Pliny the Younger was a typically cultivated Roman of the first and second centuries, Anno Domini. Overeducated, self-conscious, and very firmly convinced of his own importance, he was none the less an amiable3 and well-meaning man. Whenever he wrote a letter, he wrote it with the intention of publishing it at some future time; so that the collection which we now have of his epistles is an amusing example of literary pose. Nevertheless, the letters are full of interesting sidelights upon the times in which Pliny lived. As a boy, he witnessed from a distance the destruction of Pompeii, in which his uncle perished. He beheld4 the awful excesses of some of the Roman emperors. He observed much of human life, and he tells many an interesting tale, ranging from ghost-stories to narratives5 of historical value.
The Emperor Trajan gave Pliny an official appointment as governor of the province of Bithynia. In that office Pliny first heard of the new sect6 called Christians8. He was told that the Christians in reality formed a political organization, masking treason to the emperor under the guise9 of religion. This was, in fact, the prevalent belief in official circles; and the meetings of the Christians were viewed very much as a Russian bureaucrat10 views any private gathering11 of men and women for an unknown purpose. Having made an investigation12, however, Pliny discovered nothing to justify13 this feeling; and he wrote a letter to the emperor asking how the Christians should be treated. This letter, which is given here, is interesting because it is the first connected account of the Christians which we now possess from a pagan source.
It is my habit, your majesty14, to refer to you all matters concerning which I am in doubt. For who can better direct my hesitation15 or inform my ignorance? I have never been present at any trials of Christians; therefore I do not know in what way and to what extent it is customary to question or punish them. And I have felt no little hesitation as to whether some allowance should be made for age or whether the weak and delicate should be treated exactly like the more robust16, whether pardon should follow retraction17, or whether {487} the renunciation of Christianity should be of no avail to him who has once professed18 it; and whether the name of Christian7 itself, without any violation19 of the law, should be punished or whether violation of the law is considered as inhering in the name. Meanwhile, in the case of those who have been accused to me as Christians, I have pursued the following plan. I have asked them personally whether they were Christians. If they confessed it, I asked them a second and a third time, with the threat of punishment. If they still persisted, I ordered them to suffer the penalty, since I am very sure that whatever it was that they were confessing, stubbornness and unyielding obstinacy20 ought to be punished. There were some afflicted21 by this madness who, because they were Roman citizens, I remanded to Rome.
Presently, under this treatment, as is generally the case, the charge began to spread and they were led into more overt22 acts. Anonymous23 accusations24 containing many names were sent me. As for those who denied that they either were or had been Christians, when at my instigation they called upon the names of the gods and offered wine and frankincense to your statue (which, anticipating this emergency, I had caused to be set up with the images of the deities), and in addition to that had abjured25 Christ—none of which things, they say, those who are really Christians can be made to do—I thought that they ought to be let off.
Some, whose names had been given to me by informers, said that they were Christians and then denied it; that they had once been, but had ceased to be. Certain of them said that they had ceased to be Christians three years before, others more than that, a few even as long as twenty years ago. All these, too, worshiped both your statue and the images of the gods, and abjured Christ.
They declared moreover that this was the sum of their fault or error; that they had been accustomed to meet on a stated day before dawn, and to sing responsively a hymn26 to Christ as to a god, and to bind27 themselves by a solemn sacrament—not to any crime, but that they should commit no theft, nor adultery, that they should not bear false witness or refuse to give up a trust when it was demanded. When this ceremony was over they said that it had been their custom to depart and to assemble again for the breaking of bread, a common and harmless practice among them.
They further said they had ceased to do even this after my edict, by which, following your commands, I had forbidden all formal assemblies. Wherefore I considered it the {488} more necessary to try to get at the truth by torture from two women who were called deaconesses. I found nothing further than a perverse28, widespread superstition29.
Having postponed30 action, I hastened to seek counsel from you, for it seemed to me that the matter was worthy31 of consideration, especially on account of the number of persons involved. For many of all ages, of all ranks, and of both sexes even, are under suspicion and will hereafter be under suspicion. The contagion32 of this superstition has spread, not only in cities but to villages even and farms, though I think that it can be checked and prevented. At any rate, it is pretty evident that the temples of the gods, which were deserted33 up to a short time ago, have begun to be thronged34, the customary sacrifices, long interrupted, to be renewed, and also the pasturing of victims for these sacrifices which had been almost discontinued. From all of which it is my opinion that this body of men can be made to see the error of their ways, if only a chance is given them.
"The Lord has sent angels to men at different times since the creation of the world, but always with a message, or with something to perform that could not be performed without."
—Wilford Woodruff.
"Earthly riches are only little things, in comparison to the great principles of eternal lives and exaltation in the Kingdom of God; these are the riches of eternity35."
—John Taylor.
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1
followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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2
scrap
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| n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废 | |
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amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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narratives
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| 记叙文( narrative的名词复数 )； 故事； 叙述； 叙述部分 | |
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sect
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| n.派别，宗教，学派，派系 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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8
Christians
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| n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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9
guise
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| n.外表，伪装的姿态 | |
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bureaucrat
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| n. 官僚作风的人，官僚，官僚政治论者 | |
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gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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13
justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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robust
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| adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的 | |
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retraction
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| n.撤消；收回 | |
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18
professed
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| 公开声称的，伪称的，已立誓信教的 | |
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violation
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| n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯 | |
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obstinacy
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| n.顽固；（病痛等）难治 | |
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afflicted
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| 使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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overt
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| adj.公开的，明显的，公然的 | |
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anonymous
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| adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的 | |
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accusations
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| n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名 | |
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25
abjured
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| v.发誓放弃( abjure的过去式和过去分词 )；郑重放弃（意见）；宣布撤回（声明等）；避免 | |
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hymn
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| n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌 | |
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bind
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| vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬 | |
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28
perverse
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| adj.刚愎的；坚持错误的，行为反常的 | |
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superstition
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| n.迷信，迷信行为 | |
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30
postponed
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| vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发） | |
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31
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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32
contagion
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| n.(通过接触的疾病)传染；蔓延 | |
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33
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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34
thronged
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| v.成群，挤满( throng的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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35
eternity
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| n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷 | |
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