opposes them to thofe which were falfely attributed to the Apostles, Tais ονοματι των Αποςόλων προφερομέναις. He places the Revelation of St. John alfo under the vota or αντιλεγόμενα, for this reason, because the majority of the ancients doubted whether they should confider it as the writing of St. John the Apostle, or of fome other perfon, confequently as genuine or fpurious.→ Laftly, he alfo claffes the Shepherd of Hermas, the Revelation of Peter, the Acts of Paul, and the Epiftle of Earnabas, under the vola (or, avriλeyoμɛra). Now among the ancients none ever thought these books divine, but their authenticity indeed has been called in queftion. These arguments evince, if I miftake not, that Eufebius fpeaks here of the authenticity, not of the divine inspiration of those writings which exifted in his time under the names of 1 See above, p. 48, note 4. the the Apostles, Evangelifts, and apoftolical men. His intention in this place is not to mention what writings were confidered as divine; but to afcertain the three following points :1. What writings were received by the ancients as genuine works of the Apoftles, Evangelifts, and apoftolical men: -2. Of what writings the authenticity had been called in queftion:-And 3. Those which were entirely rejected, as fpurious. On these points the opinion of the three first centuries was as follows: I. Ομολογεμεναι γραφαι (ανωμολογημέναι; ΟΙ, αληθείς και απλαςοι) writings which were univerfally received as the genuine works of the perfons whofe names they bear. In this clafs Eufebius reckons, 1. The four Gospels; 2. The Acts of the Apoftles; 3. The Epiftles of St. Paul; 4. The firft Epiftle of St. John; 5. The first Epistle of St. Peter. The Revelation Revelation of St. John might alfo perhaps be placed in this clafs, because fome think its authenticity. incontrovertible, yet the majority leave the matter undetermined'. ΙΙ. Αντιλεγομέναι, writings on whofe authenticity the ancients were not unanimous; which fome held to be suppofititious. According to Eufebius, even thefe have the majority of voices among the ancients in their favour. He expressly calls them, γνώριμα όμως τοις πολλοις (writings acknowledged by most to be genuine), and παρα πλείσοις των εκκλη σιασικών γιγνωσκομενα (received by the majority). A few doubted of their authenticity; and therefore Eufebius ranks them under the contefted, ar λεγόμενα, Οι νοθα. See above, p. 166. • He names these writings alfo voða: yeapai, spurious writings; that is, according to the opinion of fome. These voba do not, therefore, compose a diftimet clafs, as is the general fuppofition. In In this clafs he enumerates, of the writings of the New Teftainent, 1. The Epiftle of St. James; 2. The Epiftle of St. Jude; 3. The fecond Epiftlė of St. Peter; 4. The fecond and third Epiftles of St. John. The Revelation of St. John, he adds, is alfo by fome placed in this clafs'. And, of other writings, the Acts of St. Paul; The Shepherd of Hermas; The Revelation of St. Peter; the Epiftle of Barnabas; The Doctrines of the Apoftles; and the Gospel according to the Hebrews. III. Ατοπα και δυσσεβη, (abfurd and impious); Writings which had been univerfally rejected as evidently fpu rious. In this clafs he includes the Gospels of Peter, of Thomas, and of Matthias; For in early times fome believed that this work was not compofed by John the apoftle, but by a prefbyter of the fame name, or by fome other perfon. See the following 5th chapter of this book. the |