The auncient ecclesiasticall histories of the first six hundred yeares after Christ, wrytten in the Greeke tongue by three learned historiographers, Eusebius, Socrates, and Euagrius. Eusebius Pamphilus Bishop of Cæsarea in Palæstina vvrote 10 bookes. Socrates Scholasticus of Constantinople vvrote 7 bookes. Euagrius Scholasticus of Antioch vvrote 6 bookes. VVhereunto is annexed Dorotheus Bishop of Tyrus, of the liues of the prophetes, apostles and 70 disciples. All which authors are faithfully translated out of the Greeke tongue by Meredith Hanmer, Maister of Arte and student in diuinitie. Last of all herein is contayned a profitable chronographie collected by the sayd translator, the title whereof is to be seene in the ende of this volume, with a copious index of the principall matters throughout all the histories

CAP. XXIIII.* 1.1

The catalogue of the bookes of the olde and n••we Testament alleaged out of Origens workes.

IN his exposition vpon the firste psalme he reciteth the bookes of the olde testament writinge* 1.2 thus: VVe may not be ignorant that there are tvvo and tvventie bookes of the olde testa∣ment after the Hebrevves vvhich is the number of the letters amonge them. Agayne a little after he sayeth: The tvvo and tvventie bookes after the Hebrevves are these: The firste Ge∣nesis, of vs so called, but of the Hebrevves Beresith, the title beynge taken of the beginninge of the booke, vvhiche is as muche to saye as: In the beginninge. Exodus in Hebrevve, Veellese∣moth, that is: these are the names. Leuiticus in Hebrevve V••ikra, that is: and he called Numeri in Hebrevve Hamisparim or Pecudim. Deuteronomium, Elle haddebarim, that is: these are the vvor∣des. Iesus the sonne of Nave, Iosue ben Nun, that is: Iosue the sonne of Nun. Iudges and Ruth vvith them one booke, in Hebrevve Sophetim, that is: Iudges. The firste and seconde of Kinges vvith them one booke, in Hebrevve Samuel that is: called of God. The thirde and fourthe of Kinges vvith them one booke, in Hebrevve Ʋ••hamelech Dauid, that is: and the raygne of Da∣uid. The firste and seconde of Paralipomenon vvith them one booke in Hebrevve Dibre ••a••••∣mim, that is: the vvordes of dayes. The firste and seconde of Esdras vvith them one booke, in Hebrevve Ezra that is: a helper. The booke of Psalmes in Hebrevve Sepher tehillim▪ The Pro∣uerbes of Solomon in Hebrevve Misloth. Ecclesiastes in Hebrevve Coheleth. The Canticle of Can ticles vve may not reade as some thinke the Canticles of Canticles, in Hebrevv Sir hasirim. Esai∣as in Hebrevve Iesaia. Ieremias vvith the lamentations and the epistle, in one booke▪ in Hebrevv Ieremia. Daniel in Hebrevve Daniel. Iez••chiel in Hebrevve Ie••••••chiel. Iob in Hebrevve ••••o••. Hester in Hebrevv Hester. besides these there are bookes of the Machabees intituled in Hebrevv Sarbet Sarbaneel. These thinges hath Origen layde downe in the foresayde commentari••▪ And in the firste tome vpon the Gospell after Mathewe, obser••ing the ecclesiasticall canon he testifyeth there be foure onely gospels writinge thus: As I haue learned by tradition of the foure Gospels (vvhich alone vvithout contradiction are receaued of all the churches vnder heauen) the firste is vvritten by Mathewe vvho vvas firste a publicane, then an Apostle of Iesus Christ. he pu∣blished the same in vvritinge vnto the faithfull Ievves in Hebrevve letters. The seconde is after

Marke vvho vvrot the same according vnto the preaching of Peter, vvho in his catholick epistle* 1.3 calleth him his sonne, saying: The church vvhich is in Babylōelected together vvith you saluteth you, & my vvelbeloued sonne Marke. The thirde is after Luke vvritten for their saks vvho of the* 1.4 Gentils turned to the sayth vvhich also vvas allovved of Paul. The fourth is after Iohn. Agayn in his fyfte come of annotations vpon Iohn, the same Origen toutchinge the epistles of the Apostles* 1.5 sayeth thus: Paul habled a minister of the nevve Testament, not accordinge vnto the letter* 1.6 but after the spirite, preached the Gospell abundantly euery vvhere from Ierusalem vnto Illy∣ricum, vvrote not vnto all the churches vvhiche he instructed, but vnto vvhome he vvrote, he vvrote in fevve lynes: but Peter vpon vvhome the churche of Christ vvas buylded agaynste the vvhich the gates of hell shall not preuayle, lefte behinde him one epistle, vvhereof vve are cer∣tayne. Be it that he lefte an other: but this is in controuersie. VVhat shall I saye of Iohn, vvho leaned on the breaste of our Lorde Iesu, vvho vvrote one Gospell and confessed vvithall, so many Gospells myght haue bene vvritten, that if they had bene vvritten the vvorlde coulde* 1.7 not haue contayned them. He vvrote also the reuelation beyng commaunded to conceale and not to vvrite the vvordes of the seuen thunders. He left behinde him an epistle comprising ve∣ry fev ve verses. be it that the seconde and the thirde be annexed, though some take them not* 1.8 for his. In bothe vvhiche there are not an hundreth verses. Moreouer of the epistle vnto the He∣brevves in his homelyes expoundinge the same he writeth thus: The character of the epistle vnto the Hebrevves setteth not forth the style of Paul, vvho confessed him selfe to be rude in* 1.9 speache, for the phrase of that epistle sauoreth very muche of the Greeke tongue. VVhosoe∣uer he be that hath any iudgement in discerninge of phrases vvyll confesse the same. Agayne that the doctrine of this epistle is sounde & not inferior to those epistles vvhiche vvithout con∣tradiction are knovven to be the Apostles, vvho so euer vvyll vvith iudgement reade the Apo∣stle, he vvyll also confesse the same to be most true. A little after he sayeth thus: I truely of myne ovvne parte, if I maye speake vvhat I thinke, do saye: that the doctrine of this epistle is the Apostles for vndoubted, but the phrase and style an other mans, vvhich noted the sayinges of the Apostle, and contriued such thinges as he had hearde of his maister, into certayne scholyes. VVherefore if any churche heretofore hath receaued the same as the epistle of Paul, ••et her still embrace and receaue the same vnder this name. For the learned men of olde haue not vvithout greate consideration deliuered the same vnto vs for the epistle of Paul. But who wrote it God the onely trueth knoweth. yet histories haue declared vnto vs that some thought it to haue bene written by Clemens bishop of Rome, some by Luke who wrote both the Gospel and the Actes of the Apostles. but of these thinges thus muche in this sorte.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Cap. 25. in the Greeke.
• * 1.2

  Origen in Psal. 1. Genesis. Exodus. Leuiticus. Numeri. Deuterono∣mium. ••osue. Iudges and Ruth. 1. & 2. of Sa∣muel. 3. and 4. of Kinges. 1. & 2. of. Pa∣ralip. 1. & 2. of Es∣dr••••. Psalmes. Prouerbe. Ecclesiast••s. Canticū Cā∣••••orum. Iere. la. epist. Daniel. Ezechiel. Iob Hister. Machabees. Origen hom. 1. in Math. Matthewe.
• * 1.3

  Marke.
• * 1.4

  Luke.
• * 1.5

  Iohn.
• * 1.6

  Origen hom. 5. in Iohan. Pauls epistles Peters. 2. epi∣stles.
• * 1.7

  The Apoca∣calyps.
• * 1.8

  Ioh. 3. epi∣stles.
• * 1.9

  Origen in e∣pist. ad Rom.