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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A63641	Antiquitates christianæ, or, The history of the life and death of the holy Jesus as also the lives acts and martyrdoms of his Apostles : in two parts.	Taylor, Jeremy, 1613-1667.; Taylor, Jeremy, 1613-1667. Great exemplar of sanctity and holy life according to the christian institution.; Cave, William, 1637-1713. Antiquitates apostolicae, or, The lives , acts and martyrdoms of the holy apostles of our Saviour.; Cave, William, 1637-1713. Lives, acts and martydoms of the holy apostles of our Saviour.	1675 (1675)	Wing T287; ESTC R19304	1,245,097	752

Had we the Ancient Commentaries of Hegesippus Clemens Alexandrinus his Institutions Africanus his Chronography and some others the Reader might expect more intire and particular relations But alas these are long since perish'd and little besides the names of them transmitted to us Nor should we have had most of that little that is left us had not the commendable care and industry of Eusebius preserv'd it to us And if he complain'd in his time when those Writings were extant that towards the composing of his History he had only some few particular accounts here and there left by the Ancients of their times what cause have we to complain when even those little portions have been ravish'd from us So that he that would build a work of this nature must look upon himself as condemn'd to a kind of Egyptian Task to make Brick without Straw at least to pick it up where he can find it though after all it amounts to a very slender parcel Which as it greatly hinders the beauty and completeness of the structure so does it exceedingly multiply the labour and difficulty For by this means I have been forc'd to gather up those little fragments of Antiquity that lie dispers'd in the Writings of the Ancients thrown some into this corner and others into that which I have at length put together like the pieces of a broken Statue that it might have at least some kind of resemblance of the person whom it designs to represent HAD I thought good to have traded in idle and frivolous Authors Abdias Babylonius the Passions of Peter and Paul Joachim Perionius Peter de Natalibus and such like I might have presented the Reader with a larger not a better account But besides the averseness of my nature to falshoods and trifles especially in matters wherein the honour of the Christian Religion is concern'd I knew the World to be wiser at this time of day than to be imposed upon by Pious frauds and cheated with Ecclesiastical Romances and Legendary Reports For this reason I have more fully and particularly insisted upon the Lives of the two first Apostles so great a part of them being secur'd by an unquestionable Authority and have presented the larger portions of the Sacred History many times to very minute circumstances of action And I presume the wise and judicious Reader will not blame me for chusing rather to enlarge upon a story which I knew to be infallibly true than to treat him with those which there was cause enough to conclude to be certainly false THE Reader will easily discern that the Authors I make use of are not all of the same rank and size Some of them are Divinely inspir'd whose Authority is Sacred and their reports rendred not only credible but unquestionable by that infallible and unerring Spirit that presided over them Others such of whose faith and testimony especially in matters of fact there is no just cause to doubt I mean the genuine Writings of the Ancient Fathers or those which though unduly assign'd to this or that particular Father are yet generally allowed to be Ancient and their credit not to be despis'd because their proper Parent is not certainly known Next these come the Writers of the middle and later Ages of the Church who though below the former in point of credit have yet some particular advantages that recommend them to us Such I account Symeon Metaphrastes Nicephorus Callistus the Menaea and Menologies of the Greek Church c. wherein though we meet with many vain and improbable stories yet may we also rationally expect some real and substantial accounts of things especially seeing they had the advantage of many Ancient and Ecclesiastick Writings extant in their times which to us are utterly lost Though even these too I have never called in but in the want of more Ancient and Authentick Writers As for others if any passages occur either in themselves of doubtful and suspected credit or borrowed from spurious and uncertain Authors they are always introduced or dismissed with some kind of censure or remark that the most easie and credulous Reader may know what to trust to and not fear being secretly surpriz'd into a belief of doubtful and fabulous reports And now after all I am sufficiently sensible how lank and thin this Account is nor can the Reader be less satisfied with it than I am my self and I have only this piece of justice and charity to beg of him that he would suspend his censure till he has taken a little pains to enquire into the state of the Times and Things I Write of And then however he may challenge my prudence in undertaking it he will not I hope see reason to charge me with want of care and faithfulness in the pursuance of it THE CONTENTS THE Introduction The Life of S. Peter SECT I. Of S. Peter from his Birth till his first coming to Christ. Page 1. SECT II. Of S. Peter from his first coming to Christ till his being call'd to be a Disciple p. 6. SECT III. Of S. Peter from his Election to the Apostolate till the confession which he made of Christ. p. 8. SECT IV. Of S. Peter from the time of his Confession till our Lord's last Passeover p. 11. SECT V. Of S. Peter from the last Passeover till the Death of Christ. p. 15. SECT VI. Of S. Peter from Christ's Resurrection till his Ascension p. 19. SECT VII S. Peter's Acts from our Lord's Ascension till the dispersion of the Church p. 22. SECT VIII Of S. Peter's Acts from the dispersion of the Church at Jerusalem till his contest with S. Paul at Antioch p. 28. SECT IX Of S. Peter's Acts from the End of the Sacred story till his Martyrdom p. 33. SECT X. The Character of his Person and Temper and an account of his Writings p. 37. SECT XI An Enquiry into S. Peter's going to Rome p. 41. The Life of S. Paul SECT I. Of S. Paul from his Birth till his Conversion Pag. 45. SECT II. Of S. Paul from his Conversion till the Council at Jerusalem p. 50. SECT III. Of S. Paul from the time of the Synod at Jerusalem till his departure from Athens P. 55. SECT IV. Of S. Paul's Acts at Corinth and Ephesus p. 62. SECT V. S. Paul's Acts from his departure from Ephesus till his Arraignment before Felix p. 67. SECT VI. Of S. Paul from his first Trial before Felix till his coming to Rome p. 72. SECT VII S. Paul's Acts from his coming to Rome till his Martyrdom p. 76. SECT VIII The description of his Person and Temper together with an account of his Writings p. 82. SECT IX The principal Controversies that exercised the Church in his time p. 88. The Life of S. Andrew P. 99. The Life of S. James the Great P. 105. The Life of S. John P. 113. The Life of S. Philip. P. 123. The Life of S. Bartholomew P. 127. The Life of S. Matthew P. 131. The Life of S.

Rome and being put into a Caldron of boiling Oil by the command of Domitian His banishment into Patmos Transportation what kind of punishment Capitis Diminutio what His writing the Apocalypse there The tradition of his hand wherewith he wrote it being still kept there His return to Ephesus and governing the affairs of that Province His great Age and Death The fancy of his being still alive whence derived by the Ancients The Tradition of his going alive into his Grave and sleeping there Several counterfeits pretending themselves to be S. John His Celibacy whether he was ever married His humility His admirable love and charity and hearty recommending it to the last His charity to mens Souls His endangering himself to reclaim 〈◊〉 debauched young man His singular vigilancy against Hereticks and Seducers His publick disowning Cerinthus his company Cerinthus who and what his principles The Heresie of Ebion what Nicolaitans who whence their Original An account of Nicolas the Deacon's separating from his Wife The vile principles and practises of his pretended followers S. John's writings His Revelation Dionysius Alexandrinus his judgment concerning it and its Author Asserted and proved to be S. John's The ground of doubting what His Gospel when and where written The solemn 〈◊〉 and causes moving him to undertake it The subject of it sublime and mysterious Admired and cited by Heathen Philosophers It s Translation into Hebrew His first Epistle and the design of it His two other Epistles to whom written and why not admitted of old His 〈◊〉 and way of writing considered The great Encomium given of his writings by the ancient Fathers 1. SAINT John was a Galilean the Son of Zebedee and Salome younger Brother to S. James together with whom he was brought up in the Trade of Fishing S. 〈◊〉 makes him remarkable upon the account of his Nobility whereby he became acquainted with the High-Priest and resolutely ventured himself amongst the Jews at our Saviour's Trial prevailed to introduce Peter into the Hall was the only Apostle that attended our Lord at his Crucifixion and afterwards durst own his Mother and keep her at his own house But the nobility of his Family and especially that it should be such as to procure him so much respect from persons of the highest rank and quality seems not reconcileable with the meanness of his Father's Trade and the privacy of his fortunes And for his acquaintance with the High-Priest I should rather put it upon some other account especially if it be true what Nicephorus relates That he had lately sold his Estate left him by his Father in Galilee to Annas the High-Priest and had therewith purchased a fair house at Jerusalem about Mount Sion whence he became acquainted with him Before his coming to Christ he seems for some time to have been Disciple to John the Baptist being probably that other disciple that was with Andrew when they left the Baptist to follow our Saviour so particularly does he relate all circumstances of that transaction though modestly as in other parts of his Gospel concealing his own name He was at the same time with his Brother called by our Lord both to the Discipleship and Apostolate by far the youngest of all the Apostles as the Ancients generally affirm and his great Age seems to evince living near LXX years after our Saviour's suffering 2. THERE is not much said concerning him in the 〈◊〉 story more than what is recorded of him in conjunction with his Brother James which we have already remarked in his life He was peculiarly dear to his Lord and Master being the Disciple whom Jesus loved that is treated with more freedom and familiarity than the rest And indeed he was not only one of the Three whom our Saviour made partakers of the private passages of his life but had some instances of a more particular kindness and favour conferred upon him Witness his lying in our Saviour's bosom at the Paschal Supper it being the custom of those times to lie along at meals upon Couches so that the second lay with his head in the bosom of him that was before him this honourable place was not given to any of the Aged but reserved for our Apostle Nay when Peter was desirous to know which of them our Saviour meant when he told them that one of them should betray him and durst not himself propound the question he made use of S. John whose familiarity with him might best warrant such an enquiry to ask our Lord who thereupon made them understand 't was Judas whom he designed by the Traitor This favour our Apostle endeavoured in some measure to answer by returns of particular kindness and constancy to our Saviour staying with him when the rest deserted him Indeed upon our Lord's first apprehension he fled after the other Apostles it not being without some probabilities of reason that the Ancients conceive him to have been that young man that followed after Christ having a linen cloath cast about his naked body whom when the Officers laid hold upon he left the linen cloath and fled naked from them This in all likelihood was that garment that he had cast about him at Supper for they had peculiar Vestments for that purpose and being extremely affected with the Treason and our Lord 's approaching Passion had forgot to put on his other garments but followed him into the Garden in the same habit wherewith he arose from the Table it being then night and so less liable to be taken notice of either by himself or others But though he 〈◊〉 at present to avoid that sudden violence that was offered to him yet he soon recovered himself and returned back to seek his Master confidently entred into the High-Priests Hall and followed our Lord through the several passages of his Trial and at last waited upon him and for any thing we know was the only Apostle that did so at his Execution owning him as well as being own'd by him in the midst of arms and guards and in the thickest crowds of his most inveterate enemies Here it was that our Lord by his last Will and Testament made upon the Cross appointed him Guardian of his own Mother the Blessed Virgin When he saw his Mother and the Disciple standing by whom he loved he said unto his Mother Woman behold thy Son see here is one that shall supply my place and be to thee instead of a Son to love and honour thee to provide and take care for thee and to the Disciple he said Behold thy Mother Her whom thou shalt henceforth deal with treat and observe with that duty and honourable regard which the relation of an indulgent Mother challenges from a pious and obedient Son whereupon he took her into his own House her Husband Joseph being some time since dead and made her a principal part of his charge and care And certainly the Holy Jesus could not have given a more honourable testimony of his

that as oft as he heard him he seemed to hear not words but thunder that in all his citations he made use of the most prudent artifices using simple words and which seemed to carry nothing but plainness along with them but which way soever a Man turned breathed force and thunder He seems intangled in his cause but catches all that comes near him turns his back as if intending to fly when 't is only that he may overcome 9. SAINT Peter long since observed that in Paul's Epistles there were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some things hard to be understood which surely is not altogether owing to the profoundness of his sence and the mysteriousness of the subject that he treats of but in some degree to his manner of expression his frequent Hebraisms common to him with all the Holy Writers of the New Testament his peculiar forms and ways of speech his often inserting Jewish Opinions and yet but tacitly touching them his using 〈◊〉 words in a new and uncommon sence but above all his frequent and abrupt transitions suddainly starting aside from one thing to another whereby his Reader is left at a loss not knowing which way to follow him not a little contributing to the perplex'd obscurity os his discourses Irenaeus took notice of old that S. Paul makes frequent use of these Hyperbata by reason of the swiftness of his arguings and the great fervour and impetus that was in him leaving many times the designed srame and texture of his discourse not bringing in what should have immediately connected the sence and order till some distance after which indeed to Men of a more nice and delicate temper and who will not give themselves leave patiently to trace out his reasonings must needs create some obscurity Origen and S. Hierom sometimes observe that besides this he uses many of his Native phrases of the Cilician dialect which being in a great measure forraign and exotick to the ordinary Greek introduces a kind of strangeness into his discourse and renders it less intelligible Epiphanius tells us that by these methods he acted like a skilful Archer hitting the mark before his adversaries were aware of it by words misplaced making the frame of his discourse seem obscure and intangled while in it self it was not only most true but elaborate and not difficult to be understood that to careless and trifling Readers it might sometimes seem dissonant and incoherent but to them that are diligent and will take their reason along with them it would appear full of truth and to be disposed with great care and order 10. AS for the order of these Epistles we have already given a particular account of the times when and the places whence they were written That which is here considerable is the Order according to which they are disposed in the sacred Canon Certain it is that they are not plac'd according to the just order of time wherein they were written the two Epistles to the Thessalonians being on all hands agreed to have been first written though set almost last in order Most probable therefore it is that they were plac'd according to the dignity of those to whom they were sent the reason why those to whole Churches have the precedency of those to particular persons and among those to Churches that to the Romans had the first place and rank assigned to it because of the majesty of the Imperial City and the eminency and honourable respect which that Church derived thence and whether the same reason do not hold in others though I will not positively assert yet I think none will over-confidently deny The last enquiry concerns the subscriptions added to the end of these Epistles which were they authentick would determine some doubts concerning the time and place of their writing But alas they are of no just value and authority not the same in all Copies different in the Syriac and Arabic Versions nay wholly wanting in some ancient Greek Copies of the New Testament and were doubtless at first added at best upon probable conjectures When at any time they truly represent the place whence or the Person by whom the Epistle was sent 't is not that they are to be relied upon in it but because the thing is either intimated or expressed in the body of the Epistle I shall add no more but this observation that S. Paul was wont to subscribe every Epistle with his own hand which is my token in every Epistle so I write Which was done says one of the Ancients to prevent impostures that his Epistles might not be interpolated and corrupted and that if any vented Epistles under his name the cheat might be discovered by the Apostles own hand not being to them And this brings me to the last consideration that shall conclude this Chapter 11. THAT there were some even in the most early Ages of Christianity who took upon them for what ends I stand not now to enquire to write Books and publish them under the name of some Apostle is notoriously known to any though but never so little conversant in Church-Antiquities Herein S. Paul had his part and share several supposititious Writings being fathered and thrust upon him We find a Gospel ascribed by some of the Ancients to him which surely arose from no other cause than that in some of his Epistles he makes mention of my Gospel Which as S. Hierom observes can be meant of no other than the Gospel of S. Luke his constant Attendant and from whom he chiefly derived his intelligence If he wrote another Epistle to the Corinthians precedent to those two extant at this Day as he seems to imply in a passage in his first Epistle I have wrote unto you in an Epistle not to keep company c. a passage not conveniently appliable to any part either in that or the other Epistle nay a Verse or two after the first Epistle is directly opposed to it all that can be said in the case is that it long since perished the Divine providence not seeing it necessary to be preserved for the service of the Church Frequent mention there is also of an Epistle of his to the Laodiceans grounded upon a mistaken passage in the Epistle to the Colossians but besides that the Apostle does not there speak of an Epistle written to the Laodiceans but of one from them Tertullian tells us that by the Epistle to the Laodiceans is meant that to the Ephesians and that Marcion the Heretick was the first that changed the title and therefore in his enumeration of S. Paul's Epistles he omits that to the 〈◊〉 for no other reason doubtless but that according to Marcion's opinion he had reckoned it up under the title of that to the Laodiceans Which yet is more clear if we consider that Epiphanius citing a place quoted by Marcion out of the Epistle to the Laodiceans it is in the very same words found