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of the apostles, though with diminished power. There, other christians formed a closer union with Judaism, And a third class, (the Gnostics,) wishing to separate christianity altogether from Judaism, shaped it according to their own speculations.

SEC. 12. The Church and its Creed.

The disorders arising from this diversity of views, and which tended to the prostration of the christian cause, might contribute, at least, to induce various churches to unite together, and to acknowledge none as true christians, who did not embrace a definite but simple creed. A belief in the Father, as the Creator of the world; in the Son, who became a man and died for the salvation of men; in the Holy Ghost, who guided the ancient prophets, as well as the apostles; joined with the expectation of a future judgment and divine retribution; were the chief articles of this creed, which was propagated by oral instruction. Yet with it, the holy scriptures of the Old Testament, were used; and gradually also, the writings of the apostles and the apostolical Fathers.

Note.

A Creed is given by Ireneus, adv. Haeres. L. I. c. 10. by Tertullian, de Velandis Virgin. c. 1. de Praescript. Haeres. c. 13. contra Prax. c. 2. and by Origin, de Princip. Prefatio. (Schütz) Progr. de Regula fidei apud Tertullianum; Jenae, 1781. 4to.

SEC. 13. The received Theology.

About the middle of the second century, various persons joined the christian community, who were no strangers to Grecian learning and science. They needed and employed this knowledge and their intellectual vigor, in the various conflicts in which the church was involved. Pagans and Jews slandered christianity; and writers appeared against it. These were answered by apologies. The sects which were excluded from the churches, sought revenge; and they framed bold systems of belief. Within the church, the seeds of new controversies sprung up. Thus occasion was afforded for apologies, and for controversial writings; and new statements and expositions

of the christian doctrines were introduced, in which the Bible and tradition were used as the sources of knowledge, and philosophy employed as an auxiliary.

Reference. Jno. G. Rosenmüller, de christianae theologiae origine liber. Lips, 1786. 8vo.

SEC. 14. Estimation of the Bible.

The Old Testament was received, as a divine revelation, by the general church, but not by the Gnostics and Manichaeans. Yet some esteemed only the books written in Hebrew as divine, while others included those also which were found in Greek. By the Manichaeans, the books of the New Testament were not regarded as the genuine productions of the apostles; and previously, Marcion had denied the authority of all the apostles except Paul, and had used only one gospel and two epistles of Paul. The Catholics, from the middle of the second century, received with one voice the four gospels, the book of Acts, the Pauline epistles, and the first epistles of Peter and John; but they held different opinions respecting the other books. Divine inspiration was predicated, equally, of the Old and New Testaments, and no person was prohibited from reading either.

References. (Corodi,) Essay for elucidating the History of the Jewish and Christian biblical Canons; (in German,) Halle, 1792. II. vol. 8vo. Contributions to the History of the New Testament Canon; (in German,) by Chr. Fried. Weber; Tubing. 1791. Critical History of the New Testament Scriptures; (in German,) by J. E. Chr. Schmidt; Giessen, 1804. II. vol.8vo. Chr.W.Fr. Walch, Critical investigation of the use made of the Holy Scriptures in the four first centuries; (in German,) Lips. 1779. 8vo. Compare G. E. Lessing's Theological Remains; (in German,) Berlin, 1784. 8vo.

SEC. 15. Use of the Bible.

The teachers, with the exception only of Origen and Jerome, depended entirely on the Greek and Latin translations of the Old Testament. And, in the New Testament, many Latins followed solely their version. The

interpretation of the Bible was not based on sound principles, and run much into allegorical meanings. The theory of interpretation proposed by Origen, was not indeed embraced in all its parts by the succeeding fathers, yet was often partially adopted. The pure grammatical expositions, attempted in the East, by Theodorus of Mopsuestia, after the fourth century, met with little encouragement. John Chrysostom, following the laxer principles of the Antiochean school, met with more approbation. The occasional disagreements, between the received doctrines and the Bible, were adjusted by recurrence to the principle of accommodation, supposed to be adopted by the writers of the Bible; yet Irenaeus and Augustine declared against it.

Reference. J. G. Rosenmülleri, Historia interpretationis librorum sacrorum in ecclesia christiana; in V. Parts. Hildburgh. 1795-1807. Lips. 1813-14. 8vo.

Fr.A.Carus, Historia antiquior sententiarum ecclsiae graecae, de accommodatione Christo imprimis et Apostolis tributa. Lips. 1793. 4to.

SEC. 16. Tradition.

Tradition was at first the primary, and afterwards continued to be the secondary, source of a knowledge of christianity. On tradition was founded the decision respecting the Canon of the Bible. It was resorted to, as a rule for interpreting the scriptures, and as a means of ascertaining the doctrines of christianity, and for the confutation of opposers. The decisions of ecclesiastical councils, and the writings of eminent divines, continually widened the compass and extent of traditional knowledge. A way was also devised, for removing or concealing the difficulties, which attended the use of tradition, arising from the contradictory opinions advanced by the older fathers. Vincentius of Lirins gave a system of rules, to be used in appealing to tradition. Besides the public traditions of the church, the Gnostics, and likewise some Catholic fathers, as Clemens Alexandrinus, made pretensions to private traditions, which were preserved by the apostles and their confidential disciples.

Reference. H. P. Marheinecke, on the meaning of Tradition in the Catholic System; (in German,) in Daub u. Creutzer's Studien. vol. IV. 2. p. 320. &c.

SEC. 17. Philosophy.

Some Gnostics had previously mixed up philosophical speculations with christianity; but it was past the middle of the second century, when the catholic fathers began to make use of philosophy. However hazardous it was, in the view of Irenaeus and Tertullian, to combine philosophy with christianity; in the view of the Alexandrian fathers, it was deemed necessary and salutary. They were, indeed, far from preferring Grecian philosophy to the declarations of Jesus Christ; and likewise from paying absolute homage to any philosophical sect whatever, though they valued Plato above all the other philosophers; but they used philosophy as an auxiliary, to elucidate and confirm the christian doctrines, and to impress their truth upon the educated Pagans. And there continued to be, afterwards, different opinions respecting the utility of philosophy; which, however, had less and less influence on the articles of christian faith, as the tenets of the general church became more definitely fixed.

References. J. A. G. Neander, de fidei gnoseosque idea, et ea, qua ad se invicim et ad philosophiam referantur, ratione secundum Clementem Alexand. Heidelb, 1811.

8vo.

Le Platonisme devoilé (par Souverain,) à Cologne 1700, 8vo. and in German, by J. F. Löffler, ed. 2. Züllich. 1792. 8vo.

(Baltus,) Defense de Saints Peres accusés du Platonisme. Paris, 1711. 4to.

Laur Mosheim, Diss. de turbata per recentiores Platonicos ecclesia; in his Dissertt. ad Historiam eccles. vol. 1. ed. 1743.

Histoire critique de l' électicisme, ou des nouveaux Platoniciens. Paris, 1766. 2 vols. 12mo.

C. A.Theoph. Keil, de doctoribus ecclesiae culpa corruptae

per Platonicas sententias Theologiae liberandis; Com mentatt. I-XIV. Lips. 1793, &c.

History of Philosophy; (in German,) by W. Gottl. Tennemann. 7th vol. Lips. 1809.

SEC. 18. Character of the Theologians.

From the sources and auxiliaries now described, theological systems were framed. The Asiatic teachers, as Irenaeus, kept nearer to the apostolical simplicity. The African, Tertullian, distinguished himself by a more gloomy strictness, and by a glowing imagination. The Alexandrians, among whom Clement was prominent, shewed more freedom of thought, and a more metaphysical disposition, and made a distinction between the popular belief and scientific investigations, (isis and yvwors.)

[References. A. Neander, General History of the Christian religion and church (in German.) vol. I. P. III. p. 861 -957, ed. Hamb. 1827.]

Idea of the perfectability of Christianity, entertained by the Gnostics and the Manichaeans, by the Montanists, by Origen and Vincent of Lirins.

Sol. Deyling, Irenaeus evangelicae veritatis confessor et testis :-in his Observatt. miscellaneis. p. 3.-J. G. Walch, de Clemente Alexandrino et ejus erroribus; in his Miscell. sacris. p. 510.

SEC. 19. Origen.

In the Alexandrian school arose Origen, who excelled all the other teachers in learning and untiring activity. He not only defended christianity against Celsus, but, in his work de Principiis (Tep άpxwv,) made the first attempt to philosophise on christian doctrines in their connections. His chief object was, to shew that the wisdom and goodness of the divine govenment were in harmony with the freedom of man's will. The many peculiar ideas and hypotheses which he advanced, are worthy of attention, although not received into the prevailing system of belief. Even in his life time, and still more after

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