Course 3, Chapter 30

Christianity preserved and propagated. — St. John Damascen. — Seventh General Council. — St. Anscarius, St. Eulogius, St. Methodius. — Eighth and ninth Centuries.

1. Who was the principal defender of holy images?

The principal defender of holy images was St. John, surnamed Damascen from Damascus the place of his birth. His father had him instructed with great care by a holy religious, whom he had redeemed from the slavery of the Saracens.

2. What did St. John do after the death of his father?

After the death of his father, he was appointed governor of Damascus; but fearing lest he should lose his soul, amidst the honors and riches of his station, he quit it, and retired to seek solitude in the laura of St. Sabas near Jerusalem. By his writings he gave the death blow to the heresy of the Iconoclasts, which was condemned by the seventh general council, held at Nice in 787.

3. In what manner did God punish the emperors of Constantinople?

To punish the emperors of Constantinople, God took from them the empire of the west, and gave it to a prince more worthy. This prince was Charlemagne, under whose auspices religion and the sciences flourished again, and the conversion of the Saxons was effected.

4. What other people were afterwards converted?

The conversion of the Saxons was followed by that of the Danes and Swedes. The church thus repaired the losses she had sustained by the Mahome tans and heretics.

5. Who was the apostle of these nations?

304 CATECHISM OF PERSEVERANCE.

A. The apostle of the Danes and Swedes was St. Anscarius, a Benedictine religious, of the abbey of Corbie.

6. Were there no martyrs during this period V

During this period there were martyrs in Spain, where the Saracens had resolved to extinguish the faith. Abderam their king commenced a violent persecution, in which many victims were sacrificed, and amongst them St. Eulogius.

7. Who was St. Eulogius?

St. Eulogius was a holy priest, full of faith, and well versed in science. He had advised a Christian, whose father and mother were Mahometans, to quit the parental roof, fearing lest she t-hould lose her faith. This so exasperated the Saracens, that they seized the saint and put him to death. The young Christian suffered martyrdom four days after.

8. Was the blood of these martyrs the seed of Christians?

The blood of these martyrs was the seed of Christians; for shortly after their death the Bulgari ans embraced Christianity. The sight of a painting, representing the last judgment, struck the king with such terror, that he demanded baptism and became a fervent Christian.