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Nero to destroy himself when deprived of his power ; the latter for not supporting him when attacked . No man could have been
deprived of life for either of these reasons , even by the most cruel and capricious tyrant . They vyere therefore mere pretences to conceal the real motive for
destroying him Above thirty years had how elapsed since the death of Nero ; and Epaphroditus had spent nearly fifteen years in the confidential service of Domitian , This emperor indeed for a time banished htm : the cause of his
banishment and that of his execution was no doubt the same , which was no other than his inflexible attachment to the Gospel . But it will be said neither of these
historians mention his conversion to Christianity ; Epaphroditus was a man eminently distinguished by his virtue and talents , and it is evident that these Pagan writers envied the Christian name the
lustre of his character . The conduct of Suetonius is particularly deserving of attention . Having lived in those times when prejudices against the Gospel were most strong ; he has only slightly touched on the subject . Clement
is said only to have been put to death on slight suspicion . He does net say that he was accused of atheism ^ or that he had ardently embraced the Jewish religion , or that his wife and many besides suffered under that accusation .
But Dio who lived a . century afterwards is explicit in stating these particulars ; and it cannot be doubted but that to the saijie sullen hatred against Christ and his cause , we owe their silence respecting the conversi on of Epaphr ^ ditus . Epaphroditus , or more
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briefly Epaphras , was at first a slave , nextafreedman , and at last the secretary or minister of Nero . Hence we are able to trace his native place . Paul thus addresses i
the Christians at Colossi . ( £ pQm phras , ( or as some copies read Epa phroditus ) your countuymax " a slave of Christ , saluteth you . ' ' Here the apostle not only alludes to his being a slave of the cm .
peror , but endeavours to do away that odium by representing him as a slave of Christ . As thou « h he had said , Be not prejudiced
against him as being engaged in the service of the emperor ; for he is truly and faithfully the servant of him whose service is perfect freedom . *
I now return to the passage in which the apostle bears his testi . mony to the Philippians respecting this great and good man , and here we may detect some latent absurdities , as the words of the
writer are represented in all our modern versions . Epaphroditui was " full of heaviness / ' or according to the original { ah ^ MM ) " was stung with anguish / 3 because forsooth they bad heard he
had been sick * It might be al . lowed that the people of Philippi were full of heaviness , when they heard that Epaphroditus was sick , but it is an unmeaning use of Ian .
guage to say that Epaph roditus , when now recovered , was grievously afflicted or stung with anguish because they had heard of his sickness . Besides , if they felt all this tenderness and concern tor
Epaphroditus , was it necessary for the apostle to advise them to receive him in the Lord , and to regard him with esteem ? ^ not this advice rather imply thai they were disposed not to rcceiv
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422 On the Character of Epaphroditus .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), July 2, 1811, page 422, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2418/page/38/
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