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396 Credibility of the Gospel History.
of by the apostle, Rom. viii. 2, calling- it " the law of the
spirit of life." And" there are other prophets, beside those
of the Jews: and thaf our Saviour does not here speak of
their law, appears from the things he discourseth of; which
are not the peculiar ordinances of the Mosaic law, but those
precepts which are of eternal obligation.
The catholics put them in mind likewise of John v. 4()
*' Had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for
he wrote of me."
To which Faustus makes divers answers: as^ that, upon
searching the Mritings of JMoses, he coidd not find any prophecies
concerning Christ. Therefore our Lord never spoke
in this manner, for all his words are true. And he himself
elsewhere declares, "All who were before him were thieves
and robbers," particularly striking at Moses. Moreover,
upon divers occasions, when he might have referred the Jews
to Moses and the prophets, he only directs them to consider
his miracles, and the testimony given to him from heaven
by God the Father.
For all which reasons he pretends he may conclude that
this paragraph is not genuine, but has been inserted by the
corrupters of scripture, ^^ho have here said what is not true.
This may suffice for showing* the opinion and the arguments
of the Manichees concerning the Old Testament.
III. I shall only add a word or two for showing what they
thought of John the Baptist.
Didymus of Alexandria intimates that" they did not admit
his authority, reckoning him one of the Old Testament. And
Photius says of Agapius, the Manichee, that^ he reviled
not only Moses and the prophets, but the forerunner like-
M'ise. But, in the Acts of Archelaus, Mani is said^ to have
" Item Prophetee, alii sunt Judaeorum, alii Gentium, alii veritatis. lb. c. 2-
" Lege ergo tripartita, et Iripartitis Prophetis, de quonam eorum Jesus
dixerit, non satis liquet. Est tamen conjicere ex consequentibus, &c. ib. c. 3.
" Quare Moysen non accipitis, cum Christus dicat : Moyses de me scripsit
et si crederetis Moysi, crederetis mihi— ? Nam ego quidem scripturas ejus
perscnitatus,—nuUas ibidem de Christo prophetias inveni.—Unde in ingenti
positus aDstu, ratione cogebar in allerum e duobus ; ut aut falsum pronuntiarem
capitulum hoc, aut mendacem Jesum. Sed id quidem alienum pietatis erat,
Deum existimare mentitum. Rectius ergo visum est, scriptoribus adscribere
falsitatem, quam veritatis auctori mendacium, &c, id. I. 16". c. i. ii.
" Oir yap Cf)(pvTai tqv ftcnmriiv, lujavvriv, TVyxnvoi'Ta ti'ti rrjc Tra^iuag
ypa(pT]c- Didym. contr. Manich. p. 214.
^ T?;v ce TTaXaiav y()a(pr]v Koyfiudei, Mwata Kai avrov, Kai r«c 7rpO(pr]Tac, Kai
TOP irpocnofiov. Phot. cod. 179. p. 404.
* Aiebat autem, Joannem regnum coelorum prccdicare ; nam et per abscis-
sionem capitis ejus hoc esse indicatum, quod, omnibus prioribus et superioribus
ejus abscissis, posteriora sola servanda sint. Arch. cap. 40. p. 70. Vid. ib. c.
13. p. 2.5, 26.
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