A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 06 — Voltaire — John Shaqi
A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 06
Voltaire · en
Eusebius of Cæsarea says that Jesus left His body, without waiting for
Death to come and seize it; and that, on the contrary, He seized Death,
who, in terror and agony, embraced His feet, and afterwards attempted to
escape by flight, but was prevented by Jesus, who broke down the gates
of the dungeons which enclosed the souls of the saints, drew them forth
from their confinement, resuscitated them, then resuscitated Himself,
and conducted them in triumph to that heavenly Jerusalem _which
descended from heaven every night_, and was actually seen by the
astonished eyes of St. Justin.
It was a question much disputed whether all those who were resuscitated
died again before they ascended into heaven. St. Thomas, in his
"Summary," asserts that they died again. This also is the opinion of the
discriminating and judicious Calmet. "We maintain," says he, in his
dissertation on this great question, "that the saints who were
resuscitated, after the death of the Saviour died again, in order to
revive hereafter."
God had permitted, ages before, that the profane Gentiles should imitate
in anticipation these sacred truths. The ancients imagined that the gods
resuscitated Pelops; that Orpheus extricated Eurydice from hell, at
least for a moment; that Hercules delivered Alcestis from it; that
Æsculapius resuscitated Hippolytus, etc. Let us ever discriminate
between fable and truth, and keep our minds in the same subjection with
respect to whatever surprises and astonishes us, as with respect to
whatever appears perfectly conformable to their circumscribed and narrow
views.
HERESY.
SECTION I.
A Greek word, signifying "belief, or elected opinion." It is not greatly
to the honor of human reason that men should be hated, persecuted,
massacred, or burned at the stake, on account of their chosen opinions;
but what is exceedingly little to our honor is that this mischievous and
destructive madness has been as peculiar to us as leprosy was to the
Hebrews, or lues formerly to the Caribs.
We well know, theologically speaking, that heresy having become a crime,
as even the word itself is a reproach; we well know, I say, that the
Latin church, which alone can possess reason, has also possessed the
right of reproving all who were of a different opinion from her own.
On the other side, the Greek church had the same right; accordingly, it
reproved the Romans when they chose a different opinion from the Greeks
on the procession of the Holy Spirit, the viands which might be taken in
Lent, the authority of the pope, etc.