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Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

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194 THE FIRST AGE OF THE MARTYK CHURCHno means <strong>of</strong> telling; but another emperor is namedas a persecutor. Domitian not only put to deathas Christian his cousin, the Consul Flavius Clemens,but, as it would seem, a great many others atEome, in the latter years <strong>of</strong> his prineipate.14 Domitianand Nero are mentioned as persecutors byMelito when addressing Marcus Aurelius, and byTertullian,15 7 in the time <strong>of</strong> Severus, 7 though O it wasthe object <strong>of</strong> both to make the emperors appear tohave been not unfavourable to Christians. But,independent <strong>of</strong> any general act which would constitutean emperor a persecutor,16 this liability topunishment,17 in virtue <strong>of</strong> which the confessor ormartyr was brought before the local magistrates,was that under which individual Christians, inmost peaceful times, and in the reign <strong>of</strong> emperorsgenerally just and moderate, endured their sufferings.<strong>The</strong> Emperor Tiberius is said by Tertullianmn Kom. writin ust arter Domitian s timomj/es iroAA&f cu/aas KCU /3< £lysvovTo ez/ ^im>. -4^ dw, 6.15 Euseb. Hist. iv. 25; Tertull. 4/wZ. 5.16 In Tertullian's words, " debellator Ghristianorum," Apol.17 Thus a late Protestant writer, Schmidt (Geschichte der Denk- undGlaulemfreiheit, p. 165), remarks <strong>of</strong> the condition <strong>of</strong> Christians, " Voll-kornmen gewiss ist, dass unter Domitian eine neue Drangperiode fur dieChristen begann, die sich in Verfolgungen, in Hinrichtungen, und Ver-bamiungen ausserte. (Dio. 67, 14, und die Ausleger.) Damals soil auclider Apostel Johannes nach Pathmos verwiesen worden sein. Erst Nervaliiftete wiederum diesen Druck, indem er den Verhafteten die Freiheitgab, und die Verbannten zuriickberief. {Dio. 68, 1.) Es war dies al)erdoch nur als eine Amnestie^ als ein Gnadenact anziisehen^ nicht als eineAnerlicnnung der UnstrdfiichTieit^vie das schwanhende Verhalterides nichtwinder hochhcrzigen undfreisinnigeti Trajan zur Geniige darthut"wn

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