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272 Credibility of the Gospel History.
The reader may perhaps here recollect, thaty we formerly
saw the history of another bishop of this place, named Phileas,
who suffered martyrdom in the persecution begun by
Diocletian.
5. I shall be obliged to cite Titus of Bostra several times ; I
therefore here write likewise his history : says Jerom,' Titus,
' bishop of Bostra. in t!ip time of Julian and .Jovian, wrote
' with great strength of argument against the Manichees,
'and some other volumes: he died under Valens.' This
last-mentioned emperor reigned from 364 to 378 : Titus is
remembered again by Jerom in his letter to Magnus.
According to Cave, Titus flourished about 362, and died
about 371 ; in Basnage's edition he is' placed as writing
about the year 360: Tillemont thinks that* he published
his books against the Manichees in the reign of Valens.
Titus fell under the displeasure of Julian, of which Sozomen
has left the following account: ' Julian'' ordered the
' people of Bostra to expel the bishop of that church by a
' public decree, and threatened them, that if any disturbance
' happened there, he should impute it to the bishop and
' clergy. Titus thereupon sent a letter to the emperor, assur-
' ing him that the christians were equal in number to the
* Greeks [or Gentiles]; that they were very quiet; and that,
* paying a regard to his admonitions, they had no thought
' of making any disturbance. From those Avords Julian
' took occasion to write a letter to the people of Bostra, in
' order to incense them against Titus, as having accused
' them, saying : " it was not owing to their own good temper,
' but to his exhortations, that they were kept from sedition." '
The letter, or rescript of Julian, still *= extant, confirms
Sozomen's account.
The books of Titus against the Manichees are taken notice
of by many ancient authors; as "^Epiphanius, ^Theodoret,
•^Heraclean, f-' Stephen
mius ;
Gobar, ''Photius; as also by 'Trithe-
beside Jerom above transcribed.
We still have three of those books, with the contents of all
but the fourth and last seems to be irrecoverably lost
four :
and there may be reason to think that the three books
y See p. 235. ^ Titus, Bostrenus episcopus, sub Juliano el
Joviano principibus fortes adversum Manichseos scripsit libros, et nonnulla
volumina alia. Moritur autera sub Valentc. De V. I. c. 102.
» Persecution de Julien, Art. 2.5. Mem. T. 7. p. 669.
^ Sozom. 1. 5. c. 15. p. 616. B. C. D, " Vid. Julian. 0pp. T.
i. p. 435. Ep. 52. " Hser. 66. c. 21.
* IlaDf. Fab. 1. i. c. 26. sub fin. ' Ap. Phot. cod. 85.
e Ap. eund. cod. 232. p. 896. " Contr. Manich. 1. i. cap. xi.
' De Script. Ec. cap. 72.
^: