24.06.2013 Views

The works of Nathaniel Lardner - The Christian Researcher - Home

The works of Nathaniel Lardner - The Christian Researcher - Home

The works of Nathaniel Lardner - The Christian Researcher - Home

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

<strong>The</strong> M(tnichccs. Sect. I. 273<br />

^vliieli wc have are not complete, or tljat some parts <strong>of</strong> them<br />

are out <strong>of</strong> place. It seems to me that some words <strong>of</strong>' Basnag-e,<br />

to whom Me are indebted for tlie publication <strong>of</strong> Titus<br />

in Greek, attord oround for such a suspicion, though he lias<br />

taken laudable pains to set all right.<br />

Some ascribe to Titus a Commentary upon St. Luke,<br />

though it is not distinctly mentioned among his <strong>works</strong> by any<br />

ancient author; learned men therefore are divided in their<br />

sentiments about it. Basnage thinks that' Titus wrote such<br />

a commentary, and tliat there are fragments <strong>of</strong> it remaining :<br />

Fabricius is <strong>of</strong> opinion, that the Commentary upon St.<br />

Luke is the work <strong>of</strong> some other Titus, <strong>of</strong> the sixth century,<br />

or later : Tillemont, beside other material things, observes<br />

that" no ancient author makes particular mention <strong>of</strong> any<br />

work <strong>of</strong> Titus, but that against the Manichees : and that the<br />

Commentary upon St. Luke, which bears his name, has divers<br />

marks <strong>of</strong> a late age.<br />

I shall add here some censures <strong>of</strong> learned moderns upon<br />

Titus particularly upon that work <strong>of</strong> his which we have, and<br />

;<br />

is universally, received as genuine. Those censures may be<br />

<strong>of</strong> use to assist my readers in forming a right j udgment <strong>of</strong><br />

ancient christian writers.<br />

Says" Tillemont :<br />

' He seems to have followed the dan-<br />

' gerous error ascribed to Origen, that the pains <strong>of</strong> the<br />

' damned, and even those <strong>of</strong> the dtemons themselves, will not<br />

' be eternal.'<br />

Du PinP says :<br />

* It is surprising that Titus had not re-<br />

' course to original sin for explaining all the flifficulties <strong>of</strong><br />

' the Manichees : it might have served him for a general<br />

' solution <strong>of</strong> almost all their objections : for there is no longer<br />

any difficulty to comprehend, why man is carried to evil,<br />

' why he suffers, why he is subject to hunger, pain, diseases,<br />

' death, when once original sin is admitted : nevertheless he<br />

' has made no use <strong>of</strong> this doctrine to explain these questions,<br />

'' Quinimo plurima inverse ordine turbata intricatissima invenimus. Prima<br />

fronte periisse librum tertium autumabam.—Sed perlegendo Grseca, apparuit<br />

nobis ille liber tertius integer, quern primo libro inseruerat amanuensis. Deinde<br />

truncatus multis in locis videbatur primus liber. Sed discerpta resarcire, et in<br />

genuinura ordinem restituere conati sumus, non modo argumentorum seriera<br />

secuti, sed etiam proposito Serapionis scopo, quern ipse delineaverat, sequentes.<br />

Basnag. Animadv. ap. Canis. Lect. T. i. p. 58.<br />

' Observandum est igitur, periisse Commentarios Titi in Lucam, sed frag-<br />

menta tantum, sive Catenam Graecorum Patrum sub ejus nomine protrudi.<br />

Basn. ib. p. 57.<br />

editus—non est hujus Titi,<br />

" Commentarius in Lucam sub Titi nomine<br />

sed scriptoris Cyrillo Alexandrino, ac fortasse<br />

saeculo sexto, junioiis, &c. Fabr. Bib. Or. T. 8. p. 413.<br />

"<br />

P<br />

Vid. Tillem. ubi supra, p. 670.<br />

Du Pm, Bibl. des Aut. Ec. T. 2. p.<br />

" Tillem. ubi supr. p. 671.<br />

128. a Amsterdam.<br />

VOL, III. T

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!