Page:Christianity in China, Tartary, and Thibet Volume I.djvu/99

87 APPOINTMENT OF CHRISTIAN BISHOPS. 87 scattering everywhere on his route the seed of the Gospel. This apostle had not the consolation of long- enjoying the fruit of his labours ; for, as he was return- ing towards Assyria to visit the Patriarch Timotheus, and recover himself a little in the society of his brethren, he was stopped on the road, and murdered by robbers. The patriarch appointed two persons, named Kardage and Jaballah, to be his successors, and added to them fifteen monks from the monastery of Beth-hobeh. Seven of these, namely Thomas, Zache, Sem, Ephraim, Simeon, Ananias, and David, were consecrated bishops. Some of them were sent to India, others to China, or Cathay, as people used to call it at that time. Soon after his arrival at the place of his mission, Jaballah wrote to the Patriarch Timotheus : — " By the help of your prayers, and of the grace of Christ, many nations have been converted to the true faith ; and it is important to place at their head, bishops chosen from amongst the monks who accompanied us to these countries." The Patriarch replied to him and his companions in the following manner (*) : — " It is true that the or- dination of one bishop absolutely requires the presence of three others ; but since you are at present in re- gions where it is not possible to collect this number, it is granted to you by the word of the Lord, which rales and governs all things, that you and Bishop Kar- dage shall consecrate the bishop whom you shall have chosen. To represent the third prelate, you will place Assemani, " Bibliotheca Or." vol. iii. p. 491. ; Mosheim, " Hist. Tart." p. 14. g 4
 * Thomas Margensis, in " Historia Monastica," lib. iv. ch. xx. ;