A Source Book for Ancient Church History - Mirrors

§ 4. The Persecution under Domitian 19present became tired of hearing always the same thing and said:“Master, why do you always say this?” Thereupon John gave ananswer worthy of himself: “Because this is the commandment ofthe Lord, and if it is observed then is it enough.”(c) Eusebius, Hist. Ec., III, 31. (MSG, 20:279.)Polycrates was bishop of Ephesus and a contemporary ofVictor of Rome (189-199 A. D.). His date cannot be fixedmore precisely. The reference to the “high priest's mitre” isobscure; see J. B. Lightfoot, Commentary on the Epistle tothe Galatians, p. 345. A longer extract from this epistle ofPolycrates will be found under the Easter Controversy (§ 38).The time of John's death has been given in a general way, 1 buthis burial-place is indicated by an epistle of Polycrates (whowas bishop of the parish of Ephesus) addressed to Victor ofRome, mentioning him, together with the Apostle Philip and hisdaughters, in the following words: “For in Asia also great lightshave fallen asleep, which shall rise again at the last day, at thecoming of the Lord, when he shall come with glory from heaven [011]and seek out all the saints. Among these are Philip, one of thetwelve Apostles, who sleeps at Hierapolis, and his two agedvirgin daughters, and another daughter who lived in the HolySpirit and now rests at Ephesus; and moreover John, who wasboth a witness and a teacher, who reclined upon the bosom of theLord, and being a priest wore the high priest's mitre, also sleepsat Ephesus.”§ 4. The Persecution under Domitian1 See Eusebius, Hist. Ec., III, 23, who gives quotations from Irenæus. Thispassage also gives a lengthy extract from the work of Clement of Alexandria,Quis dives salvetur, bearing on St. John's life at Ephesus (ANF. II, 591-604).