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.

EUTHERIUS Bishop of Tyana.

EUTHERIUS Bishop of Tyana, of all the Bishops of the Party of Nestorius, hath left us the most considerable Monument. It is a Work which hath gone a long * 1.1 Time under the Name of Athanasius, which Photius attributes to Theodoret; but M. Mercator, who is more to be credited than Photius, cites it under the Name of Euthenius of Tyana. In the First Place, he describes, in the most odious manner, the Persecutions, which he pre∣tends were prepared for those of his Party to suffer. These are his Words:

It is said that our Enemies will not content themselves to go on in their, old Courses, to work the Ruine of the Simple and Unwary, but that they have a Design boldly to attempt whatever they please, being supported by the Authority of the Sovereign Power, that they will force others to be of their Opinions: That they will require Obedience to their Commands immediately, and deliver them to Justice that do not perform them; that they will bring them to Punishment, brand some with Disgrace and banish others; that they will frame false Accusations against them, and deprive them thereupon of their Dignities and Offices. I do not mention the Bonds, Prisons, Disgraces and Torments which they shall suffer, and the tragical Sights of those which they will put to Death. And that which is most to be lamented is this, That the Bishops are the Authors of this Tragedy. O prophane Compul∣sion! O intolerable Justice! When they begin to celebrate the Holy Mysteries, or to teach the People, they have in their Mouth this heavenly Speech, Peace be with you all. Nothing is so urgently commanded in Holy Scripture as Gentleness and Kindness; Why

then do they condemn us without taking Cognizance of our Cause? Why do they reject that which they do not know to be false? Why do they give the Name of Force to their Outrages? Why do they conceal their Cruelty under the Shadow of false Zeal? Why do they cover their detestable Politicks with the Name of Wisdom? What Tragedian is there that can describe these Things in a Style doleful enough? The Lamentations of Jeremiah would not suffice to describe so great Evils.

From hence we may see, that it is not a late Invention, for Persons who are not willing to forsake their Errors, to make those Charitable Severities which are made use of to recover them, to pass for insupportable Violences and unheard of Cruelties; by aggravating them and representing them in such an odious manner, as is proper to stir up Indig∣nation.

The Principles which he lays down in the following Part, are very agreeable with those of the Protestants. In the First Article he opposes those, who will have it determined, where the Truth is, by the Judgment of the greater Number.

Jesus Christ saith, he is the Truth (as Tertullian hath a long Time since affirmed) and 'tis he that we ought to consult. This be∣ing so, are they not to be pitied who judge of the Force and Authority of a Doctrine only by the Number of those who approve it; without considering that our Lord Jesus Christ chose ignorant and poor Men, whom he made use of to convert all the World. He re∣quired, that Millions of Men should yield themselves up to the Doctrines of these Twelve. Thus hath the Truth always triumphed, although it were among the smallest Number, and whosoever he be, that despairing to prove what he affirms to be true, flies to the Authority of the Multitude, he confesses himself vanquished. The great Number may affright, but cannot perswade: There are but few that shall be saved. S. Stephen, Phineas, Lot and Noah had the Multitude against them; yet who had not rather be on their Side than on that, which did oppose them? 'Tis not, saith the same Author, that I bear not a due respect to the Multitude; but it is to that which proves what it teacheth, and not to that which will not suffer us to examine and search out the Truth: 'Tis to that which doth not condemn with Severity, but correct with Gentleness; not to that which loves Novelties, but to that which preserves the Truth, which they have received from their Ancestors. But what is this Multitude which you object against me? It is the Throng of Men corrupted by Flat∣teries and Prisons: 'Tis the Number of ignorant Men, who have no Understanding to guide them: It is a crowd of weak and fearful Men, who suffer themselves to be con∣quered: They are the Souls which preferr the Pleasures that Sin affords us in this Life, which are momentary, before Eternal Life and Glory: So that when you object to me this Multitude, to gain Credit to a Lye, you do but discover the extent of Wickedness, and the great Number of the Miserable.

The Second Chapter is of like Nature with this First. In it he opposes those who main∣tain, That it is needless to search the Holy Scripture that we may know what we ought to believe, either because it is sufficient for every one to believe what his own Reason teacheth him; or, because in searching for the Truth in Scripture, we meet with more Obscurity and Uncertainty. Our Author cannot approve of this Advice: He saith,

That being perswaded of the Truth of the Mysteries, and trusting in the Help of Jesus Christ, who hath promised to those who seek after the Truth that they shall certainly find it, he seeks after the Truth in the manner that he ought, he shall find it without mistaking, that he puts himself into a Condition of proving what he teacheth, of instructing the Faithful, confuting Hereticks, and convincing himself of the Truth, and confirming the Doctrines, so as none can doubt of them. Would you have me, saith he, neglect the Study of Holy Scripture? whence then will you have Knowledge necessary to support your Faith? It is dangerous for this Life to be ignorant of the Roman Laws, and 'tis no less dangerous for another Life to be ignorant of the Oracles of our Heavenly King. The Scripture is the Nourishment of the Soul: Suffer not then the inward Man to die with Hunger, by depriving him of the Word of God. There are too too many who inflict mortal Wounds upon the Soul; suffer them to seek Medicines for their Maladies and Griefs.

But there are, say you, things which pass our Understand: I own it, but the Scripture teaches us, That we must search, and that there are things that we cannot comprehend: And as it would be a kind of Impiety to desire to throughly comprehend it, so it is to have a kind of Contempt for the Divine Truths, to lay aside wholly the search into them: Every one ought to know what it is he adores, as it is written, We know what we worship: But it is a Madness to enquire how much? After what manner? By what Means, and where we must adore him? In sum, they who discourage others from reading and studying the Holy Scripture, under a Pretence, That they ought not to dive into Things too pro∣found, do it because they are afraid that they should be convinced of their Errors by it. So when they find themselves pressed by convincing Testimonies of Holy Scripture, they give a Sence clear contrary to the Words; and if they find but one Word which can be brought to their Opinion, although it be nothing to the Sence of the Place, they must use it as an invincible Demonstration.

We must own that these Principles are not ill, although Men may offend in the Application they make of them.

In the other Chapters he answers the Objections which the Aegyptians made against the East∣ern Bishops, and opposes some of their Expressions; such as these: The Word hath suffered in an impassible manner: The Word hath suffered in the Flesh. He hath delivered several Expressions agreeable to those of Nestorius.

In sum. He hath written with much Elegancy and Reason. This Work is a Doctrinal Treatise, and not a Collection of Sermons. It is in Tom. 2. of Athanasius's Works under the Name of that Father, and since it hath been printed at the end of Tom. 5. of Theodoret's Works put out by F. Garner [at Paris in 1684.] There are also some of this Bishop's Letters in F. Lupus's Collection.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Eutherius Tyanaeus.