nothing more about them than what would justify the judgement of God. Therefore, we have been moved to make mention not even of these tried by the persecution or of those who have made complete shipwreck of their salvation,2 and by their own will have been plunged into the depths of the flood, but we shall add to the general history only those which may be of profit first to us, and then to those who come after us.3 Let us proceed, therefore, at this point to describe briefly the sacred conflicts