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ABOUT this time, Maris bishop of Chalcedon in Bithynia being
led by the hand into the emperor's presence, -- for on account of
extreme old age he had a disease in his eyes termed 'cataract,' --
severely rebuked his impiety, apostasy, and atheism. Julian answered
his reproaches by loading him with contumelious epithets: and he
defended himself by words calling him 'blind.' 'You blind old
fool,' said he, 'this Galilaean God of yours will never cure
you.' For he was accustomed to term Christ 'the Galilaean,' and
Christians Galilaeans. Maris with still greater boldness replied,
'I thank God for bereaving me of my sight, that I might not behold
the face of one who has fallen into such awful impiety.' The emperor
suffered this to pass without farther notice at that time; but he
afterwards had his revenge. Observing that those who suffered
martyrdom under the reign of Diocletian were greatly honored by the
Christians, and knowing that many among them were eagerly desirous of
becoming martyrs, he determined to wreak his vengeance upon them in
some other way. Abstaining therefore from the excessive cruelties
which had been practiced under Diocletian; he did not however
altogether abstain from persecution (for any measures adopted to
disquiet and molest I regard as persecution). This then was the plan
he pursued: he enacted a law by which Christians were excluded from
the cultivation of literature; 'lest,' said he, 'when they have
sharpened their tongue, they should be able the more readily to meet
the arguments of the heathen.'
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