EUSE'BIAN CANONS. An ancient system of cross-reference to the Gospels, found in very many biblical manuscripts. Long before the modern chapter and verse divisions came into use, a number of systems of text-division were current. The one most generally used was that of Eusebius, the famous Church historian (c.260 340). Either adopting or improving the work of Ammonius, an Alexandrian, Eusebius di ided Matthew into 355 sections, 1-lark into 236, Luke into 342, and John into 232, the so called .Ammonian Sections, the number of each section being written on the margin of the text. On account of similarity of matter, many see tions of one Gospel were nearly or quite identical with others in one or more of the other three. For convenience of reference, Eusebius construct ed ten tables or lists, called canons. The first contained the numbers of all the sections com mon to all four Gospels arranged in parallel col umns. The second, third. and fourth tables gave the sections common to three Gospels. The fifth
to the ninth gave those common to two, while the tenth was made up of those contained in but one Gospel.
In manuscripts using the system, underneath each section number was written in red ink the number of the canon in which that section might be found. For example. the first line of (-anon i. contained the section numbers 8, 2. 7, 10—lhat is, the eighth section of Matthew contained the sauce matter as the second of Mark, the seventh of Luke. and the tenth of John. Hence. on the margin of the text of Matthew. opposite the eighth section, would he the figures (Greek let II ( ters being indient Mg that this sec tion would be found in the first canon, and similarly for all the sections in all the llospels. This widely used system was doubtless of great emtvenhowe in New Testament study. Consult Tischendorf. Prol•yomena to the eighth edition of his Greek New Testament (Leipzig, 1884).