Prefatory Note.

  The Canons of the Holy and Altogether August Apostles. 

 I.

 II.

 III.

 IV.

 The Epistle of the Same Athanasius Taken from the XXXIX. Festal Epistle.

 The Epistle of St. Athanasius to Ruffinian.

 The Second Canonical Epistle of the Same.

 The Third Epistle of the Same to the Same.

 From an Epistle of the Same to the Blessed Amphilochius on the Difference of Meats.

 Of the Same to Diodorus Bishop of Tarsus, concerning a Man who had taken Two Sisters to Wife.

 Of the Same to Gregory a Presbyter, that He Should Separate from a Woman who Dwelt with Him.

 Of the Same to the Chorepiscopi, that No Ordinations Should Be Made Contrary to the Canons.

 Of the Same to His Suffragans that They Should Not Ordain for Money.

 VI.

 VII.

 VIII.

 IX.

 X.

 The Commonitory of the Same which Ammon Received on Account of Lycus.

 Of the Same to Agatho the Bishop.

 Of the Same to Menas the Bishop.

 The Narrative of the Same concerning Those Called Cathari.

 XI.

 Of the Same to the Bishops of Libya and Pentapolis.

  XII. 

VIII.

 From the Iambics of St. Amphilochius the Bishop to Seleucus, on the Same Subject.   1  That is the canon of Holy Scripture. I have substituted my own Epitome, in the room of Johnson’s, translating the original as it is found in Beveridge’s Synodicon, Tom. II., p. 179. It is also in Aristenus’s Epitome. Balsamon has no scholion on this passage.

We should know that not every book which is called Scripture is to be received as a safe guide. For some are tolerably sound and others are more than doubtful. Therefore the books which the inspiration of God hath given I will enumerate. [Then follows a list of the proto-canonical books of the Old Testament, Esther alone being omitted. All the deutero-canonical books are omitted. He then continues] to these some add Esther. I must now show what are the books of the New Testament. [Then follow all the books of the New Testament except the Revelation. He continues,] But some add to these the Revelation of John, but by far the majority say that it is spurious. This is the most true canon of the divinely given Scriptures.

Note.

We have thus four [five if we accept the Laodicean list as genuine,] different canons of Holy Scripture, all having the approval of the Council in Trullo and of the Seventh Ecumenical. From this there seems but one conclusion possible, viz.: that the approval given was not specific but general.

1 That is the canon of Holy Scripture. I have substituted my own Epitome, in the room of Johnson’s, translating the original as it is found in Beveridge’s Synodicon, Tom. II., p. 179. It is also in Aristenus’s Epitome. Balsamon has no scholion on this passage.