bears the strengeaL testimony for the canon,* and, as is evident, expresses the national and not his private opinion. And, further, the books mentioned are not mere literature, but a sacred, divine collection. He enumerates twenty-two books; thus, 1. The five books of the Law; 2. The thirteen Prophets, counting the twelve minor Prophets as one book, and Lamentations with Jeremiah; 3. The four Hagiographa-Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastea, and Canticles. But this arrangement is not to be looked upon as either old or correct.
S. Supposed Jewish Dissent from the Canon: This dissent is not real, only apparent; but appeal has been made (a) to the Talmudical controversies about certain books, e.g., Esther; on further examination these " controversies " are perceived to be mere intellectual displays; there is no intention of rejecting any book. (b) The Book of Sirach, it is said, is quoted as Scripture; but there is no proof that it was regarded as Scripture, and the two or three quotations are memoriter, and probably made under a misapprehension of their source. (c) A high regard for the Book of Baruch is asserted, but all Jewish literature furnishes no proof. On the other hand, the late origin of the book is against the assumption; it is dependent upon Dan. ix., and was not composed till after the capture of Jerusalem by Titus. (d) The Septuagint is supposed by some to show that the Alexandrian Jews had a different canon from the Palestinian, because books are added to the canonical twentyfour and additions are made to some of the canonical books; but this does not follow. For the Palestinian idea of a canon (namely, the compositions of inspired prophets, a class of men not then existent) was not known in Alexandria, where, on the contrary, the statement of Wisdom (vii. 27), "[Wisdom] from generation to generation entering into holy souls prepares them friends of God, and prophets," was fully believed, as by Philo (cf. De cherubim, ix.) and Josephus (War, I. iii. 5, II. viii. 12, III. viii. 3, 9), who even declared that they themselves had been at times really inspired, and freely accorded the fact unto others. Therefore, to an Alexandrian Jew, there was no impropriety in enlarging the Greek translation of the Old Testament, not only by additions of sections to the canonical books, but of entirely new books. The great respect entertained for the Septuagint was extended to these additions, but without giving the latter any canonical authority. There was no Alexandrian canon; for neither the number nor the order of the books added was fixed.
* This passage in condensed form is as follows: " we have twenty-two books containing the records of all the past times, and justly believed to be inspired. Five of them are Moses'. These contain his laws and the traditions of the origin of mankind till his death. From Moms to Artaxerxes the prophets made the record in thirteen books. The remaining four books contain hymns to God, and precepts for the conduct of human life. The history written since that day, though accurate, is not so much esteemed, because there has not been an exact succession of prophets. No one dares add to, take from, or alter them; but all Jews esteem these books to contain divine doctrines, and are willing to die for them."
4. History of the Old Testament Canon Among the Jews: The Triple Division of the Hebrew canon is testified to by the prologue to Sirach and the New Testament (Luke xxiv. 44).
z. The The Septuagint gave up this division in Triple favor of a different one-the present Division. Christian arrangement of the books in the order, history, poetry, prophecy -and inserted the apocryphal books and sections in appropriate places.
The order of the books in the Hebrew canon is as follows: 1. The Torah or "Law"-the five books of Moses; 2. The Nebhiim or
z. Order. " Prophets"-(a) the " Former Proph ets," Joshua, Judges, I and II Samuel, I and II Kings; (b) the " Latter Prophets," Isaiah, Jeremiah. Ezekiel, the twelve minor Prophets; 3. The Kethubhim (" Writings ") or HagiograPha Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Canticles, Ruth, Lamenta tions, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, and Nehemiah, I and II Chronicles, in all, twenty-four books. The view once entertained that Ruth and Lam. once were in the second canon and were trans ferred to the third when it was formed has no basis in fact. The principle of arrangement of the hie torico-prophetical books is chronological. The Mishnah arranges the prophetical books proper in order of length: Jer., Eaek., Isa., the Twelve. But with this went probably the recollection that as a whole Is&. was later than Jer. and Ezek. The Masorites put Isa. first. In some MSS. of the third canon the most important book, Ps., intro duced by Ruth, is at the head, then Job and the three books connected with Solomon's name, and the four latest books at the close. The Masorites arrange: Chron., Ps., Job, Prov., Ruth, Song of Sol., Eccles., Lam., Esther, Dan., Ezra. Manuscripts differ greatly in the order of these books. Jewish tradition, except when influenced by Alexandria, unanimously gives the number as twenty-four. Nevertheless, it is usual to say that the original reckoning was twenty-two. If, how ever, the witnesses for the latter num-3. Number bar be not counted, but weighed, it is of the plain that the authority they rest upon Canonical is Alexandrian; and this is worthless
Books. for getting at the primitive reckoning, because the Alexandrian Jews not only altered the order and division of the books, but added to them others not in the canon. Further more, the Alexandrians arrived at the number twenty-two by joining Ruth to Judges, and Lam entations to Jeremiah. Having thus made twenty two, they were impressed with its numerical agree ment with the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet. This idea was thought significant, part of the divine intention indeed; and so it became fixed in the Jewish mind. The Church Fathers took it up in their uncritical fashion; and so it has come down to our day. Josephus first gives twenty-two; but he makes greater use of the Sep tuagint than of the Hebrew original. It is note worthy that Epiphaniue and Jerome, who reckon the books twenty-two, mention also twenty-seven; i.e., the Hebrew twenty-two letters, with the five final letters (the letters which have a special form