God and dependence upon him, and observance of the moral law. But I have no wish to insist controversially upon these conclusions.

CHAPTER XV.

ON CEREMONIES, USAGES, AND FORMS OF WORDS.

THE object of the Great Treatise of Irenæus, which is almost the whole that remains to us of his writings, being to refute doctrinal error, things of a ceremonial and ritual nature can be introduced only incidentally. It is interesting however to trace those fragments of the external system of the Church which have dropped from the pen of the writer whilst thinking chiefly of other matters.

We find then that he alludes to the commandments of God as being ten in number, and as being divided into two tables1: but he asserts, conformably to the opinion of Josephus 2 and Philo3, that

1 II. xxiv. 4. Unaquæque tabula, quam accepit a Deo, præcepta habebat quinque.

2

Antig. III. vi. 5. Τὰς δύο πλάκας, ἐν αἷς τοὺς δέκα λόγους συγγεγράφθαι συμβεβήκει, ἀνὰ πέντε μὲν εἰς ἑκατέραν.

3 De Decalogo, cited by Feuardent in loco.

7

each table contained five commandments. On the other hand Hesychius, Origen, Ambrose, and Procopius reckon them as we do. The division into three and five, followed by the Roman Church, does not appear earlier than Augustine. There is however sufficient diversity to prevent our insisting much on our division. It must be observed, however, that Josephus' and (I believe) Philo reckon the commandments individually exactly as we do, and not as the Romanists.

We have several allusions to the form observed at the Holy Communion. We find that the cup contained water mixed with wine'; that a form of invocation was used, which the heretics imitated 2; that the term suxapioréw (to give thanks) had become

Cited by Feuardent.

5 Hom. 8. in cap. xx. Exodi, cited by Massuet in loco.

corpus esse confitebatur, et temperamentum calicis suum sanguinem confirmavit.

V. ii. 3. Καὶ τὸ κεκραμένον ποτήριον καὶ ὁ γεγονὼς ἄρτος ἐπιδέχεται τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ γίνεται ἡ εὐχαριστία σῶμα Χριστοῦ ἐκ τούτων δὲ αὔξει καὶ συνίσταται ἡ τῆς σαρκὸς ἡμῶν ὑπόστασις.

2 I. xiii. 2. Ποτήρια οἴνῳ κεκραμένα προσποιούμενος εὐχα ριστεῖν, καὶ ἐπὶ πλέον ἐκτείνων τὸν λόγον τῆς ἐπικλήσεως, πορφύρεα καὶ ἐρυθρὰ ἀναφαίνεσθαι ποιεῖ (He is speaking of Marcus, the Gnostic) ὡς δοκεῖν τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν ὑπὲρ τὰ ὅλα Χάριν τὸ αἷμα τὸ ἑαυτῆς στάζειν ἐν τῷ ἐκείνῳ ποτηρίῳ διὰ τῆς ἐπικλήσεως αὐτοῦ.

technical, and signified to consecrate; that the expression for ever and ever occurred in the Eucharistical form, which shows that a settled form had become customary in his time; and that Christians sounded Amen all together. The Eucharist was sent from one bishop to another, in token of communion and amity".

We find, too, that the same pharisaical spirit, which now keeps many from communion, because others come to it in hypocrisy, had the selfsame effect in his time".

There seems, in some of the practices of the Gnostics, to have been an imitation of the anointing at baptism or confirmation practised in the Church .

There are several allusions to the practice of pub

3 lbid.

4 I. iii. 1. ̓Αλλὰ καὶ ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ τῆς εὐχαριστίας λέγοντας• Εἰς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων κ. τ. λ.

5

* I. xiv. 1.—τὸ ̓Αμὴν ὁμοῦ λεγόντων ἡμῶν κ. τ. λ.

' III. xi. 9. Infelices vere, qui pseudoprophetæ quidem esse volunt, propheticam vero gratiam repellunt ab ecclesia; similia patientes his qui, propter eos qui in hypocrisi veniunt, etiam a fratrum communicatione se abstinent.

* I. xxi. 3. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἐπιλέγουσιν οἱ αὐτοὶ τελοῦντες· ὁ δὲ τετελεσμένος ἀποκρίνεται· Ἐστήριγμαι καὶ λελύτρωμαι κ. τ. λ.— Ἔπειτα μυρίζουσι τὸν τετελεσμένον τῷ ὀπῷ τῷ ἀπὸ βαλσάμου τὸ γὰρ μῦρον τοῦτο τύπον τῆς ὑπὲρ τὰ ὅλα εὐωδίας εἶναι λέγουσιν.

lic confession and penance, as a customary and established part of discipline. In some cases it was voluntary '.

It was the established custom not to kneel in prayer on the Lord's day, or during the whole season from Easter to Whitsuntide, which was called Pentecost l

• I. xiii. 5. Οτι δὲ φίλτρα καὶ ἀγώγιμα, πρὸς τὸ καὶ τοῖς σώμασιν αὐτῶν ἐνυβρίζειν, ἐμποιεῖ οὗτος ὁ Μάρκος ἐνίαις τῶν γυναικῶν, εἰ καὶ μὴ πάσαις, αὗται πολλάκις ἐπιστρέψασαι εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐξωμολογήσαντο, καὶ κατὰ τὸ σῶμα ἠχρειῶσθαι ὑπ ̓ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐρωτικῶς πάνυ αὐτὸν πεφιληκέναι· ὥστε καὶ διακονόν τινα τῶν ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ τῶν ἡμετέρων, ὑποδεξάμενον αὐτὸν εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ, περιπεσεῖν ταύτῃ τῇ συμφορᾷ, τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ εὐειδοῦς ὑπαρχούσης, καὶ τὴν γνώμην καὶ τὸ σῶμα διαφθαρείσης ὑπὸ τοῦ μάγου τούτου, καὶ ἐξακολουθησάσης αὐτῷ πολλῷ τῷ χρόνῳ. ἔπειτα, μετὰ πολλοῦ κόπου τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἐπιστρεψάντων, αὐτὴ τὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον ἐξομολογουμένη διετέλεσε, πενθοῦσα καὶ θρηνοῦσα ἐφ' ᾗ ἔπαθεν ὑπὸ τοῦ μάγου διαφθορᾷ.—III. iv. 3. Κέρδων δὲ ὁ πρὸ Μαρκίωνος, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπὶ Ὑγίνου, ὃς ἦν ἔνατος ἐπίσκοπος, εἰς τὴν ἐκα κλησίαν ἐλθὼν, καὶ ἐξομολογούμενος, οὕτως διετέλεσε, ποτὲ μὲν λαθροδιδασκαλῶν, ποτὲ δὲ πάλιν ἐξομολογούμενος, ποτὲ δὲ ἐλεγχόμενος ἐφ ̓ οἷς ἐδίδασκε κακῶς, καὶ ἀφιστάμενος τῆς τῶν ἀδελφῶν συνοδίας.

1 Fragm. vii. Τὸ δὲ ἐν Κυριακῇ μὴ κλίνειν γόνυ, σύμβολόν ἐστι τῆς ἀναστάσεως, δι' ἧς τῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ χάριτι, τῶν τε ἁμαρτημάτων καὶ τοῦ ἐπ' αὐτῶν τεθανατωμένου θανάτου ἠλευθερώθημεν. Ἐκ τῶν ἀποστολικῶν δὲ χρόνων ἡ τοιαύτη συνήθεια ἔλαβε τὴν ἀρχήν καθώς φησιν ὁ μακάριος Εἰρηναῖος, ὁ μάρτυρ καὶ ἐπίσκοπος Λουγδούνου, ἐν τῷ περὶ τοῦ Πάσχα λόγῳ· ἐν ᾧ μέμνηται καὶ περὶ τῆς Πεντηκοστῆς, ἐν ᾗ οὐ κλίνομεν γόνυ, ἐπειδὴ ἰσοδυναμεῖ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς Κυριακῆς, κατὰ τὴν ῥηθεῖσαν περὶ αὐτῆς αἰτίαν. This is a quotation from the Quæstiones et Responsiones ad Ortho