Chapter 188 of 541

Section 188

Section 188

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ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 157 CHAPTER XXII. Of Hegesippus, and those whom he mentions. HEGESIPPUS, indeed, in the five books of commentaries that have come down to us, has left a most complete record of his own views. In these he states that he conversed with most of the bishops when he travelled to Rome, and that he received the same doctrine from all. We may also add what he says, after some observations on the Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians : " And the church of Corinth," says he, " continued in the true faith, until Primus was bishop there. With whom I had familiar conversation (as I passed many days at Corinth,) when I was on the point of sailing to Rome, during which time also, we were mutually refreshed in the true doctrine. After coming to Rome, I made my stay with Anicetus, whose deacon was Eleutherus. After Anicetus, Soter succeeded, and after him Eleutherus. In every succession, however, and in every city, the doctrine prevails according to what is declared by the law and the prophets and the Lord." The same author, also, treats of the beginnings of the here sies that arose about his time, in the following words : " But after James the Just had suffered martyrdom, as our Lord had for the same reason, Simeon, the son of Cleophas our Lord's uncle, was appointed the second bishop, whom all proposed, as the cousin of our Lord. Hence they called the church as yet a virgin, for it was not yet corrupted by vain discourses. Thebuthis made a begin ning secretly to corrupt it, on account of his not being made bishop. He \vas one of those seven sects among the Jewish peo ple. Of these, also, was Simeon, whence sprung the sect of Simonians; also, Cleobius, from whom came the Cleobians; also, Dositheus, the founder of the Dositheans. From these also sprung the Gorthceonians, from Gorthoeus, and the Masbothceans, from Masbotheus. Hence, also, the Menandrians, and Marcionists, and Carpocratians, and Valentinians, and Basilidians, and the Saturnilians, every one introducing his own peculiar opinions, one differing from the other. From these sprung the false Christs

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