Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers: Series II/Volume XIV/Additional Canons 4/Part 20

by Philip Schaff et al.

VII.

From the Metre Poems of St. Gregory Theologus, Specifying which Books of the Old and New Testament Should Be Read.^[1]

Let not other books seduce your mind:  for many malignant writings have been disseminated.  The historical books are twelve in number by the Hebrew count, [then follow the names of the books of the Old Testament but Esther is omitted, one Esdras, and all the Deutero-Canonical books].  Thus there are twenty-two books of the Old Testament which correspond to the Hebrew letters.  The number of the books of the New Mystery are Matthew, who wrote the Miracles of Christ for the Hebrews; Mark for Italy; Luke, for Greece; John, the enterer of heaven,^[2] was a preacher to all, then the Acts, the xiv. Epistles of Paul, the vii. Catholic Epistles, and so you have all the books.  If there is any beside these, do not repute it genuine.

Footnotes

1. Not being satisfied with Johnson, I have supplied a translation from Beveridge.  It also is found in Aristenus’s Epitome.  Balsamon has written a brief scholion adding nothing of importance to the text.
2. This seems to imply a knowledge of the Revelation, although it is not mentioned.