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434 Credibility of the Gospel History.
chee be meant one who held the same or like opinions with
them, it is certain that Leiicius was not a Manichee, he havinglived
more than a hundred years before Mani was born. He
then proceeds to mention^ divers arguments for that supposition,
which appears to me very considerable : but I may
not now stay to transcribe or abridge them.
(4.) Lastly, 1 am to mention some observations upon the
works of Leucius, and tiie apocryphal writings made use of
by the Manichees.
(1)
It seems to me not improbable that all the preceding-
quotations of apocryphal books in Augustine are taken out
of one and the same book, called Acts or Travels of the
Apostles, and composed by Leucius.
(2) So much I said formerly. I now add : It seems to
me that the Apocryphal Acts of Andrew, Thomas, Peter,
John, and even Paul, were not distinct books, but parts of
one and the same work called Acts of the Apostles. Photius,
as before quoted, calls the work of Leucius, Travels
of the Apostles. That very title might lead us to suppose
there was somewhat in that piece concerning all, or most of
the apostles. In his article of Agapius he says, ' that Mani-
' choean author makes use of the Acts of the twelve Apostles,
' especially those of Andrew.' It does not follow that the
Acts of Andrew or Thomas, or the like, were distinct works,
because they are sometimes quoted severally and alone. We
have a proof of this in the article of Leucius, just now tran-
scribed from Photius, where at the end he mentions the Acts
whilst yet, unquestionably, they were a
of John distinctly :
part only of the work before described by the general title of
the Travels of the Apostles: which also he expressly said
contained the Acts of Peter, John, Andrew, Thomas, Paul.
Mill likewise" allows it to be one work which contained
Acts of several apostles.
(3) Another observation to be mentioned here is, that
there is no good reason to think, as some have done, that the
apocryphal scriptures, made use of by the Manichees, were
forged by them. No, they had no occasion to forge books of
that sort : for they found most of their sentiments encouraged
by apocryphal books, composed by authors of earlier anti-
(uiity. Those'' books favoured their sentiments concerning
tlie seeming humanity of Jesus, the merit of virginity or
* lb. p. 350, 351. " Consarcinati quoque erant ab eodem
Charino, teste, qui librum ipsum diligenter perlu^lrarat, Pliotio, UepioSoi Apostolorum.
Complectebatur autem istud volunion 1. Acta Petri. 2.
Acta Joannis. —3. Acta Andrese. 4. Acta Thomae.-
Mill, Proleg. n. 337, 338. " Beaus. T. i. p. 424.