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of Epiphanius is in his account of the Tatianites, or followers of Tatian, and their heresy, (Hæref. 46.) and not in his account of the Encratites; of whom he treats as a distinct fect in the next book, viz. Hæref. 47. It is true, and appears evidently from Irenæus, Eufebius, and Epiphanius, that the Encratites and Tatianites agreed very much in the fame principles, but it is as true alfo, they had fome different principles; and therefore, perhaps, they might not receive the fame Gospel. Besides, the Encratites were a fect formed, as Irenæus fays, by Saturninus and Marcion, who lived before Tatian, who only built upon their foundation, and made fome additions of his own; as that concerning the damnation of Adam, which was not received by the antient Encratites. It is therefore not juft, to entitle the Gospel of Tatian and his followers thus; wherefore I fhall refer the difcuffion of it to its proper place under the title of Tatian, Numb. LXI.

Numb. XX. The GOSPEL of EVE.

HIS Apocryphal Gospel has been obferved by several modern writers, though, I believe, only by Epiphanius among the antients. It does not appear so much as named in the writings of Irenæus, or Clemens Alexandrinus; nor is it either in Origen, Ambrofe, Jerome, or Gelafius's catalogues of the Apocryphal books of the New Teftament. Epiphanius in his herefy of the Gnofticks gives the following account and fragments of it.

*Αλλοι δὲ ἐξ αὐτῶν πάλιν ἐπί-
πλαςον εἰσάγεσιν ἀγώδιμόν τι
ποίημα, ᾧ ποιητεύματι ἐπέ-

θεντο ὄνομα Εὐαγγέλιο τε
λειώσεως Άλλοι δὲ ἐκ αἶ-
σχύνονται λέγοντες Εὐαγγέ-
λιον Εὔας· εἰς ὄνομα γὰρ αὐ-

a Adv. Hæref. lib. 1. c. 30, 31.
b Hift. Eccl. lib. 4. c. 28, 29.
Hæref. 46, 47.

Some of them do produce a certain spurious and forged writing, which they call, the Gospel of Perfection-Others have the impudence to produce one called the Gofpel of Εve; for under her name, as being reported to have receiv

d Loc. jam. cit.

e Hæref. 26. §. 2, 3.

της

σε απο

τῆς δῆθεν ὡς εὐρέσης, τὸ ὄνομα τῆς γνώσεως ἐξ ἀποκαλύ ψεως τε λαλήσαντο αὐτῇ ὄφεως σπορὰν ὑπο]ίθενται· καὶ ὥσπερ ἐν ἀτάτῳ γνώμη μεθύοντος, καὶ παρακαλέντῳ, ἐκ ἴσα εἴη τὰ ῥήματα, ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν γέλωτι πεποιημένα, ἕτερα δὲ κλαυθμᾶ ἔμπλεα, ὅπως ἡ τῶν ἀπατεώνων γέγονε κατα πάντα τρόπον, τῆς κακίας ἡ ὑποσπορά. Ὁρμῶνται δὲ ἀπὸ μωρῶν μαρτυριῶν, καὶ ὀπτασιῶν, ἐν ᾧ Εὐαγγελίῳ ἐπαγγέλλονται. Φάσκεσι γὰρ ἕτως, ὅτι ἔςην ἐπὶ ὄρος ὑψηλέ, καὶ εἶδον ἄνθρωπον μακρὸν, καὶ ἄλλον κολοβόν· καὶ ἤκεσα ὡσεὶ φωνὴν βροντῆς, καὶ ἤγδια σα τὸ ἀκᾶσαι, καὶ ἐλάλησε πρός με, καὶ εἶπεν, Ἐγὼ σὺ καὶ σὺ ἐγώ καὶ ἐγὼ σὺ καὶ σὺ ἐγώ· καὶ ὅπε ἐὰν ἧς, ἐγὼ ἐκεῖ εἰμι, καὶ ἐν ἅπασιν εἰμι ἐσπαρμένος· καὶ ὅθεν ἐὰν θέ

λης συλλέγεις με, ἐμὲ δὲ συλλέγων ἑαυτὸν συλλέγεις· καὶ ὦ τῆς τα Διαβόλου αποσπο ρᾶς !

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ed great difcoveries revealed to her in her difcourfe with

the Serpent, they propagate their principles. But as the difcourfes of a person in drink,

pretending to give advice, are according to his giddy fancy, not equal, but fome of them merry, others melancholy, fo are the wicked principles of these impoftors. For they are led away with certain ridiculous teftimonies and vi fions, which are in that Gofpel which they make ufe of: they produce fuch as the fol lowing: I food upon a “ high mountain, and faw

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one man very tall, and ano"ther fhort (or lame). And "I heard a voice, as it were, "of a thunder, upon which I «Ε went nearer to hear, and "he fpake to me, saying, I,

am what thou art, and thou « art what I am ; (and again) "I am what thou art, and "thou art what I am; and "where thou art, there am I, " and I am in all places and « things : and wherefoever « thou wilt, thou thalt find "(gather) me, and in find« ing me, thou findent thy"felf." Behold, the doctrine of Devils!

1

a

I find no farther account of this fpurious Gofpel among the antients, nor indeed is there need of any more to prove it both Apocryphal and a filly forgery, as Father Simon and Mr. Du Pin have already obferved. The words of the former are, Some of this fame fect (viz. the Gnofticks) that was divided into feveral branches, had invented a Gofpel entituled, Evalyiñor Evas, The Gospel of Eve, wherein they fcattered their wild conceits under the name of this woman, whom they confidered as a perfett Gnoftick, who had received great illuminations in the conference that he held with the Serpent. Mr. Du Pin expreffes himself thus concerning it: The Gnofticks had likewife another Gofpel, more infamous than the former (viz. the Gospel of St. Philip), which they called, The Gospel of Eve; giving out, that from her they held the name of Ivass, which she had learnt from the Serpent. In which laft words, either Mr. Du Pin is mistaken, or his English tranflator has mifreprefented him, which feems very probable both here and in many other places of the Englifh editions of thofe two writers. From the foregoing fragment of this Gospel out of Epiphanius it is evident, how justly these French criticks pronounced it Apocryphal: it appears plainly to be fuch by Prop. IV, V, and VI, as alfo by Prop. IX. it containing things trifling and ridiculous, and plainly forged to serve the turn of those filly hereticks, who so much troubled the Church in the fecond century. Nothing therefore can be more ridiculous, than that Mr. Toland fhould, to grace his catalogue of books, which he would have received with the fame authority as thofe of the prefent Canon, place this among them, in the following pompous words: Nor fhould we wonder at Judas's being an author, when we read of the Prophetical Gospel of Eve, whom the Gnofticks reckoned a patranefs of their opinions, &c. For neither does the book appear to have contained any thing which looked like prophecy, nor did the Gnofticks themselves pretend that Eve was its author.

a Critic. Hiftor. of the N. Teft. Par. 1. c. 3. P. 23.

Hiftory of the Canon, v. z.

C

c. 6. §. 5. p. 126.
Amyntor, p. 33.

CHAP.

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Numb. XXI. The GOSPEL according to the HEBREW S.

HIS was without all controverfy the fame with the Gospel according to the Nazarenes; I fhall therefore confider it under that title in the letter N.

Numb. XXII. The BOOK of the HELKESAITES.

N the catalogue of Apocryphal books produced Part I. I produced this Book as mentioned by Eufebius; which, though indeed it be true, yet it should rather have been recited among those which are mentioned by Origen; for Eufebius in the place there cited takes his account out of his Homily on the eighty-second Pfalm; his words are (speaking concerning the hereticks called Helkefaites):

Kai Bibnov Tiva pierov, v λέγεσιν ἐξ ἐρανᾶ καταπεπτω κέναι· καὶ τὸν ἀκηκοότα ἐκεί νης καὶ πιςεύοντα, ἄφεσιν λή ψεσθαι τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων, ἄλλην ἄφεσιν παρ ̓ ἣν Χρισός Ἰησᾶς ἀφῆκε.

Befides, they produce a certain book, which they affirm to have fallen down from heaven; which they who obferve and believe fhall obtain the pardon of their fins; a pardon different from that which Je

fus Chrift bestowed.

Thefe Helkefaites were a moft ridiculous fect of Chriftians, who seem to have derived their name from Elxai, or Elxæus

a

Apud Eufeb. Hift. Eccl. 1. 6. c. 38,

VOL. I.

Qu

(who

(who lived in the time of Trajan, viz. about the year of Christ 114), a false prophet, who, according to Epiphanius, joined himself with the Ebionites and Nazarenes, and formed a fect, entertaining the fame principles with the Effenians and Sampfæans. Epiphanius fays, they were neither Jews nor Chriftians, nor Heathens, but a fort of medley of each. Their principles are fo ridiculous, as not to deserve transcribing. Origen, in the place cited, fupposes them to have arose not long before his time; and adds, they rejected fome things of every part of Scripture, but allowed none of Paul's writings. As to this book, I doubt not but it was the very fame of which Epiphanius speaks, that was written by Elxai, because, as he fays, it pretended to infpiration, and wisdom from God, Συνεγράψατο δὲ οὗτος βιβλίον δῆθεν κατὰ πορφητείαν, ἢ ὡς κατὰ ἔνθεον opiar. It appears to have contained a fort of fyftem of his fhuffling and foolish doctrines: I shall only instance in those which regarded our Saviour and the Holy Ghoft, by which it is easy to judge of the whole composure.

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