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316 Credibilily of the Gospel History.
new sect by that time be was tbirty years of age : for more
be could not be, admitting- tbe autbority of the Edessen
Cbronicle concerning tbe time of bis birtb, as Beausobre
does : nay, be supposetb tbati Mani migbt make a figure in
267.
Toutee observes tbat,"^ since Cyril says in bis time tbere
were persons living wbo bad seen Mani, we cannot reasonably
place tbe dispute witli bim before tbe year 277, at
wbicb time bis beresy was first brougbt into tbe Roman
empire, and in tbe following year be was put to deatb :
wbicb, I tbink, cannot be denied by tbose who bave any
regard for tbe Acts of ^ Arcbelaus.
Cave tberefore is somevvbat singular wben he says that*^
Mani began to spread his notions in 277, and" lived to
near the end of that century ; and yet be may be thought
to have some reason for that supposition, wben it is recollected
that in Cyril's time there were some who had seen
Mani ; in Epipbanius's, some wbo had conversed with bis
disciple Hermias ; provided tbose authors may be depended
upon.
Pagi approves^ of tbe date in Jcrom's Cbronicle, but says
that, according to the success and progress of this doctrine
in several places, authors bave spoken differently concerning
tbe time of it.
For my own part, I tbink it very dilricult to determine
exactly the time of tbe rise of Manicbreism in Persia, or of
its first appearance in tbe Roman empire : and T am apt to
think that most considerate persons may be in suspense here.
It is evident from tbe letter of Arius, and tbe testimonies of
Jerom and Augustine, that Manicboeism was known in tbe
•J J'en ai marqud le tcms a I'annee deux cens soixante sept, en quoi j'ai
suivi Abulpharage, qui temoigne, quelle parilt sous Aurelien. lb. p. 186. in.
Is est annus 277 a Chrisfi nativitatc. Non esse in anteriora tcmpora refrahenduni
Manetis exortum arguniento est id quod Cyrillus subjicit, fuisseadhuc
suo tempore superstites, qui Manetem ipsi suis oculis conspcxissent. Quod
autem sub Probo innotuit Manes, intelligendum de ejus in Mesopotamiam et
Romanoriim iinpenuui adventu, qui uno tantuni anno ejus necem antecessit.
Tout, ad Cyr. Cat. G. p. 99. not. 3.
• Vid. Arch. n. 55. p. 100. ' Haeresin suam disseminare coepit
circa ann. 277. Probi imperatorisanno secundo. H. L. T. i. p. 139, in Manefe.
" Insani* suse virus non ante annum 277 proj^inare coepit Manes, et plures
poatea annos in vivis erat, ac proinde, ad exitum vergente hoc saculo, Agapium
sibi fliscipulum adscivit. Cav. Diss, de Script, incertae act. sub. in.
" In Annalibus origo ha^rcseos Manich«orum anno praecedenti consignatur
scd earn ad praesentem retrahendam esse evincit Eusebius in Chronico. Pagi
Ann. 277. n. vi. Verum est, varias sub idem fero tempus eruptiones monstri
illius fuisse, et insignibus alicujus facinoris notis celebratas. Quae causa fuit,
cur non iisdem Imperatoribus hseresis istius origo raandata fuerit. lb. n. vii.
;