2. He vindicates the spirituality, and the divine mystery, of the book of Canticles.

3. Theodoret explains Baruch; but his Commentary concludes with the end of the fifth chapter: he takes no notice of the epistle of Jeremiah, in the sixth chapter of that book, as it is divided by us.

4. In his Commentary upon Daniel, he takes no notice of the stories of Susannah, or of Bel and the Dragon, as is owned by Tillemont; but he has the Song of the Three Children, inserted in the third chapter of the book of Daniel.

5. He says, that! Ezekiel was the last prophet, during the captivity; and that Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, prophesied after the return. Again, he says: After the return from the captivity, the Jewish people had but three prophets, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi: and then the gift of prophecy ceased among them: but after the coming of our Saviour, and after his ascension, the Holy Ghost came down upon the holy apostles, and by them the like gift was bestowed, not upon the Jews only, but also upon all the Gentiles that believed. In another place, he says: As" Moses is the first who committed to writing the divine oracles; so Malachi is the last of the prophets that wrote.'

6. Whence it is apparent, that Theodoret's canon of the Old Testament was very little, if at all, different from that of the Jews.

7. We plainly perceive, from Theodoret as well as from others, that what we call the books of the Kings, were in those times generally called, the books of the Kingdoms.

8. He thinks it probable, that the books of the Chronicles were written after the return from the Babylonish captivity.

IV. I. It is almost needless to observe, that Theodoret received four gospels only; of which we saw good proof formerly or, thats he received the book of the Acts, and

Præf. in Cant. p. 984.

i Theodoret. Art. xlv. Mem. T. xv. In Ezech. T. ii. p. 304. D.

n Præf. in Malach. T. ii. p. 931. B.

Conf. p. 229, 230.

h Vid. T. ii. p. 285, 286.
* Vid. T. ii. p. 578, &c.
m In Ezech. ib. p. 501. A. B.
In Judic. T. i. p. 208. B.

P In Paral. T. i. p. 364. A. B. 4 Ταυτα οἱ τεσσαρες ευαγγελίσαι συνεγραψαν. Εp. 130. Τ. iii. p. 1003. C. Μάρτυρες οἱ τεσσαρες ευαγγελιται· άπαντες γαρ συμφώνως τετο διδάσκεσιν. Ep. 145. p. 1019. D. Και διδάσκει ήμας διαῤῥηδην των ἱερων ευαγγελίων ἡ TETρаKTUC. Ep. 145. p. 1026. B. See Vol. i. ch. xii.

Upon Col. iv. 14. T. iii. p. 363. he says: This person wrote the divine

ascribed it to St. Luke; or that he bad received fourteen epistles of the apostle Paul, upon which he wrote Commentaries, still extant, as before mentioned.

2. Theodoret has digested St. Paul's epistles, according to the order of time in which they were written; and has observed, likewise, the places from which they were sent.

'I will show,' says he, the order of the apostle's epistles: The blessed Paul wrote fourteen epistles; but I do not think that he assigned them that order which we now have in our Bibles. The epistle written by the divine Paul to the Romans, stands first in order; nevertheless, it is the last of those which were sent from Asia, Macedonia, and Achaia: the two epistles first written are, the two epistles to the Thessalonians; next, the two epistles to the Corinthians: the fifth, in order of time, is the first to Timothy; the next, is that to Titus: the epistle to the Romans is the seventh. The other epistles were sent from Rome; the first of these I take to be that to the Galatians. From Rome likewise he sent the epistles to the Philippians, and that to the Ephesians, and to the Colossians, in which last he also mentions Onesimus: for which reason the epistle to Philemon may be supposed to have been written before, for in it he desires, that Onesimus may be received; afterwards he wrote the epistle to the Hebrews, and from Rome, as the conclusion shows: "They of Italy salute you.' The last of all his epistles is the second to Timothy. This is the order of the epistles in point of time. The epistle to the Romans has been placed first, as containing the most full and exact representation of the christian doctrine, in all its branches; but some say, that it has been so placed out of respect to the city to which it was sent, as presiding over the whole world,'

99

3. Theodoret's preface to his Commentary upon the epistle to the Ephesians, deserves to be carefully read. At the end of that preface, he says: The former part of the epistle contains the doctrine of the gospel; the latter part, a moral admonition.' That may be said in some measure of most of St. Paul's epistles; but it is more especially manifest in this.

6

4 In a note upon Eph. i. 15, 16, he says: Some argued gospel, and the history of the Acts. Ούτος και το θειον συνέγραψε ευαγγέλιον, και την ίσοριαν των πράξεων. The book of the Acts is very often quoted by Theodoret, and as written by St. Luke.

u

Præf. in Ep. S. P. T. iii. p. 2. D. et p. 3, 4, 5, 6.

Την δε ταξιν, ἣν εν τοις βιβλίοις έχεσιν, εκ αυτον ἡγεμαι πεποιηκεναι,
Pr. in Ep. ad Eph. T. iii. p. 292. C.

Ib. p. 2. D.

T. iii. p. 293. D.

VOL. V.

C

from thence, that the apostle had not yet seen the Ephesians, when he wrote that epistle to them;' but he does not allow their argument to be good.

5. It may be here observed, that Theodoret always cites the epistle to the Ephesians by that title.

6. In the preface to the epistle to the Colossians, he says: Some have been of opinion, that the apostle had not seen those christians, when he wrote to them: and they endeavoured to support their own opinion by these expressions, ch. ii. 1; but he says, they do not rightly interpret the words, the meaning of which is, that he was not concerned for them only, but likewise for those who had not seen him; he says, therefore: 'I would ye should know, how great concern I have for you, and for them of Laodicea; and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh.' He farther argues it to be very likely, from the history in the Acts, that the apostle had been at Colosse: so he argues again, in his comment upony Col. ii. 1; and iv. 10.

7. Upon Col. iv. 16, he says: Some have hence imagined, that the apostle had also written to the Laodiceans, and they had forged such an epistle; but the apostle does not say the epistle to the Laodiceans, but from Laodicea; for they had written to him about some things: probably, they had informed him of some things amiss among the Colossians; whilst the like faults were to be found with them also therefore, he directs, that this epistle should be likewise read to them.'

b

8. It is surprising to observe, how seldom Theodoret has quoted the catholic epistles-they are not quite overlooked; they are quoted but all his quotations of them might be placed, at full length, in a little room. It was formerly shown, that there are but few quotations of the catholic epistles, either in Theodoret or Chrysostom.

9. He quotes the epistle of St. James. In his comment upon Gal. i. 19, he says, that James, the Lord's brother, was not so literally; nor was he the son of Joseph, by a former marriage, as some have thought; but he was the son of Cleophas, who had married the sister of our Lord's mother: he was, therefore, cousin-german to our Lord. 10. Theodoret has several times quoted the first epistle

* T. iii. p. 342, 343.

2 Ibid. p. 63. C.

d In Ps. T. i. p. 496. A.

y Ibid. p. 350. D.
b See Vol. iv. ch. lxxxv.

e T. iii. p. 268. A.

2 Ibid. p. 262. C.

c Ibid.

f Vid. in Cant. T. i. p. 1058. A. et 1082. B. In Es. T. ii. p. 93. A. In

Ep. ad. Rom. T. iii. p. 81. C. In I. ad Tim. p. 472. A.

of St. Peter; and once, eithers 2 Pet. ii. 22, or Prov. xxvi. 11.

11. The first epistle of John is thus quoted by him: And the divine apostle John, at the beginning of his epistle, says: "That which we have seen, and our hands have handled." And, in one of the Dialogues on the Incarnation, if it be genuine, the first of St. John is thus quoted: Hear the great John, in his catholic epistle, saying.' This epistle is quoted again in the epistle to Sporacius.

12. I do not recollect any quotation of the Revelation, in the unquestioned works of Theodoret. In a passage of1 Athanasius, inserted in the forementioned Dialogues, the Revelation is cited; but the genuineness of those Dialogues is disputed, as before seen: and, if they were unquestionably genuine, it might not follow, that Theodoret received the book of the Revelation, unless he had himself cited it upon some other occasion. The Revelation is, once or twice, slightly cited, in the fifth volume of Theodoret's works, or the Appendix, published by Garnier; but it is not certainly known that those writings are Theodoret's. It appears to me, therefore, probable, that Theodoret did not receive the book of the Revelation.

m

13. Here it may not be amiss for the reader to compare Theodoret with Cyril of Alexandria: Cyril, who lived in Egypt, received the Revelation, and quotes the catholic epistles very freely; but Theodoret, who lived in Syria, either rejected the Revelation, or was shy of quoting it, and likewise cites the catholic epistles very seldom.

14. Upon the whole, Theodoret received the four gospels, the Acts, Paul's fourteen epistles, the epistle of James, the first of Peter, and the first of John; but there is no plain proof, that he received the book of the Revelation, or the other four catholic epistles: insomuch, that there is some reason to think, that his canon of the New Testament was the same with that of the Syrian christians.

V. General titles and divisions of the scriptures, used by Theodoret, are such as these: the "ancient scripture, and the gospels; gospels, prophets, and apostles: prophets, and apostles; the books of the sacred gospels,

8 In Dan. T. ii. p. 572. D. p. 287.

* T. iv. p. 701. C.

h Hær. Fab. 1. v. c. 15. T. iv.

Vid. Dial. 1. T. iv. p. 29. C.
1 Dial. 1. T. iv. p. 39. C.

m Vid. Adv. Macedon. Dial. 4. T. v. p. 374. A. et p. 378. A.
"In Gen. T. i. p. 31. C. D.

P Hær. Fab. Compend. T. iv. p. 187.

Ep. 109. T. iii. p. 978. C. Ep. 17. T. iii. p. 91. D.

r

the writings of the holy apostles, and the oracles of the thrice blessed prophets; evangelists, and apostles; prophets; and Moses, the chief of the prophets.

VI. Terms of respect are such as these: the divine scripture; the divine apostle; as says the most excellent Paul; the most wise Paul; oracles of the spirit; the Lord, in the divine gospels; the voice of the sacred gospels; divine oracles; the divine apostle, in the epistle to the Hebrews; the blessed Paul; great Peter [in the Acts;] the most excellent Peter, chief of the apostles; thrice blessed Luke, in the Acts; which the blessed Matthew teaches by the genealogy; the" great and excellent Paul, master of the whole world; the most wise Paul, the excellent architect of the churches.

X

What he asserts, he proves from the scriptures; he likewise recommends the study of the scriptures, and shows the benefit of it. They, he says, who will compare the divine oracles with human writings, may easily discern the superior excellence of the former: so he writes in an argument with heathen people. Writing to a woman, who had buried a hopeful son, he says: 'Hey sends her some consolatory thoughts, taken partly from reason, partly from scripture; God having given us all manner of consolation by the divine oracles: but he needs not enlarge, because she had been, from her childhood, instructed in the divinely inspired scriptures, and had ordered her conversation by them; and she needed no other instruction. Recollect, then, those words, which teach us to moderate the passions; which promise eternal life; which declare the abolishing of death; which assure us of the general resurrection of all men.'

VII. I shall add some explications of scripture, and some remarkable observations.

1. By the "spirit that moved upon the face of the waters," Gen. i. 2, he thinks to be meant, not the Holy Spirit, but the air, or wind.

a

2. God, foreseeing how Adam would act, and that he would become mortal by transgression, gave him a suitable nature, and made the sexes.

Gr. Aff. Serm. 4. T. iv. p. 541. B.

* Το θεσπέσιο Πετρο, το

κορυφαίς των αποςόλων εν ταις Πραξεσι. Τ. i. p. 402. D. T. i. p. 67. B.

Και ο μέγας δε της οικεμενης διδασκαλος,

ὁ θεσπέσιος Παυλος. Εp. 83. Τ. iii. p. 958. Β.

V

Παυλος, ὁ πανσοφος, ὁ των εκκλησιων αριτος αρχιτέκτων. Εp. 146. Τ. iii. p. 1033. D. De Provid. Or, ix. T. iv. p. 425. A.

* Gr. Aff. S. 4. T. iv. p. 541. C. In Gen. T. i. p. 8. D.

Ep. 17. T. ii. p. 912. A.

a Ibid. p. 33. D.