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THE VARIOUS MONUMENTS OF THE CANON.
SECTION FIRST.
FOUR CLASSES OF MONUMENTS.
164. WHATEVER may be the force of the arguments presented in
the foregoing chapters, we are asked for new proofs taken from
the authors of the primitive Church, and sometimes we hear complaints of the alleged insufficiency of the testimonials which its
literature renders to the first canon. We proceed, then, to bring
forward these testimonials.
The monuments which the canon has left us of its
œcumenical
use and its authority are of four or five classes.
First of all, the versions which, at an early period, were made
of the New Testament into different languages, particularly the
Latin and Syriac. But we think that enough has been said already
on this subject in our First Book.1
In the second place, the writings, not very numerous, but quite
sufficient, of the second century. We arrange the Christian
authors, whose writings have come down to us, in two divisions:
first those of the second half of the century, and then those of the
first.
In the third place, the numerous and involuntary testimonies
which the ancient enemies of the truth bear to the New Testament: that is to say, on the one hand the unbelievers of the
second century who attacked Christianity; and on the other, the
heretics who during the same period harassed the Church.
Fourthly and lastly, the apostolic fathers, and even the later
writings of the New Testament.
But to proceed in this review with the greater clearness, and to
avoid superfluous quotations, we must first assign limits to the
field of our researches.
SECTION SECOND.
THE FIELD OF RESEARCH.
165. This field must not extend beyond the
first and second century. In fact, it would be useless to go further; since the
Rationalists who are the most determined against the authority of our sacred
books acknowledge that, from the days of Origen, or the beginning of the third
century, everything had been settled in the Church on this great question. Even
the too celebrated Strauss2 grants that “in the times of this father our sacred books were
universally acknowledged as proceeding from the apostles, or the
companions of the apostles.” What our opponents still dispute is,
the anterior testimony, the voice of the second century, and that of
the first.. So that, to establish our proofs by the literature of the
Church, we have only to pass it under review through successive
years in reverse order, taking our point of departure from the
last days of Septimius Severus, about the year 203, and backwards till we reach the end of St John’s ministry, in 103, or
rather about the end of Paul’s ministry and the reign of Nero, in
68. Between these two termini, over the only interval where our
opponents profess not to be satisfied, we shall proceed to cast a
bridge firmly suspended on a triple chain of testimonies. We
set out from the year 203, when the great Origen, after witnessing
the martyrdom of his father, began, at the age of eighteen, his
career of teaching in Alexandria, and we stop about the year 103,
when John, full of days, finished his life at Ephesus; or, perhaps
better, towards the year 68, when Peter and Paul ended their
course at Rome, very soon after having written, as we think, the
one his second epistle, and the other, his Epistle to the Hebrews.
In other words, we follow the traces of our holy books. from the
last days of Septimius Severus to the last days of Nero. Our
opponents allege that they have been lost between the opposite
banks; it is our business to exhibit them — a task which has often
been performed by others under different forms. For, after all, the
history of the Church, notwithstanding the paucity of its literature at this epoch can supply us with abundant materials for
placing between these two heights the three strong chains of
which we spoke just now, with which to construct a safe passage
from one side to the other.
166. In order to give their true meaning and just value to
these historical monuments, we must not forget that the labour of
studying them ought constantly to be pursued, while at the same
time carefully taking cognisance of the contemporary Church in
its interior life, its totality, and its character. Dr Thiersch, among
the German writers, has clearly shewn the importance of this rule,
and the aberrations of the men who have neglected it.
167. To render more palpable to the minds of our readers the
persons and dates of this important epoch, we think it will be of
use to present in a synoptic Table the series of the only witnesses
that can be produced in this investigation. For this purpose, we
set down in the order of time, opposite the series of emperors,
(.) that of the fathers who have left authentic writings in the first
and second centuries; (ii) that of the heretics who, while disputing the truths of Holy Writ, have yet borne testimony by their
very attacks to the sacred canon; (iii.) that of the enemies of
Christianity, who in the same period have assailed it while acknowledging it was founded on our sacred books; (iv.) that of the oreat
persecutions which the Church underwent; and lastly, (v.) that of
apologists who publicly defended it.3
168. We hope that this chronological table of emperors, fathers,
adversaries, and heretics, will shed a useful light upon the discussion that will follow it, by reducing its elements to the most
precise terms, and by shewing their small number and their correspondency. We have omitted in the column of the
emperors
those whose reign did not last above a year; in the column of heresies those who have left no traces, as the Ophites,4 or those who, though sound as to the doctrine of God and Christ, were not
so in point of discipline,5 (as the Montanists6 and
Quatuordectmanians;7) and lastly, in the column of the
fathers, on the one
hand, those whose works are lost or who have left but a few short
fragments preserved in Eusebius, or elsewhere — as Papias,8
Hegesippus,9 Pantaenus,10
Melito,11 Dionysius of Corinth,12
Asterius Urbanus,13 — and on the
other hand, those whose pretended writings are decidedly rejected by the most
esteemed critics,14
SECTION THIRD.
THE ACTORS AND WITNESSES OF THE
TWO FIRST CENTURIES OF THE
CHURCH, SETTING OUT FROM THE
DEATH OF ST PAUL
FIRST CENTURY
|
|
Emperors of Rome. |
Fathers of whom
Authentic Works are
Extant |
Enemies of the
Church |
Persecutions |
Apologist Fathers |
|
NERO,
54 - 68 |
JAMES was dead in
61; PAUL and PETER
between 64 and 68;
JUDE much later;
JOHN only in 103. |
From the apostolic
times, besides the
Nicolaitans,
(Rev. ii. 6,) the
Balaamites, (ver.
14,) the disciples
of SIMON, (Acts vii
13,) and of MENANDER,
(Iren. Hæres., i.
21,) those of
PHYGELLUS and
HERMOGENES, (2 Tim.
i. 15, ii, 17,) of
HYMENEUS and
PHILETUS,—all sects
of whom there
remains nothing, and
of whom we shall not
speak,—the Church
was harassed, from
the days of John, by
two numerous sects
of heretics, the
Ebionites and
the Gnostics, |
The first,
under NERO, from 64
to 68 |
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|
VESPASIAN,
69 - 79 |
CLEMENT, the
companion, it is
believed, of Paul,
(Phil. iv. 3,) and
bishop of Rome nine
years, (from 91 to
101 according to
Eusebius, from 68 to
77 according to
Jerome,) has left
one beautiful
epistle to the
Corinthians. |
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TITUS,
79 - 81 |
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|
|
DOMITIAN,
81 - 96 |
IGNATIUS, a hearer
of the apostle John,
bishop of Antioch in
68, martyr in 107,
(others say in 116,)
has left seven
authentic epistles
according to some,
three according to
others, (to the
Romans, to the
Ephesians, and to
Polycarp,) and we
have a contemporary
account of his
martyrdom, |
The Ebionites
comprised various
Judaising sects, who
denied the divinity
of Jesus Christ. The
Fathers attributed
the name, some to
the Hebrew epithet
Ebion,
(poor,) which
theyhad taken or had
been given to them;
others to the proper
name of an unknown
leader, whom Lardner
believes to have
been a disciple of
CERINTHUS.
The Gnostics,
or men of Gnosis,
(science “falsely so
called,” St Paul
says, 1 Tim. vi.
20,) were almost all
Docetæ or
Phantasiasts, (i.
e., pretending that
Christ did not
assume a real body,
and suffered only in
appearance.) They
considered
revelation
insufficient, mixed
their philosophy
with it, and
pretended to possess
alone the true
Gnosis, (science,)
either by direct and
immediate intuition,
or by a tradition
going back to the
creation. |
The second,
under DOMITIAN,
from 93-96 |
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|
NERVA,
96 - 98 |
Letter to
Diognetus—The
author unknown:
calls himself a
disciple of the
apostles, (xi) It is
very beautiful, and
very probably was
written before the
year 70. Yet others
refer it to the
reign of Trajan. |
|
|
|
TRAJAN,
98 - 100
TACITUS, PLINY,
PLUTARCH, and
SUETONIUS were
living writers |
POLYCARP. Born in
71, suffered
martyrdom in 166;
had known St John.
He has left one
epistle to the
Philippians; and we
have a beautiful
circular epistle of
the church at
Smyrna, giving an
account of his
martyrdom to the
contemporary
churches. |
CERINTHUS, a Jewish
philosopher, after
having studied in
Egypt, betook
himself to Asia
Minor, where he
impugned the
divinity of Jesus
Christ, being in
that respect an
Ebionite. According
to Irenæus, John
wrote the
introduction of his
Gospel to refute
him. |
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SECOND CENTURY
|
|
Emperors of Rome. |
Fathers of whom
Authentic Works are
Extant |
Enemies of the
Church |
Persecutions |
Apologist Fathers |
|
TRAJAN,
(continued)
100 - 117 |
JUSTIN MARTYR, born
in Samaria,at
Shechem, about the
year 103, a
philosopher,
converted in 133,
came (at the
beginning of the
reign of Antoninus)
to Rome, though he
did not suffer
martyrdom till 167,
under Marcus
Aurelius. We have
his Two Apologies,
a treatise on the
Monarchy of God,
and a Dialogue
with Trypho the Jew.
He composed other
works, such as an
Exposition of the
Apocalypse,
which are now lost. |
GNOSTICS.
BASILIDES of
Alexandria, a
disciple of Menander,
was one of the
principal. Born in
the1st century, and
died in 130; he
taught his magical
doctrine under
Trajan and Hadrian,
ISIDORE, his son,
added other
reveries, and formed
a sect.
CERDO came from Asia
Minor toteach at
Rome in 132, and was
excommunicated by
Pope Hyginus about
140,
MARCION, born at
Sinope, where his
father was bishop ;
became a disciple of
Basilides; taught.
at Alexandria in
117; wrote
twenty-four books of
commentaries on the
Gospels, of which
Clement and
Epiphanius have
preserved some
fragments, He came
to join Cerdo at
Rome about 140; he
was there as well as
Valentine and Cerdo,
in the time of
Justin Martyr, under
Antoninus Pius. |
The third
under
TRAJAN, from 107 to
117; under HADRIAN,
to 136 |
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|
HADRIAN,
117 - 138 |
THEOPHILUS, bishop
of Antioch, born in
110, converted in
150, died in 170,
has left an Apology
for Christianity,
and some other
writings. |
|
QUADRATUS,
bishop of Athens,
presented an Apology
to Hadrian in 131.
We have only a
fragment of it in
Eusebius.
ARISTIDES, the same,
175. He was a
converted
philosopher. |
|
ANTONINUS PIUS,
138 - 161 |
IRENÆUS, born in
Asia or Greece in
the year 120, came
into. Gaul in 177,
and was martyred (it
is said) in 202. His
principal work,
Against Heresies,
is in five books. Of
allthe ancient
Fathers, one of the
firmest and purest;
he represents most
faithfully the real
beliefs of the
Church, |
VALENTINUS of Egypt
came also to teach
to Rome under Popes
Hyginus and Anicetus,
(from 139 to 157,)
and ended his career
in Cyprus, He
imagined thirty æons,
or inferior gods. He
sent out numerous
disciples, who
formed themselves
into a sect: among
others Colobarsa;
Ptolemy in 140;
Heracleon, Tatian,
who at least adopted
his æons; Bardesanes
the Syrian, who
lived at Edessa in
172, and who ended
in opposing him, He
wrote much and ably. |
|
JUSTIN MARTYR
pre-sented two,
which we still have
— one to Antoninus
in 139, the other to
Marcus Aurelius in
163.
THEOPHILUS, bishop
of
Antioch, also
presented one at the
same time, |
|
MARCUS AURELIUS,
161 - 180 |
ATHENAGORAS, a
Platonic philosopher
born at Athens; he
became a Christian;
fixed himself at
Alexandria;
addressed an Apology
for Christianity to
Marcus Aurelius and
his son COMMODUS. We
also have a treatise
of his on the
Resurrection. |
CARPOCRATES of
Egypt, and his son
EPIPHANIUS. He
taught under Hadrian
a mystic and
licentious
Antinomianism. |
The fourth,
under MARCUS
AURELIUS, from 160,
because the
Christians would not
take part in the
solemnities of his
triumph. |
APOLLINARIS, bishop
of Hierapolis, the
same, during the
persecution of
Marcus Aurelius in
169, |
|
COMMODUS,
180 - 193 |
CLEMENT of
Alexandria, a
converted Platonic
philosopher; born
about the year 150,
and died in 217. His
writings are
numerous, (Stromata,
Exhortation to the
Gentiles, &c.)
Jerome and Theoderet
estimate him highly
for his knowledge
and genius. |
TATIAN, born in
Mesopotamia, at
first an orator and
Pagan philosopher,
came to Rome, and
was converted to the
profession of
Christianity. Having
heard Justin Martyr,
he became his
disciple for a long
time, and composed a
Discourse against
the Greeks, and
died in 178. But he
fell into the
Gnostic errors, and
in the East, put
himself at the head
of the sect of the
Encratites, Besides
many other writings,
he composed a
Harmony of the Four
Evangelists, which
was extant in the
time of Eusebius. He
is believed to have
made a Latin
translation of the
Apocrypha. |
|
MELITO, bishop of
Sardis, presented an
Apology in172. This
also is lost. |
|
SEPTIMUS SEVERUS,
193 - 200 |
TERTULLIAN, (the
most ancient of the
Latin Fathers ;)
born at Carthage in
160, converted from
Paganism about 185.
He afterwards
repaired to Rome;
but, dissatisfied
with the Roman
clergy, he returned
to Africa, where he
embraced Montanist
views on
Church-discipline.
He died about the
year 220. We have a
great number of his
writings, (Apologeticus,
Five Books against
Marcion, &e.) |
EBIONITE-GNOSTIC
SECTS.
THEODOTUS, a tanner
of Byzantium, came
to Rome in 192,
where he was
excommunicated by
Victor in 194. He
said that Jesus
Christ was created
by the Father, but
before the creation
of the world.
ARTEMON, his
disciple, who has
been accused of
expunging the
passage in 1 John v.
7.
PAGAN OPPONENTS OF
CHRISTIANITY.
CELSUS, (Kelsos,)
an Epicurean
philosopher under
Trajan and his
successors. A
violent enemy of
Christianity, he
assailed it with the
weapons of argument
and ridicule in his
Logos Alethes,
of which nothing
remains but the
fragments preserved
in Origen’s
Refutation.
LUCIAN of Samosata,
born about 120,
wrote satiric
dialogues in which
he attacked
Christianity. He
dedicated his
False Prophet to
Celsus. |
The fifth,
under
SEPTIMUS SEVERUS,
from 202, throughout
the Empire. |
TATIAN, before his
de-fection, composed
a Discourse
against the Greeks.
ATHENAGORAS, a
philo-sopher of
Athens, taught at
Alexandriain 177.
Presented an Apology
to Marcus Aurelius,
entitled, A
Deputation
concerning the
Christians; he
wrote a treatise on
the Resurrection,
which is also
apologetical, They
are still extant. |
THIRD CENTURY
|
|
Emperors of Rome. |
Fathers of whom
Authentic Works are
Extant |
Enemies of the
Church |
Persecutions |
Apologist Fathers |
|
SEPTIMUS SEVERUS,
(continued)
200 - 211 |
ORIGEN, born at
Alexandria in 185,
witnessed his
father’s martyrdom
in 202, succeeded
Clement of
Alexandria in his
school, traveled
much, accomplished
immense labours, and
died in 253. |
MANES, born in
Persia, founder of
Manichacism, which
he borrowed in part
from Zoroaster. It
is said he was
flayed alive in
Persia in 271. |
|
AMMONIUS SACCAS, (or
Saccophorus,)
a philosopher,
founder of
Ecleeticism,
composed, at the
beginning of the
century, a work on
the agreement of
Moses and Jesus
Christ. It is
entirely lost. |
|
CARACALLA,
211 - 217 |
|
|
HELIOGABALUS,
218-222 |
HIPPOLYTUS, at first
bishop in Arabia,
(according to
Eusebius,) an
intimate friend of
Origen, a
distinguished Greek
theologian,
historian, and
mathematician, came
afterwards to Italy
about the year 222,
and suffered
martyrdom about 235
or 240. |
PORPHYBY, (Malchus,)
a neo-platonic
philosopher, born at
Tyre in 2338,
educated at Athens
under Longinus and
Plotinus, and a
mystic philosopher
at Rome, where he
died in 304. He
composed fifteen
books against the
Christians.
Theodosius burnt
them, but there are
fragments in
Eusebius and Jerome.
In the first book he
has collected the
apparent
contradictions of
Scripture; in the
fourth he attacked
Moses; in the
thirteenth Daniel. |
|
|
ALEXANDER
SEVERUS,
222 - 235 |
|
|
MAXIMIN,
235 - 237 |
JULIUS AFRICANUS,
Greek historian and
chronologist,
converted to
Christianity about.
the year 231. A
friend of Origen. He
wrote a Commentary
on the New
Testament, of which
we have only
fragments in
Eusebius. |
The sixth,
under MAXIMIN, in
235. |
TERTULLIAN wrote his
beautiful
Apologeticus in
Latin, in 202. |
|
GORDIAN,
237 - 244 |
DIONYSIUS of
Alexandria, bishop
in 232, died in 247.
His numerous
writings are lost;
put Eusebius often
quotes from them. |
AMELIUS, a Tuscan, a
disciple of Plotinus
from 246; did not
leave him till 270,
when he went to live
at Assamea. Like
Porphyry, he was an
enemy of
Christianity. |
|
MINUTIUS FELIX, an
African orator,
wrote his Apology at
Rome in 220, in the
form of a dialogue,
entitled Octavius.
It is still extant. |
|
PHILIP,
244-249 |
CAIUS, presbyter of
Rome in 210. There
are only fragments
of his writings in
Eusebius. |
|
|
|
|
DECIUS,
249-251 |
CYPRIAN, born at
Carthage in 202,
bishop in 248, died
in 258. His works,
which are in Latin,
(sole clariova,
says Jerome,) form a
large volume. |
|
The seventh,
under DECIUS, from
250 to 253. |
|
| |
|
|
The eighth,
under VALERIAN, in
257.
The ninth,
under AURELIAN, from
272 to 275.
The tenth, in
the fourth century,
from the year 308,
throughout the
Empire. |
|
|
N.B.—Observe, that
though in this Table
we have endeavoured
to arrange
everything correctly
as far as relates to
the heretics of the
second century, we
must acknowledge
that (as Cave and
other historians
complain) their
chronology presents
great confusion, |
169. To render the review of all these monuments of antiquity
more clear and striking, we begin with the latest; and thus going
back in the order of time, we first of all listen to the least ancient
fathers before we reach those of the first half of the second century; from these again, we proceed to the fathers of the first
century, then to the apostolic fathers, and lastly, to those apostles
who wrote the last books of the New Testament. |
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