calling him a disciple of the apostles, or making any mention of his great age; and Eusebius placeth him after several others who flourished about the middle of the second century. Polycrates, bishop of Ephesus, calls him an eunuch, on account, as is generally supposed, of his living a chaste and self-denying life in celibacy, for the sake of the gospel. • What need I,' says he, mention Melito the eunuch, who 'conducted himself in all things by the Holy Spirit, who lies buried in Sardis?' 6 6 St. Jerom informs us, that Tertullian, in one of his books, praises Melito's elegant and oratorical genius, and 'says, that he was esteemed a prophet by many of our people.' He travelled into Palestine on purpose to learn the number of the books of the Old Testament. His catalogue is preserved by Eusebius, who took it out of Melito's preface to his book of Extracts out of the Law and the Prophets. It is a catalogue,' says Eusebius, of the scriptures of the Old Testament universally acknowledged.' It contains the books received by the Jews into their canon; but he does not mention the book of Esther. It is the first catalogue of the books of the Old Testament recorded by any christian writer. Melito presented, or addressed at least, an Apology to Marcus Antoninus in behalf of the christians then under sufferings. It is placed by Eusebius in his Chronicle at the year 170, the tenth of that emperor, after the death of Lucius Verus, adopted brother and colleague of Marcus Antoninus, which happened in the year 169. With Eusebius agrees the Alexandrian Chronicle. It is evident, it could not be written sooner than the year 170, or the latter part of 169. Pagis herein follows the Chronicle of Eusebius. Tillemont, from the manner in which Melito speaks of the emperor's son in a passage of his Apology, (recorded by Eusebius in his Ecclesiastical History,) concludes, that Commodus had then the tribunitian power, if he was not colleague with his father in the empire. The former, Commodus received in the year 175, and equal power with his father Marcus Antoninus in 176 or 177. Tillemont • Τι δε δει λεγειν--Μελίτωνα τον ευνέχον, τον εν άγιῳ πνεύματι παντα TONITEVOαpevov. ap. Eus. H. E. I. v. c. 24. p. 191. D. d Hujus elegans et declamatorium ingenium laudans Tertullianus in septem libris quos scripsit adversus ecclesiam pro Montano dicit eum a plerisque nostrorum prophetam putari. De Script. Ill. n. 24. Eus. H. E. 1. iv. cap. 26. p. 148, 149. Critic. in B. 170. sect. 3. L. iv. c. 26. p. 148. A. f Ibid. h Melton, as above, Note 2. therefore is inclined to place this Apology in the year 175, and Basnage is rather for 177. This argument for the latter date of this Apology is so cogent, that I likewise choose to place it in 177. 6 Eusebius' has given us this catalogue of Melito's works: 'Two books concerning Easter: Rules of Life, and of the Prophets: Of the Church: A Discourse of the Lord's Day: Another of the Nature of Man, and of his Formation: Of the Obedience of the Senses to Faith: Of the Soul and Body, or of the Mind: Concerning Baptism: Of Truth, and of Faith, and the Generation of Jesus Christ: His Book of Prophecy, and of Hospitality and the Key, and of the Devil, and m the Revelation of John.' Another book, the title" of which I do not translate, because the meaning of it is doubtful. And lastly, his little book to Antoninus:' by which Eusebius means his forementioned Apology. St. Jerom gives also a catalogue of Melito's works, in the main agreeable to Eusebius. We need not here concern ourselves about some little differences between them. These books are all lost, except a few fragments. It was not amiss to put down here at length the titles of all this good man's works, to show the diligence of our christian ancestors. But the only piece belonging to our present design is that concerning the Revelation of John. What it contained, we are not informed. Milla says, it was a commentary upon that book. It is plain he ascribed that book to John, and very likely to John the apostle. I think it very probable he esteemed it a book of canonical authority. There is nothing in the fragment of his Apology preserved by Eusebius to be inserted here. But in his preface to his Extracts out of the Law and the Prophets is a short passage, which I shall put down in this place, having only first observed, that' Eusebius professes there to give us the passage he alleges, word for word. It is a letter to one Onesimus, to whom Melito says: When therefore I went * Ann. Polit. Ec. 177. sect. 3. 1 H. E. 1. iv. c. 26. p. 146, 147. • See Tillemont, as before, in the references there. * Και τα περί τε διάβολε, και της αποκαλύψεως Ιωανν. * Και ὁ περι ενσωματα θες. Meliton, Note 3. et Fabric. Gr. V. v. and ℗ De Vir. Ill. cap. 24. Melito vero Sardensis ecclesiæ (ad epistolam datam aiunt) episcopus quem quintam Johannis, cap. 3. Apoc. * Ανελθών εν εις την ανατολην, και έως το τοπε γενόμενος ενθα εκηρύχθη και επράχθη, και ακριβως μαθων τα της παλαιας διαθηκης βιβλια, υποταξας επεμψα σοι. Ibid. p. 149. Α. into the east, and was come to the place where those things were preached and done; I procured an accurate account of the books of the Old Testament, the catalogue of which I have here subjoined, and sent to you. Their names are these.' From this passage I would conclude that there was then also a volume or collection of books, called the New Testament, containing the writings of apostles and apostolical men but we cannot from hence infer the names, or the exact number of those books. Melito then received the book of the Revelation, written by John; and, it is probable, many other books, collected together in a volume, called the New Testament; just as the books received by the Jews, as of divine authority, were called the Old Testament. CHAP. XVI. THE EPISTLE OF THE CHURCHES OF VIENNE AND LYONS. IN the time of Marcus Antoninus the christians suffered extremely. In the seventeenth year of the reign of this prince,' says Eusebius, in his Ecclesiastical History, the persecution against us raged with great violence in 'several parts of the world, through the enmity of the 'people in the cities. What vast multitudes of martyrs there were throughout the whole empire, may be well concluded from what happened in one nation.' He means that of Gaul. The persecution was particularly violent at Lyons, and the country thereabout. At this time many of the christians of Lyons and Vienne suffered exquisite torments with the greatest patience. Pothinus bishop of Lyons, then above ninety years of age, was apprehended and carried before the governor, by whom he was examined, and before whom he made a generous confession of the christian religion; and having suffered many indignities, he was sent to prison, where he soon expired. The time of the persecution in Gaul has been disputed. Some have argued for the year 167, thinking that Eusebius imself places it there in his Chronicle. Dodwell has deb Diss. Cypr. xi. sect. 36. L. v. Prooem. fended this opinion with his usual diligence; but the general opinion is with Eusebius in his Ecclesiastical History, who, as we have just shown, there places it in the seventeenth year of Marcus Antoninus, the 177th of our Lord. Supposing that Eusebius had in his Chronicle placed it in the seventh of that emperor, it would nevertheless be more reasonable for us to adhere to the account in the Ecclesiastical History, written after his Chronicle, where he gives the most particular account of the sufferings of these christians. But indeed Eusebius does not disagree with himself. The christians suffered, in one part or other of the world, from almost the beginning of Marcus's reign to the end of it. In his Chronicle, Eusebius assigns the fourth persecution to the seventh year of that emperor, because some suffered then; and upon that occasion he makes a general mention of the martyrs of Lyons. But the persecution of the churches in Gaul did not happen until the seventeenth year of Marcus, as Eusebius particularly relates in his History. But I need not farther insist upon this point. The probability of the latter date of the persecution in Gaul has been so well argued, the invalidity of Dodwell's arguments so fully shown, and every difficulty so fairly considered and removed by Pagic and Tillemont, that, 1 think, every unprejudiced person must acquiesce. Nor do I expect that any learned man, who has a concern for his reputation as a critic, should attempt a direct confutation of this opinion. The churches of Lyons and Vienne sent a relation of the sufferings of their martyrs to the churches of Asia and Phrygia. Eusebius placed this epistle entire in his collection of the acts of the martyrs; and he has likewise inserted a large part of it into his Ecclesiastical History, which we still have. It is the finest thing of the kind in all antiquity. Some think it was composed by Irenæus. There were at the same time some other letters despatched from these churches, concerning the affair of Montanism; which having had its rise about the year 171, began now to make a noise in the world. One of these letters likewise was sent to the brethren in Asia and Phrygia, another to Eleutherus bishop of Rome. These letters concerning the pretended prophecies of Montanus were written by the martyrs themselves, when in prison, before they were brought forth to be put to death. Of these letters Critic. in Baron. 177. sect. 3-7. d Memoires Eccles. Art. ii. et Note i. Eus. H. E. I. v. c. iv. fin. v. in. there is little remaining. But the former, containing the relation of the sufferings of the martyrs at Lyons, being for the main part of it preserved in Eusebius, will afford a considerable testimony to the books of the New Testament. And how valuable their testimony is, must be manifest from what has been said of them; and that they had for their bishop Pothinus, who died aged above 90, in the year 177, and was born therefore about the year 87 of our Lord. We shall make frequent mention, in the course of this work, of this epistle of the churches of Vienne and Lyons. I am now to exhibit only the testimony it affords to the books of the New Testament. I may be allowed to observe here, that the words of these Greek quotations, or references, are exactly conformable to the Greek original in our copies. N. T. IV. Rom. viii. 18. "For The EPISTLE, &c. 6 IV. Showing indeed, I reckon, that the sufferings that the sufferings of this Eus. H. E. 1. v. cap. i. p. 155. D. Vid. et p. 156. A. B. Ibid. p. 157. A. i P. 167. A. * Ότι εκ αξια τα παθηματα τε νυν καιρω, προς την μελλεσαν δόξαν αποκαλυφθήναι εις ήμας. 1. Ότι εκ αξια τα παθηματα τε νυν καιρό, προς την μελλεσαν δοξαν αποκαλυφθήναι εις ήμας. Ρ. 155. Β. |