Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	authority_n	divine_a	tradition_n	2,703	5	9.2704	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A38749	The history of the church from our Lords incarnation, to the twelth year of the Emperour Maricius Tiberius, or the Year of Christ 594 / as it was written in Greek, by Eusebius Pamphilius ..., Socrates Scholasticus, and Evagrius Scholasticus ... ; made English from that edition of these historians, which Valesius published at Paris in the years 1659, 1668, and 1673 ; also, The life of Constantine in four books, written by Eusibius Pamphilus, with Constantine's Oration to the convention of the saints, and Eusebius's Speech in praise of Constantine, spoken at his tricennalia ; Valesius's annotations on these authors, are done into English, and set at their proper places in the margin, as likewise a translation of his account of their lives and writings ; with two index's, the one, of the principal matters that occur in the text, the other, of those contained in the notes.; Ecclesiastical history. English	Eusebius, of Caesarea, Bishop of Caesarea, ca. 260-ca. 340.; Socrates, Scholasticus, ca. 379-ca. 440. Ecclesiastical history. English.; Evagrius, Scholasticus, b. 536? Ecclesiastical history. English.; Eusebius, of Caesarea, Bishop of Caesarea, ca. 260-ca. 340. Life of Constantine. English.	1683 (1683)	Wing E3423; ESTC R6591	2,940,401	764

Episcopal Office to Linus of whom Paul has made mention in his Epistles to Timotheus Anencletus succeeded him after whom in the third place from the Apostles Clemens had the Bishoprick allotted to him who had seen the blessed Apostles and was conversant with them and as yet he had the preaching of the Apostles sounding in his ears and their tradition before his eyes and not he alone for at that time there were many yet remaining alive who had been taught by the Apostles In the times of this Clemens when no small dissension rose among the brethren at Corinth the Church of Rome sent a most compleat and agreeable Epistle to the Corinthians joyning them together in peace and renewing their faith and the tradition they had lately received from the Apostles And after some few words he says Evarestus succeeded this Clemens and Alexander Evarestus then Xystus was constituted the sixth from the Apostles after him Telesphorus who suffered a glorious Martyrdom after him Hyginus then Pius after Pius Anicetus Soter having succeeded Anicetus Eleutherus is now in possession of the Episcopal Office in the twelfth place from the Apostles In this same order and succession both the tradition of the Apostles in the Church and also the promulgation of the truth is descended unto us CHAP. VII That even to those times miracles were wrought by the faithfull ALl this being agreeable to what we have delivered in the foregoing Books of our History Irenaeus has given his assent to in those five books of his which he entitled The Confutation and Overthrow of Knowledge falsly so called in the second book of which Subject he does in these words manifest that even in his days there remained in some Churches examples of the divine and wonderfull power of God in working miracles saying So far are they from raising the dead as the Lord and the Apostles did by prayer And frequently amongst the brotherhood the whole Church of one place having with much fasting and prayer requested the soul of the defunct has returned into his body and the man has had the benefit of life conferred upon him by the prayers of the Saints And again after the interposition of some words he says But if they say that the Lord wrought such miracles as these in appearance only not really we will bring them to the oracles of the Prophets and from thence demonstrate that all things were thus predicted concerning him and most undoubtedly done by him and that he onely is the Son of God Therefore they which are his true disciples receiving grace from him doe in his name perform all things for the benefit of the rest of mankind according as every one of them hath received the gift from him For some of them do certainly and truely cast out devils in so much that those very persons who were cleansed from evil spirits frequently become believers and continue in the Church Others have the fore-knowledge of things future and visions and utter prophetick predictions Others by the imposition of their hands heal the sick and restore them to their former soundness and moreover as we said the dead also have been raised who continued with us many years after What shall we say more We cannot declare the number of the gifts which the Church throughout the whole world having received from God in the name of Jesus Christ who was crucified under Pontius Pilate does daily perform for the benefit of the Nations She uses no deceit towards any person neither does she sell her gifts for as she has freely received them from God so she freely ministers them to others And in another place the same Authour writes thus In like manner as we have heard many brethren in the Church who had prophetick gifts and by the Spirit spoke all sorts of languages who also revealed the secrets of men in such cases as 't was profitable and necessary and explained the mysteries of God And thus much concerning this matter to wit that diversities of gifts continued with such as were worthy untill those times before manifested CHAP. VIII After what manner Irenaeus makes mention of the divine Scriptures BUt because in the beginning of this work of ours we promised that we would produce in due place the words of the ancient Ecclesiastick Presbyters and Writers wherein they have delivered in writing the traditions concerning the books of the Old and New Testament which came to their hands of which number Irenaeus was one Come on we will here adjoyn his words and first what he has said of the sacred Gospels after this manner Matthew published his Gospel among the Hebrews written in their own Language whilest Peter and Paul were Preaching the Gospel at Rome and founding the Church After their death Mark the disciple and interpreter of Peter delivered to us in writing what Peter had Preached Luke also the follower of Paul compiled in a book the Gospel Preach't by him Afterwards John the disciple of the Lord he that leaned on his breast publisht a Gospel when he lived at Ephesus a City of Asia Thus much the forementioned Authour has said in the third book of the foresaid work And in his fifth book he discourses thus concerning the Revelation of John and the number of Antichrist's name These things being thus and this number being extant in all accurate and antient copies and those very persons who saw John face to face attesting the truth of these things even reason doth teach us that the number of the beasts name according to the computation of the Grecians is made apparent by the letters contained in it And after some other passages he speaks thus concerning the same John We therefore will not run the hazard of affirming any thing too positively concerning the name of Antichrist for if his name were to have been openly declared in this age it would have been express't by him who saw the Revelation For it was not seen long since but almost in our age about the end of Domitian's Reign Thus much is related by the foresaid Authour concerning the Revelation He mentions also the first Epistle of John and produces many authorites out of it as also out of the second Epistle of Peter He not onely knew but also approved of the book called Pastor saying Truly therefore hath that book said which contains this Before all things believe that there is one God who created and set in order all things and so forth He quotes some words out of the Wisedom of Solomon saying in a manner thus The vision of God procures incorruption and incorruption makes us neer unto God He makes mention also of the sayings of an Apostolick Presbyter whose name he has concealed and annexes his expositions of the divine Scriptures Moreover he makes mention of Justin Martyr and Ignatius quoting also authorities out of their writings The same person has promised to confute Marcion in a separate Volume by arguments pickt out of his own writings And concerning the translation of the divinely inspired Scriptures hear

the sincere authority of the divine Scriptures are most remote from the faith Hence 't is that they have impudently laid their hands upon the divine Scriptures saying they ought to be corrected he that is desirous may be informed that I speak not this falsely of them For would any one examine the Copies which they have gotten together and compare them one with another he would find that they disagreed very much For the Copies of Asclepiadotus agree not with those of Theodotus Many such Copies as these may be procured because their disciples have with much labour and curiosity written the corrections as they call them that is the corruptions of every one of their Masters Again the Copies of Hermophilus agree not with these now mentioned and those of Apollonides differ one from another For he that shall compare them will find that those Copies first put forth by him doe very much disagree from his other Copies which he did afterwards again wrest and deform How much of audaciousness there is in this wicked fact 't is probable they themselves are not ignorant for either they doe not believe the divine Scriptures to have been dictated by the holy Spirit and then they are Infidels or else they account themselves wiser then the holy Ghost and what are they then but mad-men For they cannot deny this audacious fact to have been done by their own selves because the Copies have been written out by their own hands Neither did they receive such Copies as these from those who were their instructours nor yet can they shew the Copies out of which they transcribed these things But some of them have not indeed vouchsafed to adulterate the Scriptures but having wholly rejected both the Law and the Prophets by a Lawless and Atheistical doctrine under a pretext of Grace they are fallen into the deepest pit of destruction And let thus much be after this manner related concerning these things THE SIXTH BOOK OF THE Ecclesiastical History OF EUSEBIUS PAMPHILUS CHAP. I. Concerning the Persecution under Severus MOreover when Severus stirr'd up Persecution against the Churches in every place throughout all the Churches noble Martyrdoms were perform'd by the Champions of Religion but the number of the Martyrs at Alexandria far exceeded the rest the choicest of the Champions having been conveyed thither out of all Egypt and Thebaïs as to the noblest stadium of God who in reward of their most patient suffering divers sorts of Torments and several ways of death were encircled with crowns from God amongst whom Leonides said to be the father of Origen was beheaded and left his son very young And here 't will not be unseasonable briefly to relate what zeal and affection he bore to the Gospel from this time of his childhood and for this reason especially because his fame is much celebrated by all men CHAP. II. Concerning Origens virtuous course of life from a Child NOw should any one undertake accurately and at his leisure to commit to writing this man's life he must say much and a strict collection of all passages concerning him would require even a particular Subject but our aim at present is to abbreviate most things and in short and as well as we can we will give an account of some few passages concerning him relating what things have been manifested by some Epistles or by the discourse of those his Scholars who were alive till our times The passages concerning Origen as one would say even from his Cradle seem to me worth remembrance Severus therefore being in the tenth year of his Reign and Laetus being Governour of Alexandria and the rest of Aegypt Demetrius also having lately taken upon him the Episcopal Office over the Churches there after Julianus when the flame of Persecution now raged grievously and many thousands were Crown'd with Martyrdom such a desire of Martyrdom possess'd the soul of Origen being yet very young that he would expose himself to dangers and was very ready and willing to rush forward and leap into the combate so that now he was not far from death had not the Divine and Celestial providence for the good of many hindred and restrained his willingness to die by his mothers meanes First therefore she intreated him like a Suppliant and beseech't him to take pitty of her motherly love but when she saw him more intent upon his purpose and when he understood his father was apprehended and imprison'd he was wholly possess'd with a desire of Martyrdom wherefore she hid all his cloathes and by this meanes necessitated him to abide at home but he seeing he had no way left the alacrity of his mind surmounting the ripeness of his years could not be at rest but compos'd a most perswasive Epistle concerning Martyrdom and sends it to his father in which he thus exhorts him word for word saying Father take heed let not your care for us make you change your resolution Let this be noted as the first token of Origen's acuteness of wit from his childhood and of his most sincere zeal for Religion For he had already got no small stock of knowledge in the doctrine of the faith continuing whilst he was yet a child to exercise himself in searching the holy Scriptures about which he was not a little laborious his father having taken great care both in instructing him in the Liberal Sciences and also in these not slightly wherefore he always perswaded him to exercise himself in the study of holy things rather than in the Learning of the Greeks enjoyning it him as a daily task to learn something by heart out of Scripture and repeat it nor was the child unwilling or slack in the performance but most cheerfully laboured in these things so that the simple and common readings of the sacred Scriptures could not satisfie him but he would search after something more and even from that time busily enquired into the more profound meanings thereof Insomuch that he troubled his father by asking him what was the true meaning of such a sentence of Scripture inspir'd by God He seemingly before his face reprov'd him admonishing him not to search into any thing above the capacity of his years nor to enquire any further then the plain meaning of Scripture But he privately with himself rejoyc'd exceedingly and gave the greatest thanks to God the Authour of all good that he youchsaf'd to make him the father of such a child and 't is reported he has often stood by the child as he slept and laying his breast bare would kiss it with reverence as if the sacred Spirit of God had been inshrin'd in it and accounted himself blessed for his happy off-spring These and such like they record were the passages concerning Origen in his childhood But when his father was now crowned with Martyrdom he is left desolate together with his mother and younger brothers six in number being no more then seventeen years of age Moreover his

Asclepiades succeeded in the Bishoprick of the Church of Antiochia And he also was famous for his confessions in the time of Persecution Alexander also makes mention of his consecration writing thus to the Antiochians Alexander the servant and prisoner of Jesus Christ sendeth greeting in the Lord to the Blessed Church of the Antiochians The Lord made my bonds easie and light in the time of my imprisonment when I heard that by divine providence Asclepiades a man most fit by reason of the worthiness of his faith was intrusted with the care over the holy Church of the Antiochians he signifies that he sent this Epistle by Clemens writing on this manner at the End I have sent these letters to you my Lords and Brethren by Clemens a blessed Presbyter a virtuous and approved person whom ye have known and shall know better who while he was here by the providence and care of God confirmed and increas'd the Church of the Lord. CHAP. XII Concerning Serapion and his Books that are extant 'T Is likely that other monuments of Serapion's studiousness and learning are preserv'd amongst other men but those writings onely came to our hands which he wrote to one Domninus a man who in the time of Persecution fell from the faith in Christ to the Jewish superstition And what he wrote to Pontius and Caricus Ecclesiastical men and other Epistles to other persons Another book also was compos'd by him concerning that Book Intituled The Gospel according to Peter which Book he wrote to confute the Errours in that for some mens sakes in the Church of Rhosse who taking an occasion from the foresaid Gospel inclin'd to Heterodox doctrines Out of which Book 't will not be unfit to set down some few words in which he sets forth the opinion he had concerning that Book writing thus For we my brethren doe admit of Peter and the other Apostles as of Christ himself but like wise men we reject those writings which are forg'd in their names knowing that we have receiv'd no such Books For I when I came to you thought all of you had adhered to the Right faith And when I read not the Gospel which was offer'd me that bears Peters name I said if this be the onely thing which seems to breed this dejected spirit in you let it be read But now understanding from what has been told me that their minds were covered with some Heresie I will make haste to come to you again wherefore brethren expect me suddenly But we Brethren have found out what heresie Marcianus was of for he contradicted himself not understanding what he said which you shall understand by some things which have been written to you For we have been able to borrow this very Gospel of some who have been continually exercised in it that is of some of their successours who preceded Marcianus whom we call Doceti for many of Marcianus's Tenets are derived from their doctrines and read it and we find indeed many things agreeable to the true doctrine of Christ but some things that are particularly to be excepted against and avoided which also we have here subjoyned upon your account And thus much concerning Serapion's Books CHAP. XIII Concerning the writings of Clemens CLemens his Stromata's which are in all eight books are extant amongst us which books he thus intituled The variegated contexture of discourses of Titus Flavius Clemens concerning all things which appertain to the knowledge of the true Philosophy of the same number with these are his books intitul'd Institutions in which he by name mentions Pantaenus as being his Master and he writes down his opinions he had receiv'd concerning the scope of Scripture and explains his traditions he has also an Hortatory discourse to the Gentiles And three books Intitl'd the Tutor And another book of his with this title What Rich man can be sav'd And a book concerning Easter Disputations also concerning the Fasting And concerning detraction And an exhortation to patience to those who were newly baptiz'd And a book intitl'd the Ecclesiastick Canon or against those who Judaized which book he dedicated to Alexander the fore-mention'd Bishop Moreover in his Stromata he does not onely compose miscellaneous discourses out of the holy Writings but he also mentions some things out of the Gentile Writers if any thing seems profitable which was spoken by them he also explains various opinions which occur in several books both of the Greeks and Barbarians He moreover consutes the false opinions of the Arch-hereticks He laies open much of History affording us large subject-matter of several sorts of learning Amongst all these he intermixes the Philosophers Opinions Hence he fitly made the Title Stromata answerable to the subject of the book In the same book he produces authorities out of those Scriptures which are not allow'd of as Canonical out of that which is call'd The Wisdom of Solomon and out of the book of Jesus the son of Sirac And out of The Epistle to the Hebrews And out of the Epistles of Barnabas Clemens and Jude He also makes mention of Tatianus's book against the Grecians and of Cassianus who also made a Chronographie Moreover he mentions Philo Aristobulus Josephus Demetrius and Eupolemus Jewish Writers who all have prov'd by their writings that MOSES and the Originals of the Jewish Nation are ancienter then any thing of antiquity amongst the Grecians And this mans books afore-mention'd are stuff'd with very much excellent learning of several kinds In the first of these books he saies concerning himself that he was born next to the first successours of the Apostles He promises also in them that he would write Commentaries upon Genesis And in his book concerning Easter he confesses he was constrained by his friends to commit to writing for the benefit of posterity those traditions which he had heard from his Ancestours In that same book also is mention'd Melito Irenaeus and some others whose explications he sets down CHAP. XIV What Writings Clemens has mentioned THat I may speak briefly in his Institutions he makes short explications of all the written word of God not omitting those Scriptures whose authority is questioned by some I mean the Epistle of Jude and the other Catholick Epistles and that of Barnabas and that which is said to be the Revelation of Peter And The Epistle to the Hebrews which he affirms to be Paul's but was written to the Hebrews in the Hebrew tongue which when Luke had with much care and pains translated he publisht it for the use of the Grecians Wherefore we may find the stile of the translation of this Epistle and Of the Acts of the Apostles to be the same But 't was for a very good reason that this Title Paul the Apostle was not set before it for he saies he writing to the Hebrews who were possest with a prejudice against and a suspicion of him

Light By whom all things in the heavens and in earth visible and invisible were made Who is the Word the Wisedom the Power the Life and the true Light Who in the last daies was for our sakes made man and was born of the holy Virgin He was crucified and died and was buried and rose again from the dead on the third day and ascended into heaven and sitteth at the right hand of the Father He shall come at the end of the world to judge the quick and the dead and shall render to every man according to his works Whose Kingdom being perpetual shall continue unto infinite ages For he sitteth at the right hand of the Father not only in this present world but in that also which is 〈◊〉 come We believe likewise in the holy Ghost that is in the Paraclete Whom Christ having promised to the Apostles after his ascent into heaven he sent him That he might teach them and bring all things to their remembrance By whom also those souls that sincerely believe in him are sanctified But those who assert that the Son existed of things which are not or of another substance and not of God and that there was a time or age when he was not the holy Catholick Church hath determined to be aliens from it In like manner also those that affirm there are three Gods or that Christ is not God before all ages or that he is not Christ or the Son of God or that the same Person is the Father Son and holy Ghost or that the Son is not begotten or that the Father begat not the Son of his own will and pleasure these persons the Holy and Catholick Church Anathematizes For neither is it safe to assert that the Son existed of things which are not in regard this is no where declared concerning him in the divinely inspired Scriptures Nor have we learned that he had his essence from any other pre-existing substance besides the Father but that he was truly and genuinely begotten of the Father only For the divine Word teacheth that there is one unbegotten principle which is without beginning to wit the Father of Christ. Nor must they who without authority of Scripture doe dangerously assert this proposition there was a time when he was not preconceive in their minds then any foregoing interval of time but God only who begat him without time For both times and ages were made by him Nor must it be thought that the Son is without an original or unbegotten as the Father is For no Father or Son can properly be said to be co-inoriginate and counbegotten But we have determined that the Father being alone without an original and incomprehensible hath incomprehensibly and in a manner to all men imperceptible begotten but that the Son was begotten before ages and that he is not unbegotten like the Father but hath a beginning to wit the Father who begat him For the head of Christ is God Nor although we acknowledge three things and persons to wit of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Ghost according to the Scriptures do we therefore make three Gods For we know that there is one only God perfect of himself unbegotten inoriginate and invisible that is the God and Father of the only begotten who of himself only hath his own existence and who only does abundantly and freely give existence to all other things But although we do assert that there is one God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who only is unbegotten we do not therefore deny Christ to be God before ages as the Followers of Paul of Samosata do who affirm that after his incarnation he was by a promotion deified whereas by nature he was a meer man For we know that he although he hath been made subject unto the Father and unto God yet nevertheless was begotten of God and is by nature true and perfect God and was not afterwards made God of man but was for our sakes made man of God and that he hath never ceased to be God Moreover we abominate and anathematize those who falsely stile him the bare and meer word of God and affirm that he has no real existence but hath his Essence in another one while terming him as it were that word called by some The Word outwardly uttered by the mouth at another as it were the mental or internal Word being of opinion that before ages he was not Christ nor the Son of God nor the Mediatour nor the Image of God but that he was made Christ and the Son of God from such time as he took our flesh from the Virgin four hundred years agoe For from that time they assert Christ to have had the beginning of his Kingdom and that it shall have an end after the consummation and the judgment Such manner of persons as these are the followers of Marcellus and Photinus the Ancyro-Galatians who reject the eternal existence and deity of Christ and his endless Kingdom in like manner as do the Jews upon a pretence of seeming to constitute a monarchy For we understand him to be not barely The word of God outwardly uttered by the mouth or his mental or internal Word but the Living God the Word and subsisting of himself and the Son of God and Christ who existed with his Father and was conversant with him before ages not by fore-knowledge only and ministred unto him at the Creation of all things whether visible or invisible but is the Word of God really subsisting and is God of God For it is he to whom the Father said Let us make man in our image after our likeness who in his own Person appeared to the Fathers gave the Law and spake by the Prophets and being at last made man he manifested his Father to all men and reigns unto perpetual ages For Christ hath attained no new dignity but we believe him to have been perfect from the beginning and in all things like unto his Father We also deservedly expel out of the Church those who affirm that the Father Son and holy Ghost are the same Person impiously supposing the three names to mean one and the same Thing and Person because by an incarnation they make the incomprehensible and impassible Father subject to be comprehended and to suffer Of which sort of Hereticks are those termed amongst the Romans Patropassians but amongst us they are called Sabellians For we know that the Father who sent continued in the proper nature of his own immutable Deity but the Son who was sent fulfilled the Oeconomie of his incarnation In like manner we determine those to be persons most impious and strangers to truth who irreligiously assert that Christ was begotten not by the will and pleasure of the Father to wit attributing to God an unwilling and involuntary necessity as if he had begotten the Son by constraint because they have

find that Nero was the first who with the Imperial sword raged against this Sect then greatly flourishing at Rome But we even boast of such a beginner of our persecution For he that knows him may understand that nothing but some great Good was condemned by Nero. Thus therefore this man being proclaimed the first and chiefest enemie of God set upon slaughtering the Apostles Wherefore they relate that in his time Paul was beheaded at Rome and also Peter crucified And the name of Peter and Paul unto this present time remaining upon the Burial-places there doth confirm the story In like manner even an Ecclesiastical man by name Caius who flourisht in the time of Zephyrinus Bishop of Rome and wrote against Proclus a great defender of the opinion of the Cataphrygians says these very words concerning the places where the sacred bodies of the aforesaid Apostles were deposited I am able to shew the Trophies of the Apostles For if you would go to the Vatican or to the way Ostia you will find the Trophies of those who founded this Church And that they both suffered Martyrdome at the same time Dionysius Bishop of Corinth writing to the Romans doth thus affirm So also you by this your so great an admonition have joyned together the plantation both of the Romans and also of the Corinthians made by Peter and Paul For both of them coming also to our City of Corinth and having planted us did in like manner instruct us Likewise they went both together into Italy and having taught there suffered Martyrdome at the same time And thus much I have related that the History hereof might be yet farther confirmed CHAP. XXVI How the Jews were vexed with innumerable mischiefs and how at last they entred upon a war against the Romans MOreover Josephus discoursing at large about the calamities that happened to the whole Jewish nation makes it manifest in express words amongst many other things that a great number of the most eminent personages amongst the Jews having been cruelly beaten with scourges were crucified even in Jerusalem by the command of Florus For it happened that he was Procuratour of Judea when the war at first broke out in the twelfth year of Nero's Reign Afterwards he says that after the revolt of the Jews there followed great and grievous disturbances throughout all Syria those of the Jewish nation being by the inhabitants of every City every where destroyed as enemies without all commiseration In so much that a man might see the Cities filled with dead bodies that lay unburied and the aged together with the infants cast forth dead and women not having so much as any covering upon those parts which nature commands to be concealed and the whole Province was full of unspeakable calamities But the dread of what was threatned was greater and more grievous than the mischiefs every where perpetrated Thus much Josephus relates word for word And such was the posture of the Jews affairs at that time THE THIRD BOOK OF THE Ecclesiastical History OF EUSEBIUS PAMPHILUS CHAP. I. In what parts of the world the Apostles Preached Christ. NOW the affairs of the Jews being in this posture the holy Apostles and disciples of our Saviour being dispersed over the whole world Preached the Gospel And Thomas as Tradition hath it had Parthia allotted to him Andreas had Scythia John Asia where after he had spent much time he died at Ephesus Peter 't is probable Preached to the Jews scattered throughout Pontus and Galatia and Bithynia Cappadocia and Asia Who at last coming to Rome was crucified with his head downwards for so he desired to suffer It is needless to say any thing of Paul who having fully Preached the Gospel of Christ from Jerusalem unto Illyricum at last suffered Martyrdome at Rome in the time of Nero. Thus much Origen declares word for word in the Third Tome of his Expositions on Genesis CHAP. II. Who First Presided over the Roman Church AFter the Martyrdome of Paul and Peter Linus was the First that was elected to the Bishoprick of the Roman Church Paul writing from Rome to Timothy makes mention of him in the salutation at the end of the Epistle saying Eubulus gr●●teth thee and Pudens and Linus and Claudia CHAP. III. Concerning the Epistles of the Apostles INdeed one Epistle of Peter's called his First hath by general consent been received as genuine For that the worthy Antients in former ages quoted in their writings as being unquestionable and undoubted But as for that called his Second Epistle we have been informed by the tradition of our Predecessours that it was not acknowledged as part of the New Testament Yet because to many it seemed usefull 't was diligently read together with the other Scriptures But the Book called his Acts and the Gospel that goes under his Name and that Book termed his Preaching and that stiled his Revelution we know these have in no wise been accounted genuine writings because no Ecclesiastical Writer either antient or modern hath quoted any authorities or proofs taken out of them But in the procedure of our History we will make it our chief business to shew together with the successions what Ecclesiastical writers in every Age have used the authority of such writings as are questioned as spurious likewise what they say of those Scriptures that are Canonical and by general consent acknowledged as genuine and also what concerning those that are not such And thus many are the writings ascribed to Peter of which I have known onely one Epistle accounted to be genuine and universally acknowledged as such by the Antients But of Pauls there are fourteen Epistles manifestly known and undoubted Yet it is not fit we should be ignorant that some have rejected that to the Hebrews saying it is by the Roman Church denied to be Pauls Now what the Antients have said concerning this Epistle I will in due place propose But as for those Acts that are called his we have been informed from our Predecessours that they are not accounted as unquestionable and undoubted And whereas the same Apostle in his Salutations at the end of his Epistle to the Romans makes mention among others of one Hermas who they sa●● is Authour of that Book entitled Pastor you must know that that Treatise also has been questioned by some upon whose account it must not be placed amongst those which by general consent are acknowledged as genuine But by others it has been judged a most usefull Book especially for such as are to be instructed in the first rudiments of Religion Whereupon we know it is at this time publickly read in Churches and I do find that some of the most Antient writers doe quote it Let thus much be spoken in order to a representation of the Holy Scriptures to discriminate those Books whose authority is in no wise contradicted from those that by general consent are not acknowledged as genuine

And thus much now concerning these things But at a more opportune season we will endeavour to manifest by a quotation of the Antient writers what has been said by others concerning this very matter Among the writings of John besides his Gospel also the former of his Epistles hath without controversie been admitted as genuine both by those men that are modern and also by the Antients The two other writings of his are questioned The opinion concerning his Revelation is even at this time on both sides much controverted among many But this controversie also shall at a seasonable opportunity be discussed by the authority of the Antients CHAP. XXV Concerning those Divine writings which are without controversie acknowledged and of those which are not such BUt it will in this place be seasonable summarily to reckon up those books of the New Testament which have been before mentioned In the first place therefore is to be ranked the four sacred Gospels next to which follows the book of the Acts of the Apostles after that are to be reckoned the Epistles of Paul after which follows that which is called the first Epistle of John and in like manner the Epistle of Peter is to be admitted as authentick Then is to be placed if you think good the Revelation of John the opinions concerning which I will in due place declare And these are the books that with general consent are acknowledged Among those which are questioned as doubtfull which yet are approved and mentioned by many is that which is called the Epistle of James and that of Jude also the second Epistle of Peter and those called the second and third Epistles of John whether they were written by the Evangelist or another of the same name with him Amongst the Spurious works let there be ranked both the work intituled the Acts of Paul and the book called Pastor and the Revelation of Peter and moreover that which is called the Epistle of Barnabas and that named the Doctrines of the Apostles and moreover as I said the Revelation of John if you think good which some as I have said doe reject but others allow of and admit among those books that are received as unquestionable and undoubted And among these some doe now number the Gospel according to the Hebrews with which those of the Hebrews that have embraced the faith of Christ are chiefly delighted All these books may be questioned as doubtfull And I thought it requisite to make a Catalogue of these also that we may discriminate those Scriptures that according to Ecclesiastical tradition are true and unforged and with general consent received as undoubted from those other books which are not such nor incorporated into the New Testament but are questioned as doubtfull which yet have been acknowledged and allowed of by many Ecclesiastical persons and further that we may know these very books and those other that have been put forth by Hereticks under the name of the Apostles containing as well the supposed Gospels of Peter Thomas and Matthias and of some others besides them as also the supposed Acts of Andrew and John and other of the Apostles Of which books no Ecclesiastical writer even from the Apostles times hitherto hath in any of his works voutsafed to make the least mention But moreover also the manner of the phrase and the stile wherein they are written are much different from the Apostolick natural propriety and innate simplicity and the meaning and drift of those things delivered in these books being mightily dissonant from Orthodoxal truth doth manifestly evince that they are the forgeries of Heretical men Upon which account they are not to be ranked amongst the Spurious writings but altogether to be rejected as wholly absurd and impious But we will now proceed to what follows of our History CHAP. XXVI Of Menander the Impostour MEnander succeeding Simon Magus shewed himself to be as to his disposition and manners a second Dart of Diabolical force no whit inferiour to the former He also was a Samaritan and arriving to no less height of imposture than his master abounded much more in greater and more monstrous illusions For he said that he himself was a Saviour sent from above for the salvation of men from invisible ages and he taught that no man could otherwise overcome the Angels the makers of this world unless he were first instituted in the Magical knowledge delivered by him and initiated in the baptism by him imparted Of which baptism those that were adjudged worthy they he affirmed would be partakers of a perpetual immortality in this very life they should be no longer subject to death but continuing in this present life should be always young and immortal And indeed its easie to know all this from the books of Ireneus And Justinus in like manner having made mention of Simon adds also a narration of this man saying And we knew one Menander a Samaritan also of the village Caparattae a disciple of Simons who being moved by the fury of devils and coming to Antioch seduced many by Magical art who also perswaded his followers that they should not die and at this time there are some of his Sect that profess the same Wherefore it was the device of the Diabolical power by such Impostours going under the name of Christians to endeavour to calumniate by Magick the great Mystery of Godliness and by them to expose to reproach the Ecclesiastical opinions concerning the immortality of the Soul and the Resurrection of the dead But those who joyned themselves to such Saviours as followers of them were frustrated of the true hope CHAP. XXVII Of the Heresie of the Ebionites THe malicious devil being unable to remove others from the love of the Christ of God finding that they might some other way be surprized he made them his own These the Antients fitly termed Ebionites in that they had a poor and low opinion of Christ. For they accounted him an ordinary man and nothing more than a man justified onely for his proficiency in virtue and begotten by Mary's accompanying with her husband and they asserted that an observance of the Law was altogether necessary for them supposing they could not be saved onely by faith in Christ and a life agreeable thereto But others among them being of the same name have eschewed the monstrous absurdity of the forecited opinions denying not that the Lord was begotten of the Virgin by the Holy Ghost but notwithstanding these in like manner also not confessing that he existed before all things as being God the Word and the Wisdome of the Father are lead into the same impiety with the former especially in that they make it their business to maintain and observe the bodily worship of the Law They also think that all the Epistles of the Apostle Paul ought to be rejected calling him an Apostate from the Law They made use of onely the Gospel called the Gospel according to the

in the great City Rome was most notorious for the sin of buggering boys and above all men most addicted to covetousness and he who exhorted all men to despise death did so mightily dread it himself that he made it his business to procure Justin to be put to death as judging that to be the worst of evils because he Preacht the truth and manifestly proved that the Philosophers were gluttons and deceivers And this indeed was the true cause of Justins Martyrdom CHAP. XVII Concerning those Martyrs whom Justin makes mention of in his Apology THe same Justin before his own Martyrdom does in his first Apology make mention of some others who suffered as Martyrs before him which words of his because they are accommodate to our Subject I will here recite He writes thus A certain woman had an husband who led a lascivious and libidinous course of li●e she her self also had formerly been addicted to lightness and a dishonest behaviour but after she had been acquainted with the doctrine of Christ she became modest and chast and made it her business to perswade her husband to live in like manner continently and chastly advertizing him of the Christian precepts and declaring to him the future punishment in eternal flames prepared for such as lead an obscene and disorderly course of life But he persevering in his wonted lasciviousness by such his doings alienated his wife's affection from him For the woman at last judged it a wicked thing for her to cohabit with an husband who wholly practised all manner of lustfull courses contrary to the law of nature and disagreeable to justice and honesty and therefore she resolved to be divorced from him But the woman was obedient to the instructions of her friends who advised her to continue married a while longer in expectation that her husband would in future alter his mind and ere long lead a more regular course of life so she constrained her self and continued with him But after this her husband having made a journey to Alexandria was discovered to have committed more notorious acts of lewdness the woman therefore fearing that by her continuing married to him and by her being his confort at bed and board she should be partaker of his wickednesses and impieties sent him that which we call a bill of divorce and departed from him But this excellent fellow her husband who ought to have rejoyced because his wife who formerly had committed lewdness with servants and mercenary fellows and took delight in drunkenness and all manner of vice did now both desist from those wicked doings and also desired him to leave them off which because he would not doe she was divor●'t from him drew up an accusation against her and said she was a Christian. And she presented a Libell to thee O Emperour wherein she requested liberty might be allowed her first to set in order her domestick affairs after which settlement she promised to put in an answer to her accusation And You granted the womans Petitions But her heretofore husband being within that space unable to say any thing against her set upon one Ptolemaeus whom Urbicius put to death who had been the womans instructour in the Christian Religion after this manner he perswaded a Centurion who was his friend to apprehend Ptolemaeus and having put him in bonds to ask him this one question whether he were a Christian And Ptolemaeus being a lover of truth and no deceitfull person nor falsifier of his own judgment confessing that he was a Christian the Centurion caused him to be bound in fetters and afflicted him with a long imprisonment At length when the man was brought before Urbicius he was again asked this one question whether he were a Christian And he assuredly knowing that he should obtain glory and happiness by the doctrine of Christ again made profession of that divine and virtuous institution For he that denies himself to be a Christian declines the confession of that Religion either because he is a disallower as well as a denier of it or in regard he knows himself to be unworthy of and estranged from its Rules and Precepts neither of which can happen to him that is a true Christian. When therefore Urbicius had given command that Ptolemaeus should be led away to be put to death one Lucius who also was a Christian considering the injustice of the sentence that was pronounc't spake thus to Urbicius what reason is there that thou shouldst have condemned this man who is neither adulterer nor fornicatour nor murderer nor thief nor robber and who is not in any wise convicted of any other wicked fact but onely owns and acknowledges the appellation of a Christian Such judiciary proceedings as these O Urbicius are misbecoming both Pius the Emperour and the son of Caesar the Philosopher and also the sacred Senate But Urbicius made Lucius no other answer onely said thus to him you also seem to me to be such an one and when Lucius had said that he was Urbicius again gave command that he also should be led away to be put to death Lucius acknowledged himself much oblieged to him for I shall be delivered said he from such wicked masters and goe to a gracious God who is my Father and King And a third stepping forth was also condemned to undergoe the same punishment After this Justin does pertinently and agreeably induce those words which we quoted before saying And I also my self doe expect to be treacherously betrayed by some one of those called Philosophers and so forth CHAP. XVIII What books of Justin's are come to our hands THis person has left us many monuments of his learned and most accomplisht understanding and also of his sedulous deligence about divine matters full of variety of profit to which we will remit such as are lovers of learning after we have usefully remark't such of them as are come to our knowledge The first therefore of his books is his supplication to Antoninus surnamed Pius and his sons and to the Roman Senate in behalf of our Religion the second contains another Apology for our faith which he presented to Verus who was successour to and bore the same name with the foresaid Emperour Antoninus whose times we are now giving an account of There is also another book of his against the Gentiles wherein he treats at large both of many questions that are usually disputed both amongst us and the Gentile Philosophers and also declares his opinion concerning the nature of Spirits which 't is of no importance for us here to insert And further there is another work of his against the Gentiles come to our hands which he entitled A confutation and besides these another concerning the Monarchy of God which he confirms not onely by the Authority of the sacred Scriptures but also from the testimonies of the Writers amongst the Gentiles Moreover he wrote another book the title whereof is Psaltes and another

Stromata which are ten in Number in that City in the Reign of Alexander as his Annotations written with his own hand and prefixt before those books do manifest CHAP. XXV After what manner Origen has mentioned the Books of the Old and New Testament BUt in his Explication of the first Psalm he has exhibited a Catalogue of the holy Scriptures of the Old Testament writing on this manner word for word We must understand that as the Hebrew Traditions say there are twenty two bookes of the Old Testament just so many in number as they have letters A little after he adds saying These are the twenty two books according to the Hebrews That which we give the Title of Genesis to is by the Hebrews from the beginning of the book entitl'd Bresith that is in the beginning Exodus Vellesmoth that is these are the names Leviticus Vaicra that is and he hath called Numbers the Hebrews call Hammisphecodim Deuteronomie Helle-haddabarim that is these are the words Jesus the Son of Nave in Hebrew Jehosue Ben Nun. Judges Ruth are by them comprehended in one book and call'd Sophetim The first and second of Kings among them one book termed Samuel that is called of God The third and fourth of Kings amongst the Hebrews one book call'd Vammelech David that is the Kingdom of David The first and second book of Chronicles in one Volume call'd Dibre Hajamim that is The words of Days Esdras the first and second book by them made one book call'd Esra that is A helper The book of Psalms Sepher Tehillim in Hebrew Solomon's Proverbs in Hebrew Mis●oth Ecclesiastes Coheleth The Song of Songs Sir H●sirim Esaias Iesa●a Hierimas with his Lamentations and his Epistle all in one book call'd Jermia Daniel The Hebrews also call Daniel Ezechiel Jeezchel Job Job Ester Ester also among the Hebrews Besides these there are but not of their number the Maccabees which are intitl'd Sarbet Surbane-el These Origen has set forth in the aforesaid work But in the first book of his Comments upon Matthew's Gospel observing the Canon of the Church he attests there are onely four Gospels in these words As I have understood by Tradition there are four Gospels which and onely which are to be allow'd without contradiction by the Church of God under heaven As for the first 't was written by one Matthew formerly a Publican but afterwards an Apostle of Jesus Christ he publisht it being written in Hebrew for the sake of those Jews who believ'd The second is Mark 's Gospel who wrote it as Peter expounded to him whom also he confesses to be his Son in his Catholick Epistle and in these words The Church which is at Babylon elected together with you saluteth you and so doth Marcus my Son And the third is the Gospel according to Luke which is commended by Paul he wrote it for the sake of the Heathens Lastly S t John's Gospel And the same Writer in the fifth book of his Expositions upon John has these words concerning the Apostle's Epistles Paul being made a fit Minister of the New Testament not in the Letter but in the Spirit he who fully Preacht the Gospel from Jerusalem round about to Illyricum wrote not to all those Churches which he taught But to those to whom he wrote he sent Epistles that contained but a few verses But Peter on whom the Church of Christ was builded against which the gates of hell shall not prevail left but one Epistle which is acknowledg'd to be his But let us grant that the second is his too for it is question'd whether it be his or not But what must we say of John he who lay in Christ's bosome He left behind him but one Gospel though he professes he could have written so many books as the world could not have contain'd He also wrote the Revelation being commanded to be silent and not to write the voices of the Seven Thunders He also left to posterity a very short Epistle But let us grant that the second and third were his for all men do not allow them to be genuine both of them doe not contain above an hundred verses Besides he discourses thus concerning the Epistle to the Hebrews in his Homilies upon that Epistle For the stile of that Writing entitled The Epistle to the Hebrews has nothing of that plain homeliness of the Apostle Paul who confesses himself to be unlearn'd in his speech that is in his manner of Expression But this Epistle as to the composition of the stile favours much of the Grecian eloquence this every one will confess who knowes how to judge of Stiles which are different Again the sentences of this Epistle are admirable and nothing inferiour to those books which are acknowleg'd to be Apostolick And this every one will assent to as true who gives attention to the reading of the Apostles writings After the interposition of some words Origen addes these saying This is my Opinion that the sentences are the sentences of an Apostle but the Phrase and Composition is some ones else who committed to writing the words of the Apostle and as it were illustrated with Explications the words of his Master If any Church therefore accounts this to be Paul's Epistle let it be commended even for so doing for the Antients did not inconsiderately declare it to be Paul's Epistle But God alone truely knows who wrote this Epistle But of those written records which are come to our hands some ascribe the writing of this Epistle to Clemens who was Bishop of Rome others to Luke who wrote the Gospel and the Acts. But thus far concerning this CHAP. XXVI How Heraclas succeeded in the Bishoprick of Alexandria IT was now the Tenth year of the Reign of the afore-mention'd Emperour Alexander in which Origen departed from Alexandria to Caesarea and left the care of his Catechetick School to Heraclas and not long after dy'd Demetrius the Bishop of the Church of Alexandria having continu'd in that Office fourty three years compleat Heraclas succeeded him At this time Firmilianus Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia was very famous CHAP. XXVII How the Bishops had him in admiration HE had so great an esteem for Origen that he both invited him into the Countries of his Province for the good of the Churches and also at another time went into Judaea to visit him and to stay some time with him to improve himself in the knowledge of Divine matters Besides Alexander Bishop of Jerusalem and Theoctistus Bishop of Caesarea at all times as one may say were attentive to him as if he had been their Master and permitted onely him to expound the holy Scriptures and to perform all other things appertaining to Ecclesiastick doctrine CHAP. XXVIII Concerning the Persecution under Maximinus MOreover Maximinus Caesar succeeded Alexander the Roman Emperour after he had Reign'd thirteen years He because of his hatred to

Atheists and irreligious persons even these men are now acknowledged by this very Tyrant to profess Religion and are permitted to rebuild their Oratories nay further the Tyrant himself does acknowledge and attest that they ought to be partakers of some Rights and Priviledges Moreover when he made this publick acknowledgment as if he had hereby obtained some favour for this very reason his sufferings were less calamitous than he deserved they should be for being smitten by God with a sudden stroak he died in the second Engagement that happened in that War But he ended his life not like those Martial Generals who after they had often demeaned themselves gallantly in the field in defence of their honour and their friends happened couragiously to undergo a glorious death But he like an impious person and a Rebel against his Creatour whilst his Army stood in the field drawn up in Battalia staying at home and hiding himself suffered a condign punishment being smitten by God with a sudden blow over his body For being tortured with grievous and most acute paines he fell upon his face on the ground and was destroyed by want of food all his flesh being melted away by an invisible fire sent upon him from heaven In so much that when his flesh was wholly w●sted away the entire shape and figure of his former beauty quite disappeared his parched bones which lookt like a skeleton that had been long dried being all that was left of him So that those about him judged his body to be nothing else but the grave of his soul buried in a body already dead and wholly putrified And when the violent heat of his distemper scorched him with a greater vehemency even to the very marrow of his bones his eyes leaped out of his head and having deserted their proper station left him blind After all this he yet drew his breath and having given thanks and made his Confession to the Lord he called for Death At last acknowledging these his sufferings due for his contempt and presumption against Christ he gave up the Ghost CHAP. XI Concerning the final Destruction of the Enemies of Religion MAximin therefore being thus taken out of the world who was the only Enemy of Religion that hitherto surviv'd and declared himself the worst of them all the Churches by the grace of God Almighty were rebuilt and raised from the very foundation and the Gospel of Christ darting forth its beams of light to the great glory of the all-ruling Deity enjoyed greater liberty than it formerly had But the wicked and the Enemies of Religion were clouded with the highest disgrace and greatest shame immaginable For first of all Maximin himself was proclaimed by the Emperours a publick Enemy and was termed in the publick Edicts which were fixed upon Pillars a most impious detestable Tyrant superlatively odious to God Also the Pictures which were placed in every City in honour of him and his children were some of them broke in pieces and thrown down from on high to the very ground and others were defaced having their visages blackned with dark colours In like manner all the Statues which had been erected in honour of him were also thrown down broken in pieces and exposed as subjects of derision and scorn to all those that would abuse and insult over them After this the other Enemies of Religion were divested of all their dignities Moreover all Maximin's party more especially those whom he had preferred to places of the greatest power in the Provinces within his Empire who to flatter him had been insolently abusive towards our Religion were put to death One of this number was Picentius a person that was a great favourite of his highly esteemed by him and his dearest intimado whom he created Consul a second and a third time and also made him Prefect and Rationalist Another was one Culcianus who had born all Offices of dignity in the Magistracy and in the Government of Provinces he also was famous for his innumerable Massacres of the Christians in Aegypt There were a great many more beside these by whose endeavours most especially the barbarous Tyranny of Maximin was maintained and extended Further Divine vengeance required justice to be executed upon Theotecnus being in no wise forgetful of his practises against the Christians For he was look's upon as a deserving and successful person upon account of his consecration of the Image at Antioch and besides the Emperour Maximin conferred on him the Presidency of a Province But when Licinius came to Antioch and was resolved to make inquisition for the Impostours amongst others he tortured the Priests and Prophets of the New contrived Image enquiring of them how they palliated and put a mask upon their Imposture when they could no longer conceal the truth being by their tortures compelled to disclose it they declared that the imposture of the whole Mystery was compos'd by the cunning of Theotecnus when therefore Licinius had inflicted condign punishment on them all he gave order that Theotecnus himself should first be executed and afterwards the rest of his Associates that were conscious to and accomplices in the Cheat having first suffered innumerable tortures To all these were added Maximin's Sons whom he had now made Colleagues with himself in the Empire and partakers of the Pictures and Inscriptions dedicated to his honour In fine all the Tyrants relations who but just before had made their proud boasts and insolently exercised authority over all men most ignominiously underwent the same sufferings with those persons forementioned for they received not instruction nor did they know or understand this seasonable admonition uttered in the holy Scriptures O put not your trust in Princes nor in the children of men for there is no health in them The breath of man shall go forth and he shall return again to his earth in that day shall all their thoughts perish Thus therefore the impious being like filth wiped away from off the earth the Empire which by right belonged only to Constantine and Licinius continued firm and unobnoxious to Envy These persons after they had first of all cleansed the world from all impiety being sensible of those great benefits they had received from God did sufficiently demonstrate their love of vertue and of the Deity their piety and gratitude towards God by the Laws they made in favour of the Christians The End of the Ninth Book of the Ecclesiastical History THE TENTH BOOK OF THE Ecclesiastical History OF EUSEBIUS PAMPHILUS CHAP. I. Concerning the Peace which was procured by God for us THerefore glory be to God the Almighty and supream King for all things and manifold thanks to the Saviour and Redeemer of our souls Jesus Christ through whom we pray that we may have always preserved to us a firm and inviolable peace both from outward troubles and also from all internal molestations of mind Having by the assistance of your prayers added this tenth book

he effected divers ways and by his means Christianity enjoyed a profound and secure Peace But an intestine War amongst the Christians themselves succeeded this so firm a Peace What manner of War this was and how it began in the sequel according to my ability I will relate CHAP. V. Concerning Arius's Contest with Alexander the Bishop AFter Peter Bishop of Alexandria who suffer'd Martyrdom in the Reign of Diocletian Achillas succeeded in that See After Achillas succeeded Alexander in the time of the forementioned Peace He living in times that were more calm and secure adorned and set his Church in order Discoursing one day in the presence of his Presbyters and the rest of his Clergy too curiously concerning the mystery of the holy Trinity he asserted this point of divinity that there was an Unity in the Trinity But Arius one of the presbyters placed under Alexander a man of no mean skill in the faculty of reasoning supposing that the Bishop design'd to introduce the opinion of Sabellius the Libyan desirous to be perverse and contentious deflected to an opinion that was diametrically opposite to that of Subellius and as he thought sharply and nimbly opposed the Bishop's assertions arguing thus If the Father begot the Son he that was begotten hath a beginning of his existence And from hence it is apparent that there was a time when the Son was not Whence this is a necessary consequence that he derives his existence from nothing CHAP. VI. How from this contention there arose a division in the Church and how Alexander Bishop of Alexandria deposed Arius and his Complices ARius having drawn this Conclusion from these new assertions excited many to that question and from this small spark was kindled a great fire For the mischief having been begun in the Church of Alexandria overran all Aegypt Libya and the upper Thebaïs and at length consumed the rest of the Cities and provinces Many there were that did patronize Arius's opinion but more especially Eusebius was a maintainer of it not that Eusebius who was Bishop of Caesarea but another who formerly had been Bishop of the Church of Berytus but was then surreptitiously crept into the Bishoprick of Nicomedia in Bithynia Alexander hearing and seeing what was done became highly enraged and having convened a Council of many Bishops he degraded Arius and those that embraced his Opinion and wrote to the Bishops of every City as followeth The Letter of Alexander Bishop of Alexandria To Our well Beloved and Dearest Fellow-Ministers of the Catholick Church in all places Alexander wisheth health in the Lord. Whereas there is one body of the Catholick Church and 't is commanded in the holy Scriptures that we keep the bond of Peace and Concord it is requisite that we should Write and inform one another of what things are done amongst us to the end that if one member suffer or rejoyce we may either joyntly rejoyce or suffer together In our Diocess therefore there are lately started up men that are impious and enemies of Christ who teach such Apostacy as any one may judge and justly term the fore-runner of Antichrist And this I would most gladly have buried in silence that the mischief might have been consumed by being included amongst the Apostates only least haply by its further progress into other places it should have infected the ears of the simple But because Eusebius now Bishop of Nicomedia supposing that the affairs of the Church are wholly at his dispose in regard having deserted the Church of Berytus he has sordidly coveted that of Nicomedia and has not been prosecuted by any does Patronize even these Apostates and has boldly attempted to write Letters up and down in commendation of them that thereby he might seduce some ignorant persons into this worst and most displeasing Heresie to Christ I thought it therefore necessary being sensible of what is written in the Law to be no longer silent but to give you all notice that you might know those that are the Apostates and likewise the detestable expressions of their heresie and that if Eusebius write to you you should give no heed to him For he at this time desirous to renew his Pristine Malevolence which seemed to have been silenced and forgot by length of time pretends indeed to write Letters on their behalf but in reality he declares that he uses his utmost diligence to do this upon his own account Now these are the names of those which are turn'd Apostates Arius Achillas Aithales Carpones another Arius Sarmates Euzoïus Lucius Julianus Menas Helladius and Gaius Secundus also and Theönas who were sometimes stiled Bishops And these are their Tenets which they have invented and do assert contrary to the authority of Scripture God they say was not always a Father but there was a time when God was not a Father The word of God was not from everlasting but had his beginning from nothing For God who is made him who was not of nothing Therefore there was a time when he was not for the Son is a Creature and a Work neither is he like to the Father as to his Essence nor is he by nature the genuine Word of the Father nor his true Wisdom But he is one of his Works and one of his Creatures and is only improperly stiled the Word and the Wisedom for he himself exists by the proper Word of God and by the Wisedom that is in God by which God made all things and him also Wherefore he is by nature mutable and subject to change as well as all other rational beings So that the Word is different disagreeable and separate from the Essence of God and the Father cannot be declared or set forth by the Son and is invisible to him For the Son does not perfectly and accurately know the Father neither can he perfectly behold him for the Son knows not his own Essence what it is For our sakes he was made that God might make use of him as an instrument in order to our Creation nor had he ever existed had it not pleas'd God to Create us And when one asked them if the Word of God could be changed as the Devil was they were not afraid to answer yes certainly he may for he is of a Nature subject to change in that he is begotten and created We therefore with the Bishops of Aegypt and Libya neer a hundred in number being met together have anathematized Arius for these his Principles and for his impudent assertion of them together with all his adherents But Eusebius has given them entertainment endeavouring to mix falshood with truth and impiety with piety but he shall not prevail For truth getteth the victory and light has no communion with darkness nor hath Christ any agreement with ●elial For who ever heard the like or what man if he should now hear them would not be amazed thereat and stop his ears least the filth of this

commendation of Johannes on account of his Letter WHen Paulus Bishop of Emisa was arrived at Alexandria and had made a discourse which is still extant in the Church concerning this matter At which time also Cyrillus having highly commended Johannes's Letter wrote word for word thus Let the heavens rejoyce and the earth be glad For the partition wall is demolished that which caused grief and sadness is ceased and the occasion of all manner of dissention is taken away in regard Christ the Saviour of us all has restored peace to his own Churches and the most Religious Emperours and most dear to God have invited us thereto Who having been the most incomparable Emulators of their Ancestours piety do preserve the true Faith firm and unshaken in their own minds and they take an exquisite care of the Holy Churches to the end they may obtain both a far-spread and immortall Glory and also render their Empire most highly renowned To whom even the Lord of Hosts himself distributes good things with a plentifull hand gives them power to vanquish their adversaries and freely bestows Victory on them For he cannot lie who has said As I live saith the Lord I will glorifie them who Glorifie me When therefore My Lord and most Religious Brother and Fellow-Minister Paulus was come to Alexandria we were filled with joy and that most deservedly in regard so great a person was come to be an Intercessour and was willing to undergo Labours above humane strength that he might vanquish the Envy of the Devil unite divisions and by removing offences on both sides crown both Our and Your Churches with Concord and Peace And after the interposition of some words he Adds Moreover that this dissention of the Church was altogether frivolous and inexcusable we have been now fully satisfied since my Lord the most Religious Bishop Paulus has brought a paper which containes an irreprehensible confession of Faith and has affirmed that it was written by Your Sanctity and by the most Religious Bishops there Now the confession runs thus and 't is inserted in the very same words into this our Epistle But concerning Theotocos and so forth When We had read these Your sacred words and perceived that We Our Selves embraced the same Sentiments For there is one Lord one Faith one Baptism We glorified the Saviour of all men rejoycing mutually because as well your as our Churches do profess a Faith which is agreeable both to the divinely inspired Scriptures and also to the Tradition of our Holy Fathers These things may be known by him who is desirous of having an accurate account of those affairs transacted at that time CHAP. VII What the impious Nestorius writes concerning his own sufferings and how his tongue having at last been eaten out with worms he ended his life at Oasis BUt after what manner Nestorius was banished or what befell him after that or in what manner he departed out of this life and what rewards he received on account of his Blasphemy these particulars have not been related by the Writers of History All which had been forgotten and had been wholly lost and swallowed by length of time nor had been so much as heard of had not I accidentally met with a book of Nestorius's which contains a Narrative of these things This Father of Blasphemy therefore Nestorius who has not raised his building on that foundation which was laid but hath built his house on the sand and therefore it has soon faln down according to our Lord's parable making an Apology which was his desire in defence of his own Blasphemy against those who had accused him because he had introduced some innovation contrary to what was fitting and had not rightly requested that a Synod should be convened at Ephesus amongst other things writes to this effect that he wholly compelled thereto by necessity had betaken himself to the defence of this part in regard the holy Church was divided some affirming that Mary was to be termed Anthropotocos others Theotocos That therefore as he says he might not offend in one of these two viz. least he should either joyn things mortall with those that are immortall or else least by betaking himself to the other side he might be deprived of that other party who defended the term Theotocos he invented the word Christotocos He intimates further that at first the Emperour Theodosius out of that affection he bore towards him confirmed not the sentence of deposition pronounc't against him but afterwards that when some Bishops of both parties had been sent from the City Ephesus to Theodosius and when he also himself requested it he was permitted to return to his own Monastery which is scituate before the Gates of that City now called Theopolis and is not expressly named there by Nestorius But they say it is now termed Euprepius's Monastery which as we assuredly know stands before the City Theopolis distant from thence not more than two furlongs Moreover the same Nestorius says that having resided there during the space of four years he had all imaginable honour conferred upon him and enjoyed all manner of reverence and respect but that afterwards by the Edict of the Emperour Theodosius he was banished into that place called Oäsis But he has concealed that which is the principall thing For during his Residence there he in no wise desisted from his own Blasphemy In so much that Johannes Bishop of Antioch gave the Emperour an account thereof and Nestorius was condemned to perpetuall Banishment He wrote also another Book composed in the manner of a Dialogue to a certain Egyptian as it were concerning his banishment into Oäsis wherein he speaks more at large concerning these things But what punishments he underwent on account of the Blasphemies coyned by him not being able to lie concealed from God's all-seeing eye may be known from other Letters sent by him to the Governour of Thebäis For in those Letters you may find after what manner in regard he had not yet undergone condign punishment the judgment of God seized him and involved him in Captivity a calamity of all afflictions the most miserable But in as much as he was to endure greater punishments he was let go by the Blemmyae amongst whom he had been a Captive And removing from place to place about the utmost borders of Thebäis by the Edicts of Theodosius who had determined that he should return and being dash't against the earth he ended his days agreeable to his own forepast life like a second Arius declaring and foreshewing by his calamitous death what rewards are appointed for those who utter Blasphemy against Christ. For both those persons blasphemed Christ in a like manner Arius by terming him a Creature and Nestorius by thinking him to be a man To whom because he complains that The Acts at Ephesus were not

rather that the Divinity and Humanity have perfected to us one Lord and Christ and Son by an ineffable mysticall and secret concourse to an Unity And after some few words But in regard having personally united the humanity to himself on our account and for our salvation he proceeded from a woman for this reason he is said to have been born according to the Flesh. For he was not at first born a common and ordinary man of the Holy Virgin and after that The Word descended upon him but having been united from the very womb he is said to have undergone a Carnall Nativity that he might procure to himself the Nativity of his own Flesh. After the same manner we say he suffered and rose again not as if God The Word as to his own Nature suffered either the Stripes or the Transfixions of the Nails or any other of the wounds for the Deity is Impassible because 't is also Incorporeall But in regard that which had been made his own Body suffered on this account he is again said to have suffered for us For there was the Impassible Deity in a passible Body Most part of Cyrillus ' s other Letter hath been recorded in our foregoing Book But there is a passage in it which Johannes Bishop of the Antiochians had written in his Letter to which passage Cyrillus hath fully agreed this passage runs thus We confess the Holy Virgin to be Theotocos because God The Word took Flesh from Her and was made man and from that very Conception united to himself a Temple taken from Her But we know that those divine men do take the Evangelick and Apostolick Expressions uttered concerning the Lord sometimes in a common sense as spoken of one person at oth●r whiles they divide them as uttered concerning two Natures And that they have delivered these Expressions as becoming God according to the divinity of Christ but those other as humble and mean agreeable to the same persons humanity To which words Cyrillus has subjoyned these Having read these your sacred Expressions We find that We our selves embrace the same Sentiments For there is one Lord one Faith one Baptism We have therefore glorified God the Saviour of all men rejoycing mutually that as well the Churches amongst us as those with you do profess a Faith that is agreeable both to the divinely inspired Scriptures and also to the Tradition of our Holy Fathers After the Reading hereof those of this Synod cried out in these words We do all believe thus Pope Leo believes thus Anathema to him that divides and to him who confounds This is the Faith of Leo the Arch-Bishop Leo believes thus Leo and Anatolius believe thus We all believe thus As Cyrillus so we believe The eternall memory of Cyrillus As Cyrillus's Letters are so are our Sentiments Thus we have believed thus we do believe Leo the Arch-Bishop thinks thus thus he believes thus he hath written Then an Interlocution having been made that Leo's Letter might also be read being rendred into Greek it was recited which Letter is extant in the Acts of the Councill After therefore the reading thereof the Bishops exclaimed This is the Faith of the Fathers This is the Faith of the Apostles We all believe thus we that are Orthodox do believe thus Anathema to him who believes not thus Peter by Leo hath uttered these words The Apostles have taught thus Leo hath taught piously and truly Cyrillus has taught thus Leo and Cyrillus have taught alike Anathema to him who believes not thus This is the true Faith the Orthodox think thus this is the Faith of the Fathers Why were not these words read at Ephesus Dioscorus hath concealed these Expressions It is recorded in the same Acts that when part of the fore-mentioned Letter of Leo was read the Contents whereof were these And in order to the paying that due debt of our Nature the divine Nature was united to a Nature passible to the end that for this was agreeable to our Remedies He being one and the same Mediatour of God and Men the Man Christ Jesus might be able to die by one and might not be able to die by the other the Illyrician and Palestine Bishops being in doubt as to this Expression Aetius Arch-deacon of the most Holy Church of Constantinople produced a passage of Cyrillus ' s the Contents whereof are these Again in regard his own Body by the grace of God according as the Apostle Paul saith hath tasted death for every man he himself is therefore said to have suffered death for us not as if he had experienced death as to what belongs to his own Nature For 't is stupidity and extream madness either to affirm or think this but because as I have even now said his Flesh tasted death And again as to an expression of Leo's Letter which runs thus For each Form acts with a communion of the other that which is proper to wit The Word operates that which is The Word ' s and the Flesh performs that which is of the Flesh and the one of these shines with Miracles but the other hath lain under injuries the Illyrician and Palestine Bishops being in doubt the same Aetius read a Chapter of Cyrillus the Contents whereof were these Of the expressions used concerning Christ some are most especially agreeable to God again others are agreeable to man But a third sort possess a certain middle place evidencing the Son of God to be God and also at the same time Man After this when the foresaid Bishops doubted at another place of Leo's Epistle which runs thus For although in our Lord Jesus Christ there is one person of God and of man nevertheless that is one thing whence there is in both a Community of Contumely and that is another whence there is a Community of Glory For from us he has humanity which is less than the Father But from the Father he has the divinity which is equall with his Father Theodoret after he had well considered this matter said that the Blessed Cyrillus had expresly spoken thus in these words And being made man and loosing nothing that was his own he continued what he was and the one dwelt in the other that is the divine Nature in man After this when the Illustrious Judges enquired whether there were any person who as yet doubted all answered that no person made any further doubt After whom Atticus Bishop of Nicopolis requested that a Truce of some few days might be allowed them to the end that with a sedate mind and undisturbed understanding such things might be decreed as were pleasing to God and to the Holy Fathers He desired also that Cyrillus's Letter written to Nestorius might be delivered to them in which Cyrillus intreats Nestorius that he would give his assent to his twelve Heads whereto all agreed And when the Judges by

were Learned young men Thus Proclus is said to have been Atticus's Notary as Socrates attests book 7. chap. 41. And long before that Athanasius was Notary to Alexander Bishop of Alexandria as Sozomen relates book 2. chap. 17. In Pope Gelasius's Decrees cap. 2. amongst the first Ecclesiastick degrees the Lectores Notarii and Defensores are reckoned In Caesarius Ar●latensis's Life chap. 22. are these words Lector aut Notarius coram illo non c●ssabat clamare that is the Reader or Notary ceased not to cry before him In the First Action of the Ephesine Synod Epaphroditus is termed the Reader and Notary of Hellanicus Bishop of the Rhodii From all which authorities 't is apparent that the Notarie's and Reader 's Office was in a manner the same to wit to read the Psalms or other books of the Sacred Scripture either in the Church or in the Bishops presence And this Simeon Metaphrastes confirms in the Acts of the Notaries Marcianus and Martyrius which occur in Surius at the twenty fifth day of October These Notaries registred the Acts which were made in the Church on which account they seem to have had this name given them In the Gesta Collationis inter Catholicos ac Donatistas we meet with this Title Excipientibus quoque Januario Vitale Notariis Ecclesiae Catholic● Victore Cresconio Notariis Ecclesiae Donatistarum c. that is also Januarius and Vitales Notaries of the Catholick Church Victor and Cresconius Notaries of the Church of the Donatists registring the Acts c. There was over these a Primicerius Notariorum or the Chief of the Notaries who was usually chosen out of the Presbyters as we are informed from the first Action of the Ephesine Council wherein Petrus Presbyter of Alexandria and Primicerius of the Notaries recites the Emperour Theodosius's Edict to Cyrillus and the other Metropolitanes But the chief duty of the Notaries was to carry the Virge or Staff before the Bishop as 't is related in the second book concerning the Life and Miracles of Caesarius Ar●latensis Vales. q In Rob. Stephens's Edition this place is pointed thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I 〈◊〉 self knew another custome also in Thessaly being made a Clergy-man there If this punctation were true it would follow that Socrates was a Clergy-man in Thessaly But this is in no wise probable in regard Socrates does every where stile himself Scholasticus that is an Advocate Wherefore I doubt not but this place must be otherwise pointed to wit after this manner 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. I my self when I was in Thessaly knew another custom also A Clergy-man in that Country c. Notwithstanding Musculus and Christophorson have followed another punctation here to wit this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. I my self knew another custom also in Thessaly One being made a Clergy-man there c. Which distinction I can't approve of For the term 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 would be superfluous and the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 would be too often repeated in the same period Further that Socrates had been conversant in Thessaly is apparent from his following words For a little after this he adds 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 also I have seen or known another custom in Thessaly Although the term 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is ambiguous and may be meant as well of an absent as a present person Vales. r 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In Nicephorus the reading is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 put out of his orders or made no Clergy-man which displeases me not Notwithstanding the term 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seems to denote something that is heavier to wit his being excommunicated Vales. s We owe the amendment of this place to the Floretine M. S. For whereas in the common Editions the reading here was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereas all the most illustrious persons in the East do abstaine in that M. S. the reading is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereas in the East all Clergymen of their own accord do abstain c. Which emendation is confirmed by Nicephorus Vales. t Instead of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I had rather read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 composed in Nicephorus 't is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But what Nicephorus adds to wit that Heliodorus was ordered in a Synod either to burn his Love-Books or else to relinquish his Bishoprick seems to me to be fabulous For there is no sufficient evidence whether those books concerning the Amours of Theagenes and Chariclea were written by Heliodorus the Bishop or by some body else Vales. * Or looks not u This Office the Greek Church terms 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Latine Lucernarium as Jacobus Syrmondus has observed in his notes on Ennodius See Meursius's Glossary in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the notes on Cassianus at the words Luccernaris Hora. Vales. vv I doubt not but instead of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Socrates wrote 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but they are in most things conform and so Nicephorus has worded it Musculus and Christophorson read thus also For Musculus has rendred it thus Sed in multis se imperiali conformant Ecclesiae but in many things they conform themselves to the Imperial Church Christophorson translates it after this manner Sed tamen ex multo majore parte primariae apud illos Ecclesia consuetudinem sequuntur but yet by much the greater part they follow the Custom of the Primary Church amongst them Neither of these Translatours understood what was meant by these words here to wit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Socrates usually gives this appellation to the Catholick Church because at that time it had gotten the chief power and authority So in chap. 19. of this book to the Novatians he opposes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those who are in possession of the Churches that is the Catholicks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 says he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. For the Novatians admitted not of this additional Function at its first institution But the Homoöusians who are at this present in possession of the Churches c. Vales. x Except those Saturdays in Lent and in the Ember-weeks For in Lent the Romans fasted not on Saturdays as we have shown before at note g. in this chapter from Pope Leo's Sermon concerning Lent Nor did the Romans fast on Saturdays in the Fast of the Ember-weeks but only on Wednesdays and Frydays on Saturdays they watched at S t Peters Church as the same Leo informs us in his Sermons concerning the Fast of the tenth month concerning the Fast of Pentecost and concerning the Fast of the seventh month Wherefore Baronius Petavius and Halloixius do undeservedly reprove our Socrates because he has said that the Romans fasted not on Saturdays in Lent Vales. y Petavius in his notes on Epiphanius at the Heresie of the Quartodecimani does affirm that Socrates is here mistaken and says that the Penitential Canons of Basilius the Great are sufficient to