CHAP. XXXI. Leucius Charinus proved by feveral Arguments to have been the Author of this Gofpel. Obf. V. LE EUCIUS Charinus feems to have been the author of thefe Acts of Pilate, or Gospel of Nicodemus. This conjecture depends upon the foregoing, and, I hope, will appear no lefs probable for the following reafons. 1. It is certain Leucius Charinus lived about that time which I have affigned to the original of this book, viz. in the latter end of the third and beginning of the fourth century. This I have above largely proved, Part II. Ch. XXI. 2. It is certain Leucius was the author of many forgeries or Spurious pieces under the names of the Apoftles and Difciples of Chrift. This is evident from the chapter now cited in the former volume, and feveral parts of that work. See alfo GeJafius's Decree. 3. Most of the Apocryphal books which Leucius published, were intitled Acts; fuch, for instance, were the Acts of Peter, John, Andrew, Thomas, and Paul, and others above produced in the former volume; all which were certainly made by Leucius Charinus, as appears from Photius, Biblioth. Cod. 114. Austin, and others, in the places there cited. See also the alphabetical index at the end of the first part of this work, in the letter L. 4. The Apocryphal books of Leucius Charinus were generally filled with idle, fabulous, and romantick stories, exactly of the fame fort with thofe contained in these Acts of Pilate, or Gospel of Nicodemus. This will be manifest by a comparison of those fables concerning Matimilla and Iphidamia, God's appearing in the form of a little boy, feigning the voice of a woman, the fouls of men like the fouls of dogs, &c. produced above (Par. II. Ch. XXI.) as fragments of his Acts out of Austin and Philaftrius, with several stories in these Acts of Pilate, 5. Leucius 5. Leucius was boasted of by the Montanists, as a favourer of their fcheme. Phryges fe a Leucio animatos mentiri, says Pacianus, a writer of the fourth century; i. e. The Montanists boast that their principles were revived by Leucius, as I have elsewhere explained those words. Whence I argue, as a collateral proof, that thefe As were made by Leucius, viz. because they were received by the Teffarefcaidecatites, who defcended from, or were formed out of, the Montanifts, as appears from Epiphanius, Hæref. 50. §. 1. See the last chapter, Obf. IV. Numb. 5. 6. That which feems to put the matter out of all controverfy, (viz. that Leucius Charinus was the author of thefe Acts of Pilate) is, that a very confiderable part of it is in the book itfelf afcribed to him as the author. This feems to me fo evident, that I much wonder it has not been observed by any of those who have read and mentioned this Apocryphal Gospel. To make this out I obferve, that Jofeph of Arimathea is introduced, Ch. XVII. as inviting Annas and Caiaphas to fee two fons of old Simeon (mentioned Luke ii. 25.), who were arisen from the dead, in the city of Arimathea; that they accordingly went with him, accompanied by Jofeph and Gamaliel, and found them, not in their graves, but in the city ontheir knees at prayers; brought them to Jerufalem, and obliged them upon oath to relate an account of their refurrection to them that the names of these two fons of Simeon were Charinus and Lenthius, who, not daring to give the relation in words, called for paper, and wrote down all that long account of our Saviour's descent to hell, and his' delivery of Adam, and the Patriarchs and Fathers from hell, which is contained from Ch. XVIII. to the XXVIIIth, which makes fo large a part of this Gofpel: that when Charinus and Lenthius had wrote this, the former gave his writing to Annas, Caiaphas, and Gamaliel; the latter gave his to Nicodemus and Jofeph. Hence it is evident that Lenthius and Charinus were authors of a large part of this book; and these, though made here two names, are the very name of that person whom I conjecture to be the author of the whole. For though the name be here written Lenthius, and not Leucius, this was undoubtedly the fame name, and the true reading ought to be Leucius; and it has been often observed by learned men, that this person's name has been promifcuously written Lentius, Leucius, Leutius, Lentitius, Leontius, Seleucus. See Cafaubon, Fabricius, and the first volume of this work, in the places cited in the bottom of the page. Nor will this at all seem strange to those who confider the old contract way of writing, which was fo common, especially in the proper names of perfons and things. I take it therefore for granted, that Lenthius and Leucius were one and the fame name, or rather, that Lenthius was written by some scribe for Leucius; which very thing (as I have above obferved) has more than once happened in the printing the former part of this book. And though the names be here tranfpofed, viz. Charinus placed before Leucius, and they are made the names of two different perfons, yet this feems to have been only with defign the better to disguise the imposture; it being farther obfervable, and very certain alfo, that these were both Greek or Roman names, and confequently not the names of two fons of Simeon, who was a Jew, and, according to this book, a priest. 7. The long account of Chrift's going at his death to hell, and by his power delivering Adam, the Patriarchs, and Prophets, &c. from hell, contained from Ch. XVIII. to the XXVIIIth of this Gofpel, and there related by Leucius and Charinus, is founded upon a doctrine not known or received in the Church till the time of Leucius Charinus: though it is certain, that the primitive Church generally believed the local defcent of Chrift's foul to the habitations of fouls departed, as is evident from Irenæus, Clemens Alexandrinus, Tertullian, Origen, and many others; yet it is as certain, that before that time which I have affixed to Leucius Charinus, it was not fo generally be Exercit. adv. Baron. I. n. 15. b Cod. Apoc. N. T. tom. 1. p. 137 Part II. Ch. XXI. lieved that he then wrought a delivery for the Patriarchs, Prophets, and other good men who lived before his time, from that ftate. Eufebius, Ambrofe, Jerome, and other writers of the fourth century, were indeed of this opinion; but the more antient Fathers, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, &c. thought of no fuch things. For the proof of all which, I fhall think it fufficient to refer the reader to Bishop Pearfon's clear and learned Explication of that fifth Article of the Creed, concerning Chrift's Defcent into Hell, p. 240, &c. From this and the foregoing particulars it seems very probable, that Leucius Charinus was the author of the Gospel which we have now under confideration, under the title of Nicodemus, or the Acts of Pilate. For if he lived at the very time when this book was forged; if he was the author of many forgeries under the Apostles' names; if the greatest part of his forgeries were intitled Acts; if the contents of it were of the fame fort with his other Acts; if it was received by the disciples of the Montanifts, of whom he was a favourer; if his name be expressly found in the book, and he there faid to be the author of a confiderable part of it; in a word, if it contains those doctrines which were not prevalent till his time; all which is proved; then we have as much evidence as can be expected in things of this fort, that Leucius Charinus was the author of this Apocryphal Gospel. CHAP. CHA P. XXXII. The Gospel of Nicodemus is Apocryphal: not received by the Antients: contains manifeft Contradictions, many. Things falfe, many trifling and filly Stories: things later than the Time in which it pretends to be written: it is ftolen out of the genuine Scriptures: feveral mifcellaneous Remarks on this Gospel. TH Obf. VI. THE Gospel of Nicodemus, or the Acts of Pilate, is a spurious and Apocryphal book. This is indeed abundantly manifest from what I have already faid; but I fhall notwithstanding farther attempt this proof by my propofitions in the first part. Accordingly, because it is not found in any of the old Chriftian catalogues of facred books, nor cited in any of the old Chriftian writings, nor appears to have been read in any of the Chriftian Churches, I argue it to be Apocryphal by Prop. IV, V, and VI. I add, 2. It is Apocryphal by Prop. VII. as it contains manifest contradictions. To inftance only in one or two, which are very notorious. Chap. II. the twelve men, Eliezer, Afterius, Antonius, &c. who declare themfelves to be no profelytes, but born Jews; when Pilate tendered them an oath, and would have had them fwear by the life of Cæfar, refused, becaufe, they fay, We have a law that forbids our fwearing, and makes it finful to fwear: yet Ch. IV. I obferve the Elders, Scribes, Priests, and Levites, are brought in fwearing by the life of Cafar without any fcruple; and, Ch. XIV. they make others, who were Jews, fwear by the Law, as they do alfo Ch. XVII. and Pilate gives an oath to a whole affembly of the Scribes, Chief-priests, &c. Ch. XXVIII. This feems a manifeft contradiction. Another is, that Ch. IX. Pilate is introduced as making a speech to the Jews, in which he gives a true and just abstract of the Old Testament Hiftory relating to the Ifraelites, viz. what God had done for them, and how they had behaved themfelves to him. Whereas the fame Pilate, Chap. |