The history of the church from our Lords incarnation, to the twelth year of the Emperour Maricius Tiberius, or the Year of Christ 594 / as it was written in Greek, by Eusebius Pamphilius ..., Socrates Scholasticus, and Evagrius Scholasticus ... ; made English from that edition of these historians, which Valesius published at Paris in the years 1659, 1668, and 1673 ; also, The life of Constantine in four books, written by Eusibius Pamphilus, with Constantine's Oration to the convention of the saints, and Eusebius's Speech in praise of Constantine, spoken at his tricennalia ; Valesius's annotations on these authors, are done into English, and set at their proper places in the margin, as likewise a translation of his account of their lives and writings ; with two index's, the one, of the principal matters that occur in the text, the other, of those contained in the notes.

CHAP. V. Of the times of our Saviours Manifestation unto Men.

BUt, after this preparation wherein by way of Preface we have laid down such things as are fit to usher-in the Ecclesiastical History we design, it now remaineth that we take the first step as it were of our journey from the appearance of our Saviour in the flesh; calling upon God, the Father of the Word, and upon Jesus Christ him∣self, of whom we Treat, our Saviour and Lord, the heavenly Word of God, that he will be our help and fellow-labourer in the declaration of the Truth. It was now therefore a 1.1 the two and for∣tieth year of the Reign of Augustus, and the eight and twentieth year after the subduing of Egypt, and the death of Antonius and Cleopatra, in whom the Rule of the Ptolomees in Egypt ceased, when our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ at the time of the first b 1.2 Taxing, which was when c 1.3 Cyrenius was Governour of Syria, was born in Bethlehem of Judea, agreeable to the Prophecies, that went before of him. Which Taxing under Cyrenius, Flavius Josephus, a most famous Historiographer among the Hebrews, maketh mention of; adding there∣to another History concerning the Sect of the

Galileans, which sprang up about the same time, whereof amongst us also Luke in the Acts of the Apostles maketh mention, saying thus, * 1.4 After this man rose up one d 1.5 Judas of Galilee in the days of the Taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also himself perished, and all even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed. The same indeed, Josephus before mentioned in his eigh∣teenth Book of Antiquities, doth agree in and confirm thus, word for word,

Cyrenius one of the number of the Roman Senatours, a man who had born all Offices, and by all the degrees of Honour had climbed at length to the Consulship, and who was greatly renowned in other re∣spects, came with a few men into Syria, being sent on purpose by Caesar, as Judge of the Na∣tion, and to take the Valuation of their Estates. And a little after, he saith, Judas Gaulanites, a man of the City named Gamala, having taken unto him one Saddochus a Pharisee, earnestly sollicited the people to Rebellion: Both of them affirming, that the Taxing of this Tribute inferred nothing but manifest Servitude, and ex∣horting the whole Nation to maintain their Li∣berty.

And in his Second Book of the Wars of the Jews, he writeth thus of the same Person:

At that time a certain Galilean by name Judas, stirred up the people of that Region to defecti∣on, upbraiding them for paying Tribute so tame∣ly to the Romans, and, having God their Sove∣reign, for suffering mortal men to be their ma∣sters.

So far Josephus.

Notes

• a 1.1

  The first year of Au∣gustus, ac∣cording to Eusebius's computati∣on, is that wherein Hirtius and Pansa were Consuls. Therefore the fourty second year of Augustus fal•• on his thirteenth Consulship. Thus much concerning the year wherein Christ was born. Eusebius does no where expresly mention the day. It was the common opinion of the Western Church that he was born on the 7. Kalend. January: but the Eastern Church thought otherwise, that he was born on the 8. Id. January (i. e. on the 6^th day Jan.) Vales. The learned have found so great difficulty in assigning the day of our Saviours Birth, that Scaliger said, Uni•••• Dei est non hominis de••inire; i. e. God onely, not man, was able expressely to declare it. It had been much better for these men to content themselves with the tradition of the Church, rather than by such an elaborate unfruitful search to entangle the truth. For the celebration of this festival, many testimonies may be produced out of Origen, Cyprian, and Chry∣sostom, each of these fathers deducing it from the practise of the first antiquity; and S^t Augustine makes it a Character of a son of the Church to solemnize the Festivals of it, and this (principally and by name) of the Nativity. To which may be added that of the Author of the Constitutions (Constit. B. 5. c. 13.) 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, i. e. Keep the days of the feasts, and first the day of Christs Birth. So that the Religion of this day, non est nupera, neque novitia, is not modern, nor newly begun, though Scaliger said so. And for the particular day, the 25^th of December, whereon this Festival is by us solemnized, (not to mention other testimonies which might be produced to this purpose) In Joseph the Egyptian's Arabick Codex of the Counsels (a M. S. in the Archives of the publick Library of Oxford, of the gift of S^t Thomas Roe) this day as well as this Feast is affirmed to stand by Apostolical Canon. The words of which, as it is Transcribed by M^r Gregory, are in English these, Also that you consti∣tute an anniversary Feast at the Nativity of the Lord Christ, on the Day on which he was Born, and that was the five and twentieth of the first Canon (i. e. of December) For this is the principal of all the Feasts, &c. See M^r Gregories Works, Chap. 34. D^r Hammond on the Festivals of the Church, and the Learned Seldens Tract of Christmas-Day for further satisfaction.
• b 1.2

  It is by learned men affirmed, particularly by Js. Casaubon in Bar. p. 105. (and is most probable) that this decree of Taxing (or inrolling every Person▪ according to their Families and Estates) was an effect of Augustus his curiosity (and neither of his desire to enrich his Treasure, nor to reform the excesses of those before him) and this over-ruled by Gods special providence, that this Emperour might serve to be instrumental to the conserving the record of the Birth of Christ, whose Name and his mothers, as well as Josephs, were now in∣rolled. And this is an evidence of the nature of this 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, that it was not a Tax, for that would not have belonged to women and infants, but to the possessours onely. See D^r Hammond on Luk. 2. v. 1.
• c 1.3

  There is a great disagreement amongst the Learned about this enrolment and valuation of mens Persons and Estates, whether it was done once, or twice. Some say there were two, both made by the same Cyrenius, (or Quirinius,) and both mentioned by St Luke▪ the first he speaks of Chap. 2. 2. of his Gospel; which was made a little before our Saviours Birth, about the latter end of the Reign of Herod the great, Sentius Saturninus being then president of Syria; this, say these men, St Luke calls 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 the first Taxing, to difference it from that other mentioned by him, Acts▪ 5. 37. And whereas St Luke says, Cyrenius at that time had the rule over Syria; these words are to be taken in a loofer, not stricter sense; not that Cyrenius was then the standing Governour there 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the Romans, but was sent by the Emperour particularly on this ••••••••sion▪ to take an Inventory of this part of the Empire: for••iss confest that Sentius Saturninus was then the president of Syria. The other Taxing, men∣tioned in the Acts, was made ten years after this, after the banishment of Archelaus, and about the insurrection of Judas of Galilee (or Gau∣lanites.) This is the opinion of Scaliger, Petavius, Casaubon, and Ham∣mond. On the other hand, Val••••iu•• (and with him, as he thinks, agrees our Eusebius in this Chapt.) says there was but one Taxing▪ (which may be supposed to have been begun at the latter end of Herod the great his Reign, about the time of Christs Birth, and was not perhaps finished till ten years after, when Cyrenius was president of Syria, after the banishment of Archelaus;) his reasons are these; Josephus mentions but one: after this Enrolment once made why should it be repeated, and that by the same person? For if he had done it equally and exactly, what need of a new one? if not, another per∣son ought rather to be sent who might doe it better: What had a Roman Magistrate to doe with any thing of Government in Judea whilst Herod lived, who in all right was King there, and was so acknow∣ledged by the Roman Senate? Lastly, about the time of Christs Birth Saturninus and Varus were procurators in Syria, and not Cyrenius, I shall not take upon me to determine this difference; the Reader has here the sum of the Arguments on both sides, and is left to his liber∣ty to be swayed by which party he pleases.
• * 1.4

  Act. 5. 37.
• d 1.5

  This in∣surrection of Judas of Galilee we assert to have been after the banishment of Archela∣us. Indeed, before his deposition there could be no rea∣son why Judas should stir up the peo∣ple of the Jews to a defection. For no Va∣luation of mens E∣states could be made by a Roman Magistrate there, where a King, that was a friend and an Allie of the Ro∣mans, Go∣verned; neither was Judea in any danger to be brought into Servitude by Strangers, as long as it obeyed a Jew, that is, a King of their own Nation. Vales.