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258 CrecliLilitij nf llif Guspcl ILslnrrj.
quoted iti this piece : it is likely that there was no particular
occasion for it.
3. He mentions" the New Testament, the gospels, and the
apostle Paul's epistles: for which not only he, but Mani
likewise, had a great regard.
4. Quoting St. Matthew's gospel, he calls him" an evan-
gelist of the Spirit.
5. A passage of St. Mark's gospel is cited p as the word
of God.
6. Quoting John i. 16, he callsi him ' Saint John the
greatest of the evangelists;' if that is not the style of the
Latin translator.
7. Here is mention made of "^ the book of the gospels.
8. The book of the Acts is quoted and called^ scripture.
9. Divers of St. Paul's epistles are expressly quoted. That
to the Romans is called* his first epistle, because, as 1 sup-
pose, it was placed first in the collection.
10. There seems to be an expression, borrowed from the
epistle to the Hebrews,in Mani's" letter to Marcel 1 us, inserted
in these Acts : and there appears to be a reference to Heb.
iii. 3,5,6, in some words of" Archelaus.
11. 1 do not see any of the Catholic epistles quoted, except
the first epistle of St. John. Mani himself is here brought
OCT
in arofuino- from'" 1 John v. 19; " The whole world lies in
wickedness," or in the wicked one, as he understands it.
12. Antichrist is here often" spoken of: but there is scarce
any clear reference to the book of the Revelation. Homever,
it should be observed by us, that in the Revelation, ch.
" Sunt etiam alia miilta, quae dici possent et de apostolo Paulo, et de Evangeliis,
ex quibus ostendere possumu*, veterem legem non esse alterius, quam
Domini, cujus est novum Testamentum. Arch. c. 45. p. 82. Vid. etiam cap.
40. p. 69. ni. ° Sed et Spintus Evangelista Matthaeus [cap. xxiv.]
diligenter significavit Domini nosfri Jesu Christi sennonem. Act. Arch. c. 35.
p. 61. P Quid enim ait senno divinus ? Quis en im potest
introire in domum fortis, et diripere vasa ejus, nisi illo sit fortior ? [Mar. iii. 27.]
ib. c. 16. p. 30. '• Sed et sanctus Joannes, raaximus Evan-
gelistarum, ait, gratiam gratia praestare, &c. ib. c. 45. p. 82.
sicut scriptum est in Evangeliorum libro. c. 13. p. 24.
* Quid enim dicit scriptura ? Quia unusquisque propria sua lingua audiebat
per Paracletum spiritum loquentes apostolos ? ib. c. 36. p. 63. Vid. et cap. 34.
p. 59. ' Ipse quoque in prima epistolil sua posuit, dicens,
ib. c. 34. p. .59. " Apx'H^ 7^9' '''" '"f^''^, kui tov thtwv irartpa
Twv KuKoiv tin TO Qiov ava