A new history of ecclesiastical writers containing an account of the authors of the several books of the Old and New Testament, of the lives and writings of the primitive fathers, an abridgement and catalogue of their works ... also a compendious history of the councils, with chronological tables of the whole / written in French by Lewis Ellies du Pin.

MARK.

MARK the Hermite, of whom we are to speak in this place, lived about the end of the Fourth Century; Palladius and Sozomen speak of him as of a very holy Man. He com∣posed * 1.1 some Ascetical Treatises, which have been attributed by Bellarmine and some others to one Mark, who lived under Leo the Emperour, in the Ninth Century: But Photius having made a very exact Extract of th••se Treatises, it is impossible they should be of a Man that lived since him; And therefore they must be ascribed to that Mark who lived about the latter end of the Fourth Century. This is what he saith of it in the Two hundredth Volume.

I have read Eight Books of Mark the Monk, whereof the First is intituled, Of the Spiritual Life; it may be profitable to those who have undertaken to lead a Religious life, i. e. to be Monks as well as the following; in which he shews, That they are deceived who think to be justified by their Works; shewing, that this is a very dangerous Opinion. He adds to this Instruction whol∣some Precepts, that lead to a Spiritual life. The Third Book is of Repentance; his design here is to shew, that this Vertue is of use at all times. This Book aims at the same end as the fore-going, and the same use may be made of it. His Style is clear enough, because he makes use of common terms, and speaks of things in general; but he wants the smoothness of Old A∣thens. If there be some darkness, it doth not proceed from the terms he useth, but from the things he treateth of; which are of such a nature, that it is easier to comprehend them by practice than by discoursing. Wherefore you shall find the same obscurity not only in the Books now mentioned, but also in those that follow, and in all the Books of those that have written of the Monastick life, and have discoursed of the Motions and Passions of the Soul, as well as of the Actions which they produce; it being impossible to teach with Words those things that depend upon practice. The Fourth Book, by way of Questions and Answers, shews, That by Baptism we have received not only the Pardon and Remission of our Sins, but also

the Grace of the Holy Spirit; and many other Spiritual gifts. The Fifth is a kind of Con∣ference of the Spirit with the Soul: whereby he proves, That we our selves are Authors of our Sins, and that we ought to accuse no body else upon that account. The Sixth is in the form of a Dialogue between Mark and an Advocate, who discourse of these following Subjects: That none is to seek revenge for an injury received, because the wrong we suffer is to be looked upon as a punishment for our Sins; he adds, that it is difficult to please Men, and that Prayer is to be preferred before any other labour. He concludes, by explaining wherein the Desires of the Flesh consist. He treats of Fasting in the Seventh Book, that is not written by way of Dialogue. The Eighth is directed to a Monk called Nicolas, treating of the ways of appea∣sing of Anger, and of quenching of Lust. There is also a Ninth Book against the Melchisede∣chians, wherein he spareth not his own Father who had been tainted with that Heresie.

Those that would read usefull Books, will not lose their time in reading of this. The Order of these Books is not the same in all Copies; In some those are found last which we have named first. This Observation of Photius is verified by the Latin Edition of these Eight Books, which were published by Johannes Picus, President of the Inquests in the Parliament of Paris, and inserted into the Bibliotheca Patrum. The Four first are there in Photius's order; but the Fifth in his or∣der is the last there; the Sixth is the last but one; and the Book concerning Fasting is immedi∣ately after that dedicated to Nicolas the Monk. That against the Melchisedechians is lost. This Author attributeth much to the Faith and Grace of Jesus Christ, and very little to the good Works and free Actions of Men, differing therein from most of the Ascetical Writers. He like∣wise ascribeth much to the vertue and efficacy of Baptism; and pretends, that it delivers us not only from Death, but also from Lust; and puts us in a condition of doing either good or evil: So that they who have received Baptism are as free either to good or evil as the first Man was. His Opinion is, That a perfect Christian is free from Temptations and from Passions; and maintains, that many of the Gospel-admonitions have the nature of Precepts; An ordinary excess of spiri∣tual Men. In short, it cannot be denied that among many true Maxims, there may be some stretched, and contrary to Truth and right Reason: which is but too common in the most part of Books of a Spiritual Life, both Ancient and Modern. The Original Greek of these Homilies is not only among the MSS. of the King's Library, and in some others, as Oudin hath observed; but also in the First Volume of the Greek and Latin Bibliotheca Patrum, Printed at Paris 1624.

I say nothing of another Mark, a Deacon of Gaza in Palaestine, who is reckoned to be the Au∣thor of the Acts of S. Porphyrius of Gaza, related by Metaphrastes and by Surius; because I re∣solved not to ingage in writing any Account of the Acts of the Martyrs, being unwilling to lanch into a Sea where it is difficult to avoid being often Shipwrackt.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Mark.