• Accueil
  • Œuvres
  • Introduction Instructions Collaboration Sponsors / Collaborateurs Copyrights Contact Mentions légales
Bibliothek der Kirchenväter
Recherche
DE EN FR
Œuvres The Extant Writings of Asterius Urbanus

i. the exordium.

Having now for a very long and surely a very sufficient period had the charge pressed upon me by thee, my dear Avircius 1 Marcellus, to write some sort of treatise against the heresy that bears the name of Miltiades, 2 I have somehow been very doubtfully disposed toward the task up till now; not that I felt any difficulty in refuting the falsehood, and in bearing my testimony to the truth, but that I was apprehensive and fearful lest I should appear to any to be adding some new word or precept 3 to the doctrine of the Gospel of the New Testament, with respect to which indeed it is not possible for one who has chosen to have his manner of life in accordance with the Gospel itself, either to add anything to it or to take away anything from it. Being recently, however, at Ancyra, a town of Galatia, and finding the church in Pontus 4 greatly agitated 5 by this new prophecy, as they call it, but which should rather be called this false prophecy, as shall be shown presently, I discoursed to the best of my ability, with the help of God, for many days in the church, both on these subjects and on various others 6 which were brought under my notice by them. And this I did in such manner that the church rejoiced and was strengthened in the truth, while the adversaries 7 were forthwith routed, and the opponents put to grief. And the presbyters of the place accordingly requested us to leave behind us some memorandum of the things which we alleged in opposition to the adversaries of the truth, there being present also our fellow-presbyter Zoticus Otrenus. 8 This, however, we did not; but we promised, if the Lord gave us opportunity, to write down the matters here, and send them to them with all speed.


  1. The manuscripts write the name Aoui'rkios, Avircius: but Nicephorus (book iv.) gives it as Abe'rkios, Abercius. ↩

  2. Nicephorus adds ison d' eipein Montano'n , which seems, however, to be but a scholium. It may appear difficult to account for the fact that the name of Miltiades rather than that of Montanus is associated with the heresy of the Cataphrygians, and some consequently have conjectured that we should read here Alcibiades, as that is a name mentioned in concert with Montanus and Theodotus in Euseb. v. 3. In the Muratorian fragment, however, as given above among the writings of Caius, we find again a Miltiades named among the heretics. [Vol. v. [204]p. 604, this series.] ↩

  3. episungra'phein e epidiata'ssesthai. ↩

  4. katapo'nton. But the Codex Regius reads kata to'pon, the church of the place, i.e., the church of Ancyra itself. This reading is confirmed by Nicephorus, book iv. 23, and is adopted by the Latin interpreter. ↩

  5. diatethrulleme'nen, "ringing with it," "deafened by it." ↩

  6. ekasta' te. Others propose eka'stote, "constantly," "daily." ↩

  7. antithe'tous. Others read antithe'ous, "the enemies of God." ↩

  8. Zotikou tou Otrenou. Nicephorus reads Ostrenou. [Compare [205]p. 336, infra. This looks like a bishop or a presbyter attending Asterius (compare Cyprian, vol. v. p. 319, [206]note 7, this series), and is a token that our author was a bishop.] ↩

pattern
  Imprimer   Rapporter une erreur
  • Afficher le texte
  • Référence bibliographique
  • Scans de cette version
Traductions de cette œuvre
The Extant Writings of Asterius Urbanus
Commentaires sur cette œuvre
Notes and Elucidations

Table des matières

Faculté de théologie, Patristique et histoire de l'Église ancienne
Miséricorde, Av. Europe 20, CH 1700 Fribourg

© 2023 Gregor Emmenegger
Mentions légales
Politique de confidentialité