and the others, which were already united together under a common name."

The old Syriac collection, in the Peshito, is enlarged by the addition of the Epistle to the Hebrews, and that of James, though it does not contain the Apocalypse, which was likewise rejected by the Alogi and by Caius of Rome.'

d

There is a catalogue of the books of the New Testament contained in the fragment discovered by Muratori.“ If we may judge from its testimony respecting the Shepherd of Hermas, it was written at the end of the second, or the beginning of the 'third century, though Zimmermann thinks it was not written before the fourth century. In respect to the Gospels, the Acts, and the Epistles of Paul, this catalogue agrees with that of the Fathers above mentioned; but, in other respects, it differs from them, and is obscure in some places. an Epistle to the [The following is a translation of the catalogue: Lun deceans" The Epistle to the Laudenses (Laodiceans?), another to the Alexandrians, and many others, which are not received in the Catholic church, were forged in the name of Paul, for the sake of supporting Marcion's and many, heresy, But gall cannot be mingled with honey. others, which cannot be The Epistle of Jude, and the two inscribed with the received &c. name of John, are admitted in the Catholic church, and so are the Book of Wisdom, which was written by the

There is also

ma

Ji.

a

Clem. Stromat. iii. p. 455: Νόμος τε ὅμου καὶ προφῆται σὺν καὶ τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ ἐν ὀνόματι Χριστοῦ εἰς μίαν συνάγονται γνῶσιν. (?) Tertull. c. Prax. c. 15. Novum Testamentum.

Epiphanius, Hæres. lib. v. l. i. 3. Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. lib. iii. 28. Gieseler, Text-Book of Ecclesiastical History, [translated by F. Cunningham; Phil. 1836, 3 vols. 8vo.] vol. i. p. 91, sqq.

с

Antiquit. Ital. Med. Æv. vol. iii. p. 854.

& Dissertatio Scriptoris incerti de Canone Librorum, sive Fragmentum a Muratorio repertum, exhibens; Jenæ, 1805, p. 36, sqq.

friends of Solomon, in honor of him, and the Apocalypse
of John of Peter, we receive only one, (Epistle,) which
some of us are unwilling to have read in the church."
But very recently, in our own times, Hermas wrote
the Shepherd, while his brother Pius, the bishop, occu-
pied the seat of the church of the city of Rome." This
catalogue was originally written in Greek, and has
suffered sadly at the hands of the translator.
If genu-
ine, it is, undoubtedly, the oldest catalogue now ex-
tant.]

§ 22.

GROUNDS ON WHICH THESE BOOKS WERE RECEIVED.

These books were regarded as sacred and divine. Thus Irenæus calls them "The Divine Scriptures; "d "The Oracles of God; the Lord's Scripture." He says, "The Scriptures, indeed, are perfect, since they are dictated by the Logos of God and his Spirit."

[See the above translation of this ambiguous passage justified by Hug, Introduction to the N. T. pp. 76, 77, Fosdick's translation. Bertholdt, p. 114, sqq., would render the whole passage as follows:- "We likewise receive the Apocalypse of John and Peter," &c. Perhaps this is the true version.] See Guerike, zur hist. krit. Einleit. ins N. T. p. 11, sqq.

in De

Fertur etiam ad Laudenses (Laodicenses?), alia ad Alexandrinos, Laudccenses Pauli nomine fictæ ad hæresem Marcionis, et alia plura, quæ in Catholicam ( wrong ecclesiam, recipi non potest. Fel enim cum melle misceri non congruit. d.) Epistola sane Judæ et superscripti Johannis duas (dua) in Catholica habentur. Et Sapientia, ab amicis Salomonis in honorem ipsius scripta. Apocalypsis etiam Johannis et Petri tantum recipimus: quam quidam ex nostris legi in ecclesia nolunt. Pastorem vero nuperrime temporibus nostris in urbe Roma Herma conscripsit, sedente cathedra urbis Romæ ecclesiæ Pio episcopo fratre ejus. Et ideo legi eum quidem oportet; se publicare vero in ecclesia populo, neque inter Prophetas completum numero, neque inter apostolos in finem temporum potest.

'Hug places it in the beginning of the third century.

* Lib. ii. 27, 1: θεῖαι γραφαί.

• Lib. i. 8, 1: Τὰ λόγια τοῦ Θεοῦ.

Lib. v. 20, 2: Dominicæ Scripturæ.

perfectie:

Again, Clement of Alexandria says of them, " According to the God-inspired Scriptures. "The Holy Spirit speaks in the Apostle, [that is, in the writings of the apostles,] and likewise the Scriptures, in which we trust-having shown that they are divine from their surpassing excellence-to show that there is one God, who is truly proclaimed by the Law and the Prophets, and also by the blessed Gospel."

Tertullian says, "The Spirit of the Lord declared by
means of the apostles," &c."

[Irenæus always claims a high degree of inspiration for
the writers of the Bible. 66
Matthew," says he, "in the
beginning of his Gospel, would have written the birth of
Jesus. But the Holy Spirit, knowing a deceiver would
arise, and represent Jesus as different from the Christ,
writes, by means of Matthew, 'The birth of Jesus Christ
was on this wise."" He thinks the writer does not
select his own words, but they are dictated to him by
the Holy Spirit, who foresaw the exigencies of future
times. Perhaps he was led to this strange doctrine
by seeing the follies of the Gnostics, who ascribed a
very low degree of inspiration to most of the scriptural
writers."]

Scripturæ quidem prophetæ sunt, quippe a Verbo Dei et Spiritus ejus
dictæ.

a

Clem. Alex. Strom. vii. p. 761: Kаτà τàs dεолνεúστovs yoαgás. Pæd. i. p. 106: Τὸ ἐν τῷ ἀποστόλῳ ἅγιον πνεῦμα λέγει. Strom. iv. p. 475: Ως καὶ τὰς γραφάς, αἷς πεπιστεύκαμεν κυρίας οὖσας ἐξ αὐθεντείας παντοκρατορικῆς ἐπιδείξαντες... . ἕνα δεικνύναι θεὸν . . . . τὸν διὰ νόμου καὶ προφητῶν πρὸς δὲ καὶ τοῦ μακαρίου εὐαγγελίου γνησίως κεκηρυγμένον. [The above transla tion differs somewhat from that in Lardner, vol. ii. p. 247, and in Potter's edition of Clement, vol. i. p. 564; but the difference is not important in the present connection.]

¿ Tertullian, De Patientia, c. 7: Spiritus Domini per apostolum pronunciavit. Comp. c. 12.

• See Münscher, l. c. p. 343, sqq. validas ac ratas

derimus ête.

Potter.

↑ Translate :

6

* ____" ut cum etiam Scripturas omnipotenti auctoritate osten

To that, having prowed that the Scriptures ...are sanctioned by the authority of the Al

we

...

may

show from them that there is one

These books were likewise regarded as the true source of the doctrines and history of Christianity, as the canon, (zavov.) Thus Irenæus says, "We have understood the condition of our salvation through no others than these dispensation very men by whom the gospel came down to us, which, indeed, they did then orally publish, but afterwards, by the will of God, delivered to us [written] in the Scriptures, to be the foundation and column of our faith. If

any one assents not to these, he despises the fellowworkers of the Lord. Yea, he despises Christ the Lord himself. Yea, he despises even the Father, and is condemned by himself, resisting, and conflicting with his own faith, as all the heretics do."

"Therefore the disciple of the Lord, (John,) wishing to write of all such things, and to establish a standard of truth in the church, that there is one omnipotent God," &c.

"But we, following the Teacher, the one and only true God, and having his words as the standard of as our teachtruth," &c."

Again, Clement of Alexandria says, "What then? Do not they who assent to all things rather than to the Erroneous. evangelical standard of truth take the rest of what was fee Mr.forspoken to Solomon?" ton's skilful and accurate

translation,

Lardner, Irenæus, lib. iii. 1: Non per alios dispositionem salutis nostræ cog- Jenuine. 7.169 movimus, quam per eos, per quos evangelium pervenit ad nos, quod quidem of the Govtunc præconaverunt, postea vero per Dei voluntatem in Scripturis nobis pels, Fol. 11.

tradiderunt, fundamentum et columnam fidei nostræ futurum.

Quibus si quis non assentit, spernit quidem participes Domini, spernit autem et ipsum Christum Dominum, spernit vero et Patrem, et est a semet ipso damnatus, resistens et repugnans fidei suæ ; quod faciunt omnes hæretici. Lib. iii. 11, 1: Omnia igitur talia circumscribere volens discipulus Domini (Johannes) et regulam veritatis constituere in ecclesia, quia est unus Deus omnipotens, etc.

Lib. iv. 35, 4: Nos autem unum et solum verum Deum doctorem sequentes et regulam veritatis habentes ejus sermones.

• Clem. Alex. Stromat. l. iii. p. 453: Τί δέ; οὐχὶ καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς τῶν πρὸς

p. 242, 2du.

should es

with) xe.

Tertullian says the Roman church "mingles the Law and the Prophets with the evangelical and apostolical writings. Thence it receives (drinks) faith. Now, if the writings of the apostles have come down to us uncorrupted, and Luke, which is in our hands, agrees so well with their standard that it remains with them in the churches, then it appears that Luke also has come down to us uncorrupted."

These books were regarded in this light for the following reasons:—

Irenæus

testimony

ring

to

1. On account of their internal truthfulness. appeals to this, and says, "Neither can they show that Luke is a liar; but he proclaims the truth to us with all diligence; and, perhaps, God caused many things in the which all gospel to be related by Luke, that all might have what leem it in. is necessary to use; so that all-following the regular subsedispensable and consecutive evidence which he gives in relation to quent to use (or to the actions and doctrines of the apostles, and having refer? be acquainted the unadulterated standard of the truth-might be the saved. His testimony, therefore, is true, and the doc-the Acts, trine of the apostles is made manifest, and firmly established," &c. "But if any one would refute Luke, [accusing him,] as if he had not understood the truth, which he it is evident, [such a one] rejects the gospel; for Luke sterims to be is esteemed the disciple of it. The most important and disciple. the most necessary things in the gospel we know and quite through him [alone ;] for example, the generation of sucessary &c.

For

very

ma.

ma

birth

Σαλώμην εἰρημένων ἐπιφέρουσιν, οἱ πάντα μᾶλλον ἢ τῷ κατὰ τὴν ἀλήθειαν
εὐαγγελικῷ στοιχήσαντες κανόνι;

a

Tertull. De Præscript. Hæret. c. 36: Legem et Prophetas cum evangelicis et apostolicis litteris miscet (ecclesia Romana). Inde portat (potat) fidem. C. Marc. iv. 5: Si enim apostolica integre decucurrerunt, Lucas autem, quod est secundum nos, adeo congruit regulæ eorum, ut cum illis apud ecclesias maneat: jam et Lucæ constat integrum decucurrisse.