Page:Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature (1911).djvu/935

 which is above all others. We have also Scripture and reason on our side; St. Paul rejoiced at the preaching of the gospel, and recognized it, though preached out of envy and strife. There is but one baptism; to reiterate it is sacrilege, and its efficacy depends, not on the administrators, but on the institution of Christ; whoever, then, has been once baptized in the name of Christ, even by heretics, has been validly baptized, and may not be baptized again." Cyprian's answer was: "As to your custom, however old, it is a corrupt one, and not primitive; no custom can be set against truth, to get at which we must go back to the original fountain. Scripture is really altogether against you; those at whose preaching of the gospel St. Paul rejoiced were not schismatics, but members of the church acting from unworthy motives; he rebaptized those baptized only unto St. John's baptism, without acknowledgment of the Holy Ghost; he and the other apostles regarded schism and heresy as cutting men off from Christ; the Catholic Church is one, `a closed garden, a fountain sealed'; outside it there is no grace, no salvation, consequently no baptism; people cannot confer grace if they have not got it; we do not reiterate baptism, for those whom we baptize have not previously been baptized at all; it is you that make two baptisms in allowing that of heretics as well as that of the church."

Stephen's martyrdom under Valerian is asserted in the Felician Catalogue, but not in the earlier Liberian Catalogue.

[J.B—Y.]

Stephanus (12), bp. of Ephesus at the time of the "Robber Synod" and the 4th council of Chalcedon. The 11th session of that council (Oct. 29, 451) was wholly occupied with investigating a complaint brought by Bassianus, formerly bp. of Ephesus, against Stephen, who was in advanced age, having been then 50 years one of the clergy of Ephesus. Bassianus had been expelled by violence from the see c. 448, and succeeded by Stephen. Both were deprived of the see by decree of the synod, but allowed a pension of 200 gold pieces (Mansi, t. vii. 271–294; Hefele's Councils, t. iii. p. 371, Clark's trans.). The name of Stephen of Ephesus is attached to a MS. collection of sermons in the Vienna imperial library (Lambecii, Comment. iii. 66; Fabric. Bib. Graec. xii. 183, ed. Harles).

[G.T.S.]

Stephanus (16) I., patriarch of Antioch 478–480 (Clinton, F. R. ii. 536, 553). Stephen having sent a synodic letter to Acacius bp. of Constantinople acquainting him with the circumstances of his consecration, Acacius convened a synod, 478, by which the whole transaction was confirmed. The partisans of Peter the Fuller accused Stephen to Zeno of Nestorian heresy, and demanded to have his soundness in the faith investigated by a synod. Zeno yielded, and a synod was called for the Syrian Laodicea (Labbe, iv. 1152 ). The charge was declared groundless (Theophan. 108). Stephen's enemies, rendered furious by defeat, made an onslaught on the church of St. Barlaam in which he was celebrating the Eucharist, dragged him from the altar, tortured him to death, and threw his body into the Orontes (Evagr. H. E. iii. 10; Niceph. H. E. xv. 88). The emperor, indignant at the murder of his nominee, despatched a military force to punish the Eutychian party, at whose instigation the crime had been committed (Simplicii Ep. xiv. ad Zenonem, Labbe, iv: 1033; Lib. Synod. ib. 1152). According to some authorities it was Stephen's successor, another Stephen, who was thus murdered. Valesius, Seb. Binius, Tillemont (Mém. xvi. 315) and Le Quien (Or. Christ. ii. 726) take the view given above.

[E.V.]

Stratonice, martyr at Cyzicum in Mysia with Seleucus her husband at the quinquennalia of Galerius during Diocletian's persecution. The wife of a leading magistrate of the town, she came to see a large number of Christians tortured. Their patience converted her and she converted her husband. Her father, Apollonius, after every effort to win her back to paganism had failed, became her most bitter accuser. Husband and wife were beheaded, and buried in one tomb over which Constantine built a church (Assemani, Acta Mart. Orient. t. ii. p. 65 ). The Acts offer many marks of authenticity. Cf. Le Blant, Actes des Martyrs; p. 224, etc.; ''AA. SS.'' Boll. Oct. xiii. pp 893–916; Ceill. ii. 481–483.

[G.T.S.]

Sylvia (Silvania), sister of Flavius Rufinus, consul in 392 and prefect of the East under Theodosius and Arcadius. A work written by her was discovered at Arezzo in 1885, bound up with an unpublished work of St. Hilary of Poictiers (de Mysteriis). It contained 2 hymns and an account of a journey in the East. M. Ch. Kohler gave an analysis of the text in ''Bibl. de l’Ecole des Chartres, and M. Gamurrini discussed its authorship in a paper before the Academy of Christian Archaeology at Rome (cf. Revue Critique'', May 25, 1885, p. 419). It has since been shown by M. Fératin that the pilgrim author is Etheria, a Spanish nun, mentioned by the monk Valerius (Migne, Patr. Lat. lxxxvii. 421). It has been generally quoted, however, as the Peregrinatio Silviae. It is of the highest interest from its account of the services at Jerusalem at the time (c. 385 ). Important extracts from it are given in Duchesne's Origines du Culte Chrétien, of which a good trans. by Mrs. McClure has been pub, by S.P.C.K. Cf. also F. Cabrol, Les Eglises de Jerusalem; la discipline et la liturgae au IVmé Siècle, Etude sur la Peregrinatio Salviae.

[G.T.S. AND H.W.]

Symmachus (2), author of the Greek version of O.T., which in Origen's Hexapla and Tetrapla occupied the column next after that of Aquila and before those of the LXX and Theodotion. Eusebius speaks of Symmachus as a heretical Christian, while Epiphanius represents him merely as passing from the Samaritan sect to Judaism. The account of Eusebius is confirmed (1) by the name "Symmachians," which, as we know from the Ambrosiaster (Prol. in Ep. ad Galat.) and from Augustine (cont. Cresc. i. 31; cont. Faust. xix. 4), was applied even in the 4th cent. to the Pharisaic or "Nazarean" Ebionites; (2) by the fact that Eusebius could refer to a work of Symmachus as extant, in which he maintained the Ebionite heresy in the shape of an attack on St. Matthew's Gospel. This work, according to Eusebius (H. E. vi. 17; Demonstr. Esang. vii. 1), was stated by Origen to have been obtained by him, together with