to which I here add, that it has been thought by several learned men, that it is no other than the history of the adulterous woman, which is in St. John's Gospel, chap. viii. 1. &c. So Erasmus, Sixtus Senensis P, Beza 9, Grotius,-father Simons, Dr. Hammond', and many others; and indeed the opinion is so probable, that I have not met with any thing that is urged against it, except that the woman mentioned by Papias was accused before our Saviour of many crimes, (inì moλλaïs àμagτίαις διαβληθείσης,) but the woman mentioned by St. John is only accused of adultery. This is urged by Baronius" and Dr. Whitbyx; the latter of whom, for this reason, supposes, that Papias speaks of the woman of Samaria; "who," saith he," was accused of many such sins." But to this it is easy to answer: either, 1. That the evangelists do not always relate all the circumstances of a story, as is well known; and so perhaps the woman might be accused of some other crimes, which St. John has not mentioned: or, 2. Adultery being a complicated crime, which included several others, might be very justly thus expressed by Papias in his Commentaries: or, 3. Perhaps it may not be an unjust translation, if we render Toλλaïs åμaptíais great sins, rather than many sins; and in this sense the words might be very justly used for the crime of adultery; and that the word woλùs is thus often used to denote magnitude as well as multitude, I dare affirm, and am able to prove by many instances. However, 4. Nothing can be more extravagant than Dr. Whitby's conjecture, that the woman spoken of by Papias and that of Samaria were the same; "because," says he, "they were both "accused of many crimes;" for it does not appear that the woman of Samaria was ever accused before Christ of any crimes at all. See the history, John iv. Upon the whole, I conclude, that the same history which was written by John was expounded by Papias; whence there • Annot. in Joh. viii. 3. P. Biblioth. Sanct. lib. 7. p. 599. a Annot. in Joh. vii. 53. r Annot. in Loc. s Critic. Histor. of the New Test. par. 1. c. 7. p. 67. and 71. t Annot. in Joh. vii. 53. u Annal. ad Ann. Chr. 99. N. 9. apud Simon. loc. cit. x Annot. in Joh. viii. 9. is further evidence of that which I have above proved, (Chap. XXVII.) that Papias did not use the Gospel of the Nazarenes. Whether this history of the adulterous woman, in the eighth chapter of St. John, be a genuine part of his writing, or an interpolation out of the Gospel of the Nazarenes, I shall not take upon me here to inquire; that question belonging rather to the text than the canon of the New Testament. It is certain that it is wanting in the Syriac version, and most ancient manuscripts; of which see above, Chap. XVII. and Dr. Mill's notes on the place. He who has a mind to read more on this may consult Erasmus, Grotius, Beza, Simon, Hammond, Whitby, and especially Dr. Mill, in the places above cited. X. A Discourse ascribed to Christ by Papias, and some others, who conversed with St. John the apostle, preserved in Irenæus adv. Hæres. lib.. 5. cap. 33. Prædicta itaque benedictio ad tempora regni sine contradictione pertinet, quando regnabunt justi surgentes a mortuis: quando et creatura renovata et liberata multitudinem fructificabit universæ escæ, ex rore coeli et ex fertilitate terræ: quemadmodum presbyteri meminerunt, qui Joannem discipulum Domini viderunt, audisse se ab eo, quemadmodum de temporibus illis docebat Dominus, et dicebat: Venient dies, in quibus vineæ nascentur, singulæ decem millia palmitum habentes, et in uno palmite dena millia brachiorum, et in uno vero palmite dena millia flagellorum, et in unoquoque flagello dena millia botruum, et in unoquoque botro dena millia acinorum, et unumquodque acinum expressum dabit viginti quinque metretas vini. Et cum eorum apprehenderit ali The aforementioned blessing (viz. the blessing of Isaac on his son Jacob, Gen. xxvii. 27, 28.) undoubtedly relates to the times of that kingdom, in which the righteous shall reign after their resurrection from the dead; when the creature being made new, and delivered from bondage, (see Rom. viii. 21. &c.) shall produce prodigious quantities of all sorts of food, through the dews of heaven and the fruitfulness of the earth. Agreeable to which the elders, who saw John the disciple of our Lord, have related, that they heard him declare what the Lord said concerning those times, viz. That he said [the following words], The days will come, in which there will spring up vines, each of which shall have ten thousand branches, and every one of these branches shall have ten thousand lesser quis sanctorum botrum, alius clamabit: Botrus ego melior sum, me sume; per me Dominum benedic. Similiter et granum tritici decem millia spicarum generaturum, et unamquamque spicam habituram decem millia granorum, et unumquodque granum quinque bilibres similæ claræ mundæ ; et reliqua autem poma et semina, et herbam secundum congruentiam iis consequentem: et omnia animalia iis cibis utentia quæ a terra accipiuntur, pacifica et consentanea invicem fieri, subjecta hominibus cum omni subjectione. branches, and every one of these branches shall have ten thousand twigs, and every one of these twigs shall have ten thousand clusters of grapes, and every cluster of grapes shall have ten thousand grapes, and every grape, when it is pressed, shall yield five and twenty measures of wine; and when any of the saints shall lay hold upon one of these clusters, another shall cry out, I am a better cluster than thee, take me, and by me bless the Lord; in like manner, one grain of wheat shall bring forth ten thousand ears, and every ear shall have ten thousand grains, and every grain shall yield ten pound of neat meal, and in a like proportion to these shall be the product of apples and seeds, and herbs according to their kinds, and also all animals, who feed upon these foods, which are the produce of the earth, shall be peaceable, agreeing with each other, and in a most perfect subjection to men. These things, says Irenæus, are related by Papias, a hearer of John, and acquaintance of Polycarp, in the fourth book of his work. XI. Another History and Saying of Christ, in the same place of the same author. Et adjecit dicens, Hæc autem credibilia sunt credentibus. Et Juda, inquit, proditore non credente, et interrogante; Quomodo ergo tales genituræ a Domino perficientur? dixisse Dominum, Videbunt qui venient in illa. And he farther adds, (viz. Papias), saying; But Judas, says he, who betrayed him, did not believe these things, but inquired, How the Lord could bring about such an increase? The Lord replied, They who arrive to that state (or come to that kingdom) shall see. These two passages seem indeed probably enough to have been in some ancient apocryphal gospel, were it not that Ire y The word metretas is used John ii. 6. and contained at least 180 gallons of wine. See Godwin's Moses and Aaron. z Loc. jam cit. VOL. I. B b næus intimates they were received by tradition; and Papias dealt much in such stories, as Eusebius informs usa. I suppose I need be at no pains to prove that these were not the words of Christ; and I cannot but wonder Dr. Grabe should make any difficulty of disbelieving the tradition b. I will only make two or three-brief remarks on this head. First, That the doctrine of the Millennium, or Christ's personal reign on earth, seems to owe its original to Papias. So Eusebius expressly says; and perhaps on this account we meet with the title of Papianista among the heretics in Justinian's Code, lib. 1. tit. 5. leg. 5. Secondly, The generality of the ancient Christians fell into this opinion. So Eusebius expressly saithd. Thirdly, Papias seems to have borrowed it from the Jews; for it is well known, and even from the Gospels, that they had the expectations of a temporal kingdom from the Messias; and their oldest writings assure us, they expected such things in it, as Papias and his followers did. See Galatin. Arcan. Cathol. Verit. 1. 10. c. 4. Fourthly, It seems very probable, that as Papias was the author of this doctrine, so of this passage ascribed to Christ, and calculated to support ite. XII. A Saying ascribed to Christ by Justin Martyr. Dialog. cum Tryph. Διὸ καὶ ὁ ἡμέτερος Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς εἶπεν, Εν οἷς ἂν ὑμᾶς καὶ ταλάβω, ἐν τούτοις καὶ κρινῶ. Jud. P. 267. Wherefore our Lord Jesus Christ hath said: In whatsoever [actions] I shall find you, by them also I will judge you. This is a very noted passage, and has been not only cited in several of the ancient books, but taken notice of by several of the moderns, insomuch that for this reason Justin is reputed to have made use of the apocryphal books. Every body “knows,” says Casaubon f," that Justin Martyr and the other "fathers have frequently appealed to apocryphal books;" but I know not one instance which has been assigned for the proof a Hist. Eccl. 1. 3. c. 39. b Spicileg. Patr. t. 2. p. 231. e Hist. Eccl. l. 3. c. 39. a Ibid. See Dr. Whitby's Treatise of the Millennium. f Exercit. adv. Baron. Annal. p. 54. It re of this, besides the passage which we are now upon. quires therefore consideration, and the more, because Justin, being one of the first Christian writers whose works are extant, his rejecting all other books besides those now received is a mighty confirmation of our present canon. But I come to the passage, and to inquire what has been said of it. 1. Langus (Justin's Latin translator) proposes two conjectures concerning this passage, viz. either that it is a citation of some words of Christ which are in John v. Luke xii. and xix. and more regard had to the sense and meaning of those places than the words; or else, that it was taken out of some apocryphal books. The last of these conjectures I shall presently examine largely. As to the first, viz. that the passage is an allusion to some words of Christ; I observe, that though perhaps it may not exactly be the case, yet it is not very absurd; indeed I know not certainly what places in the evangelists Langus refers to, because he only cites the chapters at large, and not the verses; but I suppose he meant those, John v. 27-30. and those in Luke xix. 11-27. in which places there is a plain declaration that Christ, who is constituted judge, would be no respecter of persons, but deal to every man according to his works. And this is the undoubted meaning of the Saying in Justin. I say therefore, this conjecture is not very absurd, because the fathers usually cite thus compendiously. But there seems to be this against it, that the passage is in the same words in many of the fathers; and it is hardly probable that they should paraphrase the same way. 2. Dr. Caveh supposes it taken out of the apocryphal Gospel of the Nazarenes. 3. Dr. Grabe is of the same opinioni. 4. Dr. Fell, in his notes on the same Saying of Christ, which is in §. 40. of the little book of Clemens Alexandrinus, entitled, Quis Dives Salvetur, says, Clemens took it out of some apocryphal gospel. tin. But against this opinion I argue, I. That Justin does not in any other part of his writings Vid. Sylburg. Annot. in Loc. Jus h Hist. Liter. in Matth. p. 8. |