Section 414
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ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 383 auspicious mysteries before it, and inventing execrable modes of expiation, he even went so far as to exhibit his impostures to the emperor, by the oracles which he pretended to utter. Thus, by a flattery grateful to the emperor, he roused the daemon against the Christians, and said that God had commanded to expel the Christians as his enemies, beyond the limits of the city and the adjacent territory. CHAPTER IV. The decrees against us. As this man who took the lead in this matter, had thus suc ceeded, all the rest in office that inhabited cities under the same government (of Maximinus,) proceeded to issue a similar decree. And the governors of provinces perceiving that it would be ac ceptable to the emperor also, suggested to their subjects to do the same thing. To these decrees the emperor himself most readily assenting, the persecution that raged at first was again kindled against us. Hence, in every city priests were appointed for the images, and highpriests over these, by Maximinus him self; these were from among those who had been most distin guished for their public life, and had gained celebrity in the different stations they had filled. Who were also fired with great zeal for those objects that they worshipped. In short, the absurd superstition of the emperor led on the rulers under him, as well as his subjects, to do all things against us in order to gra tify him ; supposing this was the greatest proof of gratitude they could give for the kindnesses they had received from him, if they only exhibited slaughter, and constantly devised new plots and modes of mischief against us. 35