Section 214
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ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 183 many, that they also were endued with prophecy. And as there was a dissension in consequence of these men, the brethren in Gaul again presented their own pious and correct judgment also concerning these, and published several letters of the martyrs that had been put to death among them. These they had writ ten whilst yet in prison, and addressed to the brethren in Asia and Phrygia. And not only to these but likewise to Eleutherus, who was then bishop of Rome, negotiating as it were for the peace of the churches. CHAPTER IV. The martyrs commend Irenceus in their epistle. BUT these same martyrs recommending also Irenaeus, who was then a presbyter of the church at Lyons, to the bishop of Rome beforementioned, bear abundant testimony in his favour, as the following extracts show : " We pray and desire, father Eleutherus, that you may rejoice in God in all things and always. We have requested Ar brother and companion Ire naeus to carry this epistle to you, and we exhort you to consider him as commended to you as a zealous follower of the testament (covenant) of Christ For if we knew that any place could con fer righteousness upon any one, we would certainly commend him among the first as a presbyter of the church, the station that he holds." Why should we here transcribe the list of those mar tyrs given in the abovementioned epistle, of whom some were made perfect by decapitation, some cast to be devoured by wild beasts, and others again fell asleep in prison. Why repeat the number of confessors still living ? For whoever wishes to learn these, can more easily obtain the fullest account by con sulting the epistle itself, which, as I said, has been inserted by us in our collection of martyrs. But such were the events that happened under Antonine.