at
great length, also introduces two direct quotations from St Paul's
Epistles, and treats the Apostle's authority throughout as beyond
dispute [248:4].

The last father of the Asiatic school, whom it will be necessary to
mention, is POLYCRATES, bishop of Ephesus. When Victor of Rome in the
closing years of the second century attempted to force the Western usage
with respect to Easter on the Asiatic Christians, Polycrates wrote to
remonstrate. The letter is unhappily lost, but a valuable extract is
preserved by Eusebius [248:5]. In this the writer claims to speak
authoritatively on the subject of dispute, owing to the special
opportunities which he had enjoyed. He states that he had received the
observance of the 14th by tradition from his relations, of whom seven
had been bishops; he says that he had conferred with the brethren from
all parts of the world; and he adds that he had 'gone through every holy
scripture.' When we remember the question at issue, and recall the
language of Apollinaris respecting the Gospels, in writing on the same
subject, we see what is implied in this last sentence. The extract,
which is short, contains only two references to the writings of the New
Testament. The one is to the Fourth Gospel; St John is described in the
very words of this Gospel, as 'he that leaned on the bosom of the Lord'
([Greek: ho epi to stethos tou Kuriou anapeson]) [249:1]. The other is to
a book of the Pauline cycle, the Acts of the Apostles; 'They that are
greater than I,' writes Polycrates, 'have said, _We must obey God rather
than men_' [249:2].

We have now reached the close of the second century, and it is not
necessary to pursue the history of the School of St John in their
Asiatic home beyond this point. But in the meantime a large and
flourishing colony had been established in the cities of southern Gaul,
and no account of the traditions of the school would be adequate which
failed to take notice of this colony. This part of the subject however
must be left for a subsequent paper. Meanwhile the inferences from the
notices passed under review cannot, I think, be doubtful. Out of a very
extensive literature, by which this school was once represented, the
extant remains are miserably few and fragmentary; but the evidence
yielded by these meagre relies is decidedly greater, in proportion to
their extent, than we had any right to expect. As regards the Fourth
Gospel, this is especially the case. If the same amou