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The Manichees. Sect. VI. 405
quote all the books of the New Testament, that one is induced
to think they received all the evangelical scriptures which
other christians did ;
for if they had not, those authors would
have taken notice of it. They infot ni us distinctly, that the
Manichees did not receive the Old Testament. If they had
rejected any books of the New Testament generally received,
they would have mentioned it. Augustine indeed says,
they did not receive the book of the Acts: but as he does
not speak of their entirely disliking- any of the rest, it may
be hence inferred, that in other respects their canon of the
New Testament was much the same with that of the catho-
lics.
Augustine once' speaks of their not only rejecting- some
passages of the New Testament, but also of fheir choosing-
what books they pleased ; but the only instance he producetii
is that of the Acts : which confirms what has been just now
said, that the Manichees did not reject any book of the New
Testament, received by other christians, except the book of
the Acts, if indeed they rejected that. Augustine, who so
often speaks of their not liking- the Acts of the Apostles,
must some time have joined with it other books, if tlwre had
been any other disowned by them.
V. We have therefore now seen what books of the New
Testament were generally received by the Manichees. Under
the next particular Ave shall observe what they said of the
where,
scriptures of the New Testament being- interpolated ;
it is likely, we shall more distinctly perceive what regard
they had for them. Nevertheless 1 would add here some
things for showing- the credit and authority which these
scriptures had with them.
And it seems evident that they ascribed a good degree of
authority to the books of the New Testament before mentioned.
This appears from passages of Serapion,aiid others
above cited, and from the constant method of arguing- with
them by Serapion, Titus, Epiphanius, an«l all authors in
general who wrote against them. To add here only one
instance from Serapion, who supposeth that he fully confutes
and overthrows a sentiment of theirs by arguing- from the
New Testament in this manner: ' The* gospel says, publi-
' cans and harlots go into the kingdom of heaven before
* Qui non accipiunt omnia, sed quod volunt, et libros eligunt quos accipi-
ant, aliis improbatis. Sed lu singulis quibusque libiis loca distinguunt, quae
putant suis erronbus convenire. Caetera in eis pro falsis habent. Nam quidam
Manichaei canonicum librum, cujus titulus est Actus Apostoloriim, repudiant.
Aug. Ep. 237. [al. 253.] T. 2. * 'Orav av Xsyy to «j;ayytXtov
— oTav Xtyy HavXog.—Scrap, p. 46. infr. m.