with such things. The P Greeks,' says he, always call him Aroλivapios. St. Basil alone writes his name with two XX, II. St. Jerom calls him Apollinarius. The generality of the Latin writers give him the name of Apollinaris, as 'more soft.' I have chosen to follow the Greeks and Jerom, in the termination of his name: unless I might have dropped the harsh ending, and written his name Apollinaire, as the French do. I shall only add, that in L. Kuster's edition of Suidas, a Greek author, the name is written with a double 1. His name is written in the like manner in the Paschal Chronicle. CHAP. XCVI. DAMASUS, BISHOP OF ROME. 1. DAMASUS, though not without a warm contest with Ursinus, or Ursicinus, his competitor, succeeded Liberius, bishop of Rome, who died in September, 366. The disturbances in the city, occasioned by that competition, are taken notice of by Jerom in his a Chronicle, and by Ammianus Marcellinus, a heathen author, as well as by our ecclesiastical historians. Socrates says, There d was at b 'that time a great disturbance among the citizens of Rome. Nor was it owing to a contention about any doctrine of the 'faith, or about any heresy, but only who should have the episcopal chair.' Damasus sat in that see above eighteen Bib. des Aut. Ec. ii. p. 127. not. . P. 237. C. Paris. 1688. a Romanæ ecclesiæ tricesimus quintus ordinatur episcopus Damasus. Et non post multum temporis intervallum Ursinus a quibusdam episcopus constitutus Sicinnium cum suis invadit. Quo Damasianæ partis populo confluente, crudelissimæ interfectiones diversi sexûs perpetratæ. Chr. p. 186. b Damasus et Ursinus, supra humanum modum ad rapiendam episcopatus sedem ardentes, scissis studiis asperrime conflictabantur, ad usque mortis vulnerumque discrimina adjumentis utriusque progressis.-Et in concertatione superaverat Damasus, parte quæ ei favebat instante. Constatque, in basilicâ Sicinini, ubi ritûs christiani est conventiculum, uno die centum triginta septem reperta cadavera peremptorum: efferatamque plebem ægre postea delenitam. Ammian. 1. xxvii. c. 3. c Vid. Socr. l. iv. c. 29. Soz. 1. vi. c. 23. Ruf. 1. ii. c. 10. Faustin. et Marcellin. Lib. pr. in Præf. ap. Bib. PP. T. V. p. 652. d Ετασίαζον εν προς ἑαυτες, 8 δια τινα πισιν η αίρεσιν, αλλα περι τα μονον τις οφείλει το επισκοπικό χρόνο εγκρατης γενεσθαι. 1. iv. c. 29. years, and died in 384, being then almost eighty years of age. 2. Damasus is in Jerom's Catalogue of Ecclesiastical Writers and I transcribe the article below. : What he says of him is chiefly this: That he had a good talent for poetry, and wrote several small pieces in verse. In another place he says, that Damasus had written in praise of virginity, both in prose and verse. There are still extant several small poems, which are ascribed to him, but not allowed by all to be genuine, which have been published, together with his epistles, and a history of his life, and numerous testimonies to him, collected out of ancient and later writers. 3. Damasus had a great regard for Jerom, on account of his learning and knowledge of the scriptures. Jerom h whilst in the east wrote to Damasus, asking his advice concerning his own conduct. When Jerom came to Rome in 382, Damasus employed him as his secretary, to write letters for him upon ecclesiastical affairs, in answer to councils or bishops in foreign parts. Here Jerom stayed three years, that is, till some time after the death of Damasus, and returned into the East in 385. 4. At the desire of Damasus, Jeroni1 corrected the edition of the Latin version of the New Testament, or of the gospels at least. At his request it is also said that Jerom revised the Latin version of the Psalms, which had been made from the Greek of the Seventy and it is certain that" this was • Damasus, Romanæ urbis episcopus, elegans in versibus componendis ingenium habuit, multaque et brevia metro edidit, et prope octogenarius sub Theodosio principe mortuus est. De V. I. cap. 103. Legas-beati Cypriani volumen egregium, et papæ Damasi super hac re, versu prosâque composita. Ad Eustochium, ep. 18. [al. 22.] T. iv. p. 37. m. 8 S. Damasi Papæ Opera quæ exstant, et Vita ex Cod. MSS. cum notis M. S. Sarazanii. Romæ. 1638. Paris. 1672. et ap. Bib. PP. Max. T. xxvii. p. 55-97. Vid. et Baron. ann. 384. n. xxxi. &c. h Vid. Hieron. ep. 14. [al. 17.] T. iv. P. 2. p. 19. ep. 16. [al. 58.] p. 22. i Ante annos plurimos, quum in chartis ecclesiasticis juvarem Damasum Romanæ urbis episcopum, et Orientis atque Occidentis synodicis consultationibus responderem. Ad Agerach. ep. 91. T. iv. p. 744. f. * Pene certe triennium cum eis vixi. Ad Asell. ep. 28. [al. 94.] T. iv. p. 66. in. Vid. Hieron. ep. 142. seu Præf. in. iv. Evangelia. m Vid. Baron. ann. 382. T. i. p. 1426. edit. Bened. n Psalterium Romæ dudum positus emendâram, et juxta Septuaginta Interpretes, licet cursim, magnâ illud ex parte correxeram. Pr. in libr. Psalm. T. i. p. 1222. Psalterium quoque, quod certe emendatissimum juxta Septuaginta Interpretes nostro labore dudum Roma suscepit, rursus juxta Hebraicum vertens, præfatione munivi. Adv. Ruf. 1. ii. T. 4. p. 429. done by him when at Rome. Damasus put Jerom upon translating Didymus's Treatise upon the Spirit out of Greek into Latin: but it was not finished until after his death. 5. Damasus often wrote to Jerom letters containing questions concerning difficult texts of scripture. To him is addressed P Jerom's explication of the vision of the Seraphim in the sixth chapter of Isaiah. In a letter still extant, Damasus desires Jerom to give him a clear explication of the word Hosanna found in the New Testament, he having met with very different interpretations of it in the Greek and Latin Commentaries of catholic writers, which he had read. This occasioned Jerom to write a letter upon that subject, which we still have. At his request likewise Jerom explained the parable of the Prodigal Son. I shall transcribe below a part of Damasus's letter, which is inserted in Jerom's answer: whereby it appears that there were then two common interpretations of that parable: some by the elder and younger sons understanding the Jewish people and the Gentiles, others righteous men and sinners. 6. These three epistles or discourses upon the Seraphim, Hosanna, and the Prodigal Son, are mentioned by Jerom in the last chapter of his Catalogue, where he enumerates his own works. To his discourse upon the Hebrew word Hosanna, he refers likewise in " his Commentary upon St. Matthew, and to that upon the Seraphim in a letter, written about the year 398 or 399. • Cum in Babylone versarer, et purpuratæ meretrieis essem colonus, et jure Quiritum viverem, volui garrire aliquid de Spiritu Sancto, et cœptum opusculum ejusdem urbis Pontifici dedicare.-Itaque, mi Pauliane frater, quia supradictus Pontifex Damasus, qui me ad hoc opus primus impulerat, jam dormit in Christo.-Pr. in libr. Didym. de Sp. S. T. iv. P. i. p. 494. P Ep. 142. T. iii. p. 515. ed. Bened. 4 Commentaria quum legerem Græco Latinoque sermone in evangeliorum interpretatione a nostris, id est, orthodoxis viris, olim ac nuper scripta de eo quod legitur Osanna Filio David (Matt. xxi. 9.) non solum diversa, sed etiam contraria sibi proferunt. Dilectionis tuæ est, ut ardenti et illo strenuitatis ingenioquid se habeant apud Hebræos vivo sensu scribas. Ep. 144. ap. Hieron. T. iv. P. i. p. 145. Ep. 145. ib. p. 145, &c. r Ais: Quis est iste in evangelio Pater, qui duobus filiis substantiam di'vidit? Qui duo filii? Qui major, quive minor ?-Addis insuper: Scio multos in hac lectione diversa dixisse: et fratrem majorem Judæum, minorem ⚫ existimâsse Gentilem populum. Sed quæro, quomodo Judaico populo possit ⚫ aptari. Ecce tot annis servivi tibi, et nunquam mandatum tuum præterii.' -Si autem, ut ais, de justo et peccatore voluerimus esse parabolam, justo 'non potuit convenire, ut de salute alterius, et maxime fratris, contristetur.' Ad Damas. ep. 146. Vid. T. iv. P. i. p. 149. De Seraphim, et Osanna, et de frugi et luxurioso filiis. De V. I. cap. ult. "In Matth. T. iv. P. i. p. 95, 96. ▾ In lectione Isaiæ, in quâ duo Seraphim clamantia describuntur.-Habetur 7. There is also still extant another letter of Damasus, written in the last year of his life: in which he says, there" could be no higher entertainment, than to confer together upon the holy scriptures: and he desires, that he may propound questions, whilst Jerom makes answers. Here he proposes several difficult texts to Jerom, which he afterwards explained. In the same letter Damasus passeth that judgment upon Lactantius, which was formerly y taken nótice of. 8. Finally, Jerom calls Damasus a great man, and says, he was well acquainted with the scriptures. 9. For a fuller history of Damasus and his works, I refer to zz several. CHAP. XCVII. BASIL, BISHOP OF CÆSAREA IN CAPPADOCIA. I. His time, and works. II. Books of scripture received by him. III. A passage relating to the epistle to the Ephesians considered. IV. Respect for the scriptures. I. AS St. Basil is in Jerom's Catalogue of Ecclesiastical Writers, and the chapter is not long, I place it entire at the bottom of the page. a liber in manibus, ante viginti annos editus. Ad Pamm. et Ocean. ep. 41. [al. 65.] T. iv. p. ii. p. 243. in. W Neque vero ullam puto digniorem disputationis nostræ confabulationem fore, quam si de scripturis sermocinemur inter nos: id est, ut ego interrogem, tu respondeas. Quâ vitâ nihil puto in hac luce jucundius, quo animæ pabulo mella omnia superantur, &c. Ep. 124. Vid. T. ii. p. 561. x Ep. 125. p. 262, &c. ib. y See Vol. iii. p. 488, 490. * Dum adhuc viveret sanctæ memoriæ Damašus, librum contra Helvidium de beatæ Mariæ virginitate perpetuâ scripsimus. Num vir egregius, et eruditus in scripturis, et virgo, et ecclesiæ virginis doctor, aliquid in illo sermone reprehendit ? Ad Pamm. ep. 30. [al. 50.] T. iv. P. 2. p. 240. f. 22 Cav. H. L. T. i. p. 230, and his Life of Damasus, in the Appendix to the Lives of the Primitive Fathers, Vol. ii. p. 30. Du Pin, Bib. T. ii. p. 151. Tillem. Mem. T. viii. Pagi ann. 384. n. ii. iii. and Mr. Bower's History of the Bishops of Rome, Vol. i. p. 179–233. Basilius, Cæsarea Cappadociæ, quæ prius Mazaca vocabatur, episcopus, egregios contra Eunomium elaboravit libros, et de Spiritu Sancto volumen, et in Hexaëmeron homilias novem, et Aokηrikov, et breves variosque tractatus. Moritur imperante Gratiano. De V. I. cap. 116. It is generally supposed, that Basil, commonly called the Great, was born in Cappadocia, in the year 328 or 329. And according to the different apprehensions of learned men, he was ordained bishop of Cæsarea, the capital city of his native country, in 369, or 370, or 371, and died in the very beginning of 378, or 379, or 380, having been bishop eight years, and somewhat more. Many writings have been ascribed to Basil without ground. For which reason divers learned moderns have taken commendable pains in distinguishing the spurious from the genuine. In which service none I think have excelled Julian Garner, the Benedictine editor of St. Basil's works. I wish, however, that he had been able to reduce his observations into less compass. II. I know of no reason to doubt, that Basil received all the books of the New Testament that we do; but I cannot say, that he has quoted them all. He has quoted all St. Paul's epistles, particularly that to the Hebrews, as his. He does not much quote the catholic epistles: however, he has several times quoted the first epistle of St. Peter, and the first epistle of St. John. The second epistle of St. Peter is once quoted in the fifth book against Eunomius, not allowed by all to be genuine. The epistle of St. James is very seldom quoted, the epistle of St. Jude, and the first and second epistle of St. John, not at all that I remember, Though there be very little notice taken of the book of the Revelation in his writings, I presume it cannot be said to have been rejected by him; for in his second book against Eunomius, having before quoted St. John's gospel, i. 1, he adds: And the same evangelist in another book says: "Which is," and "Which was, even the Almighty. [Rev. i. 8.] The same text is also quoted in the fourth book against Eunomius. But that book is not universally allowed to be genuine, some thinking, that Basil wrote no more than three books against Eunomius. I would add, that Basil is named by Arethas among those who received the book of the Revelation as inspired scripture. b Vid. Cav. H. L. Pagi, ann. 369. xvi. 370. ix. x. xxiii, 378. ii. Basnag. A. 370. n. vi. &c. 380. n. viii. ix. Fabr. Bib. Gr. T. viii. p. 60. Du Pin, T. ii. p. 154. Tillem. Mem. T. ix. c Vid. Cav. H. L. T. i. Fabr. Bib. Gr. T. viii. p. 69, &c. Tillem. Mem. Ec. T. ix. Du Pin, Bib. T. ii. p. 154, &c. d Adv. Eunom. 1. v. in. T. i. p. 296, D. • Αλλ' αυτος ήμιν ὁ ευαγγελισης εν έτερῳ λόγῳ το τοιέτο ων, και 8 nv, Adv. Eunom. 1. ii. T. i. p. 249. E. και ὁ παντοκράτωρ. f Και εν τη Αποκαλυψει ὁ ων, και ὁ ην, και ὁ ερχομενος. Adv. Eunom. l. iv. p. 282. A. Ecumenii. T. ii. 8 Vid. Areth. p. 640. ad calcem Commentar. |