ed to all writings of the collection. Conversely, the entire
collection was named, after the authors, a collection of apostolic
writings, just as the Old Testament Scriptures were collectively called
the writings of the prophets. Prophets and Apostles (= Old and New
Testament) were now conceived as the media of God's revelation fixed in
writing (see the Muratorian Fragment in its account of Hermas, and the
designation of the Gospels as "Apostolic memoirs" already found in
Justin.) This grouping became exceedingly important. It occasioned new
speculations about the unique dignity of the Apostles and did away with
the old collocation of Apostles and Prophets (that is Christian
prophets). By this alteration we may measure the revolution of the
times. Finally, the new collection was also called "the writings of the
Church" as distinguished from the Old Testament and the writings of the
heretics. This expression and its amplifications shew that it was the
Church which selected these writings.]

[Footnote 90: Here there is a distinction between Irenaeus and
Tertullian. The former disputed with heretics about the interpretation
of the Scriptures, the latter, although he has read Irenaeus, forbids
such dispute. He cannot therefore have considered Irenaeus' efforts as
successful.]

[Footnote 91: The reader should remember the different recensions of the
Gospels and the complaints made by Dionysius of Corinth (in Euseb., H.
E. IV. 23. 12).]

[Footnote 92: That the text of these writings was at the same time
revised is more than probable, especially in view of the beginnings and
endings of many New Testament writings, as well as, in the case of the
Gospels, from a comparison of the canon text with the quotations dating
from the time when there was no canon. But much more important still is
the perception of the fact that, in the course of the second century, a
series of writings which had originally been circulated anonymously or
under the name of an unknown author were ascribed to an Apostle and were
also slightly altered in accordance with this. In what circumstances or
at what time this happened, whether it took place as early as the
beginning of the second century or only immediately before the formation
of the canon, is in almost every individual case involved in obscurity,
but the fact itself, of which unfortunately the Introductions to the New
Testament still know so little, is, in my opinion, incontestable. I
refer the