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WE must now mention in what manner Christianity was spread in this
emperor's reign: for it was in his time that the nations both of the
Indians in the interior, and of the Iberians first embraced the
Christian faith. But I shall briefly explain why I have used the
appended expression in the interior. When the apostles went forth by
lot among the nations, Thomas received the apostleship of the
Parthians; Matthew was allotted Ethiopia; and Bartholomew the part
of India contiguous to that country but the interior India, in which
many barbarous nations using different languages lived, was not
enlightened by Christian doctrine before the times of Constantine. I
now come to speak of the cause which led them to become converts to
Christianity. A certain philosopher, Meropius, a Tyrian by race,
determined to acquaint himself with the country of the Indians, being
stimulated to this by the example of the philosopher Metrodorus, who
had previously traveled through the region of India. Having taken
with him therefore two youths to whom he was related, who were by no
means ignorant of the Greek language, Meropius reached the country by
ship; and when he had inspected whatever he wished, he touched at a
certain place which had a safe harbor, for the purpose of procuring
some necessaries. It so happened that a little before that time the
treaty between the Romans and Indians had been violated. The
Indians, therefore, having seized the philosopher and those who
sailed with him, killed them all except his two youthful kinsmen; but
sparing them from compassion for their tender age, they sent them as a
gift to the king of the Indians. He being pleased with the personal
appearance of the youths, constituted one of them, whose name was
Edesius, cup-bearer at his table; the other, named Frumentius, he
entrusted with the care of the royal records. The king dying soon
after, left them free, the government devolving on his wife and infant
son. Now the queen seeing her son thus left in his minority, begged
the young men to undertake the charge of him, until he should become of
adult age. Accordingly, the youths accepted the task, and entered on
the administration of the kingdom. Thus Frumentius controlled all
things and made it a task to enquire whether among the Roman merchants
trafficking with that country, there were any Christians to be found:
and having discovered some, he informed them who he was, and exhorted
them to select and occupy some appropriate places for the celebration of
Christian worship. In the course of a little while he built a house
of prayer; and having instructed some of the Indians in the principles
of Christianity, they fitted them for participation in the worship.
On the young king's reaching maturity, Frumentius and his associates
resigned to him the administration of public affairs, in the
management, of which they had honorably acquitted themselves, and
besought permission to return to their own country. Both the king and
his mother entreated them to remain; but being desirous of revisiting
their native place, they could not be prevailed on, and consequently
departed. Edesius for his part hastened to Tyre to see his parents
and kindred; but Frumentius arriving at Alexandria, reported the
affair to Athanasius the bishop, who had but recently been invested
with that dignity; and acquainting him both with the particulars of his
wanderings and the hopes Indians had of receiving Christianity. He
also begged him to send a bishop and clergy there, and by no means to
neglect those who might thus be brought to salvation. Athanasius
having considered how this could be most profitably effected, requested
Frumentius himself to accept the bishopric, declaring that he could
appoint no one more suitable than he was. Accordingly this was done;
Frumentius invested with episcopal authority, returned to India and
became there a preacher of the Gospel, and built several churches,
being aided also by divine grace, he performed various miracles,
healing with the souls also the bodily diseases of many. Rufinus
assures us that he heard these facts from Edesius, who was afterwards
ordained to the priesthood at Tyre.
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