CHAP. III.

IVitneffes in the Third Century.

SECT. I.

Evidences of Witnesses in the Third Century.

BEFORE I introduce the complete catalogues, which Origen and Eufebius have left us, of those writings which the Chriftians of the first century held as genuine works of the Evangelifts and Apoftles, and venerated as divine

tenour, and in all probability are the ground-work from which, after many additions and improvements, arofe the work mentioned above, in No. 4. (Cotelerius, 1. cit. p. 603. feq.);—And, 6. The Clementine Epitome, a compilation out of the Recognitions and Homilies, (Cotelerius, 1. cit. p. 755. feq.): these three works, to which the venerable name of Clement has been forged, contain merely fimilar expreffions and fentiments, but not a single quotation, either expressly, or by name, from the books of our New Testament. Extracts from the above-mentioned writings may be feen in Lardner, 1. cit. p. 342. feq.

books, I will curforily mention fome other witneffes who lived in the beginning of the third century, but whose writings have not defcended to us.

1. Caius Romanus.

CAIUS, who was a Prefbyter of the church of Rome, and a moft learned man, quotes in his Dialogue with Proculus, a follower of Montanus, all the Epiftles which we have at prefent under the name of St. Paul, as genuine works of this Apofile, except the Epif tle to the Hebrews, which he has omitted to enumerate among the reft,

We find this information in an extract which Eufebius has preserved from this work which no longer exifts".

2. Hippolytus Portuenfis.

From the fragments which we still poffefs of the works of Hippolytus

な

W

Portuenfis,

Hift. Ecclef. Lib. VI. ch. xx. p. 285.

w Joh. Albert Fabricius has collected thefe frag

ments,

Portuenfis, we are led to believe that he was a learned man; and the concifenefs, folidity, and force with which he wrote, clearly prove that he far excelled all the writers of his time. In fupport of this I fhall quote a fingle paffage, which, if not an adequate testimony for the authenticity of our four Gofpels, will at least demonstrate the truth of the hiftory related in them. Hippolytus is proving that Jefus was both perfect man, and perfect God. "His humanity," fays he, "may be eafily perceived, by the circumftances of his feeling hunger and fatigue and thirft; by his fearfully fleeing, and anxiously praying; by his fleeping on a pillow; his imploring for the removal of the cup of forrow; his

ments, and published them together with the other works attributed to him, at Hamburg, 1716, 2 vol. folio.

* It has been preserved by Theodoret. See Fabricii Hippolyt. vol. i. p. 268.

fweating from fear of death, and his being strengthened by an angel; by his being betrayed by Judas, mocked by Caiaphas and Herod, fcourged by Pilate, infulted by the foldiers, and crucified by the Jews; his commending with a loud voice his fpirit to the Father; his bending his head and giving up the ghoft; having his fide pierced by a fpear, being laid, wrapped up in fine linen, in the grave, and raised up on the third day by the Father. His divinity may be easily discovered, fince he was worshipped by angels, vifited by fhepherds, expected by Simeon; he received the teftimony of Anna, was vifited by the Magi, and announced by a ftar; he changed water into wine at the marriage feaft, calmed the ftormy fea, walked upon the water, gave fight to one born blind, raifed Lazarus to life, who had been dead 'four days, and performed many other miracles, forgiving fins, and imparting miraculous

miraculous powers to his Apoftles."As early as the time, of Eufebius this writer was fo little known, that men were even ignorant of what place he was Bishop'. And fcholars of the prefent day, after having examined all the documents of antiquity, remain still uncertain whether we poffefs any writings which can be fafely attributed to him. We do not even know whether he lived in Italy or in Arabia; whether he was a divine or a statefman ".

3. Ammonius.

Ammonius (whom Eufebius and Jerom fuppofe to have been the cele

- Ιππόλυτος, έτερας-προεςως εκκλησίας. Hift. Eccl. Lib. VI. cap. xx. p. 284.

z See Mill's Prolegomena in N. T. Num. 655. et Fabricius Præfat. in Hippol.

Some believe that he was Bishop of Porto, in Italy; others, of Portus Romanus, in Arabia Felix. See Fabricius 1. cit.-Heumann afferts, that he was not a fpiritual, but a temporal siσxe05•

brated