en different recensions of one and the
same writing.[91] Versions which contained docetic elements and
exhortations to the most pronounced asceticism had even made their way
into the public worship of the Church. Above all, therefore, it was
necessary to determine (1) what writings were really apostolic, (2) what
form or recension should be regarded as apostolic. The selection was
made by the Church, that is, primarily, by the churches of Rome and Asia
Minor, which had still an unbroken history up to the days of Marcus
Aurelius and Commodus. In making this choice, the Church limited herself
to the writings that were used in public worship, and only admitted what
the tradition of the elders justified her in regarding as genuinely
apostolic. The principle on which she proceeded was to reject as
spurious all writings, bearing the names of Apostles, that contained
anything contradictory to Christian common sense, that is, to the rule
of faith--hence admission was refused to all books in which the God of
the Old Testament, his creation, etc., appeared to be depreciated,--and
to exclude all recensions of apostolic writings that seemed to endanger
the Old Testament and the monarchy of God. She retained, therefore, only
those writings which bore the names of Apostles, or anonymous writings
to which she considered herself justified in attaching such names,[92]
and whose contents were not at variance with the orthodox creed or
attested it. This selection resulted in the awkward fact that besides
the four Gospels there was almost nothing but Pauline epistles to
dispose of, and therefore no writings or almost none which, as emanating
from the twelve Apostles, could immediately confirm the truth of the
ecclesiastical _Kerygma_. _This perplexity was removed by the
introduction of the Acts of the Apostles_[93] _and in some cases also
the Epistles of Peter and John_, though that of Peter was not recognised
at Rome at first. As a collection this group is the most interesting in
the new compilation. It gives it the stamp of Catholicity, unites the
Gospels with the Apostle (Paul), and, by subordinating his Epistles to
the "Acta omnium apostolorum," makes them witnesses to the particular
tradition that was required and divests them of every thing suspicious
and insufficient.[94] The Church, however, found the selection
facilitated by the fact that the content of the early Christian writings
was for the most part unintelligible to the Christe