A Source Book for Ancient Church History - Mirrors

469undertook to instruct these barbarians in the divine oracles. Butwhen Ulfilas taught the Christian religion not only to the subjectsof Fritigernus but to the subjects of Athanaric also, Athanaric,regarding this as a violation of the privileges of the religion ofhis ancestors, subjected many of the Christians to severe punishments,so that many of the Arian Goths of that time becamemartyrs. Arius, indeed, failing to refute the opinion of Sabelliusthe Libyan, fell from the true faith and asserted that the Son ofGod was a new God; but the barbarians, embracing Christianitywith greater simplicity, despised this present life for the faith ofChrist.(d) Sulpicius Severus, Vita S. Martini, 13. (MSL, 20:167.)Sulpicius Severus was a pupil of Martin of Tours, and wrotethe life of his master during the latter's lifetime (died 397),but published it after his death. He wrote also other works onMartin. The astounding miracles they contain present curiousproblems for the student of ethics as well as of history. AsSt. Martin was one of the most popular saints of Gaul, andin this case the merits of the man and his reputation as asaint were in accord, the works of Sulpicius became the basisof many popular lives of the saint. The following passageillustrates the embellishment which soon became attached toall the lives of religious heroes. It is, however, one of the leastastounding of the many miracles the author relates in apparentgood faith. Whatever may be the judgment regarding themiracle, the story contains several characteristic touches metwith in the history of missions in the following centuries: e.g.,the destruction of heathen temples and objects of worship.This sacred tree also finds its duplicate in other attacks uponheathen sanctuaries.Ch. 13. When in a certain village he had demolished a veryancient temple, and had set about cutting down a pine-tree, [428]