Chapter 5: On Sacred Scripture's perfection and sufficiency
CHAPTER FIVE On Sacred Scripture's perfection and sufficiency
So far concerning Sacred Scripture's authority: next comes perfection, which is its property by which the catholic principles of sacred doctrine common and necessary to all Christians, set out wholly and purely partly in the Hebrew tongue and partly in the Greek, are so sufficiently embraced that nothing ought to be added and nothing subtracted (Deuteronomy 4:2; Proverbs 30:6; 2 Corinthians 2:17; Revelation 22:18-Revelation 22:19).
So also Aristotle, On the Heavens book 2 chapter 4, defines the perfect as that to which nothing is lacking and outside which nothing of the things that belong to it can be taken. And this the nature of a canon requires, which Varinus defines as μέτρον καὶ κριτήριον — an infallible measure admitting no addition or diminution.
This perfection of the sacred canon is certain (1) as to the number of canonical books, (2) as to the purity of the authentic text, (3) as to the integrity of the lettering.
Latin
CAPUT QUINTUM. De sacrae Scripturae perfectione & sufficientia. Hactenus de sacra Scripturae authoritate: sequitur perfectio, quae est illius proprietas, qua catholica principia doctrinae sacrae omnibus Christianis communia & necessaria partim Hebraica, partim Graeca lingua integre & pure proposita, tam sufficienter complectitur, ut nihil addi, nihil subtrahi debeat. Deut. 4.2. Prov. 30.6. 2 Cor. 2.17. Apoc. 22.18.19. Sic & Aristoteles lib. 2. de caelo cap. 4. perfectum definit, cui nihil deest & extra quod nihil eorum quae sunt ejus accipi potest. Et hoc exigit ratio canonis, qui Varino finitore est μέτρον καὶ κριτήριον, mensura infallibilis, nullam admittens additionem aut deminutionem. Haec sacri canonis perfectio certa est, 1. quantum ad librorum canonicorum numerum, 2. quantum ad textus authentici puritatem, 3. quantum ad literaturae integritatem.