" [102:2] After a time he
was put in prison for his new faith, which Lucian says was a real
service to him afterwards in his impostures. During the time he was in
prison he is said to have received those services from Christians which
Dr. Lightfoot quotes. Peregrinus was afterwards set at liberty by the
Governor of Syria, who loved philosophy, [102:3] and travelled about,
living in great comfort at the expense of the Christians, until at last
they quarrelled in consequence, Lucian thinks, of his eating some
forbidden food. Finally, Peregrinus ended his career by throwing himself
into the flames of a funeral pile during the Olympian games. An
earthquake is said to have taken place at the time; a vulture flew out
from the pile crying out with a human voice; and, shortly after,
Peregrinus rose again and appeared clothed in white raiment, unhurt by
the fire.
Now this writing, of which I have given the barest sketch, is a direct
satire upon Christians, or even, as Baur affirms, "a parody of the
history of Jesus." [102:4] There are no means of ascertaining that any
of the events of the Christian career of Peregrinus were true, but it is
obvious that Lucian's policy was to exaggerate the facility of access to
prisoners, as well as the assiduity and attention of the Christians to
Peregrinus, the ease with which they were duped being the chief point of
the satire.
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