History.. for extraordinary research or powerful ability, is written in a very lively, varied, elegant, and agreeable manner. The arguments on both sides are set forth with grace and force, and illustrated with learning and intelligence. In the tone of flowing declamation and of poignant raillery, which pervades it, the style of a lawyer is perhaps obvious; but it is not calculated to warp the judgment rather than to stimulate the attention of the reader. Minucius Felix was evidently versed in the Writings of Cicero, which have imparted a superior degree of ease, correctness, and polish to his diction.

Life, &c.

Ad Donatum.

CYPRIAN.

CIRCITER A. d. 248.

Thascius Cæcilius* Cyprianus, a native of Africa, and probably of Carthage, was converted to Christianity, according to Pearson,† in the year 246. Previously to that period he taught Rhetoric with great applause,‡ and appears to have lived in a state of affluence and splendour. Of his feelings after having received Baptism he has given a description in a florid letter, addressed to Donatus: shortly after which it is probable that he De Vanitate Wrote his Treatise on the Vanity of Idols, in which he Idolorum. shows the Unity of God, the absurdity of Paganism, and the truth of the Mission of Jesus Christ-the two first points treated in the same manner as they are by Minucius Felix, the latter as it is by Tertullian. The first proof which he gave of the sincerity of the change which his opinions and habits had experienced, was a voluntary distribution of his property among the Poor. He was appointed Presbyter, and afterwards rose to the dignity of Bishop of Carthage, which was conferred on him by the universal suffrage and pressing wishes of the People. While the Persecution of Decius raged, he took shelter in retirement; when it had subsided, he applied himself to remedy the relaxed state of discipline which it had occasioned. His conduct during the disastrous pestilence which afflicted Carthage, affords a noble example of piety and judgment united with the keenest sensibility. When the streets were strewed with the carcasses of the dead, and the living fled with selfish fear, abandoning their nearest and dearest friends, Cyprian assembled the Christians, and strongly, as well as successfully, inculcated the great duties of that humanity, which, like the beneficence of the Father of the Universe, embraces within its circle not merely persons of the same persuasion, but the Gentile and the Persecutor. In the reign of Valerian, when Paternus was Proconsul of Africa, he was banished to Curubis, from whence he was recalled as soon as Galerius Maximus succeeded to the Proconsulate. His return was followed by his Martyrdom.

The last scenes of his life, as well as the part which he took during the disputes concerning the Lapsed,¶ and the rebaptizing of Heretics,** have been already described. The line of conduct which he adopted with regard to Novatus, will be touched upon in a succeeding paper.

So called from a presbyter named Cæcilius, by whom he was converted. Hier. de Vir. Illust. c. 67.

† Ann. Cyprian. p. 6.

Lactant. Div. Inst. lib. v. c. 1. Hier. de Vir. Illust. c. 67, &c. Hier. de Vir. Illust. c. 67.

Encyclopædia, p. 106.

Ibid. p. 104.

** Ibid. p. 105.

Cyprian appears, it must be acknowledged, to have Centuries. been extremely anxious to enforce the importance of Ecclesiastical authority. Much allowance ought, however, to be made for his peculiar situation, surrounded by men, of whom some wished to relax, others to carry to an unnecessary pitch of rigour the discipline of the Church, some to derogate from the Episcopal dignity, and others to give undue influence to the Church of Rome. It is much to his honour that he always maintained the independence of the different Sees; and that he applauded in strong terms the custom of giving to the People their share in the election of Bishops. Discountenancing secret measures, he referred all matters of consequence to his clergy and congregation.

A Life of Cyprian has been written by Le Clerc,† in a Life by manner very different from that in which Ecclesiastical Le Clerc. memoirs are usually drawn up. Of the observations which it contains, some are acute, some judicious, some, we think, ill-tempered. It contains Style.

The style of Cyprian is oratorical. scarcely any allusions to Philosophy. Though familiar with the Works of Tertullian, his taste led him to avoid the perplexed and uncouth style of that Writer, and he is generally clear, flowing, and unembarrassed.

The correspondence of Cyprian consists of eighty- Genuine one Letters, comprising Epistles addressed to him, (of Works. which an analysis may be found in Du Pin.) They cast great light on the History, both internal and external, of the Church, particularly in Africa.

The Book on the Discipline and Dress of Virgins, is chiefly an exhortation to avoid the ornamental attire and other corruptions of the Age. He speaks of virginity as being the state nearest to martyrdom; as removing from its possessor the curse pronounced against the first woman-as raising her to an equality with the Angels.

The Treatise respecting the Lapsed, and that on the Unity of the Church, were written after the Persecution

of Decius.

The Treatise on the Lapsed was directed, with expressions of deep censure, against those persons of the party of Felicissimus, who were desirous of extending reconciliation, on easy terms, to such as had fallen away. Cyprian observes, that Martyrs cannot give absolution of sins, which is a power belonging to the Church alone. He relates certain stories of apostates, whom he represents as having been punished from Heaven for attempting to receive the Eucharist.

The Treatise on the Unity of the Church contains severe reflections on Schism and Heresy.

In the Book on the Lord's Prayer may be found many general remarks on Prayer.

For an account of the Tract to Demetrian, see Encyclopædia, p. 104.

The Book of Mortality was composed in consequence of the pestilence which raged in the reign of Gallus.

The Exhortation to Martyrdom, written during the Persecution of Gallus, is a collection of texts from Scripture, calculated to animate the Christians to submit with courage to the sufferings which attended the profession of their Religion.

The Treatise on Good Works and Alms was written probably in A. D. 254, when Cyprian collected considerable sums to redeem some Christians captured by Barbarians.

The Book on the Advantages of Patience, written in consequence of the disputes respecting the baptism of Heretics, was sent in the beginning of the year 256, with a letter to Jubaianus. That on Emulation and Envy (de Zelo et Livore) appeared sometime afterwards. The Work of Testimonies to Quirinus, against the Jews, contains a variety of Scriptural passages: the First Book treats of the temporary nature of the Jewish Law; the Second, of the Mission of Christ; the Third, of the Moral Precepts of Revealed Religion.*

Rivet considered the genuineness of this Tract doubtful (Crit. Sacr. lib. ii. c. 15.) Baluzius, who examined various manuscripts, admits that it has been interpolated. (Not. ad Cyprian. p. 596.) In the opinion of Lardner "there can be no doubt but St. Cyprian published a Work with this title; but it seems that the Books of Testimonies which we now have, or at least some part of them, are liable to

Eccle

siastical Writers of the IInd

Among the Books which have been wrongly ascribed to Cyprian, are the following:-De Spectaculis; De Bono Pudicitiæ; De Laude Martyrii; Ad Novatianum Hæreticum; De Baptismo Hæreticorum; De Aleatoribus; and IIIrd De Montibus Sina et Sion; Adversus Judæos; De Centuries. Singularitate Clericorum; &c.

The Works of Cyprian were translated into English, Editions, not without care and elegance,by Nathaniel Marshall, &c. in 1727; and into French, with notes, by Lombert, in 1672.

The most complete Editions are that of Bishop Fell, published at Oxford in 1682; (this contains the Annales Cyprianici of Pearson, to which are added the Dissertationes Cyprianice of Dodwell;) and that begun by Baluzius and finished by Dom. Prudent. Maran, 1726, in folio. This splendid edition was reprinted at Venice, in 1758.

objections that have not been fully cleared up." (Credibil. &c. Part. ii. ch. xliv.)

History. Importance and diffi

subject.

To the Philosophic inquirer into the principles of Human nature, there is no portion of History which appears, at first sight, better calculated to extend his culty of the knowledge than that detail of mental disorders which an account of ancient Heresy presents. And, indeed, an accurate sketch of the rise and progress of erroneous opinions would throw considerable light on the operations of our faculties. But such a sketch, even under the most favourable circumstances, would be a task of no ordinary difficulty. Few have the patience, and fewer still the ability, to examine in all its bearings, and to deliver in all its force, the reasoning of the author whose speculations they undertake to explain. Even when not influenced by prejudices, an ingenious expositor will be always apt to blend his own sentiments with the theories of others, and insensibly to substitute a brilliant hypothesis for a tedious copy. Hence it is, that, even in modern times, under the existing wide diffusion of Literature, we can hardly expect to discover, with exactness, the system of one writer from the representations of another. And this observation is true, if extended to authors whose character forbids the suspicion of wilful deceit, and to subjects of a mere abstract nature, not involving any personal interest, and not appealing to any particular passion. A recent Metaphysician, of distinguished talents, after having forcibly shown, by numerous instances of misconception, the necessity of consulting the opinions of authors in their own Works, makes the following remarks, which will find an echo in the language of every man who has calmly applied himself to the investigation of Truth :-" From my own experience, I can most truly assure you, that there is scarcely an instance in which, on examining the Works of those authors whom it is the custom more to cite than to read, I have found the view which I had received of them to be faithful. There is usually something more or something less, which modifies the general result; some mere conjecture represented as an absolute affirmation, or some limited affirmation extended to analogous cases, which it was not meant to comprehend. And, by the various additions or subtractions thus made, in passing from mind to mind, so much of the spirit of the original doctrine is lost, that it may, in some cases, be considered as having made a fortunate escape, if it be not at last represented as directly opposite to what it is. It is like those engraved portraits of the eminent men of former Ages, the copies of mere copies, from which every new artist, in the succession,

the Ind and IIIrd Centuries.

has taken something, or to which he has added some- Heresies of thing, till not a lineament remains the same. If we are truly desirous of a faithful likeness, we must have recourse once more to the original Painting."* But no such means of verification remain for us in our researches into the tenets of the ancient Heretics. Their Works have been destroyed by time, by accident, or by injudicious zeal. The Fathers (however honest their motives, and however pure their intentions) have handed down to us a picture, drawn sometimes by inflamed, sometimes by ill-informed, adversaries; and who can pretend to trace where the resemblance lurks amid darkened and distorted features? Devoted to the cause of Christianity, with an ardour to which the present state of Society offers no parallel, and alarmed not merely at the dangerous doctrines, but sometimes, perhaps, at the disgraceful conduct of the various Sects, the orthodox Christians were too ready to admit reports without patient and cautious investigation; hence they occasionally impute sentiments not held, and draw (a fault of most controversial writers) consequences, which, however logically deducible from certain principles, were not contemplated by the persons who maintained those principles. The excellence of the end in view, sometimes, we think, prevented them from examining the nature of the means by which they hoped to attain it. Without the remotest design of delivering what was positively false, they appear to us not sufficiently anxious to ascertain what was exactly true. In fact, their object was not to give a luminous view of the sources and windings of error, but to draw a hasty outline of its hideousness, and to deter the Faithful from advancing a step into its impious circle. Thus systems which, in their first state, were obscure and perplexed, are now become almost hopelessly unintelligible. Conjecture alone can now pretend to delineate the original structure of the strange labyrinth of early Heresy; conjecture alone can discover the relation of scattered and disjointed parts, and fill up the chasms of a mighty wreck. These expressions, the result of dispassionate examination, are not, however, applicable to every particular relation of every particular Heresy, but to the general state of the inquiry. They are offered as an excuse for the very unsatisfactory analysis which we now present.

So large a portion of error is to be ascribed to the

Dr. Thomas Brown's Lectures on the Philosophy of the Human Mind, vol. ii. p. 46.

Reason that

number of

from

History. intermixture of Philosophical principles with the peculiar tenets of Christianity, that Tertullian has not scrupled to call Philosophers the Patriarchs of Heretics. the greater The fact is, perhaps, not difficult to explain. There early Here- exists in the Human mind an unquenchable desire sies arose of knowledge; a desire almost uniformly strong in all states and gradations of Society, though its immediate Philosophy. objects and channels, susceptible as they are of infinite variety, will differ according to our different ages, capacities, and acquirements. The same desire which draws the early efforts of the Savage towards civilized life, urges on his more enlightened neighbour to speculations of a higher order and more extensive range.* The feeling is implanted by Nature; the direction is determined by circumstances. When Revealed Religion first disclosed its truths to mankind, this desire of knowledge received a different bias, but lost nothing of its inherent activity. Announced with extraordinary zeal, by men whose manners were simple as their morals were pure, recorded in Works bearing the most incontrovertible marks of honesty and truth, supported, too, by a long chain of striking evidences, and adapted, moreover, to the wants and feelings of mankind, Christianity gradually produced conviction even on the Philosophic classes. Thus the effect of this new belief may for a time have been to calm the disquietude of thought, to suspend the restlessness of curiosity. But the elements of agitation still existed, and were soon again excited. The spirit of inquiry no longer turned itself towards the discovery of general facts, but to wards an investigation of all their possible bearings, consequences, and modifications. The Christian duties were received; the Christian doctrines were admitted; but then arose the attempt to explain these duties in all their branches and relations, and to accommodate these doctrines to our present faculties and preconceptions. The Passions still worked; the Imagination still wan

See Pluquet, Dietion, des Hérésies. Discours Préliminaire.

the IInd and IIIrd

dered. The mind of the Philosopher, which had at first Heresies of grasped with avidity (if we may so express ourselves) the new system, and remained fixed in momentary Centuries. tranquillity on its recent acquisition, soon broke from this unaccustomed state of rest. Questions which had long exercised its powers, and which are, perhaps, insoluble in this our present circumscribed sphere of existence, insensibly suggested themselves again. Explanations were sought in Christianity, and not found. The great mystery, for instance, of the Existence of Evil in the works of Perfect Goodness, was thought still covered with obscurity. The Philosopher, therefore, without rejecting his last acquired belief, returned back to his old opinions, and endeavoured to explain the facts which were revealed on principles which he had long before embraced. And from this alliance of Philosophical works with Christian dogmas sprang most of the Heresies of the IInd and IIIrd centuries.

We shall endeavour, under each separate Heresy, to point out the principal Works in which it is more particularly examined. The chief ancient Treatises on Heresies in general are those of Irenæus, of Philaster, of Epiphanius, of Augustine, and of Theodoret; to which may be added the short catalogue of Heresies affixed to Tertullian's de Præscriptione, and the anonymous Work entitled Prædestinatus, (which was first published by Sirmond, in 1643.) At a later period, the subject was treated by Joannes Damascenus, and several other Writers.* In modern times, it has exercised the learning of Ittigius, Langius, Lardner, Pluquet, and many others; but notwithstanding the high merits of some writers on particular Sects, as for instance, the masterly production of Beausobre on Manicheism, we know not of any general work which gives a full and luminous view of the History of Heresies, their causes, origin, connection, and extent.

* J. G. Walch, Biblioth. Theolog. tom. iii. c. vii. sec. 10.