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In those days also Melito, bishop of the parish in Sardis, and
Apolinarius, bishop of Hierapolis, enjoyed great distinction. Each
of them on his own part addressed apologies in behalf of the faith to
the above-mentioned emperor of the Romans who was reigning at that
time. The following works of these writers have come to our
knowledge. Of Melito, the two books On the Passover, and one On
the Conduct of Life and the Prophets, the discourse On the
Church, and one On the Lord's Day, still further one On the
Faith of Man, and one On his Creation, another also On the
Obedience of Faith, and one On the Senses; besides these the work
On the Soul and Body, and that On Baptism, and the one On
Truth, and On the Creation and Generation of Christ; his
discourse also On Prophecy, and that On Hospitality; still
further, The Key, and the books On the Devil and the Apocalypse
of John, and the work On the Corporeality of God, and finally the
book addressed to Antoninus. In the books On the Passover he
indicates the time at which he wrote, beginning with these words:
"While Servilius Paulus was proconsul of Asia, at the time when
Sagaris suffered martyrdom, there arose in Laodicea a great strife
concerning the Passover, which fell according to rule in those days;
and these were written." And Clement of Alexandria refers to this
work in his own discourse On the Passover, which, he says, he wrote
on occasion of Melito's work. But in his book addressed to the
emperor he records that the following events happened to us under him:
"For, what never before happened, the race of the pious is now
suffering persecution, being driven about in Asia by new decrees.
For the shameless informers and coveters of the property of others,
taking occasion from the decrees, openly carry on robbery night and
day, despoiling those who are guilty of no wrong." And a little
further on he says: "If these things are done by thy command, well
and good. For a just ruler will never take unjust measures; and we
indeed gladly accept the honor of such a death. But this request alone
we present to thee, that thou wouldst thyself first examine the authors
of such strife, and justly judge whether they be worthy of death and
punishment, or of safety and quiet. But if, on the other hand, this
counsel and this new decree, which is not fit to be executed even
against barbarian enemies, be not from thee, much more do we beseech
thee not to leave us exposed to such lawless plundering by the
populace." Again he adds the following: "For our philosophy
formerly flourished among the Barbarians; but having sprung up among
the nations under thy rule, during the great reign of thy ancestor
Augustus, it became to thine empire especially a blessing of
auspicious omen. For from that time the power of the Romans has grown
in greatness and splendor. To this power thou hast succeeded, as the
desired possessor, and such shalt thou continue with thy son, if thou
guardest the philosophy which grew up with the empire and which came
into existence with Augustus; that philosophy which thy ancestors also
honored along with the other religions. And a most convincing proof
that our doctrine flourished for the good of an empire happily begun,
is this that there has no evil happened since Augustus' reign, but
that, on the contrary, all things have been splendid and glorious, in
accordance with the prayers of all. Nero and Domitian, alone,
persuaded by certain calumniators, have wished to slander our
doctrine, and from them it has come to pass that the falsehood has been
handed down, in consequence of an unreasonable practice which prevails
of bringing slanderous accusations against the Christians. But thy
pious fathers corrected their ignorance, having frequently rebuked in
writing many who dared to attempt new measures against them. Among
them thy grandfather Adrian appears to have written to many others,
and also to Fundanus, the proconsul and governor of Asia. And thy
father, when thou also wast ruling with him, wrote to the cities,
forbidding them to take any new measures against us; among the rest to
the Larissaeans, to the Thessalonians, to the Athenians, and to
all the Greeks. And as for thee, since thy opinions respecting the
Christians are the same as theirs, and indeed much more benevolent and
philosophic, we are the more persuaded that thou wilt do all that we
ask of thee." These words are found in the above-mentioned work.
But in the Extracts made by him the same writer gives at the beginning
of the introduction a catalogue of the acknowledged books of the Old
Testament, which it is necessary to quote at this point. He writes
as follows: "Melito to his brother Onesimus, greeting: Since thou
hast often, in thy zeal for the word, expressed a wish to have
extracts made from the Law and the Prophets concerning the Saviour
and concerning our entire faith, and hast also desired to have an
accurate statement of the ancient book, as regards their number and
their order, I have endeavored to perform the task, knowing thy zeal
for the faith, and thy desire to gain information in regard to the
word, and knowing that thou, in thy yearning after God, esteemest
these things above all else, struggling to attain eternal salvation.
Accordingly when I went East and came to the place where these things
were preached and done, I learned accurately the books of the Old
Testament, and send them to thee as written below. Their names are
as follows: Of Moses, five books: Genesis, Exodus, Numbers,
Leviticus, Deuteronomy; Jesus Nave, Judges, Ruth; of Kings,
four books; of Chronicles, two; the Psalms of David, the
Proverbs of Solomon, Wisdom also, Ecclesiastes, Song off
Songs, Job; of Prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah; of the twelve
prophets, one book ; Daniel, Ezekiel, Esdras. From which also
I have made the extracts, dividing them into six books." Such are
the words of Melito.
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