GENTILE. 



law to obferve in mattert of n-ligion, whereas the gentiles forming facrifices or worfliipping images. Three other fawg 

 had only the natural law : hence they are called " gentiles, of Conllantius were alfo publifhed in the year 356 or 357, 

 quia funt uti geniti fuerunt,'' becaufe they remain ss in a ftate with the penalty of death againft all who confultcd any of 



the maflcrg of divination, who are enumerated under ihtir 



q 



of nature 



The Jews apply the denomination gentiles much as the 

 Chrlllians do that of infidels. St. Paul is called the doHar, 

 or nf'nj)!- of ihc ^fnul's, w hich appellation he firft gave him- 

 felf, Rom. xi. 13. " As I am the apoiUe of the gentiles, 

 I magnify niLic office.'' 



The calling of tlie gentiles to Chrilliaiiity had been pre- 

 difted in the Old 'iVllanicnt, as it was accompliflied in the 

 New. See Pfal. ii. 8. Ifa. ii. .To?l ii. 29. Matth. viii. 11. 

 sii. 18. Afts, xi. 18. xiii. 47, 48.xxviii. 28. Rom. i. 5. iii. 

 29. xi. 1 2, 13. 25. Eph. ii. 1 1. Rev. xi. 2. xxii. 2. 



feveral titles of harufpices, mathematicians, Chaldxans, La- 

 rioli, augurs, vatcs, and magicians. The empt ror Julian is 

 well known for his zial in favour of gentilifm, and for his in- 

 jurious treatment of the Chriilians. At his acceifion we may 

 reafonably fuppofe, tliat all the laws of preceding Chriilian 

 emperors againft gentilifm and its rites, were abrogated, 

 and that it was adually ellabliflied by imperial edifts ; whiHl 

 Chriftians were deprived of magittracy, and all honours and 

 dignities, as well as alfo ot equal rights of citi/.enfhip. The 

 emperors Jovian, Valcntinian, and Valens were ChriHians \ 



Some account may not be improperly given in this place of and they encouraged their fubjetls in the profeffiou of Chrif- 



the ftate of Chrillianity both before an J atter tlie time of Con- 

 ilantiiie's converhon. Tlie oppoiition of the Jews to its 

 reception and prevalence appears in the Aiils of Apoftles, and 

 theepiRles of the New Tellament. Our prefent objeft is to 

 confider, firll, the Hate of its progrefs in gentile countries, 

 and under heathen emperors, from about the middle of the 

 firft century, when it began to be preached among the gen- 

 tiles, and to make fome progrefs among them, to the period 

 when Conftantine embraced the Chriitian religion ; and, fe- 

 condlv, its ftatc under the Chriilian emperors, and their 

 treatment by the gentiles. In the former period, we find from 

 St. Luke's account in the Afts of the Apoftles (ch. xiv. 

 19, 20. ch. xvi. 19 — 24.) that St. Paul met with fome diffi- 

 culties in preaching the gofpel in gentile cities ; but no impe- 

 rial edifts were i.Tued againft the Chridians, before that of 

 Nero in the year of Chrift 64 or 65, at which time the two 

 apoftles, Peter and Paul, were put to death. For an ac- 



tianity, and protefted them in the enjoyment of the privi- 

 leges conferred upon them by Conftantine : but it does not 

 appear that during this period any new laws were iflued 

 againft gentiles and their facrifices. Jovian, indeed, pub- 

 lilheda law of univerfal toleration ; and Valentinian was re- 

 markable for the moderation of his governrrmnt. In the year 

 381 was iftued a law of Theodofius, with the joint autho- 

 rity of Gratian, and the younger Valentinian, enacting, 

 that apoftates from Chrillianity to paganifm fiiould lofe the 

 power of making a will. This law was aftcr.vards ratiiicd, 

 and followed by other laws of Theodolius the Great, Valen- 

 tinian the Younger, Arcadius, Honorius, and Theodofius II., 

 with the addition of otlier claufes. In the fame year, 38 1, 

 and by the fame authority, was enabled a law, for- 

 bidding all facrifices in the way of divination, either 

 by day or by night, in the temples or elfewhere, upo.-i 

 the painof profcription. By another law of Theodofius, in 



count of the ten perfecuiions, as they have been ufually the following year, the magnificent temple in the province of 



reckoned, which the Chriilians fuffered under heathen empe- 

 rors, we refer to the article Persecution. Thefe perfecutions 

 were ordei-ed by edifts of emperors, beginning with Nero's 

 and ending with Dioclefian's. During the whole of this 

 period Chriftianity had been in a ftate of perfecution. At 

 the commencement of the fecond period, in 313, Conftan- 

 tine and Licinius iilued a law or edift, giving hberty to all 

 men, Chriftians and others, to follow that way of worihip 

 which Ihould be moft agreeable to them. However, it ap- 

 pears that Conftantine did not ftriclly obferve his own edict ; 

 for, according to the utmoft of his power, by various me- 

 thods, by laws, inftitutions, rewards and encouragements, he 

 endeavouredto rootout the ancient rehgion, and to promote the 

 Ciiriftian doftrine. Conceiving that neither he nor the Ro- 

 man empire could be fafe, as long as the ancient fu- laws were publiftied by Theodofius the younger againft all 



Ofrhoenc, or Edeffa, wa" allowed to be open, and to be fre- 

 quented, provided no facrif.ces were perforn.ed there. In 

 3S5 Theodofius publifhed another law, forbidding facrifices, 

 efpecially fuch as were made in the way of divinat.on, and 

 for diicovering futurities, upon painof death. In 391 was 

 publiftieda lav,' of Theodofius, in which all lacrifices of inno- 

 cent victims, and accefs to the tem| les, and the worihip of 

 fenfelefs images, are prohibited. This law was particularly 

 deligned for Rome and Italy ; and in the fame year a fimi- 

 lar law was publilhed for Egypt, forbidding facrifices and 

 accefs to temples. In 392 was puhliilied a fevere law of 

 Theodofius, forbidding lO men of all ranks every kind of 

 heathenilh worfiiip ; and in 399 Arcadius pubiillied a law 

 for deftroying temples in country places. Several other 



perftition fubfifted, he openly oppofed the gods of the gen- 

 tiles, and their worfhip, as dangerous to the public welfare. 

 After the death of Conftantine in the year 337, the whole 

 empire was divided between his fons. Conftans, with whom 

 his brother ConC.antius concurred, palTed a law in 341, or- 

 dering fuperftition to ceafe, and the madiiefs of facnficing 

 to be aboliftied ; under the menace of a proper and convtmcnt 

 punilhment. This law was followed by another la.v of 

 Conftans in the next year, 342, forbidding the demohtion 



Pagan oblations and facrifices, and ordering tlie deiiruClion 

 of chapels, temples, and confecrated places. Neverthelefs 

 gentilifm ftill fublilled. Upon the whole it may be obferved, 

 that the period of 20 or 25 years, from the death of Coi»- 

 ttantiusto theacceilion of Theodofius, or thereabout, is re- 

 markable for the mildncfs with which the gentiles 'were 

 treated, and the fev.- laws that were iffutd againii them ; and 

 thefe laws againft gentilifm were not rigoroully executed j 

 but many gentiles were admitted into civil offices of grcit trult 



of temples, which itood without the walls of the city of and profit ; and many inftances occur, whichevince the modcra- 



Rome. Another law, wiiich was the firft of Conftantius, and tion of Chriftian magiftrates under Chriftian emperors ; and, 



pafTed, as it has been fuppofed, in the year 353, ordained indeed, it is tn;e both with refpeft to Chriftians and gentiles, 



that in all places, and in all cities, temples Ihould be imme- thit all wife and underftanding men of every feft and religion, 



diately Ibut up, and that the people ftiould abftdin from fa- recommended moderation, and concurred in condemning force 



Grifices, under the penalty of death and the confifcation of and compulfion in rehgious matters. See more on this jubjeift 



their cftates to the treafury. The fecond law of Conftan- in Lardner's Works, vol. ix. 98 — 218. 



tius, in the fame year, prohibited nofturnal facrifices ; and a Gentile, Gintilis, in the Roman Law and H'lf.or;), a 



law, publiilied by the fame emperor in the year 356, ap- name which fometimcs expreifes thofe whom the Run.ani* 



pointed capital punilhment to fuch as were convifted of per- olherwife call Barbarians ; whether they werealLcsoi Rome, 



8 . 01 



