any view of giving a hiftory of our 'Lord's difcourfes. Mark however 'committed no miftake in writing fome

things as they occurred to his memory. For he was anxious to omit nothing which he had heard, and to add nothing false to his account.' "This is Papias' information concerning St. Mark. And of St. Matthew he writes,

Matthew wrote his Gofpel in the 'Hebrew language, and every one interpreted it as well as he could.' "The fame Papias makes ufe also of certain evidences from the firft Epiftle of St. John, and the firft Epiftle of St. Peter. He relates likewife another ftory of a woman, accufed before the Lord of many crimes; which hiftory is found in the Gospel according to the Hebrews."-This paffage depofes an irrefragable

• Μάρκος μεν ερμηνευτης Πετρου γενομενος, όσα, εμνησ μονευσεν, ακριβως εγραψεν, 8 μεντοι ταξει τα υπο του Χαρίτου η λεχθεντα, η πραχθέντας ετε γαρ ήκουσε του

irrefragable evidence for the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Mark, the firft Epiftle of St. Peter and the firft Epiftle of St. John. But if St. Mathew wrote his Gospel in Hebrew, (or as we call it, Chaldee) which hence appears to be manifeft, yet it is equally certain from other grounds that he compofed it likewife in Greek. The Chriftians in Palestine used the Hebrew original; added to it many things taken from other gofpels, genuine and fpurious ; and this is that anciently celebrated

κυριού, ούτε παρηκολούθησεν αὐτῷ· ύσερον δε ως εφην, Πετρῷ, ὡς προς τας χρειας εποιειτο τας διδασκαλίας, αλλ' ουχ ώσπερ συνταξιν των Κυριακών ποιουμενος λόγων ὡσε ουδέν ήμαρτε Μάρκος, όντως ενια γράψας ὡς απεμνημονευσεν ἑνος γαρ εποιησατο προνοιαν, του μηδεν ὧν ήκουσε παραλιπειν η ψευσασθαι τι εν αυτοίς ταυτα μεν ουν ισορηται τῷ Παπια περι του Μαρκου περι δε του Ματθαίου ταυτ' ειρηται· Ματθαιος μεν ουν Ἑβραῖδι διαλεκτῳ τα λογια συνεγράψατο ήρμήνευσε γι' αυτα ὡς εδυνατο έκαςος° κεκρηται δ αυτός μαρα τυρίαις απο της Ιωάννου προτέρας επιτολής, και της Πετρου ομοιως εκτεθειται δε και αλλην ισοριαν περι γυναικός, επι πολλαῖς ἁμαρτίαις διαβληθεισης επι του κυριου, ἦν το καθ ̓ Εβραιους Ευαγγελιον περιεχείο

Gospel of the Hebrews, or as it is likewife named, of the Nazarines".

In cafe Papias had advanced in his book ftill further evidences of a fimilar nature, and we have reason to suppose that he did fo, Eufebius would have rendered great fervice to pofterity if he had extracted them: But it is much to be lamented that he often excerpts the old writers not fo completely as fcholars muft defire. In the Thirtyfixth Chapter of the Third Book of his Eccl. Hift. (p. 133,) in which he continues his account of the Chriftian teachers in the reign of Trajan, he fays that many of them left their native country, and exercifed the office of Evangelifts, zealoufly announcing Chrift to those who had yet heard nothing of the preaching of faith, and delivering to them the fcripture of the

See Fabricii Cod. apocr. N. T. I. 355,

divine

divine Gospels.

Eufebius, a man of an integrity univerfally acknowledged, affures us, that he drew his information from the documents of antiquity which he found in the library at Cæfarea. We are therefore certain, that as early as the beginning of the fecond century, the four Gospels, which were received in Eufebius's time, i. e. the Gofpels of St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke and St. John, were univerfally known among the Chriftians; and not only esteemed as genuine writings of the men above-mentioned; but also as of divine infpiration.

CHAP, II.

Witneffes in the Second Century. IN the fecond century the evidences for the Scriptures of the New Tefta

• Και

ment

γας δε πλείσοι των τότε μαθητων, σφοδροτέρω Φιλοσοφίας έρωτι προς τον θείον λογον την ψυχήν

πληττομένοις

ment are far more numerous, determinate, and ample, becaufe we ftill poffefs more and larger works of the teachers of this period. I fhall not therefore ftop to quote the paffages themfelves, but only name the witneffes, and point out those parts of their writings, where their evidence is to be found. But I will firft defcribe the state of Chriftianity in the fecond and third centuries.

SECT. 1..

State of Chriftianity in the Second and Third Centuries.

IN the Eaft, (namely in Palestine, Chaldea, and Perfia,) where Chrif

πληττομένοι, την Σωτήριον πρότερον απεπληρούν παρα κελεύσιν, ενδεεσι νέμοντες τας ουσίας. επειτα δε απο δημίας τελλομένοι, έργον επιτελουν ευαγγελίων, τοῖς στο παμπαν ανήκοοίς του της πίςεως λογου κηρυττειν του Χρισον φιλοτιμουμενοι, και την των θείων ευαγγελισ παραδίδονται γραφην.

tianity