CHAPTER XXXIX.

CHRISTIANITY AMONG THE GREEKS.

Early successes of the gospel in Asia Minor-Progress of Christianity-Efforts of the apostle Paul and companions-First converts-Introduction of the gospel at Athens, Corinth, Ephesus, Troas-Churches of Macedonia, Patmos, Smyrna, Thyatira, Pergamos, Sardis, Laodicea-Martyrdom of Publius-HadrianDefence of the Gospel- Clemency of Antoninus towards Christians-JustinState of religion in succeeding years-Eusebius - John Chrysostom - His eminent learning and piety-Controversies-Appearance of the PauliciansConstantine-His travels and formation of churches-Persecution-Revolt in Asia Minor-State of Greek church in the age of Constantine-Influence of the monks Mohammed the Second Election of George Scholarius as patriarch-Form of presentation to the Sultan-Policy of MohammedanismSelym the First-Importance of state authority-Ceremonies of the Greek Church-Difference of sentiment and church government, from the Latin Church-Influence of the patriarch-Inferior clergy-Habits of life-Grecian monasteries-Most celebrated-Convents of Mount Athos-ConstructionCaloyers-Efforts of British and American Christians to revive religion in Greece Greek Education Society-Distribution of Scriptures - Religious Tract Society.

642. THE New Testament was written in the Greek language, because it was at that time what Latin afterwards became, the principal means of communication throughout the civilized world. The earliest successes of the gospel were realized in Judæa, and in the province of Asia Minor. The inhabitants of the latter country, descendants from the ancient Grecian colonists, had been distinguished for their wealth and splendour, their learning, and their culture of the fine arts. It was at Troas, on the Asiatic continent, that the apostle Paul beheld the vision that induced him to cross the Ægean sea, and carry the gospel into Europe. He had previously visited Cyprus, accompanied by Barnabas, a native of that island. From Salamis in the east, to Paphos in the west, they traversed the whole island. Among their converts at Paphos was Sergius Paulus, the proconsul. Passing from Cyprus, in a northerly direction to Pamphylia, they skirted the borders of Phrygia, Isauria, Pisidia, and Lycaonia, preaching the gospel, and planting churches in several cities of those regions; they then returned to Antioch in Syria, from whence they had been sent out. Having separated from Barnabas and Mark, the apostle Paul accompanied by Silas travelled through the adjacent parts of Syria to Cilicia and Pisidia, and to some of the towns

in which he had preached in his former journey. At Lystra, he was joined by Timothy, and revisiting the churches he had founded, he came to Phrygia. We have no record of his labours in that populous province, which has been described by an ancient writer as containing more than sixty towns; but at Colosse a church was gathered, probably by Epaphras, one of the apostle's converts and fellowlabourers. After preaching and planting numerous churches in the province of Galatia, the apostle's plan appears to have been to travel through Asia Minor, and then to return in a northerly course to Mysia and Bithynia ; but the vision of the "man of Macedonia" changed his course.

643. The history of Luke, who joined Paul at Troas, traces his progress to the island of Samothracia, opposite the Thracian coast, in the Ægean sea, and from thence to Neapolis, a sea-port in Macedonia, and thence to Philippi, "the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony."

644. Near to the city, on the banks of a stream, the proselytes to Judaism had a proseucha, or open place for prayer, to which devout women resorted. Lydia, and the jailor, and their families, are the only persons expressly mentioned as the firstfruits of the gospel in a city where one of the most flourishing of Christian churches rejoiced the apostle's heart. Leaving Luke and Timothy at Philippi, Paul and Silas passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, the scenes of transactions recorded in some parts of this history, and came to Thessalonica, about twenty miles north-west from Philippi, and the largest of the Macedonian cities. In the narrative of Luke (Acts xvii. 1-15), and in the two epistles addressed by Paul and Silvanus (Silas) and Timotheus to the church of the Thessalonians, we see how much they must have accomplished there in the short space of three or four weeks. Driyen thence by the enmity of the unbelieving Jews, they withdrew to Berea, a town about ten miles west of Thessalonica. A tumult, raised by Thessalonian Jews, forced Paul soon to leave Silas and Timotheus at Berea, while he was accompanied by some of the converts of that town to Athens, the centre of the refinement of the world.

645. The previous chapter, on the schools of Grecian philosophy, will have prepared the reader to enter into the feelings with which the preacher of the gospel would be

regarded by the "philosophers of the Epicureans and the Stoics," who encountered him; and this, together with the magnificent idolatries around him, will serve to explain the strong language of the inspired historian where he says, His spirit was stirred within him." Little as the success of the gospel was among the gay and sceptical Athenians, it was not altogether fruitless: there were those who believed, among whom were Dionysius, a member of the illustrious court of Areopagus, and a woman named Damaris.

646. Travelling alone from Athens, the apostle proceeded to Corinth, which had once more risen to wealth and importance as the centre of traffic between the eastern and western divisions of the Roman empire, and which, for that reason, was a position of great consequence for the spreading of the gospel through the world. There Paul was assisted by Silas and Timothy, by Aquila and Priscilla. The chief ruler of the synagogue and many of the Corinthians believed, and the blessed effects of the gospel were diffused through the whole province of Achaia. After labouring thus for the space of two years, we find the apostle at Ephesus, the greatest commercial city of Asia Minor. During his abode in this city, he was earnestly engaged in the affairs of the Galatian and Corinthian churches, as well as in preaching and defending the gospel in Ephesus. From thence he returned to Troas, revisited the churches of Macedonia, received their generous contributions for the poor saints in Judæa, and then passed the winter in Achaia. Not fewer than twenty of the inspired Epistles of the New Testament relate to the churches thus called into the fellowship of the gospel, during these interesting journeys and sacred labours, the memory of which is thus perpetuated from age to age, and will endure for ever. It was on Asiatic Greece that the last light of inspiration fell. Thirty miles south-west of Samos, and twenty miles from the western coast of Asia Minor, is Patmos, one of the group of islands called the Sporades, a rocky isle, from twenty to thirty miles in circumference, with but few fertile spots. It is now inhabited by five or six hundred persons, chiefly under the influence of the monks. Here John beheld the visions, and heard the words, of his Revelation. His ordinary abode was at Ephesus, where he is said to have died,

after his return from Patmos. Ephesus, now a wretched village, contains a mosque, said to have been formerly a Christian church, and a miserable hovel for the few nominal Christians. Smyrna, fifty-six miles from Ephesus, still retains the shadow of her ancient glory, with a population of fifty thousand Mohammedans, and the same number of professed Christians, under the patriarch of Constantinople. Fifty miles north of Smyrna was Thyatira, the ancient Pelopia, now occupied by the modern town of Akhisson, with a degraded and ignorant population of five thousand Turks, Greeks, and Armenians. Forty miles from Thyatira stands Bergamo (Pergamos,) anciently the abode of the Attaliah princes, and famed of old for its library of two hundred thousand books. At this day, the inhabitants include not more than a thousand, or fifteen hundred Greeks.

647. Sardis, once the capital of the Lydian monarchy, at the northern base of Mount Tmolus, is now represented by the village of Sardt, north of the ancient site, a village of not more than fifty mud cottages, chiefly inhabited by Turks. On a branch of Mount Tmolus, five and twenty or thirty miles from Sardis, is Philadelphia, the last Lydian city that submitted to the Moslems, and which has still nearly two hundred Greek families, with five or six churches, about twenty priests, and one bishop.

648. Laodicea, (one of six cities so called,) on the river Lycus near Colosse, is now buried by earthquakes, a lonely spot, the "the haunt of wolves and jackalls."

649. Not long before the time when the emperor Hadrian visited Athens, and was initiated into the Eleusinian mysteries, Publius, bishop of Athens, had suffered martyrdom; he was succeeded by Quadratus, who is praised by Eusebius for his zeal in gathering the scattered flock and reviving their faith. While Hadrian was in Greece, Quadratus presented to him a defence of the gospel. This defence was accompanied or followed by another from Aristides, a Christian, living at Athens. Near this time, according to Eusebius, Dionysius, bishop of Corinth, distinguished himself by his labours in that city, and by his epistles to distant churches: among which special mention is made of one to the Lacedæmonians; one to the Athenians, after the death of Publius; several to the churches in Crete,

and the churches in Pontus; and one to the church at Rome.

650. The appeals to Hadrian were not made in vain : Antoninus, his successor, wrote to the Ephesians, the Larisseans, the Thessalonians, the Athenians, and to other Greeks, forbidding the public accusation of Christians on account of their religion. It is not unlikely that the wise and mild policy of the emperor was encouraged by the defence of Christians presented to him by Justin, a Grecian philosopher, who, having vainly searched for true wisdom in the schools of the Stoics, Pythagoreans, and Platonists, found it in the school of Christ, and died a martyr in the following reign.

651. We have but scanty materials for information respecting the state of Christianity in Greece for several ages. The churches of that country shared in the general persecutions under the heathen emperors, and afterwards in the external peace, and the decline of Paganism, introduced by Constantine the Great. They suffered, in common with other Christians, from the suppression of learning among them, and the general discouragements arising from the attempt of Julian to revive the ancient philosophy, and to restore the ancient religion, of Greece. They enjoyed the protection of Jovian, Julian's successor; and they were encouraged or opposed, according to the side they took in the Arian controversy, by Valens, who was the abettor of Arianism. In the fifth century, we find Basil, and Gregory Nazianzen, who became eminent Christian bishops, fellowstudents with Julian at Athens; and Epiphanius, adorning the church by faith and benevolence, as bishop of Salamis, in Cyprus.

652. Eusebius, the Greek ecclesiastical historian, was the friend of Constantine the Great, and the writer of his life. We are indebted to him for most of the information we now possess concerning the early history of the Christian church. From the time of Constantine, the history was continued by Socrates, a native of Constantinople; by Sozomen, a native of Palestine, living in Constantinople; and by Theodoret, bishop of Cyrus, in Lydia.

653. But the brightest light of the Greek church in that age was John Chrysostom, at first bishop of Antioch, his native city, and afterwards of Constantinople. He was