The First Church at Heliopolis

Deeds like these may well be counted among the emperor’s noblest achievements, as may the wise arrangements he made for each particular province. We may take as an example the Phoenician city of Heliopolis, where those who honor licentious pleasure with a distinguishing title had allowed their wives and daughters to give themselves shamelessly to sexual immorality. But now a new law, breathing the very spirit of modesty, came from the emperor, strictly forbidding the old practices to continue. Besides this, he also sent them written exhortations, as though he had been specially appointed by God for this purpose, to teach all people the principles of chastity. So he did not disdain to write even to these people, urging them to seek the knowledge of God earnestly. At the same time he backed his words with matching deeds, and built even in this city a church of great size and magnificence. So something unheard of in any age before now happened for the first time: a city that had until then been wholly given over to superstition received the privilege of a church of God, with presbyters and deacons, and its people were placed under the presiding care of a bishop consecrated to the service of the supreme God. Further, the emperor, eager that here too as many as possible might be won to the truth, provided abundantly for the needs of the poor, wishing even in this way to invite them to seek the teaching of salvation, as though he were almost adopting the words of the one who said, “Whether in pretense or in truth, let Christ be preached.” [a]