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A49900	The lives of Clemens Alexandrinus, Eusebius, Bishop of Cæsarea, Gregory Nazianzen, and Prudentius, the Christian poet containing an impartial account of their lives and writings, together with several curious observations upon both : also a short history of Pelagianism / written originally in French by Monsieur Le Clerc ; and now translated into English.	Le Clerc, Jean, 1657-1736.	1696 (1696)	Wing L820; ESTC R22272	169,983	390

THE LIVES OF Clemens Alexandrinus Eusebius Bishop of Caesarea Gregory Nazianzen AND Prudentius the Christian Poet Containing an Impartial Account of their LIVES and WRITINGS Together with Several Curious Observations upon Both. ALSO A Short History of Pelagianism Written Originally in French By Monsieur Le CLERC And now Translated into English LONDON Printed for Richard Baldwin at the Oxford Arms in Warwick-Lane 1696. Advertisement 'T IS thought that the following Lives will not be Vnacceptable to the Publick The Author of 'em who is well known by his Writings justly complains that those who have hitherto written the Lives of the Fathers have not done it with such an Impartiality as is required from those who write for the sake of Truth Indeed it must be confest that Panegyricks of all sorts are very Numerous and that a True and Faithful Account of the Lives and Doctrine of the Fathers is very Necessary This Author will have it that he hath distinguished himself from other Writers in his Lives of some Fathers and professes a great Sincerity This I think is more than sufficient to recommend the Reading of this Work But besides it contains several Judicious Observations and Critical Remarks upon the Lives and Opinion● of the Fathers very useful especially to those who apply or design to apply themselves to that Study I think that the Fathers were far from being Infallible but I am none of those who despise the Study of their Writings I confess it doth not require a Dull and Narrow-Spirited Reader who may grow the worse for it But an Ingenious and Judicious one may make a good use of it as will appear by the following Lives which may also give some Light to the late Disputes concerning the Holy Trinity I shall further add That the Fathers whose Lives Monsieur Le Clerc hath written are some of the most Famous Every body knows that Clemens Alexandrinus and Eusebius Bishop of Caesarea were very Learned Men and that Gregory Nazianzen was one of the greatest Orators the Christians had in his time Eusebius having been much concern'd in the Arian Disputes it was necessary to give a large Account of those Controversies which makes the Life of that Father so much the more Curious and Vseful In short the Reader will find here the Lives of some of the most Celebrated Fathers who lived in the most famous Ages of Christianity written with great Exactness and Impartiality and they are I think sufficient to give a Notion of the Fathers I must not forget that Monsieur Le Clerc hath taken care to shew what Philosophy those Fathers did especially apply themselves to This is a very Necessary Enquiry and those that are not sensible of its Vsefulness will be easily convinced of it when they come to read the followinging Lives 'T was also thought fit to print the History of Pelagianism tho' very short together with these Lives because several Gentlemen may be desirous to have in their own Tongue an Impartial Account of that Controversie which formerly made so great a Noise in the Christian World ERRATA PAge 9. Line 9. read Hypotyposes p. 10. l. 4. of the r. of those p. 16. l. 28. r. Stoicks p. 18. l. 28. r. Invisible p. 32. l. 22. r. Writings p. 50. l. 2. r. Months p. 58. l. 4. r Paedagogue p. 64. l. 13. r. Pamphilus and so elsewhere p. 67. l. 6. r. Year of p. 72. l. 27. perhaps add is p. 73. l. 24. for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 78. l. 12. for contained r. understood p. 79. l. 20. r. those p. 81. l. 1. in speaking dele in p. 84. l. 12. r. gave p. 85. l. 10. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 86. l. 2. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 105. l. 29. r. his Works p. 110. l. 7. dele a and r sport of the ibid. l. 17. r. Cordova p. 113. l. 2. r. Lucian p. 117. l. 4. r. Nicomedia p. 130. l. 4. r. Bysantium p. 133. l. 7. r. Licinius p. 135. l. 24. r. fit to p. 137. l. 19. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 142. l. 18. r. Arsenius p. 146. l. 16. r. being come to p. 151. l. 9. r. any thing else p. 161. l. 18. r. Personas ibid. l. 21. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 add signifies p. 167. l. 13. there is add in p. 173. l. 26. undeniable add Testimony p. 176. l. 31. r. Aegina p. 183. l. 3. r. patiently p. 193. l. 9. r. Individuum's p. 207. l. 24. r. used the Valentinians p. 212. l. 17. related add all p. 213. l. 17. r. breaking into p. 220. l. 28. r. seized p. 226. l. 26. r. Prosopopeïa p. 234 l. ult r. acknowledged p. 249. l. 9. r. Judgment p. 254. l. 20. Deity and is p. 265. l. 20. r. in a full p. 268. l. 24. dele 'em p. 282. l. 19. r. Prodicus p. 283. l. 25. r. such an Art p. 290. l. 17. r militiae p. 292. l. 28. r. Darkness p. 293. l. ult r. Mentem p. 295 l. 9. r. Judicature p. 301. l. 2. r. piceasque p. 304. l. 18. r. ingenuously p. 305. l. 14. r. perire p. 307. l. 23. Ninivites add were not ibid. l. 27. r. that People p. 312. l. 19. r. Cyprians p. 313. l. 17. r. foveis p. 317. l. 10. Image add was p. 321. l. 2. Nature is add of p. 321. l. 14. r. Conditor p. 325. l. 19. r. moras ibid. l. 21. r. murmureth p. 326. l. 25. r. it is p. 327. l. 7. r. languente p. 333. l. 12. Quadrants r. Tetrasticks ibid. l. 15. r. whereof p. 336. l. 14. r. Damietta p. 338. l. 27. dele not p. 363. l. penult r. facultatum l. seq r. exilium p. 368. l. 1. r. nullum The Life OF Clemens Alexandrinus ALthough those that are able to read the Fathers in the Original Tongues are but few yet there are a great many who ought to have some Notions of their Lives and Writings because they are now-a-days made use of in the Controversies which divide Christians The Teachers of the Church of Rome omit nothing to make Men believe that the Fathers were of their Opinion because they believe that it is not lawful to reject a Doctrine grounded upon the Testimony of the greatest part of the Fathers When they quote a Passage which they think to be agreeable to their Notions they don't fail to say As a Holy Father said well But if One objects to them some words which they cannot well get rid of They answer That 't was only his private Opinion and reject it as an Error The greatest part of the Protestants do not lay down the Consent of the Fathers as a Principle of their Faith but as for the rest many of their Authors seldom make any other use of them when they cite 'em than the Roman Catholicks Hence it is that in the Ecclesiastical Histories of both Parties such Places as seem proper to confirm the Opinion and Practices received now-a-days

of a far-fetch't Eloquence ought to be despised but Clearness cannot be reckon'd among those Ornaments It must needs be confest that there are but few Fathers whose Writings are not lyable to the same Observation with those of Clemens Most of 'em whilst they excuse themselves for not being Eloquent do whatever they can to appear so after their way as may be seen by a thousand high stroaks and strained Metaphorical Expressions which their Writings are full of and we see but few who thought that the greatest care a Writer should take consists in exciting in the Minds of his Reader clear Idea's of what he says by using Words without any Equivocation There is extant besides an Homily of Clemens entitled What Rich Man is Saved It was printed in Greek and Latin by Combefis at Paris 1672 and at Oxford 1683 With several other Greek and Latin Fragments Those who took care of the German Edition at Colen 1688. of Clemens's Works should have printed it with the rest of his Works it would have made their Edition more considerable which otherwise is not much more valuable as those that use it will find They have only followed the Paris Edition 1641 without adding any thing to it except New Faults There is at the End of the Volume An Abridgment of the Doctrine of Theodotus and of the Doctrine called Eastern in Valentinus's time The greatest part of it is only an Interpretation of some Places of the Holy Scripture which some think to have been taken out of the Eighth Book of Clemens Alexandrinus's Hypotyposes as I have already observed * Lib. 6. cap. 14. Eusebius tells us that he had interpreted the Holy Scripture after a compendious manner in that Work without omitting says he the Disputed Writings as St. Jude 's and the other Catholick Epistles St. Barnabas 's Epistle St. Peter 's Apocalypsis and the Epistle to the Hebrews which he assures to he St. Paul 's c. † God CIX Photius who had seen that Work says also that the Design of it was to Explain the Holy Scripture but he accuses the Author of maintaining That Matter is Eternal That the different Forms which it receives are imparted to it by virtue of I know not what Decrees That the Son is in the number of Things Created That there hath been Many Worlds before Adam That Eve was formed out of him after another manner than what the Scripture relates That the Angels having been conversant with some Women had Children by them That the Reason was not made Flesh tho' it seem'd so to Men That there are Two Reasons of the Father the least whereof appeared to Men and was made Flesh If we had those Books still we might perhaps more clearly know that they are only some Platonick Doctrines some of which Photius did not well understand because of the Equivocation of the Terms and the other were not in Clemens's time lookt upon as Impieties as they have been since Systems of Divinity were compiled among Christians In the first Ages when no Systems were entertained in the Schools and explained to the Youth as they are now every one Philosophized as well as he could upon Matters of Speculation and explained Speculative Doctrines according to the Philosophy he had learned Except some Opinions which either because they had made a great Noise or for some other Reasons were condemned by the Bishops they were very free in their Thoughts If any one doubted of it he might convince himself of the Truth thereof by the strange Opinions which have been entertained by some of the Fathers who were rank't among the Orthodox and for which they were not censured in their time One may see many Examples of it in the Fourth Chapter of Dallaeus's Book de Vsu Patrum which notwithstanding the Panegyrists of Antiquity will always be accounted a Good Book by those that know Antiquity Such was for Example St. Hilary's Opinion who believed that Christ felt no Pain when he was scourged But Photius suspects that the Hereticks corrupted the Works of Clemens and Ruffinus had the same Thoughts as it appears by his Apology for Origen which is in the IV. Tome of St. Jerom's Works Yet if there was no more in them than what Photius cites there would be no reason to believe that they were much corrupted though it cannot be absolutely denied The reason of it is that whatever that learned Patriarch may say those very Opinions if well understood are to be found in the other Works of Clemens and are agreeable to the Principles which he follows every where 1. He approves * Strom. l. 5. p. 599. clearly enough the Opinion of Heraclitus who believed that the Matter of the World is Eternal and he shews that he esteems him for having distinguisht the Matter of the World from its Form the first whereof is immutable and the second subject to change 2. As to the Reasons why Matter receives certain Forms Photius knew no more of it than Clemens 3. If Clemens had said that the Supreme Reason was Created 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one ought to observe that † See the Life of Eusebius to Create Produce Beget signifie the fame thing in Plato and that it doth not follow from thence that he believed the Reason was Begotten or Produced out of Nothing 4. It was Plato's Opinion That the Form of the World doth altogether change in a certain number of Years and that many such Changes happen'd before the Revolution in which we are began One may read his Politicus concerning this wherein he maintains that the Revolution of all the Stars must cause an Universal Change in the World Thus in his Opinion what was said That Men had their Original from the Earth happened in the Beginning of a Revolution * Pag. 175. 'T is what as he goes on our Predecessors said who lived at the End of the foregoing Change and were near the following as well as those who were born in the Beginning of this The Stoicks believed also the same thing as † Strom. l. 5. p. 549. Clemens reports who doth not seem to dislike their Opinion and fails not to confirm it by the Authority of Plato 5. The same Philosopher thought that the First Men were Androgynes and had Four Feet Two Heads and so with the other Members but that God divided them afterwards into Two as may be seen in his Feast Some Rabbins have said something like it and grounded their Opinion upon this That 't is said That God ‖ Vid. Breschith Rabba in sect VIII Created Man Male and Female This seems to be only an ingenious Fancy not an Opinion which those Authors did seriously entertain It may be that Clemens took some delight in making some Reflections upon Plato's Opinion with so much the greater freedom because perhaps he believed as his Disciple Origen that there was abundance of Allegories in the Beginning of Genesis 6. As for the

know that it is apparent they contain'd not the subject of the Three Principles like an infinite of others which they have known how to express in an even clear and elegant manner The Second thing we should observe is That in so difficult a Matter we must content our selves with what they say positively without attempting to draw far-fetch'd Consequences from their Principles which we cannot understand but by halves otherwise we are in danger of attributing to them such Notions as they never had Neither must we endeavour to reconcile in so abstracted a Subject the Contradictions which seem to appear in their Doctrine nor conclude that they could not mean things in such a manner because then they must contradict themselves It was the Custom of these Philosophers to affect certain apparent Contradictions in using the same Terms in divers Sences Besides its obvious enough to imagine that they may have sometimes contradicted themselves on a Subject whereof they had no distinct Idea These two Remarks were necessary to prevent the Questions which might be offer'd on these Matters and to shew that in writing the History of these Doctrines one should keep wholly to Facts and the Terms of the Authors we treat of A Second Opinion of the Platonists which has made a great noise in the World is that of the Prae-existence of Souls in places above the Moon * See Plato's Timoens of the Faults which they may have there committed of their banishments from these happy Abodes to come to inhabit in differently disposed Bodies according to the different Merits of these Souls in fine of their return into places whence they drew their Original We shall not trouble our selves to explain this Doctrine because it belongs not to the Relation in hand having only made mention of it for a particular Reason which will appear in its place The Kings of Egypt and Syria having carried the Sciences of the Greeks into Asia the Jews who were in great numbers in these two Kingdoms and who were obliged to converse with them learn'd of them their Opinions and made no difficulty of embracing those which did not appear to 'em contrary to their Religion Their Books containing nothing inconsistent with sundry of the Platonick Doctrines they believed therefore that these Doctrines might be true and receiv'd them so much the more easily in that they thought they might hereby defend their Religion against the Pagans and make them relish it the better Plato every where affirm'd the Unity of the Supreme Being yet without denying that there are other Beings which may be called Gods to wit the Angels which is agreeable to the Expressions of the Old Testament And this is apparently one of the things which made the Jews better relish the Opinions of this Philosopher But we should give some particular Proofs of this The Author of the Book of the Wisdom of Solomon was plainly of the Opinion of the Prae-existence of Souls as it appears from these words of chap. 8. ver 19 20. For I was a witty Child and had a good Spirit Yea rather being good I came into a Body undefiled The same Author has used the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Reason in some places where Plato would have used it were he to have said the same thing Thus in chap. 18. ver 15 16. in speaking of the Deliverer of the Israelites he says Thy Almighty Reason descended from Heaven out of thy Royal Throne as a fierce Man of War into the midst of a Land of Destruction and brought thine unfeigned Commandment as a sharp Sword and standing up fill'd all things with Death and it touched the Heaven but it stood upon the Earth In chap. 9. ver 1. he says That God has made all things by his Reason It cannot be alledg'd that he has been the only one of the Jews that has spoke in this manner seeing that Philo who liv'd a little while after Our Saviour is full of the like Expressions as several of the Learned have observed It s known that this Author has so well imitated Plato that he has been call'd the Jewish Plato He believ'd that there was One only Supreme God as all the rest of the Jews do whom he calls TO ON the Being through Excellency But he further acknowledg'd a Divine Nature which he calls ΛΟΓΟΣ the Reason as well as Plato And another whom he calls likewise the Soul of the World His Writings are so full of these manner of speaking that there is no nead of offering * Vid. Defens Fid. Nicen. §. 1. c. 1. §. 16 17. Instances The Jews were of these Opinions when Our Saviour and his Apostles came into the World And this is perhaps the Reason why we find accordingly as it has been observed by several learned Men several Platonick Phrases in the New Testament especially in the Gospel of St. John It 's well known that Amelius the Platonick Philosopher having read the beginning of this Gospel remarked that this Apostle spake like Plato In effect this Philosopher might have said according to his Principles The Reason was in the beginning with God She it is who hath made all things who is Life and the Light of Men c. We find several Passages in Philo like to this This Jewish Philosopher calls Reason the Priest the Mediator between God and Men the Eldest Son of God c. Wherein it is observable that he mixes his Jewish Notions with the manners of Speaking of Plato He has likewise used in one place the term Paraclete * De Vit. Mos p. 521. Edit Gen. Graeco-Lat Intercessor in speaking of the Reason It was necessary said he that the High-Priest who is to offer Sacrifices to the Father of the World should have for Intercessor him of his Sons whose Vertue is the most perfect for to obtain the Pardon of Sins and abundant Graces He had said * Quod Det. Pot. Insid p. 137. that Moses denoted by the Manna and by the Rock of the Desart the same Reason The Prophet says he calls elsewhere this Rock Manna a name which signifies the same thing to wit the Divine Reason the most Ancient of Beings Our Saviour Christ calls himself Paraclete in St. John chap. 14.16 when he promises his Apostles to send them another Paraclete He says likewise that he is the True Bread in opposition to the Manna which could be no more than a Shadow of it And St. Paul says that the Stone of the Desart was Christ 1 Cor. 10.4 These ways of speaking which are found in St. John to be the True Bread the True Vine and which denote that he to whom they are applied is able to produce in Mens Spirits as much Efficacy in another kind of things as the Bread and Wine produce in the Body These ways of speaking I say were particular to the Platonists as has been observed elsewhere We might give several other Examples of Platonick Phrases to be met with in

appear'd remote in upholding the Arguments which seem'd to him weak and in giving Praises to such who seem'd to speak well Eusebius of Caesarea long held out against the Use which they * Socrat. l. 1. c. 8. Theod. l. 1. c. 12. would make of the word Consubstantial He offer'd another Confession of Faith wherein it was omitted and wherein he call'd the Son barely God born of God Light of Light Life of Life Only Son First-born of all Creatures Begotten of his Father before all Worlds The Emperor approv'd this Confession of Faith and exhorted the Fathers of the Synod to follow it in adding thereto only the word Consubstantial Afterwards the Confession was read which had been drawn up with this Word the Terms of which have been already recited Anathema's were join'd thereto against those who should use on this Occasion other Terms than those of the Holy Scripture which must be understood with an Exception of those which the Council thought fit to Consecrate This Proposition was particularly condemn'd That the Son existed not before he was begotten Eusebius and others requested That the Terms of the Symbol and Anathema's might be explained 1. It was said That the word Begotten and not Made was used because this last word expresses the Production of Creatures to which the Son has no likeness being of a Substance far more excellent than they begotten by the Father in an incomprehensible manner 2. As for the word Consubstantial it is proper to the Son not in the sence wherein it is taken when we speak of Bodies or Mortal Animals the Son being Consubstantial with the Father neither by a Division of the Divine Substance of which he possesses a part nor by any change of this same Substance The meaning of which is only this That the Son has no Resemblance with the Creatures which he has made but that he is in all things like to his Father by whom he has been begotten or That he is not of another Hypostasis or Substance but of that of the Father 3. Those were condemn'd who said That the Son was not before he was born seeing that he existed before his Corporal Birth and even before his Divine Generation according to Constantine's Argument * These words of Eusebius's Letter are not to be found but in Theodorit Socrates having retrenched them For before said he that he was actually Begotten he was in Power in his Father in a manner Unbegotten the Father having been always Father as he is always King and Saviour and all things in Power being eternally in the same Condition It will perhaps seem that this is pure Arianism and that this is to deny the Eternity of the Son But we must observe that in the style of that time to Exist before the World and to be Eternal is the same thing seeing that to prove his Eternity this Passage is cited * Vid. Ep. Alexandri Ep. Al. supra laudatam In the Beginning was the Word And it sufficed to shew that he was Begotten before there was any Time So that we must not reject these words as Supposititions meerly for this reason And it is so ordinary to find hard Expressions in those who attempt to explain in any sort this incomprehensible Mystery that if one might hence judge of them one would be apt to declare them all Hereticks which is to say to anathemamize the greatest part of the Ancients Besides this † * De. Deret Nicaen Tom. 1. pag. 251. St. Athanasius who openly treats Eusebius as an Arian makes allusion to one part of this Passage and draws thence a Consequence which Eusebius without doubt would not have owned which is That the Arians believed that the Divinity of Jesus Christ did not exist before his Corporal Birth After these Explications Eusebius subscribed as he himself testifies in the Letter above recited ‖ Athanas ibid. although he had refused it the day before The long and formal Opposition which he had made against the word Consubstantial caused it to be suspected that there was want of Sincerity in this Subscription In fine Arius and his Party were anathematized and all their Books condemned and particularly a Poem which Arius had entituled Thalia Most of the Arian Bishops subscribed after Eusebius his Example to this Confession of Faith and the Anathema's after the Explication above-mentioned Yet there were some of 'em who refused at first to sign * Socr. l. 1. c. 1. the principal of which were Eusebius of Nicomedia Theognis of Nice Maris of Calcedon Theonas of Marmarica and Secondus of Ptolemais They were immediately Excommunicated by the Council and were to be sent afterwards as well as Arius into Exile by Constantine The Council wrote a Circular Letter † Ib. Socr. l. 1. c. 9. to the Churches of Egypt denoting to 'em in what sort they had carried themselves in the business of Arius and what had been ordered touching Melece the Schismatical Bishop and the Observation of Easter Constantine wrote also to the Church of Alexandria to assure it that after a full and mature Examination Arius had been condemned by the common Consent He greatly vaunted of the Moderation and Learning of the Bishops making no mention of their Quarrels according to the Custom observed in Publick Acts and such like Occasions where every thing is supprest which may give an ill Opinion of the Decrees of these kinds of Assemblies In another Letter directed to the Bishops and Churches he enjoins the Name of Porphyrus to be given to Arius and his Followers to be called Porphyrians This Porphyry was a famous Platonist who had written against the Christian Religion and whose Books Constantine had caus'd to be burnt Lucas Holstenius has written his Life which is to be found at the end of the Book Of the Abstinence of Animals Constantine design'd to declare hereby Arius an Enemy to the Christian Religion and not in any manner reproach him with being a Platonist touching the Trinity seeing Constantine did not disapprove as we have seen the Sentiments of Plato It 's true the Arians have been upbraided with their too great application to the reading of this Philosopher and other Heathen Authors Revera de Platonis Aristophanis says * Advers Lucif T. 2. p. 142. Ed. Gryph St. Jerom in episcopatum allegentur Quotus enim quisque est qui non apprime in his eruditus sit Accedit ad hoc quod Ariana hoeresis magis cum sapientia seculi facit argumentationum rivos de Aristotelis fontibus mutuatur Thus the Orthodox and Hereticks equally approved the Sentiments of Plato each of them apparently explaining them according to his Hypothesis Constantine further ordered in the same Letter to burn all Arius's Books to the end that not only his pernicious Doctrine be destroyed but that there remain no monument of it to Posterity He likewise declared That if any one concealed any of his Books and did not bring