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the sixty. But still it will be asked, How shall we account for the total omission of it? To which I answer, It may be accounted for one of these two ways. Either the author quite omitted it, thinking it better so to do, and be quite silent, than to put it in any class out of the sixty, which would have been offensive to some or else the author himself did at first place it among some of the books, without the sixty; and some transcriber afterwards struck it out, not enduring to see it debased by an improper situation.

5. Among apocryphal books, and the very last of them, is the Gospel according to Matthew;' concerning which little or nothing beside conjectures can be said; but thereby cannot be meant our gospel of Matthew, which is among the sixty possibly this article has been, by some means or other, curtailed. The gospel according to the Hebrews may have been here mentioned, and said to have been esteemed by some the original, by others a translation of the gospel according to Matthew.

IV. I shall take no farther notice of Stichometries, except adding, that there is another published by Cotelerius" in his Judgment upon the epistle of Barnabas: he says, it is mutilated and corrupted. I put down that part which relates to the New Testament, and is thus: The four gos'pels; Matthew, Mark, Luke, John; the epistle of Paul to the Romans, the first to the Corinthians, the second to the Corinthians, to the Galatians, to the Ephesians, the first to Timothy, the second to Timothy, to Titus, to the Colos'sians, to Philemon; the first of Peter, the second of Peter; 'the epistle of James; the first of John, the second of John, the third of John; the epistle of Jude; the epistle of Bar'nabas; the Revelation of John; the Acts of the Apostles; the Shepherd; the Acts of Paul; the Revelation of 'Peter.'

Every one perceives, that this Catalogue is much mutilated, there being wanting several books, which were always universally received; as the epistle to the Philippians, and the two epistles to the Thessalonians; as well as the epistle to the Hebrews, which also was generally received and it may be reckoned probable, that all these were originally in this catalogue, or Stichometry. What use can be made of the latter part of the catalogue, I must refer to every reader's own consideration.

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I. His time, and works. II. Scriptures of the Old Testament received by him. III. Books of the New Testament received by him. IV. General titles and divisions of the books of scripture, and marks of respect for them. V. Two general observations concerning the canon of scripture. VI. Select passages.

a

I. COSMAS, of Alexandria in Egypt, called Indopleustes, or Indicopleustes, on account of a voyage which he made to the Indies; at first a merchant, afterwards monk and author, lived in the time of the emperor Justinian, and is computed to have flourished about the year 535. He wrote several things, particularly the Christian Topography, or the Opinion of Christians concerning the World, in twelve books, still extant, and some while ago published to great advantage by Dom Bernard de Montfauçon. In that work, Cosmas, contrary to the sentiment of all astronomers in general, denies the earth to be spherical; and endeavours to prove his opinion from reason, scripture, and christian writers, who lived before him.

I cannot avoid taking notice of this writer, his testimony to the scriptures being very considerable; and if I do not confine myself to that, I shall, nevertheless, for the sake of brevity, omit divers things, not unworthy of observation; for, as Montfauçon says, the digressions are as valuable as the work itself.

II. 1. And, in the first place, I observe, that Cosmas's canon of the Old Testament was that of the Jews: he has once quoted Baruch, scribe or secretary of the prophet Jeremiah; Ecclesiasticus; and the Maccabees; but not as of authority. The books quoted by him, as of authority, and expressly mentioned, are the Pentateuch; the book of

a Vid. Cav. H. L. T. i. p. 515. et Montf. Præf. in Cosm. Topogr. cap. i. b Cosma Indicopleustæ Christianorum Opinio de Mundo, sive Topographia Christiana. Ap. B. Montf. Nov. Collection. PP. T. ii. p. 113, &c. Paris. 1706. Ut vero digressionibus gaudet scriptor noster, multa præclara ultro citroque refert. Vereque dici potest, esse TO TUPEрYOV KOELTTOV T8 Epу8. Præf. ib. cap. ii. fin. d Topogr. Chr. 1. ii. p. 137. f L. ii. p. 145. C. 8 L. v. p. 238, 239.

e L. iii. p. 382. D

Joshua; the Judges; Ruth; the book of the Kings, and the Chronicles; the book of Psalms; three books of Solomon, the Proverbs, Canticles, and Ecclesiastes; the twelve prophets; and the four larger prophets. Here is no particular mention of Ezra: buth that book is elsewhere expressly quoted, with the Chronicles.

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2. In another place, having mentioned the historical facts of the Old Testament, to the settlement of the Israelites in the land of Canaan, he says: After that, God raised up to them prophets; David the king, Samuel, the great Elias, and his disciple Elisha; and the twelve; and the four greater prophets, who prophesied of the coming of the Lord Christ.'

3. The book of Job is quoted several times, and as divine scripture.

4. The Psalms are often quoted, and called divine scripture. David is styled by him," the 'great David,' king and prophet; and he says, that" the book of Psalms was composed by him.

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5. The book of Ecclesiastes is quoted by him with marks of the highest respect: As, the divine scripture says; by the divine Solomon.' In another place, he seems to diminish Solomon, saying, that he wrote the Proverbs, the Songs, and the Ecclesiastes; having received from God the grace of wisdom to instruct men in the right conduct of life: but he did not receive the grace of prophecy.' Nevertheless, I suppose that Cosmas does not deny Solomon the gift of inspiration; but only the gift of prophecy, or foretelling things to come: in the general sense of the word, therefore, he was a prophet, being moved by the Holy Ghost.

6. Having collected testimonies out of the twelve prophets, and last of all out of Malachi, he proceeds immediately to the New Testament.

7. And he says, that the books of the Old Testament were written in Hebrew.

III. The books of the New Testament, received by Cosmas, are, the four gospels, the Acts, St. Paul's fourteen epistles, and some of the catholic epistles.

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1. In the fifth book, where he quotes the books of scrip

Ετι δε και ἡ προςαξις Κυρι εγγράφως εν ταις Παραλιπομεναις, και εν τῳ Εσδρα τεταγμενη. L. viii. p. 306. Α.

k L. ii. p. 128. A. L. iii. p. 167. D.

et passim.

m L. v. p. 224. B.

9 Vid. I. v. p. 237-241.

L. ii. p. 134. B.

L. v. p. 207. E. 1 L. ii. p. 158. B. "L. v. p. 238. D.

P L. v. p. 139. E.
L. vii. p. 275. D.

ture one after another, and gives some account of each book, he says: Matthew is the first evangelist who wrote a gospel. There being a persecution, when Stephen was stoned, and he also being about to go from that place, the believers entreated him to leave with them a written instruction, with which request he complied: and, being well acquainted, especially with the abode of the Lord in flesh here on this earth, he set before them a pattern of an excellent institution, and of an heavenly and divine life and conversation:' and what follows.

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2. Mark, the second evangelist, wrote a gospel at Rome, by the direction of Peter.'

3. Luke" is the third evangelist, who, having observed many endeavouring to write gospels, and inventing things out of their own heads, wrote to his own disciple Theophi lus, to guard him against such accounts.' And here Cosmas likewise mentions the Acts; in which as well as in his gospel, he says, Luke gives an account of our Lord's ascension into heaven.

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4. I would observe here, that, from several places of this work, it appears, this author had in his copies, the first and second chapters of St. Matthew's gospel, and the history of our Lord's nativity, as recorded by St. Luke.

5. The fourth and chief of the evangelists is John the divine who was more beloved by Christ than all the rest, who leaned upon the Lord's breast, and from thence, as from an overflowing fountain, drew mysteries: to whom, when he dwelt at Ephesus, were delivered by the faithful the writings of the other evangelists. Receiving them, he said, that what they had written was well written; but some things were omitted by them, which were needful to be related. And being desired by the faithful, he also published his writing, as a kind of supplement to the rest, containing such things as these: the wedding at Cana; the history of Nicodemus; the woman of Samaria; the nobleman [or courtier, John iv. 46-54]; the man blind from his birth; Lazarus; the indignation of Judas at the woman that anointed the Lord with ointment; the Greeks that came to Jesus; his washing his disciples' feet; and suitable instructions upon several occasions; and the promise of the Comforter; and concerning the deity of Christ, expressly and

S

245.

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Ούτος πρωτος των ευαγγελιων συγγραψάμενος ευαγγελιον, κ. λ. L. v. p. Πετρε εν Ρώμη εντειλάμενο αυτό. p. 246. D. Vid. l. iii. p. 147. A. p. 176. E. I. v.

P. 247. A. C.

p. 245. C. D. E. p. 247. et passim.

* Οὗτος ὁ Θεολόγος Ιωάννης, ὁ ἐξαρχος των ευαγγελιων. p. 248.

clearly at the beginning, and promising that as the foundation of his work: all which things had been omitted by the rest.'

6. In the next place are large quotations of discourses of Peter, recorded in the Acts of the Apostles.

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7. Afterwards follows they great apostle Paul, the great master of the church, and leader of the heavenly band, who had Christ speaking in him: of whose fourteen epistles Cosmas says, it is not needful for him to allege all the places that are to his purpose. However, he gives a general account of them, and in this order: to the Romans; to the Corinthians; to the Galatians; to the Ephesians; Philippians; Colossians; Thessalonians; Hebrews; Timothy; Titus; Philemon.' He says, the epistle to the Hebrews was written in Hebrew; and was translated into Greek, as is said, by Luke, or Clement. In like manner the gospel of Matthew,' that is, as I understand him, was written in Hebrew; for I do not judge it necessary to suppose, that Cosmas intended to intimate, that St. Matthew's gospel had the same translators as the epistle to the Hebrews; or to say any thing at all about the authors of that translation: but only that Matthew's gospel was written in Hebrew, in like manner as Paul's epistle to the Hebrews.

8. He says, in another place, the epistle to the Hebrews was written to the Jews who believed in Christ.

9. Cosmas takes but little notice of the catholic epistles, except it be to answer objections, which were brought thence against some of his assertions. And in one place he says expressly: I forbear to allege arguments from the catholic epistles; because, from ancient time, the church has looked upon them as of doubtful authority. And of all who have written Commentaries upon the divine scriptures, not one has taken notice of the catholic epistles: and all who have given an account of the canonical books of divine scripture, have spoken of them as doubtful, particularly Irenæus, bishop of Lyons, a man of great note, and eminent piety, who lived not long after the apostles; and Eusebius Pamphili; and Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria: and Amphilochius, bishop of Iconium, friend of the blessed Basil, in his Iambics to Seleucus, expressly declares them

* P. 249-251.

* P. 254, 255.

с

JP. 251-253.

b P. 255. C.

2 P. 253. C.

• Ο δε αποτολος Παύλος προς τις εκ των Εβραίων πεπιτευκότας εις Χρισον γεγραφηκεν, κ. λ. L. vii. p. 279. D. Σιωπώμεν δε ότι τας

d

καθολικας ανεκαθεν ή εκκλησία αμφιβαλλομένας έχει, κ. λ. L. vii. p. 292. Β. Ε.

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