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54 CredihiUUj of the Gospel History.
the Jews as a part of their sacred scriptures. And that the
Latin christians, who lived in the western part of the Roman
empire, had for the most part the like knowledge and sentiments
upon this point with those in the east, may be argued
fi'oni Rulinus, and Jerom; not to insist now upon any others.
Rufinus, as '' formerly cited, assures us, that there were some
books, not reckoned canonical, but called by the ancients
ecclesiastical : and of this last sort he says were the books
called the Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus, Tobit, Judith,
and the 3Iaccabees. He adds, that' these were read in the
churches, but no article of faith was to be taken from them :
and he delivers this as the ancient belief of christians. Jerom
writes to the like purpose. He says that the book of
Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Judith, Tobit, and the Maccabees,
are not in the canon, but are to be reputed apocryphal. In"
another place he says again expressly, that the church reads
Judith, Tobit, and the Maccabees, but does not receive them
as canonical scriptures. These, he adds, and the book of
Wisdom, and Ecclesiasticus likeAvise, may be read for the
edification of the people, but no doctrine of religion can be
proved by their authority. So write these two learned authors
of the fourth century. And that Cyprian was exactly of
the same judgment upon this point may be argued from a
passage" cited above ; where, having quoted the book of
Tobit, he shows that he did not desire the text alleged thence
should be taken as a decisive proof of what he advanceth ;
and adds, that he should confirm what was said there by the
testimony of truth, meaning the Acts of the Apostles : which
is enough to satisfy us that he really made a distinction, and
that this distinction was well known, though it is often expressly
mentioned. Those books therefore of the Old Testament,
which we call apocryphal, were quoted by way of illustration,
but not as of authority, or alone decisive in any point of
'' lb. num. xxiii. 3. fin. ' —quae omnia legi quidem in ecclesiis
voluemnt, non tamen profeiri ad auctoritatem ex his fidei confirmandam.
Caeteras vero scriptuiusapocryphasnominarunt,quas in ecclesiis legi noluerunt.
Hsec nobis a palribus, ut dixi, fradifa opportunum visum est hoc in libro desig-
nare, ad instructionem eorum qui prima sibi ecclesiae ac fidei elementa suscipiunt.
Rufin. in Symb. "' Hie prologus scripturarum, quasi galeatum
principium omnibus libris, quos de Hebraeo xertimus in Latinum, convenire
potest: ut scire valeamus quidquid extra hos est, inter airoKpv^n esse ponendum.
Igitur Sapientia, quse vulgo Salomonis inscribitur, et Jesu filii Syrach liber,
Judith, et Tobias, et Pa'^tor, non sunt in Canone. Praef. Ilieron, de omnib.
libr. V. T. Seu Praef. in lil)r. Reg. " Sicut ergo Judith, et Tobit,
et Maccabseorum libros legit quidem ecclesia, sed inter canonicas scripturas
non recipit : sic et haec duo volumina legat ad eedificationem plebis, non ad
auctoritatem ecclesiasticorum dogmatum confirmandam. Ejusd. Praef. in
Libr. Salom. ad Chrom. et Ileliod. ° Sec p. 22.