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.

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Title
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.
Author
Du Pin, Louis Ellies, 1657-1719.
Publication
London :: Printed for Abel Swalle and Tim. Thilbe ...,
MDCXCIII [1693]
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Subject terms
Church history.
Fathers of the church -- Bio-bibliography.
Christian literature, Early -- Bio-bibliography.
Link to this Item
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A69887.0001.001
Cite this Item
"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." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A69887.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 17, 2024.

Pages

S. CLEMENS ROMANUS.

ST. Clement the Disciple, and Coadjutor of the Apostles a 1.1, was ordained Bishop of Rome after S. Anacletus b 1.2, in the year of our Lord 93. Divers Books are attributed to him, some of * 1.3 which are really his, others are ancient tho' supposititious, and others are both counterfeit and modern: And indeed we can only reckon among those that were certainly composed by this Bi∣shop the two Epistles to the Corinthians, the first whereof, so famous among the ancient Authors c 1.4, was undoubtedly written by him. Irenaeus Book 3. chap. 8. speaks thus. In the time of S. Clement,

Page 28

(says he) upon occasion of a great Division that happened in the Church of Corinth, the Church of Rome wrote a very pathetical Letter to the Corinthians, to restore them to Peace, wherein she strengthens their Faith, and preacheth those Traditions that they had lately received from the Apostles. This Epistle which is cited by S. Cle••••ns Alexandrinus, Origen, Eusebius, S. Jerom, and Photius, was for a long time concealed, until at length M. Patrick Young having found it in an ancient Manuscript d 1.5, caused it to be printed at Oxford, Anno Dom. 1633.

After the Holy Scriptures, it is in my opinion one of the most eminent Records of Antiquity. S. Clement, therein exhorts the Faithful of the Church of Corinth, that was in a Disturbance by the revolt of some Christians, who refused to submit to their lawful Pastors, he exhorts them, I say, to a Re-union, and to seek after Peace; particularly he admonisheth them to persevere in the Obedience and Submission that they owed to their Spiritual Guides, he censures those that disturbed the Church, and that promoted secret Cabals against their Ministers on purpose to supplant them; He begins with putting them in mind of the Happiness of that Peace which they had formerly enjoyed; afterwards he represents to them the misfortune of their present Divisions, and proceeds to shew by many Ex∣amples, what lamentable Consequences have always attended it, and how displeasing it is to God: Moreover he adviseth them to repent, in practising Humility, Obedience, and Charity, in imitation of the Humility of Jesus Christ, and the Mercy of God, through the Hope of a Resurrection: From thence he takes an occasion to recommend to the Faithful the Practice of many Christian Virtues, and the Observation of a Regular Discipline: He declares to them, that it was very ill done to rise up against the Pastors and Bishops that were Constituted by the Apostles, or Elected by the Faithful after their Death▪ He aggravates the heinousness of their Crime that were the first promoters of this Division, and earnestly sollicits them to return to their Duty by obeying their Ministers, and by re-uniting themselves with the rest of the Believers. Thus you have an account of the Subject of this Epistle written by S. Clement in the name of the Church of Rome to that of Corinth, about the end of the Persecution raised by the Emperor Domitian. The Style thereof (says Photius) is simple and clear, and it comes very near the natural and artless manner of Expression used by the ancient Ecclesiastical Au∣thors. I shall add, that one may discern a great deal of Energy and Vigour, accompanied with much Prudence, Gentleness, Zeal, and Charity.

The second Epistle of S. Clement is not so certainly known to be his; Eusebius, S. Jerom, and Photius observe, that there is reason to doubt of its being Genuine, because it is not mentioned by the an∣cient Writers; nevertheless some of the Fathers have cited both these Epistles, as if they were of equal Authority e 1.6. The Fragment that is now extant of this last Letter published in Latin by Wendelinus, and in Greek by Mr. Young, is an Exhortation to the Practice of Repentance, and of divers Christian Virtues on the account of the Mercy of God, and the Reward that is promised to the Faithful.

Besides these two Epistles, several voluminous Books have been attributed to S. Clement even in the Primitive Ages of the Church, that were not his; such were (as Eusebius declares in the third Book of his History, chap. 8.) the Disputes of S. Peter and Appion, whereof the ancient Authors have made no mention, and which contain Matters that are far from the Purity of the Apostolical Doctrine: We may conjecture, that these Writings were part of the Book, Entituled, Recognitiones Clementis, which is likewise called, The Voyages, Itinray, or Acts of S. Peter: This Work, tho▪ fictitious, is anci∣ent, being cited by Origen f 1.7, Eusebius, S. Athanasius, S. Epiphanius, S. Jerom, and the Author of The Commentaries on S. Matthew, ascribed to S. Chrysostom: Ruffinus hath made a Translation thereof which is still extant; Gelasius hath inserted it in the Catalogue of Apocryphal Books; and Photius observes, that there are Absurdities and Errors to be found in it: And indeed it is a Writing full of Fables, Tales, Conferences, and ridiculous Disputes, feigned at pleasure, and pretended to be holden between S. Peter and Simon Magus, concerning certain Events and Occurrences that are related after a childish manner; But that which is more dangerous, is, that we may easily discover in several Pas∣sages thereof the Opinions of the Ebionites, tho▪ much palliated, together with many other Errors. In short this Book is of no use, if we reflect on the Style and Method in which it is written, or on the Things that are comprised therein.

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I shall not pass the same censure upon the Apostolical Constitutions that are likewise falsly imputed to S. Clement, and which, tho' written by a later Author g 1.8, yet contain many things very useful to the Discipline of the Church; t is not known by whom, nor when they were composed h 1.9; All that can be certainly affirmed is, that they are cited by S. Epiphanius i 1.10, and the Author of The Commentary on S. Matthew, falsly attributed to St. Chrysostom; but the passages which are produced by them not perfectly agreeing with those that are found in the Constitutions which are extant at this day, we may be induced to conjecture that they have been since corrupted, and so much the rather, because they are infected with the Arian Heresie k 1.11. and several other Errors. This is the Judgment that was given concerning them by the Greek Bishops in the Synod that was conven'd in the Imperial Pa∣lace of Constantinople after the fifth General Council. However I admire that the Learned Photius l 1.12 hath not made this Observation, and that he hath imputed the Errors of this Book to its Primitive Author.

It remains only to enquire, whether this Book be the same as that which is mentioned by Eusebius m 1.13 and S. Athanasius, Entituled, The Doctrine, or the Precepts, of the Apostles, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, or 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. This is the Opinion of Nicephorus n 1.14, Zonaras, and Matthaeus Blastares; but it seems to me to be most probable, that The Constitutions of the Apostles, and the Book called their Doctrine, were two different Works which the likeness of their Titles hath caused to be confounded o 1.15

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It is therefore extremely difficult to determine when the Constitutions ascribed to the Apostles first appeared, since the Author of them is absolutely unknown, neither can it be proved whether they were at first the same as they are now. We can only conjecture, that it is most probable that the Constitutions ascribed to the Apostles, or St. Clement belong to the third, or rather the fourth Century, and that they have been from time to time corrected, altered, and augmented, according to the va∣rious Customs of different Ages and Countries p 1.16.

Those that we have at present are not in Greek. Crabb gives us a Latin Epitome of them in his second Edition of the Councils, Pinted Anno 1557. The first entire Version that ever appeared, was made by Bovius, and inserted by Surius in the Collection of Councils, which he set forth in the years 1567, and 1585. Nicolinus published another Translation of the Constitutions composed by Tur∣rianus, together with the Annotations of the same Author; this was Printed at Venice in 1563, and at Antwerp in 1578. Afterwards Binius caused it to be Re-printed in his first Edition of the Councils, Anno Dom. 1606. but he did not think fit to allow it a place in his second Edition of the year 1608. Fronto Ducaeus, a Jesuit, is the first that published a Greek and Latin Edition of those Constitutions at the end of Zonaras, which was annexed to the new Collection of Councils. They are divided into eight Books, containing a great number of Precepts relating to Christian Duties, especially to those of Pastors, and concerning the Ceremonies and Discipline of the Church, of all which it would be too tedious to give a particular account. They that are desirous to be further informed, may have recourse to the Titles of the Chapters that are prefixed to these Tracts.

The last Work attributed to S. Clement, is a Collection of divers Pieces, Entituled, Clementinae, and there hath been a Book under this Title for some time: The Author of the Epitome of the H. Scri∣ptures attributed to S. Athanasius mentions them, and after him the Chronicle of Alexandria, Nice∣phorus Callistus in the third Book of his History, chap. 18. S. John Damascen, and some others q 1.17.

Perhaps this is the second Part of the Recognitions cited by Ruffinus, for it is a Continuation of the Preachings and Acts of S. Peter. The Greek and Latin Collection, published by Cotelerius under this Name, contains divers Tracts full of Errors in Philosophy, as also of the Heresie of the Ebionites, and is such another Book as the Recognitions. There must needs have happened some Alteration in these Clementinae, as well because they do not agree with that which is cited from them by Maxi∣mus, and by the Author of the Chronicle of Alexandria, as because they are infected with the Errors of Eunomius; besides, there is a Passage cited by an Author in the Library of the College of Clermont which is not to be found there; and we are informed by Nicephorus, that the Clementinae are an Or∣thodox Work, whereas this (as we have already shewn) abounds with Errors. It contains, first, two Apocryphal Letters, one of which is attributed to S. Peter as written to S. James, wherein he advi∣seth him not to deliver the Book of his Preachings to the Gentiles, which is followed by a Protestation of S. James. The other is a Letter of S. Clement to S. James, which tho' it be ancient, and transla∣ted by Ruffinus, yet is certainly counterfeit; as we shall hereafter shew when we give an account of the Forgeries of the Decretals of the Popes. To these two Epistles there are nineteen Homelies an∣nexed relating to the Voyages, Preachings, and Disputes of S. Peter. Moreover at the end of this Work is likewise inserted an Epitome of the Actions of S. Peter extracted from the Clementinae, the Recognitions, and the Epistle of S. Clement. Cotelerius found three of them in the King's Library, and hath published but one, which is the shortest, formerly published by Turnebus, and Printed at Paris Anno Dom. 1555. All these Writings, which are of very little use because they are full of Errors, are only a Contexture of Fables and idle Tales. Lastly, Cotelerius hath added the Records of the Martyrdom of S. Clement, concerning the Antiquity whereof we have no assurance, and which appear on the contrary to have been composed by the modern Greeks r 1.18.

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Now it will not be amiss briefly to recollect all that hath been said concerning the Works of S. Clement, and to declare our Opinion in this matter. The first Epistle to the Corinthians was cer∣tainly written by him, and is a good and useful Treatise. The second is very ancient, tho' not of the same Authority. The Constitutions are an ancient and useful Book falsly imputed to S. Clement, in which many things have been added and altered in process of time, for which Reason several Errors have crept in amongst them. The Recognitions are an Apocryphal Work, ancient indeed, but abound∣ing with Errors and Fables. The same Judgment ought to be given concerning the Clementinae, which are not perhaps so ancient, as also the second Part of the Recognitions. The Book Entituled, The Doctrine of the Apostles, may be the same with the Original Constitutions, but it is more probable that they are a different Work. We can give no account of the Book that bears the Title of The Precepts of S. Clement, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. The Voyages or Itinerary of S. Peter are the same as the Recognitions and the Clementinae. The Epitome is an Abridgment of these Apocry∣phal Writings. The Acts of the Martyrdom of S. Clement were composed by the modern Greeks. The Discourse of Ephrem is likewise of a later Date. There were also certain Sermons ascribed to S. Clement concerning the Just Judgment of God and Divine Providence cited by Anastasius Antioche∣nus, Quest. 96. but there is no probability of their being his. The five Decretals are counterfeit; and the Revelations or Apocalypse of S. Peter, heretofore thought to have been written by S. Clement, is likewise supposititious. Thus we have given in short the Judgment that (according to our Opinion) ought to be given of all the Books that are, or have been, attributed to S. Clemens Romanus, and all that we judge necessary to be propounded or explained concerning them in this place.

Notes

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