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xxi. 42; xxii. 29; xxvi. 54; Luke xxiv. 27, 32, 45; John v. 39; Acts xvii. 2, 11; xviii. 24, 28; 2 Tim. iii. 15; 2 Pet. iii. 16.

St. Peter applies this word to the books of the New as well as of the Old Testament, to St. Paul's epistles in particular: 2 Pet. iii. 16,—“ as also in all his epistles, which they that are unlearned wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction." Plainly denoting, that St. Paul's epistles are scriptures in the highest sense of the word.

II. Bible is another word, which has now been long in use among christians, denoting the whole collection of writings received by them as of divine authority.

b

The word, primarily, denotes book: but now is given to the writings of prophets and apostles by way of eminence. This collection is the Book or Bible, the book of books, as superior in excellence to all other books. The word seems to be used in this sense by Chrysostom in a passage already cited. I therefore exhort all of you to procure to 'yourselves Bibles, Bißia.. If you have nothing else, take care to have the New Testament, particularly the Acts of 'the Apostles, and the gospels, for your constant instructors.' And Jerom says, That the scriptures, being all written by one Spirit, are called one book." We likewise saw formerly a passage of Augustine, where he informs us, That some called all the canonical scriptures one book, on account ' of their wonderful harmony, and unity of design throughout.' And I then said: It is likely, that this way of 'speaking gradually brought in the general use of the word Bible, for the whole collection of the scriptures, or the 'books of the Old and New Testament.'

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In short, the ancient christians were continually speaking of the divine oracles, and the divine books, and were much employed in reading them, as Chrysostom directs in a passage transcribed below: where he recommends the reading the divine books daily, forenoon and afternoon. At length the whole collection was called the Book, or the Bible.

* Hac parte (quod bene notandum est) Petrus canonizat, ut ita loquar, id est, in canonem sacrarum scripturarum ascribit, atque canonicas facit, epistolas Pauli. Dicens enim, sicut et cæteras scripturas,' utique significat, se etiam illas in scripturarum numero habere. De sacris autem scripturis eum loqui, in confesso est. Est. in loc. b Vol. iv. ch. cxviii. num. xii. 13. d Ibid. ch. cxvii. num. x. 14.

c Ibid. ch. cxiv. num. xi. 1. • Αλλα δει παντα καιρον επιτηδειον ἡγεῖσθαι προς την των πνευματικών λογων διαλεξιν.—Δυνησομεθα και επι οικιας διατρίβοντες, και μετά την ίσιασιν, και προ της έπιασεως μετα χειρας λαβοντες τα θεια βιβλια την εξ αυτών κаρжзσ0αι wpɛλɛtay. In i. Gen. Hom. x. T. iv. p. 81. C. Bened.

Dr. Heumann has an epistle, or short dissertation concerning the origin of this name of our sacred collection of books. And for some while he was of opinion, that it was so called, as being the most excellent of all books: in like manner as the Jews had before called their collection the scriptures, by way of eminence. So Acts xviii. 24 and 28. But afterwards he suspected, that the origin of this name was in those words of Paul, 2 Tim. iv. 13. "The cloak that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books: Kai Ta Bißia." For he believed, that thereby the ancient christians understood the sacred code. But he afterwards acknowledgeth, that he had not found any instance of that interpretation in ancient writers. It seems to me therefore, that this conjecture should be dropt, as destitute of foundation; and that it should be better for us to adhere to the fore-mentioned origin of this name, which appears to have in it a good deal of probability.

III. Canon is originally a Greek word, signifying a rule or standard, by which other things are to be examined and judged.

As the writings of the prophets and apostles and evangelists contain an authentic account of the revealed will of God, they are the rule of the belief and practice of those who receive them.

Sometimes canon seems equivalent to a list or catalogue in which are inserted those books, which contain the rule of faith.

Du Pin says, This word signifies not only a law or rule, but likewise a table, catalogue, list. Some have sup'posed, that the canonical books were so called, because they are the rule of the faith. But though it be true, 'that they are the rule of our faith: yet the reason of their being called canonical, is, because they are placed in the 'catalogue of sacred books.'

Perhaps, there is no need to dispute about this; for there

↑ De Origine Nominis Bibliorum. Heum. Pocile. Tom. I. p. 412-415. Suspicari deinde cœpi, ideo Biblia' dictum esse sacrum codicem, quod tanquam liber omnium præstantissimus, κατ' εξοχην dictus sit τα βιβλια. Suppetias conjecturæ huic ferre videbatur illa appellatio, quâ idem divinum opus vocari solet ai ypapai. e. gr. Act. xviii. 24, 28. Id. ib. p. 413. h Ib. p. 414. i Le mot signifie non seulement une loi, une règle, mais aussi une table, un catalogue, une liste-Quelques uns ont cru que les livres canoniques étoient ainsi appellés parcequ'ils sont la règle de la foi. Mais, quoique cela soit vrai, ce n'est pas ce qui leur a fait donner le nom de canoniques, qu'ils n'ont que parceque l'on a nommé canon le catalogue des livres sacrés. Diss. Prelim. 1. 1. ch. I. sect. 2.

is no great difference in those two senses: and there may be passages of ancient writers, where it would be difficult to determine which of them is intended.

St. Paul has twice used the word canon, or rule. Gal. vi. 16, "As many as walk according to this rule." Upon which verse Theodoret's comment is to this purpose; ' He k 'calls the fore-mentioned doctrine a rule, as being straight, and having nothing wanting, nor superfluous.' Again says St. Paul, Philip. iii. 16, "Whereunto we have already attained, let us walk according to the same rule." Where he speaks of the doctrine of the gospel in general, or of some particular maxim of it: not of any books containing the rule of faith. However, his use of the word may have been an occasion of affixing that denomination to the books of scripture; for it is of great antiquity among christians.

Irenæus, speaking of the scriptures, as the words of God, calls them the rule, or canon of truth. Here canon is not a catalogue, but the books, or the doctrine contained in the books of scripture.

m

Clement of Alexandria, referring to a quotation of the gospel according to the Egyptians, says with indignation : But they who choose to follow any thing, rather than 'the true evangelical canon, [or the canon of the gospel,] 'insist upon what follows there as said to Salome.' In another place he says: "The " ecclesiastical canon is the 'consent and agreement of the law and the prophets with 'the testament delivered by the Lord.'

Eusebius, as formerly quoted, says of Origen: But in the first book of his Commentaries upon the gospel of 'Matthew, observing P the ecclesiastical canon, he declares that he knew of four gospels only.'

I shall add a few more passages from later writers, chiefly such as have been already quoted in the foregoing volumes: to which passages therefore the reader may easily

have recourse.

k Κανονα εκαλεσε την προκειμενην διδασκαλίαν, ὡς ευθύτητι κοσμεμενην, και μητε ελλειπον τι, μήτε περιττον εχεσαν. Theod. in loc.

Nos autem unum et solum verum Deum doctorem sequentes, et regulam veritatis habentes ejus sermones, de iisdem semper eadem dicimus omnes. Iren. 1. 4. c. 35. al. 69. f. p. 277.

m See Vol. ii. p. 251.

η Κανων δε εκκλησιαςικὸς ἡ συνωδια και η συμφωνια νομε τε και προφήτων τη κατά την το Κυριο παρεσίαν παραδιδομενη διαθηκη. Cl. Strom. 1. 6. p. 676. • Vol. ii. p. 494.

P τον εκκλησιαςικον φυλάττων κανονα.

p. 226. B.

Ap. Euseb. 1. 6. c. 25.

Athanasius in his Festal Epistle speaks of three sorts of books, the canonical, the same which are now received by us, such as were allowed to be read, and then of such as are apocryphal : by which he means books forged by heretics.

In the synopsis of scripture, ascribed to him, but probably not written till above a hundred years after this time, near the end of the fifth century, is frequent mention of canonical and uncanonical books.

S

r

no

The council of Laodicea, about 363, ordains, that 'books, not canonical, should be read in the church, but only the canonical books of the Old and New Testa'ment.'

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Rufinus, enumerating the scriptures of the Old and New Testament, makes three sorts of books; such " as are included in the canon: such as are not canonical, but ecclesiastical, allowed to be read, but not to be alleged for proof of any doctrine; and lastly, apocryphal books, which were not to be publicly read.

Jerom likewise often speaks of the canon of scripture, as we saw in his chapter, where he says: Ecclesiasticus," Judith, Tobit, and the Shepherd, are not in the canon :' and that the church reads, or allows to be read, Judith, " Tobit, and the Maccabees, but does not receive them among the canonical scriptures: and that they, and the 'books of Wisdom and Ecclesiasticus, may be read for the 'edification of the people, but not as of authority for prov'ing any doctrines.' And for the Old Testament he recommends the true Jewish canon, or Hebrew verity. I refer below to another place relating to the books of the New Testament.

The third council of Carthage, about 397, ordains,' that 'nothing beside the canonical scriptures be read in the 'church under the name of Divine Scriptures.'

Augustine, in 395, and afterwards, often speaks of canonical scriptures, and the whole canon of scripture, that is, 9 Vol. iv. p. 156.

• Ib. p. 182.

Ib. p. 161-164. t Ib. ch. cxv.

" Hæc sunt quæ patres intra canonem concluserunt, & ex quibus fidei nostræ assertiones constare voluerunt-Sciendum tamen est, quod alii libri sunt, qui non sunt canonici, sed ecclesiastici a majoribus appellati sunt-Quæ omnia legi quidem in ecclesiis voluerunt, non tamen proferri ad auctoritatem ex his fidei confirmandam. Cæteras vero scripturas apocryphas nominârunt, quas in ecclesiis legi noluerunt. Rufin. citat. ubi supra, p. 185. note ".

* P. 425. a P. 492. -his libris continetur. Ibid. note ".

▾ Vol. iv. p. 420.

w P. 421.

P. 439, 440.

b Totus autem canon scripturarum

2 P. 486.

all the sacred books of the Old and New Testament. We read of some, says he, that " they searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so," Acts xvii. 11. What 'scriptures, I pray, except the canonical scriptures of the law and the prophets? To them have been since added the gospels, the epistles of apostles, the Acts of the Apostles, and the Revelation of John.' Of the superior autho rity of the canonical scriptures to all others, he speaks frequently in passages afterwards alleged in the same chapter.

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Chrysostom, in a place already cited, says: They' fall into great absurdities who will not follow the rule (or canon) of the divine scripture, but trust entirely to their ' own reasoning.' I refer to another places to the like purpose.

Says Isidore of Pelusium, about 412: That these 'things are so, we shall perceive, if we attend to the rule [canon] of truth, the divine scriptures.'

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And Leontius of Constantinople, about 610, having cited the whole catalogue of the books of scripture from Genesis to the Revelation, concludes; These are the ancient and the new books, which are received in the church as ca'nonical.'

By all which we discern, how much the use of these words, canon and canonical, has obtained among christians, denoting those books which are of the highest authority, and the rule of faith; as opposed to all other whatever, particularly to ecclesiastical, or the writings of orthodox and learned catholics, and to apocryphal, the productions chiefly of heretics, which by a specious name and title made a pretension to be accounted among sacred books.

IV. The most common and general division of the canonical books is that of ancient and new, or the Old and New Testament. The Hebrew word berith, from which it is translated, properly signifies covenant. St. Paul, 2 Cor.

c Vol. iv. ch. cxvii. num. x. 1.

e Vol. v. Recapitulation of chap. cxviii.

d Num. x. & xi.

f Ορας, εις όσην ατοπίαν εκπιπτεσιν οἱ μη βελομενοι τῳ της θειας γραφης κατακολέθειν κανονι. κ. λ. In Gen. cap. 33. hom. 58. T. iv. p. 566. P、 Vid. hom. 33. in Act. Ap. sub fin.

* Ότι δε ταύτα έτως έχει, τον κανόνα της αληθειας, τας θείας φημι γραφας, Isid. ep. 114. 1. 4. See Vol. v. p. 142.

κατοπτεύσωμεν.

k Ταυτα επι τα κανονιζομενα βιβλια εν τη εκκλησια, και παλαια και νέα. Citat. ibid. p. 380. note.

Notandum, quod Berith, verbum Hebraïcum, Aquila ovvŷnenv, id est, pactum, interpretatur: LXX semper diaŋŋv, id est, testamentum: et in plerisque scripturarum locis testamentum non voluntatem defunctorum sonare, sed pactum viventium. Hieron. in Malach. cap. ii. T. iii. p. 1816.