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of me in many discourses,' instead of, among many witnesses.' Mill thinks this to be an explication only, and not a true reading.

I have no occasion to sum up this testimony; it is easy to see in these numbers what it is.

CHAP. XXXVI.

AMMONIUS.

I. Ammonius; his History, and Testimony to the Books of the New Testament. II. Qu. Whether Tatian's and Ammonius's Harmonies are now extant ? III. Extracts out of a Latin Harmony ascribed to Tatian. IV. Extracts out of a Latin Harmony ascribed to Ammonius.

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a

PORPHYRY, in his work which he wrote against the christians, as cited by Eusebius, says of Ammonius, the celebrated philosopher of Alexandria, master of Plotinus and other eminent men, That having been educated a christian by christian parents, as soon as he came to years of understanding, and had a taste of philosophy, he 'presently betook himself to a life agreeable to the laws.' To which Eusebius says, That it is a notorious falsehood, 6 to say he exchanged christianity for Gentilism; for Am'monius maintained sincere and uncorrupted the doctrine ' of the divine philosophy to the end of his life, as his works ' which he left behind him still testify, and for which he is in great repute; as the treatise entitled, Of the Consent of Moses and Jesus, and divers others, which may be found with the curious.'

After Eusebius, St. Jerom, in his book of Illustrious Men,

* Αμμώνιος μεν γαρ χρισιανος εν χρισιανοις ανατραφεις τους γονευσιν, ότε του φρονειν και της φιλοσοφίας ήψατο, ευθυς προς την κατα νομους πολιτείαν μETEẞaλETO. Apud Eus. H. E. 1. vi. cap. 19. p. 220. B.

b Ψευσαμενῳ δε σαφως —τον δ' Αμμωνιον εκ βίου του κατα την θεοσεβειαν, επι τον εθνικόν τρόπον εκπεσειν. -τῳ τε Αμμωνιῳ τα της ενθες φιλοσοφίας ακέραια και αδιάπτωτα, και μέχρις εσχατης τε βια διέμενε τελευτης ὡς πα και οἱ τ' ανδρος εισετι νυν μαρτυρεσι πονοι, δι' ών κατέλιπε συγγραμμάτων παρα τοις πλείσοις ευδοκιμεντος ώσπερ εν και ο επιγεγραμμενος περί της Μωϋσεως και Ιησε συμφωνίας, και όσοι αλλοι παρα τοις φιλοκαλοις εύρηνται Ibid. p. 220. D. 221. A.

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writes to this purpose: At that time [the person last 'spoken of is Origen] Ammonius, an eloquent and very learned man, was famous at Alexandria; who, among many excellent monuments of his wit, composed also an elegant work of the Consent of Moses and Jesus, and c 'invented the Evangelical Canons, which Eusebius of 'Cæsarea afterwards followed. This person is falsely reproached by Porphyry, that of a christian he became a heathen; when it is certain, he continued a christian to the end of his life.'

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And to this day it has been the general opinion of learned men, that Ammonius Saccas, the celebrated Alexandrian philosopher, and the author of these two christian works, as well as of other pieces upon the same principles, are one and the same person. Tillemont says, he does not see that any one doubts of it; but that manner of expression seems to show, that he himself had some suspicion to the contrary. And Fabricius has openly called into question this supposition, and I think demonstrated, beyond dispute, that they are two different persons. I shall only observe, that Porphyry was nearer Ammonius Saccas than Eusebius; that he could not but be well informed by his master Plotinus, who spent eleven years with Ammonius: and besides, we are assured by Longinus, another disciple of Ammonius Saccas, that he never wrote any thing. This may be sufficient to satisfy us that the writings, of which Eusebius and St. Jerom speak, are not to be ascribed to Ammonius Saccas. I have no occasion, therefore, to add any thing farther relating to the history of that heathen philosopher, as one would think every one must allow him to be, who reads Porphyry's life of Plotinus.

Who Ammonius was who composed these christian books, and continued a christian all his days, cannot be now certainly known. Eusebius has mentioned one of the same name, a presbyter of Alexandria, who suffered martyrdom in the Dioclesian persecution: and one might be apt to

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et Evangelicos Canones excogitavit, quos postea secutus est Eusebius Cæsariensis. Hunc falso accusat Porphyrius, quod ex christianis Ethnicus` fuerit, cum constet eum usque ad extremam vitam christianum perseverâsse. De Vir. Ill. cap. 55.

Nous ne voyons point que personne doute qu' Ammone, auteur de la Concorde, ne soit le même que le philosophe. Mem. T. iii. P. ii. Ammone. note 2. p. 390.

e Fabric. B.b. Gr. T. iv. p. 160, 161, 172. et seq.

f Porphyr. de Vit. Plotin. cap. 3. Conferatur Conspectus Chronologicus Vita Plotini, apud Fabric. Bib. Gr. lib. iv. cap. 26. init.

Eus. 1. viii. cap. 13. p. 308. C.

think that this was the man, if Eusebius had not been of a different mind. However, it may be argued that St. Jerom had some reason to think his Ammonius younger than Origen, since in the Catalogue he is placed after him: which would be improperly done, if he was satisfied that he was the same Ammonius who was Origen's master in philosophy; and who was plainly somewhat, though not a great deal, older than his scholar. Accordingly Örigen is placed by Cave at the year 230, and Ammonius at 220. It might be added, for supporting this conjecture, that in the titles of the chapters of St. Jerom's Catalogue, Ammonius is called presbyter; and by Eusebius and Jerom, and every body, the author of this Harmony is called an Alexandrian: all which considerations might lead us to the Alexandrian presbyter and martyr of this name, if Eusebius's opinion upon the point did not lie as a bar in our way; for it may be reckoned somewhat probable, that if the author of the Harmony had been his contemporary, or had lived very near his own time, he must have known it. I therefore speak of Ammonius, the author of the Harmony, at the year 220, where he is placed by Cave, without presuming to determine his time; though I differ from him, and most other learned men, in thinking that he is not the same with Ammonius Saccas.

We have seen two writings ascribed to Ammonius, the Consent of Moses and Jesus, and Evangelical Canons, as St. Jerom calls them. The former is quite lost; of the latter we have this farther account in antiquity. Eusebius himself, in his letter to Carpian, says, That Ammonius' of 'Alexandria had left us a gospel composed out of the four 'with great pains and labour, subjoining to Matthew's

h Vid. Euseb. ib. 1. vi. c. 19. p. 220. B. 221. B. C.

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i Αμμώνιος μεν ὁ Αλεξανδρεύς, πολλην, ὡς εικος, φιλοπονίαν και σπεδην εισαγηόχως, το δια τεσσάρων ήμιν καταλελοιπεν ευαγγέλιον, τῳ κατα Ματθαιον τας ὁμοφωνες των λοιπων ευαγγελιτων περικοπάς παραθεις- -EK TB πονήματος τε προειρημένα ανδρος ειληφως αφορμας, καθ' ἑτεραν μεθοδον κανονας δεκα τον αριθμόν διεχαραξα σοι τις υποτεταγμένες. Euseb. Ep. ad Carp. * Subjoining, &c.] According to Mr. Wetstein's interpretation of the original words, I should have translated after this manner: Setting over ⚫ against Matthew's gospel the parallel sections,' &c. For he says, Codex Latinus exhibet quatuor evangelistas in unum conflatos: Ammonius autem quaternis columnis quatuor evangelistas distincte descripserat; hæc enim est vis verbi mapabuç, 1. e. juxta Matthæum reliquos apposuit. Prolegom. cap. vi. p. 67. But Eusebius uses that verb barely for alleging, subjoining, putting down,' and the like. Thus: Taïos, où povas non potepov wаρаτεθειμαι, κ. λ. Η. Ε. 1. iii. cap. 28. init. So likewise Origen: Πολυ δε επι νυν παρατίθεσθαι τε Ηρακλεωνος τα ῥητα, κ. λ. Com. in Joh. Tom. xiv. p. 211. D. Huet.

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gospel the consonant passages [or sections] of the other 'evangelists and that, taking occasion from the work of the fore-mentioned writer, he had composed, in another method, ten canons in number, which are there sub'joined.'

St. Jerom, in his preface to the four gospels, expresseth himself thus of this author: I have also put' down the Canons which Eusebius, bishop of Cæsarea, disposed into 'ten numbers, following Ammonius of Alexandria.'

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Cassiodorius ascribes the Canons to Eusebius, without mentioning Ammonius.

Victor of Capua says, I have understood that Ammonius of Alexandria, who is also said to be the inventor of the Evangelic Canons, joined the passages of the three [other] evangelists with Matthew, and composed a gospel In a continued series of narration. Eusebius, in his epistle to one Carpian, in the preface to his edition of the 'fore-mentioned Canons, professes to have imitated the de'sign of that person.'

Zachary of Chrysopolis, in the 12th century, who wrote a commentary upon the Gospel of the Four, supposed to have been composed by Ammonius, expresses himself much after the same manner: but I do not think it needful to translate his words.

Upon the whole, though St. Jerom says that Eusebius followed Ammonius, and even reckons the Evangelic Canons among the works of Ammonius, they may have been properly Eusebius's invention, whilst yet the Harmony of Ammonius had been the occasion of that thought; which I think is all that Eusebius's words import: and his account of his own work may be justly reckoned the most authentic and exact.

All that I have said of Ammonius, is only to show that there was such a work, called a Gospel of the Four, or a Harmony of the Four Gospels, composed before Eusebius's

Canones quoque, quos Eusebius Cæsariensis episcopus, Alexandrinum sequutus Ammonium, in decem numeros ordinavit, sicut in Græco habentur, expressimus. Hieronym. Præf, in Quatuor Evangelia.

m Eusebius quoque Cæsariensis Canones Evangel.cos compendiosâ brevitate collegit. Cassiodor. de Instit. Divin. Lit. cap. 7.

Reperi Ammonium quendam Alexandrinum, qui Canonum quoque Evangelii fertur inventor, Matthæi evangelio reliquorum trium excerpta junxisse, ac in unam seriem evangelium nexuisse. Sicut Eusebius episcopus Carpiano cuidam scribens.- -supradicti viri imitatus studium, refert in hunc modum. Vict. Cap. Præf. &c. apud Biblioth. Max. Lugdun. Tom. iii. p. 265. • Unum ex quatuor evangelistarum dictis evangelium claro studio composuit Ammonius Alexandrinus, qui Canonum quoque Evangelii fertur inventor —Zachar. Chrysop. Præf. ap. Bibl. Patr. Max. Tom. xix. p. 741. H

time by some learned Alexandrian, named Ammonius. The testimonies here alleged afford full proof of this matter, and leave no room to doubt of it: though we do not know exactly who this Ammonius was. This is satisfactory evidence that there were four authentic gospels, and no more, in use in the church; and this work is likewise a proof of the zeal of the christians for those writings, and of their care about them.

II. But before I conclude this chapter, I shall proceed a little farther; for this may be reckoned a fit opportunity for examining two Harmonies of the Gospels, which we now have in Latin; the one ascribed to Tatian in the second, the other to Ammonius in the third, century. What the inost ancient writers have said of Tatian's Harmony, has been observed P formerly; as now, what they have said of that composed by Ammonius. Whether either of these is now extant, is not absolutely certain. However, I shall take notice of the judgments of several learned moderns upon those we have, and then make some remarks upon each of them.

Cave is not unwilling to allow both the Harmonies of these two learned ancients to be still extant: only he thinks that, sometimes called Ammonius's, ought to be reckoned Tatian's; as on the contrary that the other, sometimes called Tatian's, ought to be given to Ammonius.

Mill thinks the short one, which is the same Cave supposes to be Tatian's, cannot be really his; but is rather an epitome of the gospels composed by some learned catholic writer long after Tatian, in the fifth century: but the Harmony of Ammonius he supposes to be still extant, which is the larger of these two we now have in Latin. And here he and Cave agree.

Mr. Jo. James Wetstein thinks, there is now no where one copy extant of Tatian's Harmony, of which Theodoret saw so many; nor will he" allow the other to have been composed by Ammonius, but thinks it the work of some writer since Eusebius, for which he offers divers reasons. Valesius is of opinion, that the shorter Harmony, called Tatian's, is the work of some catholic christian, and therefore not his. I shall consider his arguments presently. These are the judgments of moderns.

P Chap. xiii. p. 149.

a Cav. Hist. Lit. P. ii. in Ammonio.

Prolegom. in N. T. num. 353. Vid. et num. 351, 352. • Id. ibid. num. 660-666.

Prolegom. ad Nov. Test. Græci edit. accuratissimam, p. 65.
Ibid. p. 66, 67.

▾ Vales. Not. ad Euseb. 1. iv. cap. 29

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