acquainted with Hebrew literature, and therefore confounded the apocryphal with the canonical books. The only concession which can be made is this: The apocryphal writings were more used, and held in higher esteem, among the Hellenist than among the Palestine Jews, who were far more rigorous upon this point; and, also, the unlearned might easily confound the two kinds of writings. The apocryphal book of Esdras, speaking of the composition of these books, (xiv. 44, sqq.,) says, "In forty days, they wrote two hundred and four books. And it came to pass, when the forty days were fulfilled, that the Highest spake, saying, 'The first that thou hast written publish openly, that the worthy and unworthy may read it; but keep the seventy last, that thou mayest deliver them only to such as be wise among the people; for in them is the spring of wisdom and understanding, and the fountain of wisdom, and the stream of knowledge.'" But even this is rather against than in favor of the Alexandrian canon." [Eichhorn (§ 26) says that Philo was acquainted with the apocryphal writings of the Old Testament; for he borrows phrases from them, but he never quotes a single one of those books, [as authority;] still less does he allegorize them, or cite them as proofs. He takes no notice of them; but this is not because he is not acquainted with them, a circumstance not to be expected in a man of such extensive reading, but probably because he esteemed them slightly, and did not class them among those writings his contemporaries regarded as holy and divine. His contempt for them was very great. He Comp. Corrodi, Beleuchtung d. Kanon, vol. i. p. 174, and § 25 and 28, below. [See Gfrörer, Prophetæ veteres pseudepigraphi, &c.; Stutt. 1840, pp. 66 and 140.] never does them the honor he confers upon Plato, Philolaus, Solon, Hippocrates, Heraclitus, and others, from whose writings he often extracts whole passages. But, after all, the following conclusion, which is adopted by Bertholdt, appears the most reasonable, that the truth lies between these two opinions. It is quite certain, as he says, that the Egyptian Jews never considered the apocryphal books as a part of the canon, properly so called; but it is equally certain they regarded and used them as an appendix to the Old Testament before the time of Christ. They were read as valuable religious and moral writings, and were neither placed in the canon nor treated as common books." They were deemed holy, but not perfectly holy, and so were placed beside the canon, not in it. The ancient Christians, who were not acquainted with the Hebrew, and therefore were dependent on the Egyptian Jews for their knowledge of the Scriptures, considered all the books of the Alexandrine Codex as genuine and sacred books, and accordingly made the same use of the Apocrypha and the Hebrew canon. But this practice was founded on a mistake; for the Alexandrian Jews themselves never viewed these writings in that light.]" a [But see Palfrey, 1. c. pp. 41, 42. See also Jahn, 1. c. § 26—31.] b [See below, § 25, 26.] CHAPTER II. HISTORY OF THE ORIGIN OF THE COLLECTION OF THE § 18. EARLIEST TRACES OF THE USE OF THE BOOKS OF THE NEW WITH the primitive Christians, the Old Testament was the only ancient religious book. Afterwards, the writings of the evangelists and apostles came gradually into use. But the citation of the Pauline Epistles in 2 Peter iii. 15, is an argument against the genuineness of that i Epistle. The opinion that the apostle John formed the canon arises from misunderstanding a passage of Eusebius. (Hist. Eccl. iii. 24.) * I. Among the apostolic Fathers, express citations of the writings of the New Testament are extremely rare. Perhaps the following are the most remarkable: "Take 1. Clement of Rome, 1 Ep. ad Cor. c. 47. the Epistle of the blessed Paul, the apostle. What did he first write to you in the beginning of [his preaching] the gospel? Certainly he wrote to you by the Spirit, [to ་ admonish you] concerning himself, and Cephas, and Apollos, because, even then, you had become inclined" formed par[that is, to honor men more than the truth.] See Paul, lis. 1 Cor. ch. iv.' Photius, Bib. Cod. 254. Jo. Ens, Bib. Sac. ch. v. diss. 4, § 22. Priti Introd. p. 27. b [See Norton, Evidences of the Genuineness of the Gospels; Boston, 1837, vol. i. p. cclviii.] Clem. Rom. 1 Ep. ad Cor. c. 47: 'Avaláßets tiv iniσro And we love or, let us love 2. Ignatius, Epist. ad Ephesios, c. 12. "The fellowministers [rather the fellow-partakers of the mysteries] of sanctified Paul, who in every letter maketh mention of you in Christ Jesus." Again, in his Epist. ad Philad. c. 5, he says, "Fleeing for refuge to the gospel, as to the flesh of Jesus, and to the apostles, [that is, to the writings of the apostles,] as to the presbytery of the church, we love likewise the prophets, for they also announce the gospel." Here the word gospel does not refer to any written document." ? Ice Lardner, I. 8. 3. Polycarp, Ep. ad Philipp. c. 3. "Paul, who, being present with you, before the face of the men then living, taught, diligently and thoroughly, the word of truth; *[or, a letter] who, being absent, wrote letters to you." Compare c. 11, 12.' II. Evident allusions to the apostolical Epistles are more frequent. 1. Clement of Rome, 1 Ep. ad Cor. c. 35. "Putting away from themselves all unrighteousness and iniquity, covetousness, strife, evil manners, and fraud, whispering, calumny, hatred of God, haughtiness and pride, vainglory and ambition, (or frivolity ;) they who do these λὴν τοῦ μακαρίου Παύλου τοῦ ἀποστόλου· τί πρῶτον ὑμῖν ἐν ἀρχῇ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ἔγραψεν; ἐπ' ἀληθείας πνευματικῶς ἐπέστειλεν ὑμῖν περὶ αὐτοῦ τε καὶ Κηφᾶ καὶ ̓Απόλλω, διὰ τὸ καὶ τότε προσκλίσεις ὑμᾶς πεποιῆσθαι. a Gieseler, über die Evangelien, p. 157. Ignat. Ep. ad Ephes. c. 12: ..... Παύλου συμμύσται τοῦ ἁγιασμένου...... ὃς ἐν πάσῃ ἐπιστολῇ μνημονεύει ὑμῶν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ. In Ep. ad Philadelph. c. 5: προσφυγών τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ ὡς σαρκὶ Ἰησοῦ, καὶ τοῖς ἀποστόλοις ὡς πρεσβυτερίῳ ἐκκλησίας· καὶ τοὺς προφήτας δὲ ἀγαπῶμεν, διὰ τὸ καὶ αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ εὐαγ γέλιον κατηγγελκέναι, κτλ. [Norton, l. c. p. cclxxviii.] Polycarp, Ep. ad Philipp. c. 3:......Пαúλου, ὃς γενόμενος ἐν ὑμῖν κατὰ πρόσωπον τῶν τότε ἀνθρώπων, ἐδίδαξεν ἀκριβῶς καὶ βεβαίως τὸν περὶ ἀληθείας λόγον· ὃς καὶ ἀπὼν ὑμῖν ἔγραψεν ἐπιστολάς. things are haters of God, and not only they who do them, odious to but such as approve them." Compare Romans i. Sod or hated 29-32. by God) Stuart on thus 62. Again, ch. 36. "Who, being the brightness of his greatness, is as much greater than the angels, as he has inherited a more excellent name than they. For this it is Who written, 'He maketh spirits his angels, and a flame of fire his angels, his ministers,' &c. Compare Hebrews i. 3-7. Who, winds, and his ministers being the brightness of his glory, .. ... became as much a flame of greater than the angels, as he has inherited a name fire ( more excellent than they.'...... And of the angels he his angels a 'Who maketh a flame of fire his angels,""&c." 2. Ignatius, Ep. ad Eph. c. 2. “That in one obe-flame of dience you be perfectly joined together in the same mind, fire, and in the same judgment, and that you may all say the same thing upon the same subject.” Compare 1 Cor. i. 10. "That you may all say the same thing... that says, ...... * J. C. Orell, Sel. Pat. Eccl. capp. ad εισηγητικην pert. Tur. 1820, p. 6, sqq. See other allusions in Lardner, Credibility, Works, vol. ii. p. 41, sqq.; ed. Lond. 1831, 10 vols. 8vo. Clem. Romn. 1 Ep. ad Cor. c. 35:...... ἀποῤῥίψαντες ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν πᾶσαν ἀδικίαν καὶ ἀνομίαν, πλεονεξίαν, ἔρεις, κακοηθείας τε καὶ δόλους, ψιθυρισμούς τε καὶ καταλαλιάς, θεοστυγίαν, ὑπερηψανίαν τε καὶ ἁλαζονείαν, κενοδοξίαν τε καὶ φιλοξενίαν (φιλο- ἀφιλοξενίαν κενίαν). Ταῦτα γὰρ οἱ πράσσοντες στυγητοὶ τῷ Θεῷ ὑπάρχουσιν· οὐ Hott. Meth μόνον δὲ οἱ πράσσοντες ταῦτα, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ συνευδοκοῦντες. Comp. Rom. i. 2932: Πεπληρομένους πάσῃ ἀδικίᾳ, πορνεία, πλεονεξία, κακίᾳ, μεστοὺς φθόνου, φόνου, ἐρίδος, δόλου, κακοηθείας ψιθυριστάς, καταλάλους, θεοστυγεῖς, ὑβριστάς, ὑπερηφάνους, αλαζόνας...... οἵτινες τὸ δικαίωμα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπιγνόντες (ὅτι οἱ τὰ τοιαῦτα πράσσοντες ἄξιοι θανάτου εἰσὶν) οὐ μόνον αὐτὰ ποιοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ συνευδοκοῦσι τοῖς πράσσουσι. Cap. 36: ὃς ἂν ἀπαύγασμα τῆς μεγαλωσύνης αὐτοῦ, τοσούτῳ μείζων ἐστὶν ἀγ γέλων, ὅσῳ διαφορώτερον ὄνομα κεκληρονόμηκεν. Γέγραπται γὰρ οὕτως, ὁ ποιών τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ πνεύματα καὶ τοὺς λειτουργοὺς αὑτοῦ πυρὸς φλόγα, κτλ. — Comp. Heb. i. 37: ὃς ἂν ἀπαύγασμα τῆς δόξης......αὐ τοῦ ...... τοσούτῳ κρείττων γενόμενος τῶν ἀγγέλων, ὅσῳ διαφορώτερον παρ' αὐτοὺς κεκληρονόμηκεν ὄνομα...... καὶ πρὸς μὲν τοὺς ἀγγέλους λέγει· ὁ ποιῶν τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὑτοῦ πυρὸς φλόγα, κτλ. |