V

It is the opinion of" Fabricius, and Tillemont, that the Priscillianists are the heretics here intended by Philaster. What he says is briefly this: That in Gaul, and Spain, and Aquitain, there was a sort of Abstinents, a branch of the Gnostics and Manichees, who dissolved marriages without mutual consent, and enjoined abstinence from some kinds of food. And he shows the inconveniences of the former of those doctrines, and confutes it by texts of scripture, as he does also the latter. He moreover says, that they captivated many people.

Whenever this article was written by Philaster, it tends greatly to wipe off some aspersions which were cast upon the Priscillianists. Their distinguishing character was not licentiousness, but rigour and abstinence; this was their profession, this their outward appearance; and thereby they gained upon many people. If this article of Philaster was written soon after the rise of Priscillianism, and before the trial of Priscillian at Treves, (which may be reckoned very probable,) it confirms the conjecture mentioned some while ago, that the charges brought against him were first invented about that time.

The only two articles imputed to these Abstinents by Philaster, are their rigid doctrines about marriage and diet. These, as I apprehend, first induced men to call them Manichees and having once given them that denomination, or Gnosticorum et Manichæorum particulam perniciosissimam æque sequuntur, eandemque non dubitant prædicare: separantes persuasionibus conjugia hominum, et escarum abstinentiam promittentes, quæ non ex legis præcepto, sed promotionis cœlestis, et dignitatis causâ voluntati hominum talis a Christo concessa est gratia. Dicit enim Dominus Petro: Non omnes capiunt hoc verbum.' [Matt. xix. 11.] Et iterum idem Dominus ait: Qui dimiserit uxorem suam sine causâ criminis, facit eam mochari.' [ib. ver. 9.] Aliud est itaque consensu communi hoc fieri, laudis causâ majoris consequendæ a Domino, et aliud contra legem suadere, contraque amborum facere voluntatem. Et iterum: Qui non manducat, manducantem non spernat: et qui manducat, non manducantem non judicet.' [Rom. xiv. 3.] Quod ex voluntate est itaque, laudis est amplioris, immo potius mercedis cœlestis est desiderium. Quod autem extra legem est, non a Deo Christo est traditum, sed inani hominum præsumtione et errore inventum. Scriptum est enim, Do vobis omnia edere, sicut fœnum.' [Gen. ix. 3.] Hoc autem ideo faciunt, ut escas paulatim spernentes, dicant eas non esse bonas, et ita non a Deo hominibus escæ causâ fuisse concessas sed a diabolo factas ut adserant, ita sentiunt. Inque hoc jam creaturam non a Deo creatam, sed a diabolo eam factam prædicare nituntur. Perque hoc mendacium multorum animas captivârunt. Philast. H. 84. Abstinentes.

" Perspicuum vero est a Philastrio perstringi Priscillianistas, qui circa A. C. 380, proferre se cœperunt. Fabric. Annot. in Philast. p. 161.

▾ Si les hérétiques qu' il nomme Abstinens sont les Priscillianistes, comme il y a assez d' apparence, il n' a écrit, qu' après l' an 380, auquel cette hérésie commença à éclater dans l'Espagne. S. Philastre, Tillem. Mem. Ec. T. viii.

said that they were a branch of the Gnostics and Manichees, men were led to ascribe to them all the enormities, which were generally imputed to those people.

XII. Upon the whole, from what has passed before us in this chapter, I think it appears, that the Priscillianists received the scriptures of the Old and New Testament, which were generally received by other christians. They likewise made use of apocryphal books; but what respect they had for them cannot be now clearly determined. Some ecclesiastics, who went under this denomination, are represented, from an ill-judged zeal and without sufficient reason, to have deserted their stations in the church, to betake themselves to a retired and solitary course of life. They had errors concerning the soul, and some other matters. They seem to have had a disadvantageous opinion of marriage, and thereby sometimes made unhappy breaches in families, if their adversaries do not aggravate. They also had rules about diet, not founded in reason, nor scripture. Some of these people are blamed for not consuming the eucharist at church and they were irregular in fasting, when other christians feasted. But as we have none of their writings remaining, we do not know their whole system with certainty. By some they have been charged with obscene doctrines, and lewd practices. But so far as we are able to judge upon the evidence that has been produced, they rather appear to have made high pretensions to sanctity and purity, and to have practised uncommon mortifications.

CHAP. CVIII.

DIODORUS, BISHOP OF TARSUS.

DIODORUS, of a good family, and probably born at Antioch, in which city he long resided, was ordained bishop of Tarsus in Cilicia, by Meletius bishop of Antioch, about the year 378. He died in 394, or sooner.

2. St. Jerom, whom I place below, reckons the time

* Και την μεν το γενες εκ ελογίζετο περιφάνειαν, την ύπερ της πίσεως ταλαιπωρίαν ασπασίως ὑπέμεινε. Theod. H. E. l. iv. c. 25. p. 188. Β. b Ib. 1. v. c. 4. in.

• Diodorus, Tarsensis episcopus, dum Antiochiæ esset presbyter, magis cla

when he was presbyter the most shining period of his life. He does not assign the reasons of that judgment: but they may be collected from other writers, particularly the ecclesiastical historians of those times.

3. Diodorus, whilst presbyter, seems to have had the direction of some monastery, or school, in or near the city of Antioch. At which time he instructed divers young men in the knowledge of the scriptures, and the principles of religion among whom three, who were afterwards very eminent, are particularly mentioned; Maximus bishop of Seleucia in Isauria, Theodore bishop of Mopsuestia in Cilicia, and John Chrysostom bishop of Constantinople. Chrysostom in an oration calls Diodorus his father, and boasts of the share he had in his esteem.

4. Moreover, Jerom may have an eye to some sufferings which he underwent from the Arians in the time of Valens: whereas his episcopate was peaceable. Chrysostom says, hef was more than once banished from his native country, for his freedom in speaking the truth. Theodoret, in divers places, celebrates Diodorus's courage in those difficult times. He says, thats when Leontius was bishop of Antioch, he and Flavian, though they were then but laymen, not only openly professed the apostolic doctrine, but were also very diligent in keeping the people in the right faith. He else'where calls them lights of the truth.'

6

6

To these, and some other like things, Jerom may refer. 5. Jerom says farther, that Diodorus wrote Commentaries upon St. Paul's Epistles, and many other things, imi'tating the manner of Eusebius of Emesa;' of whom, it may be remembered, we spake formerly. To the like purpose * Socrates, and 'Sozomen: who say, that Diodorus wrote ruit. Extantque ejus in apostolum commentarii, et multa alia, ad Eusebii magis Emiseni characterem pertinentia; cujus cum sensum secutus sit, eloquentiam imitari non potuit propter ignorantiam sæcularium literarum. De V. I. cap. 119.

d Τηνικαύτα εν ετοι [Ιωαννης, Θεόδωρος, και Μαξιμος] σπεδαιοι περι την αρετην γενόμενοι, μαθητευεσιν εις τα ασκητικά Διόδωρο και Καρτεριῳ· οιτινες TOTε μεV ασKητnow poizvтo Socr. 1. vi. c. 3. p. 302. B. Et conf. Soz. l. viii. c. 2. p. 757. A. Et Thdrt. 1. v. c. ult.

e In Diod. T. iii. p. 748. A.

1 Αλλά και ετος πολλακις

της πατρίδος εξεπεσε δια την ύπερ της πίςεως παῤῥησιαν. Ibid. p. 749. B. g -Η δε αξιαγασος ξυνωρις Φλαβιανος και Διόδωρος, ἱερατικής μεν λειτεργίας μηδεπω τετυχηκοτες, τῳ δε λαῳ συντεταγμένοι, νυκτωρ και μεθ' ήμεραν εις τον ύπερ της ευσέβειας ζηλον διήγειραν άπαντας. Theod. L. ii. c. 24. p. 107. A. B. Vid. et l. iv. cap. 25.

αληθειας φωτηρες. L. iv. c. 27. p. 190. c.

k

h

οί της

See Vol. iii. p. 593, 594.

-πολλα βιβλια συνέγραψε, ψιλῳ τῳ γραμματι των θείων προσεχων γράφων, τας θεωρίας αυτών εκτρεπομενος. Socr. l. vi. c. 3. p. 302. C. Soz. 1. viii. c. 2. p. 257. A.

many books, representing the literal or historical sense of scripture, omitting the mystery.

m

6. I formerly had occasion to take notice of Diodorus's work against the Manichees, in five and twenty books, of which there is mention made in " Photius. The same learned critic mentions a book of Diodorus concerning the Spirit, and gives a large account of his work against Fate, in eight books, and three and fifty chapters.

7. By Theodoret we are assured, that 9 Diodorus wrote against Paul of Samosata, Sabellius, Marcellus, and Photinus.

6

6

8. Suidas says, 'that Diodorus lived in the time of Julian and Valens and adds, as from Theodoret the reader, that 'he wrote Commentaries upon all the books of the Old 'Testament, Genesis, Exodus, and the books following, and upon the Psalms, and the four books of the Kingdoms, and the difficult places of the Chronicles, and upon the Proverbs: the Difference between Theory and Allegory: upon Ecclesiastes: upon the Canticles; upon the Prophets upon the four Gospels: upon the Acts of the Apostles upon the epistle of the evangelist John:'Against the Melchizedekians :-Against the Jews of the Resurrection of the Dead: of the Soul, and the different opinions about it-of Providence: against Plato, con'cerning God and the gods: of Nature and Matter: against the Astronomers and Astrologers, and of Fate: of God, and the fictitious matter of the Greeks, or Gentiles-against the philosopher Euphronius, by way of question and answer against Porphyry of animals and sacrifices:' and divers others, which need not to be here rehearsed.

:

V

9. Ebedjesu, in his Catalogue of Ecclesiastical Writers found in the Syriac language, says, that Diodorus wrote sixty books, which the Arians had burned. However he mentions eight, which had remained, having escaped the diligence of his enemies; one of which is the work against the Manichees; another is an explication of a part of St. Matthew's gospel.

• Cod. 102. p. 275. Hæret. Fab. 1. ii. cap. xi.

Τις διαφορα θεωρίας και αλληγορίας.

ι Εις τα δ' ευαγγελια εις τας Πράξεις των Αποςόλων εις την επιτολην Ιωαννα το ευαγγελισε. Ibid.

περι αυτης αιρεσεων.

u

Περί ψυχής κατα διαφόρων

* Κατα Πλάτωνος περι θες και θεων.

W

Περι Θες και ύλης Ελληνικής πεπλασμένης.

X

Composuit libros numero sexaginta, quos Ariani combusseruntRemanserunt vero ex illis quæ sequuntur-et Expositio in partem Matthæi. Ebed. Cat. n. 18. ap. Asseman. Bib. Or. T. iii. p. 39.

10. One book, in Suidas, and which may be supposed to relate to the right interpretation of scripture, is entitled, The Difference between Theory and Allegory.' In the enumeration of his works, it is placed, as we have seen, next after the Commentary upon the book of the Proverbs; and y therefore may have been a Dissertation subjoined to it. But the design of it is not very obvious. Fabricius thinks, it showed the difference of the mystical sense from the allegorical and moral. Ludolf Kuster, in his notes upon Suidas, says, that theory denotes the abstruse and mystical sense in opposition to the literal sense; and moreover, that the theory is more sublime than the allegory.

11. Diodorus seems to have been an apologist for the christian religion. He wrote, as we have seen, against the Jews, as well as against heretics. And it may be reckoned very probable, that in some of his works, he confuted heathenism, or some of its principles: it may be fairly argued from the titles of several of them above mentioned from Suidas. And, if Facundus may be relied upon, the emperor Julian wrote a letter to Photinus, in which he reviled Diodorus, as ignorant of the mysteries of the gods, but well versed in the fishermen's theology; a large part of which letter Facundus has left us in a sad Latin translation.

12. The respect shown to Diodorus appears, in part, in some things already said.

C

13. Theodoret speaks of him in terms of the highest respect, and often commends him. Basil, who was acquaint

y In Proverbia:' cui addidit dissertationem de Differentiâ Theoria et Allegoriæ,' sive sensûs mystici ab allegorico atque morali. Fabr. Bib. Gr. T. viii. p. 362. * See note y.

a

Oe@pia hic significat sensum abstrusiorem et mysticum: cui opponitur TO pηrov, sive sensus literalis. Sozomenus de Diodoro nostro : -περι δε το ῥητον των ἱερων λόγων τας εξηγησεις ποιησασθαι, τας θεωρίας αποφεύγοντα: id est: Quem accepi multos libros a se conscriptos posteris reliquisse, et sa'cram scripturam ad literam exposuisse, omisso sensu mystico.' Et Socrates ψιλῳ τῳ γραμματι των θείων προσεχων γραφων, τας θεωρίας αυτων εκτρε πόμενος. "Diodorus vero-multos conscripsit libros, simplicem tantum atque obvium scripturarum sensum inquirens, mysticam vero earum interpre'tationem refugiens.' Owpia igitur quid significet, hinc patet. Ab eâ differt allegoria, quod hæc in inferioribus subsistat, nec in tam sublimi argumento versetur, quam theoria. Kuster.

b Julianus enim, Christo perfidus imperator, sic Photino hæresiarchæ adversus Diodorum scribit-Diodorus autem Nazaræi magus,-auctus apparuit sophista religionis agrestis--usque adeo ignorans paganorum mysteria, omnemque miserabiliter imbibens, ut aiunt, degenerum et imperitorum ejus theologorum piscatorum errorem. Facund. 1. iv. cap. 2. p. 59.

C Και Διόδωρος μεν 8 σοφωτατος τε και ανδρειότατος, οἷα τις ποταμος διείδης τε και μεγας, τοις μεν οικείοις την αρδειαν προσέφερε, τας δε των εναντιων Bλaopnja ETTEKAUZE. Theod. l. iv. c. 25. p. 188. B. Vid. et l. v. cap. ult.