New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-03-10
PRESERVATION OF THE OLD TESLA
MENT CANON.


PRESERVATION OF THE OLD TESLA.
MENT CANON.
The Old Testament Scriptures, as we now
have them, were completed in composition
by the writings of Malachi, 397 B. c., and
in compilation about 300 B. G. Whether
they existed in one single collection at first,
ornot, is not essential for us to know. 1t
is enough that we are satisfied that the
books We're pronounced upon by divinely
appointed authority. Neither is it essential
that all the books of the Old Testament
Canon should at first have been received as
equally inspired. They evidently were not;
but events soon followed which, by the
hand of Providence, were made the means
of making all the books sacred to the Jewish
people.
The divisions of the older Scriptures at
the time of their completion were three
the Law. Prophets, and Other Writings.
The Law was further divided by the Jews
into sections, to be read each Sabbath, SO
that the whole was read every year Thus,
also, the Prophets were afterwards divided.
Has the Old Testament Canon been pre-
served without change since its completion,
over two thousand years ago, until nowl
This is not only a most interesting, but
also a most important question. The Jewish
and Christian worlds answer this question
in the affirmative. Our present object is to
state the grounds of this belief
How the different books were preserved
during the twelve hundred years it took to
compile them, has been sufficiently answered
in the history given OF their compilation.
ahe first step, then, VIII De 10 snow that the
Scriptures were preserved from the time of
their completion to the time OF Christ,
period of 300 years.
When the Scriptures were completed by
Ezra and those who labored with and after
him, they were deposited, as of old, in the
Temple. Whether this copy persisted in the
persecution of Antiochus is not known, nor
IS it material for me to know that Judas
Maccabaeus repaired the temple and re-
placed everything necessary to worship
IL. Mace. il. 3b-59) which included cor
rect, if not Ezra's own. copy OF the Scrip
lures. 1t is thought by some eminent critics
that probably an ark was constructed in
which these sacred books were preserved
until the destruction of Jerusalem by the
Romans under Titus, before whom a volume
of the Law was carried in triumph. This
was seventy years after Christ
Beside the Temple copy-and what makes
it unimportant whether it was preserved or
not-there were the synagogue copies.
Synagogues in which the Jewish worship was
performed were numerous during and after
the captivity. in Syria, Babylonia and
Egypt. In these places We're certified copies
of The Scriptures. These synagogues were
numerous in the time of Christ.
Soon after the completion of the canon
the Hebrew Scriptures were translated into
the Greek at Alexandria, in Egypt. This
work is said to have been done by seventy
learned Jews. under the patronage and.
Jewish tradition says, by the command OF
Ptolemy Philadelphus. This Greek version
is called the Septuagint or Ink. 1t was
4 r1n,, 4f,5s bnI
certainly known. This version came to be
held in such high esteem as to be read by
both Jews and Christians in the time of
Christ. Both the Saviour and apostles
. quoted from 1t. and to this day it is read ex-
clusiyely by the Greek and most other East
ern churches.
The persecution of Antiochus Epiphanes,
B. G.. 10, while it was most cruel, proved a
blessing in disguise He destroyed the
Temple and every copy OF the Scriptures he
could tind and decreed not only that the
Law should not be read, but that any Jew
who should be found with a copy of the
Scriptures should be killed. But the Jews
were true to their worship, and as the pen
altes were especially directed against the
Law which was used in worship, they stu
died the Prophets the more, and, when pos
sibie, read them in worship. After the per-
secution was past the Law and Prophets
were read alternately in worship.
All doubt as to the preservation of the
Scriptures to the time Of Christ are set aside
by the fact that both He and the apostles
sanctioned them. Jesus reproved the Jews
for misinterpreting and adding traditions
to the Scriptures, but never drops hint
that they had been careless about preserv-
ing them. lie refers to them as an infali-
bic rule which must be fulfilled" and "could
not be broken Search the Scriptures"
said He, ''for in them ye think We have
eternal life, but they are they that testify
of Me-" Paul speaks OF the Scriptures as
the oracles of God: the Word of God He
also speaks of the Holy Ghost speaking by
the mouth Of David. Peter says the
prophecy came not in old time by the will
of man, but holy men of God spake as they
were moved by the Holy Ghost. SO, too,
James speaks.
The volume of Scripture as it existed in
the time of Christ was therefore uncOrrupt-
ed Bat were the same books in the Scrip
lures in the time of Christ the same that we
have now ! Neither Christ nor any of the
APOSTLES left catalogue of books: neither
did they sanction by quotation all the
books We must therefore have other ties
1nonv This is not wanting. josephus. the
Jewish historian, who was born about the
time of Paul's conversion to Christianity,
and who therefore wrote in the tunes OF the
apostles. gives definite testimony on this
pOiil nc says VIC nav Z OlC dho o"ch'S
books which are to be believed as of divine
authority" And then he goes on to specify
five are the books of Moses, thirteen were
written by prophets. and the remaining
four contain hymns and documents OF life
for the use OF men. Now, anciently the
book of Ruth was annexed to Judges. and
Lamentations to jeremiah: and the twelve
minor prophets which we reckon sepa-
rately were called one book; SO that the
testimony of Josephus is definite. The
Scriptures in the times Of the apostles were
the same as n0|.
Soon after Josephus, in the year 60 A. D..
Melito made catalogue OF the books Of the
Old Testament canon. agreeing with our
own. Melito was raised Il pagan. but EN-
braced Christianity and travelled IN Judca
for the very purpose of satisfying himself
on the point: and, although his works are
lost. vet Eusebius has preserved his cata-
lorue of the books of the Old Testament.
Early in the third century Origen can
vassed this same subject, and the result was
the same as shown by his catalogue. After
Orgen, we have catalogues in succession,
not only by men of the first authority, but
by councils Doth have the same authority
to us), SO that there can be no doubt but
that the sJme books were in the Old lesta-
ment Scriptures in the time of Christ as now.
But still, it is asked, do the books OF the
Old Testament contain the same words aud
sentences now that they did when written
or when Christ and the apostles quoted
-, Il, a,aR