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A20955
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Peter Du Moulin. His oration in the praise of divinitie Wherein is shevven that heathenish fables were first derived from holy Scripture. Transl. by J.M.
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Du Moulin, Pierre, 1568-1658.; J. M., fl. 1640.
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1640
(1640)
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STC 7334; ESTC S118650
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19,856
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134
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originall from the infancy of the world as being the Daughter of the ancient of Dayes and from her fathers bosome sent downe unto the Earth But if any contest in antiquity of bookes and letters the Greekes are reputed to be the Princes of all learning and Greece the mother of Arts and the most ancient ingrosser of wisedome But first of all Cadmus brought the letters into Greece out of Phoeniciae which is neere bordering on Iudea and anciently did vse the Hebrew idiome Which the Greeke Characters doe make manifest being not much vnlike to those amongst the ancient Samaritanes and the names and order of the Greeke alphabet but little differing from the Hebrew And also the name of Cadmus which signifieth a man of the East Homer the most ancient of the Greeke authors that is extant was after Moses sixe hundred and odde yeares Moses was five hundred and fifty yeares before David in whose age notwithstanding the Grecians did fetch both their food and the oracles of their God from the Oake and Walnut tree From whence juglans was as much as to say Iovis glans The first amongst the Greekes renowned for wisedome were the seaven Wise men But their age was in the time of Cyrus Cambyses and Darius which was the age of Zacharias and Aggai the latest of the Prophets We can also prove by sixe hundred examples that the Grecians were Schollers vnto the Hebrewes that they drew out of the Theologie of the Hebrewes whatsoever is contained in their Philosophers or their Poets coÌ„cerning divine things agreeable to the truth but these things are so corrupted by the craft of the Devill that to find out some small particles of Gold a whole heape of dung is to be remooved I. I will take my beginning froÌ„ those names of God which are attributed to him in Scripture In the old Testament the name of JEHOVA is most frequent and God calleth himselfe by this name Exod. 3.6 From this name it is evident-that the name of Iove amongst the Greoians was deduced There is extant in Ensebius his 10. booke of Evangelicall preparation a fragment of Porphyry a most cruell enemy vnto Christians citing a place of Sanchoniata Beritius a most ancient Author that writ before the time of the Trojan warres where hee sayes that hee received his Commentaries from Ierombaall a Priest of the GOD Iove which name is not much vnlike to the name JEHOVA And this Beritius was of Phoeniciae which is adjacent to Iudea Adde hereunto that Diodorus Siculus in the 1. booke of his Histor Library sayes that the God of Moses was called IAΩ II. But even God himselfe giveth himselfe this name I am or he who is as if in comparison with God other things had no being Which learning Plato following calleth God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 him that hath being Whose words are cited by Eusebius in the 11. of his Evangelicall Preparat Cap. 8. out of his bookes of the Lawes where Plato sets downe two things the one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which alwayes is never is made to wit God the other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which alwayes is made but never is to wit Time whose parts past are not that which is to come is not yet but that which is present is not time but a fleeting moment Wherupon Numenius a Pythagerean discourseth many things excellently in the same Eusebius Lib. 11. Cap. 10. III. In the Porch of the Temple at Delphos was inscribed in capitall letters of Gold this word El which with us is thou art with this title of praise would some wise man have God to be illustrated as if he alone had existence Vpon which word Plutarch hath written a Booke where amongst many other admirable things of Gods eternall immutability hee hath these words most remarkeable and divine God sayes he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Being one doth in one instant make compleat his Eternity Which words being drawne out of the secrets of more sublime Divinity Plurarch being a man most ignorant in divine things did not understand buthad culled some where else and inserted in his worke IV. The name of Adonai is also very frequent in the Scripture it signifies Lord which name I see to be used also by Greeke Authors for Father Liber the Sonne of Iupiter Belus who raigned very farre in the East is by Poets called Edoneus Hor. Carm. Lib. â— Non ego sanius bacchabor Edonis And in Euschius his 14. Booke of Evangelicall Preparat Cap. 14. Wee have Verses of Empedocles a most ancient Poet in which Edoneus is relaâ—ed to be one of the prime principles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. lupiter life bringing Iuno and Edoneus And the Paramouâ— of Venus of Syria who is called Astarte was named Adonis that is Lord. v. The Scripture sayes that the Devill being precipitated and excluded from heaven brought discord into the Earth This hath Homer described in most elegant verses which was first observed by Iustine Martyr in his exhortation to the Greekes There Homer relateth that Iupiter caught Ate that is the Goddesse of revenge and discord by the haire and cast her downe from Heaven withall swearing that it should be for ever interdicted for her to come thither againe Forthwith hee addeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. This said he her from the bright Heaven did throw And shee soone came into mens workes below VI. Iustine Martyr in his Exhortation to the Greekes and Eusebius in the 9. Booke of Preparation doe speake of an Oracle of Apollos who being demanded what men are truly wise made answere 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. The Hebrewes and Chaldeans are The men true wisedome doth adorne Who for their God doth serve and seare A King that of himselfe was borne VII But we will run over the most principall Chapters of the Mosaical History for we shall find some evident foot-steps thereof in the Bookes of the Heathen In the beginning sayes Moses God made the Heaven and the Earth and the Earth was without forme and void The Ceptuagint translate it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is invisible and without order This is that Chaos of Hefied of which Ovid speaketh much in the beginning of his Metamorphosis where he cals it a rude and indisposed masse c. VIII Moses goes forward and darknesse were upon the face of the deepe and God said Let there bee light This is the very selfe-same which Hesiod sayes in his Theogonia The first of all was Chaos and a little after 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Of Chaos Erebus and night were borne Of Night faire Æther and the beautious morne Hee could not more plainly say that darknes did over spread the earth and that darknesse was before light and that light was brought forth of darknesse IX The Creation of Man out of the clay or dust tempered with water was not unknowne to Heathens Hor. Carm. 1. bâ—oke 3 Ode Calleth the first
man Lutum princeps that is the first Clay Iuvenall in his 6 Satyr of the first men sayes that being composed of Clay they had no Parents from whence homo a man is ab humo from the Ground And the first men being borne of the Earth and transported no whether else were called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and aborigines that is â—hen borne and bred in the same Earth Hesiod in his workes sayes that Iupiter bade Vulcane 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 temper earth with water and give them a humane voice X. But the Creation of the woman out of a portion cut off from the body of the man Plato describeth about the end of his Banquet Hâ—e relateth that at the first a man had foure feet and so many armes but when by reason of his strength hee grew insolent towards God he cut him into two parts and of one man made two who had but two feet XI As for the Garden of the Hesperides so much famed in the Verses of Poets and the golden Apples therein and the Serpent keeper of the Apples they are plainly an imitation of the History of the Garden of Heden where the Apples were forbidden to man and the Serpent came unto Eve XII But that the Heathens had heard somwhat of the Sanctification of the Seventh day is made manifest out of Hesiod Who sayes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. The first new Moone and the fourth and seventh day were holy c. XIII And what was the estate and happinesse of man before the fall Plato doth copiously recite in his Polit. Then sayes he there were no ravenous Creatures God was then the pastor and keeper of men they lived by the fruits which the Earth brought forth of its owne accord naked and without houses did they live in the open Ayre and had conference with Beasts For Plato had heard spoken of the talke betweene Eve and the Serpent Neither is it doubtfull but that from thence were Æsops Fables derived where are brought in Beasts discoursing with men xiv That men fell from his estate of happinesse because hee gave trust unto the woman is expressed by Hesiod Relating that to the first man whom he calleth Epimetheus were given all good things in custody shut up in one great Vessâ—ll but that God gave to Epimetheus a Woman whom he called Pandora who by opening the vessell was the cause that all those blessings flew away unto Heaven Notwithstanding Hope remained in the mouth of the Vessell which hope what else is it but that promise which was made unto Adam concerning the seed which should bruise the head of the Serpent xv But when the tentation whereby Satan in the shape of a Serpent assailed Eve succeeded with him according to his intention the cursed Devill applauding himselfe for this mischiefe would be adored in the shape of a Serpent-In this figure was hee worshipped at Epidaurum from whence the same Religion was transported to Rome Read Aristophanes his Plutus Lucians Pseudomantis and Valerius Maximus Lib. 1. Cap. 8 § 2. O vid Metamorph. Lib. 15. Fab. 50. xvi Poets doe faine that the age of Iupiter succeded the golden age which past away under Saturne That this Iove was Cain whose dominions stretched farre upon the face of the earth and who was the first that built a City is gathered by many manifest tokens For this Cain brought trouble upon his Father and tooke his Sister to wife which is reported of Iupiter c. Virg. Æneid 1. Ast ego que divum But I who walke Queene of the Gods above And am both wife and Sister vnto Iove And whereas Poets say that Vulcane the inventer of Iron-workes was descended from Iupiter Moses affirmeth that Tuval-Cain was a Grand-child unto Cain the name not much difsering and the inventour of the Black-Smiths craft Which Vulcane they say made Thunderbolts for his Father Iupiter because Tuval-Cain made weapons for his father Cain wherby he became terrible to his enemies xvii Of the Floud there are wonderfull things reported among the Heathens not contrary to those things which are related in the sacred Scripture But that the Grecians doe confound that inundation in the time of King Deucalian which overflowed no parts but Thessaly with universall inundation which is called the Ogygian deluge Iosephus in the 1. Booke of Originals cap. 4. sayes that the place where the Arke setled is called by the Armenians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Mount and that in his time their could be shewen some reliques of the Arke In the same place hee citeth one Berosus a Chaldean avouching that some portions of this Vessell may bee seene on the Mountaine of the Cordyi in Armenia and that Travellers doe scrape from them a clammy bituminous substance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to divert from evills which may betide them In the same place he also citeth Ierome an Egyptian who writ Commentaries of the Antiquities of Phoenicia and Mnaseas and Nicholas Damascen who writ of the Deluge almost consonantly to the holy Scripture This Nicholas relateth in the ninety fixt booke of his Histories that there is above Minias a high Mountaine of Armenia which is called Baris into which many fled for feare of the floud and that one carryed in an Arke arrived to the very top of the Mountaine and that some reliques of the wood of the Arke are there still reserved and lastly that it is likely that this is the same man whom Moses the Law-giver of the Hebrewes doth speake of It is a thing remarkable that an Heathen man seateth Minias in Armenia for Ieremy also Cap. 51.5.7 Ioyneth Minu and Ararat as neare borderers xviii Yea and Abydenus who writ Medicinall treatises in Arabick makes mention of Birds which Seisitris so doth hee call Noah sent out of his Ark and received them again with hope of good successe when he observed the feete of one of them to bee dirty You have the place entire in Eusebius his 9. Booke of Evangelicall Preperation xix The same Author in the same Booke doth since Iosephus alleage many Testimonies of Heathens who have affirmed that men before the Deluge did live for the space of a thousand yeares xx And that two fac'd Ianus was none other but Noah is made evident by his name For Ianus is derived from Iaijn which among the Hebrewes doth signifie wine because hee was the inventor of Wine And he is painted with a double face one before and another behind because hee saw both Ages the one before and the other after the Flood xxi This Noah had a Sonne named Cham or Ham who obtained Egypt by lot and Africa where hee was worshipped for a God and hee is that God Hammon whose Temple and Oracle were in Lybia and he is painted with hornes by the same error that Moses is commonly painted with an horned forehead that is to say by reason of the ignorance of the Hebrew and Syriack idiom wherein the Beames of the Sunne are called hornes