be fulfilled, Let the wicked be wicked still, and the righteous be righteous still." Hengstenberg says well of this letter: "It affords us a deep insight into the position which the Apocalypse then held in the church. We are not met there with an inactive theoretical conviction of its genuineness; we see how it formed during the persecution the centre of the church's views and feelings; how from it especially sprung the invincible courage of the martyrs; how its threatenings and its promises wrought with such power upon the minds of believers that all the fury of the heathen was baffled and put to shame! We perceive the high importance which belongs to this particular portion of scripture, which the church often fails in quiet times to understand, and then suffers itself to be drawn into a denial of its apostolic origin!"

Hippolytus, a disciple of Irenaeus, seems to have written an apology for the Revelation, probably in opposition to the Montanists, as Ebedjesu 2 says of him: "St. Hippolytus, martyr and bishop, composed a work concerning the dispensation ..... and an apology for the Apocalypse and Gospel of John the apostle and evangelist." 3 He also often quotes from the Apocalypse. In his work De Antichristo, § 36, he says: "He [John], when he was in the isle of Patmos, sees the revelation of awful mysteries, declaring which he abundantly instructs others. Tell me, blessed Jolin, apostle and disciple of the Lord, what thou didst see and hear respecting Babylon"; and then quotes the whole of Rev. xvii. and xviii. In § 50 he cites Rev. xiii. 18, with the words: "For John the prophet and apostle says." 4.

1Ἵνα ἡ γραφὴ πληρωθῇ, ὁ ἄνομος ἀνομησάτο ἔτι, καὶ ὁ δίκαιος δικαιωθήτω ἔτι. Euseb. Hist. Eccl., V. 1. See further references in Hengstenberg's Comm., Vol. II 416 seq.

2 Asseman, in Bibliotheque Oriental, Vol. III. Part 1, p. 15, quoted by Davidson, Introd., Vol. III. 542.

3 Sanctus Hippolytus martyr et episcopus composuit librum de dispensatione et apologium pro Apocalypsi et evangelio Joannis apostoli et evan

.....

gelistae.

4 λέγει γὰρ ὁ προφήτης καὶ ἀπόστολος. In addition to these, Stuart cites §§ 47, 48, 50, 60, 65, and several passages where the Apocalypse is quoted by him.

At the beginning of the third century Clement of Alexandria, without question, also attributes the Apocalypse to John the apostle. He says; "He [the righteous man] will sit on the twenty-four thrones judging the people, as John says in the Apocalypse." And again: "The Apocalypse says, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been martyred, and to each one a white robe was given," 2 words taken from Apocalypse vi. 9 and 11. Davidson also quotes another passage in which reference is made to Rev. xxi. 19 seq.: "And the twelve gates of the heavenly city, like the twelve precious stones, we regard as intimating the excellence of the grace of apostolic (or apostle's) voice." 3 Lücke justly says: "Clement of Alexandria used the Apocalypse without hesitation, and as if he had never heard of the opposition of the Alogi, as the work of the Apostle John."4 "The well-known character of Clement," says Barnes, "makes his testimony of great value."

The declarations of the learned Tertullian, bishop of Carthage, are direct and explicit. It is unnecessary to quote but a small part of them. In reference to Rev. i. 16. he says: "For the Apostle John in the Apocalypse describes a sword proceeding out of the mouth of God, two-edged, sharp," 5. etc. In the same writing, § 24, speaking of the New Jerusalem, he says: "Both Ezekiel knew of this, and the Apostle John saw it"; Rev. xxi. 2. In De Pudicitia, cap. 19, he speaks of the sentiments of Paul and John, and in so doing quotes largely from the Apocalypse, as contain

1 Ἐν τοῖς εἴκοσι, καὶ τέσσαρσι καθεδρεῖται θρόνοις, τὸν λαὸν κρίνων, ὡς φησὶν ἐν Tŷ ATоkaλuчel 'Iwávvns. Strom., Lib. VI. 667, and Heb. IV. 4.

* Καὶ ἡ ̓Αποκάλυψίς φησι· Εἶδον τὰς ψύχας τῶν μεμαρτυρηκότων ὑποκάτω τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου, καὶ ἐδόθη ἑκάστῳ στολὴ λευκή.

3 Καὶ τὰς δώδεκα τῆς οὐρανοπόλεως πύλας, τιμίοις ἀπεικασμένας λίθοις, τὸ περίοπτον τῆς ̓Αποστολικῆς φωνῆς αἰνίττεσθαι χάριτος ἐκδεχόμεθα. Strom., Lib. II. 207.

+ Komm., p. 314.

5 Nam et apostolus Joannes in Apocalypsi ensem describit ex ore Dei prodeuntem, bis acutum, praeacutum, etc. Advers. Marcionem, III. 14.

* Hanc et Ezekiel novit et apostolus Joannes vidit.

ing the expression of John's views. In De Resurrectione, cap. 25, he appeals to Rev. vi. 9 respecting the souls of the martyrs as asking for retribution on the persecutors of the church, and also to various other passages in the Apocalypse, and cites them as scripture." We will quote but one more passage, although there are multitudes of the same general tenor of the preceding, penned both before and after he adopted the sentiments of the Montanists. This we quote because he refers to the opposition of Marcion to the Apocalypse, as of no significance in comparison with the united testimony of the successors of the bishops of the church back to the time of its composition: "We have churches the foster-children of John. For though Marcion rejects his Revelation, the succession of bishops traced to its origin is sufficient to establish the authorship of John.” 1

Origin, than whom no one is better qualified by judgment and learning to give testimony, does not question the authorship of the Apocalypse. In reference to the Hebrews he indicates that there are objections in respect to its Pauline origin; but not a question seems to have occurred to him in regard to the Revelation. In speaking of the canon of the New Testament according to Eusebius (Hist. Eccl., VI. 25) he says: "But what shall I say of him who leaned on the bosom of Jesus, viz. John? He has left us one Gospel, confessing that he could compose so many that the world could not contain them; and he moreover wrote also the Apocalypse, being commanded to keep silence and not write what the seven thunders uttered." In Commentary on John he says: "John, the son of Zebadee, says in the Apocalypse." 3

1 Habemus et Joannis alumnas ecclesias. Nam etsi Apocalypsin ejus Marcion respuit, ordo tamen episcoporum ad originem recensus in Joannem stabit Auctorem. Contr. Marc. IV. 5.

2 Τί δεῖ περὶ τοῦ ἀναπεσόντος λέγειν ἐπὶ τὸ στῆθος τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, Ἰωάννου, . . .. Ἔγραψε δὲ καὶ τὴν ̓Αποκάλυψιν, κελευσθεὶς σιωπῆσαι καί μὴ γράψαι τὰς τῶν ἑπτὰ βροντῶν φωνάς.

8 Φησὶν οὖν ἐν τῇ Αποκαλύψει ὁ τοῦ Ζεβεδαίου Ἰωάννης. Stuart also cites pp. 300, 303, ed. Wirceb., Opp. I. pp. 34, 58, 755; II. pp. 169, 347, 473, 525, 632;

Passing over the testimony of several persons of less note, as Nepos and Coracion, we come to Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, who often appeals to the Apocalypse as a part of the scripture, and as the composition of John. "In the Apocalypse the angel refused the adoration which John wished to render him," quoting Rev. xxii. 8. Again: "The divine word in the Apocalypse declares that the waters designate the people, saying: " Aquae," etc. (Rev. xxii. 8).2 A letter written to Cyprian, from several presbyters and deacons at Rome, in which the Apocalypse is cited, "quasi quadam tuba Evangelii," shows the estimation in which it. was held there.

Victorinus of Pettau, who suffered martyrdom under Diocletian A.D. 303, wrote a commentary on the Apocalypse, in which he frequently speaks of it as the work of John.4 Methodius, bishop of Olympus, and Lactantius of Firmium, might both be quoted as recognizing the divine inspiration and Johannean origin of the Apocalypse; 5 but we pass on to Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, about A.D. 326, who classes the Apocalypse among the books which he calls canonical and "the source of salvation; in which only is the true doctrine of religion declared; to which no man can add, and from which none can take away."

We need scarcely enumerate the several witnesses for the Apocalypse in the last half of the fourth century, such as Ephrem Syrus, Hilary of Poictiers, Epiphanius bishop of Salamis, Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, Ambrose, Chrysostom, Tichonius, Julius Firmicus Maternus, Philastrius, Ruffinus, and others, showing how generally this book

III. pp. 60, 63, 75, 105, 405, 406, 408, 555, 719, 720, 867, 869, 909, 947, 961. "Nor are these," he says, "all," Comm., § 17 (14).

1 In Apocalypsi, angelus Johanni volenti adorare se resistit, et dicit; Vide ne feceris, etc. Opp. p. 368.

2 Aquas namque populos significare, in Apocalypsi scriptura divina declarat, dicens, Opp. p. 176. Cf. also pp. 59, 354, 400, 402, 403, 408, 410, 424, 425, 427, 430, etc.

Opp. p. 58 seq., quoted by Stuart, § 17. 4 Sec Stuart's Commentary, Vol. I. § 17.

5 Ibid.

Ruffinus

was acknowledged as belonging to the canon. not only gives his own opinion but, in speaking of the canonical books, in which he includes the Apocalypse, says: "These are the writers of the Old and New Testaments, which are esteemed such from the tradition of the Fathers, which were inspired by the Holy Spirit and intrusted to the church, as we learn from the writings of the Fathers." At the conclusion of this catalogue he adds: "These are the books which were incorporated into the canon by the Fathers, and have been designated by them as the proper sources of our faith."1

2

Augustine, bishop of Hyppo, constantly appeals to it as canonical, and quotes "John the apostle in the Apocalypse." "John the evangelist in the book called the Apocalypse"; "the Apocalypse of that John who is the author of the Gospel," 4 etc.

The learned and critical Jerome is not less explicit than Augustine. He shows that he was aware that objections had been raised against it, but that they were not of such a nature as to shake his faith, or that of the churches 5 about him, in it. He speaks of John, in reference to his different writings, as apostle, evangelist and prophet. In his epistle to Dardanus he says: "If the Latins do not receive the

1 Quoted in Hug's Introduction, p. 662.

2 Johannes apostolus in Apocalypsi, Ep. 118.

* Joannes Evangelista in eo libro qui dicitur Apocalypsis. De Civitat. Dei XX. 7.

♦ Apocalypsi ipsius Joannis, cujus est hoc Evangelium. De Pecc. Mer. I. 27. 5 Legimus in Apocalypsi Joannis, quae in Ecclesiis legitur et recipitur, neque enim inter Apocryphas scripturas habetur, sed inter ecclesiasticas, etc. Comm. on Ps. cxlix; quoted by Stuart, § 17.

6 In his enumeration of the books of the canon of the Old and New Test. he includes the Apocalypse, of which he says: Apocalypsis Joannis tot habet sacramenta, quot verba. Parum dixi pro merito voluminis. Laus omnis inferior est. In verbis singulis multiplices latent intelligentiae. Opp. IV. 571 seq. 7 Johannes et Apostolus et evangelista, et propheta. Apostolus, quia scripsit ad ecelesias ut magister; evangelista quia librum Evangelii condidit. ..... Propheta vidit enim in Patmos insula, in quam fuerat a Domitiano principe ob Domini martyrium relegatus, Apocalypsin infinita futurorum mysteria continentem. Opp., Vol. IV. 168, 169.