a writer and bishop of the primitive church, was educated a Heathen, and afterwards converted to Christianity. Some have imagined that he is the person to whom St Luke dedicates the Acts of the Apostles; but they are grossly mistaken; for this Theophilus was so far from being contemporary with St Luke and the apostles, that he was not ordained bishop of Antioch till anno 170; and he governed this church twelve or thirteen years. He was a vigorous opposer of certain heretics of his time, and composed a great number of works; all of which are lost, except three books to Autolycus, a learned Heathen of his acquaintance, who had undertaken to vindicate his own religion against that of the Christians. The first book is properly a discourse between him and Autolycus, in answer to what this Heathen had said against Christianity. The second is to convince him of the falsehood of his own, and the truth of the Christian religion. In the third, after having proved that the writings of the Heathens are full of absurdities and contradictions, he vindicates the doctrine and the lives of the Christians from those false and scandalous imputations which were then brought against them. Lastly, at the end of his work, he adds an historical chronology from the beginning of the world to his own time, to prove that the history of Moses is at once the most ancient and the truest; and it appears from this little epitome, how well this author was acquainted with profane history. These three books are filled with a great variety of curious disquisitions concerning the opinions of the poets and philosophers, and there are but few things in them relating immediately to the doctrines of the Christian religion. Not that Theophilus was ignorant of these doctrines, but, having composed his works for the conversion of a Pagan, he insisted rather on the external evidence or proofs from without, as better adapted, in his opinion, to the purpose. His style is elegant, and the turn of his thoughts very agreeable; and this little specimen is sufficient to shew that he was indeed a very eloquent man.

The piece is intitled, in the Greek manuscripts, "The books of Theophilus to Autolycus, concerning the Faith of the Christians, against the malicious detractors of their religion." They were published, with a Latin version, by Conradus Gelner, at Zurich, in 1546. They were afterwards subjoined to Justin Martyr's works, printed at Paris in 1615 and 1636; then published at Oxford, 1684, in 12mo, under the inspection of Dr Fell; and, lately, by Jo. Christ. Wolfius, at Hamburgh, 1723, in 8vo.

It is remarkable, that this patriarch of Antioch was the first who applied the term Trinity to express the Three Persons in the Godhead.

THERAPEUTÆ, so called from the extraordinary purity of their religious worship, were a Jewish sect, who, with a kind of religious phrenzy, placed their whole felicity in the contemplation of the Divine nature. Detaching themselves wholly from secular affairs, they transferred their property to their relations or friends, and withdrew into solitary places, where they devoted themselves to a holy life. The principal society of this kind was formed near Alexandria, where they lived, not far from each other, in separate cottages, each of which had its own sacred apartment, to which the inhabitant retired for the purposes of devotion. After their morning prayers, they spent the day in studying the law and the prophets, endeavouring, by the help of the commentaries of their ancestors, to discover some allegorical meaning in every part. Besides this, they entertained themselves with composing sacred hymns in various kinds of metre. Six days of the week were, in this manner, passed in solitude. On the seventh day they met, clothed in a decent habit, in a public assembly; where, taking their places according to their age, they sat, with the right hand between the breast and the chin, and the left at the side. Then some one of the elders, stepping forth into the middle of the assembly, discoursed, with a grave countenance and a calm of tone voice, on the doctrines of the sect; the audience, in the mean time, remaining in perfect silence, and occasionally expressing their attention and approbation by a nod. The chapel where they met was divided into two apartments; one for the men, the other for the women. So strict a regard was paid to silence in these assemblies, that no one was permitted to whisper, or even to breathe aloud; but when the discourse was finished, if the question which had been proposed for solution had been treated to the satisfaction of the audience, they expressed their approbation by a murmur of applause. Then the speaker, rising, sang a hymn of praise to God, in the last verse of which the whole assembly joined. On great festivals, the meeting was closed with a vigil, in which sacred music was performed, accompanied with solemn dancing; and these vigils were continued till morning, when the assembly, after a morning prayer, in which their faces were directed towards the rising sun, was broken up. So abstemious were these ascetics, that they commonly ate nothing before the setting sun, and often fasted two or three They obtained from wine, and their ordinary food was bread and herbs.

Much dispute has arisen among the learned concerning this sect. Some have imagined them to have been Judaizing Gentiles; but Philo supposes them to be Jews, by speaking of them as a branch of the sect of Essenes, and expressly classes them among the followers of Moses. Others have maintained, that the Therapeutae were an Alexandrian sect of Jewish converts to the Christian faith, who devoted themselves to a monastic life. But this is impossible; for Philo, who wrote before Christianity appeared in Egypt, speaks of this as an established sect. From comparing Philo's account of this sect with the state of philosophy in the country where it flourished, we conclude, that the Therapeutae were a body of Jewish fanatics, who suffered themselves to be drawn aside from the simplicity of their ancient religion by the example of the Egyptians and Pythagoreans. How long this sect continued is uncertain; but it is not improbable that, after the appearance of Christianity in Egypt, it soon became extinct.