For the present the exhortations of the female captive had no effect upon the king. Afterwards, as he was hunting in a forest, it grew quite dark on a sudden, and he knew not which way to go, and was in great distress he called upon Jesus Christ, and the daylight instantly returned. Upon this he sent for the woman, was instructed by her in Christianity, recommended it to his subjects, and sent for proper teachers to Constantine*, who received his messengers with great kindness, and appointed a bishop to go with them. In the mean time the king erected a church, at the building of which a very improbable miracle is related to have been wrought; a pillar was moved, and raised up, and suspended in the air, by the prayers of the woman. Rufinus says that he had this account from Bacurius. Bacurius was prince of the Iberi, and a general in the Roman service, under Valens and Theodosius, about forty years after the conversion of that people. Zosimus, who was a zealous pagan, commends him as a very brave and very honest man. Ελκων μὲν ἐξ' ̓Αρμενίας τὸ γένος, ἔξω δὲ πάσης κακοηθείας ἀνήρ, μέλὰ τὰ τὰ πολεμικά πεπαιδεύσθαι. L. iv. See Rufinus x. 10. Socrates i. 20. Sozomen ii. 7. Theodoret i. 24. As to the facts in these two relations, which are not miraculous, there is no sufficient reason to deny them; but the preternatural part, particularly in the story of the Iberit, calls loudly for abatements; how ever • To this Constantine seems to alude in his epistle to the council of Tyre. Mea certe opera divino Numini inserviente, ubique terrarum pax viget; ipsis etiam Barbaris Dei nomen sincere venerantibus, qui ad hoc usque tempus veritatem ignoraverant---Socr. i. 34. Soz. ii. 28. + Miracles are now ceased amongst this people, by their own ac ever, the occasion, the converting of two nations to Christianity, might be worthy of miracles, such as healing the diseased, and we should rather expect to find them here than in the dens of monks, or at the graves of the martyrs. Eusebius says nothing at all of these transactions. The miracle of the pillar was perhaps borrowed from Pliny; that of the darkness from Ovid. Summa miracula, epistylia tante molis attolli potuisse. -Difficillime hoc contigit in limine ipso quod foribus imponebat. Etenim ea maxima moles fuit: nec sedit in cubili, anxio artifice, mortis destinatione suprema. Traduntque in ea cogitatione fessum nocturno tempore in quiete vidisse præsentem Deam, cui templum fiebat, hortantem ut viveret: se composuisse lapidem : atque ita postero die apparuit, et pondere ipso correctus videbatur. He speaks of the temple of the Ephesian Diana, xxxvi. 21. Exierat tecto Laurentes Picus in agros, Tum quoque cantato densetur carmine cœlum, Met. xiv. S42. To these missionaries we may add an Arian missionary, who flourished about the same time, and whose history is thus delivered by Philostorgius. Constantius, like his father Constantine, was very desirous to spread the gospel in foreign parts. He sent knowledgement. When the popish missionaries tell the Georgians what miracles are still wrought in the church of Rome, the Georgians answer; That is a lie, for we have none now wrought amongst us. Galani Historia Armena, sent an embassy to a people called Homerite , supposed to have been the ancient Sabæans, and the posterity of Abraham by Keturah, dwelling in Arabia Felix. They circumcised their children on the eighth day, and sacrificed to the sun, moon, and dæmons of the country, and many Jews dwelt amongst them. The emperor sent magnificent presents to their prince, and desired he would permit churches to be built in his dominions for the Roman merchants who resorted thither, and for those natives who should embrace Christianity. One of the principal embassadors was Theophilus an Indian, who in his youth had been sent an hostage to Constantine, from the inhabitants of the island Diu, and settling at Rome, led a monastic life, and had a great reputation for sanctity. Eusebius of Ni comedia had ordained him deacon, and upon this occasion the Arians made him a bishop. Perhaps, says Valesius, they did this through emulation, and to equal one of their own sect to Frumentius, who had been consecrated and sent to Ethiopia in like manner by Athanasius. Theophilus preached the gospel to the Homerita, was opposed violently by the Jews, whom he put to silence by working miracles, converted the king and many of the people, and established Christianity in those parts. After this he went to Diu, to visit his own country, and passed through many regions of India where the gospel was already received, and where he rectified some irregularities in practice; for as to matters of See Gothofred on the Cod, Th. L. xii, Tit. xii. p. 582, faith, faith, there was nothing amiss, says Philostorgius, and they were all of the Arian persuasion. Thence he went to the Ethiopians called Auximitæ, and settled things pertaining to religion. Then he returned to Rome, was highly honoured by the emperor, remained with the title of bishop, but without any particular church or diocese, and was esteemed and beloved by all those of his own sect, as a most excellent and pious man. Tradit Philostorgius Auximitas a Theophilo Ariano conversos tempore Constanti; cum populi istius conversio revera tribuenda sit Frumentio orthodoxo, ordinato ab Athanasio. Lowth. To contradict Philostorgius, he makes him affirm more than his words imply. Toi Αὐξεμίταις δὲ παραγεγονώς, καὶ τὰ ἐκεῖσε καταςησάμενος, τῆς ἐπὶ Ρωકે paíous áranoμidñs extтo., Sed cum ad Auxumitas venisset, et cuncta illic negotia probe ordinasset, inde ad Ro manorum ditionem redire cœpit. iii. p. 489. Constantius, and Gallus his nephew, had sworn friendship and fidelity to each other in the presence of this Theophilus therefore when Constantius was resolved to destroy Gallus, Theophilus interposed and exclaimed against it, upon which Constantius banished him. But afterwards, the emperor's beloved wife being very ill, he had recourse to Theophilus, who was reported to work miracles and to heal the sick; he therefore recalled him, owned his fault, begged pardon, and intreated him earnestly to cure his wife. Theophilus laid his hands upon her, and she recovered. Yet after this, he banished Theophilus a second time, suspecting him to have been a favourer of Gallus. Theophilus is said to have raised a woman from the dead. Aiunt etiam eum aliquando Antiochice Judæam quandam quandam ex mortuis suscitasse. Id autem affirmat Thalassius, qui cum illo diutissime versatus est, et in hujusmodi rebus extra suspicionem est mendacii: et qui alioqui haud paucos habet hujus rei testes qui eodem tempore vixerunt. So Suidas, who is supposed to have taken it from Philostorgius. 66 Philostorgius says, that Theophilus the Indian, "his pretended apostle of Arianism, having been ba"nished, was recalled by Constantius to heal his wife, "and that he did heal her miraculously. Photius "seems to deride this miracle by his manner of relat 66 ing it, and we know how little credit Philostorgius "deserves, especially in the miracles which he as"cribes to those of his own sect. But moreover we "are assured that the distemper, of which he says "that the empress was cured by Theophilus, and "which he calls unтpoparíar, was the very distemper "of which she died, according to Zonaras. 66 66 For though Theophilus (he should have said, Philostorgius) names not the empress, there is no question "but that he means Eusebia." Tillemont Hist. des Emp. iv. 677. That Photius speaks contemptuously of the cure, is more than I can discern. See Philostorg. p. 504. I blame not Tillemont for rejecting all these miracles, which seem to have been rumours raised and spread to serve a party; but the true reason of his disbelief is that they were Arian miracles; and if they had been reported concerning Athanasius, all difficulties would have been smoothed over, and accounted of small moment. Under Constantine lived Spyridon, bishop of a city in Cyprus. Socrates i. 12. and Sozomen i. 11. have reported some incredible miracles wrought by him, and |