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408 Credibiliti/ of the Gospel History.
man blind from his birth, raising the dead, the woman healed
upon touching' Christ's garment; the** history of the centurion,
whose servant Clirist healed ; the' escape of Barabbas at the
petition of the Jews ; and the penitent thief, and Christ's
acceptance of him; Thomas's unbelief, and Christ's showing
him the marks of his wounds ; and many other things.
Augustine having quoted the histories of the doemoniacs
at the tombs, and of the barren fig-tree, vvhich withered at
Christ's word, particularly observes, that" these were things
w hich they had never pretended to be interpolations.
Faustus, quoting the gospel, calls \t° scripture.
I shall here'' in the margin put down a number of passages,
showing the respect which the Manichees had for the apostles
of Jesus, though 1 have before taken notice of some of
them. That'i the apostle Paul should Contradict himself, or
teach different doctrine at one time, or in one epistle, from
what he had taught in another, is a thought which Faustus
rejects Avith indignation.
VI. What comes to be considered by us in the next place,
is, their pretence that the scriptures of the New Testament
were corrupted, having- been interpolated by the catholics;
and therefore, as Augustine said in his summary account,
' they took what they liked, and rejected the rest.' What
has been already said may be of some use to help us in
ccECum a nativitafe lumen videre natura non sinit, quod tamen Jesus po-
tenter operatus videtur erga hujus generis coecos— ? manum aridam sanasse,
vocem ac verbum privatis his per naturam redonasse ; mortuis et in fabem
jam resolut scorporibus compagereddita, vitalem redintegrasse spiritum, quem
non ad stuporem addiicat— ? Quae tamen omnia nos communiter facta ab
eodem credimus christiani. 1. 26. c. 2. ^ L. 33. c. 2.
' An Barabbas, latro ille insignis, qui non solum in ligno suspensus minime
est, sed etiam Judteorum rogatu omissus e carcere, magis fuit benedictus, quara
ille qui cum Clinsto de cruce adscendit in ccelum ? 1. 14. c. i.
*" L. 16. c. 8. " Sed quoniam privilegio quodam vos
tucmini, ut de scripturis opprimi nequeatis, dicendo eas esse falsatas ; quanquam
ea quae commemoravi de arbore, et de grege porcomm, nunquam a corruptonbus
iiniiussa esse dixistis. De Mor. Manich. c. 17. n. .55.
" ut scriptura testatur. Nam pannum, inquit, novum nemo assuit
vesfimento veteri, &c. 1. 8. c. i.
P Ut fere Christo placet, et ejus apostolis, et nobis profecto. Faust. 1. 24.
cap. 1.
Neque id temere aut praesumtive, sed a Christo discentes et ejus apostolis.
ibid, in fin.
Sed quaerendum potius est, quid ipse de se, quidve apostoli sui de eodem
praedicarint. Id. 1. 19. c. 1.
Ecce cjuid apostolus dixit, ecce quid evangelista. Fel. Act. 1. 2. c. 2. ap.
Aug. T. 8.
1 Non equidein crcdiderim apostolum Dei contraria sibi scribere potuisse,
ef modo banc, modo iliam de Domino nostro habuisse sententiam.—Alioquin,
absit apostolum Dei, quod aedificavit, unquam destruere. Faust. 1. xi. c. i.