CON CLUSION. it was fertile in controversies, was an age of research and thought, but at the same time it was an age of freedom. The fabric of Christian doctrine was not yet consolidated, though the elements which had existed at first separately were already combined. An era of speculation preceded an era of councils; for it was necessary that all the treasures of the Church should be regarded in their various aspects before they could be rightly arranged. There was, however, among Christians a keen and active perception of that one unchangeable rule of faith,' which was embodied in the practice of the Church and attested by the words of Scripture. Apologists for Christianity were followed by advocates of its ancient purity even in the most remote districts of the Roman world. In addition to the writers who have been mentioned already, Eusebius has preserved the names of many others 'from an innumerable crowd,' which in themselves form a striking monument of the energy of the Church. Philip in Crete, Bacchylus at Corinth, and Palmas in Pontus defended the primitive Creed against the innovations of heresy. And the list might be easily increased; but it is enough to show that the energy of Christian life was not confined to the great centres of its action, or to the men who gave their character to its development. Euseb. H. E. iv. 23, 25, 28; v. 22, 46. CLUSION. The whole body was instinct with a sense of CONtruth and ready to maintain it. a not, however, create criticism. Yet even controversy failed to create a spirit which did of historical inquiry. Tertullian once alludes to any historic synodal discussions on the Canon', but as general rule it was assumed by Christian writers that the contents of the New Testament were known and acknowledged. Where differences existed on this point, as in the case of the Marcionites, no attempt was made to compose them by a critical investigation into the history of the sacred records. And in the Church itself Hence we no voice of authority interfered to remove the results, but doubts which formerly existed, however much they were modified by usage and by the judgment of particular writers. The age was not only constructive but conservative; and thus the evidence for the New Testament Canon, which has been gathered from writers of the third century, differs from that of earlier date in fulness rather than in kind. gain no new acknow But the fulness of evidence for the acknow- the old are strongly confirmed, as ledged books, coming from every quarter of the regards the Church and given with unhesitating simplicity, ledged books, can surely be explained on no other ground than that it represented an original tradition or an instinctive judgment of Apostolic times. While, on the other hand, the books which were the disputed 1 Tert. de Pudic. 11. books, and CONCLUSION. not universally received seem to have been in most cases rather unknown than rejected. The Apocalypse alone was made the subject of a controversy, and that purely on internal testimony. For it is most worthy of notice that the disputed books (with the exception of ii. Peter, the history of which is most obscure) are exactly those which make no direct claims to apostolic authorship, so that they might have been excluded from the Canon, even by some who did Apocryphal not doubt their authenticity. In the meantime writings. Apocryphal writings had passed almost out of notice, and no one can suppose that they were any longer confounded with the Apostolic books. Nothing more, indeed, was needed than that some practical crisis should give clear effect to the judgment everywhere felt; and this, as we shall see in the next chapter, was soon furnished by the interrogations of the last persecutor. 'It is a satisfaction to find that the opinion which I have given on the testimonies of Caius and Dionysius (pp.307, 411) is confirmed by that of Münster in a special tract on the subject: De Dionys. Alex. Judic. c. Apocal. Hafnia, 1826, pp. 35 sqq. 67 sqq. |