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The works of Nathaniel Lardner - The Christian Researcher - Home

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212 Credibility <strong>of</strong> the Gospel History.<br />

' authority <strong>of</strong> the martyr ;' whereas it seems to me, that if<br />

there had been extant any such piece <strong>of</strong> Lucian's, Sozomen<br />

must have known it. Moreover, the Creed, which Sozomen<br />

is supposed to refer to, is at length in "^ Athanasius, ^Hilary,<br />

and '"Socrates: but they none <strong>of</strong> them call it Lucian's: nor<br />

do they say that it wfis published as his. In one <strong>of</strong> the five<br />

Dialogues concerning the Holy Trinity, the age <strong>of</strong> which is<br />

not certainly known, except that they could not be written<br />

much before the end <strong>of</strong> the fourth century, the Macedonian<br />

asks theOrthodox, if he believed as the blessed Lucian did ?<br />

to which the Orthodox answers, he believes as did all the<br />

martyrs and apostles. <strong>The</strong> Macedonian asks again, Avhether<br />

or, whether there<br />

he Avould subscribe Lucian's Formulary ;<br />

was in it any thing which he condemned'? the Orthodox then<br />

tells him, that he dislikes" the addition which his friends had<br />

made, and that he could prove it to be an addition <strong>of</strong> theirs.<br />

<strong>The</strong>re does not then appear to be sufficient reason to consider<br />

that Formulary as Lucian's.<br />

V. This brings us at length to a difficult question, Avhich<br />

cannot well be omitted, relating to Lucian's belief in the<br />

Trinity. We have seen divers testimonies very favourable<br />

to him in Eusebius, Chrysostom, Jerom, Rufinus, Sozomen.<br />

His edition <strong>of</strong> the Seventy was esteemed by man}^ His<br />

memory was honoured by Constantine and others ; nor is<br />

there in Jerom or Athanasius any censure passed upon his<br />

faith. Who could have thought that there should be any<br />

reason to doubt Avhether Lucian was orthodox ? and yet it<br />

is questioned : for Arius concludes his letter" to Eusebius,<br />

bishop <strong>of</strong> Nicomedia, calling him Collucianist : the reason<br />

<strong>of</strong> which seems to be what is said by Epiphanius, that?<br />

Lucian and Eusebius had lived together in Nicomedia : and<br />

Arius I think must have supposed them <strong>of</strong> <strong>of</strong>TO}]Kr]c, rig Trpo(Tt9r]KaTt' Kai tx^ Sii^ai, on irpoetdriKaTt<br />

tvavTia c(VT>}c. Df S. Trin. Dial. iii. ap. Athan. T. ii. p. .507. B. Ed. Bened.<br />

" IIvWhkmvl-^ci, aXi]9o)g Evfftfiu. ap. Epiph. H. 69. p. 7.32. A.<br />

P a/ia AHKiavii) iv 'Siic<strong>of</strong>irjSeiq. (TVfiftt^iwic

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