N. T.

have fought with beasts at Ephesus; what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die."

ATHENAGORAS.

tion, virtue is a senseless thing: to follow pleasure is the greatest good: and that ought to be the common maxim and law of all, which is admired by the voluptuous and wicked: "Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die."

Though these last words are also in Isa. xxii. 13; it seems from the conformity of his argument, that he refers to St. Paul.

N. T.

XII. 1 Cor. xv. 54. “So' when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption."

2 Cor. v. 10. "For we must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he has done, whether it be good or bad."

V

XIII. Gal. iv. 9. "How thus turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements ?"

These are the very words

ATHENAGORAS.

XII. It is manifest therefore, that, according to the apostle, this t corruptible and dissipated must put on incorruption; that the dead being raised up to life, and the separated, and even consumed parts being again united, every" one may receive justly the things he has done in his body, whether they be good or bad.'

XIII. And fall down to the beggarly and weak elements.'

of Paul, which Athenagoras borrows, though he useth them upon a different account.

N. T.

XIV. 1 Tim. v. 1, 2. “Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father, and the younger men as bre

9 De Resurr. p. 62. A. B.

ATHENAGORAS.

XIV. Wherefore, cording to the difference of age, some we count as sons

and daughters, others we

• Όταν δε το φθαρτον τετο ενδυσηται αφθαρσίαν. κ. λ.

* Ίνα κομισηται έκατος τα δια του σώματος, προς ά έπραξεν, είτε αγαθον,

είτε κακον.

* Ευδήλον παντι το λειπομένον, ότι δει, κατά τον

αποςολον, το φθαρτον τούτο και διασκεδασον ενδύσασθαι αφθαρσίαν. De Resurr. p. 61. C. • Εκατος κομισηται δικαίως ὁ δια του

σώματος επραξεν, είτε αγαθα, είτε κακα. ibid.

* Πως επιτρέψετε παλιν επι τα ασθενη και πτωχα τοιχεία.

* Επι τα πτωχα και ασθενη σοιχεια καταπιπτομεν. Legat. p. 15. D. P. 36. C.

N. T.

thren: the elder women as

ATHENAGOras.

consider as brethren and sis.

mothers, the younger as sisters, and the aged we reve

ters, with all purity."

XV. 1 Tim. vi. 16. "Who only has immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto."

XVI. James iii. 13. "Who is a wise man, and endued with knowledge amongst you? Let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom."

XVII. James v. 7. "Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain."

XVIII. 2 Pet. i. 21. "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men spake, as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."

rence as fathers and mothers.'

XVIII. Of Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and the other prophets, he says: Who d cording to the ecstasy of the thoughts in them, the Divine Spirit moving them, spoke out those things which were operated in them.'

XIX. He speaks of it as the general opinion of christians, that at the time of the resurrection, the earth shall deliver up her dead.'

XX. There is a particular passage in Athenagoras, which we may not omit. It follows what we have transcribed at Numb. XIV. The aged we reverence as fathers and

* Φως οίκων απρόσιτον. αυτή, φως απροσιτον. p. 15. C.

Σ

a Ov

Παντα γαρ ὁ Θεός εσιν αυτός γαρ μελετη λογων, αλλ' επιδείξει και διδασκαλια εργων τα ημετερα. p. 37. Β. b P. 37. A. c Ου γαρ θεληματι ανθρωπε ηνεχθη ποτε προφητεία, αλλ' ὑπὸ πνεύματος άγιε φερόμενοι ελαλησαν οἱ ἅγιοι Θες ανθρωποι. 4 Και των λοιπων προφητων, οἱ κατ' εκτασιν των εν αυτοις λογισμων, κινήσαντος αυτές του θεις πνευματος, ὁ ενηργούντο εξεφώνησαν. p. 9. D.

Και εδωκεν ἡ θαλασσα της εν αυτή νεκρες, καὶ ὁ θάνατος και ὁ είδης εδωκαν τας εν αυτοις νεκρές. 4 Και αποδώσειν μεν νομίζειν την

γην τις ιδιες νεκρος. p. 39. Α.

mothers. It is therefore our great concern, that the bodies of those whom we call sisters, or by any other name of kindred, should be preserved chaste and unpolluted, the s Word again saying to us [or our doctrine teaching us]: "If any one shall kiss a second time, because it pleaseth him:" And afterwards: "A kiss is to be given so slightly, that it may be rather only a salutation: for if the mind be in the least polluted, it endangers our enjoyment of eternal life."

I think we need not solicitously inquire, whence Athenagoras had these observations. There is no necessity of supposing he ascribes them to Christ, or that he took them out of any copies of our gospels, or from any apocryphal gospel. They may be as well cited from some christian writer, whom Athenagoras thought to have expressed himself upon this subject agreeably to the strict doctrine of Christ delivered in the gospels. Mr. Jones has some remarks upon this passage.

XXI. I have now represented very particularly the testimony which Athenagoras gives to the books of the New Testament; but all these passages are not equally material. It is plain, he owned the gospels of St. Matthew and St. John: there do not appear so clear references to those of St. Mark and St Luke. Here are also plain references or allusions to the epistle to the Romans, and the first to the Corinthians: words of which last are expressly cited by him as the apostle's, meaning Paul: and there is a probable allusion to the second epistle to the Corinthians, and the epistle to the Galatians. The passages here alleged by me concerning the Acts of the Apostles, the first to Timothy, the epistle of St. James, the second of St. Peter, and the book of the Revelation, are doubtful, and are only proposed to the reader's consideration. And beside these, he has a passage, not found in any book of the New Testament, which might at first sight seem to be taken out of some book of authority with him; but notwithstanding, it may be as well supposed the passage of some christian writing, esteemed by him only as an orthodox pious

work.

Though we meet with no references in Athenagoras to the other books of the New Testament, they may have

8 Παλιν ἡμιν λεγοντος τε λογω Εαν τις δια τουτο εκ δευτέρες καταφίλησε, ότι ήρεσεν αυτῷ' και επιφέροντος ετως ουν ακριβωσασθαι το φίλημα μαλλον δε προσκύνημα δει, ὡς, είπε μικρον τη διανοια παραθυλωθείς, έξω ήμας της αιωνι τίθεντος ζωης. p. 36. C. D. h New and Full Method of settling the canonical Authority of the New Testament, Vol. I. p. 551.

been all, or most of them, received by him as books of authority. It is not to be expected, that, in two such pieces as these, we should find references to all the books esteemed sacred by the author.

CHAP. XIX.

MILTIADES.

b

C

MILTIADES flourished, according to Cave, in the beginning of the reign of Commodus about the year 180: from whom Du Pin does not much differ, who says he flourished under the emperor Commodus. We have no certain marks of his age. It is very probable, his Apology (of which we shall speak presently) was written in the latter part of the reign of M. Antoninus, or the beginning of that of Commodus. I proceed to the testimonies of the ancients. Miltiades is called by Tertullian the sophist of the churches by which I see no reason to understand him t say, that Miltiades was a rhetorician, and taught that sci ence, but only that he was a learned and elegant christian writer. Tertullian places Miltiades between Justin Martyr and Irenæus; which affords a very good hint for settling his time in general, though not exactly. And it is upon the ground of this passage chiefly, that Tillemont concludes, Miltiades had appeared in the world before the middle of the second century, and died in the time of Commodus,

6

d

Eusebius having mentioned a treatise of Miltiades, written against the Montanists, with this title, That it does not become prophets to speak in ecstasy, adds; And beside 'that work, Miltiades has left us other monuments of his zeal for the divine oracles, as well in his writings against 'the Gentiles as against the Jews: for he wrote against 'both distinctly in two treatises. Moreover he made an

a Hist. Lit.

b Bibl. Miltiades.

Ut Justinus Philosophus et Martyr, ut Miltiades Ecclesiarum Sophista, ut Irenæus, &c. Advers. Valent. cap. v.

d Mem. E. T. 3. P. 1. Miltiade.

e H. E. l. v. c. 17.

1 Και αλλας ήμιν της ίδιας περι τα θεια λογια σπεδης μνημας καταλελοιπεν. Ibid. 5. Ετι δε και προς τις κοσμικός αρχοντας, ὑπερ ής μετηει φιλοσοφίας, πεποιηκεναι απολογίαν. Ibid.

Apology to the princes of this world for the philosophy which he followed: that is, for the christian religion.

Learned men are not agreed about the meaning of the words princes of this world.' Valesius, who supposes the Apology was written in the time of Commodus, when there was but one emperor, understands them of the governors of provinces; which meaning the words will well bear. Others understand thereby the Roman emperors, which they suppose to have been either M. Antoninus and Lucius, or M. Antoninus and his son Commodus.

St. Jerom, in his book of Illustrious Men, having recited the titles of this writer's works, says, he flourished in the time of M. Antoninus Commodus.

We have nothing to observe at present upon these works, except what Eusebius says of the monuments of his zeal for the divine oracles' in his book against both Jews and Gentiles. It is very likely here were many valuable testimonies concerning the books of the New as well as the Old Testament; but we can only lament our loss of them.

However, it may not be improper to add another passage of St. Jerom: where having observed, that Miltiades1 wrote an excellent book against the Gentiles; he proceeds to mention Hippolytus, Africanus, and divers other christian writers, and then concludes: The writings of all these 'persons are so full of passages of the philosophers and their sentiments, that it is not easy to say, which ought to be most admired in them; whether their polite literature, or their knowledge of the scriptures.'

h Vid. Annot. ad Eus. loc.

Iren. iv. sect. 38.

* Cap. 39.

i Vid. Dodwell, Diss.

1 Scripsit et Miltiades contra Gentes volumen egregium- -Qui omnes in tantum philosophorum doctrinis atque sententiis suos referciunt libros, ut nescias, quid in illis primum admirari debeas, eruditionem seculi, an scientiam scripturarum. Ad magnum Orat. Ep. 83. al. 84.