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.

CAIUS.

CAIUS a Priest of the Church of Rome a 1.1, lived in the time of the Popes Zephirin and Victor that is to say under the Emperors Severus and Antonius. He wrote a Treatise by way of Dialogue b 1.2 against a famous Montanist called Proclus or Proculus c 1.3, wherein he repre∣hended, * 1.4 and accused this Heretick for giving credit too rashly to those new Prophecies, and at the same time confuted his Reasons. Eusebius speaks of this Treatise in three Places: The first is in Chap. 25. of the Second Book of his History, where he quotes a Fragment of it relating to the Sepulchers of S. Peter and S. Paul, which were to be seen at Rome in this Authors time. The second is in Chap. 28. of the third Book, where he speaks of the Heretick Cerinthus in these Terms.

Cerin∣thus tells us in some Revelations which he had written, as if he had been a great Apostle, prodigious Things, which, as he said, he had learn't from the Angels, assuring us, That after the Resurrection, Christ should have an Earthly Kingdom, and that Men should live in Jerusalem, where they should enjoy Carnal and Sensual Pleasures, and spend a Thousand years in continual Marriages and Jollity.

The third place wherein Eusebius speaks of Caius is in his Sixth Book, Chap. 20. where he says, that Caius condemning the Boldness by which the Enemies of the Church do counterfeit some Books of Scripture, reckons but 13 Epistles of S. Paul, not counting that which was written to the Hebrews among the number of this Apostles Writings. Lastly the same Eusebius in his Third Book, Chap. 21. recites some Words relating to the Daughters of Philip the Deacon, taken from this Author's Dialogue.

Eusebius and S. Jerome make no mention of the other Works of Caius, but the Learned Photius tells us, That he had likewise composed a Treatise against the Heresie of Artemon, who believed that Jesus Christ was only a meer Man, and that he was the Author of a Book Entituled, The Little Labyrinth d 1.5, from whence Eusebius has taken the Passage concerning the Penance of Natalis. Photius likewise at∣tributes to him a Treatise Of the Universe, or Of the Nature of the Universe, or of the Causes thereof, which went in his time under the Name of Josephus; Let us see what he says of it.

This Work con∣tains two little Books, wherein he shews that Plato contradicts himself; he convinces the Philosopher Alcinous e 1.6 of several Falsities and Absurdities concerning Matter and the Resurrection; he opposes his own Opinions to those of this Philosopher, and shews that the Jews are a much more ancient Peo∣ple than the Greeks; he believes that Man was compounded of Fire, Earth, and Water, and of a Spirit which is called the Soul, of which he speaks in these Terms: God has form'd this Spirit to∣gether with the Body, and taking the principal part from thence, he has caused it to penetrate and fill up all it's Members; so that extending it self throughout the whole Body, he has taken the form from thence; but it is of a colder nature than Matter, of which the Body is compounded. This Opinion which supposes that the Soul is Corporeal, (if nevertheless he acknowledges no other Soul in a Man than this Spirit) this Opinion, I say, is quite different from the Doctrine of the Hebrews, and does not agree with the greatness of his other Notions. To conclude, as the same Photius adds, (from whom we have only translated his words) he speaks of Jesus after a very Orthodox Manner.

For he calls him Christ, and speaks of his ineffable Generation from the Father, after such a manner as is no ways to be reprehended; which gives us occasion to doubt whether this be the Work of Jo∣sephus or not; though the Style very much resembles that of this Historian. He adds also afterwards, that he has found and observed that this Book was written by Caius Author of the Labyrinth; but that not bearing the Name of it's Author, some have attributed it to Justin Martyr, others to Irenaeus; though in reality it was composed by Caius. The Proof which he brings for it, is, That the Author of the Labyrinth, whom he believes to be Caius, says, towards the end, that he was the Author of the Book concerning the Nature of the Universe; but this Argument is not absolutely convincing. For it is not certain, that Caius was the Author of the Book of the Labyrinth, which some have attributed to Origen, and 'tis likely enough, that there might be two several Books of different Authors, which might have very near the same Title.

Notes

• a 1.1

  A Priest of the Church of Rome.] Eusebius and S. Jerom tell us plainly, that he was a Priest, and that he lived in Zephyrin's time; but they do not say that he was a Roman. His Treatise was Composed in Greek; Photius is the First, who affirms expresly, that he was a Priest of the Church of Rome; and he adds, that he was ordained Bishop of the Gentiles.
• b 1.2

  By way of Dialogue.] Eusebius calls it, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, that is to say, a Book of Dialogues; and Caius and Proclus, seem to have been the Persons who spake therein, for Eusebius in his Third Book, relates the Words of Proclus taken from this Dialogue.
• c 1.3

  Proclus or Proculus.] The Sect of the Monta∣nists was divided into two Parties, the one were 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and the others 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, as it is ob∣served in that small Abridgment of Heresies, at the end of Tertullian's Praescriptions. It is thought that this Proclus was the same with Proculus the Affrican, who was likewise a Montanist, and of whom Tertul∣lian speaks; but this is not likely; for he, against whom Caius writes was a Greek, and was called Proclus, and not Proculus.
• * 1.4

  Caius.
• d 1.5

  The little Labyrinth.] We have observed, that Eusebius does not Name the Author of this Fragment, but that Theodoret ascribes it to the Author of the Labyrinth, and on the other hand, Photius informs us, that Caius was the Author of that Book, and proves it, because the Author of the Labyrinth says, That he wrote a Treatise concerning the Universe, whence it would follow, that it was Caius who was the Au∣thor of this Fragment; but I should rather believe it to be taken out of the Book, which he Composed against Artemon. Eusebius says, That the Book from whence he produces this Fragment, was written a∣gainst his Heresie, and the Passages which he brings from thence do clearly shew it.
• e 1.6

  The Philosopher Alcinous.] He wrote a Treatise, wherein he makes a Comparison between Aristotle and Plato.