aliam blasphemiam non communem, sed peculiarem et suam : et communem quidem illam, qua in apostolis quidem dicant Spiritum Sanctum fuisse, Paracletum non fuisse, et qua dicant Paracletum plura in Montano dixisse quam Christum 5 in evangelium protulisse, nec tantum plura, sed etiam meliora atque maiora. Privatam autem blasphemiam illi, qui sunt Kata Aeschinem hanc habent qua adiciunt etiam hoc, ut dicant Christum ipsum esse Filium et Patrem.

CAPUT VIII.

EST praeterea his omnibus etiam Blastus accedens, qui 10 latenter Iudaismum vult introducere. Pascha enim dicit non aliter custodiendum

esse, nisi secundum legem Moysi XIV. mensis. Quis autem nesciat, quoniam evangelica gratia evacuatur, si ad legem Christum redigit?

Accedit his Theodotus haereticus Byzantius: qui postea15 quam Christum, pro nomine adprehensus, negavit, in

3. Paracletum non fuisse. Comp. Iren. iii. 11. 12, where he explains the Montanist rejection of S. John's Gospel as due to its containing the promise of the Paraclete to the Apostles, and therefore traversing Montanus' exclusive claim to His inspiration.

CHAP. VIII.-9. Blastus. It appears from Pacian. Epist. I ad Sympr. that Blastus the Greek was a Montanist as well a Quartadeciman. He lived probably in the episcopate of Victor, A. D. 189-198. Irenaeus addressed to him an Epistle 'On Schism,' now lost; Euseb. H. E. v. 13, 20.

13. evacuatur. See note ch. 2.

14. Theodotus. A leather-cutter of Byzantium, who denied his faith during a persecution in his native city, fled to Rome, and was excommunicated during the episcopate of Victor for teaching psilanthropic views of the Christ, whom he distinguished from Jesus. Hippolytus Philos. vii. 35; Little Labyr. apud Euseb. v. 28; Epiphan. Haer. 54.

15. Christum. Leid., Hirsaug., Rhen.: Christi Patern., Gorz., Vat., Gang., Gel., Pam., Rig.

adprehensus. Leid., Hirsaug., Patern., Gorz., Rhen., Gang., Gel.: comprehensus Vat., Pam., Rig.

Christum blasphemare non destitit. Doctrinam enim introduxit, qua Christum hominem tantummodo diceret, Deum autem illum negaret, ex Spiritu quidem Sancto natum ex virgine, sed hominem solitarium atque nudum, nulla alia prae ceteris, nisi sola iustitiae auctoritate.

5

Alter post hunc Theodotus haereticus erupit, qui et ipse introduxit alteram sectam, et ipsum hominem Christum tantummodo dicit ex Spiritu Sancto, et virgine Maria conceptum pariter et natum; sed hunc inferiorem esse quam Melchisedech, eo quod dictum sit de Christo: Tu es sacerdos 10 in aeternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech. Nam illum Melchisedech praecipuae gratiae caelestem esse Virtutem, eo quod agat Christus pro hominibus, deprecator et advocatus ipsorum factus, Melchisedech facere pro caelestibus angelis atque Virtutibus; nam esse illum usque adeo Christo 15 meliorem, ut ἀπάτωρ sit, ἀμήτωρ sit, ἀγενεαλογητός sit, cuius neque initium neque finis comprehensus sit aut comprehendi possit.

Sed post hos omnes etiam Praxeas quidam haeresim introduxit, quam Victorinus corroborare curavit. Hic 20

6. Theodotus. The banker, a follower of the first Theodotus, and leader of the sect in succession to his teacher. He held the same psilanthropic Christology, but added the doctrine of the superiority of Melchizedek to Christ, based on Heb. v. 6. Hippol. Philos. vii. 36; Little Labyr. u. s.; Epiph. Haer. 55; Philast. 52.

10. Tu es sacerdos. Heb. v. 6, vi. 20, vii. 17. 16. áπáтwρ, &c. Heb. vii. 1 f.

19. Praxeas. Praxeas, an Asiatic by birth, was a Monarchian who spent a short time in Rome during the episcopate of Zephyrinus, whose Montanism he successfully combated, and then passed to Karthage. Our knowledge of him is derived from Tertullian's treatise 'Adversus Praxean' which is a general refutation of patripassian opinions. Praxeas is not mentioned by Hippolytus, nor by any earlier writer than Augustine except Tertullian and the present author.

20. Victorinus. This Victorinus is unknown, and the name is generally supposed to be a combination on the part of a scribe of the names of the popes Victor and Zephyrinus, the one probably having been written over the other. That the bishop of Rome referred

168 Pseudo-Tertulliani Adversus Omnes Haereses.

Deum Patrem omnipotentem Iesum Christum esse dicit; hunc crucifixum passumque contendit et mortuum: praeterea seipsum sibi sedere ad dexteram suam, cum profana et sacrilega temeritate proponit.

to by Tertull. adv. Prax. I was Zephyrinus and not Victor, see Salmor D. C. B. iii. 940; Lightfoot Clem. Rom. ii. 418.