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412 Credibility of the Gospel Histor II
' books, they make no scruple to say, without shame, has
' been inserted by some corrupters of scripture. By M'hich
' diabolical privilege of theirs they think themselves secure
' against every thing that can be alleged from scripture.'
Hence we learn that, according to them, the apostolical
epistles, as well as the gospels, had been corrupted.
He elsewhere says that ' they' receive and approve some
' things in the books of the New Testament : and that when
' asked, why they rejected and found fault with other things
' in the same books, they answered, because those passages
' had been inserted by corrupters of the scripture.'
Augustine intimates that'' this principle was taught by
Mani himself, ' to accept whatever favoured him in the New
' Testament, and reject what did not.'
It is found in the Acts of Archelaus. That' bisliop argued
in favour of the Old Testament from those words of Christ,
Matt. V. 17: "1 came not to destroy, but to fulfil." To
which Mani answers, that ' Christ never spoke those words.
' For since in fact he destroyed the law, we ought to con-
' elude his discourses agreed therewith.'
The same thing- is
against Mani.
implied in some charges of Archelaus
And Faustus speaks of it" as the common Manicheean
doctrine, and° taught them by their inaster.
2. There is a long paragraph of Faustus upon this point,
which I shall transcribe largely. I need not insert it all
here, because there are in it many tautologies : but 1 shall
' Vos scripturasNovi Testament!, lanquam falsatas corruptasqiie, pulsatis,
Vo.^ autem omnia, quae in libris Novi Testamenti non accipitis, omnino repre-
henditis, nee a Christo, nee ab apostolis ejus, dicta vel conscripta asseveratis,
Cum itaque a vobis quseritur, quare non omnia in libris Novi Testamenti
accipitis, sed in eis libris, in quibus approbatis aliqua, multa respuitis, repre-
henditis, accusatis, a corruptoribus inserta esse contenditis. Conlr. Faust. 1.
32. c. 8.
'' Nam
sicut te Manichffius impiam docuit perversita-
tem, ut ex evangelic quod haeresim tuam non impedit accipias, quod autem
imped it non accipias. Contr. Faust. 1. 18. c. 7.
' Ego audiens dicebam eis sermonem evangelicum, quomodo dixit Dominus
noster Jesus Christus, ' Non veni solvere legem, sed implere.' Ille vero ait,
netiuaquam eum hoc dixisse sermonem. Cum enim ipsam inveniamus eum
resolvisse legem, necesse est nos hoc potius intelligere quod fecit. Arch. c. 40.
p. 69.
" et in nostris libris, sicut etiam adversus me disputans fecit, asser-
tionem suam proferre, qu-LLdam in his accusans, quoedam permutans, soio
Christi nomine adjecto. Arch. cap. 54. p. 99.
" Et tamen me quidam jam adversus cajjituli hujas necessitudinem Mani-
chaea fides reddidit tutum, (june principio niihi non cuncla qua ex Salvatoris
nomine scri|:)ta leguntur, passim credere persuasit. Faust. 1. 18. c. 3.
" Quare indeficientes ego praeoeptori meo refero gratias, qui me similiter
labentem retinuit, &c. Id. 1. 19. c. 5. in.
.
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