"holy in honour of it: lastly, it will be "true, that, during seventeen centuries, "no one has been fortunate enough to dis66 cover the solution of this enigma, nor "could any one invent the slightest clue to "this unhappy mystery, this prodigy of "seduction! Let this statement of the ar46 gument be made to appear, and who is 66 so hardy as to declare himself the protec"tor of such a mass of absurdities.". Houteville, 4to, page 313, Paris 1722.

145. OTHER PROOFS.

In some degree to satisfy the curiosity of those who wish to know what profane authors have spoken of Jesus Christ, without being converted to Christianity, I shall name some of the most considerable. Tacitus, lib. xv. ch. 44., speaks of his death in the reign of Tiberius; Suetonius, in Claudius, 25; and Nero, chap. 16; Lucian, in Peregrinus. The Younger Pliny, Ep. 97., has spoken distinctly of him. The massacre of the infants by Herod, is reported by Dion, in his Life of Octavius Cæsar, and by Macrobius. Even the enemies of the Christians,

Celsus, Porphyry, and Julian, mention the miracles performed by Jesus Christ, although they suppose them to be deceptions, or per formed by magic. Chalcideus, in his Commentary on the Timeus of Plato, speaks of a new star that had appeared (about the time of the birth of Christ), which seemed to announce the coming of a God, whom the Sages among the Chaldeans sought, and made a journey to adore. Tertulian, in his Apology, records the protection accorded to the Christians by Tiberius; and addressing himself to the Romans of his own time, he recalls to their mind that Tiberius proposed to the Senate to place Christ among the Gods of Rome, who represented to him that this would abolish the worship of the other Gods. Lampridius, in his Life of Alexander Severus, states, that this prince was desirous of elevating temples to Jesus Christ, whose life and doctrine he venerated ; but that he was diverted from this purpose by his councillors, who urged the same reason. The same author relates, that the Emperor Adrian entertained a like intention. Alexander Severus adored Jesus

Christ in secret, and had a statue of him in his cabinet. Tacitus and Suetonius speak of an opinion which prevailed, that there would come a King from the East, who should reign over the whole earth; and they applied to Vespasian prophecies which could relate to none but Christ. Many Jewish historians mention Jesus Christ and his miracles, which indeed they deny to be of divine origin; otherwise, however, it is plain they could not have denied the truth of his doctrines. Thus it happened that some, from motives of interest, fearing to lose their emoluments, others from the dread of persecution, and many (probably the greater number) influenced by the light report they had heard of Christ, and not having taken the trouble to examine the miracles of his life and conversation, remained in Paganism, while they left involuntary yet important evidence respecting him.

146. TROGUS POMPEUS RESPECTING JOSEPH. Trogus Pompeus was an historian of such estimation, that one of the most able writers among the ancients (Justin) made an

abridgement of his history, the merit of which was generally acknowledged, and no doubt its reputation contributed to the loss of the original. We find in the Abridgement a remarkable passage respecting Joseph, which accords, in a singular manner, with what is related of him in the Book of Genesis. "Joseph," says the writer, "was "the youngest of several brothers. He had 66 an astonishing superiority of genius, "which so greatly excited their jealousy, "that they sold him to foreign merchants, "who carried, him into Egypt, where he "exercised the art of magic, with a success "that endeared him to the King. He was "endowed with penetration as to prodigies, "and the power of interpreting dreams. "Nothing was so hidden in divine or hu"man affairs as to escape his knowledge; " and so great was his skill, that he foretold "an unusual famine, many years before it "happened. Egypt had certainly perished, "if the King had not, by the advice of Jo❤ "seph, published an edict, ordaining the "amassing of provisions for several years. "The knowledge of Joseph was, in fact,

"such, that the Egyptians received the "oracles of his mouth, as coming, not from "him, but from God."

147. MARRIAGE OF THE FIRST PREACHERS OF THE GOSPEL, &c.

There can be no doubt that St. Peter was married. St. Matthew, chap. viii. v. 14., speaks of the mother of his wife, whom Christ healed. The word evɛgàv, which he employs to describe her, signifies not merely mother-in-law (socrus), but properly, mother of his wife. When mother-in-law, the second wife of the father, is spoken of, the word is unrgvà (noverca). The name of the wife of Peter was Perpetua: she suffered martyrdom, at Rome, some time before him. St. Clement (Recognitiones in Cotelerii, P. P. lib. vii. sect. 25.) speaks directly of her, and Clement of Alexandria says he followed her to execution, to exhort her to die with courage (Strom. lib. vii. sect. 11.). She was daughter of Aristobulus, surnamed Zebedeus, and niece of the apostle Barnabas. They had a daughter named Petronilla. St. Clement, disciple of St. Peter,