f
Jesus than on that which Papias had been able to collect from
tradition, which he considered more authentic, for, like his
contemporary Hegesippus, Papias avowedly prefers tradition to any
written works with which he was acquainted [155:2].

I venture to ask in passing, where our author obtained his information
that Hegesippus 'avowedly prefers tradition to any written works with
which he was acquainted.' Certainly not from any fragments or notices of
this writer which have been hitherto published.

After quoting the extract from the preface of Papias which has been
given above, our author resumes:--

It is clear from this that, even if Papias knew any of our Gospels,
he attached little or no value to them, and that he knew absolutely
nothing of Canonical Scriptures of the New Testament. His work was
evidently intended to furnish a more complete collection of the
discourses of Jesus from oral tradition than any previously
existing, with his own expositions; and this is plainly indicated
by his own words, and by the title of his work, [Greek: Logion
kuriakon exegesis] [156:1].

'The natural and only reasonable course,' he adds in a note, 'is to
believe the express declaration of Papias, more especially as it is
made, in this instance, as a prefatory statement of his belief.' He has
appealed to Caesar, and to Caesar he shall go.

What then is the natural interpretation of the title 'Exposition of
Oracles of' (or 'relating to') 'the Lord'? Would any one, without a
preconceived theory, imagine that 'exposition' here meant anything else
but explanation or interpretation? It is possible indeed, that the
original word [Greek: exegesis] might, in other connections, be used in
reference to a narrative, but its common and obvious sense is the same
which it bears when adopted into English as 'exegesis.' In other words,
it expresses the idea of a commentary on some text. The expression has
an exact parallel, for instance, in the language of Eusebius when,
speaking of Dionysius of Corinth, he says that this writer introduces
into his letter to the Church of Amastris 'expositions of Divine
Scriptures' ([Greek: graphon theion exegeseis]), or when he says that
Irenaeus quotes a certain 'Apostolic elder' and gives his 'expositions
of Divine Scriptures' (the same expression as before) [156:2]. It is
used more than once in this sense, and it is not used in any other, as
w