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376 Credibilihj of the Gospel History.
' nothing' human ; and that his cross, passion, and death,
' were in appearance only.'
Athanasius says the^ Manichees deny that the Word was
made flesh. Again, they' do not believe our Lord's incarnation
and humanity.
Ambrose says they" did not believe that Christ came in
the flesh.
Jerom speaks of' their allowing the salvation of the soul
only, and saying that both the birth and the resurrection of
Christ were in appearance only : and therefore we cannot
form an arsfument for the resurrection of our bodies from his
resurrection, because he rose in appearance only.
So say the catholics. Let us now observe the Manichees
themselves, that we may judge whether they have been
misrepresented.
It is plain that, according to them, Jesus was pure deity.
The catholics argued that Christ had been foretold in the
books of Moses, particularly in Deut. xviii. 18 ; " I will raise
them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee
him shall ye hear." How does Faustus answer that argument?
It is in this manner: ' Thaf* this does not belong to
' Christ, any one may see: for Christ is not a prophet, nor
' a prophet like luito Moses. Moses was a man, Christ is
' God. He was a sinner, Christ holy. He Avas born in the
' ordinary way; Christ, according to you, was born of a
' virgin, according to me, not at all.—How then can he be a
' prophet like unto Moses?'
f^austus often denies Christ's'' nativity : and again and
again insists upon the impropriety that> God, and the God
of the christians too, should be born.
'* ajjvsvrai to, 6 Xoyog aap%. tyivsro. Ath. Or. i. contr. Arian. p.
457. D. ' OvTtf) Si MartT^rttof aTriTtjaag ry aapKuaii Kai tvav-
OpojTrrjan th KvpiH. Contr. Apoll. 1. i. p. 939. D.
" Ciiin Manichaeus adoraverit, quetn ia came venisse non credidit.
Ambr. de Fid. 1. 5. c. 14. T. 2. p. 583. E.
" Haereticos vero, in quorum parte sunt Marcion, Apelles, Valentinus,
Mano-s, nomen insaniee, penituset carnis et corporis resurrectionern negare, et
salutfm tantum tribuere animse; frustraque nos dicere ad exemplum Domini
resurrecturos, quum ipse quoque Dominus in phantasmate resurrexerit ; et non
solum resurrectio ejus, sed et ipsa nativitas to Sokhv, id est, putative, visa magis
sit quam fucrit. Hier. ad Pamm. Ep. 38. [al. 61.] T. 4. p. 320. m.
* Sed hoc quidem ad Chri.stum minime spectare, nee Judaeum latet, nee
nobis sic credere conducibile est : quia non prcpheta Christus, nee Moysi
similis propheta : siquidem ille fuerit homo, hie Deus ; ille peccator, hie sanctus;
lUeex coitu natus, hie secundum te ex virgine, secundum me vero nee ex
virgine. Faust. 1. IG. c. 4.
* Accipis evangel ium ? Et maxime. Proinde ergo et natum accipis Chris-
tum ? Non ita est. Neque enim sequitur, ut, si evangelium accipio, idcirco et
natum accipiam Christum. Faust. 1. 2. in. ' Accipis ergo genera-
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