' was removed, and the victory obtained, by means of an invocation made of the name of Christ by Christian soldiers.' Whence it is evident that Orosius had never seen such a letter of Marcus Antoninus. And it may be argued that there was not then extant any such letter: for, if there had, Orosius, a learned and inquisitive man, and a writer of history, would not have failed to procure it. It is also very observable that Orosius mentions not any legion by name, neither the Melitenian legion, nor the thunderbolt legion. Nor do any such expressions proceed from him as should lead us to think there was then a legion of Christians in Marcus's army. Nay, he plainly supposeth that they were few in number. Finally, we may from all these particulars be disposed to think that Orosius took the account entirely from Tertullian; for he omits divers things which are in Eusebius. And there is a great resemblance in their expressions; both say the drought was removed by the prayers of Christian soldiers.' Tertullian calls Antoninus a worthy emperor;' so does Orosius in the same or like words. And they both speak at the same time with a like assurance, and a like diffidence and uncertainty about the emperor's letter, which neither of them had seen. 3 Obs. 8. Undoubtedly Marcus Antoninus sent a letter to the senate of Rome, giving an account of his deliverance, and of the victory which he had obtained over the Quadians, and others in Germany: which letter, as is reasonably supposed, was written in the Latin tongue; but we do not meet with any ancient authors who appear to have seen it. d с However, there is extant a letter, both in Greek and Latin, which I shall now produce in an English version, without being very solicitous about exactness in my translation: it is to this purpose. The emperor Cæsar, Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus, Germanicus, Parthicus, Sarmaticus, high-priest-to the people of Rome, and to the sacred senate greeting. I gave • you an account of the greatness of the enterprize which I had undertaken, and what great difficulties came upon me in Germany; how I was surrounded and besieged in the midst of it, ⚫ and afflicted with heat and weariness: at which time I was overtaken at Carnutum by seventyfour regiments, who were not more than nine miles off from us. Now when the enemy was come near us, our spies gave us notice of it: and Pompeianus, my general, informed me also of what I knew before. In our army we had only the first, the tenth, the double, and the • Fretensian legions, to contend with an innumerable company of barbarians. When I had com'puted my own numbers with those of the enemy, I addressed our gods in prayer: but * not being regarded by them, and considering the distress we were in, I called for those whom < we call Christians; and upon examination I found that they were a great multitude, at which I was much displeased, though I should not have been so; for afterwards I understood how powerful they are. For which reason they began, not by preparing their darts, or other weapons, or their trumpets, inasmuch as such things are disagreeable to them on account of God, whom they bear in their consciences: for it is reasonable to believe that they, whom we call atheists, have God within them for a bulwark. As soon therefore as they had cast themselves • down upon the ground, they prayed, not for me only, but also for the whole army, for relief under our great thirst and hunger. For it was the fifth day that we had no water, because there was none in that place. For we were in the midst of Germany surrounded by their ⚫ mountains. But as soon as they had cast themselves upon the ground, and prayed to a God, who was unknown to me, water came down from heaven immediately. Upon us it was very cool, but upon our enemies it was fierce hail. And immediately after their prayers we found God to be present with us, as one that is impregnable and invincible. Beginning here, therefore, let us permit these men to be Christians, lest they should pray for the like weapons against us and obtain them. And I declare that no man who is a Christian is to be called ' in question as such. And if any man accuse a Christian, because he is a Christian, I declare a -quibus illam Germanicam sitim Christianorum forte militum precationibus-discussam-Tertull. Ubi invocatione nominis Christi, per milites Christianos, et sitim depulsam, &c. Oros. Si literæ Marci Aurelii gravissimi Imperatoris requirantur. Tertull.- -tum præcipue epistolâ gravissimi ac modestissimi Imperatoris. Oros. C Latinæ scilicet, quarum meminit Tertullianus, cap. quinto Apolog. Non enim aliâ linguâ, quam Latinâ, ad Senatum scribebat. Scalig. in Euseb. p. 222. fin. d Ad calcem Justini Mart. Ap. i. al. ii. Vid. et Fabr. Lex Evang. p. 228. et Fr. Balduin, Edict. Prin. Roman, de Christianis. p. 87. that the Christian who is accused may appear openly; and that if he confesseth himself to be so, but sheweth that he is accused of no other crime but that he is a Christian, let his accuser be burnt alive. And as to him that confesseth himself to be a Christian, and gives full evidence of the same, let not the governor of the province oblige him to renounce his religion, nor deprive him of his liberty. I will that this be confirmed by the decree of the senate. And I command that this my edict be set up in Trajan's forum, that it may be read by all. Vitrusius Pollio, præfect of the city, will take care that it be sent into the provinces. Nor is any one, who desires to have it and make use of it, to be hindered from taking a copy of this ' our edict which is publicly set up by me. Farewell.' a Upon this letter Joseph Scaliger made such critical remarks as have quite disparaged it in the opinion of most learned men. Even they who are willing to assert the miraculous de liverance of the emperor's army, and that it was obtained by the prayers of Christians, give up this letter as spurious. The Greek letter, as Scaliger says, was not composed before the sixth century. And it is generally thought that the Latin edition of the same letter is taken from the Greek, and is not more authentic. Without alleging here any abstruse critical observations, it must be obvious to all that an edict so favourable to the Christians could not come from Marcus Antoninus, in whose reign, from the beginning to the end of it, the Christians were persecuted in some of the provinces by the tumults of the people, and put to death by governors, without any control from this emperor. And there were some edicts, or orders of his, particularly in Gaul and Asia, for putting them to death. And if this letter had been set up in Trajan's forum at Rome in the time of Marcus Antoninus, and had been sent to all governors of provinces, with leave also for men to read it, and to take copies from those which were published by authority, copies of this letter would have been very common among Christians; whereas we cannot now find that it was seen by any of them in the second, or third, or fourth, or even fifth century. Obs. 9. Eusebius, in the passage above transcribed, says that the heathen historians of those times had mentioned this extraordinary event, but did not acknowledge it to be owing to the prayers of Christians. We cannot say who are the heathen writers intended by him: but I shall now take notice of such as we have. с d (1.) Dion Cassius flourished at the end of the second and the beginning of the third century, not finishing his history long before the year 230. Of Marcus Antoninus's wars in Germany he writes to this purpose: Marcus therefore, having met with many difficulties, subdued the Marcomans and Jazugæ; after which he had war with the Quadians, and obtained a wonderful victory over them, or rather had it given him by God; for, when the Romans were in great danger the Divine Being delivered them in a very wonderful manner. The Quadians having sur ? rounded them in a place that was much to their advantage, the Romans fought very valiantly; ' at the same time the barbarians relaxed the combat, expecting to see them wasted by heat and drought. They therefore carefully secured every place around them, that they might come at no water: which was easily done by them, as they were much superior in number. The Romans were then in a great strait, wounded, and fatigued with labour, oppressed with the heat of the sun, and with thirst: and for that reason neither able to fight nor to escape. They ⚫ only stood still in their ranks consumed with heat. On a sudden there appeared a gathering a Nam illa epistola, quæ nomine Marci Aurelii Antonini super hac re ad calcem Apologetici posterioris apud Justinum legitur, tantum abest ut ab ipso Imperatore Græce dictata, aut ex Latino ipsius in Græcum sermonem translata sit, ut infra seculum Justiniani Imp. ab imperitissimo Græculo confictam fuisse manifeste appareat. &c. Jos. Scaliger. in Euseb. p. 222, 223. Conf. Salmas. in notis ad Capitolin. Marc. Antonin. сар. 24. Habetur harum Marci literarum ad Senatum exemplar apud Justinum, ad calcem Apologiæ secunda: sed ejus falsitatem et suppositionem, tum etiam novitatem, quod Justiniano recentius sit, tot argumentis approbaverunt viri eruditi, criticae artis principes, Josephus Scaliger, et Salmasius, ut of clouds, which was soon followed, not without divine appointment, with a plentiful shower of * rain, for it is said that Arnuphis, an Egyptian magician, who was present with Marcus, invoked the aerial Mercury, and other dæmons with magical rites.' Upon which Xiphilinus, a Christian author of the eleventh century, who abridged Dion, says: So this affair is related by Dion. But he lies, as seems to me, either knowingly and wilfully, or through ignorance. But I rather think wilfully. And how should it be otherwise? For he was not unacquainted with the legion of soldiers, called the thunderbolt legion, which himself has mentioned in his catalogue of the other legions. Nor has it been ever said that it obtained ⚫ that denomination for any other reason than upon account of what happened in that war; when it was the cause of deliverance to the Romans, and of destruction to the barbarians, and not Arnophus the magician. Nor is it any where related that Marcus was fond of magicians, or ⚫ their tricks. The truth is that Marcus had a legion, the soldiers of which were brought from Melitene, and were all Christians. At that time the præfect of the prætorium, being in great perplexity, and apprehensive of the loss of the whole army, is said to have come to the emperor, telling him that there is nothing which Christians are not able to perform by prayers, and that there was in the army a whole legion of that sort of men. When Marcus heard that, he desired them to pray to their God: when they prayed, God immediately heard them, and beat down their enemies with lightning, and refreshed the Romans with rain. At which • Marcus, being greatly astonished, favoured the Christians with an edict, and ordered that the legion should be called the thundering legion. It is also said that there is an epistle of • Marcus concerning these things. The Gentiles know very well, and bear witness, that there is • a legion with that name, but they do not mention the reason of it.' And now Dion proceeds again: When the rain began to fall,' says he, all, looking up, at 'first received it in their mouths. Afterwards they caught, some in their shields, others in their helmets: out of which they drank greedily, and also gave to their horses to drink. And ' when the barbarians fell upon them they drank and fought at the same time: and some who ⚫ were wounded drank water and blood together, which fell from their wounds into their ⚫ helmets. And indeed they would have suffered greatly from the enemies who attacked them, when the greatest part of the army were employed in satiating their thirst, if a violent storm ' of hail, with lightning, had not fallen upon them; so that at the same time, and in the same place, might be seen water and fire coming down from heaven; whereby some were refreshed • with drink, and others were burnt and consumed. Nor did the fire reach the Romans: or if it did it was presently extinguished. Nor did the rain help the barbarians, but rather in*creased the flame, like oil: so that, though they were rained upon, they called for water: and • some wounded themselves, that they might put out the fire with blood; and others went over to the Romans, as being the only people who had wholesome water: wherefore Marcus had pity upon them. And he was, for the seventh time, proclaimed emperor by the soldiers. And, though he had not been wont to admit such a thing to be done before it had been decreed by the senate, he did not refuse it now, it seeming to come from heaven. About this he wrote to the senate, and Faustina was declared mother of the camps.' pom So writes Dion Cassius. We may therefore rely upon it that Marcus Antoninus was in a great strait, and was delivered and obtained a victory over the Quadians. And from the pous style of Dion upon this occasion it may be inferred that the heathen people were very willing to magnify this event, and the circumstances of it, as very extraordinary. Dion, in his account of this matter, above quoted, writes: For it is said that Arnuphis, an Egyptian magician, who was present with Marcus, invoked the aerial Mercury, and other 'dæmons, with magical rites.' I therefore shall observe that, in Suidas, the article of Arnuphis is in these words:He was an Egyptian philosopher, who, being present with Marcus the phi'losopher, emperor of the Romans, when the Romans laboured under a great drought, is said 'to have caused a gathering of black clouds, which on a sudden poured down great rain with thunder and lightning. This Arnuphis is said to have effected by a certain art. Others say it was Julian, a Chaldæan, who performed this wonderful work.' For whom likewise Suida has another article, which may be consulted by such as are curious. a b There is no need to make many remarks upon Xiphilinus, after what has been already said Λέγεται δε και επισολήν τινα περι τότων είναι το Μάρκε. Ιελιανον τον Χαλδαιον τέτο πεποιηκέναι το θαυμάσιον Suid. V. upon the passage of Eusebius. Notwithstanding what is said by him learned men are persuaded that before this time there was a legion called the thunderbolt legion, from a thunderbolt engraved upon the soldiers shields. Xiphilinus also supposeth that there was in Marcus's army a whole legion of Christians: which, as before shewn, is very unlikely. He also says that after this, Marcus published an edict favourable to the Christians:' which we are not assured of. He likewise adds: It is said there is an epistle of Marcus concerning these things.' Neverthe. less, Xiphilinus had not seen that letter, or did not think it authentic, or to his purpose; as is evident from his manner of speaking. (2.) Julius Capitolinus, one of the writers of the Augustan History, who flourished near the end of the third or the beginning of the fourth century, in his Life of Marcus Antoninus the philosopher, says: When his army was in a great strait, and in danger of perishing by thirst, he by his prayers obtained from heaven lightning against his enemies, and rain for his own 'people.' ཨ (3.) Ælius Lampridius, another of those writers, who also flourished about the same time, in his Life of Antoninus Heliogabalus, is supposed to refer to the same thing in a passage which I place below without translating it. 6.66 C (4.) Themistius, in an oration spoken in the year 381, and the third of Theodosius, ascribes • When that emthe victory now under consideration to the piety and prayers of Antoninus. peror's army was much incommoded by a drought, lifting up his hands to heaven he said: By this hand, which has taken no life away, I desire to appease thee, and I pray to thee the giver of life." With which the Deity was so well pleased that the clouds presently poured 'down rain upon the soldiers. I have seen a representation of this event, in which was the emperor praying at the head of his army, and the soldiers receiving the rain in their helmets, and refreshing themselves with drink that was the gift of heaven. Of so great advantage is the 'virtue of a prince to his subjects.' So speaks Themistius in an oration to a Christian emperor. He ascribes all to the virtues and prayers of Antoninus, without any the least notice of the Christians. He seems to refer to the Columna Antoniana: though we do not observe in that sculpture the emperor standing at the head of his army, as here intimated. (5.) The poet Claudian, in his panegyric of the sixth consulate of Honorius, in the year 404, speaking of the victory of Marcus Antoninus over the Quadians, says: It was not owing to the valour or conduct of the generals: the glory of this victory must be given by the Romans to heaven. There was a flaming shower which fell upon the enemies, and put to flight them and their horses: whether it was owing to Chaldæan magicians, who by their incantations brought the gods to the assistance of the Romans: or whether the piety of the emperor Marcus, as I rather think, engaged the favour of Jupiter the thunderer on their side.' So he also, without taking any notice of the Christians. Eusebius, as we may remember, said: By other writers, who were averse to our religion, the wonderful event is recorded; but they do not acknowledge that it was owing to the prayers of our people.' Which indeed is true of all those heathen writers which we now have. One of whom, Dion Cassius, is older than Eusebius; but we cannot certainly say that Eusebius ever saw him. Obs. 10. Antoninus never ascribed this miracle to the prayers of the Christians.' с That is Mr. Moyle's third observation, upon which he enlargeth in this manner: ‹ Had Clemens, Marce, redis, cum gentibus undique cincta Laus ibi nulla ducum. Nam flammeus imber in hostem Claudian, de Sexto Cons. Honor. ver. 340, &c. e Vol. ii. p. 91. this miracle been publicly owned by the emperor, and ascribed by him to the prayers of the Christians, it is incredible that all the pagan historians should with one consent conspire to disown it in their writings, as Eusebius confesses they did. See Dio. Cass. 1. 71. p. 805. Capitolin. in Antonin. cap. 24, the nameless authors cited by Suidas in Aps. Nor would Themistius [de regia virtute ad Theod.] and Claudian [in vi. Cons. Honor.] have dared to ascribe the honour of it to heathen gods, in panegyrics to Christian emperors.' 'a a That Antoninus thought himself obliged to his own gods for this miracle, we have a testimony beyond exception in his own pillar, which is still extant at Rome; of which I have seen a cut in Baronius's Annals, to whom I refer you for farther satisfaction. The same is confirmed by a medal in the French king's cabinet, published by Morelli, which was struck the very year in which this miracle is said to be wrought, viz. 174. On one side is the head of • Antoninus crowned with laurel: on the reverse is a Mercury with this inscription: Religio Augusti. Which exactly agrees with Dion's account of the miracle.' A like cut or print of the sculpture, or bas relief, in Antoninus's pillar, may be seen in Havercamp's edition of Tertullian's apology, and in Colonia. Where is Jupiter Pluvius, the giver of rain, sending down rain and thunder and lightning; by which the soldiers on one side are refreshed, and the others annoyed and terrified. And Montfauçon, in his Antiquities, has exhibited an exact representation of this Jupiter. I shall transcribe him in his own words: Jupiter, giver of rain, was honoured by the Athenians, who erected an altar to him on the hill Hymettus. We give an extraordinary figure of him as he is represented in the pillar of Antoninus. It is that of an old man with a long beard, who has wings: [the wings are upon the upper part of the arms:] with two arms stretched out, the right hand raised somewhat higher than the other. The water flows in large streams from his arms, and from his beard. The Roman soldiers in Marcus's army, whom the drought and 'thirst had reduced to the utmost extremity, receive the water in the hollow of their shields. The Romans, still plunged in paganism, ascribed this prodigy to their Jupiter Pluvius. But they were, as Baronius with more reason says, the Christian soldiers who obtained this rain, which saved this army.' d с So says Montfauçon, overpowered, as it seems, by the authority and credulity of his church. Obs. 11. I must be allowed to add, that other like things are recorded in the Roman history. One instance is mentioned as happening in the time of the emperor Claudius, in the year of Rome 795, of Christ 42. The Moors had rebelled, and were reduced by Suetonius Paullinus, a man of prætorian rank, [several times mentioned by Tacitus upon account of his government and successes in Britain,] who wasted their country as far as Mount AtlasThere being fresh disturbances in that country afterwards, Cneius Hosidius, a man of the like rank, made an expedition against them, and obtained several victories over their general Salabus. The Moors fled into a sandy country. And Hosidius pursued them with a part of his army; having beforehand furnished himself with such supplies of water as he was able to get. But when that was spent he was reduced to great straits, the barbarians being better able to endure thirst than the Romans, and being also better acquainted with the places where water might be had. It was impossible for the Romans to proceed; nor was it easy for a At the top of the sculpture, to which Mr. Moyle refers, appears Jupiter Pluvius, sending down rain and lightning upon the two armies. Says Baronius: Visitur adhuc in ea [Antonini columnâ] imago expressa rei gestæ ; sed iis plane signis, ut Jovis, imbres dantis, et illis fulgura admiscentis, repræsentet effigiem; quam, ex eâ graphice incisam, hac tibi formâ exprimendam curavimus. Baron. Ann. 176. num. xxiii. b Colon. Tom. i. ch. vii. p. 110. Jupiter Le Pluvieux, Pluvius, appelé par les Grecs Zeus Oußpios, et par Lucien 'Teros, étoit honoré par les Athéniens, qui lui avoient dressé un autel sur le mont Hymette. Nous le donnons d'une manière bien extraordinaire, tel qu'il est représentée dans la Colonne Antonine. C'est un vieillard à longue barbe, qui a des ailes, et qui tient les deux bras étendus, et la maine droite un peu élevé. L'eau sort à grands flots de ses bras, et de sa barbe. Les soldats Romains de l'armée de M. Aurèle, que la sécheresse et la soif avoient reduits à une extrême nécessité, reçoivent cette eau dans le creux de leurs d Dion. 1. 60. p. 670, 671. al. p. 947, 948. * Τοις δε δη Ῥωμαίοις εκ των εναντίων, αδυνατον μεν προχω ρησαι, χαλεπον δὲ καὶ ὑποστρέψαι την απόρευτα ουν αυτόν ό, τι χρη πράξαι, ανέπεισε τις των επιχωρίων των ασπονδων, επωδαις τε τισί και μαγγανείαις χρήσασθαι, λέγων, πολλάκις σφισιν εκ τε τοιςτε πολύ ύδως δεδόσθαι. Και αὐτῷ παραχρήμα τοσύτον |