his Life of Pythagoras: Hence it comes to pass, that all Pythagoreans in general readily assent to such things as ' are related of Aristeas the Proconnesian, and Abaris the Hyperborean, and all other such like things. They assent to all these stories, and they invent many others themselves, as thinking nothing incredible which is said of the deity. Nor do they think, that they therefore are weak and silly, but others are so who disbelieve them. For to say, 'some things are possible to the gods, others impossible, is the principle not of wise men, but of ignorant pretenders 'to science.' A very fair and honest confession!

My advice, therefore, with which I would conclude this section, is, that they who are desirous to understand the history which Philostratus has left us of Apollonius Tyanæus, should read the Life of Pythagoras written by Diogenes Laërtius, Porphyry, Jamblichus, and the anonymous author in Photius, and the lives of Empedocles, and other Pythagoræans in Laërtius: observing likewise the stories relating to these men found in Plutarch, Ælian, and other ancient authors.

b

Let me however add an observation from Chrysostom: 'Jesus Christ,' says he, not only prescribed a rule of life, but_also_planted it every where throughout the whole world. How many things have been said of Apollonius Tyanaus! but that you might be satisfied they are all falsehood and fiction, and nothing true, they are extinct, and come to an end.'

I have now enlarged upon this point, and have said a great deal of Apollonius, and the history of Philostratus, and some things very different from the general apprehensions of learned men in our time: nevertheless, if I am not mistaken, I have said little more than was said long ago by Dr. S. Parker, bishop of Oxford, in his Demonstration of the Divine Authority of the Law of Nature, and of the Christian Religion and I therefore intend to transcribe his observations upon this subject, as an appendix to this chapter.

:

VII. As I have been led to say so much about the Life of Apollonius, written by Philostratus, I shall take this opportunity to consider two Lives of Pythagoras, written, one by Porphyry, whom we have placed at the year of Christ

a Vit. Pyth. cap. 28. num. 138, 139. Vid. et num. 135, 136.

» Ο δε Χριτος εκ έγραψε πολιτειαν μόνον, αλλα και πανταχε της οικεμένης αυτήν κατεφυτευσε. Ποσα λεγεται Απολλώνιος ο εκ Τυάνων πεποιηκεναι; Αλλ' ίνα μαθῇς ότι ψευδος παντα εκείνα ην, και φαντασία, και αληθες εδεν εσβεται, και τέλος έλαβεν. Chrys. ad. Judaeos, Or. v. T. i. p. 631. Α.

d

с

270, the other by Jamblichus of Chalcis, a disciple of Porphyry who, as Fabricius says, lived in the time of Constantine, and probably died before the year 333: I therefore place him at the year 313. I speak of these writings together, and in this place, for the sake of brevity, that I may not be obliged to make distinct articles of works that are of little importance to us.

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f

Here I shall transcribe at length the observations of Mr. La Roche referred to before: I am by no means,' says he, of Mr. Kuster's opinion in his note upon Jamblichus. 'I think, he did not design to oppose the pretended miracles of Pythagoras to those of Jesus Christ: nor do Rittershusius or Lucas Holstenius in their notes say, that Jamblichus or Porphyry had any such intention. There is nothing in Jamblichus, or in what remains of Porphyry's Life of Py'thagoras, but what they would have said if there had been no christians in the world: the same may be said of Phi'lostratus in the Life of Apollonius. I wonder the learned 'Dr. Gale should suspect, in his notes upon Jamblichus de Mysteriis, p. 244, that Jamblichuss did indirectly reflect upon the incarnation of the Θεανθρωπος, hs

am of opinion, that this last observation, as well as the others, is very right: but what I add farther shall relate to the two Lives of Pythagoras, written by Porphyry and Jamblichus; and that they had no intention to oppose Pytha

c Vid. Eunap. de Vit. Philosoph. p. 21, &c. I think it best to transcribe here entire the article of Jamblichus in Suidas. Ιαμβλιχος ἑτερος. Χαλκιδος της Συρίας, φιλοσοφος, μαθητης Πορφυριε τε φιλοσοφε τε Πλωτινε ακ858, γεγονως, κατα τες χρονος Κωνσαντινε τε βασιλεως Εγραψε βιβλια φιλοσοφα διαφορα. Suid.

d Hoc certe constat, regnante adhuc Constantino M. atque, ut videtur, ante A. C. 333, e vitâ discessisse. Nam post Jamblichi mortem Sopater, ejus discipulus, in Constantini M. se aulam contulit, teste Eunapio, in Ædesio, p. 34. Fabr. Bib. Gr. 1. iv. cap. 28. T. iv. p. 283. Vid. et Tillem. L'Emp. Constantin. art. 91. e See above, p. 489, 490.

f Vid. Jambl. de Vitâ Pythag. cap. 2. num. 10. not. 13. p. 7. Amst. 1707. ¤ Suspicor interim Jamblichum per hæc jamdudum oblique notâsse ɛvoapκωσιν Θεανθρωπε. Gale.

h Since writing what is above, and indeed, since finishing this whole chapter, as I was revising it, I have observed, that Mr. Mosheim also went into the common opinion concerning these two Lives of Pythagoras. I shall therefore here transcribe what he says; but I do not think it needful to add one syllable to my argument as already finished. Pythagoræ vitam hoc seculo Porphyrius, sequenti Jamblichus, uterque eo sine dubio consilio exaravit, ut par Christo rebus omnibus maxime miraculis et præceptorum sapientiâ, philosophus ille videretur. Demonstratum hoc dedit in adnotationibus ad Jamblichi vitam a se editam Ludolphus Kusterus; et videbit facile, cui placebit cum Servatoris nostri historiâ utramque vitam conferre. Non agnus agno similior esset, quam Christo Pythagoras, si vera forent quæ de hoc duumviri illi scripta reliquerunt. Moshem. de Reb. Christian. ante C. M. p. 562.

goras to the Lord Jesus Christ, appears to me very evident for these two reasons.

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First of all, they have said nothing new of Pythagoras, nothing but what had been often said of him before the appearance of the christian religion in the world. As Josephus says, many authors have written the history of Pythagoras' so it appears from the two writers of his Life above mentioned, and from Diogenes Laertius, who expressly quote many authors by name for what they say, and seem also sometimes to refer to traditionary accounts. And Origen observes, that many strange things were 'said of Pythagoras, who showed his ivory thigh at the assembly of the Greeks, and pretended to know the shield (hung up at Mycena) with which he had fought when he was Euphorbus, and is said to have been seen on one and the same day in two cities.' So writes Origen; and they were old stories long before his time.

k

Kuster1 was of opinion, that in his Life of Pythagoras Jamblichus borrowed from Porphyry without naming him; and he wonders at it. Vossius m was of the same opinion; and other learned men, I suppose, have formed the same judgment: nevertheless I must take the liberty to say, that I cannot see any good ground for the supposition: and I am of opinion, that they both found the same stories in writers more ancient than themselves; whom they both transcribed, and sometimes almost word for word.

Secondly, most of the things related by those two authors are so trifling, and so manifestly fabulous, that I cannot believe they intended to oppose them to the miracles of Jesus Christ.

"

The golden or ivory thigh of Pythagoras comes over again and again in Jamblichus; nor is it omitted by Porphyry and his solicitous concern to dissuade men from eating beans; which they endeavour to justify by saying, that by their food he endeavoured to lead men to virtue.

1

—πολλοι δε τα περι αυτον ἱςορηκασι. Contr. Ap. 1. i. cap. 22. k Cont. Cels. 1. vi. num. 8. p. 280.

1 Vid. Jambl. de Vit. Pythag. cap. 14. num. 63. et Porph. de Vit. Pythag. num 27, et 45.

Cum Jamblicho, ob argumenti et materiæ similitudinem conjunximus Porphyrium de Vitâ Pythagoræ ; cujus scrinia noster (quamvis tacito, quod miror, ejus nomine) identidem compilavit. Kust. Præf in Jambl.

m Tractârat hoc argumentum antea præceptor ejus Malchus, sive Porphyrius; ex cujus de Pythagorâ libro multa, vel iisdem vel leviter immutatis verbis scripsit Jamblichus. Voss. de Hist. Gr. 1. ii. cap. 18.

n

Jambl. cap. 19. n. 92. cap. 22. n. 135. Vid. et num. 140.
Porph. num. 28.

Р -δια της τροφης αρχόμενος εις

apetηv òðnyeiv 785 av@pwr8g. Jambl. cap. 23. num. 109.

Abaris the Scythian, or Hyperborean, they say, travelled with great ease and expedition over seas and rivers upon an arrow: Which," as they also say, some supposed to have 'been the case of Pythagoras, when he was in one and the same day in Mentapontus and Tauromenium.' This is both in Jamblichus and Porphyry in the places above referred to: and says Porphyry, if credits is to be given to his his'torians, and those ancient and of unquestioned authority, 'he extended his instructions to brute animals. He laid 'hold of the Daunian bear, which had done abundance of 'mischief, and having stroked it a long while, and given it 'bread and acorns, he adjured it no more to eat flesh, and 'let it go after which it lived quietly in the woods and on 'the mountains, and never more attacked so much as a brute 'animal. And when he saw the ox at Tarentum straying 'at will in the fields, and eating green beans, he went to the herdsman, and desired him to speak to the ox, "not to "eat beans:" but he said he did not understand the language of oxen. Pythagoras then went to the ox himself, and whispered it in the ear: whereupon the ox not only left 'the field in which the beans were, but never more eat any.' So writes that great philosopher Porphyry; and to the like purpose Jamblichus.

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6

The miracles of our Saviour are all great and awful, related by credible witnesses, with all the circumstances of credibility: the trifling and fabulous accounts of Pythagoras cannot be set in competition with them. It is sufficient disparagement to those proud and learned philosophers, that they give credit to the Pythagoræan fables: we need not reproach them with an intention to oppose them to the miracles of Jesus Christ.

I therefore allege no testimonies out of these two works; I see not in them any references to our Saviour's miracles, or the evangelical history: they are all over Pythagoræan, like the Life of Apollonius written by Philostratus; upon which I have expatiated so much that there can be no need for me to enlarge any farther upon these.

VIII. As I have been obliged to take some notice of these two Lives of Pythagoras, I shall also observe upon another work of Jamblichus not now extant, entitled, Of Images, or as Jambl. cap. 28. n. 136. Porph. num. 28, 29.

r

Οπερ ὑπενοησαν και Πυθαγόραν τινες πεπονθέναι τοτε, ἡνικα εν Μεταποντιῳ και εν Ταυρομενίῳ τοῖς ἑκατέρωθι ἑταιροις ώμίλησεν τη αυτη ημερα. Porph. num. 29. Jambl. n. 138.

Ει δε δει πιςεύειν τοις ἱςορηκασι περί αυτ8, παλαιοις δε εσι και αξιολογοις, K. λ. De Vit. Pyth. num. 23, 24. Vid. et Jambl. de Vitâ Pythagoræ, cap. 13. num. 60, 61.

κ.

Fabriciust calls it, Of the Divinity of Images, of which there is some account in Photius.

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Says Photius : 4 We " read the treatise of John Philopo nus against the work of Jamblichus, which he inscribed, 'Of Images. The design of Jamblichus is to show the divinity of idols, (for so he calls images,) and that they are filled with the divine presence, and not only such as having been formed by a secret art, and therefore are said to have fallen down from Jupiter; for these being of an heavenly nature, and having fallen down thence to this • earth, are always so called but also such as have been 4 formed by the skill of the founder, or engraver, or smith. • All these, Jamblichus says, are supernatural works, and surpass the common opinion of men about them. In support of this, he tells a great many incredible stories; some things he ascribes to occult causes: nor is he ashamed to 'assert things contradictory to what is obvious to human sight. The whole work is divided into two parts, one call• ed the greater, the other the less; both which are confuted by Philoponus.”

A wonderful work truly! Another instance of Pythagoræan credulity, and in that respect exactly resembling the Lives of Pythagoras before mentioned. So writes Jamblichus, himself a philosopher and a disciple of Porphyry, also a renowned philosopher and hearer of Plotinus. ▾

Lucas Holstenius was of opinion, that Porphyry" likewise published a work with this same title, Of Images.

Such were the philosophers of that time: they did little or nothing to improve the sentiments of mankind: they confirmed the prejudices of the common people, and made

t

Περι αγαλματων, seu de divinitate imaginum liber, quem confutavit Joh. Philoponus, teste Photio, quem vide codice 215. Fabr. Bib. Gr. 1. iv. c. 24. T. iv. p. 293. Conf. Tom. ix. p. 450.

Ανεγνώσθη Ιωαννε τε Φιλοπονε κατα της σπεδης Ιαμβλιχε, ήν εγραψε περι αγαλματων. Εςι μεν εν ὁ σκοπος Ιαμβλιχῳ θεια τε δείξαι τα είδωλα (ταυτα γαρ ὑποβαλλει τῳ ονοματι τε αγαλματος) και θειας μετεσίας αναπλεα ε μονον όσα χειρες ανθρωπων κρυφία πράξει τεχνησαμεναι, δια το αδηλον τε τεχνιτε διοπετ επ' ωνόμασαν ταυτα γαρ ερανίας τε φυσεως είναι, κακείθεν επι γης πεσειν εξ 8 και την επωνυμίαν φερειν συνεζησαντο αλλα και όσα τεχνη χαλκευτική τε και λαξευτική, και ἡ τεκτονων επι δηλῳ μισθη και εργασία διεμορφώσαντο. Τετων εν άπαντων εργα τε ὑπερφυή, και δοξης ανθρωπινης κρειττονα γραφει Ιαμβλιχος, πολλα μεν απιθανα μυθολογων, πολλα μεν εις αδηλες φέρων αιτιας, πολλα δε και τοις δρωμενοις εναντια γράφειν εκ αισχυνομενος. Εις δυο δε όλην την πραγματειαν διατέμνει, την μεν μείζονα καλων την δε ελαττονα. Καθ' ἑκατερας δε τετων και Φιλοπονος ίςαται. Phot. Cod. 215. p. 353. v See before, p. 504, note c. w Luc. Holsten de Vitâ et Scriptis Porphyrii, cap. 9. p. 53. Cantabrig. 1655. cap. x. p. 268. Ap. Fabric. Bib. Gr. T. iv.