Frauds and Follies of the Fathers: A Review of the Worth of Their Testimony to the Four GospelsWheeler, J. M. (Joseph Mazzini)
Religion
Frauds and Follies of the Fathers: A Review of the Worth of Their Testimony to the Four Gospels
Wheeler, J. M. (Joseph Mazzini)
Christianity -- Controversial literature; Fathers of the church
He follows Justin also in his tales of miracles asserting "some do
certainly and truly drive out devils. Others have foreknowledge of
things to come, they see visions, and utter prophetic expressions.
Others still, heal the sick by laying their hands upon them, and they
are made whole. Yea, moreover, the dead even have been raised up, and
remained among us for many years." As with the other Fathers, he gives
only general statements not particular instances. He allows that
the heretics Simon and Carpoerates and their followers also perform
miracles, "but not through the power of God but for the sake of
destroying and misleading mankind, by means of magical deceptions."
None of these Christian miracles were known to the heathen, and, as Dr.
Conyers Middle ton pointed out, in his "Free Enquiry into the Miraculous
Powers in the Christian Church," at this very same time when one
Autolycus, an eminent heathen, challenged his friend Theophilus, Bishop
of Antioch, a convert and champion of the Gospels, to show him but
one person who had "been raised from the dead, on the condition of him
turning Christian himself," Theophilus made plain by his answer that he
was not able to give him that satisfaction.
Irenæus follows Justin in making the angels mix with the daughters of
men, and also in his absurd typology. He even makes Balaam's ass a
type of the Savior. The cohabitation of Lot with his two daughters was
providential and typical of the two sister synagogues, the Jewish and
the Christian.
In common with all the early Fathers he asserts the doctrine of the
millenium, and this in the grossest sense. We have already seen the
quotation which he gives from Papias as the actual words of Jesus upon
this matter. He believed it would be a purely earthly glory and felicity
after the sort depicted in the Jewish apocalypses. This portion of his
writings, having been utterly discredited, is very often omitted. He
believed the end of all things was near at hand. The world would last
six thousand years because made in six days. Antichrist would come from
the tribe of Dan and reign three years and five days in Jerusalem, when
he would be vanquished. The fall of Antichrist and the end of the world
would coincide with the fall of the Roman Empire, for the mysterious
name of the beast is _Latinus_. Then the Lord was to come, and there
would be no more labor "but unlimited wine swilling."
Irenæus affirms also on the same authority of tradition delivered to
him by those who had received it from the apostles, that Enoch and Elias
were translated into that very Paradise from which Adam was expelled,
and that this was the place into which St. Paul was caught up. This is
affirmed also by all the later Fathers, both Greek and Latin.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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