The Lives of the Saints, Volume 01 (of 16): JanuaryBaring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Religion
The Lives of the Saints, Volume 01 (of 16): January
Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Christian saints
On this false charge some of the most faithful and zealous adherents of
Chrysostom suffered, amongst them were the priest Tigris, and the reader
Eutropius. The rest shall be quoted from Sozomen, who, belonging to the
party of Chrysostom, gives those details which Socrates found it
convenient to omit:--"Both parties mutually accused each other of
incendiarism; the enemies of John asserted that his partizans had been
guilty of the deed from revenge; the other side, that the crime had been
perpetrated by their enemies, with intention of burning them in the
church. Those citizens who were suspected of attachment to John, were
sought out and cast into prison, and compelled to anathematize him.
Arsacius was not long after ordained over the Church of Constantinople.
Nothing operated so much against him as the persecution carried on
against the followers of John. As these latter refused to hold
communion, or even to join in prayer with him, and met together in the
further parts of the city, he complained to the Emperor of their
conduct. The tribune was commanded to attack them with a body of
soldiers, and by means of clubs and stones he soon dispersed their
assembly. The most distinguished among them in point of rank, and those
who were most zealous in their adherence to John, were cast into prison.
The soldiers, as is usual on such occasions, went beyond their orders,
and stripped the women of their ornaments. Although the whole city was
thus filled with trouble and lamentation, the affection of the people
for John remained the same. After the popular insurrection had been
quelled, the prefect of the city appeared in public, as if to inquire
into the cause of the conflagration, and to bring the perpetrators of
the deed to punishment; but, being a pagan, he exulted in the
destruction of the Church, and ridiculed the calamity.
"Eutropius, a reader, was required to name the persons who had set fire
to the church; but, although he was scourged severely, although his
sides and cheeks were torn with iron nails, and although lighted torches
were applied to the most sensitive parts of his body, no confession
could be extorted from him, notwithstanding his youth and delicacy of
constitution. After having been subjected to these tortures, he was cast
into a dungeon, where he soon afterwards expired.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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