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tury, with a preface to prove it was wrote by Tatian, we have now printed among the Orthodoxographaa; and this contains our present four Gofpels, and no other. But I muft own that I question much, whether this be the work of Tatian, or no; for the genealogy of Chrift is in this Harmony of Tatian, which was not in the antient one under his name c.

It may indeed be objected that Victor Capuanus, in his preface to that which he thought to be the Harmony of Tatian, fays, that he gave his work the title of Diapente. I find, fays he, by the history of Eufebius, that Tatian, a very learned man and excellent orator of that time, compiled one Gospel out of the four, to which he gave the title of Diapente, i. e. of five; or, The Gospel of Five: as though he had made his Harmony out of five Gospels. Accordingly, I find that Grotius has explained the word Diapente; Tatian, fays he, when he made one Gospel out of four, followed not only the Greek, but the Hebrew copies of Matthew; whence it came to pass that his work, which was commonly called Ad Teocágwv, or The Gospel of Four, was by others called, The Gospel according to the Hebrews; by others Aid Пévre, or The Gospel of Five.

To this I answer, (1.) That though I question not but Tatian made use of the Hebrew copies of St. Matthew, yet he made use of them as what he looked upon to be the most authentick and genuine, and fo made no ufe of the Greek, as of another or fifth Gospel. This is what I have conjectured, and endeavoured to prove in the first volume f; but all which can be concluded hence is, that by a mistake he made use of an interpolated corrupt tranflation of St. Matthew, in

Vol. 1. p. 659, &c.

See chap. v. Orthodoxogr. p. 663.

This I have obferved already, Vol. I. Part II. ch. xxxix. p. 390.

Ex hiftoria quoque ejus (fcil. Eufebii) comperi, quod Tatianus, vir eruditiffimus, et orator illius temporis clariffimus, unum ex quatuor compaginaverit Evangelium, cui titulum Diapente impofuit. Or

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thodoxogr. p. 659.

e Puto autem Tatianum, cum ex quatuor Evangeliis unum concinnaret, fecutum in Matthæi verbis non Græcos tantum, fed et Hebræos codices, unde Evangelium illud quod vulgo Δια Τεσσάρων, per Quatuor, ab aliis dictum fecundum Hebræos, ab aliis vero Διά Πέντε, per Quin. que. Annot. in Titul. Matth. Loc. jam citat. p. 388, 389. ftead

ftead of the true Greek original, ftill looking upon it as the work of that Evangelift, which is fufficient to my purpose.

2. As to Grotius's conjecture, that it was called Aid Пért, or The Gospel of Five, for the above-mentioned reason, it seems to me entirely to be founded upon a false reading; and that instead of a Пve we are to read in the preface of Victor Aid Tooágur, as is well conjectured by Mr. Fabricius". My reafons for this correction are,

1. That Victor in his preface fays, he found the account which he gives in the History of Eufebius; but there is no fuch thing to be found in Eufebius; but on the contrary he faith, Tatian gave his work the title of Aid Tooápur, i. e. The Gospel of Four. Either therefore Victor Capuanus was mistaken, or elfe we must correct his words by thofe of Eufebius, from whom he transcribed; i. e. for Aid Пérre, must read A Teoougar; The Gospel of Four, and not The Gospel of Five.

2. If Victor Capuanus had thought any thing of five Gofpels being in Tatian's work, he would not have said expressly, "Unum ex quatuor compaginaverit Evangelium," He compiled one out of four Gospels.

3. Theodoret (who lived in or not long before the time of Victor Capuanus, viz. about the year of Christ 450.) tells us, He compofed a Gopel τὸ Διὰ Τεσσάρων καλέμενον, i. e. which was called The Gospel of Four ».

Upon the whole then I conclude, there were but four Gofpels, viz. thofe of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, in use in the Church in the time of Tatian, i. e. in the time of Justin Martyr, who was Tatian's master.

4. IREN AUS.

IV. Irenæus, who was cotemporary with Tatian, has abundantly evidenced, that there were no more than the four Gospels, which we now receive, then received in the Church.

a Cod Apoc. Nov, Telt. tom. 1. P. 379.

b Hæretic. Fabul. lib. 1. c. 20. Befides all I have faid on this head, it may not be amifs to add the great Cafaubon's conjecture, or correction

of this place, viz. That for Ad Πέντε we fhould read Διὰ Πάντων, meaning that the title imported, The Gospel of all the Four, or the whole entire Gofpel. Ad Baron. Annal. Ann. 31. N. 3.

He

He has wrote a large Chapter, intitled, A proof that there can neither be more nor less than four Gospels; out of all which I shall only obferve these two things; (1.) That he says the very Hereticks owned them, and cited them "; (2.) He calls them vain, ignorant, and impudent, who affert, that there are either more or fewer than these four Gofpels. The fact therefore, which I am upon, being thus certain, I do not think myself obliged to fay any thing concerning the allegorical arguments, which Irenæus makes ufe of to prove his point. Mr. Toland has bantered them, and Mr. Fabricius has fhewn that there is the like fort of reafoning upon that head in many of the antient Chriftian writers; but (as Du Pin fays f) "Thefe fort of allegories have no other foundation "but mere fancy; and it is in vain to seek for any other rea"fon of the number four, than God's own will."

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5. TERTULLIAN.

V. Tertullian has exprefsly determined the number of Gofpels, which were received by the Church in his time, to four. So (1. 4. adv. Marcion. c. 2.), “ Nobis fidem ex Apoftolis 66 Joannes et Matthæus infinuant, ex Apoftolicis Lucas et "Marcus inftaurant;" i. e. The credit of the Gospel-history is confirmed to us by two that were Apoftles, viz. Matthew and John, and two that were Apoftolick men (i. e. companions of the Apoftles) Mark and Luke: and in the fame book, c. 5. speaking of the fame four Gofpels, and naming them, he says, "Eadem auctoritas Ecclefiarum Apoftolicarum cæteris quoque patrocinabatur Evangeliis;" i. e. that they were patronized or confirmed by the authority of the Apoftolick Churches.

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a Adv. Hæref. lib. 3. c. 11. Oftenfio quod neque plura, nec minus quam quatuor poffunt effe Evangelia.

bUt et ipfi hæretici teftimonium reddant eis, & ex ipfis egrediens unufquifque eorum conetur fuam. confirmare doctrinam. Lib. 3. c. II. c Vani omnes, & indocti, & infuper audaces, qui fruftrantur fpeci

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em Evangelii, & vel plures quam dictæ funt, vel rurfus pauciores inferunt perfonas Evangelii. Ad eund. loc.

Amyntor, p. 50, &c.

Cod. Apocr. N. T. tom. 1. p. 382, &c. et tom. 3. p. 555, &c.

Hift. of the Can. vol. ii. c. 2. §. 2.

6. CLE

6. CLEMENS ALEXANDRInus.

VI. Clemens Alexandrinus (not long after Irenæus) is the next, whose testimony I fhall produce; he, difputing against Julius Caffianus, who had cited a paffage out of the Gospel of the Egyptians in favour of the doctrine of the unlawfulness of marriage, replies; First, fays he, I obferve this is not in either of the four Gofpels delivered to us, but in the Gospel according to the Egyptians "; by which he, who knows that Clemens. continually cites the four Gospels which we now receive, and no other, will be easily induced to believe he here meant the fame four. See the place at large above, Vol. I. Part II, Chap. XVI. p. 199.

7. ORIGEN.

VII. Origen, the Scholar of Clemens Alexandrinus, has alfo confirmed the fame; viz. that though there were many Gofpels forged by the Hereticks, which, fays he, we read, that we may not be thought ignorant, Ecclefia quatuor habet Evangelia, i. e. the Church receives only four Gospels ; and a little after, Quatuor tantum Evangelia funt prolata, e quibus fub perfona Domini et Salvatoris noftri proferenda funt dogmata: There are only four Gofpels made ufe of, out of which the articles of our Religion as from Jefus Christ are to be propofed. Once more a few lines after; In his omnibus nihil aliud probamus nifi quod Ecclefia, i. e. quatuor tantum Evangelia recipienda; Among all thefe Gofpels we approve none but those which the Church approves; viz. that only the four Gospels are to be received. It would be madness for any one, who ever faw Origen's works, to ask what four Gospels he meant. Befides that, he elfewhere τὸν ἐκκλησιασικὸν φυλάττων κανόνα, fpeaking of, or reciting the Canon of the Church, names these four Gopels, ἃ καὶ μένα ἀναντίῤῥητά ἔσιν ἐν τῇ ὑπὸ τὸν ἐρανὸν ἐκκλησίᾳ τοῦ O, i. e. which four alone are received without controversy in the church of God, which is all over the world. Comment, In Matth. apud Eufeb. H. E. 1. 6. c. 25.

Stromat. lib.

3. P. 465.

Homil. in Luc. i. 1.

8. EUSE

1

8. EUSEBIUS.

VIII. Eufebius (who lived in the beginning of the fourth century) expressly excludes all other Gospels from the Canon besides those four which we now receive, but places them among the books which were without any controversy received by the consent of the whole Church *.

9. ATHANASIUS.

IX. In the Synopfis under the name of Athanafius, the author tells us, that all the Gospels which are read by any, are rather fit to be concealed than read, except the four alone which have been delivered to us.

10. AMBROSE.

X. This Father in his preface to his Commentary on Luke has almost transcribed Origen's words on the fame place; accordingly he faith, that though the Hereticks have many Gofpels, the Church hath only four, &c.

II. JEROME.

XI. In the preface to his Translation of the Gospels he mentions fome falfe Gospels, viz. thofe of Lucianus and Hefychius (see above, Vol. I. Part II. Ch. XXII.), and promiles, he will only be concerned with four, which, fays he, are in the following order, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

It would be endless to cite the many numerous proofs that may be easily produced out of the Fathers of the fourth century. He that has a mind may fee farther proof of this matter, in the places of Epiphanius", Jerome, Chryfoftom f, and Austin, which are cited in the margin, and in the several

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