to manifest the weakness of the demon and His own power, in order that unbelievers might not have a pretext for continuing in their unbelief. After having uttered these and other supplications, he made the sign of the cross upon the water, and desired Equitius, a deacon who was full of faith and zeal, to take the water and to sprinkle it on the wood, and then to set fire to it anew. After the deacon had followed these instructions, the demon was not able to resist the power of the water. Although water is the antagonistical power to fire, yet, on this occasion, it acted as oil in forwarding the combustion, and in a moment the wood was consumed. The fall of three columns immediately followed, and, in their fall, they dragged with them twelve others: the side of the temple, which was supported by them, fell down at the same time. The noise of the fall resounded throughout the whole city, and the people ran to witness the spectacle. When they were informed of the flight of the inimical demon, they sang praises to the God of all. In the same way did the holy bishop destroy other temples. I could relate many other incidents respecting this bishop which would excite much astonishment. He kept up a constant epistolary correspondence with the martyrs, and he shared in their conflicts, and in their triumphs. But I shall now close the narration of these facts, lest I should weary my readers, and shall pass on to the relation of other occurrences.

CHAP. XXII.-THEOPHILUS, bishop of ALEXANDRIA.—THE IDOLATROUS TEMPLE AND STATUES DESTROYED IN THAT CITY.

THE renowned and admirable Athanasius was succeeded by Peter. Timothy succeeded Peter, and Theophilus was the successor of Timothy. Theophilus was a man of great prudence and intrepidity. He delivered the city of Alexandria from the errors of idolatry. He not only overthrew the idolatrous temples from their very foundations, but also disclosed the frauds of the priests to those whom they had deceived. These impostors had provided hollow statues, made of bronze and wood, with the back fitted against the wall, whence they secured an entrance into them. Having secreted themselves within the statues, they issued whatever commands they pleased, and the hearers, deceived by the fraud, obeyed them. By breaking

these statues, this wisest of bishops showed to the deceived people the imposture which had been practised upon them.

When he went into the temple of Serapis, which is said to have been the largest and most beautiful of the whole world, he saw a statue1 of so prodigious a size that terror was excited by merely looking at it. The alarm which it created was increased by a rumour which had been spread abroad, that, if any one should venture to approach it, an earthquake would immediately ensue, by which all the inhabitants of the world would be ingulfed. But Theophilus regarded these words as the random expressions of drunken old women; and, looking with contempt on the size of the statue, commanded a man who had a hatchet to strike Serapis with violence. When the blow was inflicted, all the people shrieked, fearing that what had been rumoured would come to pass. But Serapis suffered no pain from the wound, neither did it utter any exclamation; for it was made of wood, and was without life. When the head was broken open, a troop of mice immediately ran out; for these animals had made their abode in the interior of the god of the Egyptians. The body was broken up into small pieces and burnt; the head was carried throughout the city, and submitted to the inspection of those who had worshipped the idol, and who now ridiculed its weakness. In this way were the temples of the demons destroyed throughout the world.

CHAP. XXIII.-DISPUTE BETWEEN FLAVIAN, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH, AND THE BISHOPS OF THE WEST, CONCERNING PAULINUS

(A. D. 381).

FLAVIAN, who had sustained with Diodorus so many conflicts in defence of the Saviour's flock, was appointed to succeed the great Melitius in the bishopric of Antioch. Paulinus endeavoured to prove that he had himself a prior right to this bishopric. But the priests rejected his pretensions, saying, that as he would not receive the counsels of Melitius, he ought not to obtain his episcopal chair after his death, but that the pastoral office ought to be bestowed upon one who had distinguished himself by so many arduous labours, and who had so often defended the flock. This contention greatly irritated the Romans and the Egyptians against the Eastern bishops; and

1 This is said to have been made by order of Sesostris, king of Egypt.

the consequent feelings of animosity did not subside even after the death of Paulinus.1

When they had raised Evagrius to the episcopal chair, they still retained their resentment against Flavian, although Evagrius had been ordained against the canons of the church; for Paulinus alone had elected him; thus transgressing many of the ecclesiastical laws. The canons of the church do not permit a bishop, when on his death-bed, to ordain his successor,2 but declare that the consent of all the bishops of the province is requisite, and that the ceremony of ordination is to be performed by three bishops.3 Although none of these regulations had been observed in the ordination of Evagrius, the Romans and Egyptians entered into fellowship with him, and endeavoured to prejudice the emperor against Flavian. Wearied by their importunity, the emperor at length sent to Constantinople to summon Flavian to Rome. Flavian excused himself on account of its being winter, and promised to obey the emperor's command the ensuing spring. He then returned to his native country. The bishops of Rome, among whom was not only the admirable Damasis, but also Siricius, who afterwards succeeded him, as well as Anastasius, the successor of Siricius, rebuked the pious emperor, and told him, that while he repressed the attempts of those who rose up against his own authority, he suffered those who insulted the laws of Christ to exercise the authority which they had usurped. The emperor therefore again sent to compel Flavian to repair to Rome. To this mandate the wise bishop replied with great boldness of speech, saying, "If any individuals, O emperor, should accuse me of heterodoxy, or should say that my life is derogatory to the episcopal dignity, I would permit my accusers to be my judges, and would submit to whatever sentence they might pronounce. But if it be only my right to my episcopal chair and office that they are contesting, I shall not contend for my claims, but shall relinquish my seat to whoever may be appointed to take it. Give, then, O emperor, the bishopric of Antioch to whomsoever you please."

1 Paulinus died about A. D. 389.

2 This is distinctly forbidden, as Valesius remarks, by the 23rd canon of the council of Antioch. The 19th canon of the same council requires the consent of all the bishops of the province.

3 The 4th canon of the council of Nice provides that no bishop shall be consecrated except by the hands of three bishops.

The emperor admired his courage and wisdom, and sent to command him to resume the government of his church. Some time after the emperor returned to Rome, and the bishops again reproached him for not having suppressed the tyranny of Flavian. The emperor replied, by asking what species of tyranny had been exercised by Flavian, and declared his readiness to prohibit it. The bishops replying, that they could not litigate any point against an emperor, he exhorted them to be reconciled with each other, and to terminate the foolish contention. For Paulinus had died long previously, and Evagrius had been illegally ordained. Besides, the Eastern churches acknowledged the supremacy of Flavian ; all the churches of Asia, of Pontus, and of Thrace, were united with him in communion: and all the churches of Illyria looked upon him as the primate of the East. The bishops of the West were convinced by these representations, and promised to lay aside their hostility, and to receive an embassy from Flavian. On hearing this, the holy Flavian sent some exemplary bishops to Rome, with some presbyters and deacons of Antioch. The principal man among them was Acacius,1 bishop of Beroa, a city of Syria, whose fame was spread throughout the world. On his arrival with the others in Rome, he terminated the long-continued hostility which had lasted seventeen years, and restored peace to the churches. When the Egyptians became acquainted with this proceeding, they laid down their animosity, and established concord. The church of Rome was at this period governed by Innocent, a man of great sagacity and prudence; he was the successor of Anastasius. Theophilus, of whom mention has been already made, was then the bishop of Alexandria.

CHAP. XXIV. TYRANNY OF EUGENIUS, AND THE VICTORY THE

EMPEROR THEODOSIUS OBTAINED BY FAITH.

THUS did this most pious emperor restore peace among the churches. But before he had fully accomplished this great work, he was informed of the death of Valentinian, and of the usurpation of Eugenius, and he therefore led his army into

1 Sozomen (Eccl. Hist. b. viii.) relates the mission of Acacius to Rome : he fixes it, however, A. D. 398.

Europe. About this time there dwelt in Egypt a certain hermit named John, who had devoted himself to a life of austerity. He possessed many spiritual gifts, and among others, that of predicting the future. The pious emperor sent to him, to inquire whether he ought to take up arms against the usurper. He had at a former period predicted the bloodless and triumphant issue of another war; but upon this occasion he told the emperor, that, in this second war, the victory would not be obtained without much effusion of blood. In this hope the emperor marched forward to battle. Great losses were sustained by the enemy in the engagement; but many of the barbarians who formed the emperor's auxiliary forces were slain. The generals represented to him that his army was greatly reduced in numbers, and advised him to defer the war until the spring, when fresh reinforcements might be procured; but the faithful emperor refused to listen to this counsel. "It would not be right," said he, "to attribute weakness to the cross of Christ, which is borne as the standard of our army, and to testify our assent to the power of the image of Hercules, which the enemy adopts as their standard." He made this declaration in the spirit of faith, although his troops were weakened and were few in number: finding a small house towards the summit of a mountain, near which was a place for his army to encamp, he passed the whole night in praying to the Lord of the Universe. Towards the hour of cock-crowing, sleep stole upon him. As he was lying on the ground, he thought he saw two men clothed in white, and mounted on white horses, who exhorted him to be of good courage, to renounce all fear, and, at the dawn of day to draw out his troops, and lead them on to battle. They said they had been sent to aid him, and to fight for him, and told him that one of them was John the Evangelist, and the other the Apostle Philip. The emperor, after seeing this vision, prayed with still greater fervour. One of the soldiers saw the same vision, and related it to the centurion. The centurion took the soldier to the tribune; the tribune took him to the general. The general went and told the emperor, thinking that it was something new that he had to communicate. "It is not for my sake," said the emperor, "that these things were shown to him, for I fully believed those who promised me the victory. But that no one might suspect that from the desire of engaging