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.

    182/226 (page 168)
    Mr. Fontenelle wrote a Hiftory of Oracles, backing Dr. Van Dales Opinion, maintaining, that evil Spirits were not concerned In the Oracles of the Gentiles ; and Mr. Fontenelle in his third Chapter fets forth, that one Reafon why the Chriftians held the Opinion of Da¬ mns being concerned in the Oracles, was, that they were fond of Plato s Syftem, who maintained the Opinion of Damons. To this, Father Baltus, a Do¬ minican, who has writ two Volumes in Otlavo again ft Mr. Fontenelle, in his firft Volume, Part I. Chap. if. and the following, makes this Reply : That, fetting by the Opinion of Plato, there were three true Rea- fons why the antient Chriftians held^ Damons were concerned in the Oracles. The firft of thefe Reafons is the Authority of the Scripture, and here he gives an Inftance in the Oracle of Beelzebub, which was at Acharon ; and that Ocbcz.ias, King of Ifrael^ fent to eonfult him to know whether he fhould recover of his Difeafe. But that which more ftrongly perfuaded the antient Chriftians to this Opinion, was, the per¬ iod Conformity they obferved there was betwixt the Oracles of the Gentiles and thofe the idolatrous Jews confulted ; fuch as Diviners, Magicians, and falfe Prophets, and particularly all the Men and Women that were poffefs’d with a Spirit called Python, of which it is fo often fpoken in the Scripture. They could not doubt but thefe Spirits were true Damons, fince St. Paul drove away an evil Spirit from a Girl who was poffefs'd with it ; and the Spirits of the Priefts and Prieftefles of Delphos were of the fame na¬ ture with that in this Girl. The Second Reafon which confirmed the antient Chriftians in this Sentiment, which they had learned from the Scripture, and which confirmed them after a way that they could not doubt a moment of it, was, That they themfelves drove away the Damons from the Oracles, and from the Perfons by whom they gave their Anfwers. That they obliged the evil Spirits that prefided in the Ora-