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JUNILIUS. * 1.1
JUnilius a Bishop of Afric, address'd to him of whom we spoke last, a Treatise of the Parts of the Divine Law, which is a kind of Introduction to the Study of the Holy Scripture. Cassiodo∣rus mentions it. The Author says that he had this Work from one Persanus, named Paul, who had studied at Nisibis, where there was a Publick School for teaching the Holy Scripture. The Reflexi∣ons of this Author are very Judicious and Methodical. Here follows an Abridgment of it: The Knowledge of the Scripture consists of two Parts; The first concerns the Surface or the Diction of the Scripture; the second concerns the things themselves which the Scripture teaches us. The first Part contains five things; the Nature of the Book, its Authority, its Author, the Manner wherein it is written, and the Order wherein it ought to be plac'd. There are in it five kinds of Books; History, which is the Relation of things past; of which kind the Author reckons but seventeen Ca∣nonical Books in the Old and New Tastament, and rejects as Apocryphal, not only the Books of Maccabees and that of Judith, but also the two Books of Chronicles, the Book of Job, the two Books of Esdras, and the Book of Esther. Prophecy is the second kind of Books in the Holy Scripture; which he defines, A Declaration of things past, present, or future. Of this kind he finds seventeen Books in both the Testaments, and observes that the Orientalists reject the Apocalypse. The third manner of writing is the Proverbial Manner, which he defines, A figurative way of speaking, which intends something else to be understood then what it signifies, and contains Advices for the present time. The Proverbs of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, and the Wisdom of Syrach, i. e. Ecclesiasticus, are of this kind; to these may be added the Book of Wisdom and the Canticles: Allegory pertains to this kind, which is taken either from a Metaphor, or a Comparison, or a Parable, or from a Proverbial way of Speaking. Lastly, the last Manner is that of mere Instruction, the Epistles of St. Paul are of this kind.
As to the Authority of Scripture, he observes, That there are Books of a perfect Authority, and others of a less perfects, and others lastly which are of none at all.
The Authors of these Books are known, either by their Titles, or by the beginning of their Works. Moses is the Author of the Pentateuque, Joshua of the Book which goes under his Name, Samuel of the first Book of the Kings. There are Books in it whose Authors are altogether unknown, as the Book of Judges, of Ruth, and the last Book of Kings.
Among these Books, there are some written in Verse, as the Psalms, the Book of Job, and some places of the Prophets; and others in Prose.
The Order of the Books of Scripture is not different from ours.
This is what concerns the External Surface of the Scripture: As to the Substance of the things which it teaches, the Author observes that there are in it some Names that agree to the Essence, and others to the Persons of the Trinity; and among these there are some which precisely denote them, and others only consequentially, because they signifie the Operations which are attributed to them: He gives Examples of them, and shows what is common to the three Persons, and what is particular to each. Lastly he speaks of the Attributes which agree to God.
In the second Book he makes a particular Ennumeration of what the Scripture teaches concern∣ing the Creatures, and explains after what manner God governs them: From thence he passes to what concerns the World to come. He treats of the Figures of the Law, and the fulfilling of Pro∣phecies concerning Jesus Christ. Lastly, he enquires, How it may be prov'd, that the Books of our Religion are Divinely inspir'd: And he answers, That it may be known by the Truth of them it self, by the Order of Things, by the admirable Agreement of Precepts, by the Simplicity and Pu∣rity wherewith they are written: That to these Characters we must add the Qualities of those that wrote them, and who preach'd the Doctrine which they contain, because it was not possible, with∣out the Inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that Men should write of Divine things, that simple Men should write of things so Sublime, that Men so ignorant and plain should discover Truths so great and Subtil; That the success of their Preaching was also a proof of the Truth of their Doctrine: For how was it possible, that Persons so despicable should Convert the whole World, Reform the Do∣ctrines of the Philosophers, and Confound their Adversaries, without the Assistance of a visible Protection from God. Lastly, That the Accomplishment of Prophecies, and the Miracles which produc'd a Belief of our Religion, were convincing Proofs of its Truth; and that if at present no Miracles are wrought, it is because there is no need of them, because the Establishment of this Reli∣gion is a Miracle more then sufficient to prove it.
This is what is most useful in this Treatise, which is to be found in the Bibliotheques of the Fa∣thers.