Arguments Of Celsus, Porphyry, And The Emperor Julian, Against The Christians Part 12

**** Origen. c Cels. lib. 3. p. 144.

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them." "This is one of their rules," says he again*,--"Let no man that is learned, wise, or prudent come among us; but if any be unlearned, or a child, or an ideot, let him freely come. So they openly declare, that none but fools and sots, and such as want sense, slaves, women, and children, are fit disciples for the G.o.d they wors.h.i.+p***."

Nor was it only the heathens that thus reviled them, but commonly every perverse sect among the Christians had some reproachful name to cast upon them. The Novatian party called them _Cornelieans_*** because they communicated with Cornelius bishop of Rome, rather than with Novatia.n.u.s his antagonist. They also termed them _Apostates, Capitolins, Synedrians_, because**** they charitably decreed in their synods to receive apostates, and such as went to the Capitol to sacrifice, into their communion again upon their sincere repentance. The Nestorians(v) termed the orthodox _Cyrillians_; and the Arians(vi) called them _Eustathians_ and

* Origen. c. Cels. lib. 3. p. 137. f See the preceding translation of Celsus, p. 19. f Eulog. ap. Phot. Cod. 280. -- Facian. Ep. 2. ad Symp.r.o.nian. Ep. Legat. Schismat ad suos in Epheso in Act. Con. Ephes. Con. t S. p. 746. f Sozora, lib, 6. c. 21.

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_Paulinions_, from Eustathius and Paulin us bishops of Antioch. As also _h.o.m.ousians_, because they kept to the doctrine of the [--------], which declared the Son of G.o.d to be of the same substance with the Father.

The author of the _Opus Imperfection_ on St. Matthew, under the name of Chrysostom*, styles them expressly, _Haeresis h.o.m.oousianorum_,'

the heresy of the h.o.m.oousians.' And so Serapion in his conflict with Arn.o.bius** calls them _h.o.m.ousianates_,which the printed copy reads corruptly _Homuncionates_, which was a name for the Nestorians.

The Cataphrygians or Montanists commonly called the orthodox [--------], 'carnal'; because they rejected the prophecies and pretexted inspirations of Monta.n.u.s, and would not receive his rigid laws about fasting, nor abstain from second marriages, and observe four Lents in a year, &c. This was Tertullian's ordinary compliment to the Christians in all his books** written after he was fallen into the errors of Monta.n.u.s.

He calls his own party the _spiritual_, and the orthodox the _carnal_: and

* Opus Imperf. Horn. 48.

** Conflict. Arn.o.b. et Serap. ad cakem Irenaei, p. 519.

*** Tertul. adv. Prax. c. 1. Nos quidem agnitio Paracleti disjunxit a Psychicis. Id. de Monogam. c. 1. Haeretici nuptias auferunt, Psychici ingerunt. See also c. 11. and 16.

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some of his books* are expressly ent.i.tled, _Adversus Psychicos_. Clemens Alexandrinus** observes, the same reproach was also used by other heretics beside the Montanists. And it appears from Irenaeus, that this was an ancient calumny of the Valentinians, who styled themselves the _spiritual_ and the _perfect_, and the orthodox the _secular and carnal_***, who had need of abstinence and good works, which were not necessary for them that were perfect.

The Millenaries styled them _Allegorists_, because they expounded the prophecy of the saints reigning a thousand years with Christ, (Rev. xx.

4.) to a mystical and allegorical sense. Whence Euseubius**** observes of Nepos the Egyptian bishop, who wrote for the Millenium, that he ent.i.tled his book, [--------], 'A confutation of the Allegorists.'

Aetius the Arian gives them the abusive name of [--------]; by which he seems to intimate, that their religion was but temporary, and would

* De Jejuniis adv. Psychicos. De Pudicitia, &c.

** Clem. Alex. Strom, lib. 4. p. 511.

*** Iren. lib. 1. c 1. p. 29. n.o.bis quidem, quos Psychicos vocant, et de saeculo esse dic.u.n.t, necessarian) con- tinentiam, &c.

**** Euseb. lib. 7. c. 24.

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shortly have an end; whereas the character was much more applicable to the Arians themselves, whose faith was so lately sprung up in the world; as the author of the dialogues _de Trinitate_, under the name of Athanasius, who confutes Aetius *, justly retorts upon him.

The Manichees, as they gave themselves the most glorious names of _Electi, Macarii, Catharistae_, mentioned by St. Austin**; so they reproached the Catholics with the most contemptible name of _Simplices_, 'ideots,' which is the term that Manichaeus himself used in his dispute*** with Archelaus, the Mesopotamian bishop, styling the Christian teachers, _Simpliciorum magistri_, 'guides of the simple;'

because they could not relish his execrable doctrine concerning two principles of good and evil.

The Apollinarians were no less injurious to the Catholics, in fixing on them the odious name of _Anthropolatrae_, 'man-wors.h.i.+ppers'; because they maintained that Christ was a perfect man, and had a reasonable soul and body, of the same nature with ours; which Apollinarius denied. Gregory

* Athan. Dial. 2. de Trinit. t. 2. p. 193.

** Aug. de Haer. c. 46.

*** Archel. Disp. adv. Manichaeum adcalcem Sozomen. Ed.

Vales, p. 197.

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n.a.z.ianzen* takes notice of this abuse, and sharply replies to it; telling the Apollinarians, that they themselves much better deserved the name of _Sarcolatrae_, 'flesh-wors.h.i.+ppers': for if Christ had no human soul, they must be concluded to wors.h.i.+p his flesh only.

The Origenians, who denied the truth of the resurrection, and a.s.serted that men should have only aerial and spiritual bodies in the next world, made jests upon the Catholics, because they maintained the contrary, that our bodies should be the same individual bodies, and of the same nature that they are now, with flesh and bones, and all the members in the same form and structure, only altered in quality, not in substance.

For this they gave them the opprobrious names of _Simplices_ and _Philosarcae**, 'ideots' and 'lovers of the flesh'; _Carnei, Animales, Jumenta_, 'carnal, sensual, animals'; _Lutei, 'earthy', Pilosiotae***, which Erasmus's edition reads

* Naz. Ep. 1. ad Cledon.

** Hieron. Ep. 61. ad Pammach. t. 2. p. 171. Nos Simplices et Philosarcas dicere, quod eadem ossa, et sanguis, et caro, id est, vultus et membra, totiusque compago corporis resurgat in novissima die.

*** Id. Ep. 65, ad Pam. et Ocean, de Error. Orig. p. 192.

Pelusiotas (leg. Pilosiotas) nos appellant, et Luteos, Animalesque, et Cameos, quod non recipiamus ea quae Spiritus sunt.

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corruptly _Pelusiotae_, instead of _Pilonotae_; which seems to be a name formed from _pili_, (hair); because the Catholics a.s.serted, that the body would rise perfect in all its parts, even with the hair itself to beautify and adorn it.

But of all others the Luciferians gave the church the rudest language; styling her the brothel-house, and synagogue of Antichrist and Satan; because she allowed those bishops to retain their honour and places, who were cajoled by the Arians to subscribe the fraudulent confession of the Council of Ariminum. The Luciferian in St. Jerome runs out in this manner against the church; and St. Jerome says, he spake but the sense of the whole party, for this was the ordinary style and language of all the rest.--Hieron. Dial. adv. Lucifer, t. ii. p. 135."

Thus far Bingham: to whose extracts may appropriately be added, what the Emperor Julian says reproachfully of the Christians, in the fragments which Cyril has preserved of his Treatise against them. "You do not take notice (says he) whether any mention is made by the Jews of holiness; but you emulate their rage and their bitterness, overturning temples and altars, and cutting the throats, not only of those who remain firm in paternal

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inst.i.tutes, but also of those heretics who are equally erroneous with yourselves, and who do not lament a dead body [i. e. the body of Christ]

in the same manner as you do*. For neither Jesus nor Paul exhorted you to act in this manner. But the reason is, that neither did they expect that you would ever arrive at the power which you have obtained. For they were satisfied if they could deceive maidservants and slaves, and through these married women, and such men as Cornelius and Sergius; among whom if you can mention one that was at that time an ill.u.s.trious character, (and these things were transacted under the reign of Tiberius or Claudius) believe that I am a liar in all things**."

* Julian here alludes to the contests between the Arians and Trinitarians.

** Vid. Cyril, apud Spanh.

THE END.