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184 Credibilitij of the Gospel Histury.
places lie was bishop of; but, that Patara and Olympus
Avere two different places might be shown. They^ are expressly
named by Strabo, as two of the six large cities of
Lycia : and how he should be bishop of both is not easy to
conceive.
Jerora says that Methodius was afterwards bishop of Tyre
and so likewise Suidas from him, or from his Greek interpreter
Sophronius : Avhich yet is not easy to be accounted for, nor
very probable ; such removals or translations of bishops not
being" then very common. Tillemonf^ thinks that if Methodius
was bishop of Tyre, he must have succeeded Tyrannio,
a worthy pastor of that church, particularly mentioned by"
Eusebius, as one of the illustrious martyrs of Dioclesian's
persecution, who was drowned in the sea near Antioch.
It is, however, very likely that Methodius was for some
time, if not to the end of his life, bishop of Olympus in
Lycia : since Socrates gives him that title, as well as Jerom.
Besides, in one of his Morks, he^' informs us of a wonderful
thing he had seen upon Olympus, a mountain of Lycia;
which, according to" Strabo, adjoined to the city of the same
name.
In Jerom's days there M'ere two different opinions about
the time of this person's death ; for some thought he suffered
imder Decius or Valerian : but this opinion is inconsistent
with his writing against Porphyry, who did not publish his
books against the christians till about the year 270. The
other is Jerom's own opinion, that Methodius had the honour
of martyrdom at the end of the last, or Dioclesian's persecu-
tion : therefore in the year 311 or 312, as'' Tillemont shows ;
not in the year 302, or 303, as Du Piny says, if his numbers
are rightly printed in my edition. Methodius is placed by
Cave as flourishing about the year 290, against which I have
no exceptions to make : for it is not unlikely that he was
ordained bishop about that time.
But though the above-mentioned opinion of Jerom concerning-
the time of the death of Methodius may be reckoned
very probable, yet what he says about the place of it is not
very easy to be' received.
In this uncertainty are we about several material things
relating to Methodius :
which may be imputed partly to his
' Sirab. 1. ]4. p. 665. A. ' As before, p. 133.
" Ei\s. 1. viii. cap. 13. p. 307, 308. ^ Vid. Excerpt, ex libr.
dc Resurr. ad. Comb. p. 331. ap. Phot. Cod. 234. p. 924.
» Ubi Supra, p. 666. " See Till, as before, p. 133. and note 2.
y Du Pin Bibl. des Aut. Ecc. T. i. p. 195, a Amst.
• Ti.l. as before, p. 133, and note 3.
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