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282 Credibility of ihe Gospel Uislury.
the error of Eunoiiiiiis, who flourished about the year 300.
But those words need not be understood to mean any more
than' that his sentiments were different from those of Eunomius,
insomuch that he seemed to oppose them: as indeed
it is allowed that the Manichrean doctrine concernino- the
Trinity was different from that of the Arians.
However, what Photius says= of this writers confessing'
a consubstantial Trinity, and agreeing mightily in expres-
sion with tlie orthodox christians, may be an argument for
his liaving- lived and written after the Nicene council ; forasmuch
as it is very common with Photius to find in ecclesiastical
authors, who lived before that council, many forms
of expression different from those in use afterwards.
Photius speaks of a piece, or, as he is generally understood,
of two pieces of' Agapius ; one a work of three-andtwenty
books, another consisting of a hundred-and-two
chapters, inscribed to a woman of the same sect, named
Urania : but j)erhaps that is a fictitious name and character.
If those books were extant they would be very curious. It
may be collected from the account which Photius gives
of them, that they would have furnished us with a good
knowledge of the Manichsean scheme; for most, if not all
their princij)les, seem to have been there treated.
In anotherwork Photius, reckoning* up the twelve disciples
of Mani, mentions' Agapius, author of the Heptalogus, as
does likewise'' Peter of Sicily: this book is also in the'
Anathemas against the Manichees, or Form of abjuring
Manichaeisin. Timothy, presbyter of Constantinople, men-
tions, perhaps by mistake, the'" Heptalogus of Alogius: it
is generally supposed that" this is another book of the same
Agapius, who wrote the other two beforementioned ; if so,
Agapius wrote three books in defence of the Manichocan
principles. Whether this computation be right I cannot
tell ; but I can by no means allow that the placing* Agapius
among the twelve disciples of Mani affords any help for
settling this age: because I do not admit the authority of
f Vid. Cav. Diss, de Scriplor. incert. IE\. et Beaus. Hist, de Manich. T. i. p.
434. 6 Kai T^iaCia £e bfionaiov o KarapciTog Xfyti fxtv vfioXoyiiv.
Cod. 170. p. 404. in. Tac jxtv tojv tvatpiov Xi^eiQ avvofioKoyMv. ib. iiifr. p. 7.
*" Ay«7n« /3i/3Xtoj/, Xoyotijiia TTtpitxov rpia icai tiKooi, icai irtQa Ki