should demand especial attention. It is as strange that Apollo should say, as he is afterwards made to do, that the Chaldæans only, and the Hebrews had attained to wisdom, chastely worshipping the eternal king and god.' And is this the work of Porphyry? Is Porphyry become so fond of the Jews, who, as Eusebius assured us not long ago, in his work against the Christians, equally reviled us, and the Hebrews, and Moses himself, and the prophets after him? Or rather, is Porphyry, who wrote against the Christians, and, as is generally said, with great virulence, become himself a convert, and concerned to make converts to Christianity? For to recommend the Hebrews, and their principles, is at least preparatory to Christianity. Theodoret therefore having made that quotation, as above observed, and as Porphyry's, goes on very rationally: If our greatest enemy chargeth the Greeks as in error, and ascribes the knowledge of truth to the Hebrews, and the Phoenicians, and Ægyptians, and Chaldæans, and says that Apollo has so taught, why do you not hearken to your own philosopher, and receive 'the oracle of the Delphic tripod, and learn of the Hebrew prophets and apostles? and what 'follows.' Very just reasoning!

Surely it is altogether incongruous to suppose, that Porphyry should place the Greeks the lowest of all nations in the search of wisdom, and say, that the barbarians had found out many paths to it, whilst the Greeks had wandered quite out of the way.' It is as improbable, that Apollo should give the honour of this invention to the Hebrews, and others, rather than to the Greeks.

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(2.) This book was written after the establishment of Christianity by Constantine: for the author, as we have just seen, speaks of the Christian as the prevailing religion. They who now prevail, have corrupted it :' or, according to a different pointing, they who prevail, have already corrupted it. There is no reason to believe, that Porphyry lived to the time of Constantine's conversion to Christianity. The composer of this work here forgot the character which he had assumed he pretended to be Porphyry; but did not now consider, that Porphyry had died before the Christian could be called the prevailing religion,' or the Christians the 'men that prevailed.' However, it must be owned, that in what the author here says, he is upon his guard, and he casts a reflection upon these men as having corrupted philosophy, or the knowledge of wisdom: but it is a thin disguise, easily seen through.

I make no more remarks upon what is already transcribed, but proceed to another passage of this work.

b

5. In his Evangelic Demonstration, Eusebius expresseth himself in this pompous manner. But if none of these things will convince you, hearken to your dæmons and gods speaking • in their oracles, who impute to our Saviour, not imposture, as you do, but piety and wisdom, ' and ascent to heaven. What more credible assurance can you have of this than the testimony of our enemy, who in the third book of his work, entitled, Of the Philosophy taught by Oracles, speaks in these very words: "It will perhaps seem strange to some, which we are about to say. For the gods declared Christ to be most pious, and to be made immortal, and they spoke honourably of him." And presently after he says: "When we inquired concerning • Christ, whether he be a god, the answer was: That the soul is immortal after the death of the body, knows every body who is favoured with wisdom. But the soul of that man is most eminent for piety. Him therefore he declared to be most pious, and his soul, like the souls of others, after death made immortal, which the ignorant Christians worship. Then, when we asked, why he was put to death, the oracular answer was: The body is always liable to slight • torments: but the soul of the pious escapes to the heavenly country." And after the oracle

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" he adds: "He therefore is pious, and is gone to Heaven, as the pious do. Him therefore you are not to blaspheme, but to pity the ignorance of men." Thus writes Porphyry.'

Here the composer of this work was upon his guard: but not so Eusebius, who receives all without hesitation. The author was aware, that what he was about to say was very unlikely: he therefore introduceth it with that preface: It may seem strange which we are going to

say.' And he afterwards throws in a reflection upon the Christians, as if they carried their respect for Christ too far. However, he and his god bear an honourable testimony to Jesus, as

we have seen.

Porphyry, in this work, and his gods, as Eusebius says, impute not to our Saviour imposture, but piety and wisdom, and ascent to heaven.' But who can believe that, when Porphyry had written a large work, the great design of which, in his remarks upon the book of Daniel, and elsewhere, was to prove Jesus an impostor? And is Porphyry now become an apostle, preaching to the world Christ's resurrection and ascension?

Eunapius indeed, in his Life of Porphyry, says, that he lived to a great age. Whence it 'came to pass, that he has left many sentiments different from those which he had delivered in works formerly written. But that may relate to some lesser matters only. We still have his Life of Plotinus, written when he was seventy years old, or thereabout; where he appears a true heathen philosopher.

To me it seems very strange, that any Christian, especially a learned Christian, should call upon heathen people, as Eusebius here does, to hearken to their dæmons and gods speaking in their oracles: who might know, from the scriptures of the Old and New Testament, as well as from reason, that heathen deities were nothing, and had neither power nor wisdom: if they were any thing they were evil spirits, and their testimonies were of no value. Our Lord never received the testimony of men who were supposed to be acted by dæmons. St. Paul did not value the testimony of the young woman at Philippi, who was said to have a spirit of Python, Acts xvi. 16. And I am persuaded, that our Saviour will never thank any of his followers for bringing in dæmons, or heathen deities in their oracles, speaking in his favour. May I not here adopt the language of St. Paul upon another occasion, and say: "What communion has light with darkness? And what concord has Christ with Belial? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols ?" 2 Cor. vi. 14.-16.

6. Once more this work, of the Philosophy of Oracles, is rarely mentioned by Christian writers of the fourth and fifth centuries: therefore it was little known, or not known to be written by so considerable a man as Porphyry, who had written against the Christians.

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It is often quoted by Eusebius, as we have seen: it was also known, as it seems, to Julius Firmicus Maternus, about the middle of the fourth century: it is also quoted by Theodoret, about 420, as we have seen; but not very often: it is likewise quoted by Augustine in the fifth century; I shall transcribe him presently with remarks: but these are very few only. I forbear to enumerate here the names of the many writers of the fourth and fifth centuries who have taken no notice of this work: but it appears to me a great objection against its genuineness, that it is never mentioned in any of the numerous works of Jerom, or Cyril of Alexandria. Jerom wrote in the fourth and fifth centuries, and has often taken notice of Porphyry, but says nothing of this work: Cyril lived in the fifth century, and published a work against the emperor Julian in ten books: in that work he has quoted divers of Porphyry's writings, and made good use of them his Philosophic History, Of Abstinence from animals, and some others. These Cyril quotes often, and largely; but has not once quoted or named this work, of the Philosophy taught by Oracles.

He has, it is true, the verses before quoted from Eusebius, which are likewise partly in Augustine: but not as taken from any writing of Porphyry, nor as a certain thing, but in this When' says Cyril, somebody came to the Pythoness at the temple of Apollo, and inquired which nations were wisest; it is said, the dæmon there gave this answer: The

manner. •

d

ο πολλας γεν τοις ηδη προπεπραγματευμένοις Βιβλίοις Jewpias evavlias xxlETE. Eunap. Vit. Porph. ad fin.

b Christians sometimes speak very justly, agreeable to the doctrine of the ancient prophets, that all the gods of the heathens were vanity, or senseless idols. It is a pity, that they are not always consistent with themselves. Et idola quidem omni sensu carere, quis dubitet? Verum tamen cum his locantur sedibus, honorabili sublimitate, ut a precantibus atque immolantibus adtendantur, ipsâ similitudine animatorum membrorum atque sensuum, quamvis insensata et exanima, afficiunt infirmos animos, ut vivere et spirare videantur; accedente præsertim veneratione multitudinis, quâ tantus eis cultus impen

'Chaldæans only have obtained wisdom; but the Hebrews worship the self-existent King, God ‹ himself. And Porphyry And Porphyry makes mention of the Essenes of Judea in these words.' Cyril proceeds to quote a passage of the fourth book of his Abstinence from animals, cap. 13, though without saying from what work of Porphyry he takes it. It is plain, that Cyril does not quote that oracle from any work of Porphyry.

It is likely, that in Cyril's time it was a common story, that the Pythian oracle had some time delivered such an answer as this: but he would not vouch for the truth of the relation. The same is in Justin Martyr's Cohortatio ad Græcos, if it be his; and it is brought in much after the same manner as in Cyril. When one, as you say, asked your oracle who had been religious men, the oracle, as you say, gave this answer:

"The Chaldæans only have obtained wisdom, and the Hebrews worship the self-existent king, God himself."

7. We will now see what Augustine says of this work.

He is shewing, that the God whom the Christians worship is the true God. Lastly,' says he, He is God, whom Porphyry, the most learned of the philosophers though a bitter enemy ' of the Christians, and also the oracles, whom he thinks to be gods, acknowledge to be the 'great God.'

For in his books, which he calls the Philosophy of Oracles, and writes of things pertaining to Philosophy, as delivered in answers from the gods, he speaks to this purpose. And I 'shall put down his very words, as they have been translated out of the Greek tongue into

'Latin. He says, when he inquired what god he should appease in order to reduce his wife 'from Christianity, Apollo answered in verse: " Possibly you may more easily write in water, or fly in the air like a bird, than convert your wife once polluted with impiety." Let him go on as he will, singing with his fallacious lamentations the dead god, whom the judges rightly condemned, and the worst death destroyed. Then, after these verses of Apollo, which are ⚫ not translated into good Latin metre, he subjoins, and says: Hereby he, [the god] "expressed ‹ their incurable obstinacy. For the Jews may sooner acknowledge God than they." Observe, how to disparage Christ he prefers the Jews before Christians, confessing that the Jews acknowledge God: for so he explained the verses of Apollo, where he says, that Christ was put to death by judges thinking right things, as if they had passed a just judgment, and he had been deservedly punished. Let him see to it, what the lying priest of Apollo said of Christ, and he believed: or, perhaps, he himself pretended, the priest had said what he did not say. But how he is consistent with himself, or how he makes the oracles to agree, we shall see here' after. However, here he says, the Jews, as worshippers of God, judged rightly concerning Christ, when they condemned him to suffer the worst death: therefore the God of the Jews, to whom he bears this testimony, ought to be heard, who says: "He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the Lord only, shall be destroyed." Ex. xxii. 20. Ex. xxii. 20. But let us proceed to plainer things, and let us hear how great a God, he says, the God of the Jews is: and therefore let us observe the question he put to Apollo, Which is the best instructor, reason or law? He says, he made the answer in verse, saying these things. Then he puts down Apollo's verses, in which are these, that I may take what is sufficient: "You must worship the God creator, king, before all things, before whom the heaven, and the earth, and the sea, and things hidden in the deep tremble, and whom the gods themselves dread: whose law is the Father whom the pious Hebrews adore." In that oracle of his god Apollo, Porphyry declares the God of the • Hebrews to be so great, that the gods themselves dread him. When therefore that God has said, "he that sacrificeth to other gods shall be destroyed," I wonder that Porphyry himself • did not dread him, and did not fear to be destroyed when he sacrificed to other gods."

This philosopher also says good things of Christ, as if he had forgot the reproach before mentioned; or, as if his gods blasphemed Christ in their sleep, and when they awoke acknowledged his merit, and gave him due praises. Finally, then as if he was about to say something wonderful and incredible, he says: "It may indeed appear strange which we are going to say. For the gods declared Christ to be most pious, and made immortal, and spoke honourably of him:" but, as he says, they said, "the Christians were polluted and corrupted, and involved ' in error." And many such reproaches they cast upon them. Then he subjoins oracles of the gods reproaching the Christians: afterwards he says, "when we inquired concerning Christ, whether he be a god, Hecate answered: That the soul after separation from the body becometh • immortal thou knowest. A soul void of wisdom always wanders: but that is the soul of a ⚫ man most eminent for piety. This they worship not rightly." Then, after the words of the 'oracle, he adds himself: "Therefore," says he, "the oracle declared him to be a most pious 'man, and his soul, like the souls of other pious men, after death favoured with immortality; ⚫ and that the mistaken Christians worship this. And," says he, "when we asked, why then was he condemned? The goddess answered: The body indeed is ever liable to debilitating torments; but the soul of the pious dwells in the heavenly mansion. But that soul has fatally been the occasion to many other souls to be involved in error, to whom it has not been given to acknowledge the immortal Jove. But himself is pious, and gone to heaven as other pious 'men do. Him therefore thou shalt not blaspheme, but pity the folly of men because of the danger they are in." "

a

'Who is so weak,' says Augustine, as not to perceive, that these oracles were contrived by a cunning man, and an enemy to the Christians? or at least that those answers were given by impure dæmons, with this view, that because they commend Christ, they may be thought to speak truly when they blame the Christians? and thereby, if possible, shut up the way of salvation in which all Christians are.'

Quis ita stultus est, ut non intelligat, aut ab homine callido, eoque Christianis inimicissimo, hæc oracula fuisse conficta, aut consilio simili, ab impuris dæmonibus ista fuisse responsa; ut, scilicet, quoniam laudant Christum, propterea

credantur veraciter vituperare Christianos; atque ita, si possint, intercludant viam salutis æternæ, in quâ fit quisque Christianus. Ib. n. 3.

Augustine has afterwards another quotation from this work, which I shall not transcribe. I only observe, that Jesus is there spoken of as one of the Hebrew wise men, as had been before declared in the oracles of Apollo.'

b

That whole quotation is taken from Augustine's large work, Of the City of God, supposed to have been written by him between the years 413 and 426. He has also referred to this book, as Porphyry's, in his work of the Consent of the Evangelists, written about the year 400, where he speaks too favourably of it. I shall not translate it; but I have transcribed the passage below in Augustine's own words.

I shall now make remarks.

(1.) Augustine's quotations of this work are somewhat different from those in Eusebius; which, perhaps, is owing to the translation: for Augustine intimates, that the Latin translation which he made use of was not very exact.

(2.) The quotations of this book in Eusebius and Augustine agree in the main; for in both the worship of the God of the Jews is recommended, and honourable mention is made of Christ, as a most excellent man, and gone to heaven.

(3.) Therefore this is not a work of Porphyry: for in his work against the Christians, as Eusebius says, he had equally reviled the Jewish people and us, Moses, and the Jewish ' prophets.'

(4.) Here is a story concerning Porphyry's wife which we have not found in Eusebius: it is very likely to be a fiction of the writer of this work, for we do not meet with it elsewhere: nor is the character of this work such, as alone, without any other voucher, to give it much credit. However, agreeably enough to the general design of this work, here is an honourable testimony given to the Christians, that they were very steady in the belief and profession of their principles.

(5.) In this book, as cited by Augustine and also by Eusebius before, are some reflections upon Christians: they are spoken of as in error, corrupted, and polluted.' These reflections were inserted, as seems to me, for a disguise; that the author might cover his real intention: his design was to recommend Christianity: but he had assumed the character of a heathen and enemy, the better to keep up that appearance, he casts out reflections upon the followers of Jesus. However, he does not blame them for believing in Jesus: he recommends him to all as most pious, and excellent, and gone to heaven.' His reflections upon the Christians therefore, as in error and corrupted,' relate not to the general scheme of Christianity, which was right, but to some opinions maintained by some of its professors; and indeed all these reflections upon Christians, as erroneous and ignorant, I consider as arguments of the late original of this work; and that it was not composed till some while after the conversion of Constantine. positive what opinions the author intends, but he may have an eye to the disputes concerning the Arian and other Trinitarian doctrines, which must have been controverted in the year 315 or sooner, before which time Porphyry had died.

(6.) The conclusion to be made from the whole is, that this is not a work of Porphyry, a heathen philosopher and enemy to Christianity, but of a Christian and patron of Christianity.

Augustine himself doubted of the genuineness of this work, and of the oracles contained in it; though he shews it rather too much respect, when he proceeds to allege it as an argument in behalf of the true Deity, saying, as above, he is God, whom Porphyry the most learned of the philosophers, and the oracles alleged by him, acknowledge to be the true God.'

Augustine says very truly, It is plain, that it is the work of some cunning man.' The selfcontradictions, or the seeming self-contradictions and inconsistencies, are plain proofs of insincerity, design, and artifice.

It is the artifice or forgery of some Christian, designed and contrived to serve the interests of Christianity in general, and possibly likewise of some particular notions of the author himself.

Ab his sapientes Hebræorum, quorum iste etiam Jesus unus fuit, sicut audisti divina Apollinis, quæ superius dicta sunt. n. 4. ib.

Quid quod isti vani Christi laudatores, et Christianæ religionis obliqui obtrectatores, propterea non audent blasphemare Christum, quia quidam philosophi eorum, sicut in libris suis Porphyrius Siculus prodidit, consuluerunt deos suos, quid de Christo responderent, illi autem oraculis suis Christum laudare

compulsi sunt. Nec mirum, cum et in Evangelio legamus eum dæmones fuisse confessos-Ac per hoc isti ne contra deorum suorum responsa conentur, continent blasphemias a Christo, et eas in discipulos ejus effundunt. Mihi autem videtur, quod illi dii gentium, quos philosophi Paganorum consulere potuerunt, etiam si de discipulis Christi interrogarentur, ipsos quoque laudare cogerentur. De Consensu Evangelist. 1. 1. cap. 15. Tom, iii. P. 2.