Gregory.
Gregory.
Gregory, called “the Great,” was bishop of the Church of Rome around AD 600. In Moral. in Jobum, bk. 19, c. 17, intending to bring out testimony from 1 Maccabees, Gregory uses this preliminary explanation [
]: “Concerning this matter (namely, being wary of pride), we are not acting out of order if we apply testimony out of books that, though not canonical, nevertheless have been published for the edification of the people.” Sixtus Senensis objects, saying, “Gregory is speaking about the protocanonical books” (bk. 8, haeres. 12). Yet the deuterocanonical books were accepted around AD 400 by the Council of Carthage, as our adversaries wish. Gregory wrote in the sixth century around AD 600. Therefore he clearly excludes those from the canon. Julius Rugerius says, “Gregory did not know that those are canonical.” Yet so significant a bishop neither should nor could have been ignorant of them. Costerus responds: “He is speaking about the canon of the Hebrews” (Enchir., tit. De lib. canon.). However, we shall point out a little later that this exception is a frivolous one.