to the prophecies of Jeremiah.

In this instance, it

seems, Origen followed that authority. Münscher supposes he followed the advice of some partial Jew. But, from the expression of Origen, it would appear that he included only the pretended letter of Jeremiah, which is but a part of the present apocryphal book of Baruch. He may have had private reasons for supposing it the genuine work of the prophet.]"

Although Origen excludes the apocryphal writings from the canon, yet he did not abandon the use of them, as it appears from several passages of his writings.

Thus he quotes the Maccabees: "We think this is so, on the authority of Scripture; for I have heard, also, in the book of Maccabees."

Of the Story of Susannah and the Apocrypha in general, he says, writing to Julius Africanus, "If these things do not deceive me, it is now time to lay aside those copies received in the churches; to impose rules upon the brotherhood, and reject these sacred books admitted by them; time, indeed, to flatter the Jews, and persuade them to give us, instead of these, genuine writings, free from all that is fictitious! For now has not that Providence, — which in the holy Scriptures gives edification to all the churches of Christ, — has not he despised those who are bought with a price, for whom Christ died?"

a

[See Münscher, 1. c. vol. i. p. 249. Eichhorn, § 54. Bertholdt, vol. i. p. 93, sqq.]

b Origen, De Princip. ii. 1. Opp. i. p. 79: Ut ex Scripturarum auctoritate hoc ita se habere credamus, audi quoque in Maccabæorum libris.

C

Opp. i. p. 16: Ορα τοίνυν, εἰ μὴ λανθάνει ἡμᾶς τὰ τοιαῦτα, ἀθετεῖν τὰ ἐν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις φερόμενα αντίγραφα, καὶ νομοθετῆσαι τῇ ἀδελφότητι, ἀποθέσθαι μὲν τὰς παρ' αὐτοῖς ἐπιφερομένας ἱερὰς βίβλους, κολακεύειν δὲ ̓Ιουδαίους καὶ πείθειν, ἵνα μεταδῶσιν ἡμῖν τῶν καθαρῶν καὶ μηδὲν πλάσμα ἐχόντων. "Αρα δὲ καὶ ἡ πρόνοια ἐν ἁγίαις γραφαῖς

......

“But, in addition to these things, consider if it is not well to remember [that saying of Scripture,] Thou shalt not remove the ancient landmarks, which thy fathers have set up.' . . . . . Therefore, it seems to me, nothing could have been more convenient, than for those who are called wise men, rulers, and elders of the people, to remove [from the canon] all such things as might furnish an accusation against themselves before the people. It would not be surprising, therefore, if this Story of Susannah contained some truth...... and if they [the Jewish elders] had pirated and stolen it away from the Scriptures."

"The Hebrews do not use the book of Tobit, nor that of Judith. Neither do they have in Hebrew those others which are in our apocryphal books, as we have learned from them. But since the churches use Tobit,” &c.

[Origen cites also the book of Ecclesiasticus as genuine Scripture. “Accordingly the divine logos says,

δεδωκυῖα πάσαις ταῖς Χριστοῦ ἐκκλησίαις οἰκοδομὴν, οὐκ ἐφρόντισε τῶν τιμῆς ἀγορασθέντων, ὑπὲρ ὧν Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν.

[I have not followed the text of Origen, given by De Wette, but the peculiar reading of the Codex Regius, as represented in De la Rue's edition. Some others read, in the first line, δρα τοίνυν. I have translated as if it was ώρα τοίνυν, &c. Of course, Origen speaks ironically, as it is evident from the next sentence, and from the whole epistle, in which he rebukes and laughs at his friend Africanus.]

Πρὸς ταῦτα δὲ σκόπει, εἰ μὴ καλὸν μεμνῆσθαι τοῦ· οὐ μεταθήσεις ὅρια αἰώνια, ἃ ἔστησαν οἱ πρότεροί σου...... διὸ οὐδὲν οἶμαι ἄλλο οικονομεῖσθαι, ἢ τοὺς νομιζομένους σοφοὺς καὶ ἄρχοντας καὶ πρεσβυτέρους τοῦ λαοῦ ὑπεξελεῖν τὰ τοιαῦτα, ὅσα περιεῖχεν αὐτῶν κατηγορίαν παρὰ τῷ λαῷ ...... οὐδὲν οὖν θαυμαστὸν εἰ δὲ ἀληθῆ τυγχάνουσειν τὴν περὶ Σωσάνναν......ἱστορίαν. Οι......εξέκλεψαν θ' ὑφεῖλον ἀπὸ τῶν γραφῶν.

p. 16-22.

Origen, Op. i. p. 26:...... Ἑβραῖοι τῷ Τωβίᾳ οὐ χρῶνται, οὐδὲ τῇ Ιουδήθ· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔχουσιν αὐτὰ καὶ ἐν ἀποκρύφοις Εβραϊστί· ὡς ἀπ' αὐτῶν μαθόντες ἐγνώκαμεν· ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ χρῶνται τῷ Τωβίᾳ αἱ ἔκκλησίαι, κτλ.

What

Here the

'What seed is honorable? The seed of man. seed is dishonorable? The seed of man." quotation is from Ecclus. x. 19, sqq." His opinion on the Wisdom of Solomon is fluctuating.

He speaks of it as attributed to Solomon, yet not received by all.

Now, after weighing these testimonies, there can be no doubt that the most celebrated teachers of the second and third centuries made frequent and public use of the writings which we commonly call apocryphal; that they pronounce them inspired and divine, quote them as authorities, and regard them with the same esteem as the canonical writings. The Wisdom of Solomon and of Sirach, the books of Maccabees, Tobit, and Judith, are most frequently appealed to.]"

§ 26.

CANON OF THE GREEK CHURCH, IN THE FOURTH CENTURY.

We have, still extant, several catalogues of the books in the Bible of the Greek church, written during the fourth century. For these we are indebted to the anxiety of the orthodox to prevent the reading of the apocryphal books. The following are some of the most

remarkable:

I. CANON OF THE COUNCIL OF LAODICEA.

This council was held between 360 and 369 A. C., and its decision upon the books of the canon is as follows:

* [Φησὶ γοῦν καὶ ὁ θεῖος λόγος· σπέρμα ἔντιμον ποῖου; σπέρμα ἀνOgóлоv, xi. Cont. Celsum, viii. Opp. i. p. 778.]

b [The late Dr. Mayhew pertinently asks, "Why was the Wisdom of Solomon excluded, and the Song of Solomon admitted?"]

See Prolog. ad Cant. Cant. Oop. iii. p. 29.

Canon 59. "That private psalms ought not to be read [or repeated] in the church; nor the uncanonical books, but only the canonical books of the New and Old Testament."

Canon 60. "These books of the OLD TESTAMENT are to be read :

"These are the books of the NEW TESTAMENT:

Acts of the Apostles.

Seven Catholic Epistles, namely,

One of James; two of Peter; three of John; one of Jude.

• [Here are two apocryphal books declared canonical.]

"Philemon, one.""

To the Thessalonians, two; To Titus, one;

II. THE APOSTOLICAL CANON.

The eighty-fifth canon says, "Let these books be revered and holy among you all, the clergy and laity. Of the OLD TESTAMENT,

Mansi, Consiliorum nov. et ampliss. Collectio, vol. ii. p. 574 : ° Οτι οὐ δεῖ ιδιωτικοὺς ψαλμοὺς λέγεσθαι ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ, οὐδὲ ἀκανόνιστα βιβλία, ἀλλὰ μόνα τὰ κανονικὰ τῆς καινῆς καὶ παλαιᾶς διαθήκης. Can. 60: ° Οσα δεῖ βιβλία ἀναγινώσκεσθαι τῆς παλαιᾶς διαθήκης· ά. Γένεσις κόσμου· β'. Εξοδος ἐξ Αἰγύπτου γ ́. Λευιτικόν· δ. Αριθμοί· έ. Δευτερονόμιον· στ'. ̓Ιησοῦς Ναυῆ ζ. Κριταί, Ρούθ· ή. Εσθήρ. 9. Βασιλειῶν ά, β'· Ι. Βασιλειῶν γ ́, δ· ιά. Παραλειπόμενα ά, β'· ιβ. "Εσδρας ά, β'. ιγ'. βίβλος ψαλ μῶν ν. ιδ'. Παροιμίαι Σολομῶντος· ιέ. ̓Εκκλησιαστής ιστ'. Ασμα ᾀσμάτων· ιζ. Ιώβ. ιή. Δώδεκα προφῆται· ιθ. Ησαΐας κ. Ιερεμίας, Βαρούχ, θρῆνοι καὶ ἐπιστολαί· κά. Ιεζεκιήλ· κβ'. Δανιήλ. Τὰ δὲ τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης ταῦτα· Εὐαγγέλια τέσσαρα, κατὰ Ματθ., κ. Μάρκ., κ. Λουκ., κατὰ ̓Ιωάν· Πράξεις ̓Αποστόλων· ̓Επιστολαί καθολικαὶ ἑπτὰ, οὕτως· Ιακώβου μία, Πέτρου δύο, ̓Ιωάννου τρεῖς, Ιούδα μία· Επιστολαὶ δεκατέσσαρες, οὕτως· πρὸς ̔Ρωμ. μία, πρὸς Κορ. δύο, πρὸς Γαλ. μία, πρὸς Εφεσ. μία, πρὸς Φιλ. μία, πρὸς Κολ. μία, πρὸς Θεσσ. δύο, πρὸς Ἑβρ. μία, πρὸς Τιμόθ. δύο, πρὸς Τίτ. μία, πρὸς Φιλήμ. μία. See Spittler's doubts of the genuineness of this canon in his Kritisch. Untersuch. d. 60, Laodic. Kanons; Bremen, 1777, 8vo. See them examined and shown not to be decisive, in Stud. und Krit. for 1830, p. 591, sqq. [See Daillé, On the right Use of the Fathers, &c.; Lond. 1841, p. 44, sqq.]

Ρ.

• [lts date is uncertain. See Lardner, vol. iv. p. 230, sqq., and the authorities he cites.]

• This book is omitted in many MSS.