Diocesan Churches Not Yet Discovered in Primitive Times, Postscript
POST-SCRIPT.
A Late Writer preſumes he has detected a notable miſtake in the Author, of No Evidence for Dioceſan Churches (aſcribed to one who owns it not) about foreign, which I ſuppoſe he would have Tranſlated Ten Thouſands definitely; but there it is rendred indefinitely thouſands, as we are wont to expreſs a great many, when the preciſe number is not known. Thoſe who underſtand the Language, and have obſerved the uſe of the Word, will be farr from counting this a fault: and thoſe who view the paſſage will count it intolerable, to render it as that Gentleman would have it. That of Atticus Biſhop of C. P. may ſatisfie any concerning the import and uſe of the word, who ſending mony for the releif of the poor at Nice to Calliopius, he thus writes, foreign, where he tells him that by foreign he underſtands a multitude whoſe number he did not exactly know, thus (i. e. indefinitely) is the word moſt frequently uſed by Greek Writers, and particularly by Euſebius the Author of the paſſage cited. So he tells us, Nero killed his Hiſt. l. 2. c.Mother, his Brothers, his Wife, foreign, of her Kindred: And Timotheus of Gaza, he … l. 8. C. 13.ſays, indured foreign. Many more might be added, where the word is not rendred by the beſt Tranſlators (Valeſius particularly) ten thouſand; but ſtill indefinitly innumerabiles or infiniti, or ſexcenti, &c. Nor have I met with one inſtance (though poſſibly there may be ſome) in him where it is uſed to expreſs ten thouſand preciſely.
However it had been an unpardonable injury to Euſebius, to have rendred it ſo in this place; as if he would have deluded the World with a moſt palpable untruth, which both he, and all men acquainted with the ſtate of the Church in thoſe times, know to be ſo. For this make him ſay that ten thouſand Biſhops met in Councel at Antioch in the third Age; when as he never knew a Synod of ſix hundred Biſhops in the fourth Age, while he lived; though then Biſhops were farr more numerous, and had all encouragement to meet in greateſt numbers. This makes him ſignifie, that ten thouſand Biſhops aſſembled in the skirts of the Eaſt part of the Empire: When as their was not near ſo many (this Gentleman is concerned to maintain there was not one thouſand) in the whole Chriſtian World.
This is more than enough to ſhew that there is ſufficient warrant to Tranſlate foreign, Thouſands more than once; though that it is in that diſcourſe (which he ſtiles a little Pamphlet) ſo tranſlated more then once, is another of his miſtakes. And a third (all in two lines) is that the Author grounds his Argument on it. Whereas thoſe that view the paſſage, and the occaſion of it, will ſee it had been more for his advantage to have tranſlated it ten thouſands. He that can allow himſelf to write at this rate, may eaſily be voluminous, and look too big to be deſpiſed, as a writer of little Pamphlets.
The Letter mentioned pag. 45. being communicated to me by M. B. that part of it which concerns Alexandria is here added, that it may appear how much it is miſtaken, and how farr from being anſwered.
For Alexandria it was the greateſt City in the Empire next to Rome, foreign, ſays Joſephus de bello Judaic lib. 5. c. cult. And Epiphanius gives an account of many Churches in it aſſigned to ſeveral Presbyters, viz. beſides Caeſarea finiſhed by Athanaſius, that of Dionyſius, Theonas, Pierius, Serapion, Perſeas, Dizia, Mundidius, Annianus, Baucalas, adding foreign. Haeres 69. page 728: This notwithſtanding that the Chriſtians at Alexandria which held Communion with Athanaſius, might and did meet together in one Church, he himſelf declares expreſly in his Apology to Conſtantius, page 531. Tom. 1. Edit. Commelin. Anno 1601. The whole paſſage is too large to tranſcribe or tranſlate, this is the ſence of it. He being accuſed for aſſembling the People in the great Church before it was dedicated (foreign) makes this part of his defence. The confluence of the People at the Paſchal ſolemnity was ſo great that if they had met in ſeveral aſſemblies (foreign) the other Churches were ſo little and ſtrait, that they would have been in danger of ſuffering by the crowd, nor would the univerſal harmony and concurrence of the People have been ſo viſible and effectual, if they had met in parcels. Therefore he appeals to him, whether it was not better for the whole multitude to meet in that great Church (being a place large enough to receive them altogether foreign) and to have a concurrence of all the people with one voice (foreign.) For if ſays he according to our Saviviours promiſe, where two ſhall agree as touching any thing, it ſhall be done for them of my Father, &c. How prevalent will be the one voice of … numerous a People aſſembled together and ſaying Amen to God? Who therefore would not wonder, who would not count it a happineſs to ſee ſo great a People met together in one place? And how did the people rejoice to beh…ld one another, whereas formerly they aſſembled in ſeveral places?
Hereby it is evident that in the middle of the fourth Age, all the Chriſtians at Alexandria which were wont at other times to meet in ſeveral aſſemblies, were no more than one Church might and did contain, ſo as they could all join at once in the Worſhip of God and concurre in one Amen.
He tells him alſo that Alexander his Predeceſſor, (who died An. 325) did as much as he in like circumſtances, viz. aſſembled the whole multitude in one Church before it was dedicated, pag. 532.
This ſeems clear enough, but being capable of another kind of proof which may be no leſs ſatisfactory, let me add that alſo. This City was by Strabo his deſcription of it, foreign, like a Soldiers Coat, whoſe length at either ſide was almoſt 3… Furlongs, its breadth at either end 7 or 8 urlongs, Geogr. lib. 17. pag. 546. ſo the whole compaſs will be leſs than ten Miles. A third or fourth part of this was taken up with publick Buildings, Temples, and Royal Palaces, foreign. ibid. two Miles and half or three and a quarter is thus diſpoſed of. I take this to be that Region of the City which Epiphanius calls foreign, (where he tells us, was the famous Library of Ptolomeus Philadelphus) and ſpeaks of it in his time as deſtitute of Inhabitants, foreign, de Ponder. & menſur, n. 9. p. 166 A great part of the City was aſſigned to the Jews, foreign. So Strabo indefinitely, as Joſephus quotes him. Antiquit. Jud. l. 14. c. 12. Others tells us more punctually, their ſhare was two of the five diviſions (Uſhers Annals Latin, pag. 859.) Though many of them had their habitation in the other diviſions, yet they had two fifth parts entire to themſelves, and this is (I ſuppoſe) the foreign which Joſephus ſaith, the Succeſſors of Alexander ſet apart for them (foreign, bello Jud. l. 2. cap. 21. Thus we ſee already how 6 or 7 miles of the 10 were taken up. The greateſt part of the Citizens (as at Rome and other Cities) in the beginning of the 4th. Age were Heathens. Otherwiſe Antonius wrong'd the City, who, i… Athanaſius's time, is brought in thus exclaiming by Jerom. vit. Paul. p. 243. Vae tibi Alexandria quae pro Deo portenta veneraris; vae tibi civitas mere…ix in quam totius orbis daemonia confluxere, &c. a Charge thus formed; ſuppoſes the prevailing party to be guilty. But let us ſuppoſe them equa, and their proportion half of the 3 or 4 miles remaining, Let the reſt be divided amongſt the Orthodox, the Arrians, the Novatians and other Sects▪ And if we be juſt a large part will fall to the ſhare of Hereticks and Sectaries. For not to mention others, the Novatians had ſeveral Churches and a Biſhop there, till Cyrils time, vid. Socrat. Hiſt. l. 7. c. 7. The Arians were a great part of thoſe who profeſſed Chriſtianity, foreign, (Sozom. Hiſt. l. 1. c. 14.) and if we may judge of the followers by their leaders, no loſs than half. For whereas there were 19 Presbyters and Deacons in that Church (Theod. Hiſt. l. 4. c. 23.) (12 was the number of their Presbyters by their Antient Conſtitution, as appears by Eutychius, and 7 their Deacons, as at Rome, and elſewhere) 6 Presbyters with Arius, and 5 Deacons fell off from the Catholicks. Sozom. Hiſt. l. 1. c. 14. But let the …rians be much fewer, yet will not the proportion of the Catholick Biſhops Dioceſe i… this City, be more than that of a ſmall Town, one of 8 or 12 Furlongs in compaſs. And ſo the numbers of the Chriſtians upon this account, will be no more than might well meet for Worſhip in one place.
FINIS.
End of the text · David Clarkson, Diocesan Churches Not Yet Discovered in Primitive Times (1682)