Chapter 9: On Sacred Scripture's parts
CHAPTER NINE On Sacred Scripture's parts
So far the affections of Sacred Scripture have been treated: the parts follow — namely the canonical books of the Old and New Testament, written and approved by men inspired and directed by God's Holy Spirit, for authentically declaring the whole will of God that pertains to religion.
They are called canonical as legitimate and regular from the canon of which king David (Psalm 19:8) and the Apostle (Galatians 1:6-Galatians 1:9; Galatians 6:16; Philippians 3:15-Philippians 3:16) make mention — books which by those men who were inspired and directed by the Holy Spirit were written or approved for this, that they might be a perpetual norm and measure of faith and life according to the state and condition of each Testament (2 Timothy 3:15-2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-2 Peter 1:21), and they are opposed to the Apocrypha, that is, to all those that do not rule and measure the Christian faith.
For certain Apocrypha are also joined to these in the Bibles — irregulars — which for the usefulness of reading, not for their certain divinity, were sometimes called deuterocanonical and Ecclesiastical by the ancients, and can be referred to Sacred Scripture's parts only improperly, of which below at Aph. 13, 14, and 15. Canonical books are also called books existing by confession, testamentary, and by St. Athanasius books received into the canon, as in the variant readings of H. Savile on the Life of St. Antony edited by Heschel. And there is a double criterion from which judgment is made concerning each sacred writing that it is canonical accurately and specially so called — internal and external.
Latin
CAPUT NONUM. De sacrae Scripturae partibus. Hactenus Scripturae sacrae affectiones fuerunt: sequuntur partes, nimirum libri canonici Veteris ac Novi Testamenti ab hominibus Spiritu Dei sancto afflatis & directis scripti & approbati ad authentice declarandam universam, quae quidem ad religionem pertinet, Dei voluntatem. Canonici quasi legitimi & regulares dicuntur a canone, cujus rex David ps. 19.v.8. & Apostolus Gal. 1.v.6.7.8.9. & 6.v.16. Phil. 3.v.15.16. commemorat, qui ab iis hominibus qui a Spiritu S. afflati ac directi fuerunt, in hoc scripti aut approbati sunt, ut fidei vitaeque norma & mensura sint perpetua secundum utriusque Testamenti statum & conditionem, 2. Tim. 3.v.15.16. 2. Pet. 1.v.20.21. & opponuntur Apocryphis, id est, omnibus iis, qui fidem Christianam non regunt & metiuntur. Nam & Apocryphi quidam his in bibliis adjunguntur akavonistoi irregulares, qui ob lectionis utilitatem, non ob certam suam divinitatem nonnunquam deuterocanonici & Ecclesiastici a priscis dicti, ad sacrae Scripturae partes nonnisi improprie referri possunt, de quibus infra aph. 13. 14. & 15. Canonici libri dicuntur & apodechomenoi in confesso existentes, euapodektoi testamentarii & a S. Athanasio ta kanonizomena biblia, libri in canonem recepti, ut est in variis lectionibus H. Savilii ad vitam S. Antonii ab Heschelio editis. Duplex autem momentum est & kriterion, e quo judicium fit de unoquoque scripto sacro, quod sit canonicum accurate & specialiter dictum, internum & externum.