_2 Peter_ and _2,
3 John_, with which no coincidences occur, and 1, 2
Thessalonians, Colossians, Titus, and Philemon, with which the
coincidences are very questionable, all the other epistles were
clearly known, and used by them; but still they are not quoted
with the formulas which preface citations from the Old Testament
(The Scripture saith, It is written, &c.), nor is the famous
phrase of Ignatius (To the Philadelphians 5: Betaking myself to
the gospel, as to the flesh of Christ, and to the apostles, as
the eldership of the church) sufficient to prove the existence
of a collection of apostolic records as distinct from the sum of
apostolic teaching. The coincidences with the gospels on the
other hand are numerous and interesting, but such as cannot be
referred to the exclusive use of our present written gospels."
Westcott, in Smith's Bible Dict.; Art. Canon. The reason of
this, as the writer goes on to show, was that "the details of
the life of Christ were still too fresh to be sought for only in
written records." There is, however, one remarkable passage in
the epistle of Barnabas, the _Greek text_ of which has been
recently discovered appended to the Sinaitic manuscript, in
which he says (ch. 4): "Let us take care that we be not found as
it is written, many are called, but few are chosen." This
formula, "as it is written," distinguishes the gospel from which
it is quoted as a part of the inspired word; for it is the
customary formula employed by Christ and his apostles in
accordance with the usage of their age, when they appeal to the
Old Testament as of divine authority; and is never applied to
writings of mere human authority.

5. Next in order comes what may be called the _period of transition_
between the age of the apostolic and that of the early church fathers.
The most distinguished writer of this period is Justin Martyr. It is now
generally conceded that the "Memoirs" of which he so often speaks were
our canonical gospels. Chap. 2, No. 7. Besides the abundant use of these
he mentions the Apocalypse by name, and ascribes it expressly to the
apostle John--"a certain man among us named John, one of the apostles of
Christ, prophesied, in the revelation given him, that those who have
believed in our Christ will spend a thousand years in Jerusalem," etc.
Dialogue with Trypho, chap. 81. He has also some ap