Otto Corp. Apol. IX. p. 419. and
Noetus in the Philos. IX. 10, p. 448). These formulae may, in point of
fact, have been so understood, here and there, by the rude and
uncultivated. The strongest again is presented in writings whose
authority was always doubtful: see the Gospel of the Egyptians (Epiph.
H. 62. 2), in which must have stood a statement somewhat to this effect:
[Greek: ton auton einai patera, ton auton einai huion, ton auton einai
hagion pneuma], and the Acta Joh. (ed. Zahn, p. 220 f., 240 f.: [Greek:
ho agathos hemon theos ho eusplanchnos, ho eleemon, ho hagios, ho
katharos, ho amiantos, ho monos, ho heis, ho ametabletos, ho eilikrines,
ho adolos, ho me orgizomenos, ho pases hemin legomenes e nooumenes
prosegorias anoteros kai hupseloteros hemon theos Iesous]). In the Act.
Joh. are found also prayers with the address [Greek: thee Iesou Christe]
(pp. 242. 247). Even Marcion and a part the Montanists--both bear
witness to old traditions--put no value on the distinction between God
and Christ; cf. the Apoc. Sophon. A witness to a naive Modalism is found
also in the Acta Pionii 9: "Quem deum colis? Respondit: Christum Polemon
(judex): Quid ergo? iste alter est? [the co-defendant Christians had
immediately before confessed God the Creator] Respondit: Non; sed ipse
quem et ipsi paullo ante confessi sunt;" cf. c. 16. Yet a reasoned
Modalism may perhaps be assumed here. See also the Martyr Acts; e.g.,
Acta Petri, Andrae, Pauli et Dionysiae I (Ruinart, p. 205): [Greek: hemeis
oi Christon ton basilea echomen, hoti alethinos theos estin kai poietes
ouranou kai ges kai thalasses]. "Oportet me magis deo vivo et vero. regi
saeculorum omnium Christo, sacrificium offerre." Act. Nicephor. 3 (p.
285). I take no note of the Testament of the twelve Patriarchs, out of
which one can, of course, beautifully verify the strict Modalistic, and
even the Adoptian Christology. But the Testamenta are not a primitive or
Jewish Christian writing which Gentile Christians have revised, but a
Jewish writing christianised at the end of the second century by a
Catholic of Modalistic views. But he has given us a very imperfect work,
the Christology of which exhibits many contradictions. It is instructive
to find Modalism in the theology of the Simonians, which was partly
formed according to Christian ideas; see Irenaeus I. 23. I. "hic igitur a
multis quasi deus glorificatus est, et docuit semetipsum esse qui inter
Judaeos quidem quasi filius appa