Alexander of Lycopolis

Footnotes

^[2197] Manes, or Manichæus, lived about a.d. 240. He was a Persian by birth, and this accounts for the Parseeism which can be detected in his teaching. He was probably ordained a priest, but was afterwards expelled from the Christian community, and put to death by the Persian government. His tenets spread considerably, and were in early youth embraced by St. Augustine. [See Confess., iii. 6.]

^[2198] Plato, Timæus, 51.

^[2199] In substance, but not in words, Aristotle, Met., Book Λ 4 (1070´ b).

Chapter III.—The Fancies of Manichæus Concerning Matter.

^[2200] δημιουργὸς.

Chapter IV.—The Moon’s Increase and Wane; The Manichæan Trifling Respecting It; Their Dreams About Man and Christ; Their Foolish System of Abstinence.

^[2201] δημιουργὸς.

Chapter VII.—Motion Vindicated from the Charge of Irregularity; Circular; Straight; Of Generation and Corruption; Of Alteration, and Quality Affecting Sense.

^[2202] τὸ ἄτακτον.

Chapter X.—The Mythology Respecting the Gods; The Dogmas of the Manichæans Resemble This: the Homeric Allegory of the Battle of the Gods; Envy and Emulation Existing In God According to the Manichæan Opinion; These Vices are to Be Found in No Good Man, and are to Be Accounted Disgraceful.

^[2203] Hom., Il., xx. 23–54.

Chapter XXI.—Some Portions of the Virtue Have Good in Them, Others More Good; In the Sun and the Moon It is Incorrupt, in Other Things Depraved; An Improbable Opinion.

^[2204] This passage and the following sentences are corrupt. Possibly something is wanting.—Tr.

Chapter XXIV.—Christ is Mind, According to the Manichæans; What is He in the View of the Church? Incongruity in Their Idea of Christ; That He Suffered Only in Appearance, a Dream of the Manichæans; Nothing is Attributed to the Word by Way of Fiction.

^[2205] Gen. xxii. 1.

Chapter XXV.—The Manichæan Abstinence from Living Things Ridiculous; Their Madness in Abhorring Marriage; The Mythology of the Giants; Too Allegorical an Exposition.

^[2206] Gen. vi. 2.

Elucidation.

^[2207] Mosheim, E. H., vol. i. p 383, note 5, Murdock’s edition, New York, 1844. His references to Lardner in this case do not accord with my copy.

^[2208] Histoire des Manichéens (Lardner’s reference), pp. 236–237.

^[2209] Credib., vol. vii. p. 574, ed. London, 1829.

^[2210] Lardner’s reference is: Bib. G., lib. v. c. 1, tom. 5, p. 290.

^[2211] Long extract from Cave ubi supra. He quotes the Latin of Cave’s Diss. on Writers of Uncertain Date.

^[2212] Lardner’s reference is to Photius, Contra Manich., i. cap. 11.

^[2213] Lardner quotes from the Hist. des Manich., art. 16., Mémoires, etc., tom. iv.

^[2214] Reference defective. See Lardner, Credib., vol. iii. 269. Here will be found (p. 252) a learned examination of Archelaus, and what amounts to a treatise on these Manichæans.

^[2215] For Beausobre’s summary of Alexander’s deficiencies, see condensed statement in Lardner, vol. iii. p. 575.

^[2216] Cap. i. p. 241, supra. A beautiful exordium. A recent writer, speaking of Potamiæna and Herais, virgin martyrs, and catechumens of Origen, remarks, that “the number of young women of high character who appreciated the teachings of this great master, many of whom were employed as copyists of his works, is creditable to the state of Christian society at that period” (Mahan, Church Hist., p. 237). It was to avoid scandal as well as temptation in his relations with these that he fell into his heroic mistake.

^[2217] Cap. xxiv. p. 251, supra. Who can imagine that the author of this chapter is not a Christian? Observe what he says of “the Word.”

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