SECTION III. Of Herefy according to Juftin Martyr. COTEMPORARY with Hegefippus was Juftin Martyr, the first writer that can be proved to have advanced the doctrine of the permanent perfonification of the logos, of which a full account will be given hereafter. He had occafion to mention both the unitarians and the Gnoftics. The former, as I shall shew in its proper place, he mentions with respect, and a tacit apology for differing from them, even from those who believed that Chrift was the fon of Jofeph as well as of Mary. But the manner in which he speaks of the Gnostics is very different indeed from this. The apostle John himself does not express a greater abhorrence of their principles. He fpeaks of them as fulfilling our Saviour's prophecy, that there fhould be falfe chrifts and falfe prophets (the very language of Hegefippus above mentioned) who should deceive deceive many. One of the paffages is as follows. 66 "There are, and have been, many per"fons, who pretending to be christians, "have taught to fay and do atheistical and blafphemous things, and they are deno"minated by us from the names of the perfons whofe doctrines they hold (for "fome of them blafpheme the maker of "the universe, and him who was by him "foretold to come as the Chrift, and the "God of Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, in one 66 66 way, and others in another) with whom "we have no communication, knowing "them to be atheistical, wicked, and im pious perfons, who, instead of reverencing Jefus, confefs him in name only. They "call themfelves chriftians, in the fame "manner as thofe among the heathens in"fcribe the name of God, on the work "of their own hands, and defile themselves "with wicked and atheiftical rites. Some of "them are called Marcionites, fome Valen"tinians, fome Bafilidians, fome Saturnia nians, and others go by other names, each "from their peculiar tenets; in the fame 66 manner "manner as those who addict themselves "to philofophy, are denominated from the • founders of their refpeftive felts. And, "as I have faid, Jefus, knowing what “ would come to pafs after his death, fore" told that there would be fuch men among σε his followers *. He must be entirely unacquainted with ecclefiaftical history who can imagine that any of the characters here mentioned are descriptive of any other class of men than the Gnostics. For they were persons whose tenets were deemed atheistical, who went by the names of certain leaders, who are par * Εισιν εν καὶ εγενονίο, ω φιλοι άνδρες, πολλοί, οι αθεα καὶ βλασφημα λεγειν καὶ πρατίειν εδίδαξαν, εν ονοματι το Ιησε προσελθόνίες και εισιν υφ' ημων απο της προσωνυμίας των ανδρων εξ υπερ εκαστη διδαχη και γνώμη ηρξαιο· (αλλοι γαρ και αλλον τροπον βλασφημείν τον ποιήθην των όλων, και τον υφ' αυτά προφητευόμενον ελεύσεσθαι χρισον, και τον θεον Αβρααμ, και Ισαακ και Ιακωβ, διδάσκεσιν· ων εδενι κοινωνημεν, οι γνωριζονίες αθεες και ασεβεις, και αδίκες και ανομες αυτες υπαρχονίας, και αντι τε τον Ιησαν σεβειν, ονομαλι μονον ομολογειν · και χρισιανες εαυλός λεγεσιν, ον τρόπον, οι εν τοις έθνεσι το όνομα το θες επιγραφεσι τοῖς χειροποιη λοις, και ανόμοις και αθεοις τελείαις κοινονεσι) και εισιν αύλων οι μεν τινες καλέμενοι Μαρκιανοι, οι δε Ουαλενινιανοι, οι δε Βασιλιδεανοι, οι δε Σα Τορνιλιανοι, και άλλοι αλλω ονομάζι, απο το αρχηγείο της γνώμης έκαςος, ονομαζόμενος—ως και εκ τέλων ημεις—τον Ιησεν και των μεΐ αυλων γενησομένων προγνωσην επισάμεθα. Dial. p. 208. ticularly ticularly specified, all of them known to be Gnoftics, and they were not in communion with the catholic church. The other paffage is to the fame purpose. After speaking of fome who held the true christian doctrine, he adds, "For I have σε "fhewn you that there are fome who call "themselves indeed chriftians, but are athe"istical, and wicked heretics, teaching blaf 66 phemous, atheistical, and stupid doctrines. " If you compare them with those who are "called chriftians, they will not agree with "them, but dare to blafpheme the God of "Abraham, the God of Ifaac, and the God "of Jacob; who also say that there is no re"furrection of the dead, but that immedi ately after death fouls are received into hea66 ven. Do not take these to be chriftians*." -E * Τες γαρ λεγομενες μεν χρισιανός, ολας δε αθεός, και ασεβείς αιρεσιωίας, ότι καλα πανία βλασφημα, και αθεα, και ανοηλα διδάσκεσιν εδήλωσα σου γαρ και συνεβαλέε υμείς τισι λεγομενοις χρισια νοις, και τέλο μη ομολογεσιν, αλλά και βλασφημείν τολμωσιν τον Θεον Αβρααμ, και τον Θεον Ισαακ, και τον θεον Ιακωβ, οι και λέγεσιν μη είναι νεκρών ανάτασιν, αλλ' αμα τω αποθνήσκειν τας ψυχας αύτων αναλαμβάνεσθαι εις τον ερανόν, μη υπολάβητε αυτες χρισιανες. Dial. P. 311. Had Had the writer exprefsly faid that the perfons he was defcribing were Gnoftics, and Gnoftics only, he could not have spoken more plainly than he has done, especially in faying that they denied the resurrection, which none but Gnoftics ever did, but which was done by all Gnoftics without exception. If any person can think otherwife, I fcruple not to fay, that he has not the smallest tincture of that kind of knowledge which is requifite to qualify him for judging in these matters. It may be fafely concluded, therefore, that, in the opinion of Juftin, there were no heretics befides the Gnoftics; and he does not appear to spare any whom he thought deferved the name of heretics, and were not in communion with the catholic church. Laftly, I would obferve, that it is after giving an account of Simon, Menander, and Marcion, known Gnoftics, and without any allufion to unitarians, that Juftin mentions his writing a treatise against all herefies. Apol. 1. p. 44. VOL. I. T SE C |