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The ancient history of universalism
by Hosea Ballou
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Excerpt:
FROM THE TIME OP THE APOSTLES, TO ITS CONDEMNATION IN THE FIFTH GENERAL COUNCIL, A. D. 553.
AN APPENDIX,
TRACING THE DOCTRINE DOWN TO THE
32ra of tije Information.
BY HOSEA BALLOU, 2d.
Pastor of the Universalist Church and Society in Roxbury.
THE NEW YORK
PUBLIC LIBRARY
825^85 ,
ASTGR LENOX AND
T1U3EN FOUNDATIONS
R 1918 L
DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS, TO WIT l
District Clerk's Office.
Be it remembered, that on the thirtieth day of October, A. D. 1828, in the fifty third year of the Independence of the United States of America, Hosea Ballou, 2d, of the said district, has deposited in this Office the title of a book, the right whereof he claims as proprietor, in the words following, to wit:—
"The Ancient History of Universalism: from the time of the Apostles, to its condemnation in the Fifth General Council A.D.553. With an Appendix, tracing the doctrine down to the era of the Reformation. By Hosea Ballou, 2d, Pastor of the Unryersalist Church and Soety in Roxbury."
In conformity to the act of the Congress of the U. States, entitled "an act for the encouragement "of learning, by securing the copies of maps, charts, and books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies during the times therein mentioned:" and also an act, entitled "an act supplementary to an act, entitled, an act for the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of maps, charts, and books to the authors and proprietors of such copies during the times therein mentioned; and extending the benefits thereof to the arts of designing, engraving, and etching historical and other prints."
JOHN W. DAVIS,
Clerk of the District of Mass.
DOW AND NILES, PRINTERS.
362 Washington st.—Boston.
PREFACE.
The reader will perceive, in the commencement of the following work, what he may at first regard as a defect, that I have not introduced, like others, a statement of the scripture doctrine upon the subject of my History. For the omission, I submit these reasons: it seemed to me that such a statement would prove useless, as each one would form his own opinion from other authority; and that a satisfactory discussion of the important question, belonged rather to the Polemic than to the Historian. Accordingly, for the commencement of my undertaking, I fixed on a date posterior to the publication of most of the New Testament; and yet, as it was desirable to take into view every other christian production extant of the first ages, I was obliged to begin as early as A. D. 90, before some, if not all of St. John's writings were composed.
The attentive reader will also discover, as he proceeds, that the Ancient History of Universalism is naturally distinguished, by certain peculiarities, into three successive Periods :— the First, extending to the year 190, and embraced in the first two chapters, affords but few indisputable traces either of that doctrine, or of its opposite; the Second, running through the third, fourth, fifth and sixth chapters, to the year 390, or 394, is distinguished by the prevalence both of Urriversalism and of the doctrine of endless misery, without producing the least disturbance or uneasiness in the church; the Third, reaching to the Fifth General Council, in A. D. 553, is marked with continual censures, frequent commotions, and some disgraceful quarrels, on that subject.
And as I have endeavored to vary my general plan, so as to suit the peculiar character and circumstances of each of these periods, I would here bespeak the reader's attention to the method I have pursued. In the first Period, then, I have been careful to state, in his own words, the opinion of every christian author extant, concerning future punishment, and the eventual salvation of the world; and down to the year 150, I have, with still more particularity, in. serted every passage which I thought belonged to either of those subjects. Accordingly, it may be expected that, to many, the first two chapters will prove more tedious than the rest of the work. In the second Period, while it has been my principal object to give a full account of all those fathers, who, during that time, advocated or favored Universalism, I have also aimed to present a correct view of the opinions entertained, the meanwhile, by the christian world at large, on that point. In the third Period I have pursued nearly the same course; leaving, however, >the common sentiment of the church concerning the doctrine in question, to be gathered from the controversies and quarrels which then occurred, and which I have minutely described. Thus far, I may venture to pronounce the History complete, in one sense: it contains an account of every individual of note, whom we have now the means of knowing to have been a Universalist.
