The auncient ecclesiasticall histories of the first six hundred yeares after Christ, wrytten in the Greeke tongue by three learned historiographers, Eusebius, Socrates, and Euagrius. Eusebius Pamphilus Bishop of Cæsarea in Palæstina vvrote 10 bookes. Socrates Scholasticus of Constantinople vvrote 7 bookes. Euagrius Scholasticus of Antioch vvrote 6 bookes. VVhereunto is annexed Dorotheus Bishop of Tyrus, of the liues of the prophetes, apostles and 70 disciples. All which authors are faithfully translated out of the Greeke tongue by Meredith Hanmer, Maister of Arte and student in diuinitie. Last of all herein is contayned a profitable chronographie collected by the sayd translator, the title whereof is to be seene in the ende of this volume, with a copious index of the principall matters throughout all the histories

CAP. XXVII.

Of Tatianus and his heresie.

WE meane that Tatianus, whose testimony a litle before, we haue alleaged toutchinge the renoumed Iustinus, whome also we haue reported to haue bene the Martyrs disci∣ple. The same dothe Irenaeus declare in his first booke against heresies, wryting of him and his heresie thus: Out of the schole of Saturninus and Marcion sprange the Hereticks* 1.1 vvhome they call Encratits (that is to say continent persons) vvho taught that mariadg vvas to be abhorred, contemning the auncient shape and molde of man, framed of God and so by sequel, reprehending him that made the generation of man and vvoman. Againe they haue commaunded abstinence from liuing creatures, for so they call them, shevving themselues vn∣gratefull tovvards God, vvhich made all thinges for the vse of man. They deny that the first man vvas saued and this blasphemie lately spronge vp, Tatianus beinge originall thereof. vvho* 1.2 vvhilest that he vvas the auditor of Iustinus, reuealed no such thinge, but after his Martyrdome, falling from the Church, & being puffed vp vvith presumptuous estimation and selfe opinion of Doctorship, as though he passed all others: inuented a selfe and a seuerall character or maner of Doctrine. he dreamed of certaine inuisible vvorldes, vvith the Valentinians, preachinge of* 1.3 mariadge and corruption, and fornication as Marcion, and Saturninus had done before, calling into controuersie of himselfe the saluation of Adam. This doth Irenaeus write in the place be∣fore cyted, and a litle after thus: One Seuerus reuiued the foresayd heresi, and became an author* 1.4 vnto his follovvers that of him they vvere called Seueriani. These receaue y^• Lavve, the Prophets and the Gospells: they expounde names of holy Scripture, as pleaseth them best: they reuile the Apostle Paul: they reiect his Epistles: they deny the Actes of the Apostles. there first author was Tatianus, who patched together, I wot not what kind of mingle mangled consonancy of the Gospells and termed it Diatessaron, which as yet is to be sene of many. some reporte that he pre∣sumed* 1.5 metaphrastically to alter the wordes of the Apostle, correcting as it were the order of the phrase. He left in wryting vnto the posteritie a great numbre of commentaries, but of all the rest that booke of his, against the Gentiles is recounted famous, and taken for the best, and most pro∣fitable:* 1.6 where mention is made of the former times, with a bold protestation, that Moses and the Prophets among the Hebrevves, were farre more auncient, thē the famous men among the Gen∣tiles, and thus stoode these thinges then.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Irenaeus li. 1. cap. 30. 31. Saturniani. Marcionitae.
• * 1.2

  Tatianus.
• * 1.3

  Valentiniani.
• * 1.4

  Seuerus. Seueriani.
• * 1.5

  Diatessaron.
• * 1.6

  Tatianus though an hereticke yet wrote ••e a learned book agaynst the Gentiles.