11. In the note upon Tit. iii. 13, he makes no question, but that Zenas was a Jewish lawyer; which appears to me very probable, though then a christian.

CHAP. CX.

PHILASTER, BISHOP OF BRESCIA.

a

1. ACCORDING to Cave, Philaster, bishop of Brixia or Brescia, in Italy, and author of a work Concerning Heresies, flourished about the year 380. Tillemont likewise thinks it probable, that the fore-mentioned work must have been written in the year 380, or soon after. Fabricius not only thinks that Philaster wrote after Epiphanius, but that he also borrowed from him; which does not appear certain to me. Some few instances of agreement between authors, who have the same design, will not amount to a full proof. If Philaster had read Epiphanius, in all probability he would have mentioned him. It needs not to be reckoned at all strange, if he was wholly unacquainted with Epiphanius's work, even supposing him not to have written before 380, or somewhat later, which is not certain. Augustine, long after that, had seen only the Summary or Synopsis of Epiphanius, as all allow. Philaster is often quoted by Augustine in his book of Heresies. It may not be amiss to put downd a passage of Augustine in his letter to Quod vult Deus concerning that work, in which he gives the preference to Epiphanius above Philaster. The year of Philaster's death is not certainly known; but it is generally supposed that he died in 386, or 387.

2. Philaster has a catalogue of the books of scripture; d Quamvis enim Zenam legisperitum vocitet, Apollo tamen perfectus erat in scripturis. Sed quia Zenas hujus professionis fuerat in synagogâ, sic illum appellat. In Tit. iii. p. 317. A.

Hist. Lit. T. i.

b See S. Philastre, Mem. Ec. T. viii.

Etiam ante Philastrium scripsit Epiphanius, ex cujus libris ille profecit. Fabric. Not. ad Vit. Philast. per Gaudentium.

d Philastrius quidam Brixiensis episcopus, quem cum sancto Ambrosio Mediolani etiam ipse vidi, scripsit hinc librum--Neque enim putandum est, aliquas ignorâsse Epiphanium, quas noverat Philastrius: cum Epiphanium longe Philastrio doctiorem invenerimus. Epist. 222. T. ii.

See St. Philaster, in Tillemont, near the end.

Vid. Cav. H. L. T. i. et Basnag. ad ann. 386. n. x.

2 c

which, omitting some things relating to apocryphal writings, is to this purpose. Its was appointed by the apostles, and their successors, that nothing should be read in the catholic church, but the law, and the prophets, and the gospels, and the Acts of the Apostles, and thirteen epistles of Paul, and seven other, two of Peter, three of John, one of Jude, and one of James, which seven are joined with the Acts of the Apostles. But the hidden, that is, apocryphal scriptures, though they ought to be read by the perfect, for the improvement of men's manners, may not be read by all.'

3. In that article are omitted the epistle to the Hebrews, and the book of the Revelation. Nevertheless, perhaps, they are not quite rejected, but only denied to be publicly read. Let us therefore observe some other places.

4. The very next article relates to the epistle to the Hebrews, and is to this effect: There are others also, who do not allow the epistle of Paul to the Hebrews to be his; but say, it is either an epistle of Barnabas the apostle, or of Clement bishop of Rome. But others say, it is an epistle of Luke the evangelist. And some receive an epistle to the Laodiceans. Some pretend, that additions have been made to it by some heterodox persons, and that for that reason, it ought not to be read in the churches, though it is read by some. But in the church are read to the people his thirteen epistles only, and that to the Hebrews sometimes. Moreover some reject it as more eloquent than the apostle's other writings, and because Christ is here said to be " made:" and because of what he says of repentance, which the Novatians make an advantage of.'

A part of this chapter was alleged formerly.

5. By this we perceive, that there were at that time not a 8 Propter quod statutum est ab apostolis, et eorum successoribus, non aliud legi in ecclesiâ debere catholicâ, nisi legem, et prophetas, et evangelia, et Actus Apostolorum, et Pauli tredecim epistolas, et septem alias, Petri duas, Joannis tres, Judæ unam, et unam Jacobi, quæ septem Actibus Apostolorum conjunctæ sunt. Scripturæ autem absconditæ, id est, apocrypha, etsi legi debent morum causâ a perfectis, non ab omnibus legi debent. Phil. de Hær. cap. 88.

Sunt alii quoque, qui epistolam Pauli ad Hebræos non adserunt esse ipsius, sed dicunt, aut Barnabæ esse apostoli, aut Clementis de urbe Româ episcopi. Alii autem Lucæ evangelista aiunt. Epistolam etiam ad Laodicenses scriptam. Et quia addiderunt in eâ quædam non recte sentientes, inde non legitur in ecclesiâ, etsi legitur a quibusdam. Non tamen in ecclesiâ legitur populo, nisi tredecim epistolæ ipsius, et ad Hebræos interdum. Et in eâ quia rhetorice scripsit, sermone plausibili, inde non putant esse ejusdem apostoli. Et quia et factum Christum dicit in eâ, inde non legitur. De pœnitentiâ autem propter Novatianos æque. Ibid. cap. 89. Hebr. vi. 4. and x. 26.

i Hebr. iii. 2.

1 See Vol. iii. p. 17.

few, who on one account or other had doubts about the writer of this epistle, which has not St. Paul's name at the beginning, as his other epistles have. The objection taken from the superior elegance of the style of this epistle above the rest deserves notice. It affords an argument, that the ancient christians read the scriptures with care. How Origen expresseth himself upon this head we saw m formerly.

6. Philaster himself received the epistle to the Hebrews; for he reckons it a heresy to reject it. And in the remaining part of the chapter, just cited, he proposeth answers to the two last-mentioned objections. And in this his work, of Heresies, he has several times referred to this epistle, or quoted it as the apostle Paul's.

7. Philaster received likewise the book of the Revelation. For one of his heresies is that of those who reject the gospel of John and his Revelation. I put that article at the bottom of the page; where he observes, there are some who dare to say, that the Revelation is not a writing of John the apostle and evangelist, but of Cerinthus.

8. I do not think it needful to make any more remarks upon these articles, nor to transcribe any more chapters of this author. But it hence appears, that he received the same books of the New Testament which we do. If ever we come to that part of this work, which is allotted for the history of the heretics of the first two centuries, we shall have occasion to take farther notice of Philaster.

See Vol. ii. p. 495.

"Cum apostolus doceat, quod omnem hominem mori oportet, postque hoc jam judicari. cap. 122. p. 255. Vid. Hebr. ix. 27. Et honorandæ nuptiæ. cap. 117. p. 239. A. Vid. Hebr. xiii. 4.

Post hos sunt hæretici, qui evangelium secundum Joannem, et Apocalypsim ipsius non accipiunt: et cum non intelligunt virtutem scripturæ, nec desiderant discere, in hæresi permanent pereuntes: ut etiam Cerinthi illius hæretici esse audeant dicere, et Apocalypsim ibidem non beati Joannis evangelistæ et apostoli, sed Cerinthi hæretici, qui tunc ab apostolis beatis hæreticus manifestatus, abjectus est ab ecclesià. Hær. 60. p. 120, 121. Et conf. Fabricii, not. (b).

CHAP. CXI.

GAUDENTIUS, BISHOP OF BRESCIA.

a

1. GAUDENTIUS, successor of Philaster in the bishopric of Brescia, is placed by Cave at the year 387. For a more particular account of him and his works, I refer to others. I shall only take his testimony to the books of the New Testament, and some select passages.

C

2. He expressly says, there are four evangelists; and he has frequently quoted all the four gospels, St. Mark's in particular.

3. The book of the Acts of the Apostles is expressly quoted, and ascribed to St. Luke, who had also written a gospel.

4. I need not produce any particular quotations of St. Paul's epistles. I only observe that he has several times quoted the epistle to the Hebrews as Paul's.

5. Gaudentius takes but little notice of the catholic epistles. However, he has quoted the epistle of St. James, and the first epistle of St. Peter. And, very probably, he received all the rest.

6. He likewise quotes the book of the Revelation.

7. There is no notice taken by Gaudentius of any apocryphal christian books. And it is likely, that his canon of the New Testament was the same with that now generally received.

8. It appears, that Gaudentius was wont to compare the

a Vid. Cav. H. L. T. i. p. 282. Du Pin, Bib. T. iii. Tillem. Mem. T. x. In quatuor evangelistarum testimonio. Ab. Bib. PP. T. v. p. 947. A. Vid. p. 950. F. 951. G.

d Sicut in principiis Actuum Apostolorum Lucas evangelista testatur. p. 959. A. Lucas evangelista, qui beatos apostolos pari merito subsequutus est, et evangelii librum et Actus Apostolorum imitandâ examinatione conscripsit. p. 969. C. Sicut scriptura testatur in epistolâ Pauli beatissimi ad Hebræos. p. 975. G. et passim.

e

* P. 960. C.

f P. 972. F. Et sicut in Apocalypsi de Babylone scribitur, vel urbe, vel gente, vel unâquâque anima, errorum caligine, vitiorumque carnalium permixtione confusâ. [Apoc. c. xvii. ver. 6.] p. 943. C. et alibi.

dicens: Nunc judicium est hujus mundi. Nunc hujus mundi princeps mittetur deorsum, sive, expelletur foras,' ut in Græcis exemplaribus legimus. [Joh. xii. 31.] p. 969. B.

Sine,' inquit, eam,' sive 'sinite.' Utrumque enim et in Græcis et Latinis

Latin and Greek copies of the New Testament, or the Latin translation with the Greek original. And as he had travelled in the East, it is not improbable, that he was well skilled in the Greek language.

9. He has divers good observations upon Christ's showing himself to Thomas, and takes notice of the advantage which we have from the scrupulousness of that apostle, in the fuller evidence of our Lord's resurrection.

10. Gaudentius supposed' our Lord's ministry to have been of but one year's duration only from his baptism to his death.

11. He often speaks of the Lord's-day, or the first day of the week, sanctified by Christ's resurrection from the dead.

12. He asserts free-will very strongly. He says, 'That" things are not done, because they were foretold but the divine prescience knows beforehand what will happen, and therefore they are foretold. It is, he says, inconsistent with the perfections of God, that he should command, or compel men to do what he blames, if done. What the Jews did, they did voluntarily, though it had been foretold. And do you think, that if the Jews had repented at the preach

exemplaribus invenitur. Sed magis congruere videtur sensui, cum legitur. Sinite,' &c. [Conf. Marc. xiv. 6. John xii. 7.] p. 964. A.

* Sufficiat nobis, quoniam sancti Thomæ curiositas et ambiguitas futuræ scrupulositatis finem fecit. Quod enim absens fuit, quod avidius et videre et attrectare Dominum perquisivit, totum nostræ procurabatur saluti, ut evidentius nosceremus resurrectionis Dominiciæ veritatem. p. 969. B.

Anniculus est, quia post illud baptismum, quod pro nobis in Jordane susceperat, usque ad passionis suæ diem, unius anni tempus impletur. Et ea tantum scripta sunt in evangeliis, quæ in illo anno vel docuit vel fecit. Nec ipsa tamen omnia. p. 948. H.

m Nam sextâ feriâ, quâ hominem fecerat, pro eodem passus. Et die dominicâ, quæ dicitur in scripturis prima sabbati, in quâ sumserat mundus exordium, resurrexit. p. 945. F. Vid. et p. 960. D. et 959. B.

Synagoga Judæorum quod erat crudeliter factura, prædictum est: non, ui fieret, jussum est. Nec ideo factum est, quia prædictum erat. Sed ideo prædictum est, quia erat futurum ; ut prescientiam suam Deus, in his quæ per libertatem arbitrii hominum futura erant, ostenderet. Libertatem diximus arbitrii, quia voluerunt Judæi facere quod fecerunt : et utique si voluissent, [f. noluissent,] non fecissent. Certe ingentis sacrilegii est, vel cogitare quod Deus, qui non solum bonus et justus, sed ipsa bonitas est et ipsa justitia, vel jubeat aliquid vel cogat fieri, quod factum damnet. An fortasse putamus, quia, si poenituissent Israëlitæ, aliter omnipotens Filius Dei salvare non potuerit mundum? Quis enim cognovit sensum Domini? aut quis consiliarius ejus fuit?' Considera in evangelio, quomodo expectaverit Christus pœnitentiam Judæorum; ubi exprobat civitatibus, in quibus factæ sunt plurimæ virtutes ejus, quod non egerint penitentiam.--Præscientia quidem Dei non fallitur. Sed nec homini concessa semel voluntatis libertas aufertur, &c. p. 948. F. G. Vid. et p. 963. B.