Section 275
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244 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. CHAPTER XXIV. The expositions he gave at Alexandria. To these it might be necessary, perhaps, to add, that in the sixth book of his exegetical works on the gospel of John, he shows that the first five were composed by him whilst yet at Alexandria. But of the whole work on this gospel, only twentytwo books have come down to us. But in the ninth book on Ge nesis, for there are twelve in all, he not only shows that the. eight preceding ones were written at Alexandria, but also, his com mentaries on the first five and twenty Psalms. Moreover, those on Lamentations, of which five books have reached us, in which he also makes mention of his books on the resurrection. But these are two in number. Likewise, the works on the Principles were written before his removal from Alexandria, and also those entitled Stromata, in number ten, he composed in the same city during the reign of the emperor Alexander, as is shown by his own notes, fully written out before the books. CHAPTER XXV. His review of the collective Scriptures. IN his exposition of the first Psalm, he has given a catalogue of the books in the sacred Scriptures of the Old Testament, as follows: "But it should be observed that the collective fcooks, as handed down by the Hebrews, are twentytwo, according to the number of letters in their alphabet." After some further re marks, he subjoins : " These twentytwo books, according to the Hebrews, are as follows, ' That which is called Genesis, but by the Hebrews, from the beginning of the book, Bresith, which means, in the beginning. Exodus, Walesmoth,* which means, * We have here given the Hebrew pronunciation according to Origcn's Greek, which differs sometimes from the common pronunciation; allowance must also be made for the pronunciation of the Greek itself.