The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-02-09
The laundering Legion.

]AS - OA1A1So 'OSlOu.
Marcus Aurelius, during his campaign
against the QUAD, was thrown with his
army into a situation of extreme peril.
The burning sun shone full into the faces
of the soldiers, who suffered the pangs OF
lntolerable thirst; the enemy, at the same
time, were every moment threatening an
attack. In this extremity the Twelfth
Legion, composed entirely of Christian
soldiers, fell upon their knees; their
prayer was followed by copious rain and
by thunder storm which dispersed their
enemies. In commemoration of this
event the Emperor gave those soldiers
the name of the laundering Legion, and
at the same time, ceased to persecute the
Christians. This story, Notwithstanding
its many anachronisms and improbable.
ties, gained wide credence at the Begin
nlng of the third century, some 40 years
after the event, chiefly through the writ
lngs of Tertullian. Others, on the con-
trary, as, of course, Gibbon, have thrown
contempt on the whole of it. The truth.
however, seems to lie, as usual, in the
mean. The great difficulties of the story
are these: The Legio FuJnainata en-
loyed this title long before the reign of
Marcus Aurelius, from the days of Nero
even and therefore the story is so far
mistaken. Again, the Legio FuIoai,ata
was usually, as already stated, stationed
IN Cappadocia, from the campaigns OF
Vespasian and Titus, when it was dis
tinguished at the siege of Jerusalem,
down to the middle of the fifth century.
Here, however the testimony of our
Latin inscriptions can be adduced. In
an article in the Revue ArcheoZooique.
t. x. nouv. ser, page 3S6, NJ Francois
Lenormant, frequent contributor to
this ReaeaO, and one of the highest
archaeological authorities, has published
an inscription belonging to veteran, one
Marcus Celius, of the LAUNDERING Lee
glon. This was discovered outside the
gate of Patras in Greece, together with
another belonging to the Eleventh or
Claudian Legion, which also took part in
the same great barbarian war. Lenor-
mant justly regards this coincidence as a
complete proof of the cooperation of the
laundering Legion in the struggles with
the QUAD, which must have been life
and death one for the Empire. We NAV
say In explanation of the Christian legend
which will be found in Tertullian
e Apologet, C. 5, and "Ad Scapulam, :"
C. A. as also in Eusebius {" Hist. Eccles., :"
v: 5)-that it probably contained basis
OF truth. 1t is almost certain that le
glon encamped for century at least in
ASA Minor must have contained a LARGE
body of Christians These Christians
would certainly pray in their extremity
and would as certainly look upon the re-
lief granted as an answer to their PRAYER
On their return home they would report
1T as miraculous deliverance. and thus
the story may have become current in
Church, and particularly in North At
rlca, where monumental records have
been found testifying that this legion
had occasionally served in Egypt and
Syria. The title, too, FuIna51aata, by
which the legion was technically known,
accommodated itself to the legend. De-
vout Christians of any age, and espe-
call y in the third century did not make
close study of the Army List. The
technical name in Asia Minor for the
Twelfth Legion would be as unknown to
the faithful of Tertullian's time in Africa
as that of regiment Of Bombay Fusi-
leers or of Sikh Rifles to an ordinary
Christian dwelling in the Highlands of
Scotland or the moors of Yorkshire.
These Latin inscriptions, then, we con-
clude, clear up and confirm events and
narratives in Church history against
which the keenest shafts of an enven-
omed criticism have been hitherto dis
charged-Ihe Contemporary ReUielO.