And in the Primitive times, the people of God were then a people under great reproach: What strange things does Tertullian tell us they reproached them withal; as that in their meetings they made Thyestes suppers, who invited his brother to a supper, and presented him with a dish of his own flesh; they charged them with uncleanness, because they met in the night, (for they durst not meet in the day) and said, they blew out the candles when they were together, and committed filthiness: they reproached them for ignorance, saying, they were all unlearned; and therefore the Heathens in Tertullians time used to paint the God of the Christians with an Asses head, and a book in his hand, to signify, that though they pretended learning, yet they were an unlearned silly people, rude and ignorant. Bishop Jewel in his Sermon upon Luke 11. ver. 15. cites this out of Tertullian, and applies it to his time: Does not our adversaries do the like, saith he, at this day, against all those that profess the Gospel of Christ? O say they, who are they that favour this way? they are none but Shoemakers, Tailors, Weavers, and such as never were at the University. They are the Bishops own words. He cites likewise Tertullian a little after, saying, that 1The Christians were accounted the public enemy of ⟨p. 353⟩State. And Josephus tells us of Apollinaris, speaking concerning the Jews and Christians, that they were more foolish then any Barbarian. And Paulus Fagius reports a story of an Egyptian, concerning the Christians, who said, They were a gathering together of a most filthy lecherous people; and for the keeping of the Sabbath, he says, they had a disease that was upon them, and they were fain to rest the seventh day, because of that disease. And so in St. Augustine's time he hath this expression, Any one that begins to be godly, presently he must prepare to suffer reproach from the tongues of adversaries: and this was their usual manner of reproach; What shall we have of you, an Elijah? a Jeremiah? And Nazianzen in one of his Orations, says, It is so ordinary to reproach, that I cannot think to go free my self. And so Athanasius, they called him Sathanasius, because he was a special Instrument against the Arians. And Cyprian, they called him 2Coprian, one that gathers up dung, as if all the excellent things he had gathered in his works were but dung.
And in the Primitive times, the people of God were then a people under great reproach: What strange things does Tertullian tell us they reproached them withal; as that in their meetings they made Thyestes suppers, who invited his brother to a supper, and presented him with a dish of his own flesh; they charged them with uncleanness, because they met in the night, (for they durst not meet in the day) and said, they blew out the candles when they were together, and committed filthiness: they reproached them for ignorance, saying, they were all unlearned; and therefore the Heathens in Tertullians time used to paint the God of the Christians with an Asses head, and a book in his hand, to signifie, that though they pretended learning, yet they were an unlearned silly people, rude and ignorant. Bishop Jewel in his Sermon upon Luke 11. ver. 15. cites this out of Tertullian, and applyes it to his time: Does not our adversaries do the like, saith he, at this day, against all those that profess the Gospel of Christ? O say they, who are they that favor this way? they are none but Shoomakers, Taylors, Weavers, and such as never were at the University. They are the Bishops own words. He cites likewise Tertullian a little after, saying, that 1The Christians were accounted the publike enemy of ⟨p. 353⟩State. And Josephus tells us of Apollinaris, speaking concerning the Jews and Christians, that they were more foolish then any Barbarian. And Paulus Fagius reports a story of an Egyptian, concerning the Christians, who said, They were a gathering together of a most filthy leacherous people; and for the keeping of the Sabbath, he says, they had a disease that was upon them, and they were fain to rest the seventh day, because of that disease. And so in St. Augustines time he hath this expression, Any one that begins to be godly, presently he must prepare to suffer reproach from the tongues of adversaries: and this was their usual maner of reproach; What shall we have of you, an Elias? a Jeremy? And Nazianzen in one of his Orations, says, It is so ordinary to reproach, that I cannot think to go free my self. And so Athanasius, they called him Sathanasius, because he was a special Instrument against the Arrians. And Cyprian, they called him 2Coprian, one that gathers up dung, as if all the excellent things he had gathered in his works were but dung.
- 1Publici hostis.
- 2Cyprianus, Co prianus
