Other Writingsascribed toClement.A second Letter totheCorinthians.Five other Letters.
Besides the Letter to theCorinthians, of which I have spoken above, several other Pieces are ascribed toClement;viz. a second Letter to theCorinthians; which is, without all Doubt, very antient; butEusebiusdoubts whether it was written byClement[131]; and both St.Jerom[132], andPhotius[133], absolutely reject it. Five other Letters, placed among the Decretals, whereof the first, more antient than the rest, was translated byRuffinus, and is quoted by the Council ofVaison, held in 442[134]. However, it is generally looked upon as a spurious Piece; for the Author of it, whoever he was, acquaints St.James, Bishop ofJerusalem, who died long before St.Peter, with St.Peter’s Death[135].|HisItinerary.|Clement’s Itinerary, which, inPhotius’s Time, was prefixed, by way of Preface, to theRecognitions[136]. TheRecognitions, relating, under the Name ofClement, the Actions of St.Peter, his Interview withSimonthe Magician, howClementhimself knew again his Father and his Brothers, whom he had forgot;|TheRecognitions.|whence the whole Work took the Name ofRecognitions, that is,of knowing again: it is likewise called theItinerary of St.Peter, theActs of St.Peter, theActs of St.Clement[137]. TheRecognitionsare quoted byOrigen[138],Epiphanius[139], andRuffinus[140], as the Work ofClement, but these Writers, at the same time, own them to have been alteredin several Places, and falsified by the Heretics; nay,Epiphaniustells us, that theEbionitesscarce left any thing found in them[141]. The Author was well versed in Philosophy, Mathematics, Astrology, and most other Sciences, but not so well acquainted with the Doctrine of the Church; whence his Work is absolutely rejected byAthanasius[142]; and now generally looked upon as a Piece falsely ascribed toClement.|St.Peter’s Dia-logues withApion.|St.Peter’sDialogueswithApionwere probably written in the Third Century, and to gain Credit fathered uponClement; forEusebiuswrites, that there had lately appeared a long Work, under the Name ofClement, containing Dialogues between St.PeterandApion[143].|The ApostolicConstitutions.|As to theApostolic Constitutions, if that Work is different fromthe Doctrine of the Apostlesmentioned byAthanasiusandEusebius;Epiphaniusis the first who speaks of it: it appears at least, fromDionysiusofAlexandria, that, in the Year 250. the Constitutions either had not yet appeared, or were of no Repute in the Church[144].Epiphaniustells us, that many suspected them; but, as for himself, he received them, since he found nothing in them repugnant to the Faith, or the Discipline of the Church[145]. But as be quotes several Passages out of them, which are not to be found now, we may well conclude, that, since his Time, they have been either altered or curtailed. TheGreeksindeed, in the Second Canon of the Council, that, in 692. was held atConstantinople, in a Tower of the Imperial Palace, calledTrullus, that is, theCupola, declare, that they had been falsified, in several Places, by the Heretics.Photiusthinks that, with respect to the Style, they fall short of theRecognitions, but far excel them in the Purity of the Doctrine, adding, at the same time, that it is no easy Task to clear them from the Imputation ofArianism[146]. Dr.Pearsontakes them to be a Collection of several Pieces, published in the earliest Times, under the Name of the Apostles, and containing, as was pretended, the Instructions they had given[147].Albaspinæus, Bishop ofOrange, thinks the Matter they contain excellent, and the Whole agreeable to the Discipline observed by theGreekChurch, during the Four first Centuries; bur nevertheless he looks upon them only as a Collection of the different Customs, that were established, by degrees, in the Church, and some of which were disputed even in the Fourth Century[148]; sothat they can by no means be ascribed either to the Apostles, or toClement.|The Canons ofthe Apostles.|TheConstitutionsend with 85 Canons, long known by the Title ofThe Canons of the Apostles; but, as they contain several things that were not received in the Apostles Time, nor inClement’s, the ablest Critics are of Opinion, that they likewise are but a Collection of several Decrees made in the first Ages of the Church, and that they were not collected into one Body till the Third Century[149]. I don’t find them quoted before the Council ofConstantinoplein 394. TheGreeks, in the Council of the Year 692. mentioned above, bound themselves to the Observance of them; but they are all rejected by PopeGelasius: however,Dionysius Exiguushaving, not long after, placed the first Fifty at the Head of his Collection, they were received by degrees; but the other Thirty-five have not been admitted to this Day.
Upon the Whole, of the many Writings ascribed toClement, the first Letter to theCorinthiansis the only one undoubtedly his: and what a wide Difference appears, as to the Spirit and Style, between that excellent Piece, and the Briefs, Bulls, Mandates,&c.of his Successors: He does not command, but exhorts; he does not threaten, but intreats; he does not thunder Anathema’s and Excommunications, but employs the most mild and gentle Persuasives, even with the Authors of the Schism.|Clement’s Infal-libility unknown tohim, and to theCorinthians.|Had he known himself to be the infallible and unerring Judge of Controversies, from whose Tribunal lay no Appeal; had theCorinthiansbelieved themselves bound, on Pain of Damnation, to submit to his Decisions; there had been no Room for Reasons, Arguments, and Persuasives; he ought to have exerted the Power, with which he was vested, and put an End to all Disputes, in the peremptory Style of his Successors,We declare, and command all Men to comply with this our Declaration, on pain of incurring the Indignation of the Almighty; and, as if that were not enough,of his blessed ApostlesPeterandPaul. But it was not till some Ages after, that the Popes found out their Infallibility, or rather their flattering Divines found it out for them; so that this invaluable Privilege lying dormant, Men were obliged, for a long time, to make use of their Reason, in deciding religious Controversies.
Year of Christ 100.bracket
Clement was succeeded byEvaristus,Evaristes, orAristus, as he is called in the most antient Catalogue of the Popes[150], in the Third Year ofTrajan’s Reign, that is, in the Close of the First Century of the Christian Æra.|EvaristusgovernsNine Years.|He governed about Nine Years, that is, to the Twelfth Year ofTrajan, and the 109th of Christ[151].Eusebius, in his Chronicle, supposes him to have died in the Year 107[152]; and, in his History, says, that his Death happened about the Year 109[153]: but, in the Series and Succession of the Popes, that Writer is every-where consistent with himself in his History, and quite otherwise in his Chronicle.|Several things as-cribed to him, withoutsufficient Foundation.|Besides, the History ought to correct the Chronicle, as being posterior to it. ToEvaristusare ascribed Two Decretals, the Distribution of the Titles or Parishes ofRome, on whichBaroniusmakes a long Descant[154], and an Order, that Bishops, when they preached, should be always attended by Seven Deacons[155]. But these, and many other things of the same Nature, we read only inBaronius,Platina,Anastasius,Ciaconius, &c. and my Design is, as I have declared in the Preface, to follow the Antients alone, in the History of the antient Popes; and therefore I shall take no notice of what the Moderns advance, unless I find it supported by the Authority of the original Writers.
Year of Christ 109.bracket
Sixtusis placed, byOptatus Milevitanus[156], immediately afterEvaristus; but that is certainly a Mistake, owing, in all likelihood, to those who transcribed him, sinceIrenæus[157],Eusebius[158],Epiphanius[159], and even St.Augustin[160], who followsOptatusin every thing else relating to the Popes, placeAlexanderbetweenEvaristusandSixtus.IrenæusreckonsAlexanderthe Fifth Bishop ofRome; sothat we agree with the most authentic and unexceptionable Writer of Antiquity in excluding St.Peter, and supposingCletusandAnacletusto be one and the same Person[161].Alexandergoverned Ten Years, and some Months; and died in the Third Year ofAdrian, and 119 of Christ[162].|Alexandernota Martyr.|We can learn nothing of the Antients concerning him: he is worshiped indeed by the Church ofRomeas a Martyr; but that Title is not given him byIrenæus: and as for the VenerableBede, who ranks him among the Martyrs, he was led into that Mistake byThe Acts of St. Alexander, which, in the Opinion of Dr.Pearson, were composed in the Seventh Century, but are now universally rejected as fabulous.|The Institution ofHoly Water falslyascribed to him.|Platinaascribes to PopeAlexanderthe Institution ofHoly Water[163], whichBaroniustakes very much amiss of him, since he thereby robs the Apostles of an Honour due to them; for by the Apostles, in his Opinion, was first introduced the Use ofHoly Water[164]. But if we trace up thisHoly Waterto the Fountain-head, we shall find that it arises from an unhallowed Spring, from theLustral Waterof the Pagans; for peace being restored to the Church byConstantine, the Christians began, as a modern Writer well observes[165], to adopt the Ceremonies of theGentiles. Several Cities inItaly,France,Germany,Spain, &c. pretend to have Reliques of this Pope, insomuch that, were they all put together, they would form at least twenty intire Bodies[166].
Year of Christ 119.bracket
The Successor ofAlexanderis namedSixtusbyOptatus[167], and St.Augustin[168]; but byIrenæus[169],Eusebius[170],Epiphanius[171], andJerom[172],Xystus: which Word has some Signification annexed to it inGreek; whereasSixtushas none either inGreekorLatin. He presided Ten Years according toEusebius[173], but not complete; for he was raised to the See in the Third Year ofAdrian, of Christ 119. and died in the Twelfth Year of the same Prince, about the latter Endof the Year of Christ 128[174]. He is ranked among the Martyrs in the Canon of the Mass, and in all the Martyrologies: but his immediate Successor is the first to whom that Title is given byIrenæus.|Decretals falslyascribed toSixtus.|ToSixtusare ascribed two Decretals, but both forged in latter Ages, as plainly appears fromDe Marca, fromBaluzius, and, above all, from the haughty Title ofUniversal Bishop, whichSixtusis made to assume in one of them: a Title, as F.Pagiis forced to confess, unknown to the Bishops of the primitive and best Times[175].His Reliques.The Title ofUniversalwould be better adapted to the Reliques of this Pope, than to his Episcopacy; for they are dispersed all over the Roman Catholic World: butBaillethimself looks upon them as false, and unworthy of the Worship that is paid to them, not excepting even those that were given byClementX. to CardinalDe Retz, who caused them to be placed with great Solemnity in the Abbey ofSt. MichaelinLorrain[176].
Year of Christ 128.bracket
Sixtuswas succeeded byTelesphorus(or, as some style him,Thelesphorus), the Seventh Bishop of the See ofRome[177]. To him is ascribed, in some Editions of the Chronicle ofEusebius, the Institution ofLent[178]; but in none of the best Editions Mention is made of such an Institution, and scarce in any Manuscripts[179].Baroniusendeavours to prove, that this Fast was instituted by the Apostles, and thatTelesphorusestablished it for ever by a Decree; but his Arguments are so weak, that he deserves rather to be pitied than answered. He introduces too early the Bishops ofRomeissuing Decrees, and prescribing Laws to the whole Church.|Telesphorusthe firstBishop ofRomeMartyr.|Telesphoruswas the first Bishop ofRomewho suffered Death for the Christian Religion, seeingIrenæusdistinguishes him with the Title of Martyr[180], which this Author gives to none of his Predecessors; but, as to the Particulars of his Death, theAntients have left us quite in the Dark. He suffered in the Eleventh Year of his Pontificate, the First ofAntoninus Pius, and 139 of Christ[181].
Year of Christ 139.bracket
Hyginus, the Successor ofTelesphorus, governed the Church but Four Years, and those not complete; for, in 142. we findPiusalready in that See[182].|The Two Heretics,ValentineandCerdo,come toRome.|In his Time the two famous Heretics,ValentineandCerdo, came toRome; the former fromEgypt, and the latter fromSyria, to display their new Doctrine in that great Metropolis.Hyginusno doubt opposed them with all the Zeal of a primitive Bishop; but, in spite of his Zeal, they gained a great many Proselytes to their heterodox Opinions[183]. His Infallibility, had it been then known and believed, would have soon put a Stop to the growing Evil. The Church ofRomehonoursHyginusamong her Martyrs; but none of the Antients give him that Title. To him is ascribed the Use of Godfathers and Godmothers in Baptism, and the Ceremony of Consecrating Churches; but upon no better Grounds than the Two Decretals are fathered upon him, which are, by all the Learned, rejected as spurious.Hyginusdied in the Year 142. the Fourth or Fifth ofAntoninus Pius; and is supposed to have been buried near St.Peter[184].
Year of Christ 142.bracket
Anicetusis placed next toHyginusbyOptatus[185], St.Augustin[186], andEpiphanius[187]: But who would not, withEusebius[188], rather followIrenæus[189], andHegesippus[190], namingPiusimmediately afterHyginus, since the former wrote in the Time ofEleutheriusthe SecondBishop afterAnicetus; and the latter lived atRomein the Time ofAnicetus, and continued there till the Pontificate ofEleutherius.
Marcioncomes toRome.
In the Time ofPius,Marcion, a Native ofPontus, and the Son of a Bishop of the holy Catholic Church, saysEpiphanius[191], being excommunicated by his Father for debauching a Virgin, and finding he could by no means prevail upon the venerable Prelate to receive him again into the Church, abandoned his native City, supposed to beSinope, and fled toRome. Upon his Arrival there, he applied to the Elders of that Church, intreating them to admit him to their Communion. But those holy Men, who had been taught by the Disciples of the Apostles, instead of complying with his Request, returned him this Answer;|The Power ofreceiving Appealsdisowned by theChurch ofRome.|We cannot admit you without Leave from your holy Father; nor can we, as we are all united in the same Faith, and the same Sentiments, undo what our holy Collegue your Father has done.--ThusEpiphanius[192]. HadBellarminelived in those Days, he had taught them another Doctrine, a Doctrine which, however necessary, the Apostles had forgot to deliver to their Disciples;viz.That the See ofRomewas raised above all other Sees; that the Appeals of the whole Catholic Church were to be brought to it; that no Appeals were to be made from it; that it was to judge of the whole Church, but be judged by none.Marciondid not apply toPius, as the Reader must have observed, or at least did not apply to him alone, but to the Elders, who disclaimed all Power of reversing the Sentence of a particular Bishop or Judge. And is not this an evident and incontestable Proof that the Power of receiving Appeals was not known, or thought of, in those Days? And yet, who would believe it?Bellarminehas the Assurance to allege this very Case as an Argument to prove in the Pope a Power of receiving Appeals[193]. But what would become of this Prerogative, should the Pope return the same Answer to every Appellant?
Piusno Martyr.
Piusgoverned the Church for the Space of Fifteen Years, and died in 157. the Twentieth ofAntoninus[194]. TheRomanMartyrology tells us, that he was martyred in the Persecution ofAntoninus Pius; but in that Prince’s Reign there was no Persecution; nor is the Title of Martyr given him byIrenæus.|Writings ascribedto him.|Baroniusascribes to this Pope a Decree, commanding the Festival ofEasterto be kept onSunday, and quotes the Chronicle ofEusebius[195]. This Decree is indeed mentionedin some Editions of that Writer; butScaligerassures us, that no Mention is made of it in any Manuscript Copy; and therefore he has left it out in his Edition[196]. As to the Celebration ofEaster, it is manifest fromIrenæus, that thoughPius, as well as his PredecessorsSixtus,TelesphorusandHyginus, differed from the Bishops ofAsia, yet they did not on that Account separate themselves from their Communion[197]. On this Pope are fathered several spurious Pieces,viz.some Decrees, Two Letters ranked among the Decretals, and Two more written toJustusBishop ofVienneinDauphiné. The Decrees, as well as the Decretals, are universally rejected; and yet F.Pagiquotes one of them to prove the real Presence in the Sacrament[198]. The two Letters toJustusare deemed genuine byBaronius[199], by CardinalBona[200], and byBlondelin his Treatise of the Sibyls[201], who nevertheless suspects them elsewhere[202]. On the other hand, they are absolutely rejected as false by Dr.Pearson[203], byCotelerius[204], andNatalis Alexander[205], who discover several Expressions in them that were not in Use till some Ages after, and a great many Incoherences. To say withLe Sueur, That they were written originally inGreek, and in latter Times translated intoLatin[206], is but a poor Evasion. As for the Fable ofHermes, the Brother ofPius, who, by the Command of an Angel appearing to him in the Disguise of a Shepherd, is said to have written a Book shewing, thatEasterought to be kept onSunday, I refer the Reader toPlatina, and such-like Writers.
Year of Christ 157.bracketSt.PolycarpcomestoRome,and re-claims many fromthe Errors ofMarcion.
Piuswas succeeded byAnicetus, in whose TimeValentinethe Heretic, who came toRomein the Pontificate ofHyginus, and had gained many Proselytes underPius, continued sowing his pestilential Errors among the Members of that Church: but many whom he had seduced, were reclaimed by St.Polycarp, formerly the Disciple of St.Johnthe Evangelist, and then Bishop ofSmyrna. His declaring tothem, that the Doctrine taught by the Church was the Doctrine he had learnt of the Apostles, made such an Impression on their Minds, that they abjured the Errors ofValentine, and returned to the Communion of the Faithful[207]. They preferred the bare Word ofPolycarp, who claimed no Infallibility, to the infallible Authority ofHyginus,Pius, andAnicetus. This is a plain Proof, that the Popes had not yet begun to exert their Infallibility; or, if they had, that it was not acknowleged. What brought St.PolycarptoRomewas the Controversy about the Celebration ofEaster, which at this Time began to grow very warm between the Eastern and Western Churches[208]. All the Churches of the East, and amongst the rest that ofSmyrna, keptEasteron the 14th Day of the Moon of the first Month, in Conformity to the Custom of theJews: on the other hand,Anicetuswould neither conform to that Custom himself, nor suffer any under his Jurisdiction to conform to it, obliging them to celebrate that Solemnity on theSundaynext following the 14th of the Moon. That this Dispute might not occasion a Schism in the Church,Polycarpundertook a Journey toRome, in order to confer with the Bishop of that City, who was the chief Opposer of theQuartodecimans[209].|Anicetusand hedisagree about theCelebration ofEaster,but partwithout Breach ofCharity.|But it happened in this, as it does in most religious Disputes, they parted, each retaining his own Way of thinking; but at the same time, what happens but seldom, without the least Breach of that Charity which is the great and fundamental Law of our holy Religion. In Token whereof they communicated together at the holy Sacrament; nay,Anicetus, out of Respect to St.Polycarp, yielded to him theEucharist[210]; that is, gave him Leave to consecrate theEucharistin his own Church: after which they parted in Peace, though both determined to follow the antient Practice of their respective Churches[211]. St.Polycarp, though well acquainted with the Doctrine of the Apostles, was a Stranger, it seems, to that ofBellarmine,Baronius, &c.viz.that the whole Catholic Church is bound to conform to the Rites, Ceremonies, and Customs of the Church ofRome.
Hegesippusand St.JustinatRome.
In the Time ofAnicetus,Hegesippus, and the celebrated Martyr St.Justin, came toRome, upon what Occasion is uncertain. The former continuing there to the Pontificate ofEleutherius, wrote a Book on the Doctrine which in that Church had been conveyed down from the Apostles toAnicetus, and was still observed, says he, in all itsoriginal Purity[212]. The latter opposed with great ZealMarcion, and his Followers, publishing a Book against his pernicious Tenets, and against Heresies in general[213]. It was atRomethat he had frequent Conferences withCrescenstheCynic, a Man of some Note at that Time; but, according to the Genius of his Sect, proud, surly, conceited, and a declared Enemy to all who professed the Christian Religion, which he painted in the blackest Colours[214]. The Malice of thisCynicprocured in the End for our zealous and learned Apologist what he had long and most ardently wished, the Glory of sealing with his Blood the Truth, which he had so strenuously defended and promoted with his Pen[215]. He suffered underMarcus AureliusandL. Verusabout the Year 167. towards the End of the Pontificate ofAnicetus.
To this Pope are ascribed byAnastasius,Platina,Ciaconius, and other modern Writers, several Ordinances and Decrees; but as they are not mentioned by any of the Antients, we do not think them worthy of our Notice.Anicetusgoverned the Church, according toEusebius[216], Eleven Years, from the Year 157. to the 8th Year ofM. Aurelius, that is, to 168. of the Christian Æra.Raban,Florus, andAnastasius, suppose him to have died for the Profession of the Faith; which was, it seems, unknown toIrenæus.|Anicetusnot aMartyr.|He was buried, according to some, near St.Peter, in theVatican, according to others, in the Burying-place ofCalixtus[217]; out of which, though it is uncertain whether he was buried there or no,|His Reliques.|his Head was taken in 1590. and given byUrbanVII. to theJesuitsofMunichinBavaria, where it is yearly, with great Solemnity, exposed to public Adoration on the 17th ofApril, the Anniversary, as is supposed, of his Death: his Body was taken out of the same Place in 1604. and given byClementVIII. to the Duke ofAltaemps, who caused it to be conveyed to the Chapel of his Palace inRome, and to be deposited there in a Marble Tomb, formerly the Tomb of the EmperorAlexander; where it is worshiped to this Day.
Year of Christ 168.bracket
Soter, the Successor ofAnicetus, is highly commended on account of his extensive Charity towards the Poor of other Churches, but more especially towards those who were condemned for the Confession of their Faith to work in the Mines[218].|His Charities to thedistressed Christians.|These he is said not only to have relieved in their Distress with generous Gatherings made for that Purpose atRome, wherein he followed the Example of his Predecessors, but moreover to have sent Letters to them in their afflicted Condition. This we learn from a Letter ofDionysius, then Bishop ofCorinth, which was an Answer to a Letter fromSoter, and the Church ofRome.Dionysiusreturns Thanks to theRomans, and their Bishop, for their Generosity to the Poor ofCorinth; acquaintsSoterthat his Letter had been publicly read; adds, that he shall cause it to be read for the future; and closes his Epistle with great Encomiums on theRomans, who had so generously contributed to the Support of the indigentCorinthians[219]. This laudable Custom did not end with the Second Century of the Church; forDionysiusofAlexandria, writing about the Year 254. toStephenBishop ofRome, says, that allSyriaandArabiafelt the good Effects of the Generosity of theRomans[220]. And some Years after, that is, about the Year 260. PopeDionysiusbeing informed, that the City ofCæsareainCappadociahad been ruined by the Wars, and many Christians carried into Captivity, he sent large Sums to ransom them, with a Letter to the Church ofCæsarea, which was still read in St.Basil’s Time[221].Eusebiustells us, that this Custom continued till the last Persecution[222]. How differently the immense Revenues of the See ofRomeare employed now, those know who have seen the extravagant Pomp, Luxury, and Parade of that Court.|The Heresy ofMontanusbroachedin his Time.|In the Year 171. the Fourth ofSoter, was broached the Heresy of theMontanists, so called from their RingleaderMontanus[223]. Against theseSoteris said, by an anonymous Writer of some Antiquity, to have composed a Book, which was answered, according to the same Writer, byTertullian, becomethe Defender of that Sect[224]: but, according to the best Chronologists,Tertulliandid not turnMontanisttill many Years after the Death ofSoter; and, besides, bothSoter’s Book, andTertullian’s Answer to it, were quite unknown toEusebius, and even to St.Jerom, who took great Delight in readingTertullian.Soterpresided Eight Years, according toEusebius[225]; that is, from the Year 168. to 176. or to the Beginning of 177. the 17th Year of the Reign ofM. Aurelius.|He did not die aMartyr.|The Title of Martyr is given him by the modern Writers, but not byIrenæus, or any of the Antients. To him are falsly ascribed Two Epistles, which have been placed among the Decretals. Where he was buried is uncertain; but his Body is worshiped, at present, in the Church of St.SylvesteratRome,and in the Cathedral ofToledoinSpain[226].