Table II
1926 anthology with historical English translations and Crane introduction
William Wake and Frank Crane
Table II
A LIST of the Christian Authors of the first four Centuries, whose Writings contain Catalogues of the Books of the New Testament.
*** Those which also have Catalogues of the Books of the Old Testament are marked thus *.
The Names of the Writers. The times in which they lived. The variation or Agreement of their Catalogues with ours now received. The Places of their Writings, in which these Catalogues are.
I. * Origen, a Presbyter of Alexandria, who employed incredible pains in knowing the Scriptures. 210. Omits the Epistles of James and Jude, though he owns them both in other parts of his writings. Comment in Matt. apud Euseb. Hist. Eccl. ll. 6. c.25. Exposit. in Joan. l. 5, apud Euseb. ibid.
II. Eusebius Pamphilus, whose writings evidence his zeal about the sacred writings, and his great care to be informed which were genuine and which not. 315. His Catalogue is exactly the same with the modern one; only he says, the Epistles of James, Jude, the 2nd of Peter, the 2nd and. 3rd of John, though they were generally received, yet had been by some doubted of. As to the Revelation, though he says some rejected it, yet he says others received it; and himself places it among those which are to be received without dispute. Hist. Eccl. l. 3, c. 55, confer ejusdem lib. b 3.
III. *Athanasius, Bp. of Alexandria. 315. The same perfectly with ours now received. Fragment. Epist. Festal. et in Synops. Scriptur. Sacr.
IV. * Cyril, Bp. of Jerusalem. 340. The same with ours, only the Revelation is omitted. Catech. IV. § 36.
V. * The Bishops assembled in the Council of Laodices. 364.[1433] The Revelation is omitted. Canon. LX. N.B.—The Canons of this Council were not long afterwards received into the body of the Canons of the universal Church
VI. Epiphanius, Bp. of Salamis in Cyprus. 370. The same with ours now received. Hæres. 76, c. 5.
VII. Gregory Nazianzen, Bp. of Constantinople. 375. Omits the Revelation. Carm. de veris et genuin. Scriptur.
VIII. Philastrius, Bp. of Brixia in Venice. 380. The same with ours now received; except that he mentions only thirteen of St. Paul's Epistles (omitting very probably the Epistle to the Hebrews), and leaves out the Revelation. Lib. de Hæres. 87.
IX. *Jerome. 382. The same with ours, except that he speaks dubiously of the Epist. to the Hebrews; though in other parts of his writings he receives it as Canonical, as hereafter will appear. Ep. ad. Paulin. de Stud. Scrip. Also commonly prefixed to the Latin Vulgate.
X. *Ruffin, Presbyter of Aquilegium. 390. It perfectly agrees with ours. Expos. in Symb. Apostol.§ 36. int. Op. Hieror. et inter Op. Cypr.
XI. *Austin, Bp. of Hippo in Africa 394. It perfectly agrees with ours. De. Doct. Christ. l. 2, c. 8.
XII. * The forty-four Bps. assembled in the third Council of Carthage. St. Austin was present at it. It perfectly agrees with ours. Vid. Canon. XLVII. et cap. ult.
XIII. The anonymous author of the works under the name ofDionysius the Areopagite. 390. It seems perfectly to agree with ours; for though he doth not, for good reasons, produce the names of the books; yet (as the, learned Daille says, De Script. supposit. Doings. l. 1. c. 16,) he so clearly describes them as that he has left out no divine book, may be easily perceived. Lib. de Hierarch. Eccl. c. 3.
THE END
Footnotes
Source notes
[1] Sam. i. 6, 7, &c.
[2] Acts x. 4.
[3] Gen. xvi. 2, &c. and xviii. 10, &c.
[4] Gen. xxx. 1-22, and xli. 1, &c.
[5] Judg. xiii. 2. and 1 Sam. 6, &c.
[6] Luke i. 15.
[7] Matth. i. 21.
[8] Matth. xiv. 26.
[9] Luke i. 28.
[10] Luke ii. 37.
[11] Those Psalms are from the 120th to the 134th, including both.
[12] Eccles. v. 4, 5, 6; and Psalm lxxvi. 11.
[13] Num. xxvii. 21, compared with Exod. xxviii. 30; Lev. viii. 8; Deut. 8; Ezra ii. 63; Nehem. vii. 65.
[14] Luke i. 28.
[15] Luke i. 29.
[16] Luke i. 31, &c.
[17] Luke i. 38.
[18] Matt. i. 19.
[19] That is, gave as much more as he was obliged to give.
[20] In imitation of the forty days and nights fast of Moses, recorded Exod. xxiv. 11, xxxiv. 28; Deut. ix. 9; of Elijah, 1 Kings xix. 8; and Christ's, Matt. iv. 2.
[21] Gen. xxi. 2.