An Incongruity in Phil. ii. 26, pointed out, and

Page

26, 27

. 31

Epaphras the same with Epaphroditus

Epaphroditus's Character drawn by Josephus. 32

Epictetus's Attempt to degrade him .
Epictetus a Defamer and an Impostor

The Converts from Heathenism said to become

Jews

36

37, 38

39

Josephus engages in his Antiquities, at the Ad-

vice of a Christian, to promote the Gospel . 39

CHAPTER II.

Josephus's Account of John the Baptist, and

his Object to enforce the Truth of his divine

Mission

Soldiers sent by the Pharisees to entrap the

Baptist

Josephus represents John as a Prophet, and

Forerunner of the Messiah

This Passage properly understood by the Fathers 46

Josephus, in his Account of John, a Christian

Writer.

47

CHAPTER III.

The Character of the Esseans by Josephus. 48-57

The Esseans not mentioned or alluded to in

Page

The Esseans flourished in Samaria, and there-

fore called by Epiphanius a Samaritan Sect 60

Jesus preaches among the Esseans

CHAPTER IV.

The Conversion of the Esseans to Chris-

tianity.

The Character of the Esseans by Philo

CHAPTER V.

The Esseans mistaken by the Moderns

Their Virtues the distinguishing Virtues

of the Gospel

61-67

.68.

72-483

83-84

84

.86 91

.

91

Known to the Fathers to be Christians

The Objections of modern Critics answered

Christianity another Name for Judaism.

The Esseans interpreted the Scriptures in a

Spiritual Sense

92 93

The Patriarchs the real Founders of the Esseans 94

The Reasons assigned why Philo and Jose-

phus did not call the Jewish Believers

Christians, &c.

!

The Esseans the same with the Assideans,
mentioned in the Maccabees

95

96

.97)

T

The same with the Sons of the Prophets

Jesus and his Disciples, by submitting to the

Baptism of John, became Esseans; while

the Esseans by following John, their

Master, became Christians

Page

The Reasons stated, which irresistibly prove

the Esseans to be the first Jewish Believers 99-113

The Spread of the Gospel magnificently de-

scribed by Philo.

CHAPTER VI.

Philo describes our Lord under those high

Titles which distinguish him in the New

Testament

.

Philo describes him as the Son of God-as
Intercessor for the Pardon of Sin.

The Logos personified in the Christian

Scriptures.

The Term Logos applied by the Apostles to

: Christ, to express not his personal Nature,

122-123

125,126

•

127-131

but his Character as the Minister of God 131-135

Philo, in the same Sense, applies the Term

,

speaks of the Son of God as a Mediator 149

as the Agent of God, in conferring

opposes the Word of God to the Doc-

trines of Men.

The fine Ideas which Philo entertained of

Christianity

The very great Similarity between Justin

Martyr and Philo, in regard to the Grounds

of recommending the Gospel to the Hea-

thens.

153

. 154-158

158-161

Dr. Priestley erroneous in ascribing the Per-
sonification of the Logos to the Platonists 161

Philo borrowed his Notions from the Chris-

tian Teachers

The allegorical Method of interpreting Scrip-

tures derived from Philo . .

Dr. Cæsar Morgan mistaken in his Notions

of Philo's Writings . .

. 162

The Fathers erred in fixing to the Person of

Christ the Term Logos, which was in-

tended by the Apostles, and by Philo, to

designate his divine Authority

164

165

166

167

Repels with great Zeal and Energy the Ac-

cusations made against the Believers . 168

Mr. Wakefield misinterprets the term ayo 168

Gibbon falsely asserts that the Christians

'imitated the Eleusinian Mysteries . . 170

The Calumnies against the early Believers,

insiduously described by Gibbon, repelled

by Philo and Josephus

. . 171

Philo holds the Festivals of Plato and Xeno-

phon in contempt, compared with the

Love-feasts of the Christians

172

Page

Jesus and his Apostles taught no Mysteries 173-175

The Pagans imputed to the Christians the

enormities which prevailed in their own

Assemblies

b

175

Jesus called upon his Followers to suffer-
the Magnanimity with which, according
to Josephus, they submitted to every Spe-
cies of Tortures
Christ cautions his Disciples against ex-
posing themselves to unnecessary Perse-

cution

Page

. 176

176

. 177

178

179

180, 181

. 182

The Ignorance of the Pagans in regard to

the Principles of Toleration.

The Steadiness of the Faithful under Trials

brought upon them the Charge of Obsti-

nacy Philo wrote his Book to defend

-

them, and to encourage them in Support

of their Principles

Christianity objected to, as being recent .
The Christian Religion, in the highest Sense,

a Divine Philosophy

Philo treats the Pagan Philosophers with .

great Contempt, and on the other hand

extols the Christian Teachers

182, 183

190

191

. . 192, 193

Philo and Josephus set aside the insiduous

and malicious Representation of Gibbon,

that the early Converts were poor and

illiterate