Ante-Nicene Christian Library; Translations Of The Writings Of The Fathers Down To A.D. 325, Volume 20: The Writings Of Gregory Thaumaturgus, Dionysius Of Alexandria, And Archelaus

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period. That the Latin translator must havo had bosoro him, not tho Syriae, but tho Greeli copy, is also manifest, not onlyhom the generat idiomatic character of tho rendering, but also iram many nicer indications, such as the apparent confusionbetWeeu αὐ and ανήρ in ch. 8, and again belWeen λοιμός

and λιμός in the fame chapter, and belWeen πήσσει and πλήσσει in ch. 9, and tho retention os certain Greek wordhsomelimes absolutely, and at other times Mith an explan tion, as ubi, apocru3is, etc.

The precise designation of tho seat of tho bistoprio MArchelaus has been tho subject os considerable diversity o opinion . Socrates Hist. Meles. i. 22 and Epiphanius meres. lxvi. ch. 5 and 7, and De Mena. et Pond. ch. 20 record that Archelaus Was bishop Κασχάρων, of Caachar, orcisehara. Epiphanius, hoWever, does not keep consistently by that scription; sor else hero Ham es. lxvi. 11 ho writes σχάρην, or, according to another reading, Which is holdis Zacagnius to bo corrupi, Καλχάρων. In the opening

sentence of tho Aera themselves it appears as Carchar, and

ing the statementa ot Epiphanius, Write netther Κασχάρων nox Καλχάρων, but Καρχάρων. NoW We know that theremere at least tWo tonns of tho namo of Carcha: sor thaanonymous Ravenna geographer Geogr. book ii. ch. 7 telis us that there Was a place of that namo in Arabia

Felix; and Ammianus Marcellinus book xviii. 23, and xxv. 20, 21 mentions another Myond the Tigris, Within the Pe

stan dominion. The clear statemenis, hoWever, to the effectthat the locali of tho bishoprie of Archelaus Was in Mesopotamia, malis it impossibio that either of these two toWns could have been the seat os his rute. Besides this, in thethies chaptor os the Aela themselves Wo find the name Charra occurring ; and hisce Zacagnius and others have concluded that the place actualty intended is the scriptural Charran, or Haran, in Mesopotamia, Which is also written Chouma in Paulus Diaconus Hist. Nise. xxii. 20 , and that the form Camehar or Carchara mas either a mere error of the transcribers,

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this to be only a very uncertain conjecture, Whilo ostera holdinat Casehar is tho most probabio scription, and that instown is ono altogether different tram the ancioni Haran. Tho dato of tho Disputation it is admits of tolerablyexaci seulament. Epiphanius, indoed De Mensum. et Pond.ch. 20), says that Μanes fled into Mesopotamia in the ninth year of the reign of Valerianus and Gallienus, and that thediscussion milli Archelaus took placo a ut the fame time.

This Would carry the dato bach to about 262 A.D. But this statoment, although ho is followed in it is Potrus Siculus and Photius, is inconsistent With the specification os times Whicli ho maris in dealing with the error of tho Manuchoans in his book On the Heresias. From tho 37th chapter of the Aera, hoWoveri me find that the Disputation took place, not when Gallienus, but When Probus held the omplae, and that is confirmed is Cyril of Jerusalem Cauches. Vi. p. 140). The exact year comes also clearer hom Eusebius, Whο Chronidon, lib. posti p. 177) seems to indicato thesecond year of the reign os Probus as the timo When the Manichean heresy attainod generat publicity Seeurido anno

Probi . . . insana Manishoeorum homesia in commune humani

generis malum Mortuo; and Dom Leo Magnus, Who in his second Diae rae on Pentemst also avera that Manichaeus bocame notorious in the consulahip es Probus and Paulinus.

And as this consulfhip embra d part of the fidit and partof the second years of the empiro os Probus, the Disput tion itasti Would thus bo fixod as occurring in tho end of 277 A.D. or tho beginning of 278, or, according to the princiso calculation of ZMagnius, bet en July and Decomberos the year 277. That tho Aeta of this Disputation constitute an authentie relic es antiqui , mems weli estabitised is a variety of comsiderations. Epiphanius, for instance, Writing about the year

376 A.D., mahes certain excerpta from them Which correspondsatisfactortly with the extant Latin version. Socrates, again, Whose Melesiastieat Histordi dates about 43s, mentions these

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Aeta, and acrio te es that ho drow tho materials for his account of the Manichean herosy from them. Tho bookilaad, iso, iners not a soW evidences of ita οὐ antiquity and authentici . Tho enumeration oven of the various heretios. had appearod to tho time of Archelaus, tho montionos his presenco at tho si s of the esu in ch. 24, and thoallusiona in Various custom' have ali Men pressed into stat service, may bo Men in dotali in the elaborate dissertationprefixed by Zamgnius in his Collaetanea Monumentorum Gelasio Groeeast. At the fame time, it is very evident that the work has como dom in us in a decidedly imperfect iam. There are, sor example, arguments by Manes and ans orsis Archelaus recorded in Cyril Catreh. vi. p. m. 147) Whicham not contained in our Latin version at all. And thereare not a feW notes of discrepancy and brohen oonnections

in the composition iiself, as in tho 12th, 25th, and 28thch ters, Which λοπ that the manuscripta must have been defectivo, or that the Latin translator took great liberties With tho Grea texi, or stat the Greeli version itself didnot satiniussy reproduco the original Syriac. On the hist

rical character of the work Neander expresses himself thus

manifestly contain an ill-connected narrative, amouring in no mali degrae of the romantic. Although there is sometruth at tho bouom os it-as, sor instance, in the statementos doctrine thoro is much that wears the appearance ottruth, and is confirmed also by iis agreement With othorrepresentation-stili tho Greeli author Mems, iram igno ance of Eastem languages and customs, to have introduceda good deal that is unisue, by bringing in and consoundingtogether discordant stories through an uncriticia judgmentand exaggeration.

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BISUOP OF CASCHAR IN MESOPOTAMIA,

E trus ΤΗΕ8AURUA Treasury); to Wit, ille Disputation conducted in Carchar, a city of Iesopotamia, besore Manippusy and AEgia-leus and Claudius and Cleobolus, Who acted asjudgos. In this city of Mesopotamia there Was a certain man, Marcellus by name, Who Was esteemed as a personu orthy of the highest honour for his manner os lise, his pumsutis, and his lineage, and not less so sor his discretion and his nobili of character: he was possessed also os abundant means; and, What is most important os ali, lis Ioarod Godmith the deepest piety, and gave ear alWays With due reve enco to the things which were spolien os Christ. In shori, there Was no good quality laching in that man, and lienceit came to pass that he was held in the greatest rogard by tho wholo ciu; While, on the other hand, he also made an ample retum sor the good-will os his ci his munificentand ost-repeated acts of liberality in bestoWing on the p r,relieving the amicted, and giving help to the distressed. Butiet it sumeo us to have suid thus much, test by the weahnessos our mords me rather tahe hom the man's viriues than adduce What is Worthy of their splendour. I shali come, theresore, to tho tash whicli forms my subjeci. on a certain occasion, When a large body os captives Were offeredio the biinop Archelaus by the soldiere Who held the campin that place, their numbers being some seven thousand

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seven hundred, he was harassed With the keenest anxiety on account os the large sum os money which was demanded by tho soldiers as the price of tho prisoners' deliverance. Andas he could not conceat his solicitude, ali assamo sor tho religion and the sear of God, he at tength hastened is Ma cellus, and explained to him the importance and dissiculty of the casa. And When that patiem of piety, Μarcellus, heard his narration, Without the least delay he went into his house, and provided the price demanded sor the prisoners, accordingto the value set upon them by thoso Who had ted them captive; and unloching the treasures of his goods, he at onco

distributed the gifts of pie pietatis pretia, among the

soldiers, Without any severe consideration os number or

purchas moneys. And those soldiera mero filled with wonder and admiration at tho grandeur of tho man's piety and munificence, and were struch With amazement, and soli tho

Orco' of this examplo of pi ; so that very many of themuere addod to the faith os our Lord Jesus Christ, and thre

the rest made their departure Without receiving even so muchas mouid defray the expenses of the Way.

2. Marcellus, as might Weli be expected, Was exceedinglygratified by these incidenis; and summon ing one of the prisonem, is name Cortynius, he inquired of him tho cause of the War, and by What chance it Was that they were ove come and bound with the chains os captivity. And the personaddressed, on obtaining liberty to speah, began to express himself in theso terms: - Μy lord Marcellus, me bolievo in tholiving God alone. And we have a custom of Such a nature

3 Nec numero aliquo nec discretione ulla distinguit. For distinguit, Bome promae distribuit. Re ing commonentur, as in the text. Commoventur is iam Suggest , - ere deeply moved.'

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Massing cervi bus degravatis et laxis, demiam eapue, frontism senis elidit. The teri ovea demeras.

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3. When Marcellus, that man os consummate pie , hadheata this recitat, ho burat into a flood of toars, touchod missi Pity sor missorinnes so great and so vario . But mahlagno delay, hs at once prepared victuias for the sesterem, and did service mith his own hand for the weaesed; in this imitating our father Abraham the patriarch, Who, When hs ente inised the angeis hospitably on a certain occasion, did noteontent himself With merely giring tho ordor to his flaves to

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276 TNE REMA INS OF BIS P ARCHELA USin years, go and place it on his shouldors and setch it in , and did with his own hand prepare laod, and set it betare

the angois. So Marcellus, in discliarge of a similis ossice, directed thom to bo seated as his guesta in companies of ten ;and when the seven hundred tables mere ali provided, he r freshed the wholo body of the captives With great delicti, sothat those who had had strennii to surrive What they had been callod to endure, forgoi their totis, and became oblivions os all

should ali bo put in possession of the means os returning totheir oWn paris, With the exception os thoso Who Were de-tained by tho attention which their Wounds domanded ; and providing the proper remedies for these, he instructod thorest to depart to their oWn count and friends. And evento ali these charities Marcellus added yet larger disti os pio . For With a numerous band of his own dependanis homent to look after tho bu ing of the bodies of thoso who had

perished on the march; and for as many of theso as he could discover, of Whatsoever condition, he secured tho sepulturowhich was meet for them. And when this servico Was completed he returned to Charra, and gave permission to thctwounded to retum thenes to their native country When theirhealth Was suffciently restored, providing also most liberal sumpties for their use on their journey. And truly the estimato of this deed mado a magnificent addition to the repute os the other nobis actions of Μarcellus; for throngh that wholo torritory the fame of the piety of Marcellus spread so grandinthat large numbers of men belonging to various cities mere in- flamod with the intensest desim to see and become acquianted With the man, and most especialty those persons Who had nothad occasion to bear penury beiore, o ali of whcm this remarhable man, folloWing the example os a Marcellus Mold, furnished aid most indulgently, so that they ali declared that there Was no one os more illustrious piety than inis man. Yea, ali the widoWs, toο, who Were bellevera in tho Minhad recourso to him, While the imbecile also could rechon

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on obtaining at his hand most certain help to meet their circumstances; and the orphaned, in like manner, Were ali suin ported by him, so that his houso Was declared to bo the hospicosor the stranger and tho indigent. And above ali this, hominised in a remarhablo and singulis measura his devotion to the faith, bullding up his oWn heart upon the roch that ahali not be moVed. 4. Accordin y,' as this man's fame Was being alWays themoro extensively diffused throughout different localities, and when it had noW penetraled even beyond the river Stranga, the honour te report of his namo was carried into the terrutorγ oi Persia. In this count dweli a person called Manes, who, When iliis man'a reputo had reached him, deliberalediainely with himself as to ho. he might entangis him intho inares of his doctrine, hoping that Marcellus might bomade an upholder of his dogma. For ho rechoned that he might mino himself master of the whole province, ii hocould only firat attach such a man in himseli. In this proieci, hoWever, his mind was agitated with the doubt whethor ho inould at once repair in person to the man, or firat attempt to get at him is letter; for he was atraid test, is any audden and unexpected introduction of himseli uponthB Mene, Some muchance might possibly besali him. Atlast, in obedience to a subiter poli , he resolved to write; and calling to him ons of his discipies, is name Turbo, whohad Men instructed by Addas, he handed to him an epistie, and bade him depari and convey it to Marcellus. This adherent accordingly received the letter, and carried it tothe person to whom he had been commissioned by Manes tocletiver it, overtaking the whole journey Within five days. The a v mentioned Turbo, indeed, used great expedition

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inns which Marcellus himself had supplied in his largo ho pitality, on his Ming asked by the heepers of these holeis Whence he came, and who he was, or by Whom he had Monsent, he used in repb: I bolong to tho district of Mesopotamia, but I come at present from Persis, having been sentis Manichaeus, a master among tho Christians.' But they

inns, refusing him even the means of getling water for drinising purposes. And as he had to bear datly things liko these, and things even Worso than these, at the hanti of those persons in tho severat localities Who had chargo of themansions and hospices, uniem ho had at last shown thathe was conveying letters to Marcellus, Turbo Would have mot the doom os death in his traveis. 5. On receiving the epistie, then, Marcellus openin it, andread it in the presenee of Archelaus, the bishop of the place. And the following is a copy of What it contained: Manichaeus, an apostle of Jesus Christ, and ali tho ininis who are Mith me, and the virgins, to Μarcellus, my beloved Son: Grace, mercy, and peace bo With you from God tho Father, and Dom our Lord Jesus Christ; and may the righthand of light preserve you sala fram this present evil Worid, and hom ira calamities, and iram the snares of tho michedone. Amen.

λ Codex Bobientia adda, ad vesperam, to arci eVening. The texi gives ueluti peregrinans. The Codex Bobiensis has quippe

peregrinans.

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