第80章
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  Origen,intruth,appearstohavemaintainedamorerigidopinion,Cont。Cels。l。viii。;buthehasoftenrenouncedthisexaggeratedseverity,perhapsnecessarytoproducegreatresults,andbespeaksoftheprofessionofarmsasanhonorableone。l。

  iv。c。218。—G。

  OnthesepointsChristianopinion,itshouldseem,wasmuchdividedTertullian,whenhewrotetheDeCor。Mil。,wasevidentlyincliningtomoreasceticopinions,andOrigenwasofthesameclass。SeeNeander,vol。lpartii。p。305,edit。1828。—M。]

  [Footnote103:AswellaswecanjudgefromthemutilatedrepresentationofOrigen,1。viii。p。423,hisadversary,Celsus,hadurgedhisobjectionwithgreatforceandcandor。]

  ChapterXV:ProgressOfTheChristianReligion。

  PartVI。

  V。Butthehumancharacter,howeveritmaybeexaltedordepressedbyatemporaryenthusiasm,willreturnbydegreestoitsproperandnaturallevel,andwillresumethosepassionsthatseemthemostadaptedtoitspresentcondition。TheprimitiveChristiansweredeadtothebusinessandpleasuresoftheworld;

  buttheirloveofaction,whichcouldneverbeentirelyextinguished,soonrevived,andfoundanewoccupationinthegovernmentofthechurch。Aseparatesociety,whichattackedtheestablishedreligionoftheempire,wasobligedtoadoptsomeformofinternalpolicy,andtoappointasufficientnumberofministers,intrustednotonlywiththespiritualfunctions,butevenwiththetemporaldirectionoftheChristiancommonwealth。

  Thesafetyofthatsociety,itshonor,itsaggrandizement,wereproductive,eveninthemostpiousminds,ofaspiritofpatriotism,suchasthefirstoftheRomanshadfeltfortherepublic,andsometimesofasimilarindifference,intheuseofwhatevermeansmightprobablyconducetosodesirableanend。

  Theambitionofraisingthemselvesortheirfriendstothehonorsandofficesofthechurch,wasdisguisedbythelaudableintentionofdevotingtothepublicbenefitthepowerandconsideration,which,forthatpurposeonly,itbecametheirdutytosolicit。Intheexerciseoftheirfunctions,theywerefrequentlycalledupontodetecttheerrorsofheresyortheartsoffaction,toopposethedesignsofperfidiousbrethren,tostigmatizetheircharacterswithdeservedinfamy,andtoexpelthemfromthebosomofasocietywhosepeaceandhappinesstheyhadattemptedtodisturb。TheecclesiasticalgovernorsoftheChristiansweretaughttounitethewisdomoftheserpentwiththeinnocenceofthedove;butastheformerwasrefined,sothelatterwasinsensiblycorrupted,bythehabitsofgovernment。Ifthechurchaswellasintheworld,thepersonswhowereplacedinanypublicstationrenderedthemselvesconsiderablebytheireloquenceandfirmness,bytheirknowledgeofmankind,andbytheirdexterityinbusiness;andwhiletheyconcealedfromothers,andperhapsfromthemselves,thesecretmotivesoftheirconduct,theytoofrequentlyrelapsedintoalltheturbulentpassionsofactivelife,whichweretincturedwithanadditionaldegreeofbitternessandobstinacyfromtheinfusionofspiritualzeal。

  Thegovernmentofthechurchhasoftenbeenthesubject,aswellastheprize,ofreligiouscontention。ThehostiledisputantsofRome,ofParis,ofOxford,andofGeneva,havealikestruggledtoreducetheprimitiveandapostolicmodel^104

  totherespectivestandardsoftheirownpolicy。Thefewwhohavepursuedthisinquirywithmorecandorandimpartiality,areofopinion,^105thattheapostlesdeclinedtheofficeoflegislation,andratherchosetoenduresomepartialscandalsanddivisions,thantoexcludetheChristiansofafutureagefromthelibertyofvaryingtheirformsofecclesiasticalgovernmentaccordingtothechangesoftimesandcircumstances。Theschemeofpolicy,which,undertheirapprobation,wasadoptedfortheuseofthefirstcentury,maybediscoveredfromthepracticeofJerusalem,ofEphesus,orofCorinth。ThesocietieswhichwereinstitutedinthecitiesoftheRomanempire,wereunitedonlybythetiesoffaithandcharity。Independenceandequalityformedthebasisoftheirinternalconstitution。Thewantofdisciplineandhumanlearningwassuppliedbytheoccasionalassistanceoftheprophets,^106whowerecalledtothatfunctionwithoutdistinctionofage,ofsex,orofnaturalabilities,andwho,asoftenastheyfeltthedivineimpulse,pouredforththeeffusionsoftheSpiritintheassemblyofthefaithful。Buttheseextraordinarygiftswerefrequentlyabusedormisappliedbythepropheticteachers。Theydisplayedthematanimproperseason,presumptuouslydisturbedtheserviceoftheassembly,and,bytheirprideormistakenzeal,theyintroduced,particularlyintotheapostolicchurchofCorinth,alongandmelancholytrainofdisorders。^107Astheinstitutionofprophetsbecameuseless,andevenpernicious,theirpowerswerewithdrawn,andtheirofficeabolished。Thepublicfunctionsofreligionweresolelyintrustedtotheestablishedministersofthechurch,thebishopsandthepresbyters;twoappellationswhich,intheirfirstorigin,appeartohavedistinguishedthesameofficeandthesameorderofpersons。ThenameofPresbyterwasexpressiveoftheirage,orratheroftheirgravityandwisdom。ThetitleofBishopdenotedtheirinspectionoverthefaithandmannersoftheChristianswhowerecommittedtotheirpastoralcare。Inproportiontotherespectivenumbersofthefaithful,alargerorsmallernumberoftheseepiscopalpresbytersguidedeachinfantcongregationwithequalauthorityandwithunitedcounsels。^108

  [Footnote104:ThearistocraticalpartyinFrance,aswellasinEngland,hasstrenuouslymaintainedthedivineoriginofbishops。

  ButtheCalvinisticalpresbyterswereimpatientofasuperior;

  andtheRomanPontiffrefusedtoacknowledgeanequal。SeeFraPaolo。]

  [Footnote105:InthehistoryoftheChristianhierarchy,Ihave,forthemostpart,followedthelearnedandcandidMosheim。]

  [Footnote106:Fortheprophetsoftheprimitivechurch,seeMosheim,DissertationesadHist。Eccles。pertinentes,tom。ii。p。

  132—208。]

  [Footnote*:St。Pauldistinctlyreprovestheintrusionoffemalesintotheprophetsoffice。1Cor。xiv。34,35。1Tim。

  ii。11。—M。]

  [Footnote107:SeetheepistlesofSt。Paul,andofClemens,totheCorinthians。

  Note:Thefirstministersestablishedinthechurchwerethedeacons,appointedatJerusalem,seveninnumber;theywerechargedwiththedistributionofthealms;evenfemaleshadashareinthisemployment。Afterthedeaconscametheeldersorpriests,chargedwiththemaintenanceoforderanddecoruminthecommunity,andtoacteverywhereinitsname。Thebishopswereafterwardschargedtowatchoverthefaithandtheinstructionofthedisciples:theapostlesthemselvesappointedseveralbishops。

  Tertullian,adv。Marium,c。v。,ClementofAlexandria,andmanyfathersofthesecondandthirdcentury,donotpermitustodoubtthisfact。Theequalityofrankbetweenthesedifferentfunctionariesdidnotpreventtheirfunctionsbeing,evenintheirorigin,distinct;theybecamesubsequentlystillmoreso。

  SeePlank,GeschichtederChrist。Kirch。Verfassung。,vol。i。p。

  24。—G。

  Onthisextremelyobscuresubject,whichhasbeensomuchperplexedbypassionandinterest,itisimpossibletojustifyanyopinionwithoutenteringintolongandcontroversialdetails。

  Itmustbeadmitted,inoppositiontoPlank,thatintheNewTestament,severalwordsaresometimesindiscriminatelyused。

  Actsxx。v。17,comp。with28Tit。i。5and7。Philip。i。1。

  Butitisasclear,thatassoonaswecandiscerntheformofchurchgovernment,ataperiodcloselyborderingupon,ifnotwithin,theapostolicage,itappearswithabishopattheheadofeachcommunity,holdingsomesuperiorityoverthepresbyters。

  Whetherhewas,asGibbonfromMosheimsupposes,merelyanelectiveheadoftheCollegeofPresbyters,forthiswehave,infact,novalidauthority,orwhetherhisdistinctfunctionswereestablishedonapostolicauthority,isstillcontested。Theuniversalsubmissiontothisepiscopacy,ineverypartoftheChristianworldappearstomestronglytofavorthelatterview。

  —M。]

  [Footnote108:Hooker\'sEcclesiasticalPolity,l。vii。]

  Butthemostperfectequalityoffreedomrequiresthedirectinghandofasuperiormagistrate:andtheorderofpublicdeliberationssoonintroducestheofficeofapresident,investedatleastwiththeauthorityofcollectingthesentiments,andofexecutingtheresolutions,oftheassembly。Aregardforthepublictranquillity,whichwouldsofrequentlyhavebeeninterruptedbyannualorbyoccasionalelections,inducedtheprimitiveChristianstoconstituteanhonorableandperpetualmagistracy,andtochooseoneofthewisestandmostholyamongtheirpresbyterianstoexecute,duringhislife,thedutiesoftheirecclesiasticalgovernor。ItwasunderthesecircumstancesthattheloftytitleofBishopbegantoraiseitselfabovethehumbleappellationofPresbyter;andwhilethelatterremainedthemostnaturaldistinctionforthemembersofeveryChristiansenate,theformerwasappropriatedtothedignityofitsnewpresident。^109Theadvantagesofthisepiscopalformofgovernment,whichappearstohavebeenintroducedbeforetheendofthefirstcentury,^110weresoobvious,andsoimportantforthefuturegreatness,aswellasthepresentpeace,ofChristianity,thatitwasadoptedwithoutdelaybyallthesocietieswhichwerealreadyscatteredovertheempire,hadacquiredinaveryearlyperiodthesanctionofantiquity,^111

  andisstillreveredbythemostpowerfulchurches,bothoftheEastandoftheWest,asaprimitiveandevenasadivineestablishment。^112Itisneedlesstoobserve,thatthepiousandhumblepresbyters,whowerefirstdignifiedwiththeepiscopaltitle,couldnotpossess,andwouldprobablyhaverejected,thepowerandpompwhichnowencirclesthetiaraoftheRomanpontiff,orthemitreofaGermanprelate。Butwemaydefine,inafewwords,thenarrowlimitsoftheiroriginaljurisdiction,whichwaschieflyofaspiritual,thoughinsomeinstancesofatemporalnature。^113Itconsistedintheadministrationofthesacramentsanddisciplineofthechurch,thesuperintendencyofreligiousceremonies,whichimperceptiblyincreasedinnumberandvariety,theconsecrationofecclesiasticalministers,towhomthebishopassignedtheirrespectivefunctions,themanagementofthepublicfund,andthedeterminationofallsuchdifferencesasthefaithfulwereunwillingtoexposebeforethetribunalofanidolatrousjudge。Thesepowers,duringashortperiod,wereexercisedaccordingtotheadviceofthepresbyteralcollege,andwiththeconsentandapprobationoftheassemblyofChristians。

  Theprimitivebishopswereconsideredonlyasthefirstoftheirequals,andthehonorableservantsofafreepeople。Whenevertheepiscopalchairbecamevacantbydeath,anewpresidentwaschosenamongthepresbytersbythesuffragesofthewholecongregation,everymemberofwhichsupposedhimselfinvestedwithasacredandsacerdotalcharacter。^114

  [Footnote109:SeeJeromeandTitum,c。i。andEpistol。85,intheBenedictineedition,101,andtheelaborateapologyofBlondel,prosententiaHieronymi。Theancientstate,asitisdescribedbyJerome,ofthebishopandpresbytersofAlexandria,receivesaremarkableconfirmationfromthepatriarchEutychius,Annal。tom。i。p。330,VersPocock;whosetestimonyIknownothowtoreject,inspiteofalltheobjectionsofthelearnedPearsoninhisVindiciaeIgnatianae,parti。c。11。]

  [Footnote110:SeetheintroductiontotheApocalypse。Bishops,underthenameofangels,werealreadyinstitutedinthesevencitiesofAsia。AndyettheepistleofClemenswhichisprobablyofasancientadatedoesnotleadustodiscoveranytracesofepiscopacyeitheratCorinthorRome。]

  [Footnote111:NullaEcclesiasineEpiscopo,hasbeenafactaswellasamaximsincethetimeofTertullianandIrenaeus。]

  [Footnote112:Afterwehavepassedthedifficultiesofthefirstcentury,wefindtheepiscopalgovernmentuniversallyestablished,tillitwasinterruptedbytherepublicangeniusoftheSwissandGermanreformers。]

  [Footnote113:SeeMosheiminthefirstandsecondcenturies。

  IgnatiusadSmyrnaeos,c。3,&c。isfondofexaltingtheepiscopaldignity。LeClercHist。Eccles。p。569verybluntlycensureshisconduct,Mosheim,withamorecriticaljudgment,p。

  161,suspectsthepurityevenofthesmallerepistles。]

  [Footnote114:NonneetLaicisacerdotessumus?Tertullian,Exhort。adCastitat。c。7。Asthehumanheartisstillthesame,severaloftheobservationswhichMr。HumehasmadeonEnthusiasm,Essays,vol。i。p。76,quartoedit。maybeappliedeventorealinspiration。

  Note:ThisexpressionwasemployedbytheearlierChristianwritersinthesenseusedbySt。Peter,1Epii。9。Itwasthesanctityandvirtuenotthepowerofpriesthood,inwhichallChristiansweretobeequallydistinguished。—M。]

  SuchwasthemildandequalconstitutionbywhichtheChristiansweregovernedmorethanahundredyearsafterthedeathoftheapostles。Everysocietyformedwithinitselfaseparateandindependentrepublic;andalthoughthemostdistantoftheselittlestatesmaintainedamutualaswellasfriendlyintercourseoflettersanddeputations,theChristianworldwasnotyetconnectedbyanysupremeauthorityorlegislativeassembly。Asthenumbersofthefaithfulweregraduallymultiplied,theydiscoveredtheadvantagesthatmightresultfromacloserunionoftheirinterestanddesigns。Towardstheendofthesecondcentury,thechurchesofGreeceandAsiaadoptedtheusefulinstitutionsofprovincialsynods,andtheymayjustlybesupposedtohaveborrowedthemodelofarepresentativecouncilfromthecelebratedexamplesoftheirowncountry,theAmphictyons,theAchaeanleague,ortheassembliesoftheIoniancities。Itwassoonestablishedasacustomandasalaw,thatthebishopsoftheindependentchurchesshouldmeetinthecapitaloftheprovinceatthestatedperiodsofspringandautumn。Theirdeliberationswereassistedbytheadviceofafewdistinguishedpresbyters,andmoderatedbythepresenceofalisteningmultitude。^115Theirdecrees,whichwerestyledCanons,regulatedeveryimportantcontroversyoffaithanddiscipline;anditwasnaturaltobelievethataliberaleffusionoftheHolySpiritwouldbepouredontheunitedassemblyofthedelegatesoftheChristianpeople。Theinstitutionofsynodswassowellsuitedtoprivateambition,andtopublicinterest,thatinthespaceofafewyearsitwasreceivedthroughoutthewholeempire。Aregularcorrespondencewasestablishedbetweentheprovincialcouncils,whichmutuallycommunicatedandapprovedtheirrespectiveproceedings;andthecatholicchurchsoonassumedtheform,andacquiredthestrength,ofagreatfoederativerepublic。^116

  [Footnote*:Thesynodswerenotthefirstmeanstakenbytheinsulatedchurchestoenterintocommunionandtoassumeacorporatecharacter。Thedioceseswerefirstformedbytheunionofseveralcountrychurcheswithachurchinacity:manychurchesinonecityunitingamongthemselves,orjoiningamoreconsiderablechurch,becamemetropolitan。Thedioceseswerenotformedbeforethebeginningofthesecondcentury:beforethattimetheChristianshadnotestablishedsufficientchurchesinthecountrytostandinneedofthatunion。Itistowardsthemiddleofthesamecenturythatwediscoverthefirsttracesofthemetropolitanconstitution。Probablythecountrychurcheswerefoundedingeneralbymissionariesfromthoseinthecity,andwouldpreserveanaturalconnectionwiththeparentchurch。

  —M。

  Theprovincialsynodsdidnotcommencetilltowardsthemiddleofthethirdcentury,andwerenotthefirstsynods。

  Historygivesusdistinctnotionsofthesynods,heldtowardstheendofthesecondcentury,atEphesusatJerusalem,atPontus,andatRome,toputanendtothedisputeswhichhadarisenbetweentheLatinandAsiaticchurchesaboutthecelebrationofEaster。Butthesesynodswerenotsubjecttoanyregularformorperiodicalreturn;thisregularitywasfirstestablishedwiththeprovincialsynods,whichwereformedbyaunionofthebishopsofadistrict,subjecttoametropolitan。Plank,p。90。GeschichtederChrist。Kirch。Verfassung—G]

  [Footnote115:ActaConcil。Carthag。apudCyprian。edit。Fell,p。158。Thiscouncilwascomposedofeighty—sevenbishopsfromtheprovincesofMauritania,Numidia,andAfrica;somepresbytersanddeaconsassistedattheassembly;praesenteplebismaximaparte。]

  [Footnote116:AgunturpraetereaperGraeciasillas,certisinlocisconcilia,&cTertulliandeJejuniis,c。13。TheAfricanmentionsitasarecentandforeigninstitution。ThecoalitionoftheChristianchurchesisveryablyexplainedbyMosheim,p。

  164170。]

  Asthelegislativeauthorityoftheparticularchurcheswasinsensiblysupersededbytheuseofcouncils,thebishopsobtainedbytheirallianceamuchlargershareofexecutiveandarbitrarypower;andassoonastheywereconnectedbyasenseoftheircommoninterest,theywereenabledtoattackwithunitedvigor,theoriginalrightsoftheirclergyandpeople。Theprelatesofthethirdcenturyimperceptiblychangedthelanguageofexhortationintothatofcommand,scatteredtheseedsoffutureusurpations,andsupplied,byscriptureallegoriesanddeclamatoryrhetoric,theirdeficiencyofforceandofreason。

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