If Melito knew nothing about books of the
New Testament, he must have been the only bishop of the Church from the
banks of the Euphrates to the pillars of Hercules, who remained in this
state of dense ignorance--Melito, who could refer to the Hebrew and the
Syriac while interpreting a passage of Genesis, and who made careful
inquiries respecting the Canon of the Old Testament Scriptures in the
very land where those Scriptures had their birth.

The extant fragments attributed to Melito are meagre and scattered
[228:2]; but, supposing them to be genuine, they afford ample evidence
of the theological views of this father, while indirectly they indicate
his general relation to the Canon in a way which can hardly be mistaken.
The genuineness of many of these fragments however has been seriously
questioned. In one or two instances the grounds of hesitation deserve
every consideration; but in the majority of cases the objections must be
set aside as groundless. Thus it is sought to throw discredit on all
those writings which are not named by Eusebius. The author of
_Supernatural Religion_, for instance, says that 'Eusebius gives what he
evidently considers a complete list of the works of Melito' [228:3]. On
the contrary, Eusebius carefully guards himself against any such
interpretation of his words. He merely professes to give a list of
'those works which have come to his own knowledge.' Obviously he either
suspects or knows that there are other writings of Melito in
circulation, of which he can give no account. Again, other fragments
have been discredited, because they contain false sentiments or foolish
interpretations, which are considered unworthy of a father in the second
century. I cannot think that this is any argument at all; and I may
confidently assume that the author of _Supernatural Religion_ will agree
with me here. There is much that is foolish in Papias, in Justin Martyr,
in Irenaeus, in Tertullian, even in Clement of Alexandria, and Origen.
Only it is frequently mixed up with the highest wisdom, which more than
redeems it. Again others (and among these our author) would throw doubt
on the genuineness of the Greek and Syriac fragments which were
certainly in circulation some six centuries before, because some
mediaeval Latin writers attach the name of Melito to forgeries or to
anonymous writings, such as the _Clavis_, the _Passing away of the
Blessed Virgin Mary_, and the _Passion of St John_ [229:1]. A moment's