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epistles, and his gospel, all about the same time; for after the death of Domitian, being returned from his exile, he found the church disturbed by heretics, which had arisen in his absence, whom, in his epistles, he often calls anti

christs.'

6. I would add, thats the late Dr. Humphry Hody has distinctly considered Bede's testimony to the books of the Old Testament.

CHAP. CLX.

JOHN DAMASCENUS.

I. His time. II. A catalogue of the books of the Old and New Testament. III. Remarks upon it. IV. Select passages and observations, showing his respect for the scriptures.

1. JOHN DAMASCENUS, descended of a good family at Damascus, and, in the latter part of his life, monk and presbyter, flourished about the year 730.

II. In a work, entitled Of the Orthodox Faith, he has a chapter concerning scripture; where he has inserted a catalogue of the books of the Old and New Testament. It is to this purpose: 'There is one God declared by the Old and New Testament.-Itd is to be observed, then, that there are two and twenty books of the Old Testament, according to the letters of the Hebrew language; for they have two and twenty letters, five of which are written two ways, so as to make seven and twenty.-According to this method of computing, the books are reckoned 22 in number, but are really 27, for five of them are double: Ruth, joined with the Judges, is reckoned one book by the Hebrews; in like manner the first and second of the Kingdoms are one book; the third and fourth of the Kingdoms also are one De Bibl. Text. Orig. p. 654. col. 73.

a Vid. Cav. H. L. T. i. p. 624. Oudin. de Scrip. Ecc. T. i. p. 1714, &c, Du Pin, T. vi. p. 101. Fabr. Bib. Gr. T. viii. p. 772, &c.

b

Περι γραφης.

Kaι KAING KNPUTTOμEVOS, &c. De 282. B.

C

· Είς εσιν θεος, ύπο τε παλαιας διαθήκης Fide Orthodoxa. 1. iv. c. 17. in. T. i. p. Η Ιτέον δε, ως εικοσι και δυο βιβλοι εισι της

παλαιας διαθήκης, κατα τα τοιχεια της Εβραϊδος φωνης. Ib. p. 283. C.

book; the first and second of the Remains, one book; the first and second of Ezra, one book: so that there are four pentateuchs, and two over, which are in the canon; [or, in the Testament']; and they are these: Five of the Law: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy; that' is the first pentateuch, called the Law: then five more, sometimes called Hagiographa; [or sacred writings;'] Joshua the son of Nan; Judges, with Ruth; the first and second of the Kingdoms, reckoned one book; the third and fourth of the Kingdoms, one book; and the two books of the Remains, also reckoned one book: that is the second pentateuch. The third pentateuch contains the books written in verse; the book of Job; the Psalter; the Proverbs of Solomon; the Ecclesiastes, of the same; the Song of Songs, of the same. The fourth pentateuch takes in the prophets; the twelve prophets, one book; Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel; then the book of Ezra, two joined in one book; and Esther; thek book of the Wisdom of Solomon, and the Wisdom of Jesus, which the father of Sirach published in Hebrew, and his grandson, Jesus, the son of Sirach, afterwards translated into Greek, are excellent and useful; but they are not numbered with the former, nor were they placed in the ark.

The books of the New Testament are these: the four gospels, according to Matthew, according to Mark, according to Luke, according to John; the Acts of the Apostles, by the evangelist Luke; seven catholic epistles, one of James, two of Peter, three of John, one of Jude; fourteen epistles of the apostle Paul; the Revelation by the evangelist John; the canons of the holy apostles by Clement.' III. Upon this we may make a few remarks:

1. This author, though a native of Damascus, wrote in Greek, and is supposed to represent the sentiment or doctrine of the Greek church of his time.

2. His catalogue of the books of the Old Testament, as has been already observed by learned men, is the same with

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* Η δε παναρετος, τετεσιν ἡ Σοφια το Σολομώντος, και η Σοφία το Ιησε, ἦν ὁ πατηρ μεν το Σιραχ εξέθετο ἑβραϊτι, ἑλληνισι δὲ ἡρμηνευσεν ὁ τετε εγ γονος Ιησες, το δε Σιραχ υἱος ενάρετοι μεν και καλαι αλλ' εκ αριθμένται, εδε εκειντο εν τη κιβωτῳ. Ibid. p. 284. Β.

1 Κανόνες των αγίων αποςόλων δια Κλημεντος.

that of Epiphanius in his book of Weights and Measures, of which we took noticem formerly; and it is very agreeable to that which Melito brought with him from Palestine, of which we also took some notice" formerly; not now to mention any other.

3. J. Damascenus speaks only of two books of the secondary order, in the Old Testament; the book of Wisdom, and Ecclesiasticus: he does not mention any other, no, not so much as the books of Maccabees. The book of Wisdom he calls Solomon's, though he did not think it to be his, in compliance, it is likely, with frequent custom at that time.

4. His canon of the New Testament is the same with that now generally received by christians in this part of the world; except that here is added the Apostolical Canons by Clement, which seems to be a singularity. What Mill says relating to this in his Prolegomena I place below: I shall also transcribe below the note of Lequien, editor of Damascenus, upon this place; which, I believe, will be acceptable to my readers, on account of some observations relating to the Apostolical Canons.

And I beg leave to observe farther myself: Damascenus's catalogue of the books of scripture is very different from that in the 85th Apostolical Canon; in that are inserted Judith, and the books of Maccabees, which are quite omitted by Damascenus: moreover he receives the book of the Revelation, omitted in the same canon; and farther, he takes no particular notice of the two epistles of Clement, or of the Constitutions, which make a part of the catalogue in the last canon of the apostles. What shall we say to this?

See vol. iv. ch. lxxxiv. num. ii. and ch. cxiv. num. iv. 2. n See vol. ii. ch. xv. and vol. iv. ch. cxiv. num. iv. 2.

• Joannes Damascenus-inter canonicos reponit Canones Apostolorum dia KANμevro. Nempe cum universum Canonum 85 apostolicorum corpus superiore seculo synodice confirmâssent Patres Trullani, facile deinceps factum, ut a librariis (seu arbitrio suopte, seu etiam jussu superiorum) canonicis libris isti adnecterentur, tamquam ejusdem, si placet, cum reliquis juris et auctoritatis. Et talem quidem nactus jam videtur Damascenus. Proleg. n. 1027.

P Horum canonum auctoritas adstructa fuerat can. 2 Trullano. At viris critica artis incuriosis satis erat præfixum canonibus, qui magnæ dudum in Oriente ponderis erant, apostolorum nomen; cum tamen nihil aliud essent, nisi prisca Orientalium disciplinæ præcipua capita, quorum auctores genuini ignorabantur. Jam dixi, eorum quosdam conditos esse post exortam hæresim Anomæorum. Beveregius collectionem primam istorum Canonum a Clemente, non Romano, sed Alexandrino factam, quem Eusebius, 1. vi. Hist. c. 23. Hieronymus de Scr. Ec. et Photius cod. cxi. TEŅI KAVOVWV EKK\NOLAOTIKWV volumen edidisse testantur. Sed ex horum auctorum inspectione manifestum fit, eos non de hac collectione canonum loqui, sed de libro, in quo, adductis canonibus, seu regulis ccclesiasticis, illos impugnabat, qui Judaicis legibus et institutis adhærescerent. Lequien ad J. Damasc. p. 284.

Can we think, after all, that Damascenus had any particular regard for the Apostolical Canons? or shall we suppose that the 85th canon was wanting in his edition of the Apostolical Canons? or shall we not be obliged to admit a suspicion, that the last clause in this catalogue of Damascenus, the Canons of the holy Apostles by Clement,' is an interpolation, or an addition made by some officious Greek to Damascenus's original work?

There is another doubt that may arise in the mind, supposing the genuineness of this clause: Whether by the Canons of the apostles, Damascenus means Apostolical Constitutions, or Apostolical Canons; I perceive this doubt to have arisen ina Cotelerius, as it had in me, before I had observed it in him.

IV. I shall observe but a few particulars more:

1. At the beginning of his work, De Orthodoxa Fide, which is a kind of system of divinity, and reckoned to be the first regular system among christians, speaking of God, he says: All things which are delivered to us by the law and the prophets, the apostles and evangelists, we receive, acknowledge, and venerate, seeking not any thing beyond what has been taught by them.'

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2. Again: We cannot think, or say any thing of God, beside what is divinely taught and revealed to us by the divine oracles of the Old and New Testament.' Not that t he denies the use of reason, or that heathen people, without revelation, might, by the light of nature, learn the existence of God from his works: however, in these passages we see the general divisions of the books of scripture, and the great respect which was shown to them by christian people.

3. Damascenus seems" not to have had the heavenly witnesses in his copies of St. John's first epistle.

Cæterum an Joannes Damascenus Orthodoxa Fidei, lib. iv. c. 18. quando Canones Apostolorum per Clementem editos cum divinis voluminibus enumerat Constitutiones vel dumtaxat Canones Constitutionibus subnexos intelligat, quæri potest. Malim accipere de solis canonibus, quo majori parte erroris vir sanctus et doctus levetur, et quia rarior prima acceptio, &c. Coteler. Judic. de Constit. Ap. ap. Patr. Ap. T. i.

* Παντα τοινυν τα παραδεδομενα ἡμιν δια τε νομε, και προφητων, και αποστολων, και ευαγγελιτων, δεχομεθα, και γινωσκομεν, και σεβομεν, εδεν περαιτέρω τετων επιζητωντες, κ. λ. De Fid. Orth. 1. i. c. 1. T. i. p. 123. E.

* Ου δυνατον ουν τι παρα θειωδως ύπο των θείων λογιων της τε παλαιας και καινης διαθήκης ήμιν εκπεφασμένα-ειπειν τε περι θες, ἡ όλως εννοησαι. Ib, cap. ii. p. 125. B.

Vid. Ib. 1. i. c. 1. et c. 3. et alibi.

" Και τρεις εισιν οἱ μαρτυρώντες, το ύδωρ, και το αίμα, και το πνεύμα. Hymn. Trisag. sect. iv. T. i. p. 484. C.

De

4. He seems to say, that there were then no extraordinary gifts in the church; such as the gift of knowledge, or the gift of miracles; at least he acknowledges, that he had no such gifts.

CHAP. CLXI.

PHOTIUS, PATRIARCH OF CONSTANTINOPLE.

a

1. PHOTIUS, as is generally reckoned, was constituted patriarch of Constantinople in 858: but Pagi placeth the commencement of his patriarchate in 857. It is generally supposed that he died in 891, or 892.

2. The history of his life, and his character, and good accounts of his works, may be seen in divers authors, to whom I refer. The account, which Fabricius has given of his Bibliotheque, and the several articles therein, deserves high commendations. I shall by and by take some farther notice of Photius's works, so far as they relate to the interpretation of scripture.

3. They who are pleased to look back to the ninth section of the 63d chapter of this book, may there see, that Photius received the scriptures of the Old and the New Testament, and particularly, in this last, four gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, fourteen epistles of St. Paul, and seven catholic epistles: I suppose likewise, that he received the book of the Revelation; though I do not now recollect any particular proof of it.

4. Among the works of Photius are mentioned some Commentaries upon scripture; as upon the Psalms, thef

* Ημεις δε οἱ μηδε το των θαυματων, μηδε το της διδασκαλιας δεξαμενοι χαρισμα. De Fid. Orth. 1. i. c. 3. p. 125. D.

Crit. in Baron. Ann. 886. n. v. 858. n. xiii. xiv. 859. n. xii.

b Vid. Martin. Hank de Rer. Byz. Script. P. i. cap. 18. Cav. Hist. Lit. T. ii. p. 47. Fabric. Bib. Gr. lib. v. cap. 38. T. ix. p. 369, &c. Du Pin, Bibl. T. vii. J. C. Wolff. Præf. ad Anecd. Gr. T. i. Ja. Basnag. Hist. de l'Eglise, 1. vi. ch. vi. T. i. p. 323, &c. Bib. Gr. T. ix. p. 381-508. a Vol. iii. p. 447, 448. e In Psalmos: Catena ex Athanasio, Basilio, Chrysostomo, et Theodoro Heracleotâ, Photio. MS. in Bib. Segueriana sive Coisliniana. Vide Catal. MS. ejusdem Bib. editum a Cl. Montfauconio. p. 58, 59. Fabr. Bib. Gr. T. ix. p. 566.

f. Prophetarum liber cum expositione.' Extat. MS. in Bibliothecâ Vaticanâ, uti Possevinus nos docet. Cav. H. L. T. ii. p. 50.

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