[This passage is from a _Dissertation--les Trois Témoins Célestes_, in a collection of religious and literary papers by French scholars (Tom. ii., Sept. 1868, pp. 388-392). The author, since deceased, was the Abbé Le Hir, M. Renan's instructor in Hebrew at Saint Sulpice, and pronounced by his pupil one of the first of European Hebraists and scientific theologians.]
[69] "Proprium est credentis ut cum assensu cogitet." "The intellect of him who believes assents to the thing believed, not because he sees that thing either in itself or by logical reference to first self-evident principles; but because it is so far convinced by Divine authority as to assent to things which it does not see, and on account of the dominance of the will in setting the intellect in motion." This sentence is taken from a passage of Aquinas which appears to be of great and permanent value. _Summa Theolog._ 2^a, 2^æ quæst. i. art. 4. quæst. v. art. 2.
[70] Acts xx. 30.
[71] τας βεβηλους κενοφωνιας, και αντιθεσεις της ψευδωνυμου γνωσεως. 1 Tim. vi. 20. The "antitheses" may either touch with slight sarcasm upon pompous pretensions to scientific logical method; or may denote the really self-contradictory character of these elaborate compositions; or again, their polemical opposition to the Christian creed.
[72] μυθοις και γενεαλογιαις απεραντοις. 1 Tim. i. 3, 4.
[73] Irenæus quotes 1 Tim. i. 4, and interprets it of the Gnostic 'æons.' _Adv. Hæres._, i. Proœm.
[74] Few phenomena of criticism are more unaccountable than the desire to evade any acknowledgment of the historical existence of these singular heresies. Not long after St. John's death, Polycarp, in writing to the Philippians, quotes 1 John iv. 3, and proceeds to show that doketism had consummated its work down to the last fibres of the root of the creed, by two negations--no resurrection of the body, no judgment. (Polycarp, _Epist. ad Philip._, vii.) Ignatius twice deals with the Doketæ at length. To the Trallians he delivers what may be called an antidoketic creed, concluding in the tone of one who was wounded by what he was daily hearing. "Be deaf then when any man speaks unto you without Jesus Christ, who is of Mary, who truly was born, truly suffered under Pontius Pilate, truly was crucified and died, truly also was raised from the dead. But if some who are unbelieving say that He suffered apparently, _as if in vision, being visionary themselves_, why am I a prisoner? why do I choose to fight with wild beasts?" (Ignat., _Ep. ad Trall._, iv. x.) The play upon the name doketæ cannot be mistaken (λεγουσιν το δοκειν πεπονθεναι αυτον, αυτοι οντες το δοκειν). Ignatius writes to another Church--"What profited it me if one praiseth me but blasphemeth my Lord, not confessing that He bears true human flesh. They abstain from Eucharist and prayer, because they confess not that the Eucharist is flesh of our Saviour Jesus Christ." (_Ep. ad Smyrn._, v. vi. vii.)
[75] The elder Mr. Mill, however, appears to have seriously leaned to this as a conceivable solution of the contradictory phenomena of existence.
[76] _Life_ vol. ii., 359, 360.
[77] Much use has here been made of a truly remarkable article in the _Spectator_, Jan. 31st, 1885.
[78] 2 Cor. v. 13-15.
[79] John i. 43.
[80] 1 John iv. 19.
[81] 1 John ii. 3.
[82] 1 John iii. 4, v. 17.
[83] Every one who reads Greek should refer to the magnificent passage, _S. Joann. Chrysos., in Joann., Homil._ ii. 4.
[84] 1 John iv. 2; 2 John v. 7. See notes on the passages.
[85] Psalm lviii. 18.
[86] John vi. 53.