It is not improbable, that the original Greek of Irenæus contained this word: and the passage quoted above, of which we have now only a Latin translation, may have been οὕτως καὶ αὐτὴ διὰ τοῦ ἀγγελικοῦ λόγου εὐηγγέλθη ὡς Θεοτόκος οὖσα.

We may observe also, that Ignatius, who lived so much earlier than any of these writers, made use of an expression equally strong; "Our God Jesus Christ was conceived by Mary :" and Tertullian says, that "God suffers himself to be born in his mother's “womb ""

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Thus we may trace the same idea, though not perhaps the same words, in regular succession, through the following writers; Ignatius, Irenæus, Tertullian, Hippolytus, Origen, Dionysius of Alexandria, Archelaus, Alexander of Alexandria, Eusebius and of these we may observe, that Dionysius was pupil of Origen, as Origen was of Hippolytus, and Hippolytus of Irenæus; so that we might naturally expect to meet with similar expressions in their writings *.

The term OEOTÓKos, or Mother of God, could only have been used by those who believed in the highest sense of the doctrine that Jesus Christ was God. That God should have been born of a woman, seems

x Between the time of the council of Nice and the council of Ephesus, other Fathers used the term EOTÓKOS. e. g. Athanas. Orat. III. c. Arian. 14. vol. I. p. 563. ib. 29. p. 579. ib. 33. p. 583. Orat. IV. 32. p. 642. De Incarn. 8. p. 875. 22. p. 889. Cont. Apol. I. 4. p. 924. 12, 13. p. 932. In Psalm lxxxiv. 11. p. 1151.

so incomprehensible to our limited faculties, that some other form of conveying the same sentiment would have been chosen, if the early Fathers had not believed that Jesus was verily and substantially God. But being convinced of this doctrine, they felt no offence at the word: they did not seek to explain the mystery, but, finding it in the revealed word of God, they expressed it by a term which implied the mystery in its most inexplicable form, and left no room for their own belief to be called in question.

I may close this discussion by observing, that the expression itself is almost literally to be found in the words of Elizabeth to Mary, (Luke i. 43.) "Whence is this to me, that the mother of my "Lord should come to me?" The meaning which Elizabeth attached to the word Lord may be seen by comparing verses 25 and 45 of this chapter.

Having finished the quotations from Irenæus, I may observe, that Dr. Priestley seems entirely to have forgotten the writings of this Father, when he says, that Justin Martyr is the first Christian writer who adopted the doctrine of the permanent personality of the Logos: by which he means, that till that time the Logos was understood to mean merely the word or power of God. But Irenæus evidently interpreted the beginning of St. John's Gospel in the same manner that we do: he repeatedly speaks of Jesus as the Logos; which proves

y Athanasius appears to have understood the words of Elizabeth in this sense, when he says in the Life of Antony, kaì 'Iwάννης, γενομένης φωνῆς παρὰ τῆς Θεο

τόκου Μαρίας, ἐσκίρτησεν ἐν ἀγαλ

áσel. §. 36. vol. I. p. 824.

z History of early Opinions, II. p. 46. and in many other places.

that he believed in the personality of the Logos; and though the writings of Irenæus are of a later date than those of Justin Martyr, yet his acquaintance with Polycarp, the disciple of St. John, makes it almost certain that the apostle used the term Logos in this sense.

CLEMENS ALEXANDRINUS.

A. D. 194.

The name of this Father, written at length, was Titus Flavius Clemens. It is disputed whether he was a native of Alexandria or of Athens; but his long residence in the former city has given him the name, by which he is distinguished from Clement of Rome. From an expression in Eusebius, he appears to have been converted at an early age from heathenism. He became president of the Catechetical School of Alexandria about the year 190; and one of his hearers there was the celebrated Origen. Du Pin thinks that he did not die before the year 220.

The works which have come to us entire, or nearly so, as written by him, are, an Exhortation to the Gentiles; the Pædagogus, or Instructor, in three books; and eight books of Stromata, or Miscellanies. There is also a short treatise, which seems unquestionably to be his, entitled, What rich man can be saved? Dodwell thought that all his works were written between the years 193 and 195. 69. Clementis Cohort. ad Gentes, c. 1. p. 6, 7. The object of this work of Clement is nearly explained in the title. He wrote it, that he might persuade the different nations of the world to be

lieve the Gospel: and he accordingly gives in this treatise a summary of all that Christians believed concerning the Founder of their religion. Not far from the beginning of the work he has these words: "The Word therefore, that is, Christ, is the cause "of our original being, for he was in God; and he " is also the cause of our well-being; since this same "Word, who is alone both God and man, hath ap❝peared unto men as the cause of all good things to us by whom we are instructed in living well, and "conducted to eternal life. For, according to the inspired apostle of our Lord, (Tit. ii. 11.) The grace of God that bringeth salvation to all men hath appeared, teaching us that, denying ungodliness " and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking "for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing

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of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. "This is the new song, the appearance, which has "now shone forth among us, of the Word who was "in the beginning, and preexisted; the Saviour, "who was before, hath appeared lately: he hath appeared, who is in Him who is, because he is the "Word who was with God: the Teacher hath ap

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peared, by whom all things were made; the Word, "who also in the beginning gave life when he form"ed us, as the Creator, hath taught us to live well, appearing as a Teacher, that he might afterwards give us eternal life, as God ."

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d

b I have coupled πᾶσιν ἀνθρώ- to listen to the songs of Sion. ποις with σωτήριος in the translation, rather than with éπepúvŋ.

< He had before alluded to the fabulous songs of Orpheus, Amphion, &c. and invited men

See p. 8o. note.

- Οὗτος (1. αἴτιος) γοῦν ὁ Λόγος ὁ Χριστὸς καὶ τοῦ εἶναι πάλαι ἡμᾶς, ἦν γὰρ ἐν Θεῷ· καὶ τοῦ εἶ εἶναι· νῦν δὴ ἐπεφάνη ἀνθρώποις αὐτὸς οὗτος ὁ

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I have translated this passage at length, not only as containing such plain and repeated attestations of the divinity of Christ, but on account of the quotation from Titus ii. 13. It has often been said, that in these words of St. Paul, Jesus Christ is called the great God as well as our Saviour, though other interpreters refer the expression of the great God to God the Father. The passage is, " looking for the glorious appearing of the great God and our « Saviour Jesus Christ;” προσδεχόμενοι τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν τῆς δόξης τοῦ μεγάλου Θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. In our authorized version, the words certainly do not necessarily imply that our Saviour Jesus Christ is the great God; but if we were to translate them, as we are equally authorized in doing f, "the glorious appearing of our great God and "Saviour Jesus Christ," it would be obvious to every reader, that the expression great God referred to Jesus Christ 8.

It is surely not too much to say, that the reason for which Clement quotes the passage, as well as his commentary upon it, leads us to infer, that he gave this interpretation to the apostle's words. He says expressly, that our Saviour, who has appeared, is

Λόγος, ὁ μόνος άμφω, Θεός τε καὶ ἄνθρωπος, ἁπάντων ἡμῖν αἴτιος ἀγαθῶν· παρ ̓ οὗ τὸ εὖ ζῆν ἐκδιδασκόμενοι εἰς ἀΐδιον ζωὴν παραπεμπόμεθα. Κατὰ γὰρ τὸν θεσπέσιον ἐκεῖνον τοῦ Κυρίου Απόστολον, ἡ χάρις τοῦ Θεοῦ κ. τ. λ. τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ ᾆσμα τὸ καινὸν, ἡ ἐπιφάνεια ἡ νῦν ἐκλάμψασα ἐν ἡμῖν τοῦ ἐν ἀρχῇ ὄντος καὶ προόντος Λόγου· ἐπεφάνη δὲ ἔναγχος ὁ προὼν Σωτήρ· ἐπεφάνη ὁ ἐν τῷ ὄντι ὤν, ὅτι ὁ Λόγος, ὃς ἦν πρὸς τὸν Θεόν

Διδάσκαλος ἐπεφάνη, ᾧ τὰ πάντα δεδημιούργηται· Λόγος, ὁ καὶ τὸ ζῆν ἐν ἀρχῇ μετὰ τοῦ πλᾶσαι παράσχων, ὡς δημιουργός, τὸ εὖ ζῆν ἐδίδαξεν, ἐπιφανεὶς ὡς διδάσκαλος, ἵνα τὸ ἀεὶ ζῆν ὕστερον ὡς Θεὸς χορηγήσῃ.

f Dr. Clarke allowed that this construction is grammatical. Scripture Doctrine, p. 88. N°. 541.

&c.

g See Waterland, III. p. 128,