Early Christian Views on Pseudepigrapha

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book I Direct teaching

1. Besides the above [misrepresentations], they adduce an unspeakable number of apocryphal and spurious writings, which they themselves have forged, to bewilder the minds of foolish men, and of such as are ignorant of the Scriptures of truth.

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Direct teaching

...these things to you so that you may know what our judgment is, and so that you may not accept those books that circulate under our name but were written by ungodly people. For you must not pay attention to the names of the apostles, but to the character of the writings and to their consistent teaching. For we know that Simon and Cleobius, and their followers, have put together poisonous books under the name of Christ and of His disciples, and carry them around in order to deceive you who love Christ, and us His servants. And among the people of old, some also wrote apocryphal books of Moses, and Enoch, and Adam, and Isaiah, and David, and Elijah, and of the three patriarchs, books that are harmful and opposed to the truth. Even now the wicked heretics have done the same thing. They speak against creation, marriage, providence, the begetting of children, the law, and the prophets. They write down certain barbarous names, and names which they think are the names of angels, but, to speak the truth, are the names of demons that suggest these things to them. Avoid their teaching, so that you may not share in the punishment due to those who write such things for the seduction and dest

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Direct teaching

60. If any one publicly reads in the Church the spurious books of the ungodly, as if they were holy, to the destruction of the people and of the clergy, let him be deprived.

Tertullian, Apology Supporting witness

and ambitious, as I have said, of glory and eloquence alone, if they fell upon anything in the collection of sacred Scriptures which displeased them, in their own peculiar style of research, they perverted it to serve their purpose: for they had no adequate faith in their divinity to keep them from changing them, nor had they any sufficient understanding of them, either, as being still at the time under veil — even obscure to the Jews themselves, whose peculiar possession they seemed to be.

Novatian, Treatise Concerning the Trinity Direct teaching

...Gospel in any way other than as He had been promised before by the Creator in the Scriptures of the Old Testament. This is especially so because the things predicted about Him were fulfilled, and the things that were fulfilled had been predicted. So, with good reason, I could truly and constantly say to that fanciful—I do not know what—Christ imagined by those heretics who reject the authority of the Old Testament, a Christ feigned and colored up from old wives' fables: Who are you? From where are you? By whom are you sent? Why have you now chosen to come? Why are you such as you are? Or how have you been able to come? Or why have you not gone to your own, except that by coming to what belongs to another you have proved that you have none of your own? What have you to do with the Creator's world? What have you to do with the Creator's man? What have you to do with the image of a body, from which you take away the hope of resurrection? Why do you come to another man's servant, and do you desire to win over another man's son? Why do you strive to take me away from the Lord? Why do you compel me to blaspheme and to be impious toward my Father? Or what shall I gain from you in the r

Tertullian, Against Marcion Supporting witness

The whole of the Old Testament, the heretic, to the best of my belief, holds in derision.

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Direct teaching

For we know that Simon and Cleobius, and their followers, have compiled poisonous books under the name of Christ and of His disciples, and do carry them about in order to deceive you who love Christ, and us His servants.

Victorinus, Commentary on the Apocalypse Supporting witness

nor is the power of the New Testament detracted from, while its truth is resting on the roots of the same Old Testament.

Novatian, Treatise Concerning the Trinity Supporting witness

That Christ is God, is Proved by the Authority of the Old Testament Scriptures.

Victorinus, Commentary on the Apocalypse Supporting witness

That Christ is God, is Proved by the Authority of the Old Testament Scriptures.

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Direct teaching

85. Let the following books be regarded as venerable and holy by both the clergy and the laity. Of the Old Covenant, these are the five books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy; one book of Joshua the son of Nun, one of the Judges, one of Ruth, four of the Kings, two of the Chronicles, two of Ezra, one of Esther, one of Judith, three of the Maccabees, one of Job, one hundred and fifty Psalms, three books of Solomon: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs, and sixteen prophets. Besides these, be careful that your young people learn the Wisdom of the very learned Sirach. But our sacred books, that is, those of the New Covenant, are these: the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; the fourteen Epistles of Paul; two Epistles of Peter, three of John, one of James, one of Jude; two Epistles of Clement; and the Constitutions dedicated to you bishops by me, Clement, in eight books, which it is not fitting to publish before everyone because of the mysteries contained in them; and the Acts of us the Apostles.

Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Supporting witness

During the captivity lived Esther and Mordecai, whose book is still extant, as also that of the Maccabees.

Theophilus of Antioch, To Autolycus Background

...he lawgivers Lycurgus, Draco, or Minos, Josephus tells us in his writings that the sacred books are older than they are. This is because the writings of the divine law given to us through Moses already existed even before the reign of Jupiter over the Cretans, and before the Trojan War. And so that we may give a more exact presentation of eras and dates, we will now, with God's help, give an account not only of the dates after the flood, but also of those before it. We will do this in order to count, as far as possible, the total number of all the years, tracing back to the very beginning of the creation of the world, which Moses, the servant of God, recorded through the Holy Spirit. For after first speaking about the creation and beginning of the world, and of the first man, and of everything that happened afterward in the order of events, he also made known the years that passed before the flood. And I pray for favor from the only God, that I may speak the whole truth accurately according to His will, so that you and everyone who reads this work may be guided by His truth and favor. I will begin, then, first with the recorded genealogies, and I begin my account with the first

Caius, Fragments Background

...e Galatians to forbid circumcision. Then he wrote to the Romans about the rule of the Old Testament Scriptures, and also to show them that Christ is the first subject in these Scriptures. We need to discuss these one by one, since the blessed Apostle Paul, following the pattern of his predecessor John, writes by name to no more than seven churches, in this order: first to the Corinthians, second to the Ephesians, third to the Philippians, fourth to the Colossians, fifth to the Galatians, sixth to the Thessalonians, and seventh to the Romans. Moreover, although he writes twice to the Corinthians and Thessalonians for their correction, it is still shown, that is, by this sevenfold writing, that there is one Church spread throughout the whole world. And John too, in the Apocalypse, although he writes only to seven churches, still speaks to all. Besides these, Paul also wrote one letter to Philemon, one to Titus, and two to Timothy, out of simple personal affection and love indeed. Yet these are held in honor by the Catholic Church, and are used in the ordering of church discipline. There is also a letter to the Laodiceans in circulation, and another to the Alexandrians, forged unde

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness

Stay away from all pagan books. What do you have to do with such foreign teachings, laws, or false prophets that overthrow the faith of unstable people? What lack do you find in the law of God, that you should turn to those pagan fables? If you want to read history, you have the books of the Kings. If you want books of wisdom or poetry, you have the books of the Prophets, Job, and Proverbs. In them you will find greater depth of understanding than in all the pagan poets and sophists, because these are the words of the Lord, the only wise God. If you want something to sing, you have the Psalms. If you want the origin of things, you have Genesis. If you want laws and statutes, you have the glorious law of the Lord God. Therefore, completely stay away from all strange and diabolical books. No, when you read the law, do not think that you are required to keep the added precepts, if not all of them, then even some of them. Read those only for the sake of history, so that you may know them and glorify God that He has delivered you from so great and so many bonds. Aim to distinguish which rules came from the law of nature, and which were added afterward, or were additional rules introduce

Early Liturgies, Divine Liturgy of St. James Background

Then there are read in order the holy oracles of the Old Testament, and of the prophets;

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness

and besides these, the books of Job and of Solomon, and of the sixteen prophets.

Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Direct teaching

... time, since he flourished immediately after the Lord's ascension, his writings still depend on the Old Testament, breathing it and speaking from it. For faith in Christ and the knowledge of the Gospel are the explanation and fulfillment of the law. Therefore it was said to the Hebrews, "If you do not believe, neither shall you understand," Isaiah 7:9. That is, unless you believe what is prophesied in the law and delivered as an oracle by the law, you will not understand the Old Testament, which He explained by His coming.

Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Supporting witness

We must know, then, that if Paul is young in respect to time — having flourished immediately after the Lord's ascension — yet his writings depend on the Old Testament, breathing and speaking of them.

Origen, De Principiis (On First Principles) Direct teaching

The practice, moreover, of the Saviour or His apostles, frequently quoting illustrations from the Old Testament, shows that they attribute authority to the ancients.

Novatian, Treatise Concerning the Trinity Direct teaching

...undation of the world he was the Word of God, and God, we rightly, according to the teaching of the Old and New Testament, believe and hold that Christ Jesus is both God and man. What if this same Moses presents God as saying, "Let us make man after our image and likeness"; and then below, "And God made man; in the image of God He made him; male and female He made them"? If, as we have already shown, it is the Son of God by whom all things were made, then certainly it was also the Son of God by whom man was formed, for whose sake all things were made. Moreover, when God commands that man should be made, he is called God who makes man. But the Son of God makes man, that is, the Word of God, by whom all things were made, and without whom nothing was made. And this Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. Therefore Christ is God. Therefore man was made by Christ as by the Son of God. But God made man in the image of God. Therefore he who made man in the image of God is God. Therefore Christ is God. So, with good reason, the testimony of the Old Testament does not waver concerning the person of Christ, since it is supported by the revelation of the New Testament. Nor is the force of

Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Direct teaching

...What came before the coming and suffering of Christ—that is, the Law and the Prophets—is called the Old. But the things written after His resurrection are called the New Testament. The Jews use the Old; we use the New. Yet they are not in conflict, for the New is the fulfillment of the Old. And in both there is the same testator, that is, Christ. Having suffered death for us, He made us heirs of His everlasting kingdom, while the people of the Jews were deprived and disinherited. As the prophet Jeremiah testifies when he speaks these things: Jeremiah 31:31-32, "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new testament with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not according to the testament which I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my testament, and I disregarded them, says the Lord." Also in another place he says in the same way: Jeremiah 12:7-8, "I have forsaken my house, I have given up my heritage into the hand of its enemies. My heritage has become to me like a lion in the forest. It has cried out against me; therefore I have hated it." Since the inher

Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Supporting witness

...impiety to a sound mind. And there He again opened to His disciples, who had gathered together, the writings of Holy Scripture, that is, the secrets of the prophets. Before His suffering, these could by no means be understood, because they spoke about Him and His passion. Therefore Moses, and the prophets themselves also, call the law that was given to the Jews a testament. For unless the one who made the testament has died, a testament cannot be confirmed. Nor can what is written in it be known, because it is closed and sealed. And so, unless Christ had undergone death, the testament could not have been opened. That is, the mystery of God could not have been unveiled and understood.

Novatian, Treatise Concerning the Trinity Supporting witness

nor is the power of the New Testament detracted from, while its truth is resting on the roots of the same Old Testament.

Victorinus, Commentary on the Apocalypse Supporting witness

...Gospel in any other way than as He had been promised before by the Creator in the Scriptures of the Old Testament. This is especially clear since the things predicted about Him were fulfilled, and the things that were fulfilled had been predicted. So, with good reason, I could truly and constantly say to that imaginary—I do not know what—thing of those heretics who reject the authority of the Old Testament, concerning a Christ invented and colored from old wives' fables: Who are you? From where do you come? By whom were you sent? Why have you chosen to come now? Why are you such as you are? How have you been able to come? And why have you not gone to your own people, except that by coming to what belongs to another, you have shown that you have none of your own? What do you have to do with the Creator's world? What do you have to do with the Creator's man? What do you have to do with the likeness of a body, when you take away the hope of resurrection from it? Why do you come to another man's servant, and why do you want to draw away another man's son? Why do you try to take me away from the Lord? Why do you force me to blaspheme and to be impious toward my Father? And what will

Victorinus, Commentary on the Apocalypse Supporting witness

What if Moses follows this same rule of truth, and in the beginning of his sacred writings gives us this principle: that all things were created and established by the Son of God, that is, by the Word of God? For he says the same thing that John and the others say. In fact, John and the others are understood to have received from him what they say. For if John says, “All things were made by Him, and without Him nothing was made,” the prophet David also says, “I declare my works to the King.” Moses, moreover, presents God as commanding at the beginning that there should be light, that heaven should be established, that the waters should be gathered into one place, that the dry land should appear, that fruit should be brought forth according to its seed, that animals should be produced, and that lights and stars should be established in heaven. He shows that no one other than Him by whom all things were made, and without whom nothing was made, was then present with God, by whom these works were commanded to be made. And if He is the Word of God, for “my heart has brought forth a good Word,” he shows that in the beginning the Word was, and that this Word was with the Father, and that

Archelaus, Disputation with Manes Supporting witness

and the very sequence will show that the Old Testament belongs to Him to whom also the New Testament pertains.

Archelaus, Disputation with Manes Supporting witness

...u had believed Moses, you would have believed me, for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?’ “And besides all these words, there are still many other passages that could be brought forward, both from the Apostle Paul and from the Gospels. By these we are able to prove that the old law belongs to no other than that Lord to whom the New Testament also belongs. And it would suit us very well to present them, and to use them in a satisfying way. But now the evening prevents us from doing so, for the day is drawing to its close, and it is right that we should now bring our disputation to an end. However, tomorrow you will have an opportunity to ask us questions on any points you please to take up.” After these words, they went their way.