canon
of the New Testament varied in different countries, containing fewer
books in one place than in another? Two reasons may be given: (i.)
Certain books at first enjoyed only a local popularity; thus "Hebrews
was saved by the value set upon it by the scholars of Alexandria, and
the Epistle of St. James by the attachment of certain Churches in the
East." (ii.) The books of the New Testament, when translated into
other languages, were not all translated together. The Gospels were
naturally translated first, as containing the words of our Lord. The
other books followed gradually. Interesting information is given us
with regard to the latter fact by the _Doctrine of Addai_, a Syriac
book of which the present form dates from about A.D. 400, but which
appears to describe the condition of the Syrian Church in the 3rd
century. The writings of _Aphraates_, a Syrian writer, A.D. 338,
supplement this information. We find from these books that about A.D.
160 the Syrian Christians possessed a translation of the Gospels.
Early in the 3rd century they used a harmony of the Gospels with Acts
and the Epistles of St. Paul. In the 4th century they used also the
Epistle to the Hebrews. It is fairly evident, from the _Doctrine of
Addai_, that only the Old Testament and the Gospels were at first used
by the Syrian Christians, and that St. Paul's Epistles and Acts arrived
later. And as late as {5} A.D. 338 they knew nothing of the Catholic
Epistles and Revelation, though these books were well known by the
Christians who spoke Greek and Latin.

[Sidenote: Ancient Versions.]

The most ancient versions or translations of the New Testament were in
those three great languages spoken by people who touched the borders of
the districts where Greek was spoken. These were Latin, Syriac, and
the Coptic language spoken by the Egyptians. It seems probable that a
large part of the New Testament was translated into these languages
within about a hundred years after the time of the apostles. The
oldest version in any language closely akin to English was that made by
Ulphilas, the celebrated bishop of the Goths, who translated the Bible
from Greek into Gothic about A.D. 350. There is a most beautiful
manuscript of this version preserved at Upsala, in Sweden. The Goths
were then settled in the country between the Danube and the Dnieper.
As late as the 17th century their language was still spoken in part of
the south of Russia. A carefully