1.) Is the falutation in the beginning; Paul a prisonerto the Brethren at Corinth-greeting; a phrafeology not known in his, or any of the first Christian falutations in their Epiftles. 2.) The author's declaring that he received what he taught them from the former Apoftles, who converfed with Chrift; whereas St. Paul very frequently affures the Churches to whom he wrote, and particularly this Church of Corinth, that what he preached among them, he received not from men, but by immediate revelation from the Lord. See 1 Cor. xi. 23. and Gal. i. 12. Eph. iii. 2, 3. Thus much may fuffice concerning the fpuriousness of this Epiftle under St. Paul's name. There is no need of any fuch remarks on the Corinthians Epiftle to Paul; fince, if it were real and genuine, I know no claim it could make to Canonical authority. Only one thing I cannot forbear obferving, which is a very clear detection of the forgery. They defire Paul to be very speedy in visiting them at Corinth; whereas St. Paul was at that time, as he expressly calls himself, a prifoner. This does not seem very confiftent; for fuch a defire supposes Paul to have been at his own liberty. I fhall only add, that Mr. La Croze supposes these Epiftles forged either in the end of the tenth, or the beginning of the eleventh century. CHAP. V. The Acts of Andrew received by the Encratites, Manichees, Apoftolicks, or Apotacticks and Origenians, discussed, and proved Apocryphal. I A. PROCEED now to the particular examination of the loft Apocryphal books, according to the order in which they are placed in the alphabetical table at the end of the first Part; and fo fhall begin with that antient book which was called, The ACTS of the Apoftle ANDREW. N. B.IN confidering this, as all the other Apocryphal books, the method I purpose to obferve is, firft to produce all and every thing that is faid of them by the antient writers, and then to make the most suitable reflections I can. This Book is mentioned first by Eufebius *. Τὰς ὀνόματι τῶν ἀποςόλων πρὸς τῶν αἱρετικῶν προφερο μένας ως Ανδρέας πράξεις - ὧν ἐδὲν ἐδαμῶς ἐν συγγράμματι τῶν κατὰ διαδοχὰς ἐκκλησιασικῶν τις ανήρ εἰς μνήμην ἀγαγεῖν ἠξίωσεν. Πόῤῥω δέ τε καὶ ὁ τῆς φράσεως παρὰ τὸ ἦθος τὸ ἀποτολικὸν ἐναλλάττει χαρακτήρα ἥ τε γνώμη καὶ ἡ τῶν ἐν αὐτ τοῖς φερομένων προαίρεσις πλεῖσον ὅσον τῆς ἀληθες όρθοδοξίας ἀπάδεσα, ὅτι δὴ αἱρετικῶν ἀνδρῶν ἀναπλάσε ματα τυγχάνει, σαφῶς πα ρίςησιν· ὅθεν ἐδ ̓ ἐν νόθοις αὐτ. τὰ καβαλακτέον, ἀλλ' ὡς ἄτο εν τα πάντη καὶ δυσσεβῆ πα ραιτητέον. Books publimed under the name of the Apostles by hereticks fuch as the dels of Andrew- -which are never thought worthy to be cited in the works of any ecclefiaftical writer who taught in the Church. Moreover, the phrafeology and manner of writing, and the dorines therein delivered being very oppofite to the orthodox faith, evidently demonfrate it to have been the forgery of here= ticks; and fo not only to be looked upon as fpurious, but to be utterly rejelted as impious and abfurd. 2. By Philaftrius, in his Account of the Herefy which he ftyles Apocrypha. Manichæi Apocrypha beati Andreæ Apoftoli, i. e. Actus quos fecit veniens de Ponto * Hift. Eccl, 1. 3. c. 25. The Manichees make use of the Acts of St. Andrew, i. e. thofe Acts which he made (or Hæref. 87. in Græciam, quos confcripferunt tunc fequentes Apoftolum; unde & habent Manichæi, & alii tales, Andreæ beati & Joannis Altus Evangelifta, beati & Petri fimiliter Apoftoli, & Pauli pariter Apoftoli : in quibus, quia figna fecerunt magna, ut & canes & beftiæ loquerentur, etiam & animas hominum tales velut canum & pecudum, fimiles imputaverunt effe hæretici perditi. did) in his journey from Pontus to Greece, and which thofe Difciples, which followed him, wrote ; from whence the Manichees, and other fuch fort of people, have the Acts of St. Andrew, St. John the Evangelift, as alfo the Acts of St. Peter and St. Paul the Apoftles: in which, becaufe they wrought great miracles, fuch as to make dogs and beasts to speak, these wretched hereticks imagined the fouls of men to be like the fouls of dogs and beafts. 3. By Epiphanius, difcourfing of the Hereticks called Encratites c. Κέχρηνται δὲ γραφαῖς πρωτου τύπως, ταῖς λεγομέναις 'Ανδρέα, καὶ Ἰωάνια πράξεσι, καὶ Θωμα· καὶ ἀποκρύφοις τισὶ, καὶ οἷς βέλονται λόγοις τῆς παλαιᾶς διαθήκης. They principally made ufe of thofe Scriptures, which are called the Ads of Andrew ome other Apocryphal books, and John, and Thomas, and and only what they thought fit of the books of the Old Teftament. 4. By the fame, speaking of the Herefy of the Apoftolicks". Οὗτοι δὲ ταῖς λεγομέναις πράξεσιν ̓Ανδρέα τε καὶ Θωμᾶ τὸ πλεῖζον ἐπερείδονται, παντάπασιν ἀλλότριοι τῇ κανόνος τῇ ἐκκλησιαςικῇ ὑπάρχοντες. • Hæref. 47. §. 1. They chiefy depended upon thole Scriptures, which are called the Alts of Andrew and of Thomas, being altogether different from the Ca non of the Church. * Hæref. 61. §. I. L 3 5. By 5. By the fame, concerning the vile Herefy of the Orige These are all the places where express mention is made of thefe Acts of Andrew; from whence it is easy, by the rules above laid down, to prove they were spurious and Apocryphal, as being not found in any of the antient catalogues of the facred books, (Prop. IV.) nor appealed to by any Christian writer, (Prop. V.) nor read in any of their affemblies; (Prop. VI.) but on the contrary expressly condemned as an impious forgery, by every one that has mentioned them. There are not indeed any fragments of this book now remaining; yet it seems not difficult to guess at some things contained therein by the agreement of the abovementioned hereticks in receiving and efteeming it above all other Scriptures. This cannot be supposed to have happened by mere chance, nor by any other means more probable, than that this book contained fome doctrines or principles which were very conformable to the fentiments. of those differing fects. What their opinions were, I need not here lay down; a bare cafting the eye upon the accounts, which Epiphanius, in the places cited, and Austin, in his little book of herefies, gives of them, would be almost sufficient of itself to make one queftion the authority of any book which • Hæref. 63. §. 2. f Decret. de Apocryph. apud Gratian. Diftinct. 15. et apud they they had a more than ordinary esteem for. I fhall only offer to the reader the obfervations I have made concerning the agreement between these differing sfects, and then leave it to his own judgment to determine, whether it be not probable the Acts of Andrew contained some doctrines which were favourable to them all. The fects I am speaking of are those above mentioned, the Manichees, Encratites, Apotacticks, or Apoftolicks, and Origenians, who all, as has been proved, esteemed this Apocryphal piece of Andrew above other Scriptures; and the observations I have made, for greater clearness, I have placed in the following table. More of this fort may be seen in Epiphanius, Hæref. 47, 61, 63, and 66; and in Austin, de Hærefib. ad Quodvult. c. 25, 40, 42, and 46. |
