apostolicfathers0201clem - Carmel Apologetics

HADRIAN, PIUS, AND MARCUS. 481
inde discessi, et in filium meum Verum multa dixerunt, et de Antinoo
quae dixerint, comperisse te credo, etc.
This letter is preserved by Vopiscus Vita Saturtiini 8. Vopiscus is speaking of the
Egyptians, and prefaces the letter with these words; 'Sunt Christiani, Samaritae, et
quibus praesentia semper tempora cum enormi libertate displiceant. Ac ne quis mihi
Aegyptiorum irascatur et meum esse credat quod in litteras rettuli, Hadriani epistolam
ponam ex libris Phlegontis liberti ejus proditam, ex qua penitus Aegyptiorum vita
detegitur.'
The genuineness of this letter has been generally, though not universally, allowed.
It comes to us on excellent authority, and the difficulties in the way of accepting it are
not serious. The 'patriarch' mentioned is clearly the Jewish patriarch of Tiberias.
If it were applied to the bishop of Alexandria, as Casaubon and other older commentators
assume, it would be a gross anachronism. But the words cum ' Aegyptum
venerit' and '
cogitur Christum adorare' show plainly that the person so designated did
not live in Egypt and did not profess to be a Christian. The real difficulty which
remains is the description of Verus as ' filium meum '. Servianus was consul for the
third time in A.D. 134 ;
but Verus did not receive the title of Caesar till a.d. 136. It
is clear however from the language of Spartianus Heliiis 3 that some sort of adoption,
or at least some intimation of the intention, preceded this event by a considerable
period; 'Adoptatus autem Aelius Verus ab Hadriano...statimque praetor factus et
Pannoniis dux ac rector impositus; mox consul creatus [Kal. Jan. a.d. 136]; et quia
erat deputatus imperio, iterum consul designatus est [Kal. Jan. A.D. 137]'. He is still
called by his old name L. Ceionius Commodus Verus in the fasti for a.d. 136, and
had not yet assumed his title L. Aelius Caesar, though he had been praetor and had
governed the province of Pannonia since the point of time at which Spartianus places
his first adoption. It is clear therefore that long before a.d. 136 Hadrian had taken
some steps or conceived some intentions, which would explain his calling Verus his
'son'. For different views respecting the adoption of the elder Verus see Tillemont
Empereiirs 11. p. 592 sq, Eckhel Doctr. Num. vi. p. 524 sq, Schiller Romische
Kaiserzeit i. p. 626, Diirr Reisen des Kaisers Hadrian p. 33. This last mentioned
writer, while accepting the letter as genuine in the main, discovers interpolations in
it (p. 90). The opinion of Schiller (p. 6S2) is similar.
For the bearing of this letter on the history of the Christian ministry see Philippians
p. 225 sq.
Antoninus — Pius
(ii) [a.d. 138 161].
Letter to the Cotnmune Asiae.
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