WTW 2021
12 Centuries of 21
March 2021 – Third Century AD
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Circa 200
Eusebius Church History
BOOK 5
Introduction
1. Soter, bishop of the church of Rome, died after an episcopate of eight years, and was succeeded by Eleutherus, the twelfth from the apostles. In the seventeenth year of the Emperor Antoninus Verus, the persecution of our people was rekindled more fiercely in certain districts on account of an insurrection of the masses in the cities; and judging by the number in a single nation, myriads suffered martyrdom throughout the world. A record of this was written for posterity, and in truth it is worthy of perpetual remembrance.
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4. But our narrative of the government of God will record in ineffaceable letters the most peaceful wars waged in behalf of the peace of the soul, and will tell of men doing brave deeds for truth rather than country, and for piety rather than dearest friends. It will hand down to imperishable remembrance the discipline and the much-tried fortitude of the athletes of religion, the trophies won from demons, the victories over invisible enemies, and the crowns placed upon all their heads.
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3. The servants of Christ residing at Vienne and Lyons, in Gaul, to the brethren through out Asia and Phrygia, who hold the same faith and hope of redemption, peace and grace and glory from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
4. Then, having related some other matters, they begin their account in this manner: The greatness of the tribulation in this region, and the fury of the heathen against the saints, and the sufferings of the blessed witnesses, we cannot recount accurately, nor indeed could they possibly be recorded.
5. For with all his might the adversary fell upon us, giving us a foretaste of his unbridled activity at his future coming. He endeavored in every manner to practice and exercise his servants against the servants of God, not only shutting us out from houses and baths and markets, but forbidding any of us to be seen in any place whatever.
6. But the grace of God led the conflict against him, and delivered the weak, and set them as firm pillars, able through patience to endure all the wrath of the Evil One. And they joined battle with him, undergoing all kinds of shame and injury; and regarding their great sufferings as little, they hastened to Christ, manifesting truly that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us afterward.
7. First of all, they endured nobly the injuries heaped upon them by the populace; clamors and blows and draggings and robberies and stonings and imprisonments, and all things which an infuriated mob delight in inflicting on enemies and adversaries.
Wisdom in the WORD 
BT
Ancient Insurrection was very appropriate. So I followed your link to the onlineancientwitness blog and just read. Wow great stories!
Even the story of Biblias (25) who denied Christ but was given a second chance.
I love this quote from 35
For the first went out rejoicing, glory and grace being blended in their faces, so that even their bonds seemed like beautiful ornaments as those ofa bride adorned with variegated golden fringes; and they were perfumed with the sweet savor of Christ, so that some supposed they had been anointed with some earthly ointment.
Then in number 45 they talked about the virgin mother. Did you see that, it caught me by surprise. It doesn’t diminish the testimonies of the Martyrs but it casts a shadow on the writer.
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RG
Neat to hear those good accounts you discovered in Eusebius. I had actually not read that far myself so I am glad to hear you did. I always think of a line in the preface to Foxe’s Book of Martyrs
“As most suredly therefore to profit the hearts of the Godly in perusing antiquities”
Did you know that, to my knowledge, there is essentially no Christian record of anything from the second century through at least the 14th century that is not from essentially a catholic source?
I find this reality and so this period extremely intriguing
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BT
That’s a bummer that probably the Catholics repressed or burned anything that wasn’t their’s for 1200 years! That does bring many thoughts and questions to mind.
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RG
It’s an interesting thought how things actually develop
For example, what we now know and accept to be Catholicism at one time did not exist of course so looking at what actually happened can be insightful.
Not everything or everyone that is now claimed by Catholicism to be catholic was always catholic.
Reading Eusebius and other early century Christian writings calls for careful reading understanding that things are written and read through various lenses
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I am intrigued by all the things that we don’t ever realize…which come to mind through the occasional thought which does come about on things otherwise never considered.
For example, about a year ago it struck me to consider what if any followers of JESUS i could think of after AD 70 and into the 2nd century who were Jews, and I couldn’t come up with any.
In the same way, just here today this thought I mentioned came to mind
I’m trying to phrase the question again
What evangelical followers of JESUS and what records are there from the 14 centuries before the reformation?
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I’ve studied this exact thing pretty intensely before but until today I hadn’t really considered that the SOURCES are essentially ALL now considered by hard core evangelicals to be catholic sources or at least containing elements which are now considered catholic
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Continuing to read and search…
Current question
Did any followers of JESUS after AD 431 reject the error of Mariology?
https://www.gotquestions.org/Council-of-Ephesus.html
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BT
Mary mother of God can be a very subtle error for a mind that hasn’t meditated on it. I remember listening to a Calvary Chapel radio show exposing Catholicism bringing up the rosary and that error. It took some thinking on my part to understand.
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RG
And even my intense and persistent interest in understanding God’s ways can itself become an error because knowledge puffs up but love builds up
I do not reject study rather I thoroughly enjoy it yet I recognize that anything except coming to Christ can become an idol.
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I stand in awe of Yahweh and His Messiah, Yeshua our LORD and Savior
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And so His call continues to echo through the ages to all who would hear
“Come to me ALL who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Come, learn of me for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
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28 All ye that travail, and be charged, come to me, and I shall fulfill you.
29 Take ye my yoke on you, and learn ye of me, for I am mild and meek in heart; and ye shall find rest to your souls.
30 For my yoke is soft, and my charge is light.
WYC 1382
https://www.biblestudytools.com/wyc/matthew/11.html
https://www.biblestudytools.com/wyc/
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BT
Wow, looking at Nestorianism. It’s amazing how man can complicate simple truths by trying to understand something that is beyond our comprehension.
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RG
EXACTLY!
These may well have been of the same ilk as those pondering how many angels could dance in the head of a pin
LORD, help us be effective and productive and win souls showing your love and preaching the cross of Christ to all. Help us live more like YOU JESUS
Separated to you, living with sacrificial love and saving power in a crooked and depraved generation
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And yet it seems like nestorianism even got right one of the things Catholicism got wrong so perverted are those teachings and traditions of carnal men
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And God continued to preserve for Himself a witness among the sons of men throughout all the ages
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My mind longs to know who these men were uncorrupted by these blatant errors and truly born again in the 2nd – 13th centuries yet, if only on this specific topic, these 12 centuries remain largely in darkness despite those moments searching it out
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The LORD knows those who are His
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BT
And their precious testimonies are reserved for heaven or may be discovered when they’re needed most.
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RG
Then there’s this I had all but forgotten:
“I forgot about this!”
Spiritual Simony
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1E4CZJSR-wN0ZQQ1fsS0z1QaCsFIUFMlx/view?usp=drivesdk
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