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CHAP. XX.

THEOPHILUS OF ANTIOCH.

THEOPHILUS, bishop of Antioch, was originally a heathen, as he has informed us himself. His works show him to have been well acquainted with the Greek learning. He succeeded Eros in the eighth year of Marcus Antoninus, of our Lord 168.

c

There is nothing remaining that can be depended on as his, beside three books to Autolycus, a learned and studious heathen, who had provoked Theophilus by frequent discourses, if not also by writing, to make a defence of the christian religion. These books were not finished, as is evident from divers passages of them, until after the death of the fore-mentioned emperor. It is the general opinion, that they were written by Theophilus a little before his own death, in the beginning of the reign of Commodus, A. D. 181.

e

Dodwell indeed was willing to suppose that Theophilus, author of these books to Autolycus, was another Theophilus, different from the sixth bishop of Antioch, and that he wrote these books in the reign of Severus about the year 203. But this supposition has been well confuted by several learned men: and every one may perceive, how contrary it is to the ancient testimonies concerning this bishop of Antioch; which I shall now put down, because they will not only determine his age, but also give us an account of his works, and his respect for the writings of the New Testament.

h

Eusebius says, 'Theophilus was the sixth bishop of 'Antioch after the apostles.' His order is this: Euodius, Ignatius, Heros, Cornelius, Eros, Theophilus.

In another place, There are,' says Eusebius, three 'books of Theophilus bishop of Antioch to Autolycus, containing the elements of religion. There is another book of

Ad Autol. L. i. p. 78. C. D. Paris.

b Vid. Euseb. Chron.

Ad Autol. I. i. p. 09. A. B. L. ii. p. 116. C. D. L. iii. p. 119. A. B. 138. D. d P. 137, 138. e Vid. Fabr. Bib. Gr. T. v. p. 91, 92. Vid. Pearson, Op. Post. p. 11, 12. Tillemont, Memoires, T. 3. P. 1. Theophile. Not. 2. Basnage, Ann. 188. sect. 5, 6. Cave, Hist. Lit. P. 2. p. 31. b H. E. 1. iv. c. 20.

Ibid. cap. 24.

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his against the heresy of Hermogenes, in which he has 'made use of testimonies from John's Apocalypse. There ' are also other books of his concerning the rudiments of 'our religion.' He likewise mentions another book of his against Marcion, which he says is well written, and was then extant, as well as the other before mentioned.

St. Jerom in his book of Illustrious Men, agreeably to Eusebius, says: Theophilus, the sixth bishop of the 'church of Antioch, in the reign of Marcus Antoninus, com'posed a book against Marcion, which is still extant. His three volumes to Autolycus are also in being, and one 'book against the heresy of Hermogenes, and other short and elegant treatises conducive to the edification of the 'church. I have m read some commentaries upon the 'gospel, and the Proverbs of Solomon, which go under his name; but they do not appear to me to answer the style and elegance of the fore-mentioned writings.'

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In his preface to St. Matthew, Jerom says again: 'I have also read the commentaries of Theophilus bishop of 'Antioch.'

In another place: Theophilus the seventh bishop of the church of Antioch after Peter, who P collecting into one 'work the words of the four evangelists, speaks thus in his Commentaries upon this parable: [Luke xvi. 1-14:] "The rich man who had a steward is God Almighty, than whom no one is richer. His steward is Paul, who learned the holy scriptures at the feet of Gamaliel, and had received the law of God to manage; who, when he had began to persecute, bind, kill those that believed in 'Christ, and to waste all his Lord's substance, was called to an account by the Lord: "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks," Acts xxii. 3. ix. 4. I shall not transcribe any more of this

k Εν ᾧ εκ της αποκαλύψεως Ιωανν8 κεχρηται μαρτυρίαις. 1 Cap. 25. Legi sub nomine ejus in evangelium, et in proverbia Salomonis commentarios; qui mihi cum superiorum voluminum elegantia et phrasi non videntur congruere. " Et Theophili

Antiochenæ urbis episcopi commentarios. Prol. in Comm. sup. Matth. • Here he counts Peter for the first bishop.

P Qui quatuor evangelistarum in unum opus dicta compingens ingenii sui nobis monumenta dimisit, hæc super hac parabolá in suis commentariis est locutus: Dives, qui habebat villicum, sive dispensatorem, Deus omnipotens est, quo nihil ditius. Hujus dispensator est Paulus, qui ad pedes Ĝamalielis sacras literas didicit, et legem Dei susceperat dispensandam. Qui quum cœpisset credentes in Christo persequi, ligare, occidere, et omnem domini sui dissipare substantiam, correptus a Domino est: Saüle, Saue, quid me persequeris? Durum est tibi contra stimulum calcitrare. Hieron. Ep. 151. Algasiæ. Qu. vi.

passage: only it ought to be observed, that afterwards some words of Philip. iii. 8, are there adapted, and put into the mouth of Paul.

There are still remaining short commentaries,' or 'allegories, upon the four holy gospels,' in four books, which go under the name of our Theophilus; but they are now allowed to be the work of a much later writer. And whether those commentaries, which St. Jerom quotes, were really composed by Theophilus may be doubted; since they were unknown to Eusebius, and were observed by Jerom to differ in style and expression from his other works. However, if they are not his, they were the work of some anonymous ancient.

I now proceed to represent the quotations and allusions to the books of the New Testament, which are in his remaining, and undoubtedly genuine, books to Autoly cus.

I. Having recited many precepts of piety and virtue from the Old Testament, he says: But the evangelic voice teaches chastity in yet greater perfection: "Whosoever looks on another man's wife, to lust after her, has committed adultery with her already in his heart. And whosoever putteth away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery." But the gospel says: "Love your enemies, and pray for them that despitefully use you. For if ye love them that love you, what reward have ye? Even robbers and publicans do the same." And it teaches those that do good not to boast: For, says he, "Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth," Matt. v. 28, 32, 44, 46; vi. 3.

N. T.

II. Luke xviii. 27. "And he said: The things which are impossible with men, are possible with God."

THEOPHILUS.

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II. 'For the things which with men are impossible, are possible with God.'

The same sense is in Matt. the words of Theophilus agree best with St. Luke.

xix. 26, Mark x. 27. But

N. T.

III. Luke xx. 35, 36. "But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain

THEOPHILUS.

III. For God has given us a law and holy precepts: which he that does may be

Apud Biblioth. Maxim. Patr. Lugd. T. ii. p. 166, &c.

Vid. Tillem. ubi supr. Not. 1. Fabr. Bib. Gr. Vol. v. p. 93, 94 .

* Η δε ευαγγέλιος φωνη επιτατικωτερον διδάσκει περι άγνειας, λεγεσα Lib. iii. p. 126. A.

τις εχθρες. Ibid. Β. C.

δυνατα εςι παρα τῳ θεψ.

t

Το δε ευαγγελιον, αγαπατε, φησι,

• Τα αδύνατα παρα ανθρωποις,

αδύνατα, δυνατα εξι παρα θεψ. L. ii. p. 92. Β.

• Τα γαρ παρα ανθρωποις

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be

THEOPHILUS.

saved, and obtaining a resurrection may inherit incorruption.'

It seems to me somewhat likely, that he alludes to the words of St. Luke in the opposite column.

IV. 'That this might be a sign, that men should receive repentance and remission of sins through water.' -See hereafter Numb.

XXIV.

V. These things the holy scriptures teach us, and all who were moved by the Holy Spirit, among whom John says: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God:" showing, that at the first, God was alone, and in him was the Word. Then he says: "And the Word was God. All things were made by him, and without him was not any thing made," John i. 1, 3.

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VI. Theophilus says: The prophets have taught us to abstain from abominable idolatry and adultery, and murder, fornication, theft, covetousness, swearing, lying, anger, and all lasciviousness and impurity: and that whatever things a man would not have done to himself, those neither should he do to another.'

I should not have put down this passage here, if Millb had not supposed, that in this place Theophilus refers to Acts xv. 20, which, it seems, in some manuscripts and some ancient fathers, is read with an additional clause to this purpose: But that we write to them to abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things Και της ανατασεως τυχων κληρονόμησαι την αφθαρσίαν. Ρ. 104. A. L. ii. -Και κηρυχθηναι μετάνοιαν και αφεσιν ἁμαρτιων.

W

* Όπως ἡ και τετο εις δειγμα το μελλειν λαμβανειν τες ανθρωπες μετάνοιαν και αφεσιν ἁμαρτιων δια ύδατος. κ. λ. L. ii. p. 95. Β.

· Όθεν διδάσκεσιν ἡμας αἱ ἁγιαι γραφαι, και παντες οἱ πνευματοφόροι, εξ ὧν Ιωαννης λέγει εν αρχή ην ὁ λόγος και ὁ λόγος ην προς τον θεον· δεικνυς ότι εν πρώτοις μονος ην ὁ Θεός, και εν αὐτῷ ὁ λογος" επειτα λεγει κ. λ. P. 100. C. 1 Οἱ και εδίδαξαν απέχεσθαι απο της αθέμιτε ειδωλολατρείας, και μοιχείας, και φονε, πορνείας, κλοπής, φιλαργυρίας, όρκο, ψευδες, οργής, και πάσης ασέλγειας, και ακαθαρσίας" και παντα όσα αν μη βέλεται άνθρωπος ἑαυτῷ γίνεσθαι, ίνα μηδε αλλῳ ποιη. L. ii. p. 110. C.

Fallor an huc respexerit Theophilus Antiochenus, Пpopηra, inquit, εδίδαξαν απεχεσθαι, κ. λ. Mill. Ν. Τ. ad Acts xv. 20.

strangled, and from blood; and that whatever things they would not have done to themselves, they do not do to others.' Mill allows, (and in my opinion justly,) that this last clause is an interpolation. But admitting it to be genuine, there could be, I think, but slender ground for supposing, that Theophilus referred to this text; the like precept being recorded in some other texts of the New Testament, and represented there as the doctrine, or substance of the law and the prophets, (agreeably to what Theophilus here writes,) much more distinctly than in this place of the Acts: as Matt. vii. 12. See likewise xxii. 40, and Luke vi. 31. And the foregoing part of the passage of Theophilus has but little agreement with the 20th verse of the xvth chapter of the Acts, as in our copies. But all this is submitted to the consideration of others.

I would only add, that two of the most remarkable expressions of this passage of Theophilus are found in 1 Pet. iv. 3, "For the time past of our life may suffice us, to have wrought the will of the Gentiles: when we walked ind lasciviousness, lusts and abominable idolatries."

VII. He says likewise: For God, the father and former of all things, has not forsaken the human nature, but gave the law and sent the holy prophets for to declare and show the human kind, that every one of us might awake and acknowledge, that there is one God.'

These words immediately precede the passage last transcribed; and they are likewise preceded by the words which will be found at Numb. XXVIII. They are here put down, that it may be considered, whether there be in them any reference to Acts xiv. 15, 16, 17, -and preach

unto you, that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein. Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways. Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons or to Acts xvii. 27, "That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us."

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• Και όσα αν μη θέλωσιν ἑαυτοῖς γινεσθαι, ἑτεροις μη ποιεν. Vid. Mill, ibid.

d Εν ασελγείαις, και αθεμιταις ειδωλολατρείαις.

* Ο μεν τοι γε Θεός, και πατηρ και κτισης των όλων, εκ εγκατέλιπε την ανθρωπότητα, αλλα εδωκεν νομον, και επεμψε προφητας άγιες, προς το καταγγείλαι και δείξαι το γενος των ανθρώπων, εις το ένα έκατον ήμων ανανήψαι, και επιγνώναι, ότι εἰς εσι θεος. p. 110. C