various exertions. One of his letters was sent into the Peloponnesus to the Lacedæmonians. Its object was catechetical—to instruct them in the faith and to inculcate peace and unity. Another was directed to their ancient rivals the Athenians. A sad change had occurred in the prosperity of that Church. Instead of having had their faith purified, and their holy purposes invigorated, by the martyrdom of their bishop Publius, they had become negligent of their profession, and had almost entirely relinquished it. By the efforts of Quadratus however, successor to Publius, the Church had been again collected, and the dying embers of their faith had received a new excitement. The object of Dionysius's letter was still further to excite, and keep alive, this holy flame. The efforts of these bishops were successful. In the next century, Origen states that the Christians of Athens stood out in marked contrast with the Heathen population of that city.

He also sent two letters across the sea into Crete. One to all the Churches in the island, although Gortyna is especially mentioned, partly perhaps on account of its importance, and partly on account of the firmness of the Church, and its bishop Philip, under many trials. trials. This letter was to warn the Churches against heretical corruptions. The other he directed to the Church at Gnossus, another chief Cretan city, in which he exhorted its bishop Pinytus not to enjoin upon the brethren the heavy burthen of chastity, that is, not to dissuade them

from marriage, but to have respect to the weakness of the multitude.

But if this account be correct, Greece was by no means a limit to Dionysius's care of the Churches. The heresy of Marcion, which had sprung up on the shores of the Euxine, had infected the cities along its coasts; and Dionysius is said to have sent two letters, one to the Church at Nicomedia, refuting the heresy, and maintaining the true faith, and the other to all the Pontic Churches, specially naming Amastris, whose bishop was Palmas. This letter he had written at the request of two persons, called Bacchylides and Elpistus. Its contents, although seeming to be various, were probably mostly connected with the Marcion heresy. He explained some portions of the Holy Scripture, made some lengthened observations on marriage and chastity, and issued an injunction that they should welcome all who wished to return to the Church, from whatever lapse, whether from sinful passions, or from heresy.

Eusebius had also seen a letter to a lady called Chrysophora full of spiritual instruction.

In short, it is clear from the account that Dionysius was looked upon with almost apostolic reverence. His letters were collected, and his advice was frequently sought, by all Churches. Nay, so high was his authority, that the heretics thought it worth their while to alter and corrupt his letters, and thus to win an entrance for their opinions under pretence of his sanction.

Another of his letters is said to have been sent

to the Roman Church: the following extract from it is inserted in the "Ecclesiastical History" of Eusebius*:

"It has ever been your habit to benefit the brethren in various ways, and to send assistance to the Churches in every city, both relieving the wants of the poor, and affording help to the brethren condemned to the mines. By a succession of these gifts, Romans, you preserve the hereditary customs of Romans, and your most excellent bishop Soter has not only continued, but added to, them. He not only conferred the gift, but exhorted (as an affectionate father would his children) those who went up to him with words of blessing."†

This letter of Soter's, Dionysius states, they should always read with Clement's. Two spurious Isidorian letters are attributed to Soter.

XII. ELEUTHERUS (A.D. 177-193).‡

Nothing is positively known of Eleutherus, or of his Church during his episcopate. The Churches of Lyons and Vienne are said to have sent a letter to Eleutherus on the subject of the Montanist movement, which is lost, or rather perhaps never existed; and another, recommending Irenæus, a

Extracts from his other letters would have been extremely interesting, if for no other purpose than to know whether he always wrote in such a peculiar style. His practice seems to have been much better than his writing. I doubt the letter. † Euseb. Hist. Eccl. iv. 23. Ibid. v. init.

C

presbyter in their Church, to the notice of Eleutherus. That letter is preserved.*

There is one spurious Isidorian letter attributed to him.

Bede states that Lucius, a king of Britain, sent a letter to Eleutherus, requesting that through his command he might be made a Christian, and that his pious desire was soon realised; also, that the faith thus received was maintained by the Britons in purity and peace until the days of Diocletian.†

As, however, the British Churches did not adopt the Roman mode of keeping Easter, and differed in several other particulars from that Church, no confidence can be placed in Bede's statement. has, I believe, no confirmation.

XIII. VICTOR (A.D. 193-202).‡

It

In the usual histories, Victor's episcopate is signalised by the excommunication, as far as he could effect it, of the Asiatic Churches, for their refusal to continue their paschal fast to the Sunday. Such an interference is so monstrous, and particularly as taking place in the second century, when feelings

Euseb. Hist. Eccl. v. 4. Here again is to be noted a very unintelligible style of writing, and yet their letter on the persecution, if composed by them, is very clearly written. There seems a fatality of this kind affecting many documents relating to the Roman Church. The notice of this letter in Jerome's "Book of Ecclesiastical Writers" is very suspicious, from a singular use of the word "nomen." This will be explained as we proceed.

† Hist. Eccl. i. 4.

Euseb. Eccl. Hist. v. 22.

of piety, humility, and brotherly love are supposed, and I believe justly, to have been prevalent in the Churches, that I was led to investigate its accuracy. The result of my inquiry has been to satisfy myself that the statement is one of a series of forgeries that have descended to us. The evidence on which I have arrived at this conclusion is given hereafter.*

Theodotus, a shoemaker, and a native of Byzantium, probably the first Gentile heretic who denied the divinity of Christ, accounting him to be a mere man, was expelled from the Church by Victor.†

Four spurious Isidorian letters are attributed to him.

But although I do not believe Victor to have been guilty of the conduct just mentioned towards the Asiatics, I shall still take this opportunity of introducing to the reader's notice the Asiatic Churches.

The territory comprised under the word Asia was differently understood by the ancients; but I am at present alluding to the countries under the government of the Roman proconsul, and which were Mysia, Lydia, Caria, and Phrygia. These provinces contained many Churches, and were inhabited, I believe, by a far greater number of Christians than any other portion of the empire. There is little doubt that most of the cities, if not all, were at this time episcopal residences; but

* See Proofs and Illustrations, under the title, "VICTOR." † Euseb. Eccl. Hist. v. 28.