Imatges de pàgina
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III. The same father in his treatise of Faith, or the Trinity of the Unity, produces the same passage with no variation; only that the author's name is there written Leontius, and not Lentitius, as in the place last cited: his words are, In actibus etiam conscriptis a Leontio, quos ipsi accipiunt, sic scriptum. est; Etenim speciosa figmenta, &c.c. Whence it is evident, that these two names denote the same person; not that he was anciently known by both these names, but through the ignorance or inadvertency of latter scribes, when they found the name Leucius contractedly wrote thus, L. or Lus. according to the old way in manuscripts, they substituted either Leucius, Lentitius, or Leontius, according to their own fancy.

IV. Jerome, or whoever was the author of that famous Epistle to Chromatius and Heliodorus under his name among his works, ascribes not only the book of the Nativity of Mary, but that called, The Acts or Passions of the Apostles, to Leuthon, as it is in my edition, or as it is in others, Seleucus, who was the same as Leucius, as has been often observed; see Casaubone, Fabritius f, and others; and so Dr. Mill assures us, the manuscript copies still have the name Leucius, and neither Leuthon nor Seleucusg: so that I may now set down the words of the Epistle under Jerome's name. Sed factum est, ut a Manichæi discipulo, nomine Leucio, qui etiam gesta Apostolorum falso

Lib. de Fid. cont. Manich. c.5. d Epistol. 82. par. 2. tract. 6. fol.

140.

Exercit. 1. ad Apparat. Baron.

But it is certain that this book was published, &c. by a disciple of Manichæus, whose name was Annal. 15. No. 39.

f Cod. Apoc. Nov. Testam. p. 137.

par. 1.

8 Prolegom. in Nov. Testam. §. 336.

sermone conscripsit, hic liber Leucius, who also wrote a false editus, &c. account, entitled, The Acts of the Apostles.

Hence it is evident there were certain Acts under the apostles' names wrote by Leucius. It remains now, that we more particularly make inquiry what those Acts were.

To me it seems certain, they were the very same with those apocryphal Acts which are so often mentioned by the ancient writers, as forged under the names of John, Andrew, and Thomas, and perhaps two or three more. I shall make good my assertion by these following reasons:

1. From the express testimony of Photius, that most accurate and judicious critic, who had read the books, and asserts, that they manifested Leucius Charinus to be their author h ̧

̓Ανεγνώσθη βιβλίον, αἱ λεγόμεναι τῶν ̓Αποστόλων περίοδοι, ἐν αἷς περιείχοντο πράξεις Πέτρου, Ιωάννου, ̓Ανδρέου, Θωμᾶ, Παύλου, Γράφει δὲ αὐτὰς, ὡς δηλοῖ τὸ αὐτὸ βιβλίον, Λεύχιος Χαρῖνος.

I read the book which is called
the Acts of the Apostles, among
which are contained the Acts of

Peter, John, Andrew, Thomas,
Paul; the writer of which, as ap-
pears plainly from the book, was
Leucius Charinus.

2. From the Decree of pope Innocenti, in which several books under these apostles' names are joined together, as wrote by this same Leucius; Cætera quæ sub nomine Petri et Joannis, quæ a quodam Leucio scripta sunt, &c. "As to the "other books under the name of John, which were written by "one Leucius," &c. See the passage at large above, No. XXV.

3. St. Austin, who says the Manichees made their citations out of the Acts of the Apostles written by Leucius, in the places just now cited; in another bookk says, "they made "their citations out of some apocryphal pieces under the "names of Andrew and John."

4. They were received by several heretics, who agreed in many of the same impious principles. This is evident by the table which I have composed of this agreement in Chap. V. of

h Cod. cxiv.

i Epist. 3. ad Exuper. Episcop. Tolos. c. 7.

Sane de apocryphis iste posuit

testimonia, quæ sub nominibus apostolorum Andreæ, Johannisque conscripta sunt. Contr. Advers. Leg. et Proph. lib. 1. c. 20. in init.

this part, and the authors there cited, who mention the Acts of Andrew and John together, as received by the Manichees, Encratites, Apostolicks, or Apotacticks, and Origenians.

These therefore appearing so evidently to be the same, I shall in the next place produce the places where they are mentioned, viz.

1. By Eusebiusl.

Ἵν ̓ εἰδέναι ἔχοιμεν—τὰς ὀνόματι τῶν ̓Αποστόλων πρὸς τῶν αἱρετικῶν προφερομένας, ἤτοι ὡς Πέ τρου, καὶ Θωμᾶ, καὶ Ματθία, ἢ καί τινων ἄλλων παρὰ τούτους Εὐαγγέλια περιεχούσας, ἢ ὡς ̓Ανδρέου καὶ Ἰωάννου, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ̓Αποστόλων πράξεις, ὧν οὐδὲν οὐδαμῶς ἐν συγγράμματι τῶν κατὰ διαδοχὰς ἐκκλησιαστικῶν τις ἀνὴς εἰς μνήμην ἀγαγεῖν ἠξίωσεν· πόῤῥω δέ που καὶ ὁ τῆς φράσεως παρὰ τὸ ἦθος τὸ ἀποστολικὸν ἐναλλάττει χαρακτὴρ, ἥ τε γνώμη καὶ ἡ τῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς φερομένων προαίρεσις, πλεῖστον ὅσον τῆς ἀληθοῦς ὀρθοδοξίας ἀπάδουσα, ὅτι δὴ αἱρετικῶν ἀνδρῶν ἀναπλάσματα τυγχάνει, σαφῶς παρίστησιν, ὅθεν οὐδ ̓ ἐν νό θοις αὐτὰ κατατακτέον, ἀλλ ̓ ὡς ἄτοπα πάντη καὶ δυσσεβῆ παραι τητέον.

That we may know the books published by the heretics under the apostles' names, such as the Gospels of Peter, Thomas, Matthias, and some others, and also the Acts of Andrew and John and some other apostles, which were never esteemed valuable enough to be cited in the works of

any ecclesiastical writer: besides, the phraseology of them is very different from the apostles' style; and withal, the doctrines and sentiments, which they contain, are so very opposite to the orthodox faith, as evidently to demonstrate that they are the forgeries of heretics, and so not only to be looked upon as spurious, but to be utterly rejected as absurd and impious.

2. By Athanasius m.

Τῆς νέας Διαθήκης ἀντιλεγόμενα The apocryphal books of the New ταῦτα. Περίοδοι Πέτρου, περίοδοι Ιωάννου, περίοδοι Θωμᾶ, Εὐαγ γέλιον κατὰ Θωμᾶ, διδαχή Απο στόλων, Κλημέντια παραγε γραμμένα δέ εἰσι πάντως, καὶ νόθα, καὶ ἀπόβλητα. Καὶ οὐδὲν τού

1 Hist. Eccl. 1. 3. c. 25.

Testament are these: The Acts of Peter, the Acts of John, the Acts of Thomas, the Gospel according to Thomas, the Doctrine of the Apostles, and the books under Clement's name. They are

m In Synops. or whoever was the author of that ancient book.

Twν тãν åπоxρúøwv páλioτa kyκριτον ἢ ἐπωφελές, ἐξαιρέτως τῆς ĥ νέας Διαθήκης· ἀλλὰ πάντα, δίχα τῶν ἀνωτέρω διαληφθέντων καὶ ἐγκριθέντων παρὰ τοῖς παλαιοῖς σοφοῖς καὶ πατράσιν, ἀποκρυφῆς μᾶλλον ἢ ἀναγνώσεως ὡς ἀληθῶς ἄξια· τάτε ἄλλα, καὶ αὐτὰ τὰ

all false, spurious, and to be rejected. And none of those apocryphal books of the New Testament have been either approved, or are useful; but they have all been judged apocryphal (i. e. rather worthy to be concealed than read) by the ancient wise men and fathers, which contain any

καλούμενα ἐν αὐτοῖς Εὐαγγέλια, thing contrary to the books above

ἐκτὸς τῶν παραδοθέντων ἡμῖν τεσ σάρων τούτων.

recited"; as also all other Gospels, besides those four delivered

to us.

3. By Philastrius o.

E quibus sunt Manichæi, Gnostici, Nicolaitæ, Valentiniani, et alii quamplurimi, qui apocrypha apostolorum, i. e. separatos Actus habentes, canonicas legere scripturas contemnunt scripturæ autem absconditæ. i. e. apocrypha, etsi legi debent morum causa a perfectis, non legi debent ab omnibus, quia non intelligentes multa addiderunt et tulerunt, quæ voluerunt hæretici. Nam Manichæi apocrypha beati Andreæ Apostoli, i. e. Actus quos fecit veniens de Ponto in Græciam, quos conscripserunt discipuli tunc sequentes apostolum; unde et habent Manichæi et alii tales, Andreæ beati et Joannis Actus evangelista, beati et Petri similiter Apostoli, et Pauli pariter Apostoli; in quibus quia signa fecerunt magna et prodigia, ut et canes et bestiæ loquerentur, etiam et animas hominum tales velut canum

Among whom are the Manichees, Gnosticks, Nicolaitans, Valentinians, and many others, who having some apocryphal books under the apostles' names, i. e. some distinct Acts, despise the canonical scriptures as not worthy to be read but these secret, i. e. apocryphal scriptures, though for the conduct of life they ought to be read by the more able Christians, yet ought not to be read by all, because the ignorant heretics have added and taken away inany things, according to their own fancies. For the Manichees [make use] of apocryphal books under the name of St. Andrew the apostle, i. e. the Acts which he did in his journey from Pontus to Greece, which the disciples, who followed that apostle, wrote: so also the Manichees and other such [heretics] have the Acts of St. Andrew and John the evan

n He refers to the catalogue he had given before of canonical books. Hæres. 40. cui titul. apocryphi.

et pecudum similes imputaverunt esse hæretici perditi.

gelist; also of St. Peter the apostle, and the apostle Paul; in which, because they wrought many miracles, such as making dogs and beasts to speak, those wretched heretics imagined the souls of men to be like the souls of dogs and beasts.

4. By Epiphanius P, speaking concerning the Encratites. Κέχρηνται δὲ γραφαῖς πρωτοτύπως ταῖς λεγομέναις ̓Ανδρέου καὶ Ἰωάννου πράξεσι, καὶ Θωμᾶ, καὶ ἀποκρύφοις τισί.

They principally made use of those scriptures, which were called the Acts of Andrew, and John, and Thomas, and some other apocryphal pieces.

The same author, in the heresy of the Apotacticks and Origenians, says, they made use of the same book; the passages are produced above, in the place referred to in the margin 9.

5. By pope

Gelasius 1.

All the books which were made

by Lentitius, or Leucius, that son of the Devil, are apocryphal.

Libri omnes quos fecit Lentitius, seu Leucius, filius Diaboli, apocryphi. These are all the places which I have observed, in which these apocryphal Acts are expressly mentioned by name: there are indeed some other places where they are referred to, but not named, as I shall shew in the end of this chapter; and only add here some account of their author Leucius, and some reasons for rejecting his books.

Concerning Leucius I have met with very little, besides what has been produced above, in any writers within the limits of my time. Pacianus, a writer of the fourth century, mentions one Leucius, whom the Montanists falsely asserted to be a great promoter of their heresys; accordingly Dr. Grabet, and Dr. Mill", supposing Pacianus to speak of the same Leucius, of whom I am now writing, conclude, he lived in the second century, viz. says Dr. Mill, about the year of Christ 140, i. e. a little before the rise of the Montanists, who pretended to be encouraged by him. The said doctor adds, "that Leucius

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