Page:History of the First Council of Nice.djvu/106

96 "The eight Books of Apostolic Constitutions are the work of some austere and melancholy author, who designed to reform the worship and discipline of the Church, which he thought were fallen from their original purity and sanctity, and who ventured to prefix the names of the apostles to his precepts and regulations, in order to give them currency."

The book of the Shepherd of Hermas, was so called, because an angel in the form and habit of a shepherd, is the leading character in the drama. The author is unknown. "If he was indeed sane," says Mosheim, "he deemed it proper to forge dialogues held with God and angels, in order to insinuate what he regarded as salutary truths more effectually into the minds of his readers. But his celestial spirits talk more insipidly than our scavengers and porters."

Clement, who became Bishop of Rome A. D. 101, used the following books of the New Testament: 1 Corinthians, Ephesians, 1 Timothy (?), Titus (?), Hebrews and James.

Ignatius (107) used: 1 Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians (?), 1 Thessalonians (?) and Philemon (?).

Polycarp (160) used Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians (?), 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, 1 Peter, 1 John.

Barnabas (60) used Matthew, 1 Timothy (?), 2 Timthoy (?).

Origen (215), according to Wescott, above quoted, used Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. He adopted most of the books of our present Canon. But he denied that Paul wrote Hebrews, although the thoughts of that epistle were perhaps Paul's, and written by some one who had been intimate with Paul, either Clement, Bishop of Rome, or Luke, the author of Acts. He also considered some other books true and inspired, of which were the Epistle of Barnabas; the Ascension of Moses, a little treatise mentioned by Jude; the Doctrine of Peter; the Book of Enoch, and the Pastor of Hernias.

Athanasius rejected the book of Esther.

The Council of Carthage, A. D. 397, adopted the same rule as that of Hippo; however, ranking Hebrews among Paul's fourteen Epistles. Pope Innocent I., a few years later, confirmed this catalogue of sacred books by a decree, which finally decided the Canon of the Latin Church.

But the Synod of Aix, A. D. 789, would exclude the Apocalypse. Martin Luther excluded Hebrews, James, Jude, and the Apocalypse. The Council of Trent merely confirmed the Canon of Hippo.—''New Am. Cyclopædia.'' and not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things, both in heaven and on earth, were made. Who, for us men, and for our