the Jews with refpect to it, and that when they began to preach the gofpel, they infifted chiefly on the refurrection of Chrift. With refpect to the former (and the fame may, no doubt, be applied to the latter) he fays," he did not give his own opinion

only, but that which came by tradition " from the Fathers and eminent men. He, "therefore, would not have his hearers to "be alarmed, or think his account of it extraordinary*."

Thus, he says, that "it was not to give "offence to the Jews, that Peter, in his "first speech to them, did not say that

"

;

Chrift did the wonderful works of which "he spake, but that God did them by him "that by fpeaking more modeftly he might "conciliate them to himselft." The fame caution he attributes to him in "not faying "that Chrift, but that God fpake by the

* Αλλα μη θορυβείσθε προς το παράδοξον τα λεγόμενο . 8 δε γαρ εμος ο λόγος αλλα παιέρων ημετέρων θαυμάτων και επιστημων ανδρών: In cap. Matt. 1. Hom. 3. vol. 7. p. 2c.

† Ουκέτι λεγει ότι αύτω, αλλ' ότι δι αυτε ο θεος, ινα μαλλον τω με pixε vonlau. In Acta Apoftolorum, cap. 2. Hom. 6.

vol. 8. p. 491.

H 4

"mouth

Book III. "mouth of his holy prophets, that by these "means he might bring them gradually to "the faith."

After treating pretty largely of the conduct of the apostles, with respect to their infifting on the doctrine of the refurrection. of Christ, rather than that of his divinity, immediately after the descent of the Holy Spirit, he fays, "As to the Jews who had

daily heard and been taught out of the "law, Hear, O Ifrael, the Lord thy God is "one Lord, and befides him there is no other,

86

having feen him (Jesus) nailed to a cross,

yea, having killed and buried him them"felves, and not having feen him rifen "again; if they had heard that this perfon "was God equal to the Father, would not

they have rejected and spurned at it." I want words in English to express the force of the Greek in this place. The latin translator renders it, nonne maxime omnes ab his verbis abhoruissent, ac refiliffent et oblatrassent, "On this account," he adds, "they (the

* Ου λέγει ων είπεν ο χρις, αλλ' ων ελάλησεν ο θε, συσκιάζειν μάλλον αύτες επαγόμενα εις πιςιν ήρεμα. In Acta Apoftolorum, Hom. 9, vol. 8, p. 511.

I

❝ apostles)

apoftles) brought them forwards gently "and by flow degrees, and ufed great art in "condescending to their weakness *.”

Chryfoftom reprefents the apoftle as beginning his epiftle to the Hebrews with faying, that "it was God who spake. by the prophets, and not that Chrift " himfelf had fpoken by them, becaufe « their minds were weak, and they were σε not able to bear the do&trine concern

66

ing Chrift f. He even fays, that when

* Πως δε αν Ιεδαιοι οι καθ εκασην ημεραν, μανθανονίες υπο το νομα, Ακεε Ισραηλ, κυριος ο θεα σε κυρια εις ετιν, και πλην αυτε εκ εσιν άλλος, επι ξυλα ταυρε ιδονίες προσηλωμένον αυτόν, μαλλον δε και ταυρωσανίες και θαψανίες, και εδε αναςανία θεασαμενοι, ακονίες ότι θεσειν αυ1G, και τω παίρι ισο, εκ αν μαλιτα πανίων απεπήδησαν και απερράγησαν . Διατι τετο ηρεμα, και καλα μικρον, αυτες προσβιβάζεσι, καὶ πολλη μεν κεχρηνται τη της συγκαταβασεως οικονομία. In Acta Hom. 1. Opera, vol. 8. p. 447.

+ Και θεα τι συνελως αυλο είρηκε . 8 rap ειπεν ο θεΘ- ελάλησεν καίτοιγε αυτ ην ο λαλήσας . αλλ' επειδη ασθενεις αυλων ησαν αι ψυ χαι, κι εδέπω ακνειν ηδύνανίο τα περι τε χρισε, φησιν ο θεG- δι αυτε ελάλησεν. In Heb. cap. I. Opera, vol. 10. p. 1756. i. e. "See how prudently he spoke: for he faid God fpake " though it was himfelf that fpake ; but becaufe their "minds were weak and they were not able to bear the things concerning Chrift, he fays God fpake by him.” N. B. The (+) in the fecond claufe of this paflage mult

66

be

"he there fpeaks of Christ as above the
angels," he still fpake of his huma-
nity. "See," fays he, "his great cau-
σε tion, ορα την σύνεσιν την πολλήν *,
*, the very expref-
fion ufed by Athanafius on a fimilar occa-
fion.

But we find no trace of either Jews or Gentiles having received thefe fublime doctrines that Chryfoftom alludes to in the age of the apoftles. Nay we fee that he himself represents the apostle Paul as obliged to use the fame caution with respect to the Jews, when he wrote the epiftle to the Hebrews, which was fo late as A. D. 62. about two years before his death.

"in the genea

Theodoret obferves, that logy of Chrift given by Matthew, this "writer did not add according to the flesh, "because the men of that time would not "bear it;" evidently meaning, that they would thereby have been led into a fufpi

1

cion that, in the idea of the writer, he had fome higher origin, and that they would have been offended at it. " But the apof"tle Paul," he fays, "could not avoid that "expreffion in his epiftle to the Romans." He adds that," before his death, not only « to the other Jews, but to the apoftles . them felves, he did not appear as a God, "nor did his miracles lead them to form "that opinion of himt." This writer also

† Η γαρ τα καλα σαρκα προσθήκη, αινιτιεται ως το θες και παῖρος υιος εσιν αληθως καλα την θεοτητα . εδε γαρ επι των τελο μονον ολων απερ ορωνται, εσιν ευρείν το καλα σαρκα προσκειμενον. καὶ μαρτυς ο μακαριος Μαίθριος ο ευαγγελισης ειρηκως γαρ Αβρααμ εγεννησε την Ισαακ, Ισραμ δε εγεννησε τον Ιακωβ, Ιακωβ δε εγέννησε τον Ιέδαν, καὶ πασαν έφεξης την γενεαλογίαν διεξέλθων, εδαμε το καλα σαρκα προ τεθεικεν. εχ ηρμοτίε γαρ αύλοις ανθρωποις εσιν η τοιαύτη προσθήκη. ελαύθα δε, επειδη εκ ανθρωπG- μόνον εσιν, αλλα και θεος προαιώνιος η ενανθρώπησας θεος λογος, το σπερμαίος τε Δαβιδ μνημόνευσας ο θειος αποτολής, αναγκαίως το καλα σαρκα προτεθεικε, σαφως ήμας διδαξας, πως μὲν υιός εςι το θες, πως δε τε Δαβίδ εχρημάτισε. Προ μεν τε σαυρα καὶ τε παθός, ο δεσπότης χρισος ε μόνον τοις άλλοις Ιδαίοις, αλλά και αυλοις τοις αποτόλοις εκ εδοκει είναι θεος . προσεπο Παιον γαρ τοις ανθρωπινοις, εσθιονία τε καὶ πινονία, καὶ καθευδονία, και κα πιωνία θεωμένοι, και εδε τα θαυματα αυλες προς ταύτην επιδήγει την δόξαν . αυλικα τοινυν το καλα την θαλατίαν θεασαμενοι θαυμα ελεγον πολαπος ετιν ελος ο ανθρωπος, ότι και η θαλασσα και οι ανεμοι υποκεισιν αύλω ; δια τοι τείο και ο κύριος έλεγε προς αυτες . πολλα εχω λεγειν αμιν, αλλ' ε δύνασθε βασάζειν αρίι. — Προ μεν εν τε παθες τοιαυίας

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