Christians. The single phrase so zoitiavos, “like the Chris tians," is the whole amount of this testimony. Nor is it certain whether by the name of Christians, he means the worshippers of Christ, or of Serapis. Below is the whole context. * M. VALERIUS MARTIALIS, A. D. 110. Contemporary with Juvenal, has an epigram, the gist of which, is to ridicule the folly of giving the credit of rational fortitude to those fool-hardy wretches that rush on voluntary sufferings, and who would stand to be baked in ovens, or hold their limbs over red hot coals, for the purpose of exciting sympathy; and who, it is assumed, could be nobody else than the primitive Christians. "In matutina nuper spectatus arena Mucius, imposuit qui sua membra focis Nam cum dicatur tunica præsente molestâ If brave and patient, thence, he seems to thee, Thou art, methinks, as great a fool as he ; For there, in robe of pitch, the fire prepared, The wretch would burn, because the people stared. LUCIUS APULEIUS, A. D. 164. Of Madaura, wrote a fantastical book of metamorpho ses, probably in principle somewhat similar to that of Ovid. Our beaters up for evidences of the Christian religion have enlisted this work also; and in a ridiculous story in which a man who was metamorphosed into an ass, and in that incarnation, sold to a baker,-describes his mistress, the baker's wife, as a red hot virago, an adulterous, drunken thief, cheat, scold, and liar; but with all (as such characters generally are) peculiarly religious. We are to imagine that we have some sort of evidence of the existence of Christianity. Dr. Lardner concludes, "there can be no doubt that Apuleius here designs to represent a * Οια εστιν η ψυχη, η έτοιμος εαν ηδη απολυθήναι δει του σώματος. Και ήτοι σβεσθηναι, η σκεδασθήναι, η συμμείναι: Το δε ετοιμον τουτο ινα απο ιδικης κρισεως ηρχηται ; μη κατα ψιλην παραταξι ως οι χριστιανοι, αλλα λελογισμένως και σεμνως και ωστε και αλλον πείσαι, ατραγωδώς. + Pistor ille qui, pessimam et ante cunctas mulieres longe deterrimam sortitus conjugem, pœnas extremas tori larisque sustinebat; scœva sœva, vitiosa, ebriosa Christian woman." No doubt, no doubt! "Tis hard to tell, whether Christianity or the ladies owe him the profounder courtesy. With all deference to the judgment of Dr. Lardner, I venture to suggest, that this passage has not the remotest relation to that evidences for the Christian religion, which he wishes to bring forward. It bears a strong indication of the better and more honourable rank which the wife held in the domestic economy, under the ancient paganism, a fact which he and all other Christian advocates endeavour always to conceal. It indicates the prevalence of that better feeling towards the fair sex, which would have shuddered at the indelicacy of dragging virgin-modesty into the presence of a liquorish priest, to utter an enforced acknowledgment of sentiments, which, whether felt or not, were never meant by nature to be acknowledged, and to make vows and pledges of abject subjection and obedience until death, beyond all measure of obligation, in which any rational and intelligent being could be bound to one who may become false, and so deserve to be forsaken; may become tyrannous, and therefore deserve to be hated. This undesigned discovery of the domestic economy under pagan auspices, is strongly corroborated by the fact, that among the paintings found in the ruins of Herculaneum, is a chaste and beautiful figure of the matrimonial Venus, (Venus Pronuba) holding a sceptre of that dominion enjoyed by the wife in domestic affairs. Hence as Festus under the article clavis, observes "the keys were consigned to the wife, as soon as she entered her husband's house. To this purpose may the custom of the Egyptians be observed, among whom, the wife ruled in the private concerns of her husband; and accordingly in their marriage ceremonies, he promised to obey her."* Neither Christians nor Turks have ever been just to women. LUCIANUS, A. D. 176. A pagan satyrist, is by far the most explicit and diffuse of all pagan writers, who at any time within the two first pervicax, pertinax, in rapinis turpibus avara, in sumptibus turpibus profusa, inimica fidei, hostis pudicitia. Tunc spretis atque calcatis divinis numinibus in vicem certæ religionis mentita sacrilega præsumptione Dei quem prædicaret unicum conflectis, observationibus vanis fallens omnes homines, et miserum maritum decipiens, matutino mero, et continuo stupro corpus Mancaparat. Talis illa mulier miro me persequebatur odio nam et ante lucano recubans adhuc subjungi machinæ novitium clamabat asinum."—Ita citat Lardnerius, Tom. 4. p. 107. * Univ. Mag, 1778. p. 134. centuries, have taken notice of the existence of the Christian sect, and of their doctrines as distinguishable in those early times, from any or all the other modes of piety. -His testimony, though so much later than that of Pliny, is entirely corroborated by it, and of the utmost consequence to the establishing of the historical fact of the real state of things in his time. The only reason I can conceive, why our Christian evidence writers have made so little account of this heathen testimony, is, that Christian evidence writers have in general been tinctured with Unitarianism, and therefore, rather willing that the cause of Christianity should lose one of its main pillars, than that it should receive support from one, which, at the same time, demonstrates, that the doctrine of the Trinity was really the earliest and purest form of Christianity; and consequently, whether Christianity be true or false, the Unitarian scheme is as unauthorised in history, as it is beyond all absurdities that even were in the world, the most disgustingly and insolently absurd. Lucian had seen and conversed with St. Paul, had learned from him, immediately, what his doctrine was-and even gives us a description of his person, as well as of the manners and character of the Christian sect; which after all the deduction, that we can reasonably be required to make from his testimony, as being that of an enemy, retains the corroborating countenance of every other document on the subject of which we are in possession, not excepting that of the New Testament itself. In his dialogue, entitled Philopatris, under the character of Triephon, he describes their form of oath, as being "by the high reigning, great, immortal, heavenly father, the son of the father, and the spirit proceeding from the father; one in three, and three in one. The same diologist continues, "I shall teach you who the true Pant is; and who was before all things for I formerly underwent the same things as you, when that Galilean, (Paul the Apostle‡) met me, that bald-headed, hook-nosed fellow, who went up through the air into the third heaven, and was there taught the best things ;§ and who hath regenerated us by water, and hath made us to walk in the steps of the blessed, and redeemed us from the realms of the wicked; and I will make you if you * Τψιμέδοντα θεον, μεγαν, αμβροτον, ερανίωνα, νιον πατρος, πνευμα εκ πατρος εκπορευομενον, εν εκ τριων, και εξ ενός τρια. † Compare the testimony of Plutarch in this DIEGESIS. This Parenthesis is actually found in the Latin version of Kortholt. § 2 Corinth. 12. 2. will hear me,-a man indeed."* The description of the apostolic chief of sinners, here drawn indeed by an unfriendly hand, is singularly supported by all the bas relievos, sculptures, and celebrated paintings of his person, in which, in addition to the short squabby figure, bald-head, beetle brows, and prodigiously large and hook nose, he is invariably represented as pot-bellied and bandy-legged. He indeed describes himself as having a particularly mean and dirty look, and a stammering voice; that he could hardly stand on his feet;† that he was subject to fits, and severely afflicted with a disease,† which cannot be spoken of but in periphrases. In his dialogue concerning the death of Perigrinus, Lucian speaks of the object of the Christians' worshipas a crucified sophist! Little stress is laid however, by Christians on this admission, though its authenticity is far less questionable than that of Tacitus. It is seen at once that this testimony does not pledge Lucian to an avowal of the fact of the crucifixion, but is his report of the report which Christians had given of themselves; as that of Tacitus is no more, even if it were genuine. Neither Lucian nor Tacitus were believers. Lucian has however, in the same dialogue, a far more explicit testimony to the then character of Christians; he tells us, that "whenever any crafty juggler, expert in his trade, and who knew how to make a right use of things, went over to the Christians, he was sure to grow rich immediately, by making a prey of their simplicity."§ ANCIENT WRITERS, WHOSE WORKS STILL REMAINING, WERE WRITTEN BETWEEN A. D. 35, AND A. D. 200. I. Those who have mentioned the Christians, wrote about: A. D. 107 C. Plinius secund jun. in his 96th epistle. 110 C. Suetonius Tranquill, in his Life of Nero. 110 Cornel Tacitus, in his Annals 15. a. 44. * Εγω γαρ σε διδαξω τι το ΠΑΝ, και τις ο πρωην παντων-Και γαρ πρωην κάγων ταυτα επασχον, απερ συ, ηνικα δε μοι Γαλιλαιος ενετυχεν, αναφαλαντίας επιρρινος ες τριτον ερανόν αεροβατησας, και τα καλλιστα εκμεμαθηκώς δι ύδατος ημας ανεκαινισεν ες τα των μακαρων ίχνια παρειδωδεισε και εκ των ασεβών χωρων μηας ελυτρώσατο, και σε ποιησω ην με ακοης, επ' αληθειας ανθρωπον.—Pro auctori tate Kortholtus, p. 142. † 2 Corinth. 12. 7.; 4 Galet. 13,; 1 Coloss. 24. ; 2 Corinth. 11. 6. 1 Corinth. 2. 3.; 2 Corinth. 5. 13.; 2 Corinth. 10. 10. * Τον ανεσκολοπισμένων εκείνον σοφιστήν αυτων. § This passage is quoted before in the chapter on Esculapius. I have also before quoted the TESTIMONY OF LUCIAN, p. 376, as satisfactorily proving the identity of St. Paul, distinctively from this testimony to the character of Christianity. 138 The Emperor Adrian, in his epistle to Servianus. 130 M. Aurel Antonin, philos., in his Meditations, B. 11. 176 Lucianus, in his dialogue on the death of Peregrinus, and in his Philopatris. 176 Celsus, in his "Essay on the True Word;" resting the Honour of Origen. II. Those who are supposed by some writers on the Christian Evidences, to have alluded to the Christians; wrote about: A. D. 98 Dio Prusæus, in a particular phrase.* 100 M. Valer Martialis, in the epigram quoted in this DIEGESIS. 100 Dec jun. Juvenalis, in three lines quoted in this DIEGESIS. 109 Epictetus, in a single phrase quoted in this DIEGESIS. 140 Arrianus,† in the use of the same phrase. 164 Lucius Apuleius, as quoted in this DIEGESIS. 176 Ælius Aristides, in the use of a particular phrase.‡ III. Those who would be likely to refer to the Christians but who have not done so; wrote about: A. D. 40 Philo. 40 Josephus 79 C. Plinius Secund, the elder.§} Philosophers. 69 L. Ann. Seneca 79 Diogenes Laertius 79 Pausanias 79 Pompon Mela 79 Luc. Flor 123 Appianus 141 Elianus Geographers. Historians. * Oi navra diaßalloves-those who cast away every thing.-Dio Prus. † 2s or Falikator-like the Galileans.-Arrian. * Τοις εν παλαιστινη δυσεβεσιν—to the impious people in Palestine. § Both those philosophers were living, and must have experienced the immediate effects, or received the earliest information of the existence of Jesus Christ, had such a person ever existed; their ignorance or their wilful silence on the subject, is not less than outrageously improbable. Whatever might be their dispositions with respect to the doctrines of Jesus; the miraculous darkness which is said to have accompanied his crucifixion, was a species of evidence that must have forced itself upon their senses. "Each of these philosophers in a laborious work, has recorded all the great phenomena of nature, earthquakes, meteors, comets, and eclipses, which his indefatigable curiosity could collect; neither of them have mentioned, or even alluded, to the miraculous darkness at the crucifixion."-Gibbon. Alas! the Christian is constrained to own that omnipotence itself, is not-omnipotent. |