fuch diftinct ideas, as binding and faving, fhould have been brought together in such a manner, as they are, by any other means, than the great likeness which there is between the founds, folvere and falvare. Nothing else could have produced two such sentences as, folvere volo & folvi volo, falvare volo & falvari volo. It is therefore to be judged fpurious by Prop. XI. and XII..

But to conclude this matter, it is plain by the express testimonies of the best writers among the antients, that our Lord Jefus Chrift left nothing behind him in writing, although there be indeed many fayings, not in our Gospels, attributed to our Saviour, to be found in the antient books, which, for the entertainment of the curious in these things, I have collected, and fhall place in an Appendix at the end of this volume.

CHA P. XVI.

The Teftimonies of the Antients concerning the Gospel of the
Egyptians. All its Fragments: supposed by later Writers to
be written before Luke wrote his Gofpel. Too highly esteemed
by the Moderns. Rejected by all the Antients as Apocryphal.
Clemens Alexandrinus rejected it. It was forged by the
Monks of Egypt. This largely proved, with an Account of
Philo's Therapeutæ.

Numb. XVI. The GOSPEL according to the
EGYPTIANS.

HIS was one of the most celebrated of all the antient

TH

Apocryphal books; it is frequently mentioned in the old writings, and very highly esteemed by several of our modern criticks, being fupposed to have been a faithful composure of Some catholick Christians in Egypt, before either of the four Canonical Gospels now received. It requires therefore a very exact and critical enquiry; in attempting which I fhall, according

O 3

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ing to my method, firft produce the teftimonies and fragments of it, which are to be found in the antient books, then the opinions of the moderns, which I have met with, concerning it, adding the most suitable remarks I can upon the whole.

The antient Testimonies and Fragments of the Gospel according to the Egyptians.

I. THE firft writer who has mentioned any thing of it, is Clemens Alexandrinus in the latter end of the fecond century: the feveral places are as follow, viz.

Strom. lib. 3. p. 445.
P.

Τῇ Σαλώμῃ ὁ Κύριος πυνθανομένη, μέχρι πότε θάνατο ἰσχύσει· ἐχε ὡς κακὲ τῇ βία ὄντος, καὶ τῆς κτίσεως πονηρᾶς· Μέχρις ἂν, εἶπεν, ὑμεῖς αἱ γυναῖκες τίκτετε.

When Salome afked our Lord, How long Death fould prevail? (not as though life were an evil, or the creation an evil) he anfwered, As long as ye women do bring forth children.

It is not expressly faid by Clemens here, that this paffage was in the Gospel of the Egyptians; but it evidently appears to be taken thence by the next paffage a few pages after, viz.

τῆς ἐπιθυμίας, ἔργα, δὲ γέ- that is, the works of female νεσιν καὶ φθοράν. concupifcence, generation and corruption.

From what follows in Clemens it appears, that upon our Saviour's faying this, Salome afked him the foregoing queftion, viz. How long it should be that death should prevail against men? and he anfwered, While ye women bring forth children. To which in the next page we meet with her reply, and our Saviour's anfwer again,

Page 465.

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This laft paffage, with fome little variation, is in the end of the fecand Epiftle of Clemens to the Corinthians, and will be produced in the Appendix at the end of this volume.

II. The Gospel according to the Egyptians is mentioned by Origen, The Church receives only four Gofpels; the bereticks have very many, fuch as that according to the Egyptians, &c. See the paffage produced at large above, Num. V. chap. 7. It is mentioned in the fame manner by Ambrofe: fee the fame place.

III. It is alfo mentioned by Jerome in the paffage above produced at large, Num. IV. chap. 7. in init. Many have wrote Gospels, which gave occafion to herefies, without the Spirit and Grace of God, fuch as that according to the Egyptians, &c.

IV. Epiphanius in his account of the herefy of the Sabellians faith, they established their erroneous principles by the Gospel of the Egyptians, and other Apocryphal books. His words are,

Hæref. LXII. §. 2.

Κέχρηνται δὲ ταῖς πάσαις γραφαῖς παλαιᾶς τε καὶ καινῆς Διαθήκης, λέξεσι δέ τισιν αἷς αὐτοὶ ἐκλέγονται κατὰ τὴν ἰδίαν αὐτῶν παραπεποιημένην φρενοβλάβειαν τε καὶ ἄνοιαν-Τὴν δὲ πᾶσαν αὐτῶν πλανὴν, καὶ τὴν τῆς πλάνης αὐτῶν δύναμιν ἔχεσιν ἐξ ̓Αποκρύφων τινων, μάλιςα από τα καλεμένε Αἰγυπτία Εὐαγγελία, ᾧ τινες τὸ ὄνομα ἐπέθεντο τᾶτο ἐν αὐτῷ γὰρ πολ

Homil. in Luc, i. 1.

They make ufe of all the Scriptures, both of the Old and New Teftament, but principally of fome certain paffages, which they pick out according to their own corrupt and prepofterous fentiments. - But the 'whole of their errors, and the main ftrength of their heterodoxy they have from fome Apocryphal books, but principally

from that which is called, The Gofpel of the Egyptians; which is a name fome have given it:

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λὰ τοιαῦτα ὡς ἐν παραβύσῳ μυσηριωδῶς, ἐκ προσώπε τε Σωτῆρος ἀναφέρεται, ὡς αὐτῇ δηλέντο τοῖς μαθηταῖς, τὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι Πατέρα, τὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι υἱὸν, τὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι ἅγιον πνεῦμα.

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for in that many things of this fort are proposed in a hidden myfterious manner, as by our Saviour, as though he had faid to his Difciples, That the Father was the fame Perfon, the Son the fame Perfon, and the Holy Ghoft the fame Perfon.

These are the accounts we have from antiquity of this famous Gospel.

My fecond propofal was, in like manner to give some account of the sentiments of more modern writers concerning it.

Sixtus Senenfis a.

The Gospel of the Egyptians, or according to the Egyptians, was made use of by the hereticks, called Valentinians. Clemens Alexandrinus rejects (answers) certain teftimonies cited out of it by Julius Caffianus, and other hereticks, to confirm their errors. Epiphanius fays, the Sabellians endeavoured to prove out of it, that the Father, Son and Spirit were one Perfon.

Erafmus ".

When St. Luke fays, chap. i. ver. 1. That many have taken in hand to write, &c. he means those who attempted, but were not successful in writing; for at that time not only the Gospels of St. Matthew and Mark were extant, but many other Gofpels were published, viz. The Gospel of the Nazarenes, Thomas, Matthias, the Gospel according to the Egyptians, that of the Twelve Apostles, Nicodemus, and others, which were afterwards rejected by the Church as Apocryphal.

Grotius c.

It is evident, that, when St. Luke wrote his Gofpel, there were many other books extant concerning Chrift, the importance

a Biblioth. Sanct. lib. 2. p. 38.

Annot. in Luc. c. I. v. 1.

Annot. in eund. loc.

of