THE FATHERS TILL THE TIME OF ORIGEN.
The writings of the New Testament show the authors’ acquaintance with the
apocryphal books. They have expressions and ideas derived from them. Stier
collected one hundred and two passages which bear some resemblance to
others in the Apocrypha;(90) but they needed sifting, and were cut down to
a much smaller number by Bleek. They are James i. 19, from Sirach v. 11
and iv. 29; 1 Peter i. 6, 7, from Wisdom iii. 3-7; Hebrews xi. 34, 35,
from 2 Maccabees vi. 18-vii. 42; Hebrews i. 3, from Wisdom vii. 26, &c.;
Romans i. 20-32, from Wisdom xiii.-xv.; Romans ix. 21, from Wisdom xv. 7;
Eph. vi. 13-17, from Wisdom v. 18-20; 1 Cor. ii. 10, &c., from Judith
viii. 14. Others are less probable.(91) When Bishop Cosin says, that “in
all the New Testament we find not any one passage of the apocryphal books
to have been alleged either by Christ or His apostles for the confirmation
of their doctrine,”(92) the argument, though based on fact, is scarcely
conclusive; else Esther, Canticles, Ecclesiastes, and other works might be
equally discredited. Yet it is probable that the New Testament writers,
though quoting the Septuagint much more than the original, were
disinclined to the additional parts of the Alexandrian canon. They were
Palestinian themselves, or had in view Judaisers of a narrow creed.
Prudential motives, no less than a predisposition in favor of the old
national canon, may have hindered them from expressly citing any
apocryphal production. The apostle Paul and probably the other writers of
the New Testament, believed in the literal inspiration of the Biblical
books, for he uses an argument in the Galatian epistle which turns upon
the singular or plural of a noun.(93) And as the inspiration of the
Septuagint translation was commonly held by the Christians of the early
centuries, it may be that the apostles and evangelists made no distinction
between its parts. Jude quotes Enoch, an apocryphal work not in the
Alexandrian canon; so that he at least had no rigid notions about the
difference of canonical and uncanonical writings. Still we know that the
compass of the Old Testament canon was somewhat unsettled to the
Christians of the first century, as it was to the Hellenist Jews
themselves. It is true that the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms were
universally recognized as authoritative; but the extent of the third
division was indefinite, so that the non-citation of the three books
respecting which there was a difference of opinion among the Jews may not
have been accidental. Inasmuch, however, as the Greek-speaking Jews
received more books than their Palestinian brethren, the apostles and
their immediate successors were not wholly disinclined to the use of the
apocryphal productions. The undefined boundary of the canon facilitated
also the recognition of all primitive records of the new Revelation.
The early fathers, who wrote in Greek, used the Greek Bible, as almost all
of them were ignorant of Hebrew. Thus restricted; they naturally
considered its parts alike, citing apocryphal and canonical in the same
way. Accordingly, Irenæus(94) quotes Baruch under the name of “Jeremiah
the prophet;”(95) and the additions to Daniel as “Daniel the prophet.”(96)
Clement of Alexandria(97) uses the apocryphal books like the canonical
ones, for explanation and proof indiscriminately. He is fond of referring
to Baruch, which he cites upwards of twenty-four times in the second book
of his _Pædagogus_, and in a manner to show that he esteemed it as highly
as many other parts of the Old Testament. A passage from Baruch is
introduced by the phrase,(98) “the divine Scripture says;” and another
from Tobit by(99) “Scripture has briefly signified this, saying.” Assuming
that Wisdom was written by Solomon, he uses it as canonical and inspired,
designating it _divine_.(100) Judith he cites with other books of the Old
Testament(101); and the Song of the three children in the furnace is used
as Scripture.(102) Ecclesiasticus also is so treated.(103) Dionysius of
Alexandria(104) cites Ecclesiasticus (xvi. 26), introducing the passage
with “hear divine oracles.”(105) The same book is elsewhere cited,
chapters xliii. 29, 30(106) and i. 8. 9.(107) So is Wisdom, vii. 15(108)
and 25.(109) Baruch (iii. 12-15) is also quoted.(110) The fathers who
wrote in Latin used some of the old Latin versions of which Augustine
speaks; one of them, and that the oldest probably dating soon after the
middle of the second century, being known to us as the _Itala_. As this
was made from the Septuagint, it had the usual apocryphal books. Jerome’s
critical revision or new version did not supplant the old Latin till some
time after his death. Tertullian(111) quotes the Wisdom of Solomon
expressly as Solomon’s;(112) and introduces Sirach by “as it is
written.”(113) He cites Baruch as Jeremiah.(114) He also believes in the
authenticity of the book of Enoch, and defends it as _Scripture_ at some
length.(115) Cyprian often cites the Greek additions to the Palestinian
canon. He introduces Tobit with the words “as it is written,”(116) or
“divine Scripture teaches, saying;”(117) and Wisdom with, “the Holy Spirit
shows by Solomon.”(118) Ecclesiasticus is introduced with, “it is
written;”(119) and Baruch with, “the Holy Spirit teaches by
Jeremiah.”(120) 1 and 2 Maccabees are used as Scripture;(121) as are the
additions to Daniel.(122) The African fathers follow the Alexandrian canon
without scruple. Hippolytus of Rome (about A.D. 220), who wrote in Greek,
quotes Baruch as Scripture;(123) and interprets the additions to Daniel,
such as Susanna, as Scripture likewise.(124)
Melito of Sardis(125) made it his special business to inquire among the
Palestinian Jews about the number and names of their canonical books; and
the result was the following list:—the five books of Moses, Joshua,
Judges, Ruth, four books of Kings, two of Chronicles, the Psalms of David,
the Proverbs of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs, Job, Isaiah,
Jeremiah, the twelve in one book, Daniel, Ezekiel, Ezra.(126) Here Ezra
includes Nehemiah; and Esther is absent, because the Jews whom he
consulted did not consider it canonical.
Origen’s(127) list does not differ much from the Palestinian one. After
the Pentateuch, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Kings first and second, Samuel,
Chronicles, come Ezra first and second, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes,
Canticles, Isaiah, Jeremiah with Lamentations and the epistle, Daniel,
Ezekiel, Job, Esther. Besides these there are the Maccabees, which are
inscribed _Sarbeth Sarbane el_.(128) The twelve prophets are omitted in
the Greek; but the mistake is rectified in Rufinus’s Latin version, where
they follow Canticles, as in Hilary and Cyril of Jerusalem. It is
remarkable that Baruch is given, and why? Because Origen took it from the
MSS. of the Septuagint he had before him, in which the epistle is
attributed to Jeremiah. But the catalogue had no influence upon his
practice. He followed the prevailing view of the extended canon. Sirach is
introduced by “for this also _is written_”;(129) the book of Wisdom is
cited as a _divine word_;(130) the writer is called a _prophet_;(131)
_Christ_ is represented as speaking in it _through Solomon_;(132) and
Wisdom vii. 17 is adduced as _the word of Christ himself_.(133) Tobit is
cited as _Scripture_.(134) His view of the additions to the books of
Daniel and Esther, as well as his opinion about Tobit, are sufficiently
expressed in the epistle to Africanus, so that scattered quotations from
these parts of Scripture can be properly estimated. Of the history of
Susanna he ventures to say that the Jews withdrew it on purpose from the
people.(135) He seems to argue in favor of books used and read in the
churches, though they may be put out of the canon by the Jews. As divine
Providence had preserved the sacred Scriptures, no alteration should be
made in the ecclesiastical tradition respecting books sanctioned by the
churches though they be external to the Hebrew canon.
Most of the writings of Methodius, Bishop of Tyre(136) are lost, so that
we know little of his opinions respecting the books of Scripture. But it
is certain that he employed the Apocrypha like the other writings of the
Old Testament. Thus Sirach (xviii. 30 and xix. 2) is quoted in the same
way as the Proverbs.(137) Wisdom (iv. 1-3) is cited,(138) and Baruch (iii.
14).(139)