Adrian (Roman Emporer Hadrian)

The Epistle of Adrian was included by Justin Martyr in the Anti-Nicene Fathers. His epistle was addressed to Minucius Fundanus, and is generally thought to be authentic.The Epistle of AdrianHadrian (Latin: Publius Aelius Traianus Hadrianus Augustus, 24 January 76 – 10 July 138), was a Roman Emperor from 117 to 138. He is best known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Roman Britain. In Rome, he re-built the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma. In addition to being emperor, Hadrian was a humanist and was philhellene in all his tastes. He was the third of the so-called Five Good Emperors. However, he also persecuted Jews and Christians, and made a law against circumcision. The Bar Kokhba revolt was put down during his reign.Hadrian on WikipediaIn the late 1700's. James Macknight wrote about the occasion of Hadrian's writing of this letter in his book on Christian History:The fourth general persecution [of Christians] began AD 126 in the 9th year of Adrian's reign, that is, about the 90th year after our Lord's ascension and was continued under the emperor Antoninus Pius who succeeded to the empire AD 138. While Adrian tarried at Athens, happening to be initiated into the Eleusinian mysteries, he expressed such zeal about the Heathen superstition, that many put the former edicts against the Christians in execution. By this means, the persecution became so hot, that they were obliged to remonstrate, particularly Quadratus bishop of Athens, and Aristides a philosopher in that city, who presented Apologies to Adrian, wherein they defended the Christian religion against the objections of its adversaries; and in confirmation of its divine original, strenuously urged our Lord's miracles, particularly his curing diseases and his raising the dead. These apologies, which are now lost, together with letters from Serenius Granianus, representing the injustice of the procedure against the Christians, greatly assuaged the emperor's zeal, and made him write to the governors of the provinces, and particularly to Minucius Fundanus proconsul of Asia Minor, commanding "that no Christian should be disturbed on account of his religion, and that whosoever accused them without alledging any other crime against them should be punished" Euseb. Eccl. Hist. lib 4. c. 8, 92.

Adrian, having thus begun to entertain a favourable notion of the Christians, did not stop here. He caused a great many temples to be built without images. These Lampridius, a Heathen writer, tells us he designed to dedicate unto Christ, intending to receive him among the Gods: which temples remained in Lampridius's time, and from Adrian were called Adriani... Of Adrian's rescript, Justin Martyr, formerly a heathen philosopher, annexed a copy to the apology which he addressed to the emperor Antoninus Pius, under whom the persecution begun by Adrian was continued.

James Macknight, Of the Argument for the Truth of the Christian Religion arising from the conversion of the world to Christianity; taken from the Truth of the Gospel History. p. 199. As published in A Collection of Theological Tracts, Richard Watson, Vol 5. London, 1785, pp.221-222. (on Google Books)

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