Section 277
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246 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. written for the converts from the Gentiles, and last of all the gospel according to John. And in the fifth book of his Com mentaries on John, the same author writes as follows : " But he being well fitted to be a minister of the New Testament, Paul, 1 mean a minister not of the letter but of the spirit ; who, after spreading the gospel from Jerusalem and the country around as far as Illyricum, did not even write to all the churches to which he preached, but even to those to whom he wrote he only sent a few lines. But Peter, upon whom the church of Christ is built, against which the gates of hell shall not prevail, hasjeftjone epistle undisputed. Suppose, also, the second was left by him, for on this there is some doubt. "What shall we say of him who reclined upon the breast of Jesus, I mean John ? who has left qne^gospel, in which he confesses that he could write so many that the whole world could not contain them. He also wrote the Arjocal^pse, commanded as he was, to conceal, and not to write the voices of the seven thunders. He has also left an epjstle consisting of very jew lines; suppose, also, that a second and third is from him, for not all agree that they are genuine, but both to gether do not contain a hundred lines." To these remarks he also adds the following observation on the Episj^e__tojhg_2ebrews, in his homilies on the same : " The style of the Epistle with the title, ' To the Hebrews,' has not that vulgarity of dic tion which belongs to the apostle, who confesses that he is but common in speech, that is in his phraseology. But that this epistle is more pure Greek in the composition of its phrases, every one will confess who is able to discern the difference of style. Again, it wrill be obvious that the ideas of the epistle are admirable, and not inferior to any of the books acknowledged to (be apostolic. Every one will confess the truth of this, who atten tively reads the apostle's writings." To these he afterwards again adds : " But I would say, that the thoughts are the apos tle's, but the diction and phraseology belong to some one who has recorded what the apostle said, and as one who noted down at his leisure what his master dictated. If then, any church considers this epistle as coming from Paul, let it be commended for this, for neither did those ancient men deliver it as such without