A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

10:24 MELITO. MELITO.
O7Trqpfcov, De Obedientia Sensuunm Fidei praestanda sixth century. 19. nrlepl apKcc)('ws XpOTO7, D6
-s. De Obedientia Senssum Fidei. Nicephorus Cal- Incarnatione Christi, consisting of at least three
listi speaks of two works, fepi vi7ratocs 7ri-E'sw, books, and directed, partly or wholly, against
and Ilepi aiarOn7rlpwv; andJerome, in his catalogue Marcion. (See above, No. 16.) 20. Ao'-yos eis
of the works of Melito, enumerates consecutively 7rders, Oratio in Passionem. Besides these
~De Sensibus and De Fide, which Sophronius genuine writings of Melito, another has been
renders lHpi 8iavoias and THespi Tv 7,erCTZv. Ru- ascribed to him, De Transitu Beatae Virginis,
finus also gives two titles as of separate books, De which is extant in Latin, and appears in most
Obedientia Fidei and De Sensibzs, which two titles editions of the Bibliotheca Patrum, but it is generepresent the one title given in the present text of rally allowed to be spurious. It is mentioned, but
Eusebius. 8. Ilepi uVXnxs Kal acaraTos i boo's, De without the author's name, in the Decretum of
Anima et Colpore seu de Mente: or, as Rufinus Pope Gelasius I., in which it is placed among the
renders it, De Aninia et Corpore et Mente. Jerome spurious books; and is mentioned as extant, under
has only De Aninzn et Corpore. 9. TIep AeovTrpo, the name of Melito, by the venerable Beda (ReDe Baptismate s. De Lavacro. One MS. of Euse- tractat. in Acta, cap. 8, Opera, vol. vi. col. 15, ed.
bins, supported by Nicephorus Callisti, speaks of Col. 1612), who describes it as a forgery, and
this work as a portion of No. 8. 10. Ilep dcAoOdal, points out its inconsistencies with the Scripture
De Veritate. 11. NepI KTL'riewS Kal yeyeesrws XpiL- narratives.'roe, De Creatione et Generatione CGhristi. Some The number of his genuine works sufficiently
MSS. read 7r&IrecWs instead of T-rEWos; but this shows the industry of Melito, and their subjects
reading was probatbly introduced after the rise of indicate the variety of his attainments; and the
the Arian controversy caused the word K'rLEWS to eulogies of the most learned fathers, and their tesbe regarded as heterodox. Rufinus has De Fide timony of the high reputation which Melito en(as if he had read HIepi 7'rgesos instead of IEplp joyed, make us regret that of all these writings
KT'EC5OW) and De Generatione Chiristi as the titles of only a few fragments have descended to our times.
two separate books. Jerome has only De Genera- It is, however, to be observed that these eulogies
tione Christi, omitting to render the obnoxious are qualified by intimations of his gross error as to
word CK7rTESwr. 12. Hepl 7rpoewrrsTas, De Pro- the Deity. The express declaration of Origen as
phetia. Jerome renders the title De Prophetia to his belief that God had a bodily form is supsua. Rufinus, who has De Prophetia ejus, connects ported by the testimony of Gennadius of Massilia
this title by the conjunction et with the title of the (Lib. Dogm. Eccles. c. 4). Modern writers seek in
latter work mentioned under No. 11, De Genera- vain to exculpate him; and Tillemont, though untione Christi et de Prophetia ejus. It may be men- willing to conclude positively that a writer so emitioned, in vindication of Jerome's version, that nent could have held so gross an error, admits
according to the testimony of Tertullian (in that, possibly, this imputation, or the ascription to
a work now lost, but which Jerome (1. c.) cites, and him of the bookDe Transitu B. Virginis, may have
which was written after he became a Montanist), prevented the church from honouring his memory
Melito was regarded by many persons (whether by an appointed office. Modern Roman Catholics,
among the Montanists or the Catholics, is not as Bellarmin, Baronius, Halloix, Tillemont, Ceilclear) as a prophet. 13. HEpl LnAoeevlas, De lier, &c., do not hesitate to give him the title of
Philoxenia s. De Hospitalitate. 14.'H KAYel, "Saint," and Tillemont pleads that they are in this
Claris; of which we shall speak presently. 15. only following the tradition of the Asiatic church.
tlepl'soaCa6Aov Kal s'js d7rotcaA4ewo'IwOdvvou, The book published in French (12mo. 1662),
De Diabolo et de Apocalypsi Joannis. Both under the title of Apocalypse de Meliton, was a
Rufinus and Jerome speak of two books, one satire against the monks.
De Diabolo, the other De Apocalypsi; they are The fragments of Melito's writings are as folperhaps right. 16. Ilepl Zvowscarouv o Eei, De lows. We prefix to the notice of each the number
Deo Corpore induto. From a passage in Origen, of the work, from which it is taken, in the cataquoted by Theodoret (Quaest. in Genesim, c. 20), logue of the works of this father already given.
Melito appears to have believed that God possessed i. A fragment of the work De Pascha, preserved
a bodily form, and to have written in support of by Eusebius (H. E. iv. 26), showing when Melito
that doctrine. This work was probably the one wrote it. 17. Several fragments of the Apologia,
referred to by Origen; and it is in vain that some all but one, preserved by Eusebius (I. c.), and the
modern critics have argued that it was written on remaining one in the Chronicon.Paschale (p. 259,
the incarnation of Christ. Anastasius Sinaita, in ed. Paris, 207, ed. Venice, and vol. i. p. 483, ed.
his'O8ryhos, Dusi Viae adversus Acephalos, c. 13, Bonn). 18. A very valuable passage preserved by
has, indeed, quoted a passage from Melito's book, Eusebius (I. c.) from the Eclogae, or rather from
nlepl oaprccoecoos Xpsoeoi, De Incarnatione C]hristi, the introductory letter to the Eclogae addressed to.but this appears:to be a different work from the " Onesimus, my brother"' (whether his natural
present, and is not mentioned by Eusebius. 17. brother, or simply a fellow-Christian, is not clear)'.lIpos'Av-vceov o BsAqiasov, Libellus (sc. supplex) containing the earliest catalogue of "the books of
ad Antoninum. This was'the Apologia or defence the Old Covenant (or Testament)," given by a
of Christianity already mentioned. 18.'EcXAoyai, Christian writer.'His catalogue agrees with the
Eclogae, sc. ex Libris Vet. Testfamenli, comprised, received canon of the Old Testament, except that,according'to Jerome, in six books. This last it omits the books of Nehemiah and Esther; but
work is not mentioned by Eusebius when enume- Nehemiah is perhaps included under the title Esra
rating the works of Melito, but he afterwards or Esdras. None of the books of the Apocrypha
gives a quotation from it. (Euseb. H. E. iv. 26.) are mentioned: the book of Wisdom has been
To this catalogue, furnished by Eusebius, we may thought to be included, but, according to the tesa-dd the following works on the authority of timony of several ancient MSS. of Eusebius, supAnastasius Sinaita, who lived in the middle of the ported by Rufinus and Nicephorus Callisti, the