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Kirchengeschichte (BKV)
7. Kap. Wunder, welche bis zu jener Zeit durch die Gläubigen gewirkt wurden.
Übereinstimmend mit der Darstellung, die wir oben1 gegeben, hat Irenäus in seiner aus fünf Büchern bestehenden Schrift „Entlarvung und Widerlegung der fälschlich sog. Wissenschaft“2 diese Dinge berichtet. Im zwei- S. 228 ten Buche der gleichen Schrift teilt er mit, daß es bis zu seiner Zeit noch in manchen Kirchen göttliche Wunder gegeben habe. Er sagt:3 „Nicht haben (die Häretiker) die Kraft, in gleicher Weise einen Toten zu erwecken, wie der Herr sie erweckt hat oder wie es die Apostel getan haben durch ihr Gebet oder wie es oftmals in der Gemeinde der Brüder geschah, wo dann, wenn aus wichtigen Gründen die ganze Kirche einer Gegend unter vielen Fasten und Opfern darum gefleht hatte, der Geist des Verstorbenen zurückkehrte und der Mensch den Gebeten der Heiligen geschenkt wurde.“ Sodann erklärt Irenäus:4 „Wenn (die Häretiker) aber einwenden sollten, daß auch die Taten des Herrn nur Gaukelei gewesen, dann wollen wir sie auf die Worte der Propheten verweisen und aus ihnen zeigen, daß über ihn alles so vorausgesagt wurde, wie es tatsächlich geschehen ist, und daß er allein der Sohn Gottes ist. Daher wirken auch seine wahren Jünger, die von ihm die Gnade empfangen haben, in seinem Namen zum Wohle der übrigen Menschen, entsprechend der Gabe, die der Einzelne von ihm erhalten hat. Die einen von ihnen treiben wirklich und wahrhaft Teufel aus, so daß oftmals diejenigen, welche von den bösen Geistern gereinigt wurden, den Glauben annahmen und nun zur Kirche gehören. Andere wiederum erkennen die Zukunft und besitzen die Gaben des prophetischen Schauens und Redens, wieder andere heilen die Kranken durch Handauflegung und machen sie gesund. Selbst Tote sind, wie wir erwähnten, bereits erweckt worden, um noch mehrere Jahre unter uns zu weilen. Wer vermöchte die Gnadengaben aufzuzählen, welche die Kirche auf der ganzen Erde von Gott empfangen hat und im Namen Jesu Christi, der unter Pontius Pilatus gekreuzigt worden ist, tagtäglich zum Segen der Völker wirkt und durch welche sie niemanden betrügt und sich selbst nicht bereichert? Wie sie dieselben unentgeltlich von Gott empfangen hat, verwaltet sie die- S. 229 selben auch unentgeltlich.“ An anderer Stelle schreibt Irenäus:5 „Wie wir hören, besitzen viele Brüder der Kirche prophetische Gaben, sprechen durch den Geist in vielen Sprachen, offenbaren das Verborgene zum Nutzen der Menschen und verkünden die Geheimnisse Gottes.“ So viel über die Tatsache, daß sich noch bis zu den erwähnten Zeiten bei denen, die würdig waren, die Auszeichnung, Wunder zu wirken, erhalten hat.
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The Church History of Eusebius
Chapter VII.--Even down to those Times Miracles were performed by the Faithful.
1. These things Irenaeus, in agreement with the accounts already given by us, 1 records in the work which comprises five books, and to which he gave the title Refutation and Overthrow of the Knowledge Falsely So-called. 2 In the second book of the same treatise he shows that manifestations of divine and miraculous power continued to his time in some of the churches.
2. He says: 3
"But so far do they come short of raising the dead, as the Lord raised them, and the apostles through prayer. And oftentimes in the brotherhood, when, on account of some necessity, our entire Church has besought with fasting and much supplication, the spirit of the dead has returned, 4 and the man has been restored through the prayers of the saints."
3. And again, after other remarks, he says: 5
"If they will say that even the Lord did these things in mere appearance, we will refer them to the prophetic writings, and show from them that all things were beforehand spoken of him in this manner, and were strictly fulfilled; and that he alone is the Son of God. Wherefore his true disciples, receiving grace from him, perform such works in his Name for the benefit of other men, as each has received the gift from him.
4. For some of them drive out demons effectually and truly, so that those who have been cleansed from evil spirits frequently believe and unite with the Church. Others have a foreknowledge of future events, and visions, and prophetic revelations. Still others heal the sick by the laying on of hands, and restore them to health. And, as we have said, even dead persons have been raised, and remained with us many years.
5. But why should we say more? It is not possible to recount the number of gifts which the Church, throughout all the world, has received from God in the name of Jesus Christ, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and exercises every day for the benefit of the heathen, never deceiving any nor doing it for money. For as she has received freely from God, freely also does she minister." 6
6. And in another place the same author writes: 7
"As also we hear that many brethren in the Church possess prophetic gifts, and speak, through the Spirit, with all kinds of tongues, and bring to light the secret things of men for their good, and declare the mysteries of God."
So much in regard to the fact that various gifts remained among those who were worthy even until that time.
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In the various passages referred to in the notes on the previous chapter. ↩
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elenchou kai anatropes tes pseudonumou gnoseos (cf. 1 Tim. vi. 20). This work of Irenaeus, which is commonly known under its Latin title, Adversus Haereses (Against Heresies), is still extant in a barbarous Latin version, of which we possess three mss. The original Greek is lost, though a great part of the first book can be recovered by means of extensive quotations made from it by Hippolytus and Epiphanius. The work is directed against the various Gnostic systems, among which that of Valentinus is chiefly attacked. The first book is devoted to a statement of their doctrines, the second to a refutation of them, and the remaining three to a presentation of the true doctrines of Christianity as opposed to the false positions of the Gnostics. The best edition of the original is that of Harvey: S. Irenaei libros quinque adv. Haereses., Cambr. 1857, 2 vols.; English translation in the Ante-Nicene Fathers, I. p. 309 ff. For the literature of the subject, see Schaff, II. p. 746 ff. On Irenaeus himself, see Book IV. chap. 21, note 9. ↩
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Adv. Haer. II. 31. 2. The sentence as it stands in Eusebius is incomplete. Irenaeus is refuting the pretended miracles of Simon and Carpocrates. The passage runs as follows: "So far are they [i.e. Simon and Carpocrates] from being able to raise the dead as the Lord raised them and as the apostles did by means of prayer, and as has been frequently done in the brotherhood on account of some necessity--the entire Church in that locality entreating with much fasting and prayer [so that] the spirit of the dead man has returned, and he has been bestowed in answer to the prayer of the saints--that they do not even believe this can possibly be done, [and hold] that the resurrection from the dead is simply an acquaintance with that truth which they proclaim." This resurrection of the dead recorded by Irenaeus is very difficult to explain, as he is a truth-loving man, and we can hardly conceive of his uttering a direct falsehood. Even Augustine, "the iron man of truth," records such miracles, and so the early centuries are full of accounts of them. The Protestant method of drawing a line between the apostolic and post-apostolic ages in this matter of miracles is arbitrary, and based upon dogmatic, not historical grounds. The truth is, that no one can fix the point of time at which miracles ceased; at the same time it is easy to appreciate the difference between the apostolic age and the third, fourth, and following centuries in this regard. That they did cease at an early date in the history of the Church is clear enough. Upon post-apostolic miracles, see Schaff, Ch. Hist. II. p. 116 ff., J. H. Newman's Two Essays on Biblical and Eccles. Miracles, and J. B. Mozley's Bampton lectures On Miracles. ↩
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See the previous note. ↩
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Adv. Haer. II. 32. 4. ↩
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Cf. Matt. x. 8 ↩
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Adv. Haer. V. 6. 1. ↩