Arius the Libyan: A Romance of the Primitive ChurchKouns, Nathan C. (Nathan Chapman)
Religion
Arius the Libyan: A Romance of the Primitive Church
Kouns, Nathan C. (Nathan Chapman)
Arius, -approximately 336 -- Fiction
And they all, seeing that she had made a matter of conscience of these
two purposes, ceased to oppose her design; and not long afterward she
and Am-nem-hat were taken in their little boat unto Apollonia, by
Ammonius; and thence they went by ship to Alexandria; and, after a
speedy and pleasant voyage, they cast anchor in the little harbor of
Eunostos; and thence removed straightway unto one of the nine dwellings
which she owned in Rhacotis, the Egyptian quarter of the city. Here,
with the aid of six years’ accumulated rents from her handsome estate,
the young girl quickly furnished her home in the most comfortable
manner, and had a room carefully furnished for Am-nem-hat, and another
in which the manuscripts were to be kept, and in which they might
prosecute their studies; for the aged grand-uncle and the young maiden
had almost come to sustain to each other the relation of dear companions
and fellow-students rather than that of teacher and pupil. Very soon,
also, with the aid of the old man, who possessed a critical knowledge of
such matters, she procured a large quantity of the finest vellum, and
began her self-appointed task of transcribing the scriptures for Arius.
And afterward she sold (through her guardian) five of the nine houses
which she owned, for a large sum, and having carefully selected a plot
of ground suitable for the purpose, she bought it, taking the title
thereto in the name of certain persons whom she knew to be Christians,
upon a secret trust for the common Church, and after many consultations
with Am-nem-hat, and with the bishop and with other friends, she began
the work of building a beautiful and substantial church; and, with the
making of her careful and accurate copies of the scriptures and the
building of the church, both she and Am-nem-hat found themselves
constantly employed. For, although at that time there was no open and
public persecution of the Christians, it had not long ceased, and none
knew at what moment the caprice of their pagan rulers, stimulated by the
hatred of Jewish and pagan priests, might blaze out into a general and
merciless war against them; so that their meetings were quietly held,
and the erection of churches was carried on without show or publicity;
and generally, indeed, parts of the buildings were used as a school for
the children of Christians; and many a church was saved from destruction
by the fitful and uncertain hate of the populace and priests, by being
taken for a school rather than a church. And there were few who desired
to be known as Christians, except to persons of like faith, though none
hesitated to declare this faith at any peril, when called in question
about it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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