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24 Credibility of the Gospel History.
dition is of a precept, or proliibitioii rather, " not to do to
others what they would not have to be done to themselves."
However, there are likewise some other variations that may
require some notice as we g-o along.
1. To begin with the omission. Dr. Mill,^ in his notes
upon Acts XV. 20, is by all means for retaining " and things
strangled " in the text, as the right reading* : but in his
Prolegomena^ he expresseth himself as strongly on the other
side that this particular is an interpolation of the original
text. But let us see whether we cannot hold that learned
writer to his first opinion.
He owns that all the Greek manuscripts of the Acts of
the Apostles have this article of the decree except one ; and
all versions, and likewise all the Greek fathers and commentators
in general : and it is very observable, that among
those Greek fathers there are two of great antiquity who
have cited the decree as we now have it; I mean* Clement
of Alexandria, who has so cited it in two places, and'' Origen.
After this, what good authority can there be for the omission ?
Let us attend.
The main thing seems to be this, that as Dr. Mill supposeth
the Italic version, as it is called, (that is, the ancient
Latin version, chiefly in use among- the Latin christians
before St. Jerom's time, and made, as'' Mill thinks, about
y Kai Tn TTvtKra.] Omittiint Cant. Iren. 1. iii. c. 12. Tert. de Pud. c. 12.
Cyprian. 1. iii. ad Qtiirin. Hieron. Com. in Galat. v. (qui tamen in nonnullis
exeniplarihusscriptumdicit, etasutfocatis;) Ambios. in Galat. ii. (qui additum
vult a sophistis Graecorum quos vocat ;) Augustin. ut et Gaudentius ac Eucherius,
quibus interpretamenti loco additum videtur ro ttviktov. Per sanguinem
enim hie sanguinem suffocatum intelligi putant. Caetenom retinent Graeca quae
quidem vidimus omnia, (excepto uno Cant.) Versiones omnes, etiam Vulgata
Lat. Orig. lib. viii. Contra Celsum, Patres et Tractatores Grseci universim ; ut
proinde minime solicitandum arbitrer. Mill, in Act. Ap. xv. 20.
^ Kai rr]Q Kopvnaq, km th cuiiutoq^ Act. xv. 20, 29. Cant. Irenaei interpres,
Tert. Cyprian. Pacian. Ambr. Gaudentius, Eucherius, Fulgentius, Hieron. alii.
Certe medium, km rs -kvikt^, ipsius Lucae non est, sed Christianorum veterum,
qui cum in hac epistola synodica omnem sanguinis esum sibi interdictum
vidissent ? eosque decretum extendebant, ut etiam a morticinis eo ipso sibi
abstinendum fuisse censuerint ; ne quo modo scilicet sanguine contaminarentur,
vel inter viscera sepulto ; ut loquitur Temillianus. Ex hac, ecclesiae praxi
adscripsit quispiam, hand dubito, scholion, rs ttvikvs, ad marginem codicis
quo ostenderetur in proecepto de abstinentia a sanguine, includi etiam abstinentiam
a morticino, adeoque a quolibet sufFocato. Hoc autem, ceu partem
textus genuinam, transtulenint scribae in corpus epistolae hujiis synodicae, jam
ante tempora ClcmentLs Alexandrini. Mill. Proleg. n. 441, 442. ed Kuster, vid.
etiam n. 641. ^ Ecv^tv, Kpaaav, riji TrvivfiaTi tw aytq) Kai r]fiiv,
fttjStv ttXiov iTTiBioQai iifiiv fiapoc, ttXtjj/ tojv nravayKtQ' aTrix^aQai iidoXoOv-
Tiav, Kai aifiaroQ, Kai ttviktojv, koi ttjq iropvitar' tK u>v diaTTjpsvriQ eavrag,
ev TTpaKiTE. Clem. Al. Paed. 1. ii. cap. 7. p. 172. B. C. Paris. Vid. etiam Strom,
lib. iv. p. 512. D. 513. A. '' See of this work Vol. ii. ch. 38.
aum. 28, " Vid. Mill. Proleg. num. 377, &c.
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