ON THE STUDY OF THE FATHERS. TO THE EDITOR OF THE CLASSICAL JOURNAL. I AM induced to trouble you with this communication, for the sake of recommending in your publication the study of the Christian Fathers. I am surprised to find that they are so little cultivated in their native languages: but I am more astonished that they have not been, in general, translated into English, and thus made accessible to all. The learned Mr. Boyd, indeed, has done something towards the accomplishment of this desirable end: he has sent into the world a volume of elegant translations of "Slect Passages from the Writings of St. John Chrysostom, St. Gregory Nazianzen and St. Basil." He has, it is true, given a most elegant version of those passages which he has selected; but the reader should remember, that, Mr. B's book contains a very small portion of those treasures which yet remain to us from the primitive ages: he professes only to give such specimens as are rendered remarkable by their beauty of thought, or elegance of expression. Of such, indeed, many may be found and he who should study the Fathers for the sake of reading beautiful language would scarcely find any difference between their style, and that of the most refined Greek writers. The venerable Archbishop of Constantinople derived his name from his eloquence: St. Gregory of Nazianzum speaking of St. Basil,' says, 2 3 πάντα δὲ ἐκείνῳ διηρεύνηται τὰ τοῦ πνεύματος ἐξ ὧν ἦθος ἅπαν ἐπαίδευσε, καὶ ὑψηγορίαν ἐδίδαξε καὶ τῶν παρόντων ἀπανέστησε, καὶ πρὸς τὰ μέλλοντα μετασκεύασεν; while he himself was pronounced by Suidas, prag audios. The immortal Porson also, declares that Gregory was his favorite. The reader who may wish to see some specimen of Chrysostom's style may consider his Oration on the Fall of Eutropius. He, who would form some judgment of the writings of Gregory Nazianzen, may consult a beautiful description of the spring, in his Oration on the Martyr Mamas, which may be compared with that by Longus. He may peruse also; the Carmen de Vitâ suâ :1 the Opvos à Tov avtoũ póywv,' be ■ Vide Greg. Nazianz. Op. Tom. 1. p. 362. edit. Colon. 1690. 2 As quoted by the Cologne editor of St. Gregory's works: see the Life τῶν Σουίδα. Tom. I. 3 Vid. Porson's Letters to Travis. p. 272. 4 Vid. St. Chrysostomi Op. Tom. VIII. p. 67. edit. Saville Eton. 1610. 5 Vid. St. Gregorii Naz. Op. Tom. I. p. 73, 74. 6 Vid. Pastoral. de Daphnide et Cloë p. 13. edit. Bipont. 1792-1794. 7 Vid. Op. Tom. 11. p. 2-51. Vid. Op. Tom. 11. p. 76. ning, Γαία φίλη, καὶ πόντε, πάτρης πέδον, ἀλλοδαπῆς τε : the Poem to himself beginning,Ποῦ δὲ λόγοι πτερόεντες; ἐς ἠέρα. ποῦ νεό τητος ̓́Ανθος ἐμῆς; διόλωλε κ. τ. λ.: and the Hymn to Christ, Σὲ τὸν ἄφθιτον μονάρχην Δὸς ἀνυμνεῖν, δὸς ἀείδειν. 2 Notwithstanding, however, the great beauty of language to be found in the writings of many of the Fathers, they are to be valued less for their eloquence, than for the justness of their theological sentiments; which will clearly show, that, for the pure doctrines of the gospel, we must receive and practise the faith and precepts of the Church of England.-We shall find the Fathers equally removed from Romish corruptions and Presbyterian fanaticism: they equally rejected the gloomy doctrines of Calvin, and the impious presumption of the Socinian tenets: in a word they were scriptural: they searched the Scriptures; and were willing to model their life, and propound their doctrine, by that only infallible guide. If this therefore be the case, they surely are well worthy of examination; and the sincere inquirer after theological truth will by no means regret expending his time in turning over the too-long neglected volumes of the Christian Patriarchs. To support the assertions which I have just made, it will be proper to make some quotations from their works; contrasting them with the different tenets, held by the various sects with which Christianity abounds. It will be, no doubt, conceded, that those who lived nearer the time when the gospel was first promulged, must be better able to decide what was the doctrine held by its promulgers, than we can be, who live in a later age. This is virtually acknowledged, even by the most mistaken in matters of theology: the professors of the worst perversion of Christianity always endeavour to show that they are supported by the early Fathers. Dr. Priestley has attempted to show, that the Apostolic Christians recognised not the divinity of Jesus Christ; and Dr. Milner in his controversy with Dr. Sturges mistranslates a passage of St. Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem, to prove that transubstantiation was the doctrine of the church in the fourth century. They, therefore, who thus expect that we should receive as decisive the opinion of the Fathers, must in return bow to their decision, when fairly and honorably quoted by ourselves. From examining the writings of the Fathers, we have at length discovered with how little reason the members of the church of Rome contend that the primitive Christians believed the real presence of Christ's body in the Eucharist. We know that in the fourth century the cup was administered to the laity, as well as Vid. Op. Tom. 11. p. 77. VOL. VIII. Cl. Jl. NO. XVI. 2 A to the clergy and that they did not recognise any infallibility or supreme authority in the See of Rome. Öf Chrysostom at least, this may be especially affirmed: he gives us the following exposition of Matt. xvi, 18.' —ἐγώ σοι λέγω, ὅτι σὺ εἶ Πέτρος, καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν ἐκκλησίαν· τουτέστι, τῇ πίστει τῆς ὁμολογίας. ἐντεῦθεν δείκνυσι πολλοὺς μέλλοντας ἤδη πιστεύειν, καὶ ἀνίστησιν αὐτοῦ τὸ φρόνημα καὶ ποιμένα ποιεῖ. We must not think, however, from this circumstance, that the Fathers in any age disapproved of episcopacy: on the contrary, we shall find it a frequent theme of their homilies, tracts, and epistles. I need scarcely remind you, that, episcopacy was an apostolic institution: you will immediately call to mind the qualities mentioned by St. Paul 4 as necessary to the 'ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΣ; and you will recollect, that, εἴ τις ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΗΣ ὀρέγεται, καλοῦ ἔργου ἐπιθυμεῖ. We find in Ignatius also the following sentences. 2 4 Πάντες τῷ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ, ἀκουλουθεῖτε, ὡς ̓Ιησοῦς Χριστὸς τῷ πάτρι καὶ τῷ πρεσβυτηρίῳ ὡς τοῖς ἀποστόλοις· τοὺς δὲ διακόνους ἐντρέπεσθε ὡς Θεοῦ ἐντολήν. μηδεὶς χωρὶς τοῦ ̓ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ τι πραττέτο τῶν ἀνηκόν των εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν. ἐκείνη βεβαία εὐχαριστία ἡγείσθω ἡ ὑπὸ τὸν ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΝ οὖσα, ἡ ᾧ ἂν αὐτὸς ἐπιτρέψη. ὅπου ἂν φανῆ ὁ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΣ, ἐκεῖ τὸ πλῆθος ἔστω. ὥσπερ ὅπου ἂν ἡ ̓Ιησοῦς Χριστὸς, ἐκεῖ ἡ καθολικὴ Ἐκκλησία. οὐκ ἐξόν ἐστιν χωρὶς τοῦ ̓ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ οὔτε βαπτίζειν, οὔτε ἀγάπην ποιεῖν· ἀλλ ̓ ὃ ἂν ἐκεῖνος δοκιμάση, τοῦτο καὶ τῷ Θεῷ εὐάρεστον, ἵν ̓ ἀσφαλὲς ἦ, καὶ βέβαιον πᾶν ὃ πράττεται. ὁ τιμῶν ̓ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΝ ὑπὸ Θεοῦ τετίμηται· ὁ λάθρα ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ τι πράττων, τῷ διαβολῷ λατρεύει. We may add the following: σπούδαζετε πάντα πράττειν, προκαθη μένου τοῦ ̓ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ εἰς τόπον Θεοῦ· καὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων εἰς τόπον συνεδρίου τῶν ἀποστόλων· καὶ τῶν διακόνων τῶν ἐμοὶ γλυκυτάτων πεπιστ τευμένων διακονίαν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. And again:° ὑποτάγητε τῷ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ», καὶ ἀλλήλοις, ὡς ̓Ιησοῦς Χριστὸς τῷ πάτρι κατὰ σάρκα. See also pages 72, 74, 80, 82, 84, 88, the passages are somewhat too long to be transcribed. The Fathers abound with similar sentences; and I might without difficulty have increased my list of such passages almost ad infinitúm. These circumstances, it will be, no doubt, conceded, are most important when applied to settle the frivolous disputes which have so long occasioned almost gratuitous separation in the 1 St. Chrysostomi Homil. 54. in. Matt. It is well known that this Text is a principal fortress of the Papists : see Dr. Milner's second Letter to Dr. Sturges. 2 I Timothy 11. 2. 3 I Timothy 111. 1. ✦ Ignatii Epistol. ad Smyrnæos, p. 26. edit. Aldrich. Oxon. MDCCVIII. 5 Ignatii Epistol. ad Magnes. p. 60. edit. Aldrich. • Ib. p. 66. church. But here we need not stop we shall find that they supported the practice of our church in matters still more important. The liturgies penned by Chrysostom, and many other Fathers, show that they approved not the custom of extempore prayer. This, it may be thought, is an object of small importance but it surely is worthy of our attention, when we consider how many there are, who fly to the conventicle, merely because they disapprove the use of a prayer-book; and thus incur the guilt of schism upon a subject of no material consequence. It were needless for me to expatiate, at present at least, upon the arguments which naturally present themselves to a candid and reflecting mind, in favor of the general custom of using a regular form : indeed it would be unsuitable to the plan of your Journal: it would be a means of converting it into a work consisting of theological rather than literary discussions: some observations, however, on ecclesiastical polity have presented themselves to my notice; and I could not, consistently with my plan, pass them over. What remains, must now be said in few words: the subject, indeed, is fertile, and I should gladly enlarge on it, extremo ni jam sub fine laborum Vela traham, et terris festinem advertere proram : I cannot, therefore, better employ the remaining pages, than in collecting from the epistles of Ignatius some passages which may serve to show that, in the early Christian churches, the divinity of Christ was a doctrine believed and taught. The reader will observe in perusing them, that I have quoted only such as are generally allowed to be genuine: I use the edition by Aldrich, as I have no other immediately at hand. It may not be uninteresting to premise, that the early Fathers support by their language on common occasions the Canon remarked, or rather revived, by Mr. GRANVILLE SHARP, and which has been so ably explained and supported by Dean WORDSWORTH, and Archdeacon MIddleTON in their respective publications. As some of my readers may not have those works at hand, I shall give the canon, and illustrate it with a few examples; it is as follows. "When two or more attributives joined by a copulative or copulatives are assumed of the same person or thing, before the first attributive the article is inserted; before the remaining ones it is omitted." e. g. Η ῥά μ' ὁ λυσσώδης και βάσκανος οἷά τιν Ἰὼβ 'Es new xaλée; Gregorii Naz. Carmen vii. v. 14. Ο Κύριος καὶ Θεὸς εὐεργέτης ἐστίν. Phil. Jud. p. 309. Ed. 1640. Τὸν γὰρ βασιλέα και κύριον Οσιριν γράφουσιν. Plut. de Isid. et Osir. p. 263. ̔Ο περίεργος καὶ συκοφάντης Δημοσθένης. Asch. cont. Ctes. §. 56 1 Thus we see that the rule is acknowledged by the best Greek writers: I will add a passage from Suidas; it is the gloss on the word Χριστὸς ; Ο Κύριος, καὶ Θεὸς ἡμῶν. I have since met with the following: ὁ ἑμὸς γενέτας καὶ σὺς, Εurip. Ion. With these instances agrees the following from Polycarp's Epistle to the Philippians; which, although not a genuine work, is good authority for the rules of the Greek tongue: it is as follows: τῇ σοφίᾳ τοῦ μακαρίου καὶ ἐνδόξου Παύλου. Ρ. 7. edit. Aldrich. P. ó The passages from Ignatius are as follows: Φίλωνα καὶ ῥέων ἀγαθόπουν οἱ ἐπηκολούθησαν μοι εἰς λόγον Θεοῦ, καλῶς ἐποιήσατε ὑποδεξάμενοι ὡς διακόνους Χριστοῦ Θεοῦ. ̓Αναζωπυρήσαντες ἐν αἵματι Θεοῦ. Εἷς ἰατρός ἐστιν σαρκικός τε καὶ πνευματικός· γεννητὸς καὶ ἀγέννητος, ἐν σαρκὶ γενόμενος· Θεὸς ἐν ἀθανάτῳ ζωῇ ἀληθινῇ καὶ ἐκ Μαρίας καὶ ἐκ Θεοῦ.3 ̔Ο—Θεὸς ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστὸς ἐκυοφορήθη ὑπὸ Μαρίας κατ' οἰκονομίαν Θεοῦ,* Τοῦτο δὲ ἔσται ὑμῖν—μὴ φυσιουμένοις, καὶ οὖσιν ἀχωρίστοις Θεοῦ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Κατὰ ἀγάπην ̓Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν. Πλεϊστα ἐν Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν ἀμώμως καίρειν. ̔Ο Θεὸς ἡμῶν ̓Ιησοῦς Χριστὸς ἐν πατρὶ ὤν, μᾶλλον φαίνεται. Lastly speaking of Martyrdom, Ignatius says, ἐπιτρέψατε μοι μιμητὴν εἶναι τοῦ πάθους τοῦ Θεοῦ μου. Having proceeded thus far, I shall defer the consideration of some other Doctrines taught by the Fathers till some future letter. In the mean time you will permit me to observe that each of the early Christian writers might justly have applied to himself the words of Moses :10 2 |