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Among these Hegesippus was well known. We have already quoted his
words a number of times, relating events which happened in the time of
the apostles according to his account. He records in five books the
true tradition of apostolic doctrine in a most simple style, and he
indicates the time in which he flourished when he writes as follows
concerning those that first set up idols: "To whom they erected
cenotaphs and temples, as is done to the present day. Among whom is
also Antinous, a slave of the Emperor Adrian, in whose honor are
celebrated also the Antinoian games, which were instituted in our
day. For he also founded a city named after Antinous, and appointed
prophets." At the same time also Justin, a genuine lover of the
true philosophy, was still continuing to busy himself with Greek
literature. He indicates "We do not think it out of place to mention
here Antinous also, who lived in our day, and whom all were driven by
fear to worship as a god, although they knew who he was and whence he
came." The same writer, speaking of the Jewish war which took place
at that time, adds the following: "For in the late Jewish war
Barcocheba, the leader of the Jewish rebellion, commanded that
Christians alone should be visited with terrible punishments unless
they would deny and blaspheme Jesus Christ." And in the same work
he shows that his conversion from Greek philosophy to Christianity was
not without reason, but that it was the result of deliberation on his
part. His words are as follows: "For I myself, while I was
delighted with the doctrines of Plato, and heard the Christians
slandered, and saw that they were afraid neither of death nor of
anything else ordinarily looked upon as terrible, concluded that it was
impossible that they could be living in wickedness and pleasure. For
what pleasure-loving or intemperate man, or what man that counts it
good to feast on human flesh, could welcome death that he might be
deprived of his enjoyments, and would not rather strive to continue
permanently his present life, and to escape the notice of the rulers,
instead of giving himself up to be put to death?" The same writer,
moreover, relates that Adrian having received from Serennius
Granianus, a most distinguished governor, a letter in behalf of the
Christians, in which he stated that it was not just to slay the
Christians without a regular accusation and trial, merely for the sake
of gratifying the outcries of the populace, sent a rescript to
Minucius Fundanus, proconsul of Asia, comrounding him to condemn no
one without an indictment and a well-grounded accusation. And he
gives a copy of the epistle, preserving the original Latin in which it
was written, and prefacing it with the following words: "Although
from the epistle of the greatest and most illustrious Emperor Adrian,
your father, we have good ground to demand that you order judgment to
be given as we have desired, yet we have asked this not because it was
ordered by Adrian, but rather because we know that what we ask is
just. And we have subjoined the copy of Adrian's epistle that you
may know that we are speaking the truth in this matter also. And this
is the copy." After these words the author referred to gives the
rescript in Latin, which we have translated into Greek as accurately
as we could. It reads as follows:
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