A Different Kind Of Persecution

Τότε δὴ καὶ Μάρις ὁ τῆς ἐν Βιθυνίᾳ Χαλκηδόνος ἐπίσκοπος χειραγωγούμενος· ἧν γὰρ δὴ πρὸς τῳ γήρᾳ ὑπόχυσιν ὀφθαλμῶν ὑπομείνας· πολλὰ τὸν βασιλέα προςελθὼν περιύβρισε, τὸν ἀσεβῆ καλῶν, τὸν ἀποστάτην καὶ ἄθεον. Ὁ δὲ λόγοις τὰς ὕβρεις ἠμύνετο, τυφλὸν καλέσας. Καὶ οὐκ ἂν, φησὶν, ὁ Γαλιλαϊός σου Θεος θεραπεύσει σε. Γαλιλαὶον γὰρ εἰώθει ὁ Ἰουλιανὸς καλεῖν τὸν Χριστὸν, καὶ τοὺς Χριστιανοὺς Γαλιλαίους. Ὁ δὲ δὴ Μάρις, παῥῥησιαί· τερον πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ἀπήντησεν. Εὐχαριστῶ, φησὶ, τῷ Θεῷ τυφλώσαντί με, ἵνα μὴ ἴδω τὸ πρόσωπόν σου οὕτως ἐκπεπτωκὸς πρὸς τὴν ἀσέβειαν. Οὐδὲν πρὸς ταῦτα ὁ Βασιλεὺς ἀπεκρίνατο. Δεινῶς δὲ καὶ τοῦτον μετήρχετο. Ἐωρακὼς γὰρ τοὺς ἐπὶ Διοκλητιανοῦ μαρτυρήσαντας ὑπὸ τῶν Χριστιανῶν τιμωμένους, προθύμως τε σπεύδειν ἐπὶ τὸ μαρτυρῆσαι πολλοὺς ἐπιστάμαενος, ὥσπερ αὐτῷ τούτῳ τοὺς Χριστιανοὺς ἀμυνόμενος, ἐπὶ ἑτέραν ἐτρέπετο. Καὶ τὴν μὲν ὑπερβαλλουσαν ἐπι Διοκλητιανοῦ ὠμότησα ὑπερέθετο· οὐ μὴν πὰντη τοῦ διώκειν ἀπέσχετο. Διωγμόν δὲ λέγω, τὸ ὁπωσοῦν ταράττειν τοὺς ἡσυχάζοντας. Ἐτάραττε δὲ ὧδε· Νύμῳ ἐκέλευε, Χριστιανοὺς παιδεὺσεως μὴ μετέχειν. Ἵνα μὴ, φησὶν, ἀκονώμενοι τὴν γλῶτταν, ἐτοίμως πρὸς τοὺς διαλεκτικοὺς τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἀπαντῶσιν. Ἐκέλευε δὲ, μηδὲ κατὰ τὰ βασίλεια στρατεύεσθαι τοὺς μὴ βουλομένους καταλιπεὶν μὲν τὸν Χριστιανισμὸν, ἐπὶ τὸ θυειν δὲ τοὶς ἀγάλμασιν ἔρχεσθαι. Μήτε μὴν Χριστιανοὺς τῶν ἐπαρχιῶν ἄρχοντας γίνεσθαι, λέγων ὡς κελεύει νόμος μὴ χρῆσθαι ξίφει κατὰ τῶν ἄξια θανάτου πεπλημμεληκότων. Πολλοὺς δὲ καὶ κολακείαις καὶ δωρεαϊς ἐπὶ τὸ θύειν προστρέπετο. Αὐτίκα γοῦν ὡς ἐν χωνευτηρίῳ, οἱ τε ὄντες Χριστιανοὶ καὶ οἱ νομιζόμενοι, φανεροὶ πασιν ἐγίνοντο. Οἱ μέν γὰρ ὀρθῇ γνώμῃ Χριστιανίζοντες, εὐθυμότεροι τὴν ζώνην ἀπετίθεντο, πάντα μάλλον ὑπομένειν ἤ ἀρνείσθαι τὸν Χριστὸν αἰρούμενοι. Ἐν τούτοις ἦσαν Ἰοβιανὸς, Οὐαλεντινιανός τε καὶ Οὐάλης, οἱ καὶ ὕστεπρον Βασιλεύσαντες. Ἕτεροι δὲ ὅσοι μὴ ὀρθῇ γνώμῃ ἐχριστιάνιζον, ὅσοι τὰ χρὴματα καὶ τὴν ἐνταῦθα τιμὴν, τῆς ἀληθοῦς εὐδαιμονίας προκρίναντες, μὴ μελλήσαντες πρὸς τὸ θὺειν ἀπέκλινον. Ὣν εἶς ἦν καὶ ὁ Κωνσταντινουπόλεως σοφιστὴς Ἐκηβόλιος. Ὅστις τοῖς ἥθεσι τῶν βασιλέων ἐπόμενος, ἐπὶ μέν Κωσταντίου διαπύρως Χριστιανίζειν ὑπεκρίνατο· ἐπί δὲ Ἰουλιανοῦ, γοργὸς Ἕλλην ἐφαίνετο· καὶ αὖθις μετὰ Ἰουλιανὸν, Χριστιανίζειν ἤθελε. Ῥίψας γάρ ἕαυτὸν πρηνῆ πρὸ τῆς πύλης τοῦ εὐκτυρίου οἴκου, Πατήσατέ με, ἐβόα, τὸ ἄλας τὸ ἀναίσθητον. Τοιοῦτος μὲν οὖν κοῦφος καὶ εὐχερὴς Ἐκηβόλιος πρότερόν τε καὶ ὕστερον ἧν. Σωκράτης ὁ Σχολαστικός, Ἐκκλησιαστίκη Ἱστορία

Then Maris, who was bishop of Chalcedon in Bithynia, came into the Emperor's presence, being led by the hand, for in old age he was suffering from cataracts in his eyes, and he severely rebuked the Emperor's impiety, apostasy, and atheism. Julian defended himself with proud words, calling the bishop blind and saying, ' Your Galilean God will not cure you.' For it was his custom to term Christ the Galilean and Christians Galileans. Maris with fearless speech replied to the Emperor, ' I give thanks to God for blinding me so that I might not see the face of one who has fallen into impiety.' The Emperor said nothing to this but later he had revenge. Noting that those who had been martyred under Diocletian were honored by the Christians, and knowing that many of them were eager to be martyrs, he refrained from punishing them in that way. But passing over the cruelties which had been practiced under Diocletian, he did not altogether abstain from persecution, for I call persecution any troubling of the peaceful. This is how he caused distress: he enacted a law prohibiting Christians from teaching literature; 'Lest,' he said, 'when they have sharpened their tongues, they should be able the more readily defeat the arguments of the pagans.' He also banned those who were unwilling to abjure Christianity and sacrifice to idols from holding office at court. Nor would he allow Christians to govern provinces, saying that their law forbids them to use the sword against those worthy of death. By flattery and by gifts he also induced many to sacrifice. Immediately, as in a furnace, it at once became evident to all who were real Christians and who were merely nominal ones. Those who were Christians of sound resolve, very readily resigned their positions, preferring to suffer anything than deny Christ. Among these were Jovian, Valentinian, and Valens, each of whom afterwards became Emperor. But some Christians of faulty judgement, who preferred present wealth and honor, sacrificed without hesitation. One of these was an intellectual of Constantinople named Ecebolius. He would follow the moods of the Emperors, under Constantius affecting to be a fervent Christian while under Julian he appeared an equally spirited pagan, and after Julian he again wished to be a Christian. He threw himself face down before the church doors, and cried out, 'Trample on me, salt that has lost its savour.' So vacous and so easily moved by the times was this Ecebolius. Socrates Scholasticus, Ecclesiastical History