ays spake unto us in His Son." Dr. Lightfoot also
urges that Philo applies the term "oracle" ([Greek: logion]) to the
_narrative_ in Gen. iv. 15, &c. The fact is, however, that Philo
considered almost every part of the Old Testament as allegorical, and
held that narrative or descriptive phrases veiled Divine oracles. When
he applies the term "oracle" to any of these it is not to the narrative,
but to the Divine utterance which he believes to be mystically contained
in it, and which he extracts and expounds in the usual extravagant
manner of Alexandrian typologists. Dr. Lightfoot does not refer to the
expression of 1 Pet. iv. 11, "Let him speak as the oracles of God"
([Greek: hos logia Theou]), which shows the use of the word in the
New Testament. He does point out the passage in the "Epistle of Clement
of Rome," than which, in my opinion, nothing could more directly tell
against him. "Ye know well the sacred Scriptures and have studied the
oracles of God." The "oracles of God" are pointedly distinguished from
the sacred Scriptures, of which they form a part. These oracles are
contained in the "sacred Scriptures," but are not synonymous with the
whole of them. Dr. Lightfoot admits that we cannot say how much
"Polycarp" included in the expression: "pervert the oracles of the
Lord," but I maintain that it must be referred to the teaching of Jesus
regarding "a resurrection and a judgment," and not to historical books.

In replying to Dr. Lightfoot's chapter on the Silence of Eusebius, I
have said all that is necessary regarding the other Gospels in
connection with Papias. Papias is the most interesting witness we have
concerning the composition of the Gospels. He has not told us much, but
he has told us more than any previous writer. Dr. Lightfoot has not
scrupled to discredit his own witness, however, and he is quite right in
suggesting that no great reliance can be placed upon his testimony. It
comes to this: We cannot rely upon the correctness of the meagre account
of the Gospels supposed to have been written by Mark and Matthew, and we
have no other upon which to fall back. Regarding the other two Gospels,
we have no information whatever from Papias, whether correct or
incorrect, and altogether this Father does little or nothing towards
establishing the credibility of miracles and the reality of Divine
Revelation.

V.

_MELITO OF SARDIS--CLAUDIUS APOLLINARIS--POLYCRATES._

Throughout the whole of these ess