A story for every day...
A remarkable discussion between a bishop and a pagan philosopher.
When Constantine the Great entered Bysance, the philosophers went to him and complained that a new religion, Christianity, was being introduced. They asked the emperor to order a public conference between them and the bishop Alexander, to judge the truth of the religions in presence. The emperor consented, and Alexander prepared himself for this struggle. More accustomed to practicing virtue than to handling dialectic, he felt the difficulty of measuring himself with a troop of philosophers, whose discussion was the daily occupation. Nevertheless, he courageously went to the conference, where these philosophers successively took the floor. The bishop asked that they elect one of their number to speak for them. They chose the most able, and when he had come forward to deliver his speech, Alexander said to him, “In the name of Christ, be silent!” At these words the philosopher fell silent, as if stricken with apoplexy, without being able to utter a word. The discussion was over, and the miracle had proved the truth of Christianity.
– In the early days of the Church miracles were more frequent because they were necessary for the spread of Christianity. God is like a gardener who frequently waters young plants, and less often plants that already have deep roots.
– God works miracles mainly to prove the truth.
