Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

35GTHE THIRD AGE OF THE MARTYR CHURCH.especially threatened, and amongst them Ambro-sius, the friend of Origen, and Origen himself.But Maximin after reigning three years with extraordinarycruelty was slain by his own soldAnd then during eleven years a period of comparativetranquillity for Christians ensued.It is with the accession of Decius that theseverest trials of the Church commence. In the"sixty-four years which elapse from this to the edictof toleration, the force of the empire is five timesdirected by its rulers against the Christian name.The cause of this is disclosed to us by S. Cyprianmentioning incidentally the very words of thatemperor whose name is associated with the bitteresthatred to Christians. He praises Pope Cornelius,32who when Pope " Fabian's place, that is," hesays, " the place of Peter and the rank of the sacerdotalchair was vacant," " sat fearless in that chairat Rome at the moment when the tyrant whohated God's priests uttered every horrible threat,and with much more patience and endurance heardthe rise of a rival prince than the appointment ofGod's priest at Rome." But why should Deciusregard with such dislike the nomination of a RomanBishop? Why, but that the emperors had32 " Cum Fabiani locus, id est, cum locus Petri et gradus cathedra*BBcerdotalis vacaret." Epist. lii. p. 68. " Sedisse intrepiduin Romas insacerdotal! cathedra eo tempore cum tyrannus infestus sacerdotibus Deif anda atque inf anda comminaretur, cum multo patientius et tolerabiliusaudiret levari adversus se reinulum principem quain constitui Romas Deisacerdotem." Ibid. p. 69.