scarabaeus under his tongue, was so important a part. - -When they had reached that part of the pasture which was nearest to the -house, Theckla sprang from the animal's back, and, with some lingering -doubt of his divinity still troubling her mind, she said: "Arius, I -really wonder whether the Apis hath a knob under his tongue in the shape -of a scarabaeus? Wilt thou not look into his mouth?" - -"I know not that," said the boy; "but, if he hath not a rather -odd-looking spot under his tongue, he is the only bull-calf I ever saw -that hath it not; and I suppose it would be easy to irritate and inflame -this spot until it would look like a natural knob about as large as a -good, lively beetle." - -"I had never thought it might be possible for the priests to so deceive -any one," said Theckla. - -"Perhaps they did not do so," answered the boy; "but they may have been -deceived by the cunning of those who had such beasts and desired to sell -them." - -Theckla sighed, but her reverence for Apis and for all of his mysteries -was utterly gone forever. - - - - - CHAPTER X. - - FAITH AND PHILOSOPHY. - - -During the time that Arius and Theckla had been absent at the hermitage -of Am-nem-hat, a great change had occurred in the condition of the -Egyptian lady, Hatasa, at the Baucalis cottage. Early in the morning -she had fallen into a profound slumber, but before noon she had awakened -suddenly, and in a moment afterward the whole house was filled with her -bitter wailing. All at once the terrible sense of loss had overwhelmed -her mind with impassioned force, and in heart-broken tones she repeated -the name of her husband over and over again, and momently called aloud -for "Theckla, darling Theckla! Where is my daughter, my only child?" - -Then with great tenderness Arete told her that Theckla was well and -happy, and would soon return with her own son, with whom she had gone to -visit a near neighbor. The poor woman's grief seemed hopeless and -unendurable. At one moment she would yearningly lament the loss of her -husband, and at the next reproach the gods of Egypt with his -destruction, and then, perhaps, pray to them in tones of hopeless -supplication. "O Ra and Thoth!" she cried, "ye murderous, heartless -gods, that have so cruelly bereft me, have pity upon Amosis, whom ye -have snatched away to the under-world! O merciless and fearful Ma-t, -that hast never had compassion upon any mortal, thou terrible Two Truths -in thy dark halls sitting, unmoved by sorrow or pain, in the gloom of -mournful Amenti, soften once thy stony heart, that thou mayst feel the -sharpness of our earthly woe, so that thou judge not mine Amosis until I -have builded his sarcophagus. O thou Hesiri-Hes! that cometh nearer to -our human life than other dreadful deities, restore my husband's body to -the land, that with due honors and uncounted cost I yet may have his -mummy-rites prepared to smooth his pathway through the under-world!" -Then, seeming to realize the uselessness of any prayer in the absence of -the ceremonies of a funeral, she moaned in hopeless grief: "O terrible! -to be cut off in youth, with no sarcophagus builded, and no -mummy-cloth--cast off alone and friendless, into the darkness of Amenti! -O fearful fate! to be called up for judgment, like a pauper, before the -merciless, unsparing Ma-t!" - -And so she would cry, as loudly as her feebleness permitted, until -exhausted nature enforced silence upon her wailing lips. - -"She calleth upon the ancient, fearful gods of Kem," said old Thopt, in -a half-terrified whisper to Arete. - -"She is without God and without hope in the world," whispered Arete. -"May the compassionate Lord pity her and bring unto her the consolations -of his grace!" - -"My heart weeps for her," whispered old Thopt; "for the Egyptians are -not as the Christians are. They have a shuddering horror of death, and -it is to them the sum of all possible wretchedness." - -And so the weary hours passed slowly, and, at last, came Theckla and -Arius home; and the girl, bounding into her mother's room, cast her arms -about her and kissed her passionately. And when the mother broke out -into renewed wailings, the daughter said: "Nay, mother, why dost thou -lament so bitterly? Surely thou art much better now, and father will -soon return to comfort thee. Cheer up thyself with the hope of speedily -returning health and strength." - -"Alas! alas! thy father will return no more!--no more! Ah, nevermore!" - -Then with startled, wondering eyes, the young girl gazed into her -mother's face, crying out: "What meanest thou? He hath always come back -from every absence joyously; why sayst thou 'No more--ah, never, more,' -so sorrowfully? Surely he must again return to us!" - -Then it seemed apparent enough that these Egyptians had such an awful -terror of death, and the girl had been so carefully guarded against all -knowledge thereof, that she could scarcely realize what thing was meant -thereby; for the Egyptians said nothing of "death," but only, "He hath -gone hence," or "He is the Hesiri justified." - -"He is dead, poor child!" moaned the mother, "swallowed up forever by -the cruel, unrelenting sea! Thou wilt see his face, and hear his voice, -and spring to meet his fond caress no more," she wailed--"no more!" - -"Is he, then, the Hesiri justified?" she asked, a nameless wonder and -terror taking hold upon her soul. - -"Oh, thou wilt break all my heart!" she answered. "He hath died without -a sarcophagus and the mummy-cloth. How shall he, then, dare to meet the -dreadful Ma-t in the dark hall wherein she sitteth as the Two Truths, -judge of all the dead?" - -Then the full desolation of her father's awful fate, and of her own -mighty loss, for the first time swept her young heart with terrible -distinctness, and, sinking down beside her mother, the girl blended her -broken-hearted wailings with the woman's bitter cries. - -"Leave them together," said Arete, and she and old Thopt quietly -withdrew. And she informed Ammonius of the sorrowful condition of their -guests, and, with her dark eyes full of sympathetic tears, she said, "It -is a harrowing grief, and I was so young when I became a Christian, and -view death so differently from them, that I know not how to offer -consolation for such sorrow." - -"Thou shalt leave them alone for the present," answered Ammonius. "The -Egyptians have no consolation except those which their erroneous faith -buildeth upon the sarcophagus and the mummy-rites--all external -consolations--of which, in such a case as this, they are deprived. Let -them alone. Perhaps the Lord will show us some way to aid them, or -their violent grief will wear out itself in lamentations. All thou -canst do is but to wait and hope." - -The long night passed wearily away. Arete and old Thopt divided the -watches thereof between them, as they had done ever since Hatasa came to -Baucalis, to see that she wanted no attention which kindness could -supply; but neither of them knew how to utter soothing words unto a -grief that seemed so hopeless; for the religion of Egypt contained no -word of comfort for such grief, and the beautiful idolaters were -ignorant of that of Jesus. All that mother and daughter knew of -religious faith kept forcing back upon their broken hearts the dreadful -conviction that the soul's condition after death depended upon the -building of a sarcophagus and the preparation of the mummy, in -accordance with the rites prescribed in "The Book of the Dead"; and in -such a case as this no mummy-rites could be paid unless the corpse could -be recovered; and, although the sarcophagus might be builded, they did -not know but that the father and husband whom they loved might be judged -by the awful goddess Ma-t before this work could be completed; and none -of the exceptions made by their religion in favor of those who fell in -battle for the rulers of Egypt, or who perished by shipwreck, applied to -the case of Amosis, for he had lost his life in a private quarrel after -the shipwreck had happened. Their hopeless sorrow was pitiful, indeed; -but the young girl fell back upon a final truth when she kept repeating -to her mother, over and over again, her own convictions in such words as -these: "Thou knowest that he was a good and upright man, doing only what -he did believe to be right and just, and surely the greatest God of all, -by whatever name he may be known, will be most merciful to him without a -sarcophagus or the mummy-rites." And so the young idolater, not knowing -the law, but doing by nature the things which are written in the law, -became a law unto herself, and the unknown God, whom she did ignorantly -worship to that extent which was commensurate with her faith, revealed -himself unto her; and even from this unreasoning hope they both drew -something of comfort. And during the night Theckla informed her mother -of her visit to the old eremite Am-nem-hat, and of his having been -priest at Thebes and high-priest at Ombos; and how ancient, wise, and -good he seemed to be; and that he had promised to come to the cottage on -the following day, and expressed the hope that out of his vast stores of -wisdom he might be able to bring forth some truth that would yield them -surer consolation; and this also somewhat comforted that bitterly -smitten pair. - -And early the next morning Arius went to the abode of Am-nem-hat, -leading the she-ass on which his mother was accustomed to ride, and, -having got the ancient comfortably seated upon the jennet, he led her -down the mountain and unto the cottage of Baucalis safely, where all -were awaiting the arrival of the priest to whose visit Hatasa looked -forward with vague but earnest hope. And, when the old man had come, -Ammonius, with great respect and tenderness, assisted him to dismount, -and led him unto the house. And, having most kindly received him, they -told him of the sorrowful woman, and how anxiously she had anticipated -his coming, and he said, "Let me go unto her at once." - -And, when he had entered her chamber, he stood in the middle of the -floor, and, with his raised and extended arms crossed at the wrists in -likeness of a cross (for the cross is ages older than Jesus), he looked -upon Hatasa, saying: "Whatever God is greater than Ra, whatever God is -wiser than Ptah, and whatever God is more merciful than Hesiri-Hes, and -more just than Ma-t, by whatsoever name the great God of all ought to be -known among men, I invoke him to bless and comfort thee, O daughter of -affliction. May that truest and highest God lift up the light of his -face upon thee and give thee peace!" - -Then, sitting down beside her couch, he took her hand in his, saying -kindly, "Daughter, what is thy name?" - -"Hatasa," answered she. - -"Art thou of Alexandria?" - -"Yea," she said. "But my family were of Thebes, where lived and died my -father Ahmad, and my grandfather, Butau, and many generations more." - -"Butau, of Thebes!" said the old man. "Hast thou, then, never heard of -Am-nem-hat, priest at Thebes, high-priest at Ombos?" - -"Surely so," she answered. "For the same wise and holy priest was the -brother of my grandfather Butau, the great general, and I have often -heard my parents speak of the sacred priest with reverence and pride." - -"I am that Am-nem-hat, and thou hast found a kinsman in whom thou mayst -implicitly confide." - -Then seized she his hand, and, kissing it, she cried, "I do rejoice -thereat, and welcome thee as kinsman, and as sacred priest most pious -and most wise." - -Then she poured out to him the burden of her heart, and asked him if -there was any hope, her husband having builded no sarcophagus, and -having had no mummy-rites. And the old man answered mournfully, -"Daughter, as an Alexandrian, thou shouldst know the vast temple of -Serapis which standeth before the magnificent street, two hundred feet -wide, in Rhacotis, the western and Egyptian quarter of the city--the -grand and beautiful temple which containeth the statue of the god that -was brought thither out of Pontus?" - -"Yea, father," answered she, "from childhood I have known the holy -temple well." - -"And didst thou also know the wise and pious Raph-nath, high-priest of -that temple, who died there some fifteen years ago?" - -"Yea, verily, I remember him quite well." - -"He and I were boys, at Thebes, in the great temple together. All his -lifetime we were friends. When he felt that his physical powers were -failing, and that the end of his long and holy life was fast -approaching, he sent unto me to come to him and spend his last days with -him; and so it happened that I was at Alexandria when the ancient -high-priest died. We did talk much and often of our long religious -lives; much, of our learned ignorance; much, of the destiny of the human -soul; much, of the truth. When I did ask of him whether he had any -special request to make concerning his own funeral rites, he answered me -in some such words as these: 'Nay, my brother. Let the obsequies be -simply conducted, but in accordance with the rites and ceremonies -prescribed for a priest's funeral by 'The Book of the Dead.' For -although both thou and I be well aware that the sarcophagus is naught, -and the mummy naught, and that no rites nor ceremonies which men can -devise in any way concern the soul after death, yet, because the law and -order system of Kem hath been for so many centuries built up on these -vain things, I desire that the usual forms be all observed at mine own -funeral. Although surely no high-priest of Egypt ought to think that it -can make any difference to the soul how, or when, or by what means, a -man may depart this life, or whether any funeral rites are paid or not; -for thou knowest that the true purpose of religion is to control the -living, and that the dead are far beyond the reach of human agencies.' - -"'On what, then, dependeth thy soul's condition in the other world?' I -said. - -"'Surely,' he said, 'upon nothing that any priest can do or leave -undone, but upon whether the man hath done his duties well according to -the best of his faith and knowledge.' - -"And afterward, and almost in the hour of his dissolution, I said unto -him again, 'Brother, how farest thou?' And he answered me, saying: 'The -light of life within me burneth low and flickereth. It will soon go -out. But I fare well and peacefully.' - -"'And thou hast no fear of awful Ma-t, my brother, and of the silent -hall wherein the Two Truths judge the dead?' - -"And smilingly he answered me: 'Nay, Brother Am-nem-hat. No man -attaineth to the high-priesthood in Egypt without having learned that -the things of which thou speakest are for the people--not for the higher -priests--part of the system which we administer, not final truths for -us. For I know, as thou also knowest, that above and beyond the grand -Egyptian triads, there must be some supreme God over all whom we -ignorantly worship; who is patient because he is eternal, and merciful -because he is all-wise; and having all these years discharged, as -faithfully as human frailties might permit, every duty that came under -my hand, I look away above the gods of Kem, and trust myself -unshrinkingly in the hands of the unknown God, in whom we both believe.' -And, almost in the same moment, the old man quietly departed.--Daughter, -for thee and for thy great sorrow there is no consolation in the -religion of Egypt. All of the consolation I can offer is to tell thee -plainly that the things which the high-priest Raph-nath declared unto me -upon his bed of death are true; and, as the sum of all my learning and -priestly life, I say unto thee that thou canst do nothing else for -thyself, nor for thy husband, nor for any human soul, except to cast -thyself and him upon the mercy of the unknown God, hoping and believing -that all is for the best." - -The old man's voice was tremulous, and his grand, pure face was full of -compassion as he uttered these words in tones of inexpressible and -uncomplaining sadness, and with impressive earnestness. - -"And this is all?" she cried--"all that the old religion of Kem, -stripped of its outward, ornate forms and ceremonies, has to offer to -the broken-hearted?" - -"Yea," answered Am-nem-hat. "This is all, indeed. And it is little; and -the prevailing sadness of all wise men grows out of this; yet the heart -that loves and trusts may find that even this is enough to reconcile it -to the grand and pitiless course of nature. So saith the philosopher -Seneca: 'We shall adore all that ignoble crowd of gods which ancient -superstition hath gathered together in a long course of years, only so -as to remember that their worship is rather in accordance with custom -than with reality or truth.' And again he saith, 'The God is near you, -is with you, is within you'; and again, 'There is no good man without -God.' - -"And Epictetus also saith: 'If you remember always that, in all you do -in soul or body, God stands by as a witness, in all your prayers and -your actions you will not err, and you shall have God dwelling within -you.' And he saith: 'Great is the struggle, divine the need; it is for -kingdom, for freedom, for tranquillity, for peace. Think on God; call -upon him, thy champion and aid, as sailors invoke the great twin -brothers in the storm. And, indeed, what storm is greater than that -which ariseth out of powerful semblances (appearances of evil), that -drive reason out of its course? What, indeed, but semblance is a storm -itself? Come, now, therefore, remove this fear of death, and bring as -many thunders and lightnings as thou wilt, and thou shalt soon perceive -how great tranquillity and calm are in that reason which is the ruling -faculty of the soul.' And he saith further: 'Thou must be absolutely -resigned to the will of God. Thou must conquer every passion, abrogate -every desire.' And one greater, sadder, diviner than them all, even -Marcus Aurelius, the Stoic Emperor, declareth: 'Surely life and death, -honor and dishonor, pain and pleasure, all things happen equally to bad -men and good, being things that make us neither better nor worse, -therefore are they neither good nor evil.' And he saith of every man: -'Thou hast embarked, thou hast made the voyage; thou hast come to shore; -get out. If, indeed, unto another life, there is even there no want of -gods; but if unto a state devoid of sensation, thou wilt cease to be -held of pains and pleasures.' And he saith: 'Then pass thou through the -short space of time conformably to Nature, and end the journey in -content, just as the olive falls off when it is ripe, blessing Nature -that produced it, and thanking the tree on which it grew; ... accepting -all that happens, and all that is allotted, and finally waiting for -death with a cheerful mind.' And so I say unto thee: No man can do more -for thee, for thy husband, or for any human soul, than to fall back upon -the mercy of an unknown God, and seek for peace in the grand hope that -all is for the best." - -"I can not live on that," she murmured. "O my husband, all my heart -yearns after thee, and it will break within me unless I can find some -clearer, higher assurance of the mercy of Egypt's gods for thee, or of -this dim and terrible unknown whom Am-nem-hat declares to be in truth -the only one. I can not live in this void uncertainty and darkness! O -Amosis, my husband! O ye cruel gods!" - -"These good people among whom I find thee," said Am-nem-hat, "are -followers of the new God, Jesus Christ, a sect that is everywhere spoken -against. I have, however, a very favorable opinion of Jesus and of his -religion, and I take it for granted that thou dost not know the truth -concerning them. Perhaps they could teach unto thee some consolation -for thy sorrow." - -"The hated Christians!" she cried out, bitterly. "Why, when my lord -Amosis lost his life, he was even then upon his way to Rome to obtain -from the Emperor power and authority to extirpate the impious and -terrible association from Egypt. If they had known this fact, perhaps I -had been already reconciled, or at least silenced, by the icy hand of -death." - -"Nay, nay, mother," cried Theckla. "That is but an unjust thing, for -they knew from the first, and from thine own unconscious talk, that -father desired to destroy them all; and the lad Arius, their son, -charged me that I should not tell thee until thou wert stronger; for -that it might distress thee, and could do no good. He is a true-hearted -boy, and I think a wise one also." - -"And they have treated their known enemy with more than sisterly care -and kindness," said Hatasa. "Surely it is most strange!" - -But Am-nem-hat said: "I have seen the Christians tortured, decapitated, -burned at the stake, and have heard them even with their last breath -pray to their God to forgive those who punished them with such torments. -It is a new and most strange religion, and possibly it might do thee -good. No gods of Kem can aid thee in thy sorrow." - -"I wish that I could see the boy," she said. - -And Theckla sprang up quickly, saying, "I will bring him unto thee." - -And thereupon she went forth of the room and sought Arius until she -found him; and she said, "Arius, my mother desireth much to speak with -thee concerning thy religion." - -And the boy said, "I go unto her gladly, and may the Lord direct me what -to say unto her!" - -And when the boy had come into that room where she was, Am-nem-hat said: -"I have discovered that Hatasa is the granddaughter of my brother, and -she seemeth very dear to me, that am childless. Thou knowest the great -sorrow for which I have been able to offer no consolation, except to bid -her cast herself upon the mercy of the unknown God in some way, and seek -for him if by chance she might find him, and obtain mercy. For neither -faith nor philosophy, as I have learned them, goeth one single step -beyond where this dim, uncertain light guideth the soul, and we must -therewith be content." - -"But," moaned the stricken woman, "this chill and shadowy uncertainty -will drive me mad. My soul yearneth after my loving, noble husband.--O -boy, if thou knowest anything that bringest comfort in the very face of -pitiless Death, speak thou to me, and speak thou truthfully; for I am -sore afflicted and without hope! _How_, when all the gods of Egypt fail -me--how can I trust the mercy of a strange and unknown God?" - -Then the God-ordained minister stood up before them, and with that -strange, continuous, rhythmic motion of the hand, with his fine head -erect and bending toward her from the long and shapely neck, his -luminous eyes agleam with strange mesmeric light, his voice sibilant, -tremulous, incisive, began to preach his first little sermon in a way -that grace and training made natural unto him: "Trouble not thine heart, -O woman, with any thought about the gods of Egypt, for I tell thee that -the unknown God to whom all men turn in time of sorest trial and sorrow, -even as Am-nem-hat hath declared unto thee, is no more unknown, but is -one God over all, blessed for evermore, and hath revealed himself unto -men through his Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who loved us, -and hath borne all of our sins upon himself, that we by faith in him may -so be free; for, to them who believe in Jesus, life and immortality are -brought to light in the gospel, and for them death hath no sting, the -grave no victory.--What name do ye Egyptians give unto the burial-place -of your dead?" - -The boy paused, and looked upon her, demanding an answer with his eyes. - -"We call it sarcophagus," she replied. - -"Yea," he continued, "sarcophagus! The devourer of human flesh! But we -Christians call it cemeterion--a sleeping-ground; because we know that -Jesus arose from the dead for our justification, and know that all they -who sleep in death shall rise again; for so our Lord hath taught us. -Thou complainest that the light of nature is dim and chill, and giveth -thee no certain guide nor hope! Thou meanest that the course of nature -is stern, pitiless, implacable; teaching only that one must submit to -the inevitable without hope; a forced resignation in which there is no -comfort; an iron stoicism which teaches us to endure pain bravely but -furnisheth no compensation for sorrow; the obedience of a slave who -knows that it is impossible to resist and foolish to attempt it; not the -faith and love of a child that obeys because he loves, and bears -chastisement meekly because he knows that infinite wisdom and -exhaustless love inflict it for his good. O woman, listen what the -divine Son of God, who took our nature upon himself and was in all -things touched with the feelings of our infirmities, saith unto thee: -'Come unto me, thou weary and heavy-laden, and I will give thee rest. -Like as a father pitieth his children, the tender mercy of our God is -over thee. He that believeth on me shall never die, for life and -immortality are brought to light in the gospel, which is the power of -God and the wisdom of God unto salvation for every one that believeth.' -For Jesus loveth thee; he died to save thee and to give thee peace; and -his blood can cleanse thee from all sin, so that thou mayst be justified -by faith, and find peace in believing, and in all times of tribulation -and distress thou mayst find Jesus a present help and saviour. O woman, -sorely smitten! which one of the gods of Kem hath died to redeem thy -soul?" - -"None," she answered--"none!" - -"Which one of them cleanseth thee from sin, and giveth thee a sure, -unfailing promise of eternal life, thereby releasing thee from the fear -of death that keepeth mankind in bondage, teaching that death is but a -change through which the conscious spirit passeth into larger life?" - -"None! not one," she answered. "I have never heard such glorious -promises from any priest." - -"But to make these glorious promises steadfast, abiding, true, the Son -of God took upon himself our nature; became a man for our justification, -and offered up himself a divine and perfect sacrifice for us, to make -atonement for our sins; and having submitted himself to be crucified by -Pontius Pilate, the third day he arose from the dead, whereby we know -that we also shall rise. Seek thou for Christ by faith, for in him are -joy and peace. In him are hope for all bereavement, consolation for all -grief. He loveth thee. He so loved thee as to die for thee! Come thou -to him, and thou shalt learn how kind, and compassionate, and merciful a -loving God can be! For all that hath happened unto thee is not the -cruel, blind, relentless infliction of merciless fate, working through -nature; nor is it the vengeance of an angry God upon thee and thy -husband; but is only the wise chastisement of thy Father, God, whereby -he seeketh to wean thee away from the love of this vain and transitory -life, and to draw thy spirit upward to himself, and to the glory of the -world to come. Oh, if thou wilt believe in Christ, thou shalt find -before his mercy-seat a refuge from every stormy wind that blows, and -peace that passeth all understanding, that floweth as a river, that -teacheth thee that these light afflictions, which are but for a moment, -shall work out for thee a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory -in that bright world to which we haste. Seek thou for Christ, and thou -shalt know how good, and pure, and holy an exercise even thy human -sorrow and yearning may become." - -Then said the woman: "It is all very beautiful and comforting, and I -would know more of it. But tell me where I may find a temple in which -these things are taught, and a priest that knoweth them." - -Then answered Arius: "We have no temple here; and Jesus is our only -priest. But there are bishops and presbyters who preach the gospel, -when the Christians assemble together. And in every Christian family -there are daily religious exercises." - -"Dost thou have such worship here in thy father's house?" - -"Assuredly! on the evening of every day." - -"And at what place?" - -"In any place that may be most convenient. In thine own apartment, if -thou wilt." - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - - "FOR THE WORK'S SAKE." - - -That night, at the request of Hatasa, the whole family assembled in her -room, and she insisted upon having them engage in their usual religious -exercises, to which she listened with profoundest attention, and with a -certain amazement; for it was hard for her to grasp at once the idea -that God might be worshiped without a temple, a priest, and a sacrifice; -but the fact furnished its own best explanation. And the sorrowful -woman soon found herself following with a new, strange sort of interest -the reading of the gospel, and the earnest, extemporaneous, sympathetic -prayer of Ammonius, in which he pleaded with God not to suffer his dear -and sorrowful guests, nor the aged and righteous priest, who had so long -sought for the truth, to depart from his abode without having learned by -blessed experience how freely Jesus can forgive, and what light and -peace his gospel can afford to all who believe thereon. - -After the conclusion of these exercises, Am-nem-hat saith to Ammonius, -"There are some things connected with thy simple and beautiful religion -about which I would question thee when thou shalt have leisure and -inclination to answer me." - -Then said Ammonius: "Whenever thou wilt! Even now, if thou wilt go with -me into another room, where our conversation may not weary the others." - -"Nay," cried Hatasa. "Go not hence, I beg; for I eagerly desire to hear -such conversation." - -Then said Am-nem-hat: "I know the Jewish scriptures, and also the new -books which the Christians have written; but I desire thee to tell me -plainly what the evidence is of the fact, upon which thou dost -continually insist, that Jesus of Nazareth, whom Pilate crucified, is -the Christ." - -"The evidence is primarily historical and prophetic," said Ammonius, -"based chiefly upon the Jewish laws and prophecies concerning him that -were written centuries before the advent of our Lord, and that do -testify of him." - -"Yea," answered Am-nem-hat, "but these proofs only go to establish the -coming of a Divine Man, in whom not only Plato and Socrates, who knew -nothing of the Jews, but the Egyptians also, and many more, believed. I -speak not of proofs that Messiah was to come, but of the proof that -Jesus, whom Pilate crucified, was he." - -"The evidences upon this point are twofold," answered Ammonius. "One -line of proof which is the most satisfying, and which in fact amounts to -positive knowledge, is the personal consciousness of the believer, -experimental religion, whereby he knoweth that faith, the conviction of -sin, the justification of the believer, and all of the phenomena which -must necessarily attend the faith, are true. But this highest, most -satisfactory, most scientific form of evidence is of course inaccessible -to one that believeth not, except by the testimony of those who have -personal experience of the truth. The other line of evidence is founded -on the fact that the prophecies foretold for centuries just what Messiah -should do and suffer when he might come, and we know that Jesus did and -suffered just those things--many of them not possible to be done without -the Divinity--as healing of the sick, unstopping the deaf ears, -cleansing the lepers, restoring sight to the blind, raising the dead, -and preaching good tidings to the poor; all of which things Jesus -customarily did, all of which things his followers have done from that -day to this; whereby we know that he is Christ indeed." - -"Dost thou mean to assert that the Christians yet work miracles?" asked -Am-nem-hat. - -"Assuredly," replied Ammonius. "Jesus not only did the miracles -himself, but did solemnly promise that, wherever his disciples should -continue to obey him in all things, they should be able, by faith in his -name, to do thaumaturgical works even unto the end of time; and they -have certainly done so ever since." - -"Dost thou really believe that thou hast seen a miracle with thine own -eyes?" - -"Yea, verily," said Ammonius, "and many of them." - -The ancient paused a long time, and seemed lost in profoundest -meditation. At length he answered in a tone of inexpressible sadness -and weariness: "I was in the temple service at Thebes for nearly half a -century, and much of the time a priest. At Ombos I was high-priest for -five-and-twenty years, and until some five years ago. I have seen some -wonders, indeed, which the people called miracles. but alas! alas! I -know just how those things were done! The sun rises and sets, and no man -hindereth it! The Nile overfloweth its banks, and refresheth all the -land of Kem, and shrinketh back in his accustomed channel; the stars in -heaven pursue their bright and tranquil way, and seed-time cometh, and -the harvest; and life and death. All nature moves on in obedience to -fixed, changeless, universal laws, which have been from the beginning; -and I find myself unable to believe that these laws were ever violated, -or suspended, in order to furnish evidences of any religion, or for any -purpose whatever; although, no doubt, good men may believe that such -things have occurred." - -"And as to that," said Ammonius, "beyond any question thou art right. -He hath but a poor conception of our God who thinketh that, in creating -a world wherein he intended miracles to occur, he did not know enough to -provide natural laws by which these phenomena might come to pass without -violating or suspending the established order. But, if I could know -that it violates or suspends any law of nature to raise the dead, I -would not believe such a fact, although I have seen it done. But why -dost thou suppose that the anastasis of the dead is contrary to natural -law? Our Lord hath never said so; on the contrary, he came to fulfill, -not to violate, the law. Surely thou canst not declare that any miracle -violates or suspends, or is without law, unless thou canst first -truthfully declare that all laws are known to thee, and that among them -there is none by which the dead might be raised up. But although thou -art wise and learned, thou knowest that Nature withholdeth many secrets -yet from thee. Thou knowest that no man hath mastered all her laws; and -even those which we know may be weak, and mean, and narrow, compared -with those of which we are profoundly ignorant. But we Christians teach -that God is not the author of confusion, but of order; that all laws of -nature, physical, mental, spiritual, are but the expression of his will, -which must be harmonious throughout, and can not be self-contradictory; -and that just as he hath made some law by which water seeks a level, and -by which heavy bodies tend toward the center of the world, and by which -oil and water, that repel each other by nature, will unite with an -alkali to make a new creature, just so he hath established laws by which -the miracles are done; so that the anastasis of the dead, or any other -miracle, must be as purely and truly a natural phenomenon as is the -rising of the sun, or the falling of the dew--not so common, perhaps, -because these phenomena involve powers and faculties of the human soul -that do not act always and automatically as do the laws of physical -nature; so neither does one sleep, or talk, or think always, but only -when he wills to do so." - -"That is a new, strange view of thaumaturgy! Thou sayst 'the miracles -are under law'; perhaps, then, other men besides the Christians might be -able to perform them." - -"I know not to what extent it might be possible for other men to -exercise the power of faith which is an essential condition in the -working of miracles. I suppose they might do wonderful things, that -would bear about the same relation to our Christian miracles that their -various religions bear to our holy Christianity. And I suppose that the -witchcraft and demonology denounced by Moses were the results of the -exercise of faith in false gods. But a Christian miracle, depending -upon faith in Christ as a primary condition for the exercise of -thaumaturgical power, must remain impossible to all who possess not that -faith. Thou hast read the Gospels, and thou knowest the Lord hath said, -'If ye had faith as a grain of mustard-seed, ye might say unto this -mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the midst of the sea, -and it should obey you.' But he also said, 'Without me ye can do -nothing.'" - -"I infer," said Am-nem-hat, "that thou thinkest faith to be the law of -miracles; thou thinkest that this faith is itself a force in nature -sufficient for the accomplishment of physical results; and that they who -sincerely believe may, by means of this force, even raise up the dead. -Why, then, are not all the dead raised up?" - -"Thou hast stated the law rather too broadly," answered Ammonius. "The -faith that worketh miracles must be applied under proper conditions to -be of any avail. Water, oil, and alkali do not always produce soap, but -only when the proper conditions are observed. So I suppose that no man -could be raised up from the dead against his will; and, while there be -many Christians that have sought for martyrdom, there be but few that -were willing to be raised again, and fewer still that ever requested the -brethren to pray for their anastasis, because they preferred to depart, -and to be with the Lord, which is far better." - -"I do remember," said Am-nem-hat, "that many years ago, when Decius was -Emperor of Rome, a bitter persecution raged against the Christians at -Alexandria. I saw Julian, and Macar, and Epimachus, and Alexander burned -at the stake; and truly many seemed to seek for martyrdom rather than to -shun it, a fact which we attributed to a certain incorrigible and -hopeless wickedness in them, and not, as thou dost, to their assurance -of obtaining a better life. I suppose, indeed, that such men as those -would not have desired to be restored to a life which they seemed -anxious to lose; and it seemeth reasonable enough that, even if it had -been possible to do so, they should not have been recalled against their -will. Wilt thou not state more fully yet the conditions upon which thou -thinkest this thaumaturgy may be exercised?" - -"Faith in Jesus is the primary condition," said Ammonius, "but there are -also others. Once a man came unto our Lord and besought him to heal his -son, saying that the disciples had been unable to do so. Our Lord did -heal him with a word. Afterward the disciples inquired of him why it -was that they had failed in doing the same work, and he said unto them -that it was because of their unbelief. Now thou must perceive that it -was not because of their want of faith in him, for they were then -following him; so that it must have been because of their unbelief in -their own power and authority to do the work in his name. It seemeth, -therefore, that faith on the part of the thaumaturgist in his own power -to accomplish the miracle in the Lord's name is one of the conditions of -thaumaturgy." - -"That also seemeth to be a reasonable and proper condition," answered -Am-nem-hat. "But are there yet others?" - -"It is written that he did not many wonderful works at Capernaum because -of their unbelief. He often said to those who asked his aid, 'Be it -unto thee according to thy faith.' And from these facts it seems to -follow that faith on the part of him for, or upon, whom the work was to -be done, and on the part of those among whom it was to be done, was also -one of the conditions upon which the exercise of thaumaturgical power -depended." - -"But," objected Am-nem-hat, "if he was in truth divine, why should he -pay any attention to the unbelieving or to the unwilling? Why did he -not do the miracles in defiance of them all, as well as if they had been -faithful and willing?" - -"Because," answered Ammonius, "our Lord teacheth and requireth only a -willing obedience and faith. Not God himself will force the human will; -for that which is of compulsion hath no morality. It is of necessity, -therefore, neither holy nor unholy. A necessary holiness is a -contradiction in terms. God's use of sovereignty hath been to make man -free. Besides, faith itself is the law of miracles; to have wrought -miracles where no faith was, would have been to violate the very law by -which he worked, and so to have degraded miracles to the plane of an -arbitrary and sporadic exhibition of divine power, instead of leaving -them as they are, the highest result of the very highest form of -universal law." - -"That seemeth reasonable enough," rejoined Am-nem-hat, "and in -accordance with my conception of the character of a holy and perfect -God. But as I perceive thou clearly comprehendest the Christian system, -upon which I have bestowed much thought almost in vain, suffer me to put -one other case to thee which seemeth to me to be inexplicable upon any -principles which thou hast stated as constituent elements of the law of -miracles, if thou art not yet weary of my questions." - -"Nay," said Ammonius, "I am not weary. Thou mayst ask many things, -indeed, which I know not, and can not answer; but, so far as I can give -thee any aid, it affordeth me pleasure to answer thee as intelligently -as I can." - -"The matter is this," said Am-nem-hat. "It is recorded in thy sacred -books that when the apostles were going about Jerusalem, imparting the -Paraclete by the laying on of their hands, and working divers miracles, -one Simon, a magician, came unto them and offered money unto them if -they would communicate unto him the same power, so that he also might -become a thaumaturgist. But one of them, named Peter, did bitterly -rebuke him, saying, 'Thy money perish with thee!' Now, the apostles had -faith; the people who saw them doing all these wonderful works had -faith, and were baptized by Philip. Simon Magus himself had faith as -much as any one of them, and, when Peter rebuked him, with fear and -trembling he besought Peter, saying, 'Pray ye to the Lord for me, that -none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.' Now, here seem -to have been all of the conditions of faith and willingness in Simon of -which thou hast spoken, and yet Peter manifestly regarded the desire of -Simon as a sort of sacrilege. Why was this so?" - -"Why," said Ammonius, "Peter declared that his thought that the gift of -God may be purchased with money was evil; and that his heart was not -right in the sight of God, and that he should repent of his wickedness, -and that his very thought showed that he was still in the gall of -bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity." - -"That is very true," answered Am-nem-hat, "but his tender of money to -the apostles only proves his appreciation of the value of the power -which he desired to purchase. Peter saith not that Simon was a bad man, -but that this particular thing was wicked; why was it so in him, and not -in them?" - -"Because," replied Ammonius, "it is manifest from the whole record that -Simon desired to purchase this power for himself, and to use it for his -own purposes." - -"Certainly so," persisted Am-nem-hat, "but in what respect was it -sacrilegious for him to desire to use the power for his own purposes, -any more than it would have been to use his brain, or his hand, for his -own advancement; or his learning, or skill, for the acquisition and -cultivation of which he had, perhaps, expended money?" - -"The answer to thy question," replied Ammonius, "involves some -consideration of the very genius of Christianity as a system of divine -truth. If, as thou seemest to suppose, the religion of our Lord had -been only a system of spiritual truth, it might be difficult to deny -that the apostles were selfish, and that Simon was very badly treated. -But this is not at all true. Thou knowest that the legislation of Moses -was for the Israelites only; that of Egypt for the land and people of -Kem only; that of other lands and ages for certain peoples only. But -thou canst not have read the scriptures so carefully without learning -the fact that Jesus died for all men, and that his truth is designed for -all mankind. Thou seest, therefore, that, if Simon Magus could have -obtained this power to exercise it for his own purposes, he would have -made it the agency by which to gain limitless authority and wealth unto -himself, and oppress the poor. Thou seest also that, if any nation or -government could exercise thaumaturgical powers, that nation or -government would soon become the ruler and the tyrant of the world. -Thou seest that, if any church that is in any way connected with, or -bound unto, an earthly government, could exercise this power, -ecclesiasticism would quickly make mankind its slaves: for manifestly no -people could long resist a government that had thaumaturgical power -wherewith to enforce obedience to its laws. Thou seest also that if the -faith that is effective for miracles could be exercised for any purposes -except the edification of the Church and the good of all men, the faith -itself might have become a nameless and unappealable tyranny. Nay, if -it were ever possible to exercise such power except under such -conditions as necessarily and absolutely to preclude the use of it for -any private purposes, thou seest that sooner or later, under the -influence of inborn selfishness, the thaumaturgists would have made war -upon each other, and, in place of seeing nations contending with sword, -and bow, and spear, we would have seen them hurling against each other -all of the destructive forces of nature, and only chaos and utter ruin -could have ended the superhuman strife. It was therefore ordained that -the thaumaturgic faith can not be exercised except under conditions -which necessarily exclude the use of it for private purposes, and insure -its exercise for the good of the common Church only." - -"Canst thou specify by what means this restricted use of the power hath -been enforced? For it seemeth to me that, if it exists, it must be -beyond control." - -"In order to exclude all worldly ambitions and selfishness from the -kingdom which he established in the world, our Lord ordained that his -Church should be a community in which all men are free and -equal--brethren only. Hence he ordained, as the fundamental law of the -kingdom, that all private rights of property (including estates, rank, -offices, prerogatives) should be forever abolished in his Church, and -that Christians should hold them all in common. Hence, the kingdom of -heaven is an absolute democracy, social and political, based upon faith -in Christ, and community of rights and property among all who believe. -Of this community the apostles themselves were the divinely appointed -type. They used thaumaturgy for the common good only, and not for -personal aggrandizement. The common treasure was put into a bag, and, as -if to show the divine scorn of wealth and of all human distinctions that -grow out of it, the bag was intrusted to Judas, the only base one of the -twelve. It was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle -than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven, because the law of -that kingdom imperatively required the consecration of all that he had -to the common good. But, under the power of a living faith, many -complied with this law, and the Church prospered. Thus did the bishops -that were ordained by the apostles, as Linus at Rome, Polycarp at -Smyrna, Evodius at Antioch, and others also. Thus did Paulinus, Cyprian, -Hilary, and others. Such has been the law and practice of the common -Church even unto this day. For the primary law of the kingdom of heaven -demandeth the consecration of all property, and the abdication of all -worldly honors, offices, and authority. And Simon Magus desired not -part or lot in this kingdom, but his own advantage only. And thou must -perceive that thaumaturgical power exercised by such a church must -necessarily be for the common good of all, and not for any personal, -political, or sectarian purposes; and the faith that worketh wonders -must therefore be impossible to any human association except to the -church organized upon the foundation which Jesus himself laid, even the -communion of the holy; for the liberty, fraternity, and equality, which -constitute the socialism and politics of the kingdom, can not exist upon -any other foundation. And, of course, thaumaturgic power will vanish -even out of the Church if the day shall ever come in which those who -believe shall abandon the communal organization of the kingdom of -heaven, and establish human statutes as the law thereof." - -"I think," said Am-nem-hat, "that thy words remove many of the -difficulties which have beset my study of thy sacred books. For I now -perceive that the parables of Jesus--a species of literary composition -unknown, perhaps impossible, to other men--which I supposed to refer to -some spiritual, mystical doctrines, were in fact spoken concerning his -Church, or kingdom, in this world." - -"Assuredly so," replied Ammonius. "And thou hast done well to -characterize the parable as 'a species of literary composition unknown -and impossible to other men'; for no other man hath written a parable, -nor do I suppose that any man ever will do so. For he spake as never -man spake: he spake in parables; without a parable he spake not. The -history, the poem, the fable, the allegory, may be used by other -teachers also; but the parable is the language of Jesus alone; and no -man can handle it but himself." - -"I can now understand that strange parable of 'the unjust steward,'" -said Am-nem-hat, "although, when I first read the words, 'I say unto -you, make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, that -when ye fail they may receive you into everlasting habitations,' I did -even suppose that Jesus represented eternal life to be a vendible thing, -and that his religion, like every other, assured the rich that they -could purchase salvation with money--although this seemed to be -antagonistic to the general current of his teachings." - -"Verily," replied Ammonius, "the words of Jesus would convey no other -meaning, if, indeed, the fundamental law of the Church had not excluded -therefrom all the private wealth, honors, and authority after which the -Gentiles seek. But, if thou wilt consider that the unjust steward is -any believer that useth his means, pecuniary, intellectual, physical, -for his own aggrandizement, and not for the common good; that the Lord -of that steward is Jesus; that unrighteous mammon is wealth held by -private ownership, and that the true riches is wealth held by common -title for the good of all--thou canst then understand how, even upon -ceasing to be steward (the end of life), one may make amends for past -selfishness and mammon-worship, by giving up his property to the common -Church. Thou canst understand how it is just that those who come in -even at the eleventh hour to work in his vine-yard shall have an equal -reward with those who entered early and bore the heat and burden of the -day. Thou wilt see that it is true that those who gave up houses and -lands for his sake and the gospel's reaped manifold more 'now in this -present life' by gaining a communal title in the property of all other -believers--an increase which our Lord expressly promises as to all the -interests and relationships of life, except as to the wife; for, while, -if one leave houses, lands, father, mother, brother, sister, or -children, for the gospel's sake, the severed interests and relationships -are replaced a hundred-fold by his admission into the kingdom of heaven, -monogamic marriage was and is the law of the Church. And thou canst -thus give a practical and beautiful meaning to all that our Lord hath -said and done; thou wilt see that the social and political system of the -gospel is the only kingdom that can ever banish crime, hatred, and -selfishness out of human life, and so regenerate the world; thou wilt -see that the Scribes and Pharisees persecuted our Lord because his -kingdom excluded war, slavery, private-property rights, estates, rank, -offices, prerogatives--of all which things they were 'covetous'--just as -the Romans and all other established governments persecute the -Christians, even unto this day, for the same reasons. For Christ -desireth the brotherhood of men; the liberty and equality of men; and -that the average talents, energy, and prosperity of all may insure the -common weal; and not that some shall be emperors, lords, and masters, -whereby it cometh to pass that many must be slaves; not that some be -inordinately rich, and others distressfully poor." - -"I will read the gospels and the Acts again in the light of thine -instructions," said Am-nem-hat. "But, verily, many passages thereof -already come crowding into my mind that bear new and potent meanings; -for I perceive clearly enough that Christianity is not only a system of -spiritual truth, but also of social and political truth, that is founded -upon the faith, and from that basis assaulteth selfishness in its strong -citadel of private rights by elevating the common good into a higher -thing than private aggrandizement, and separating the people of his -kingdom from all personal honors, prerogatives, and wealth, after which -the Gentiles seek." - -"Thou wilt perceive this all the more clearly," said Ammonius, "if thou -wilt reread the gospels with this thought in thy mind; for thou wilt at -once perceive that many passages, which in any other view would seem -strongly tainted with fanaticism, or rhapsody, or demagoguery, are -precisely the things which Jesus ought to have said if his kingdom was, -indeed, a social and political democracy founded upon faith and -community of rights and property. For the Jews, who supposed that our -Lord would overturn the Roman authority and establish a great -Israelitish nation instead thereof, were not any more in error than are -those who falsely suppose that he would establish no kingdom at all, and -that he taught only spiritual truth, as do the Therapeutae." - -"I am familiar with the work of Philo 'On a Contemplative Life, or the -Devout,'" answered Am-nem-hat, "in which he giveth a full and succinct -account of the Therapeutae; but, indeed, I had supposed that he therein -intended to describe the first heralds of the gospel, and the practices -handed down from the apostles." - -"Beyond doubt the Therapeutae were Christians," continued Ammonius, "but -they separated themselves from the apostolical churches in order to lead -a more devout life, and they gradually exalted all their conceptions of -spiritual truth until they began to despise all temporal surroundings; -and in this they departed from the teaching of our Lord: for there is no -teacher of men more free from asceticism or stoicism than is Jesus. He -was ever busied about and interested in the common, every-day life of -common men; he was touched with the feeling of our infirmity in all -things; sympathized in all the joys and sorrows of those about him, -their trials and triumphs, seeking to lead them, not out of the world, -but into a way of life wherein every pure and wholesome feeling, -affection, and faculty of the human heart might find full development, -exercise, and satisfaction. The vast difference, indeed, between Jesus -and the philosophers subsists in the fact that, while they were ever -painfully seeking for rules and actions by which the select and favored -few might attain a perfect human life, he ordained a simple, perfect -system by which to bring the higher, purer life within the reach of all -men, especially the poor." - -In such conversations the time passed quickly; and it was strange to -note with what deep interest the sorrowful Hatasa, and also Theckla and -Arius, listened to every word, and strove to catch the full -signification of every phrase; while Arete heard it patiently, as one -might listen to an oft-told but still pleasant story, and old Thopt, as -if she knew little and cared less about the whole matter, being -satisfied that whatever Ammonius and his wife might do must be right and -true. - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - - THE ONE THING NEEDFUL. - - -On the same day began Arius to teach Theckla letters; for, although the -girl had been remarkably well instructed for an Egyptian maiden, all of -her tuition had been oral. But, in accordance with her strong wish to -learn how to read and write, the boy began at once with the three -alphabets, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, and in a single day she learned all -of the letters, and the relative power of each, and in a very short time -she could make all of the characters with a sharp point of _keil_ upon a -leaf of papyrus. Then, as leisure served, he would take a single word, -as, for example, "spirit," and would pronounce and spell it in the three -languages (_nishema, pneuma, animus_), and she would repeat the three -names for the same thing after him, and spell them, and write them down, -over and over again, until she had become thoroughly familiar with the -letters, the sound, and the form of the written word. The acquisition of -a few words every day soon gave her command of a considerable vocabulary -in each tongue, and she rapidly learned to associate the words with all -familiar objects, and to call them by the right name in either tongue. -Then he would select some short passage, generally from the sacred -writings, and during the day she would write it over and over again, in -each of the languages, while he was absent upon the various duties which -pertained to his part of the farm-labor. The girl was continually -learning; and it was pleasant to see how soon she began, of her own -accord, to select and translate into the different tongues any passage -which pleased her. This process of education continued, as we shall -hereafter see, during the years which she spent at Baucalis, and finally -Theckla became very familiar with the three languages in which the -scriptures were then written. - -On the next evening after that described in the last chapter, all the -dwellers at the cottage assembled again in Hatasa's room, by her -request, to hold the usual evening service; for the lady had seldom -quitted her bed, and she remained deplorably weak, suffering with -continual pain in her lungs, the result, perhaps, of her great exposure -during the storm, and of the terrible depression of spirits that -succeeded it. All through the pagan world, the only known refuge from -hopeless sorrow was suicide, and the idea of self-destruction was ever -present to her. Perhaps her maternal affection for Theckla alone -deterred her from putting an end to her life; for it was not regarded by -the heathen as cowardly, criminal, or even immoral, to seek that refuge -from misfortune. Cato did it; Seneca approved of it; Epictetus, -Aurelius, and all the great lights of pagan antiquity regarded -self-immolation as a matter of choice, and often as an act of wisdom. -But, from the moment in which Hatasa had been informed that the kind -friends who surrounded her were Christians, she felt a desire to know -more of them, and of their peculiar religion, strong enough to give her -a new interest in life; and she had requested Ammonius to have the -service in her room, and told him that, although she was too weak to -take any part in their conversation about Christianity, she desired to -hear himself and Am-nem-hat discuss any topic pertaining thereto in -which they were interested. So, after the usual exercises of reading -and prayer, the whole family remained together. The ancient remarked to -Ammonius that during the day he had pondered much upon the things spoken -of in their former conversation, and suggested, as a difficulty in the -way of the acceptance of Christianity, something like the following: "I -can understand how a kind and merciful God might lay down certain rules -of action, and require obedience to his laws, under whatever penalties -he might choose to impose; but it seemeth to me that to require one _to -believe_, as the sole condition of justification, is arbitrary and -unjust. Suppose that one hath some natural bent of mind, or hath been -reared and educated in some such way that it is hard, perhaps -impossible, for him to believe; yet thy books say: 'Believe and live; he -that believeth not is condemned already.' Is not this an arbitrary -demand for faith; and doth it not do violence to that very autonomy of -the will which thou sayest Jesus himself always respected and -venerated?" - -"Thou dost somewhat mistake the matter," said Ammonius. "The Lord does -not demand our faith; he simply stateth an actual fact, which is, that -the believer is justified by faith, and that he who does not believe is -condemned already." - -"I hardly understand what thou sayest: 'he simply stateth an actual -fact.'" - -"I think thou wilt find that there is no arbitrary demand in it. Our -Lord gave no command only because he had power and authority to do so; -but he knew what was in man, and gave only such commands as his divine -wisdom perceived to be necessary for the welfare of mankind. As to the -necessity of faith upon which he insists, the case is thus: All men upon -earth are under the conviction of sin, and all alike are forever seeking -for some escape from the bonds of this conviction. Thou wilt perceive -that this conviction hath no reference to any specific, sinful act; for, -perhaps, the best and purest men have always been those who felt it most -keenly. It is a consciousness of alienation between the human and the -divine. It is a natural, intuitive perception, in the heart of every -man, that he is not as good as he ought to be, less perfect than he -might be. The universal desire to get rid of this conviction of sin hath -filled the world with false and ineffectual religions from the very dawn -of time; for all men, in every age and clime, have sought for some form -of penance or of sacrifice, some means in faith or work, by which to -make atonement and secure reconciliation, and thereby shake off this -conviction of sin. Hast thou ever heard of any kindred, tribe, or -tongue (or even of any individual), that professed to be perfect, -sinless, needing no sacrifice, no atonement for sin--that is, for a -consciously sinful condition independent of all specific acts of -transgression?" - -"Nay," answered Am-nem-hat; "for thou art clearly right in that. All -men do by nature bewail their sinful state. Humanity standeth forever -like the lepers in Israel, with uplifted hand, crying aloud to heaven -and earth, 'Unclean! unclean!' It is a conviction upon which philosophy -hath no power. It cometh some time into every human heart, resistless -as the precession of the equinoxes, spontaneous as the flowing of the -Nile--a natural thing, which a man can no more control than he can reach -forth his puny hand and unloose the bands of Orion, or bind the sweet -influence of Pleiades, or guide Arcturus and his suns. All literature, -all monuments, all ages, and all men, testify unto this terrible truth." - -"Now the work of Jesus," said Ammonius, "was not to burden this sick and -sorrowful nature with any arbitrary law of faith, but was to provide a -way by which this universal conviction of sin might be atoned for--a -perfect righteousness and sacrifice available by faith for our -justification; to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto -himself. And faith is made the condition, because no other condition -could be available for all men alike, whether great or small, rich or -poor, learned or ignorant; and Jesus died for all! Thou must see that -this faith, instead of being, as thou didst suppose, an arbitrary -condition or command, is simply the enabling act, instituted by divine -wisdom and compassion, by means whereof we may be able to attain unto -reconciliation with God. And without this faith we could never be -justified by holy life and works alone, because it is a law of our -nature that, just as we become better and purer beings, our conception -of the degree of fitness required of us necessarily becomes higher, so -that it is impossible for us to get any nearer to it; so that without -faith the best men are as much under conviction of sin as the worst; so -that without faith it is impossible for us to be consciously justified, -because our nature requires a perfect righteousness; and this perfect -righteousness and sacrifice must be human, that we may be able to trust -its love and willingness to aid us, and must be divine, that we may have -faith in its power to save. Hast thou ever heard of any name given under -heaven, or among men, which supplies these natural and necessary -conditions for our conscious justification and reconciliation with God, -and with our own hearts also, except the name of Jesus Christ? If thou -hast, please utter it." - -"Verily," answered Am-nem-hat, "there is none. No religion of which I -have heard professeth to know any." - -The old man seemed lost in profoundest meditation, and there was silence -in the room, until Theckla said: "Father Am-nem-hat, do thou bid Arius -repeat what things he said to me of this matter of faith when he was -teaching the alphabets to me this morning. I think it was much plainer -than thy learned discoursing with Ammonius." - -"Yea," said Am-nem-hat, "I beg that Arius will do so, for I much desire -to hear thereof." - -The boy blushed vividly at being so called upon in the presence of his -elders, but, at a sign from his father, he stood up before them, saying: -"I did not suppose the talk of persons so young could interest those who -are so much older and wiser, but, as ye desire to hear it, I can almost -repeat it. As Theckla and I were running over the alphabets, in order -to get the sound of the letters and the form of the characters, she came -upon the letter 'A' a second time, and she cried out: 'Oh, I know that -one; it is Latin A, Greek Alpha, Hebrew Aleph.' And I said unto her, -'Theckla, how knowest thou that the characters stand for these sounds?' -and she answered, 'Thou didst tell me so, and I did believe thee, boy, -and that is how I know it.' Then said I: 'Theckla, thou learnest the -alphabet by faith only. If thou wert naturally constituted so that thou -couldst not believe, thou couldst never learn anything not tangible to -thy senses. If thou wert by nature even indifferent between faith and -non-faith, thy progress in the acquisition of knowledge would be slow -and painful. Thou shouldst therefore learn, from the learning of these -alphabets, that faith is the first, most inevitable act of intelligence. -Thou shouldst learn that belief precedes knowledge always, that Faith is -the elder sister and leadeth Knowledge by the hand, and that without -antecedent faith it is impossible to learn and to know anything except -what is palpable to the senses; just as it would be impossible for thee -to learn these alphabets without faith.' And thereupon Theckla did -pinch mine ear, and laugh at me, saying, 'That all seemeth to be true -and plain enough, thou odd boy, but why art thou preaching at me now?' -And I did answer: 'Because, thou dear sister, some time thy faith may be -demanded for another alphabet than this, even the alphabet of spiritual -life; and, when that day shall come, I would have thee remember that -just as all human knowledge is builded upon the basis of faith only, so -it should not seem a hard thing unto thee that God hath fashioned thy -nature so that thou must be incapable of learning even the alphabet of -everlasting life except upon the very same condition of faith only. -Faith precedeth all knowledge; believe and obey, and finally thou shalt -know.' I think this was about what was spoken between us concerning -faith." - -"And it is most wise, beautiful, and instructive talk," said Am-nem-hat, -"and serveth to complete the powerful utterances of thy father upon the -same lofty and interesting subject. I do thank thee for repeating it." - -Then spake Hatasa, saying to Ammonius, "Suppose that one hath died -without having known the truth concerning Jesus, and without having -exercised this faith, is there no hope for such a one?" - -The trembling voice in which she spoke, and the look of timid, doubtful -entreaty which accompanied these words, touched every heart, and made -them all feel that by "such a one" the poor lady meant her young and -gallant husband Amosis, whose memory seemed ever in her heart. - -Ammonius answered: "I do not know whether I could make thee understand -fully the views which we Christians entertain about such a case as thou -hast suggested, but we believe that there is hope for such a man. The -great apostle Paul was Saul of Tarsus, and for a long time he did -persecute the Christians because they were Christians, yet he declareth -himself that he acted in all good conscience before God, believing that -it was his duty to do so, and he afterward became the great apostle and -a glorious martyr. I doubt not that there are among those who now -persecute the Christians some good and just men, that would follow Jesus -unto death if they could know him as he is. The conviction of sin, we -know, hath no reference to any specific transgression, nor hath the -forgiveness of sin. Whether an act be a sin or not dependeth largely -upon the intent with which it is done. Now, when the heathen, who know -not Jesus nor his divine truth, do yet live just and righteous lives -according to the best light and knowledge they possess, and die without -the consolation of the faith, the benefit of the atonement accrueth to -them in some way, we know not precisely how far, nor to what effect; to -all such, indeed, and especially to such as have some living Christian -relative or friend that taketh upon himself the rite of baptism for the -dead; for, if they have not the law, they are not judged by the law, but -by their works and righteousness under the law which they have." - -"How is that?" said Hatasa, with breathless interest. "Thou sayest a -living Christian may be baptized for the dead?" - -"Assuredly," answered Ammonius. "The apostles so taught, and the Church -hath always so practiced. If any Christian hath a relative that died -without knowledge of Jesus, and such Christian doth believe that the -deceased was a just and righteous person according to the measure of -light given unto him, and was such that he would have followed our Lord -if he had known sufficiently of him, such Christian may receive baptism -for the deceased, and the dead shall reap benefit of this vicarious -faith and obedience, how and to what extent hath never been clearly -revealed unto us." - -"There is hope in that!" cried Hatasa. "There is consolation in that. -Thy Lord must have been full of human love and pity to make provision -not only for his friends, but for those good and just men, also, who -have ignorantly been his enemies." - -"Yea, verily," answered Ammonius. "He loveth all men; his mercy -endureth forever; his loving-kindness is stronger than height, or depth, -or life, or death, or any other creature, as thou mayest assuredly know -for thyself if thou wilt believe on him." - -Then Am-nem-hat said: "There is much in this religion that taketh fast -hold upon both the heart and the mind; for it verily seemeth that Jesus -seeketh not to impose a system upon man that is in any respect external -to man, but rather that he seeketh to show unto man such spiritual food -as is most divinely suitable to satisfy that hunger of the soul -wherefrom the whole world suffereth already; and he seemeth to propose -nothing as matter of faith which was not already a conscious want and -need of nature: so that his teachings ought to be accepted as at least -the highest utterance of philosophy if even not as divinely true." - -"Thy profound criticism of the spirit of our religion striketh very -nearly to the heart of the whole matter," said Ammonius. "For the world -yearned after God whom it knew not, and Jesus plainly declareth that -unknown God whom men ignorantly worship. The world groaned and sorrowed -under the blind conviction of sin, and, wherever men acquired a local -habitation and a name on earth, there they had their holy places also; -and in some way--often in a crude and ignorant way, often in a gross and -sensual way, often in a heathenish and cruel way--they sought, by sacred -rites of penitence and sacrifice, to atone for their wrong deeds done; -but the wrongs continually repeated themselves, and the unavailing -religions left the world's heart like a troubled sea that can not rest. -But Jesus saith the sin for which ye suffer is not a wrong thing done at -all; these wicked deeds of yours are not sin, but are the outcroppings -of the sin that lieth back of all your deeds. Can a bitter fountain -send forth sweet waters? Doth an evil tree bear good fruits? Do ye -gather figs from thistles? Cease now your world-old and unavailing -efforts to regenerate the heart by the vain expiation of your wicked -deeds. Purify the fountain, that the waters thereof may be sweet. Make -the tree good, and its fruits shall be good also. For sin is -non-conformity to the will of God, and your evil deeds are only the -evidences of your enmity against him. So, when the blind yearnings of -the world's heart after peace had made sacrifices, not only of every -beast and creeping thing upon the earth, but of men also, he saith: 'All -these things ye do in vain, for your righteousness must exceed that of -the Scribes and Pharisees, or ye shall likewise perish. I am the Light, -the Truth, the Way--the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the -world--a perfect righteousness and sacrifice once for all offered for -the sin of men. Believe in me, and ye shall be saved; all other -sacrifices are in vain.' So every yearning want of the heart is met and -satisfied in Christ. All other religions under heaven condemn actions -which they suppose to be wicked, and prescribe certain forms of -expiation for such as they suppose to be expiable; but Jesus proposes to -pardon, not so much the sinful act as the sinner, the sinful nature out -of which the act ariseth, and to regenerate this nature so that it will -hate what it believes to be wicked, and love what it believes to be -holy. For Christ atoneth for all sin, and the act of faith is to -personally appropriate the benefit thereof to each one for himself." - -"True," said Am-nem-hat, "and I undertake to assert that no other -religion in the world hath so represented sin to be want of conformity -to the will of God, rather than an evil deed; and in this whole matter -of sin and the forgiveness thereof, thy religion differeth from paganism -more radically than even in the doctrine of one God it differeth from -polytheism." - -And in this and such like conversation the evening wore away until -bed-time came, and they separated for the night. The family at Baucalis -did not speak or think of these matters as of mere abstract theories of -truth, or of philosophy, but as actual, living verities. The Christians -felt their religion to be the only real life. They regarded all earthly -pursuits, passions, and pleasures, as mere incidents of existence, and -religion as the one controlling and all-important thing. Their pleasant -home was to them a merely temporary station on the highway whereby they -were journeying to a better land; the flesh was only a tabernacle which -the spirit must soon forsake; all that pertained to it was for a brief -season only; the real life was only begun during their occupancy of this -earthly tenement; Christian faith was to them the one thing real and -permanent, and earthly existence was of little consequence except as it -might stand related to eternal interests. Hence there was a freshness, -a vigor, a sense of reality and earnestness, in their way of thinking -and speaking of such things, that demonstrated their religion to be no -beautiful, speculative philosophy, but a hard, experimental, and -all-controlling fact. And so every night during that week the dwellers -at Baucalis assembled in Hatasa's room, and passed long hours in the -discussion of all the salient points of Christianity in a friendly, -careful way, as if, indeed, they had a mutual interest in ascertaining -the truth, especially concerning all those ideas upon which the -antagonism between Christianity and paganism most plainly appeared. To -set down all the various conversations in which they engaged would -indeed be to write a treatise upon primitive Christianity, a work in -which, perhaps, no interest would be felt in an age in which that system -no longer exists upon earth, and is utterly unknown to all except a few -self-poised, fearless, unpopular antiquarians, who have been eccentric -and independent enough to exhume that ancient religion from out the -accumulated _debris_ of fifteen centuries of ecclesiastical "progress" -which flourisheth over its ruins even as the vine ripens and the roses -bloom over the wreck of buried Pompeii. Yet we can not resist the -inclination that moveth us to write out our notes of one other evening's -conversation that happened between this Christian family and their pagan -guests. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - - THE NET RESULT OF LAW. - - -On the next evening, after the conclusion of their usual daily services, -the ancient Am-nem-hat began the conversation which occupied their -attention during that meeting by saying to Ammonius: "Thou didst observe -that the future state of just and good men who died without any -sufficient knowledge of Christianity to lead them to embrace that faith -'hath never been clearly revealed unto us.' Is it not true also that -the future state of all men hath been left almost entirely unrevealed? -I ask thee this, because I have found myself altogether unable, from my -readings of the sacred books, to locate heaven, either anywhere in this -world or in any other sun or star. And either I have utterly failed to -comprehend some of the things which I have carefully read, or else the -scriptures leave this future state in a very misty, uncertain, -indefinite condition. Wilt thou inform me how this matter may really -stand?" - -"Thy reading is in no respect at fault," replied Ammonius. "Our Lord -hath left the future life altogether unrevealed, not only in respect to -the locality thereof, but also in every other respect. Types and -figures are used in reference thereto, whereby we know that it shall be -eternal and blest; but, beyond this general assurance of exalted -happiness and unfailing duration, we are not informed. To each Christian -soul it will undoubtedly be the best that is possible for him: the -place, the development, the environments thereof, and all else that -belongeth thereto, are unrevealed." - -"I know not whether it would have been more pleasing to have some -definite knowledge of that future life; that is, I can not tell whether -the system of religion would or would not appear unto me to have been -more perfect if all had been revealed by it, or whether it is wiser and -perhaps even more pleasing to have left it thus vague and undefined, -with a general assurance of its beatitude," said Am-nem-hat, "yet I -could wish that something tangible and satisfying were revealed in -reference thereto. Why, thinkest thou, was it not more fully revealed?" - -"I know not," answered Ammonius, "but I feel certain that it was -purposely left as a thing to be held by faith, and not in knowledge. -Either it may have been because it hath not yet entered into the heart -of man to conceive what that life may be, so that human speech could not -convey any adequate knowledge thereof; or, if it were possible to do so, -the overpowering glory and splendor thereof, if definitely grasped and -understood, and already realized, might render us impatient of this -mundane existence, and too indifferent to all the duties and obligations -thereof. I think, indeed, that those very Therapeutae, of whom Philo -speaketh, were to be censured for an unwarranted attempt to realize, in -this present world, a spiritual life which our Lord expressly reserved -for the future; an effort, indeed, necessarily impossible to succeed, -and perhaps injurious both to these anchorites and to other men also. -For the purpose of the gospel is not only to justify and save all who -believe and obey it, but the declared purpose of our Lord is to -regenerate mankind by the agency of his own kingdom; and surely it -tendeth not to the accomplishment of this purpose to have Christians -withdraw themselves permanently beyond the reach of common life and -experience; so that it is manifestly an error to suppose that, because -they have the assurance of a superlatively better life beyond, -Christians should for that reason despise the life that now is. And, in -accordance with this view, thou wilt find that the Church forbiddeth any -man to go out of the world (by suicide) as the heathen commonly do; -forbiddeth any man to seek for martyrdom, as many had done; and -forbiddeth any man to flee from that place in which he was converted -into the mountains and the deserts: because the kingdom of our Lord must -exist in the world--not out of it--for the regeneration thereof." - -"But he saith himself," suggested Am-nem-hat, "'My kingdom is not of -this world.'" - -"Verily," replied Ammonius. "And his kingdom is not 'of' the world, but -is 'in' the world. Not surely a kingdom founded upon the social, -religious, and political laws and customs of the world, like other -kingdoms; but, not the less, a kingdom for men living in the world, and -founded on its own social, religious, and political economies. And this -temporal, earthly kingdom, established by our Lord in the world, is the -very essence of the gospel, the most important part of the truth which -he revealed to men." - -"That is new to me," answered Am-nem-hat, "for I had supposed that the -religious idea chiefly handleth the affairs of man with reference to the -future life, and that his temporal condition is the affair of -government, unto which he is kept in subjection by the sense of duty and -obligation which religion supplieth." - -"And thou art manifestly in the right as to all governments that exist -or ever have existed among men, except only the kingdom of heaven. How -many governments have existed in Egypt?" - -"I know not that," answered the ancient. "Our records cover thirty full -dynasties before the second Persian invasion, which occurred seven -centuries ago, but each of these dynasties represents more than one -Pharaoh, and several of them a great many; for government is not a -permanent thing, and some form of revolution ever lieth in wait for it, -as a tiger in a jungle watcheth a man to spring upon and strangle him." - -"And how many governments have existed among other peoples and nations -during the thousands of years covered by the records of thy land of -Kem?" - -"I know not that," said Am-nem-hat; "they are unknown and innumerable." - -"Therefore," answered Ammonius, "each one of them must have contained, -in its very constitution and nature, the seeds of its own dissolution; -and, so far at least in human history, the science of government hath -learned no secret by which to secure permanency for itself." - -"The inference thou hast drawn seemeth to follow necessarily and -undeniably from the known facts." - -"And what hath been the net result of the science of government among -all the peoples and nations of whom thou hast ever heard?" - -"Misery!" - -"Yea!--But state the net result of government in political or in -philosophical terms!" - -"State it for thyself; I desire to learn of thee." - -"Hath not the net result of human government everywhere, in all climes -and ages and among all men, been only to produce, or develop, a ruling -class at the top of every social and political system, unto whom all the -blessings of the government and civilization are given by law; an -oppressed or enslaved people at the bottom, upon whose weary shoulders -rest all of the burdens and the waste of life; and between these two -extremes, some religious system and some armed force, seeking to adjust -the correlative legal rights and duties of the high and the low, the -rich and the poor, the class that ruleth and the class that is ruled -over, by the agency of religion, so long as the religious sentiment -serveth to keep the people in bondage, and by sword and spear when -superstition faileth? Add to this result the fact that women are -everywhere slaves, or chattels, legally lower and more debased than -their husbands and fathers, no matter what position the men may occupy; -and have we not plainly stated, in this terrible formula, the net result -of the science of human government to which it infallibly leadeth, and -from which it hath never escaped? If thy large learning hath ever -taught thee the name and location of any nation or people of whom this -is not true, wilt thou now declare it?" - -"I can not name such a government or people," answered Am-nem-hat. "For -history is but a dreary record of unceasing strife--among the fortunate -for precedence and power, and among the poor for existence; and during -the struggle it hath evermore happened that the women have been trampled -into the filth and mud. I know not the reason thereof, but the fact is -fearfully true." - -"Doth it then seem to thee that to have ordained some system by which -this net result of the science of government may be avoided; some truth -by which war and slavery that have cursed the life and labor of every -people under heaven, may be abolished; some social and political -organization by which the false and cruel distinctions maintained by -accidents of fortune, birth, rank, or by even genius and extraordinary -abilities, between the rich and the poor, the great and the small, the -feeble and the wise, may be utterly removed; and by which womanhood, -wifehood, maternity, shall be redeemed from slavery and elevated to such -a place that men can no more degrade them without consciously degrading -themselves also; some divine and human law of brotherhood among men by -which the race shall attain to liberty, equality, and fraternity--dost -thou think that to devise and establish such a system is a work worthy -of a God?" - -"Yea, verily! most worthy of a God; perhaps impossible even unto him." - -"This very system hath our Lord ordained; it is the kingdom of heaven -upon earth; it is the common Church of Jesus Christ whereby the -regeneration of mankind must be secured." - -There was a long silence after this, during which all seemed to be -pondering on what Ammonius had said, and it was finally broken by Arius, -who spoke as follows: "I do not get all of thy meaning. Why is it true -that all human governments of necessity result in the slavery of the -many to the few, and in their own ultimate destruction? Why can not -wise and good men organize some form of government that may secure both -permanency for itself and the prosperity of the people also?" - -"Yea, tell us that," said Am-nem-hat, "and also inform us by what means -Jesus designeth to avoid in his kingdom the net result which seemeth -necessarily to overtake all human governments sooner or later?" - -"The same considerations," said Ammonius, "may furnish an answer to both -questions. But first let me ask of thy great learning, Am-nem-hat, -whether any man hath proposed, or even conceived, of some form of human -government which hath never yet been tried among mankind?" - -"I think not," said the ancient. "Both Plato and Aristotle have -indulged in the attempt to define all the possible forms that government -might assume; but, even in the political dream which Plato calleth 'The -Republic,' he faileth to specify any form or machinery of government -which hath not been repeatedly tried and found to fail; only the results -he dreams of are imaginary; the government he devised hath been vainly -experimented upon by others." - -"The Greek philosopher erred in his delineation of an ideal government -both by omitting therefrom the power of faith as the controlling -principle thereof, and by denying the sanctity of monogamic marriage. -His 'Republic' is, therefore, nugatory, for liberty can not exist in any -community at all unless it exists for all alike; and polygamy denies the -liberty of half the human race by enslaving women. But thou truly -sayest that every possible form of government hath been tried among men, -and that all of them alike have failed to secure either permanency for -themselves or the welfare of the people. Thou must see, therefore, that -the universal failure of government dependeth not upon the form of it, -nor upon the age, or clime, or nation in which it existeth; nor upon the -religion, language, laws, nor customs of the people; for all forms of it -have failed alike, in all ages, among all peoples, under all imaginable -religions, languages, customs, and laws. Seemeth this conclusion to be -just and true?" - -"Yea," answered Am-nem-hat, "I can see no escape therefrom whatever." - -"Then it surely followeth," said Ammonius, "that whatever may be the -cause of this universal failure of government, it existeth in all of -them alike, and worketh the destruction and failure of them all, -independently of the form, religion, laws, customs, or other things in -regard to which they differ one from another; for the cause of this -failure must be common to all of them. Seemeth this conclusion a valid -one to thee?" - -"Verily," said the ancient. "The cause must be one common to all -governments, or else we might find somewhere a government in which this -cause did not exist and operate; and so find a government that -possesseth permanency and secureth the welfare of the people. But there -hath never been, and is not, such a government on earth. The cause of -failure must be common unto all." - -"Wilt thou draw from out the store-house of thine erudition, and show -unto us one law or custom that is common to all human governments? For -in that one thing, whatever it may be, we shall assuredly find the sole -cause of the failure of governments, and of all the tyranny, injustice, -oppression, and wretchedness, that maketh human life a burden to the -masses of mankind." - -"Thou must state the law or custom that is common to all governments -alike, for thyself," said Am-nem-hat, "for they differ almost -inconceivably in form, religion, language, laws, and customs; and I -recall none which is common to every human government." - -"All human governments," said Ammonius, "have one thing in common: they -agree in one pernicious law and custom which is the cause of failure in -them all; for all human governments alike maintain the legal right of -individuals to acquire, hold, and transmit private property-rights in -estates, offices, prerogatives; even in women and in slaves. This is -the idolatry of mammon, of which all nations are guilty, the only -idolatry which Jesus ever denounced by name, the only one that opposeth -his kingdom with a potent logic based upon selfishness. Many are -learning to hate this idolatry in respect of the royal offices: even the -debased Romans scorn the name of 'king,' and call their master -'imperator,' the commander of the army; some tribes hate it in its -application to men, and own no slaves; the Scythians and some other -nations deny the right of property in women, and take but one wife. -Jesus Christ denies the right of private property, not only in women, -slaves, offices, and prerogatives, but in houses, lands, and everything -else. Hence the property-law of his kingdom imperatively demandeth the -transfer of all that the believer hath unto the common Church; this -sacrifice is hard to make if one hath great possessions, and, therefore, -it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. No rich man -doeth this except under the power of a dominant faith which teacheth him -that the thing which is best for all believers is best for him; and that -the common good is better than self-aggrandizement. No sane man -doubteth that the political economy of Jesus would bless the world, if -men would adopt it; but not many great, not many wise, not many rich, -not many noble, come into the kingdom, because selfishness revolts at -the sacrifice of real or imaginary advantages, secured to them by -mammon-worship. It is emphatically the gospel, the glad tidings, for -the poor, and it is a regeneration that beginneth at the bottom, not at -the top, of every social system. All human governments are founded upon -the idolatrous faith that private rights of property are the sacredest -thing in human life, and that government over the people is necessary to -protect it. Jesus denieth this faith: he saith that liberty is better -than wealth, equality better than rank, fraternity better than power. -He, therefore, in his kingdom, abolisheth private rights of property in -order to reach something that is infinitely higher and better for all -men; and he summeth up human life, laws, governments, all that -pertaineth to man's social condition, in one short sentence which -containeth in itself the ultimate truth of all social and political -economy and wisdom: 'Ye can not serve God and Mammon.' And the -Pharisees hated Jesus only because they were 'covetous'; and the Romans -and other nations persecute us even unto death because they know that -the triumph of the kingdom of heaven is the overthrow of all government -over the people; and they love power, and wealth, and rank." - -"How wouldst thou punish crime if all human governments were thus -abolished?" asked the ancient. - -"There would then be no crime to punish," answered Ammonius. "For human -statutes, growing up out of the idolatry of private rights of property, -both create and punish crimes. There could be neither treason nor war -in the absence of government; and all other crimes, which in some shape -are the out-put of the idolatry of mammon, would cease with the false -social and political systems which generate and nourish them. Crimes -are, and for nearly three centuries have been, utterly unknown among the -Christian communities." - -"What, then, standeth in the way of the triumph of the kingdom of -heaven?" - -"Naught except the selfishness of men intrenched behind the strong -rampart of private property-rights--the one thing against which our Lord -hath declared undying and uncompromising enmity." - -The old man sat in silence for a long time, and his grave and noble face -showed the traces of many conflicting emotions. Finally he said: "Thy -son did once ask me why I am not a Christian, and I could not answer -him, nor do I know. But Arius thought that thou mightst understand -better than either he, or I, the exact attitude in which my soul -standeth toward Christ and his religion. Canst thou tell me what the -trouble is?" - -"Then," said Ammonius unto him, "thou mayst believe that Jesus is the -Christ; thou mayst believe that his religion is divinely true and -perfect, best for thee and for mankind; thou mayst believe that he is -ready and willing to accept and save every one that cometh unto him by -faith; thou mayst believe that he will so accept and save thee whenever -thou wilt come unto him thus; thou mayst believe and purpose that thou -wilt come--but all this maketh no man a Christian! The thing which -maketh thee a Christian is the voluntary surrender of thine own will to -the will of Jesus; to abrogate all in his favor; to accept his will as -thine only law. And this he saith thou canst do if thou wilt; no man on -earth, no angel in heaven, can do this thing for thee, nor force thee to -do it for thyself; nor can any enginery of earth or hell prevent thee -from doing this thing if thou wilt. It is a matter between thee and thy -Lord only; and thou and he must transact it. But if, freely and -voluntarily, with a full purpose of heart and mind to obey Christ only, -thou makest this grand surrender of thyself to him, the light, and -peace, and blessedness which he imparteth to those who truly love him -shall be thine own forever. Wilt thou have this man Christ Jesus to -reign over thee?" - -Then a glorious beauty shone from the old man's countenance, and his -eyes grew bright with happy tears, and he exclaimed joyously: "I make -this surrender now; the light breaketh in even upon my soul; it is as -plain as the noonday sun: 'Glory be to God in the highest, and on earth -peace; good-will to men!' The truth for which all my life long I have -so vainly sought cometh unto me as to a little child. And it is pure, -satisfying, beautiful! 'Praise the Lord, O my soul!'" - -"'Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye can in no -wise enter into the kingdom!'" said Ammonius. - -"And all men, great and small, wise and ignorant, young and old, meet -upon an exact equality before our Lord," said the boy Arius; "for God is -no respecter of persons." - - - - - CHAPTER XIV. - - THE BLIND RECEIVE THEIR SIGHT. - - -The next day was the Sabbath again, and Christian families from the -region round about Baucalis, to the number of some four hundred, -assembled at the cottage for religious services. Some of them came on -foot, some on horseback, and some of them in boats along the coast. -Am-nem-hat informed the presbyter, who came to preach for them, of his -desire, and that of Hatasa and her daughter, to be received into the -kingdom of heaven. He also informed him that, at his cottage in the -neighborhood, he had a considerable sum in gold and silver, which he -desired to give to the Church, or in some other way consecrate to holy -uses; and that the Egyptian ladies had property in Alexandria, all of -which, or such portion as he might advise, they wished to use in the -same way. The presbyter informed them that such a desire was natural and -commendable in every one that sought to be a Christian; but that for the -time being they must remain as stewards of their own estates, because -the Christians of that region were all prosperous and needed nothing, -and there was no application for aid from other communities. He further -told them that, as soon as it might be considered safe for them to do -so, the Christians of the vicinage purposed to erect a church for the -accommodation of the numerous brethren around about, and that whenever -they might enter upon this work the opportunity would be given to them -to aid therein; and that, if any calamity should overtake another -Christian community, in any part of the world, whereby they might be -brought to need assistance, he would inform them of it as soon as the -bishops communicated such facts to him; but that at that time there was -no way in which the money could be used. - -Early in the morning Arius and his father had set up some poles in holes -in the ground already made to receive them, and had stretched strong -cords from them unto the eaves of the cottage, and had unrolled and -fastened thereon a canopy made of wide cotton cloth, which formed a -shelter from the sunshine; and, while some of the congregation sat -within the house, the greater part of them found places on the outside -under the awning. Hatasa had her couch drawn up beside the open window, -from which she could see and hear all that might be done. Theckla was -here, there, and everywhere, making friends with nearly all the girls -and boys that attended, and especially with one little fellow of twelve -years of age who was stone-blind. In the course of her sympathetic talk -with this lad he informed her that his parents had brought him there to -have the Church pray that his sight might be restored to him. - -"How long hast thou been thus blind?" asked Theckla. - -"I do not know," said the boy. "I remember that I could once see, and -the world was beautiful to me, and the people, and many things. But it -has been so long since then!" - -"Dost thou believe that their prayers can cure thy blindness?" - -"Assuredly," said he, "whenever the Lord will." - -"Why, then, hast thou not sought the prayers of the Church before this -time, if so thou believest?" - -"My parents wished not to have the miracle wrought on me until they -thought me to be old enough both to understand how great an affliction -loss of sight is and to remember the means whereby I regained it--if, -indeed, the Lord will at this time grant our request." - -"And thou surely wilt love Jesus much if he shall hear thee, wilt thou -not?" - -"Yea, will I! Indeed, I love him now with all my soul; but if he -restoreth my sight unto me I could work for him far more when I am -older; and chiefly for that reason do I pray for his mercy in this -matter." - -"And I shall pray for thee, also," said Theckla. - -And she told Hatasa and Am-nem-hat about the boy, and they looked amazed -thereat, but said nothing. - -By nine o'clock in the morning all had assembled whom they expected; -and, having set a watch on the only practicable road that led down from -the mountains to Baucalis, to give them timely notice of the approach of -any whose coming might endanger them, the exercises of the day were -inaugurated with singing and prayer and the reading of the gospel. -There were a wonderful simplicity and directness, both in songs and -prayers. If Jesus Christ, the Saviour, Friend, and King, through whom -their worship was addressed to God, had been visibly present regarding -the manner of their devotions, the whole service could not have been -more earnest, simple, and direct. If, indeed, he was not present, they -thought and felt otherwise; and the sense of his presence was as real -and actual unto them as if, on raising their eyes, they could have -looked him in the face; and this unquestioning faith gave a strange -sense of life and vividness to all of the exercises, the progress of -which Am-nem-hat, Hatasa, and Theckla watched with joy and eagerness. - -The presbyter preached with great simplicity and earnestness, describing -the love of Jesus and the triumphs of the faith, and in the peroration -his address swelled into a glorious paean of victory as he declared the -steadfastness and faithfulness of certain Christians who had recently -suffered martyrdom in other places, telling them that no man could -foresee how soon some of them also might be called upon to tread the -glorious path by which their brethren had been perfected in the Lord, -and transferred to eternal felicity. But, looking into the flashing -eyes and rapt faces turned upon him from every side, he deemed it -prudent to give them solemn warning that the crown of martyrdom was not -to be officiously sought after, any more than it was to be avoided by -unfaithfulness; but that they must be alike ready to live unto Christ, -or to die for him, as the providence of God might determine to be best -for each of them. - -Then he said that if there were any present who had not before publicly -professed their faith in Christ, and desired to do so, the Church would -then witness their good confession; and thereupon Am-nem-hat and Theckla -both stepped forward and gave their hands to the presbyter. The -presbyter then briefly stated to the people the facts which he had -learned in regard to the past life and experience of the ancient, and -the recital thereof at once rendered the old man an object of respect -and affection to all of them. Their interest was enlisted by the -exceptional fact that an aged and learned pagan priest had found the -Saviour precious to his soul. Then Ammonius sent forward Arius and bade -him relate to the assembly the story of the shipwreck of Hatasa and -Theckla, and of their desire to become Christians; and the boy narrated -the circumstances so vividly, and with such unconscious force and -eloquence, that they twain also were welcomed into the hearts of all -those Christians, and the sense of strangeness and restraint that -naturally affects the mind at our first meeting with those whom we have -not seen before was at once dissolved by the influence of fraternal -interest and affection. - -Am-nem-hat having signified his desire to be baptized by immersion, they -all repaired to the shore of the little bay, where, with appropriate -ceremony, that sacred rite was administered. But, owing to the -debilitated condition of Hatasa, she and Theckla received the same -sacred rite, after suitable explanations, by having the water sprinkled -upon them at the house. - -Many of those who were present, and especially those who had come in -boats, brought prepared food with them, and soon this was distributed -over clean cloths spread out under the trees, and all of them did eat -together with gladness, as if it had been one large and loving -family--Arete and old Thopt being diligent to supply from their own -stores everything that was needed or had been forgotten. - -Then in the afternoon the congregation was again assembled, and they -engaged in singing and prayer. The presbyter informed the people that a -blind boy had come, with his parents, to ask the prayers of the Church -that God would restore his sight, explaining the reason why they had not -sooner done so, very much as the boy had stated to Theckla, and saying -that they should first partake of the holy communion, and afterward pray -for the lad's recovery. Then this rite was administered; and all of -them engaged in prayer, the presbyter leading and the people making -occasional responses. And even while they were so engaged the lad -sprang to his feet, and, throwing his arms about his mother's neck, he -cried aloud: "O mother, I see! I see!--Brethren, thank God for me, for -my sight is perfectly restored!" - -And the presbyter changed the form of his words from supplication into -praise and thanksgiving; and, when he had finished, many pressed forward -to congratulate the lad upon his miraculous cure; and afterward, when -they went away, he went also, seeing as well as other boys. - -Then later in the evening, having first agreed upon the place of their -next meeting, the congregation received a benediction at the mouth of -the presbyter and quietly dispersed. But almost every head of a family -first came unto Am-nem-hat and unto Hatasa and Theckla, and urged them -with great kindness to come unto their homes and abide with them as long -as might be convenient. - -But, before the presbyter departed, Hatasa requested that he come unto -her, and of him she asked concerning the baptism for the dead; and -having diligently inquired of her concerning the character and manner of -life of her husband, and having heard her firm declaration of her belief -that he was one who ever sought to do that which he thought to be just, -right, and true, so that if he had sufficiently learned of Jesus he -would have been a Christian, the presbyter administered to her the -baptism for the dead, from which the poor lady derived a strange and -unmeasurable satisfaction and peace. - -But Hatasa did not recover any strength, and the next day she was weaker -than ever, and the next, and so on from day to day. She requested them -to hold services in her room every evening, and seemed gladly to engage -with them in prayer. But she said that she had no power to will or to -wish that she might continue to live. She dreaded the pain and -weariness of a lingering convalescence, and she said that the only -earthly care that had troubled her was concern for her daughter's -welfare, and that she would never separate her from her newly discovered -but precious Christian friendships, and did not wish her to go among -their pagan kindred. She informed Ammonius that there was much property -in Alexandria that now belonged to Theckla, and asked him what -disposition should be made of it. Ammonius at first said: "Let it go. -Theckla shall lack for nothing; and riches are a snare to the young." -But, upon considering that the estate would go to the pagan kindred, and -never to the Church, unless the legal right of the girl thereto was -asserted, he sent unto Cyrene for a proper officer, who came and took -the depositions of Hatasa, Arius, Thopt, and Theckla, as to the -shipwreck of Amosis and his family, and as to the identity and parentage -of the maiden, to be laid before the orphans' court at Alexandria. She -also made a written request that Theckla's relative Am-nem-hat should be -appointed guardian of the maiden's person and estate, with her friend -Ammonius to succeed him if the aged man should die during Theckla's -minority. And, having accomplished these things in due and proper form, -she began to fail more rapidly, and about midnight sank peacefully into -rest, almost her last request being that she might be buried in the -"sleeping-ground" of the Christians of that vicinity. - -And, when Theckla saw that she was dead, the wild sorrow of her heart -broke out in almost the very same words that her mother had used upon -the death of Amosis, and she cried: "No more! no more! Ah, never more!" - -But Ammonius said unto her, "Come hither, daughter!" And, when she had -come, he laid his hand upon her head and he asked, "Art thou a -Christian?" - -And she answered, "Yea, I love the Lord." - -Then he saith: "That is well, my child. But, if thou art a Christian, -use not the vain and despairing lamentation of the heathen. Thou -shouldst not think nor feel as they do when they cry out in their -bitterness, 'No more.' Thy mother leaveth thee not forever, child. She -hath only gone before thee by a little space at most, and thou shalt go -unto her again. So the Lord whom thou lovest doth solemnly promise -thee, and thou must never distrust his promise or his love." - -"But I loved my mother! I must weep for her." - -"Yea, daughter, weep as much as thou wilt. That is but natural and -proper. So perhaps thou wouldst weep if she had gone to Alexandria, -leaving thee behind; yet thou wouldst take comfort in the hope that she -would come to thee again. So now she hath gone to Jesus, and is safe -with him, and thou must take comfort in the hope, nay, in the very -certainty, that, while she returneth not, perhaps, unto thee, thou shalt -soon go unto her. And thou, being a Christian girl, shalt not vex thy -heart with the hopeless sorrow that the heathen feel." - -And the girl was comforted indeed, and her pleasant faith aided the -buoyancy of health and youth in helping her to weary down the sorrow -that followed the loss of her young, beautiful, and beloved mother; -because the power of that faith brought the world's Consoler very near, -and Death to her was shorn of his greatest terrors. - -It was agreed among them that Theckla and Am-nem-hat should reside -permanently at the cottage. The old man and Arius soon brought all of -his possessions from the hermitage, even to his favorite goats; and, -some of the neighbors assisting them, they built another room of stone, -into which the ancient's manuscripts, his furniture, and his -accumulation of coin, were all safely stowed away. And, all things -having been thus satisfactorily arranged, the old man was conveyed in -the boat around to Apollonia, and thence he took shipping unto -Alexandria, where he produced before the orphans' court the depositions -and other papers committed unto him by Hatasa; and, as guardian of -Theckla, leased the houses which she owned in the city, and received and -brought back to Baucalis with him some elegant personal effects that had -belonged to Hatasa; her relatives consenting thereto without much -opposition, and stipulating only that, if the girl should die, they were -to be immediately informed of the fact; and that, if she should live, -she was to come to the city as soon as she became of age. They were all -pagans, and the old priest would have gone almost any length to avoid -placing his young and beautiful Christian ward within the range of their -influence. And, having transacted all things necessary, in a very few -days the old man returned gladly to Baucalis--a place to which his heart -seemed bound by stronger and more beautiful associations than had ever -come into his long and lonely life elsewhere on earth, not even -excepting Thebes and Ombos, nor his own quiet hermitage upon the -mountain-side. - -And the aged priest at once installed himself as the tutor of Theckla; -and he taught to Arius, also, such science and literature as then were -known unto the wisest men of Egypt; but some things he continued to -learn from the boy himself. - -And so the next four years glided quietly away, during which the routine -of their peaceful lives pursued its usual course; and in their flight -Arius became a tall and graceful youth of twenty; Theckla grew into a -blooming and exquisitely beautiful woman of sixteen; for in the ardent -Libyan latitudes the girls grow quickly into womanhood. These years made -small changes in Ammonius and Arete; they told lightly upon the -venerable Am-nem-hat, whose pure and quiet life had been favorable to -longevity and to the preservation of his faculties unimpaired even unto -an extreme old age; and Thopt herself bore the flight of time quite -well, becoming almost imperceptibly more fixed and rigid in all her -actions and opinions, and more and more impressed with the idea that -Christianity was an excellent and beautiful thing for wise and perfect -people like those among whom her lot was cast, and might even have -suited her if it had not sought to abolish the relation of mistress and -slave between herself and Arete, "contrary to nature and to common -sense," she said; but that old grudge she could never entirely get over. - - - - - CHAPTER XV. - - LOVE AND PARTING. - - -During these four years a great change had occurred in the heart and in -the person of beautiful young Theckla. There came a gradually developing -fullness and roundness over her whole form; the sharp, angular lines of -childhood faded away in the softer curves of maturity; a deeper color -bloomed upon her peachy cheeks; a sweeter, more unfathomable light -burned in her dark, soft eyes; the delicate pink hue under the skin, -which in all Egyptians of the higher classes, whose complexions are -untanned by a hard life and constant exposure, proves the ancient race -of the land of Kem to be consanguineous with the Aryan rather than with -the Nigritian family of man, became more clearly and deliciously -defined; and a sort of intangible self-consciousness grew up within her -heart which intuitively led her to keep her hands off the boy companion -whom she loved as a brother, and, without understanding why she did so, -she ceased to romp and tumble around with him as she had been accustomed -to do during the first year of her residence at Baucalis. In place of -casting aside her gown and plunging into the waters of the bay with him, -when she went to bathe, she went alone, or with Arete. Yet there was -not the slightest tendency to prudishness in this gradual withdrawal of -that tactual familiarity with Arius which had characterized her first -intercourse with him; but, without ever having been talked to or -lectured at on the subject, her chaste, pure soul instinctively drew -from the very spirit of the gospel lessons fine boundaries of feeling -that made her unconsciously observe even the most delicate bounds of -maiden modesty. But this retiring somewhat within herself--this ceasing -from the outward, demonstrative signs of trust and affection--was -physical only: for the boy and girl grew daily nearer and dearer to each -other; grew daily more trustful and confidential with each other; and -daily became more and more identified in interest, thought, and feeling. -They talked not of love any more than an affectionate brother and sister -would have done, but the affection that united them to each other seeped -down dew-like to the very roots of life in both. Ever his care and -watchfulness for her grew more tender and respectful, and ever the smile -with which she acknowledged his constant little attentions grew more -bright and trustful; and, from this basis of evenly developing physical, -intellectual, and spiritual progress and perfectness in both of them, -their souls leaned unto each other, and mingled in an affection as -chaste, strong, and intimate as human nature knows, growing together day -by day, and attuning themselves to perfect concord in all the utterances -and aspirations of their beautiful and happy lives--a human love that -was impossible to pagan civilization, and is almost impossible to ours, -but that flourished in its almost divine sweetness and beauty in the -primitive Christian communities, side by side with thaumaturgy and the -graces of that spiritual life which hath almost become a dream unto the -world rather than a blessed reality. - -So those four years passed fleetly and pleasantly away, and Arius was -now a very tall but graceful youth of twenty, and Theckla was an -exquisitely beautiful woman of sixteen, when Ammonius told his son that -the time had come at which he desired him to go to Antioch in Syria, and -pursue his studies with the Bishop Lucanius, for four or five years, -preparatory to his ordination as a presbyter--if, indeed, his heart was -still set on preferring to be a teacher and a preacher of the gospel to -all other vocations; whereupon the young man at once answered that no -earthly inducement could lead him to abandon the ministry, for which he -had always considered himself set apart; and immediately the family -began to make preparations for the young man's departure. - -On the evening before Arius left Baucalis, he and Theckla wandered along -the shores of the little bay, until they happened to come unto the spot -at which she had been rescued from the raft, and the girl said: "Even -there thou didst bring me unto the shore, Arius. It seemeth to me to -have been ages and ages ago; and yet the time hath passed so -pleasantly!" - -"Yea," said Arius, "yet it is only four years since then, and, after -to-morrow, it may be as long a time before I see the dear old farm -again, or thee. Theckla, wilt thou forget thy friend and our happy life -at Baucalis, and all the things which made us blessed here so long?" - -"Nay," she said. "Life opens wide before us both, Arius, as we stand -here upon its threshold--wide as the sea out yonder, and unknown. But -Baucalis will always be the dearest place on earth to me." - -"Theckla," said the young man, taking one of the girl's hands in his, "I -love thee truly and tenderly. When I shall have finished the course of -study at Antioch, I desire to come for thee and claim thee for my wife. -Dost thou love me, Theckla, so that thou couldst be happy as my wife?" - -And the girl laid her head against his shoulder, and, raising her dewy -eyes to his, she said, "If thou so lovest me, Arius, I would be the -happiest woman in the world to be thy wife." - -Then the young man kissed her tenderly, and said: "Theckla, let this be -a covenant between thee and me before the Lord, that when I shall have -finished the studies required at Antioch, I will come for thee, and thou -shalt be my wife." - -And she answered: "Yea, Arius! Let this be our covenant." - -That was all of it--quiet, simple, truthful; based upon the very highest -mutual love, respect, and trust; but no grand ceremonial that human -pride ever imagined, or human lips pronounced, could have any more -thoroughly bound and consecrated them unto each other for life and death -than did that simple, heart-felt covenant. For in those days, and in -the Christian communities, marriage was not of compulsion, or of trade, -convenience, ambition, but of free, intelligent choice; and among those -people the equally shameful blasphemies of adultery and divorce were -utterly unknown. - -So, upon the next morning, after a tender leave-taking all around, in -which even old Thopt commended him to the guardianship of God, Arius, -accompanied by his father, loaded his boxes into their little boat, and -they made their way unto Apollonia, at which port they took shipping for -Alexandria, whence immediately they went in another ship unto the -sea-port for Antioch, and thence to the ancient city wherein they "were -first called Christians." - -Ammonius recalled to the mind of the Bishop Lucanius the fearful storm -in which they two had met more than twenty years before, which interview -had been the medium of the Lord's mercy unto him; and was most gladly -and affectionately welcomed. Ammonius informed the bishop that, having -been precluded from the public ministrations of the word by his own -physical infirmities, he had made a vow to dedicate the first son that -might be born unto him to the service of God, and had, therefore, -brought unto him his only child, a lad not altogether ignorant of the -gospel nor of letters, whose heart was set upon doing the Lord's work, -to profit by his experience and instructions. And the lad pleased the -bishop greatly; and, after some conversation, Arius was admitted into -the school, or class of young men whom the bishop taught, as a deacon in -the church immediately under the charge of Lucanius; for the bishops of -those days were not lords or princes, but were presbyters, who had their -own congregations, and who, from zeal and learning, age and experience, -were intrusted also with an advisory superintendence of some other -presbyters and churches, and especially with the training of young -deacons for the ministry. - -And the next day Ammonius resumed his homeward journey, and in due time -reached Baucalis without accident or delay. - -On the very same evening that Arius and Theckla had plighted their troth -unto each other, the young man took the girl by the hand, and, having -led her unto his parents, told them of the new relationship established -between them, and Ammonius and Arete gladly accepted the maiden Theckla -as their daughter; and she abode with them for two years longer, -constantly aiding in all household duties, and likewise pursuing such -studies as Am-nem-hat advised; and especially practicing the art of -writing upon papyrus, and upon parchment, and upon vellum, until she had -satisfied herself that vellum was altogether the best material for a -certain purpose which she had in view, and that her own handwriting had -acquired sufficient precision and neatness for her contemplated task; -and then she announced her purpose of removing to the city of -Alexandria, and occupying one of her own houses there, if only -Am-nem-hat would go with her and make his home at her abode. This -purpose she mentioned to the whole family one evening after their usual -religious services, whereupon Arete said: "Why wouldst thou leave us, -daughter? Art thou not happy at Baucalis?" - -"Yea," replied Theckla. "Thy home hath been a haven of rest and -happiness to me, and I could be happier here than elsewhere in the -world; but in two years more our Arius, of whom the bishop writeth such -loving things, will be a presbyter; and I go hence unto Alexandria -because, before the time expires, I wish to make with mine own hand a -perfect copy of the scriptures for our young presbyter, and also wish to -build a church for him, that when he leaveth the bishop he may have a -church and a congregation, and a perfect copy of the sacred word ready -for him; and thou knowest that at Alexandria I may even find original -manuscripts of both gospels and epistles from which to transcribe my -copy. What less than this, indeed, wouldst thou have me do for our most -dear young presbyter?" - -And they all, seeing that she had made a matter of conscience of these -two purposes, ceased to oppose her design; and not long afterward she -and Am-nem-hat were taken in their little boat unto Apollonia, by -Ammonius; and thence they went by ship to Alexandria; and, after a -speedy and pleasant voyage, they cast anchor in the little harbor of -Eunostos; and thence removed straightway unto one of the nine dwellings -which she owned in Rhacotis, the Egyptian quarter of the city. Here, -with the aid of six years' accumulated rents from her handsome estate, -the young girl quickly furnished her home in the most comfortable -manner, and had a room carefully furnished for Am-nem-hat, and another -in which the manuscripts were to be kept, and in which they might -prosecute their studies; for the aged grand-uncle and the young maiden -had almost come to sustain to each other the relation of dear companions -and fellow-students rather than that of teacher and pupil. Very soon, -also, with the aid of the old man, who possessed a critical knowledge of -such matters, she procured a large quantity of the finest vellum, and -began her self-appointed task of transcribing the scriptures for Arius. -And afterward she sold (through her guardian) five of the nine houses -which she owned, for a large sum, and having carefully selected a plot -of ground suitable for the purpose, she bought it, taking the title -thereto in the name of certain persons whom she knew to be Christians, -upon a secret trust for the common Church, and after many consultations -with Am-nem-hat, and with the bishop and with other friends, she began -the work of building a beautiful and substantial church; and, with the -making of her careful and accurate copies of the scriptures and the -building of the church, both she and Am-nem-hat found themselves -constantly employed. For, although at that time there was no open and -public persecution of the Christians, it had not long ceased, and none -knew at what moment the caprice of their pagan rulers, stimulated by the -hatred of Jewish and pagan priests, might blaze out into a general and -merciless war against them; so that their meetings were quietly held, -and the erection of churches was carried on without show or publicity; -and generally, indeed, parts of the buildings were used as a school for -the children of Christians; and many a church was saved from destruction -by the fitful and uncertain hate of the populace and priests, by being -taken for a school rather than a church. And there were few who desired -to be known as Christians, except to persons of like faith, though none -hesitated to declare this faith at any peril, when called in question -about it. - -The city of Alexandria, which was founded by Alexander the Great, about -322 B.C., was, at the date of our story, one of the most populous, -wealthy, and intellectual cities in the world. Situated twelve miles -west of the Canopic mouth of the Nile, its walls were washed on the -south by the placid waters of Lake Mareotis, and on the north by the -Mediterranean Sea; and it was the seat and center of a vast industry and -an almost unequaled commerce. The streets were straight and parallel, -and the city was divided into four quarters by two magnificent highways, -each two hundred feet wide, crossing each other at right angles, and -built up on each side with splendid houses, temples, and public -buildings of every kind. A vast necropolis lay west of the city, on the -east a mighty hippodrome. In the northeastern part was the Regis -Judaeorum, or Jewish quarter, wherein the Israelites abode, but their -business extended not only through the great city, but throughout the -world. The western part was called Rhacotis, the Egyptian quarter, and -contained, besides its vast Libyan population and magnificent -residences, the great temple of Serapis, and the sacred statue of the -god that had been brought thither out of Pontus. But Bruchium, the royal -or Greek quarter, was the most splendid portion of the city, containing -the palace of the Ptolemies, on Lochias, a peninsula stretching -eastwardly, the library and museum, the Caesarium, or temple of the -Caesars, and the Dicasterium, or court of justice, and other buildings -that bore witness to the knowledge of Dinocrates the architect, who -rebuilt the temple of Diana at Ephesus. About a mile from the mainland -was the little island of Pharos, on which was a light-house over four -hundred feet in height, that was begun by Ptolemy Soter, 300 B.C., and -finished by Philadelphus, his successor. An artificial mole called -Hepta Stadium, nearly a mile in length, connected the island with the -mainland, and between this mole and Lochias was the great harbor, while -on the other side of it was a smaller harbor, called Eunostos (safe -return), in which was an artificial basin known as Kibotos (the chest), -which was filled from and connected with Lake Mareotis by a canal, -another arm of which stretched eastward to the mouth of the Nile. -Throughout this vast metropolis, in every quarter thereof, -undistinguished by dress, nationality, language, or manners, of almost -every race under heaven, engaged in every avocation except official -business or military services, unknown except to their co-religionists, -dwelt the countless members of the Christian Church, forming numerous -communities, or congregations, that, without any public visible -organization, were yet bound together by bonds of faith and love -stronger than any Roman statutes, or any ties of nature, or any -ligaments of interest or of ambition. Of course, in so vast a -population, an aged man and a young girl would be as indistinguishable -to all, except their own small circle of friends and acquaintances, as -any particular leaf in the forest, or as any wave at sea; and in such a -city, the selfishness of the crowd, the hurry and confusion of business -or of pleasure, formed a sort of refuge for the Christians; so that, -long before the period of which we write, almost the first circumstance -which called any public attention to their numbers was the fact that, -under their influence, the pagan temples were less crowded, and the -pagan offerings less rich and free, than had been usual in times past; -and, when the fated Israelites had been accused of proselyting the -people from the worship of the gods, they defended themselves against -the angry priests by declaring that not they, but the Christians, -converted men of all nations from the old superstitions, and led them to -abandon the temples and forsake the gods. - -Soon after their settlement in Alexandria, Am-nem-hat had informed the -relatives of Theckla of the young girl's arrival, and they had -courteously called to see her, and had invited her to their own homes, -and had showed every disposition to receive the beautiful young heiress -with favor and affection. But they were all heathens, and her -association with them was necessarily limited to formal and distant -intercourse; as every visit to the great temple of Serapis, every public -occasion, or a birth, a marriage, or a funeral among them, might force -her either to countenance their pagan rites and ceremonies, or to -attract unto herself an unpleasant and perhaps dangerous attention by -refusing to do so. Hence she preferred to maintain only a ceremonious -acquaintance with her kindred, and to find her real friendships among -the Christians, with many of whom she soon came to be upon terms of -social and personal intimacy and confidence. - -Among the relatives whom she was almost compelled occasionally to meet, -and to receive at her own house, was her cousin Harroun, the son of her -mother's sister, who also was a pagan. The young man was of perfect -physical organization, like so many of the Egyptian upper class, as -beautiful as an untamed leopard, of quick, bright, sparkling -intelligence, instinct with passion and appetite, and a general favorite -among the aristocratic youth of Egyptian society in the city. One of -Theckla's greatest misfortunes and annoyances she found in the fact that -this elegant youth conceived a violent passion for her at first sight, -and seemed resolved to push his claims to the heart and hand of the -young maiden without delay. As soon, however, as Theckla perceived any -intimation of his feelings in regard to herself, she quietly arranged to -receive him thereafter only in the library, and took care to see that -Grand-uncle Am-nem-hat should be present, so that the young man never -got an opportunity to see her alone. And to prevent the constant -repetition of his invitations to her to visit the theatre, the -hippodrome, and other places of amusement, she told him kindly that it -was useless to offer such courtesies, for, that while it was unpleasant -to refuse them, she could not and would not accept them from him nor -from any one else, having no inclination to mingle in such throngs, and -no need of any amusements except those which she was accustomed to find -in literary pursuits. Harroun, who had been raised under a system in -which courtship and marriage were, to a large extent, matters of -convenience, and in which a chaste girl was not supposed to be possessed -of any will, but was to be disposed of as her relations might deem to be -proper and advantageous, thought that he had never seen so shy a maiden; -but, in spite of her seeming unconsciousness and manifest indifference, -he ceased not to visit her, claiming the privilege of a near relation in -that particular, and ceased not to show his admiration for her by looks -which were almost loathsome to her pure young soul. For the youth, like -every other pagan, was mostly a brute, a very beautiful and elegant -animal, truly, but not the less an animal; a very intellectual and -gifted brute, but not the less brutal; and his sensuous admiration was -offensive to the girl. The lofty and pure affection to which she and -Arius gave the name of love would have been utterly incomprehensible to -him as to every heathen. That to which they gave the name of love -sprang as directly out of sensuous admiration and preference as does the -passion of the lower animals; and while she did not comprehend why his -advances were so repulsive to herself, she began to feel his preference -as a sort of persecution, and avoided him as much as possible. Yet, as -far as a pagan is capable of love at all, he loved her, and the very -fact that he found her favor hard to win rendered successful pursuit of -her all the more desirable. To him it seemed a strange and -unprecedented thing that a girl so young, so beautiful, and so wealthy, -should voluntarily renounce all the social advantages of the -aristocratic circle in which her family moved, and spend her time in -seemingly unending studies, with little or no companionship save that of -the grave and taciturn old man who was never absent from the room while -he was there; and Harroun gradually learned to regard his unfailing -presence in the light of a personal injury to himself, so that he soon -harbored a bitter prejudice against the ancient, that lacked very little -of growing into actual hatred. But there was nothing tangible about -which to make a quarrel, except the fact that he could never see Theckla -alone, and, as this seemed to be her own choice, exercised in her own -house, there was nothing for him to do except to submit to it; but his -aversion to the quiet and dignified old man increased in intensity from -month to month. Finally, he told her in Am-nem-hat's presence that he -had been called away by the public service in which he was engaged, -beyond the cataracts of the Nile, and would be absent for several -months; and that he desired to have some private conversation with her -before he departed from Alexandria. The young girl looked somewhat -disconcerted by this request, but she immediately arose, and said unto -him, "Let us pass into the adjoining room, cousin, and I will hear -thee." - -He followed her gladly, and no sooner had the door closed behind them -than he came close up to her and began a most vehement protestation of -his love. As soon as there was the slightest pause in the passionate -and rapid torrent of his speech, she said, gravely and calmly: "Cousin, -hear me for a moment. I have carefully avoided any such declaration as -thou hast begun to make, and beseech thee to leave it unspoken. It is -useless to say such things to me, and can only occasion mutual and -unavailing regrets. Thou art my cousin, and, I trust, my friend. There -never can be anything else between us, and it is folly to think -otherwise. Here let it rest, and let us return to the library, and -forget this foolish episode." - -"There is no folly about it!" cried the young man, passionately. "We -are both young and wealthy, and in every way suitable companions. It is -very natural and right. I am neither an idiot nor a child, and I love -thee, Theckla, and will not be put aside in any such fashion. Why dost -thou continually avoid me? Why hast thou for months contrived so that I -can not speak to thee except in the presence of strangers, or of that -old mummy whom thou keepest at thy side forever? Why dost thou deny -thyself all the pleasures and associations natural to thine age and -social rank? Why spendest thou all thy time in dreary readings, -unsuited to thy youth and circumstances, for the amusement of that -selfish old fossil there, who never leaveth thee for a day nor an hour? -All this must and shall be changed?" - -Then the girl drew herself up straight, and, fixing her dark eyes full -upon him, said in calm and measured tones, "If I give thee a good reason -for having avoided thee, and for having endeavored to escape any such -useless and unpleasant conversation as this one, will that suffice -thee?" - -"Yea! if, indeed, the reason be a good one." - -"The reason, then, is this," she answered: "I do not love thee; I do not -desire thy love; strange and incredible as it may seem to thee, I do not -even admire thee in any way whatever, and thy profession of affection is -irksome to me, and the more irksome the more thou dost insist upon my -hearing thereof." - -"But thou wilt learn to love me, Theckla," he cried out vehemently, "and -thou shalt give me some reasonable opportunity to win thy regard! Ah, I -understand it perfectly. It is the fault of that old grand-uncle, who -ought to have been 'the Osiris Justified' half a century ago. He hath -prejudiced thy heart against me, because he desireth thee to consume thy -youth and brightness in ministering unto his desolate and selfish old -age. But I swear by all the gods that, as soon as I return home, I will -have thy nearer kindred take thee away from him, so that thou shalt take -thy proper place among the maidens of thine own age and rank, and learn -some more reasonable way of life, and some better views of duty and of -happiness than his selfish and exacting age can teach thee! I see that -thou art now blinded by this old man's influence, and resolved against -the course of reason and of nature; so for the present, fare thee well, -Theckla, but remember that I love thee, and that thou shalt yet be mine -own." - -Then the young man, trembling with rage and disappointment, fled from -the house, and for many months the young girl saw no more of him. - -Meanwhile, the building of the church was quietly but diligently -prosecuted; and, with the most elaborate and conscientious patience, -Theckla labored to make an accurate copy of the scriptures, and, through -the bishop and other Christian friends, she obtained the use of more -than one original epistle from which to transcribe the text. Some months -before the date arrived at which Arius was to be ordained, the diligent -young girl had the satisfaction of witnessing the completion of the -edifice, a splendid and substantial structure, which the bishop -dedicated to God by the name of "Baucalis," given unto it at Theckla's -request; and a number of Christians who had learned all about the young -girl's history, and why and for whom the church had been builded, -organized themselves into a community, and customarily held service of -singing and prayer therein. And they prepared also a letter, signed by -all of them, in which they informed Arius that they had agreed in -requesting him to come and be their presbyter, as soon as he might be -ordained; and that, although they knew him not in the flesh, they were -ready to receive him with open hearts, first for Theckla's sake, and -afterward, they hoped and believed, even for his own. About the same -time, also, the young girl completed the copy of the sacred writings -which she had made for Arius; and this labor of love, and of care and -patience, included the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Pastor of -Hennas, and the Epistles of Clement to the Corinthians, together with -some letters written by Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, all copied in the -uncial Greek text, with minutest care and accuracy. And she had a box -made of cedar of Lebanon, with silver hinges and fastenings, to contain -the precious parchments, and a silver plate thereon, upon which was -engraved the name "Arius"; and, having finished both the church and the -writings, she prepared a letter unto him, and put her letter, and that -which the Church had written unto him, and the scriptures, into the -cedar box, and laid them away safely, awaiting an opportunity to send -them to him against the time of his ordination, for the Christians of -those days sent no letters or parcels which might show that they were -Christians, except by the hands of those whom they knew to be of the -same faith. - -And this was Theckla's letter to Arius: - - -"DEARLY BELOVED: Seeing that thou hast devoted thy life unto the service -of our blessed Lord, I did meditate much how I also might be able to -accomplish some good in his holy name, and likewise gratify thee. I -have accordingly, during the past two years, caused to be builded here a -beautiful church, which hath recently been dedicated by the name of -'Baucalis,' in memory of our dear old home; and thou wilt learn, from -the letter sent herewith, that our little community desireth thee to be -our presbyter. Also, as a token of the great love wherewith thy Theckla -loveth thee, she hath written with her own hand a most careful copy of -the sacred scriptures, and of some other manuscripts which thou -esteemest highly, and sendeth the same unto thee, with the love of thy -THECKLA." - - -And a short time before the days set for the ordination of Arius, and of -other young men who were deacons studying with the bishop at Antioch, -the Bishop of Alexandria went unto the ancient city to be present upon -that occasion, and by him Theckla sent unto Arius the box containing the -scriptures and letters; and, having so done, the young girl waited the -coming of the youthful presbyter, with her heart full of love, and -peace, and happiness. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI. - - BEFORE THE TEMPLE OF SERAPIS. - - -And while Theckla thus awaited, with gladdest anticipations and almost -trembling joy, for the consummation of her own happiness, Harroun -returned to Alexandria, and immediately began manoeuvring to have the -young girl taken to the house of his mother, or to some other relative, -where she would be thrown into association with those of her own age and -rank, and removed beyond the influence of old Am-nem-hat. And -immediately thereafter his mother came unto Theckla, and urged her, by -every argument and inducement which she deemed most suitable to -influence a young and beautiful girl, to abandon the strange seclusion -in which she had lived so long, and come to her home, and take her -proper place among the best and gayest young people of the city--a -society to which she belonged by birth, and which she was so well fitted -to adorn. Theckla kindly but persistently refused every such -invitation, pleading her orphaned condition, her love of solitude and -literature, and her strong aversion to the gay and beautiful but -voluptuous life led by the golden youth of Alexandria. - -"But Theckla, darling," said her aunt, "if thou dost not at least -occasionally repair to the great temple of Serapis, where all the youth -and fashion of the city are often seen, the world will learn to regard -thee as an atheist; and I assure thee, dear, that there is hardly -anything more injurious to a young girl's prospects than a reputation -for singularity or eccentricity in any respect. The world takes it for -granted that there must be something radically wrong about every young -girl that is in any respect different from others of her own age and -rank, or that affects to feel, and think, and act differently from them. -Thou must ever sacrifice thine own inclinations to conform thyself to -that which is considered the proper thing." - -"Why, aunt," said Theckla, laughing, "thy talk of what 'the world' will -say and do amuses and amazes me. Not one out of ten thousand of the -people of Alexandria knoweth or careth for me. 'The world,' it seems to -me, is thyself, and Cousin Harroun, and, perhaps, not a half score -besides my relatives; and, while I meddle not with their pursuits, it -seemeth to me that it would be easy enough for them to avoid distressing -themselves on my account." - -"But thy manner of life exciteth unfavorable comment. Thou dost refuse -to go into society, and scornest all the amusements, pleasures, and -pursuits proper to thine age, and family, and wealth. Believe me, dear -Theckla, that no young girl can affect such eccentricities without being -visited by the condemnation of society. Thou must leave this ascetic -and unnatural life, and live conformably to nature and to custom." - -"I suppose," said Theckla, laughing again, "that 'society,' like 'the -world,' signifieth that very small and exclusive circle of rich and -aristocratic people to which my noble kindred belong. But surely I can -determine what manner of life suiteth mine own feelings, inclinations, -and desires as well as any of them might do. And concerning these -matters, I will even judge for myself, not seeking in any way to -influence their actions or opinions, but abiding steadfastly by mine -own." - -"Horrible! O Hes!" cried her aunt. "To think that mine own niece, my -sister's child, at the age of eighteen, should be unmaidenly enough to -hold any inclinations, desires, or opinions except those which are -framed for her by the custom of the class to which she belongeth! Why, -Theckla, a young girl hath no more business to entertain or handle such -things as 'opinions' than she has to handle sword or spear. It is bold, -vicious, unmaidenly! Never--never--never utter such an atrocious and -barbarous sentiment again! If I did not know thee to be chaste, and -pure, and maidenly, such abominable utterances would make me fear that -thou art on the road to ruin!" - -"I am aware," said Theckla, "that the Egyptians regard all females, -young girls especially, as things; but I consider myself as a person, -not as a thing at all. Nature hath granted unto me certain rights, -privileges, powers of mind and body, and hath devolved upon me certain -duties and responsibilities. Thou seest, therefore, that I am unfitted -for association with young ladies who are merely things, not persons. -Thou seest that such an association might be dangerous to them; and -might interfere with their 'prospects' by rendering them averse to being -reared up, to be selected by some 'eligible' youth, or by some rich and -influential old man, as a horse or a dog is selected, and then disposed -of as any other domestic animal is provided for. And thou must -assuredly perceive that it would be most unwise of thee to expose these -pretty, proper, feminine 'things' to the dangerous influences of an -association with a girl who hath the hardihood to believe that she is a -person, and the boldness to declare that she hath 'opinions,' -convictions of duty and of right which she will not sacrifice even to -the terrible fear of 'the world' nor of 'society.' It is best, -therefore, even to suffer me to live as I desire to do, neither -interfering with my relatives in their way of life, nor suffering them -to prescribe my own." - -The good lady's fastidious notions of "propriety" were fearfully shocked -by the young girl's independent character and utterances; and she -determined in her own heart to do whatever she could to prevent her son -from continuing his pursuit of a girl whose alliance with him would have -been so advantageous in every way if she had not been spoiled by such -absurd and dangerous opinions. - -But the young man Harroun had his opinions also, one of which was that -he was almost irresistible; and another, that the "opinions" of any -young girl were merely moral or social megrims, which any man of common -sense and passable appearance ought to know how to cure or alleviate; -and he, therefore, did not admit the possibility of giving up Theckla -voluntarily, or of being ultimately rejected by her, although he dreaded -Am-nem-hat's influence over her, and began to hate the old man with -great intensity; for he supposed that the declaration of personal -independence on the part of Theckla, whereby his mother had been -shocked, and even frightened, was simply the repetition of sentiments -inculcated by the learned and ancient man, the force and effect of which -Theckla did not even comprehend. He dreamed not that these very -principles of thought and of action might be the legitimate outgrowth of -a new religion which had, with undying energy and power, laid hold upon -the very roots of her whole nature, so that no change therein was -henceforth at all possible, except in the direction of larger life and -development. Accordingly, notwithstanding his mother's unfavorable -report, both upon his own prospects of successful courtship, and also -upon the bold, self-centered, fearless character of the maiden herself, -he resolved to visit her as usual, and to prosecute his suit with -diligence. He called immediately upon her, and finding that neither -Theckla nor Am-nem-hat was at home, with the freedom allowed by his -kinship to the maiden, he passed on into the library, intending to tarry -there until her return. While he lingered there impatiently, his eye -caught sight of a roll of parchment which had been thoughtlessly left -lying in the great armchair usually occupied by Am-nem-hat, and, to -amuse himself until Theckla's return, he picked up the book and glanced -at the title thereof. That title was, "The Gospel of our Lord and -Saviour Jesus Christ, written by His Servant John." - -Harroun started visibly as he read the words; and then a baleful light -came into his beautiful dark eyes, and a sinister smile, that made his -handsome face look malevolent and cruel, passed over his bright young -face. He knew that it was a very grave offense against the law to read -or to possess such books, yet, impelled by curiosity, he read a page or -two thereof, beginning with the words: "In the beginning was the Logos, -and the Logos was with God, and the Logos was God"; and ending with the -words, "And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God"; but, -remembering that he was violating the law by reading this writing, he -turned it over in his hand, and upon the back thereof read this -inscription: "Am-nem-hat of Ombos." - -"So! so!" murmured the young man. "The old and meddlesome idiot hath -fallen into the accursed and criminal superstition of the Christians! -and from his manner of life is, perhaps, one of the Therapeutae, as they -style their most crazy ascetics, who seldom appear in the cities, or -leave the deserts and the mountains. The book itself, as far as I have -read, seemeth to have been borrowed from the Neo-Platonists, and is -harmless enough, surely. But it is a crime to own or read any magical -book of the Christians, and this book is Am-nem-hat's! I think I see a -way to rid myself of the pestilent old dotard! Ah! a Christian! A -renegade high-priest of Ombos! Manifestly a corrupter of youth! -Perhaps sent hither by his accursed associates to seduce the wealthy -orphan into the same illegal and abominable association and plunder her -of her property. I think I see my way clear before me!" - -The young man carefully concealed the manuscript in his clothing, and, -leaving word that he had called to see his cousin, but could not longer -await her coming, he went straightway from the house unto the temple of -Serapis, and requested an interview with the high-priest. And having -been introduced into the audience-chamber of the high-priest, whom he -greeted with the profoundest obeisance, as if addressing some superior -being, he saith unto him, "I desire to know of thee whether the laws now -allow the profession of the iniquitous and atheistic Christian faith in -this city, or in any part of Egypt?" - -And the high-priest answered: "No. The law is still in force which -requires the destruction of their magical books, and of their churches, -and the punishment of all who refuse to sacrifice unto the gods. But -our magistrates and people have become careless and indifferent to these -wise and salutary laws which are for the good of religion, and for the -preservation of the government, so that the law is not enforced, and -even here in Alexandria this illegal and criminal association possess -houses in which they secretly celebrate their infamous rites and -ceremonies." - -"Canst not thou cause the law to be enforced if an extreme case of such -crime should be brought to thy notice?" - -"Recently a better feeling hath been manifested in many localities," -replied the high-priest. "Tyrannis, bishop of a church in Tyre, -Zenobius, of Sidon, Silvanus, at Emisa, have but lately paid with their -lives for the crime of Christianity, having been cast unto the wild -beasts, and so destroyed. Another Silvanus, bishop of the churches -about Gaza, and thirty-nine others with him, have been beheaded. Even -here in Egypt, Peleus and Nilus have been committed to the flames, and -Pamphilus at Caesarea. Thou canst remember that even in Alexandria, -Peter the bishop, and Faustus, Dius, and Ammonius, have been put to -death, and in other parts of Egypt, Phileus, Pochumius, Hesychius, and -Theodorus, have been in various ways destroyed. But a false sentiment -of humanity protects these criminals; for it hath become a common saying -in the city that the superstition is a harmless one, and that the -Christians are the most honest, faithful, and diligent servants, -tradesmen, mechanics, and agents, that one can employ; and those who -cherish this fatal leniency for the accursed sect, themselves neglect -the temple services, and gradually drift off into atheism. So that -there is a great indifference on the subject of enforcing the law -against these criminals; yet I doubt not that, if an extreme case should -occur, the people might be easily roused up to seize the malefactors, -and the magistrates would hardly dare to resist any forcible expression -of the popular will. Of what case dost thou speak as an 'extreme' one?" - -Then said Harroun: "There is a man in the city who hath embraced this -accursed superstition, and who owneth and readeth the books of the sect -contrary to the law. He was for many years a priest of our religion, and -was even a high-priest at Ombos. He hath by some sort of necromancy, -perhaps by means of his magical books, infatuated and attached unto -himself a young Egyptian maiden, an orphan girl, belonging to our own -ancient and honorable family, mine own cousin, and he keepeth her shut -up in her own house, separated from her kindred, and deprived of all the -pleasures and advantages that naturally belong to a noble and wealthy -maid of Alexandria. Some years ago he procured himself to be appointed -her guardian, and he hath sold five houses that belonged to her, and -hath given no account thereof, except to produce the young girl's -receipt therefor, in which she saith the sale was made at her request, -that she had received the price thereof from him, and had used the same -for pious purposes." - -"Why did not her relatives interfere to prevent the alienation of her -estate?" - -"Her father was shipwrecked and lost, and we supposed that the 'pious -purposes' signified the use of the money to build his sarcophagus and -propitiate the gods, with which, of course, no one would interfere; but -this, I lately discover, hath never been done, and we suppose that the -man of whom I speak hath persuaded her to use the money for the purpose -of building some temple or burial-place for the use of the abominable -Christian association." - -"Who is this man?" said the high-priest. - -"His name is Am-nem-hat." - -"Am-nem-hat!" said the high-priest, in amazement, "I know of the man: he -was high-priest at Ombos, and, after a long life devoted to the service -of the gods, he left his temple secretly to become an eremite--a great, -and learned, and pious man! Surely there must be some mistake!" - -"There is no mistake about what I have told you," said Harroun, "for he -left the temple to become a Christian, and, from his manner of life, I -think is one of the fearful sect called Therapeutae." - -"Hast thou any proof that he hath become a Christian?" - -The youth drew forth from his clothing the Gospel written by John, -saying: "Here is one of the magical books of the Christians which no -reasonable man understandeth. I found this in Am-nem-hat's own chair, -in his room, and on the back thereof is the indorsement, 'Am-nem-hat of -Ombos.' He will not deny that he is a Christian if charged with that -crime. For they never deny it when they are guilty thereof." - -"This is an extreme case," said the high-priest. "Besides the corruption -of youth and the plundering of this young girl of which thou speakest, -it is an enormous sacrilege for a priest to abandon his religion, but -infinitely worse when he leaveth religion and adopteth the accursed and -inhuman Christian superstition. Leave that book with me and go thy way, -but fail not to point out the house when the proper time shall come." - -The young man took out his purse, and placed a liberal sum upon the -table, saying: "This is for proper prayers and offerings for thy -success; but remember that the deluded young girl, my cousin Theckla, -must not be in any way molested." - -"Assuredly," answered the high-priest, "her near kinship to thine own -ancient, honorable, and devout family will be her protection, and I -promise thee to reclaim her from the delusion which the witchcraft of -this renegade priest hath brought upon her. As for this man who hath so -dishonored the ancient religion of the land of Kem, and who might by -reason of his former lofty character seduce much people from allegiance -to the gods, this man shall surely die." - -Then for a few days there was a great running to and fro among the pagan -priests throughout the city, and especially among those who were -connected with the great temple of Serapis. Great processions were had, -at different places, in honor of various gods, the people were -vehemently exhorted to greater diligence in their worship, and the -Christians were vehemently denounced, so that there was an uproar -throughout Rhacotis, and crowds of people rioting through the streets, -accompanied by squads of soldiers, and seeking for the dwellings of -those who were suspected of being Christians. And, in the language of -the historian of those times: "A certain prophet and poet, inauspicious -to the city, whoever he was, excited the mass of the heathen against us, -stirring them up to their native superstition. Stimulated by him, and -taking full liberty of exercising any kind of wickedness, they -considered this the only piety and the worship of their demons--viz., to -slay us. First, then, seizing a certain aged man named Mitra, they -called upon him to utter impious expressions, and, as he did not obey, -they beat his body with clubs, and pricked his face and eyes; after -which they led him away to the suburbs, where they stoned him. Next -they led a woman called Quinta, who was a believer, to the temple of an -idol, and attempted to force her to worship; but, when she turned away -in disgust, they tied her by the feet and dragged her through the whole -city, and over the rough stones of the paved streets, dashing her -against the millstones, and scourging her at the same time, until they -brought her to the same place, when they stoned her. Then, with one -accord, they all rushed upon the houses of the pious, and whomsoever of -their neighbors they knew, they drove thither in all haste, and -despoiled and plundered them, setting apart the more valuable articles -for themselves, but the more common and wooden furniture threw about and -burned in the roads, presenting a sight like a city taken by the enemy. -But the brethren retired and gave way, and, like those to whom Paul -bears witness, they also regarded the plunder of their goods with joy." - -And, on the third evening of this rioting against the Christians, a -crowd of people, with soldiers, assembled about the vast temple of -Serapis, and the high-priest harangued them against the Christians, and -especially against Am-nem-hat, whom he called the renegade of Ombos, a -seducer of youth, and a plunderer of orphans; and, the house having been -pointed out unto them, the mob surged thitherward, yelling and shouting, -and calling upon their idols for vengeance against the Christians, and -chiefly against Am-nem-hat, the renegade of Ombos. And they struck with -violence upon the door, insomuch that the domestics were frightened, and -the old man himself opened the door and said unto them, "What seek ye?" - -And they yelled out: "We seek Am-nem-hat, the traitor to the gods! -Am-nem-hat, the renegade high-priest of Ombos!" - -And, as soon as their clamor somewhat ceased, he said, "I am Am-nem-hat -of Ombos." - -And when they saw the man's great age, and his calm and dignified -deportment, they were somewhat abashed, and they cried out, "It is -reported that thou hast forsaken the ancient gods of the Nile, and that -thou hast fallen away into the atheism of the Christians." - -Then the old man stood up straight and glorious before them, and he -said: "Children, for fifty years I was in the great temple of Thebes, -and was long time a priest. Twenty-and-five years I was high-priest at -Ombos, always seeking for the truth. Then I discovered that the -Christians alone know and worship the one true God, and I am with all my -heart, soul, mind, and strength, a Christian! Children, seek ye the same -divine truth; the same glorious forgiveness, faith and light; the same -redeeming love." - -And he would truly have borne further testimony for Jesus, but from the -outskirts of the crowd the high-priest shouted: "Away with this -blasphemer! To the stake with the old renegade!" And the mob echoed -the cry, shouting out vehemently: "Away with the atheist! To the stake -with the ancient traitor!" And one of them standing near knocked down -the old man with his pike; and, as many of them sprang forward to seize -him, Theckla darted out of the door to his side, and with blazing eyes -and extended hands she cried: "O cowards! brutes! The disgrace of Egypt, -to strike down an old man like that! Stand back!" - -And the men seemed abashed at the words and manner of the beautiful -young girl, and stood irresolute until the high-priest called out, -"Perhaps thou, also, art a Christian?" - -And she said: "Yea! thank God, I am!" - -Then all the more they shouted: "To the stake with the old atheist! The -corrupter of our youth!" - -And they forcibly pushed the maiden aside, and they lifted up -Am-nem-hat, and set him upon his feet, and the soldiers haled him away -to the vacant space in front of the great temple of Serapis, where were -set up iron columns to which the wealthy visitors thereto were wont to -hitch the horses that drew their chariots. And they chained the old man -fast to one of these, and soon they built a great pyre round him out of -the furniture of which they plundered Theckla's house, and other houses -of Christians on that street. And they did set fire unto the pile, and -by the first flames thereof Theckla beheld the calm and shining face of -the beloved ancient gazing peacefully upon the mob. Then they lighted -it in other places, and the girl went near to the edge of the fire, and -she cried aloud: "Be thou of good cheer, O father Am-nem-hat! Thy Lord -and Saviour Jesus Christ be with thee now!" - -"Yea, daughter Theckla," answered the old man. "But go thou hence! The -Lord is all-sufficient unto me! Go thou in peace!" - -Then Theckla fell upon her knees before them all and prayed aloud, -saying: "O Jesus, Son of God, have mercy upon him! Comfort, sustain, -and strengthen him, and receive him into glory!" - -And, while she prayed, the fire grew fiercer, and spread all over the -dry, combustible furniture of which the pyre was build ed. And, while -she was praying, a strong centurion came unto her, bearing some incense -in his hand, and he said: "Thou invokest the accursed Galilean for him, -and seekest by thy strong magic to harden him against the flame! Take -thou of this incense, girl, and cast it into the fire to Jupiter, -cursing the malefactor Christ, or thou shalt quickly follow the old -renegade!" - -Then she only prayed the more; and the man called another to him, and -they seized the young girl, and, swinging her back and forth between -them, so cast her through the circle of fire unto Am-nem-hat. And she -arose and stood up beside him, and threw her arms about the old man's -neck, and did kiss him lovingly, and leaned her head upon the old man's -breast, and smiled upon him radiantly. And the idolaters being the more -enraged, because they twain seemed to scorn the flames, piled yet other -furniture and wood against them, until the greatness thereof hid them -from view; and with a last farewell, commending themselves and Arius -unto God, they breathed the cruel flames, and so died. But the pagans -continued to pile on fuel until they were utterly consumed; and the -high-priest, coming near, cast into the flame the manuscript of the -Gospel of John, saying, "The law requireth all books of the Christians -to be burned"; and the crowd pillaged the house, and found yet other -sacred writings, which they brought and cast into the flames; and there -were destroyed the original Epistles of John, which Theckla had copied -for Arius. - -Now when the centurion and the soldier seized upon Theckla to cast her -into the fire, a young man ran forward from the outskirts of the crowd, -shouting in terror and in agony, "Not her! centurion, not her!" - -But the act was sudden, and before he could reach them, and before they -heard his cries, it was done, and the girl was leaning on the breast of -Am-nem-hat. And the youth fainted, and, with a wail of anguish, fell -heavily upon his face along the ground. And the high-priest, seeing -from his apparel that he was a man of rank, leaped forward, and raised -up his head, and, looking upon his face, he saw that it was Harroun. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII. - - CRUCIFIED UNTO THE WORLD. - - -Arius having been joyfully ordained to be a presbyter, and being -uninformed of the martyrdom of Am-nem-hat and of Theckla, with gladness -of heart and bright anticipations of coming happiness reached the city -of Alexandria, and went first of all, as his duty was, to Peter, the -bishop, whose return from Antioch had briefly preceded his own arrival. -And, after the usual salutations had passed between them, the bishop, -looking tenderly upon him, said: "Son, thou hast been ordained a -presbyter, and hast been consecrated to the Master's service, and the -Bishop Lucanius highly extolleth thy fitness for the holy office. But -thou art young, my son, and the Lord hath laid a heavy cross upon thee. -Hast thou received any recent news from our unfortunate city of -Alexandria?" - -"The last news I received was borne by thee when thou didst come unto -Antioch bringing a letter from my betrothed, and that from the -community, and the casket containing the perfect and beautiful copies of -the sacred writings which Theckla wrote with her own hand for me. Why -dost thou ask so seriously?" - -"I did only precede thee by three days, my son; but upon my arrival -heard the news of a sudden outbreak of persecution in which many of the -pious were perfected, and their goods despoiled, the recital whereof -will pierce thy heart. Thine old friend Am-nem-hat did bravely testify -for Jesus even in the midst of the flame by which he was made perfect." - -"I loved him much," said Arius, "and his long life hath ended -gloriously!" Then a ghastly pallor came over the young man's cheek and -lip, and he could only murmur, "And Theckla, bishop?" - -"Son," said the bishop, tenderly, "thy beautiful Theckla was also a -perfect witness for our Lord at the same time and place with the ancient -Am-nem-hat." Then bowed the youth his head upon his hands, and -writhings as of some mortal agony swept over him. - -"Son," said old Peter, tearfully, "canst thou not say, 'He doeth all -things well, and blessed be his name'?" - -"Not yet! not yet!" sobbed out the broken-hearted man; "but give unto me -the key of the church Baucalis!" - -And the bishop called a young deacon unto him, and bade him take the key -and guide the youthful presbyter unto that church. And in silence the -sorely-smitten man followed his guide until they had reached the door of -the beautiful church; then said Arius unto him: "Thou mayst return. -Farewell!" - -And Arius opened the door and passed within, and locked the door behind -him. And it was twilight; and the full moon shed a soft and mellow -light through the vast area of the sacred room; and, not far off, the -gentle waves of the sea gleamed in the golden sheen, and lapsed away -along the quiet coast. - -Back and forth, along the great aisle, with slow and heavy -footsteps--back and forth, until the long night waned away, and the -muffled tread of the sufferer seemed to become regular, unceasing, -continuous, as part of the very course of nature itself--all night long, -back and forth, wrestling sorely with his sudden, mighty grief, the -young man trod the desolate aisle, and his bosom heaved with anguish, -but not a single word escaped his compressed, ashy lips. The first -faint light of dawn mottled the eastern sky; then the glad sunlight -streamed far out along the peaceful sea, and the freshness of the -morning laughed from earth and heaven. Then went he slowly unto a -window opening unto the east, and the sun was rising gloriously, and -then the man raised up his right hand reverently, and, gazing away into -the glowing heavens, with trembling lips and broken heart, he murmured: -"Yea! He doeth all things well; and blessed be his name!" - -But the first great sorrow of his life had fallen upon him; that which -ages a man in a single day; that which breaketh off and casteth far from -him all the brightness and freshness of his youth forever, and setteth -him henceforth face to face with the hard and bitter realities of life, -making all of the beautiful past only a dim and blessed memory of -happiness, the light and sweetness whereof his lip shall taste no more -on earth. - -The youth was a man now; tried in the furnace of affliction; exercised -by grief; strengthened and hardened and chastened by the bitter cup of -woe. - -Quietly he departed from the church; with calm, unfaltering tread he -went back unto the bishop; and then unwaveringly he asked for, and -unflinchingly heard, the pathetic details of the martyrdom. And the -kind-hearted old man said unto him: "Son, thou triest thy heart too -bitterly. If thou desirest to be alone, I can give thee a room unto -thyself, and thou canst abide quietly with me until thou shalt feel -better able to assume thy pastoral charge." - -"I thank thee much, bishop, for thou art very kind. But God forbid that -private grief should ever keep me from a sacred task! I will even -preach to my people in the Baucalis church this morning. For I -know"--and then the right hand momently began its rhythmic movement, the -mesmeric light gleamed in his somber eyes, the strong, bold head sprang -forward upon the lithe, serpentine neck, and, with a light, plaintive -hiss in every tone that cut through the hearer's heart, he -continued--"for I know that Theckla would even have it so if she could -counsel me." - -The good old bishop sprang toward and embraced him, crying out: "My son! -my son! Thou art of the splendid stuff of which God maketh martyrs! -May he console and comfort thee, and feed thee with the bread of -everlasting life!" - -For the bishop saw in his haggard countenance the ineffaceable traces of -his mighty struggle with that night-long agony; he saw the grandeur and -beauty of the imperious will that wearied down the complainings of an -aching heart; and the clear, resolute soul that fixed its eye upon the -path of Christian duty, not to be swerved therefrom by any earthly -agency, and ready to immolate even its sacred hours of grief for the -sake of other souls. - -Henceforth the fair forms of youth, and love, and hope, would pass him -by upon life's lonely pilgrimage almost unrecognized--strangers to him -except for some far-off, heart-broken memories. Henceforth upon his -chastened hearing the voices of honor and ambition would fall unheeded -as the sounding brass or the tinkling cymbal! Only when the stern, cold -face of Duty might meet his gaze, henceforth, his spirit would look up -and say: "I know thee. Welcome here!" Only when the shrinking forms of -human sorrow, and pain, and wretchedness, should henceforth claim his -sympathy, his soul would reach forth ministering hands and say: "Ye are -old friends of mine! I welcome you!" - -And he did preach in the Baucalis church, that very morning, a sermon -which was never forgotten by those who heard it. "The love of Christ -constraineth us," he exclaimed; then in words that leaped, and flashed, -and glinted, ringing distinct as bell-notes, yet all flowing in a -strong, even, jubilant current unto a definite purpose, he set before -them the loftiest form and manner in which love hath ever showed its -power and beauty, in the best stories of pagan mythology and history, in -high and glorious examples from the Old and New Testament, and from -church history, all brought out like pictures before the mind, and above -them all he glorified and magnified that love divine of Jesus; then how -we are bound, constrained thereby; unto what end; and, finally, that the -necessary result of this bondage to Christ is absolute freedom as to all -other authority upon earth, higher than any natural courage or Stoic -philosophy could confer. But there was not even the remotest reference -to his private sorrow. All of them had known Theckla, and the covenant -between her and Arius, and the building of the church for him, and the -transcribing of the scriptures for him by her hand; and all of their -hearts had yearned after him in sympathizing sorrow; but not one word of -self even inadvertently found utterance in his clear, cold, steel-like -exegesis of the truth, or in the copious, affluent stream of exhortation -and comfort. He had come to minister unto them, not to be ministered -unto by them; he had come to help them bear all things, with clear eyes -to see, with open heart to feel and share, with strong, resolute, -uncomplaining spirit to bear all of their sorrows and trials; his own to -be sealed up in his own soul, buried out of human sight forever. He -took all hearts by storm: instinctively they felt that this young man -was thoroughly furnished unto every good work; they could rely upon him, -they could trust him under all circumstances, in any emergency. An old -Christian in the congregation, who had been a Roman officer for many -years before his conversion, and had faced every form of death upon the -battlefield, whispered to the friend next to him: "What a splendid -commander he would have made! He is the bravest man I ever saw, for, if -there had been a streak of weakness, or cowardice, or selfishness in his -nature, he could not have buried his own grief out of sight, and put his -whole heart into his work as he hath done." - -It was so through all the services of that first day. Quiet, grave, -courteous, he discharged every duty of his position without the -slightest reference to his own feelings or trials. For, during that -night of awful sorrow, he had fully settled all his earthly life. -Henceforth the church at Baucalis was to be his home; the community that -might worship there, his family; he was, henceforth, to have no griefs, -ambitions, trials of his own; no hopes, no fears; he was to bear the -burdens of others; to love, guide, counsel, and strengthen the souls -intrusted to his care; to do a minister's work, that is, a spiritual -servant's work, so long as life might last, and to wait patiently, -uncomplainingly, without disquietude or bitterness of spirit, if -possible with gladness, until the end might come. Such was the destiny -he had mapped out for himself during that night of bitter anguish in the -beautiful church; such was the destiny that upon the next morning, with -grand, simple, unselfish faith and courage, he arose to meet. - -The thoroughness of this profound self-abnegation was exhibited on the -night succeeding that first day's labors, when, in the solitude of his -own apartment, he took from out its cedar casket the beautiful -manuscript which Theckla's hand had lovingly prepared for him, and made -an indorsement thereon, in the Arabic tongue, that it had been -transcribed by Theckla, a noble Egyptian lady, who also was a martyr in -Alexandria. But he did not write that it was transcribed for him; his -name nowhere appears on any part of the manuscript; there is not a word -or sign that can by any possibility connect his name or fate with hers. -Arius seemed to him to have been slain and buried long ago; only God's -presbyter survived the ruin of his life, and stood up in the place of -Arius, calm, strong, fearless, unselfish, and devout. - -And this great manuscript, which was the offering of Theckla's love unto -him, hath survived the lapse of ages, bearing yet upon its priceless -pages the indorsement of Arius. It is known throughout Christendom as -the "CODEX ALEXANDRINUS"--"A" of the British Museum, although some later -writings have been blended therewith, and some of the manuscripts -prepared by Theckla have been lost. - - - - - BOOK II. - - - - CHAPTER I. - - "HIS MOST CATHOLIC MAJESTY." - - -The historians, secular and ecclesiastic, have alike failed to do -justice to the vast abilities of Constantine the Great. Those who have -questioned his superiority to all other Roman emperors (if, indeed, not -to all other men) have united in ascribing to accident, to the mere -drifting of events, facts which were really the forecastings of -profoundest statesmanship, guided by a political sagacity that pierced -through to the very core of the whole social and religious life of the -vast empire over which he ruled, almost untroubled by the influences of -human passions, fears, and faith. On the other hand, those who have -felt constrained to give even the slightest credence to his alleged -profession of faith in Christ have attributed to religious zeal, -enthusiasm, or fears, the most salient actions of a life that was, from -beginning to end, dominated only by the lust for dominion, incapable of -any creed but atheism, and absolutely content with the negation of the -existence of any Being greater than himself. To those who take a more -rational view of his magnificent but criminal career, and who, looking -behind the mask of reverence for paganism which he cast aside at -precisely the politic moment, in order to assume a false pretense of -reverence for Christianity, discern the cool, deliberate atheist, who -was ready to profess any creed and foster any superstition that might -best serve to smooth the road to absolute power, and make mankind his -slaves: to them the astute politician, the successful warrior, the -consummate ruler of men, assumes such colossal proportions that, -compared with him, Alexander, Caesar, and Napoleon, seem to sink into -the lower grade of butchers and stabbers, only half-taught in the -science of government, of which Constantine alone was master. For it is -no more certain that he despised and pitied paganism while he was -solemnly offering sacrifices to Jupiter, and winning the admiration and -love of the Roman world for his imperial piety, than it is certain that -he pitied and despised the Church of Christ, even while he was -manipulating the faith into a sure and reliable support of the empire; -in both courses he only played with the world, giving men any religious -toy which the greater part might prefer to have, in exchange for the -liberty of which he robbed them so plausibly and successfully that they -scarcely perceived his theft, and enthusiastically caressed the royal -thief. - -The Christians of that age died at the stake, or by the sword, or by -wild beasts, rather than to cast a pinch of incense into the sacred -fires and say, "Proh Jupiter!" The pagans would have plunged into civil -war, and would have endured or inflicted any pain, rather than -acknowledge any feeling for Christ except hatred, loathing, and -contempt. But Constantine both adopted the cross as a military -standard, and also observed the heathen rites with customary ostentation -and solemnity; having absolutely no conscientious scruples for or -against any religion; regarding both the old and the new faiths as -things proper enough for common men, but altogether indifferent to him; -and using both alike as mere instruments convenient for the advancement -of his own political purposes. - -After he had defeated Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge, he caused his own -statue to be erected at Rome; and, while the general design and -execution of the work were unexceptionable to his pagan subjects, the -image bore in its hand the symbol of the cross, which, until that day, -had been esteemed to be a badge of crime and infamy, as disgraceful to -any Roman as the lewd Priapi of the gardens could have been to the -Christians; and the thanksgiving which he offered to commemorate his -victory was couched in such enigmatical terms that in applying it to -Mars or Jupiter, the pagan did no more violence to the text than the -Christian would do in ascribing it to Christ and God. So, when, to -please the Christians, he decreed the solemn observance of Sunday, he -inspired the pagans with confidence and respect, by calling the sacred -day _Dies Solis_ (the Day of the Sun), a formula of heathendom with -which they had been familiar all their lives. - -Utterly devoid of faith in anything else except himself and his own -destiny, unyielding in that ambition to exercise dominion which nerved -him for the doubtful war against Maxentius, he regarded both mankind and -religion with pity and contempt, and sought to rule men for their good -and his own glory, by means of any faith which they might prefer; and -hence, as Christianity became more known and popular, he identified -himself with it more and more, only in order to foster an agency which -seemed to be available in the work of consolidating the warring factions -of the empire and securing the permanency of his throne. But the gospel -of love and peace over which he extended the imperial protection did not -deter him from exterminating the whole race of Maxentius after he had -defeated him in battle; nor from the deliberate and politic murder of -Maximin, who was the father of Fausta his wife, and who had been the -benefactor of his father Constantius; nor from the destruction of his -wife herself, nor of his sons; nor from the assassination of the Emperor -Licinius and his son, the offspring of his sister Constantia--crimes so -infamous and unnecessary that the first spark of real animosity against -the gods of Rome that ever flashed across the serene and boundless -depths of his almost superhuman intelligence gleamed for a moment past -his consummate and life-long duplicity when the pagan priests refused -all expiation for such crimes; and be turned away more decidedly to a -religion which promises pardon for every sin: not that he cared anything -for the sacred rites of either church; but because he was the first -Roman ruler to attach any definite meaning to the words "public -opinion," and he desired to maintain the confidence of his people, and -also to secure the full benefit of those crimes which he committed to -place his own authority beyond the reach of accident. - -So thoroughly indifferent to all sense of religion was this greatest of -the rulers of mankind that dissimulation was an easy task which involved -no conscientious scruples of any kind; and was so gracefully and -perfectly enacted that even Eusebius, the father of ecclesiastical -history, himself no ordinary man, was for a long time very thoroughly -deceived into believing that the atheistic emperor was God's vicegerent -for the establishment of the Christian Church on earth. "Constantine, -therefore, in the very commencement" (says Eusebius), "being proclaimed -supreme emperor and Augustus by the soldiers, and much longer before -this by the universal sovereign, God--Constantine, the protector of the -good, combining his hatred of wickedness with the love of goodness, went -forth with his son Crispus, the most benevolent Caesar, to extend a -caring arm to all them that were perishing. Both, therefore, the father -and the son, having, as it were, God the Universal King and his Son, our -Saviour, as their leader and aid, drawing up the army on all sides -against the enemies of God, bore away an easy victory." "With choirs -and hymns," says Eusebius, "in the cities and villages, at the same time -they celebrated and extolled first of all God the Universal King, -because they were thus taught; then they also celebrated the praises of -the pious emperor, and with him all his divinely-favored children," -including Crispus Caesar whom he caused to be murdered afterward. - -Only the lone and incorruptible seer of Patmos, John the Divine, foresaw -the mighty pagan in his real character, and depicted him in words of -scathing denunciation and rebuke which the prostituted Church then -failed to understand when the things were transacted before her eyes--a -prophetic and apocalyptic view of Constantine and Constantinople which -becomes of easier interpretation as the centuries glide away, revealing -more and more clearly what things John foretold, that were to follow -upon the subversion of Christianity by the most potent human enemy that -Jesus ever had, and locating the seat of Antichrist upon seven hills -above the sea to which the commerce of the world resorted--a description -inapplicable to any capital on earth except the city of Constantinople. - -The tentative effort made by Constantine in 312 and 313, when he had -used the influence of the Christians against Maxentius, had proved -entirely successful, and the great ruler at once began to make inquiries -to ascertain to what extent the same faith might prevail throughout the -Empire of the East, and how far he might depend upon its aid in -subverting the sovereign power of Licinius, who then reigned over the -Eastern Empire. For, upon the death of Diocletian, Constantius and -Galerius had parted the empire between themselves in accordance with the -emperor's will, dividing both the provinces and the legions, which was -the first division of Roman sovereignty. Constantine succeeded his -father Constantius, and, by the overthrow of Maxentius, had become -master of all of the Western Empire, although north of the Mediterranean -Licinius ruled Pannonia, Dalmatia, Dacia, Greece, and Thrace; and, -having overthrown Maximian, ruled the East, including Asia Minor, Syria, -and Egypt. - -But it was always Constantine's set purpose to restore the unity of the -empire, and to concentrate the whole imperial authority in his own -hand--a purpose of which he never for one moment lost sight, and which -is the explanation of his whole magnificent career. The present -difficulty in the way was the fact that he had permitted, perhaps -solicited, Licinius to sign with him the Decree of Milan, which gave -peace to the Church; and this celebrated document had been issued in -both their names, by their joint authority, and had been so published -throughout the empire. In addition to this was the fact that the -Christians universally regarded the defeat of Maximian and the triumph -of Licinius as providential, for the former had persecuted the Church, -and the latter had protected it in conjunction with Constantine. The -public actions of Maximian gave countenance to this opinion: for, while -he had great faith in the heathen gods and priests, and had resorted to -magic in order to conduct the war with Licinius triumphantly, after he -had been defeated in battle "he slew many of his priests as jugglers and -impostors, and as the destroyers of his own safety, since by their -oracles he had been induced to undertake the disastrous war. Moreover, -having heard that Constantine and Licinius were both Christians, he -supposed that their success was the result of their religion, and -himself immediately issued a decree providing safety for the Christians -whom less than a year before he had ordered to be persecuted, by decrees -engraved on brazen tablets; he gave them liberty to rebuild their -churches, and commanded that all of their property which had been seized -and sold under the former decrees should be restored to them. Shortly -afterward he miserably died, and Licinius ruled alone." - -Licinius was a firm believer in Christianity, and his faith and the -decrees of Maximian alike confirmed both himself and his subjects in the -opinion that he was under the divine protection. - -Constantine was not long in perceiving the greatest political error, -perhaps the only one, committed by him, the affixing of the signature of -Licinius to the Decree of Milan; but, at the time it was done, human -foresight could hardly have anticipated such a wholesale abandonment of -paganism, and such an ardent and enthusiastic adoption of Constantine's -new ecclesiasticism, on the part of the people, as did actually occur. -To have left the name of Licinius out of the decree would have fostered -any ambitious views which that emperor might have entertained, by -enabling him to set up himself as the especial guardian of the heathen -religion, and so concentrating in his own hands all the resources of the -pagan world. Constantine was compelled, therefore, either to divide the -influence of the Christians with Licinius, or else to array himself and -Christianity on the one side, against Licinius and paganism on the -other; and he was too wise a ruler not to perceive that such a civil and -religious war would be disastrous to both rulers, if not the ultimate -ruin of the empire; and, not knowing the vast numerical strength of the -Christians, he chose the former alternative. But no sooner had he -succeeded in getting all power in the North and West concentrated firmly -in his owe hands, than he began to seek for means whereby to undermine -the power of his rival, and so carry into effect his life-long -purpose--the reuniting of the divided empire, and the concentration of -all power in his own hands. - -The Christians of the Eastern Empire maintained the primitive religion, -and persevered in their original opposition to bearing arms in war, and -to slavery, and to private-property rights, and so added nothing to the -military power of Licinius, except their constantly increasing communal -wealth. Licinius simply left the Church at peace, and was not -consummate politician enough to use its vast resources in aid of his -government, as Constantine had done, by inducing the Christians to -abandon the primitive organization of the Church and become Roman -subjects in everything except the mere article of faith. When Ulfilas, -the Goth, converted his barbarous countrymen, and transformed the fierce -and warlike tribes into peaceful and settled peoples among whom war, -slavery, polygamy, and private property, were unknown, and among whom no -king was recognized but Christ, Constantine declared war against them, -and pursued them with fire and sword until they were forced to adopt -Roman laws and customs, and agreed by treaty to supply a permanent force -of forty thousand young men to the imperial army; and, after that, he -caused Ulfilas himself to be ordained a bishop, and sent him back to his -own people to teach the imperial religion instead of Christianity. But -this profound and atheistic policy was too deep for the Emperor -Licinius; and Constantine knew well that, according to the primitive -Christianity, a whole Christian province would not furnish a single -recruit to his rival's legions, since no Christian would bear arms. - -Eusebius of Caesarea, who had prepared the way for Constantine to become -the head of the Church in the Western Empire, was the emperor's chosen -friend and constant counselor, and the ruler of Rome never forgot that -the bishop had, first of all men, invited his attention to the fact that -the despised and persecuted Christians constituted already a body of men -so numerous, so virtuous, and so prosperous, as to hold the balance of -power between any factions which might divide the Roman people just as -soon as the legal disabilities which both concealed their numbers and -fettered their influence might be removed by imperial favor. - -Under the advice of Eusebius, the emperor, in his own name, sent to -Anulinus, Proconsul of Africa, a decree most favorable to the Christians -throughout that region; he also made presents of large sums of money to -the bishops of Africa, Numidia, and Mauritania, who had been plundered -in the persecutions of Maximian; he also sent a decree ordaining that -all church prelates be freed from obligation to discharge any public, -military, or political duties and offices; also, he made a decree -commanding a certain council to be held concerning the affairs of -Caecilianus, Bishop of Carthage, and sent to Miltiades, Bishop of Rome, -copies of the charges against Caecilianus; also, a decree addressed to -Chrestus, Bishop of Syracuse, commanding that a council of many bishops, -both of Africa and of Gaul, should assemble at the city of Arles, in -order to consider and determine certain questions which were disputed -among the faithful. - -In short, counseled by Eusebius, who never doubted the ultimate -overthrow of idolatry, and the ultimate triumph of whatever -ecclesiastical system might be established in place of the Christian -communities, Constantine zealously strove in every way to identify -himself and his government with the new religion, and to hold himself -out as the head of the Church, as well as of the state. At the same -time he steadily pursued a secret policy of winning to himself the -affection and confidence of the Christian subjects of the Emperor -Licinius, by the use of agents whom he kept in his own service, in the -household of every bishop of the Eastern Church. This zeal in the -service of the established ecclesiasticism soon met with the great -reward which Eusebius had promised to the emperor; for, throughout the -length and breadth of the churches it began to be commonly declared that -"Constantine was the divinely-appointed protector of the Christians"; -that "God was the friend and vigilant protector of Constantine"; and -that "no man could be his equal, and no man could stand against him." -Licinius soon perceived the influence of these machinations, and saw -that, even in his own dominions, the Christians, and especially the -prelates, offered up more prayers for Constantine than for himself--"so -that he did not suppose," saith Eusebius, "that they offered prayers for -him at all, but persuaded himself that they did all things, and -propitiated the Deity, only for the divinely-favored Emperor -Constantine." - -This treasonable sentiment, of course, aroused the resentment of the -jealous Licinius, and more and more developed that estrangement between -him and the Christians for which Constantine secretly but zealously -labored; and Licinius sought revenge by fomenting every disaffection -which manifested itself against the rule of Constantine in Africa. But -the bishops were as perfect a police force as modern times have ever -succeeded in organizing, and kept Rome fully advised of every movement -inaugurated by the enemies of the "most Christian emperor." And -Eusebius saith, concerning Licinius, that "when he saw that his secret -preparations by no means succeeded according to his wish, _as God -detected every artifice and villainy to his favorite prince_, no longer -able to conceal himself, Licinius commenced an open war. And in thus -determining war against Constantine, he now _proceeded to array himself -against the Supreme God whom he knew Constantine to worship_. Afterward -he began imperceptibly to assail those pious subjects under him who had -never at any time troubled his government. This too, he did, violently -urged on by the innate propensity of his malice, that overclouded and -darkened his understanding. He did not, therefore, bear in mind _those -that had persecuted the Christians before him_, nor those _whose -destroyer and punisher he himself had been appointed_, for their -wickedness. But, departing from sound reason, and, as one might say, -seized with insanity, he had determined _to wage war against God -himself_, the protector and aid of Constantine, _in place of the one -whom He assisted_. And first, indeed, he _drove away all the Christians -from his house_, the wretch thus divesting himself of those prayers to -God for his safety which they were taught to offer up for all men. -After this he ordered the soldiers in the cities to be cashiered and -stripped of military honors unless they chose to sacrifice to demons." - -Constantine having craftily succeeded in embroiling Licinius with the -Church, watched with secret joy, until the enemy whom he wished to -destroy followed up this lustration of his army and navy, which was -designed to drive out the Christian spies of Constantine, with more -strenuous measures; and, in the language of Eusebius, "at last proceeded -to such an extent of madness _as to attack the bishops_, now indeed -regarding them as the servants of the Supreme God, _but hostile to his -measures_." And as the angry tyrant adopted extreme remedies for this -ecclesiastical treason, "razing the churches to the ground"; "subjecting -the bishops to the same punishment as the worst criminals"; "cutting the -bodies of some into small pieces and feeding them out to fishes in the -sea"; and "destroying others by various modes of torture and -death"--"the whole Christian world regarded him with horror and -detestation, and looked to Constantine for deliverance." - -So that the error which the emperor had committed, in soliciting -Licinius to affix his signature to the Decree of Milan, was not only -fully compensated by his consummate skill and artifice, but the Church -prayed earth and Heaven for the destruction of Licinius. Licinius, -irritated more and more by the wide-spread disaffection of his subjects, -espoused the cause of Bassianus, who had married Anastasia, the sister -of Constantine, and urged him into rebellion in order to gain larger -power; and, Bassianus having been defeated and dethroned, Licinius -refused to deliver up the partisans of the fallen Caesar who had taken -refuge in his dominions; and upon this pretext Constantine declared war -against him; and in two battles, one at Cibalis in Pannonia, and the -other upon the plains of Mardia in Thrace, he defeated Licinius, and so -crippled him that he was compelled to make peace, with the loss of -Pannonia, Dalmatia, Dacia, Macedonia, and Greece, which provinces were -added to the dominions of Constantine, and extended his empire to the -extremity of Peloponnesus, leaving Licinius Emperor of Thrace, Asia -Minor, Syria, and Egypt. - -This war happened in the year 315, and the ambition of Constantine was -temporarily sated, so that he then refrained from pushing to extremities -the defeated but still powerful Licinius until he might have time and -opportunity to alienate the affection and confidence of his subjects in -Asia as thoroughly as he had done in Europe. And, besides this, he -wanted time in order to subjugate the Goths whom Ulfilas had converted, -subvert the Christian communities organized among them on the primitive -foundation, and force them to adopt the ecclesiastical system which he -had established at Rome, in order to make the Gothic nation an available -factor in any future war in which he might engage. But in a few years -afterward, having successfully waged war against the Goths, and having -seen the influence of Licinius greatly impaired by the persecutions of -the Church in Syria and Egypt which he had encouraged and, perhaps, -instigated, as well as by that secret diplomacy of which Constantine was -master, the Roman emperor deemed that the time had come to destroy -Licinius, and restore the unity of the empire, and consolidate all power -in his own hands, especially as the great age and unpopular vices of -Licinius seemed to presage an easy victory. He accordingly (and without -any pretext whatever on this occasion) declared war against the Illyrian -emperor; and in the great battle of Adrianople, and in the siege of -Byzantium, and in the decisive action of Chrysopolis, in all of which he -engaged Licinius with inferior numbers, his vast military genius -asserted itself, so that by continuous defeats he reduced the Emperor of -the East to the necessity of making an unconditional surrender. -Constantia, the wife of Licinius, was the sister of Constantine, and, at -her request and entreaties, the conqueror temporarily spared the life of -his fallen rival, and banished him to Thessalonica, where he was soon -afterward assassinated in some mysterious manner, it being to this day -uncertain whether he perished by the order of the senate, by a tumult of -the soldiers, or by the machinations of Constantine. But it is certain -that the "first Christian emperor" regarded the fact that a man might -stand in the way of his ambition, or possibly compromise his safety, as -a sufficient reason for putting him to death, even if the unlucky person -happened to be his own son. - -"Thus the mighty and victorious Constantine," saith Eusebius, "adorned -with every virtue of religion, with his most pious son, Crispus Caesar, -resembling in all things his father, recovered the East as his own, and -thus restored the Roman Empire to its ancient state of one united body; -extending their peaceful sway around the world, from the rising sun to -the opposite regions, to the north and the south, even to the borders of -the declining day." - -But this greatest statesman, politician, and ruler--this absolute, -untroubled, and self-confident atheist--had only "the godliness that is -profitable for the life that now is"; for this "Christian" had never -been baptized (knowing that an emperor can not be a Christian); and he -afterward murdered in cold blood, without provocation, "his most pious -son, Crispus Caesar, resembling in all things his father"; his own wife -Fausta, and the youthful Licinius, son of his sister Constantia; just as -he systematically assassinated every one whom his calm, merciless, wise -policy thought to be possibly inimical to his own safety. But he -realized the life-long ambition of his soul, the restoration of the -unity of the Roman Empire under his own authority; and did it by the aid -of the Christian Church, which he bribed, corrupted, and secularized, -until it acknowledged him to be king instead of Jesus Christ. - -These historical details, however, anticipate our narrative of Arius the -Libyan, to which we must now return. - - - - - CHAPTER II. - - A NAVAL QUESTION. - - -After the overthrow of the Christian communities which Ulfilas had -founded among the Goths, Constantine called Eusebius, Bishop of -Caesarea, unto himself, and began to make diligent inquiries concerning -the churches of Syria and of Egypt; and, having obtained all of the -information current among the bishops, he entered into conversation with -Eusebius, apparently for the purpose of still further satisfying himself -upon certain points involved in his investigations. - -"Thou sayest," said Constantine, "that, in spite of the persecution in -which many bishops and private persons have suffered martyrdom, the -Church constantly increases in numbers and influence." - -"Yea," replied Eusebius, "but not so rapidly as in thine own dominions; -for in most places their services are secretly conducted because of the -heathen; yet the truth triumphs everywhere, and the churches prosper -wonderfully. The cruel wrongs done unto the faithful excite the interest -and compassion of all fair-minded men, and there are always many who -seek for fuller information concerning our holy religion, and there are -always some at hand ready to impart it." - -"I would that it were possible for me at this time to occupy the same -relation to the Eastern Church that so happily obtains in the Empire of -the West. But that seems to be impossible while the Emperor Licinius -reigns over those realms." - -"Thou art as much beloved by the Christians of the East as by those of -Europe or of Africa; and they look unto thee for deliverance, and -hopefully await thy coming." - -"But Europe and Africa are under mine own hand, and Asia is not; the -Church of the East is beyond the reach of my protection." - -"Stretch forth thine arm of power, thou favorite of the supreme God, and -take it unto thyself. Thou alone art fitted to be emperor, and Asia, as -part of the Roman Empire, is rightfully thine own." - -Then Constantine gave way to one of those fits of sudden, silent -meditation which were not unusual to him, and continued to gaze upon his -bishop long and earnestly. At last he said: "The Emperor Licinius is a -brave and skillful commander, trained all his life in the discipline of -the Roman army. He not only hath yet a solid foothold upon European -soil, but he could call into action out of populous Asia double as many -soldiers as the Western Empire could put into the field, including the -hardy Goths, whom I have added to the military force of Rome. He is no -merely titular emperor, but is a consummate warrior, a wise ruler, an -able and valiant man, as he hath already proved against both Maximian -and myself." - -"Thou and God art greater still!" said the bishop, solemnly. - -"That might be so upon the land," murmured Constantine, absently, "for -many of my legions are veterans, who have followed me through seventeen -campaigns without defeat, and the Goths are brave and hardy. But the -old emperor's vast superiority is on the sea. For, since Rome ceased to -be the seat of empire, the naval establishments of Misenum and Ravenna -have been greatly neglected, and the maritime cities of Greece no longer -furnish those formidable fleets which made the republic of Athens so -famous. But the Emperor Licinius can draw from Egypt and the adjacent -coasts of Africa, from the ports of Phoenicia and the Isle of Cyprus, -and from Bithynia, Ionia, and Caria, a fleet to which the rest of -mankind could offer no effective opposition; so that, if I should be -successful on land, the emperor's naval superiority would enable him to -carry an offensive war into every sea-coast of Hispania, Gaul, and -Italy, cut off all my supplies, and force me to retreat even in the face -of victory. It will not do!" he cried, passionately and -despondingly--"it will not do! and it requires years to prepare a navy! -There must be some other way--some other way!" - -What dark and secret thought slumbered in the capacious deeps of that -calm, unwavering spirit to which expediency was ever a sufficient -justification for any crime that might advance political designs, no man -can ever know; but Eusebius at once perceived that the thing which he -supposed to have been a suggestion of his own--a temptation held out by -him to the emperor and ventured upon because his zeal for the persecuted -Christians of the Eastern Church made him earnestly desire that -Constantine should conquer and protect those regions--had in truth long -been a subject of profoundest meditation in the emperor's soul; a most -dangerous ambition, which he had considered in every possible aspect of -it. Neither of these able men spoke for some time. Then the emperor -said, musingly: "Would that it were possible for me at this time to -occupy the same relation to the Eastern Churches that so happily obtains -in the Empire of the West! But there must be some other way--some other -way!" - -Eusebius perceived from the repetition of these words that they in some -way contained the particular matter concerning which Constantine desired -him to speak; and he shuddered at the unwelcome thought of what might -possibly be required at the hand of some bishop of the Church by the -implacable and unscrupulous emperor; but, not fully comprehending the -drift of the royal mind, he answered: "It would be easy to attach the -bishops and their congregations unto thyself as thou didst those of -Africa, by secret aid to the churches, and by kind messages unto those -who have experienced the tyrant's cruelty; for already all Christians -regard thee as divinely raised up for their succor, and they are -comforted by the hope that, when thou dost rule the world, the gospel -shall be as free in the East as it is in the West." - -"But that is a mere sentiment," answered Constantine. "The Christians -are not soldiers; in the East they refuse to bear arms, or to recognize -an earthly ruler. Surely thou dost remember how difficult it was to -bring them over to any active support of mine empire even in the West." - -"Yea, verily! But thou mayst gradually assume direction of the Church -there as thou hast done here: by largesses to the bishops; by calling -councils in thine own name to settle clerical differences; and by -training them, as thou hast done here, to regard thee alone as the real -source of both ecclesiastical and political authority; and so by degrees -control them as thou wilt." - -"I have meditated over all of that," said Constantine, "and the great -difficulty in the way of its accomplishment grows out of the fact that -any attempt to interfere in the trial of charges against bishops or -presbyters, whether upon accusations of personal misconduct, or of -erroneous doctrine, within the dominions of the Emperor Licinius, would -be regarded by him, and by his subjects, as an unwarrantable -interference in matters which do not concern the Empire of the West; and -such a course would only inflame and consolidate those whom I prefer to -divide in sentiment." - -"But," said Eusebius, "if the question in dispute should be one, not -between the members of some particular community, or locality, but -between almost the whole body of the Christians in the Western Empire on -the one hand, and almost the whole body of the Eastern Church upon the -other, could there be any impropriety in calling a council of the whole -Church, East and West, to consider and determine it?" - -"No," said Constantine. "If there were only such a question, the way -would be laid open at least for a beginning. But how couldst thou ever -create such a question?" - -"The question, or rather the questions (for there are two of them), are -already created--the East upon one side of both, and the West upon the -other." - -"What are these questions?" - -"One is a great dispute concerning the proper time for the celebration -of Easter; and the other a most subtile controversy concerning the -nature of Godhead and the relation of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; a -dispute in which Hosius of Cordova leads many bishops and presbyters -upon one side, and Arius the Libyan as many upon the other." - -"Arius the Libyan!" cried Constantine, with sudden wrath. "The Libyan -serpent! The ram of Baucalis! a presbyter of Alexandria! By thundering -Jove, I will yet crush that hard, stubborn, fearless nature, for he hath -been more in my way than even the Emperor Licinius himself! Curse the -man! curse him!" - -Eusebius gazed upon the emperor in mute astonishment. He knew that -Constantine possessed an almost supernatural knowledge of all political -movements and persons, even in the remotest corner of the empire over -which he reigned, but he had never even dreamed that the mighty emperor -had heard so much as the name of the gaunt, unsocial, self-denying, and -inflexible presbyter of the Baucalis church at Alexandria, in the -dominions of Licinius. - -"Knowest thou the man?" he asked with unconcealed astonishment. - -Constantine had already regained his usual calmness, and in placid tones -replied: "I have never seen Arius, but have constantly and often heard -of his dangerous and revolutionary teachings, and of his rugged, -implacable, unyielding character. He hateth me without any cause, -except that I am emperor, and scorneth every favor I was inclined to -show him. I even tendered unto him the bishopric of Alexandria, which -Alexander now holds, but he refused to accept it, for no other reason -than that he supposed his advancement to that high place to have been -procured by the influence of mine agents in that city." - -"I regret that he is not thy friend," answered Eusebius; "but wilt thou -instruct me how a presbyter could teach dangerous and revolutionary -doctrines? Perhaps such teachings might furnish matter for which the -Church might suspend him from the office of presbyter, and silence his -utterances." - -"I do not think so," answered Constantine. "He teaches that a Christian -can not be an emperor, nor bear arms in war; and that to take sides in a -struggle between any earthly governments is to betray the Christ. He -teaches that no Christian can hold slaves, own private property, or -recognize Roman and Egyptian laws and customs in reference to marriage -and divorce. In a word, he still rigidly adheres to that primitive -Christianity, the prevalence of which would soon render all government -over the people unnecessary if not impossible, and which, as thou -knowest, it was so difficult for us to guide to right and reasonable -action even in Rome and in other parts of the West. But his primitive -and fearless teachings have reduced to the ghostly form of a mere -sentiment all the active aid I had expected to obtain from the -Christians of Syria and of Egypt. The fleet, the mighty fleet, which -putteth all my coasts at the mercy of Licinius, ought to have been mine -own, and would have been but for that Libyan serpent who paralyzed the -arms of willing Christians by his accursed teachings." - -"But," said Eusebius, solemnly, "these teachings were the very doctrines -of our Lord, and Arius hath proclaimed nothing but the truths of the -gospel, and for three hundred years no Christian man hath owned a slave -or claimed private title to property, or lifted up a weapon even in -defense of the faith for which he does not hesitate to die." And the -bishop's fine face darkened, and his heart twitched as if some transient -gleam of lightning had revealed before him a bottomless pit that opened -down to perdition; and for a moment he half-way felt that he had lost -his own soul by juggling with the empire in the name of Jesus and for -the glory of the Church. - -While he stood in painful meditation, the emperor continued: "Yea! -doubtless this was the primitive system; and, thoroughly permeated with -its new and radical principles, Arius seeketh to enforce them. The -African ram, bold, self-confident, aggressive! the Libyan serpent, -agile, beautiful, tameless, and dangerous! scorning all earthly -ambitions as trifles unworthy of the consideration of an immortal -spirit; despising pain, and toil, and peril; almost courting martyrdom; -immovable by threats of vengeance, or by hope of reward; alike -inaccessible to flattery and to fear--but for that one man I would hold -the East in my hand to-day! For the fleet was largely manned and -officered by Christians, and all things were arranged to deliver up the -ships to me, when this fierce, invincible, immovable presbyter poured -out the angry torrent of his eloquence and learning, urging the -Christians to obey all laws of the government under which they lived -that were not contrary to conscience, and denouncing those who might -engage on either side in favor of an earthly ruler as traitors to Christ -and his kingdom. Their courage shriveled up before his fierce -denunciation, as if it had been smitten by the wrath of God, and all the -carefully prepared plans for getting possession of more than half the -fleet of Licinius, and especially of the great galleys with three banks -of oars, faded away before the breath of this one irreconcilable and -immovable man. Then the attention of the Emperor Licinius having been -called to the matter, he made a lustration of his army and navy, and -dishonorably dismissed therefrom every man who refused to offer -sacrifice to the gods; and also from his civil service, and from his -palaces. And since that day there hath been no man in the service of -Licinius that is a Christian. But the emperor sent to Arius a parchment -giving to him legal authority to preach the gospel publicly in his city -of Alexandria, because his gospel had saved the fleet; and the stern, -uncompromising presbyter sent it back with a message that his authority -to preach was from God, not from man." - -"For what reason did Arius so bitterly take sides against thee, the -favorite of God, the protector of the Church?" - -"It would be unjust," said Constantine, "to say that he ever did so. He -did not; but his powerful influence in holding the Christians of Egypt -and of Syria to strictest neutrality was the most injurious policy he -could have pursued against me; but he would have pursued the same course -against any other ruler in the world." - -Eusebius was the fast friend of Arius, whom he admired and loved beyond -all living men (for Pamphilus had already suffered martyrdom); and the -great ecclesiastic, rejoicing at the praises bestowed upon his friend by -the greatest ruler of men, strove to call out yet more of his opinion, -and accordingly said unto him, "Couldst thou not, then, attack the moral -character of Arius, and call a council to condemn him for some -irregularity, and so get rid of him?" - -"Nay," answered the emperor, "the man is proof against all earthly -temptations. When all arrangements had been made to confer upon him the -see of Alexandria, he calmly but positively refused to accept the -office, saying he would live and die presbyter of the Baucalis church. -Gifts of money sent unto him anonymously he poured into the common -treasury of the Church uncounted, and, in the midst of opulence, lived -the life of an anchorite. Seven hundred of the noblest women of -Alexandria are his communicants, and constant watchfulness never -detected him in the slightest impropriety with any of them. In the -pestilence which decimated and terrified the great city, by day and -night he ministered unto the afflicted, when even parents abandoned -their children and children their parents, and the ties of blood were -disregarded, until the people believed him to be invested with a charmed -life that was invulnerable to poniard, poison, or pestilence. He is the -purest and the strongest soul on earth," said the emperor, with -undisguised admiration, "but he hath barred my way unto the conquest of -the East!" - -Eusebius glowed with pleasure as he listened to the language in which -the emperor depicted the character of Arius, and replied: "Only the -truly great are able to do justice to those whom they have strong reason -to dislike, but thou hast painted the grand and lonely soul of the -Libyan even as it is. He hath been purified by sorrow. He is all for -Christ, and earthly hopes, fears and ambitions no more can move his -chaste and lofty spirit." - -"But," said Constantine, sternly, "however admirable the presbyter may -be, I will not forget that he hath robbed me of the fleet! He hath -barred my way unto the conquest of the East." - -Then said Eusebius: "If the fleet of Licinius could be by some means -neutralized; if that valiant tyrant could, perhaps, be induced to keep -his fleet out of the war altogether, and leave the fate of the empire to -be decided by the armies of the East and of the West--would that content -thee?" - -The handsome face of Constantine glowed with a wonderful light of hope -and pleasure as he answered, eagerly; "Yea, thou most wise and -infallible bishop! If thou canst accomplish this thing, soon shall the -churches of the East enjoy the imperial protection as fully as do those -of the Western Empire; and, freed from the persecutions of Licinius and -of the pagan priests, the Church shall triumph over all the world. But -I have told thee that no more able warrior lives than the emperor; he -will never forego the use of his right arm of power: thou canst not -neutralize his navy." - -The greatest of ecclesiastics gazed with affectionate admiration upon -the greatest of emperors, and calmly answered: "I am a man of peace, and -know nothing of the conduct of a war. But I do know something of the -human heart, and of the secret springs that govern the actions of men. -When I did visit thee in Gaul, before the war with Maxentius, thou didst -tell me that I could not cast a javelin, nor smite with a sword, nor -draw out a legion in battle order, but that I knew all Italy, and showed -thee how to conquer Rome. Verily I know not how to sail a ship, yet I -will endeavor diligently to keep the tyrant's navy far off from thy -coasts. If I should fail, thou wilt quickly know the unwelcome truth; -and if I succeed thou shalt learn it immediately." - -"Thou hast always succeeded," answered Constantine; "no promise made by -thee hath failed. Thou hast never once disappointed thine emperor and -friend." - -"For the present," said Eusebius, "I do greatly desire of thee an -indefinite leave of absence, but I trust not a protracted one, in order -that I may pay a visit to my beloved brother Eusebius, the Bishop of -Nicomedia." - -For an instant the face of Constantine was clouded. "Within the -dominions of Licinius?" he softly murmured, but in a moment he answered: -"Thou hast leave to go! But tell me, bishop, why thou goest unto -Nicomedia. What canst thou do there except to expose thy dear and -valuable head to the fury of the emperor?" - -"I go thither," said Eusebius, with a light and musical laugh, "seeking -to prepare a problem over which the historians and warriors of all -future ages shall puzzle their weary brains in vain. The question which -will be, I trust, a riddle unto them, is briefly this: Why was it that, -in the second war with the most Christian Emperor Constantine, the brave -and competent commander Licinius, possessing so vast a superiority at -sea, utterly failed to carry an offensive war into the very center of -his rival's dominions, and, having moored his fleet safely in some -secure strait or bay, left the issue of the war to be decided by the -land-forces alone, in the conduct of which the most glorious Emperor -Constantine was known to be invincible?" - -Then Constantine sprang from his seat, and with eager, glowing face he -embraced the bishop and kissed him, saying: "Canst thou, indeed, do this -thing for me? If thou canst, thou art stronger than ten legions, and -deservest a reward equal to their pay!" - -"Thou knowest well," said Eusebius, kindly but with inexpressible -dignity, "that I have served thee faithfully without reward, because I -love thee, Augustus, and love the Church of Christ, and know assuredly -that thine own triumph will secure the triumph of the faith!" - -"Thou speakest nothing but the truth, bishop," replied Constantine, his -fine face lighting up with strong emotions, "and I have loved and -honored thee in my heart accordingly. Thou knowest that, whenever thou -needest me, I am all thine own. But how can this miracle that shall -neutralize the emperor's maritime ascendency be wrought?" - -"I think," answered Eusebius, gravely and sadly, "that miracles have -recently ceased throughout the world, so that even the Church of Christ -hath to depend upon only human agencies, which thou knowest was not -formerly the case. It is well known, however, that the old Emperor -Licinius doth not doubt the truth and divinity of our holy religion, -although he hateth the Christians because he hath been persuaded that -they offer up more prayers for thee than for himself. Now, it hath -seemed probable to me that if an authentic Christian prophecy could be -privately circulated through the imperial palace of Nicomedia to the -purport that the Eastern Empire would be overthrown whenever it might -send a hostile fleet to ravage the coasts of Europe, his fear and hatred -of the Christians would influence him to retain his fleet at home in -order to forestall the prophecy. Of course, the common sense of the -matter would be, as thou hast said, for him to use his vast naval -strength to desolate thy coasts in Greece, Italy, Africa, Hispania, and -Gaul; but, perhaps, he may not do so. The matter is not very clearly -wrought out in my mind, but gradually takes shape as I consider it, and -I desire to see my brother, Eusebius of Nicomedia, a wise and prudent -man, to converse with him concerning it." - -"Thou art a great and wonderful bishop," said Constantine. "Go thou, -and may God prosper thee! Keep me well informed of thy movements, and -of all events that happen. Thou shalt have orders for all supplies, -attendance, and money, which thou canst possibly need for thy purposes. -If thou fall into any trouble at Nicomedia, or elsewhere, have sure -means of informing me, for I would risk the sovereignty of the world to -deliver thee, thou incomparable friend and bishop. When wilt thou -depart?" - -"Within a few days, at most," said Eusebius. "And thou shalt do nothing -except to grant me leave of absence. We bishops can further each other -upon our journeys quite well, and I wish to go secretly and without -attracting notice." - -"When thou hast leisure," said Constantine, "come unto me again, and -come prepared to unravel these questions concerning the celebration of -Easter, and concerning the Godhead, to the very last threads of them; -for I earnestly desire to be perfectly informed therein." - - - - - CHAPTER III. - - THE POLITICS OF RELIGION. - - -A day or two afterward, Eusebius again sought audience of the emperor, -and in a long interview, during which Constantine, with his own hand, -kept copious and accurate memoranda of the conversation, the bishop -carefully explained the nature of the church controversy respecting the -observance of Easter, and also the nature of the abstract and peculiar -ideas involved in the dispute concerning the Deity; and in the whole -interview the emperor manifested the perfect thoroughness with which his -calm, grand intelligence was accustomed to go to the very bottom of -every matter which once secured his interest, grasping all possible -aspects and relationships of the subject--the evidence upon which -alleged facts might be founded, the authority upon which each opinion -might rest--so that at the close of the long and studious interview he -was as well informed upon the subjects discussed as were the most -learned ecclesiastics of his generation. - -"I perceive," he said to Eusebius, "that thou art an advocate of the -opinion of Arius the Libyan, concerning what Hosius calleth the Holy -Trinity?" - -"Yea!" answered the bishop; "for neither do the Gospels teach me, nor -can the aid of reason enable me to understand that three are one any -more than that one is three; nor can I evade the fact that 'Father' and -'Son' are terms which of necessity imply that the Father antedates the -Son; nor can I believe that God the Father lived in our flesh and died -upon the cross. So that, whenever the 'Arian heresy,' as they call it, -shall be heard before a general council, I shall be numbered among the -heterodox, if it is indeed possible that any council shall ever condemn -the grand Libyan's doctrines!" - -"I regret much," replied the emperor, "that thy conscience leadeth thee -in that direction, although the fact must never become a cause of -difference between thee and me. For, while I would yield cheerful -acquiescence to thy superior learning about all merely religious -questions, I perceive already that the political aspects of this -controversy will make it politic for me to maintain the opinions of -Hosius and his party." - -"What possible political significance can exist in such an abstract -dispute about matters of theological faith and doctrine?" - -Constantine laughed pleasantly, and answered: "Of course, a pious and -learned bishop would sooner perceive the minutest ramifications of the -theological roots of any question than to grasp its most palpable -political outgrowth. I will tell thee, bishop, but the communication is -for thee alone. As to the paschal controversy, it is a mere matter of -sentiment or feeling between those who do not wish to follow the Jews in -fixing the time of its observance, and desire to have some period -assigned by the Christian authority, on the one hand; and, on the other, -those who are unwilling to depart from the practice of three centuries -for any reason--but these differences can be easily reconciled. But, as -to this other controversy, it is of an essentially different kind. Thy -statement of it revealed to me the salient fact that the doctrine of -Arius is that of the Eastern Church, the doctrine of Hosius that of the -Western; and a geographical line might almost be run through the faith -upon this question--Arius and his party upon one side, Hosius and his -upon the other--and along the line itself many who are not the partisans -of either opinion. Thou seest, therefore, that it is really a question -between two empires, and, whenever it shall be determined, a proper -regard for the prestige of mine own empire requires me to see that the -decision shall be in favor of the Western Church. Dost thou now -perceive one plainest and least important point of its political -bearings?" - -"Yea, verily," answered Eusebius. "But it had not occurred to me -before!" - -"After the matter shall have been accomplished," said Constantine, "many -others shall also see it, but not just yet; for it is the business of -him who is fit to rule not only to see, but to foresee, whatever may -concern his empire!" - -"Thou alone hast seen it yet," replied the bishop. "But what other -political significance can the controversy possibly possess?" - -"Ah! bishop," said the emperor, "it is the great question of our age. -It involves in itself the whole field of controversy between the old -civilizations and the new; between paganism and Christianity; between -Jesus Christ and the rulers of mankind. The doctrines of Arius are the -utterances of that primitive Christianity which proclaimed the -fraternity of all men, condemned war, slavery, and private-property -rights. It maintaineth Jesus as the king of a kingdom established in -the world; a real and actual government among the Christian communities, -which may yield obedience to laws that do not fetter conscience, but -does not acknowledge allegiance to any human emperor or king. Its -universal prevalence would speedily render all government over the -people ridiculous and unnecessary; for Christ would be the only king, -and all men brethren, free and equal, as was the case in Moasia, under -the apostolical Ulfilas, until I was constrained to send an army thither -and force the Goths to give up their communal organization, and adopt -the Roman laws and customs. The system of Arius, primitive Christianity, -dear bishop, would leave no room for Constantine on earth. But the -doctrine of Hosius, by elevating Jesus to actual Godhead, leaveth his -earthly career a mere manifestation, or appearance, of the divine in -human flesh; and, since the God hath returned to his former ineffable -condition, it leaveth his kingdom to be only a pure and lofty spiritual -phantasm--and leaves mankind for Constantine to govern. Thou seest that -there can be no rivalry between the Christianity of Hosius and the -sovereigns of this world, while the faith of Arius would soon subvert -all human governments, and dethrone every prince on earth. Beyond any -question, the emperors, from Nero to my own times, sought only to -preserve the empire by persecuting the Christians, and properly -described Christianity as 'a baleful and malignant superstition,' 'a -criminal association,' 'a new society that departed from the laws and -ceremonies of our fathers, inventing a new government for itself -inconsistent with the imperial laws and rights.' They understood that -Roman sovereignty could not maintain itself against a rapidly increasing -association that proposed to abolish war, slavery, private rights of -property, offices, rank, and prerogative; and they tried to stamp it out -of existence. These emperors strove to defend the empire by -exterminating the Christians; if they had been greater men, they would -have adopted the new religion, pruned it of all doctrines that might -menace the imperial authority, translating Jesus to the highest heaven, -and taking for themselves his place upon the earth--as I have done. I -am, therefore, the champion of the Holy Trinity, as Hosius hath defined -it; and at the right time Arius must be condemned as a heretic. For I -will no more suffer him to build up the churches of the East upon this -basis of primitive Christianity than I would suffer Ulfilas to -accomplish a similar purpose among the Gothic tribes. Dost thou now -perceive the political significancy of this Arian heresy, my dear -bishop?" - -But Eusebius stood before the emperor pale and trembling, the cold -perspiration standing in great drops upon his pallid brow. For a moment -an awful mist of horror enveloped his struggling soul. Had he, then, -made a terrible mistake in using his own large abilities and influence -to place the persecuted saints under the protection of the grand and -humane emperor? Had he betrayed the Church of Christ, and lost his own -soul, in bringing about that union of ecclesiastical and imperial -authority which made the kingdom of heaven an appanage of the Roman -emperor, and had secured safety, peace, and glory, for the Christians by -giving to Constantine the place that should belong only to Jesus Christ? -Had he indeed been overreached and manipulated by this most able of -mankind for his own political purposes, even while he thought himself to -be using Constantine for the glory of God and for the edification of the -Church? Sick, doubtful, terrified, he faintly answered: "But the things -which thou sayest the doctrines of Arius would accomplish are precisely -the triumph which our Lord did promise to the Church, and which he -pledged his divinity to achieve! Surely Arius must be right! War, -slavery, and mammon-worship, must be banished out of the world! Mankind -must become brethren in the Lord! The Church must triumph, and Christ -must be the only king!" - -"Not in my time!" said Constantine, with the calmness and firmness of -mature and deliberate conviction; "not while I live! The empire shall -be mine own. I will yield my right to no man, human or divine! Let the -Church grow and prepare for future triumph over earthly sovereignty when -the scepter shall be held by some more weak and nerveless hand than -mine. I will govern while I live, both church and state, in spite of -gods or demons!" - -The bishop made no answer. A terrible error into which he had gone with -glad heart and exuberant hope seemed palpably revealed to him. He was -utterly cowed and humbled. With a crushing sense of self-abasement, -shame, mortification, repentance, almost crime, he realized the fact -that, compared with that colossal man, who amused himself by playing -with the loftiest emotions of the human soul as he did with his -ever-victorious legions--a man who, under his calm, grand bearing, -concealed a devil of ambition that was ready to mock at all that men -hold sacred, and even to hurl his phalanx against Christ himself--he -felt like a child, a pygmy. - -With ashy lips he murmured: "Almost thou hast defied the Son of God! -Beware!" - -Then, with a singular smile that had in its beauty and light something -of lofty mournfulness, the emperor answered: "And if I should do so, -dear bishop, what then? Jesus hath no power against me except through -thaumaturgy, and thou dost know that thaumaturgy faded out when the -Church abandoned that communal system upon which Arius insisteth yet so -manfully. I have made my choice, and will abide the issue, bishop. -Thou knowest that I never was baptized. I might have been a Christian, -but I preferred to reign over the Roman Empire; and I will reign until -the end." - -Ah! for him, then, with all the glad assurance born of utter ignorance -that such a being could exist among mankind, the bishop had carefully -freighted "the old ship Zion" with the godless furniture of Roman law -and custom, its statutes of slavery, its laws and usages of war and -conquest, its idolatrous system of private-property rights, titles, -prerogatives, political and social class distinctions between those whom -God made to be brethren, out of which idolatry the sorrow of the world -had grown, from all of which Jesus had died to ransom a fallen race. He -had unwittingly launched the freighted ship upon the troubled sea of -earthly politics. Thinking that he would win the Roman Empire for the -Church, he had betrayed and sold the cause of Christ to Constantine. -Thinking that he guided and controlled the emperor, he had labored with -all diligence to make himself the master's slave. He knew it now only -too well--he knew that Constantine had always known it; and, appalled by -the vast resources of that greatest of mankind, crushed by the sense of -his amazing genius, he seemed unto himself to grow small, contemptible, -and weak. - -And the ship of the Church? Would she go down forever in the troubled -waters, amid the stormy strife for worldly gains and power? Or would -she yet, somehow, sometime, somewhere, outride the tempests, and in some -unknown and distant clime reach into a safe haven? "Not in my time," -said Constantine; "not while I live!" When, then? - -These bitter meditations were broken by the calm, sweet voice of -Constantine: "Bishop, thou must perceive for thyself that the radical -polity of the primitive Christianity to which Arius cleaves -unswervingly, and which Ulfilas founded among the Goths so firmly that I -had to send the legions thither to uproot it, was somewhat fanatical, or -at least premature, and not suited to the every-day life of selfish and -wicked men. Thou must perceive, also, with equal clearness, that the -splendid ecclesiasticism which I have established throughout the Western -Empire in place of the primitive religion is vastly better for mankind -than any system ever before attempted, and that it should be speedily -extended over all the East. What future, grander developments await the -Church, no mortal can foretell. For the present, I desire of thee to -seek means whereby to fan the flame of this Arian controversy: it must -not die out until it can be summoned before an imperial council, and -receive formal condemnation at the mouths of all the bishops called into -a synod by the Emperor of the west!" - -"And if, when the council shall have been convened, its members shall -sustain Arius, what then?" - -"A religious war, perhaps," answered Constantine, "or a return unto the -pagan gods; both dreadful alternatives, which the Church and the empire -should regard with equal horror. But the council will never so decide. -I answer for its action; only keep thou the flame of controversy burning -until the proper hour arrives!" - -"I will contrive means that shall not fail to do so," answered Eusebius, -and, bowing low, at a sign from the emperor he withdrew, overwhelmed -with the perception of that calm, relentless, almost superhuman sagacity -which Constantine had permitted him to see. - -"Yea!" murmured Eusebius, "I will fan this flame of controversy! It -shall blaze throughout the Church! And it may even happen that -Constantine, although the greatest of the human race, is not a match for -God. Who knows? Thaumaturgy may be restored to the Church, or, even -if, as Constantine asserteth, the kingdom of our Lord was prematurely -established, the spiritual truth of the gospel will sometime educate -mankind up to the ultimate reception of its socialism and politics. And -to this end it shall be my task before I die to organize within the -bosom of the Church sacred brotherhoods, bound by holy ties of chastity, -obedience, and poverty, to keep alive forever the memory of that -communal system upon which Christ founded his kingdom. At all events, -there is no possibility of going backward now; and more than ever do I -desire to see Constantine obtain the sovereignty of the East. And now -for Nicomedia!" - -That very day the bishop set out upon his dangerous mission, to concert -measures by which to neutralize the naval power of the Emperor Licinius. - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - - THE PROPHECY OF GAIUS. - - -Proceeding, therefore, with all diligence, not very many days afterward, -the Bishop of Caesarea arrived at Nicomedia, and straightway, by the use -of certain secret means of communication which were well known to all -Christians, he found, and took up his abode with Eusebius of that city; -and they together discussed at great length what means might be used to -neutralize the naval power of the tyrant Licinius. - -Eusebius of Caesarea had been absent for many months, and Constantine -had begun to grow impatient at his long delay, during which he had -received no tidings from the bishop personally, and had heard nothing -concerning him, except that he was quietly residing in the city with the -other Eusebius. And the emperor, who valued his bishop highly, and -enjoyed his companionship more than that of any other man, began to fear -that the revelation of his own real character and purposes, which he had -made at their last memorable interview, had alienated his friend -forever, and thereby deprived himself of the services which he deemed to -be almost invaluable. It gave him unmingled pleasure, therefore, to -receive upon a certain day a written message that "Eusebius, Bishop of -Nicomedia, sent by his brother Eusebius Pamphilus, craves audience of -the emperor." Constantine eagerly ordered that he be admitted, and, -having dismissed all others, he gave the bishop a very cordial greeting, -and then said, with greatest interest and solicitude: "Tell me first of -all of thy brother, my friend the Bishop of Caesarea! Where now is the -holy and able man? Is he well? What doeth he?" - -The bishop was somewhat lacking in the courtly elegance that -characterized his brother, but still had a certain ease born of good -sense and honesty of purpose, and he answered in a straightforward and -intelligent way that pleased Constantine, and enabled him instantly to -"take the measure of the man," and value him at once at his full worth, -a thing he was not always able to do with the other Eusebius. - -"The bishop, my brother, fared well when I last saw him. We parted at -Nicomedia--he to go unto Alexandria, 'upon the emperor's business,' he -said; I to come hither by his desire. He sendeth love and reverence -unto thee, 'the greatest of mankind,' as he saith; and hath sent me -hither because he thought that the things which I am requested to tell -thee ought not to be committed to writing, nor intrusted to any ordinary -messenger. Whenever thou desirest to hear it, I will briefly narrate -what hath happened at Nicomedia." - -"I am alone with thee, bishop, to hear thy report. Proceed with thy -narrative at once. But first be thou seated, and partake of such -refreshments as thou wilt." - -"Nay," answered the bishop, "I need naught except thine own attention." - -"Then sit thou there, and count upon an eager listener." - -"The business upon which thy bishop came unto me having been carefully -unfolded by him, the delay therein was caused by the necessity of -sending far beyond Antioch for a fitting person to accomplish that upon -which we had agreed as necessary for thy service; but it hath been done. -The great fleet of the Emperor Licinius hath been so far neutralized -that not a ship thereof will cross the sea to molest thy coasts if there -should be war. On that thou mayst implicitly rely." - -"Tell me the means by which this most important work hath been -accomplished; and spare thou no details of the business: my only wish -now is to hear thee fully!" - -"It happened more than a year ago," said the bishop, "that I received -letters from a presbyter at Chalcis, far beyond Antioch in Syria, -concerning a most singular youth of that village, who was an -epileptic--a devout Christian, but of strange fancies and of -extraordinary appearance. This lad, the presbyter informed me, during -the paroxysms of his disease seemed to be possessed by some sort of a -spirit of divination, and the Church there had vainly attempted to -exorcise the spirit; for thaumaturgy hath recently been lost. But the -presbyter himself had little faith in his prophetic powers, because he -had discovered that it was possible, by strongly impressing the mind of -the youth, before the paroxysms came upon him, with some peculiar and -striking thought, to anticipate the subject, and often even the very -words, of his supposed prophetic ravings. Now, when the bishop unfolded -to me what he desired to attempt for thy service, I at once thought of -this Syrian youth, and judged that he might be advantageously used -therein. The sending of a messenger to Chalcis for him wrought some -delay, and, when the messenger reached that place, the youth had gone -elsewhere; and it was a work of time to discover him, and might, indeed, -have been impossible, but for a certain notoriety bestowed upon him by -the strange misfortune under which he labored. And, after we had -received the youth at Nicomedia, it was a work of time, and care, and -patience, to secure his entire confidence, and train him properly for -the business we had undertaken. Do I state the matter too minutely for -thy patience?" - -"Nay," said Constantine; "it is wonderfully interesting. Thou need have -no fear that thy narrative will weary me: I do desire to hear thee -fully." - -"We found by frequent experiments," continued Eusebius, "that the -paroxysms of the youth's disease were not strictly periodical, but that -any sudden, strong emotion was liable to bring on an attack. We found -that when we had made him memorize certain words beforehand, he was -liable, on the increment of his disease, to repeat just those words in a -sort of chanting tone, the melody and manner of which were very -impressive, even when the words themselves were unmeaning. We found -that he was ready to do or suffer anything if persuaded that it would be -for the good of the Church. We kept the youth in safe retreat, -carefully secluded, so that he might remain entirely unknown in -Nicomedia. We then constantly assured him that God was able to -accomplish his own designs by using even the most humble agencies, and -that no man had the right to look upon himself as a being too -insignificant to work for the glory of his Creator; and that even he, -although sorely afflicted, by zeal and faithfulness might be able some -time to perform a great service to the persecuted Church. He eagerly -inquired how that might be, and was manifestly ready to seek for -martyrdom if that had been the duty enjoined upon him. But we carefully -impressed upon him that all that was required of him was to memorize and -constantly repeat a certain form of words that we dictated to him; to -meditate upon them day and night; to suffer nothing else to occupy his -thoughts; and to wait in faith and hope the result of this discipline. -We instructed him that, if any one should ask him about the words he -might utter when the fit was on him, to say nothing, except that he was -moved so to speak; if any should ask him whom he knew in Nicomedia, he -was to answer, 'Eusebius the bishop'; and that in answer to every -question put to him he should tell the exact truth. We soon found that, -whenever he suffered under a paroxysm of his malady, he would fall to -the ground and presently repeat in that sad, wailing chant that seemed -to be natural to him, the very words which we had dictated to him, and -no others." - -"What words were these?" asked Constantine. - -"The words," replied Eusebius, "were as follows: 'Joy to the land of -Syria! Joy to the holy ones of Egypt! for their deliverer cometh! When -the great ships shall cross the middle sea, the tyrant's power shall -fail, and a holy emperor shall add the East unto his Western Empire! Joy -to Syria and to Egypt, when the great ships shall cross the middle sea!' - -"Having experimented with the lad until it seemed to be morally certain -that, under the influence of a paroxysm of his disease, he would chant -these words only, we directed him to go daily to the gate which opened -into the grounds surrounding the imperial palace at Nicomedia, until he -might see the Emperor Licinius about to come forth, and that then he -should boldly force his way through the gates, at any hazard, without -offering salutations or explanation to any one. This the youth promised -faithfully to do; and it happened that, the first time he went thither, -he saw one whom he supposed to be the emperor, coming forth accompanied -by a throng of attendants, and he rushed forward so impetuously that the -emperor was compelled to give place to him; and then a soldier knocked -down the poor lad with the pole of his pike. Licinius stopped to -ascertain the meaning of an intrusion so bold and unusual, and the pain -of the blow and the excitement of the situation brought upon the youth -one of his strange attacks, and while he lay writhing and twisting about -upon the paving-stones, in a loud, weird voice, whose unearthly melody -filled all the place, he chanted the words that had been taught to him: -'Joy to the land of Syria! Joy to the holy ones of Egypt! for their -deliverer cometh! When the great ships shall cross the middle sea, the -tyrant's power shall fail, and a holy emperor shall add the East unto -his Western Empire! Joy to Syria and to Egypt, when the great ships -shall cross the middle sea!' Then a centurion sprang forward, and would -have slain the youth with his sword, but Licinius waved him off, and -stood looking upon the singular lad with interest and wonder. And the -youth flopped up off of the ground like a fish, and fell back heavily, -and almost immediately resumed his wild, sweet chanting of the self-same -words; and a profound silence obtained until his song was ended. And -very soon that paroxysm passed off, and the lad arose, and looked about -him, as if he knew not where he was nor how he came to be there." - -Constantine laughed a low, joyous, almost boyish laugh, exclaiming: "A -superb performance, indeed! A masterly thing! But continue thy most -welcome narrative!" - -"Then the Emperor Licinius, whose features are bronzed, and hard, and -cruel, looked steadily upon the abashed young man, saying in a stern, -imperious voice, 'Who art thou?' - -"And the lad answered, 'I am Gaius, a poor youth of Chalcis in Syria!' - -"'Knowest thou to whom thou art speaking?' - -"'Nay, verily,' answered Gaius, 'but I suppose thee to be the emperor!' - -"'What is thy business in Nicomedia?' - -"'I have no business anywhere,' said the lad. 'I am diseased, an -invalid, an epileptic, and am incapacitated for business. Verily I came -unto Nicomedia hoping to be cured of this fearful malady.' - -"'What brought thee unto our palace-gates?' - -"'I came hither to look upon the emperor, having never seen so great a -man; but some cowardly brute did strike me down with a pike!' - -"'Why didst thou chant such things as thou hast done even in mine own -presence?' - -"'What things did I chant? I know not, for the hard blow brought upon -me an attack of the epilepsy, and while it continueth I know not what I -say, but speak only as I am moved to speak!' - -"'What, then, moveth thee to chant at all?' - -"'I know not, nor do I even know that I have done so, unless some one -who hath heard me informeth me thereof!' - -"'Whom knowest thou in my city of Nicomedia?' - -"'None save the Bishop Eusebius!' - -"'Art thou, then, a Christian?' - -"'Yea! Thanks to the boundless mercy of our Lord!' - -"Then said the emperor: 'Let immediate search be made for this Eusebius, -and let him be straightway brought before me. Keep ye this boy in -strictest prison, but use him kindly; for it may be that he hath a -demon!' - -"I did not choose to be found upon that day, although the city was -sifted well for that purpose. And upon the next day, Licinius caused -the lad Gaius to be brought before him, and he spoke kindly unto him, -saying: 'Thou art a strange and interesting youth, and I desire to take -thee into my service, and to attach thee unto myself, and to care for -thee well. Hast thou memory good enough to keep in thy mind for me a -catalogue of more than three hundred ships?' - -"'I know not,' said the lad. 'At school I learned rapidly and retained -well all that I acquired; but I fear that the malady wherewith I am -afflicted hath injured both mind and body.' - -"'Let me test thy memory somewhat to ascertain thy capacity for the -service I would have thee render. Canst thou name the stations and -distances upon the road from Chalcis unto Antioch, and thence unto the -sea?' - -"And the boy gave the whole itinerary correctly. And the emperor asked -of him a great many questions with exceeding affability, and finally -said unto him: 'Thou hast a fine, retentive memory, and I will make a -man of thee. See, now, how much thou canst remember of the song which -thou didst twice chant on yesterday!' - -"But the lad said: 'I know not the words at all, and know not that I did -chant at all. All that occurreth when the fit is upon me is blankness -and darkness, so that I know nothing, and suffer not, and if fire were -put upon me, I would not feel any pain so long as the paroxysm -continueth!' - -"Then the emperor gave way to wrath, and shouted furiously: 'Thou liest, -villain! Thou seekest to deceive me! Repeat thy chant instantly, or I -will put thee to torture to extract the truth!' - -"Then the boy grew very pale, and trembled, but he only answered: 'Thou -demandest of me that which is impossible! I do not know the words, and -can not repeat them, though thou shouldst slay me!' - -"Then cried out the emperor, 'Bring thumb-screws hither, and torment -this wretch!' - -"Then one put upon his thumb that cruel screw, and twisted hard upon it, -and the boy shrieked with pain. Then the fit came upon him, and he fell -headlong upon the floor, and the torturer removed the screw. And -immediately the boy began, in a clear, sweet voice that filled the great -hall with music, to chant the same words again: 'Joy to the land of -Syria! Joy to the holy ones of Egypt!'--and the emperor sprang forward, -and with the point of a dagger he tore up a finger-nail of the boy, -watching his face intently; but the lad's countenance changed not, and -he continued his chant evenly and serenely. And the emperor commanded -that fire be brought to him in a brazier, and he laid a coal thereof -upon the boy's naked breast, and blew upon it until the burned flesh -smelled all about, but the boy showed no consciousness of pain, and -continued to chant sweetly until his song was ended. And for a short -space the lad lay as one dead, and then a strong convulsion contorted -his limbs, and lifted him from the floor, and violently cast him down -again; and then once more he chanted the same words, and the emperor -listened and watched him with fear and wonder. And when the attack had -passed away, Licinius said: 'Let this boy be guarded carefully, but let -him be treated with the greatest kindness; for surely, beyond any doubt, -he hath a demon!' - -"And the lictors with great astonishment and fear led the boy away. - -"And having been fully informed of all these things on the same night, -by a Christian whom we had allowed to sacrifice and so retain his place -in the palace, for the good of the Church, upon the next morning went I -up to the gates and boldly demanded admission, declaring to the -centurion on duty who I was, and that I had been informed that the -emperor was seeking me throughout the city; and speedily they brought me -into the presence of Licinius, and he said, 'Art thou Eusebius, the -Bishop of Nicomedia?' - -"'Yea, I am he!' - -"'And like all of thy treasonable sect, that lurk within my city of -Nicomedia, thou art still offering up prayers for the Emperor -Constantine?' - -"'Yea, doubtless!' - -"'And thou dost not pray for me, nor propitiate God for me, thine own -lawful emperor, at all?' - -"'Yea, daily I pray God for thee that he would soften thy flinty heart, -and turn thee from the devices of wickedness unto the wisdom of the -just!' - -"'But thou prayest not for my prosperity, and for the glory and -perpetuity of mine empire?' - -"'Nay, verily. I have no faith to pray for the triumph of the cruel and -of the wicked!' - -"Then said he, 'Dost thou know the boy Gaius of Chalcis?' - -"'Yea! He was with me at my house until the third day past, but he hath -disappeared, and I am anxious concerning him.' - -"'Is there anything peculiar about the boy?' - -"'He hath a peculiar and terrible malady called epilepsy!' - -"And then attentively regarding me with his hard and searching eyes, he -said, 'Doth the boy prophesy?' - -"'When he hath a paroxysm of his disease he customarily chanteth strange -things which some esteem to be prophecies; but whether his sayings be -truly prophetic or not I can not inform thee.' - -"'Perhaps thou dost remember the words of some of his pretended -prophecies?' - -"'Yea, verily! For since he hath been with me he hath hardly ever -chanted anything but a certain song which I have heard him repeat very -often when the disease taketh him.' - -"'Repeat thou those words!' - -"Then with a certain show of exultation I chanted the same words that -Gaius had uttered, and, when I had finished, Licinius cried out -fiercely, 'Thou dost believe, indeed, that the words of Gaius are a sure -prophecy, and thou dost rejoice at my threatened overthrow!' - -"I looked smilingly upon the emperor, but made no answer; and thereupon -he fell into a great rage and said unto me, grimly enough: 'Thou art a -tall man, bishop! Verily, I think thou art fully a head too tall, and -this day I will reduce thee to a more proper stature by cutting off thy -head'; and when he saw that I was unterrified by this threat, he added, -'And the boy's head also!' - -"Then gazing fixedly upon him, I did say: 'Surely thou mayst do so, for -thou art a blood-soaked, merciless tyrant enough for any crime. But -this deed would make thee contemptible; for it would prove that thou art -not only a tyrant, but also a fool!' - -"Then turning almost livid with suppressed wrath, he cried out, 'What -dost thou mean, thou insolent?' - -"'I mean that some years ago when the bold and eloquent preaching of the -brave and righteous presbyter, Arius the Libyan, did operate to save for -thee a large part of thy fleet, thou didst order that he should never be -molested in the public discharge of the duties of his sacred office; -wherefore, even the Christians, who knew thee to be a bloody tyrant, and -a desecrator of the sacrament of marriage by an infamous law, and a -violator of all the sanctities and decencies of life, still did give -thee credit for intelligence. But if now thou shalt murder those who, -even unintentionally, have given thee warning in time to save thy whole -navy, all men will regard thee as an idiot.' - -"'How save my whole navy?' - -"'By keeping the ships thereof upon thine own side of the Mediterranean; -for the words are, "_when_ the great ships shall cross the middle sea," -and perhaps it may signify not until _then_?' - -"'By Jupiter Stator,' he answered, vehemently, 'I think that thou art -right! And that accursed "when" shall never happen. For this honest -saying of thine, thou mayst go hence free, and take the lad Gaius with -thee!' - -"And thereupon I withdrew; but I am certainly advised that his purpose -holds good never to send his fleet across the Mediterranean." - -"How dost thou know that?" asked Constantine, eagerly. - -"We waited many weeks," replied Eusebius, "to obtain some reliable -indications of his purposes; but the Emperor Licinius is a great -commander, and men drilled in military services talk cautiously even -when drunk, as he frequently is, so that we got nothing. Finally, a -centurion came one night to mine abode, which I had caused to be -publicly known, and with great courtesy informed me that the emperor had -sent him to bring me into his presence. Having dismissed all others, as -if the matter were most secret, he said: 'I know ye Christian bishops -love not me, and that ye offer prayers for Constantine; yet I do not -think that thou wouldst lie to me. I therefore tell thee that, since -thou wert last before me, I sent an embassy secretly unto the oracle at -Delphi, with many costly gifts, asking of the oracle what success I -would have if I should send my navy against the Western Empire; and I -desire thee to read and to construe the answer of the god.' Then he -gave unto me a parchment on which was written, 'When the navy of the -Emperor Licinius shall pass over the sea to war with the Emperor -Constantine, his empire shall be overthrown.' I read the oracle, and -laughed. Then said I unto him: 'Like all of the pretended oracles of the -heathen, it is simply an evasion. Of course, if two great emperors -engage in war, one of them must be overthrown. This oracle saith not -which of them. If the Western Empire be defeated, the priests will say, -"We foretold that." But if the Eastern Empire shall be subverted, they -will just as truly say, "We foretold that."' - -"'Art thou certain that the language bears one construction as naturally -and grammatically as it does the other?' - -"'Assuredly so! The Latin infinitive mood with the accusative case -possesses a wonderful facility for such a construction as may signify -either one thing or the other.' - -"Then he gave way to sudden wrath, and cried aloud: 'Curses on the -lying, cheating oracles by which so many mighty men have been lured into -destruction!' And, fixing his eyes upon me, he continued, 'Was there -any such ambiguity in what thy boy Gaius chanted?' - -"'Nay, verily,' I answered. 'He said, "A holy emperor shall add the -East unto his Western Empire." Thou canst not add the East unto -anything, although thou mightest add something to the East; but canst -add nothing to the Western Empire, which is not thine own, and thou art -not a "holy emperor!"' - -"'It is only a cursed trick of the oracle to lure me on to ruin!' he -exclaimed. 'The Emperor Constantine hath bribed the god to influence me -so that he may invade and overthrow mine empire while my fleet is far -away. I will keep mine own coasts safe with wooden walls henceforth, -and not a ship shall cross the middle sea.' - -"Then he said unto me: 'Thou seem'st an honest and fair-minded man, and -henceforth thou may'st practice thy religion publicly in my city of -Nicomedia without fear or molestation. So fare thee well.' - -"I think that this completeth my account, except I should add that from -the very beginning of this matter the Emperor Licinius hath zealously -endeavored to keep it all profoundly secret, so that it is known to very -few." - -Then said Constantine unto the bishop: "What didst thou mean by saying -to the emperor, 'The Christians who knew thee to be a bloody tyrant, and -the desecrator of the sacrament of marriage by an infamous law'? What -law was that?" - -And Eusebius answered: "He hath revived the former law of Maximin, that -'no woman of rank should marry without the emperor's consent,' and for -the same infamous purpose, _ut ipse in omnibus nuptiis proegustator -esset_; and this licentiousness hath done more to set the Church against -the emperor than even the murder of the bishops." - -"How strange," said Constantine, "that men should think themselves fit -to govern an empire who can not even govern their own brutal passions!" - -Then the great emperor indulged in long-continued laughter, not loud nor -vociferous, but quiet, hearty, joyous, and exultant. But, soon resuming -his usual equanimity, he said unto the bishop: "Thou art the most -welcome messenger that hath ever come unto me since thy brother of -Caesarea did first visit me in Gaul before the overthrow of Maxentius. -Tell me what great favor worthy of Rome's emperor I can do for thee." - -Then Eusebius, with glowing countenance, bent low, and seizing the -emperor's hand he kissed it fervently, exclaiming, "Stretch forth thy -mighty hand, Augustus, and free the persecuted churches of the East!" - -Constantine was deeply moved, and answered: "It shall be done, bishop! -Trust me, it shall be done! But I have given order for thy fitting -entertainment, and while thou shalt rest and refresh thyself, think of -some personal favor I can do for thee." - -Eusebius bowed gravely and withdrew. - -The emperor was alone, seated, buried in profoundest meditation. For a -long time he was silent, and then his deep thought found utterance in -murmured words: "A wonderful faith, truly, that can bind the heart and -intellect of even able men like the Eusebii in absolute slavery to an -idea, so that Christ and the Church are first in all their thoughts and -purposes; and ease, comfort, wealth, and power, and even life and death, -are trifling things compared therewith! If any God exists, these -Christians surely have discovered him in Jesus. But I am sufficient for -myself, and need no Deity." - -Then he was silent again for some time longer. But suddenly he gave way -to jubilant merriment, murmuring amid his laughter: "It was a superb -farce, that prophecy of Gaius! Better than the _Legio Fulminea_. Better -even than the Labarum! Surely the fine, Grecian hand of my Eusebius -hath only acquired a more delicate touch with his advancing years!" And -the great emperor continued to laugh merrily. - -But neither pain nor pleasure ever interfered with the grand game of -empire; and before midnight orders had been framed and issued by which -the veteran legions of Hispania, Gaul, and Germany were to be gradually -replaced by more recent levies; by which the brave and hardy Goths were -put upon the most rigid military discipline; and by which all the chosen -troops, upon whose skill and valor the unconquerable leader would be -willing to stake the sovereignty of the world, were slowly concentrated -to the eastward of Milan by a quiet, steady, unostentatious military -movement that consumed months in its accomplishment and scarcely excited -the suspicions of even the vigilant and intelligent agents of the -Emperor Licinius. - - - - - CHAPTER V. - - A BORN ECCLESIASTIC. - - -In the year A.D. 319, Alexander, the old and pious Bishop of Alexandria, -having become imbued with that Trinitarianism which began to assume a -sort of doctrinal prominence in the Western Church even from the time -when Constantine had defeated Maxentius and had so become Emperor of -Rome, publicly proclaimed this dogma wherever he went. During that -year, upon one of his episcopal visits, he preached in the Baucalis -church a sermon which gave great offense to Arius the Libyan, who was -presbyter thereof, and to many of the vast and opulent congregation. -Upon the following Sabbath the presbyter had delivered an elaborate -discourse, in the course of which he inveighed with great force and -earnestness against some "expounders of new doctrines who had grown too -learned in the philosophy of the world, and too much in love with the -political and legal religion which had been established in place of -Christianity in the Western Empire to remain satisfied with the simple, -unquestionable statement of the Gospels that Jesus Christ was the Son of -God; and had gone about to trouble the faith and harass the consciences -of believers by novel and dangerous speculations concerning the nature -of Deity that were not taught in the Scriptures and were unknown to -three centuries of Christian faith and practice." And, although Arius -mentioned not the venerable bishop by name, no one doubted for whom his -fierce rebuke was intended, and understood perfectly well what doctrinal -deliverances he condemned as "the philosophy of the world," as "the -political and legal religion which had been established in the Western -Empire," and as "not taught in the Scriptures," and as "unknown to three -centuries of Christian faith and practice." To this sermon the bishop -subsequently replied in language of even greater vehemence; and before -very long there was a continuous controversy going on between them, in -which numerous Christians engaged on both sides, until it spread -throughout the churches and grew into heated and sometimes acrimonious -disputations. Nearly all the Romans in Alexandria took part with the -bishop, and urged him earnestly in the prosecution of the controversy, -while the native Christians, for the most part, clave unto Arius; and -the word "foreigner," which before that time was never applied by one -Christian to another (for they were all brethren), quickly crept into -common use. - -The superior learning, zeal, and influence of the presbyter greatly -outweighed the personal and episcopal power of the bishop, and a vast -majority of the Alexandrian clergy and laity sustained the views of -Arius as the only true doctrine of the Scriptures, as approved by the -ancient and constant teachings of the Church; and the controversy might -have sunk into oblivion but for the "foreign" element, many of whom -really seemed to make it their chief vocation to proclaim the great -truth of "the Holy Trinity," and to utter eloquent panegyrics upon the -character of Constantine the Emperor of Rome. Under these influences -each party steadily maintained its own opinions, and the matter remained -in this condition until Eusebius of Caesarea, having parted from the -other Eusebius at Nicomedia, had journeyed unto Alexandria to redeem his -promise made to the emperor that the flame of controversy should be kept -burning until a general council could be convoked to determine it. -Eusebius very soon comprehended the situation, and speedily reached the -conclusion that even his superior official station and the support of -the "foreigners" would not enable the bishop long to maintain himself -against the vast power and influence of the presbyter without efficient -aid. That, he thought, could not be effectively rendered except by some -man of rare abilities, who might combine in himself all the -characteristics of a courtier as well as of a priest, for the "foreign -element" was already largely secularized; and he very anxiously looked -about him for some man fit to be intrusted with the task of upholding -the hands of the venerable Alexander. - -Of course our Eusebius had duly renewed his ancient friendship for -Arius, whom he loved and honored above all living men, and they had many -interesting conversations upon the condition and prospects of the -Church, and upon the present duties of the faithful pastor. Eusebius -skillfully argued in favor of accommodating priestly action to the -exigencies of social and political surroundings. Arius would hear of no -compromise upon any point of either faith or practice. "Pontius -Pilate," he vehemently exclaimed, "was the prince of compromisers when -he washed his hands of 'the innocent blood,' and delivered up our Lord -to be crucified! His successors are in all things worthy of him, -seeking both to win the world by their actions and to save their souls -by the profession of a faith which they do not practice! How fare ye -bishops under the reign of Antichrist--ye that dwell where Satan's seat -is?" - -"The Church hath prospered beyond all expectation. The bishops almost -rank with princes; the presbyters are blessed with exceeding comfort and -honor, and throughout the Western Empire the people crowd into the -churches faster than they can be built." - -Then the grim old presbyter's hand waved to and fro, and his grand, -shaggy head darted forward upon the long, lean neck, and the sad eyes -gleamed with strange, mesmeric light, and his voice hissed with sibilant -sharpness as he exclaimed: "Yea, my brother! And I have heard that your -prince-bishops own slaves and nourish concubines; and that 'the -brethren' hold estates and offices, and fleece their brethren by the -crime of usury; and that the only difference between Romans who are -Christians and those who are not subsists in the fact that one class of -them patronizes the imperial churches and professes faith in Christ, and -the other does not degrade itself and dishonor religion by any such -shams and farces! Are these things so?" - -Eusebius winced at this fierce and bitter thrust, but answered: "Some -abuses have crept in among us, in consequence of our wonderful -prosperity, which were unknown to the severity and simplicity of an -earlier age; but we have many saintly bishops, presbyters, and people; -and the evils of which thou speakest belong not to the Church, but to -the frailty of individuals." - -"Thou art verily mistaken, brother! Or what dost thou expect from a -statutory religion, from an established church of which Constantine is -king instead of Christ? I tell thee plainly that a church which -imperial authority hath legalized along with legalized war, slavery, and -mammon-worship, is not only no church of Christ, but is that Antichrist -of which John in the Apocalypse doth speak. And it shall grow -continually worse and worse." - -"I doubt not," answered Eusebius, "that it would have been better to -have preserved primitive Christianity; but the emperor is so powerful, -and ecclesiasticism hath become insensibly so firmly established, that -it is impossible now to turn back to the original system, perhaps -dangerous to attempt it." - -"Yea, dangerous," said Arius, bitterly. "For already he hath persecuted -the saints, having waged a cruel war against the Goths to overthrow the -church which Ulfilas planted among them, and force them to adopt the -Roman laws and legal religion. I look forward every year to see this -man of sin build a new capital, upon seven hills, above the sea, that -John's description of him may be made complete. Thou must follow thine -own counsel, brother. As for me, in life, in death, I am fixed in -unflinching opposition to any name of blasphemy that may be used to -designate a legal religion that sanctions war, slavery, and -mammon-worship." - -Many such conversations occurred between the bishop and Arius; but -Eusebius found that the stern old man was incapable of compromise, and -despised all expediency. - -"Yea," he would say, "I have been told that ye Western Christians -already believe that charity consisteth of alms-giving, instead of love -to the brethren! ... - -"Ye foolishly dream of converting the world," he cried, "by means of a -church founded upon Roman laws, whose faith is a mere intellectual -assent and conviction! But ye will find that instead of securing -liberty, fraternity, equality, ye have only added the bond of conscience -to bind the burdens more tightly upon the shoulders of mankind, and -furnished the new Pharisees with new power to oppress the poor.... - -"Yea, verily," he said, "ye know that faith in Christ and community of -property constituted the liberty of the gospel wherewith Jesus sought to -make man free! But ye have imported into the very bosom of the Church -all of the tyrannies, injustices, class-distinctions, and wrongs which -constitute mammon-worship and the sorrow of the world; and there is no -difference between your system and the old religions except that ye have -substituted the name of Christ for that of Jupiter and Mars in juggling -with the rights of man." - -And when Eusebius endeavored to arouse in the stern old man some -considerations of personal prudence, by intimating the probability that -Constantine might some day rule the East also, the lone and immovable -man sternly answered: - -"Yea, he will obtain the East! For he alone of all men hath never -failed in diplomacy; hath never abandoned a purpose; hath never lost a -battle, and never will! He hath sold his soul for earthly glory, and -Satan will pay to him his price." - -But although Eusebius loved to commune with the stern old man, whose -stainless integrity of character he could love and honor, but scarcely -imitate, he never forgot the object of his journey to Alexandria, and -was constantly on the lookout for some one to whom he could assign the -task of aiding the ancient Alexander in his controversy with the great -and fearless presbyter. At last he fell in with a youth who was an -archdeacon in the bishop's church, and who, although very young, was -possessed of such remarkable genius and learning, and of such -pre-eminent personal advantages, as at once to attract and astonish him, -and seemed to render him the fittest person to engage. He sedulously -cultivated the young man's friendship, and admired him more and more as -he learned more of his character and abilities. Finally, he cordially -invited the youth to make with him a visit to Constantine, and having -with much difficulty obtained the consent of the aged Alexander, who -loved the bright and accomplished youth with exceeding tenderness, they -twain departed for Milan. When the long and tedious journey had been -safely accomplished, Eusebius promptly waited upon the emperor, who -received him with fraternal cordiality. - -"Ah, thou vagabond friend," he cried, "thou runaway bishop, whom I had -almost given up for lost, give some good account of thyself, or thou -shalt never again have leave of absence, even for a day." - -"I have indeed delayed my return beyond all expectation," said the -bishop; "but I suppose that my brother of Nicomedia hath imparted all -needful information of thy lost shepherd up to the time at which I set -out for Alexandria." - -"Yea, verily," answered Constantine. "And his narrative was most -perspicuous and entertaining, and eloquent enough to draw my veteran -legions from the remotest quarters of the empire; and even now they are -slowly but steadily concentrating eastwardly, and they have a certain -Oriental bearing in their movements which would please thee mightily if -only thou wert soldier enough to perceive it." - -Both of the great men indulged in a laugh at this pleasant sally of the -emperor, who continued: "Ah! my beloved bishop, it was indeed most -delicate and superb work! Thou must henceforth insert into all the -copies of the Apocrypha 'The Prophecy of Gaius of Chalcis,' but not -during the lifetime of the Emperor Licinius, else he would decapitate -mankind to reach thy single head!" - -And again the emperor laughed like a boy, and the bishop joined in his -merriment. - -"How hast thou fared in Egypt, bishop? And what good tidings hast thou -brought me thence?" - -"I have explored the position of the controversy between the Bishop -Alexander and Arius as thoroughly as possible. I find that Alexander, -who begins greatly to feel his advanced years, is no match for the -learned, eloquent, and powerful presbyter, and that unless he receive -active, intelligent support, the controversy in Egypt and Syria will -ultimately die out for want of opposition to Arius. The aged bishop -hath been raised too much under the influence of the mighty causes which -molded the character of Arius himself, to be a fit antagonist for him; -and younger blood, warm with the new age of Constantine rather than with -that of primitive Christianity, is imperatively required. Thine agents -at Alexandria have been zealous and faithful, but a remarkable man is -needed at that place; less than genius will accomplish nothing." - -"Such men are rare enough," responded the emperor; "but surely thou must -have discovered at least one." - -"I was much troubled to find a fit agent for such a work, and finally -would not decide to fix upon the man of mine own choice without first -having given thee an opportunity to see and determine for thyself; and, -therefore, I brought him hither with me." - -"Who is the man?" - -"He is a youth, but little more than twenty years of age, but, like many -of the nameless orphans whom the Church hath raised, he is very -thoroughly educated, especially in the Scriptures. He hath natural -genius for the ministry and for politics. When he was a child, the -Bishop Alexander saw him one day baptizing other children in the bay in -sport; but the old bishop was so charmed with the solemn grace and -dignity with which the child performed the sacred rite, that he declared -the ceremony valid and took the children into his own church, and hath -raised and educated this boy with loving care and patience. He is now -an archdeacon of the bishop's congregation. Thou must not despise his -youth, for in Alexandria, which is perhaps the most intellectual city of -the world, it is commonly believed that this youth is the most eloquent, -the most intelligent, and the most beautiful of the sons of men. But I -would have thee judge for thyself. If he please thee, I advise that -thou keep with thee the most wise and learned Hosius, and through him -instruct the young archdeacon thoroughly. I decline to meddle any -further in the business, for I am both the friend of Arius and a stout -believer in his doctrine, and when the time comes will be upon his -side." - -"What is the name of this youthful paragon," said Constantine, "who hath -so mightily bewitched thee?" - -"At Alexandria they commonly call him the Christian Apollo; but his name -is Athanasius." - -"Wilt thou bring him unto me?" - -The bishop quietly withdrew, and soon returned and introduced to the -emperor a youth as perfect as an artist's dream of beauty. He was one -of the most perfect specimens of Egyptian manhood. Small of stature, -seeming to one of the emperor's magnificent proportions to be almost a -dwarf, the expression of his face was of angelic beauty. There was a -hardly perceptible stoop in his figure which gave him an appearance of -native humility; a hooked nose, clearly chiseled; a small, rosy mouth; a -short, silky beard spreading away into luxuriant whiskers; light, soft -auburn hair; large, bright, serene eyes of womanly tenderness and -purity; and limbs and features delicately but exquisitely fashioned--all -combined to confer an irresistible charm upon his person and manners. -Eusebius at once withdrew, leaving Constantine alone with the bright and -beautiful boy. The splendid youth, with a movement free alike from -shame and from audacity, but full of matchless ease and grace, darted -forward, sank lightly down upon one knee, grasped one of the emperor's -hands and kissed it--an act of homage never exacted, and seldom looked -for, from any Christian--and lifting his soft, luminous eyes toward the -emperor's face, said in tones as liquid and mellow as perfect -flute-notes: "I thank thee, Augustus, that thy kindness satisfieth one -great longing of my heart; for I have desired above all things to look -upon thy face." - -The emperor was charmed with the youth's exquisite manner and wonderful -beauty, and gently raising him replied: "I give thee back thy thanks, -lad, for surely thou art far better worth the seeing than am I. But why -didst thou kneel to me? Most Christians make it a matter of conscience -to kneel to none but God only, and I have respected their scruples." - -"I crave pardon if mine obeisance hath been offensive unto thee," the -mellifluous voice replied; "for I did but offer to thee the homage which -my heart hath taught me to be due from raw but hopeful youth to mature -and glorious manhood; from one of the very humblest of the people unto -the wisest and greatest ruler of mankind; from a young but sincere and -earnest Christian to the magnificent protector of the Church!" - -Constantine laid his hand caressingly upon the young man's glorious -head, and, laughing lightly, answered: "If thy tongue so drippeth honey, -lad, the bees will settle in thy mouth and some time, may be, sting -thee. Art thou so pleasant to all sorts of men?" - -"Why not?" responded the melodious voice. "I could love all that are -good, pity all that are evil, forgive their injuries, despise their -hate, and die, I think, to do them service if that could benefit -mankind." - -"Boy," said Constantine, gravely but pleasantly, "thou hast uttered the -profoundest secret of all true statesmanship! Who taught thee that?" - -"I think my teacher hath been Jesus Christ. But I knew not that this -sentiment was statesmanship, for I have learned it as religion." - -"Only a few of the most gifted of mankind," replied Constantine, "have -been wise enough to perceive that true religion and true statesmanship -are twins that can never be torn apart without fatal injuries to both of -them." - -"And, therefore," said Athanasius, "it follows that the wisest emperor -must also be the best; and hence the people of the Western Empire should -count themselves the most fortunate of mankind." - -"If thou dost so believe concerning the Empire of the West," said -Constantine, "perhaps thou wouldst not decline to enter the service of -its emperor in thine own country. Art thou bound by ties of love or of -allegiance to the great Emperor Licinius?" - -"Nay," replied Athanasius, "I am bound by no human allegiance other than -to obey all laws in force in the government under which I live that -conflict not with conscience. Nor have I been taught to regard one -earthly sovereign as better than another, except as the policy of the -human ruler may affect the Church favorably or unfavorably. Nor could -any temporal advantages induce me to abandon the ministry of the Church -in which I hold the humble place of an archdeacon, for I would choose -even a menial service in the temple of God rather than the most exalted -position outside of it." - -"Then," said Constantine, briefly, "thou dost decline to enter into my -service?" - -"Nay," answered Athanasius. "Thou hast thyself declared that true -religion and true statesmanship coincide throughout; and I have been -taught to regard thee as both the greatest ruler of mankind and as the -strong, unwavering defender of the faith; so that in place of declining -any services thou mayst require at my hands, I am ready to give my life -for thee; only I can not abandon the ministry, to which conscience, -inclination, and training have consecrated me; and verily a Christian -emperor hath need of faithful ministers as much as of faithful -generals." - -The eyes of Constantine sparkled with pleasure as he answered: "Thou -meanest, then, that thou wouldst labor as zealously for the glory of -mine empire within the pale of the Church as my civil officers do in the -affairs of government, or as my generals do in the military campaigns?" - -"Yea, verily!" said Athanasius; "and if it were not presumptuous in a -boy to express an opinion in the presence of one so wise and great, I -would not hesitate to declare that the victories which thou shalt gain -in aiding the Church shall be less costly, less bloody, and more -permanent, than any which thine invincible arms can ever gain by the -sword; for thou shalt win not only provinces, but hearts!" - -"Boy," cried Constantine, "thy cunning speech unveileth the secret dream -of every ruler that nature hath fitted for dominion. For he that -swayeth the scepter of empire only to acquire larger means for the -gratification of his own lust for wealth, ostentation, luxury, and -pride, is but a tyrant, however wise and strong he may be. The born -ruler lives for his people, and, as thou hast said, can not satisfy his -grand ambition unless he shall conquer hearts as well as provinces." - -"Thy thought is worthy of thy greatness," replied Athanasius, "and -showeth me that the welfare of the Church and of the emperor must be -identical in every true and proper government, so that priest and -soldier both may labor for its glory." - -"Wilt thou define, as thou dost understand it, a true and proper -government?" - -"A true and proper government, as I conceive it to be, is the just and -wise administration of all civil, military, and ecclesiastical authority -by one supreme ruler." - -The splendid face of Constantine grew bright with pleasure as he heard -this concise and luminous reply; but desiring still further to draw out -the young man's views, to which his use of the word "ecclesiastical" -(entirely new to the emperor) gave a particular value, he answered as -follows: "And which dost thou think to be of supreme authority, the -civil, military, or ecclesiastical power?" - -"Neither of them separately," replied Athanasius. "But only the ruler, -that standeth in the place of God, should be supreme. It would be gross -tyranny for the military authority to dominate the civil administration; -it would be gross impertinence for the ecclesiastical authority to -direct the armies of the empire; it would be confusion for either of -them to interfere with the domain of another. Each should operate in -its appropriate sphere, and the ruler whom God hath given should direct -the movements of them all. For he standeth in the place of God." - -"Yet," muttered Constantine to himself, "the heretic Arius saith that it -is a blasphemy for any man to seek to stand in that high place, which -belongeth unto Christ alone!" But unto Athanasius he presently made -answer: "Thou hast wisdom far beyond thine age; but in regard to these -things thou dost not agree well with the opinions of the most wise and -learned presbyter, Arius the Libyan!" - -Athanasius remained silent for some moments, looking up into the face of -the tall emperor, who was watching his beautiful countenance with -interest and curiosity, and a strange, almost indefinable expression -lighted his sparkling features. The red lips parted and very slightly -curled, but not with scorn or dislike. He had the very same expression, -perhaps, that the face of some beautiful young girl might wear if a -grandmother, whom she loved and revered, should begin to lecture her -upon the observance of some propriety which the world had outgrown since -the ancient dame had been a maiden of her own age. At last he said: -"Nay, verily. The presbyter Arius surpasseth all living men in personal -holiness; but his holiness is stern, ascetic, forbidding. He surpasseth -all men in learning; but his learning laboreth to blight and destroy all -the rare flowers of sentiment wherewith art, science, and philosophy -seek to adorn and beautify the faith. He is the most earnestly -Christian of all men; but his religion is hard, exacting, exclusive, and -refuseth to blend with the performance of the duties of faith the light -and human tenderness that endeareth piety unto the hearts of common men. -He saith that the kingdom of heaven is the only government that our Lord -established upon earth; that the Christian hath need of no other; and -that to own allegiance to an earthly sovereign, or blend his laws with -our religion, is to betray the Christ. He belongeth to a past age and -to a vanishing system, and while he is one of the ablest, purest, most -admirable Christians in the world, he is not, and never will be, an -ecclesiastic. He hath been reared up in an age of miracles and -martyrdoms, and can not comprehend the world as it is, nor the Church as -it must be and is fast becoming." - -Constantine regarded the gifted youth with wonder and delight, and -listened with joy and amazement while the fresh and silvery tongue -struck out, in forms of speech as clear and beautiful as the last coins -issued from the royal mint, thoughts which he had himself long cherished -and acted upon, but had never been able to conceive so perspicuously as -the young archdeacon uttered them. The emperor then said, "Thou -adoptest the opinions of the most learned and pious Bishop Alexander -rather than those of the primitive, inflexible, and turbulent presbyter, -dost thou not?" - -"Only to a limited extent," answered the musical voice of Athanasius. -"For our venerable bishop himself is ancient, and agreeth in many things -with the presbyter. Truly, the great advantage that Arius hath over him -consisteth in the fact that they have attended the same councils and -witnessed the same events together, and the presbyter doth continually -affirm this thing or that, and sayeth unto the bishop: 'Thou, also, wast -then present; is it true, or not, as I have stated it?' And the bishop -answereth, 'That thing I deny not, for it is true.' And then, as the -report of the thunder followeth the lightning's flash, the fierce -presbyter's conclusion striketh and overwhelmeth him. Thou canst -scarcely understand how all this may be, unless thou hast seen men and -women burned at the stake thyself, and hast heard their testimony, -sifting through the flames, that they obeyed Jesus Christ, the only -rightful King, whence they were called _martyrs_, that is, _witnesses_; -but both Alexander and Arius have beheld such things, and the influence -thereof abideth with them forever." - -Then answered Constantine: "I thank God this day that I have seen no -such events, and that no man under mine own government, or under that of -my father, the most holy Emperor Constantius, hath ever seen them. But -whence, then, hast thou learned thy views of the relation that ought to -subsist between the Church and the emperor?" - -"Chiefly from mine own thoughts, which many circumstances have provoked -to activity, especially the efforts I have made to aid our venerable -bishop. Long ago, in one of our social gatherings, when Arius did press -the bishop fiercely upon the point that Christians must have naught to -do with any government except the kingdom of heaven, which Jesus -ordained for them, I arose and asked permission to put a question, which -being granted, I said, 'If Tiberius Caesar had been a Christian, would -not our Lord have rejoiced to see him rule the world?' And for some -time the fierce man was silent." - -"And what answer did he ever make?" asked Constantine. - -"He said at last: 'And if the little foxes that destroy the vines could -have asked foolish questions in Greek, would Moses have pronounced the -animals unclean?' And I said: 'But the foxes never speak in Greek; it -is contrary to the law of nature.' And he said to me: 'Neither can an -emperor be a Christian; it is contrary to the law of Christ, which -ordaineth equality, liberty, and fraternity for all believers.' And -those of his party thought the answer to be sufficient. But, -notwithstanding, I did follow the leading of mine own thoughts, and many -things grew out of it." - -"Let not thy thoughts change their course," replied Constantine; "for -thou art altogether right. Thou shalt be my friend: remember that thou -art young, and that the pious Alexander groweth very old; so that, in -the course of nature, thou mayst live to see the episcopal throne at -Alexandria vacant; or if they have no throne there yet, one shall some -day be established. But thou hast charmed me into the neglect of other -duties. Go, now, and come again on to-morrow at the same hour." - -Then the beautiful boy again glided forward, lightly kneeled and kissed -the emperor's hand, and smilingly withdrew. - -And for many months afterward Constantine kept the young man Athanasius -with him, and also Hosius, the venerable and learned Bishop of Cordova; -and daily the youth passed some hours in conversation with the emperor -or with the bishop, or with both of them together; so that when he -returned to Alexandria his bright and wonderful intelligence was -enlarged and enlightened by the foremost thoughts concerning things both -royal and ecclesiastical that any men of that age could teach him. And -the youth bore with him a most kind and affectionate letter written to -the ancient Bishop Alexander by Constantine's own hand, and also a -beautiful communion service of silver for his church. And Athanasius -said unto Constantine almost at the moment of his departure, "Shall I -deliver unto Arius for thee any message?" - -And Constantine laughingly answered: "If the presbyter inquire of thee, -thou mayst inform him that the emperor said of him, 'There are no birds -in last year's nests.'" - -But Arius the presbyter never asked Athanasius anything about the -emperor. Even when the stern old man was told that Athanasius had been -to Milan, and had for months abode in the emperor's palace, he only -said: "The stature and Roman strength which enableth Constantine to cope -with German, Briton, and Gaul, is fitly joined to the subtilty, beauty, -and intelligence by which Athanasius typifieth the countless centuries -of Egyptian civilization; and the two, like Herod and Caiaphas, combine -against our Lord." - -From the date of the return of Athanasius, men perceived that the Bishop -Alexander became more open and explicit in his definitions of the Holy -Trinity, more pointed in his opposition to the teachings of Arius, more -eloquent in his praises of any pious emperor whom God might raise up to -free the Christians of the East and identify his government with the -Church. And Arius, having publicly taught that the unity of the Godhead -consisted in the divine nature of Father, Spirit, and Son, and not in -any blasphemous and impossible conception of the identity of them, or of -their union in one person, just as the human family consisteth of -father, mother, and son; and having gone so far as to write in a little -metrical book of doctrine that "God was, when Christ was not"; that "God -was not always Father"; and that the words "Father" and "Son," -"begotten" and "conceived," necessarily implied the "priority" of him -that begat, and of her that conceived--was by the Bishop Alexander -ordered to suspend the exercises of his functions as presbyter of the -Baucalis church. And, thereupon, the Libyan called his congregation -together and said unto them: "Brethren, Alexander the bishop hath issued -an order to suspend me from the performance of my duties as presbyter -because I do not believe, and have refused to teach, his impossible, -novel, Western, unscriptural philosophy concerning that which he calleth -'the Holy Trinity,' a phrase not found in Scripture. Ye know that the -title to the Baucalis church was placed by the martyr Theckla, who -caused it to be erected, in certain trustees of the common Church, not -in the bishop, for in those days the bishops owned nothing. Ye know -that the original members of this community (many of whom still live) -called me to be the presbyter, and that I have discharged the duties of -that place as faithfully as I was able to do by the space of nearly -thirty years. None but the trustees have authority or right to close -the church against me or my community; and I am well advised by diligent -searching of the Scriptures, and by the Christian practices of three -centuries, that no bishop hath any authority to suspend a presbyter, and -that the order made by Brother Alexander in that behalf is puerile and -void. I purpose, therefore, to continue the usual ministrations of -divine service, and all my pastoral work among you, until the Church -shall bid me to abstain; and ye who may desire so to do, can continue to -attend." - -The trustees of the Baucalis church promptly refused to close its doors -upon Arius, and his entire congregation remained steadfastly devoted to -him; and Bishop Alexander and those who followed him denounced the -Libyan as a "heretic," and began to pray for the coming of Constantine; -and wherever the influence of the Roman Empire was dominant, the "Arian -heresy" was condemned; and the flame of controversy grew fiercer and -fiercer, and spread throughout Christendom. - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - - THE ONE GREAT BATTLE OF CHRISTENDOM! - - -During the progress of these affairs, Constantine had thoroughly -satisfied himself, by the reports of his secret political agents in -Nicomedia and elsewhere, that the assurances which the Eusebii had given -to him that Licinius would not in any event move his fleet away from the -coasts of Asia were entirely trustworthy. The overthrow of the Gothic -church, which had been founded and edified by Ulfilas, had been followed -by a treaty of peace with that splendid people, whereby they had bound -themselves to furnish, whenever the service of the emperor required it, -forty thousand young men for the imperial army; these legions had long -ago been supplied, armed, and thoroughly exercised, and constituted in -themselves a magnificent army. The emperor had been triumphant -everywhere. "Confiding in the superiority of his genius and military -power," saith the historian Gibbon, "he determined, without any previous -injury, to exert them for the destruction of Licinius, whose advanced -age and unpopular vices seemed to promise an easy conquest. But the old -emperor, awakened by the approaching danger, deceived the expectations -of his friends as well as enemies. Calling forth that spirit and those -abilities by which he had deserved the friendship of Galerius and the -imperial purple, he prepared himself for the contest, collected the -forces of the East, and soon filled the plains of Hadrianople with his -troops, and the straits of the Hellespont with his fleet. The army -consisted of one hundred and fifty thousand foot and fifteen thousand -horse. The fleet was composed of three hundred and fifty galleys of -three ranks of oars.... The troops of Constantine were ordered to -rendezvous at Thessalonica. They numbered above one hundred and twenty -thousand horse and foot. Their emperor was satisfied with their martial -appearance, and his army contained more soldiers, though fewer men, than -that of his eastern competitor. The legions of Constantine were levied -in the warlike provinces of Europe; action had confirmed their -discipline; victory had elevated their hopes, and there were among them -a great number of veterans, who, after seventeen glorious campaigns -under the same leader, prepared themselves to deserve honorable -dismissal by a last effort of their valor. But the naval preparations -of Constantine were in every respect much inferior to those of Licinius. -The maritime cities of Greece sent their respective quotas of men and -ships to the celebrated harbor of Piraeus, and their united forces -consisted of no more than two hundred small vessels.... _It is only -surprising_ that the Eastern emperor, _who possessed so great a -superiority at sea_, should have neglected this opportunity of carrying -an offensive war into the center of his rival's dominions. Instead of -embracing such an active resolution, _which might have changed the whole -face of the war_, the prudent Licinius expected the approach of his -rival in a camp near Hadrianople, which he fortified with an anxious -care that betrayed his apprehensions of the event. Constantine directed -his march from Thessalonica toward that part of Thrace, till he found -himself stopped by the broad and rapid stream of the Hebrus, and -discovered the numerous army of Licinius, which filled the steep ascent -of the hill, from the river to the city of Hadrianople. Many days were -spent in doubtful skirmishes; but at length the obstacles of the passage -and of the attack were removed by the intrepid conduct of -Constantine.... The valor and danger of Constantine are attested by a -slight wound which he received in the thigh; but ... the victory was -obtained no less by the conduct of the general than by the courage of -the hero; for a body of five thousand archers marched round to occupy a -thick wood in the rear of the enemy, whose attention was distracted by -the building of the bridge; and Licinius, perplexed by so many artful -evolutions, was reluctantly drawn from his advantageous post to combat -on equal terms in the plain. The contest was no longer equal. His -confused multitude of new levies was easily vanquished by the veterans -of the West. Thirty-four thousand men are reported to have been slain. -The fortified camp of Licinius was taken by assault the evening of the -battle; the greater part of the fugitives, who had retired to the -mountains, surrendered themselves the next day to the discretion of the -conqueror; and his rival, who could no longer keep the field, confined -himself within the walls of Byzantium. The siege of Byzantium, which -was immediately undertaken by Constantine, was attended with great labor -and uncertainty. In the late civil war, the fortifications of that -place, so justly considered as the key of Europe and Asia, had been -repaired and strengthened; and _as long as Licinius remained master of -the sea_, the garrison was much less exposed to the danger of famine -than the army of the besiegers. The naval commanders of Constantine -were summoned to his camp, and received his positive orders to force the -passage of the Hellespont, _as the fleet of Licinius, instead of seeking -and destroying their feeble enemy, continued inactive in those narrow -straits, where its superiority of numbers was of little use or -advantage_. Crispus, the emperor's eldest son, was intrusted with the -execution of this daring enterprise, which he performed with so much -courage and success that he deserved the esteem, and most probably -excited the jealousy, of his father. The engagement lasted two days; -and in the evening of the first, the contending fleets, after -considerable mutual loss, retired to their respective harbors in Europe -and Asia. The second day, about noon, a strong south wind sprang up, -which carried the vessels of Crispus against the enemy, and as this -casual opportunity was improved by his skillful intrepidity, he soon -obtained a complete victory. For the current always sets out of the -Hellespont, and, when it is assisted by a north wind, no vessel can -attempt the passage, but a south wind renders the force thereof almost -imperceptible. One hundred and thirty vessels were destroyed, five -thousand men were slain, and Amandus, the admiral of the fleet, escaped -with the utmost difficulty to the shores of Chalcedon. As soon as the -Hellespont was open, a plentiful convoy of provisions flowed into the -camp of Constantine, who had already advanced the operations of the -siege. He constructed artificial mounds of earth of equal height with -the ramparts of Byzantium. The lofty towers which were erected on that -foundation galled the besieged with large stones and darts from the -military engines, and the battering-rams had shaken the walls in several -places. If Licinius persisted much longer in the defense, he exposed -himself to be involved in the ruin of the place. Before he was -surrounded, he prudently removed his person and his treasures to -Chalcedon, in Asia.... Such were the resources and such the abilities -of Licinius, that, after so many successive defeats, he collected in -Bithynia a new army of fifty or sixty thousand men, while the activity -of Constantine was employed in the siege of Byzantium. The vigilant -emperor did not, however, neglect the last struggles of his antagonist. -A considerable part of his victorious army was transported over the -Bosporus in small vessels, and the decisive engagement was fought soon -after their landing on the heights of Chrysopolis, now called Scutari. -The troops of Licinius, though they were lately raised, ill armed, and -worse disciplined, made head against the conquerors with fruitless but -desperate valor, till a total defeat, and a slaughter of five-and-twenty -thousand men, irretrievably determined the fate of their leader. He -retired to Nicomedia, rather with the view of gaining some time for -negotiation, than with the hope of any effectual defense. Constantia, -his wife, the sister of Constantine, interceded with her brother in -favor of her husband, and obtained from his policy, rather than from his -compassion, a solemn promise, confirmed by an oath, that, after the -resignation of the purple, Licinius should be permitted to pass the -remainder of his life in peace and affluence.... By this victory of -Constantine the Roman world was again united under one emperor, -thirty-seven years after Diocletian had divided his power and provinces -with his associate Maximian.... The foundation of Constantinople, and -the _legal establishment_ of the Christian religion, were the immediate -and memorable consequences of this revolution." - -If the victory had been otherwise, the face of history might have been -entirely changed: the Christian communities might have been permitted to -maintain their original communal organization, at least in the Eastern -Church, and Christ might still have had a kingdom upon earth. If -Licinius had employed his naval superiority in offensive war, instead of -keeping it cooped up under the shores of Asia, "in those narrow straits -where its superiority of numbers was of little use or advantage," the -probabilities are that he might have maintained his power at least in -the East; but the Eusebii had "neutralized" the mighty fleet by that -which Constantine denominated "the prophecy of Gaius of Chalcis," and -Christianity was subverted everywhere, and the "legal establishment" of -Constantine usurped its place. - -Almost immediately Constantine proceeded to mark out the boundaries of -the city--Constantinople--which prescient John had seen from rocky -Patmos; and he traced the boundaries thereof, going on foot with a spear -in his hand, and declared that in so doing he was acting in obedience to -the directions of God; and when those who were with him remonstrated -against his tracing so vast a space for a city, the emperor replied: "I -shall advance till He, the invisible guide who marches before me, thinks -proper to stop." And so he laid off the boundaries of the city upon -seven great hills, which included the ancient site of Byzantium, and -soon began to lay the foundations, and to plan and to build the palaces, -theatres, circus, amphitheatre, and churches of Constantinople. - -About the same time the emperor became greatly interested in the -preparation of new copies of the Scriptures, and especially of the -epistles of John; and he had learned clerks and skillful writers -constantly employed in making copies in the new, running Greek text, -which was lately come into use, and was more easy and beautiful than the -uncial letters of an earlier age; and he distributed them to the bishops -throughout the Roman Empire. And next he sent letters to all of the -bishops, requesting them to meet in a solemn council of the whole -Christian Church, at the city of Nicea, upon a designated day, in order -to discuss and settle the disputed questions by which the world was -agitated. And in conformity with this royal request, or order, in the -year 325 was assembled the most remarkable body of men that the -exigencies of political or religious life hath ever convened together in -the history of the world; for it was the first oecumenical council ever -called in Christendom, those which had preceded it having been assembled -by the Christian bishops, of their own accord, and not by the authority -of a prince or emperor, whose power was said to rule the habitable earth -([Greek: _Oikoumene_]). - -The letter which Constantine addressed to the bishops was as follows: -"That there is nothing more honorable in my sight than religion is, I -believe, manifest to every man. Now, because the Synod of Bishops at -Ancyra, of Galatia, consented formerly that it should be so, it hath now -seemed unto us, on many accounts, that it would be well for it to be -assembled at Nice, a city of Bithynia; because the bishops of Italy, and -of the rest of the countries of Europe, are coming, and because of the -excellent temperature of the air, and because I shall be at hand as a -spectator and participator of what is done. Wherefore I signify to you, -my beloved brethren, that ye, all of you, promptly assemble at the city -I spoke of, that is Nice. Let every one of you, therefore, diligently -inquire into that which is profitable, in order that, as I before said, -without any delay, we may speedily come to be a present spectator of -those things which are done by the same. God keep you, my beloved -brethren!" - -The reasons assigned by the emperor for calling the Council of Nicea -were first and chiefly that "the Synod of Ancyra" (which had been called -by the bishops without the interference of any secular authority) "had -formerly consented" to meet in a general council at Nice, and that "the -bishops of Italy and of Europe would be there," and that "the air of the -place was of an excellent temperature," and that their coming into -Bithynia would afford the emperor an opportunity to be "a spectator of -their proceedings." There was no intimation given that the emperor -desired to preside over their council, or to control its action, or to -force its deliberations to assume any political significance whatever, -or to compel it to take such action as must inevitably result in the -subversion of the Christian polity and the establishment of an entirely -different church system. The letter was based first upon the consent -given by the Council of Ancyra and then upon matters of expediency, and -in no respect did it question the absolute right of the bishops to meet -where they might please, and to deliberate without the intermeddling of -secular authority. So, at least, it seemed to all the bishops of the -Eastern Church, except a small number who had been, to a greater or less -degree, leavened by the leaven of ecclesiasticism. On the face of it -the letter was as full a recognition of the freedom of the bishops, and -as full a recognition of the Christian polity which had for three -centuries held all property in common, as was the celebrated Edict of -Milan, in which Constantine and Licinius had united in commanding the -officers of the Roman world to restore the property of Christians as -_communal_ property, the language of that edict being as follows: "All -of which will be necessary to be delivered up _to the body of the -Christians_ without delay. And since the Christians themselves are known -to have had not only those places where they were accustomed to meet, -but other places also, _belonging not to individuals among them_, but to -the _right of the whole body_ of Christians, you will also command all -these, by virtue of the law before mentioned, without any hesitation, to -be restored to the same Christians, _that is to their body_, and to -_each conventicle separately_." - -But already the bishops of the Western Empire, with Hosius and Eusebius -at their head, had come to understand that while Constantine cared -little about any matter of faith, he had determined to utterly destroy -the Christian polity, especially in regard to communism and the refusal -of Christians to bear arms. The regulations by which their journeys -were governed prescribed that they should come at the emperor's expense, -and that "each bishop should be accompanied by a retinue of two -presbyters and three slaves." - -At and near the appointed time there were bishops and presbyters -assembled from the four quarters of the world--from Persia and from -Gaul, from Scythia and from Africa. There were many who were the -victims of pagan persecutions, and still bore in their own persons the -marks of the tortures to which they had been subjected. This one had -lost an eye, gouged out by the torturer's sword or pincers; that one had -the sinews of his leg seared with hot iron to keep him from escaping -from the mines, to which he had been condemned for the crime of being a -Christian; and the other had had the flesh scraped off his ribs by the -instruments of torture. Of the whole number present, it was believed -that only the eleven who came from the remotest East had escaped -mutilation in some ghastly form. - -Arius, although not a bishop, was there by the express order of -Constantine, who could always sleep upon his vengeance, but never could -forget nor forego it. The place of the assembly's sessions was a great -hall in the imperial palace of Nicea. The bishops and presbyters, -assembled upon the emperor's order, traveling at his expense, to the -immediate vicinity of Nicomedia, then the imperial residence, into a -royal palace, and fed by his bounty, were from the very first the -creatures of Constantine, so far as complete control of the political -significancy of religion could make them so. - -The emperor had only two great purposes to accomplish in patronizing the -Church and engineering the council: one of which was to make the Eastern -Church as willingly and thoroughly dependent upon the imperial authority -as he had already practically made that of the West, and to render it as -much a bulwark of his government; the other was to render this condition -of things, in appearance at least, the spontaneous and inspired action -of a free conclave of bishops. - -As for the theological verity of their doctrines or practice, the royal -atheist cared not a denarius. His object was to make the Church as much -a part of the imperial power as a legion might be, its bishops as much -his agents and servants as the military officers; and to uproot and cast -out the only essential features of Christianity which tended to -segregate the Christians into a separate and distinct body in the -empire, by subverting "the kingdom of heaven" with its communistic -organization, that excluded war, slavery, and mammon-worship from the -communities of the faithful, so that no man should feel that because he -was a Christian he was therefore more free, or less a subject of the -empire! This he proposed to do by inducing the council to define the -faith and prescribe temporal penalties for heresy, which were to be -enforced by the emperor's authority, just as were the judgments of the -magistrates against violators of the criminal laws: the action of the -council was to make an offense against the Church a crime against the -imperial law. Subject to the accomplishment of these purposes, he -really desired that they might reach conclusions as nearly unanimous as -possible; for he was as anxious to avoid the creating of parties and -classes in the Church as he was to avoid sowing discord among his other -subjects. - -Upon the assembling of the council, Eusebius of Caesarea, "in metrical -prose, if not in actual verses, recited an address to the emperor, and -then a hymn of thanksgiving to the Almighty for the victory over -Licinius." Thereupon Constantine addressed the council in the Latin -language, which his dragoman immediately interpreted into Greek, as -follows: "It has, my friends, been the object of my highest wishes to -enjoy your sacred company, and, having obtained this, I confess my -thankfulness to the King of all that, in addition to all my other -blessings, he has granted to me this greatest of all--I mean, to receive -you all assembled together, and to see one, common, harmonious opinion -of all. Let, then, no envious enemy injure our happiness, and, after -the destruction of the impious power of the tyrants by the might of God -our Saviour, let not the spirit of evil overwhelm the divine law with -blasphemies: for to me far worse than any war or battle is the civil war -of the Church of God--yea, far more fearful than the wars which have -waged without. As, then, by the assent and co-operation of a higher -power, I have gained my victories over my enemies, I thought that -nothing remained but to give God thanks, and to rejoice with those who -have been delivered by me. But since I learned of your divisions, -contrary to all expectation, I gave the report my first consideration; -and, praying that this also might be healed through my assistance, I -called you all together without delay. I rejoice at the mere sight of -your assembly: but the moment that I shall consider the chief -fulfillment of my prayers will be when I see you all joined together in -heart and soul, and determining on one peaceful harmony for all, which -it should well become you, who are consecrated to God, to preach to -others. Do not, then, delay, my friends; do not delay, ministers of -God, and good servants of our common Lord and Saviour, to remove all -grounds of difference, and to wind up, by laws of peace, every link of -controversy. Thus will you have done what is most pleasing to the God -who is over all, and you will render the greatest boon to me your -fellow-servant." - -"The council was now formally opened, and the emperor gave permission to -the presidents of the assembly to commence their proceedings"; and the -Bishops of Alexandria, Cordova, Antioch, and Caesarea, were chosen to -preside over their deliberations: of whom Hosius, Alexander, and -Eusebius, were politicians thoroughly imbued with the ecclesiastical -spirit and purposes of the emperor, although the last-named bishop was -the warm personal friend of Arius, and a follower of his theological -tenets. Constantine himself assumed the functions of a bishop, and -participated in all their debates, "directing all his energies to that -one point which he himself described as his aim--a unanimity of -decision" as to all merely theological disputes. For, even before the -council had met, innumerable complaints of one bishop against another -had been placed in his hands; so that he was satisfied that one great -design he had in view was already accomplished: for this fact showed -that already they regarded him as the ultimate judge--the real source of -all authority in the Church (instead of Christ), as truly as he was in -the state. All of these complaints, therefore, he publicly burned in -their presence, with a solemn oath that he had not read any of them, and -he said, "It is the command of Christ that he who desires to be himself -forgiven, must first forgive his brother." - -But the very strongest proof that the emperor was lying, was the fact -that he made oath to his statement; and perhaps there was not a thing -named in any of the complaints, that could give him a hold upon any -bishop, that was not carefully preserved. - -The first matter which came before this august assembly was the question -whether the Christian passover ("Easter") should be celebrated on the -same day with the Jewish (the fourteenth day of the month Nisan), or on -the following Sunday. And the bitter feeling of many of the Christians -that "the celebration of it on the same day that was kept by the wicked -race that put the Saviour to death was an impious absurdity," on one -side, and the reverence on the other side for a custom which had come -down from the apostles, gave rise to a long controversy on the subject; -but it was finally "determined by common consent" that the ancient -custom should be set aside, and the more recent Christian practice -established. - -During these proceedings, Arius the Libyan took no part whatever in the -discussions or business of the council, but sat as a quiet and attentive -spectator of their deliberations. Many of them, knowing his great -erudition and holy character, consulted him privately, and he fully gave -them the benefit of his learning and opinions. Arius was now sixty -years of age, and was greatly changed from the bright and happy youth -whom we knew at Baucalis; greatly changed even from the broken-hearted -but ever-diligent, earnest, and eloquent presbyter of the earlier years -of his ministry at Alexandria. "He is tall and thin, apparently unable -to support his stature; he has an odd way of contorting and twisting -himself, which his enemies compare to the wrigglings of a snake. He -would be handsome, but for the emaciation and deadly pallor of his face, -and a downcast look imparted by a weakness of eye-sight. At times his -veins throb and swell, and his limbs tremble, as if suffering from some -violent internal complaint, the same, perhaps, that will terminate one -day in his sudden and frightful death. There is a wild look about him, -that is at first sight startling. His dress and demeanor are those of a -rigid ascetic. He wears a long coat with short sleeves, such as the -monks wore to indicate that their hands were not made for injury, and a -scarf of only half size, such as was the mark of an austere life; and -his hair hangs in tangled masses about his head. He is usually silent, -but at times breaks out into fierce excitement, such as will give the -impression of madness. Yet with all this there is a sweetness in his -voice, and a winning, earnest manner, which fascinate those who come -across him. Among the religious ladies of Alexandria he is said to have -had from the first a following of not less than seven hundred. This -strange, captivating, moon-struck giant is the heretic Arius, or, as his -adversaries call him, the madman of Ares, or Mars": and the description -given here of him is not that of a partisan of his own, but of a -Trinitarian ecclesiastic. - -Many sittings of the council passed, day after day, in which the paschal -controversy, the Melitian schism, and other matters of a theological -character, were discussed and determined, but the heretic remained -utterly silent. He was ever ready to give aid, advice, counsel, and -furnish references to authorities, to those who applied to him, but not -once did he open his lips to speak to the assembly. But the purpose of -Constantine to crush him wavered not, and the emperor had one rare -quality--he knew how to wait. - -One evening, after the close of the council's daily session, the ancient -Bishop Alexander, accompanied by his young Archdeacon Athanasius, was -proceeding toward his lodgings, when Marcellus, the Bishop of Ancyra, -accosted him: "Hail, bishop! From what thou didst tell me of his -fierce, aggressive nature, I am astonished to find that the Libyan -madman continueth so quiet. How is it that thou hast called him -vehement, fierce, eloquent, and controversial?" - -"He hath some secret end in view," replied the bishop, "and I can not -fathom his purposes. But on to-morrow, Athanasius, who speaketh for me -in the council, shall provoke him to some reply, and thou mayst then -judge of his quiet disposition for thyself." - -"Good enough," said Marcellus. "No man can pick a quarrel with an -oyster that keepeth its shell closed." - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - - THE SUBVERSION OF THE PRIMITIVE CHURCH. - - -On the next meeting of the council, Hosius, Bishop of Cordova, offered a -resolution that the Church should make a decree requiring all the -married clergy to separate from their wives and lead lives of celibacy. -Some objected to this, on the ground that the practice of the Church had -never prohibited the marriage of clergymen of any rank; others insisted -on adopting the rule, because clerical marriages, besides other -inconveniences, would tend to make the office of bishop an hereditary -one, and so elevate improper persons to that sacred place. But the -chief opposition "came from a most unexpected quarter. From among the -Egyptian bishops stepped out into the midst, looking out of his one -remaining eye, and halting on his paralyzed leg, the old -hermit-confessor, Paphnutius. With a roar of indignation rather than a -speech, he broke into the debate: 'Lay not this heavy yoke on the -clergy. Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled. By -exaggerated strictness you will do the Church more harm than good. All -can not bear such an ascetic rule. The wives themselves will suffer -from it. Marriage itself is continence. It is enough for a man to keep -from marriage after he has been ordained, according to the ancient -custom, but do not separate him from the wife whom once for all he -married when he was a layman!' - -"His speech produced a profound impression. His own austere life and -unblemished celibacy gave force to every word he uttered." - -The resolution, or proposition, was voted down, but the discussion of it -gave Athanasius the opportunity he wanted. Having arisen with that -almost irresistible grace and suavity which distinguished him, the -beautiful young man, in a light, musical, mocking tone, that must have -been terribly irritating to a grave and reverend presbyter like Arius, -spoke as follows: "I greatly marvel, brethren, that we have not enjoyed -the benefit of that princely readiness and strength in debate for which -the very learned presbyter Arius hath so great reputation, upon this -important question. Surely a minister who is reputed to have at his -beck and call, day or night, rain or shine, more than seven hundred -virgins and widows in our good city of Alexandria, ought to be able, -from his own experience, to give us wise counsel concerning the celibacy -of the clergy. I hope that he will do so." - -The brilliant, smiling youth resumed his seat, and every eye was turned -upon the Libyan, but he neither rose nor answered. The grand, shaggy -head bent slightly forward, and a momentary gleam shone in the somber -eyes; while a peculiar shiver passed over his whole frame, the python's -idiopathic legacy, and a weary sigh exhaled through the ashy lips; but -he took not even the slightest notice of Athanasius, nor of his flippant -speech. It was manifest that all of them expected him to say something, -knowing the readiness and splendor of his oratory, but he was utterly -silent; and this silence, following the young archdeacon's sally against -him, seemed to indicate an unpleasant state of feeling--or what did it -indicate? - -"He could browbeat his bishop in Alexandria," whispered a bishop to -Eusebius of Nicomedia, "but he quaileth in the presence of the emperor." - -But Eusebius answered: "He quaileth not for any man; but he answereth -not, because to do so might be to recognize this assembly _as a council -of the Church_, and that he hath not yet done by speech or act." - -Then the headstrong and violent Marcellus, Bishop of Ancyra, cried out -in fierce, defiant tones: "Hearest thou not the friendly utterances of -Athanasius, who speaketh for Alexander, thy bishop? or dost thou carry -thyself so high as to treat with contempt thy learned and venerable -bishop, thou iron-hearted heretic, that thou answerest nothing?" - -The Libyan turned his head slightly, and, fixing his sad eyes upon -Marcellus, gazed upon him steadily, quietly, compassionately, but did -not utter a word; and immediately there was a clamor throughout the -assembly, some condemning the intemperate words and manner of the Bishop -of Ancyra, and some the seeming insolence of Arius. Then the Emperor -Constantine arose, and forthwith the clamor subsided, and the emperor -said: "I have often and earnestly desired that peace and Christian -charity might characterize our deliberations. The remarks and the -manner of the Bishop of Ancyra are hasty and uncalled for; but the -obstinate silence of the presbyter indicateth a proud and scornful -mind--for it is known to all that the young archdeacon speaketh for the -holy Bishop Alexander because of his age and feebleness; and if thou -dost decline to notice the brilliant Athanasius because of his youth, -thou must not despise thy venerable superior who speaketh through him. -I command thee, therefore, to answer as if Alexander himself had -addressed thee." - -The emperor sat down, and a murmur of admiration and applause ran -through the entire assembly. Then the mighty heretic arose, and in his -sweet, incisive, penetrating voice, answered: "By command of Augustus, -the emperor, whose legal subject I have become by the defeat and death -of the late Emperor Licinius, I arise to declare that if any one -supposeth I did fail to notice the remarks of the young, learned, and -eloquent archdeacon, because of any feeling of scorn for his youth, or -for his office, or because of any uncharity toward him, or any one else -in this assembly, he doeth me much injustice. This, it seemeth to me, -is well proved by the fact, which ye all do know, that during the weeks -that ye have been assembled, I have taken no part in any discussion, -ecclesiastical or political, in which ye have engaged. Because I am not -an officer of the Roman government, civil, military, or judicial, and -have not thought it to be consistent with the position and duties of a -presbyter of the Church of Jesus Christ to assume the right to take part -in the business of a royal council, seeing that my life hath been -devoted to religious affairs which belong to our Lord, and not to civil, -military, or judicial functions which pertain unto the emperor, I -supposed that it would be as indecent and presumptuous for me to meddle -with the business of the empire, by virtue of my office, as it would be -for a Roman judge, or centurion, to intrude into my church and preach -the gospel by virtue of his judicial or military rank. If it had been -otherwise, I might have had something to say when I perceived that the -royal authority offered a gross insult to Christ and to his Church by -making _Elia Capitolina_, the ancient Jerusalem, the oldest and most -honored see in Christendom, secondary to new Nicomedia, in order to -accommodate ecclesiastical departments to the other political divisions -of the empire; nor would I speak at all except at the command of the -emperor." - -Having thus spoken, Arius took his seat. The words opened up plainly -and unmistakably the vast difference that separated the Christianity of -the first three centuries from the imperial Church of Constantine: the -allegiance that belonged to Jesus alone was in process of being -transferred to the emperor. It was to extirpate this very freedom of -conscience, this very liberty of the gospel that acknowledged no master -but Christ, that Constantine had convened the council; and although he -had known that the question must come up, and must be met, and although -he had been for years, and especially since the summoning of the -bishops, using every artifice, argument, and influence, and urging his -ablest agents, to be prepared for it when it might come, he and his -partisans had determined that it should be raised out of proceedings to -be instituted against Arius upon charges of heresy; but the wonderful -adroitness with which the great presbyter had changed the face of the -whole matter, and had actually put both the emperor and his council on -the defensive, took Constantine utterly by surprise, and for a moment he -lost even his marvelous self-control, and cried out in a voice of -thunder, "Then why art thou here?" - -And Arius, with scintillant eyes, but in placid, melodious tones, -responded: "I came hither upon the written order of the emperor, as I -supposed it to be the duty of a law-abiding subject to do; but certainly -not as an officer of the Roman government, entitled to participate in -royal businesses." - -This calm and dignified reply still more clearly revealed to all the -assembly the fact that their enthusiastic love for Constantine had too -much blinded their eyes to the undeniable truth that the council was -oecumenical, not apostolical--the affair of the emperor, not of the -Christ. This reply was not ostensibly connected with any heretical -teachings of Arius, or of any one else, and raised no question of -orthodoxy at all; it struck at the very tap-roots of the whole movement. -"Whose council is this?" was the question that each involuntarily asked -himself, and it was manifest that the simple, unobjectionable words of -the Libyan produced a profound impression upon many hearts that began to -consider whether the fact that the council was royal did not imply in -itself the fact that it was not Christian, but was really treasonable -toward Christ; and in the midst of the solemn silence caused by such -anxious meditation, the virulent and incautious Bishop of Ancyra cried -out: "Who art thou that censurest the victorious and holy emperor, and -condemnest the oecumenical council of the Church with thy sly, -serpentine wriggle and speech? Art thou not Arius the heretic? Arius -the defamer of the Son of God? thou bold scorner of the Holy Trinity! -thou cunning madman!" - -But Arius only looked upon the furious bishop with a sad and pitying -smile. - -Then Constantine cried out: "Answer thou the bishop!" - -Then, still quietly and pleasantly, with a peculiar, mesmeric light in -his somber eyes, and strange, thrilling sibilation in his penetrating -voice, Arius arose and said: "By the command of Augustus I answer that I -have not censured the emperor, nor condemned the council. As to my -being a heretic, I only reply that, if this thing be true, it is no -concern of the emperor's, who hath never been ordained to be the keeper -of my conscience. It is an affair entirely between the -Master--Christ--and his servant Arius. For ye all do know that there is -no Roman law prescribing what we must believe or disbelieve, since the -persecutors lost power to enforce obedience to their laws prescribing -faith in false gods, by the infliction of tortures and death, against -those who for conscience' sake refused to obey. But ye know that -neither Jesus nor his apostles ever denounced, nor authorized any human -being to denounce, a temporal penalty for heresy; for the Church only -prescribes that ye should refuse to fellowship the obdurate heretic, or -disobedient person; and I trust you far enough to believe that if any -pagan emperor, or any human authority, should enact laws requiring you -to believe, or to do, anything contrary to good conscience, ye would be -faithful Christians enough to refuse obedience to such laws, as our -fathers from the beginning have gloriously done. For this is a matter -between each man and his God only; not between him and the government -which exercises dominion over him. This the Church hath held from the -beginning; and when the heathen laws did prescribe that ye who are here -assembled should do and believe things contrary to Christ and to -conscience, ye did refuse, so that every bishop here, except those -eleven who come from the remotest East, hath endured tortures rather -than obey the human laws. If, therefore, I be a heretic, as brother -Marcellus of Ancyra ignorantly supposeth, what have the empire or its -laws to do with that? Why speak ye of orthodoxy, or of heterodoxy, in a -great royal, political assembly like this; unless, perhaps, some of ye -are willing to believe that the great and powerful emperor is also a -god, having charge of your faith and conscience, as well as of your -political condition; so that what the law of Constantine shall prescribe -as right to be believed and done shall be your rule of faith and -practice, and not what our Lord Christ hath prescribed? For me, a poor -presbyter of the Christian Church, to assume the right to deliberate -upon and prescribe laws for the empire would be gross impudence and -arrogance; for any human authority to usurp the right to make laws -controlling the faith of Christ's Church, would be as gross a sacrilege. -Was Constantine crucified for you? Or were ye baptized into his name? -And do ye hope for salvation by faith in and obedience to him? I was -not. I have come, therefore, hither in obedience to the imperial -mandate, and have spoken by the emperor's command. As to the empire, I -have no authority and no desire to make laws for it; as to my Christian -faith, no man nor angel hath right or power to meddle therewith, or to -prescribe laws for it. It is a thing between my soul and its Saviour, -whom I have served all my life long in spite of imperial laws, and whom -I will continue to serve, no matter what laws may be enacted. Brethren, -will ye do likewise? or will ye now deny the Christ?" - -For an instant the old man raised his tall form upright, the shaggy head -sprang forward upon the long, peculiar neck, and the somber, sad eyes -rested upon almost every face. Then quietly he resumed his seat. - -Athanasius, Hosius, Constantine, and others, saw at the same instant -that against the impregnable position taken by Arius no assault could -prosper. They knew that constant and almost imperceptible steps had -been necessary for years to seduce any large section of the Western -Church from that very position, and that the church which Ulfilas had -planted among the Goths had only been driven therefrom by the merciless -use of fire and sword. They knew well that the line of demarkation -between all earthly kingdoms and the kingdom of Christ in the world was -clearly and unmistakably drawn, consisting not alone in faith and -sentiment, but in a social and political policy which had been for three -centuries the glory of Christianity, and had been so fearfully -illustrated by recent persecutions under Licinius in the East, that the -council could not be deluded in reference thereto; and they were seeking -with anxious solicitude to find some way to avoid further discussion -upon the matter, which might arouse an interest in it that would -dissolve the council upon the point which the Libyan urged, that the -Church could not meet in oecumenical council at the order of an emperor, -and make decrees to be forced by imperial law, without forsaking Christ. -Long before the bold presbyter had ceased to speak, the emperor had -determined in his own mind that it was necessary to gain time for -consultation and for concerted action, and especially necessary to stop -the discussion of this dangerous question as to the right of a royal -council to legislate for the Church of Christ--the tendency of which was -obviously to separate the Church from imperialism altogether, rather -than to accomplish his determined purpose of blending the Church with -imperial law and make himself head of both. As soon, therefore, as the -heretic sat down, at a sign from the emperor, Alexander and Hosius -adjourned the council until the following day. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - - THE ABDICATION OF CONSTANTINE. - - -There is little doubt but upon that night so many of the council favored -the views of the Libyan, that if a vote had been taken upon the point -urged by him, the council would have resolved that its own organization -was contrary to Christ; was an effort thoughtlessly made to put -Constantine in place of Jesus at the head of the Church, and would have -dissolved itself, until summoned to convene by the agreement of the -bishops only. Almost the whole night was spent in anxious consultation -between those bishops who were ready to maintain the freedom of the -Church at any hazard, and the great heresiarch, whom they instinctively -recognized as leader of the struggle in favor of religious liberty, as -to the most available path of escape from the dangerous and unchristian -position into which they had been led by their zeal and love for the -emperor who protected the Church from persecution. Arius told them -plainly that if the Church of Christ was to be governed by an -oecumenical or royal council, its independence was gone; and in place of -being the "kingdom of heaven" upon earth, which our Lord had organized, -the Church must become a human institution--part of the empire of -Constantine, or of any other prince or power to whom its members might -be subject; its faith and policy dictated by Roman law, not by the word -of God; its doctrines dependent upon the mutations of government, not -upon the teachings of Jesus: a thing by which the cause of Christ is -verily betrayed. There were none in the council who did not perceive -this truth, although there were some who were for Constantine, even -against Jesus himself. - -During nearly the whole night, also, Hosius, Athanasius, Eustatius, -Marcellus, Constantine, and others, were engaged in eager consultation, -but seemed unable to find any solution of the difficulty. And the next -morning Athanasius reported to the emperor that the more they had -considered the matter, the more difficult and dangerous it had appeared; -and that the only way to avoid serious risk of dissolving the council -was to avoid all discussion upon its right to sit for the Church, and to -let Arius alone as long as he might appear disposed to remain quiet. -Many hearts were burdened with anxiety, and Eusebius of Caesarea was -especially oppressed with deep concern. - -"And if the council when assembled shall sustain the views of Arius," he -had once asked Constantine, "what then?" and the emperor had answered, -"A religious war, perhaps, or a return to paganism!" - -But to Athanasius and others who urged the necessity of temporizing with -Arius, and avoiding all discussion of the vital points which the heretic -lost no opportunity of forcing upon them, Constantine finally said: "I -will make no compromise with the Libyan; it is necessary to crush that -serpent's head, and I will do it! He hath certainly evinced marvelous -skill, intelligence, and daring, in forcing an issue upon us which we do -not desire to determine; he would have made a magnificent general; but I -will ruin him to-day. Rest ye all in peace." - -And when the council assembled, all of them filled with anxiety as to -what might occur, and many of them determined, even at the risk of -martyrdom, not to take any further part in the deliberations of an -imperial conclave such as they clearly perceived that one to be, the -emperor arose first of all, and, with wonderful grace and ease, -addressed them as follows: "Ye know my love for all of you, my friends, -and my zeal for the cause of Christ. But some among you have taken -offense, and have even doubted the propriety or binding force of your -own decrees upon the conscience of Christians, because it hath appeared -to you that the emperor hath assumed authority over you in regard to -matters of faith. This is surely a grave mistake. To correct this -false and injurious impression, I here commit to your presiding bishops -my ring, my sword, and my scepter; and unto you I give power this day -over mine empire, to do in it whatever you think fit for the promotion -of religion and for the advantage of the faithful. Ye are the -law-makers of the Church of Christ, and not him whom God hath made -Emperor of Rome. Proceed with your sacred business in your own time and -way. If ye shall deem it to be necessary to remove even the most -intangible objection of the cavilers to do so, ye can dissolve the -council, return to your homes, and let the bishops reassemble when and -where ye will. But if, being already assembled at some expense of time -and trouble, ye deem it more expedient now to constitute yourselves into -a church council, do so in your own time and manner. Farewell!" - -And, having so spoken, the emperor bowed gracefully to the admiring -assembly and withdrew. But almost immediately Hosius, Bishop of -Cordova, proposed, and without a dissenting voice the council voted, -that a deputation of bishops be appointed to inform the emperor that the -Church had met in council, and to request him to return and bestow upon -them the benefit of his great wisdom and Christian zeal, in aid of their -deliberations; and smilingly the emperor returned. - -The action of the emperor was just that of the pre-eminently greatest -politician; and Arius, then first fully realizing the vast intellectual -resources of the most consummate statesman whom the world has seen, -murmured unto himself, "Again is Christ betrayed into the hands of -wicked men!" And thenceforward calmly, almost indifferently, he looked -forward to what he supposed to be his own impending doom; for he well -knew that Constantine spared no human life that, even by chance, might -seem to stand in the way of his self-aggrandizement: and if his -marvelous sagacity could conceive and execute such an act as he had just -accomplished, what was there of which he could be incapable? - -Then the bishop Hosius of Cordova said: "Brethren, it is manifest that -the technical objections which found place in the consciences of some -among us, based upon the seeming authority of our most glorious and -Christian emperor over us, have been thoroughly eradicated by his own -most wise, pious, and unsolicited condescension, and that we sit now as -an absolutely independent body for the consideration of the business and -doctrines of the Church of Christ, as much as if we had come of our own -motion originally from the ends of the earth, without the generous and -Christian liberality of our royal friend and protector. Let us, -therefore, proceed with our deliberations to secure the prosperity of -the Church of our blessed Lord!" - -In this sentiment all concurred; and even the dullest among them -immediately perceived that the crafty act of Constantine had cut out -from under the great heretic the only sure foundation upon which he -might have builded, and had left him at the mercy of the emperor. - -For many days the great council proceeded with its business, and -sometimes their differences gave rise to excited and earnest debate, in -which the easy, marvelous, persuasive eloquence and irresistible manners -of Athanasius raised the brilliant youth to the highest place in the -opinions of all; in which the magnificent Spaniard Hosius fully -maintained the almost apostolic reverence that had long been given to -his great age, vast erudition, and grand character; and in which both -the Eusebii added to their former wide-spread reputation for learning, -piety, and influence. Many other names, before that time almost unknown -beyond the local limits of their own churches and bishoprics, became -celebrated throughout Christendom for various excellences or for -striking characteristics. Only the sad-eyed and seemingly broken-hearted -presbyter Arius appeared to be indifferent to the course of business, -and silent during the discussion of questions upon which all knew he -might have brought to bear an unequaled mass of erudition, illumined by -the strong light of genius, if he had cared to do so. - -Gradually, little by little, no one knew how, the conviction spread -throughout the great assembly that the man Arius was doomed, and that -there was no possibility of escape for him; and day by day they were -awaiting the institution of proceedings against him which would be the -beginning of the end anticipated. None knew whence this weird -impression arose, and few ever spoke of it: for no man that ever ruled -on earth knew better how to create or how to guide for his own purposes -that intangible, remorseless, and murderous influence to which in later -times we have applied the expression "public opinion" than did the -wonderful Emperor Constantine, ages before other statesmen recognized -even the existence of such a force. And through the more gifted agents, -lay and clerical, who were devoted to him heart and soul, the impression -that the Libyan must be condemned grew imperceptibly but unceasingly -stronger. Without knowing why, the enemies of the great presbyter -became daily more self-confident and aggressive; without knowing why, -the lukewarm and undecided souls that form a considerable segment of -every large assembly, insensibly withdrew themselves from his support, -and drifted more and more into the sentiment of his foes; and, without -knowing why, the few, strong, brave, earnest men, who decidedly clung to -his opinions and unswervingly loved the man, began to concentrate their -forces and husband their resources for some desperate and decisive -struggle which they instinctively felt to be approaching. - -The Libyan himself had long regarded his fate as decisively settled. He -had interpreted the Apocalypse as referring to Constantine, and did not -doubt either the temporary overthrow of Christianity by the emperor, or -the fact that he would be involved in its ruin. He looked without fear, -perhaps more with a feeling of curiosity than anything else, for signs -which might enable him to form a conjecture as to how long the kingdom -of heaven might be banished out of the world: its ultimate restoration -and final triumph over human governments he never doubted; but he would -hardly have turned his hand, or raised his head, to avoid the death -which he supposed Constantine had determined to bring upon him. "If," -he said unto his intimate friends, "the emperor's council carry out his -wishes, I desire ye all to remember, in the future, that no Christian -council hath, or hath ever attempted, to exercise authority to put any -man to death for heresy. The only punishments the Church hath ever -imposed stop with the refusal to fellowship an unbeliever or a -wrong-doer. If Constantine condemn me, remember that he is not a -bishop, hath never even been baptized, and hath no authority to decide -upon what is or what is not heretical; and the Roman law hath never, so -far at least, attempted to define what a Christian may lawfully believe. -Ye see, therefore, that the fact of my destruction illustrateth well the -character of the council, and showeth that even the magnificent -spectacle of his resignation which he so well enacted can not convert -Constantine's meeting into a council of the Christian Church. And I -suppose that this will more plainly appear as the matter proceedeth -further." - -Then answered the Bishop of Nicomedia, saying: "Brother, if thou must -perish for the cause of Christ, I perish also with thee. I am an Arian, -and shall claim the right to die with thee if any murder shall be done." - -"And I also!" said Eusebius of Caesarea. "And I also!" said Maris of -Chalcedon; and Theognis of Nicea; and Menophantes of Ephesus; and a -score of other bishops, each in his turn pressing the old presbyter's -hand. Then said the presbyter: "If your resolution hold, either the -policy and craft of Constantine will deny us a death so glorious, or our -martyrdom will of itself reinstate the kingdom of heaven in spite of the -emperor. Let us rejoice, then, in hope of the triumph of the truth!" - -And having thus quietly but unflinchingly made a covenant that, if the -matter should be prosecuted to extremities against Arius, they would -share his fate, and thereby furnish to the whole body of Christians -throughout the world a most terrible and unanswerable protest against -the council and the emperor, these devoted men calmly awaited the -beginning of the struggle which they knew to be steadily approaching, -although they were unable to determine from what quarter it would come. - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - - "I HAVE NO SUPERIOR BUT CHRIST." - - -When the council met one morning, Athanasius produced and laughingly -read a song, or hymn, which had been written and set to music by the -Libyan, for the use of uneducated Christians at Alexandria, in order to -enable them to memorize and keep in mind the doctrines of Christianity -as he had understood them. This song was part of a little book entitled -"Thalia," or "Songs of Joy," which the presbyter had written for sailors -and others who had no certain means of attending regular religious -services, and in it occurred the following expressions: "God was not -always Father; once he was not Father; afterward he became Father; and -his only-begotten is Jesus Christ our Lord." - -And thereupon Marcellus, Bishop of Ancyra, moved the council to declare -that this sentiment was heretical; and that the man who wrote it should -be expelled from the Church of Christ; and Arius and his friends -perceived that the struggle for the destruction of the presbyter had -begun. For a while the council-hall was filled with clamorous and -bitter denunciations of Arius: "The heretic!" "The atheist!" "The -defamer of Christ!" "The polytheist!" "The pagan!" "The Libyan -serpent!" "The ram of Baucalis!" and almost every other term of -reproach which the vocabulary of ecclesiasticism could furnish, were -shouted throughout the hall by the partisans of Constantine. Finally, -the clamor seemed to wear itself out, and, order having been partially -restored, Potammon of Hierapolis, a confessor whom the pagans had left -blind and lame, straightened up himself and with great awkwardness and -earnestness cried out: "Brethren, I was reared up in Central Africa, and -know nothing of philosophy, but do try to serve the Lord, and to avoid -all heresy and false doctrine. I have often sung this song, not knowing -it was heresy, with my people! What is there wrong about the song, -then? Do any of you deny that Jesus Christ is the only-begotten Son of -God? or that he is our Lord and Saviour? or will some of you now pretend -to believe that the Son is older than the Father? What is wrong about -the song?" - -To the same effect spoke many of the friends of Arius; and Maris of -Chalcedon said: "The Gospels uniformly call Jesus Christ the -only-begotten Son of the Father, and I have never believed it necessary -or proper to go any further than the simple, direct scriptural -statement." - -Finally, Eusebius of Nicomedia obtained a hearing, and, speaking calmly -and soothingly, he said: "Brethren, the song which ye have heard read -seems to be merely a metrical composition formed to aid the memory of -those who were unable to read and write, and those who had no copy of -the Scriptures, in keeping in mind certain scriptural phrases and -doctrines; and I could not be led to suspect a great and pious presbyter -of heresy upon such a cause as that. Let us proceed, then, decently and -in order; and if ye would know truly what Arius hath taught as religion, -call upon him to declare what he hath so taught. This seemeth to me to -be the only fair and honorable course, worthy of a Christian assembly, -if any one think there is cause to suppose that he hath taught anything -contrary to Scripture." - -This reasonable counsel at once prevailed with the greater number, and -by a large vote they requested Arius to declare his teachings. -Thereupon the old heretic arose, and in his strange, peculiar, -fascinating tone and manner, spoke as follows: "Brethren, I have never -taught anything concerning our Lord as religion, except that which is -expressly laid down in the Scriptures; to wit, that Jesus is the -only-begotten Son of God, the Saviour of the world. I do not know -anything, and have never taught as articles of faith necessary to be -believed, anything except what is thus expressly and definitively stated -in the Gospels. Of course, like every man who thinks at all, I have -meditated often and earnestly about the philosophy of the facts stated, -and have formed in my own mind certain speculations in relation thereto -which are satisfactory to mine own understanding, and I have not -hesitated to declare these opinions in all proper times and places; but -I have never said, at any time or place, that these merely philosophical -speculations upon the nature of Deity were binding upon any man's -conscience, or that they should be taught and believed as the rule of -any man's faith and practice; because they have not been revealed or -declared as such by the word of God. If any man allege that I have done -otherwise, let him make the charge in writing and produce the proof, as -was the custom at every Christian council in such cases that hath ever -been held upon the motion of the bishops authorized to call a council, -as at Jerusalem, Antioch, Rome, in Pontus, Gaul, Mesopotamia, and -Ephesus." - -The presbyter said no more, but quietly resumed his seat, and the calm, -grave, and reasonable manner in which he had met and disposed of the -vociferations which had assailed him, in the opinion of nearly all, left -no course to be pursued with decency except to present written charges -against him, and offer proofs thereof. But such a course did not by any -means suit the purposes of those who were resolved upon his ruin; and -Athanasius, who at all times was able to command a respectful hearing at -the hands of the assembly, without seeming to notice the challenge -thrown down by the Libyan, said in his own winning and seemingly -respectful way: "Hast thou not publicly and customarily, in thy Baucalis -church, in Alexandria, preached things that were contrary to the views -of the Bishop Alexander--contrary to his interpretation of the -Scriptures, for which he did order that thou be suspended from thy -ministry; and didst not thou pertinaciously refuse to obey his episcopal -order, and obstinately persevere in proclaiming thine abominable -heresies? Wilt thou now deny this?" - -Then with an effort to preserve his self-control that sent a strange -shiver creeping over his gaunt and mighty frame, the presbyter made -answer: "It appeareth, brethren, that this gifted youth hath been taught -to believe that it is heresy to differ in opinion with the learned and -pious brother, Alexander! It is very true that I and my brother -Alexander have somewhat differed in opinion, but I am not advised that -he hath any more authority to dictate my opinions than have I to dictate -his; and I am very certain that, wherein the bishop hath differed with -me, he is in error." - -But Constantine cried out, "Answer thou whether thou hast preached in -spite of the order of suspension made against thee by thy superior!" - -And the old heretic arose again, and answered: "I had supposed that the -answer already made would be sufficient for any bishop, but being -commanded by an unbaptized emperor to answer yet further, I have to say -that I have no 'superior' but Christ; as for the order of brother -Alexander 'suspending' me from the exercise of the functions of a -presbyter, all the clergy here assembled well know that it is void. The -day hath not yet come when any one brother in the Church can 'suspend' -another. I suppose that, under the legal religion which is to replace -the gospel of Christ, a bishop will have some such authority over a -presbyter as a legionary hath over a centurion, or a centurion over a -soldier; but we have not quite reached that condition! As to the -differences of opinion between myself and the brother Alexander and -others, I will simply state that our good city of Alexandria hath a -population marvelously intellectual, and greatly addicted to the study -of philosophy. Hence it hath happened that many of the brethren, and -some even of the bishops and presbyters, have added, unconsciously -perhaps, to their faith in the facts set forth in the Gospels certain -philosophical notions intended for the explanation of these facts, which -notions they have derived from many teachers--chiefly from the great -heathen Plato, and from his followers, the neo-Platonists, and from the -school of Philo the Egyptian. The learned and pious Bishop Alexander -derived from some such source (I know not what) certain philosophical -views which seemed to deny utterly the separate existence of the Son of -God; and which savored strongly of the heresy of Sabellius that had been -condemned by more than one Christian council, and which did tend -directly to the subversion of the primitive Christian communities, and -to the overthrow of 'the kingdom of heaven' which Jesus did ordain, and -to the substitution therefor of some such ecclesiastical system as I am -told the emperor hath established in the Western Empire, in which the -emperor, not Christ, is head of the Church, and in which the law -prescribes what a man may believe or not believe (just as the pagan laws -have always done), instead of the Scriptures. So long as brother -Alexander held these erroneous opinions privately, I meddled not with -them; but when he afterward saw proper to come and preach these heresies -to mine own congregation, I guarded my community against this pernicious -philosophy; for the Gospels and the Acts furnish the only authority -concerning Christ and faith in him; and not the opinions of Sabellius, -Alexander, Hosius, or Constantine. As for mine own philosophical -opinions concerning Deity, I never learned them of Plato, nor of Philo, -nor of Sabellius, but of the most wise and pious Am-nem-hat, who was for -many years high-priest of the pagan temple at Ombos, holding there the -same position which the Emperor Constantine as Pontifex Maximus hath so -long held at Rome; but Am-nem-hat was afterward a glorious Christian, -and a holy martyr, at our city of Alexandria, as many of you know. But -no man hath ever heard me claim that these philosophical opinions -constituted any rule of faith or practice, or were binding upon any -man's conscience; although I doubt not that the theological opinions of -a most ancient and learned Egyptian high-priest are entitled to as much -respect as those of the flamen of Jupiter, at Rome, who is now the -Emperor Constantine." - -And again the old heretic resumed his seat, having created a strong -impression in his favor in the minds of all who were not committed to -the task of destroying him, although many of them trembled for his -safety on hearing his bold and ingenious assault upon the emperor. But -Marcellus, Bishop of Ancyra, sprang to his feet, and in loud and -threatening tones cried out: "O thou most insolent and abusive heretic, -darest thou to call the most Christian emperor a pagan?" - -But Maris, Bishop of Chalcedon, stretched forth his hand and answered: -"The presbyter Arius hath said that the great emperor is yet unbaptized, -and that he is, by the law of the Roman Empire, Pontifex Maximus, and -flamen of Jupiter! I understand that all this is true; and, if it be -not true, no man will more rejoice than I would to hear the emperor now -declare that he hath been baptized into the faith of Christ, and that he -is no longer high-priest of pagan Rome." - -The bishop sat down, and every eye was at once turned upon Constantine. -But the emperor neither spake nor moved; and almost immediately his -partisans began to cry out that Arius should declare to the council what -were those philosophical opinions to which he referred, which thing they -did to cover up the failure of the emperor to respond to Maris the -bishop; and the friends of the Libyan joined in the same cry, because -they did believe that the philosophy of Arius would be found to be -correct, and not heretical. And thereupon, being pressed upon all sides -at once, the presbyter again arose and spoke in the following manner: "I -suppose, brethren, that there hath never been any difficulty in the mind -of any Christian as to the simple declarations of the gospel concerning -our Lord; and that the faith of all Christians in the divinity of our -common Saviour is founded upon the gospel narrative. The difficulties -arise only when the mind passes on beyond the plain teachings of the -gospel, and attempts to comprehend how these things may be, and to -formulate for itself some creed upon the nature of the Deity. In this -regard there have been maintained three great philosophical opinions, as -ye do know, which may be very briefly stated as follows: - -"1. That the Son of God must be a dependent and spontaneous being, -created from nothing by the will of the Father, by whom also all things -were made. - -"2. That the Son possessed all of the inherent, incommunicable -perfections which religion and philosophy appropriate to the supreme -God. So that there are in the Godhead three distinct and infinite minds -or substances, three co-equal and co-eternal beings, composing the -divine essence, three independent Deities as to whom an effort is made -to preserve the unity of the first cause by assuming the perpetual -concord of their administration, the essential agreement of their will; -and this I understand to be the philosophy of Hosius, Alexander, the -emperor, and others for whom Athanasius is spokesman. - -"3. Three beings who, by the self-derived necessity of their existence, -possess divine attributes in perfect degree, who are eternal in -duration, infinite in space, intimately present to each other and to the -universe; and are yet one and the same being, manifesting himself in -different forms, and considered in different aspects: so that the -Trinity becomes a trinity of names and abstract manifestations existing -only in the mind; they are not persons at all, but only attributes. - -"This is the heresy of Sabellius, which Christian councils have -condemned. It differeth from Athanasius in degree, but not, I think, in -kind. - -"Not one of these three opinions satisfieth my mind and heart. The -martyr Am-nem-hat taught me when I was a boy that the original faith, -which long ages ago preceded the polytheism of Egypt, Assyria, India, -China, Greece, Rome, and all other heathen nations, uniformly -represented the one God to be a dual, spiritual Being, and that the -Divine nature must be a Triad, or Trinity, completed by the birth of a -son of this double-natured spiritual God. In the gospels I read that -Christ is 'the only-begotten Son of God': a Father begets. He was -'conceived' of the Holy Ghost: a Mother conceives. He was 'born' of a -virgin, and for our salvation did live among men. The same holy martyr -called my attention to the fact, which I have since carefully verified, -that while the Scriptures in no place apply the word 'mother' to the -Holy Ghost, the words 'Holy Ghost' are used in them two hundred and -twelve times, and were uniformly in the Greek neuter gender, which -affirmeth nothing as to sex. He also showed me that Moses called the -one God by a name which is the plural number of a Hebrew noun. It hath, -therefore, appeared to me to be true that, as far as anything concerning -Deity can be expressed in human language, the sacred use of the words -'Father,' 'Son,' 'Holy Ghost,' 'begotten,' 'conceived,' were intended to -convey to our minds the idea that in some spiritual sense of sexhood the -nature of Deity is that in the likeness and image whereof man was -created; and signify a divine family, so far as earthly things can -typify spiritual truth. Hence, as I did set forth in my letter to -Eusebius of Nicomedia, and to Alexander of Alexandria, as the Church -knoweth, I have always taught that the Son is not unoriginate, nor part -of the unoriginate, nor made of things previously existing; but that by -the will and purpose of God he was in being before time, perfectly -divine, the only-begotten; that before his generation he was not; that -we believe in one God alone without birth, alone everlasting, alone -unoriginate. We believe that God gave birth to the only-begotten Son, -before eternal periods, making the divine family a Triad, through whom -he made these periods and all else that was made; that he gave birth to -the Son, not in semblance, not in idea, but in truth giving unto him a -real existence; and we have refused to profess faith in the teachings of -Bishop Alexander, that 'as God is eternal, so is his Son'; 'where the -Father, there the Son'; 'the Son is present in God without birth'; -'ever-begotten'; 'an Eternal God, an Eternal Son'; 'the Son is your God -himself.' - -"But I have never taught this philosophy as an article of faith, binding -upon the conscience of believers; and have required of them to profess -faith in nothing except what the gospels declare." - -The philosophy of Arius struck many as a novel thing. To some of them it -seemed to be a rational and beautiful solution of problems which they -had pondered long and regarded as insoluble, and had abandoned in -despair. To none of them did it seem to be at all tainted with heresy. - -But Athanasius had a definite end in view, which closed his ears to any -statement the presbyter might make, although he waited courteously until -Arius had concluded his remarks, and then exclaimed, "Hast thou not -taught that the Son of God was created out of things not existing?" - -"Never," said Arius. "Thou knowest I have taught that he was not -'created' at all, but 'begotten'; 'conceived,' not made." - -"Hast thou not taught that there was a time when the Son was not?" - -"Nay, verily! The word 'time' is thine own, not mine. But I have said -'God was, when he was not.' I have said that 'before he was begotten he -was not.' Else how could God beget him? But this was in the beginning, -before 'time' was." - -"Hast thou not taught that the Father was superior to the Son, and the -Son inferior to the Father?" - -"Nay, verily! I can not conceive of the words 'superior' and 'inferior' -as applicable to the divine nature, or family, any more than I can -conceive of thy word 'time' as applied to the divine existence. If thou -canst do so, O Athanasius, thou or thy friends, and furnish a definition -of the Trinity that does not deny the separate existence of the Son; nor -imply identity of person in Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; or which does -not set up three distinct, co-equal Gods, or which does not degrade the -Son to the condition of a created Being, made, not begotten, except the -definition which I quoted from the philosophy of Am-nem-hat the martyr, -and have adopted as mine own, announce thou now, or when thou wilt, such -a definition of the Trinity, and, if I can at all comprehend it, I will -follow thee to death, if need be, in defense thereof: for lo! these many -years have I sought for such a definition and found it not, except in -Am-nem-hat's profound aphorism that the true and only idea of Trinity -subsisteth in family--Father, Mother, Son: the Father-Ghost, and -Christ!" - -Then answered Athanasius: "Verily I would not dare to utter a formula of -faith upon so high a theme in any hasty or inconsiderate manner. So for -the present let that question rest, and I doubt not that the learned -bishops who defend the deity of Christ will soon frame out of the -Scriptures a definition of the Catholic faith which shall both satisfy -all orthodox souls and bring thine own God-dishonoring heresies to -light." - -"If it come out of the Scriptures, friend Athanasius, they must omit -therefrom thy newly-coined word 'Catholic,' for that word is not -scriptural, nor is the idea which thou signifiest by it therein. The -Scriptures speak not of the 'Catholic' Church at all, but of 'the common -church,' 'the common faith,' 'the common salvation,' 'the common hope,' -'the common Saviour'; and thou well knowest that 'common' pertaineth -only to the common or communal organization of Christ's kingdom. Yet, -perhaps, it is natural that one so young, so beautiful, so gifted as -thou art, should prefer the imperial and aristocratic designation which -hath been recently adopted in the Western Empire, and despise the -plebeian, scriptural name 'common' or 'communal.' For two Christians -might both belong to thy 'Catholic' Church, while one of them might be a -prince and the other a pauper; but the two Christians who belong to the -primitive 'common' church must be brethren, equal, free, fraternal; and -the difference, friend Athanasius, between 'common' ([Greek: _koinos_]) -and 'catholic' ([Greek: _kata holos_]) is just the difference between -the Christian Church and that of Constantine. I know not what the -martyrs would have said of it, nor what the steadfast confessors here -present may think of it; but I prefer the ancient, scriptural term -'common,' 'communal,' 'communistic' church of which Jesus Christ only is -King, and in which all men are brethren, to the new 'Catholic' -establishment which has come in with our unbaptized emperor." - -There was not a confessor present but what would have applauded these -bold and truthful sentiments, the force of which we can at this day with -difficulty realize; but Constantine bit his lip to restrain a terrible -oath, and his face darkened ominously as he glared upon the audacious -presbyter. Hosius, Marcellus, Alexander, and others of the same party, -seemed to have been stricken dumb by the clear, incisive, fearless, and -uncompromising declarations of Arius. Only Athanasius seemed to -preserve his marvelous self-possession, and laughed musically, while, in -order to distract attention from the dangerous question which the old -heretic seemed determined to bring up at every possible turn of the -discussion, he cried aloud: "But hast thou not commonly taught that the -Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are three, and not one God, and thereby made -thy heresy assume the complexion of polytheism? Hast thou not done -that?" - -"I have taught," answered Arius, "and I think that the Scriptures teach, -that the three are not one person, but three persons; and that the -Trinity is one family, in likeness whereof man was created. Eve, the -first mother, was not created out of things not existing, but she -proceeded out of the first man's side; not above him, not below -him--equal with him, bone of his bone, flesh of his flesh; and the first -human son was born of them. This to my mind in some way typifies the -divine family, except that the idea of creation applies not to it. This -I have stated as mine own conception of the matter, not as an article of -faith. If thou knowest any better idea, state it plainly, I pray thee: -I am not yet too old to learn." - -Then said Athanasius, triumphantly, "I supposed, indeed, that God would -presently lay bare thy heresy; for thou dost deny the express words of -Scripture that these three are one; and thus thou art convicted!" - -Once more the dangerous light gleamed in the old man's somber eyes, and -that nervous twitching, which his enemies likened to the wriggling of a -serpent, passed over him; but he controlled himself wonderfully, and -calmly enough inquired: "What scripture, then? Wilt thou read it; or -tell us in what place it may be found?" - -Then said Athanasius: "I read from the first letter of John as follows: -'_For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, -and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that -bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and -these three agree in one._' How, then, sayest thou that the Father, the -Word, and the Holy Ghost are not one, in the very teeth of the -Scriptures, O thou subtle heretic?" - -The reading of this scripture produced a profound sensation in the -council. Many turned to their copy of John's letter to read the words -for themselves, the greater number using the new and beautiful -manuscripts which the munificent liberality of the emperor had caused to -be transcribed and distributed among the bishops some time before; but -many also had ancient copies written in the uncial text. But Arius said -unto Athanasius, "Wilt thou give to me thy book?" - -And Athanasius sent it to him by one of the pages in attendance. The -grim old presbyter received the parchment, and looked at it, and handled -it, and turned it over and over in his hands with a strange, sarcastic -smile, and then said in that peculiar, sibilant tone which cut and -tingled like a serpent's hiss: "I perceive, brethren, that this -beautiful manuscript is one of those copies which hath been supplied to -many bishops and presbyters by the zeal and benevolence of our most -Christian, but unbaptized, emperor; and the book is beautifully written -in the new, running Greek text which hath lately come into use. I have -but one objection to it, brethren; and the objection is, that the words -'_in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three -are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth_'--these words -were never written by John, but by some one else; they have been added -to the text within the last ten years!" And then the tall form reared -itself to the full height of its gigantic stature; the long, thin right -hand swayed to and fro with a strange rhythmic motion, the huge, rough, -noble head seemed to start forward upon the long, bony neck, as a cobra -thrusts it forward; the strange, mesmeric light burned in the somber -eyes, and, fastening his gaze full upon the emperor, he cried out in -tones that rang through every corner and crevice of the vast hall, -shrill, incisive, penetrating: "These words are forgeries--every one of -them! What John wrote was this: '_For there are three that bear record, -the spirit, the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one._'" - -The effect was electrical. Many trembled for the bold and eloquent man -whose words and manner seemed to charge upon the emperor himself the -guilt of sacrilege in forging the sacred writings; although, perhaps, -none doubted that the words were forged. But Athanasius gazed upon him -haughtily, and demanded: "Who art thou, madman, that dost so boldly -assail the genuineness of a scripture that suiteth not with thy -notorious heresy? How knowest thou that the words were never written by -John?" - -The presbyter's fierce excitement had almost immediately faded away, and -he quietly answered: "Brethren, I know that the words are forgeries, -because the rank Sabellianism which they teach is contrary to John's -spirit, and would better suit the views of certain persons who desire to -confound the Son with the Father in order to abolish the sovereignty of -Christ over his earthly kingdom by placing some one else in his rightful -place. Secondly, because ye can not find the words in any copy written -in the uncial text, before the recent, running Greek text came into -common use. Ye have many uncial copies here: see whether any of them -contain the words. Thirdly, because, more than thirty years ago, the -learned martyr Am-nem-hat, in our city of Alexandria, had in his -possession the original letter of John"; and, with tremulous and -mournful cadence that brought tears into the eyes of all who knew his -history, he continued: "Am-nem-hat abode in the house of his -great-grand-niece, the holy, the beautiful, the martyred Theckla. This -blessed virgin did carefully copy the letter upon vellum, and sent it to -Antioch as a gift even unto me, by the hands of Bishop Peter." Taking -the book from a cedar box on the seat beside him, he continued: "Here is -the copy of John's letter, written by the hand of one martyr, under the -supervision of another, and delivered by a third martyr unto me, that am -ready to follow them upon the glorious way whenever God so will! Search -and see whether ye can find these forged words in this thrice-sacred -book!" - -A moment of profound silence followed. Constantine, Athanasius, Hosius, -and all of their faction, perceived that this assault also had not only -failed, but had left the powerful heretic in full possession of the -field of battle; and, at a sign from the emperor, the bishops -immediately adjourned the council until the following day. - - - - - CHAPTER X. - - THE COMMUNION OF THE SAINTS. - - -As soon as the great council assembled on the following day, Eusebius of -Caesarea addressed them, saying: "Brethren, the controversy concerning -the nature of Deity provoketh much uncharity, and leadeth to no result. -I have, therefore, drawn up, and now offer for your consideration, a -Confession of Faith, which is no new form of doctrine, but is the same -which I learned in my childhood, and during the time I was a catechumen, -and at the time I was baptized, from my predecessors in the bishopric of -Nicomedia; and the same which I have taught for many years while I was -presbyter and bishop, before this great dispute had arisen. This -confession hath been read and approved by the emperor, the beloved of -Heaven, and it seemeth to me to be the truth as nearly as divine things -can be expressed in human language. I have a hope, therefore, that it -may be accepted by all as a sufficient declaration of our Christian -faith. - -"It is as follows: 'I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of -all things both visible and invisible, and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the -Word of God, God of God, Light of Light, Life of Life, the only-begotten -Son, the first-born of every creature; begotten of the Father before all -worlds, by whom, also, all things were made; who for our salvation was -made flesh and lived among men, and suffered, and rose again on the -third day, and ascended to the Father, and shall come in glory to judge -the quick and the dead. And we believe in one Holy Ghost. As also our -Lord, sending forth his own disciples to preach, said: 'Go and teach all -nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and -of the Holy Ghost.' Concerning which things we affirm that this is so, -and that we think so, and that it hath long been so held; and that we -remain steadfast to death for this faith, anathematizing every godless -heresy; that we have taught these things from our heart and soul, from -the time that we have known ourselves; and that we now think and say -them in truth, we testify in the name of Almighty God, and of our Lord -Jesus Christ, being able to prove even by demonstration, and to persuade -you that in past times also this we believed and preached.'" - -This creed seemed to be acceptable to nearly all the members of the -council, and Hosius said unto Arius, "Wilt thou subscribe this creed?" - -And the heretic answered: "Certainly. I can cheerfully subscribe to all -that is contained in this confession of faith; for Eusebius hath only -made a formal statement of what I have taught and believed, and what the -ancient Church hath held from the beginning. Yet I like not the creed. -For the bishops all know that while never before did a council draw up -any written confession of faith, yet at every council the bishops did -repeat and affirm the creed received from the apostles; and the most -important item therein, next to the profession of faith in Christ, was -this: 'I believe in the communion of saints'; by which the Church -constantly affirmed its faith in the divine wisdom of the communal -organization of 'the kingdom of heaven.' Ye have mutilated the -confession by omitting this vital article in order to accommodate the -faith to the imperial laws regarding war, slavery, and mammon-worship. -Let the great article be restored to its proper place, and I will -subscribe the creed." - -Then there was a terrible clamor, greater than all that had preceded -it--the partisans of Constantine boldly declaring that "the day had gone -by forever for maintaining the communal organization of the Church"; -that this "primitive community of rights and property was only a -temporary arrangement, not designed to be permanent, and had faded -away"; and, finally, that "the emperor would not permit the creed to -contain an article which cut off not only the emperor and all his -officers, but also every 'rich man,' from admission to the Church." But -those who were determined to maintain the apostolic organization which -Jesus himself had ordained were equally clamorous in shouting that to -omit the article of "communion of the saints" was to adopt the Roman -law, and betray the Church into the hands of the enemies of Jesus. Then -Constantine ordered in the imperial guards and commanded them to clear -the hall, and the bishops adjourned the council in the midst of an -uproar in which the struggle was not always confined to words, but some -severe blows were given and received upon both sides. The voice of the -bishops adjourning the council had failed to designate any day or hour -at which it should reassemble, and for some days no session at all was -held; and during these days all the weight of the imperial authority was -brought to bear upon the unhappy bishops to force them to adopt a creed -omitting the article concerning "the communion of saints" which from the -very days of Jesus had been the sacred symbol of the social and -political organization of the Christian Church. Constantine declared -that bishops who made it a matter of conscience to do so might continue -to teach and to preach it, but that the article must be omitted from the -creed; and gradually all of them were brought over to the making of this -kind of a compromise with their consciences. When this result had been -attained, the bishops gave out that the council would be reassembled -upon the following day. - -On that evening, Constantine called unto him Hosius, Alexander, -Athanasius, and others of his adherents, and said unto them: "It is not -expedient for me that Arius, or any other man, should be condemned for -refusing to subscribe a confession of faith that omits the article -concerning community of the saints. I wish that thing to be forgotten -as soon as possible, and that the condemnation of this man should be -founded upon some other accusation. I desire ye, therefore, to seek for -some scriptural word or other which may not be repugnant to the majority -of the council, but which Arius can not subscribe. He is a man that -would manifestly die and count it great gain rather than make even the -slightest concession in any matter of conscience. Ye must, therefore, -insert in the creed some word or phrase that he will not subscribe, but -to which the majority shall not make any strenuous objection. It must -not appear to the Church that 'the communion of saints' hath caused -trouble." - -"There is no such word or expression in any gospel," answered Hosius, -sententiously. - -"Then ye must seek for it elsewhere," said Constantine. "The creed must -contain some word which he will refuse to subscribe, and it must appear -that the controversy with him is concerning that word, and not -concerning the abandonment of the primitive Church polity." - -"There is a word that hath lately come into use at Alexandria," said -Athanasius, "which I feel certain would prevent the presbyter from -signing any creed that contains it, but I do not think that either the -Latin language or the Latin brain is delicate enough to grasp that -peculiar signification of the Greek expression which would make it -repugnant to Arius, so that the Western churchmen would not object to -the use of it, but it is not exactly a scriptural phrase." - -"What is the word?" asked the emperor. - -"It is the new compound, 'consubstantial' ([Greek: _homoousios_]), which -admitteth of an interpretation that would shock the fine Egyptian -thought of the presbyter, but many might not be subtile enough to -perceive it. It suiteth well the majority of the bishops in the sense -in which they understand it." - -"I do well remember the word," said Constantine. "For, when I was upon -the study of this controversy, I first heard it; and it occurreth either -in some memoranda which I made of a conversation with Eusebius, or in a -letter written unto him by his brother of Nicomedia. Let me get those -papers." - -So saying, the emperor opened a drawer in his bureau and took therefrom -a bundle of manuscript, and after a short examination he said: "Here is -the letter. Eusebius of Nicomedia saith here that 'to assert the Son of -God to be of one substance with the Father is a proposition evidently -absurd.'" - -The beautiful eyes of Athanasius sparkled with delight, and he cried -out: "That is the very word and letter that we want! It cometh, like -all good things, from the emperor, and is like an inspiration to our -cause!" - -"Yea," said Hosius. "The majority will receive the word well--holding -that it does not necessarily imply the identity of persons; but will -Arius certainly reject it?" - -"Yea," replied Athanasius; "I have heard his comments on the word, and I -am certain that his stubborn, inflexible spirit will not bend enough to -make him subscribe a creed containing it." - -"Press thou not the matter too vehemently, arch-deacon," said -Constantine, "lest thou drive many to support him. Be mild and -persuasive, for there is time enough." - -So, when the council had assembled on the following day, Athanasius -said: "The learned and venerable Bishops Alexander and Hosius, and many -others with them, have carefully examined the form of the Confession of -Faith offered by the learned Bishop Eusebius, and they make no objection -thereto: but fear that it may leave open some advantages for entrance of -heresy, as is shown by this letter of Eusebius of Nicomedia, wherein he -declareth that to say that the Son is consubstantial ([Greek: -_homoousios_]) with the Father is absurd. They therefore desire, in -order to cut off all heretical interpretation of the creed, and -vindicate the divinity of our Lord, to offer a creed containing the -declaration that Son and Father are of one substance." - -Immediately there was a clamor of the Arians against the use of the -word; but they, and many who were undecided, looked to Arius for advice -and direction, and Athanasius said, "The bishops desire to know whether -the learned presbyter Arius will subscribe the creed containing this -word, the bulwark against all heresy?" - -And Arius arose, and, looking upon Athanasius with a gentle smile, said -unto him: "I perceive that thy master Constantine hath at last reached -the fulfillment of his desires against the Church and kingdom of my -master Christ. Brethren, I have already declared to you that I would -subscribe no confession of faith which omitted to set forth the article -of the communion of saints; and I perceive well that the insertion of -this new ecclesiastical term is resorted to only in order to avoid -making notorious the fact that the emperor hath commanded that the -primitive organization of the Church shall be abandoned. As to this -word 'consubstantial,' I have no objection to it in the only sense in -which I can conscientiously use it, as implying that the Father and Son -(like every other father and son) are beings of the same nature; yet I -would not subscribe a creed containing this word, because it is -unscriptural. In the sense in which it will come to be used hereafter -(if not, indeed, already), it denies the separate existence of the Son; -it will imply an almost physical adhesion of the persons of the Divine -Family, and the actual identity of Father and Son. It hath before this -time been used by incautious or heretical persons, and hath already been -condemned as heretical by councils which no prince or emperor -controlled, and whose voice was the free utterance of the unsecularized -but persecuted Church. I will never subscribe a creed containing such a -word; and have never found it necessary to go outside of the Scriptures -to find words wherewith to define the Christian faith." - -And Athanasius answered: "What if the word, in the exact form of it, is -not in the Scriptures? Surely its derivatives and compounds are found -therein; nor is it any more unscriptural than the songs of Arius written -in his book 'Thalia.' What if it hath been used by heretics and -condemned as heretical? That was only because it hath been used in some -heretical sense, and not as we use it now. What if the use of the word -might be tortured into the support of Sabellianism by some who wrest -even the Scriptures to their own destruction? The rejection of it -argues far more strongly in favor of polytheism--the ancient paganism -from which the Church hath so long suffered; and the word must be used, -because it is the only safeguard against the very heresy of which Arius -hath been suspected or accused." - -And the question was long debated by others, and the council adjourned; -but there were not many that stood out firmly against the use of this -celebrated word. - -At the next meeting of the council, Hosius of Cordova announced that, -following the sentiments of the great majority, they had prepared -another declaration of the faith, upon which he hoped all might agree; -and thereupon the same was read: "We believe in one God, the Father -Almighty, Maker of all things, both visible and invisible. And in one -Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father, only -begotten, that is to say, of the substance of the Father, God of God, -Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one -substance with the Father, by whom all things were made, both things in -heaven and things in earth; who for us men and for our salvation came -down and was made man, suffered, and rose again on the third day; went -up into the heavens, and is to come again to judge the quick and the -dead. And in the Holy Ghost. - -"_But those who say, 'There was when he was not,' and 'Before he was -begotten he was not,' and that 'He came into existence from what was -not,' or who profess that the Son of God is a different 'person' or -'substance,' or that he is created, or changeable, or variable, are -anathematized by the Catholic Church._" - -A great many members refused to sign the creed, and especially the -anathema with which it concluded; because they thought that the -presbyter Arius, at whom it was aimed, neither taught nor held the views -thereby imputed to him. Eusebius of Caesarea asked for time to consider -the matter, and "to consult with the emperor who had imposed it upon -them"--a course which others also followed. - -Constantine professed to believe that this last creed was delivered by -an inspiration of the bishops directly given from heaven; and he at once -issued a decree of banishment against all who might refuse to subscribe -to it. "He denounced Arius and his disciples as impious, and ordered -that he and his books should follow the fate of the pagan Porphyry; and -that he and his school should be called Porphyrians, and his books -burned under penalty of death to any one who perused them." But he gave -them time to reflect upon the matter; and on the next day many stood -resolved not to sign, notwithstanding the terrible threats of the -emperor. In this state of fear and perplexity, when no man knew to what -extremities his brutal threats to extort their compliance might be -carried, and when a moody silence, born of their terror and distress, -had settled upon the council, to the surprise of all, Arius the Libyan -arose and addressed them as follows: "Brethren, I am well persuaded that -no other opportunity will ever be given unto me to address any assembly -of Christians; being persuaded that the condemnation denounced against -me ariseth not from any mistaken zeal on the part of the unbaptized -emperor concerning religion, but only from a political necessity that -springeth from his godless and insatiable thirst for universal and -unhindered power; for verily I think he knoweth little, and careth less, -for any confession of faith, except as it affecteth his imperial -ambition. As a man, therefore, already doomed, and soon, perhaps, to -die, I desire to stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance -concerning the primitive Church, which now fadeth out of the world, as -it hath already faded out of the Western Empire. Brethren, centuries -ago, the great Greek philosopher, Plato, in his 'Republic,' did declare -that 'any ordinary city is in fact two cities, one the city of the rich, -the other that of the poor, at war with one another'; and this statement -is verily true everywhere on earth. For the religion of mankind hath -been, in some shape, the worship of mammon, and the warfare, of which -Plato speaketh, a warfare for property--for property in offices, -prerogatives, lands, houses, wealth, slaves, and every shape that -property can take. Ye know that the law was a schoolmaster to lead us -to Christ; and that, to prevent the universal and hopeless oppression of -the poor, God by Moses did ordain the statute of the year of jubilee, -and the statute of the seventh year; and ye know that the prophet Isaiah -did make these statutes, which secured a certain blessing for the poor -every 'seventh year' and every 'fiftieth year,' typical of the -continuous state of believers, in the kingdom of heaven, declaring it to -be the gospel preached to the poor; and ye know that our Lord did -solemnly declare that this prophecy was fulfilled in him, wherefore the -wealthy and aristocratic Scribes and Pharisees, who were 'covetous,' -persecuted him even unto death; even as the ruling classes at Rome, and -throughout the world, have done until the triumph of Constantine over -Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge. Ye know that our Lord set up a kingdom -that was good news, a gospel, to the poor of the earth, because its -purpose and effect were to abolish war, slavery, polygamy, and all -unjust distinctions between men and classes of men, based upon the -idolatry of mammon. Ye know that all of these parables were spoken with -reference to this kingdom in which communion of saints, partnership of -all believers, should secure liberty, equality, fraternity, for all -Christians. Ye know that, while the apostles remained on earth, the -believers had all things common, except wives and children, disowned all -government except that of Jesus, obeyed all laws for the sake of peace -except such as conflicted with conscience, and so builded up the -Christian communes that governed themselves by the laws of Christ alone, -inflicting no temporal punishment except that they refused to fellowship -the obdurately wicked. Ye know that they commonly wrought miracles to -prove the divinity of Jesus and the right of the Church to preach and to -teach in his name. We learn from Philo the Egyptian, and from many -others, that 'those who entered upon the Christian life divested -themselves of their property, and gave it to those legally entitled -thereto or to the common Church,' and that 'the disciples of that time, -animated by more ardent love of the divine word, first fulfilled the -Saviour's precept by distributing their substance to the needy; and that -the Holy Spirit wrought many wonders through them, so that, as soon as -the gospel was heard, men voluntarily and in crowds eagerly embraced the -true faith.' Ye know that three bishops were ordained by the apostles, -even Lucius, Evodius, and Polycarp, all of whom consecrated their -property to the common Church, as did the apostolical fathers Clemens, -Ignatius, Barnabas, Hermas, as also did Paulinas, Cyprian, Hilary, and -countless other well-known and notable Christians; and ye know that such -were the law and the practice of the Church until very recent times! Ye -know that thaumaturgy remained with the Church until this divine -ordinance was neglected. Ye know, brethren, that there were no slaves, -no war, no rich, no poor, no kings, no rulers, in the kingdom of our -Lord, but liberty, fraternity, equality for all; and that war, slavery, -mammon-worship, which had ever been the curse of human life, were -abolished by the gospel of Christ. Brethren, already in the Western -Empire (and from this day in the East) all this is changed. 'The kingdom -of heaven' is utterly subverted. Even the bishops came hither with -slaves; many of you are 'rich men,' that could not enter into the -kingdom of heaven. The Church conformeth in all things to the imperial -laws: for that man Constantine hath such unbounded ambition and unbelief -that he suffereth not the Church of Christ to exist in the world, and -hath so founded the Church of Constantine, subverting all of -Christianity except its spiritual truth. But ye can plainly see what -things shall come to pass. That man whom ye love because it hath suited -the purposes of his atheistic ambition to protect the Church against -other tyrants, hath established an imperial legal religion for the -world, and declares that he will persecute all who conform not thereto. -So did the Scribes and Pharisees; so did Tiberius Caesar, Nero, -Diocletian, and the rest of his predecessors; but so Jesus and his -apostles never did. I know not whether that man who doeth these things, -and hath begun to found his capital, called by his own name of -blasphemy, upon seven hills above the sea, be he of whom John in the -Apocalypse did speak, but he suiteth well in many respects with what -John did prophesy. - -"Hear me yet a little further. Ye will all, or nearly all, subscribe -this creed! Ye will be forced so to do! For the Holy Spirit cometh upon -no council of an earthly emperor, but only of Christ's Church. -Henceforth, therefore, thaumaturgy shall be lost unto the Church! -Henceforth, therefore, Christianity shall be a human institution! And -the faith of Christians will be first one thing, then another, as -successive emperors may determine to be best. Those who now are -orthodox will be proscribed as heretics, and those who now are heretics -will be called orthodox; and Christian emperors will seek to exterminate -Christian heretics with fire and sword throughout the world. For the -millions of Armenia, and many more throughout Egypt, Syria, and Africa, -and the whole nation of the Goths, are as I am--what ye call Arian. So -is the brave, the successful, the popular Crispus Caesar. So is -Ulfilas, whom Constantine calleth the Moses of the Goths, whom he now -proposes to ordain a bishop over the people whom he converted, and upon -whom Constantine made war to force them to accommodate their religion to -imperial law. So is Constantia, the sister of the emperor, the widow of -Licinius; and so is the young Licinius, her son, and others perhaps of -the same imperial family, concerning whom I do not know. See ye not -that when Constantine shall die, and his sons shall succeed to empire, -the faith of Christ which is now condemned shall be established by the -imperial law as true?--And even thou, Athanasius, next Bishop of -Alexandria, mayst find thyself a fugitive from thine episcopal palace -(which the emperor shall give unto thee), a vagabond upon the friendless -earth, a martyr for, or a renegade from, what thou now maintainest to be -true! - -"Brethren, I go hence to death, or banishment, or both. I care not for -it. For I live in the steadfast faith and hope that, although the -kingdom of heaven be now subverted by the man of sin, yet again some -time, somehow, somewhere, it shall be re-established upon the foundation -of faith and communism which our Lord did lay, and shall prevail; and -war, slavery, and mammon-worship, shall all cease to curse the world; -for all people that love liberty and hate tyrants shall be Arians, and -mankind shall yet realize the promise of our Lord which he confirmed by -his life, by his miracles and parables, and by his death and -resurrection, of universal liberty, equality, and fraternity. Brethren, -farewell! and the peace of God be with you!" - -Then the gaunt, sad, immovable, and irreconcilable heretic walked calmly -out of the hall. During the utterance of this terrible oration, many -seemed awed by the solemn grandeur and prophetic earnestness of the -speaker; many were terrified at his fearless denunciation of the plans, -atheism, and hypocrisy of the emperor; and some secretly rejoiced -because they supposed that his boldness irrevocably sealed his doom. -Constantine himself, convulsed with suppressed wrath, grew pale with -passion, and bit his lips to restrain some indiscreet expression of his -jealousy, doubt, and fear, as Arius declared the numbers and strength of -the Arian party in Armenia, Egypt, Syria, and among the Goths, and -eulogized the gallant Crispus Caesar, his popular and splendid son. - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - - ONE JOT THAT PASSED FROM THE LAW. - - -On that very night the grand, lonely, immovable presbyter disappeared, -and in that council was seen no more. But the next day came the -emperor's sister Constantia, the widow of Licinius, and Licinius, her -son, and Crispus Caesar, the eldest son of Constantine, born of his -first wife Minervina, and the emperor's mother, Helena, and all, casting -themselves at the feet of Constantine, with tears and supplications -besought him that the great, learned, and holy Arius might not be put to -death. And they so vehemently urged this petition that Constantine -finally seemed to give way thereto, and promised, confirming his promise -with an awful oath, that he would spare the life of the presbyter. In -truth, he supposed that to execute Arius would be impolitic, because it -would forever alienate a very large number of his subjects, and he -wished to avoid it, and also to win praises for his clemency. He -therefore ordered that Arius be banished to, and closely guarded in, a -strong fortress in the wildest portion of Illyricum, until, "in the -opinion of the emperor, the Arians of Armenia, Egypt, and Syria, and the -Goths, might have become reconciled unto the creed of Nicea." - -Crispus Caesar boldly declared that he indorsed the opinions of Arius, -and regarded the great heretic with larger love and reverence than any -other man had ever gained from him; and the emperor heard this -declaration with gloom and hatred, but in ominous silence. - -And one by one, under the influence of the threats of Constantine, who -still held the bishops together, determined to extort the unanimous -consent of all to the acts of the council, under the specious and -continuous arguments and forced interpretations of the creed, used by -his partisans both lay and clerical, and under the benumbing and -stupefying effects of protracted weariness and hopelessness all of them -finally subscribed the creed, except Arius and six others--Eusebius of -Caesarea, Eusebius of Nicomedia, Theonas, Bishop of Marmarica, Secundus, -Bishop of Theuchira, Euzoius the deacon, Achillas the reader, and Saras, -a presbyter--against all of whom the emperor made a decree of perpetual -banishment, but gave not orders for the enforcement thereof. He was not -satisfied; especially he was dissatisfied because he was unable to -extort the signatures of the Eusebii; and he still waited, determined in -some way to obtain these signatures. Finally, he caused Eusebius of -Caesarea to be brought before him, and, assuming an air of great -friendliness and concern toward him, he said: "Dear bishop, I did tell -thee long ago that our differences about the Arian heresy must never be -a cause of quarrel between thee and me. I wish to know what difficulty -thou hast (and thy brother) in subscribing the creed?" - -And Eusebius answered: "The difficulty truly is not a very large one; it -is just the size and shape of an 'iota' of the Greek alphabet." - -"If it is as insignificant as that," answered the emperor, "let us -quietly remove it and be friends again. Tell me, therefore, what thou -dost mean." - -"Hast thou here the creed?" asked Eusebius. - -Constantine handed the parchment to him, and Eusebius said: "This word -[Greek: _homoousios_] is one which Arius condemneth as implying the -identity of Father and Son, and my conscience suffereth not me to sign -it; but the word [Greek: _homoiousios_], which differeth therefrom only -by the one small [Greek: _iota_] therein, expresses exactly what I -believe, that Father and Son are of like divine nature." - -"And wouldst thou sign it if this letter had been written therein? and -thy brother? and the others who are sentenced to banishment?" - -"Assuredly!" - -"It shall never be said," laughed Constantine, "that I have lost my -friend and bishop for such a trifle!" - -Then he pointed out the fact that a small "[Greek: _i_]" had been -dexterously inserted between "[Greek: _homo_]" and "[Greek: _ousios_]" -in both the places where the word occurred in the creed, making it the -Arian [Greek: _homoiousios_], instead of the Trinitarian [Greek: -_homoousios_]. - -"Now, bishop, give me thy signature, and communicate this arrangement -confidentially unto the others, and let them come and sign also, that -the creed may be unanimously signed, and all of these unseemly -dissensions banished out of the established Church." - -The bishop laughed lightly, but signed the confession of faith, and not -long afterward all the others did so, except Arius, who was already far -upon the road to the heart of Illyricum. - -Constantine had now completed his long-cherished design of subverting -the social and political organization of the primitive Church, and -establishing a state religion, of which he might be the head in place of -Jesus Christ, in whose name he founded a system that was in open -rebellion against the Saviour's whole life and teachings. - -It remained only for him to have the action of the OEcumenical Council -confirmed by some miraculous circumstances, and the imperial ingenuity -was fully equal to the occasion; for two members of the council had died -at Nicea during its protracted session, and were buried in the church: -With a grand and ostentatious procession by torch-light, the sacred roll -of parchment was taken to their tomb and left there through the night, -the emperor himself having prayed publicly that, if the departed bishops -approved the action of the council, they might in some way signify their -assent to the decrees and creed thereof; and early the next morning the -signatures of the dead bishops were found upon the parchment! Their -endorsement was unequivocal: "We, Chrysanthus and Mysonius, fully -concurring with the first Holy and OEcumenical Synod, although removed -from earth, have signed the volume with our own hands." - -Still, the emperor did not dissolve the assembly, and, in order to gain -over the personal affection even of those who had most stubbornly -resisted his sacrilegious domination of the council, he provided a -magnificent banquet for the members thereof, and lavished upon them -every mark of love and honor. He lodged the one-eyed, hamstrung old -Paphnutius in his own palace, "and often sent for him to hear the story -of his persecutions; and now it was remarked how he would throw his arms -round the old man, and put his lips to his eyeless socket as if to suck -out with his reverential kiss the blessing which, as it were, lurked in -the sacred cavity, and stroked down with his imperial hand the frightful -wound; how he pressed his legs and arms, and the royal purple, to the -paralyzed limbs, and put his own eyeball into the socket." And, because -those maimed and tortured members of the council who had been -"confessors" enjoyed the reputation of especial sanctity and honor -throughout the Church, Constantine used the same disgusting demagogy in -his dealings with them all, and fawned upon and flattered them in the -name of Jesus, until he believed he had stolen for himself their -influence in aiding him to eradicate primitive Christianity out of the -East, as he had already done in the West, and so banishing the kingdom -of heaven from the face of the earth; and so nourishing in the very -bosom of the Church, maintained and governed by imperial authority, the -ancient crimes of war, slavery, and mammon-worship, perpetuating the -bondage of the people unto the ruling classes, and giving the sanction -of religion to class distinctions between men and families, based upon -this idolatry, which had been always the curse of human life. - -And for a whole year Constantine pursued his purpose quietly, -unceasingly, intelligently, by the use of a thousand different means and -agencies, to reduce the East to a condition of ecclesiastical serfdom to -his authority, and to confirm, popularize, and consolidate his power. -But the slow, doubtful, hesitating adoption of the imperial church by -the Christians of Armenia, and to a less degree by those of Syria, -Egypt, and the Gothic provinces along the Danube, to whom he had sent -back their teacher Ulfilas after ordaining him to be a royal bishop, -inspired the emperor with misgivings of the future, and with an almost -unreasoning jealousy and hatred of Crispus Caesar, his son, who was the -favorite of all those regions, and of Licinius, who represented the -family of the legitimate sovereign thereof, whom Constantine had -dethroned and destroyed. - -And the next year the emperor went to Rome to celebrate the Ides of -Quintilis, the anniversary of the battle of Lake Regillus, in which, -according to the chronicles of pagan Rome, the twin-gods Castor and -Pollux had fought in defense of the Eternal City, and brought thereto -the welcome news of victory. It was esteemed to be the most sacred -ceremony known to the Roman people. During the grand festival, -Constantine, believing that after the Council of Nicea his own -ecclesiastical system was so powerful and so securely established that -he need not longer patronize the heathen, refused to take his proper -place in the ancient ritual appropriate to the occasion, and even -exhibited his contempt for the empty pageantry of a legion of knights -passing in solemn procession, by commenting upon their appearance with -that caustic, epigrammatic wit of which few men were more thoroughly -master. That large portion of the Romans who yet openly adhered to the -ancient religion were insulted and furious at the conduct of the -emperor, and there was a fierce riot in the streets, during which stones -were hurled at the statues of the emperor, and attempts made to -overthrow them. - -His wife Fausta, the daughter of the fierce old emperor Maximian, -inherited much of her father's cruel nature and imperious ambition. She -and Constantine had three sons--Constantine, Constantius, and Constans. -She had always envied Crispus Caesar the superiority which his -primogenial rights gave to him as the first-born of Constantine over her -own sons, and especially had her jealousy been inflamed by the splendid -reputation which young Caesar had gained by the skill and courage -wherewith he had defeated the vastly superior navy of Licinius in the -straits of the Hellespont. Next to the great emperor himself stood -Crispus Caesar, not only in official station, but in the love and -admiration of the world; and her own sons occupied a far less -conspicuous position, which was rendered more galling to her pride by -the very prominence derived from the fact that they also were the sons -of the emperor. Fausta had remarked with secret joy the open aid and -friendship showed by Crispus Caesar for Arius, which fact had aroused -the suspicions, as much as the victory of Crispus had excited the -jealousy, of the emperor. She failed not, also, to perceive that the -devotion of Constantia, the widow of Licinius, and of the Empress -Helena, Constantine's mother, to this same Arius, had created a common -interest and friendship between Caesar, Helena, and Constantia, while -Eusebius of Nicomedia was the trusted friend and adviser of all of them, -and the tutor of young Licinius. Fausta herself, the daughter of a -pagan and the wife of an atheist, was as nearly devoid of religious -sentiment as it was ever possible for a woman to become; and, like her -husband, thought that all faith is only superstition, which may be -advantageously used by a wise ruler for the government of men; and -understanding better than any one else that Constantine regarded the -free Arian spirit as the most dangerous element in the political future -of the empire, she had cunningly employed every artifice and innuendo -that could tend to inflame his personal hatred of these religious -dissenters. She affected to regard the riot in the streets of Rome as -arising from the machinations of the Arian recusants. Knowing that -Constantine had only once visited Rome since the overthrow of Maxentius, -and that he disliked the place, she pretended to desire that he should -fix his imperial residence at Rome, on the ground that Milan was -inconveniently situated, and that both Nicomedia and Constantinople, -being in the midst of vast Arian communities, were unsafe for him. - -She thought that the rioting in Rome gave her the opportunity to take -some decisive step in accomplishing her long-cherished designs, and -began more vehemently to press her insidious suggestions upon the gloomy -soul of the atheist whom she knew to worship only himself. - -"If the stone wherewith these Arian strangers who are in the city marred -the head of thy statue on the Via Sacra had smitten thee, thou wouldst -have been slain at once." - -"But," said the emperor, dryly, passing his hand over his forehead, "I -feel not the slightest pain from the blow." - -"The undirected mob is powerless against thee," she said; "but this -infamous act is but the unguarded expression of a sentiment common to -the millions of Armenia, and to large numbers of the Egyptians and -Syrians, and to nearly all of the Goths." - -"What hath caused thee so much uneasiness from such a trifle as the -throwing of a stone or two? The royal blood should despise such -visionary fears." - -"But the guardsman, Pilus, who hath lately come from Illyricum, -informeth me that in the garrison it is commonly reported that the -heretic Arius saith that, if Christians could lawfully bear arms, the -Arians of Armenia and the Goths alone could seat Licinius upon the -throne of his father, and Crispus Caesar upon thine." - -"But neither Licinius, nor Crispus, nor the Arians, cherish any such -treasonable designs," said Constantine. - -"I fear lest thou art lulled into a false security. Ever anxious for thy -safety and for thy glory, I have consulted auguries and oracles, and, -although these things have no great weight with thee or with me as -matters of religious faith, the oracles were always valuable portents to -show the drift of popular opinion and desire; and no great statesman can -afford to despise them, for that which the multitude long after doth -sooner or later come to pass; and all the divinations portend calamity -to thee and thy house from the Arians." - -"But Licinius is a boy, and Crispus Caesar is quiet, modest, temperate, -and unostentatious. He hath neither vices nor ambitions that require -him to aspire higher than he already standeth." - -"Thou wouldst rather cease to be than cease to rule the empire. -Dominion is the dominant passion of thy lofty soul. It is the marked -characteristic of thy race. There are other men mastered by similar -ambition. The quiet, orderly life of Caesar may blind the eyes of -mankind to an ambition that would hesitate at nothing. Thy father was -such a temperate youth that he sacrificed all common lusts and appetites -to win the sovereignty of Rome, and he would not have been contented -long with that if he had lived. Thou didst inherit his nature with his -military genius, and thou hast lived moderately in order to gain the -sovereignty of the world. Crispus hath inherited from thee the great -abilities which enabled him to triumph on the Hellespont and share thy -glory, or rather take to himself the greater share. He would not forego -the pleasures of youth and the advantages of his great position unless -he were constantly meditating upon some great design. Look to thyself, -Augustus." - -Such insidious counsels she constantly offered to the jealous and cruel -emperor, and they bore a deadly fruit. Suddenly the gallant young Caesar -was seized, transported to the gloomy fortress of Pola, imprisoned, and -then murdered, by order of "the most Christian Emperor Constantine," -"the favorite of God," "the defender of the faith," his father! Almost -immediately the young Licinius was snatched from the arms of his mother, -and put to death by the order of his uncle, Constantine, "the first -Christian Emperor of Rome." - -"I have fortified my throne against all danger from Crispus Caesar and -the Arians," said Constantine unto himself. - -"The road to royal favor and to future power is opened for my splendid -brood of Caesars," murmured Fausta under her breath. - -"The Empress Fausta hath plotted against and murdered my gallant son -Crispus, and my grandson Licinius, whom I loved. I will be revenged -upon the cruel murderess or die!" was the unuttered comment of the -Empress-mother Helena; and from that hour, with the slow, settled, and -deliberate hatred of old age and hopeless sorrow, she sought for the -life of Fausta. - -The world held its breath in horror at these fearful crimes, and hardly -did the historians of that age dare to commit any account thereof unto -posterity. But it was impossible for the officers of the Illyrian -fortress, where Arius was imprisoned, to speak of such atrocities -without some knowledge thereof coming to their quiet, intelligent -prisoner. When he heard of the assassination of Crispus Caesar and of -Licinius, the only comment made by the stern, inflexible, incorruptible -old heretic was this: "A council of Christ's Church ought not to be -oecumenical and barren; and the first one already beareth terrible but -legitimate fruits." - -The empress-mother, old Helena, continually and skillfully directed the -suspicions of her dark-souled, bloody son against the Empress Fausta -herself; and, when she had prepared her vengeance so that she thought it -could not fail, she accused Fausta of infidelity to the emperor, with -that same Pilus, of the imperial guardsmen. Many craftily prepared -circumstances corroborated the infamous and degrading accusation, and -quickly and secretly the emperor put his wife to death. - -"Small recompense for my great wrong," murmured Helena, "but all that I -can take; for the woman's beautiful sons are also mine own -grandchildren." - -"I have no friend on earth," mused Constantine, "except my mother and -Eusebius of Caesarea." - -When the gloomy old prisoner of the Illyrian fortress heard of the -murder of Fausta, upon this disgraceful charge of adultery with a -guardsman, he said: "The grand name of Constantine is soaked with -domestic blood and draggled in domestic filth. The royal oecumenical -council beareth such strange and deadly fruit." - -The officers of the fortress were held to be accountable with their -lives for the heretic's safe-keeping, and vigilant spies reported to -Constantine almost every word he uttered, and stole and transmitted to -the emperor almost every line he wrote, and the old man's gloomy -comments upon the condition of the Church, and his strange and seemingly -inspired interpretations of prophecy, which he supposed to relate to -Constantine and his new city of Constantinople, built upon seven hills, -above the narrow straits whereto the commerce of the world resorted, -doubtless aided Fausta's and Helena's conspiracies to lead him into the -commission of those horrible crimes which shocked the moral sense of the -world, and justified the pagans in breathless wonder as to what new -atrocities would follow the legal establishment of the Christian -faith--atrocities that perhaps afterward drove Julian the Apostate to -struggle for the restoration of paganism. And doubtless Arius himself -would long ago have perished, if the emperor had not hoped to obtain -from his manuscripts and prophecies warning of every coming danger. - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - - AN IMPERIAL REPENTANCE. - - -But, although these secret horrors, which degraded the noblest family of -the empire, were kept as still as private crimes, and men dared scarcely -speak of them except in terrified whispers, the knowledge thereof spread -abroad, until enough was known to fill the Christian world with -detestation of the emperor; and he whose governing passion had been to -rule mankind, and to command their respect and reverence at any cost, -found himself to be held by the popular verdict as an outcast from -virtue and decency. His iron soul was proof against every shaft except -this, but the wound it inflicted upon his boundless self-love was bitter -and incurable. Realizing that he had outraged the moral sentiment of -Christendom by these atrocious crimes, the emperor determined to -overthrow what he called Christianity, and re-establish the pagan -religion, charging his crimes to the blinding influences of the -superstition and strong magic of the Church, and thereby win for himself -the love and confidence of that large portion of his subjects who still -adhered to the ancient idolatries. In pursuance of this design, -Constantine applied to the flamens at Rome for purification from his -domestic crimes, as the first step toward the rehabilitation of his -moral nakedness and deformity; but the priests, who knew his crafty, -unscrupulous, cruel, and atheistic nature, and who already had in -training the young and gifted Julian, seized this opportunity to gratify -their theological hate, by boldly declaring that the ancient rituals of -paganism did not know any form of expiation for such fearful and -unnecessary crimes as his. - -Then Constantine turned away forever from heathenism, and sent for -Hosius, Bishop of Cordova, who assured him that "in Christianity all -sin, however great, may find forgiveness: for He saveth unto the -uttermost all that come unto God by him." - -"And what method must I use to secure this forgiveness?" asked the -emperor. - -"Only true repentance toward God, and humble, sincere faith in Jesus -Christ," said the bishop. - -Then, with a singular smile, Constantine looked at the bishop and -answered: "Bishop, thou dost forget that thou art not now talking to a -woman taken in adultery, nor to a thief upon the cross. Farewell!" - -And with a wave of the hand the emperor contemptuously dismissed him. - -But Constantine could not endure the popular detestation of which he -knew himself to be justly the object, and as a last resort he sent for -Eusebius of Caesarea. Eusebius knew the emperor fully as well as the -emperor knew him, and, of course, knew that he might as well chant -psalms to a deaf ass as to recommend faith and repentance to the -imperial atheist, as Hosius of Cordova had innocently endeavored to do. -When Eusebius came before the emperor, Constantine spoke to him in a -light, bantering tone, saying: "Bishop, Crispus Caesar became infatuated -with the idea that he was great enough to wear my sandals and to wield -my spear even while I live; and the young man met with a fatal accident. -The youth Licinius, and the woman Fausta, exposed themselves to some -unwholesome atmosphere, and the results of their indiscretion were -deleterious to their health. These events have happened unfortunately -for me, and I require thine unfailing aid in avoiding further -inconvenience from them. What canst thou do for me?" - -"Could not the flamens of Jupiter give thy burdened conscience rest?" -said the bishop, quietly, but with malicious pleasure. - -"No," answered Constantine, laughing. "The priests are good -haters--somewhat too demonstrative, perhaps, but steady and reliable in -their antipathies; and so they took out their spite upon me the first -time Fate gave them an opportunity." - -"Could not the most learned and holy Hosius point out to thee the road -to peace?" - -"No, indeed. That respectable idiot began some sort of mummery -concerning faith and repentance; but I cut him short. Bishop, thou wert -not wont to be so difficult. I confess that, since the Council of Nicea, -I have not done justice to thy superior merit, and have even felt -somewhat estranged from thee. Forget all that, and let us once more be -friends." - -"Augustus," said the bishop, "I have keenly felt the withdrawal of thy -favor, although I have complained to no one. I think that, if it had -been otherwise, I could have showed thee sufficient reasons for avoiding -some terrible mistakes. What is the exact difficulty which these -mistakes have led thee upon?" - -"The Arians are rejoiced by any occurrence that gives them a pretext for -railing at me; the orthodox Christians have the unblushing impudence to -attempt to sit in judgment upon the actions of the emperor that rescued -them from persecutions, and affect to be shocked thereby, just as if -they were fit to judge his deeds or comprehend his policy; the -implacable flamens hope to make such use of these accidents as to lead -the world back to paganism without my aid. The Arians hate me because I -would not permit them to establish a kingdom in the empire of which I -was not to be the king. Thou must find some way to conciliate the -fools, for the hearts of all men are estranged from me; and, as thou -hast always known, I would rather rule by love than by terror. But rule -I will, while I shall live. Now, how can I regain my former hold upon -either the pagan or the Christian world?" - -"Thou must first of all definitely abandon the idea that the empire can -ever return to paganism," said Eusebius. "The amazing progress of -Christianity among the people and the rapid decline of heathenism -demonstrate that the old religion hath almost ceased to be a political -force, and any emperor who would seek to re-establish it is foredoomed -to certain failure." - -"Let that pass. Ye bishops always regard the Church as the first thing -to be considered. I concede that thou art right. What then?" - -"Thou must also understand," said Eusebius, with malicious pleasure, -"that, while the will of the emperor is the law of the land, it is no -longer the standard of right and wrong for Christians. Thy statutes may -control political life, and prescribe the external forms of worship for -the Church: its conscience hath passed even beyond thy control." - -Constantine turned white with wrath. - -"The impudent beggars!" he cried, "whom I redeemed from tortures and -from death! Where, then, was their 'conscience' when the council -subverted the kingdom of heaven upon earth, and they all signed the -decree which abolished the earthly sovereignty of Christ? But," -checking his furious anger with a mighty effort, "what next?" - -"If a man hath done a crime," said Eusebius, "no matter how cruel and -unnatural, the Christians understand that he may obtain forgiveness for -his sin by repentance and faith, even as King David did in the matter of -Bath-sheba." - -"Well!" said Constantine, impatiently. - -"The Christian world will never pardon thee without this repentance and -faith, or the appearance of it," said Eusebius, and he uttered the last -few words in a low, peculiar tone. - -"And what shape might 'the appearance of it' assume?" asked the emperor, -with a laugh. - -"Thou mightst go in sackcloth and ashes unto the church and publicly -pray to God and man for pardon!" - -"And I might far sooner hang up a bishop and exterminate a sect that -would seriously insist upon any such degrading terms!" - -"So I supposed," said Eusebius, "and even then such a course would only -be 'the appearance' of faith and repentance, not the things themselves. -But thou mightst build a church and dedicate it unto the memory of -Caesar; or set up his statue, with an inscription intimating that he was -the victim of a mistake, and the object of affectionate and sorrowful -remembrance. Either of these 'appearances of it' might be sufficient." - -"That will answer," cried Constantine. "Crispus Caesar was a handsome -man, and an excellent subject for a statue. The statue shall be of -gold, and the inscription shall be, 'To Crispus, mine injured and -innocent son.' Will that, think you, reconcile the orthodox? Or what -else dost thou advise?" - -"The Empress-mother Helena should exhibit some similar token of -repentance for her hatred of the Empress Fausta." - -"And what 'appearance of it' should her faith and repentance assume?" -said Constantine, laughing merrily. - -"Recently," replied Eusebius, "a lively interest hath sprung up -throughout the Church in the 'holy places' in Palestine. If the empress -should make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and found there a handsome -church and some sacred shrines, she would cease to annoy thee, amuse -herself, and do a great work toward restoring the love and confidence of -Christians to thyself and her." - -"Thou art a true and glorious bishop," laughed the emperor, "and thou -dost never forget the welfare of the Church. The empress-mother shall -go quickly on her sacred pilgrimage, and all the holy places shall -rejoice. Is not that enough? Or is there yet something more?" - -"This would suffice for the orthodox," said Eusebius; "but years have -passed since the Council of Nicea. Time hath assuaged the bitterness of -former days, which would, perhaps, have faded out altogether but that -the banishment of Arius keepeth it alive. If thou wouldst reconcile the -whole Church unto thyself, recall and even show some special honor to -the Libyan." - -"Thou hast reserved thy bitterest medicine for the last!" - -"But it is necessary, Augustus. For days past thy sister Constantia, -who is even now upon the bed of death, hath entreated me that I would -come unto thee and ask thee to visit her, that she might make it her -dying request that thou recall Arius and restore his church to him. Of -course I could not come till thou didst order it." And then the bishop, -fixing his eyes firmly upon the face of Constantine, with his right hand -extended, said with inexpressible dignity: "Augustus, thy sister's -husband, Licinius, the Emperor of the East, and her only son, Licinius, -both perished by thine own order; yet her devotion unto thee hath never -faltered. Surely thou canst not refuse her dying supplications!" - -Constantine's face for once grew soft with a genuine emotion of -humanity, and he replied: "Surely not, bishop! I always loved -Constantia. I will visit her, and do whatever she desires." - -"Go to-day, then," said Eusebius, "for she hath but few hours more to -live." - -And Constantine went; and the long and sorely tried and deeply injured, -but still faithful and loving sister, with her dying breath besought him -to recall the great and holy Arius, and restore the peace and unity of -the Church and of the empire; and with a mighty oath (as usual) he -promised so to do. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - - WELL DONE, GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT. - - -During the slow lapse of all the years which had passed away since the -date of the Nicene Council, Arius the Libyan was almost as much dead -unto the world as if he had indeed departed from this life. None, -except the emperor and a few trusted officers, knew anything more of him -than that he was kept a close prisoner somewhere in Illyricum, none knew -precisely where; and so carefully was the secret guarded, that even unto -this day the precise place and manner of his imprisonment remain -entirely unknown. For a few years after he had disappeared so suddenly, -there were now and then vague rumors in circulation that some of his -devoted adherents had discovered the location of his prison, and were -plotting to deliver him therefrom; and the same rumors indefinitely -connected the names of Crispus Caesar and of young Licinius with these -revolutionary designs; and cunning Fausta had used these rumors, with -remorseless skill and intelligence, to the destruction of them both. But -whether these were merely vague and idle surmises, whether there was -some foundation in fact for them, or whether the crafty emperor himself -had invented and floated them, in order to justify the murders upon -which he had already determined, will forever be unknown. For, upon the -perpetration of these enormous crimes, a mist of horror overspread the -empire that hid the name and memory of the Libyan from the popular gaze, -and thenceforth absolutely nothing was known of him until he suddenly -and unexpectedly appeared at Constantinople. - -A few days after the funeral of Constantia, Constantine summoned -Eusebius and said unto him: "Bishop, I swore unto Constantia that I -would recall Arius speedily, and I will keep mine oath; for reflection -convinceth me that piety in this regard is true policy also. In what -manner dost thou deem it most fitting to effectuate this purpose?" - -"Do it like a Christian, like a statesman, like an emperor," said -Eusebius, "with a whole heart, generously! And let there be nothing -small, or niggardly, or mean, in thine action. A few narrow-minded ones -among the orthodox may for a while murmur at it; but the Arians will -rejoice, and all Christians and all men will say it was a noble thing to -do! Therefore, let it be done in a grand and princely way!" - -"Particularize the programme which thou thinkest to be 'grand' and -'princely.'" - -"Let free pardon be granted unto Arius, without conditions of any kind -whatever. Let proclamation be made that the presbyter will be received -into communion again, in thine own city and in thine own church, and -then transferred to his old pastoral charge, the Baucalis church in -Alexandria, and so recompense his sufferings with a triumphant return, -and receive him at the church-door in thine own person!" - -"It shall so be done at once," answered Constantine. "No apologies or -explanations to be demanded or received. Do thou immediately set a day, -and carefully arrange all the details of the ceremony as thou wilt. I -will have the old heretic here at the appointed time." - -And Eusebius with a glad heart set to work to carry the emperor's design -into effect. Some among the orthodox murmured, and on the evening -before the day appointed, Alexander, the Bishop of Constantinople, was -heard to exclaim, "Let me, or Arius, die before tomorrow!" - -But the emperor's will could not be resisted; and, although the orthodox -shuddered to acknowledge as a brother beloved and equal one whom they -had always branded as a heretic, the secularized, imperial Church must -commit treason or obey; for the royal oecumenical council had borne, -along with other fruit, this, that a difference of religious faith and -action might very easily constitute the crime of treason against the -emperor. - -On the day which had been set apart for the solemn pageantry, Arius was -brought by chosen officers to the lodgings where the Eusebii abode when -in the city; but, designing to prepare for the long-imprisoned Libyan -all the delightful surprise which a sudden realization of the great -change in his condition might afford, the Eusebii had not permitted any -one to inform him fully of the matters contemplated. They even doubted, -also, whether the grand, ascetic, incorruptible old man would enter an -imperial church to receive honor at the hands of an earthly sovereign -unless he should be taken by surprise. When, therefore, the next -morning, at the appointed hour, they took places upon each side of him, -and invited him to walk with them and view the grand and beautiful -metropolitan church, the ancient man went forth not knowing what special -purpose was contemplated. And as they drew nearer unto the church, and -beheld a vast concourse of people in holiday attire, and ranks of -soldiers in magnificent array, with banners flying, and heard the mighty -shouts that seemed to rend the heavens, "Glory to Constantine, the -favorite of God!" "Long live Arius, the great and faithful presbyter!" -the Libyan paused, and, gazing upon the Eusebii, inquired, "Bishops, -beloved, what mean these mighty clamors, and these salutations of -Constantine and Arius?" - -And they answered, "Father, come on with us and thou shalt gladly see." - -"Not a step more, until ye have told me all!" - -"It meaneth that thou art recalled, not only to Constantinople, but to -the very bosom of the Church, subject to no conditions whatever! And -the emperor himself waits at the door yonder to welcome and to honor -thee." - -Then brake the strong heart within him of a hopeless sorrow, and, -faintly murmuring these words, 'The Antichrist hath triumphed here where -Satan hath his seat!' a convulsion seized upon him, and, as the two -steadfast friends strove to hold him up, the gigantic form of the grand -old man glided slowly down between them, and lay prone upon the -pavement, as if the spirit had gone out of him forever. And presently a -slight contortion swept over the great, gaunt frame; the bony right hand -extended itself upward, waving gently from side to side; the rough and -noble head darted forward upon the long, lithe neck; a tender smile, -ineffably soft and sweet, played around the weary, patient mouth, and -lighted up the somber eyes and haggard countenance with joy and beauty; -and gazing far away, as if his sight could pierce the bending heavens, -he sweetly murmured, 'Jesus, and Theckla also!' Then darkness fell upon -the weary face and eyes; the mighty limbs relaxed once more; and he lay -still upon the rocky way. - -Arius the Libyan was dead! - - - - - THE END. - - - - - - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ARIUS THE LIBYAN *** - - - - -A Word from Project Gutenberg - - -We will update this book if we find any errors. - -This book can be found under: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/42895 - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one -owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and -you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission -and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth in the -General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and -distributing Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works to protect the -Project Gutenberg(tm) concept and trademark. 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