Section 83
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ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 51 men, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ himself, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead, is appointed an apostle, being honoured with the call by a vision and voice of revelation from heaven* CHAPTER II. Haw Tiberius was affected, when informed by Pilate respecting Christ. THE fame of our Lord's remarkable re.surrectio.n and ascension being now spread abroad, according to an ancient custom preva lent among the rulers of the nations, to communicate novel occur rences to the emperor, that nothing might escape him, Pontius Pilate transmits to Tiberius an account of the circumstances con cerning the resurrection of our Lord from the dead, the report of which had already been spread throughout all Palestine. In this account, he also intimated that he ascertained other miracles re specting him, and that having now risen from the dead, he was be lieved to be a God by the great mass of the people. Tiberius re ferred the matter to the senate, but it is said they rejected the proposition, in appearance, because they had not examined into this subject first, according to an ancient law among the Romans, that no one should be ranked among the gods unless by a vote and de cree of the senate ; in reality, however, because the salutary doc trine of the gospel needs no confirmation and co-operation of men. The senate of the Romans, therefore, having thus rejected the doctrine of our Saviour as it was announced, and Tiberius still continuing to hold the opinion he had before cherished, formed no unreasonable projects against the doctrine of Christ. This is the testimony of Tertullian, a man who made himself accurately ac quainted with the laws of the Romans, and, besides his emi nence in other respects, was particularly distinguished among the eminent men of Rome, and in his Apology for the Christians in the Roman tongue, which is also translated into the Greek, to give his own words, writes after the following manner . " In order to 7*