The works of Nathaniel Lardner - The Christian Researcher - Home

346 Credibility of the Gospel History.
tine's book to his friend Honoratus, still a Manichee, which
also is entitled, Of the Usefulness of believing. In another
place Aug-ustine complains of them, that they ° set up reason
above authority or scripture.
7. Mani made no pretensions to miraculous powers: this
is particularly insisted upon ini' The Acts of Archelaus.
If it should be here said, that his attempt to cure the king
of Persia's son was pretending- to do a miracle, 1 might
answer, that story is not credibly related. But, setting aside
that consideration for the present, I think that what is said
in the fore-mentioned Acts, about his doing no miracles, ought
to induce us to suppose Mani did not pretend to a miraculous
cure. Nor do the Acts, in the relation of that attempt,
sny so: but that heT took upon him to cure the king's son,
and killed him: which leads us to think he made use of
some external means that proved hurtful. Epiphaniussays
he'' had recourse to medicines, but his hopes of cure failed
him: Cyril, that" he promised to cure the young prince by
prayer. Nor was i*, I think, unbecoming a pious man, and
a teacher of religion, if called upon occasion of sickness, to
make use of prayer. However, it must be owned that ' Cyril
likewise speaks of 3Iani's killing the king's son; which, as
already observed, seems to imply some external applications
that were prejudicial; provided there is any foundation at
all for this story.
8. T do not recollect that Mani or his followers were ever
famous for visions and revelations, as some others have been.
It is indeed said, in the Acts of Archelaus, that" Mani was
admonished in a dream of the king's design to put him to
death. But surely every one perceives that to be ridiculous.
Does a man, imprisoned by order of his prince, need
" Undc igilur exordiar > ab auctnritate, an ratione ? Naturae quidem ordo ita
se habet, ut, cum aliquid discimus, rationem prsecedat auctoritas.— Sed, quoniam
cum iLs nobis res est, qui omnia contra ordinem et sentiunt, et loquuntur,
et gerunf, nihilque aliud maxime dicunt, nisi rationem prius esse reddendam,
morem illis geram. De Mor. E. C. c. 2. n. 3.
P Et post ista omnia mandata, iste nee signum quidem aliqnod, aut prodi-
gium ullum ostendens. Arch.c. 35. p. 61. f. Et haec quidem non in explorata
proloquor ; sed ex eo quod nullum te video facere virtutem, ita de le sentio,
&c. ib. c. .36. p. 63. i prajsentiam suam Manes exhibet
apud regem, dicens se esse puerum curaturum.—Verum, ne multa narrando
quEe gessit, taediiim auditoribus inferam, mortuus est puer in manibus ejus, vel
potius extinctus. ib. c. 53. p. 98. ' nva nSt)