Canon of Saint Gregory the Theologian (Nazianzen)

Canon 1

CANON OF SAINT GREGORY THE THEOLOGIAN.

Lest your mind be led astray by foreign books, since there are many with false titles, receive, my dear one, this exact tally from me. Of historical books there are, of the ancient Hebrew wisdom, twelve in all: the first is Genesis, then Exodus, and Leviticus in the middle, then Numbers, then Deuteronomy; then Joshua, and Judges; the eighth is Ruth; and the ninth and tenth are the books of the Acts of the Kingdoms, then Chronicles, and Ezra completes the list for you last. Of the poetic books there are five, among which the first is Job, then David, then Solomon’s three, namely, Ecclesiastes, the Song, and Proverbs. Likewise there are five of the prophetic spirit: in one collection are these twelve: Hosea, Amos, third is Micah, then Joel, Jonah, Obadiah, then Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah and Haggai, then Zechariah and Malachi. And this is one book, and the other is Isaiah, then Jeremiah, called from his childhood, then Ezekiel and Daniel’s Praise. I have thus set forth twenty-two books of the Old Testament, which correspond to the number of the Hebrew letters. Now count the books of the new mystery: Matthew wrote for the Hebrews about the wonders of Christ, Mark for Italy, Luke for Achaia, and for all, John, the great preacher, who penetrated even into heaven; then come the Acts of the wise apostles; then the fourteen epistles of Paul; then the seven catholic epistles, of which one is James’s, two are Peter’s, and again three are John’s, and Jude’s is the seventh. And now you have them all. But if there is any beyond these, do not regard it as genuine.

Ap. 85; Laodicea 60; Carthage 24; Athanasius 2; Amphilochius

— This canon is composed from a poetic work of Gregory’s on the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments. That Gregory the Theologian (otherwise Nazianzen) wrote his works mostly in verse, we have already said (I, 33). — And this holy father, just as Athanasius the Great (canon 2), adduces the canonical books, so that man’s mind should not be led astray by foreign books (ξένησι βίβλοις), which bear false titles, such as the apocryphal books were.

The catalogue of the canonical books of the Old Testament in this canon is identical to that of Athanasius the Great. Gregory divides all these books, just as the Hebrews also divided them, into three groups: historical books, poetic, and prophetic, and counts twenty-two books in all. He does not adduce the Book of Esther, for the same reason that Athanasius also did not adduce it.

Of the New Testament he mentions twenty-six books. The Apocalypse is omitted, just as in canon 60 of the Council of Laodicea, because this book had not yet reached all the local churches, and had therefore not yet been received by all the churches.[1]