THE CHURCH IN THE SIXTH CENTURY 231
Giwergis, where the hero appears before his sister "in the humble dress of a Christian."1 The same authority shows us, that in these later days, the risk that a Zoroastrian ran in becoming a Christian had much diminished. King Hormizd IV, for instance, on hearing of the conversion of this man, a Magian noble, only observed, "Well, let him go to hell, if he prefers it;" and his sister wrote to him that he would run no risk if he appeared at Court, and might even save his property by so doing. It must be owned that this man was martyred later, but under rather exceptional circumstances.
The Church was becoming wealthy; for in the long freedom from persecution, endowments accumulated. There was, however, a constant leakage, owing to the fact that the clergy or bishops, in whose name the real property was necessarily registered, were so very apt to regard it as their own, and to leave it by will accordingly!2 This habit also exists to-day; the oriental being apparently quite unable to distinguish between funds entrusted to him for certain purposes, and his own absolute property. It was hardly to be expected that Magian law would guarantee the security of Christian Church property; and the modern expedient of securing honest and immortal trustees by registering lands in the name of the patron saint of the Church had apparently not then been thought of.3
1 Life of Mar Giwergis (Bedj., IV Cath.), p. 452, 448.
2 Joseph., Can. XI; Ezekiel, Can. XXV, XXX; Ishu- yahb, Can. VI.
3 This ingenious expedient is now impossible; the authorities hinting that as "Simon Peter, son of Jonas, Fisherman of Capernaum, vilayet of Beyrout," and "Paul, tentmaker of Tarsus, vilayet of Adana," were now dead, and had apparently died intestate, their trust property reverted to the ministry of pious benefactions.
