SECTION V.

The Doctrine of the Gnoftics concerning the Perfon of Chrift.

THE principles of the Gnoftics which I have occafion to confider moft particularly, are those which relate to the person of Christ. Their averfion to every thing that bore the name, and had the properties of matter, was fuch, that they could not think well of any thing that was material. Accordingly, befides fuppofing that the being who was properly entitled to the appellation of the Christ, or the meffenger of God to man, was a fuperangelic fpirit, who had pre-existed, and was fent to make his appearance among men, all of them would not admit that what he did affume, as neceffary to his manifestation, was a proper buman body, confifting of real flesh and blood, but fomething that had only the external appearance of one, and that it was incap

able

able of paffion, and of the sufferings and pain of a real human body. This was fo much a general opinion among them, that it is commonly afcribed to them all; fo that Epiphanius fays, "the Gnoftics fay "that Jefus was not born of Mary, but only exhibited by her, and that he did "not take flesh except in appearance*."

"birth and the death of Chrift are con"futations of them *."

The opinion, however, that the body of Jefus was only the femblance of a proper human body, was not univerfal among the Gnoftics. For the Cerinthians and Carpocratians believed that Jefus was not only a man, born as other men are, but also the proper offspring of Jofeph as well as of Mary, and that he continued to be nothing more than any other man till his baptism, when the Cerinthians faid that a fuper-angelic fpirit, which alone they called the Christ, came into him.

I shall proceed to mention the opinions of other Gnoftics concerning the body of Jefus, which, though various, agree in this, that Jefus was not the Chrift, and shew an averfion to do fo much honour to any thing that had proper flesh and blood. Barde

* Omnes enim iftos et nativitas Domini et mors ipsa confutat. Cap. 10. p. 31.

† Ανωθεν δε εκ τε ανω θες μελα το αδρύνθηναι Ιησεν τον εκ σπερμαλος Ιωσηφ και Μαριας γεγενημένον κατεληλυθηναι τον χρισον εις αυτόν. Epiphanius, Hær. 28. vol. 1. p. 110.

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Βελοναι μεν Ιησεν ον ως ανθρωπον είναι, ως ειπον, Χρισον δε εν αυτώ Yeyendaι Tov εt weρiseças nalabeßnuda. Hær, 3. vol. 1. p. 138. γεγενησθαι τον εξ περιτερας

VOL. I.

N

fanes

fanes maintained that Chrift had a celestial

body *. Cerdo alfo denied that Chrift was born of Mary+. According to Tertullian, "Marcion denied the birth of "Chrift, that he might deny his flesh;

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'Apelles his fcholar allowed the flesh, but "denied the nativity; and Valentinus both "admitted the flesh and nativity, but gave "a different interpretation to them" By denying the birth of Christ, they meant that Jefus derived nothing from his mother, but that whatever his body confifted of, it was fomething that only paffed through

her, as water through a pipe. Accordingly, Epiphanius fays, "Valentinus held that "the body of Chrift came from heaven, "and took nothing from the virgin Mary*.” It is remarkable, that this very opinion was afterwards adopted by Apoilinaris, who likewife maintained, with the Arians, that Chrift had no human foul.

With

Christ having no proper human body, could not have the proper functions of one; and accordingly, Valentinus said that "Christ ate and drank in a peculiar man"ner, not voiding excrements +. refpect to the fuper-angelic nature of Christ, Valentinus held that he was one of the cons; and according to his geneaologies, both Christ and the Holy Spirit, were the offspring of Monogenes, which came from Logos and Zoe, as thefe were the off

* Φασι δε ανωθεν καλανηνοχέναι το σωμα, και ως δια σωληνος ύδωρ, δια Μαριάς της παρθενε διεληλυθηναι· μηδεν δε απο της παρθενικής μήτρας ειληφέναι, αλλα ανωθεν το σωμα εχειν. Hær. 31. vol. 1.

P. 171.

† Πανία, φησιν, υπομείνας, εγκρατης ην, θεοτητα Ιησές ειργαζείο. ήσθιεν και επινεν ιδίως, να αποδίδες τα βρωμαλα. Clemens Al. Strom. lib. 3. p. 455.