صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

which is worthy of observation. Cassian, who had been in Egypt and Palestine, and at Constantinople, as well as in the western part of the Roman empire, did not follow the peculiar opinion of any of those places, but received all those books of the New Testament which appeared to have been received upon good ground by christians. These he quotes as of authority, and with tokens of great respect. A. D. 424.

Ch. CXXXIII. Eutherius was bishop of Tyana, in Cappadocia. In the little that remains of him the books of the New Testament are often quoted, particularly the beginning of St. John's gospel, the Acts, and the epistle to the Hebrews, as St. Paul's. He has two remarkable arguments or discourses; one against such as judged of principles by the multitude of those who embraced them; the other against some who discouraged the reading the scriptures. Ă. D. 431.

Ch. CXXXIV. Prosper of Aquitain, by some said to have been a bishop, by others reckoned more probably a layman, quotes not only the gospels, and the Acts, and other books of the New Testament universally received; but likewise the epistle to the Hebrews, the epistle of James, the second of Peter, and the Revelation. He expressly rejects the book of Hermas as of no authority. A. D. 434.

Ch. CXXXV. Works ascribed to Prosper. All the books of the New Testament seem to have been received by the authors of these several works. In one of them, entitled, Of the Calling of the Gentiles, the epistles of St. Peter are quoted as written to Gentile christians; and in another, entitled, Of the Divine Promises and Predictions, written by an African, the second epistle of the same apostle is quoted as written to Gentiles. A. D. 434.

[ocr errors]

6

Ch. CXXXVI. Vincentius Lirinensis, or Vincent, monk and presbyter of the monastery of Lerins, an island on the south coast of France, wrote a Memoir or Commonitorium for the catholic faith, against the novelties of all heretics. He says, that he who would avoid the errors of heretics and be preserved in the right faith should secure himself by this twofold method; first, by the authority of the divine law, and then by the tradition of the catholic church;' upon which doctrine divers remarks have been made by us: and it appears from himself to have been a general opinion, that the scripture is perfect, and abundantly sufficient,' for all the purposes of a rule. He seems to have received all the books of the New Testament that we do, except the epistle to the Hebrews, which may be questioned. He lets

6

us know, that heretics received the same scriptures with the catholics; and that they quoted them much in their discourses and writings, even the law, the prophets, the gos'pels, and the apostles.' A. D. 434.

Ch. CXXXVII. Eucherius, bishop of Lyons in Gaul. It appears from the quotations of scripture in his remaining works, that he received all the books of the New Testament which are now received by us. A. D. 434.

Ch. CXXXVIII. Cæcilius Sedulius, presbyter, a man of great ingenuity, published two works, one in verse, the other in prose, both having the same design; and each exhibiting, in the former part, the most remarkable things of the Old Testament, and in the latter the history of our Saviour, taken from the four gospels. A. D. 434.

Ch. CXXXIX. In a later age, another Sedulius, of Ireland as it seems, a man well skilled in the Greek language, published in Latin a Commentary upon St. Paul's fourteen epistles, collected out of Origen, Jerom, and other ancient writers. That Commentary affords many useful observations, divers of which have been selected by us. The author received all the books of the New Testament, the Revelation in particular. A. D. 818.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

Ch. CXL. Leo, bishop of Rome, received all the books of the New Testament which are now received by us. He says, This is the cause of errors and heresies, that men follow their own fancies, and attend not as they ought to the doctrine of the prophets, apostles, and evangelists.' Again: The Holy Ghost instructs us in the law, the prophets, the gospels, and the apostles.' Once more: What reason can there be, why we should receive what is not taught by the law or the prophets, the evangelists or 'apostles? Here we see it was then the prevailing sentiment of christians in general, that the scriptures of the Old and New Testament are the only rule of faith. For other things I refer to the chapter itself. A. D. 440.

6

Ch. CXLI. Salvian, presbyter of Marseilles, a very agreeable writer, seems to have received all the books of the New Testament; for beside the gospels and the book of the Acts, often and largely quoted by him, he quotes the epistle to the Hebrews, the epistle of James, the second of Peter, and the Revelation. His general divisions of the sacred scriptures are such as these: First the law, then the prophets, thirdly the gospel, fourthly the apostles; the Old and New Testament; the prophets, the apostles, the gospels' and the like: and he bears witness, that they who were called heretics received the same scriptures

[ocr errors]

that other christians did, the same prophets, the same apostles and evangelists. A. D. 440.

Ch. CXLII. Euthalius, at first deacon at Alexandria, afterwards bishop of Sulca in Egypt, published an edition of St. Paul's epistles, and afterwards an edition of the Acts of the Apostles, and the seven catholic epistles, having first compared them with the exact copies in the library of Cæsarea in Palestine. All the books of the New Testament were at first written by the apostles and evangelists in one continued tenor, without any sections or chapters. In the year 396, some learned christian, whose name is not known, divided St. Paul's epistles into chapters or lessons: these Euthalius made use of in his own edition of the same epistles, adding some other lesser sections or subdivisions. This he is supposed to have done about the year 458. wards, in the year 490, he published an edition of the Acts of the Apostles, and the seven catholic epistles; now dividing these also into lessons, chapters, and verses, which had never been done before; and to the several parts of this work he prefixed a prologue. As Euthalius confined his labours to those parts of the New Testament, it may be argued that the Revelation was not publicly read in the churches at Alexandria; though it might be received as sacred scripture. There are divers other things observable in that chapter, but they cannot be repeated here.

After

Ch. CXLIII. Dionysius, falsely called the Areopagite, author of divers works, has a catalogue of the books of the Old and New Testament, very agreeable to what is the present canon. He received the Revelation: and it is probable, that he thought St. John's gospel to be the last written book of the New Testament; it being mentioned last, and next after the Revelation. A. D. 490.

Ch. CXLIV. Gennadius presbyter of Marseilles, beside the other scriptures, received the Revelation as a writing of John the apostle and evangelist. A. D. 494.

6

Ch. CXLV. Gelasius bishop of Rome has a catalogue of the books of the Old and New Testament; that of the New is exactly the same as ours. Having recited these catalogues, it is added, that upon the prophetical, evangelical, 'and apostolical scriptures, the catholic church is built by • the grace of God.' Afterwards follows an enumeration of many ecclesiastical writings, which are allowed to be read as conducive to edification; and then a long catalogue of apocryphal books, which are rejected. All which is of use to show, that the books now received by us as canonical, are of a superior character to all others; and that none beside

them ever were esteemed to be of authority, or decisive in things of religion. A. D. 540.

Ch. CXLVI. Andrew bishop of Cæsarea, in Cappadocia, wrote a Commentary upon the Revelation. He plainly received all the books of the New Testament which are now received by us. A. D. 500.

Ch. CXLVII. In this chapter is an account of the Alexandrian manuscript, and divers stichometries.

The Alexandrian manuscript, written as is supposed before the end of the fifth century, consists of four volumes in folio, or large quarto: three of which contain the scriptures of the Old Testament in the Greek version of the Seventy, and the fourth, the scriptures of the New Testament, but not quite complete. For more particulars I must refer to the chapter itself.

Afterwards follows the Stichometry of Nicephorus, patriarch of Constantinople. A. D. 806. A stichometry is a catalogue of books of scripture, to which is added the number of verses in each book. In the stichometry of Nicephorus is a catalogue of the books of the Old Testament, very agreeable to the Jewish canon; and then a catalogue of the books of the New Testament, exactly the same with our present canon, except that the Revelation is wanting, at least in some copies. Afterwards follow catalogues of contradicted and apocryphal books: which afford evidence, that there never were any christian writings, which were esteemed to be of authority, beside those which are now reckoned by us sacred and canonical. The same observation is confirmed by the stichometries from Cotelerius, which are subjoined in the same chapter.

Ch. CXLVIII. Cosmas of Alexandria, called Indicopleustes on account of a voyage which he made to the Indies, was at first a merchant, afterwards monk, and author. Matthew, he says, is the first evangelist; and he supposeth him to have written his gospel in Judea soon after the martyrdom of St. Stephen: Mark, the second evangelist, wrote his gospel at Rome, by the direction of Peter: Luke is the third evangelist, who likewise wrote the Acts: John, the fourth and chief of the evangelists, as he is here called, wrote his gospel at Ephesus after that the faithful writings of the other evangelists had been brought to him. The books of the New Testament received by Cosmas, are the four gospels, the Acts, St. Paul's fourteen epistles, and three of the catholic epistles, as it seems, that of James, the first of Peter, and the first of John, agreeably to the sentiment of the Syrian christians. And he says, that no perfect or well

[ocr errors]

'instructed christian should endeavour to prove any thing but by the canonical books of scripture acknowledged by 'all which books have sufficiently declared what is need'ful to be known concerning the doctrines of religion.' A. D. 535.

Ch. CXLIX. Facundus, a learned African bishop, appears to have received all the books of the New Testament which we receive, and no other. His general division of the scriptures of the New Testament is that of gospels and apostles:' for which he has the greatest regard. A. D. 540.

Ch. CL. Arethas, generally supposed to have been bishop of Cæsarea in Cappadocia, wrote a Commentary upon the book of the Revelation, extracted out of the Commentary of his predecessor Andrew, and the works of Irenæus, Hippolytus, Gregory Nazianzen, Cyril of Alexandria, and others. It appears by his quotations, that he received the same books of the New Testament that we do. A. D. 550.

Ch. CLI. Arator, sub-deacon in the church of Rome, published a work, entitled the Apostolical History, in verse, in two books, composed out of the Acts of the Apostles, which he ascribes to St. Luke. A. D. 544.

6

Ch. CLII. Junilius was an African bishop, but of what place is uncertain. He is very particular in his manner of dividing the books of scripture, Some,' he says, are of 'perfect, others of middle authority, others of none at all; and some are historical, some prophetical, some proverbial, ' and some teach simply. The historical books of the New 'Testament, of perfect and canonical authority, are the four 'gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and the Acts of the Apostles: the books that teach simply, or plainly, are the epistles of the apostle Paul to the Romans, the Corinthians, the Galatians, the Ephesians, the Philippians, the Colossians, the Thessalonians, to Timothy, Titus, Philemon, the Hebrews, one of the blessed Peter to the Gentiles, and the first epistle of the blessed John. To ⚫ these many add five more, one epistle of James, a 'second of Peter, one of Jude, and two of John.' He likewise says, that the Revelation of John was doubted of generally by the christians in the east, which may imply, that it was generally received in Africa, as indeed it was. The books last mentioned, which were not received by all, seemed to be reckoned by him of middle authority' only; the rest were of perfect and canonical authority. And it is observable, that he says St. Peter's first epistle was written to Gentiles; it will follow that the second also was written

« السابقةمتابعة »