Third, they lack the testimony of the early Christian Church.
Third, they lack the testimony of the early Christian Church.
§ 75. [III] Books that are truly canonical have the unanimous testimony of the early Christian Church. Those controversial books lack the unanimous testimony of the early Church. Therefore they are not canonical. We prove the major premise from the fact that the apostle calls the Church “the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15) especially because of its trustworthy testimony; and this testimony she gives to the canonical Scriptures. Although the Church makes no book canonical by her own authority (something the saner Papists admit: Bellarmine, De verbo Dei, bk. 1, c. 10, § Itaque) since the divine and canonical authority of Scripture depends on God alone, nevertheless the Church has the position of a witness, and with her witness she makes clear and confirms what books are truly canonical, namely, those written by holy men of God that she received from the forefathers.
The whole weight of the proof, then, rests on the minor premise, namely, that only those books that our churches recognize as canonical books of the Old Testament enjoy the unanimous testimony of the early Christian Church and that, on the other hand, those controversial books lack that testimony. But the minor premise will have to be confirmed with the testimony of the most ancient churches founded by the apostles, which, no one can doubt, received from the apostles the genuine canon of Scripture along with the transmission of their doctrine. Tertullian, De praescript.: “Go now, you who prefer to restrain your curiosity in the matter of your salvation; run to the apostolic churches in which the very thrones of the apostles are still being protected in their places, in which their authentic writings are being read, preserving the voice, representing the face.” Augustine, De doctrin. Christ., bk. 2, c. 8: “Let the authority of the catholic churches in the canonical Scriptures be followed most of all. Among them are, indeed, those who deserved to hold apostolic chairs and to receive their letters.”