Cornelius the Centurion

ON S. CORNELIUS THE CENTURION, BISHOP OF CAESAREA AND SCEPSIS

FIRST CENTURY OF CHRIST.

Preliminary Commentary.

S. Cornelius the Centurion, then Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine.

By I. B.

§ I. The homeland of S. Cornelius.

[1] Caesarea, a city of Palestine, formerly the Tower of Strato, as Pliny testifies in book 5, chapter 13, was built up by Herod in honor of the Emperor Octavian, as Ammianus Marcellinus states in book 14, whence it also obtained its name: afterward Colony I Flavia, founded by the Emperor Vespasian, says Pliny. S. Cornelius converted at Caesarea. Nevertheless the name Caesarea was retained for posterity: in Ptolemy, table 4 of Asia, it is called Kaisareia Stratōnos, Caesarea of Strato. It is ennobled by the trophies of very many Martyrs, the learning of its Bishops, and especially by the fact that there, for the first time, an immediate entrance into the Church was opened to the Gentiles, when the Centurion Cornelius was initiated by baptism through the Prince of the Apostles.

[2] He was, as S. Luke writes in Acts 10, a Centurion of the cohort which is called the Italian. A Centurion of the Italian cohort, in the sixth legion, called Ferrata. From these words Baronius concludes, in volume 1 of the Annals at the year of Christ 41, number 2, that he was Roman by birth, with Italian soldiers; and indeed from the sixth legion, called Ferrea or Ferrata: for Dio Cassius, book 55, writes of a stratopedon to Sidēroun, an "Iron Legion" stationed in Judea from the time of Augustus. Tacitus narrates many deeds performed by it in Syria and Armenia (but after the conversion of Cornelius). The Spanish Chronicle, which modern authors ascribe to Flavius Dexter, makes Cornelius at the year of Christ 40 an Italicensian, that is, a native of Italica, a city of Baetica, from which also later the Emperors Trajan and Hadrian came, whose ruins near the Baetis river, one league from Hispalis, are still seen today and are called Old Hispalis, as Ludovicus Nonius writes in his Hispania, chapter 17. With many arguments Franciscus Bivarius strives to claim Cornelius for Italica in his Commentaries on that Chronicle, at the year of Christ 34. For he says that the sixth legion imposed on Judea as a garrison was the Italica, called the Sixth because, as he finds somewhere in Livy, the sixth of the provinces was called Hispania Ulterior, where the city of Italica stands: as though the third Gallic legion, the third Cyrenaic, the fourth Scythian, the fifth Macedonian were so named because Gaul and Cyrene were the third province, Scythia the fourth, and Macedonia the fifth. And then how ridiculously he writes! That the Italica legion shone wonderfully among the other Roman legions, Dio testifies in many passages, book 5 of the Roman History, who is also the authority that it was brought into Judea by Augustus Caesar. He meant to cite book 55 of Dio, for the first 34 books are not extant. But book 55 says this: Two Sixth legions, one in Lower Britain, called Victrix; the other in Judea, distinguished by the name Ferrea. And with some intervening: Nero instituted the first legion, called Italica, not Italica, which did not then exist; wintering in Lower Moesia... Trajan the second Egyptian, the thirtieth Germanic; to which Marcus Antonius gave his own name: also the second in Noricum, the third in Rhaetia, which are also called Italicae. Does Dio here testify that the Italian legion shone wonderfully among the rest? Or that it was brought into Judea by Augustus, when it had not yet been established? But if the one guarding Judea was the Italica, what need was there to call one particular cohort of that legion the Italian? But Bivarius confuses cohort and legion; for he writes: In Judea there was one and the same cohort of Roman soldiers... for the sixth cohort alone, which is the Italica and the Ferrata, was stationed in Palestine, as Dio testifies. We have already quoted Dio's words. Does Bivarius consider it so honorable to have laid brutal hands on Christ that he would wish to claim that glory too for his countrymen? When in Matthew 27 the whole cohort was assembled, were all of Cornelius's soldiers also summoned from Caesarea, if there was only one cohort in Judea? We do not deny, however, that some sixth legion is read to have served in Spain, but it was different from this Ferrata.

[3] Somewhat stronger is the argument which Bivarius brings from S. Jerome. The latter, in Epistle 28 to Lucinius of Baetica, among other things writes thus: Truly now the word of the Lord has been fulfilled in you: Many shall come from the East and the West, and shall recline in the bosom of Abraham. Matt. 8:11. Cornelius, Centurion of the Italian cohort, whether Spanish is uncertain: was even then prefiguring the faith of my Lucinius. The Apostle Paul, writing to the Romans, says: When I begin to set out for Spain, I hope that in passing through I shall see you, and be sent on my way there by you. Rom. 15:24. He proved amid such great waves what he was seeking from that province. But why, in writing to a Spaniard and recounting Paul's desire to visit Spain, does Jerome mention Cornelius? Unless because in him the first-fruits of the Spanish nation were, as it were, consecrated? However, since it can be answered that in Cornelius the door of faith was opened to the Gentiles, even to those far away, such as the Spaniards, and that for this reason his conversion was related by Jerome writing to a Spaniard; we (to speak with Rodericus Caro in his Notes on the already cited passage of Dexter) do not wish to prejudice the truth: and concerning the homeland of S. Cornelius we pronounce only this: It is not clear. For the arguments which Joannes Tamaius de Salazar has gathered in his Spanish Martyrology are virtually the same as those of Bivarius. If S. Luke called the cohort Italicensem, no one would doubt that it was from the city of Italica in Spain: but he calls it Italicam. The same Tamaius adds that there is in Spain a noble house called del Castillo, which boasts of being descended from this holy Centurion.

§ II. The episcopate of S. Cornelius.

[4] From whatever homeland he sprang, he was certainly a citizen of heaven, and from a Centurion of the world he was made a soldier of Christ, indeed the chief of a new legion under Him. Made Bishop. For the Martyrologies testify that he was ordained Bishop of Caesarea. Thus Usuardus on this day: At Caesarea, the most blessed Cornelius the Centurion, whom the blessed Peter baptized. He, exalted with the honor of the episcopate at the aforesaid city, rested in peace. Bede in the standard edition, Ado, and most manuscripts have the same; and in somewhat altered words, the Roman Martyrology indicates that he was consecrated Bishop by S. Peter himself. Notker concludes his lengthy eulogy of him thus: This Cornelius, having left military service, was exalted with the honor of Bishop at the aforesaid city and rested in peace. having left military service. Petrus de Natalibus, book 3, chapter 73, having narrated his conversion, adds: Then Cornelius, renouncing military service, became a disciple of the Apostles, and was ordained by them Bishop of Caesarea. He, having faithfully performed the office of preaching at the same city, conspicuous for holiness, departed to Christ: and buried there, he rested on the fourth day before the Nones of February.

[5] From these accounts can be refuted what is narrated in book 10 of the Recognitions of Clement: that when Simon Magus at Antioch was slandering S. Peter in his absence and disturbing the Church, Cornelius the Centurion arrived, nor did he afterward use these means to put Simon Magus to flight. sent by Caesar to the Governor of Caesarea on public business; and having been informed of what was going on, had a rumor spread that, because Caesar in the city of Rome and throughout the provinces had ordered sorcerers to be sought out and killed, he had come to capture this Magus, and had been sent by Caesar for this purpose. Which stratagem succeeded, and Simon, terrified by the report, fled from there. Whether, however, Cornelius immediately upon being baptized gave up military service, or waited for a suitable opportunity, remains obscure. In the Apostolic Constitutions of the same Clement, book 7, chapter 47, it is stated that Zacchaeus, who had formerly been a tax collector, was the first Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine: that Cornelius succeeded him, and that the third Bishop after him was Theophilus. But, as we have said elsewhere, the things reported in that chapter do not seem sufficiently grounded in truth to be believed as written by Clement; unless we admit they were interpolated by someone. And S. Theophilus, Bishop of Caesarea, flourished under the Emperor Severus, as we shall say on the fifth of March from the book of S. Jerome on Illustrious Ecclesiastical Writers. So that he could not have succeeded Cornelius except after a long interval, nor could mention of him be made by S. Clement, who died in the third year of Trajan.

[6] The Acts of S. Cornelius (which Baronius acknowledges Simeon Metaphrastes transcribed from more ancient documents; we give them here as published by Aloysius Lipomanus and then by Surius, collated with a Greek manuscript of the library of the Most Christian King) — these Acts, I say, make no mention of the episcopate of Caesarea. They report only that he accompanied Peter for some time as a companion on his travels, and was sent by him to the city of the Scepsaeans, at Scepsis, and having endured many hardships, famous for many miracles, was the agent by which the chief Demetrius and nearly the entire populace embraced the faith. In that oration, moreover, in which the same Metaphrastes (or whoever the author may be, as found in Lipomanus and Surius on the twenty-ninth of June) has encompassed the struggles, labors, and travels of S. Peter, or Ilium, it is said that Peter, after he was led out of the prison into which Herod had cast him by an Angel, came to Caesarea of Strato, where he had previously baptized Cornelius, and from among the Presbyters who were following him, appointed a Bishop there: then after some years, having visited many cities, he came to Ilium, a city of the Hellespont, and in that place appointed Cornelius the Centurion as Bishop. or afterward at Caesarea.

[7] From there he was perhaps recalled to Caesarea, upon the death of Zacchaeus or some other Bishop of that city. Baronius writes in his Notes on the Martyrology that the See of Caesarea, on that occasion — that through the conversion of Cornelius (at God's direction) the door of faith was first opened there to the Gentiles — which is the Metropolis of Palestine. merited to be exalted by a singular prerogative, so that not the See of Jerusalem but itself should become the Metropolis of Palestine. Caesarea was indeed formerly the metropolis of Palestine, and Jerusalem was subject to it, as is clear from canon 7 of the Council of Nicaea, which states: Since custom and ancient tradition have prevailed that the Bishop of Aelia should be honored, let him have the consequent honor, saving to the Metropolis its proper dignity. Theodorus Balsamon, in his scholia on this and the preceding canon, rightly notes that the city of Jerusalem was called Aelia because it was rebuilt by Aelius Hadrianus. But he grievously errs when he writes that by this canon it is decreed that the rights of the Metropolis of Caesarea be preserved, even though Aelia had been detached from it and its Patriarch honored, on account of the saving Passion of Christ. Jerome, closer to those times, better understood the Nicene Canon. He writes thus in Epistle 61 to Pammachius against the errors of John of Jerusalem, chapter 15: You who seek Ecclesiastical rules and use the canons of the Nicene Council, and strive to claim for yourself clergy of others who are dwelling with their own Bishops: answer me, what has Palestine to do with the Bishop of Alexandria? Unless I am mistaken, this is there decreed, that Caesarea be the metropolis of Palestine. Indeed S. Leo I, Pope, in Epistle 62 to Maximus, Bishop of Antioch, dated in the consulship of Opilio, V. CL., the year of Christ 453, reproves Juvenal, Bishop of Jerusalem, for aspiring to obtain the primacy of Palestine and confirming his insolent audacity through forged documents. Afterward, however, and why? with the assent of the Roman Pontiff, the See of Jerusalem was adorned with Patriarchal title and authority. But Caesarea was not the metropolis of Palestine previously solely on account of the memory of Cornelius's conversion there; rather because, as Josephus writes in his Jewish War, book 3, chapter 14, near the end, it was itself the greatest city of Judea: although in the age of Ammianus Marcellinus there were also other excellent cities, Eleutheropolis, Neapolis, Ascalon, and Gaza.

[8] The Greeks solemnly venerate Cornelius on the thirteenth of September, as is evident from the Menologion and Menaea, where however there is no mention of the See of Caesarea. The Menaea, after relating that S. Peter imparted baptism to him after catechetical instruction, add: tēn prostasian

tēs Skepseōs poleōs encheirizei, that is: he entrusts to him the government of the city of Scepsis. Which accords with the Acts transcribed by Metaphrastes. Raderus translates it: and committed to him the care and government of that city (in matters of faith): He converts Scepsis together with its Prefect: which Cornelius, having found entirely given over to idols, converted it entirely through the grace of Christ, and indeed baptized in the sacred font the very Praetor of the city, Demetrius, with his whole household, believing in Christ. Cornelius, having at last spent his life in the Apostolic manner, departed to the Lord. But the Acts assert that Scepsis was committed to him. It was an episcopal city in the Hellespont, as were Troas and Ilium.

§ III. The labors, miracles, and discovery of S. Cornelius.

[9] The same Menaea relate that he did not remain at Caesarea but traversed various places, he travels through various regions, and indeed with the Apostle S. Peter: Deemed worthy, they say, of the greatest celebrity of renown, O Cornelius, you went about with the Prince of the Apostles and with many others, everywhere performing the divine proclamation, through which, led to the light, we have been drawn out from the darkness of ignorance. a distinguished herald of the Gospel. In another ode: Having received the grace of the Spirit, like some radiant Sun you illuminated the earth, O Cornelius, dispelling the gloom of idolatrous frenzy. Another: Like a great river you went forth, irrigating the entire face of the earth with heavenly doctrine, drowning the weeds of the manifold worship of gods, O Cornelius. Another: Dead to the whole world, you announced to all who were dead through the passions of the soul the resurrection of Him who died for us, O most blessed Cornelius. Another: Illuminated by the Spirit, you became a light-bearing star, illuminating the ends of the earth with the most brilliant radiance, O hieromystes Cornelius. Many other things of this kind are said of him; they call him a herald of Christ and an equal of the holy Disciples, who received the Holy Spirit as they did. Indeed they celebrate other things as well which are said in the Acts to have been performed by him at Scepsis. Of this kind are these: renowned for miracles. Wholly devoted to almighty God, you did not offer worship to deaf idols, when bloodthirsty men compelled you. Most fervently you invoked the Most High invisible God, O Cornelius, and you utterly overthrew the temple of abominable idols, to the great wonder of the people. Keeping the commandments of the Almighty, you yourself were preserved: you endured chains, and you released foolish men from the chains of superstition, O Theosophist.

[10] They also celebrate his sepulcher and the miracles performed at it. His house existed at Caesarea in the time of S. Jerome, but had been converted into a church: there is no mention of a tomb or relics in his writings. He writes thus in Epistle 27, that is, the Life of S. Paula, which we gave on the twenty-sixth of January, His house at Caesarea, converted into a church: chapter 2, number 8, where he enumerates the coastal places of Palestine which Paula visited on her way to Jerusalem: And in turn she marveled at Strato's Tower, named Caesarea by Herod, King of Judea, in honor of Caesar Augustus, in which she beheld the house of Cornelius, now a church of Christ. Why not also his tomb? But this, the tomb celebrated for miracles, as the Menaea state, pours forth cures abundantly like a fountain for the faithful, drives away evil spirits, and illuminates the eyes of all who praise him in faith. Also: You always gush with torrents of cures, washing away human sicknesses. Then: You have been exalted in virtues, in the manner of a lofty cedar, and have brought forth for us sweet-smelling fruits, namely the bounty of doctrine, the grace of miracles, the efficacy of cures, O blessed hierarch Cornelius. And then: Dead indeed by nature, but in practice inhabiting your blessed tomb, you make it a fountain of many miracles, O wise Cornelius, healing the sick, driving away malignant spirits in the Holy Spirit.

[11] Discovered by S. Silvanus: a twofold solemnity. That tomb was long unknown, as is related in the Acts; until S. Silvanus, Bishop of Troas, discovered it in the time of Theodosius the Younger. That the Latins, as we have said, venerate him on the second of February and the Greeks on the thirteenth of September, one celebration is perhaps of his glorious death, the other of his Discovery and Translation.

[12] Nor should it be omitted that in the Menaea he is called a Martyr, whether because he was truly killed for the faith of Christ, or only because he was subjected to the examination Martyr he is called. which is mentioned in the Acts. Thus the Menaea have in the title of the thirteenth of September: And of the Holy Martyr Cornelius the Centurion. And in a certain Canticle: Anointed with the ointment of the priesthood, you went about, making the proclamation of salvation among the Gentiles, uprooting the thorns of error, wise in divine things, and implanting in minds a doctrine subject to no error. Therefore we bless you, as a Pontiff inspired by God, and an unconquered Martyr, O Cornelius. To this end is relevant what is found in the Miracles of S. Anastasius the Persian on the twenty-second of January, miracle 10, performed at Caesarea: A certain receptor of the temple of the holy and glorious Martyr Cornelius, named John. Although also in the Acts, chapter 3, number 12, he is called a Martyr.

ACTS FROM METAPHRASTES, collated with a Greek manuscript.

S. Cornelius the Centurion, then Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine.

From Metaphrastes and a Greek manuscript.

CHAPTER I.

The conversion and baptism of S. Cornelius.

[1] After the saving advent of the Word to earth, and the Cross and death voluntarily undergone by Him for us, and His ascension into heaven whence He had descended to build up the tabernacle of David (to speak with the Prophets) which had fallen; Cornelius, a righteous man. there was among the Italian cohort a Centurion named Cornelius, one of those who sought God and did what pleased Him, and who did many good works (although this pious man had not yet been deemed worthy of the divine grace of Christ, nor of a calling to Him), in that he himself feared God, and his whole household, and gave to the needy from what he had: and again he prayed to God constantly. Amos 9:11. To him as he was living at Caesarea (as the divine Luke openly relates concerning him) an Angel came about the ninth hour of the day, and said to him: Cornelius, your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God: and now send men to ^a Joppa, by the Angel's admonition, and summon Simon, who is called Peter: when he comes, he will speak to you words of life. Acts 10. When the Angel had given these commands, he appeared no more. Cornelius immediately summoned two servants and a pious soldier ^b from among those who were constantly with him, disclosed to them what he had seen, and sent them to Joppa. For the Angel said that Peter was staying there, with a certain Simon the tanner. Peter, moreover, who was traversing all the earth and sea by preaching and announcing the truth everywhere (for he was truly set as a light to the Gentiles and the salvation of many), having entered the company of the Saints who dwelt at ^c Lydda, sends for the Apostle S. Peter at Joppa, after he had made a certain Aeneas, who had been bedridden for eight years with paralysis, to rise, and then had come to Joppa and performed that great miracle in ^d Tabitha, who is called Dorcas, was living there at the tanner's house.

[2] But God did not leave him, either, ignorant of the mystery by which Cornelius was to be initiated: or rather, He did not despise Cornelius's righteousness and prayers. But since those of the circumcision were at odds with those who were uncircumcised, lest Peter should send away in vain those sent by Cornelius as being uncircumcised, because he would think it unlawful to associate with or approach a foreigner, therefore when they had set out from Caesarea and were not far from Joppa, God showed him the virtue and knowledge of Cornelius. When therefore he had gone up to the ^e upper part of the house, to offer the prayers customary at the sixth hour, he needed to refresh himself with food, and was hungry. Meanwhile, while food was being prepared for Peter, he sees the heaven opened, and a certain vessel, like a great linen sheet, let down by four corners to the earth and coming to him. The vessel contained beasts — all quadrupeds of the earth, reptiles, and birds of the sky. And a voice was perceived to issue from it to him, previously instructed by a mystical vision as to what he should do: saying: Rise, Peter, kill and eat. Then when he had said: By no means, Lord; and had also added the reason (for he said: I have never eaten anything common or unclean), the voice answered him again: What God has commanded, you shall not call common. And when this had happened three times, the vessel was again taken up into heaven. This signified the conversion of Cornelius and those who were with him. For the hunger that Peter suffered signified his zeal and passion for piety; and that he hungered and desired nothing so much as the knowledge of the unbelievers, and to give them entirely the true worship of God and the preaching of the Gospel. The quadrupeds, serpents, and birds were a sign of the multitude of those who were to be converted with Cornelius. The vessel let down from heaven three times signified the threefold immersion in Baptism. That they had been cleansed by God signified the righteousness and mercy of Cornelius with his whole household; and that they too had become acceptable to God.

[3] While Peter was thinking and unable to interpret the vision, those who had been sent by Cornelius had already arrived at the door. And immediately the Spirit, falling upon him, both announces their arrival and commands Peter to meet them without hesitation. And when he had gone down to them, they reported to him everything that Cornelius had seen and heard from the Angel. And so on the following day they came together to Caesarea. He is baptized by him with his household. When Cornelius had come to meet him and had fallen at his feet, Peter raised him up, saying: I too am a man. Then, having sown in him the word of piety, and in the souls of those who had gathered, after he saw the grace of the Spirit fall upon them and the Spirit commanding baptism, he led them to the truth and initiated them with baptism.

CHAPTER II.

The labors of S. Cornelius, especially at Scepsis.

[4] With the Apostles dispersed from Jerusalem after the persecution that arose from the death of ^a Stephen, Cornelius also accompanied them, and came as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch itself: and again he set out together with Peter and ^b Timothy: He accompanies S. Peter: and he was not absent from them even at Ephesus. When they learned that the city of the ^c Scepsaeans was given over to the worship of idols, they deliberated about who should go there; and they committed the matter to lots. When the lot fell upon Cornelius, chosen by lot, he is sent to Scepsis: he went straight to the city. Its Prefect was a certain Demetrius, who was a philosopher and ^d learned in Greek disciplines, breathing terribly against the pious faith of the Christians; and worshipping other gods of the nations, especially Apollo and Jupiter. When he learned of the arrival of Cornelius, he immediately summoned him: and asked why he had come, from where, and what his pursuit was. He answered, he is brought before the Prefect: I am a servant of the living God. I have come here, having been sent to call you back from the deepest darkness of ignorance, to lead you to the light of truth, and to send the pure ray of knowledge into your soul. Understanding not even a little of these words, Demetrius was immediately filled with anger, and suddenly spoke fiercely and savagely: I asked you one thing, and you answer me another. By all the gods, if you do not answer each question to the point, if you do not respond moderately and carefully, I will not spare your old age, I will not forgive your years, I will not respect your gray hair. But tell me to whom you are a soldier, and for what reason you have come.

[5] Cornelius replied: If you wish to know what my service is, I am indeed a Centurion. And again he unfolded and explained more clearly the things previously said. For, he said, since I learned that you and your wife and everything in your domain have fallen into a great error, I come to free you from deception, to lead you to the way of truth, and to reconcile you to the only living God, who made heaven and earth, and by whom all things that are in them were brought forth, and by whose command they are governed. To this Demetrius replied: I see that you are already worn out with old age, and I pity you on account of your years. Therefore, bidding farewell to your long-winded nonsense (for I will deal with you briefly), come and sacrifice to the gods. When Cornelius asked, to which gods? To which others, said the Prefect, he mocks the gods: but Jupiter and Apollo? But if you refuse, know that you will be handed over to severe punishments and torments: nor will any God besides these be powerful enough to snatch you from my hands. He replied: My God is able not only to preserve me unharmed from evils and to make me superior to the injuries and insults of men, but also to destroy those whom you call gods, to overthrow and shatter their images, to reduce them to dust and ashes, to deprive you of the vain hope you have conceived of them, and through knowledge to bring you to Himself.

[6] When Cornelius had answered these things, Demetrius said: I have already sworn by all the gods that unless you answer moderately, and unless you offer sacrifice to the gods, severe punishments and torments will befall you: and do you still not believe me? Again, therefore, the illustrious Cornelius said: Hear me speaking rightly, O Judge. To demons, and to deaf and lifeless images I will never sacrifice. For it is written: The gods who did not make heaven and earth, let them perish. Deut. 10:20. And again: he is led to the temple of Apollo: You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him alone shall you serve. I have come, therefore, that God may give you also repentance unto the knowledge of truth, and that you may come to your senses from the snare of the devil according to His will. But if it seems good to you, show me those whom you call gods. When Demetrius heard this, he rejoiced greatly, together with those who were with him, and they were filled with good hope, foolishly thinking that they would soon see Cornelius sacrificing. The temple of Jupiter was therefore immediately opened for them, since they thought Cornelius would straightaway sacrifice to the god. Dan. 4. When therefore Cornelius came to the temple, where, after his prayers, everyone quickly flocked in — not only Demetrius and those who attended him, but also his wife Euanthia and his son Demetrius, for the son was also so called. When therefore he had knelt facing the East, Cornelius said from his heart: O God, who shake the earth and remove the mountains into the heart of the sea; who in the time of Daniel Your servant overthrew Bel and destroyed the dragon and shut the mouths of the lions, so as to save Your servant; do You also now overthrow these images, both cast and carved: and give knowledge to Your people, and let them know that Yours is the arm of power. You are the boast of our might.

[7] When he had prayed these things, he goes out of the temple: and at the same time Demetrius also goes out with him, and whatever other multitude of the Gentiles had gathered. But Euanthia and her son Demetrius still remained inside. Suddenly, with a very great earthquake, God shakes the city: the temple is immediately demolished, the temple overthrown by an earthquake. the images are shattered and ground to ashes and dust; and the son Demetrius and his mother Euanthia are trapped inside. When therefore the father Demetrius had looked upon the overthrow of the temple but had not yet learned that his wife and son had been trapped inside, the divine Cornelius is brought to judgment, to be compelled of course to give an account of the overthrow. He, however, enters joyfully, addressing God who gave him strength, and exulting more on account of this incredible miracle than Demetrius on account of his throne and that lofty and sublime tribunal. And anticipating the questioning, he said: Where now are your great gods, O Demetrius? He replied: By what magical arts and tricks did you overthrow the temple and shatter the statues? But I will (let all the gods know) subject you to the most severe punishments. He is cast into prison: And immediately he deliberated about what he should do to inflict the harshest punishment upon him. When evening had already arrived, he orders the Saint to be hung up in custody with his feet and hands bound together, and to remain thus suspended the whole night. So he spoke, and the Saint was immediately thrown into prison.

CHAPTER III.

The conversion of the Scepsaeans. The death of S. Cornelius.

[8] But immediately one of the household servants named Telephon came in haste, saying: My lord, my lady and your only son have perished when the temple was shaken by the earthquake. When Demetrius first heard this, he rent his garment and was oppressed with great grief. Meanwhile he ordered his servants to carry out the rubble as quickly as possible: Until, he said, you have found the bones of my good and faithful wife and of my sweetest only son and brought them into my hands. He spoke these words, and at the same time tears streamed forth with his voice, and he groaned and mourned most grievously, and accused his gods that he had been preserved alive to this time, only to hear such bitter news. The Prefect's wife and son crushed by the ruin of the temple. When the chief men of the city had sat down beside him, and some indeed lamented with him, while others also consoled him and strove as far as possible to extinguish his grief, and they were already discussing putting Cornelius to death; and the monument in which his wife was to be buried with his son had been completed; a certain priest of the pagan gods, named Barbatus, to whom the cleansing of the temple had been entrusted, came in haste to the servants of Demetrius (for he was not permitted to approach him because of his mourning), reporting that from the pile of rubble the voice of Euanthia and her son had been heard, and the voice signified this: Great is the God of the Christians, who has rescued us from this peril through His servant Cornelius, and has not given us over entirely to destruction. Hasten, therefore, you too, Demetrius, and bring this holy man out of custody, He preserves them unharmed, and worship him together with all who are in our house and those who are related to us: and ask him to come to this dwelling, to save us and lead us out of these ruins and from the depths, lest we perish utterly: for we see here great miracles of God, and we seem to hear Angels crying out, refreshed by the singing of Angels: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

[9] When the servants heard these things, they immediately ran with Barbatus the priest to Demetrius and reported each detail to him carefully. He, when he had learned that his wife and son were still alive, had his heart full of joy and agitation at once: and coming in haste to the prison, he found the divine Cornelius walking and holding a book in his hand and thus praising God: for an Angel had come to him and freed him from his bonds: freed from his bonds by an Angel, and with the crowd that had rushed together, falling at his feet, he cried out: Great is the God of Cornelius, who has freed my wife Euanthia and my son Demetrius from the overthrow of the temple: and at the same time he implored the Saint, saying: Servant of the Most High God, we believe in the Crucified One whom you preach, both I myself and all who are with me, if you will come and bring forth my wife alive and my son from that place. He replied: First receive the seal of Christ, and then I will come with you, He baptizes the Prefect with his household: and the desire of your heart will be given to you. Immediately, therefore, Demetrius with all who were with him, having again said, Great is the God of the Christians, received baptism.

[10] Then when Cornelius had taken them with him, he stood upon the dwelling, and raising his eyes heavenward toward the East, he said: By prayer he rescues those trapped in the ruins: O Lord God of hosts, who look upon the earth and make it tremble; who by Your gaze melt the mountains and by Your visitation dry up the abysses; it is You, O Lord: hear the groaning of the prisoners, and bring Euanthia forth from the earth, and do not turn Your face from her son: but attend to their souls, and deliver them for Your name's sake. When Cornelius had prayed these things, and those who stood around had said Amen, immediately the earth divided and sent forth the mother unharmed with her son. And at once they cried out together with those standing around: Great are You, O God of the Christians, who have freed us from deception and from this bitter death through Your servant Cornelius, and have made Your power and arm known to us. And at the same time two hundred and seven persons came to Christ. Thereafter, he converts very many: to Cornelius sitting in a certain place called the Stadium and teaching those who came to him, Demetrius and Euanthia regularly came with their son. And the remaining Gentiles too, no longer Gentiles — since the thorns of unbelief had been purged from their hearts — like good earth received the seed of piety, and were sealed with baptism.

[11] And he, after he had offered the entire city to Christ and driven out error and sown the word of piety in it, having become full of days, devoted himself ^a more fervently to prayer and was wholly engaged in it, lifting his eyes to none of those things which are pursued in the present life. Thereafter his departure also was revealed to him, toward which he gazed with the whole eye of his soul, and he was ready: and he heard a voice from above saying: Cornelius, come to Me. For behold, a crown of righteousness is prepared for you. He devotes himself to God: is called by Him to heaven: What then? When he had summoned all the Christians whom he had won, and had taught them piety more perfectly, and had charged them to adhere firmly to the doctrine, and had at last wholly gathered himself to prayer, he bent his knee and said: O Lord our God, who has made me worthy to preserve the faith, to carry out the struggle, and to conquer the adversary, I give You thanks: but look down from heaven upon Your servants, and receive them from Your holy height, and establish and confirm them in Your confession and name, so that without ceasing they may glorify Your most holy name, now and unto the ages of ages. And when all had immediately acclaimed Amen, he willingly surrendered his spirit to Him who called. He dies piously.

[12] And Demetrius and ^b Euanthia, with their son and all the assembled Christians and the Presbyter Eunomius, after they had mourned the departure of their Master, as was fitting, He is buried in the Christian manner: and then had lighted candles and sung the hymns which are customarily said at a departure, and had performed all the things that Christians do according to custom; they laid him in a new coffin at the very site of the destroyed temple of Jupiter, which had previously been constructed by Demetrius for his wife. But the earth immediately produced a very large bramble bush, the tomb is instantly covered by a bramble bush, honored, even with miracles: and wove itself in a circle around the coffin, so that no one thereafter knew that a coffin was inside, except only those who had assisted Demetrius at the burial. These, coming daily to the bush, sang sacred canticles and filled the air above it with incense and fragrance. And miracles frequently gushed forth from that place, so that to many who did not know that a Martyr lay within, the bush even now seemed to signify something divine, just as had happened in former times in the days of Moses.

CHAPTER IV.

The discovery, translation, and image of S. Cornelius.

[13] The Saint reveals himself in dreams to S. Silvanus the Bishop. Not long afterward, Demetrius also departed this life, and many of those who had been initiated by Cornelius in divine baptism also partly died and partly went away to other regions. And so to a certain ^a Silvanus, a pious man who embraced virtue and was Bishop of Troas, when he had come at some time to the city of the Scepsaeans, the divine Cornelius appeared in a dream and said: I have dwelt here for a long time, and no one has visited me, except only those who were baptized by me. When therefore the Bishop considered these things in his mind during the day, and could not conjecture what the dream meant, on the following night the Saint came to him again and said: I am Cornelius the Centurion: and my dwelling is near the temple of Jupiter, in the bramble bush. But build another oratory near the place of Demetrius, ^b servant of God. The place is called ^c Pandochium: at which place are situated many bodies of holy brethren already departed.

[14] In the morning, therefore, the Bishop, because at the Pandochium there were many graves dug in on every side, had it in mind to build a temple elsewhere: but the Saint did not permit this. When therefore he had assembled the Clergy under him, after easily cutting away the bramble bush, he said: My children, a great treasure has been revealed to me: come, let us take it up. When they heard this, they all came forward with a prompt and eager spirit and willingly followed the Bishop. When they had arrived at the bush, the Clergy immediately said to the Bishop: A certain divine grace, O Lord, comes to this place, and we know that many have gathered here and been freed from diseases and evil demons, and have ascribed the healing to the bush. But whether the treasure is in the bush or under the bush, who will be able to cut it away and remove it, since it cannot be cut because of its size, and besides is not easy to handle, being terrible to many because of the working of miracles? When the Bishop had prayed and fixed the Cross in the ground and laid his hand upon the bush, He discovers and honors it: he cut away the very roots. The Clergy, therefore, encouraged in spirit, immediately undertook the work: and the bush was pulled up like some soft plant, and it was no longer a bush, but the coffin immediately appeared; and the Bishop continued to press on vigorously, urging the digging. When evening had arrived, the Bishop, having again prayed, ordered the Clergy to sing the nocturnal Psalmody; and they honored the coffin with hymns, torches, and incense.

[15] When the lack of funds for building a temple also held the Bishop anxious and perplexed in mind, the Saint resolved that doubt as well: At Cornelius's direction and plan, a temple is built: and appearing to a certain wealthy and pious man named Eugenius, he committed to him the building of the temple and described to him the plan and dimensions of the building. In the morning, therefore, Eugenius came to the Bishop, reported the vision to him, and immediately set builders to work, having first described to them and indicated the height and length of the temple, and having ordered them to make the entrance of the altar equal in width to the coffin: for it had seemed best to him to place the coffin within the altar.

[16] After the temple had been quickly completed — God also working this miracle — the builders, coming to the place called ^d Trigoni (for here Bishop Silvanus was celebrating the feast of the Blessed Apostle Andrew), informed him that the building was finished: and said, It is now time for the coffin to be transferred, before the lintel is placed over the entrance. For in this way it will be introduced more easily. The Bishop therefore immediately, having taken up the holy Gospel together with the pious Eugenius, after first pouring forth prayers, began to sing the ^e Trisagion, and all together with him sang the same hymn: The coffin follows Silvanus of its own accord: and they went out in supplication. Then also the coffin (O great are Your miracles, O Lord!) followed as though it were alive, with no one at all moving or touching it. And all at first, because of their extreme amazement, were unwilling to believe even the miracle they were witnessing: then, as though brought into an ecstasy, they exclaimed: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth, who through Your servant Cornelius have opened Your miracles and powers to us. Hence it came about that those who remained among the Gentiles believed.

[17] And again a procession went to the temple, and the coffin followed. After they had come into the temple, and it stops immovable at a certain spot, they took their places on this side and that, watching where the coffin would proceed and where it would stand. It, however, coming through the midst of them and through the side door which was on the right, stood near the altar: and although every device was employed to transfer it to the altar, it remains immovable to this day, celebrated for very many miracles: an unfailing treasury of miracles, from which great spiritual benefit and grace are received.

[18] After Bishop Silvanus had died, ^f Athanasius was placed in charge of the episcopate of Troas, and Philostorgius of the Scepsaeans. After the aforementioned Eugenius also departed this life, Philostorgius urges a certain painter ^g to both paint the entire temple and carefully render the likeness of Cornelius in it, and to adorn it as accurately as possible; namely, that he should be painted as an old man, and entirely resembling himself. To Encratius the painter, Encratius therefore (for this was the painter's name) begged the Saint to reveal his appearance to him, so that he might paint it fittingly and accurately: and at the same time he bore with difficulty the Bishop's commission, for his improper words against him, and uttered some not very honorable words against the Saint, perplexed in mind on every side, and very sad both because he did not know his appearance and because he could not capture the characteristics and features of the face. When therefore he once fell from the scaffolding which he had climbed, he lay without breathing: and some worms crept forth from his mouth, while others again entered it. These things seemed to be the fruits of those abusive words which the painter had spoken in his distress. severely punished. But You are entirely the same, O Cornelius, who gave his wife and son to Demetrius, who had previously breathed hard against you: wherefore you did not endure that the punishment of this painter be prolonged further. For when on the following day he appeared to him and took hold of his right hand, he made him rise as if from sleep: He appears and restores health: and he accomplished these two very great things: for he both chastised his intemperate tongue and cured the pain and sickness he had received, because he had not known how to paint him; conversing with him not in figure, image, and likeness, but truly, and showing what his form was. Indeed the painter himself was seen again healthy and well, completely freed from the worms, He is painted from life by him. and again took up his art. Hence it came about that he painted him just as he had seen him, casting the very truth together with art into the painting, by the prayers of the Saint himself, and by the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father together with the Holy Spirit be glory, power, honor, and adoration unto the ages of ages, Amen.