PRIMASIUS.
PRimasius Bishop of A••ru••ettum, a City in the Province of Byracena, was at Constantinople, at the time when the fifth Council was held. C•…•…odorus assures us, That he wrote a Commenta∣ry * 1.1 upon the Re••••lations, divided into five Books. This Work was printed at Basil in 1544, and at Lyons in 1543, together with a Commentary upon all the Epistles of St. Paul. These Works are Collections of Extracts out of the Fathers, and Commentators. In the Commentary upon St. Paul, he copies oftentimes that which goes under the Name of St. Jerom.
St. Isidore of Sevil says nothing of these Comme•…•… but he informs us that Primasius wrote three Books of Heresies address'd to Fortunatus, wherein he explains what St. Austin had left im∣perfect in his Book of Heresies, showing in the first Book what it is that makes a Heretick. In the second and third, by what Hereticks may be ••nown. Some Learned Men think that the Book which F. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 has publish'd under the Name of Predesti•…•…, because it had no Title in his Manuscript, i•• the Work of 〈◊〉〈◊〉. This Opinion is not only founded upon a bare Conjecture, but upon the Authority of a Manuscript of this Treatise, found in Germany by F. Mabillon, which bears the Name of 〈◊〉〈◊〉. This seems to be a concluding Argument; but yet if it be well con∣sider'd what 〈◊〉〈◊〉 says of the Book of Pr•…•…, and withal we attend to the Doctrine of the Author, •…•…led 〈◊〉〈◊〉, it will appear that this cannot be: For the Book written by Prima∣sius, was not, according to Isidore, a Catalogue of Heresies, but it was a Treatise, wherein he un∣dertook to resolve the Question which St. Austin proposed to himself, and which he design'd to han∣dle in the second Part of his Book of Heresies, viz. Wherein consists Heresie, and how it may be known when a Person is a Heretick. Now there is not a word said of this Question in the Trea∣tise publish'd by Father Sirmondus under the Name of Predestinatus. 'Tis divided into three Parts, but the first is a Catalogue of Heresies; the second is a Treatise compos'd under the Name of St. Austin by a pretended Predestinarian; the third is a Confutation of this Treatise: This is wholly different from the Subject of that whereof Isidorus speaks.
Moreover, Primasius was a faithful Disciple of the Doctrine of St. Austin, as appears by his Commentaries; but this Author on the contrary is one of his greatest Enemies; and in some places he afferts Doctrines which are altogether Pelagian. 'Tis very probable therefore, that some half learned Man knowing that Primasius had written a Treatise of Heresies, divided into three Parts, and finding 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Anonymous Author upon the same Subject, which was also divided into three Parts, made no scruple to put the Name of this Bishop to it.