Gleanings of antiquities / By John Beaumont, Gent.

  • Beaumont, John, -1731.
Date:
1724
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Gleanings of antiquities / By John Beaumont, Gent. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    to the Gofpel. For if it fhall be fhown, that both Greeks and Barbarians were ignorant of the true God before the coming of <Chrift, and were led away as blind Men, by feducing Demons ,* the Myftery of the Evangelical Difpen fation, whereby we are freed from that Seducing and Oppreffion, cannot but be much admired. So far Eufebius. Where two things ought to be noted : Fiirft, That the Chriftians in his time forced the Priefts attending the Oracles openly to declare all the Artiiices ufed by them in carrying them on, fo that they might have conveyed them to Pofterity. Secondly, That notwithftanding all the Artifices ufed, the antiisnt Chriftians held the Pythia were poflefsT with a P^thonick Spirit. As Peireskius was much amufed concerning the Tri¬ pod, and fpared no pains in confulting learned Perfons concerning the Myfteries' which he conceived lay in it; fo I think when we confider the various Relations we have concerning many other things relating to the Delphick Oracle, they may no lefs deferve our Consi¬ deration : Some fay it was a Tyrant, fome a Robber, fome a Serpent, and fome a Gyant that was overcome and {lain by Apollo, and gave an occafion for the Infti- tution of the Pythian GamesAnd as for the Place of this Victory, fome tell us the Pytho was flain in Myfia, fome in Phrygia, fome in Cilicia, fome in Pythecufa, fome in Boeotia, and fome in Syria. And as for .Apollo himfelf, whom they feign to be the Father of the Day and ot Light, he is as hard to be foutnd ; whom fome affirm to be the Son of 'Jupiter, others of Bacchus, fome my¬ thically make him a God, fome interpret him to be the Sun, others fay he was; a military Commander, fo that the Pythian Apollo nvaft be confu Ited concern¬ ing himfelf. The ingenio us Author of the Delphi Phoeniciz^antes has a particular Opinion concerning this matter : He tells us, that ini a manner all things which are related concerning Apt )l'o3 and the Pytho, chiefly regard JoJhuah the Leader < }f the Ifraelites3 and Og the