Theological Dissertation on the Theologoumena of Macarius Magnes

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work, the most skillful artificer. Whence we doubt not that the dogmas of the Christian religion were strenuously defended by this writer, and solidly and clearly enough explained in the entire lost work. This is gathered even from those things which have been left to us from his long-desired writings regarding the doctrine of the authority of Sacred Scripture, of God and His divine Monarchy, of Christ the only-begotten Son of God, of the creation and the vainly fabricated eternity of the world, of Man, and his fall and congenital stain, of Faith and Justification, of the Sacrament of the Eucharist, of the resurrection and eternal life. For who is so novice and devoid of all reason, adds the same NICEPHORUS, to whom it does not become easily manifest upon knowing, that this Writer, when he mocks and explodes the stupidity of the idolaters, declares the pure faith of the Christians and asserts it to be immune from all worship of the creature? Nay, rather, he attributes the praise of Theological erudition and most apt skill in disputing to this Master, who had learned to oppose an apt refutation to each argument proposed by the adversary, and to perform the duty of a master remarkably well: especially since he was dealing with the most acute Greek Philosopher PORPHYRY, 1) whose principal labor is known to have consisted in subverting the authority of sacred Scripture, that is, the foundation upon which the Christian religion leaned.

§. III.

§. III. The doctrine of the divine authority of Scripture vindicated against Porphyry.

To descend, therefore, to a special treatment of Christian doctrine impugned by the Gentiles, we merit-ably make a beginning from the authority and divinity of Sacred Scripture, which our Writer acknowledges in very many cited places of divine Scripture 2), and clearly vindicates it as τὴν θείαν γραφὴν the divine writing 3) and λόγον Θεοῦ the word of God.

1) Whom EUSEBIUS, in books III & IX of his Evangelical Preparation, places in the number of the most famous Philosophers, "among the most transparent, and known to all, who had brought no small glory to philosophy among the Greeks."
2) e.g., 1 Cor. VIII. 5; Mark V. 30; Matt. XXII. 29, 30; Exod. XXXI. 18; Gen. XVIII. 16 ff.; Exod. XXII. 28; Job X. 11; Gen. I, II, & III, passim.
3) in Comm. on Gen. I.