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.

JULIUS AFRICANUS.

JUlius Africanus, who was of Palestine, a 1.1 though older than Origen, b 1.2 is believed to have been the Disciple of Heraclas, because being drawn by his Reputation, he came to Alexandria to confer * 1.3 with him. c 1.4 He was deputed by the Emperor Alexander, d 1.5 to cause the City of Emmanus to be repaired, which was afterwards called Nicopolis. He particularly applied himself to Chrono∣logy and History, and composed an exact Chronicle, e 1.6 divided into five Books, from the Beginning of the World, to the Third Year of the Reign of Heliogabalus, f 1.7 wherein he gave a brief Account of the most remarkable Accidents from the beginning of the World, to the time Jesus Christ, and re∣lated in few Words all that had happened since Christ's Time, to that wherein he wrote. We have not this famous Work at present under Africanus's Name. But Eusebius has inserted it almost entire in his Chronicon, altering and adding some few things, and Correcting some of his Mistakes. We have still some of his Fragments in two Works, publisht by Scaliger, of which one is Latin, and is called Chronological Extracts, taken out of Eusebius and Africanus; and the other is Greek, and Enti∣tuled, A Collection of Histories.

Besides this Chronicle, he wrote two Letters upon two important Questions relating to the Scri∣pture: The first directed to Aristides, was written to reconcile that seeming Contradiction which is found in the Account given of the Genealogy of Jesus Christ by S. Luke and S. Matthew. Eusebius gives us a considerable part of this Letter, in the First Chapter of the Seventh Book of his History. And in order to reconcile this Difference, he has recourse to that Law of Adoption, that took place among the Jews, and which obliged the Brothers to Marry their Brothers Wives who died without Children. He says then, that Matthan, who descended from David by Solomon, married a Wife named Estha, by whom he had Jacob: But that after the Death of Matthan, this same Woman mar∣ried Melchi (he should have said Matthat) who descended from David by Nathan, of whom she had a Son named Heli, and that so Heli and Jacob were Brothers by the Mothers-side; and that Heli dy∣ing without Children, Jacob was obliged to marry his Widow, of whom he had Joseph the Hus∣band of Mary, who was by Consequence natural Son to Jacob, and the Son of Heli according to the Law; and descended from Solomon by Jacob, and from Nathan by Heli. This way of reconciling the Evangelists, as to the Geneology of Jesus Christ, is very easie, and has hardly any Difficulty in it; but that every Body may readily comprehend it, we shall represent it in the following Table.

DAVID

SOLOMON, And his Descendants, re∣lated by S. Matthew.		NATHAN, And his Descendants, rela∣lated by S. Luke.
MATTHAN, The first Husband.	ESTHA, The Wife of both.	MELCHI, Or rather MATTHAT, The Second Husband.
JACOB, The Son of Matthan, the first Husband.	THEIR COMMON WIFE, Whose Name we do not know, First married to Heli, of whom she had no Children, and after∣wards to Jacob, his Bro∣ther.	HELY.
The Natural Son of Jacob.	JOSEPH.	The Son of Heli, according to the Law.

The Second Letter of Africanus, relating to the History of Susanna, was written to Origen, who had in a Conference cited the Prophet Daniel, to vindicate the Innocence of Susanna. Africanus writes to him, that he admires that he does not look upon this Part of Daniel as Fictitious, and that this whole History is no more than a Fable. The Reasons which he brings for this Opinion, are very Learned and Ingenious, and there was a Necessity for so great a Man as Origen to answer him; and yet it seems as if Africanus wrote to him, rather to be instructed in the Truth, than with any Design of Disputing against him.

There is likewise attributed to this Author, a Work Entituled, The Cesti, which is cited under his Name, not only by Suidas, and Sincellus; but likewise by Photius, and even by Eusebius, in the Sixth Book, Chapter 31, of his History: If that Passage, which is not to be found in Ruffinus's Ver∣sion, nor in S. Jerom, be not foisted in. But it is more likely, that this is the Work of another Africanus. g 1.8 We do not know whether he, of whom we speak, wrote any thing else, nor when he died.

Notes

• a 1.1

  Who was of Palestine.] Some have confounded him with Sextus Africanus of Lybia; but this is an Error: For our Author was of Palestine, and lived there, whereas the other was only of Lybia.
• b 1.2

  Older than Origen.] In the Letter which he wrote to Origen, he calls him his Son, and he conti∣nues his Chronicle no farther then to the Time of Heliogabalus, which shews that he was older than Origen.
• * 1.3

  Julius A∣fricanus.
• c 1.4

  To confer with him.] Heraclas was undoubtedly Bishop of Alexandria, when he came into this City. He says as much himself in his Chronicle, according to the Relation of Eusebius, Lib. 6. cap. 3. and of Bede de Sex. aet. Pag. 86. of Ado, and others.
• d 1.5

  By the Emperor Alexander.] This Embassy was under Alexander the Son of Mammea, and not under Heliogabalus. That which made Eusebius mistake, is because Africanus's Chronicle went no farther than the time of Heliogabalus.
• e 1.6

  And composed an exact Chronicle.] Eusebius gives it the Name of a Chronography, and S. Jerom stiles it a History of the Times: Photius and Bede call it a Chronicle. It contained the Origine and Succession of all the Monarchies and Commonwealths, and he annext to the end thereof, a kind of Table, called a Canon, wherein he disposed under every Year, what he had before observed Successively. S. Basil cites a Passage from thence, relating to the Divinity of the Holy Ghost, in the 29th Chapter of his Book, de Spiritu Sancto.
• f 1.7

  The Reign of Heliogabalus.] Photius, who had seen it, says that his Chronicle went no farther than the Reign of Macrinus. But the Computation of years, and a Fragment related by Scaliger, clearly shew, that he continued it to the time of Heliogabalus.
• g 1.8

  Is the Work of another Africanus.] These Books, Entituled Cesti, were Discourses containing nothing but prophane Learning, they were so called à Cesto Veneris: They treated of Herbs, and particularly of those that had any Faculty in procuring Love. The Author of this Book was of Lybia; he called himself Sextus Africanus, or rather Africanus Cestus. He was probably a Heathen, as the Title, and the Subject of his Work sufficiently shew. There is a Book at∣tributed to one Africanus, cited by Politian, under the Name of Cestus, being a Manuscript in the King's Library, but not the same which Photius speaks of: It was lately published.