CHAP. CLVIII.

LEONTIUS.

1. LEONTIUS was for some time an advocate at Constantinople, and is generally supposed to have been a native of that city he afterwards retired from the world, and lived a monk in Palestine. By some he is reckoned a writer of the sixth, by others of the seventh century; or said to have lived partly in the one, partly in the other. Cavec placeth him as flourishing about the year 590; Fabricius d at 610, to whom I refer for accounts of his works.

. 2. Though he be so late a writer, he deserves our notice, as he has left a complete catalogue of books of scripture, received by christians in that part of the world where he lived.

3. The books received by the church, says he, are the books of the ancient, and of the new scripture. The ancient scripture is that written before the coming of Christ, the new since. Of the ancient scripture there are two and twenty books; some historical, some prophetical, some moral and poetical.

* Vid. Du Pin, Bib. des Aut. Ec. T. v. p. 85. Hody de Bibl. Text. Orig. p. 648. J. Ens. Biblioth. Sacr. p. 169.

d Bib. Gr. T. vii. p. 451.

--

b S. Basnag. Hist. de l'Eglise, 1. 8. c. x. p. 445. < H. L. T. i. p. 543. Ο τέως αριθμησωμεθα τα εκκλησιαστικα βιβλια. Των τοινυν εκκλησιαστικών βιβλίων τα μεν της παλαιας εισι γραφης, τα δε της νεας. Παλαιαν δε λεγομεν γραφην την προ της παρεσίας το Χρισε, νεαν δε την μετα την παρεσίαν. Της μεν εν παλαιας βιβλια εισιν κβ' ων τα μεν εισιν ίςορικα, τα δε προφητικά, τα δε παραινετικα, τα δε προς το ψάλλειν γενομενα-Τα τοινυν ίτορικα βιβλια εισι ιβ. Και ταύτα μεν ἱσορικα. Προφητικά δε εισι πεντε, ὧν πρωτον εσιν ὁ Ησαΐας, δευτερον ὁ Ιερεμίας, τριτον ὁ Εζεκιήλ, τεταρτον ὁ Δανιηλ, πέμπτον το δωδεκαπροφητον λεγομεν, εν ώ δωδεκα προφητων κειται προφητεια. Παραινετικα εισι βιβλια δ Εισι δε ταυτα τα τρια βιβλια Σολομωντος. Μετα ταυτα ετι το ψαλτηριον. Και ταυτα μεν εισι τα κβ' βιβλια της παλαιας. Της δε νέας ἐξ εισι βιβλια ων δυο περιέχει τις τεσσαρας ευαγγελιζας. Το μεν γαρ εχει Ματθαιον και Μαρχον, το δε έτερον Λυκαν και Ιωαννην. Τρίτον εσιν αἱ Πράξεις των αποςόλων τέταρτον αἱ καθολικαι επιτολαι, εσαι έπτα, ων πρωτη τε Ιακωβε εσιν, ἡ β', και ἡ γ' Πετρε, ή δ', και ε, και 5, τε Ιωαννε· ἡ δε ζ' τε Ιεδα. Καθολικαι δε εκληθησαν, επειδαν 8 προς έν εθνος εγράφησαν, ως αἱ τε Παυλο, αλλα καθόλε προς παντα. Πεμπτον βιβλιον αἱ ιδ' τε ἁγιο Παυλο επιτολαι. Έκτον ετιν ἡ Αποκαλυψις τε άγιο Ιωανν8. Ταυτα επι τα κανονι ζομενα βιβλια εν τη εκκλησία, και παλαια και νεα' ων τα παλαια παντα δεχονται Εβραιοι. Leont. Advocat. Byzant. de Sectis. Act. ii. Ap. Bib. PP. Paris. 1644. T. xi. p. 496-498. Conf. Bib. PP. Lugdun. T. ix. p. 662, 663.

1

The historical books are twelve: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy: and of these books, called the Pentateuch, Moses is universally allowed to be the author: but the names of the writers of the books, which follow next, are unknown. The sixth is the book of Joshua the son of Nun: the seventh is called the book of the Judges: the eighth is the book of Ruth: the two next contain the history of the kingdoms; they are really four books, but are reckoned two only; the ninth and tenth then are the books of the Kingdoms: the eleventh is the Remains, so called, because it contains things omitted by the writers of the books of the Kingdoms: the twelfth is Ezra, [meaning our Ezra and Nehemiah,] containing the history of the return of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity, in the reign of Cyrus. These are the historical books.

The prophetical books are five: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and the book of the twelve Prophets.

The moral and poetical are also four: Job, by some supposed to be written by Joseph: the Proverbs, the Ecclesiastes, the Canticles, which three were written by Solomon after them is the Psalter. These are the two and twenty books of the ancient scripture.

6

The books of the New Testament are six: the first two of which contain the four evangelists: the first Matthew and Mark, the second Luke and John: the third is the Acts of the Apostles: the fourth the catholic Epistles, being seven in number; the first is the epistle of James, the second and third are the epistles of Peter, the fourth, fifth, and sixth, the epistles of John, the seventh is the epistle of Jude; they are called catholic, because they are not written to one nation, as Paul's epistles, but in general to all: the fifth book is the fourteen epistles of Paul: the sixth is the Revelation of John. These are the ancient and the new books, which are received in the church as canonical: all the ancient are received by the Jews.'

4. I shall add a passage, which is not far below, in the next section, where he says, Again' the times from Christ to Constantine have a threefold division: the first is from the nativity of Christ to his ascension: the next is after his ascension, of which the Acts of the Apostles treat; the third is from that period, and the death of the apostles, to the

οἱ δε απο της ανηλήψεως, περὶ ὧν διαλαμβανεσιν αἱ Πράξεις των αποτόλων· οἱ δὲ απο της περιοδο και τελευτης των αποςόλων, άχρι της αρχής της βασιλειας Κωνταντινε. Περι ὧν διαλαμβάνεσι τινες εκκλησιατικοι ισορικοι -ες εξ ανάγκης ου δεχόμεθα. Μέχρι γαρ των Πράξεων των αποςόλων κεκανονιται δέχεσθαι ήμας. Act. 3. p. 503. Α. Β. C.

reign of Constantine; the affairs of which have been related by several ecclesiastical historians, as Eusebius Pamphili, and Theodoret, whom we are not obliged to receive; for, beside the Acts of the Apostles, no such writings are appointed to be received by us.'

5. This shows the great regard which was paid to the book of the Acts of the Apostles.

6. I scarce need to make any remarks upon the catalogues above transcribed; every one perceives how clean they are. The catalogue of the books of the Old Testament is exactly and completely the canon of the Jews, except that the book of Esther is not mentioned. Here is no notice taken of those books of the Old Testament which protestants generally call apocryphal; and it affords a strong argument, that those books never were reckoned to be of authority.

7. The catalogue of the books of the New Testament contains all which are now generally received by us, and no others: here is no notice taken of the Constitutions, or Recognitions, or any other christian writings; the books above named were all which were esteemed canonical by that part of the church with which this writer was acquainted.

8. However, he presently afterwards mentions many teachers and fathers, as Ignatius, Irenæus, Justin, and others, before and after Constantine: but their writings were not of authority; they had not been transmitted down from the beginning with that character.

9. It is observable, that Leontius divides the scriptures of the New Testament into six books: this is a particularity; nevertheless, we saw a like division formerly in the Synopsis ascribed to Athanasius: the only difference is, that there the four gospels are each reckoned one book; andi the catalogue of Gelasius, bishop of Rome, about 496, very much resembles, in this respect, that in the Synopsis.

10. It should not be entirely overlooked by us, that this writer says, After the return to Jerusalem, Ezra, perceiving that the sacred books had been burnt in the time of the captivity, it was reported, that he wrote them again out of his own memory, even all the two and twenty books of

8 Εγένοντο δε εν τοις χρόνοις τους απο της γενέσεως το Χρισε μέχρι της βασιλειας Κωνταντινὰ διδασκαλοι και πατέρες οίδε. Ib. Act. iii. p. 503. C. h See vol. iv. p. 163.

See in this volume, ch. cxlv. p. 75, 76.

* Ο δε Εσδρας συνεγράψατο την επανοδον αυτών. Και ελθών εις τα Ιεροσολυμα, και εύρων, ότι παντα τα βιβλια ησαν καυθεντα, ήνικα ηχμαλωτίσθησαν, απο μνημης λεγεται συγγραψασθαι τα κβ' βιβλια, άπερ εν τοις ανω απηριθμηoaμela. Act. 2. fin. p. 502. D.

the ancient scripture before mentioned.' Theodoret1 speaks to the like purpose: some other learned christian writers in former times have been of the same opinion; which may be seen examined and confuted by Dr. Prideaux, in his Connection of the History of the Old and New Testament.

6

11. I shall put down but one select passage only, in which Leontius says, that" our Lord was baptized when he was thirty years of age, and having wrought many miracles, and taught the Jews, he was crucified in the thirtythird year of his age.' Whence it may be argued, that he computed not more than three passovers in our Lord's ministry, according to St. John's gospel.

CHAP. CLIX.

VENERABLE BEDE.

1. VENERABLE Bede is placed by Cave as flourishing about the year 701. He was born in England, in the county of Durham, in 672, as some say; in 673, or 674, as© others: he died ind 735.

b

2. Bede, beside many other works, wrote Commentaries upon all the books of the New Testament, now generally received.

3. He seems not to have had in his copies the doxology, which we now have at the conclusion of the Lord's Prayer in St. Matthew's gospel; for he has twice explained every other part of the prayer, without taking any notice of it.

4. Cave, in his article of Bede, has published, from an ancient manuscript, a prologue to the seven catholic epistles, wanting in all the editions of Bede's works.

I See ch. cxxxi. p. 15, 16. in this volume.

See Part. i. Book v. at the year before Christ, 446.

Ετεχθη γαρ- και ηύξησε, και γενομενος ετων λ' εβαπτίσθη, και μετα το βαπτισμα ηρξατο σημεια ποιειν, και διδάσκειν τες Ιεδαίες, και τῳ λγ' έτει εσαυρωθη, κ. λ. Ib. Act. i. p. 495. C.

3

Vid. Cav. H. L. L. E. Du Pin, Bib. T. vi. et Bedæ Hist. Ec. a Jo. Smith. Cantabr. 1722. b Cav. ubi supra.

c Vid. Pagi Ann. 693. n. viii. et 731. n. v.

d Pagi Ann. 731. n. iv. v. vi.

e

Exposit. in Matth. Evang. cap. vi. p. 18. Et Conf. p. 91. T. v. Colon.

1688.

5. Bede there enumerates the seven epistles in the order now used by us: he says, that the epistle of James is placed first, either because he was bishop of the church of Jerusalem, where the gospel was first preached, and from whence it was spread over the whole world; or else, because the epistle was written to the twelve tribes of Israel, who were the first believers. Peter's epistles,' he says, ' are placed next, because he wrote to the elect strangers,' that is, to such as had been proselyted from Gentilism to Judaism, and after that were converted to the christian religion; and,' he says, that John's epistles are fitly placed after the foregoing, because he wrote to believers from among the Gentiles, who before were not the people of God, neither by nature, nor by profession: moreover,' as he adds, many ecclesiastical writers had said, that his first epistle was written to Parthians. The epistle of Jude The epistle of Jude is placed last; for though he was great, he was inferior to the three forementioned apostles; and besides, their epistles having been first placed, his comes last of course.' Bede proceeds, and says, It is certain, that James completed his testimony in the thirtieth year after our Lord's passion; Peter suffered in the thirty-eighth year, that is, the last year of Nero; and in his second epistle he speaks of his death as then approaching; whence it appears, that epistle was written a good while after the death of James; his two epistles could not be separated from each other, since they were written to the same churches; and long after this John wrote his

f Jacobus, Petrus, Joannes, Judas, septem epistolas ediderunt, quas ecclesiastica consuetudo catholicas, i. e. universales, cognominat. In quibus ideo prima epistola Jacobi ponitur, quia ipse Jerosolymorum regendam suscepit ecclesiam -vel certe quia ipse duodecim tribubus Israëlis, quæ primæ crediderunt, suam epistolam misit, merito prima poni debuit. Merito Petri secunda, quia ipse 'electis advenis' scripsit, qui de Gentilitate ad Judaismum de Judaismo ad electionis evangelicæ gratiam, conversi sunt. Merito Johannis epistolæ tertio loco sunt positæ, quia his scripsit ipse, qui de Gentibus crediderunt, cum nec professione exstitissent. Denique multi scriptorum ecclesiasticorum, in quibus est S. Athanasius, Alexandrinæ præsul ecclesiæ, primam ejus epistolam scriptam ad Parthos esse testantur. Merito Judæ posita est ultima, quia, quamvis et ipse magnus est, tribus tamen præcedentibus apostolis minor est; vel quia.Constat enim quia beatus Jacobus tricesimo post passionem Domini anno suum consummavit martyrium. Petrus tricesimo octavo, hoc est, ultimo anno Neronis, passus est, et ipse in secundà suâ scripsit epistolâ: Certus sum' [Cap. i. 14.] Unde patet, quia imminente passione hanc scripsit epistolam, cum multo ante Jacobus migravit ad Christum. Neque vero conveniebat ejus epistolas ad invicem separari, quas iisdem scripsit ecclesiis. Porro Joannes multo post tempore suas epistolas simul et evangelium scripsit, qui post occisionem Dominicam [Domitiani] reversus de exilio turbatam se absente per hæreticos reperit ecclesiam, quos in suis epistolis percutiens sæpe cognominat antichristos. Ap. Cav. H. L. T. i. p. 614.