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436 CredibilUij of the Gospel History.
establish them. For they are composed and written in tlie
names of such as our authentic scriptures say were apostles,
or companions of" apostles. They all suppose the dignity
of our Lord's person, and the power of working miracles,
together with a high degree of authority, to have been conveyed
by him to his apostles.
SECT. VII.
Various readings, and select passages, in Fanstus the
Manichee.
I SHALL here take some notice of various readings in the
New Testament, or the texts of scripture made use of by the
Manichees, and likewise some select passages, or observations,
in Faustus the Manichee.
1. The catholics, as' Faustus observes, asserted the in-
tegrity of the books of the New Testament, and could not
endure the supposition that they had been corrupted and
interpolated.
2. Faustus says that'' the gospel of Jesus Christ is nothing
but the preaching, or the doctrine and commandments of
Christ. Beausobre assents'^ to this explication as right, and
prefers it to Augustine's : though that great writer did not
forget to allege'^ 2 Tim. ii. 8.
' Sed quia vobis ita placet, qui nuuquam sine stomacho auditis aliquid esse
in apostolo cauponatum, ne hoc quidem nobis sciatis esse contrarium. Faust.
1. xi. c. 1.
''
et interrogas, utrum accipiam evangelium ? nisi adhuc nescis, quid
sit quod evangelium nuncupatur. Est enim nihil aliud, quam praedicatio et
mandatum Christi. Faust. 1. 5. c. 1. Vides in me Christi beatudines illas,
quae evangelium faciunt, et interrogas, utrum accipiam ? Ibid.—Quia evangelium
quidem a praedicatione Christi et esse coepit et nominari. Id. 1. 2. c. 1.
Scias me, ut dixi, accipere evangelium, id est, praedicationera Christi. ib.
*= Cependant je dois rendre justice a Fauste. II n'explique pas mal, et si je
I'ose dire, il explique mieux que S. Augustin, ce que veut dire le mot d' Evan-
gile. II entend par la, non 1' histoire de la naissance, et des actions de J.
Christ, mais la doctrine que Jesus Christ a prechee. Et quoique S. Augustin
eiit raison dans le fond, il ne'en avoit pas neanmoins de soutenir, comme il
faisoit, que I'histoire de la naissance de J. Christ est comprise dans I'idee de
ces mots, Evangile de J. Christ, qui ne signifioit autre chose, que la doctrine
prechee par Jesus Christ. Beaus. Hist, de Manich. T. i. p. 298, 299.
^ -banc scilicet causam subjiciens, quia generatio Christi non
pertinet ad evangelium. Quid ergo respondebis apostolo dicenti, Memor