wherein all the reason and philosophy of atheism is confuted, and

272 Hierocles m /6/j Philalethes c/^^r/y Book I.withjlanding he declares to have been rude and illiterate perfons . I fay, thoughHierocleSf for feme caufe or other, be not named here by La^antius in thefecited words, or that which follows, yet it cannot be doubted, but that hewas the perfon intended by him, for thefe two reafons : Firft, becaufe hetells us afterward, that the main bufinefs of that Chrijiiano-majiix was tocompare Jpolloniu^ with our Saviour Chrift. dim faifa Chrijli mirabiliadejirueret, nee tamen negaret, voluit oflendere, Apoilonium vel paria, veletiammajora fecijfe, Mirum qiwd Apuleium pr^termiferit, cujus folent (d multa fc?mira memorari. Et ex hoc infolentiam Chrijli voluit arguere, quod deum fe con-Jlituerit : ut ills verectindior fuijje videretur, qui cian majora faceret [tit hieputat) tamen id ftbi non arrogaverit. That he might ohjcure the miracles of ourSaviour Chriji, which he could not deny, he would undertake to Jhow, that equalor greater miracles were done by Apollonius. And it was a wonder he did notmention Apuleius too •,of whofe many and wonderful things the Pagans ufe tobrag likewife. Moreover, he coizdemns our Saviour Chrijl of inj'olency, formaking hitnfelf a god^ affirming Apollonius to have been the modefier perfon,Hvho, though he did {as he fuppofes) greater miracles, yet arrogated no fuch thingto hitnfelf. The fccond realbn is, becaufe Laiiantius alfo exprefly mentionsthe very title of Hierocles his book, viz. Philalethes. Cum talia ignoranti^efua deliramenta fudijfet, cumque veritatem penitus excidere connixus eji, aufuseji libros fuos nefarios, ac dei hqfies, (piXaXri^u; annotare : Though pouringcut fo much folly and madnefs, profejfedly fighting againjt the truth, yet he prefumed to call tbeje his wicked books, and enemies of God, Philalctheis, or friendsto truth. From which words of Latlantius, and thofe foregoing, where hepr. Pearfiit, affirms this Chrijl iano-majlix to have written two books, the learned prefacerBi.oJChejler.x,o the late edition of Hierocles, probably concludes, that the whole title ofHierocles his book was this, >^oyoi (piXxXf.^tig tt^-oV Xcinxx^;' And I conceive,that the firft of thofe two books of Hierocles infilled upon fuch things asporphyrins had before urged againfl the Chriflians-, but then in the fccond,be added this ^^ «^Z'(? of his own, to comp^m ^pol onius with our SaviourChrift : which Eujebius only takes notice of. Wherefore Epiphanius tellingus', that there was one Hierocles ^ \>xf:\it\ or governor of Alexandria, inthofe pcrfecuting times of Diocletian, we may probably conclude, that thiswas the very p>rrfon defcribed in Lailantius, who is faid to have been firft ofthe number ot the judges, and a principal aftor in the perfecution ; andthen afterwards to have written this Philalethes againft the Chriftians,wherein, bcfide? other things, he ventured to compare Apollonius Tyan^uswith our Saviour Chrift. Now, if this Hierocles, who wrote the Philalethesm defence of the Pagan gods againft the Chriftians, were the author of thofetwo other philofophick books, the Commentary upon the golden verfts, andthat Ve Fato is Providentia, it might be eafily evinced from both ofliiem, that he was notwithftanding an afTerter of one fupreme Deity. ButP>&(S:'/«j ^ telJs us, that that //;>ror/w, who wrote the book concerning fateand provide! ce, did therein make mention of Jamblichus, and his juniorPlularchusAikenien/ts: from whence Jonjius taking it tor granted, that itwas one and the fame Hierocles, who wrote againft the Chriftians, and deinto, iritcrs, that it could not be Eujebius Pampbili, who ardwered the Philalethes,." ilKKf LXVIII. Mektlan i 11. Tom. I. Oper.p. 717. - Bibliotb, Cod. CCXIV. p- 55+.