Ante-Nicene Christian Library; Translations Of The Writings Of The Fathers Down To A.D. 325, Volume 21: The Works Of Lactantius, Volume 1

발행: 1871년

분량: 524페이지

출처: archive.org

분류: 미분류

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288 LACTANTIUS.

assumed human and externat names. Theresoro it is thocatholic Aureli alone Whicli retains trus Worahi p.

Τhis is the fountain os truth, this is the abode of the snith, this is sto temple os God; into Which is any one shali notenter, or smm Whicli is any shali go oui, he is estrange lsrom tho hopo os life and sternat salvation. No one ought toflatior himself mitti persevering strise. For the contest is respecting life and salvation, Whicli, uniess it is caresully and diligently hept in via , mill be lost and extinguished. But,

hoWever, because ali the separate assemblies of heretios callthemselves Christians in preference to othera, and thinh thattheire is tho catholic church, it must be known that tho true catholic chureli is that in Whicli there is confession and repentance,' Which treala in a Wholesome manner the sitas and

3 Tho Phrygiana mero tho solio ors of Montanua, Who mas the founderol a aret in tho second century. He is supposed is have been a native of data, on the hordera ol Phrygia, on Which account hia soliovera Vere called tho Phrygian or Cataphrygian heretica. Montanua gavo himsel out for the Paraclete or Comforter Whom our Lord pro sed to send. Thomost eminent of his follo era Were Priscilla and Maximilla. Tho Novatiana vero the solioWera es Novatus, in the thies centu . They Maumed to themselum tho titie of Cathari, or the pure. They refused in re-admit to thois communion inoae Who had Once fallen aWay, and alio in no place for repentanee. Tho Valentiniana mero tho Milowera os valentinus, an Egyptian holaunded a aeci in the second centu . Hia system somevhat resembledine Gnostica. Ho tauot that Christ bad a heavenly or spiritual body, audamumed nothing laom tho Virgin Mary. ε Tho Marcionites mero tho tollo ora os Marcion, a heretio of the secondoentvry, Who held tho Orientia belles of tWo independent, eternia, co- existing principies, ons of good, the other ol erit. Ho applied this doctrino to Christianity. Hia chiel opponent mas Tertullian.

ris Anthropiana held that Jesus Christ Was nothing but man Uρωπος .' This mord la omitted by gomo editore, M Lactantius Hoto belare the Arian hereay had gainin atrengis.' This is directed against tho Novatiam. See precessing noto on the

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Wounda in Whicli the weanem of tho flosti is liabis. I havo related theso things in tho mean hilo for the salie of admonition, that no ons who destrea to avoid error may be entangled in a greater error, Whilo ho is ignorant of tho secret of thotruth. AsterWaria, in a particular and separato mork, me mill more fully and copiousty contend against ali divisions ot false-hoods. It tollowa that, since Wo havs spolien suffciently ontho subject of trus religion and wisdom, We discuss the subjectoi justico in tho nexi book.

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to have condemned innocence, When proved in be auch, than

are they, Who so Vehemently hate, themselves ablo in assigntho causes of their haued. Because they ars themselves in

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For neister aro assairs in so bad a condition that thero are no

of pleasaniness, tho bitteraess of the harsh flavo . For thisis especialty tho cause Why, With tho Wiso and the learned, and tho princes of this Worid, the sacred Scriptures are Without credit, because tho propheta spoko in common and simplelanguage, as though they spolie to the psopie. And thor fors they are despised by those Who are villing to hear orread nothing excepi that which is polisbed and eloquent; nor is anything able to remain fixed in their miniis, exceptinat which chams their ears by a mors f thing sound. But thom things Whicli appear humble' are considered anile,

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mates' a subject is ita truth, but by iis embellistiment. There- fors they do not bellave the sacred Writings, because they are thout any prelance: ' but they do not even bellos inoso who explain them, cause they also ars either altogether ignorant, or at any rate possessed os litile learning. For it very raralyhappens that they ars Wholly eloquent; and tho cause of this is evident. For eloquence is subservient to the worid, it destres

sumcient for ita defence. of thoso who are known to mo, Minucius Felix was of no

ignobis rank among pleaders. His book, Which bears tho titio of Oetarius, declares hoπ sultabio a maintainer of the truth hamight havo been, it lie had oven himself altogether to that purauit. Septimius Tertullianus also was skilled in literaturoos overy hind; but in eloquenco he had littis readiness, and was not sussiciently polished, and very obscure. Not eventhorosors did ho find suffcient renoWn. Cyprianus, theretore, as above ali othera distinguished and renowned, sinco ho hadsought yeat glory to himself from the profession of the ari oforatory, and lis Wrote Very many things Worthy Os admiration in thela particular class. For he was of a turn ot mind whichWas ready, copio , agreeabie, and that Which is the greatest excellence of style plain and open ; so that Du cannot dete mine Whether he was more embellished in speech, Or more ready in explanation, or mors poWersul in persuasion. And yet ho is unable to plerae those Who are ignorant of the mystery except by

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abis and shilsul Machers, Who might vigoreusty and sharplyrefute public error' and who might desend the whole causo ostruth With elegance and copiousness, this very Want incited some to ventum to Write against tho truth, which Was unknown to them. I pass by those Who in former times in vain assailedit. When I mas teaching rhetorical learning in Bithynia, haring been called thither, and it had happened that at the fame timo tho templo os God Was overthrown, there mero livingat the fame place two men Who insulted tho truth as it lay prostrate and overthrown, Ι kno not Whether With greater arrogancε or harshΠEss: ths ono of Whom professed himselftho hio priest of philosophy; but he was so addicted to Vice, that, though a teacher os abstinence, he was not less inflamedmith avarice than with lusis; so extravagant in his manner otliving, that though in his school he was tho maintainer of Virtus, the praiser of parsimony and poverty, he dined lem sumptuousty in a palace than at his oWn house. Neverihelessho fholtored his vices by his hair' and his cloah, and thati The mord κοπρίας is applied to sycophanta and lo binoona and jestera, ho, for tho salis of exciting laughter, made bo uul and extravagant

promises.

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increase these, lis used to penetrate mitti Mondorful ossori totho triendships of tho judges; and he suddenly attached themio himssis by tho authori of a fictilious name, not only thatho might malis a trassic of their decisions, but also that homight by this influenes hinder his neighbours, Whom ho Wasdriving from their homes and tanti, hom tho re very of their proper . This man, in truth, Who OVerthre his οwn am ments by his character, or censured his oWn character is his arguments, a Weighty censor and most heen accuser againsthimself, at tho very samo time in Which a righteous peoplemere impiousty assailed, vomited forin thrso books against tho Christian religion and name; professing, a Ve ali inings, thatit was tho ossico os a philosopher se remedy the errors of men, and to recati them to the truo Way, that is, to the Worship of the gods, by Whose pοWer and majesty, as he said, tho morid is MVerned; and not to permit that inexperienced men ahould boenticed by tho Dauds of any, test thela simplici should bo a

tios Horaco alludes, Sem. ii. 3, Sapientem Paacere barbam,' in no iis a philosophio beard.

1 Volamentum.

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296 LACTANTIUS.

culous; bemum that Weighty adviser of tho advantage of othera Was ignorant not only What to oppose, but even Whatto speah. For it any of our religion mers present, althoughthey mero silent on account of tho time, nevertheless in their

mould recali othera Dom error, when he himself Was ignorant Whem to plant his fret; that he would instruet othera to thotruth, of Which he himself had never feen even a spark at any time; inasmnch as he who Was a professor of Wisdom, ende mured to overthrow Wisdom. Ali, hoWever, censured this, thatho underi h this Work at that timo in particular, in Whichodious crueity raged. o philosopher, a flatterer, and a time- server i But this man was despised, as his vanity deserved;

But it this M as Q, what Demosthenes Will bo able to defendirom the chargo os impiety him who becamo the botrver os the religion to which he had givon his assent,' and of tho faith

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