ABOUT A. D. 150. flourished Justin, the first Christian author, after thofe who are called Apoftolical, a virtuous, pious, honest man, and incapable of wilfully deceiving, but a hafty writer, and of a warm and credulous temper. He was highly and juftly esteemed by the ancient Chriftians, and Eufebius makes honourable mention of him, as of one ἐν τῷ καθ ̓ ἡμᾶς δια gevas λóyw, qui inter religionis noftræ feliatores maxime floruit, and he fpeaks of his two Apologies, his Dialogue with Trypho, and fome other treatises, and produces fume paffages from that Dialogue, which fhew that he had it as we have it now. He wanted neither learning, nor vivacity, nor an unartificial eloquence. The love of Truth was his predominant paffion, to which he facrificed all worldly confiderations, and for which he laid down his life with great refolution; and therefore whofoever loves Truth, fhould love him and his memory. "Galen" (fays our amiable writer John Hales)" Galen that great phyfician fpeaks thus of himself: I know not "how, even from my youth up, in a wonder"ful manner, whether by divine infpiration, " or by fury and poffeffion, or however you may please to ftyle it, I have much con"temned the opinion of the Many; but Truth "and Knowledge I have above measure affected, verily perfuading myfelf that a fairer, a more divine Fortune could never befall a man. Some title, fome little claim I may justly lay to the words of this excellent perfon; for A a 4 "the "the pursuit of Truth hath been my only care, "ever fince I underflood the meaning of the word. "For this I have forfaken all hopes, all friends, "all defires, which might byas me, and hinder me from driving right at what I aimed. For this "I have spent my money, my means, my youth, my age, and all that I have. If with all this coft and pains my purchafe is but Error, I may Jafely fay, To err bath coft me more than it has many to find the truth: and Truth fhall give "me this teftimony at last, that if I have miffed of her, it is not my fault, but my misfortune. Juftin would not perhaps have expreffed himfelf upon this fubject with the fame itrength and elegance; but he had the fame heart, and the fame turn of mind. In the first Apology, he fays to the Emperors, We defire a fair trial, and no favour: if we are guilty, punish us; if we are innocent, protect us. We do not defire you to punish our calumniators: their own wickedness and ignorance is puniment enough. Οὐ γ τὲς κατηγορένας κολά ζειν ὑμᾶς ἀξιώσομεν· ἀρκονται ἢ τῇ προσέση πονηρία, καὶ τῇ 7 καλῶν ἀγνοίᾳ. Cicero had a thought of the fame kind, but he fpoiled it: he fays fomewhere, Odi hominem, et odero. Utinam ulcifci poffem; fed ulcifcentur illum mores fui. We are flain with the fword, fays Juftin, we are crucified, we are caft to the wild heats, we are bound with chains, tortured, and burnt, and yet we are not only conftant to our profession, but we increafe and multiply: the more we are perfecuted and defroyed, the more are added to our numbers. numbers. As a vine by being pruned and cut clofe, puts forth new shoots, and bears a greater abundance of fruit, fo is it with us who are the vine which God and his Chrift have planted. Ὁποῖον ἐὰν ἀμπέλες τὶς ἐκτέμῃ τὰ καρποφορήσαντα μέρη, εἰς τὸ ἀναβλαςῆσαι ἑτέρας κλάδες καὶ εὐθαλῶς ( καρπο Φέρες ἀναδίδωσι· τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ ἐφ' ἡμῖν γίνεται ἡ ~ φυτευθεῖσα ὑπὸ ξ Θε8 άμπελα, σωτήρα Χριτό, ὁ λαὸς αὐτῷ ἐςι. Horace : Duris ut ilex tonfa bipennibus, The account which Juftin gives of himself, as seeking truth among the Philofophers, the Stoics, the Peripatetics, Pythagoreans, and Platonics, and finding it in Chriftianity, is fpritely and entertaining, and fo is the manner in which he cenfures the Jews. It was foretold of you, fays he to Trypho, that you should be as the fand of the fea-fhore; and jo indeed you are, if as numerous, as barren likewife, and as unfruitful of all that is good, ever ready to receive the refreshing dews and rain of heaven, and never willing and difpofed to make any return. p. 394. Ed. Thirl. I fhall not undertake the vindication of Juftin concerning the celebrated ftatue erected to Simon Magus: I am inclined to think that he was mistaken, and that the proud Romans would never have deified a Samaritan knave, and a strolling Magician. It feems more pro bable bable that they would have fent him to the house of correction, or have beftowed tranfportation upon him, or aftone-doublet sooner than a ftatue. Dr. Thirlby, who pleads Juftin's caufe, concludes thus: Si quis autem quærat quid de hac re ipfe fentiam, patroni me potius quam judicis partes egiffe, negare non possum, quæque dixi, non tam veritatis gratia, quam Juftini dixiffe, cujus mihi cum editione defenfio ex veteri more neceffario fufcipienda erat, etc. It is easy enough to know what this means, though some perfons have made a fhift to misunderstand it, In behalf of Juftin it might be faid that as worthlefs men as Simon had religious refpect paid to them about the time when Juftin wrote, or not long after. Alexander (the impoftor perhaps and falfe prophet) and Peregrinus, called Proteus, another knave, both of whom Lucian has fatyrically celebrated, and of whom the latter burnt himself publicly, and one Neryllinus, an obfcure mortal, had ftatues erected to them at Troas and Parium in the time of Marcus Aurelius, and when Neryllinus was living, to which ftatues divine honours were paid, and which were faid to give oracles, and to work miracles. So cheap was deification in those days! This we learn from Athenagoras. Tewas * Πάρχον· ἡ μὲν Νεφυλλίνα εἰκόνας ἔχει, ὡς ἀνὴρ ὃ καθ ̓ ἡμᾶς· τὸ ἢ Πάριον, Αλεξάνδρας και Πρωτές. Το ̓Αλεξάνδρα ἔτι ἐπὶ τ' ἀγορᾶς καὶ ὁ τάφω, κι ἡ εἰκών. Οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι ἀνδριάνες το Νηρυλλίνε, κόσμημά είσι ο λαϊνον χλῶνα. Tš δημί μὲ δημόσιον - εἷς ἢ αὐτῶν καὶ χρηματίζειν καὶ ἰας νοσονίας νομίζεται και θύεσί τε δι' αὐτῷ, καὶ χρύσω διαλείφεσι, καὶ σεφανᾶσι τὸν ἀνδριάνα, οἱ Τρωαδεῖς· ὁ τὸ ̓Αλεξάν δρα, καὶ ὁ τ8 Πρωτέως — ὁ καὶ αὐτὸς λέγεται χρηματίζειν τῷ ἢ τὸ ̓Αλεξάνδρα — δημοτελεῖς ἄγονται θυσίας εορ τα, ὡς ἐπηκόῳ θεῷ. Troas et Parium. Habet enim illa imagines Neryllini, viri qui noflro feculo vixit: Parium vero, Alexandri et Protei. Alexandri quidem etiamnum in foro et fepulcrum et fimulacrum eft. Porro Neryllini cæteræ quidem ftatuæ ornatus funt publicus, una vero ex illis tum confulentibus refpondere, tum medicari dicitur. Quamobrem et facra ei faciunt, et aura illinunt, et coronant ftatuam Troadenfes. Protei vero ftatua fimiliter refponfa dare perhibetur. Alexandri vero ftatuæ facrificia publice et fefta peragunt, tanquam propitio et exaudienti Deo. p. 122. Ed. Ox. τα Epiphanes, the fon of the heretic Carpocrates, and a heretic as well as his father, was deified about the middle of the fecond century, or the time when Juftin wrote. The account is remarkable: Επιφανὴς, κ κ τὰ συγγράμματα κομίζε), εὶς ἦν Καρποκράτες—τὰ μὲ πρὸς πατρὸς ̓Αλεξανδρος ὑπὸ ἢ μητρὸς Κεφαλλίωσις· ἔζησε ἢ τὰ πάνα ἔτη πλακαίδεκα, καὶ Θεὸς ἐν Σάμῃ τῆς Κεφαλληνίας τετίμη). ἔνθα αὐτῷ ἱερὸν ῥυτῶν λίθων, βωμοί, τεμένη, μεσεῖον ᾠκοδίμηταί τε € καθιέρωται και συνιίνες εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν οἱ Κε φαλλήνες κατὰ νεμηνίαν, γυέθλιον αποθέωσιν θύεσιν Επιφάνει· σπένδεσί τε καὶ εὐωχέναι, καὶ ὕμνοι λέγονται. Εριphanes, cujus etiam fcripta feruntur, filius erat Carpocratis, ex patre quidem Alexandrinus, ex matre vero Cephalleneus. Vixit autem folum feptendecim -- |