Bellarmine · De Scriptoribus Ecclesiasticis · On the Ecclesiastical Writers
Chapter 2: The Old Testament: Jonas to Josephus
Our translation, from the Latin of the Opera Omnia (Paris: Vivès, 1870–74), vol. XII, De Scriptoribus Ecclesiasticis, of the Old Testament. The Latin source text is public domain; this English rendering is released with the site. Scripture quotations follow Bellarmine's Vulgate citations, rendered in Douay-Rheims wording where he quotes exactly. Click “Show the Latin” for the original (raw OCR of the scan; scanning errors remain — the scan itself is the authority).
Jonas. 3195
The Prophet Jonas prophesied at the same time as the Prophets above, as St. Jerome writes in the prologue to Jonas, Eusebius in the Chronicle and in the Preparation for the Gospel, book 10, last chapter, and St. Augustine, City of God book 18, chapter 27. Jonas prophesied against the Ninivites and foretold their destruction. And though God spared them when they did penance, yet afterwards, when they returned to iniquity, God brought on them the destruction Jonas had foretold, as we have in the book of Tobias, chapter 12 [14]. St. Jerome in the prologue to Jonas gives the words of Tobias in which it is said expressly that Ninive would be overthrown as Jonas foretold. But in our book of Tobias, chapter 14, the name of Jonas is not found, but only, The destruction of Ninive is at hand: for the word of the Lord shall not fall. Epiphanius, in the book On the Life and Death of the Prophets, writes that this Jonas is the boy whom Elias raised at the prayers of the widow of Sarephta; which St. Jerome also relates from the tradition of the Hebrews in the prologue to Jonas. On what foundation this tradition rests I do not know; certainly the times hardly agree.
Micheas. 3223
Micheas prophesied a little after those named above. For he writes at the beginning of his prophecy that he prophesied in the days of Joatham, Achaz and Ezechias, and leaves out Ozias, whom Osee, Isaias and Amos set down. So he prophesied at the beginning of the reign of Joatham, that is, in the year of the world 3223. This Prophet foretold the first captivity of the ten tribes; he foretold the coming of Christ, and his birth in Bethlehem, and the conversion of the Gentiles to the Church of God.
Nahum. 3264
Nahum the Elcesite prophesied after the ten tribes had been carried into captivity by Salmanasar king of the Assyrians, as St. Jerome, Theodoret and Theophylact testify in their prefaces to Nahum; the same will have it that he prophesied in the time of Ezechias; for it is clear from 4 Kings 18 that the ten tribes were led into captivity in that year. So the time of Nahum's prophecy falls in the year of the world 3264. This Prophet foretold the destruction of the king of the Assyrians and the laying waste of Ninive by the Chaldeans. And he foretold to the Jews that the king of the Assyrians would not prevail against Jerusalem as he had prevailed against Samaria. He died in peace, on the witness of St. Epiphanius, in the book On the Life and Death of the Prophets.
Habacuc. 3283
Habacuc prophesied before the captivity of the two tribes, as Epiphanius teaches in the book On the Life and Death of the Prophets; and in the chronicle of the Hebrews which they call Seder Olam it is said that Habacuc prophesied under king Manasses the son of Ezechias, that is, after the captivity of the ten tribes. And Manasses began to reign in the year of the world 3283. Yet many weighty authors will have it that Habacuc prophesied after the Babylonian captivity, like St. Jerome in the prologue to this Prophet, Theodoret and others. These authors are led by the argument that the Prophet Habacuc, the Angel carrying him and bringing him, brought a meal to Daniel set in the lions' den, and so lived in the time of Daniel, at the beginning of the empire of Cyrus king of the Persians.
But we hold to the former opinion, because Habacuc himself in plain and many words foretold the coming of the king of Babylon to take the Jews. And it is not the manner of the Prophets to speak of past things in words of future time; but on the contrary to foretell future things in words of past time. For anyone can announce past things as if they were future without the spirit of prophecy. And to the argument of the bringing of the meal to Daniel it can easily be answered that the Prophet Habacuc, one of the lesser, and the Prophet Habacuc who brought the meal to Daniel, are not the same; just as the Prophet Micheas who lived in the time of Achab king of Samaria is not the same as the Prophet Micheas who is one of the twelve lesser Prophets. So Habacuc, of the tribe of Simeon, foretold the coming of the Chaldeans and the Babylonian captivity. He foretold also the laying waste of the same Chaldeans, which was done by the Medes and Persians. And lastly he foretold the coming of Christ, his passion, resurrection, and second coming in glory.
Sophonias. 3340
Sophonias prophesied, as he himself testifies, in the days of king Josias; and because Sophonias does not mark the year of the reign of Josias, as Jeremias does, it must be understood that Sophonias prophesied at the beginning of the reign of Josias, that is, in the year of the world 3340; for in this year Josias began to reign. Further, this Prophet preaches against sins, exhorts to penance, and foretells the destruction of the Philistines, Moabites, Ammonites, Ethiopians and other nations. He foretold also the conversion of the Gentiles and the ruin of idolatry. Lastly he foretold the resurrection of Christ, the blinding of the Jews and their final destruction, and the glory and happiness of the Church.
Jeremias. 3337
Jeremias, the second Prophet of the greater, began to prophesy in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josias, that is, in the year 3337 from the founding of the world, as he himself testifies at the beginning of his book; and he prophesied until the eleventh year of king Sedecias, who was the last king of Jerusalem, and then the Babylonian captivity was completed. Jeremias was of the priestly tribe, a most gentle and most holy man; and after many labours and straits he was overwhelmed with stones by an ungrateful people and exchanged life for death. See Epiphanius, On the Life and Death of the Prophets. He wrote, or dictated, a notable volume, in which he exhorted the people and its Princes to penance in many sermons. He foretold the coming ruin of Jerusalem, of the temple of the Lord and of the whole kingdom. He foretold many things of the coming of Christ, of the new Testament, and of other Christian mysteries, most openly. Jeremias added at the end of his book the Threnes, that is, the lamentations, written in verse in alphabetical order, in which he bewails the woes of his nation, bodily and spiritual. He added lastly a letter to the people captive in Babylon, in which he exhorts them to persist in the faith of the true God and to keep from the worship of idols; which letter Baruch put at the end of his book.
Baruch. 3366
Baruch, the minister and secretary of Jeremias, besides what he wrote at Jeremias's dictation, as is gathered from Jeremias 36, wrote his own volume comprised in five chapters; for the sixth is the letter of Jeremias. Baruch prophesied in the time of king Jechonias, as he himself testifies at the beginning of his volume. And Jechonias reigned in the year of the world 3366, and reigned only three months; so in this very year Baruch prophesied, and foretold most openly the incarnation of God and his appearing in human flesh. And though this book is not found [among the Hebrews], yet it is cited everywhere by the Fathers under the name of Jeremias, and by St. Cyprian, book 2 against the Jews, chapter [6?]; and by St. Cyril, book 10 against Julian, it is cited under the name of Baruch. See, if you please, the defence of this canonical book in our Controversies, book 1 On the Word of God.
Ezechiel. 3371
Ezechiel, the third of the greater, began to prophesy (as he himself testifies in chapter 1) in the fifth year of the transmigration of king Jechonias, which was the year of the world 3371. He too was of priestly stock, a most good and most holy man; and he preached to his fellow captives and exhorted them to virtue, but by way of reward he fell beheaded by the very prince of his people. He foretold the return of the people to their own places; and of the coming of the Lord, of Baptism and of the other mysteries of Christ he prophesied many things, but obscurely, above all about the structure of the temple.
Daniel. 3398
Daniel, the fourth of the greater Prophets, was carried into captivity while still a boy, and remained in captivity until Cyrus king of the Persians, that is, until the end of the captivity. He began to prophesy in the second year of king Nabuchodonosor (as he himself testifies in chapter 2); but that second year is not understood from the beginning of the reign, but from the beginning of the monarchy, which he began when Egypt was laid waste. And this laying waste and the beginning of the monarchy fall in the twenty-third year of his reign. So the second year of the monarchy noted by Daniel is the twenty-fourth year of the reign, and the year of the world 3398. Daniel was of the tribe of Juda, a noble man, most full of the spirit of wisdom and prophecy, and for that cause most pleasing even to idolatrous kings, and held by them in great honour. He wrote many things of Christ and the time of his coming, and also of his death and of the blinding of the Jews; likewise of Antichrist and his battles. He foretold the course of the four chief kingdoms, and of the future wars between the Greeks and Persians and the successors of Alexander the Great, with such clearness that some have thought, but falsely, that they were written much later than they really were. This book is written partly in Hebrew, partly in Chaldee; for Daniel learned in Babylon, at the king's command, the language and letters of the Chaldeans. Of certain parts of Daniel which are not received by the heretics, see our first book On the Word of God.
Aggeus. 3463
Aggeus began to prophesy in the second year of Darius king of the Persians, in the sixth month, as he himself testifies at the beginning. That year was the 3465th from the founding of the world. Aggeus preaches to the people, exhorting them to rebuild the temple, and rebuking them sharply for being more diligent in building and adorning their own houses than in rebuilding the house of God. And he foretold that this second temple would be much more glorious than the first had been; which is understood of the glory of the temple through the presence of Christ, or of the Church of Christ, not of the material structure, as St. Augustine shows, City of God book 18, chapter 13 [48].
Zacharias. 3465
Zacharias prophesied in that same second year of Darius, but in the eighth month, as he himself testifies; so Aggeus preceded Zacharias by only two months. He too exhorted the people to build the temple, and to the fear of the Lord and obedience to the commandments. He foretold also many things, by various likenesses, of the happiness of the Christian Church and the final perdition of the Jews.
Malachias. 3521
Malachias, the last of the twelve lesser Prophets, prophesied after Aggeus and Zacharias, in the time of Artaxerxes king of the Persians. For in chapter 2 he rebukes the Jews who had taken foreign daughters as wives; and a like rebuke is found in 1 Esdras 9; and it is clear from the preceding chapters that this rebuke was made after the temple was rebuilt, Artaxerxes the son of Darius now reigning; in whose sixth year the building of the temple was finished, as is found in 1 Esdras 6. Malachias is later than Zacharias by as much as the second year of Darius is from the first year of Artaxerxes, who began to reign in the year 3521; so in this year Malachias lived and wrote.
Origen thought this Prophet was not a man but an Angel in the form of a man, because Malachias in Hebrew means angel. St. Jerome refutes this error in the preface to Malachias: because if on account of the name of Angel it must be denied that Malachias was a man, in the same way, because Osee means Saviour and Joel means God and Lord, we could think that Osee was Christ and Joel was the Lord God. Others would have it that Malachias was Esdras, called an Angel for his wisdom and purity of life. This is the opinion of the Hebrews, which St. Jerome seems neither to approve nor to reject. But the common opinion, which seems to us altogether to be followed, is that Malachias was a man distinct from Esdras. So teach Eusebius in the Chronicle, St. Augustine, City of God book 18, chapter 36 [35?], St. Cyril on the first chapter of Malachias, who says that those who think otherwise are not to be heard, and St. Epiphanius in the book On the Life and Death of the Prophets.
Further, Malachias was of the tribe of Zabulon, in the opinion of Epiphanius in the place cited; and he foretold the abolition of the Jewish sacrifices and the institution of a new sacrifice which was to be offered through the whole world. He foretold also the last Judgement, and the return of the Prophet Elias to convert the remnant of Israel; and besides his foretellings he preached vehemently against the negligence of the Priests and other vices. Lastly he rested in peace while still young, on the witness of Epiphanius.
Tobias. 3236
The history of Tobias and Judith falls in the time of the lesser Prophets, namely Nahum and Habacuc; but it seemed good to join all the Prophets together, and not to admit strangers into their choir. Tobias the elder, then, with Tobias the younger, was carried off into the city of Ninive by Salmanasar king of the Assyrians, and remained until some years of Sennacherib his successor. That captivity happened in the sixth year of Ezechias king of Juda, which was the ninth of Osee king of Israel, and the 3264th from the founding of the world. Who was the author of the book of Tobias is not altogether certain; but it is credible that the author was Tobias the younger or the elder. For the Angel Raphael, in chapter 12, commanded both Tobiases to tell, or (as is found in the Greek text) to write, all the wonders of the Lord which they had seen: that is, the patience of the elder Tobias and the great consolation he received from God through the Angel Raphael. So the book seems to have been written in the year of the world 3252 [as printed], after the death of Sennacherib. What is added at the end of the book about the death of the younger Tobias was without doubt added by someone else.
Further, the book of Tobias was written in Chaldee, not in Hebrew, and so perhaps it is not acknowledged by the Hebrews as a sacred book. St. Jerome translated it into the Latin tongue, as he himself testifies in the preface to Tobias; and that it was counted among the sacred books by the Catholic Church we know from the Third Council of Carthage, from Innocent I in the letter to Exuperius, from Gelasius I in the decree on the holy Scriptures, from Cyprian in the sermon on almsgiving, from Ambrose in the book On Tobias, from Basil in the Oration on avarice, and lastly from the Council of Trent, session 4.
Eliacim, author of the book of Judith. 3270
When the things told in the book of Judith happened is a very great question. For some will have it that they happened after the Babylonian captivity, because in the first chapter mention is made of king Nabuchodonosor; others will have it that they happened before that captivity, but after the captivity of the ten tribes, which was made in the time of Ezechias king of Juda. And though both these authors and those vary about the precise time, yet it seems to us that no other time can be assigned than between the two captivities: namely in the time of Manasses king of Juda and of Merodach Baladan king of the Assyrians, whom we think was called by another name Nabuchodonosor, who reigned also in Babylonia. But of this we have treated at length in the first book On the Word of God, chapter 12. So the time of this history will be the year of the world 3270.
Who was the author of this book is uncertain, in the opinion of St. Isidore, Etymologies book 6, chapter 2. But if we put faith in Josephus in the first book against Apion, the author will be Eliacim, who by another name was called Joachim, the high priest of the Hebrews, who is mentioned in Judith 4 and 15. For Josephus writes that it was the custom among the Egyptians and Babylonians, and especially among the Hebrews, that public deeds should be committed to the high priests to be written; and in the time of Judith the high priest was Eliacim, as we said above. Further, the book of Judith, though it is rejected from the canon of divine Scripture by the Hebrews and by modern heretics, yet the first Council of Nicaea put this book into the number of the divine books, as St. Jerome testifies in the preface to Judith. The same was done by the Third Council of Carthage, chapter 47, and that of Trent, session 4 [“I” printed], and the decree of Gelasius I on the holy Scriptures, and the decretal letter of Innocent I to Exuperius; and by St. Augustine, On Christian Doctrine book 2, chapter 8; St. Isidore, Etymologies book 6, chapter 1; Cassiodorus, Divine Readings book 1; Rabanus, On the Instruction of Clerics book 2; and other Fathers. This book tells of the victory won from heaven by the Hebrews against Holofernes, the captain of the soldiery of the Assyrians, by the virtue of a most noble and most chaste woman, the widow Judith.
Esdras and Nehemias. 3532
Esdras the priest lived under Artaxerxes king of the Persians, who began to rule in the year 3521 from the founding of the world. He wrote the first book of Esdras, and perhaps also the second, as St. Isidore says, Etymologies book 6, chapter 2; though it is more probable that the second book was written by Nehemias, who after Esdras was sent into Judea by the same Artaxerxes, whose cupbearer he was. The third and fourth books are counted among the apocrypha. Further, the holy Fathers teach that Esdras was the restorer of the sacred books. This is not to be understood as if all the sacred Scriptures had perished in the overthrow of the city and temple under Nabuchodonosor and were restored by Esdras by divine inspiration, as the author of 4 Esdras, chapter 14, makes up; but that Esdras, with the greatest diligence, gathered and set in order the Scriptures of Moses and the Prophets, written out in various volumes, scattered in various places and not carefully kept in the time of the captivity, and brought them together as into one body. See Irenaeus, book 3, chapter 25 [21]; Tertullian, On the Dress of Women; Clement, Stromata book 1; Hilary, preface to the Psalms; Chrysostom, homily 8 on the letter to the Hebrews; Theodoret, preface to the Psalms. St. Jerome adds, in the Helmeted Prologue, that Esdras found new Hebrew letters and left the old ones to the Samaritans.
Mardocheus, author of the book of Esther. 3528
Of the time of the history of queen Esther there is great controversy among writers. The opinion of Josephus the Hebrew, Antiquities book 11, chapter 6, pleased us formerly and pleases us still today; as also of Sulpicius Severus, Sacred History book 1, of Nicephorus of Constantinople in the Chronicle, and of many others whom Eusebius refers to without name in the Chronicle. According to this opinion Esther married Artaxerxes Longimanus in his seventh year, which falls in the year of the world 3528; at which same time Esdras flourished, as we said above; and for this cause St. Isidore, Etymologies book 6, chapter 2, taught that the author of the book of Esther is Esdras. But it is much more probable that the author was Mardocheus, the uncle and foster-father of Esther herself, who was always at her side and knew her deeds best of all. See more, if you please, in our Controversies, book 1 On the Word of God, chapter 7.
The Seventy-Two Interpreters, and Aristeas. 3720
In the seventeenth year of Ptolemy Philadelphus king of Egypt, which was the year of the world 3720, was made that most famous version of the sacred Scriptures from the Hebrew tongue into Greek by seventy-two most learned men; not without a divine miracle, so many men agreeing in one and the same version, as Philo writes in the Life of Moses book 2, Josephus in Antiquities book 12, chapter 2, Tertullian in the Apology, chapter 18, Athanasius in the Synopsis, Epiphanius in On Measures and Weights, and Augustine, City of God book 18, chapter 45 [42?]. And Epiphanius names not only the king but also the 17th year of his reign. Who those most learned men were, and their names, Aristeas sets out in his book on the seventy-two interpreters, which is extant in the Library of the Holy Fathers, volume 7 of the second edition. And though some more recent writers think that the Aristeas now extant is not he who lived in the time of the seventy interpreters themselves, but was made up by the Hebrews, yet that he truly is that very one is proved well enough from this, that all that is quoted from Aristeas by Josephus, Antiquities book 12, chapter 2, Tertullian in the Apology, chapter 18, Eusebius in the Preparation for the Gospel, book 8, chapter 1, and St. Jerome in the preface to the Pentateuch, is found word for word in ours. See, if you please, on the Seventy-Two Interpreters, our book 2 On the Word of God, chapter 6.
Jesus Sirach. 3759
Jesus Sirach, who is the author of the sacred book called Ecclesiasticus, lived in the time of Ptolemy Euergetes king of Egypt, as he himself testifies in the preface to his book; and he names himself Jesus Sirach at the end of the fiftieth chapter. The more recent heretics despise this sacred book; but the Fathers of the Third Council of Carthage, chapter 47, and of Trent, session 4, acknowledge it as divine and sacred; likewise the Pontiffs, Innocent in the letter to Exuperius and Gelasius in the decree on the sacred books; likewise St. Augustine, On Christian Doctrine [book 2], chapter 8, Epiphanius on the heresy of the Anomoeans, Cyprian, book 3, letter 9, Clement of Alexandria, Stromata book 7, and others.
The author of the books of the Machabees. 3860
The books of the Machabees are the last among the sacred books of the old Testament. They are two books (for two others are counted among the apocrypha). The first contains the deeds of Mathathias and of three of his sons, Judas Machabeus, Jonathan and Simon, from the year of the world 3822 to the year 3856. The author of this book is unknown; but it is credible that the author was John Hircanus, the son of Simon, who was present at all the events, and was high priest after his father Simon, and had a long and peaceful life in the principate, of thirty-one years, and was not only priest and prince but also a Prophet, as Josephus writes, Antiquities book 13, chapter 26 [18?]. Of the second book of the Machabees, which contains the same history but begins a little higher and tells the notable martyrdom of Eleazar and of the seven Machabean boys and their mother, the author was Jason of Cyrene, who comprised all this history in five books; of which books we have only the epitome, as is said in 2 Machabees 2. These books, whatever the heretics clamour, the Church holds as truly canonical, as is plain from the Third Council of Carthage and that of Trent, from the letter of Innocent I to Exuperius and Gelasius in the decree on the sacred Scriptures, from St. Cyprian, book 1, letter 3 to Cornelius, and St. Augustine, City of God book 18, chapter 36, and against Gaudentius book 2, chapter 23. Besides these sacred books St. Athanasius in the Synopsis counts some apocryphal books which are not extant.
Philo the Hebrew. 4024
Philo the Hebrew, by the consent of all a most learned man, flourished under the emperor Gaius, to whom he also went on an embassy for his nation. He is placed by St. Jerome among the writers of the Church because he wrote in praise of the Christians who lived most religiously in Egypt under St. Mark the Evangelist. And besides he is rightly counted among the ecclesiastical writers of the old Testament because he was the first to explain the divine Scriptures of the old Testament. He wrote many things, of which Eusebius gives a catalogue, History book 2, chapter 17 [18]; but not all are extant. His works, from the Basel edition of the year 1561, are these:
On the Making of the World, 1 book
On the Allegories of the Law, 2
On the Cherubim, 1
On the Sacrifices of Abel and Cain, 1
That the Worse is Wont to Attack the Better, 1
On Husbandry, 1
On Noah's Planting, 1
On Noah's Drunkenness, 1
On the words, Noah awoke, 1
On the Giants, 1
That God is Unchangeable, 1
On the Confusion of Tongues, 1
On Abraham, 1
On Fugitives, 1
Who is the Heir of Divine Things, 1
On Joseph, 2
On the Life of Moses, 3
On Charity, 1
On the Creation of a Prince, 1
On Fortitude, 1
On the Decalogue, 1
On the Special Laws, 1
On Circumcision, 1
On Monarchy, 2
On the Honours of Priests, 1
On Victims, 1
On Those Who Offer Victims, 1
On the Hire of a Harlot, 1
That Every Good Man is Free, 1
On the Contemplative Life, 1
On Nobility, 1
On Rewards and Punishments, 1
On Curses, 1
That the World is Incorruptible, 1
Against Flaccus, 1
On the Embassy to Gaius, 1
Of these books there is no controversy. A Breviary of the Times goes about under the name of Philo, but it is rejected by all; as also the other historians who were published together with that Breviary.
Josephus the Hebrew. 4057
Josephus the Hebrew flourished under the emperor Vespasian, to whom he foretold the empire when he was held captive by him. He wrote:
The Antiquities of the Jews, 20 books
On the Jewish War, 7
Against Apion, 2
On the Machabees, 1
He adds his own Life to the books of the Antiquities.
Further, in the books of the Antiquities Josephus comprised the sacred history from Genesis to the Machabees, and then added the rest of the history to his own times. And in Antiquities book 18, chapter 4, he gives Christ a wonderful testimony, affirming that he was more than man, and truly the Christ, magnificent in his works, most truthful in his words, and put to death indeed by Pilate, but risen again on the third day. This testimony is mentioned by Eusebius, History book 1, chapter 11, and St. Jerome in the book On Ecclesiastical Writers, under Josephus. And what the Hebrews say, that that testimony about Christ is not found in their books, and so seems to have been added by Christians, can easily be refuted. For the Hebrews do not have Josephus the son of Mathathias, who wrote the books of the Antiquities in Greek, of whom we are speaking, but Josephus the son of Gorion, who wrote something similar in Hebrew. So it is no wonder if the Jews do not have this testimony in their Josephus, since it is found in ours, and is not added, but the true and genuine testimony of Josephus. Certainly St. Jerome and Eusebius were most learned men, and read almost all the books of the old writers; and they would never have attributed this testimony about Christ to Josephus unless they had known that it was truly so written by that author.
I have left out the books of the Rabbis, which are very many, because they are full of Jewish fables and pernicious errors. Nor do I think it true, what J. Garetius and some others write, that some Rabbis whose works are now extant wrote before the coming of Christ; for I see mention made by them everywhere of the overthrow of Jerusalem and of the temple by Titus the son of Vespasian.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
De Jona. 3195. Jonas Propheta eodem tempore prophe¬ tavit, quo superiores Prophetae, ut scribunt Sanctus Hieronymus in prologo Jonae, Euse- bius in chronico, et lib. x. de praeparatione Evangelica cap. ultimo, et Sanctus Augu¬ stinus lib. xvm. de Civit. Dei cap. 27. Pro¬ phetavit autem Jonas contra Ninivitas, et exitium illis praedixit. Et quamvis agentibus illis poenitentiam Deus pepercerit : tamen postea reversis ad iniquitatem Deus exitium illis immisit, quod Jonas praedixit, ut habe¬ mus in libro Tobiae cap. xn. Sanctus Hieronymus in prologo Jonae refert verba Tobiae, quibus expresse dicitur, evertendam Ninivem, ut praedixit Jonas. Sed in nostro libro Tobiae cap. xiv. non ha¬ betur nomen Jonae, sed solum (prope erit interitus Ninive, non enim excidit verbum Domini). Hunc Jonam scribit Epiphanias, in libro de vita et morte Prophetarum, esse puerum illum quem suscitavit Elias ad preces Viduae Sareptanae. Quod idem ex traditione He¬ braeorum refert Sanctus Hieronymus in pro¬ logo Jonae. Quo fundamento nitatur haec traditio, non scio, certe tempora parum co¬ haerent. De Michxa. 3223. Michaeas prophetavit paulo post supradi- ctos. Scribit enim initio prophetiae suae : et prophetasse in diebus Joatham, AchaZj et Ezechiae* et omittit Oziain, quem Oseas, Isaias* et Amos posuferunt. Proinde prophe¬ tavit initid regni Joathain* id est, anno mundi 3223. praedixit hic Propheta captivi¬ tatem primam decem tribuum : praedixit ad¬ ventum Christi, et nativitatem in Bethleem, et conversionem gentium ad Ecclesiam Dei. De Nahum. 3264. Nahum Elcesaeus prophetavit post abdu¬ ctas decem tribus in captivitatem a Salma- nasar rege Assyriorum, ut testantur Sanctus Hieronymus,Theodoretus,etTheophylactus, in praefatione in Nahum ; iidem volunt eum prophetasse tempore Ezechiae : illo enim an¬ no decem tribus in captivitatem ductas esse constat ex lib», IV. reg.cap. xvm. Itaque tem¬ pus prophetiae Nahum incidit in annum mundi 3264. * Praedixit hic Propheta exitium regis Assy¬ riorum, et vastationem Ninive per Chaldaeos. Et Judaeis praedixit, nonpraevaliturum regem Assyriorum contra Hierusalem, sicut praeva¬ luerat contra Samariam. Obiit in pace, teste Sancto Epiphanio, in lib. de vita et morte Prophetarum. De Habacuc. 3283. Habacuc prophetavit ante captivitatem duarum tribuum, ut docet Epiphanius in libro de vita et morte Prophetarum ; et in chronico Hebraeorum, quod Seder olam vo¬ cant; dicitur Habacuc prophetasse sub rege Manasse filio Ezechiae, id est, post captivi¬ tatem decem tribuum. Manasses autem re¬ gnare coepit anno mundi ter millesimo du¬ centesimo, octogesimo tertio. Multi tamen graves auctores volunt, Ha¬ bacuc prophetasse post captivitatem Baby¬ lonicam, ut Sanctus Hieronymus in prologo ad hunc Prophetam, Theodoretus, et alii. Ducuntur hi auctores illo argumento, quod Habacuc Propheta, Angelo eum rapiente, et deferente, attulerit prandium Danieli, in lacu leonum constituto ; ac per hoc vixerit tem¬ pore Danielis, et ad initium imperii Cyri regis Persarum. Sed nos priori sententiae ad¬ haeremus, quoniam ipse Habacuc disertis et Inultis verbis praedixit adventum regis Ba¬ byloniae ad capiendos Judaeos* Non est au¬ tem moris Prophetarum loqui de rebus prae¬ teritis per verba temporis futuri; sed e con¬ trario praedicere futura per verba temporis praeteriti. Annuntiilre enim praeterita, tam¬ quam si essent futura, unusquisque potest sine spiritu prophetiae; Ad argumentum au- TESTAMENTI VETERIS 347 tem de allatione prandii adDanielem, facile responderi potest, non esse eumdem Haba- cuc Prophetam, unum ex minoribus, et Ha- bacuc Prophetam, qui tulit prandium Da- nieli : sicut non est idem Michaeas Propheta, qui vixit tempore Achab regis Samariae, cum Michaea Propheta, qui unus est ex duodecim Prophetis minoribus. Ergo Habacuc de tribu Simeon praedixit adventum Chaldaeorum et Babylonicam ca¬ ptivitatem. Praedixit etiam vastationem eorumdem Chaldaeorum, quae facta est per Medos et Persas. Et tandem praedixit adven¬ tum Christi, passionem, resurrectionem, et secundum adventum in gloria. De Sophonia. 3340. Sophonias prophetavit, ut ipse testatur, in diebus Josiae regis : et quia non designat Sophonias annum regni Josiae, ut facit Hie- remias, intelligendum est, Sophoniam pro¬ phetasse ad initium regni Josiae, id est anno mundi ter millesimo, trecentesimo quadra¬ gesimo. Hoc enim anno coepit regnare Josias. Porro hic Propheta concionatur contra pec¬ cata, et hortatur ad poenitentiam, et praedi¬ cit excidium Palaestinorum, Moabitarum, Ammonitarum, JEthiopum, et aliarum gen¬ tium. Praedixit etiam conversionem gentium, et ruinam idololatriae. Denique praedixit Christi resurrectionem, Judaeorum excaeca¬ tionem, et exitium ultimum, et Ecclesiae gloriam, et felicitatem. De Hieremia. 3337. Hieremias, Propheta secundus ex majori¬ bus, prophetare coepit anno tertio decimo regni Josiae, id est, anno 3337. ab orbe con¬ dito, ut ipse initio libri sui testatur : et pro¬ phetavit usque ad annum undecimum Se- deciae regis, qui fuit ultimus rex Hierusalem: et tunc completa fuit captivitas Babylonica. Fuit autem Hieremias ex tribu sacerdotali, vir mitissimus, et sanctissimus, et post mul¬ tos labores et angustias lapidibus obrutus ab ingrato populo, vitam cum morte commuta¬ vit. Vide Epiphanium de vita et morte Pro¬ phetarum. Scripsit autem vel dictavit insigne volu¬ men, in quo populum, et Principes ejus, ad poenitentiam multis sermonibus hortatus est. Praedixit imminentem ruinam Hierusa¬ lem, et templi domini, et totius regni. Prae¬ dixit multa de Christi adventu, de Testa¬ mento novo, deque aliis Christianis myste¬ riis apertissime. Addidit Hieremias ad finem libri sui Thre- nos, id est, lamentationes, carmine scriptas, ordine alphabetico, quibus deplorat aerum¬ nas gentis suae corporales, et spirituales. Addidit denique epistolam ad populum captivum in Babylone, qua hortatur illos, ut in fide veri Dei persistant, et ab idolo¬ rum cultu se abstineant ; quam epistolam posuit Baruc in extremo libro suo. De Baruc. 3366. Baruc, minister, et amanuensis Hieremiae, praeter ea quae scripsit Hieremia dictante, ut colligitur ex c. xxxvi. Hieremiae, scripsit pro¬ prium volumen quinque capitibus compre¬ hensum ; nam sextum est epistola Hieremiae. Prophetavit autem Baruc tempore Jechoniae regis, ut ipse testatur initio sui voluminis. Regnavit vero Jechonias anno mundi 3366. et solis tribus mensibus regnavit. Proinde hoc ipso anno Baruc prophetavit, et praedi¬ xit apertissime Dei incarnationem, et appa¬ ritionem in carne humana. Et quamvis hic liber non inveniatur ; tamen citatur passim a Patribus sub nomine Hieremiae, et a Sancto Cypriano lib. ii. contra Judaeos cap. S. 0 a Sancto Cyrillo lib. x. in Julianum citatur sub nomine Baruc. Vide, si placet, defensionem hujus libri Canonici in nostris Controversiis lib. i. de verbo Dei. De Ezechiele. 3371. Ezechiel, tertius ex majoribus, propheta¬ re coepit (ut ipse testatur cap. i.) anno quinto transmigrationis Jechoniae regis , qui fuit annus mundi 3371 . Fuit ipse quoque de ge¬ nere sacerdotali, vir optimus, et sanctissi¬ mus, et praedicabat concaptivis sms eosque ad virtutem hortabatur, sed mercedis loco ab ipso principe populi sui abtruncatus oc¬ cubuit. Praedixit reversionem populi ad pro¬ pria loca, et de adventu Domini, etBaptismo, aliisque Christi mysteriis, multa sed obscu¬ re, maxime de Structura templi, vaticinatus est. De Daniele. 3398. Daniel, Quartus ex Prophetis majoribus, 348 DE SCRIPTORIBUS ECCLESIASTICIS abductus est in captivitatem adhuc puer, et perseveravit in captivitate usque ad Cy¬ rum regem Persarum , id est , usque ad finem captivitatis. Coepit autem prophetare anno secundo Nabuchodonosor regis (ut ipse testatur cap. ii.) sed annus ille se¬ cundus non intelligitur ab initio regni, sed ab initio monarchiae, quam inchoavit, devastata iEgypto. Incidit autem haec de¬ vastatio, et initium monarchise, in annum vicesimum tertium regni ejus. Itaque secundus annusmonarchise notatus a Daniele, est annus regni vicesimus quar¬ tus, et annus mundi 3398. Fuit Daniel de tribu Juda, vir nobilis, et spiritu sapientiae, et prophetiae plenissimus, atque ea de causa gratissimus regibus etiam idololatris, et ab eis magnis honoribus cultus. Scripsit multa de Christo, et de tempore adventus ejus, nec non de morte ejus, et de excaecatione Judae¬ orum ; item de Antichristo, et praeliis ejus. Praedixit progressum quatuor praecipuo¬ rum regnorum, et de bellis futuris inter Graecos, et Persas, et successores Ale¬ xandri Magni, tanta perspicuitate, ut ali¬ qui putaverint, sed falso, ea scripta fuisse multo posterius, quam revera fuerint. Liber hic partim Hebraice partim Chaldaice scri¬ ptus est. Didicit enim Daniel in Babylone jussu regis, linguam, et litteras Chaldaeorum. De partibus quibusdam Danielis, quae ab Haereticis non recipiuntur, vide in primo nostro libro de verbo Dei. De Aggseo. 3463. Aggaeus prophetare coepit anno secundo Darii regis Persarum, mense sexto, ut ipse initio testatur. Fuit autem annus ille ab orbe condito 3465. Concionatur Aggaeus ad popu¬ lum, eum exhortans ad reaedificationem tem¬ pli, eumque graviter increpans, quod essent diligentiores in domibus suis aedificandis et ornandis, quam in domo Dei reaedificanda. Et praedixit, templum hoc secundum fore multo gloriosius, quam fuerit primum. Quod intelligitur de gloria templi ob Christi prae¬ sentiam, sive de Ecclesia Christi, non de structura materiali, ut Sanctus Augustinus ostendit lib. xvm. de Civ. Dei cap. 13. De Zacharia. 3465. Zacharias, illo ipso anno secundo Darii prophetavit, sed mense octavo, ut ipse testa¬ tur. Itaque Aggaeus duobus tantum mensi¬ bus Zachariam praecessit. Ipse quoque hor¬ tabatur populum ad aedificandum templum, et ad timorem Domini, etobedientiam man¬ datorum. Praedixit quoque multa per varias similitudines de felicitate Ecclesiae Christia¬ nae, et ultima perditione Judaeorum. De Malachia. 3521. Malachias, ultimus duodecim minorum Prophetarum, prophetavit post Aggaeum, et Zachariam, tempore Artaxerxis regis Per¬ sarum. Nam cap. n. reprehendit Judaeos, qui duxerant filias alienigenas in uxores : et similis reprenhensio exstat apud Esdram lib. i. cap. ix. et constat ex praecedentibus capitibus, hanc objurgationem factam fuisse post templum raeedificatum, regnante jam Artaxerxe filio Darii, cujus anno sexto finita est aedificatio templi ut habetur libro primo Esdrae cap. 6. Malachias posterior est Zacharia, quan¬ tum distat annus secundus Darii ab anno primo Artaxerxis, qui regnare coepit anno 3521. proinde hoc anno vixit, et scripsit Malachias. Hunc Prophetam Origenes exi¬ stimavit non fuisse hominem, sed Angelum in specie hominis, quia Malachias Hebraice Angelum significat. Refellit hunc errorem Sanctus Hierony¬ mus in prooemio Malachiee. Quia si propter nomen Angeli deberet negari Malachiam fuisse hominem ; eodem modo quia Osea si¬ gnificat Salvatorem, et Joel significat Deum et Dominum, possemus existimare, Oseam fuisse Christum, et Joelem fuisse Dominum Deum. Alii voluerunt Malachiam fuisse Esdram, et dictum Angelum ob sapientiam, et puri¬ tatem vitee. Haec est sententia Hebrseorum, quam Sanctus Hieronymus nec videtur ap¬ probare, nec reprobare. Sed communis sen¬ tentia, quae omnino sequenda nobis videtur, est, Malachiam fuisse hominem diversum ab Esdra. Sic docet Eusebius chronico, Sanctus Augustin. lib. xviii. de civ. Dei cap. 36. S. Cyrillus in primum caput Malachiae , qui dicit non esse audiendos, qui contra sentiunt : Sanctus Epiphanius in libro de vita et morte Prophetarum. Porro Malachias ex tribu Zabulon erat, ex sententia Epiphanii, loco citato, et preedixit abolitionem sacrificiorum Judaicorum , et institutionem sacrificii novi, quod toto orbe i TESTAMENTI VETERIS 349 offerendum erat. Praedixit quoque ultimum Judicium, et reversionem Elise Prophetae ad convertendas reliquias Israel, et praeter praedictiones, vehementer concionatus est adversus negligentiam Sacerdotum, et alia vitia. Denique in pace quievit adhuc juvenis, teste Epiphanio. De Tobia. 3236. Historia Tobise etJudith incidit in tempus Prophetarum minorum, videlicet Nahum et Habacuc, sed visum est conjungere omnes Prophetas simul, neque in chorum ipsorum extraneos admittere. Igitur Tobias senior cum Tobia juniore translatus fuit in civita¬ tem Ninive a rege Assyriorum Salmanasar, et perseveravit usque ad aliquot annos Sen- nacherib, successoris ejus. Contigit autem captivitas illa anno sexto Ezechise regis Juda, qui fuit nonus Osea regis Israel, et ab orbe condito 3264. Quis fuerit auctor libri Tobise, non est omnino certum, sed credibile est auctorem fuisse Tobiam juniorem, vel seniorem. Siquidem Angelus Raphael cap. 12. jus¬ sit Tobise utrique, ut narrarent, sive (ut ha¬ betur in textu Grseco) scriberent omnia mi¬ rabilia Domini, quae ipsi viderant, patientiam videlicet Tobise senioris, et consolationem magnam quam a Deo per Angelum Rapha- elem accepit. Itaque scriptus videtur liber anno mundi 3252, mortuo Sennacherib. Quae autem in fine libri adduntur de morte To¬ bise junioris, sine dubio ab aliquo alio ad¬ dita sunt. Porro liber Tobise scriptus est chaldaice, non hebraice, et ideo fortasse ab Hebraeis non agnoscitur pro lib. sacro, transtulit eum in linguam Latinam Sanctus Hieronymus, ut ipse testatur praefatione in Tobiam, et ab Ecclesia Catholica inter sacros libros nume¬ ratum fuisse cognoscimus ex Cone. III. Car¬ thaginiensi, ex Innocentio I. in epistola ad Exuperium, ex Gelasio I. in decreto de Scri¬ pturis sanctis, et Cypriano in serm. de elee¬ mosyna, ex Ambrosio in lib. de Tobia, ex Basilio in Oratione de avaritia, denique ex Cone, Trident. sess. 4. De Eliacim auctore libri Judith. 3270. Quando contigerint quae narrantur in libro Judith, maxima quaestio est : alii enim vo¬ lunt ea contigisse post captivitatem Babylo¬ nicam, quia in primo capite fit mentio regis Nabuchodonosor : alii volunt contigisse ante captivitatem illam, sed post captivitatem de- ■ cem tribuum quae facta fuit tempore Ezechiae regis Juda : et quamvis tam hi auctores quam illi varient circa tempus praecisum : nobis tamen videtur non posse assignari aliud tempus, quam inter duas captivitates, tempore videlicet regis Juda, Manasse, et regis Assyriorum Merodach Baladam,quem putamus alio nomine dictum esse Nabucho¬ donosor, qui regnavit etiam in Babylonia. Sed de hac re fuse tractavimus in libro primo de Verbo Dei cap. 12. Itaque tempus hujus historiae erit annus mundi ter millesimus ducentesimus septua¬ gesimus. Quis auctor fuerit hujus libri, incer¬ tum est ex sententia sancti Isidori lib. vi. Originum cap. 2. Sed si fidem habeamus Josepho in libro primo contra Apionem, auctor erit Eliacim, qui alio nomine dicebatur Joachim, sacer¬ dos magnus Hebraeorum, de quo fit mentio in libro Judith cap. 4. et 15. Scribit enim Josephus in more positum fuisse apud Egyptios et Babylonios, et potis¬ simum apud Hebraeos, ut res gestae publice, scribendae committerentur sacerdotibus ma¬ gnis : tempore autem Judith sacerdos ma¬ gnus erat Eliacim, ut supra diximus. Porro liber Judith quamvis ab Hebraeis et Haereticis modernis rejiciatur ex canone Scripturarum divinarum, tamen Concilium Nicaenum primum hunc librum retulit in numerum librorum divinorum, teste Sancto Hieronymo, praefatione in Judith. Quod idem fecerunt Concilium tertium Carthaginiense cap. 47. et Tridentinum sess. I. et decretum Gelasii I. de Scripturis sanctis, et Epistola decretalis Innocentii I. ad Exuperium; et Sanctus Augustinus libro secundo de doctri¬ na Christiana cap. 8. et Sanctus Isidorus lib. vi. Originum cap, 1. et Cassiodorus lib. i. divinarum lectionum, et Rabanus lib. ii. de institutione Clericorum, et alii Patres. Recenset hic liber victoriam divinitus re¬ portatam ab Hebraeis contra Holofernem principem militiae Assyriorum per virtutem nobilissimae et castissimae feminae Judith viduae. De Esdra et Nehemia. 3532. Esdras sacerdos, vixit sub Artaxerxe rege Persarum, qui imperare coepit anno ab orbe 350 DE SCRIPTORIBUS ECCLESIASTICIS condito 3521. Scripsit autem librum primum Esdrae, et fortasse etiam secundum, ut San¬ ctus Isidorus libro vi Originum cap. 2. quamvis probabilius sit, secundum librum a Nehemia scriptum fuisse, qui post Esdram missus est in JudEeam ab eodem Artaxerxe, cujus pincerna erat. Libri tertius et quartus inter apocryphos computantur. Porro Esdram sancti Patres docent instau¬ ratorem fuisse sacrorum librorum : quod non ita intelligendum est, quasi Scripturae sacrae omnes perierint in eversione civitatis et tem¬ pli sub Nabuchodonosor, et ab Esdra divi¬ nitus inspirato reparatae fuerint, ut fabulatur auctor lib. iv. Esdrae, cap. 14, sed, quod Scripturas Mosis et Prophetarum in varia volumina descriptas, et in varia loca disper¬ sas, et tempore captivitatis non diligenter conservatas, Esdras summa diligentia colle¬ ctas ordinaverit, et in unum quasi corpus redegerit. Yide Irenaeum lib. m. cap. 25, Tertullia¬ num lib. de habitu mulierum, Clementem lib. i. Stromatum, Hilarium prsefatione in Psalmos, Chrysostomum hom. 8. in epist.ad Hebraeos, Theodoretum praefatione in Psal¬ mos. Addit Sanctus Hieronymus in prologo ga¬ leato, Esdram invenisse novas litteras He¬ braicas ; et antiquas Samaritanis dimi¬ sisse. De Mardochseo auctore libri Esther. 3528. De tempore historiae reginae Esther magna est inter scriptores controversia : nobis olim placuit et hodie etiam placet sententia Jose- phi Hebraei lib. xi. antiquitatum cap. 6. nec non Severi Sulpitii lib. i. de Sacra historia, Nicephori Constantinopolitani in chronico, et aliorum multorum , quos sine nomine refert Eusebius in chronico. Juxta hanc sen¬ tentiam Esther nupsit Artaxerxi Longi¬ mano, anno ejus septimo, qui incidit in an¬ num mundi 3528. quo eodem tempore flo¬ ruit Esdras, ut supra diximus, atque hac de causa Sanctus Isidorus lib. vi. Originum cap. 2. docuit, auctorem libri Esther esse Esdram. Sed multo probabilius est, auctorem fuisse Mardocheeum patruum, et nutricium ipsius Esther, et qui illi semper adfuit, et res ge¬ stas omnium optime novit. Vide plura, si placet, in controversiis no¬ stris lib. i. De Verbo Dei, cap. 7. De LXXII. Interpretibus et Aristaea. 3720. Anno decimo septimo Ptolomaei Philadel¬ phi regis iEgypti, qui fuit annus mundi ter millesimus septingentesimus vicesimus, facta est celeberrima illa versio sacrarum Scriptu¬ rarum ex lingua Hebraica in Graecam, a septuaginta duobus viris doctissimis, non sine miraculo divino, convenientibus tot ho¬ minibus in unam et eamdem versionem, ut scribunt Philo lib. n. de vita Mosis, Jose- phus lib. xn. Antiq. cap. 2. Tertullianus in Apologetico cap. 18. Athanasius in Synopsi, Epiphanius de mensuris et ponderibus, et Augustinus lib. xvm. de Civ. Dei cap. 45. sed Epiphanius non solum nominat regem, sed etiam annum 17. regni ejus. Qui fuerint viri illi doctissimi, et nomina, exponit Aristaeas in suo libro de septuaginta duobus interpre¬ tibus, qui exstat in bibliotheca Sanctorum Patrum tomo 7, editionis secundae.Et quam¬ vis aliqui recentiores existiment, Aristseam, qui nunc exstat, non esse illum, qui vixit tempore ipsorum septuaginta interpretum, sed confictum ab Hebraeis : tamen vere esse illum ipsum, satis probatur ex eo, quod om¬ nia, quae citant ex Aristsea Josephuslib. xn. antiqu. cap. 2, Tertullianus in Apologetico cap. 18, Eusebius libro octavo de praepara¬ tione Evangelica capite primo, et Sanctus Hieronymus praefatione in Pentateuchum, inveniuntur in hoc nostro ad verbum. . Vide, si placet, de LXXII. Interpretibus in nostro libro n. cap. 6. de Verbo Dei. DeJesu Sirach. 3759. Jesus Sirach,qui auctor est libri sacri, qui dicitur Ecclesiasticus, vixit tempore Ptolo- maei Evergetis regis iEgypti, ut ipse testatur in praefatione ad librum suum : ipse autem se nominat Jesum Sirach in fine capitis quin¬ quagesimi. Hunc sacrum librum Haeretici recentiores contemnunt : sed eum, ut divi¬ num et sacrum agnoscunt Patres Concilii Carthaginiensis tertii cap. 47. et Trident. sess. 4. Item Pontifices, Innocentius in Epist. ad Exuperium, et Gelasius in decreto de libris sacris : item Sanctus Augustinus de doctrina Christiana cap. 8. Epiphanius in haeresi Anomaeorum, Cyprianus lib. m.epist. 9, Clemens Alexandrinus lib. vn. Stroma¬ tum, et alii. TESTAMENTI VETERIS 351 De auctore librorum Macchabseorum. 3860. Libri Maechabaeorum ultimi sunt inter sa¬ cros libros Testamenti veteris : sunt autem duo libri (nam duo alii inter apocryphos nu¬ merantur), quorum prior continet res gestas Matathiae, et trium filiorum ejus, Judae Mac- chabsei, Jonathae, et Simonis, ab anno mun¬ di 3822 usque ad annum 3856. Hujus libri ignoratur auctor : sed credibile est auctorem fuisse Joannem Hircanum, filium Simonis, qui rebus omnibus interfuit, et fuit summus Sacerdos post patrem suum Simonem, et habuit vitam diuturnam et pacificam in principatu, annorum triginta et unius , et fuit non solum sacerdos, et princeps, sed etiam Propheta, ut scribit Josephus lib. xm. Antiq. cap.26. Posterioris libri Macchabaeo- rum, qui continet historiam eamdem, sed paulo altius incipit, et narrat martyrium insigne Eleazari, et septem puerorum Mac¬ chabseorum, et matris ipsorum, auctor fuit Jason Cyrenseus, qui libris quinque omnem hanc historiam comprehendit : quorum li¬ brorum epitomen solum habemus, ut dicitur lib. II. Macchabseorum cap. n. Hos libros, quicquid Hseretici obstrepant, ut vere cano¬ nicos habet Ecclesia, ut perspicuum est ex concilio tertio Carthag. et Tridentiuo, ex Epist. Innocentii I. ad Exuperium, et Gela- sio in decreto de Scripturis sacris, ex Sancto Cypriano lib. i. epist. 3. ad Cornelium, et Sancto Augustino lib. xvm. de Civ. Dei cap. 36. et lib. n. contra Gaudentium cap. xxiii. Prseter hos libros sacros enumerat Sanctus Athanasius in synopsi aliquot libros apocry¬ phos qui non exstant. De Philone Hebraeo. 4024. Philo Hebraeus, vir omnium consensu do¬ ctissimus, floruit sub Caio imperatore, ad quem etiam legatione functus est pro gente sua. Hic ponitur a Sancto Hieronymo inter scriptores Ecclesiasticos, quia scripsit in lau¬ dem Christianorum, qui sub Sancto Marco Evangelista in iEgypto religiosissime vive¬ bant. Et praeterea jure numeratur inter scri¬ ptores Ecclesiasticos Testamenti veteris, quo¬ niam Scripturas divinas Testamenti veteris primus exposuit. Scripsit plura quorum ca¬ talogum refert Eusebius lib. ii. hist. cap. 17 sed non omnia exstant. Ejus opera ex edi¬ tione Basileensi anni 1561 haec sunt : De mundi opificio lib. 1 De allegoriis legis, 2 De Cherubin, 1 De sacrificiis Abel et Cain, 1 Quod deterius potiori insidietur, 1 De agricultura, 1 De plantatione Noe, 1 De temulentia Noe, i In illud, Resipuit Noe , 1 De gigantibus, 1 Quod Deus sit immutabilis, 1 De confusione linguarum, 1 De Abrahamo, 1 De profugis, 1 Quis rerum divinarum sit haeres, 1 De Joseph, 2 De Mosis vita, 3 De charitate, l De creatione Principis, 1 De fortitudine, 1 De decalogo, 1 De specialibus legibus, 1 De circumcisione, 1 De monarchia, 2 De Sacerdotum honoribus, 1 De victimis, l De offerentibus victimas, 1 De meretricis mercede, 1 Quod omnis probus liber, 1 De vita contemplativa, ii De nobilitate, 1 De praemiis et poenis, 1 De execratione, 1 Quod mundus sit incorruptibilis, 1 In Flaccum, 1 De legatione ad Gaium, 1 De his libris non est controversia. Cir¬ cumfertur nomine Philonis Breviarium tem¬ porum, sed ab omnibus rejicitur ; ut etiam alii historici, qui cum eo Breviario simul editi sunt. De Josepho Hebraeo. 4057. Josephus Hebraeus floruit sub Vespasiano imperatore, cui praedixit imperium, cum ab eo captivus detineretur. Scripsit : Antiquitatum Judaicum, lib. 20 De bello Judaico, 7 Contra Apionem, 2 De Macchabaeis. 1 Vitam ipse suam addit ad lib. antiq. Porro in libris antiquitatum comprehen¬ dit Josephus historiam sacram a Genesi us¬ que ad Macchabaeos, et deinde addidit reli- 352 DE SCRIPTORIBUS ECCLESIASTICIS quam historiam usque ad sua tempora. Li¬ bro autem xvm Antiquitatum c. 4. reddit Christo mirabile testimonium affirmans eum fuisse plusquam hominem, et vere Christum, in operibus magnificum, in verbis veracis¬ simum, et a Pilato quidem occisum, sed ter¬ tia die resurrexisse : cujus testimonii meni- mit Eusebius lib i. hist. Eccles. cap. H et S. Hieronymus in lib. de Script. Eccles. in Josepho. Quod autem Hebraei dicunt, testimonium illud de Christo in suis libris non haberi ; et ideo videri superadditum a Christianis ; fa¬ cile refelli potest. Nam hebraei non habent Josephum filium Matathiae, qui graece scripsit libros antiquitatum, de quo nos loquimur; sed Josephum filium Gorionis, qui aliquid simile scripsit Hebraice : proinde non est mirum, si Judaei in suo Josepho hoc testi¬ monium non habeant, cum in nostro habea¬ tur, et non sit superadditum, sed verum et germanum Josephi testimonium. Certe S. Hieronymus et Eusebius viri do¬ ctissimi fuerunt, et omnes pene libros vete¬ rum Scriptorum legerunt : et nunquam hoc testimonium de Christo Josepho tribuissent, nisi scivissent vere ab illo auctore ita scri¬ ptum fuisse. Omisi libros Rabinorum, qui plurimi sunt, quoniam pleni sunt fabulis Judaicis, et erro¬ ribus perniciosis : neque verum esse arbi¬ tror, quod J. Garetius, et alii nonnulli scri¬ bunt, Rabinos aliquot, quorum opera nunc exstant, scripsisse ante adventum Christi ; video enim p assim ab iis mentionem fieri eversionis Hierusalem, et templi, per Titum Vespasiani filium.