John, the history of Zachariah, &c. All things of this kind we learn from Luke alone, and many actions of the Lord we learn from him, which we all make use of. And there are many others that can only be learned from Luke, which both Marcion and Valentine have made use of."a

2. On account of their authors. Thus Tertullian says, "In the first place, we determine that the gospel has the apostles for its authors, upon whom the duty of publishing the gospel was imposed by the Lord himself; so it has for its authors, not only apostolic men, [that is, disciples of the apostles,] but also men who lived with the apostles, and after the apostles; since the preaching of the disciples might have been suspected of a desire of glory, if it had not been asserted by the authority of masters, even by Christ himself, who had appointed the apostles as masters. Finally, John and Matthew, two of the apostles, inspire us with faith; Luke and Mark, two of the apostolic men, relying on the

Iren. iii. 15, 1: Neque Lucam mendacem esse possunt ostendere, veritatem nobis cum omni diligentia annunciantem. Fortassis enim et propter hoc operatus est Deus plurima evangelii ostendi per Lucam, quibus necesse haberent omnes uti, ut sequenti testificationi ejus, quam habet de actibus et doctrina apostolorum, omnes sequentes et regulam veritatis inadulteratam habentes salvari possint. Igitur testificatio ejus vera et doctrina apostolorum manifesta et firma, etc.

Lib. iii. 14, 3: Si quis autem refutet Lucam, quasi non cognoverit veritatem, manifestus erit projiciens evangelium, cujus dignatur esse discipulus. Plurima enim et magis necessaria evangelii per hunc cognovimus, sicut Joannis generationem et de Zacharia historiam, &c.

Et omnia hujus modi per solum Lucam cognovimus et plurimos actus Domini per hunc didicimus, quibus omnes utuntur..... Et alia multa sunt, quæ inveniri possunt a solo Luca dicta esse, quibus et Marcion et Valentinus utuntur. - Here, however, the question relates merely to the credibility, not to the genuineness. See Süsskind's Essay, “On what Grounds did Irenæus maintain the Genuineness of our four Gospels?” in Flatt's Magazin f. christl. Dogmat, &c. vol. vi. p. 95, sq. Here he opposes Eckermann's Theol. Beiträge, B. v. st. 2. See Tertull. c. Marc. iv. 2. See below, No. 2.

same standards, afford us a supplement to the Law and the Prophets, so far as it relates to the only God, the Creator, and his Christ, born of a virgin."

Eusebius, quoting from Clement of Alexandria, says, "It is said the apostle, [Peter,] knowing what was done, authenticated the writing, [the Gospel of Mark,] that it might be read in the churches."

3. On account of the confidence felt in the tradition by which these writings were supported. So Clement of Alexandria writes, "The first statement is not in the four Gospels delivered to us, but in that according to the Egyptians." Tertullian declares, "If it is admitted that what is earliest is the truest, and that is earliest which is from the beginning, and that which is from the beginning proceeds from the apostles, it must likewise be admitted that that is transmitted from the apostles which has been held as most sacred in the churches of the apostles. Let us see what milk the Corinthians drew from Paul; by what standard the Galatians were corrected; what the Philippians, the Thessalonians, and the Ephesians, read, and what the Romans recite, [sound forth,] to whom Peter and Paul have left the gospel, sealed with their blood. We have churches that are

• Tertull. c. Marc. iv. 2: Constituimus imprimis, evangelicum instrumentum apostolos auctores habere, quibus hoc munus evangelii promulgandi ab ipso Domino sit impositum; si et apostolicos, non tamen solos, sed cum apostolis et post apostolos; quoniam prædicatio discipulorum suspecta fieri posset de gloriæ studio, si non assistat illi auctoritas magistrorum, imo Christi, quæ magistros apostolos fecit. Denique nobis fidem ex apostolis Johannes et Matthæus insinuant, ex apostolicis Lucas et Marcus instaurant, iisdem regulis exorsi, quantum ad unicum Deum attinet Creatorem, et Christum ejus, natum ex virgine, supplementum legis et prophetarum. See Lardner, vol. ii. p. 373.

Euseb. H. E. ii. 15, from Clem. Alex. Hypotyp.: гvóvτα dè τò no̟aɣôèv, φασὶ, τὸν ἀπόστολον (Πέτρον) κυρῶσαι τὴν γραφὴν (τοῦ Μάρκου) εἰς ἔνTεuživ tais Exxhɛolais. Comp. Tertull. c. Marc. iv. 5.

the pupils of John....... I say, also, that not only in the apostolical, but in all the churches that are confederated with them by sharing the same sacrament, the Gospel of Luke, which we especially regard, has continued ever since its first publication."

He says in another place, "But come, examine the apostolical churches, in which the very chairs of the apostles still preside; in which the very authentic letters are read, sounding forth the voice and representing the face of each of them.""

§ 23.

THE CANON OF ORIGEN.

b

Origen occupies the same ground; but, while he acknowledges the above works, generally received, he has doubts, more or less strong, respecting each of the following books, namely: 1. The Epistle to the Hebrews; 2. the Epistle of James; 3. the Second Epistle of Pe

• Clem. Strom. 1. iii. p. 465 : Πρῶτον μὲν οὖν ἐν τοῖς παραδεδομένοις ἡμῖν τέτταρσιν εὐαγγελίοις οὐκ ἔχομεν τὸ ῥητὸν, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ κατ' Αἰγυπτίους. Tertull. c. Marc. iv. 5: Si constat, id verius quod prius, id prius quod et ab initio, ab initio quod ab apostolis: pariter utique constabit, id esse ab apostolis traditum, quod apud ecclesias apostolorum fuerit sacrosanctum. Videamus, quod lac a Paulo Corinthii hauserint; ad quam regulam Galatæ sint recorrecti; quid legant Philippenses, Thessalonicenses, Ephesii; quid etiam Romani de proximo sonent, quibus evangelium et Petrus et Paulus sanguine quoque suo signatum reliquerunt. Habemus et Johannis alumnas ecclesias....... Dico itaque apud illas, nec solas jam apostolicas, sed apud universas, quæ illis de societate sacramenti confœderantur, id evangelium Lucæ ab initio editionis suæ stare, quod cummaxime tuemur. De Præscript. c. 36: Age eam percurre ecclesias apostolicas, apud quas ipsæ adhuc cathedræ apostolorum suis locis præsidentur, apud quas authenticæ literæ eorum recitantur, sonantes vocem, repræsentantes faciem. See Lardner, vol. ii. p. 284.

.......

On the subject of his canon, see Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. 1. vi. 25. Lardner, vol. ii. p. 493, sqq.

ter; 4. the Second and Third of John; 5. the Epistle of Jude.

1. Of the Epistle to the Hebrews he says, "The style of the Epistle to the Hebrews has not the apostle's vulgarity of diction, for he confesses himself to be rude in speech, that is, in phraseology. But every one, who is able to distinguish the diversities of style, must confess that this Epistle is more purely Greek in the composition of its sentences." And again, "The thoughts of this Epistle are admirable, and not inferior to any of the writings acknowledged to be apostolic. Every one will confess the truth of this, who reads the writings of the apostle." To these remarks he subsequently adds, "And I would agree that the thoughts are the apostle's, but the style and arrangement belong to some one who remembered the thoughts of the apostle, and wrote commentaries on the words of his teacher. If, then, any church receives this as the Epistle of Paul, let it be commended therefore, since the men of old time did not without cause deliver it to us as Paul's. But who it was that wrote the Epistle, of a truth God only knows. But before our time, it was the prevalent opinion of some, that Clement, who was bishop of Rome, wrote the Epistle, and of others that it was written by Luke, who wrote also the Gospel, and the Acts.""

a

Eusebius, 1. c. : " Οτι ὁ χαρακτὴς τῆς λέξεως τῆς πρὸς ̔Εβραίους ἐπιγεγραμμένης ἐπιστολῆς οὐκ ἔχει τὸ ἐν λόγῳ ἰδιωτικὸν τοῦ ἀποστόλον, ὁμολογήσαντος ἑαυτὸν ἰδιώτην εἶναι τῷ λόγῳ, τουτέστι τῇ φράσει· ἀλλ' ἐστὶν ἡ ἐπιστολὴ συνθέσεις τῆς λέξεως ἑλληνικωτέρα, πᾶς ὁ ἐπιστάμενος κρίνειν φράσεως διαφορὰς ὁμολογήσαι ἄν. Πάλιν τε αὖ· ὅτι τὰ νοήματα τῆς ἐπιστολῆς θαυμάσιά ἐστι, καὶ οὐ δεύτερα τῶν ἀποστολικῶν ὁμολογουμένων γραμμάτων, καὶ τοῦτο ἂν συμφήσαι εἶναι ἀληθὲς, πᾶς ὁ προσέχων τῇ ἀναγνώσει τῇ ἀποστολικῇ. Τούτοις μεθ' ἕτερα ἐπιφέρει λέγων· Ἐγὼ δὲ ἀποφαινόμενος εἴποιμ' ἂν, ὅτι τὰ μὲν νοήματα τοῦ ἀποστόλου ἐστὶν, ἡ δὲ φράσις καὶ ἡ σύνθεσις ἀπομνημονεύσαντός τινος τὰ ἀποστολικὰ καὶ ὡσπερεὶ σχολιογραφή

2. Epistle of James. He says, “As we read in the Epistle attributed to James.""

3. Epistles of Peter. “And Peter left one acknowledged Epistle; grant that he wrote a second, but it is doubted.” .

4. Epistles of John. "He [John] left an Epistle of a very few verses. Grant that he wrote the Second and Third Epistles also; but all do not say that they are genuine."

5. The Epistle of Jude. "Jude wrote an Epistle consisting of but few verses, yet filled with words of heavenly grace." Again he says, "If any one should ascribe the Epistle to Jude," &c."

He does not distinguish, with sufficient clearness, the apocryphal from the canonical writings of the New Testament. This appears from the following sentences: "I think Hermas was the author of that book which is called the Shepherd. It seems to me a very useful writing, and, as I think, is divinely inspired." And yet again he speaks of it in a different way: "If any one may venture to quote such a saying, from a writing which is

σαντος τὰ εἰρημένα ὑπὸ τοῦ διδασκάλου. Εἴ τις οὖν ἐκκλησία ἔχει ταύτην τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ὡς Παύλου, αὕτη εὐδοκιμείτω ἐπὶ τούτῳ· οὐ γὰρ εἰκῇ οἱ ἀρχαῖοι ἄνδρες ὡς Παύλου αὐτὴν παραδεδώκασι. Τίς δὲ ὁ γράψας τὴν ἐπιστολὴν, τὸ μὲν ἀληθὲς θεὸς οἶδεν. Ἡ δὲ εἰς ἡμᾶς φθάσασα ἱστορία, ὑπό τινων μὲν λεγόντων, ὅτι Κλήμης ὁ γενόμενος ἐπίσκοπος ̔Ρωμαίων ἔγραψε τὴν ἐπιστολὴν, ὑπό τινων δὲ, ὅτι Λουκᾶς ὁ γράψας τὸ εὐαγγέλιον καὶ τὰς πράξεις.

• ̔Ως ἐν τῇ φερομένη Ιακώβου ἀνέγνωμεν. Origen, Comm. in Johan vol. iv. Ρ. 306.

·

• Πέτρος δέ ....... μίαν ἐπιστολὴν ὁμολογουμένην καταλέλοιπεν· ἔστω δὲ καὶ δευτέραν· ἀμφιβάλλεται γάρ. Euseb. l. e.

• Καταλέλοιπε (Ιωαννης) δὲ καὶ ἐπιστολὴν πάνυ ὀλίγων στίχων· ἔστω δὲ καὶ δευτέραν καὶ τρίτην· ἐπεὶ οὐ πάντες φασὶ γνησίους εἶναι ταύτας. Euseb. 1. c.

.

• Ιούδας ἔγραψεν ἐπιστολὴν, ὀλιγόστιχον μὲν, πεπληρωμένην δὲ τῶν τῆς οὐρανίου χάριτος ἐῤῥωμένων λόγων. Comm. in Matt. vol. iii. p. 463. ΕΙ δὲ καὶ τὴν ̓Ιούδα πρόσοιτό τις ἐπιστολήν. Ι. p. 814.