Our New Testament; how did we get it?

Preface

This book has been described in advance, by some of the author's friends, as an answer to " The Formation of the New Testament," by Dr. George H. Ferris. Since it professes to be a historical investigation, and not a work of apologetics or polemics, it can be an answer to any other book only in the sense that it reaches a totally different conclusion, as the result of the inquiry. In a few cases only, where it seemed to be erroneous in the statement of some material fact, or in the drawing of some important inference, has the book of Doctor Ferris been singled out for comment. In this respect it has been treated no differently from the writings of Harnack and Julicher, and even Westcott and Gregory, each of whom has sometimes erred in fact or in inference, as has been duly pointed out. For his own errors, the author bespeaks the friendly and candid severity of every reader. And he would repeat what he has said on another occasion : " Only by repeated investigation, and as frequent comparison of conclusions, can the facts and their interpretation be ultimately established. It is glory enough for any of us to have contributed even one small stone to the temple of truth."

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

This list does not profess to be exhaustive, but only to give the titles of the books most consulted in the writing of this book, and most frequently referred to in its pages. They are also the books most accessible to any who may wish to carry their studies on the Canon further.

Charteris, " Canonicity : a Collection of Early Testimonies to the Canonical books of the New Testament." Edinburgh, 1880. A storehouse of fact. Anybody who has and masters this book, knows all that is to be known about the early history of the Canon.

Ferris, " The Formation of the New Testament." Philadelphia, 1907. Excellent in spirit and style, but gives a very incomplete view of the facts, and is singularly unfortunate in its generalizations.

Gregory, " Canon and Text of the New Testament." International Theological Library, New York, 1907. Conservative and judicious in tone, scholarly in substance, but in style hardly in keeping with the series of which it is a member.

Harnack, " Geschichte der altchristlichen Litteratur bis Eusebius." Zweiter Theil: Die Chronologic Band I. Bis Irenaeus, Leipzig, 1897. Band II. Von Irenaeus bis Eusebius, Leipzig, 1904 ; " History of Dogma." Translated from the third edition by Neil Buchanan. Seven volumes, Boston, 1896-1900; "Das Neue Testament um das Jahr 200." Freiburg, 1889. Harnack has written no book on the Canon, but his views are pretty fully set forth in the volumes and pamphlet above named. He is always learned, frequently brilliant, and sometimes a safe guide. He can never be ignored, viii

BIBLIOGRAPHY IX

Holtzmann, H. J., " Lehrbuch der Historisch-Kritisch Einleitung in das Neue Testament." Third edition. Freiburg, 1892. Perhaps the best book from the extreme radical school of criticism. Pages 75-204 are devoted to the history of the Canon.

Julicher, "An Introduction to the New Testament." Translated from the second edition by Janet Penrose Ward. New York, 1904. The author occupies ground midway between Holtzmann and Harnack. He is scholarly and candid, but much inclined to daring hypotheses that have slight support in fact. The translator is a daughter of Mrs. Humphry Ward.

Scrivener, " A Plain Introduction to the Criticism of the New Testament." Fourth edition. Two volumes. London, 1894. A well-known and useful handbook, containing much valuable information about manuscripts and early versions.

" The Ante-Nicene Fathers," edited by A. Cleveland Coxe, d. d. Nine volumes. New York, 1886-1890. "The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers." First series. Fourteen volumes. New York, 1886-1890. "The Nicene and Post- Nicene Fathers." Second series. Fourteen Volumes. New York, 1890-1900. The best guide for the English reader through the mazes of patristic literature. The quotations from the Fathers in this book have usually been made from these editions, but have invariably been compared with the original, and in some cases altered to make the rendering more exact. They are cited in footnotes and other references as ANF, PNF, and 2 PNF.

Weiss, "A Manual of Introduction to the New Testament." Translated from the German by A. J. K. Davidson. New York (n. d.). Pages 28-148 of Vol. I are devoted to the Canon. It is the ripe work of one of the most conservative of German scholars.

Westcott, "A General Survey of the History of the Canon of the New Testament." Seventh edition. London, 1896. The most learned work in English, and in this last edition fully brought down to date. For the serious

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student nothing could be better, but Bishop Westcott's most ardent admirer could hardly call this an interesting book.

Zahn, " Geschichte des neuestcstamentlichen Kanons." Two volumes. Leipzig, 1888, 1892 ; " Grundiss der Geschichte des neuestestamentlichen Kanons." Second edition. Leipzig, 1904. The first conceded to be a monument of erudition, even by those who oppose most strongly its conclusions ; the second an excellent compend for the use of students. Zahn is the most extreme in his conservative orthodoxy of German writers on the subject.

Contents

Chapter Page

I. Nature and Scope of the Inquiry .... i

II. The Idea of the Apostolic Writings as