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In a laborious work by one of these writers against the heresy of
Artemon, which Paul of Samosata attempted to revive again in our
day, there is an account appropriate to the history which we are now
examining.
For he criticises, as a late innovation, the above-mentioned heresy
which teaches that the Saviour was a mere man, because they were
attempting to magnify it as ancient? Having given in his work many
other arguments in refutation of their blasphemous falsehood, he adds
the following words:
"For they say that all the early teachersa and the apostles received
and taught what they now declare, and that the truth of the Gospel was
preserved until the times of Victor, who was the thirteenth bishop of
Rome from Peter, but that from his successor, Zephyrinus, the
truth had been corrupted. And what they say might be plausible, if
first of all the Divine Scriptures did not contradict them. And
there are writings of certain brethren older than the times of Victor,
which they wrote in behalf of the truth against the heathen, and
against the heresies which existed in their day. I refer to Justin
and Miltiades and Tatian and Clement and many others, in all of
whose works Christ is spoken of as God. For who does not know the
works of Irenaeus and of Melito and of others which teach that Christ
is God and man? And how many psalms and hymns, written by the
faithful brethren from the beginning, celebrate Christ the Word of
God, speaking of him as
Divine. How then since the opinion held by the Church has been
preached for so many years, can its preaching have been delayed as they
affirm, until the times of Victor ? And how is it that they are not
ashamed to speak thus falsely of Victor, knowing well that he cut off
from communion Theodotus, the cobbler, the leader and father of this
God-denying apostasy, and the first to declare that Christ is mere
man ? For if Victor agreed with their opinions, as their slander
affirms, how came he to cast out Theodotus, the inventor of this
heresy ?"
So much in regard to Victor. His bishopric lasted ten years, and
Zephyrinus was appointed his successor about the ninth year of the
reign of Severus. The author of the above-mentioned book,
concerning the founder of this heresy, narrates another event which
occurred in the time of Zephyrinus, using these words: "I will
remind many of the brethren of a fact which took place in our time,
which, had it happened in Sodom, might, I think, have proved a
warning to them. There was a certain confessor, Natalius, not long
ago, but in our own day. This man was deceived at one time by
Asclepiodotus and another Theodotus, a money-changer. Both of them
were disciples of Theodotus, the cobbler, who, as I have said, was
the first person excommunicated by Victor, bishop at that time, on
account of this sentiment, or rather senselessness.
Natalius was persuaded by them to allow himself to be chosen bishop of
this heresy with a salary, to be paid by them, of one hundred and
fifty denarii a month. When he had thus connected himself with them,
he was warned oftentimes by the Lord through visions. For the
compassionate God and our Lord Jesus Christ was not willing that a
witness of his own sufferings, being cast out of the Church, should
perish. But as he paid little regard to the visions, because he was
ensnared by the first position among them and by that shameful
covetousness which destroys a great many, he was scourged by holy
angels, and punished severely through the entire night. Thereupon
having risen in the morning, he put on sackcloth and covered himself
with ashes, and with great haste and tears he fell down before
Zephyrinus, the bishop, rolling at the feet not only of the clergy,
but also of the laity; and he moved with his tears the compassionate l
Church of the merciful Christ. And though he used much
supplication, and showed the welts of the stripes which he had
received, yet scarcely was he taken back into communion."
We will add from the same writer some other extracts concerning them,
which run as follows:
"They have treated the Divine Scriptures recklessly and without
fear. They have set aside the rule of ancient faith; and Christ they
have not known. They do not endeavor to learn what the Divine
Scriptures declare, but strive laboriously after any form of syllogism
which may be devised to sustain their impiety. And if any one brings
before them a passage of Divine Scripture, they see whether a
conjunctive or disjunctive form of syllogism can be made from it. And
as being of the earth and speaking of the earth, and as ignorant of him
who cometh from above, they forsake the holy writings of God to devote
themselves to geometry. Euclid is laboriously measured by some of
them; and Aristotle and Theophrastus are admired; and Galen,
perhaps, by some is even worshiped. But that those who use the arts
of unbelievers for their heretical opinions and adulterate the simple
faith of the Divine Scriptures by the craft of the godless, are far
from the faith, what need is there to say? Therefore they have laid
their hands boldly upon the Divine Scriptures, alleging that they
have corrected them. That
I am not speaking falsely of them in this matter, whoever wishes may
learn. For if any one will collect their respective copies, and
compare them one with another, he will find that they differ greatly.
Those of Asclepiades, for example, do not agree with those of
Theodotus. And many of these can be obtained, because their
disciples have assiduously written the corrections, as they call them,
that is the corruptions, of each of them. i Again, those of
Hermophilus do not agree with these, and those of Apollonides are not
consistent with themselves. For you can compare those prepared by them
at an earlier date with those which they corrupted later, and you will
find them widely different. But how daring this offense is, it is not
likely that they themselves are ignorant. For either they do not
believe that the Divine Scriptures were spoken by the Holy Spirit,
and thus are unbelievers, or else they think themselves wiser than the
Holy Spirit, and in that case what else are they than demoniacs?
For they cannot deny the commission of the crime, since the copies
have been written by their own hands. For they did not receive such
Scriptures from their instructors, nor can they produce any copies
from which they were transcribed.
But some of them have not thought it worth while to corrupt them, but
simply deny the law and the prophets, and thus through their lawless
and impious teaching under pretense of grace, have sunk to the lowest
depths of perdition."
Let this suffice for these things.
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