The second Helvetic Confession (A.D. 1566) speaks of the apocryphal books
of the Old Testament as those which the ancients wished to be read in the
churches, but not as authoritative in matters of faith.(375)
The Gallic Confession (A.D. 1559) makes a distinction between canonical
and other books, the former being the rule and norm of faith, not only by
the consent of the Church, but much more by the testimony and intrinsic
persuasion of the Spirit, by whose suggestions we are taught to
distinguish them from other ecclesiastical books, which, though useful,
are not of the kind that any article of faith can be constituted by
them.(376)
The Belgic Confession (A.D. 1561) makes a distinction between the sacred
and apocryphal books. The latter may be read by the Church, but no
doctrine can be derived from them. In the list of New Testament books
given there are _fourteen_ epistles of Paul.(377)
The canon of the Waldenses must have coincided at first with that of the
Roman Church; for the Dublin MS. containing the New Testament has attached
to it the Book of Wisdom and the first twenty-three chapters of Sirach;
while the Zurich codex of the New Testament has marginal references to the
Apocrypha; to Judith, Tobit, 4 Esdras, Wisdom, Sirach, and Susanna. The
_Nobla Leyczon_ containing a brief narration of the contents of the Old
and New Testaments confirms this opinion. It opposes, however, the old law
to the new, making them antagonistic. The historical document containing
the articles of “The Union of the Valleys,” A.D. 1571, separates indeed
the canonical and apocryphal books, purporting to be founded on a
Confession of Faith as old as A.D. 1120; but the latter is mythical, as
appears from a comparison of it with the epistle which the legates of the
Waldensians gave to Œcolampadius. The articles of that “Union” are copied
from Morel’s account of his transactions with Œcolampadius and Bucer in
1530. The literature of this people was altered by Hussite influences and
the Reformation; so that though differing little from the Romanists at
first except in ecclesiastical discipline, they diverged widely afterwards
by adopting the Protestant canon and doctrines.(378) Hence, the Confession
issued in 1655 enumerates as Holy Scripture nothing but the Jewish
Palestinian canon, and the usual books of the New Testament.(379)
The canon of the Anglican Church (1562), given in the sixth article of
religion, defines holy Scripture to be “those canonical books of the Old
and New Testament, of whose authority was never any doubt in the Church.”
After giving the names and number of the canonical books, the article
prefaces the apocryphal ones with, “And the other books (as Hierome saith)
the Church doth read for example of life and instruction of manners; but
yet doth it not apply them to establish any doctrine? Such are these
following,” &c., &c. At the end it is stated that “all the books of the
New Testament, as they are commonly received, we do receive and account
them canonical.” The article is ambiguous. If the canonical books
enumerated are those meant in the phrase “of whose authority was never any
doubt in the Church,” the statement is incorrect. If a distinction is
implied between the canonical books and such canonical ones as have never
been doubted in the Church, the meaning is obscure. In either case the
language is not explicit.
The Scottish or Westminster Confession of Faith gives a list of all the
books of the Old and New Testaments as the Word of God written; adding
that those called the apocrypha are not of divine inspiration, and no part
of the canon,—of no authority in the Church, nor to be approved or made
use of otherwise than human writings.
The Roman Catholic canon was finally determined at the Council of Trent
(1546), which adopted all the books in the Vulgate as sacred and
canonical, without distinction. Third and fourth Esdras, third Maccabees,
and the prayer of Manasseh were not included; though the first and last
appeared in the original Clementine edition of 1592, but apart from the
canonical books. They are not in the Sixtine edition of 1590.(380) A
council at Florence in 1441 had set the example which was followed at
Trent. But this stringent decree did not prevent individual Catholics from
making a distinction between the books, in assuming a first and second
canon or proto-canonical and deutero-canonical books; as did Sixtis
Senensis, B. Lamy, Anton a matre Dei, Jahn, and others; though it is
hardly consistent with orthodox Catholicism or the view of those who
passed the decree. When the writings are said to be of different
authority—some more, others less—the intent of the council is violated.
The Vatican council (1870) confirmed the Tridentine decree respecting the
canon.
The Greek Church, after several ineffectual attempts to uphold the old
distinction between the canonical and ecclesiastical books by Metrophanes
Critopulus patriarch of Alexandria in 1625, and Cyril Lucaris patriarch of
Constantinople (1638 A.D.),(381) came to the same decision with the
Romish, and canonized all the apocrypha. This was done at a Jerusalem
synod under Dositheus in 1672.