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exact statement of the ancient books, how many they were in number, and what was their arrangement, — I took pains to effect this, understanding thy zeal for the faith, and thy desire of knowledge in respect to the word, and that, in thy devotion to God, thou esteemest these things above all others, striving after eternal salvation. Therefore, having come to the East, and arrived at the place where these things were preached and done, and having accurately acquainted myself with the books of the Old Testament, I have subjoined and sent them to thee, of which the names are these: Of Moses, five, — namely, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy; Joshua, son of Nun, Judges, Ruth ; four of Kings, two of Chronicles; a book of Psalms of David, the Proverbs of Solomon, and the Wisdom," Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs, and Job; — of Prophets, books of Isaiah and Jeremiah; writings of the twelve Prophets in one book; Daniel, Ezekiel, Ezra, from which I have made selections, distributing them into six books. 38

* [Others read, “ which, also, is called Wisdom.” See Heinichen's note on the passage, vol. i. p. 404, of his ed. of Eusebius ; Lips. 1827. Stevens, in his edition of 1544, reads ἡ σοφία.]

• Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. iv. 26: 'Εν ταῖς γραφείσαις αὐτῷ ἐκλογαῖς ὁ αὐτὸς (Μελίτων) κατὰ τὸ προοίμιον ἀρχόμενος τῶν ὁμολογουμένων τῆς παλαιᾶς διαθήκης γραφῶν ποιεῖται κατάλογον. ..... « Μελίτων ' Ονησίμῷ τῷ ἀδελφῷ χαίρειν. Ἐπειδὴ πολλάκις ἠξίωσας σπουδῇ τῇ πρὸς τὸν λόγον χρώμενος γενέσθαι σοι ἐκλογὰς ἔκ τε τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῶν προφητῶν περὶ σωτῆρος καὶ πάσης τῆς πίστεως ἡμῶν· ἔτι δὲ καὶ μαθεῖν τὴν τῶν παλαιῶν βιβλίων ἐβουλήθης ἀκρίβειαν, πόσα τὸν ἀριθμὸν καὶ ὁποῖα τὴν τάξιν εἶεν, ἐσπούδασα τὸ τοιοῦτο πρᾶξαι, ἐπιστάμενός σου τὸ σπουδαῖον περὶ τὴν πίστιν καὶ φιλομαθὲς περὶ τὸν λόγον· ὅτι τε μάλιστα πάντων πόθῳ τῷ πρὸς θεὸν ταῦτα προκρίνεις, περὶ τῆς αἰωνίου σωτηρίας ἀγωνιζόμενος. ̓Ανελθὼν οὖν εἰς τὴν ἀνατολὴν, καὶ ἕως τοῦ τόπου γενόμενος ἔνθα ἐκηρύχθη καὶ ἐπράχθη, καὶ ἀκριβῶς μαθὼν τὰ τῆς παλαιᾶς διαθήκης βιβλία, ὑποτάξας ἔπεμψά σοι· ὧν ἐστι τὰ ὀνόματα· Μωϋσέως πέντε· Γένεσις,Εξοδος, Λευιτικὸν, Αριθ μοί, Δευτερονόμιον ̓Ιησοῦς Ναυῆ, Κριταί, Ρούθ, Βασιλειῶν τέσσαρα, Παραλειπομένων δύο Ψαλμῶν Δαβίδ, Σολομῶνος Παροιμίαι, ἡ καὶ Σου

The question now arises, Why were Nehemiah and Esther omitted in the above catalogue? [Eichhorn answers the inquiry, by asserting that the books were mentioned in the supposed order of their composition; that several books are referred to under one title; and that Nehemiah and Esther are both included under the general head of Ezra. But, even if we make this gratuitous admission, the conclusion does not follow that Nehemiah and Esther are included in the book of Ezra; for though Melito actually classes several books together, yet he gives us warning of the fact. Thus he mentions the four books of Kings, and the twelve Prophets in one book. Eichhorn says, and truly, that it was usual to unite Nehemiah and Ezra in one book, as Josephus had done, and then asks, Why should not Esther also be included? But it might be asked, with equal propriety, Why should not the apocryphal book of Ezra, and even of Esther, be included? It seems more reasonable to suppose that these books were omitted by Melito, because they were disputed, or were not found in the canon most commonly regarded in the "East." This remains certain, that it

φία, ̓Εκκλησιαστής, ᾆσμα ασμάτων, Ιώβ: Προφητῶν, Ησαίου, Ιερεμίου, τῶν δώδεκα ἐν μονοβιβλῳ, Δανιὴλ, Ιεζεκιήλ, "Εσδρας· ἐξ ὧν καὶ τὰς ἐκλογὰς ἐποιησάμην, εἰς ἓξ βιβλία διελών.”

[The translation of the above passage, so faithful and beautiful, is from Palfrey's Acad. Lect. vol. i. p. 32, sq. His lecture on the Canon of the Old Testament, spite of its briefness, as it appears to me, is by far the best treatise on that subject in the English tongue; though I can by no means agree with all his conclusions. See, who will, the superficial and inaccurate remarks of Mr. Horne, 1. c. chap. ii. sect. 1, on the Genuineness, &c. of the Old Testament.]

• See Eichhorn, § 52. Münscher, 1. c. vol. i. p. 267, sqq. [Jahn says, "It is remarkable that Athanasius, Gregory of Nazianzen, Amphilochius, Leontius, and both the Nicephori, omit the book of Esther. Athanasius expressly places it among those which we call apocryphal." Einleit. § 28. But all these writers may have followed Melito. Horne, as usual, passes over the matter siccissimis pedibus.]

was not easy for a Christian bishop, in the latter part of the second century, to determine the canon of the Old Testament.]"

Eusebius gives us the canon of Origen, as follows: "In expounding the first psalm, he [Origen] has given a catalogue of the sacred books in the Old Testament, writing as follows: Let it not be unknown that the canonical books, as the Hebrews transmit them, are twenty-two; for such is the number of letters among them.' After making some further remarks, he adds, 'These are the twenty-two books of the Hebrews: the book called Genesis with us, but among the Hebrews, from the beginning of the book, Bresith, which means In the Beginning; Exodus, Walmoth, that is, These are the Names; Leviticus, Waikra, And he called; Numbers, Ammesphekodeim; Deuteronomy, Ellah-haddebarim, These are the Words; Jesus the son of Nave, Joshua Ben Nun; Judges, Ruth, with them united in one book, called Sophetim; Kings, First and Second, with them in one called Samuel, The Called of God; the Third and Fourth of Kings, in one book, Wahammelech Dabid, that is, The Kingdom of David; the First and Second of Chronicles, in one book, and called Dibre Haiamim, that is, The Records of Days; the First and Second of Esdras, in one book, called Ezra, that is, the Assistant; the book of Psalms, Sopher Thillim; the Proverbs of Solomon, Misloth; Ecclesiastes, Koheleth; the Song of Songs, Sir Hasirim; Esaias, Iesaia; Jeremiah, with the Lamentations and his Epistle, in one volume, Jeremiah; Daniel, Daniel; Ezekiel, Teeskell; Job, Job; Esther, Esther. Besides these, there are

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also the Maccabees, which are inscribed Sarbeth Sarbaneel," "a

Valesius, commenting on the above, says, “ In this catalogue Origen has omitted the book of the twelve minor Prophets; and, since this is omitted, we find but twenty-one of the twenty-two books he had promised to enumerate. In Rufinus's version, this book of the minor Prophets is enumerated immediately after the Song of Songs. Hilary assents to the same in the Prologue to his Enarratio in Psalmos. Cyril of Jerusalem is of the same opinion; but yet Hilary, in his commentary on the Psalms, agrees with Origen, which is not wonderful, since almost all of the Prologue of Hilary is taken from the commentary [of Origen] on the Psalms, as Jerome testifies."

Origen calls these books Canonical Scriptures. Other books- not comprised in our Apocrypha, but heretical and obscure works he calls apocryphal Scriptures.

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Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. vi. 25: Τον μέν τοιγε πρῶτον ἐξηγούμενος Ψαλ μὸν, ἔκθεσιν πεποίηται ('Ωριγένης) τοῦ τῶν ἱερῶν γραφῶν τῆς παλαιᾶς διαθήκης καταλόγου, ὧδέ πως γράφων κατὰ λέξιν. « Οὐκ ἀγνοητέον δ' · εἶναι τὰς ἐνδιαθήκους βίβλους, ὡς Ἑβραῖοι παραδιδόασιν, δύο καὶ εἴκοσι, ὅσος ὁ ἀριθμὸς τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς στοιχείων ἐστίν.” Εἶτα μετά τινα ἐπιφέρει λέγων· “ Εἰσὶ δὲ αἱ εἴκοσι δύο βίβλοι καθ ̓ Εβραίους αἶδε· ἡ παρ' ἡμῖν Γένεσις ἐπιγεγραμμένη, παρὰ δὲ Ἑβραίοις ἀπὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς τῆς βίβλου Βρησίθ, οπές ἐστιν ἐν ἀρχῇ· *Εξοδος, Οὐαλεσμώθ, ὅπερ ἐστι ταῦτα τὰ ὀνόματα· Λευιτικὸν, Οὐκρά, καὶ ἐκάλεσεν· Αριθμοί, ̓Αμμεσφε κωδεία Δευτερονόμιον, “Ελλε ἀδδεβαρίμ, οὗτοι οἱ λόγοι· ̓Ιησοῦς υἱὸς Ναυῆ, Ιωσοῦε βεν Νοῦν Κριταί, Ρούθ, παρ' αὐτοῖς ἐν ἑνὶ Σωφετίμ· Βασιλει ὢν πρώτη, δευτέρα, παρ' αὐτοῖς ἓν Σαμουήλ, ὁ Θεόκλητος· Βασιλειῶν τρίτη, τετάρτη, ἐν ἑνὶ Οὐαμμέλεχ Δαβίδ, όπερ ἐστι βασιλεία Δαβίδ Παραλειπομένων πρῶτον, δεύτερον, ἐν ἑνὶ Διβρὴ Αναμιμ, ὁπέρ ἐστι λόγοι ἡμερῶν· Εσδρας πρῶτος καὶ δεύτερος, ἐν ἑνὶ Εζρᾶ, ὃ ἐστι βοηθός· Βίβλος Ψαλμῶν, Σέφερ Θιλλίμ· Σολομῶντος Παροιμίαι, Μισλώθ Εκκλησιαστής, Κωέλεθ· ᾆσμα ασμάτων, Σὶς ἀσσιρίμ· Ησαΐας, Ιεσαία Ιερεμίας σὺν θρήνοις καὶ τῇ ἐπιστολῇ, ἐν ἑνὶ 'Ιερεμία· Δανιὴλ, Δανιήλ Ιεζεκιήλ, Ιεεσκήλ Ιώβ, Ιώβ. Εσθήρ, Εσθήρ. Εξω δὲ τούτων ἐστὶ τὰ Μακκαβαϊκά, ἅπερ ἐπιγέγραπται Σαρβὴθ Σαρβανὲ ἔλ

He calls the former regular books, that is, such as were received in the churches, or to be traced back to the Jews; the latter he names also secret books."

[Some writers think Origen includes the books of Maccabees in the above canon. But he expressly excludes them.' As the list now stands, it is true there are but twenty-one books enumerated. But the omission of the minor Prophets may be explained as the mistake of a transcriber. This conjecture is strengthened by the testimony of Rufinus and Jerome, and still more by the fact that Origen included these Prophets in the Hexapla, wrote a commentary upon them in twenty-five volumes, and himself quotes these Prophets, as if he considered them canonical, and of the same authority with the other books of the Old Testament. This he would not have done, if he assigned them no place in the canon. But even if this omission could not be explained, we are not justified in interpreting his words so as to include the books of Maccabees merely to make up the promised number.

In reference to this canon, it may be asked why Origen gives a place to the book of Baruch, Epistle" of Jeremiah; for there is no evidence, says Eichhorn, to show that it was ever admitted into the Jewish canon. But, in the Alexandrine version, it is appended

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[See his Prol. ad Cant. Cant. Opp. iii. p. 36, and his Com. in Matt. vol. iii. p. 916.]

· [Εξω δὲ τούτων ἐστὶ τὰ Μακκαβαϊκά, κτλ. See Münscher, l. c. vol. i. p. 248. But see Palfrey, 1. c. vol. i. p. 35, sq.]

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[The fact that they were included in the Hexapla alone, does not prove he esteemed them canonical, if it be true, as Bahrdt maintains, (Originis Hexapl. quæ supersunt, vol. i. p. 168,) that it contained likewise the apocryphal books. His twenty-five volumes of commentaries on these Prophets were extant in the time of Eusebius. See Cave, Historia literaria, &c. (Lond. 1688,) vol. i. p. 80.]

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