Scriptural Mormonism: Interpretation of Apostolic Canon 85 in "The Rudder"

English:

CANON LXXXV

To all you Clergymen and Laymen let the following books be venerable and sacred: Of the Old Testament, the five of Moses, namely, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy; the one of Jesus of Nave (commonly called Joshua in English); the one of Judges; the one of Ruth; the four of the Kingdoms; two Paralipomena of the Book of Days; two of Esdras; one of Esther; three of the Maccabees; one of Job; one Psalter (commonly called the Psalms in English and also in Greek); three of Solomon, namely, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs; twelve of the Prophets; one of Isaiah; one of Jeremiah; one of Ezekiel; one of Daniel; outside of these it is permissible for you to recount in addition thereto also the Wisdom of very learned Sirach by way of teaching your younger folks. Our own books, that is to say, those of the New Testament, comprising four Gospels, namely, that of Matthew, of Mark, of Luke, and of John; fourteen Epistles of Paul; two Epistles of Peter, three Epistles of John; one of James; one of Jude; two Epistles of Clement; and the Injunctions addressed to you Bishops through me, Clement, in eight books, which ought not to be divulged to all on account of the secret matters they contain) and the Acts of us Apostles.

Interpretation

After teaching and legislating in their sacred Canons in what manner it befits those in holy orders and lay Christians in general to conduct themselves as a matter of policy, the Apostles lastly teach also what books they ought to read. Thus in their c. IX they taught us not to read books that are uncanonical and falsely entitled and ascribed to others than their real authors, while in the present Canon they teach us to read the canonical and holy books which they also enumerate, as they appear listed here. These books are also mentioned in c. IX of the Council held in Laodicea, and in c. XXXII of that held in Carthage. Moreover, Athanasius the Great in his 39th festal letter, and St. Gregory the Theologian, in his Epic Verses, and Amphilochius the Bishop of Iconion in his Iambic Lines also mention them. In fact Athanasius the Great in his said letter divides all the books of the Old Testament into two groups: the canonical, and the readable. As regarding the ones in the Old Testament called canonical he says that they are twenty-two books, in agreement with the number twenty-two of letters in the Hebrew alphabet (as is stated also by St. Gregory the Theologian and by divine John of Damascus), being named as follows: 1, Genesis; 2, Exodus; 3, Leviticus; 4, Numbers; 5, Deuteronomy; 6, Jesus of Nave (or Joshua); 7, Judges; 8, Ruth; 9, Kingdoms first and second taken together (which are also known as the Books of Samuel among the Jews); 10, Kingdoms third and fourth (called also the First and Second Books of Kings, respectively); 11, Paralipomena first and second taken together (called in English “the First Book of the Chronicles” and “The Second Book of the Chronicles,” respectively); 12, the First and the Second Book of Esdras, taken together; 13, The Psalms; 14, Proverbs; 15, Ecclesiastes; 16, The Song of Songs; 17, Job; 18, The twelve lesser Prophets, named as a single book; 19, Isaiah; 20, Jeremiah together with Lamentations, and Baruch, and an epistle; 21, Ezekiel; 22, Daniel. Readable books to be studied by the recently catechized are the following: Wisdom of Solomon, which is also called all-virtuous according to Eusebius (Book 11, ch. 7, concerning Evangelical preparation); Wisdom of Sirach, which is also called all-virtuous, according to George Syngelos (note, however, that Sirach is called by Westerners “Ecclesiasticus”); Esther; Judith; and Tobias Take note, however, of the fact that the book of Esther, which is but one, is also included among the Canonical Books, just as the present Apostolical Canon also lists it among the canonical books; and so does the council held in Laodicea, and that held in Carthage. But even the Wisdom of Solomon, and Judith, and Tobit are enumerated among the canonical books by the council of Carthage. In the present Ap. c. the first three books of the Maccabees are also listed as canonical books. Of the New Testament the canonical books are the following: The four Gospels; the Acts of the Apostles; the seven Epistles General, namely, one of James, two of Peter, three of John, and one of Jude; fourteen Epistles of Paul; and the Book of Revelation, concerning which, however, divine Amphilochius in his Iambics says that though many approve it as genuine, most authorities deem it spurious. The Book of Revelation was nevertheless accepted by the Council of Carthage as a canonical book, as attested by its c. XXX; and by Athansius the Great in his aforesaid letter No. 39; and by divine Dionysius the Areopagite, who calls it a mystical intuition; and the scholiast of St. Dionysius divine Maximus mentions in many places in his scholia; it is also approved by St. Jerome, who calls it the most sublime book in the world. But if St. Gregory the Theologian fails to mention it in his Epic Verses, yet in the constituent address which he made to the one hundred and fifty bishops composing the Second Ecumenical Council he expressly mentioned it, saying: “For I am persuaded that other ones (i.e., angels) supervise other churches, as John teaches me in Revelation.” Origen, too, had a communication on Revelation. Cyril of Alexandria also mentions it (in p. 679 of the Pentateuch); and likewise does Clement of Alexandria (in p. 856 of the Pentateuch); it is accepted also by Apollinaris, Ephraim, Papias, Justin, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Lactantinus, Severus, Sylpicius, Augustine, Methodius, Hippolytus, Andrew of Caesarea, and the Second Ecumenical Council itself, before which St. Gregory the Theologian delivered his constituent address in which he mentioned the book of Revelation. It is also recognized by Meliton the bishop of Sardis, and by Theophilus the bishop of Antioch, and by others. As for the two Epistles of Clement mentioned in the present Apostolical Canon, they were addressed to the Corinthians on the part of the Church of Rome, and were published in the collection of the first volume of the Records of the Councils; but the second one is deemed spurious by Photius (folio 156 of the Myriobiblus). As for the Injunctions of the Apostles, which are also called the Didache of the Apostles by Athansius the Great, they were rejected by c. II of the 6th Ecumenical Council, on the ground that they had been garbled by heretics. But since not all of them were garbled, but only certain parts of them, therefore many of the Fathers even before the Sixth, among whom St. Gregory the Theologian in particular, but also sacred Maximus as well, adopted sayings taken therefrom. Thus the Theologian in his discourse on Easter, with reference to the proposition saying, “I will be on my guard,” explain the word sheep as representing Christ allegorically on account of the coat of imperishability, which saying was gleaned from the Injunctions, according to Micetas; while divine Maximus uses whole excerpts from the Injunctions in his scholia on Dionysius. But why am I speaking of individuals? The Fifth Ecumenical Council itself bears witness to the Injunctions, in the letter of Justinian, to the effect that alms ought to be given in behalf of the dying, p. 392 of the second volume of the collection of the councils. But even after the Sixth Council the Council assembled in St. Sophia adopted testimony from the Injunctions. Michael, too, the patriarch of Constantinople, surnamed Cerularius, together with the synod attending him, living a.d. 1053, adopted testimony against the cutting off of the beard which is found in Book I of the Apostolical Injunctions, ch. 3, reading as follows: “Ye shall not depilate your beards: for God the Creator made this becoming in women, but unsuited to men.” See also page 978 of volume II of the Conciliar Records. Besides, as they are now found printed, it does not appear to me that they contain anything spurious or improper. The Shepherd, which Athanasius the Great mentions in his often-cited epistle, was a book which has not been preserved to our times. Perhaps it was such an affair as the discourse which John of Climax attributes to a shepherd, and, briefly speaking, there was such a book teaching the shepherd of rational sheep how to shepherd them towards a pasture conducive to salvation, and how to keep them safe from the clutches and claws of rational wolves, and of demons and cacodoxical human beings as well. We have been informed that this Shepherd is found as a very old book in some monastery in Greece and that it is a work of Quartus, one of the seventy Apostles. The Shepherd is mentioned also by St. Maximus in his scholia on divine Dionysius. Its size is about that of the Psalter. Note that c. LIV of Carthage commands that besides the books of the Old and New Testaments the Lives of the Martyrs are to be read which contain an account of their ordeals on the days of their festivals.(D. Cummings with Agapios, Orthodox Eastern Church and Nicodemus, The Rudder [trans. D. Cummings; Chicago: Orthodox Educational Society, 1957], 145-54)

Greek:

ΚΑΝΩΝ ΠΕʹ.

Ἔστω ὑμῖν πᾶσι Κληρικοῖς καὶ Λαϊκοῖς βιβλία σεβάσμια καὶ Ἅγια. Τῆς μὲν παλαιᾶς διαθήκης, Μωϋσέως πέντε· Γένεσις· Ἔξοδος· Λευϊτικόν· Ἀριθμοί· Δευτερονόμιον· Ἰησοῦ Ναυῆ ἕν· Κριτῶν ἔν· Ροὺθ ἕν. Βασιλειῶν τέσσαρα. Παραλειπομένων τῆς βίβλου τῶν ἡμερῶν δύω. Ἔσδρα δύω. Ἐσθὴρ ἕν· Μακκαβαίων τρία· Ἰὼβ ἔν· ψαλτήριον ἓν, Σολομῶντος τρία, Παροιμίαι. Ἐκκλησιαστὴς καὶ Ἆσμα Ἀσμάτων· Προφητῶν δώδεκα· ἒν Ἡσαΐου· ἓν Ἰερεμίου· ἒν Ἰεζεκιήλ· Δανιὴλ ἕν. ἔξωθεν δὲ ὑμῖν προσιστορείσθω μανθάνειν ὑμῶν τοὺς νέους, τὴν σοφίαν τοῦ πολυμαθοῦς Σειράχ. Ἡμέτερα δὲ, τουτέστι τῆς καινῆς Διαθήκης, Εὐαγγέλια τέσσαρα, Ματθαίου, Μάρκου, Λουκᾶ καί Ἰωάννου. Παύλου ἐπιστολαὶ δεκατέσσαρες· Πέτρου ἐπιστολαὶ δύο· Ἰωάννου ἐπιστολαὶ τρεῖς· Ἰακώβου μία· Ἰούδα μία· Κλήμεντος ἐπιστολαὶ δύω· καὶ αἱ διαταγαὶ ὑμῖν τοῖς Ἐπισκόποις διʼ ἐμοῦ Κλήμεντος ἐν ὀκτὼ βιβλίοις προσπεφωνημέναι, (ἂς οὐ χρὴ δημοσιεύειν ἐπὶ πάντων διὰ τὰ ἐν αὐταῖς μυστικὰ) καὶ αἱ Πράξεις ἡμῶν τῶν Ἀποστόλων.(2)

Ἑρμηνεία

Ἀφʼ οὕ οἱ Ἀπόστολοι ἐδίδαξαν καὶ ἐνομοθέτησαν διὰ τῶν ἱερῶν αὐτῶν Κανόνων τίνι τρόπῳ ἁρμόζει εἰς τοὺς ἱερωμένους καὶ ἁπλῶς εἱς τοὺς λαϊκοὺς Χριστιανοὺς νὰ πολιτεύωνται, τελευταϊον διδάσκουσι, καὶ ποῖκ βιβλία πρέπει νὰ ἀναγινώσκωσι. Καὶ τὰ μὲν ἀκανόνιστα καὶ ψευδεπίγραφα βιβλία ἐδίδαξαν εἰς τὸν ξʹ. αὐτῶν Κανόνα νὰ μὴ ἀναγινώσκωμεν, τὰ δὲ κανονισμένα καὶ ἅγια διὰ τοῦ παρόντος Κανόνος διδάσκουσιν ἡμᾶς νὰ ἀναγινώσκωμεν, ἄτινα καὶ ἀπαριθμοῦσιν, ὡς ἐδῶ φαίνονται καταστρωμένα. Μέμνηται δὲ τῶν βιβλίων τούτων καὶ ἡ ἐν Λαοδικείᾳ σύνοδος, Καν. ξʹ. καὶ ἡ ἐν Καρθ. Καν. λβʹ. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ μέγας Ἀθανάσιος ἐν τῇ λθʹ. ἑορταστικῇ αὐτοῦ ἐπιστολῇ, καὶ Γρηγόριος ὁ Θεολόγος ἐν τοῖς ἔπεσι, καὶ Ἀμφιλόχιος ὁ Ἰκονίου διὰ στίχων Ἰάμβων. Ὁ τοίνυν μέγας Ἀθανάσιος ἐν τῇ ρηθείσῃ ἐπιστολῇ εἰς δύω διαιρεῖ τὰ βιβλία ἄπαντα τῆς παλαιᾶς Γραφῆς· εἰς κανονιζόμενα, καὶ εἰς ἀναγινωσκόμενα. Καὶ κανονιζόμενα μὲν τῆς παλαιᾶς Γραφῆς λέγει, ὅτι εἶναι βιβλία εἰκοσιδύω, κατὰ τὸν ἀριθμὸν τῶν εἰκοσιδύω γραμμάτων τῶν Ἑβραϊκῶν (καθὼς αὐτὸ τοῦτο λέγει καὶ ὁ Θεολόγος Γρηγόριος, καὶ ὁ θεῖος Ἰωάννης ὁ Δαμασκηνὸς), τὰ ὁποῖα εἷναι ταῦτα. 1. Γένεσις. 2. Ἔξοδος. 3. Λευϊτικόν. 4. Ἀριθμοί. 5. Δευτερονόμιον. 6. Ἰησοῦς Ναυῆ. 7. Κριταί. 8. Ρούθ. 9. Βασιλειῶν πρώτη καὶ δευτέρα ὁμοῦ (ἅτινα, καὶ Σαμουὴλ ὀνομάζονται παρὰ τοῖς Ἑβραίοις. Ἡ δέ Γʹ. καὶ Δʹ. Βασιλ. ά. καὶ βʹ. Βασιλειῶν ὀνομάζονται) 10. Βασιλειῶν τρίτη καὶ τετάρτη ὁμοῦ. 11. Παραλειπομένων πρώτη καὶ δευτέρα ὁμοῦ. 12. Ἔσδρα πρῶτον καὶ δεύτερον ὁμοῦ. 13. Ψαλμοί. 14. Παροιμοίαι. 15. Ἐκκλησιαστής. 16. Ἆσμα Ἀσμάτων. 17. Ἰώβ. 18. Οἱ δώδεκα μικροὶ Προφῆται ὀνομαζόμενοι βιβλίον ἕν. 19. Ἡσαίας. 20. Ἱερεμίας ὁμοῦ καὶ Θρῆνοι, καὶ Βαροὺχ, καὶ ἐπιστολή. 21. Ἰεζεκιήλ. 22. Δανιήλ. Ἀναγινωσκόμενα δὲ βιβλία ἀπὸ τοὺς νεωστὶ κκτηχουμένους ταῦτα εἱσί· Σοφία Σολομῶντος, ἥτις καὶ πανάρετος λέγεται κατὰ τὸν Εὐσέβιον (βιβλ. 11. κεφ. 7. περὶ Εὐαγγελικῆς προπαρασκευῆς), Σοφία Σειρὰχ, ἥτις καὶ αὐτη πανάρετος λέγεται, κατὰ Γεώργιον τὸν Σύγγελον. (Σημείωσαι δὲ ὅτι ὁ Σειρὰχ Ἐκκλησιαστικὸς παρὰ τοῖς Δυτικοῖς ὀνομάζεται.) Ἐσθὴρ, Ἰουδὴθ, καὶ Τωβίας. Σημείωσαι ὅμως ὅτι καὶ τὸ βιβλίον τῆς Ἐσθὴρ ἕν ὄν, μετὰ τῶν Κανονιζομένων βιβλίων συναριθμεῖται, καθὼς καὶ ὁ παρὼν Ἀποστολικὸς Κανὼν ἐν τοῖς κανονιζομένοις τοῦτο συγκαταλέγει, καὶ ἡ ἐν Λαοδικείᾳ σύνοδος, καὶ ἡ ἐν Καρθαγ. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ Σοφία τοῦ Σολομῶντος, καὶ Ἰουδὶθ. καὶ ὁ Τωβὶτ, τοῖς κανονιζομένοις βιβλίοις συναριθμοῦνται ὑπὸ τῆς ἐν Καρθαγένῃ συνόδου. Ὡς κανονικὰ δὲ βιβλία καταλέγονται ἀπὸ τὸν παρόντα Ἀποστολικὸν, καὶ τὰ τρία βιβλία τῶν Μακααβαίων.(1) Τῆς δὲ νέας Γραφῆς, Κανονικὰ βιβλία εἰσὶ ταῦτα· Τὰ δʹ. Εὐαγγέλια· Αἰ Πρἀξεις τῶν Ἀποστόλων· Αἰ ἑπτὰ καθολικαὶ Ἐπιστολαί· Ἰκαώβου μία, Πἐτρου δύω. Ἰωάννου τρεῖς. Ἰούδκ μία· Παύλου ἐπιστολαὶ δεκατέσοαρες· Καὶ ἡ Ἀποκάλυψις. Περὶ τῆς ὁποίας ἀγκαλὰ καὶ λέγει ὁ θεῖος Ἀμφιλόχιος ἐν τοῖς Ἰάμβοις, ὅτι πολλοὶ μὲν ἐγκρίνουσιν ὡς γνησίαν, οἱ περισσότεροι δὲ τὴν κρἰνουσιν ὡς νὀθον. Ὅμως ὠς κανονιζόμενον βιβλίον ταύτην δέχεται ἡ ἐν Καρθαγ. σύνοδος, Καν. λʹ. καὶ ὁ μέγας Ἀθανάσιος ἐν τῇ λθʹ. προρρηθείσῃ ἐπιστολῇ, καὶ ὁ θεῖος Διονύσιος ὁ Ἀρεοπαγίτης, μυστικὴν ἐποψίαν ταύτην ὀνομάζων, καὶ ὁ σχολιαττὴς τοῦ ἁγίου Διονοσίου θεῖος Μάξιμος πολλαχοῦ τῶν σχολίων αὑτοῦ ταύτης μνημονεύουσι. Καὶ ὁ θεῖος Ἱερώνυμος λέγων αὐτὴν τὀ ὑψηλότερον βιβλίον τοῦ κόσμου. Εἰ δὲ καὶ ὁ θεολόγος Γοηγόριος δὲν ἀναφέρει ταύτην εἰς τὰ ἔπη του. ἀλλʼ εἰς τὸν συντκκτἡριον λόγον ὁποῦ κάμνει πρὸς τοὺς ρνʹ. Ἐπισλόπους τῆς βʹ. συνόδου, φσνερῶς ἀνκφέρει αὑτὴν, λέγων· πείθομκι γὰρ ἄλλους (Ἀγγέλους) ἄλλης ἐπιστατεῖν Ἐκκλησίας, ὡς Ἰωάννης διδάσκει με διὰ τῆς Ἀποκαλύψεως. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ Ὡριγένης εἶχεν ἔκθεσιν εἰς τὴν Ἀποκάλυψιν. Μέμνηται αὐτῆς καὶ Κύριλλος ὁ Ἀλεξανδρείας (τελ. 679. τῆς Πετατεύχ.) καὶ Κλήμης ὁ Στρωματεὺς (σελ. 856. τῆς Πεντατ.)· δέχονται αὐτὴν καὶ Ἀπολινάριος, Ἐφραὶμ, Παπίας, Ἰουστῖνος, Εἰρηνατος, Τερτυλλιανὸς, Λακτάντιος, Σεβῆρος, Συλπίχιος, Αὐγουστῖνος, Μεθόδιος, Ἱππόλυτος, Ἀνδρέας ὁ Καισαρείας, καὶ αὑτὴ ἡ Οἰχουμενιχὴ βʹ. σύνοδος, ἕμπροσθεν τῆς ὁποίας ὁ Θεολόγος Γρηγόριος τὸν περἰ τῆς Ἀποκαλύψεως ἀναφέροντα συντακτήριον ἐξεφώνησε λόγον. Ὁ Σάρδεων Μελίτων, καὶ Θεόφιλος ὁ Ἀντιοχείας, καὶ ἅλλοι. Αἱ δύω δὲ τοῦ Κλήμεντος ἐπιστολαὶ, τἀς ὁποίκς ἀνκφέρει ὁ παρὼν Ἀποστολικὸς Κανὼν, πρὸς Κορινθίους εἰσὶν ἐπιστελλόμεναι, ὡς ἀπὸ μέρπους τῆς ἐν Ῥώμῃ Ἐκκλησίας, καὶ ἐκδεδομέναι ἐν τῇ συλλογῇ τοῦ αʹ. τόμου τῶν Πρακτικῶν τῶν συιόδων, ἐκ τῶν ὁποίων ἡ βʹ. νόθος κρίνεται ἀπὸ τὸν Φώτιον, φύλλ. 156 τῆς Μυριοβίβλου. Αἱ δὲ τῶν Ἀποστόλων Διαταγαὶ, αἵτινες καὶ διδαχὴ τῶν Ἀποστόλων ὀνομάζονται ὑπὸ τοῦ μεγάλου Ἀθανασίου, καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ βʹ. τῆς ϛʹ., ἀπεβλήθησαν μἐν ἀπὸ τὸν βʹ. Κανόνα τῆς Οἰκουμενικῆς ϛʹ. συνόδου, ὡσὰν ὁποῦ ἐνοθεύθησαν ὑπὸ τῶν Αἱρετικῶν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὄχι ὅλαι ἐνοθεύθησαν, ἀλλʼ εἰς μέρη τινὰ, διὰ τοῦτο πολλοὶ τῶν Πατέρων καὶ πρὸ τῆς ϛʹ, οἶος μάλιστά ἐστιν ὁ Θεολόγος Γρηγόριος, ἀλλὰ δὴ καὶ ὁ ἱερὸς Μάξιμος, ρητὰ ἐξ αὑτῶν προεχειρίσθηταν. Καὶ ὁ μἐν Θεολόγος ἐν τῷ περὶ τοῦ Πάσχα λόγῳ τῷ, ἐπὶ τῆς φυλακῆς μου στήσομκι, πρόβκτον ἀλληγορὲῖ τὸν Χριστὀν διὰ τὸ τῆς ἀφθαρσίας ἕνδυμα, ὅπερ ρητὸν ἐκ τῶν διατανγῶν ἠραίσθη, κατὰ τὸν Νικήταν, ὁ δὲ θεῖος Μάξιμος περικοπὰς ὁλοκλήρους ἐκ τῶν διαταγῶν μεταχειρίζεται εἰς τὰ τοῦ Διονυσίου σχόλια. Τί λέγω τοὺς μερικούς; αὐτὴ ἡ Οἰκουμενικὴ έ. σύνοδος μαρτυρίαν φέρει ἀπὸ τὰς διαταγὰς, ἐν τῇ τοῦ Ἰουστινιανοῦ ἐπιστολῇ, ὅτι πρέπει ὑπὲρ τῶν τελευτώντων νὰ δίδωνται ἐλεημοσύναι, σελίδι 392. τοῦ βʹ. τόμ. τῆς συλλογῆς τῶν συνόδων. Ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ τὴν ϛʹ. ἐκ τῶν διαταγῶν μαρτυρίαν προεχειρίσθη ἡ ἐν τῇ ἁγίᾳ Σοφίᾳ σύνοδος. Καὶ Μιχαὴλ δὲ ὁ Κηρουλλάριος καὶ Κωνσταντινουπόλεως Πατριάρχης, μετὰ τῆς περὶ αὐτὸν συνόδου, ζῶν ἐν ἔτει 1053, μαρτυρίαν προεχειρίσατο κατὰ τῆς κουρᾶς τῶν γενείων, χειμένην ἐν τῷ αʹ. βιβλ. τῶν Ἀποστολικῶν διαταγ. κεφ. γʹ. οὕτω λέγουσαν· «Οὐκ ἀπομαδαρώσετε τοὺς πώγωνας ὑμῶν· γυναιξὶ γὰρ εὐπρεπὲς ὁ κτίσας ἐποίησε Θεὸς, ἀνδράσι δὲ ἀνάρμοστον ἐδικαίωσε.» Καὶ ὅρα σελ. 978. τοῦ βʹ. τόμ. τῶν συνοδικ. Καὶ νῦν καθὼς εὑρίσκονται τετυπωμέναι, δὲν μοὶ φαίνεται νὰ ἔχουν κᾀνένα νόθον ἢ ἄτοπον. Ὁ δὲ ποιμὴν ὁποῦ ἀναφέρει ὁ μέγας Ἀθανάσιος ἐν τῇ πολλάκις ρηθείσῃ ἐπιστολῇ, βιβλίον ἐστὶ μὴ σωζόμενον εἰς τοὺς καθʼ ἡμᾶς καιρούς. Ἴσως δὲ νὰ ἧτο τοιοῦτον, οἶός ἐστι καὶ ὁ λόγος ὁποῦ κάμνει ὁ τῆς Κλίμακος Ἰωάννης πρὸς τὸν ποιμένα, καὶ συντόμως εἰπεῖν, βιβλίον τοῦτο ἧτο, διδάσκον τὸν ποιμένα τῶν λογικῶν προβάτων, τίνι τρόπῳ νὰ ποιμαίνῃ ταῦτα πρὸς νομὴν σωτηριώδη, καὶ πῶς νὰ φυλάττῃ ταῦτα ἀβλαβῆ ἐκ τῶν ὀνύχων τῶν νοητῶν λύκων, δαιμόνων τε καὶ κακοδόξων ἀκθρώπων. Ἀνήγγειλαν δὲ εἰς ἡμᾶς ὅτι, ὁ ποιμὴν οὗτος εὑρίσκεται β.βλίον παμπάλαιον ἔν τινε Μοναστηρίῳ τῆς Ἐλλάδος, ποίημα Κουάρτου, ἑνὸς τῶν Οʹ. Ἀποστόλων. Τὸν ποιμένα ἀναφέρει καὶ ὁ ἅγος Μάξιμος ἐν τοῖς σχολίοις τοῦ θείου Διονυσίου, ἔστι δὲ τὸ μέγεθος αὐτοῦ, ὅσον ἐστί τὸ τοῦ Ψαλτῆρος. Σημείωσαι ὅτι ὁ νδʹ. τῆς Καρθαγ. κοντὰ εἰς τὰ βίβλία τῆς Παλαιᾶς καὶ Νέας, προστάζει νά ἀναγινώσκωνται, καὶ οἱ βίοι τῶν Μαρτύρων, οἱ τὰ μαρτύρια αὐτῶν περιέχοντες, εἰς τὰς ἡμέρας τῶν ἑορτῶν τους.(Agapios, Orthodox Eastern Church, and Nicodemus, The Rudder: Greek Text [Athēnai: Vlastou Ch. Varvarrētou, 1886], 98-103)