Christians were vindicated and proved to be innocent and clear of that wicked imputation. Origen cast the blame of this scandalous charge upon the Jews, who, he said, had wilfully and spitefully invented it, to disgrace and prejudice Christianity. But Epiphanius has mentioned a fact which most probably first suggested the accusation, although it did not justify the Heathen in falsely, and contrary to their own knowledge, applying the crime to real Christians. There were, he says, "unprincipled men who had made a profession of Christianity; but not relishing the doctrines and especially the morals and conversation of believers, which were too strict and holy for them; they soon withdrew, while they still retained the Christian name." These, Epiphanius enumerates as the followers of Simon Magus, Menander, Marcion, Basilides, &c. who were known by the general appellation of Gnostics. It was true, he says, "that these under the cover of a religious profession, were guilty of the enormous crime of incestuous cohabitation; and that they even reproached and ridiculed the pious and orthodox, whom the fear and love of God restrained from such sins." Justin Martyr also declares, that this was the real and only rise and foundation of the perni-
