P R E F A C E.

...we shall see in its proper place: That Photius Photius I of Constantinople (c. 810–893), a powerful Byzantine scholar and patriarch known for his "Bibliotheca," which summarizes hundreds of works from antiquity. attributed them not to Archelaus—to whom they belong if they are authentic—but to a certain Hegemonius, who could only have written more than fifty years after the death of Mani original: "Manichée". Mani (c. 216–274 AD) was the Iranian prophet who founded Manichaeism., since Eusebius, who published his History around that time, made no mention of the Dispute of Caschar: That, in a word, the Acts of this Dispute are evidently a Fiction similar to that of that Impostor who took the name of Clement of Rome Refers to the "Pseudo-Clementine" writings, a set of 4th-century works falsely attributed to an earlier Pope to give them authority., and who introduced St. Peter debating against Simon Magus A religious figure mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, traditionally viewed as the first heretic and the father of Gnosticism.: Or to that of a Christian Philosopher named Maximus, who likewise introduced Origen debating against a Marcionite, a Valentinian, a Bardesanist, and I know not what other Sectaries These groups represent various "heretical" Christian movements from the 2nd and 3rd centuries.. I am far from blaming skillful Writers who imagine original: "supposent" debates between Catholics and Heretics, provided they take care to give notice of the fiction. One can treat important matters usefully and agreeably by imagining Dialogues between Persons who hold contrary opinions, and placing the scene of the Dispute wherever one sees fit: Plato and Cicero did this so well, and Methodius Methodius of Olympus (died c. 311 AD), an early Church Father who wrote theological works in the form of Platonic dialogues. imitated them. The artifice is innocent: But one must not present these ingenious Fictions as real Events. Now, this is exactly what the Author of the Acts of Archelaus has done, who has thereby deceived original: "en a imposé" — a phrase meaning to mislead or trick someone into believing something false. all the Ancients and all the Moderns; and he would have deceived me like the others, had some passages not made me suspicious, and obliged me to examine this Work, and to melt it down, so to speak, in order to assure myself if it was of genuine quality original: "de bon alloi" — a metallurgical metaphor meaning "of the right alloy," used here to describe the historical authenticity of the text..