e writer of the Ignatian letters, a most
determined anti-Ebionite. If Papias had cited the Gospel according to
the Hebrews only once, Eusebius would have mentioned the fact, because
he made it his business to record these exceptional phenomena; whereas
he would have passed over any number of quotations from the Canonical
Gospels in silence.

As all these supposed tokens of Ebionite tendencies have failed, we are
led to inquire whether any light is thrown on this question from other
quarters.

And here his name is not altogether unimportant. Papias was bishop of
Hierapolis, and apparently a native of this place. At all events he
seems to have lived there from youth; for his acquaintance with the
daughters of Philip, who resided in this city, must have belonged to the
earlier period of his life. Now Papias was a designation of the
Hierapolitan Zeus [153:1]; and owing to its association with this god,
it appears to have been a favourite name with the people of Hierapolis
and the neighbourhood. It occurs several times in coins and inscriptions
belonging to this city and district [153:2]. In one instance we read of
a 'Papias, who is also Diogenes,' this latter name 'Zeus-begotten' being
apparently regarded as a rough synonyme for the Phrygian word [153:3].
We find mention also in Galen of a physician belonging to the
neighbouring city of Laodicea, who bore this name [153:4]. Altogether it
points to a heathen rather than a Jewish origin.

But more important than his name, from which the inference, though
probable, is still precarious [153:5], are his friendships and
associations. Papias, we are told, was a companion of Polycarp [153:6].
The opinions of Polycarp have been considered in it previous article
[153:7]; and it has there been shown that the hypothesis of Ebionite
leanings in his case is not only unsupported, but cannot be maintained
except by an entire disregard of the evidence, which is of different
kinds, and all leads to the opposite conclusion. As regards Papias
therefore, it is reasonable to infer, in the absence of direct evidence,
that his views were, at all events, in general accordance with his
friend's. Moreover, the five books of Papias were read by Irenaeus and
by Eusebius, as well as by later writers; and, being occupied in
interpretation, they must have contained ample evidence of the author's
opinions on the main points which distinguished the Ebionite from the
Catholic--the view of the Mosaic law,