CHRISTIANS, those who profess the religion of
Christ: See CHRISTIANITY and MESSIAH.—The name
Christian was first given at Antioch, in the year 42, to
such as believed in Christ, as we read in the Acts: till
that time they were called disciples.
The first Christians distinguished themselves in the
most remarkable manner by their conduct and their
virtues. The faithful, whom the preaching of St Pe-
ter had converted, hearkened attentively to the exhorta-
tions of the Apostles, who failed not carefully to in-
struct them, as persons who were entering upon an
entirely new life. They went every day to the temple
with one heart and one mind, and continued in pray-
ers; doing nothing different from the other Jews, be-
cause it was yet not time to separate from them. But
they made a still greater progress in virtue; for they
sold all that they possessed, and distributed their goods
in proportion to the wants of their brethren. They
ate their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
praising God, and having favour with all the people.
St Chrysostom, examining from what source the emi-
nent virtue of the first Christians flowed, ascribes it
principally to their divesting themselves of their pos-
sessions: "For (says the father) persons from whom
"all that they have is taken away, are not subject to
"sin: whereas, whoever has large possessions, wants
"not a devil or a tempter to draw him into hell by a
"thousand ways."
The Jews were the first and the most inveterate
enemies the Christians had. They put them to death
as often as they had it in their power: and when
they revolted against the Romans in the time of the
emperor Adrian, Barcochebas, the head of that re-
volt, employed against the Christians the most rigor-
ous punishments to compel them to blaspheme and
renounce Jesus Christ. And we find that, even in the
third century, they endeavoured to get into their
hands Christian women, in order to scourge and stone
them in their synagogues. They cursed the Christians
solemnly three times a-day in their synagogues, and
their rabbins would not suffer them to converse with
Christians upon any occasion. Nor were they contented
to hate and detest them; but they despatched emis-
saries all over the world to defame the Christians,
and spread all sorts of calumnies against them. They ac-
cused them, among other things, of worshipping the
sun and the head of an ass. They reproached them
with idleness, and being an useless race of people.
They charged them with treason, and endeavouring
to erect a new monarchy against that of the Romans.
They affirmed, that, in celebrating their mysteries,
they used to kill a child and eat its flesh. They ac-
cused them of the most shocking incests, and of intem-
perance in their feasts of charity. But the lives and
behaviour of the first Christians were sufficient to re-
fute all that was said against them, and evidently de-
monstrated that these accusations were mere calumny
and the effect of inveterate malice.
Pliny the Younger, who was governor of Pontus
and Bithynia between the years 103 and 105, gives a
very particular account of the Christians in that pro-
vince, in a letter which he wrote to the emperor Tra-
jan, of which the following is an extract: "I take
"the liberty, Sir, to give you an account of every
"difficulty which arises to me. I have never been
"present at the examination of the Christians; for
"which reason I know not what questions have been
"put to them, nor in what manner they have been
"punished. My behaviour towards those who have
"been accused to me has been this: I have interro-
"gated them, in order to know whether they were
"really Christians. When they have confessed it, I
"have repeated the same question two or three times,
"threatening them with death if they did not re-
"nounce this religion. Those who have persisted
"in their confession, have been, by my order, led to
"punishment. I have even met with some Roman
"citizens guilty of this phrensy, whom, in regard to
"their quality, I have set apart from the rest, in or-
"der to send them to Rome. These persons de-
"clare, that their whole crime, if they are guilty,
"consists in this; that, on certain days, they assem-
"ble before sunrise, to sing alternately the praises
"of Christ, as of a god, and to oblige themselves,
"by the performance of their religious rites, not to
"be guilty of theft, or adultery, to observe inviolably
"their word, and to be true to their trust. This
"deposition has obliged me to endeavour to inform
"myself still farther of this matter, by putting to the
"torture two of their women-servants, whom they
"call deaconesses; but I could learn nothing more
"from them than that the superstition of these peo-
"ple is as ridiculous as their attachment to it is as-
"tonishing."
There is extant a justification, or rather panegyric,
of the Christians, pronounced by the mouth of a Pa-
gan prince. It is a letter of the emperor Antoninus,
written in the year 152, in answer to the States of
Asia, who had accused the Christians of being the
cause of some earthquakes which had happened in
that
Christians, that part of the world. The emperor advises them to "take care, lest, in torturing and punishing those whom they accused of Atheism (meaning the Christians), they should render them more obstinate, instead of prevailing upon them to change their opinion; since their religion taught them to suffer with pleasure for the sake of God." As to the earthquakes which had happened, he put them in mind, "that they themselves are always discouraged, and sink under such misfortunes; whereas the Christians never discovered more cheerfulness and confidence in God than upon such occasion." He tells them, that "they pay no regard to religion, and neglect the worship of the Eternal; and, because the Christians honour and adore Him, therefore they are jealous of them, and persecute them even to death." He concludes: "Many of the governors of provinces have formerly written to my father concerning them; and his answer always was, that they should not be molested or disturbed, provided they quietly submitted to the authority of the government. Many persons have likewise consulted me upon this affair, and I have returned the same answer to them all; namely, that if any one accuses a Christian merely on account of his religion, the accused person shall be acquitted, and the accuser himself punished." This ordinance, according to Eusebius, was publicly fixed up at Ephesus in an assembly of the states.
It is no difficult matter to discover the causes of the many persecutions to which the Christians were exposed during the three first centuries. The purity of the Christian morality, directly opposite to the corruption of the Pagans, was doubtless one of the most powerful motives of the public aversion. To this may be added, the many calumnies unjustly spread about concerning them by their enemies, particularly the Jews. And this occasioned so strong a prejudice against them, that the Pagans condemned them without inquiring into their doctrine, or permitting them to defend themselves. Besides, their worshipping Jesus Christ as God, was contrary to one of the most ancient laws of the Roman empire, which expressly forbade the acknowledging of any God which had not been approved by the senate.
But notwithstanding the violent opposition made to the establishment of the Christian religion, it gained ground daily, and very soon made a surprising progress in the Roman empire. In the third century, there were Christians in the camp, in the senate, in the palace: in short everywhere, but in the temples and the theatres: they filled the towns, the country, the islands. Men and women of all ages and conditions, and even those of the first dignities, embraced the faith; insomuch that the Pagans complained that the revenues of their temples were ruined. They were in such great numbers in the empire, that (as Tertullian expresses it) were they to have retired into another country, they would have left the Romans only a frightful solitude.
The primitive Christians were not only remarkable for the practice of every virtue; they were also very eminently distinguished by the many miraculous gifts and graces bestowed by God upon them. "Some of the Christians (says Irenæus) drive out devils, not in appearance only, but so as that they never return:
when it often happens, that those who are disposed of evil spirits embrace the faith and are received into the church. Others know what is to come, see visions, and deliver oracles as prophets. Others heal the sick by laying their hands on them, and restore them to perfect health: and we find some who even raise the dead.—It is impossible to reckon up the gifts and graces which the church has received from God—what they have freely received they as freely bestow. They obtain these gifts by prayer alone, and invocation of the name of Jesus Christ, without any mixture of enchantment or superstition."
We shall here subjoin the remarkable story, attested by Pagan authors themselves, concerning the Christian Legion in the army of the emperor Marcus Aurelius. That prince having led his forces against the Quadi, a people on the other side of the Danube, was surrounded and hemmed in by the enemy in a disadvantageous place, and where they could find no water. The Romans were greatly embarrassed, and, being pressed by the enemy, were obliged to continue under arms, exposed to the violent heat of the sun, and almost dead with thirst; when, on a sudden, the clouds gathered, and the rain fell in great abundance. The soldiers received the water in their bucklers and helmets, and satisfied both their own thirst and that of their horses. The enemy, presently after, attacked them; and so great was the advantage they had over them, that the Romans must have been overthrown, had not Heaven again interposed by a violent storm of hail, mixed with lightning, which fell on the enemy, and obliged them to retreat. It was found afterwards, that one of the legions, which consisted of Christians, had by their prayers, which they offered upon their knees before the battle, obtained this favour from heaven: and from this event that legion was surnamed The Thundering Legion. See, however, the criticism of Mr Moyle on this story in his Works, vol. ii. p. 81—390. See also Mosheim's Church History, vol. i. p. 124.
Such were the primitive Christians, whose religion has by degrees spread itself over all parts of the world, though not with equal purity in all. And though, by the providence of God, Mahometans and Idolaters have been suffered to possess themselves of those places in Greece, Asia, and Africa, where the Christian religion formerly most flourished; yet there are still such remains of the Christian religion among them as to give them opportunity sufficient to be converted. For, in the dominions of the Turk in Europe, the Christians make two third parts at least of the inhabitants; and in Constantinople itself there are above twenty Christian churches, and above thirty in Thessalonica. Philadelphia, now called Ala-shahir, has no fewer than twelve Christian churches. The whole island of Chio is governed by Christians; and some islands of the Archipelago are inhabited by Christians only. In Africa, besides the Christians living in Egypt, and in the kingdom of Congo and Angola, the islands upon the western coasts are inhabited by Christians; and the vast kingdom of Abyssinia, supposed to be as big as Germany, France, Spain, and Italy, put together, is possessed by Christians. In Asia, most part of the empire of Russia, the countries of Circassia and Mingrelia, Georgia, and Mount Libanus, are inhabited
Christians habited only by Christians. In America, it is notorious that the Christians are very numerous, and spread over most parts of that vast continent.