146 THEOLOGY. 



to death by Herod, at Jerusalem, A. D. 44 ; and John, his brother, 

 the Evangelist and Divine, preached in Asia Minor, until he was 

 banished to Patmos; but returned, and died at Ephesus, A. D. 100. 

 Philip of Bethsaida, died at Hierapolis, in Phrygia ; and Bartholomew, 

 it is said, after preaching in Arabia, Armenia, and India, died in 

 Persia. Thomas, called Didymus, preached, it is stated, in Parthia, 

 and probably died in India ; and Matthew, called Levi, the publican 

 or tax-gatherer, and the Evangelist, is said to have preached and 

 suffered martyrdom in Persia. Of James the Less, we have already 

 spoken, in the preceding paragraph ; and Lebbeus, his brother, sur- 

 named Thaddeus, called also Judas or Jude, preached and died, it is 

 said, in Syria ; after writing the epistle which bears his name. Simon 

 the Canaanite, (or Canaite), called Zelotes, preached and probably 

 died in Africa ; and Judas Iscariot, the betrayer, committed suicide, 

 A. D. 31. 



Paul, originally named Saul, and likewise called an apostle, 

 preached the gospel in all the civilized world of that age; then suffered 

 martyrdom at Rome, A. D. 67. Mark, the Evangelist, preached, at 

 Alexandria, in Egypt, and, it is said, died there, A. D. 62. He is 

 regarded as the first bishop of Alexandria ; Annianus being his suc- 

 cessor. Luke, the remaining Evangelist, probably the same person 

 as Lucius of Gyrene, was long the companion of Paul, but died in 

 Achaia. Timothy, is said to have suffered martyrdom at Ephesus, 

 some years after the death of Paul ; and Titus, it is believed, died in 

 Crete, at an advanced age. Thus, we perceive that the labors of the 

 apostles and evangelists, were the means of introducing Christianity, 

 throughout the then civilized world, within the first century after the 

 Christian era. The Gauls also received the gospel, either from the 

 apostles themselves, or from their immediate successors ; and it was 

 preached, during the second century, to the Spaniards, Germans, and 

 Britons. To Eusebius we are indebted for much information con- 

 cerning the early churches, and their bishops, down to the Council of 

 Nice ; but the mention of the Christian Fathers, must here be post- 

 poned to the head of Patristic Theology. 



2. Historians enumerate ten Persecutions, which the Church 

 underwent, before Christianity became the established religion of the 

 Roman Empire. They were, 1. Under the emperor Nero, A. D. 64, 

 who after setting fire to Rome, charged the same upon the Christians ; 

 2. Under Domitian, A. D. 95, who suspected the Christians of aim- 

 ing at a new monarchy; 3. Under Trajan, A. D. 100-105, in be- 

 half of the Pagan religion ; 4. Under Aurelius Antoninus, about 177, 

 most violently waged in Gaul (or France) ; 5. Under Septimius Se- 

 verus, 192-202 ; 6. Under Maximinius, 235 ; 7. Under Decius, 

 249-50, which was general and extremely violent ; 8. Under Va- 

 lerian, in 257 ; 9. Under Aurelian, in 274; and 10. Under Diocle- 

 sian, A. D. 303. Of the heresies of the Gnostics, Ebionites, Nico- 

 laitans, and numerous other sects of the early times, we have no room 

 here to speak. 



Christianity was first completely tolerated by the emperor Con- 

 stantine, A. D. 313; and thenceforward became the favored religion 

 of the Roman Empire. No sooner was the Church thus freed from 



