Page images
PDF
EPUB

THE

PRINCIPAL FACTS

OF THE

NEW TESTAMENT

CONFIRMED, &c.

PART II. CHAP. CXXVI.

PRUDENTIUS.

[ocr errors]

1. AURELIUS PRUDENTIUS CLEMENS, an elegant Latin poet, descended of an honourable family, was born at Saragossa in Spain, in the year 848, when Fl. Salia, or Salias, was consul. He wrote the preface to his Cathemerinon, in the fifty seventh year of his age; as he says himself in that preface, where his other writings also are briefly enumerated: consequently he is well placed, as flourishing about the year 405.

b

d

2. I put belowGennadius's chapter of Prudentius, in his book of Illustrious Men, published in 494; and I refer to some learned moderns, such as are desirous of a more particular account of this writer.

Others

3. Some have thought that Prudentius was consul; but without any good reason. have supposed, that he was præfect of the Prætorium, or præfect of Rome: but there is no full proof of either. Gennadius, however, says, that he had a military employment at court. What Prudentius says of himself, in the forementioned preface, I transcribe below: from whence it appears, I think, that for a while he studied the law, and was a pleader; and that he had been

[blocks in formation]

e

rium, librum unum, et Hymnorum alterum: speciali tamen intentione adversus Symmachum, idololatriam defendentem. Ex quorum lectione agnoscitur Palatinus miles fuisse. Gennad. de V. I. cap. 13.

Cav. H. L. T. i. Fabr. ad Gennad. cap. 13. ap. Bib. Ec. Voss. de Hist. Lat. 1. ii. c. 10. Tillem. Mem. T. x. Du Pin. Bibl. T. iii. p. 5. J. Le Clerc. Bib. Univ. T. xii. p. 135 193. Pagi. Ann. 405. n. 19.

....

[blocks in formation]

a civil magistrate in some cities: after which he took to the profession of arms, and was honoured with some high military preferment under the emperor, either Theodosius, or Honorius: and, before he was very old, he retired from the world.

4. Prudentius celebrates, in his poems, our Lord's nativity, and the circumstances of it and also, his miracles, death, and resurrection.

5. There is a book, called his Enchiridion, consisting of small poems, celebrating many remarkable events of the Old and the New Testament. Those of the New are taken out of the gospels, the Acts, and the Revelation.

b

6. Some have hesitated about the genuineness of that work, because it is not taken notice of by Prudentius in the preface before cited: nevertheless, it is particularly mentioned by Gennadius, by the title of Diptychon. Whether it be genuine, or not, the same things occur in the other unquestioned writings of Prudentius.

с

7. In particular, the Revelation is plainly referred to in some of the hymns in the Cathemerinon. And he seems to have supposed, that St. John had his visions in sleep.

[ocr errors]

8. I add one thing more: Prudentius considers martyrs as intercessors; and hopes, through them, to obtain of Christ the forgiveness of his sins.

CHAP. CXXVII.

f

h

PALLADIUS.

1. In the chapter of St. Jerom, I have quoted Palladius, bishop of Helenopolis in Bithynia, author of the Lausiac History; and Palladius, author of a Dialogue of the Life of St. Chrysostom, written in 408. Whether they are different, or one and the same, is a question debated by many learned men; particularly by Du Pin, who reckons them one and the same; by Tillemont and Fabricius, who think them to be different. I do not think it needful now to produce distinctly the reasons on either side. I here intend only to make some extracts out of the forementioned Dialogue, composed at Rome in 408, soon after the death of St Chrysostom, by Palladius, friend of that bishop.

k

[blocks in formation]

Cantharis infusa lympha fit Falernum nobile.
Nuntiat vinum minister esse promtum ex hydria.
Ipse rex sapore tinctis obstupescit poculis, &c.

Cathem. Hymn. ix. ver. 19. &c. Vid. et Cath.
Hymn. xii.

b Bis duodena senum sedes, pateris citharisque,
Totque coronarum fulgens insignibus, agnum,
Cæde cruentatum laudat: qui evolvere librum,
Et septem potuit signacula pandere solus.

Enchir. Num. 49. seu ult.
Corde fusus ex Parentis, ante mundi exordium
Alpha et cognominatus: ipse fons et clausula
Omnium, quæ sunt, fuerunt, quæque post futura sunt.
Cathem. Hymn. ix. 5. 10... 12. Vid. Apoc. i. 8.
d O quam profunda justis

Arcana per soporem
Aperit tuenda Christus!
Quam clara, quam tacenda,

Evangelista summi

Fidissimus magistri,

Nebulis vides remotis, &c.

Cathem. Hymn. vi. v. 73. &c.

[blocks in formation]

f See Vol. ii. p. 535, 536.

Vid. Cav. H. L. T. i. Emer. Bigot. in Pr. ad Dialog. Pallade. Du Pin. Bib. des Aut. Ecc. T. iii. p. 92, 93. ' Tillem. Pallade, art. 12. Mem. T. xi.

* Solet a multis longo jam tempore Palladio huic tribui Dialogus de Vitâ S. Chrysostomi, qui cum Theodoro Diacono Romano habitus Romæ fingitur circa ann. 408, non diu post Chrysostomi mortem. . . . Auctorem Dialogi a Palladio Lausiacæ scriptore recte distinguunt Baronius A. 388. n. 110. Emericus Bigotius in Præfat. ad Dialogum, et Tillemontius... Fabr. Bib. Gr. 1. v. c. 32. sect. 4. T. ix. p. 8.

a

2. In this Dialogue, the gospels, the Acts of the apostles, the epistles, and particularly the epistle to the Hebrews are freely quoted.

b

3. He quotes the epistle to the Ephesians with that title.

4. He has the words of 2 Pet. ii. 3, and quotes the epistle of St. Jude expressly, transcribing ver. 12, 13.

5. A large part of St. John's third epistle is here quoted, in this manner: As in the ⚫ catholic epistles, the blessed John writes to Gaius, against a certain bishop; commending the hospitality of Gaius, and exhorting him not to imitate such bishops as were wicked.'

[ocr errors]

6. These things deserve our notice. St. Chrysostom, as we saw in his chapter, received only three of the catholic epistles: that of James; the first of Peter; the first of John. But this writer, though a friend and admirer of St. Chrysostom, quotes the second epistle of Peter; the epistle of Jude; and the third of John: and therefore, probably, received all the seven catholic epistles. This shews, that there were then different sentiments about some books of scripture. Men seem to have been indulged a liberty of judging for themselves: and they determined, as the evidence appeared to them. And it is chiefly for the sake of these quotations, that I have made a distinct article of Palladius.

7. Whether he received the book of the Revelation, does not appear.

e

8. He has these expressions: The chief-shepherd himself; and chief-master, and chiefsophist, Jesus Christ; the reformer of the human error.'

CHAP. CXXVIII.

NONNU S.

[ocr errors]

h

f

1. NONNUS, of Panapolis in Egypt, flourished, according to Cave, about 410; according to Mill, in the beginning of the fifth century. Du Pin says, his time is not exactly known. All we can say, is, that he lived after Gregory Nazianzen, and before the reign of Justinian.' 2. He wrote in Greek verse a paraphrase of St. John's gospel, still extant. Some various readings have been observed in him. The principal is, that he has not the history of the woman taken in adultery and brought before our Saviour, which we now have at the beginning of the eighth chapter of St. John's Gospel. Moreover, in chap. xix. 14, he seems to have read • about ⚫ the third hour,' where we have "about the sixth hour:" concerning which, may be seen, Mill, Bengelius, J. J. Wetstein, Wolfius, and others, upon the place, and elsewhere.

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

a civil magistrate in some cities: after which he took to the profession of arms, and was honoured with some high military preferment under the emperor, either Theodosius, or Honorius: and, before he was very old, he retired from the world.

4. Prudentius celebrates, in his poems, our Lord's nativity, and the circumstances of it; and also, his miracles, death, and resurrection.

5. There is a book, called his Enchiridion, consisting of small poems, celebrating many remarkable events of the Old and the New Testament. Those of the New are taken out of the gospels, the Acts, and the Revelation.

[ocr errors]

6. Some have hesitated about the genuineness of that work, because it is not taken notice of by Prudentius in the preface before cited: nevertheless, it is particularly mentioned by Gennadius, by the title of Diptychon. Whether it be genuine, or not, the same things occur in the other unquestioned writings of Prudentius.

с

7. In particular, the Revelation is plainly referred to in some of the hymns in the Cathemerinon. And he seems to have supposed, that St. John had his visions in sleep.

[ocr errors]

8. I add one thing more: Prudentius considers martyrs as intercessors; and hopes, through them, to obtain of Christ the forgiveness of his sins.

CHAP. CXXVII.

f

h

PALLADIUS.

1. In the chapter of St. Jerom, I have quoted Palladius, bishop of Helenopolis in Bithynia, author of the Lausiac History; and Palladius, author of a Dialogue of the Life of St. Chrysostom, written in 408. Whether they are different, or one and the same, is a question debated by many learned men; particularly by Du Pin, who reckons them one and the same; by Tillemont and Fabricius, who think them to be different. I do not think it needful now to produce distinctly the reasons on either side. I here intend only to make some extracts out of the forementioned Dialogue, composed at Rome in 408, soon after the death of St Chrysostom, by Palladius, friend of that bishop.

k

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

Cantharis infusa lympha fit Falernum nobile.
Nuntiat vinum minister esse promtum ex hydriâ.
Ipse rex sapore tinctis obstupescit poculis, &c.

Cathem. Hymn. ix. ver. 19. &c. Vid. et Cath.
Hymn. xii.

b Bis duodena senum sedes, pateris citharisque,
Totque coronarum fulgens insignibus, agnum,
Cæde cruentatum laudat: qui evolvere librum,
Et septem potuit signacula pandere solus.

Enchir. Num. 49. seu ult.
< Corde fusus ex Parentis, ante mundi exordium
Alpha et cognominatus: ipse fons et clausula
Omnium, quæ sunt, fuerunt, quæque post futura sunt.
Cathem. Hymn. ix. 5. 10... 12. Vid. Apoc. i. 8.
d O quam profunda justis

Arcana per soporem
Aperit tuenda Christus!
Quam clara, quam tacenda,
Evangelista summi

Fidissimus magistri,

[merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small]
[blocks in formation]

See Vol. ii. p. 535, 536.

8 Vid. Cav. H. L. T. i. Emer. Bigot. in Pr. ad Dialog. Pallade. Du Pin. Bib. des Aut. Ecc. T. iii. p. 92, 93.

' Tillem. Pallade, art. 12. Mem. T. xi.

* Solet a multis longo jam tempore Palladio huic tribui Dialogus de Vitâ S. Chrysostomi, qui cum Theodoro Diacono Romano habitus Romæ fingitur circa ann. 408, non diu post Chrysostomi mortem.... Auctorem Dialogi a Palladio Lausiacæ scriptore recte distinguunt Baronius A. 388. n. 110. Emericus Bigotius in Præfat. ad Dialogum, et Tillemontius. . . Fabr. Bib. Gr. 1. v. c. 32. sect. 4. T. ix. p. 8.

a

2. In this Dialogue, the gospels, the Acts of the apostles, the epistles, and particularly the epistle to the Hebrews are freely quoted.

3. He quotes the epistle to the Ephesians with that title.

4. He has the words of 2 Pet. ii. 3, and quotes the epistle of St. Jude expressly, transcribing ver. 12, 13.

d

5. A large part of St. John's third epistle is here quoted, in this manner: As in the catholic epistles, the blessed John writes to Gaius, against a certain bishop; commending the hospitality of Gaius, and exhorting him not to imitate such bishops as were wicked.'

6. These things deserve our notice. St. Chrysostom, as we saw in his chapter, received only three of the catholic epistles: that of James; the first of Peter; the first of John. But this writer, though a friend and admirer of St. Chrysostom, quotes the second epistle of Peter; the epistle of Jude; and the third of John: and therefore, probably, received all the seven catholic epistles. This shews, that there were then different sentiments about some books of scripture. Men seem to have been indulged a liberty of judging for themselves: and they determined, as the evidence appeared to them. And it is chiefly for the sake of these quotations, that I have made a distinct article of Palladius.

7. Whether he received the book of the Revelation, does not appear.

[ocr errors]

e

8. He has these expressions: The chief-shepherd himself; and chief-master, and chiefsophist, Jesus Christ; the reformer of the human error.'

CHAP. CXXVIII.

NONNU S.

h

f

1. NONNUS, of Panapolis in Egypt, flourished, according to Cave, about 410; according to Mill, in the beginning of the fifth century. Du Pin says, his time is not exactly known. All we can say, is, that he lived after Gregory Nazianzen, and before the reign of Justinian.' 2. He wrote in Greek verse a paraphrase of St. John's gospel, still extant. Some various readings have been observed in him. The principal is, that he has not the history of the woman taken in adultery and brought before our Saviour, which we now have at the beginning of the eighth chapter of St. John's Gospel. Moreover, in chap. xix. 14, he seems to have read i • about the third hour,' where we have "about the sixth hour:" concerning which, may be seen, Mill, Bengelius, J. J. Wetstein, Wolfius, and others, upon the place, and elsewhere.

[blocks in formation]

• Αυλος ὁ αρχιποιμην και αρχιδιδασκαλος και αρχισοφισης Ιησε; ὁ Χρισος, ὁ της ανθρωπινής πλανης διορθωτης. κ. λ. cap. 12. p. 47. A.

f Vid. Cav. H. L. T. i. Fabr. Bib. Gr. l. v. c. 16. T. vii. p. 682, &c.

Prolegom. ad N. T. n. 908, &c.

h Bibl. des Aut. Ecc. T. iii. P. ii. p. 77.

1 Εκίη δ', ήν ενεπεσι προσαββαίου, επιλείο γως.

Ην δε τιαινόμενη τριτάλη θανατηφορος ώρη. Non

« PreviousContinue »