Page:A General Survey of the History of the Canon of the New Testament (7th edition, 1896).djvu/71

 Rh. It cannot be too often repeated, that the history of the formation of the whole Canon involves little less than the history of the building of the Catholic Church.

The common difficulties which beset any inquiry into remote and intricate events are in this case unusually great, since they are strengthened by the most familiar influences of our daily life. It is always a hard matter to lay aside the habits of thought and observation which are suggested by present circumstances ; and yet this is as essential to a just idea of any period as a full view of its external characteristics. It is not enough to have the facts before us unless we regard them from the right point of sight ; otherwise the prospect, however wide, must at least be confused. Our powers are indeed admirably suited to criticise whatever falls within their immediate range ; but they need a careful adjustment when they are directed to a more distant field. Moreover, remote objects are often surrounded by an atmosphere different from our own, and it is possible that they may be grouped together according to peculiar laws and subject to special influences. This is certainly true of the primitive Church ; and the differences which separate modern Christendom from ancient Jerusalem or Alexandria or Rome, morally and materially, are only the more important, because they are frequently concealed by the transference of old words to new ideas.

A little reflection will shew how seriously these difficulties have influenced our notions of early Christendom ; for the negative conclusions of some modern schools of criticism have found acceptance chiefly through a general forgetfulness of the conditions of its history. These must be determined by the characteristics of the age, which necessarily modify the form of our inquiry, and limit the extent of our resources. The results which are obtained B 2