1 and there is an ancient (k) book yet extant treating exprefly of the allegories of HOMER, written by the famous HERACLIDES of Pon tus. (1) The antient greek poets were reputed to involve divine, and natural, and biftorical notions of their gods under myftical and parabolical expreffions; and are accordingly fo interpreted by the greek fcholiafts. 1 The Sybilline verfes, the answers given at Oracles, fayings deliver'd under agita tion, and dreams (all which the antients call'd (m) divinations by fury) were feldom or ever plain, and ufually receiv'd fome allegorical interpretation by the skilful in di vination; as did alfo the numerous figns and prodigies, which, in the course of things of ten happen'd. The pythagorean philofophy was wholly deliver'd in mystical language, the fignification whereof was intirely unknown to the world abroad, and but gradually explain'd to those of the fect, as they grew into years, or were proper to be inform'd. And in this PYTHAGORAS came up to SOLOMON'S character of wife men, (n) who dealt in dark Sayings, G 3 (k) Apud Gale Opufcula Mythologica.... (n) Prov. 1. 6. Sayings, and acted not much unlike the most divine teacher that ever was. Our Saviour (0) fpake with many parables the word unto the multitude, as they were able to bear it: but without a parable fpake be not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his difciples. The Stoick philofophers are particularly famous for allegorizing the whole heathen theology, and all the fables of the poets. And CICERO, in the perfon of BALBUS, (P) the ftoick, gives us a curious fpecimen of their method in his books of the nature of the gods. A We have feveral (g) treatifes of heathen philofophers on the fubject of allegorical interpretation; from one of which, written by CORNUTUS the ftoick, and from fome other philofophers, Platonifts and Stoicks, the famous ORIGEN is faid (r) to have deriv'd a great deal of his skill in allegorizing the books of the Old Teftament. And ORIGEN thought the allegorical method not only just and true in it felf, but (s) proper to give the Pagans a more exalted notion of the holy fcriptures, which feem'd too low and mean (0) Mark 4. 33. 34 (p) Cicero De Nat. Deorum, 1. 2. (q) Gale Opufcula Mythologica, &c. (r) Porphyrius apud Eufeb. Hift. Eccl. 1. 6. c. 19. (Simon Hift. Crit. du V. Teft. p. 391. $ mean to them, and useful to convert the learned of his time to the chriftian religion. Nor was the great St. AUSTIN lefs allegorical (t) than ORIGEN in his interpretations of fcripture; in which method he greatly improv'd himself by ftudying platonick authors. Many of the primitive fathers, and apologists for christianity, who for the most part wholly address themselves to Pagans, reafon allegorically, not only from natural and artificial things (proving; that CHRIST WAS to fuffer on the cross, from things (u) made after the fashion of a cross; that there must be (w) four gofpels and no more, from the four winds and four corners of the earth; and that CHRIST was to have (x) twelve apoftles, because the gofpel was to be preach'd in the four parts of the world, in the name of the Trinity, three times four making twelve; and because there were (y) twelve bells which hung at the bottom of the jewish high priest's garment) but from G 4 the (x) St. Auftin. (y) Justin Martyris Opera, p. 260. See alfo MoNTAGU Origines Ecclefiafticæ, wherein there is a learned Differtation upon the Type TWELVE, P. 121. &c. pars pofterior. the Old Testament exactly in the fame manner with the apoftles; which implies, that they look'd on allegories to be proper topicks for Pagans and fome of them had particular reafon to do fo from their own experience, who while they were philofophers themfelves, and before they (2) became chriftians, were accuftom'd to it. It is also well known, that (a) THEOPHILUS ANTIOCHENUS, CLEMENS of Alexandria, (who was the difciple of PANTENUS) and ORIGEN, as well as the Gnofticks, allegoriz'd, in their explications and commentaries, the books of the New Teftament; which commentaries may be justly fuppos'd written for the use of Pagans as well as Jews and Chriftians, in order to give them all a more exalted notion of christianity, and of the New Teftament. In a word, (b) this method of writing in matters of religion, (practis'd by apostles, companions of the apostles, and moft primitive fathers) was generally used, not only among the fews, but among the wifer and more philofophical part of the Gentiles too: and from both came to be almost univerfally receiv'd among the primitive chriftians: as (z) Wake's Prelim. to Genuine Epiftles of St. Clement, &c. p. 75 (a) Simon Hift. des Comment. p. 3, 4, 5. c. I. (b) Wake, lb. p. 71-75. See also Lenfant. Preface Gen, fur fon Nov. Teft. p. 3. as fays our most learned and judicious archbishop WAKE. And our learned (c) DoDWELL fays, that Oneirocriticks and Hieroglyphicks, and other Pagan myftical arts of concealment, are of ufe towards underftanding the prophetical books of the Old Teftament (the (d) whole indulgence of God in granting the fpirit of prophefy to the Jews being plainly accommodated to the heathen practife of divination); and that (e) the revelations of the gospel being made for the fake of all mankind, its reafonings (which for the most part are allegorical) were fuited to the understanding of the generality of the people of that age (and by confequence to the people of future ages) and in particular to that of the philofophers, who were the leaders among the Gentiles. Wherefore the arguments of the apostles were fo far from being arguments ad hominem to the Jews, that they were then equally conclufive to great numbers among the Gentiles and the prophecies cited from the Old in the New Teftament, tho' (f) Shining in a dark place, were a light both to Jews and Gentiles. And (c) Dodwell's Letters of Advice, &c. F. 208. (e) Dodwelli Prolegomena ad Stearn de Obfinatione. (f) 2 Pet. 1. 19. |