PTOLEMAEUS

PTOLEMAEUS

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tjon; and (3) Commandments invented by theelders of the people. This is proved partly bythe words of Jesus, Matt. xix. 6 sqq., where hespeaks of Moses having allowed what God for-bids in the matter of divorce on account of thepeople’s hardness of heart, and partly by refer-ence to Matt. xv. 4 sqq., where Jesus expresslyopposes to the divine command to “Honourfather and mother ” the human traditions (napa-SoVeiS twv Q.vBp&Ttav') which enjoined its trans-gression (c. 2). Of these three constituentdivisions, the first, consisting of Divine com-mandments, may again be subdivided into threeparts. (p) The first of these consists of thepurely moral precepts constituting the law inthe strict sense which the Redeemer came notto destroy but to fulfil; (6) the second are theordinances which, being mingled with thatwhich is worse and with unrighteousness, theSaviour has abrogated as contrary to His ownnature; (c) the third part are the typical andsymbolical ordinances which, passing over theirapplication to things sensible and visible, theRedeemer has transferred to the spiritual andunseen. The first and pure portion of theordinances of the law is the Decalogue, whichonly needed to be fulfilled by the Saviour. Thesecond portion, which is intermingled with un-righteousness, includes such ordinances as sanc-tion retaliation (Lev. xxiv. 20). It is a con-descension to human weakness, but in itself op-posed to the nature and goodness of the Fatherof All, though based on a certain necessity, asthat of requiting murder with the punishmentof death. The third, the typical and symbolicalportion, has reference to sacrifices, circumcision,the Sabbath, fasting, the Passover, Azyms, andthe like. For all these are but figures andsymbols of the truth, which in their literalsense are done away, but in their spiritual areretained, the things being altered, while thenames remain. In the place of animal sacrificesand incense-offering the Saviour has enjoinedsacrifices of praise and thanksgiving; instead ofbodily circumcision the circumcision of theheart; instead of the sabbatical rest an abstain-ing from bad works; instead of bodily fastingthe spiritual fast which is interpreted as ab-stinence from all evil. Bodily fasting is indeed(he adds) also practised among our people, be-cause it may in some degree benefit the soul, ifperformed with reason (^uera Koyov), not frommere imitation of an alien example, not for merecustom’s sake, or because a certain day has beenenjoined for the observance. At the same timeit may serve to remind us of the true spiritualfast, and admonish us to steer with all our mightto keep that. In like manner as Paul himselfteaches (1 Cor. v. 7 sqq.), Passover and un-leavened bread are figures the one of Christ, theother of heart-purity (c. 3).

The Saviour has then confirmed the first por-tion of God’s law (Matt. v. 22, 28, 34) ; for thesecond He has substituted other and opposingprecepts (Matt. v. 39); the third, the symbolicportion, He has interpreted spiritually, and soput the truth itself in the place of the figure,e same things taught also His disciples ande Apostle St. Paul, who has shewn in onecase how a precept is to be understood spiritually(namely in the words already referred to con-fining the feast of the Passover and unleavened

bread). That portion of the law which is mixedwith unrighteousness St. Paul designated (Eph.ii. 15) as rbv vdpov t tov 4 vtoK<ov 86y/j.a(ri fwhich has been done away. Finally, the pureand unmixed portion he has in view when(Rom. vii. 12) he calls the law holy, the com-mandment holy and just and good (c. 4).

Now at length Ptolemaeus turns to thequestion who the God is who was giver of thelaw. It cannot have been the perfect God, ashas been shewn already, neither can it have beenthe devil, a thought which it was not evenlawful to utter, but a third one, the Demiurgeand creator of this present world, who occupiesa middle place between the other two, and hastherefore received the name of . the Midst (t?)s/u€(t3t77tos). The perfect God is good by nature,and indeed (according to St. Matt. xiv. 17) theonly good; the adversary is bad, wicked, andunrighteous; he who stands in the midst, be-tween the two, is neither good nor bad nor un-righteous, but properly called 6 righteous,’ theUmpire and Prizegiver of his own righteous-ness. He is inferior to the perfect God becausehe is begotten and not unbegotten, as is thatonly One, but he is greater and more exaltedthan the adversary. Moreover, he is of a dif-ferent essence from both the others. The essenceof the adversary is corruption and darkness, forhe is hylic and multiform. The essence of theunbegotten Father is incorruption, and a onesimple, uniform and self-existent Light. Butthe essence of the Demiurge is the product of aStTTTj 5 vvafxis, he himself being an image of thebetter. The epistle concludes with an admoni-tion to Flora not to suffer herself to be disturbedin the conviction that along with the one a pxfyt 5>v fthwVy the unbegotten, incorruptible andgood, which is also confessed and believed in byus, the two other Natures had a co-existence,that of Corruption and that of the Midst, andthis notwithstanding that they were not of thesame essence (avouoovcioi), though it be thenature of the good to bring forth that which islike to and consubstantial with Himself (rabfxoia aur$ Ka\ opoovena). A full insight intothis condition of things is held out to Flora aswhat she may look for in future times, and atthe same time assurance is given her that shemust be made partaker of the apostolic tradi-tion, which has also been transmitted to us,along with the injunction to judge of all wordsby the rule of the Saviour’s doctrine (a^tov/ieVrjrrjs eta tocttoMk^s 7rapa8d<T€a)$ fyv €K 8ia8ox^sKa\ 7)fA€is 7rap6i\€(pa/j,€P i ptra Kal tov KavovlffaiiravTas tovs \6yovs rjj tov ^wrrjpos rip&p8iSacr/caAJa). [R. A. L.j

PTOLEMAEUS (2), Oct. 19. A martyr atRome, mentioned by Justin Martyr in his SecondApology. He suffered under the city prefectUrbicius, with Lucius (14) and another un-known martyr. He converted a woman to thefaith, and her husband in anger accused himof being a Christian (Just. Mart. Apol. ii. cap.2 ; Euseb. H. E. iv. 17; Dodwell, Dissert. Cy~prian. xi. 33); Ruinart, AA. Sine, fixes the dateof his martyrdom A.D. 166. Cf. the article onJustinus Martyr, t. iii. p. 569. [G. T. S.]

PTOLEMAEUS (3), Dec. 20. Soldier ofAlexandria, and martyr there under Sabinus, in