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208 Credibility of the Gospel History.
siirod : but this account is all false and mistaken. The
seventh Greek version, as it is called, was in Origen's
Hexapla, and was of a part only of the Old Testament
whereas Lucian's edition contained the whole Old Testament,
as has been observed by' Hodyand'' MontfauQon, men well
skilled in tliis matter : nor is there any good re, son to think
that Lucian understood Hebrew : and the finding- the copy
among- the Jews at Nicomedia ;?ppears to be altogether
fabulous, or mistaken; for it is likely that' Lucian took
care to publish copies of his work without delay. Yea, the
author of the Synopsis himself says, that Lucian havingfinished
his exact version delivered it to his christian bre-
thren ;" and yet he presently afterwards adds, that after his
martyrdom it was'' found in the hands of some Jews, where
it had been lodged fc safety ; which, in my opinion, has
not the appearance of probability : for the Jews of those
times were always enemies to the christians, and no more
to be confided in than heathens, especially in times of persecution.
The late Jeremiah Jones thought that? the editions of the
New Testament made by Lucian and Hesychius, and mentioned
by Jerom, as above, arei the apocryphal gospels of
Lucian and Hesychius, which are censured in the decree of
Pope Gelasius ; and that Gelasius means not any distinct
' Ut errant hi scriptores, cum editionem Luciani appellant translationem ;
sic rursus falluntur, cum Septimam dicunt ; nescientes nimirum, extitisse
Septimam quamdam in Hexaplis Origenis. Hod. ib. p. 627.
^ Sic ille [auctor Synopseos] decantatum illani Luciani martyris editionem
cum Seplima Hexaplari confudit, exque duabus unam fecit. Quod commentum
Eusebii atque Hieronymi testimoniis exploditur, quorum prior, Luciano mar-
tyri ffiqualis, in ipso autographo vidit Septimam ab Origene ante annos plus
quinquaginta in Hexaplis positam. Ad hsec vero auctoris Synopseos narratio
respuitur ex ipsis SeptimEe I'ragmentis, quae, ut testificantur Eusebius et Hieroiiymus,
in paucis scripturae iibris aderat: contra vero Luciani editio totam
scripturam complectcbatur, nihilque aliud erat quam interpretatio twv 6 plurimis
in locis ab eodem sancto martyre emendata, quae multis post concinnata
Hexajjla aiinis prodierat. Hinc vero corrigendus Waltonus, qui, ab auctore
Synopseos deceptus, opinatur Septimam eandem esse, quam Luciani martyris
editionem. Prolog, ix. num. xx. Montf. Praelim. in Hex. Orig. cap. 8. sect,
ii. p. 58, 59. ' See Tillem. St. Lucien, not. ii. p. 404. Mem. T. v. P. iii.
"' See Tillem. again, p. 405. who says, it is probable, that Lucian published
many copies of his edition, and made it common.
" Kai SiopOwrrafitvoQ iv roig ypafuv roiroig t^tSoro toiq x/'i"rt«i'0(c aSeX^oig.
Synops. ubi supr. p. 204. A.
° — Trapa lHOaioiQ.—]h.
P See his canon of Scripture, vol. i. p. 281, 31 1.
1 Evangelia, quae falsavit Lucianus, apocrypha. Evangelia, quae falsavit
Hesychius, apocrypha. Gelas. ap. Labb. T. iv. p. 1264.
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