[1676] The text has, "sedens ipse per se," etc.; for which we adopt "sed et ipse," etc.
[1677] The Codex Casinensis gives, "deinde die moriturus," which may be either a mistake for "deinde moriturus," or a contraction for "deinde die qua moriturus"--then on the day that he was about to die, etc.
[1678] The codex has, "Sin autem conderem se dicens, exposceret, devitarent persequi," etc.; which is corrected to, "Sin autem cohæredem se dicens exposceret, devitarent atque," etc., which emendation is followed in the translation.
[1679] Opus autem magis facere debere.
[1680] The same sort of argument is employed against the Montanists by Theodorus of Heracleia on John's Gospel, ch. xiv. 17.
[1681] It is remarked in Migne, that it is only in the heat of his contention that this statement is made by Archelaus as to the date of the appearance of Manes; for from the death of Christ on to the time of this discussion there are only some 249 years. [Is it not probable that here is a token of the spurious character of not a little of this work?]
[1682] John xvi. 8.
[1683] John xiv. 18.
[1684] Reading "sed absit hoc a Domino nostro Jesu Christo Salvatore omnis animæ," instead of the codex's "sed absit hanc a Domino Jesu Christo Salvatore omne animæ."
[1685] If the reference, however, is to 2 Pet. iii. 9, as Routh suggests, it may rather be = He was not slack concerning His promises. The text is, "non enim moratus est in promissionibus suis." [A noteworthy reference to the second Epistle of St. Peter. For, if this work be a mere romance, yet its undoubted antiquity makes it useful, not only in this, but in many other critical matters.]
[1686] John xiv. 12; xvi. 28.
[1687] Reading "abundantius vero conferens Paulo," instead of the corrupt text in the Codex Casinensis, "abundantibus vero confitens Paulo."
28. Manes said: [1688] You are caught in the charge you yourself bring forward. For you have been speaking now against yourself, and have not perceived that, in trying to cast reproaches in my teeth, you lay yourself under the greater fault. Tell me this now, I pray you: if, as you allege, those who have died from the time of Tiberius on to the days of Probus are to say to Jesus, "Do not judge us if we have failed to do Thy works, for Thou didst not send the Paraclete to us, although Thou didst promise to send Him;" [1689] will not those much more use such an address who have departed this life from the time of Moses on to the advent of Christ Himself? And will not those with still greater right express themselves in terms like these: "Do not deliver us over to torments, [1690] seeing that we had no knowledge of Thee imparted to us?" And will it only be those that have died thus far previously to His advent who may be seen making such a charge with right? Will not those also do the same who have passed away from Adam's time on to Christ's advent? For none of these either obtained any knowledge of the Paraclete, or received instruction in the doctrine of Jesus. But only this latest generation of men, which has run its course from Tiberius onward, as you make it out, [1691] is to be saved: for it is Christ Himself that "has re-deemed them from the curse of the law;" [1692] as Paul, too, has given these further testimonies, that "the letter killeth, and quickeneth no man," [1693] and that "the law is the ministration of death," [1694] and "the strength of sin." [1695] Archelaus said: You err, not knowing the Scriptures, neither the power of God. [1696] For many have also perished after the period of Christ's advent on to this present period, and many are still perishing,--those, to wit, who have not chosen to devote themselves to works of righteousness; whereas only those who have received Him, and yet receive Him, "have obtained power to become the sons of God." [1697] For the evangelist has not said all have obtained that power; neither, on the other hand, however, has he put any limit on the time. But this is his expression: "As many as received Him." Moreover, from the creation of the world He has ever been with righteous men, and has never ceased to require their blood at the hands of the wicked, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zacharias. [1698] And whence, then, did righteous Abel and all those succeeding worthies, [1699] who are enrolled among the righteous, derive their righteousness when as yet there was no law of Moses, and when as yet the prophets had not arisen and discharged the functions of prophecy? Were they not constituted righteous in virtue of their fulfilling the law, "every one of them showing the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing them witness?" [1700] For when a man "who has not the law does naturally the things contained in the law, he, not having the law, is a law unto himself." [1701] And consider now the multitude of laws thus existing among the several righteous men who lived a life of uprightness, at one time discovering for themselves the law of God implanted in their hearts, at another learning of it from their parents, and yet again being instructed in it further by the ancients and the elders. But inasmuch as only few were able to rise by this medium [1702] to the height of righteousness, that is to say, by means of the traditions of parents, when as yet there was no law embodied in writing, God had compassion on the race of man. and was pleased to give through Moses a written law to men, since verily the equity of the natural law failed to be retained in all its perfection in their hearts. In consonance, therefore, with man's first creation, a written legislation was prepared which was given through Moses in behoof of the salvation of very many. For if we reckon that man is justified without the works of the law, and if Abraham was counted righteous, how much more shall those obtain righteousness who have fulfilled the law which contains the things that are expedient for men? And seeing that you have made mention only of three several scriptures, in terms of which the apostle has declared that "the law is a ministration of death," [1703] and that "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law," [1704] and that "the law is the strength of sin," [1705] you may now advance others of like tenor, and bring forward any passages which may seem to you to be written against the law, to any extent you please.
[1688] The opening sentences of this chapter are given in a very corrupt form in our Codex Casinensis. Its text stands thus: "Tuum et ipsius indicio comprehensus es; hæc enim versum te locutus, ignorans, qui dum, me vis probra conjicere majori culpæ se succumbit. Dic age mihi studias qua Tiberio usque ad Probum defuncti sunt, dicent ad Jesum nolite nos judicare," etc. We have adopted these emendations: tuimet for tuum et; adversum for versum; ignoras for ignorans; in me for me; succumbis for se succumbit; si, ut ais, qui a, for studias qua; and noli for nolite.
[1689] Supplying missurum, which is not in the codex.
[1690] Reading "noli nos tradere tormentis," instead of the meaningless "noli nostra de tormentis" of the codex.
[1691] Reading ut ais instead of ut eas.
[1692] Gal. iii. 13.
[1693] Nec quemquam vivificat. 2 Cor. iii. 6.
[1694] 2 Cor. iii. 7.
[1695] 1 Cor. xv. 56.
[1696] Matt. xxii. 29.
[1697] John i. 12.
[1698] Matt. xiii. 35.
[1699] Reading reliqui per ordinem for the qui per ordinem of the codex.
[1700] Rom. ii. 15.
[1701] Rom. ii. 14.
[1702] Reading "per hunc modum." But the Codex Casinensis gives "per hunc mundum"--through this world.
[1703] 2 Cor. iii. 7.
[1704] Gal. iii. 13.
[1705] 1 Cor. xv. 56.
29. Manes said: Is not that word also to the same effect which Jesus spake to the disciples, when He was demonstrating those men to be unbelieving: "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do?" [1706] By this He means, in sooth, that whatever the wicked prince of this world desired, and whatever he lusted after, he committed to writing through Moses, and by that medium gave it to men for their doing. For "he was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it." [1707] Archelaus said: Are you satisfied [1708] with what you have already adduced, or have you other statements still to make? Manes said: I have, indeed, many things to say, and things of greater weight even than these. But with these I shall content myself. Archelaus said: By all means. Now let us select some instance from among those statements which you allege to be on your side; so that if these be once found to have been properly dealt with, other questions may also be held to rank with them; and if the case goes otherwise, I shall come under the condemnation of the judges, that is to say, I shall have to bear the shame of defeat. [1709] You say, then, that the law is a ministration of death, and you admit that "death, the prince of this world, reigned from Adam even to Moses;" [1710] for the word of Scripture is this: "even over them that did not sin." [1711] Manes said: Without doubt death did reign thus, for there is a duality, and these two antagonistic powers were nothing else than both unbegotten. [1712] Archelaus said: Tell me this then,--how can an unbegotten death take a beginning at a certain time? For "from Adam" is the word of Scripture, and not "before Adam." Manes said: But tell me, I ask you in turn, how it obtained its kingdom over both the righteous and the sinful. Archelaus said: When you have first admitted that it has had that kingdom from a determinate time and not from eternity, I shall tell you that. Manes said: It is written, that "death reigned from Adam to Moses." Archelaus said: And consequently it has an end, because it has had a beginning in time. [1713] And this saying is also true, that "death is swallowed up in victory." [1714] It is apparent, then, that death cannot be unbegotten, seeing that it is shown to have both a beginning and an end. Manes said: But in that way it would also follow that God was its maker. Archelaus said: By no means; away with such a supposition! "For God made not death; neither hath He pleasure in the destruction of the living." [1715] Manes said: God made it not; nevertheless it was made, as you admit. Tell us, therefore, from whom it received its empire, or by whom it was created. Archelaus said: If I give the most ample proof of the fact that death cannot have the substance of an unbegotten nature, will you not confess that there is but one God, and that an unbegotten God? Manes said: Continue your discourse, for your aim is to speak [1716] with subtlety. Archelaus said: Nay, but you have put forward those allegations in such a manner, as if they were to serve you for a demonstration of an unbegotten root. Nevertheless the positions which we have discussed above may suffice us, for by these we have shown most fully that it is impossible for the substances of two unbegotten natures to exist together.
[1706] John viii. 44.
[1707] John viii. 44.
[1708] The text is "sufficit tibi hæc sunt an habes et alia." Routh proposes "sufficientia tibi hæc sunt," etc.
[1709] Routh would make it = You will come under the condemnation...you will have to bear: he suggests eris ergo for ero ego, and feras for feram.
[1710] Rom. v. 14.
[1711] Rom. v. 14.
[1712] Nec aliter nisi essent ingenita. Routh, however, would read esset for essent, making it = and that death could be nothing else than unbegotten.
[1713] Reading ex tempore for the corrupt exemplo re of the codex.
[1714] 1 Cor. xv. 54.
[1715] Wisd. i. 13.
[1716] The text gives discere, to learn; but dicere seems the probable reading.
30. The judges said: Speak to those points, Archelaus, which he has just now propounded. Archelaus said: By the prince of the world, and the wicked one, and darkness, and death, he means one and the same thing, and alleges that the law has been given by that being, on the ground of the scriptural statement that it is "the ministration of death," as well as on the ground of other things which he has urged against it. Well, then, I say [1717] that since, as we have explained above, the law which was written naturally on men's hearts did not keep carefully by the memory of evil things, and since there was not a sufficiently established tradition among the elders, inasmuch as hostile oblivion always attached itself to the memory, [1718] and one man was instructed in the knowledge of that law by master, and another by himself, it easily came about that transgressions of the law engraved by nature did take place, and that through the violation of the commandments death obtained its kingship among men. For the race of men is of such a nature, that it needs to be ruled by God with a rod of iron. And so death triumphed and reigned with all its power on to Moses, even over those who had not sinned, in the way which we have explained: over sinners indeed, as these were its proper objects, and under subjection to it,--men after the type of Cain and Judas; [1719] but also over the righteous, because they refused to consent to it, and rather withstood it, by putting away from themselves the vices and concupiscence of lusts,--men like those who have arisen at times from Abel on to Zacharias; [1720] --death thus always passing, up to the time of Moses, upon those after that similitude. [1721]