The history of the church from our Lords incarnation, to the twelth year of the Emperour Maricius Tiberius, or the Year of Christ 594 / as it was written in Greek, by Eusebius Pamphilius ..., Socrates Scholasticus, and Evagrius Scholasticus ... ; made English from that edition of these historians, which Valesius published at Paris in the years 1659, 1668, and 1673 ; also, The life of Constantine in four books, written by Eusibius Pamphilus, with Constantine's Oration to the convention of the saints, and Eusebius's Speech in praise of Constantine, spoken at his tricennalia ; Valesius's annotations on these authors, are done into English, and set at their proper places in the margin, as likewise a translation of his account of their lives and writings ; with two index's, the one, of the principal matters that occur in the text, the other, of those contained in the notes.

CHAP. XI. Concerning Clemens Alexandrinus.

AT the same time flourisht Clemens at Alex∣andria, (being laborious together with Pantaenus in the studies of the divine Scriptures,) who had the same name with that ancient Prelate of the Roman Church, that was a disciple of the

Apostles. He (in his book a 1.1 of Institutions) makes express mention of Pantaenus, as having been his Master. To me he seems to mean the same person also, in the first book of his Stroma∣tewn, where recording * 1.2 the most eminent succes∣sours of the Apostolick doctrine by whom he had been instructed, he says thus;

Now this work of mine I have not composed for ostentation▪ but these memoires I have treasured up, as a re∣medie against the forgetfulness of mine old age; that they may be a true representation and a••um∣bration of those lively and powerfull discourses, which I have had the happiness to hear from bles∣sed and truely worthy and memorable persons. Of which one was Ionicus, [whom I heard] in Greece; another in † 1.3 Magna Graecia; the first of them was a Coelo-Syrian▪ the other an Egyptian. Others of them lived in the East: of which one was an b 1.4 Assyrian; the other in Palestine, by original extract an c 1.5 Hebrew.

The last [Master] I met with, (who yet was the first and chiefest in power and virtue, whom I inquisitively sought out and foundlying hid in Egypt,) I did fully acquiesce in, and searched no further. These therefore preser∣ving the sincere tradition of the blessed doctrine, which they had immediately received from the holy Apostles Peter, James, John, and Paul, (like children from the hands of their Parents, al∣though few children be like their Parents) are by Gods blessing come down to our time, sowing those Primitive and Apostolic seeds [of Truth.]

Notes

• a 1.1

  These books of Clemens's contained a short and compendi∣ous exposi∣tion of both Te∣staments, says Pho∣tius, in his Bibliotheca. But, be∣cause of the errours with which they a∣bounded, they were disregar∣ded, and at length lost. Neither is there any other rea∣son, in my opinion, why the books of Papias, He∣gesippus, and others of the An∣cients, are ••ost. Yet the Excer∣pta out of Theodotus, which are extant after his Stromatewn, seem to be taken out of his Institutions; which I wonder no body has taken no∣tice of before. This I conclude to be true, both because in those Excerpta out of Theodotus there are the same things said of Christ, which Photius attests he read in Clemens's books of Institutions; and also because the Authour of those Excerpta does, about the end of them, call Pantaenus Master. Now Pantaenus was Clemens's Master, as Eusebius says in this chapter; whom Clemens in his Institutions, does often quote, as Photius relates. Vales.
• * 1.2

  Or, the most eminent persons of the Apostolick succession.
• † 1.3

  It was that part of Italy, which since is called Cal••bria.
• b 1.4

  Valesius thinks this person was Tatianus, Justin the Martyrs Scholar; Baronius says 'twas Bardesanes, of whom see B. 4. chap. the Iast; but he was no Assyrian; for he was of Edessa, the chief City of O••droena.
• c 1.5

  Baronius says, this was Theophilus Bishop of Caesarea; but I ra∣ther think him to have been Theodotus; which I conjecture from hence, because the Epitome of Clemens's institutions is entitled, [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, i. e. the Epitome of Theodotus his Oriental Doctrine.] For Clemens calls that the Oriental Doctrine, which he learned from his masters in the East. I have two argu∣ments to perswade me, that Clemens does not here mean Theophilus of Caesarea; (1) Theophilus was contemporary with Clemens, for he flourisht in the times of Victor Bishop of Rome, as we are informed by our Eusebius. (2) None of the antients ever said that Theophilus was an Hebrew, or, which is all one, a Jew. Vales.