INSTITUTES OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY UNDER THE NEW TESTAMENT. BOOK III. EMBRACING EVENTS FROM THE TIMES OF CHARLES THE GREAT TO THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE REFORMATION BY LUTHER. EIGHTH CENTURY. PART I. HISTORY OF THE OUTWARD STATE OF THE CHURCH. CHAPTER I. THE PROSPEROUS EVENTS OF THIS CENTURY. § 1. Propagation of Christianity in Hyrcania and Tartary-§ 2. Conversion of the Germans by Boniface-§ 3. Other expeditions and successes of Boniface-§ 4. Estimate of his apostleship-§ 5. Other apostles of Germany-§ 6. Expedition of Charlemagne against the Saxons-§ 7. Estimate of his conversions-§ 8. The reputed miracles of this century. § 1. WHILE the Mahumedans were harassing and subjugating the fairest provinces of Asia, and diminishing every where the lustre and reputation of Christianity, the Nestorians of Chaldea were blessing with the knowledge of heavenly truth those barbarous nations, called Scythians by the ancients, and by the moderns, Tartars, living on this side mount Imaus, and not subject to the Saracens. It is now ascertained that Timotheus the Nestorian pontiff, who attained that dignity A. D. 778, imbued with a knowledge of Christianity, by the ministry of Subchal Jesu, whom he created a bishop, first the Gelæ and Dailamites, nations of Hyrcania; and afterwards, by other missionaries, the rest of the nations of Hyrcania, Bactria, Margiana, and Sogdiana.1 1 Thomas Margensis, Historia Monastice, lib. iii. in Jos. Sim. Asseman's Bibliotheca Orient. Vatic. t. iii. pt. i. p. 491. See also the Bibliotheca, t. iii. pt. ii. cap. ix. § v. p. cccclxxviii. [Mosheim, in his Historia Tartarorum Ecclesiastica, p. 13, &c. relying chiefly on the preceding authorities, states that Timotheus, who was Patriarch of the Nestorians from A. D. 777 to A. D. 820, planned the mission to these nations, inhabiting the shores of the Caspian sea; and selected for its execution one Subchal Jesu, a learned monk of the Nestorian monastery of Beth-Aben in Assyria, well skilled in the Syriac, Arabic, and Persian languages; ordained him bishop, and sent him forth. Subchal made numerous converts among the Gelæ and Dailamites, formed them into churches, and ordained elders over them. This active missionary It is also certain, that Christianity was firmly and permanently established in those countries for several centuries, although it was sometimes disturbed by the Mahumedans; and that the bishops of these countries were always subject to the authority of the Nestorian pontiff. § 2. In Europe, most of the German nations were still involved in the darkness of superstition; the only exception being the tribes on the Rhine, the Bavarians, who are known to have received a knowledge of Christianity under Theodoric, the son of Clovis the Great, and the Eastern Franks,' with a few others. Attempts had been often made to enlighten the Germans, both by kings and princes, for whose interest it was, that those warlike tribes should become civilised, and also by some pious and holy men; but the attempts had met with little or no success. But in this century, Winfrid, an English Benedictine monk, of noble birth, who afterwards bore the name of Boniface, attempted this object with better success. In the year 715, he left his native country, with two companions, and first attempted in vain to disseminate Christian doctrines among the Frieslanders, who were subjects of king Radbod. Afterwards, in the year 719, having received a solemn commission from the Roman pontiff, Gregory II., he more successfully performed the functions of a Christian teacher among the Thuringians, the Frieslanders, and the Hessians.2 also travelled farther East, and spread the Gospel extensively in Tartary, Chathai, and China; but on his return from his mission, to visit Timotheus and the monks of his convent, he was murdered by the barbarians. Timotheus now ordained Kardagus and Jaballaha, two other monks of Beth-Aben, and sent them with fifteen assistant monks into the same countries. These also were successful missionaries; and with the consent of Timotheus, the two bishops ordained seven of their companions to be bishops of the East; namely, Thomas, who went into India; David, metropolitan of China; and Zacchæus, Semus, Ephraim, Simeon, and Ananias. Thomas Margensis relates, that Timotheus directed the two ordaining bishops, first to ordain a third; and to supply the place of a third bishop at his ordination, by placing a copy of the Gospels on the seat near the right hand. Afterwards they would have the canonical number of three bishops to ordain the others. These new bishops dispersed themselves widely over the countries of the East, and founded many churches in India, Chathai, and China. But after the death of Timotheus, A. D. 820, we learn nothing more respecting these churches till A. D. 1000, when the famous Christian prince, called Prester John, came upon the stage. Tr.] [Or Franconians. Tr.] All that could be said of this cele brated man, has been collected by Henr. Phil. Gudenius, in his Diss. de 8. Bonifacio Germanorum Apostolo, Helmst. 1722, 4to. Yet we may add Jo. Alb. Fabricii, Biblioth. Latina medii ævi, i. 709. Histoire Litt. de la France, iv. 92. Jo. Mabillon, Annales Benedictini, and others. [The church histories of Fleury, Schroeckh, and J. E. C. Schmidt, give ample accounts of Boniface. Milner (Church Hist. cent. viii. c. iv.) is an admirer of Boniface. The best among the original biographers of this famous man, are Willibald, one of his disciples; and a German monk named Othlon, who lived in the eleventh century, and collected various letters of Boniface, which he has inserted in his narrative. Both these biographies, with valuable notes, are contained in Mabillonii Acta Sanctor. iv. 1-84, ed. Venet. 1734. According to these writers, Boniface was born at Kirton (Crediton) in Devonshire, about 680. When but four or five years old, he showed a strong inclination for a monastic life, which his father first endeavoured to eradicate, but afterwards favoured. He first entered a monastery at Exeter. From that he removed, after seven years, to the monastery of Nuscelle [Nursling] in Hants, as a better place for study. Here he learned grammar, poetry, rhetoric, and biblical interpretation according to the threefold sense of Scripture. After a short time, he was a teacher of these things. At the age of 30, he was § 3. In the year 723, being ordained a bishop at Rome, by Gregory II., and being supported by the authority and the aid of Charles ordained a presbyter. About 715, he undertook a voluntary mission to Friesland, with two monks for companions. But Radbod, the pagan king of the country, being at war with the Franks, and hostile to the Christians, gave him no encouragement; and he returned again to his monastery. The Abbacy of Nuscelle was now offered him, but he refused it, because he preferred a more active employment. Soon after, having projected a mission to the pagans in Germany, he set out for Rome, to obtain the papal sanction and support to his enterprise. Daniel, the bishop of Winchester, gave him a letter of introduction to the pontiff, who readily gave him a commission to preach the Gospel to the pagans, wherever he could find them. He now visited Germany, preached in Bavaria and Thuringia; and learning that Radbod was dead, he went to Friesland, and for three years assisted Willibrord, the aged bishop of Utrecht, in spreading the Gospel, and erecting churches among the neighbouring pagans. Willibrord proposed to him to become his permanent assistant and successor; but Boniface declined, on the ground that the pope had intended he should labour in the more eastern parts of Germany. He now visited Rome a second time, in 723; was closely examined by the pope, as to his faith, and his adherence to the see of Rome; and upon his swearing perpetual allegiance to the pope, he was created a bishop, and had his name changed from Winfrid to Boniface. With numerous letters of recommendation to princes, bishops, and others, and a good stock of holy relics, Boniface returned through France, where Charles Martel received him cordially, and furnished him with a safe conduct throughout the empire. He first went among the Hessians; where he suppressed the remains of idolatry, and intrepidly cut down the consecrated oak of Jupiter [Thunor or Thor], which broke into four equal parts as it fell. This pro digy silenced all objections; and out of the wood of this tree a chapel was built, dedicated to St. Peter. From Hesse he went to Thuringia, where he effected a similar reform, and had contention with some who were accounted heretical. On the accession of Gregory III. to the papal chair, A. D. 731, Boniface sent an embassy to Rome, giving account of his proceedings, and proposing several questions respecting ecclesiastical law, for solution. The pope answered his inquiries, sent him a fresh supply of relics, and also the archiepiscopal pall, with instructions when and how to wear it. In 738, he visited Rome a third time, attended by a large retinue of priests and monks, and was graciously received by the pope. On his return through Bavaria, as papal legate, he divided that country into four bishoprics, and placed bishops over them; namely, John, bishop of Salzburg; Ehrenbert, bishop of Freising; Gosbald of Regensburg; and Vivilo of Passau. In 741, he erected four more bishoprics in Germany; namely, those of Würtzburg, Eichstadt, Buraburg, and Erfurth, over which he placed four of his friends, Burchard, Willebald, Albinus, and Adelhar. Hitherto Boniface had been archbishop of no particular place; but in 745, he procured the deposition of Gevilieb, archbishop of Mentz, charging him, in a provincial council, with having slain in single combat the man who had slain his own father in battle, and with having kept dogs and birds for sport. This council decreed the vacant see of Mentz to Boniface. As archbishop of Mentz, Boniface claimed jurisdiction over the bishop of Utrecht, which claim was contested by the archbishop of Cologne. Boniface, as archbishop, and as papal legate, presided in several councils in France and Germany, and was very active in enforcing uniformity of rites, and rigid adherence to the canons of the church of Rome. In 754, being far advanced in life, he left his bishopric at Mentz under the care of Lullus, whom he ordained his colleague and successor, and undertook a mission among the Frieslanders, who were but partially converted to Christianity. With the aid of several inferior clergymen and monks, he had brought many persons of both sexes to submit to baptism; and having appointed the 5th of June for a general meeting of the converts, to receive the rite of confirmation, at Dockum on the Bordne, between East and West Friesland, on the morning of the day appointed, and while the converts were expected to arrive, a party of pagan Frieslanders assaulted his camp. His young men began to prepare for battle; but Boniface forbade it, and exhorted all to resign themselves up to die as martyrs. He and his fifty-two companions were all murdered, and their camp was plundered. But the banditti afterwards quarrelled among themselves respecting the plunder; and being intoxicated with the wine they had gotten, they fought till several of their number were slain. The Christian converts, enraged at the murderers of their teachers, collected forces, and attacking their villages, slew and dispersed the men, plundered their houses, and enslaved their wives and children. The murdered |