Paul and Pseudepigraphy (Pauline Studies, Book 8)

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authorship and pseudepigraphy in early christian literature 23


let the following books be esteemed venerable and holy by you, both of the


clergy and laity. of the old Covenant: the five books of Moses—genesis,


exodus, leviticus, numbers, and deuteronomy; one of Joshua the son of


nun, one of the Judges, one of ruth, four of the Kings, two of the Chronicles,


two of ezra, one of esther, one of Judith, three of the Maccabees, one of Job,


one hundred and fifty psalms; three books of solomon—Proverbs, ecclesi-


astes, and the song of songs; sixteen prophets. and besides these, take care


that your young persons learn the Wisdom of the very learned sirach.


But our sacred books, that is, those of the new Covenant, are these: the


four gospels of Matthew, Mark, luke, and John; the fourteen epistles of


Paul; two epistles of Peter, three of John, one of James, one of Jude; two


epistles of Clement; and the Constitutions dedicated to you the bishops by


me Clement, in eight books; which it is not fit to publish before all, because


of the mysteries contained in them; and the acts of us the apostles.


David, In Porphyrii isagogen commentarium 1


In the sixth century ce, the neoplatonic author david armenius identified


one of the motives that led ancient authors to provide their texts with


pseudepigraphical attributions.21


Whenever someone was unknown and mean but nevertheless wanted that


his own writing was read he superscribed it with the name of an ancient


and famous man in order that through the repute of that man his own book


was accepted.


Diogenes Laertius 8.54


In his compendium on the lives and doctrines of ancient philosophers (first


half of the second century ce), diogenes laertius reported that the philoso-


pher empedocles (about 490–430 bce) was excluded from the lectures of


Pythagoras for stealing their content, in other words for plagiarism.22


timaeus in the ninth book of his “histories” says he (i.e., empedocles) was


a pupil of Pythagoras, adding that, having been convicted at that time of


stealing his discourses, he was, like Plato, excluded from taking part in the


discussions of the school.


21 My translation of a. Busse (ed.), Davidis Prolegomena et in Prophyrii Isagogen Com-
mentarium (Commentaria in aristotelem graeca 18/2; Berlin: de gruyter, 1904), 82,1–4.
22 trans. by r. d. hicks, lCl 185:369, 371.

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