“Eusebius represents the victors at the precipitation of Maxentius and his
attendants into the Tiber, as saying, like Moses at the overthrow of the
Egyptians in the Red Sea: ‘Let us sing to the Lord, for he is signally
glorified. Horse and rider he has thrown into the sea. The Lord my helper
and defender was with me unto salvation. Who, O Lord, is like to thee
among gods? Who is like to thee, glorified by the holy, admirable in
praise, doing wonders? Constantine entered Rome in triumph, hymning these
and similar passages to God, the author of the victory.’ And on the fall
of Licinius he represents the church as uniting in thanksgiving for the
deliverance, and congratulations at the overthrow of idolatry, and
establishment of Christ’s kingdom; and devotes the tenth book of his
history to the edicts of the emperor by which the church was nationalized
and endowed, and to the restoration of the temples, and the public
rejoicings at their dedication. ‘Let thanks be given by all to the
Almighty Ruler of the universe, and to Jesus Christ, our Saviour and
Redeemer, through whom we pray that peace from external foes may be
uninterruptedly preserved to us, and tranquillity of mind.’
“ ‘Let us sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done wonderful things.
His right hand has saved him and his holy arm. The Lord has made known his
salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the presence of the
nations. We may now appropriately respond to the inspired command to sing
a new song, inasmuch as after such direful spectacles and narrations we
now have the happiness to see and celebrate what many holy men before us
and the martyrs for God desired to see on earth, and did not see, and to
hear, and have not heard. But advancing more rapidly they attained far
superior gifts in heaven, being caught up to the paradise of celestial
joy; while we acknowledge the gifts we enjoy are greater than we deserve,
and contemplate with wonder the largeness of the divine bounty. Admiring
and adoring with all our souls, we testify to the truth of the prophet’s
words, “Come and see the works of the Lord, what wonders he has wrought in
the earth, abolishing wars to the ends of the world. The bow he has
broken, he has dashed the arms, the shield he has burned in the fire.”
Rejoicing at the manifest fulfilment of these predictions to us, we go on
with our history.’ He goes on accordingly to represent the whole
population, freed from the domination of the tyrants, and relieved from
oppression, as acknowledging the only true God and protector of the pious,
and these especially who had placed their hope in Christ, as filled with
inexpressible joy; the ministers everywhere delivering commemorative
addresses, and the whole multitude offering praises and thanksgiving to
God.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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