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Καταγελῶσι δὲ λοιπὸν τῶν τὴν πολιτείαν ἀσκέντων, καὶ αγνείαν, καὶ παρθενίαν, ως εἰς μάτην τὸν κάματον ἀναδεδεγμένων. Προσφέρεσι δὲ εἰς ὄνομα Φιλίππε τε αγία μαθητῇ εὐαγγέλιον πεπλαστ μένον, ὅτι φησὶν, ̓Αποκάλυψέ μοι ὁ Κύριθ, τί τὴν ψυχὴν δεῖ λέγειν, ἐν τῷ ἀνιέναι εἰς τὸν ἐρανόν· καὶ πῶς ἑκάσῃ τῶν ἄνω δυνάμεων αποκρίνεσ θαι. Ὅτι ἐπέγνων ἐμαυτὴν, φησὶ, καὶ συνέλεξα ἐμαυτὴν πανταχόθεν, καὶ ἐκ ἔσπειρα τέκνα τῷ ἄρχοντι, ἀλλὰ ἐξεῤῥίζωσα τὰς ῥίζας αὐτῆ, καὶ συνέλεξα τὰ μέλη τὰ διεσκορπισμένα, καὶ οἶδα σε τίς εἶ ἐγὼ γὰρ, φησὶ, τῶν ἄνωθέν εἰμι καὶ ἔτως φησὶν, απο λύεται. Ἐὰν δὲ, φησὶν, εύ ρεθῇ γεννήσασα υἱὸν, κατέχεται κάτω, ἕως ἂν τὰ ἴδια

αν τι

τέκνα δυνηθῇ ἀναλαβεῖν καὶ ἀνελκύσαι εἰς ἑαυτήν.

They laugh at the conduct of the Monks, and those who profefs chaftity and virginity, as fubmitting to unnecessary hardhips. They produce a of the Holy Apofle Philip; in forged Gofpel under the name

which it is written; "The « Lord hath revealed to me «what the foul muft fay when « it makes its entry into hea« ven, and what fort of an"fwer it muft make to each « of the heavenly Powers: σε (viz. in the following man"ner) I knew myself, and "gathered, recollected (or "guarded) myfelf on all fides, "and did not raife children "for the Devil', but extir

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pagated children, it is obliged to stay so long below, till she shall be able to receive and bring those children to herself, i. e. till the fouls of the children depart.

This is a fufficient tafte of this Gofpel, which I fuppofe

a I know not how else to translate

this myftical paffage.

b So I tranflate ἄρχοντι, becaufe

they faid that all procreation was from the Devil.

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will be but indifferently relished by those, who have any tafte either of religion, or common sense. The book feems by this fragment to have been of a piece with the other performances of the Gnofticks, and as extravagant in its conceits as the Gospel of Bafilides, Eve, or any of the reft. It seems by this fragment to have been particularly wrote with the view of fupporting their doctrine of the unlawfulness of procreation; for though, as in the beginning of this paffage, they did not forbid the ufe of women, and therefore laughed at the Monks, yet they forbad the procreation of children, and for this purpose made use of methods fo very abominable, and prodigioufly unnatural and vile, that I had rather the reader fhould be ignorant of them, than be told by me. He who has a mind may read Epiphanius in the place referred to at the bottom of the page. I will only observe, that in the place cited, that Father tells us, they had Apocryphal books which supported their obscene doctrines; which farther confirms my conjecture about the contents of this Gospel. It appears plainly to be Apocryphal, by Prop. IV, V, VI. VIII, and IX. and Mr. Du Pin' imagines, it was the fame with the Gospel that was made use of by the Ebionites, Bafilides, and Apelles; but however just his opinion may be, as to the two latter (though there is not, nor does he pretend to offer any reason for it), yet fure I am, he must be mistaken as to the former, fince the Ebionites entertained no fuch principles.

• Hæref. 26. §. 5.

b Hift. of the Canon, vol. 2.

c. vi. §. 5. p. 126.

CHAP.

CHAP. XXXVIII.

The Gospel of Scythianus. He was the Author of the Manichean Herefy. The Gospel of the Simonians. The Revelation of Stephen.

Numb. LVIII. The GOSPEL of SCYTHIANUS.

ΤΗ

S.

HIS Gospel is only confiderable, because it was composed by him who was the fource and author of the Manichean Herely: it is mentioned,

1. By Cyril of Jerufalem 2.

In a discourse concerning the Heresy of the Manichees; of which and its rise (seventy years before his writing), as also its progrefs, he gives a very particular account; he afferts one Scythianus to have been the first founder of the sect.

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There was a certain perfon in Egypt named Scythianus, by nation a Saracen, having nothing common either with the Jewish or Chriftian Re

ligion. When he lived at Alexandria, and conformed himfelf to the rules of life in the Ariftotelick Philofophy, he compofed four books; one called The Gofpel, not containing any account of the actions of Chrift, but only taking its title from him, &c.

a Catech. vi. c. 13.

2. By Epiphaniusa.

Ἐν τέτοις γὰρ ὁ προειρημένος Σκυθιανὸς τυφλωθεὶς τὴν διά νοιαν, λαβὼν παρά Πυθα γόρα τὰς προφάσεις, ὅτως ἐφρόνησε· καὶ βίβλες τέσσαρας ἑαυτῷ πλάσσεται, τῇ μια ὄνομα θέμενος Μυςηρίων, τῇ δὲ δευτέρα Κεφαλαίων, τῇ τρίτη Εὐαγγελία, τῇ τετάρτη Θησαυρῶν· ἐν αἷς ἰσόζυγα καὶ τὰ ἰσόῤῥοπα δύο ἀρχῶν συζεύξας πρόσωπα καθ' έκ. άςην ὑπόθεσιν, ἔτως ὑπολαβὼν ὁ τάλας, καὶ ὕτως κατὰ τᾶτο τὸ μέρος ἐφαντάζετο, ὡς

τι

εν

μέγα εὑρὼν τῷ βίῳ· καὶ τῷ ὄντι μέγα κακὸν εὕρατο τῷ βίῳ, καθ ̓ ἑαυτῇ καὶ τῶν

ὑπ ̓ αὐτῷ πλανωμένων.

Such were the opinions of Scythianus, who was infatuated in his judgment, and borrowed his principles from Pythagoras. Befides, he com

pofed four books; calling one, The Book of Myfteries ; the fecond, The Book of Principles; the third, The Gopel; the fourth, The Book of Treafures; in which he fuppofed two equal principles and perfons united, in every argument; and by thefe notions the wretch thought he had made fome confiderable difcoveries in life; buc really he formed that which was very deftru&tive to life, both in refpect of himself and those who are deluded into his fcheme.

There is not any thing more faid of this Apocryphal Gofpel by the old writers; nor indeed is there any need of it'to prove it Apocryphal: he who will confider it as one of the first books that gave birth to the fentiments of the Manichees, and knows any thing of that monftrous herefy, will easily be perfuaded to look upon it as an Apocryphal book, their principles being inconfiftent with the very foundation of the Christian religion. I reject it therefore by Prop. IV, V, VI, VIII, and IX. The Manichees had fome other Gofpels, of which perhaps I fhall fay fomething below, Numb. LXV.

Hæref. 66. §. 2.

VOL. I.

Cc

Numb

Numb. LIX. The ACTS of the APOSTLES by

SELEUCUS.

ELEUCUS (as I have above proved, Chap. XXI.) was

SELE

only a different name for Leucius; and confequently thefe are the fame Acts with those under the name of Leucius Charinus, which have been largely confidered in that place, and proved Apocryphal, and therefore need no farther difcuffion here.

Since the compiling of the Catalogue in the former part of this work, I have obferved in Dr. Mill an account of the Gofpel of the Simonians, as mentioned in the Arabick Preface to the Council of Nice, which is in Labbé. That I might not omit any thing of this fort, I here give the reader that learned Doctor's account of it. The Simonians (he supposes) i. e. the followers of Simon Magus, forged this Gofpel, which, according to the number of our four Gospels, they divided into four parts; and at length about the time of Irenæus, borrowing a title from the holy Fathers of the Church, who wittily concluded there were four Gospels, because there were four regions of the world, (or four principal winds) they called it, The Book of the four Corners or Regions of the World. Agreeable to this we read in the book called The Conftitutions of the Apoftles", that Simon and Cleobius, and their followers, compiled books under the name of Christ and of his disciples, in order to deceive, &c. It is to be rejected by Prop. IV, V, and VI.

I

Numb. LX. The REVELATION of STEPHEN.

HAVE not found this any where befides in the Decree of Pope Gelafius thus:

Revelatio, quæ appellatur Stephani, Apocrypha.

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The Revelation under the
name of Stephen is Apocry-
phal.
and VI.

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