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THE

sen 1829

CANON

OF THE

Old and New Testaments

ASCERTAINED;

ов,

THE BIBLE COMPLETE

WITHOUT THE

APOCRYPHA & UNWRITTEN TRADITIONS.

BY ARCHIBALD ALEXANDER,

Professor of Didactic and Polemic Theology, in the Theological
Seminary, at Princeton, N. J.

And that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures,
which are able to make thee wise unto salvation, through faith
which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of
God, and is profitable. -PAUL. -.

PRINCETON PRESS :

Printed and Published by D. A. Borrenstein,
FOR G. AND C. CARVILL, NEW YORK.

1826.

292

L.S.

District of New Jersey, to wit: BE IT REMEMBERED, That on the Nineteenth day of September, in the Fifty-first year of the Independence of the United States of America, Anno Domini 1826, D. A. BORRENSTEIN, of the said District, hath deposited in this Office the title of a book, the right whereof he claims as proprietor, in the words following, to

Wit:

The Canon of the Old and New Testaments ascertained; or the Bible complete without the Apocrypha and Unwritten Traditions. By ARCHIBALD ALEXANDER, Professor of Didactic and Polemic Theology, in the Theological Seminary, at Princeton, New Jersey. And that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable.-PAUL.

In conformity to an act of the Congress of the United States, entitled, "An act for the encouragement of learning by securing the copies of Maps, Charts, and Books to the authors and proprietors of such copies during the times therein mentioned." And also to the act entitled, "An act supplementary to an act entitled, An act for the encouragement of learning by securing the copies of Maps, Charts and Books to the authors and proprietors of such copies during the times therein mentioned, and extending the benefits thereof to the arts of designing, etching, and engraving historical prints. WM. PENNINGTON, Clerk of the District of New Jersey.

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ONE motive which induced the author to undertake the following compilation, was the desire of furnishing a supplement to the little volume which he recently published, on the EVIDENCES OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION; for the argument for the truth of Divine Revelation cannot be considered complete, without the testimonies, by which the Canonical authority of the several books of Scripture is established. But he was also influenced by the consideration, that a convenient and compendious work on this subject, is a desideratum, in our English Theological Literature. The works which we possess on the Canon of Scripture, are either too learned or too voluminous, for the use of common readers. Besides, the whole subject has been seldom treated by the same author; for while one vindicates the Canon of the Old Testament alone, another confines himself to the settling of the Canon of the New Testament.

The object of the writer of this work is to exhibit a compendious view of the whole subject, and in such a form as will be level to the capacities of all descriptions of readers. He has aimed at bringing forward the result of the researches of learned men, who have

treated this subject, in such a manner, that the substance of their works might be easily accessible to that numerous class of readers, who are unskilled in the learned languages. It was, moreover, his opinion, that such a volume as this, would not be unacceptable to theological students, and to clergymen, who have it not in their power to procure more costly works.

As a considerable portion of the materials used in composing this treatise have been derived from others, the author feels it to be incumbent on him, to give due credit to those learned authors from whom he has received aid; which can be more conveniently done, at once, in this place, than by perpetual references, in the body of the work.

In the First Part, which relates to the Canon of the Old Testament, assistance has been derived from The Panstratia of Chamier, The Isagoge of Buddeus, The Thesaurus Philologicus of Hottinger, Prideaux's Connexion, Wilson on the Apocrypha; and above all, from Bishop Cosin's Scholastick History of the Canon of the Old Testament.

In the Second Part, on the Canon of the New Testament, the testimonies adduced, have been principally selected from the ample collections of the impartial and indefatigable LARDNER; but in all that relates to the Apocryphal books of the New Testament, little else has been done, than to abridge and arrange the

information contained in the valuable work of the learned JEREMIAH JONES, on the Canon of the New Testament.

1

On the subject of the Oral Law of the Jews, the author has freely availed himself of the labours of that great polemic, HORNBEEK, in his learned work, Contra Judæos. On that of Unwritten Traditions, he found no writer more satisfactory, than CHEMNITIUS, in his Examen Con. Trid. By the introduction of a discussion on these points, into a treatise on the Canon of Scripture, he acknowledges that he has departed from the usual method of treating the subject; but he is persuaded, that a little consideration will convince every candid reader, that the sufficiency and perfection of the Scriptures, cannot be demonstrated, unless it be shown, that no part of divine revelation was left to be handed down by unwritten tradition. For if, as many believe, an important part of the doctrines and institutions of Christianity has been transmitted to us. only through this channel, it will answer very little that our Bipurpose to prove, bles comprehend all the books ever written by inspiration for the use of the Catholic Church; since, on this hypothesis, an essential part of divine revelation. is not contained in the Scriptures, and was, indeed, never committed to writing. But the object in this work is to show, that the Bible is complete, containing,

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