CERINTHUS.

Cerinthus was an arch-heretic, contemporary with the apostles. He taught that Jesus Christ was the son of Joseph, and that the use of circumcision ought to be retained under the gospel. He is looked upon as the chief of the converted Jews who raised the tumult in the church of Antioch, related by St Luke in the fifteenth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles.

They raised that disturbance by declaring to the faithful, that without circumcision they could not fail to be damned. It is said also, that he was one of those who some years before had censured St Peter for having preached the gospel to the Gentiles. Epiphanius, who says all this, nevertheless pretends that Cerinthus came after Carpocrates: which is to pervert chronology.

Cerinthus passes for one of the chief heads of the Millenarians. He is accused by Caius, a writer quoted by Eusebius, of having taught that, after the resurrection, the church should continue a thousand years upon earth, and that it would be a terrestrial reign of Jesus Christ, a time of temporal prosperity and voluptuousness. Dionysius, bishop of Alexandria in the time of Eusebius, represents the thing still more grossly: “Cerinthus,” says he, “ believed, that the reign of Jesus Christ should be terrestrial; and, as he was much addicted to bodily pleasures, he feigned, that the voluptuousness which he desired should make up an essential part of it. He makes it to consist in satisfying the belly and the senses; that is to say, in eating, drinking, marrying, celebrating of feasts, and offering of sacrifices; for under these last terms, which are more modest, he covered his real meaning.” My conjecture is, that Cerinthus did not expressly teach, that the happiness and glory of the reign of Jesus Christ should consist in indulging gluttony and luxury, but that he made use of another turn of expression: that he had recourse to the rejoicings which are proper for days of festivals, particular days designed for sacrifices, and for feasting on them. The Greek words cited insinuate plainly, that he covered his meaning under modest phrases; but it was thought lawful to withdraw the curtain, and to paraphrase them in such a manner, that all the deformities of his opinions might easily be discovered. If my conjecture was certain,

there would be some little trick in the proceedings of Cerinthus’s enemies; for what right has any body to impute particulars to an author, which he does not mention? Why may he not enjoy the benefit he ought to expect from the generality of his expressions?

The visions of Cerinthus in relation to the temporal reign of Jesus Christ, have induced some writers to regard him as the true author of the revelations to which he put the name of St John, in order to obtain credit under the authority of that venerable apostle: in consequence of this supposition, many persons have wholly rejected the apocalypse, as a work neither of St John nor of any other inspired writer, but the impertinent and obscure reveries of an early heretic.

Cerinthus attributed the creation of the world to angels, and not to God. Some have applied to him what Theodoret said concerning certain defenders of the mosaical law, who would have the angels to be adored, and who gave this reason—that God not being able to be seen, touched, or comprehended, the divine good-will ought to be procured by the ministry of angels. It is also pretended, that St Paul aimed at this heretic, when he warned the faithful to reject those who, by humility of spirit, and by the service of angels, meddled with things which they had not seen. Every body knows what is said of the aversion of St John for Cerinthus; and that it is reported, he would not go into the same bath where he was. The ancients have varied on that subject, and the moderns have added some circumstances to it that might pass for a pious fraud.

The variation of the ancients consists in the fact, that some pretend that this story concerns Cerinthus, and others, that it concerns Ebion. You will find in Eusebius, that St John, having entered into the bath, and understanding that Cerinthus was there, went

away immediately, and bid his companions do so too. “ Let us fly from hence,” said he to them, “ for fear that a bath, wherein the enemy of truth is, should fall upon us.” Eusebius quotes St Irenaeus, who says, that St Polycarp had been heard to say so, and that the thing was done in Ephesus. If you consult Epi-phanius, you will find that St John, who never went into the bath, was prompted one day by the Holy Ghost to go thither. On his arrival, hearing that the heretic Ebion was there, he apprehended the cause of the inspiration he had received; and knew that the Holy Ghost had only inclined him to go thither, to give him an occasion to show how much truth is to be esteemed, and with what distinction the friends of God, and the instruments of the devil, ought to be treated. He groaned then, and spoke these words, loud enough to be heard by all those who were present—“Haste away, my brethren; let us go from hence, for fear the baths should fall and crush us to pieces with Ebion, because of his impiety.” Baronius says, to reconcile St Irenæus and St Epiphanius, that it might happen that Cerinthus and Ebion were together in the bath; but Mr de Tillemont observes, that it is not necessary to have recourse to that conjecture, it being no rare thing for St Epiphanius to be mistaken in history. Attend to the additions of the moderns. The anonymous writer who has given notes to the margin of St Epiphanius, Strigelius, Bernard of Luxemburgh, and others, have gratuitously added, that the heretic with whom St John refused to battle was buried under the ruins of the house. Prateolus has asserted this story with an assurance which it is impossible to sufficiently admire. He pretends, that in the third chapter of the third book against heresies, Irenæus says, “ that St John found Cerinthus sitting in the bath with his followers, violently disputing, and impudently and blasphemously denying that Jesus Christ was God; that St John rose up, and warned his friends to retire with him, because God was going to punish such impudent blasphemies: that as soon as he was gone out, the house fell, and destroyed Cerinthus and all his company.” Not a word of all this is to be found in Irenæus, although it is made to supply many edifying remarks by Prateolus upon the judgments of heaven against heretics. Attend here to the progress of relations: it is likely that St Irenæus was the first that published the action of St John, and he was contented to relate what he had heard of it; but those that succeeded him, finding his narrative too naked, added some ornaments to it. They did not think it honourable to that apostle’s memory, that it should be thought that he bathed himself in a public place; for which reason they affirmed that he never did so, except on a particular day, by order from above. Afterwards a cause of the inspiration must be sought for, and it was found requisite for the faithful to know, that they ought to abhor the enemies of truth, and believe, that the divine justice is always ready to shew great examples of severity against heresiarchs. So much for what the following ages have added to the flourishing of St Epiphanius.

It is affirmed that Cerinthus, having had some correspondence with the Jews, Pagans, and magicians in Alexandria, invented an hypothesis composed of Judaism, Paganism, and magic, and spread it chiefly in Phrygia and Pisidia; and even that he performed prodigies by the invocation of angels. He rejected the Acts of the Apostles, and the epistles of St Paul, and admitted only the gospel of St Matthew. Neither did he admit of that altogether, if we may believe Epiphanius.—Art.Cerinthus.