Pliny Trajan Correspondence

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Pliny/Trajan Correspondence

(based on Stout 1962:354–57)

LATIN

TRANSLATION by K. C. Hanson

Plinius Traiano Imperatori Ep. 10.96 Ep.  10.96

Pliny to the Emperor Trajan Ep. 10.96 Ep.  10.96

Sollemne est mihi, domine, omnia de quibus dubito ad te referre. uis enim potest melius !el "un"tationem meam re#ere !el i#norantium instruere$

It is my "ustom, % lord, to refer all questionable issues to you. &or 'ho is more "apable of resol!in# my doubts and instru"tin# my i#noran"e$

(o#nitionibus de (hristianis interfui numquam) ideo nes"io quid et quatenus aut puniri soleat aut quaeri. *e" medio"riter haesita!i, sitne aliquod dis"rimen aetatum, an quamlibet teneri nihil a robustioribus di+erant, detur paenitentiae !enia,

I ha!e ne!er been present at a formal inquiry of -(hristians (onsequently, I do not /no' the nature or the etent of the san"tions usually administered a#ainst them, nor the #rounds for openin# a formal inquiry and ho' far it should be pressed. *or am I at all sure 'hether any distin"tion should be made bet'een them on the basis of a#e, or 'hether

an ei qui omnino "hristianus fuit"areat, desissean non prosit, nomen ipsum, si a#itiis a#itia "ohaerentia nomini puniantur.

youn# to people and adults shouldretra"tin# be treated pardon ou#ht be #ranted to anyone hisidenti"ally, beliefs, or 'hether if he hasaon"e professed bein# a -(hristian, he shall #ain nothin# by renoun"in# it and 'hether it is the mere label 'hi"h is a"tionable, e!en if not #uilty of a "rime, or rather the "rimes asso"iated 'ith the name.

Interim in iis qui ad me tamquam (hristiani deferebantur hun" sum se"utus modum. Interro#a!i ipsos an essent (hristiani. (on2tentes

In the meantime, this is the approa"h I ha!e ta/en 'ith e!eryone brou#ht before me on the "har#e of bein# -(hristian) I ha!e as/ed them in person if they are -(hristians and if they admit it, I repeat the question

 

iterum a" tertio interro#a!i, suppli"ium minatus perse!erantes du"i iussi. *eque enim dubitabam, quale"umque esset quod faterentur, pertina"iam "erte et ineibilem obstinationem debere puniri. &uerunt alii similis amentiae quos, quia "i!es 3omani erant, adnota!i in urbem remittendos. 4o ipso tra"tatu, ut 2eri solet, di+undente se "rimine plures spe"ies in"iderunt.

a se"ond and third time 'ith a 'arnin# of the san"tion a'aitin# them. If they persist, I order them to be led a'ay for ee"ution. &or, 'hate!er the nature of their admission, I am "on!in"ed that their stubbornness and unsha/eable obstina"y should not #o unpunished. %thers as fanati"al 'ho are "iti5ens of 3ome I ha!e listed to be remanded to the (ity for trial.

Propositus est libellus sine au"tore multorum nomina "ontinens. ui ne#abant esse se (hristianos aut fuisse, "um praeeunte me deos appellarent et ima#ini tuae, quam propter ho" iusseram "um simula"ris numinum adferri, ture et !ino suppli"aarent, praeterea maledi"erent (hristo, quorum nihil posse "o#i di"untur qui sunt re !era (hristiani, dimittendos puta!i. 7lii ab indi"e nominati esse se (hristianos dierunt et mo ne#a!erunt fuisse quidem, sed desisse, quidam ante triennium, quidam ante plures annos, non nemo etiam ante !i#inti. 8i quoque omnes et ima#inem tuam deorumque simula"ra !enerati sunt et (hristo male dierunt.

*o' that I ha!e be#un to deal 'ith this problem, as so often happens, the "har#es are be"omin# more 'idespread and in"reasin# in !ariety. 7n anonymous 'ritin# has "ir"ulated 'hi"h "ontains the names of se!eral a""used indi!iduals. &rom these, I "onsidered dismissin# any 'ho denied that they 'ere or e!er had been -(hristians 'hen they had re"ited after me an in!o"ation of the #ods and made o+erin#s of 'ine and in"ense to your statue'hi"h I ordered brou#ht into "ourt for this purpose alon# 'ith the ima#es of the #odsand further re!iled the name of (hrist) none of 'hi"h, I understand, any true -(hristians "an be indu"ed to do. %thers, 'hose names 'ere #i!en to me by an informant, 2rst admitted the "har#e and then denied it they said that they had "eased to be -(hristians t'o or more years before, and some of them e!en t'enty years a#o. They all !enerated your statue and the ima#es of the #ods in the same 'ay as the others, and "ursed the name of (hrist.

7d2rmabant autem han" fuisse summam !el "ulpae suae !el erroris, quod essent soliti stato die ante lu"em "on!enire "armenque (hristo quasi deo di"ere se"um in !i"em seque sa"ramento non in s"elus aliquod obstrin#ere, sed ne furta, ne latro"inia, ne adulteria, "ommitterent, ne 2dem fallerent, ne depositum appellati abne#arent) quibus pera"tis morem sibi dis"edendi fuisse rursusque "oeundi ad "apiendum "ibum,

 They also de"lared de"lared that that the totality totality of their #u #uilt ilt or err error or amounted to no more than this) they had met re#ularly before da'n on a "ertain day to "hant !erses antiphonally antiphonally amon#st themsel!es in honor of (hrist as if to a #od, and also to bind themsel!es 'ith an oath, not in a "riminal "onspira"y, but to abstain from fraud, banditry, and adulteration, to "ommit no brea"h of trust, and not to rene#e on a deposit. 7fter "ompletin# this foolishness, it 'as their "ustom to disperse and reassemble later to ta/e food of an "ommon and inno"uous type but they had in fa"t #i!en up this pra"ti"e sin"e my edi"t, issued on your

 

promis"uum tamen et innoium quod ipsum fa"ere desisse post edi"tum meum, quo se"undum mandata tua hetaerias esse !etueram. uo ma#is ne"essarium "redidi e duabus an"illis, quae ministrae di"ebantur, quid esset !eri et per tormenta quaerere. *ihil aliud in!eni quam superstitionem superstiti onem pra!am, immodi"am.

instru"tions, instru"t ions, 'hi"h banned all asso"iations. This made me de"ide it 'as all the more ne"essary to etra"t the truth from t'o female sla!es 'hom they "all ministersby means of torture. I found nothin# but a de#enerate sort of superstition "arried to immoderate len#ths.

Ideo dilata "o#nitione ad "onsulendum te de"urri. :isa est enim mihi res di#na "onsultatione, maime propter peri"litantium numerum multi enim omnis aetatis, omnis ordinis, utriusque seus etiam, !o"antur in peri"ulum et !o"abuntur *eque "i!itates tantum, sed !i"os etiam atque a#ros superstitionis istius "onta#io per!a#ata est quae !idetur sisti et "orri#i posse. (erte satis "onstat prope iam desolata templa "oepisse "elebrari et sa"ra sollemnia diu intermissa repeti pastumque !enire !i"timarum, "uius adhu" rarissimus emptor in!eniebatur. E quo fa"ile est opinari, quae turba hominum emendari possit, si sit paenitentiae lo"us.

I ha!e, therefore, put o+ any further "onsideration a'aitin# your "ounsel.  The matter seems 'orthy 'orthy of your "onsideration, "onsideration, esp espe"ially e"ially in li#ht li#ht of the number of persons at ris/. &or numerous persons of e!ery a#e and e!ery "lass, both #enders, are bein# brou#ht to trial, and this is li/ely to "ontinue. It is not only the to'n, but !illa#es and "ountryside as 'ell 'hi"h are infe"ted throu#h "onta"t 'ith this per!erse superstition. I thin/ that it is still possible for it to be "he"/ed and dire"ted to better ends, for there is no doubt that people ha!e be#un to thron# the temples, 'hi"h had been almost entirely abandoned for a lon# time. 7nd the sa"red rites 'hi"h had been allo'ed to lapse are a#ain bein# performed, and the esh of sa"ri2"ial meat is on sale e!ery'here, thou#h until re"ently hardly anyone 'as buyin# it. It is easy to infer from this that a #reat many people "ould be rehabilitated if they 'ere #i!en an opportunity to re"ant.

LATIN

TRANSLATION

 T  Traianus raianus Plinio Ep. 10.9; Ep.  10.9;

 T  Trajan rajan to Pliny Ep. 10.9; Ep.  10.9;

7"tum quem debuisti, mi Se"unde, in e"utiendis "ausis eorum qui (hristiani ad te delati fuerant se"utus es. *eque enim in uni!ersum aliquid quod

 <  <ou ou ha!e follo'ed follo'ed the "orre"t "orre"t "ou "ourse, rse, my fa!or fa!ored ed one, in your your in!esti#ation of the "ases of persons "har#ed 'ith bein# -(hristians for it is impossible to "onstru"t a uni!ersal prin"iple applied as a 2ed

 

quasi "ertam formam habeat "onstitui potest. (onquirendi non sunt si deferantur et ar#uantur, puniendi sunt, ita tamen ut qui ne#a!erit se (hristianum esse idque re ipsa manifestum fe"erit, id est suppli"ando dis nostris, quam!is suspe"tus in praeteritum, !eniam e paenitentia impetret. Sine au"tore !ero propositi libelli in nullo "rimine lo"um habere debent. *am et pessimi eempli ne" nostri sae"uli est.

standard. These people should not be hunted do'n if they are brou#ht before you and the "har#e a#ainst them is pro!en, they must be punished. =ut in the "ase of anyone 'ho denies that he is a -(hristian, and ma/es it "lear that he is not by o+erin# suppli"ations to our #ods, he shall be a"quitted as a result of his re"antin#, ho'e!er suspe"t his former "ondu"t may be. =ut anonymous a""usations shall not be introdu"ed into the pro"eedin#s. They set a bad pre"edent and are not in the spirit of our a#e.

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