CHAPTER II.

SUB-APOSTOLIC OR PATRISTIC PERIOD.

Besides Hegesippus, one reckoned among the church fathers was

Epiphanius, a native Jew of Palestine, who embraced Christianity at

sixteen years of age, and eventually became Bishop of Constantia, and

died at sea (according to Bartolocci) in 403 A.D. He wrote a book

entitled, "Panarion," in which he gives information about eighty

heretical sects, including Jewish; also a treatise on Biblical weights

and measures and on the lives of the Prophets, in which he makes Hebrew

quotations.

Another noted Jewish convert belonging to this period was Joseph, a

physician of Tiberias (called by the Jews "The Apostate"). He had been a

member of the Sanhedrin in his native town, was sent by them as a

delegate to the Jews in Cilicia, where he became acquainted with the

Christian bishop, who gave him a New Testament. According to Milman

(vol. iii., p. 179) he was detected reading it, was hurried to the

synagogue and scourged. The bishop interfered. But he was afterwards

seized again and thrown into the river Cydnus, from which he hardly

escaped with his life, and was baptized. On his return he told his

friends in Palestine that the Gospel made progress among the enlightened

Jews. The Emperor Constantine elevated him to the rank of Comes or Count

of the Empire, and he devoted his life to the building of churches at

Tiberias, Capernaum, Nazareth, and Sepphoris (Dio Cæsarea). It is worth

mentioning in this connection the report of Epiphanius that Hillel, who

succeeded his father Judah II. in the patriarchate of Tiberias, embraced

Christianity and was secretly baptized on his death-bed by a bishop.

Joseph, his physician (says Milman) had witnessed the scene which

wrought strongly upon his mind. The house of Hillel after his death was

kept closely shut up by his suspicious countrymen. Joseph obtained

entrance, and found there the Gospels of St. John and of St. Matthew,

and the Acts in a Hebrew translation.[2]

[2] This is denied by Gräetz. See article in the "Jewish Encyclopædia,"

where it is asserted that this Hillel was honoured by Julian the

Apostate. But we have also the solution of the difficulty there. It is

avowed that there is no clear distinction between Juda II. and Juda III.

Milman says distinctly that this Hillel was the son of Juda II., whereas

Jewish writers make him to be the son of Juda III.

Tabius, of high priestly descent, son of one Anan, probably the one who

was sent on embassy to the Emperor Claudius, is also mentioned by

ecclesiastical writers as having embraced Christianity.

Asher ben Levi, called Abed al Masih, lived in the fourth century in

Sinjar Mesopotamia. His school companions, both Zoroastrian and

Christian, shunned him, but the latter on one occasion baptized him.

Asher's mother hid him from his father, who was a warden of the

synagogue, fearing his anger, but he was eventually killed by him. A

church was built afterwards in his memory. There is a Syriac MS. which

contains this story.

Jacob, of Kefar Neuburaya, another Hebrew Christian of the fourth

century, is mentioned in the Talmud as one whose opinions met with

approval by the rabbis in two instances. One of those may be quoted. In

the School of Cæsarea he interpreted Hab. ii. 19 as being a rebuke of

simony. On the same occasion he indicated Ben Eleazer as being a worthy

candidate for the rabbinate (Yer. Bik. iii. 3. Midr. Shemuél vii.). Isi,

of Cæsarea counts him among the Judæo-Christians, applying to him the

Biblical word sinner (Eccl. R. vii. 47). The appellation Jacob Minah I.

= Jacob the heretic, met with in the Medrashim, may refer to the same

subject of the article in the "Jewish Encyclopædia." As its author is

Dr. Max Seligsohn, the official editor, we may assume that it is now

granted that by the word Minim in the Jewish Liturgy is meant Jewish

Christians. No wonder then that these have always protested, and

sometimes rather too vehemently, against the collect, and wished it to

be expunged.