"are fhort epiftles, is the name of "John prefixed, but only the title of "the Elder. But this other man (the "author of the Apocalypfe) was not "contented with naming himself once, "but repeats it often, I John, &c.; "and at the end he fays, Blessed is he "that keepeth the fayings of the pro

phecy of this book; and I John,

"who faw these things and heard " them. Therefore that a perfon

"named John was the author of this "book ought to be credited. But who "he was is uncertain. For he neither

46

fays, agreeably to the language of "the Gofpel, that he is the Difciple "whom the Lord loved; nor He, who "leaned on his breaft; nor, The bro"ther of James; nor, He who had "himfelf feen and heard the Lord. "Whereas he would have introduced "fome expreffions of this kind, if he "had intended that we should know "who was the writer. But this is

not

not the cafe. Now many writers "called John, I believe, have exAlfo it is probable

"ifted.

from the fentiments, and words, and "their conftruction, that this man (the "author of the Apocalypfe) was a "different perfon from him (the Apoftle). For the Gospel and Epiftle have a certain fimilarity'; they begin in the fame manner; the "former fays, In the beginning was "the word; and the latter, That which was from the beginning; the former

fays, And the word was made flesh "and dwelt among us, and we beheld "his glory, a glory as of the only begotten of the Father; and the lat"ter the very fame, with this trifling "variation, Which we have heard, which we have feen, and our hands have "handled of the word of life.

3

Again, we find in both much of "Life; Light; Avoiding of darkness; "Truth, Grace, Joy, the Flefh and the

"Blood

"blood of the Lord; Judgment, Forέσ giveness of fins, The love of God to"wards us, The command of love one "towards another; The neceffity of keeping all the commandments; The કં judgment of the world, of the Devil, "of Antichrift; The promife of the "Holy-Ghoft; The adoption of God; "Unlimitted faith; The Father and the "Son. But the style of the Apo"calypfe is very different from this, "it is diffimilar in almost every point. "Further, the Apocalypfe neither "mentions the Epiftle, nor the Epistle "the Apocalypfe.-The Language alfo "of the Gofpel and Epiftle is very કુંડ different from that of the Apocaદ lypfe. For the Greek of the former "is not only void of grammatical

errors, but there is an elegance in "the expreffions, the argument, and "contexture of the difcourfe; and we "do not difcover either a barbarifm,

"expreffion.-As to the other, he who "faw the Apocalypfe, may perhaps "have received wifdom and prophecy; "but the language is not good Greek, "it is mixed with barbarifms and "fometimes with folecifms. These I "will not at prefent quote, as it is not " my intention to ridicule, but to fhew "the diffimilarity of the writings". "

Here then we have most important information concerning the Apocalypfe. A fcholar of high antiquity, who lived fomewhat more than a hundred years after the Apostle St. John, and was then in high eftimation for his knowledge and character; who has been in repute with all antiquity, and continues from the very fragments of his writings to obtain the refpect of pofterity; this confcientious and learned

• This criticiím of the language is fomewhat overAtrained. Neither is that of the Gofpel and Epiftle fo pure, nor that of the Apocalypfe fo corrupt, as Dionyfius has here reprefented it.

inquirer

inquirer was induced to doubt by the teftimony of fome of the ancients,' who confidered this book not only as not apoftolical, but even as worthless and erroneous. Notwithstanding, he would not abfolutely reject it, fince many of his contemporaries continued to esteem it: on the contrary, he confeffed that it was a holy book, and infpired by God. He acknowledged this more from refpect to the fupporters of the Apocalypfe, than from his own conviction; for its contents were to him obfcure and incomprehenfible. thus much he afferted with confidence, that it was not written by the Apostle St. John, but by fome other person of the fame name: for the ftyle and contents of the book prove it incontrovertibly.

But

The father of Chriftian ecclefiaftical history represents the opinion of antiquity concerning the Apocalypfe exactly in a fimilar manner, but more deter

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