Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers: Series II/Volume II/Sozomen/Book II/Chapter 7
Chapter VII.—How the Iberians received the Faith of Christ.
It is said that during this reign the Iberians,[1]
a large and warlike barbarian nation, confessed Christ.[2]
They dwelt to the north beyond Armenia. A Christian woman, who had been
taken captive, induced them to renounce the religion of their fathers.
She was very faithful and godly, and did not, amongst foreigners, remit
her accustomed routine of religious duty. To fast, to pray night and
day, and to praise God, constituted her delight. The barbarians
inquired as to the motives of her endurance: she simply answered, that
it was necessary in this way to worship the Son of God; but the name of
Him who was to be worshiped, and the manner of worshiping, appeared
strange to them. It happened that a boy of the country was taken ill,
and his mother, according to the custom of the Iberians, took him
around from house to house, in hope that some one might be found
capable of curing the disease, and the change from the suffering might
be easy for the afflicted. As no one capable of healing him could be
found, the boy was brought to the captive, and she said, “as to
medicines, I have neither experience nor knowledge, nor am I acquainted
with the mode of applying ointments or plasters; but, O woman, I
believe that Christ whom I worship, the true and great God, will become
the Saviour of thy child.” Then she prayed for him immediately
and freed him from the disease, although just before it was believed
that he was about to die. A little while after, the wife of the
governor of the nation was, by an incurable disease, brought nigh unto
death; yet she too was saved in the same manner. And thus did this
captive teach the knowledge of Christ, by introducing Him as the
dispenser of health, and as the Lord of life, of empire, and of all
things. The governor’s wife, convinced by her own personal
experience, believed the words of the captive, embraced the Christian
religion, and held the woman in much honor. The king, astonished at the
celerity of the cure, and the miraculousness and healing of faith,
learned the cause from his wife, and commanded that the captive should
be rewarded with gifts. “Of gifts,” said the queen,
“her estimate is very low, whatever may be their value; she makes
much of the service she renders to her God only. Therefore if we wish
to gratify her, or desire to do what is safe and right, let us also
worship God, who is mighty and a Saviour, and who, at His will, gives
continuance unto kings, casts down the high, renders the illustrious
abject, and saves those in terrible straits.” The queen continued
to argue in this excellent manner, but the sovereign of Iberia remained
in doubt and unconvinced, as he reflected on the novelty of the
matters, and also respected the religion of his fathers. A little while
after, he went into the woods with his attendants, on a hunting
excursion; all of a sudden thick clouds arose, and a heavy air was
everywhere diffused by them, so as to conceal the heavens and the sun;
profound night and great darkness pervaded the wood. Since each of the
hunters was alarmed for his own safety, they scattered in different
directions. The king, while thus wandering alone, thought of Christ, as
men are wont to do in times of danger. He determined that if he should
be delivered from his present emergency, he would walk before God and
worship Him. At the very instant that these thoughts were upon his
mind, the darkness was dissipated, the air became serene, the rays of
the sun penetrated into the wood, and the king went out in safety. He
informed his wife of the event that had befallen him, sent for the
captive, and commanded her to teach him in what way he ought to worship
Christ. When she had given as much instruction as it was right for a
woman to say and do, he called together his subjects and declared to
them plainly the Divine mercies which had been vouchsafed to himself
and to his wife, and although uninitiated, he declared to his people
the doctrines of Christ. The whole nation was persuaded to embrace
Christianity, the men being convinced by the representations of the
king, and the women by those of the queen and the captive. And speedily
with the general consent of the entire nation, they prepared most
zealously to build a church. When the external walls were completed,
machines were brought to raise up the columns, and fix them upon their
pedestals. It is related, that when the first and second columns had
been righted by these means, great difficulty was found in fixing the
third column, neither art nor physical strength being of any avail, although many were present to
assist in the pulling. When evening came on, the female captive
remained alone on the spot, and she continued there throughout the
night, interceding with God that the erection of the columns might be
easily accomplished, especially as all the rest had taken their
departure distressed at the failure; for the column was only half
raised, and remained standing, and one end of it was so embedded in its
foundations that it was impossible to move it downward. It was
God’s will that by this, as well as by the preceding miracle, the
Iberians should be still further confirmed about the Deity. Early in
the morning, when they were present at the church, they beheld a
wonderful spectacle, which seemed to them as a dream. The column, which
on the day before had been immovable, now appeared erect, and elevated
a small space above its proper base. All present were struck with
admiration, and confessed, with one consent, that Christ alone is the
true God. Whilst they were all looking on, the column slipped quietly
and spontaneously, and was adjusted as by machinery on its base. The
other columns were then erected with ease, and the Iberians completed
the structure with greater alacrity. The church having been thus
speedily built, the Iberians, at the recommendation of the captive,
sent ambassadors to the Emperor Constantine, bearing proposals for
alliance and treaties, and requesting that priests might be sent to
their nation. On their arrival, the ambassadors related the events that
had occurred, and how the whole nation with much care worshiped Christ.
The emperor of the Romans was delighted with the embassy, and after
acceding to every request that was proffered, dismissed the
ambassadors. Thus did the Iberians receive the knowledge of Christ, and
until this day they worship him carefully.
Footnotes
[edit]- ↑ By the Iberians we are to understand, not the people of Spain (for they had a church among them as early as the time of Irenæus; see adv. Hæres. i. 3, ed. Harvey), but the people of that name in Asia. Cf. Soc. i. 20, who says these Iberians migrated from Spain.
- ↑ Ruf. H. E. i. 10; Soc. i. 20; Soz. takes directly from Ruf.