Sidebilder
PDF
ePub

5

In what is extant of only his "Parallel Lives" we find that he quotes no less than 240 ancient writers; while Plinius the Elder, in the preface to his Natu-ral History, says that, for that great work, he had not read more than 100.

It appears from the following passage 6 that Plu-tarchus was in the habit of making Adversaria ( or unconnected observations) upon various subjects: "" ΜΗΤΕ ΔΕ ΧΡΟΝΟΝ ΕΧΟΝ · ФС проніроүмHN RENECIAL прос отс ΕΒΟΥΛΟΥ ΜΗΤΕ ΥΠΟΜΕΝΩΝ ΚΕΝΑ IC ΠΑΝΤΑΠΑΣΙΝ ΤΟΝ ΑΝΔΡΑ χερ -CIN ΟΦΘΗΝΑΙ COI ΠΑΡ ΗΜΩΝ ΑΦΙΓΜΕΝΟΝ

-MIAC

[ocr errors]

EK ΤΩΝ ΥΠΟΜΝΗΜΑΤΩΝ

ETYгXANON."
Cap. IX.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

ΑΝΕΛΕΞΑΜΗΝ περι εγεγ

WN EMAYTWI ΠΕΠΟΙΗΜENOC

That Plutarchus "was not unacquainted with the divine gospels," and that he "transfused much of the Christian theology into his own writings" is af-firmed by Theodoretus, Bishop of Cyrus, in his se-cond oration. 7

8

The same [Father of the Church, ] in his tenth oration, fully shews, that Plutarchus was persua-ded, that not Gods, but Dæmons, gave the oracular responses; and that the Priests, instigated by those Dæmons, promulgated venal and false oracles; and that these Dæmons were evil, base, and cruel. All these are certainly the arguments of a Christian. may add, that Plutarchus seems to have condemned

A list of these writers, with references, is given in the Pre-face to the Plutarch's works of A. D. 1624, p. 40--42. 6 In the neр eyeɣmiac, p. 464. F.

7 viz: in that which is inscribed лeр aр×нC.

& Or that neрI XPHCMWN.

Polytheism, at any rate in the following passage: 9

ΕΠΕΙΤΑ TIC ΑΝΑΓΚΗ ΠΟΛΛΟΥΣ ΕΙΝΑΙ ΔΙΑΣ AN ΠΛΕΙΟΝΕΣ WCI KOCMOI ΚΑΙ ΜΗ ΚΑΘ ΕΚΑΣΤΟΝ ΑΡΧΟΝΤΑ ΠΡΩΤΟΝ ΚΑΙ ΗΓΕΜΟΝΑ ΤΟΥ ΟΛΟΥ ΘΕΟΝ, ΕΧΟΝΤΑ ΚΑΙ ΝΟΥΝ ΚΑΙ ΛΟΓΟΝ . oloc o лар HMIN ΚΥΡΙΟΣ ΑΠΑΝΤΩΝ ΚΑΙ ΠΑΤΗΡ ΕΠΟΝΟΜΑΖΟΜΕΝΟΣ ?

I may also observe, that in the books of Plutarchus are many opinions, derived from I know not whence, which, from their truth and gravity, may be taken for a Christian 10 Oracle. Therefore, as Tertullianus, in his book de animâ,1 calls Seneca, so also I here 2 would not doubt to call Plutarchus," often one of our party.

"3

But, in having written many things agreeable to our religion, he has only done, as Plato, Hermes,* the above-mentioned Seneca, and others, did, who certainly were not Christians. As however Hermes and Plato may have read our Old Testament, 5 so also Plutarchus may have read the New, but, that

9 Of the nері TWN єклєлопот и христнр. р. 425. F.
10 [As far as Christianism is synonimous with Reason. ]
1 [ Cap. 20. ]

I know not why Rualdus omits referring to the equally tolerant opinion of Johannes Euchaita.

3

[Or of the party of the Confucians, or of that of the Indi-ans of the Six Nations, or of &c.]

[ocr errors]

Rualdus seems therefore to believe in the genuineness and authenticity of the writings attributed to " Hermes.' The writer who has assumed this name was a sort of Gnostic. Beausobre (Manich,,Tom. 2, p. 731) says of him: "Son prin-cipe était que la foi ne convient qu'au peuple; que le sage se conduit par la science.

"

[Though nothing can be more improbable for none of the old Jewish books were translated into Greek 'till about 260 B. C.]

[Though it was probably not formed into one volume till after his time.]

7

he should have believed in it, is utterly improbable: for, in one of his treatises, written not many years, perhaps not many days,before his death, he mentions that he had been worshipping the Pythian Apollo. 8 It is therefore universally acknowledged that he al-ways remained a Pagan; and even Theodoretus 9 calls him

"

Η ΑΝΔΡΑ TAIC ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑΙ ΔΟΞΑΙΟ ΔΕΔΟΥΛΟΜΕΝΟΝ :

and afterwards says:

[ocr errors]

“ ΤΑΥΤΑ ΟΥ ΠΡΟΦΗΤΗΣ ΗΜΕτερος ΟΥΔ ΑΠΟ TOAOC ΕΙΡΗΚΕΝ ΟΥΔΕ ΤΙΣ ΑΛΛΟΣ ΤΩΝ ΕΚΕΙΝΟΙΣ ΠΕΛιΣτεγκότων, ΚΑΙ ΤΑ ΕΚΕΙΝΟΝ ΔΟΞΑΖΕΙΝ ΕΣΠΟΥΔΑΚΟΤΩΝ : ΑΛΛ ΑΝΗΡ, ΠACAN MEN HCKHMENOC ΠΑΙ

-AEIAN, ΤΗΙ ΔΕ ΠΑΛΑΙΑ των φιλοσοφων ΕΞΑΠΑΤΗΙ ΔΟΥΛεγων.”

1

For one reason, however, we Christians ought to be less hostile to him than to the other writers of of those times, because he has never written a sylla-ble against us and our religion, whereas almost all the other Pagan writers 10 have vied with one ano

7 viz: the empесBYTEPWI полITEYTEON (P. 792. F.)

8

66

OICΘΑ ΜΕ των ηγθιωι λειτοΥΡΓΟΥΝΤΑ ΠΟΛΛΑΣ ΠΥΘΙΑΔΑΣ . 9 In his tenth book above mentioned.

[ocr errors]

10 [i. e. such as condescended to notice us; but this was sel-dom the case, even down to the period when the worship of the Gods ceased to be the orthodox religion. Some of our modern advocates do indeed suppose, that, even within the first 150 years after the execution of our blessed Saviour, we -are not only reprobated by Tacitus (A. D. 105), Plinius and Trajanus (A. D. 106), Suetonius (A. D. 115 ),,,Marcus Anrianus (117.138) -toninus (A. D. 170), Lucianus ( A. D. 176 ),,, and especially

by Celsus, (A. D. 176 ) but may also perhaps be alluded to (generally with contempt) by Epictetus (A, D. 109), Martialis (A. D. 95), Juvenalis (A. D. 100), Apuleius (A. D. 164 ), and Aristides (A. D. 176). Yet surely there is not the most distant allusion to us, or to our worthy founder, in the follow-ing writers, who likewise flourished during the above-mentioned period, viz: Plinius the naturalist (A. D. 70), Seneca the philosopher (A. D. 60), Pomponius Mela (A. D. 40), Pausanias

2

[ocr errors]

3

29

-ther in heaping abuse upon us. Thus [Suetonius ] Tranquillus1 most falsely names the Christians“ a race of men of a new and pernicious superstition. And Tacitus most impudently says, that they were "hated for their crimes," and calls their faith a "dead-ly superstition.' Moreover, Lucianus impiously denominates our Lord Christ a "crucified sophist. [About A. D. 270], Porphyrius bitterly insulted the Christians; and [ about A. D. 222], the lawyer Ul-pianus wrote seven volumes "de torquendis Chris-tianis. 5" [About A. D. 396], Eunapius' calls the holy relicks of the saints -

6

[ocr errors]

44 OCTEA ΚΑΙ ΚΕΦΑΛΑΣ ΤΩΝ ΕΠΙ ΠΟΛΛΟΙΣ AMAPTHMACIN EAAWKOΤΩΝ ΣΥΝΑΛΙΖΟΜΕΝΑΣ, ογς το ΠΟΛΙΚΙΤΟΝ ΕΚΟΛΑΖΕ ΔΙΚΑΣΤΗΡΙΟΝ.” He also calls the divine Martyrs

(A. D. 170 ), Ptolemæus (A. D. 130), Ælianus (A. D. 120), Dio Prusæus (A. D. 98), Quinctilianus (A. D. 100), Lucius Florus (A. D. 110), Arrianus ( A. D. 140), Appianus (A. D. 123), Petronius Arbiter (A. D. 60), Papinius Statius (A. D. 90), Annæus Lucanus (A. D. 63), and Aulus Persius (A. D. 60). It is shocking to think what little effect our miracles can have produced upon these literary men. They will all be d—d. ]

1 B. 6, ch. 16.

2 Annal. XV, ch. 44.

3 In the Dialogue лEрI THс лEрEгPINOY TEлEYTHC, ch. 13. 4.46 TON ANECKOлONICMENON EKEINON COPICTHN AYTWN.”

66

I am ignorant of Rualdus's authority. Lactantius (B. 5. ch. 11.) does indeed say: Domitius, de officio Proconsulis, libris septem, rescripta nefaria collegit, ut doceret quibus poe. -nis affici oporteret eos qui se cultores Dei profiterentur. But, first, the title of the work appears to be different; and secondly, for libris septem, some MSS, read libro septimo, which I suppose is the right reading, as Lardner adopts it without alluding to the former one. Observe, that, in the Corpus Juris, there is not extant one word against the Christians.

6 I take these dates from Lardner's works, Vol. 4. 4to. edit. 7 In vit. Edesii, circa finem.

[merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

KAI EC TO EMPANEC EMACXON ΤΕ ΚΑΙ ΕΠΟΙΟΥΝ ΜΥΡΙΑ ΚΑΚΑ ΚΑΙ афраста.”

Similarly, the monks are bitterly inveighed against by Rutilius Gallus, in his Itinerarium, [about A. D. 418. ]

[But let us return to Plutarchus.] This writer has not expressly affected to injure the Christian faith;8 and, in this respect, as in many others, he agrees with Seneca the philosopher. For the passage in Seneca: 9 "In Tiberii principatum juventæ tempus inciderat: alienigenarum sacra movebantur; sed inter argumenta superstitionis ponebatur quorundam animalium abstinentia,

[ocr errors]

alludes, not to the Christians, but to the Jews and Egyptians, who were banished from Rome thirteen years before the death of our Saviour.

Cap. X.

Plutarchus was so well acquainted with every sort of philosophy, that he was fully entitled to be called, 10

[ocr errors]

Η ΦΙΛΟΣΟΦΙΑΣ ΑΠΑΣΗΣ ΑΦΡΟΔΙΤΗ ΚΑΙ ΛΥΡΑ."

He may perhaps even be placed among the Eclectics, of whom Laertius says:1

$ [ Perhaps because he had never heard of it. ]

9 Epist. CVIII. [ Lardner has wisely refrained from even alluding to this testimony. ]

[ocr errors]

10 by Agathias Smyrnæus" says Rualdus; but surely this is a fault, and Rualdus meant to refer to Eunapius, de vitis So-phistarum, Prooem. p. 11, as indeed he does in his last chap-ter, p. 55.

In extremo proœmio 1. libri de vitis Philosophorum.

« ForrigeFortsett »