They repaired to Abonotichus. From Chalcedon they brought some brass plates, which had been discovered buried, and which bore an inscription, that Apollo and Esculapius were about to appear at Pontus. The people of Abonotichus commenced building a temple for Alexander, who now soon acquired great reputation and renown. Lucian describes him as he then appeared; tall, majestic, extremely handsome-hair long and flowing, complexion fair, a moderate beard, partly his own and partly false, but the imitation excellent; eyes large and lustrous, and voice sweet and limpid. "As to his character," says he, "God grant that I may never meet with such another. His cunning was wonderful, his dexterity matchless. His eagerness for knowledge, his capacity for learning and power of memory, were equally extraordinary."

He made for the serpent a human face, of linen, which was painted in an ingenious manner, and so arranged that the mouth would open and shut, and this was the face of Esculapius. From it he delivered oracles and spoke in unknown tongues.

The temple was finished, the god was formally established in it, and the oracles became a permanent institution. People flocked from all parts of Asia Minor, to consult them. Immense treasures flowed into the coffers of Alexander.

"The air was full of miracles. The sick were healed; the dead were raised to life." The Christians considered him a missionary of the devil.

Among his dupes was Rutelian, a senator, in high favor with the emperor.

There was a girl, said to be the daughter of Selene, the moon, and Alexander. She is declared to be destined for Rutelian, and the marriage is celebrated with great pomp and splendor.

Lucian himself visited Alexander and endeavored to expose him. He frankly admits that the attempt was a complete failure. When the prophet gave him his hand to kiss, Lucian bit it to the bone. For this, he came near paying the forfeit of his life. Alexander, concealing his pain and mortification, treated Lucian with the utmost courtesy and kindness, and gave him a vessel for his return home. The commander was secretly instructed to throw him overboard. This he

was too humane to do, but told Lucian he should be obliged to put him ashore, which he did; and Lucian found himself in Bithynia, a long way from home.

He returned, a wiser man, and the prophet continued to flourish. The emperor bestowed distinctions upon him. He lived to be an old man, and died in the acme of his fame.

APULEIUS. Some of the early writers speak of Apuleius as a worker of miracles. He was a pagan philosopher of the Platonic school, born at Madaura, in Africa.

He lived about A. D. 150. He was distinguished for his eloquence, and stood high as a Latin writer. Having married a rich widow in Tripoli, he was prosecuted by his relations, on a charge that he had, in his courtship, made use of magical arts. He defended himself on that occasion, by an 'Apology,' which is still extant. There has also come down to us, another of his works, entitled, "Metamorphosis, or the Golden Ass;" supposed to have been a satire on the wealthy debauchees of his time. Lactantius, referring to what Hierocles had asserted, that Apollonius was greater than Christ, because he rescued himself from Domitian, while Christ was put to death, says it is somewhat strange that writers should pass over Apuleius, "of whom many wonderful things are commonly said."1

ANTINOUS was a beautiful youth, a favorite of the Emperor Hadrian. He was born in Bithynia. He accompanied Hadrian to Egypt, and was drowned in the Nile, A. D. 132. A city called Antino-opolis, was built by the emperor, near the spot where he

(1.) Lact. Inst. lib. 5, ch. 3.

perished, and countless statues were erected in his honor. Some of them still exist, and are remarkable for their beauty.

Justin Martyr says he was worshiped as a god.'

Origen says there were miracles wrought in many places, and Celsus mentions, as miracle-workers, Esculapius, Aristeas of Proconnesus, and Cleomedes of Astypalea.

JEWISH SUPERSTITIONS.

The Jews were ever exceedingly superstitious. The miracles of the Old Testament are familiar to the reader. These were supplemented by an innumerable multitude of angels and demons of every description.

The casting out of demons was familiar to the Jews, long before the coming of Christ. In the Book of Tobit, the angel Raphael directs fumigation with the heart and liver of a fish, in order to drive a demon out of a man or woman, so that it will never return. The demon Asmodeus was in love with Sara, the daughter of Raguel, and had strangled seven men who were going to marry her; but by the process mentioned above, he was driven out, and flew into Egypt, where he was bound by the angel.--[Book of Tobit, 6. 7; 3. 7; 6. 14, etc.

In the Book of Enoch, the names of twenty-one angels are given, who had fallen, through love for the daughters of men. The offspring of these were giants, whose height was 3,000 ells. From these come the evil demons of earth.

Raphael was the angel who presided over the spirits of men. Uriel was the angel of thunder, earthquakes, etc. There were spirits controlling the winds and the lightning, others over the seas, and still others over hail, snow, frost, etc., etc.-[Book of Enoch, ch. 69; chs. 7, 8, 9, 34, etc.

The Jews believed the stars were animated beings.-[Gfroerer, das Jahrhundert des Heils, 1, p. 362.

Enoch saw seven stars bound together, and he inquired of the angel, on account of what sin they were bound. Uriel replied, they were

(1.) 1st Apology, ch. 29.

(2.) Contra Celsum, 3, 3.

stars which had transgressed the commands of the highest God, and they were thus bound till ten thousand worlds, the number of days of their transgression, should be accomplished.-[Chs. 21 and 18.

The targums are full of similar views, concerning the stars and other heavenly bodies.

The multitude of angels was innumerable.

Each angel had a particular duty to perform. Michael was angel over water, Jehuel over fire, Jechiel over wild beasts, and Anpiel over birds. Hariel was appointed over cattle, Messannahel over reptiles, Deliel over fish, and Samniel over created things moving in the waters, and over the face of the earth. Ruchiel was set over the winds, Gabriel over thunder and fire, and over the ripening of fruit. Nuriel over hail, Makturiel over rocks, Alpiel over fruit-bearing trees, Saroel over those which do not bear fruit, and Sandalfon over the human race. Under each of these were subordinate angels.[Sanhed. 95. 2; Eisenmenger, Entd. Jud. 2. 378. Sup. Relig. vol. 1, p. 108.

The demons were equally as numerous. They were in the air, on earth, in the bodies of men and animals, and even at the bottom of the sea. They were the offspring of the fallen angels who loved the daughters of men.-[Eisenmenger, Ent. Jud. 1. 380; 2. 437.

"Their number is infinite. The earth is so full of them, that if man had power to see, he could not exist, on account of them. There are more demons than men, and they are about as close as the earth thrown up out of a newly made grave."

It was stated that each man had 10,000 demons at his right hand, and 1,000 on his left. "He who wishes to discover these spirits, must take sifted ashes, and strew them about his bed, and in the morning he will perceive their footprints upon them, like a cock's tread. If any one wishes to see them, he must take the afterbirth of a black cat, which has been littered by a first born black cat, whose mother was also a first birth, burn and reduce it to powder, and put some of it in his eyes, and he will see them."-[Bab. Beracoth. 6. 1.

The casting out of demons, was an important feature in the Jewish theological system. Dr. Lightfoot says, "There was hardly any people in the whole world, that more used, or were more fond of amulets, charms, mutterings, exorcisms, and all kinds of enchantments." -[Lightfoot, Hora Heb. et. Talm. Works, 11. p. 299.

Josephus states, that among other gifts, God gave to Solomon knowledge of the way to expel demons. Josephus himself had seen a countryman of his own, named Eleazar, release people possessed of devils, in the presence of the Emperor Vespasian and his sons, and

his army. He put a ring, containing one of the roots prescribed by Solomon, to the nose of the demoniac, and drew the demon out by his nostrils, and in the name of Solomon and reciting one of his incantations, he adjured him to return no more.-[Antiquities of the Jews, bk. 8, ch. 2, sec. 5.

MIRACLES OF THE FATHERS.-These commence about the middle of the second century. More than a hundred years ago, Rev. Dr. Middleton, in his "Free Enquiry into the Miraculous Powers of the Christian church," called attention to the fact, that in the writings of the apostolic fathers, (referring to those who had written previous to about A. D. 150,) there was not the least pretense to the possession of extraordinary gifts, nor to any standing power of working miracles; and showed that the claim in the second century, was first set up about the time of Justin Martyr.

"Here, then," said he, "we have an interval of about half a century, the earliest and purest of all Christian antiquity, after the days of the apostles, in which we find not the least reference to any standing power of working miracles."

In the writings of Justin Martyr, (A. D. 150 to 160), the claim to miraculous power was put forth with much distinctness. He says:

"There are prophetical gifts among us at this day, and both men and women are endued with extraordinary powers by the spirit of God."

He frequently appeals to what he says every one might see with his own eyes, in every part of the

(1.) Middleton's Miscellaneous Works, vol. 1, p. 8.

(2.) Dialogue, chapter 88.