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PHILASTRIUS Bishop of Brescia, flourish'd under the Elder Theodosius, and was one of the Bishops in the Council of Aquileia. St. Austin says, That he had seen him sometimes with * 1.1 St. Ambrose. We have his Life written as is thought, by St. Gaudentius his Successor. He died before St. Ambrose about the Year 387 a 1.2.
He wrote a Treatise of Heresies, wherein he reckons 20 Heresies before the Birth of Jesus Christ, and 128 afterwards to the Year 380, in which he wrote, and tells in a few Words the principal Errors of each of them. St. Austin observes at the beginning of his Book about Heresies, that it was a sur∣prizing thing that Philastrius who was much less learned and less exact than St. Epiphanius, should reckon up many more Heresies than he did; from whence he concludes, that these two Authors could not have the same Notions of Heresy, because indeed it is very difficult to give a just Definition of it. Wherefore, adds St. Austin, in giving the Catalogue of Heresies, we must carefully avoid these two opposite extremes, whereof one is to make those Heresies that are not, and the other is to omit those Heresies which really are such. 'Tis a rare thing for those who make the Catalogues of Heresies to fall into this last Fault; but the first is very common, and Philastrius was more subject to it than any body. For he feigns a multitude of Heresies that never were b 1.3, and sometimes he puts in the num∣ber of Heresies those Opinions that are true, or at least problematically disputed c 1.4. And therefore we need not wonder, that he made so numerous a Catalogue of Heresies, which he also multiplied, by mentioning one and the same Heresy many times.
The Stile of this Author is mean and flat; he had no great Learning, and has committed many gross Faults d 1.5 in this little Tract, which is not written with any exactness: Yet there are some re∣markable things in it e 1.6.
This Treatise was printed at Basle in 1528; and at Helmstadt in 1611, and in 1614, and with St. Austin's Book of Heresies, in several places, and in the Bibliotheca Patrum.
Philastrius.
About the Year 387.] The Author of this Life, says, That he died before St. Ambrose. In Heresy 63 'tis said, that he wrote in the Year 430, but 'tis plain that this was the Mistake of a Figure, and that they put a C for an L, which would make it [just] 380.
Heresies that never were.] As the Nazareans, the Heliognosts, the Adorers of Mice, the Muscaronnites, the Troglodites in the Old Testament, the Fortunatians, the Baalites, the Celebites, the Molochites, the Tophites; mak∣ing several Sects of Hereticks, of the Abominations committed by the Jews, and the Sacrifices of the Peo∣ple that were their Neighbours. But nothing is more pleasant than his Invention of the Heresy of the Puteo∣rites, which he founds upon that Passage of Jeremy. They have forsaken me the Fountain of Living Water, to make to themselves broken Cisterns. That which he founds upon the 8th. Ch. of Ezekiel is not better grounded. Never any but he mentioned the Herefies of Judas, of the Passalorinchites, the Rhelorians, the Discalceati, and some others: Of one and the same Heresy, he many times makes many; and in a word, he reckons the number of Heresies, not by the Sects, but by every particular Opi∣nion. In our days, he might have multiplied at a much greater rate the number of Heresies, by counting as many Errors as have been invented by one or other.
He puts in the number of Heresies those Opinions that are true or at least problematical.] As in Heresy 26, that the Soul of Samuel was brought back by the Witch of Endor; in the 59th. the Error of the Millenaries; in the 79th. that the Elements shall not perish; in the 88th that the Epistle to the Hebrews may be St. Luke's or St. Barnabas's; in the 63d. that there are more than 7 Heavens; in 94, that there is no other Earth but this; in 96, that the likeness of Man to God may be ex∣plain'd with relation to his Body; in 97, that the Breath which God inspir'd into Man was his Soul; in 101, that Earthquakes are natural Effects; in 102, and 111, that the Names of prophane Gods may be given to the Stars; in 110, that the number of Years since the Creation is not certain; in 126, that David was not the Author of all the Psalms; in 129, that the Stars are fasten'd to Heaven; in 137, and those that follow, that we may follow another Version besides that of the Se∣venty, and some others; in the 56th. he condemns those that admit Ecclesiasticus as a Canonical Book.
Many gross Faults.] There are an infinite number of them in this Book; take some few of them. He places the Ophites, the Gaianites, and the Troglodites among the Hereticks which were before Jesus Christ, which is an Error in Chronology. He says, the Samaritans came from a King call'd Samarius, the Son of Canaan. What a strange Mistake is here! He says that Mercurius Trisme∣gistus came to the Celtae, and taught them to adore the Sun. He affirms that the God Accaron was a Fly. He supposes that not only Simon Magus, Basilides, &c. but also Cerdon, Marcion, and many other Hereticks, pub∣lish'd their Errors while the Apostles were alive; a won∣derful Mistake in Chronology. There are many more in it of this Nature.
There are some remarkable things in it.] He con∣firms in many places the Immortality and Spirituality of the Soul, and chiefly in Heresy 122. In Haeres. 87. he admits as Canonical the Two Epistles of St. Peter, that of St. Jude, and the Three Epistles of St. John. He explains the Mystery of the Trinity in Haeres. 91, 92. He discourses of Grace in Haeres. 97. He says very cu∣rious things about the Diversity and Gift of Tongues in Haeres. 103, 104. He rejects in 105, the Opinion of those who thought that the Day of Judgment should happen 363 Years after Jesus Christ. In 106 he rejects the Opinion of those who imagin'd, that the Sons of Men spoken of in Genesis, were Angels. In the 112, he laughs at those that say there are many Worlds. In Haeres. 116. he plainly admits Original Sin. In 121, he rejects the Opinion of those, who believ'd that Jesus Christ descended into Hell, and preach'd the Gospel there to all the Damned, and that those of them who believ'd in him were sav'd. In 129, he explains the E∣ternal Generation of the Word. In 124, he teaches that Men ought to run in the Ways of Vertue, and to de∣sire what is Good, but they ought not to do it with Pride and Haughtiness, for they should acknowledge that they cannot deserve Salvation by their own Works, but by the Mercy of Jesus Christ; that it is indeed in our Power to run, but we ought to hope for greater things from God; and therefore we ought not to mag∣nify our selves, and say, I can be a Martyr, I can be an Apostle, but we must add, If Jesus Christ will: Because it is from him that we obtain these Graces, and they are not to be acquir'd by a vain Presumption. In Heresy 144, he observes that the Church celebrates Four So∣lemn Fasts, before Christmas, before Epiphany, before Easter, and before Whitsunday. I leave the other Obser∣vations to those who will take the pains to read this little Tract, whose brevity is one of its best Qualities.