第146章
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  ii。12。Theseexcavationsandreservoirsmusthavebeenveryconsiderable。ThelatterfurnishedwaterduringthewholesiegeofJerusalemto1,100,000inhabitants,forwhomthefountainofSiloecouldnothavesufficed,andwhohadnofreshrain—water,thesiegehavingtakenplacefromthemonthofApriltothemonthofAugust,aperiodoftheyearduringwhichitrarelyrainsinJerusalem。Astotheexcavations,theyservedafter,andevenbefore,thereturnoftheJewsfromBabylon,tocontainnotonlymagazinesofoil,wine,andcorn,butalsothetreasureswhichwerelaidupintheTemple。Josephushasrelatedseveralincidentswhichshowtheirextent。WhenJerusalemwasonthepointofbeingtakenbyTitus,therebelchiefs,placingtheirlasthopesinthesevastsubterraneancavities,formedadesignofconcealingthemselvesthere,andremainingduringtheconflagrationofthecity,anduntiltheRomanshadretiredtoadistance。Thegreaterparthadnottimetoexecutetheirdesign;

  butoneofthem,Simon,theSonofGioras,havingprovidedhimselfwithfood,andtoolstoexcavatetheearthdescendedintothisretreatwithsomecompanions:heremainedtheretillTitushadsetoutforRome:underthepressureoffamineheissuedforthonasuddenintheveryplacewheretheTemplehadstood,andappearedinthemidstoftheRomanguard。HewasseizedandcarriedtoRomeforthetriumph。HisappearancemadeitbesuspectedthatotherJewsmighthavechosenthesameasylum;

  searchwasmade,andagreatnumberdiscovered。Joseph。deBell。

  Jud。l。vii。c。2。ItisprobablethatthegreaterpartoftheseexcavationsweretheremainsofthetimeofSolomon,whenitwasthecustomtoworktoagreatextentunderground:nootherdatecanbeassignedtothem。TheJews,ontheirreturnfromthecaptivity,weretoopoortoundertakesuchworks;and,althoughHerod,onrebuildingtheTemple,madesomeexcavations,Joseph。

  Ant。Jud。xv。11,vii。,thehastewithwhichthatbuildingwascompletedwillnotallowustosupposethattheybelongedtothatperiod。Somewereusedforsewersanddrains,othersservedtoconcealtheimmensetreasuresofwhichCrassus,ahundredandtwentyyearsbefore,plunderedtheJews,andwhichdoubtlesshadbeensincereplaced。TheTemplewasdestroyedA。C。70;theattemptofJuliantorebuildit,andthefactrelatedbyAmmianus,coincidewiththeyear363。Therehadthenelapsedbetweenthesetwoepochsanintervalofnear300years,duringwhichtheexcavations,chokedupwithruins,musthavebecomefullofinflammableair。TheworkmenemployedbyJulianastheyweredigging,arrivedattheexcavationsoftheTemple;theywouldtaketorchestoexplorethem;suddenflamesrepelledthosewhoapproached;explosionswereheard,andthesephenomenawererenewedeverytimethattheypenetratedintonewsubterraneanpassages。Thisexplanationisconfirmedbytherelationofaneventnearlysimilar,byJosephus。KingHerodhavingheardthatimmensetreasureshadbeenconcealedinthesepulchreofDavid,hedescendedintoitwithafewconfidentialpersons;hefoundinthefirstsubterraneanchamberonlyjewelsandpreciousstuffs:

  buthavingwishedtopenetrateintoasecondchamber,whichhadbeenlongclosed,hewasrepelled,whenheopenedit,byflameswhichkilledthosewhoaccompaniedhim。Ant。Jud。xvi。7,i。

  Asherethereisnoroomformiracle,thisfactmaybeconsideredasanewproofoftheveracityofthatrelatedbyAmmianusandthecontemporarywriters。—G。

  TotheillustrationsoftheextentofthesubterraneanchambersadducedbyMichaelis,maybeadded,thatwhenJohnofGischala,duringthesiege,surprisedtheTemple,thepartyofEleazartookrefugewithinthem。Bell。Jud。vi。3,i。ThesuddensinkingofthehillofSionwhenJerusalemwasoccupiedbyBarchocab,mayhavebeenconnectedwithsimilarexcavations。

  Hist。ofJews,vol。iii。122and186。—M。

  [Footnote*:Itisafactnowpopularlyknown,thatwhenmineswhichhavebeenlongclosedareopened,oneoftwothingstakesplace;eitherthetorchesareextinguishedandthemenfallfirstintoaswoorandsoondie;or,iftheairisinflammable,alittleflameisseentoflickerroundthelamp,whichspreadsandmultipliestilltheconflagrationbecomesgeneral,isfollowedbyanexplosion,andkillallwhoareintheway。—G。]

  [Footnote84:Dr。Lardner,perhapsaloneoftheChristiancritics,presumestodoubtthetruthofthisfamousmiracle。

  JewishandHeathenTestimonies,vol。iv。p。47—71。]

  ThesilenceofJeromwouldleadtoasuspicionthatthesamestorywhichwascelebratedatadistance,mightbedespisedonthespot。

  Note:GibbonhasforgottenBasnage,towhomWarburtonreplied。—

  M。]

  ChapterXXIII:ReignOfJulian。

  PartIV。

  TherestorationoftheJewishtemplewassecretlyconnectedwiththeruinoftheChristianchurch。Julianstillcontinuedtomaintainthefreedomofreligiousworship,withoutdistinguishingwhetherthisuniversaltolerationproceededfromhisjusticeorhisclemency。HeaffectedtopitytheunhappyChristians,whoweremistakeninthemostimportantobjectoftheirlives;buthispitywasdegradedbycontempt,hiscontemptwasembitteredbyhatred;andthesentimentsofJulianwereexpressedinastyleofsarcasticwit,whichinflictsadeepanddeadlywound,wheneveritissuesfromthemouthofasovereign。AshewassensiblethattheChristiansgloriedinthenameoftheirRedeemer,hecountenanced,andperhapsenjoined,theuseofthelesshonorableappellationofGalilaeans。^85Hedeclared,thatbythefollyoftheGalilaeans,whomhedescribesasasectoffanatics,contemptibletomen,andodioustothegods,theempirehadbeenreducedtothebrinkofdestruction;andheinsinuatesinapublicedict,thatafranticpatientmightsometimesbecuredbysalutaryviolence。^86AnungenerousdistinctionwasadmittedintothemindandcounselsofJulian,that,accordingtothedifferenceoftheirreligioussentiments,onepartofhissubjectsdeservedhisfavorandfriendship,whiletheotherwasentitledonlytothecommonbenefitsthathisjusticecouldnotrefusetoanobedientpeople。Accordingtoaprinciple,pregnantwithmischiefandoppression,theemperortransferredtothepontiffsofhisownreligionthemanagementoftheliberalallowancesforthepublicrevenue,whichhadbeengrantedtothechurchbythepietyofConstantineandhissons。Theproudsystemofclericalhonorsandimmunities,whichhadbeenconstructedwithsomuchartandlabor,waslevelledtotheground;thehopesoftestamentarydonationswereinterceptedbytherigorofthelaws;andthepriestsoftheChristiansectwereconfoundedwiththelastandmostignominiousclassofthepeople。Suchoftheseregulationsasappearednecessarytochecktheambitionandavariceoftheecclesiastics,weresoonafterwardsimitatedbythewisdomofanorthodoxprince。Thepeculiardistinctionswhichpolicyhasbestowed,orsuperstitionhaslavished,onthesacerdotalorder,mustbeconfinedtothosepriestswhoprofessthereligionofthestate。Butthewillofthelegislatorwasnotexemptfromprejudiceandpassion;anditwastheobjectoftheinsidiouspolicyofJulian,todeprivetheChristiansofallthetemporalhonorsandadvantageswhichrenderedthemrespectableintheeyesoftheworld。^88

  [Footnote85:Greg。Naz。Orat。iii。p。81。AndthislawwasconfirmedbytheinvariablepracticeofJulianhimself。

  Warburtonhasjustlyobservedp。35,thatthePlatonistsbelievedinthemysteriousvirtueofwordsandJulian\'sdislikeforthenameofChristmightproceedfromsuperstition,aswellasfromcontempt。]

  [Footnote86:Fragment。Julian。p。288。HederidestheEpist。

  vii。,andsofarlosessightoftheprinciplesoftoleration,astowishEpist。xlii。。]

  [Footnote88:Theselaws,whichaffectedtheclergy,maybefoundintheslighthintsofJulianhimself,Epist。lii。inthevaguedeclamationsofGregory,Orat。iii。p。86,87,andinthepositiveassertionsofSozomen,l。v。c。5。]

  AjustandseverecensurehasbeeninflictedonthelawwhichprohibitedtheChristiansfromteachingtheartsofgrammarandrhetoric。^89Themotivesallegedbytheemperortojustifythispartialandoppressivemeasure,mightcommand,duringhislifetime,thesilenceofslavesandtheapplauseofGatterers。

  JulianabusestheambiguousmeaningofawordwhichmightbeindifferentlyappliedtothelanguageandthereligionoftheGreeks:hecontemptuouslyobserves,thatthemenwhoexaltthemeritofimplicitfaithareunfittoclaimortoenjoytheadvantagesofscience;andhevainlycontends,thatiftheyrefusetoadorethegodsofHomerandDemosthenes,theyoughttocontentthemselveswithexpoundingLukeandMatthewinthechurchoftheGalilaeans。^90InallthecitiesoftheRomanworld,theeducationoftheyouthwasintrustedtomastersofgrammarandrhetoric;whowereelectedbythemagistrates,maintainedatthepublicexpense,anddistinguishedbymanylucrativeandhonorableprivileges。TheedictofJulianappearstohaveincludedthephysicians,andprofessorsofalltheliberalarts;andtheemperor,whoreservedtohimselftheapprobationofthecandidates,wasauthorizedbythelawstocorrupt,ortopunish,thereligiousconstancyofthemostlearnedoftheChristians。

  ^91Assoonastheresignationofthemoreobstinate^92teachershadestablishedtheunrivalleddominionofthePagansophists,Julianinvitedtherisinggenerationtoresortwithfreedomtothepublicschools,inajustconfidence,thattheirtendermindswouldreceivetheimpressionsofliteratureandidolatry。IfthegreatestpartoftheChristianyouthshouldbedeterredbytheirownscruples,orbythoseoftheirparents,fromacceptingthisdangerousmodeofinstruction,theymust,atthesametime,relinquishthebenefitsofaliberaleducation。Julianhadreasontoexpectthat,inthespaceofafewyears,thechurchwouldrelapseintoitsprimaevalsimplicity,andthatthetheologians,whopossessedanadequateshareofthelearningandeloquenceoftheage,wouldbesucceededbyagenerationofblindandignorantfanatics,incapableofdefendingthetruthoftheirownprinciples,orofexposingthevariousfolliesofPolytheism。^93

  [Footnote89:Inclemens……perenniobruendumsilentio。

  Ammian。xxii。10,ixv。5。]

  [Footnote90:Theedictitself,whichisstillextantamongtheepistlesofJulian,xlii。,maybecomparedwiththelooseinvectivesofGregoryOrat。iii。p。96。TillemontMem。Eccles。

  tom。vii。p。1291—1294hascollectedtheseemingdifferencesofancientsandmoderns。Theymaybeeasilyreconciled。TheChristiansweredirectlyforbidtoteach,theywereindirectlyforbidtolearn;sincetheywouldnotfrequenttheschoolsofthePagans。]

  [Footnote91:CodexTheodos。l。xiii。tit。iii。demedicisetprofessoribus,leg。5,publishedthe17thofJune,received,atSpoletoinItaly,the29thofJuly,A。D。363,withGodefroy\'sIllustrations,tom。v。p。31。]

  [Footnote92:Orosiuscelebratestheirdisinterestedresolution,Sicutamajoribusnostriscompertumhabemus,omnesubiquepropemodum……officiumquamfidemdesereremaluerunt,vii。30。

  Proaeresius,aChristiansophist,refusedtoacceptthepartialfavoroftheemperorHieronym。inChron。p。185,edit。Scaliger。

  EunapiusinProaeresiop。126。]

  [Footnote93:Theyhadrecoursetotheexpedientofcomposingbooksfortheirownschools。WithinafewmonthsApollinarisproducedhisChristianimitationsofHomer,asacredhistoryintwenty—fourbooks,Pindar,Euripides,andMenander;andSozomenissatisfied,thattheyequalled,orexcelled,theoriginals。

  Note:Socrates,however,impliesthat,onthedeathofJulian,theywerecontemptuouslythrownasidebytheChristians。

  Socr。Hist。iii。16。—M。]

  ItwasundoubtedlythewishanddesignofJuliantodeprivetheChristiansoftheadvantagesofwealth,ofknowledge,andofpower;buttheinjusticeofexcludingthemfromallofficesoftrustandprofitseemstohavebeentheresultofhisgeneralpolicy,ratherthantheimmediateconsequenceofanypositivelaw。^94Superiormeritmightdeserveandobtain,someextraordinaryexceptions;butthegreaterpartoftheChristianofficersweregraduallyremovedfromtheiremploymentsinthestate,thearmy,andtheprovinces。Thehopesoffuturecandidateswereextinguishedbythedeclaredpartialityofaprince,whomaliciouslyremindedthem,thatitwasunlawfulforaChristiantousethesword,eitherofjustice,orofwar;andwhostudiouslyguardedthecampandthetribunalswiththeensignsofidolatry。Thepowersofgovernmentwereintrustedtothepagans,whoprofessedanardentzealforthereligionoftheirancestors;

  andasthechoiceoftheemperorwasoftendirectedbytherulesofdivination,thefavoriteswhomhepreferredasthemostagreeabletothegods,didnotalwaysobtaintheapprobationofmankind。^95Undertheadministrationoftheirenemies,theChristianshadmuchtosuffer,andmoretoapprehend。ThetemperofJulianwasaversetocruelty;andthecareofhisreputation,whichwasexposedtotheeyesoftheuniverse,restrainedthephilosophicmonarchfromviolatingthelawsofjusticeandtoleration,whichhehimselfhadsorecentlyestablished。Buttheprovincialministersofhisauthoritywereplacedinalessconspicuousstation。Intheexerciseofarbitrarypower,theyconsultedthewishes,ratherthanthecommands,oftheirsovereign;andventuredtoexerciseasecretandvexatioustyrannyagainstthesectaries,onwhomtheywerenotpermittedtoconferthehonorsofmartyrdom。Theemperor,whodissembledaslongaspossiblehisknowledgeoftheinjusticethatwasexercisedinhisname,expressedhisrealsenseoftheconductofhisofficers,bygentlereproofsandsubstantialrewards。^96

  [Footnote94:ItwastheinstructionofJuliantohismagistrates,Epist。vii。,。Sozomenl。v。c。18andSocratesl。iii。c。13mustbereducedtothestandardofGregory,Orat。iii。p。95,notlesspronetoexaggeration,butmorerestrainedbytheactualknowledgeofhiscontemporaryreaders。]

  [Footnote95:Libanius,Orat。Parent。88,p。814。]

  [Footnote96:Greg。Naz。Orat。iii。p。74,91,92。Socrates,l。

  iii。c。14。Thedoret,l。iii。c。6。Somedrawbackmay,however,beallowedfortheviolenceoftheirzeal,notlesspartialthanthezealofJulian]

  Themosteffectualinstrumentofoppression,withwhichtheywerearmed,wasthelawthatobligedtheChristianstomakefullandamplesatisfactionforthetempleswhichtheyhaddestroyedundertheprecedingreign。Thezealofthetriumphantchurchhadnotalwaysexpectedthesanctionofthepublicauthority;andthebishops,whoweresecureofimpunity,hadoftenmarchedattheheadoftheircongregation,toattackanddemolishthefortressesoftheprinceofdarkness。Theconsecratedlands,whichhadincreasedthepatrimonyofthesovereignoroftheclergy,wereclearlydefined,andeasilyrestored。Butontheselands,andontheruinsofPagansuperstition,theChristianshadfrequentlyerectedtheirownreligiousedifices:andasitwasnecessarytoremovethechurchbeforethetemplecouldberebuilt,thejusticeandpietyoftheemperorwereapplaudedbyoneparty,whiletheotherdeploredandexecratedhissacrilegiousviolence。^97Afterthegroundwascleared,therestitutionofthosestatelystructureswhichhadbeenlevelledwiththedust,andofthepreciousornamentswhichhadbeenconvertedtoChristianuses,swelledintoaverylargeaccountofdamagesanddebt。Theauthorsoftheinjuryhadneithertheabilitynortheinclinationtodischargethisaccumulateddemand:andtheimpartialwisdomofalegislatorwouldhavebeendisplayedinbalancingtheadverseclaimsandcomplaints,byanequitableandtemperatearbitration。

  Butthewholeempire,andparticularlytheEast,wasthrownintoconfusionbytherashedictsofJulian;andthePaganmagistrates,inflamedbyzealandrevenge,abusedtherigorousprivilegeoftheRomanlaw,whichsubstitutes,intheplaceofhisinadequateproperty,thepersonoftheinsolventdebtor。

  Undertheprecedingreign,Mark,bishopofArethusa,^98hadlaboredintheconversionofhispeoplewitharmsmoreeffectualthanthoseofpersuasion。^99Themagistratesrequiredthefullvalueofatemplewhichhadbeendestroyedbyhisintolerantzeal:butastheyweresatisfiedofhispoverty,theydesiredonlytobendhisinflexiblespirittothepromiseoftheslightestcompensation。Theyapprehendedtheagedprelate,theyinhumanlyscourgedhim,theytorehisbeard;andhisnakedbody,annointedwithhoney,wassuspended,inanet,betweenheavenandearth,andexposedtothestingsofinsectsandtheraysofaSyriansun。^100Fromthisloftystation,Markstillpersistedtogloryinhiscrime,andtoinsulttheimpotentrageofhispersecutors。Hewasatlengthrescuedfromtheirhands,anddismissedtoenjoythehonorofhisdivinetriumph。TheArianscelebratedthevirtueoftheirpiousconfessor;theCatholicsambitiouslyclaimedhisalliance;^101andthePagans,whomightbesusceptibleofshameorremorse,weredeterredfromtherepetitionofsuchunavailingcruelty。^102Juliansparedhislife:butifthebishopofArethusahadsavedtheinfancyofJulian,^103posteritywillcondemntheingratitude,insteadofpraisingtheclemency,oftheemperor。

  [Footnote97:IfwecomparethegentlelanguageofLibaniusOrat。Parentc。60。p。286withthepassionateexclamationsofGregory,Orat。iii。p。86,87,wemayfinditdifficulttopersuadeourselvesthatthetwooratorsarereallydescribingthesameevents。]

  [Footnote98:Restan,orArethusa,attheequaldistanceofsixteenmilesbetweenEmesaHemsandEpiphania,Hamath,wasfounded,oratleastnamed,bySeleucusNicator。ItspeculiaraeradatesfromtheyearofRome685,accordingtothemedalsofthecity。InthedeclineoftheSeleucides,EmesaandArethusawereusurpedbytheArabSampsiceramus,whoseposterity,thevassalsofRome,werenotextinguishedinthereignofVespasian。

  SeeD\'Anville\'sMapsandGeographieAncienne,tom。ii。p。134。

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