OF

THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT

SCRIPTURES ASCERTAINED:

OR,

THE BIBLE COMPLETE WITHOUT THE APOCRYPHA

AND WRITTEN TRADITION.

By ALEXANDER ALEXANDER, D.D.

PROFESSOR OF THEOLOGY IN PRINCE TOWN COLLEGE,

NEW JERSEY.

EDINBURGH:

THOMAS AFFLECK; WAUGH AND INNES; AND

THOMAS IRELAND, JUNIOR;
AND ANDREW RUTHERGLEN AND CO., GLASGOW.

MDCCCXXSIV.

PRINTED BY THE EDINBURGH PRINTING COMPANY.

CONTENTS.

DR ALEXANDER ON THE TRUE CANON OF SCRIPTURE.

INTRODUCTION,

Page.

3

PART I.—THE CANON OF THE OLD TESTAMENT.

7

9

Sect. I. Early use and import of the word Canon,

II. Constitution of the Canon of the Old Testament by Ezra

The Canon of the Old Testament as it now exists, sanc-

tioned by Christ and his Apostles-Catalogues of the

Books by some of the early Fathers— Agreement of Jews

and Christians on this subject,

III. Apocryphal Books, their origin-Importance of distinguish-

ing between Canonical and Apocryphal Books — Six

Books of this class pronounced Canonical by the Council

of Trent_Not in the Hebrew, nor received by the Jews,

ancient or modern,

IV. Testimonies of the Christian Fathers, and of other learned

men, down to the time of the Council of Trent, respect-

ing the Apocrypha,

V. Internal evidence that these Books are not Canonical-

The Writers not Prophets, and do not claim to be in-

spired,

VI. No Canonical Book of the Old Testament has been lost,

VII. The Oral Law of the Jews without foundation,

NOTES,

17

24

37

48

54

65

PART II.-THE CANON OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.

73

Sect. I. Method of settling the Canon of the New Testament,

II. Catalogues of the Books of the New Testament-Canoni-

cal Books only cited as authority by the Fathers, and read

in the Churches, as Scripture,

III. Order of the Books of the New Testament - Time of the

Gospels being written— Notice of the Evangelists,

IV. Testimonies of Matthew's Gospel – Time of Publication-

Language in which it was originally composed,

81

92

99
ble,

Page.

Sect. V. Gospel of Mark-On what occasion published — Ascribed

to the dictation of Peter by all the Fathers,

104

VI. Gospel of Luke_ Testimonies of the Fathers respecting it, 109

VII. The objections of J. D. Michaelis to the Canonical autho.

rity of the Gospels of Mark and Luke, considered and

answered,

112

VIII. The Gospel of John-Life of this Evangelist_Occasion

and time of his writing-Canonical authority indisputa-

120

IX. The Acts of the Apostles—Luke the author_Canonical

authority undisputed by the Fathers— Rejected only by

Heretics,

124

X. Testimonies to the Canonical authority of the Fourteen

Epistles of Paul,

127

XI. Canonical authority of the Seven Catholic Epistles, 140

XII. Canonical authority of the Book of Revelation,

146

XIII. No Canonical Book of the New Testament has been lost, 159

XIV. Rules for determining what Books are Apocryphial—Some

account of the Apocryphal Books which have been lost

All of them condemned by the foregoing rules-Reason

of the abounding of such Books,

167

XV. Apocryphal Books which are still extant-Letter of Abga-

rus, King of Odessa, to Jesus, and his answer-Epistle

of the Laodiceans-Letters of Paul to Seneca---Prote-

vangelion of James-The Gospel of our Saviour's infancy

-The Acts of Pilate_ The Acts of Paul and Thecla, 174

XVI. No part of the Christian Revelation handed down by un-

written tradition,

187

NOTES,

214

APPENDIX,

223

.

CHAP. IX. The First Epistle to the Thessalonians,

X. The Second

XI. The First Epistle to Timothy,

XII. The Second

XIII. The Epistle to Titus,

XIV. The Epistle to Philemon,

XV. The Subscriptions of the Epistles,

XVI. The Conclusion,

Page.

363

371

376

382

390

394

399

402

FRASER'S ESSAY ON THE PLENARY AND VERBAL

INSPIRATION OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

PREFACE,

423

CHAP. I. General Account of the Inspiration of the Scriptures, in its

Origin, Nature, and Evidence,

425

II. Proofs of Plenary and Verbal Inspiration,

466

III. Replies to Objections,

516

IV. Conclusion,

555

NOTES,

576