mena. to be found in the fifth line of the PhonoOthers, however, maintain that the Apostle refers to the 4th verse in the hymn of Cleanthes, (who taught at Athens) which was addressed to Jupiter, and published by Ursinus and by Henry Stephens, in which we read the words, "we are a race "from thee *. In his Phænomena Aratus represents all things as full of Jove, and he describes God as the great wonder, and the stars as signs which God had fixed in the heavens, and distinguished by their names †. Εκ σου γὰρ γενος εσμεν. In the golden verses of Pythagoras there are these words: θείον γενος εστὶ βροιοῖσι. † Αὐτὸς γαρ τάδι σήματα εν ὐρανῶ ἐστήριξιν, Αστρα διακρίνας" Clem. Alex. Strom. lib. v. cap. 255. p. 709. › CHAP. XXV. Polybius. POLYBIUS was born at Megalopolis in Arcadia, about 205 years before Christ, being the son of Lycortas, who relinquished a sovereign command at Megalopolis, in order to obtain distinction in the Achean republic, at a time when it possessed the chief power among the Grecian states *. Polybius appears to have accompanied his father on an embassy to Ptolemy Epiphanes, and during the time that the Romans made war on Perseus he was sent to Rome, where he contracted friendship with Scipio Africanus and Lelius, attending the former into Africa. He was said to have been present at the destruction of Carthage and of Corinth he afterward witnessed the subjugation of Greece, and was employed in • Plutarch in Philopamen. Justin 32. 1-7. settling its government, manifesting a patriotic regard to his country without offending the Romans. The history of Polybius consisted originally of forty books; of these five only have escaped from the ravage of time; and an epitome of twelve others, supposed to have been made by Marcus Brutus. The work extended from the beginning of the second Punic war to the fall of the Macedonian monarchy, treating of the Achæan league, the Macedonian, Syrian, Egyptian, Cappadocian, and Persian empires; it is written with simplicity and with great regard to truth *, and moral instruction. The author appears to have believed in the superintendance of the Deity; but he sometimes ascribes to fortune that influence which belongs to Providence, particularly when he considers it as having that power of renovation, which in the Book of Revelation is justly attributed to God: " Behold, I make all things new+." There are some remarks, indeed, which have * Pausan. in Arcad. + Casaubon Dedicat. in Polyb. p. 41. et Xiphil. in August. p. 41. P. 3. et p, 377. Raphelius, et Wolfius in Rev. xxi. 5. been thought to militate against the religious character of the author, particularly where he speaks with apparent incredulity respecting the rewards and punishments of a future life. He seems to have regard to religion only with reference to political views; and he states that superstition was deemed virtue at Rome, as it appears indeed to have been in the minds of Cicero, and other great men, who encouraged it for purposes of state policy *. Polybius deserves the attention of the Christian student, as his work abounds with expressions similar to those which are employed by the evangelical writers †, and particularly in some unusual modes of speech, the use of which will serve to demonstrate, that the sacred writers are not always to be regarded as employing provincial phrases when they are supposed so to do; and if we consider the importance of their subjects, we may say, as did Cicero, when speaking of human productions, that if philosophy “of"fered eloquence he would not reject it, but * Cicero, lib. v. Epistle 12. + Vide Annot. Philolog. in Nov. Test. ex Polyb. et Arriano. See also Georgius Raphelius, et Alex. Morum ad Galat. xi. 13. "that if it had not, he should not eagerly "call for it*." We learn from Polybius, that it was customary among the Romans to inflict stripes before they executed condemned persons, which account explains the conduct of Pilate in scourging Jesus before he delivered him to be crucified †. Josephus has preserved an extract from the sixteenth book of Polybius, which is not extant in the fragment of it which now remains. In it the historian is represented to have observed, in speaking of the temple of Jerusalem, that he had many things to say of it and particularly concerning the presence, or (TV ETIQαvav) manifestation of God in it, but that he forebore the relation of it to another opportunity ‡. Polybius wrote three books of the life and actions of Philopamen, a work on tactics, and a short historical tract. Strabo speaks of Polybius as among those writers of geography who were Philosophers §. He is said to have been so anxious for correctness as to Philosophia si afferat eloquentiam non asperner; si non habeat, non admodum flagitem. De Finibus, lib. i. + Matt. xxvii. 26. ‡ Joseph. lib. xii. c. 3. p.251. Strabo, p. 1. |