142

tian doctrines.

S. Cyril of Jerusalem.

Yet he quotes Tobit, as did Origen, in proof that there are angels who present our prayers to God, and with the same formula with which he had just quoted St. John; he cites also Ecclesiasticus with Deuteronomy 7, Wisdom as Solomon's indiscriminately with Proverbs, and as prophetic words, or as spoken by a prophet.

S. Cyril of Jerusalem speaks very strictly. "Read the two and twenty books of these Scriptures, and have nothing to do with the uncertain books. Those only study earnestly, which we read confidently even in Church. Far wiser than thou,

"Secundum Raphaelem ad Tobiam loquentem." S. Hilary had just before spoken of other ministries of angels, "secundum Joannem;" of others, "Moyse testante;" and of others, "Domino docente." In Ps. cxxix. n. 7. p. 439.

In an allegorical interpretation of the centurion mentioned in Matt. viii. 5. sqq., he says that he is "the chief of the nations who should believe;" and adds, "Quis hic princeps sit, cui subjecti sunt plures, qui volet scire, Moysi in Deuteronomio canticum et Salomonis librum Ecclesiasticum, ubi de dispersione gentium quædam locuti sunt, legat." In Matt. cap. 7. p. 641. He quotes it also with the formula, " secundum id quod dictum est" (Prol. in Ps. n. 20. p. 12). place (in Ps. cxl. n. 5. p. 536) he cites Ecclus. as us [the Latins] entitled Solomon's, but accounted the Wisdom of Sirach among the Greeks and Hebrews," with the formula "ita monemur."

8 In Ps. cxxvii. n. 9. 427.

p.

In another

a book with

"Docet Propheta dicens, 'Spiritus Dei replevit orbem terrarum;'" just after the Acts, and again "rursum Propheta," in Ps. cxviii. lit. 2. n. 8. p. 254; "secundum Prophetam." Ib. lit. 19. n. 8. p. 355; and "propheticæ voces." de Trin. i. 7. p. 770.

1 Lect. iv. 22. n. 35, p. 50. Oxf. Tr.

Canon of S. Epiphanius.

143

and more devout, were the Apostles and the ancient Bishops, the rulers of the Church, who have handed down these thou, therefore, who art a child of the Church, trench not on their sanctions. And of the O. T., as hath been said, study the two and twenty books." These then he enumerates, adding only Baruch and the Epistle of Jeremiah, as forming one book with Jeremiah and the Lamentations. Copious as his quotations from Holy Scripture are, he made very little use of Deutero-Canonical Books beyond what he probably received as portions of the text of the Canon-the additions to Daniel, besides Baruch. He uses their language, but only quotes Wisdom xiii. 5, a passage much employed by the Fathers to prove that from the greatness and beauty of created things men might be raised to a higher conception of the Creator. He calls the book Solomon's 2, and argues upon the word ἀναλόγως.

Of the lists of the sacred books in S. Epiphanius the first is avowedly the Canon of the Jews, which he alleges against the heathen philosophers. Yet he sums up, "these are the twenty-seven books which were given by God to the Jews." He adds, "There are other two books, questioned among them, the Wisdom of Sirach, and that of Solomon, besides some other books Apocryphal." In a second place he appeals to Aetius, who was 2 Cateches. ix. 2. p. 91. O. T. 3 Adv. Hær. v. 6. T. i. p. 19.

144 Deut.-Can. books as quoted by S. Epiphanius,

harping on expressions not in Holy Scripture, and making heretical inferences from them. "Thou oughtest to have gone through from the creation of the world to the times of Esther, in the twenty-seven books of the Old Testament, numbered as twenty-two, and the four holy Gospels, &c. (enumerating all the books of the N. T.), and in the Wisdoms of Solomon and the son of Sirach, and, in fine, all the Divine Scriptures, to condemn thyself." In the third place, he uses much the same distinction as S. Jerome. Having enumerated the twenty-two Hebrew books, he sums up, 65 Thus the twenty-two books, according to the number of the twenty-two Hebrew letters, are completed;" and adds, "But the two books, that of Solomon, called

Ilaváρeros, and that of Jesus, son of Sirach, descendant of the Jesus who wrote 'the Wisdom' in Hebrew, which Jesus his descendant translated into Greek; these too are beneficial and useful, but are not placed in the number of Scriptures. Wherefore also they were not laid up in the ark."

He does not prove any of the great Christian doctrines from the books which he had thus spoken of as detached from the rest; yet he acknowledged the truths contained in them, as authoritative and as coming from God. He refers to them as the "testimony of Scripture ";" he speaks "of

4 Hær. lxxvi. c. 5. p. 941.

5 De Pond. c. 4. T. ii. 162.

6

* Of Ecclus. ὡς καὶ ἡ γραφὴ εἶπεν, Hær. xxiv. 6. Τ. i. p. 72.

and S. Gregory of Nazianzus.

145

the Holy Spirit declaring truth in Wisdom for men of former and succeeding generations";" he appeals to it in proof of the indestructibleness of the world 3, the immortality for which God created man, the trials of the righteous', the admission of children who die early to eternal bliss 2, and of the duration of human child-bearing".

S. Gregory of Nazianzus gives his list, "that thy mind may not be misled by strange books." He enumerates the twenty-two. Then, having gone through those of the N. T., he sums up, "Thou hast all; but if there be any out of these, it is not among the genuine."

But although in this catalogue he expressly mentions "three books of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, Song, Proverbs," and gives no ground to think that he included Baruch in Jeremiah, he adduces ex

Tò beîov yрáμμa of Scripture, including Ecclus. Hær. lxix. 57. p. 781. Ocía ypapy, Ancorat. n. 18 (Ecclus. amid other Scr.), T. ii. p. 23. тò fcîov ypáμμa, Anc. n. 12. T. ii. p. 17. Wisdom is quoted, ἐπ ̓ αὐτῷ πληροῦται τὸ εἰρημένον, Hær. lxv. 1. T. i. p. 607. pnoì ǹ ypaøǹ, Ancor. n. 2. T. ii. p. 7.

7

προθεσπίζων τὸ ̔́Αγιον Πνεῦμα καὶ διὰ τοὺς πρώην καὶ μetéteita. Hæres. xxvi. 15. T. i. pp. 97, 98.

Hær. lxiv. 31. p. 554 (with Rom.).

Ib. n. 19. p. 543. the immortality of the soul. Ib. n. 36. p. 559, where it is said to be taught by the Lord both by Himself (in S. Luke) and by Solomon.

1 Ib. n. 48 (with Ps.), p. 573.

2 Hær. lxvii. n. 4. p. 713, where Solomon is appealed to as προφητῶν μακαριέστατος.

3 Hær. li. 29. P.

451.

↑ L. i. Carm. 12, T. ii. pp. 259, 261.

K

146 Quotation of Deut.-Canon. books, &c., in

5

pressions from the Wisdom of Solomon, in proof of the Divinity both of the Son and the Holy Ghost, and of the illimitableness of the Divine Nature', and says that those who, from the words "the only true God," argued that the Father Alone was God, could not answer those who, on the like ground, said on the other side, that the Son Alone was called (eipĥolai) God. In what words? In those (Baruch iii. 36. 38). Baruch, but uses his words. asticus also as "Divine Scripture "."

He does not name

He quotes Ecclesi

The Canon of S. Amphilochius agrees altogether with that of S. Gregory Naz. He too cautions, "not every book is safe, which hath the solemn name of Scripture. For there are falsely-entitled books, and some intermediate, and bordering on the words of truth. But others spurious and very dangerous. Therefore I will recite to you each of the inspired

5 Orat. xxix. (Theol. 3), 17. p. 535, with many passages of the O. and N. T.

• Orat. xxxi. (Theol. 5), 29, p. 575 twice, also with many places of the O. and N. T.

Orat. xxviii. (Theol. 2), n. 8. p. 500.

8 Orat. xxx. (Theol. 4) 13, p. 549.

• The words ἀνυπονόητον κοσμῶν διαδήματι are from Ecclus. xi. 5, and are added to a quotation from S. Luke; but S. Gregory adds παρὰ γὰρ τῆς θείας καὶ τοῦτο λαμβάνω γραφῆς. Orat. iv. (in Julian.) 12, p. 83. He also quoted Ecclus. in proof that mourning for the dead was permitted (with Prov. x. 7. and with the formula noi),-Orat. vii. 1, p. 199. He quotes it again with the formula noi,-Orat. xxxii. 21, p. 593, and with other Scriptures,-Orat. xxxvii. 6, p. 649.