Section 400
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ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 369 he had no superior. For he had so much of them treasured up in his memory, that he did not require to read them, if he under took at any time to repeat any parts of the Scriptures. The third that was most illustrious among them, was Paul of the city of Jamna, a man most fervent in zeal, and ardent in spirit, who before his martyrdom had already passed through the conflict of a confession for the faith, by enduring the tortures of searing with red hot iron. After these had been two whole years in prison, the occasion of their death was a second arrival of brethren from Egypt, who also suffered martyrdom with them. These had accompanied the confessors in Cilicia to the mines there, and were returning to their homes, and, like the former, at the entrance of the city of Cesarea, being questioned by the guards stationed at the gates, men of barbarous character, as they did not conceal the truth, they were immediately seized as malefactors caught in the very act, and taken in custody. There were five in number. When brought before the tyrant, they de clared themselves freely before him, and were immediately com mitted to prison. On the next day, being the sixteenth of the month Peritisis, and the fourteenth of the calends of March, Ro man style, these, according to the decree, together with the asso ciates of Pamphjlus, were conducted before the judge. He first made trial of the invincible firmness of the Egyptians by every kind of torture, and by new and various machinery invented for the purpose. And first he asked the chief of them, after he had practised these cruelties upon him, who he was ; when, instead of his proper name, he heard him repeat some name of the pro phets, which was done by them, if they happened to have had names given them by their parents from ,some of the names of the idols, in which case you would hear them calling themselves Elias, and Jeremiah, and Isaiah, Samuel and Daniel ; thus exhi biting the true and genuine Israel of God, as belonging to those who are the real Jews* (spoken of by the apostle), not only in their works, but also in their proper names. * The author refers here to that passage of the apostle, Rom. ii. 28, where he draws the distinction between the mere nominal and the real Jew. 3 A