[57] Theophilus to Autolycus, xiv.
[58] Harnack well observes that among Clement of Alexandria’s writings, the Pædagogus evidently assumes that the Church for which its teaching was designed embraced a large number of cultured people.
The same conclusion must be arrived at in respect of many of Irenæus’ writings. Irenæus wrote in the last quarter of the second century.
[59] The more eminent of the Gnostic teachers who in the first instance separated themselves from the Christian congregations, as far as we can judge from the comparatively rare fragments which we possess of their writings, evidently had in view highly cultured readers and listeners. We allude especially to Valentinus and his famous pupil Heracleon. These Gnostic writers taught and wrote in the second half of the second century. The period of activity of the second of these, Heracleon, is generally given as circa A.D. 170–80. Valentinus was somewhat earlier.
[60] This is strikingly put by F. W. Myers in his poem “S. Paul”:
“This hath he done and shall we not adore Him?
This shall He do and can we still despair?
Come let us quickly fling ourselves before Him,
Cast at His feet the burden of our care.”
[61] The more notable of the Atonement prophecy passages in Isaiah were: