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the contents of it to be the work of some honest, orthodox, or catholic Christian. Daillé has argued in a like manner.

5. It is not easy to say what respect Epiphanius himself had for this work. He quotes things from it, as ordinances of the apostles, and as the divine word and doctrine: but it is not mentioned in any of the passages, where he gives the catalogues of the books of scripture, exhibited in the preceding chapter. Moreover, the expressions of his just taken notice of, seem to imply no more, than that the book was an ecclesiastical or orthodox writing: farther, either his Constitutions were not the same as ours, or he had not much regard for them. For in our Constitutions divers early heretics are named, and they are condemned and confuted: of which passages nevertheless Epiphanius has made no use in his history of those heretics, or in his arguments against them: which every one must be apt to think he would have done, if the Constitutions which we have, had been then in being, and had been esteemed by him as of authority.

6. Whatever was the opinion of Epiphanius about the work quoted in the passages of his just recited, or referred to, there can be no good reason for us to suppose it was a book of sacred scripture; forasmuch as no such book is quoted as scripture by Irenæus, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Cyprian, Eusebius, or any other Christian writer of the first three centuries.

If any should say that Epiphanius's Constitutions are the same with the Doctrine of the Apostles, mentioned by Eusebius and Athanasius, [which has been the opinion of Grabe and some others,] I would answer: That is not certain. Supposing them to be the same, it is manifest that the book called the Doctrine of the Apostles, was no book of sacred scripture. It is never quoted by Eusebius, or Athanasius, in any of their writings: they have only once mentioned it, each of them, as a spurious, or useful book, when they give a catalogue of the books of the New Testament: and all other Christian writers before them are quite silent about it. In the Synopsis, ascribed to Athanasius, it is mentioned; but it is ranked with contradicted,' or apocryphal books.

II. Having seen the passages of Epiphanius concerning the Apostolical Constitutions of his time, and made remarks on them, I proceed to consider a work which we now have in eight books, with a like title: and I begin with alleging the judgments of divers learned moderns upon them.

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1. Cotelerius says: It is certain, that the work of the Apostolical Constitutions in eight books is apocryphal and pseudepigraphal, not composed by the apostles, nor by the apostolical Clement. Although Epiphanius and Cedrenus have quoted the Constitutions as the divine word; nevertheless it is manifest, that a book cannot be esteemed the work of the apostles, ⚫ which the earliest times of the church were unacquainted with, which was unknown to the fathers, or neglected by them, which has many marks of forgery and falsehood; which the • catholic church excludes from the canon of divine scripture: which, finally, has in it very many things contrary to truth and probability, plainly of a later date than the times of the apostles, and quite different from their true characters.'

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2. Tillemont's judgment is not very different from that of Cotelerius: I therefore take it next. If the Doctrine of the Apostles, mentioned by Eusebius and Athanasius, and the Constitutions, are different works, as Du Pin thinks, Epiphanius is the first who has mentioned ⚫ the Constitutions. And though the last canon of the apostles ranks them with the canonical scriptures; and though the Ethiopians respect them as sacred and divine scripture; we are • nevertheless constrained to own, that there are in them many things contrary to truth and probability, and far different from the time of the apostolical writings.'

a At non ideo fit, ut libros a Clemente vere scriptos, vereque ab Apostolis instituta dictataque, quæcumque in illis narrantur, fuisse crediderit. Multis enim libris nihil inest vel a fide, vel a disciplinâ alienum, quos non idcirco dixeris vel Clementinos, vel Apostolicos. Omnino videtur Epiphanius sensisse, illas Apostolorum nomine tam vulgatas Diataxes boni & catholici viri opus esse non inutile, iisque sincere explicatam esse ecclesiæ fidem ac disciplinam: ut a Clemente scriptas, & ab ipsis Apostolis dictatas crediderit, nihil sanc cogit. De Pseudep. Apostol. I. i. cap. 2. p. 37.

Itaque verum est, Constitutionum Apostolicarum oxlabicAaz opus esse apocryphum, & pseudepigraphum, ab apostolis

Quamvis S.

non profectum, nec ab apostolico Clemente.
Epiphanius H. 80. 7. & Cedrenus.Delov λolov Diataxibus
tribuant; attamen liquido constat, ad apostolus & Clementem
non pertinere ovlafua, quod prima ecclesiæ tempora latuit,
quod a tot sanctis patribus ignoratum fuit, aut neglectum;
quod pluribus suspicionem movit suppositionis, plurimis cer-
titudinem dedit falsitatis; quod catholica ecclesia a canone
scripturarum divinarum excludit; quod denique sexcenta
complectitur cum veritate, cum similitudine pugnantia, recen-
tiora temporibus apostolicis, & apostolico charactere remotis-
sima. Cotel. Jud. de Const. Ap. ap. Patr. Ap. T. i.

Saint Clement, de Rome, Art. vii. Mem. T. ii.

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3. For Du Pin's opinion, I refer at present to his Preliminary Dissertation upon the Bible, and to what he writes in his account of the Canons and Constitutions ascribed to the apostles, and then of Clement of Rome.

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Daillé's opinion was, that the Constitutions were composed after the council of Nice, and before the end of the fifth century.

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5. Mr. Robert Turner thought, the Constitutions made use of by Epiphanius to be different from the present Constitutions; and concludes his work, saying: That the eight books of • Constitutions seem to have been made out of several doctrines, constitutions, canons, travels, and traditions, ascribed to the apostles, and out of some of the ancient Liturgies, and the discipline and practice of the Greek church, oddly blended together, adulterated and changed by some ignorant Arian in the fifth century.'

6. Pearson was of opinion, that the Apostolical Constitutions were formed out of several lesser works, called Doctrines or Constitutions, said to be written by Clement, Ignatius, Hippolytus, and others, but altered and interpolated by the author of this collection: and that the eight books of the Constitutions, as we now have them, were not composed and finished till after the time of Epiphanius. I have now placed Pearson's words somewhat at large at the bottom of the page; and I formerly spoke of this opinion of his.

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7. Grabe's opinion was exactly the same as Pearson's. I now also put his words below. 8. James Basnage thought, that Pearson had hit the time of this work very well. For on the one hand, these eight books of the Apostolical Constitutions were not known in the time of Epiphanius: it might be added, nor of Jerom. On the other hand, the author of the Imperfect Work upon St. Matthew, who wrote after the time of Theodosius, quotes the eighth book: therefore we must place the composing of this large collection at the middle of the fifth century. 9. The opinion of Samuel Basnage may be seen in his 'Annals.

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10. The late learned Dr. Waterland has these expressions: The Clementine Liturgy, though it is not thought to have been ever in public use, is commonly believed to be the oldest ' of any now extant: and, though as an entire collection, it cannot be justly set higher than the fifth century, yet it certainly contains many things derived from earlier times.'

11. Pagi thought it sufficient to say, for shewing the Constitutions not to be Clement's, that " they are not mentioned among his works either by Eusebius or Jerom.

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12. Le Clerc wrote a Dissertation, which he placed at the end of the second volume of his last edition of the Apostolical Fathers. He takes notice of some things in the Constitutions exceedingly unsuitable to the character of the apostles of Christ. He says, they well represent the ecclesiastical discipline of the fourth century; but not that of earlier times. He thinks, they'

* L. ii. c. 6. sect. 10.

Biblioth. Ec. T. i. p. 14, &c. a Amsterdam.
Ibid. p. 30. &c.

Si tamen, ut in re obscurâ, conjecturas & argumenta admittere libet; illud inprimis pro certo constitui posse mihi videtur, fuisse hoc opus ante finem quinti sæculi scriptum atque editum. De Pseudep. Ap. l. ii. c. 17. p. 393.

198.

Discourse of the pretended Apostolical Constitutions, p. f The same, p. 295.

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-ex his diversis Didascaliis atque Constitutionibus libros octo Constitutionum Apostolicarum, quos habemus, confectos atque consarcinatos fuisse, asserere non dubitoUnde conjicio, octo libros Constitutionum post ævum Epiphanii ex veteribus Didascaliis atque Diataxibus, immutatis interpolatisque, factos esse. Neque enim ille numerum librorum indicat. Pears. Vind. Ign. P. i. c. 4. p. 282, 283. Amst. 1698.

See the chapter of Hippolytus, Vol. i. p. 500.

i Unde certissima mibi videtur sententia doctissimi Præsulis Pearsonii: qui in Vindiciis S. Ignatii asseruit, octo libros Constitutionum post ævum Epiphanii, sed ante Auctorem Operis Imperfecti in Matthæum compositos fuisse. Dictus 'enim auctor primus Constitutiones Apostolicas, tamquam pluribus libris constantes, citavit -Hic itaque cum aliquamdiu post Theodosium imp. vixerit,octo libri Constitutionum exeunte sæculo iv. vel ineunte v. prodiisse videntur. Cæterum jam supra p. 43. admodum probabilem dixi

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in Review of the Doctrine of the Eucharist, p. 341. n Verum harum Constitutionum auctor non est Clemens Romanus, quia Eusebius, & Hieronymus libro de Scriptoribus Ecclesiasticis, cum de scriptis S. Clementis agunt, unam duntaxat illius ad Corinthios epistolam recensent. Legatur Eusebius, 1. iii. c. 15. Pagi Ann. 100. n. 8.

Est in iis dogma quod maxime offendit viros doctos, & quidem merito, quo Episcopus ita extollitur, ut soli Deo subjiciatur, utque Dynasta & Deus terrenus adpelletur: quod veritati atque humilitati apostolorum prorsus adversatur. Exstat. 1. ii. c. 26. Rursus, cap. 34 sic loquuntur personati apostoli de episcopis:Hos Principes & Reges præesse existimate, tributaque iis offerte. &c. Diss. de Const. n. 6. p. 494.

P Cæteroquin in Constitutionibus, quales habemus, optime describitur sæculi quarti disciplina ecclesiastica. Ib. n. 5. 1. 9 Est hic quoque tota disciplina ecclesiastica iv. sæculi, qualis ab initio non fuerat: ut jam observavit Jac. Usserius, Diss. cap. 14. 16. quem nemo confutavit, aut confutare queat. Ib. n. 10.

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Ego vero Constitutiones, quales nunc habemus, cum etiamnum arderent contentiones Arianorum, ab episcopo quo

were composed by some Arian of the fourth century: and seems to think, there may be some probability in the conjecture of another learned man, that they are the work of Leontius, bishop of Tripoli in Lydia.

13. Young Barratier published a Dissertation to shew, that the Constitutions were written in the second century, and not far below the beginning of it. He supposeth, that not long after the death of the apostles some person had a like design with that of Papias: he therefore collected what he could meet with of the apostle's precepts and sayings concerning Christian manners and worship. Nor did he confine himself to oral traditions: he also made use of divers books; some of them apocryphal; for which reasons many things may be here ascribed to the apostles which are not truly theirs. In some things the author may be relied upon; other things may be false and fictitious. So Barratier. I am unwilling to say that this is a trifling hypothesis and void of evidence: but it seems to me, that the Constitutions will be of little more use, or value, according to this opinion, than according to the opinion of those, who think them a collection made in the fourth or fifth century.

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14. Mr. Whiston thinks, that the Apostolical Constitutions are the most sacred of the 'canonical books of the New Testament.'

III. Such are the opinions of learned men concerning this work. I now intend to offer an argument upon it under the following heads.

1. I shall observe some passages, in which the apostles are mentioned as authors.

2. We will inquire what right this work has to the names of the apostles: where will be considered both external and internal evidence.

3. If it should appear that their authority is made use of without reason, it will follow, that the work is an imposture.

IV. In the first place we are to observe some of the passages, in which the apostles are mentioned as authors.

1. And indeed these eight books of Constitutions are written, and the things contained in them are delivered, as in the name of the apostles of Jesus Christ.

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2. They begin with this inscription or salutation: The apostles and elders to all, who from among the Gentiles have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace and peace be multiplied unto you from God almighty, through our Lord Jesus Christ, in the acknowledgment of him.' 3. Wherefore we the twelve apostles of the Lord, who are now together, send you these our divine Constitutions, concerning every ecclesiastical form, there being present with us also the chosen vessel, our fellow-apostle Paul, and the rest of the elders, and the seven deacons.'. 4. That quotation is from the fourth chapter of the eighth and last book. And in the last chapter of it, again: Now this we all in common charge you, that every one remain in the "rank assigned him, without transgressing the appointed bounds. For they are not ours, but 'God's.'

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5. And still lower, in the same chapter, near the conclusion of the whole work: As by Moses were appointed high-priests, priests and Levites, and by our Saviour we the thirteen were appointed: and by the apostles I James, and I Clement, and others, not to name them again: and by all in common, presbyters, deacons, sub-deacons, and readers...'

piam Ariano conscriptas fuisse clanculum, ut earum auctoritate, ad confirmandam Arianam doctrinam, uteretur, & quidem ante quarti sæculi finem, existimo. Ib. n. 5.

aqualis erat Leontius Tripolitanus, in Lydiâ, episcopus, si credimus judicio viri doctissimi, Thomæ Brunonis, quod in hoc ipso volumine edidimus. Ib. n. 3.

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Itaque, apostolis defunctis, probabile est, pios quosdam viros conatos esse omnia eorum dicta, facta, & scripta, colligere, & posteritati servare. Sic Papias. Sic tot apocryphorum auctores. Inde statim post A. C. centesimum aliquis conatus fuerit omnia colligere, quæ apostoli circa mores et ritus Christianorum reliquerint. Et sane Constitutiones ex variis collectas esse tractatibus manifestum est.Interim nolo idcirco omnia et singula, quæ in Constitutionibus leguntur, apostolis tribuere. Multa iis supposita esse nullo negotio credo. Et sane illis temporibus tam ingens librorum apocryphorum, dubiorum, &c. numerus ortus est, ut fieri non possit, ConstiVOL. II.

tutionum compilatorem, non ex iis quædam in opus suum irrepere passum esse. In iis factis historicis, quæ nude referuntur, et non nexûs causâ adhibita sunt, aio Constitutiones omnem fidem mereri.—Sed alia ratio est de conventu v gr. omnium apostolorum, qui modo ideo fictus est, ut iis tribuerentur Constitutiones, tamquam commune opus. Alia ratio iterum de Simonis Magi historiâ, quæ potuit ficta esse, quia credebatur interesse apostolorum, ut inulta prodigia is tribuerentur, et multa hæreticis falsa affingerentur. Barrat. Disquis. Chronol. p. 282, 283. Ultrajecti. 1740. 4to.

See the second and third volumes of Primitive Christianity revived.

4 Οι αποσόλοι και οἱ πρεσβύτεροι πασι τοις εξ εθνων πιςευσα. σ. x. A. Const. Procm. in.

• Αμα τοινὺν ὑπαρχονίες ἡμεῖς οἱ δεκαδύο τε κύριε αποτολοι τας δε τας θειας ήμων εντελλόμεθα διατάξεις. L. viii. c. 4..in. * Εκείνο δε κοινή πανίες παραγγελλομεν. L. viii. c. 46. iri.

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6. It appears, then, that the whole of the work, and all the ordinances in it, from beginning to end, are delivered in the name of all Christ's apostles, and as from God himself.

7. These Constitutions assume not only the names of the apostles, but also their characters and actions.

8. And to take our own things,' say they, Judas our companion had part with us in the same ministry.'

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9.I 9. I Matthew, one of the twelve, who speak to you in this doctrine, was a publican.' 10. So the Lord was not ashamed of me Matthew, though before I was a publican. And he received Peter, and made him shepherd of his own sheep, after he had through fear denied him thrice. And he appointed Paul to be our fellow apostle, who before had been a per

secutor.'

11. For taking a towel, he girded himself; and then put water in a bason, and came round 'to us, as we sat, and washed all our feet, and wiped them with the towel.'

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12. And on the fifth day of the week, when we had eaten the passover with him, he delivered to us the representative mysteries of his precious body and blood, Judas not being present with us.———— -He went out to the mount of Olives and we were with him, and sang an hymn according to custom.'

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13. For our Lord and Master Jesus Christ sent us twelve to teach the nations. were with us Mary, the mother of the Lord, and Mary Magdalene, and what follows.'

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There 14. And after eight days he gave me Thomas, who was hard of belief concerning his re⚫surrection, full assurance, shewing me the print of the nails, and the wound made in his side by the spear.

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15. On the day of Pentecost, at the third hour of the day, the Lord Jesus sent down upon us the gift of the Holy Ghost: and we were filled with power, and spake with new tongues, as the Spirit enabled us; and we preached to Jews and Gentiles, that Jesus is the Christ.' 16. For k we also, for Christ's sake, were often beaten by Caiaphas, and Alexander, and Annas; and went out rejoicing, that we were accounted worthy to suffer such things for our • Saviour.' See Acts iv. 6. v. 40, 41.

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17. Having mentioned divers parts of our Lord's history, they add: All these things we testify of him, who did eat and drink with him, and were eye-witnesses of his wonderful works, of his words, and sufferings, and death, and resurrection from the dead, after which also we ⚫ conversed with him forty days. And what follows.' Much more may be seen elsewhere.

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18. That they take upon them the character of the apostles, appears also in the names of the persons whom they speak of as their assistants and companions; all well known to have been companions of Christ's apostles, or some of them.

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19. These things" we send unto you by our fellow-servant, and most faithful and unanimous son in the Lord, Clement, together with Barnabas, and our most faithful son Timothy, and our own son Mark; together with whom we recommend to you Titus, and Luke, and Jason, and Sosipater.'

20. In the twelfth chapter of the eighth book is a constitution, or order of James, the brother of John, and son of Zebedee. In the thirty-third chapter of the same book is a constitution of Paul and Peter. In the thirty-fifth chapter is a constitution of James the brother of the Lord, and bishop of Jerusalem. Not to mention other things of that kind.

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21. These Constitutions therefore are not written or composed, or drawn up by Clement, but by the apostles: they are only sent by him. Thus at the beginning of the sixteenth chapter of the sixth book: All these things we have sent, [or written] to you, that ye may know what our opinion is.' And in the eighteenth chapter of the same book, partly cited above: This P 'catholic doctrine we have left to you bishops, and others, for the establishment of them that believe; and have sent it to you by our faithful fellow-minister Clement.' He also speaks, together with James, in a place before cited. But the whole work, and all the Constitutions in

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a L. ii. c. 14. p. 222. m.

b L. ii. c. 39.

L. iii. c. 19. p. 290. f L. iii. c. 6. sub in.

hL..v. c. 19. p. 324. k L. v. c. 2.

L. ii. c. 24. p. 234.

e L. v. c. 14. p. 317. 8 Ibid. infr.

iL. v. c. 20. p. 325. JL. v. c. 7. p. 309.

m See 1. v. c. 14. throughout, and 1. ii. c. 55.

n L, vi. c. 18. p. 349.

• Ταυλα πανία επεσειλαμεν ύμιν.

• Καλαλιπονίες ύμιν την δε την καθολικήν διδασκαλίαν - διαπεμψάμενοι δια το συλλειτεριε ήμων Κλήμεντος. p. 349.

general are drawn up in the name of the apostles, or of them and their assistants; as appears from the many passages that have been transcribed.

22. These Constitutions then, as we have seen, are written in the name of the apostles : and according to the whole tenor of the work, they are rightly termed apostolical. V. Let us now inquire into the justness of this claim.

1. As the work now before us bears the title of Apostolical Constitutions, and is written in the name of the apostles, as we have sufficiently seen; we are led to inquire what notice has been taken of it in the genuine, uncontroverted works of ancient Christian writers: and then to compare the Constitutions themselves, and other things occasionally mentioned in this work, with the generally received writings of the apostles, and likewise with the doctrines and customs of the early times of the church, so far as we are acquainted with them. In both these ways the Apostolical Constitutions have been largely considered by Daillé, and since by Mr. Robert

Turner.

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2. Daillé examined all the several ecclesiastical writers of the first three centuries, Barnabas, Clement of Rome, Justin Martyr, Athenagoras, Irenæus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Origen, Cyprian, Dionysius, and Peter of Alexandria, and some others; and has shewn, as it seems to me, with great probability, that the Constitutions were unknown to all those writers. Mr. Turner has again gone over all the same authors, and some others omitted by Daillé; and he could not find in them the Apostolical Constitutions any more than Daillé. To those and other learned writers I refer; I shall, however, observe some things briefly.

3. In these Constitutions is a long history of Simon Magus. Divers other heretics are particularly mentioned: Cleobius, Dositheus, the Ebionites, Cerinthus, Marc, Menander, Basilides, Saturninus, the Nicolaitans, and Hemerobaptists. The evil of heresies is shewn; the causes of them are assigned and enumerated; they are condemned and confuted. Nevertheless, no notice is taken of all this by Irenæus, Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria, or Eusebius; no, nor by Epiphanius, as before observed: though it would have been very much to their purpose. In short, they could not have omitted it in their censures of the ancient heresies, or in their arguments against them, if they had been acquainted with it: for, certainly, the express authority of the apostles would have been of great advantage to them.

4. With regard to Clement of Alexandria, Daillé says, that he quotes Clement of Rome, and Barnabas, and other Christian authors. He had also many occasions to quote the Constitutions, if he had been acquainted with them, as Daillé clearly shews: but yet he takes not any the least notice of them.

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5. Another thing relating to Clement of Alexandria, well observed by Mr. Turner, is; that the Constitutions absolutely forbid the reading of heathen authors. Nevertheless Clement, who was himself a man of prodigious reading, and a great master of heathen learning, frequently quotes in his works all sorts of authors; and has recommended the reading of heathen authors, and the study of philosophy: which he would not have done, if he had been acquainted with these Constitutions, and had acknowledged them to be Apostolical.

6. Mr. Turner adds, Clement of Alexandria was not singular in this. Tertullian, Origen, and a great many more, justify and recommend the reading of heathen compositions: and though St. Jerom (as we are told) was whipped for it, yet it was never said to be because he had broken an apostolical constitution.

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7. And says the ingenious Mr. Brekell: The Constitutions prohibit the reading of heathen authors: and yet many of the ancient fathers, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Origen, and others, recommend the reading of such books; a plain proof, that they knew of no such Apostolical Constitution. Besides, if this had been a Constitution of the Christian church, the emperor Julian would have had no occasion to make the same prohibition.

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8. There was a dispute in the third century between Stephen bishop of Rome, and Cyprian bishop of Carthage, concerning the method of receiving such as came over from heretics. Cyprian and other African bishops said the baptism of heretics was null and void, and therefore

Joannis Dallai de Pseudepigraphis Apostolicis libri iii. Hardervici. 1653.

b Discourse of the pretended Apostolical Constitutions. London. 1715. Vid. lib. 6. cap. 4-11. ·

Vid. Dall. ib. p. 268, 269.

e P. 93, 94.

* Των εθνικων βιβλιων πανίων απέχει L. i. c. 6. in.
8 Vid. Strom. 1. i.

See Divine Oracles, p. 116.

i See Turner, as before, p. 122-130. And in this work, Vol. i. ch. 43. n. 6. p. 615, 616, and ch. 44. Vol. ii. p. 5.

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