The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1899-11-04

mer Prophets-Joshua, Judges,
Samuel, Kings 2, The Latter
Prophets--Isaiah, jeremiah, Eze-
kiel, and the twelve minor proph-
cts considered as one book, i. g.
Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jo-
nan, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk,
Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah.
Malachi. 3rd, The Writings
(Hagiographa) Psalms, Prov
erbs Job, the Song of Songs,
Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesias-
tes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehe-
miah considered as one book
Chronicles.
We must also bear in mind that
even after the canon had been
determined the books were not
all bound together or written upon
the same scroll. Another lecture,
The Story of the Parchments, will
deal with the form of the writing,
but we must also notice here that
the books OF the canon were not
bound into one volume or written
upon one scroll, although they
We're recognized as one great
work.
There are other writings, treat
ing OF similar subjects, that have
not been received as of divine
authority. These are called the
Apocrypha Though these were
regarded by the Jews as instruc-
tive, they were considered as in
ferior to the accepted books, and
even the writer's of these apocry-
phal works did not seek for their
productions the same Importance
as for the sacred text. The names
of some of these are Proverbs of
Jesus the son of Sirach, or Ec-
clesiasticus four books of Mac
cabees, Wisdom of Solomon. The
Roman Catholic church accepts
these, but Protestants reject them
as normative for doctrine, val
uing them as other merely hu-
man works.
Perhaps the first attempt at the
construction of the canon was
made in the period when Ezra,
by whose side stood Nehemiah,
during the latter half of the fifth
century b. c., introduced the
Book of the Law as the rule of
religious and social life among
the Jews (Neh. viii-x). The
occasion did not dem and the
reading of excerpts from any but
the Book OF Law, but it is certain
that the prophetic writings were
read before, during and after the
exile. Ezra thus made valua-
BILE contribution to the formation
of the canon, though the story of
"The Great Synagogue must
be considered mythical.
The voice of anosher important
witness testifies to the canon, i. e,
the septuagint. This is the Greek
translation of the Hebrew, made
about 2S0-18 b. O., and cons
quently its testimony reaches
back beyond the date of its trans
lation for the need of this work
required sometime to express it,
self. It contains the canon that
we accept. A larger amount of
the septuagint will be given in
another lectsre.
Ecclesiasticus, an apocryphal
/ ook written by Jesus the son of
Sirach about 200 B. O., was
translated by the grandson Of the
author and in the prologue men
ton is made by the translator OF
his grandfather's study of the
.law, and the prophets, and
/ other books of our fathers.
Evidently at this time the tripar-
tite division of the Old Testament
was recognized. That this author
knew the canon as we have it
/ may considered as we'll estab-
| lished. The Jews during this
time, known as the Greek period
acknowledged that they we're a
lpeeple without prophet, for
/ God has ceased to speak to them
except through the message al
ready given.
The Bible of Jesus and the
| Apostles was the same Old Tes-
lament that is ours. The Jews
| in Palestine almost universally
used the Greek langus ge. How
ever there was a dialect of the
Hebrew known as Aramaic or
Chaldee that was in current use.
i But, the septuagint, more fire.
A quently referred to merely a.
4 Xxx tthe seventy was the book
4 in common use. The Sacred
writings were called in the New
i Testament Sthe Law and the
Prophets Matt. 5:17) or "the
J. + aw of MnQea the prnuhatz auf