power peculiar to themselves, and introduced these things perceived,
as told them by God.

(37) Although Scripture contains much that is merely historical and can be
perceived by natural reason, yet its name is acquired from its chief subject
matter.

(38) We can thus easily see how God can be said to be the Author of the
Bible: it is because of the true religion therein contained, and not because
He wished to communicate to men a certain number of books. (39) We can also
learn from hence the reason for the division into Old and New Testament.
(40) It was made because the prophets who preached religion before Christ,
preached it as a national law in virtue of the covenant entered into under
Moses; while the Apostles who came after Christ, preached it to all men as a
universal religion solely in virtue of Christ's Passion: the cause for the
division is not that the two parts are different in doctrine, nor that they
were written as originals of the covenant, nor, lastly, that the catholic
religion (which is in entire harmony with our nature) was new except in
relation to those who had not known it: " it was in the world," as John the
Evangelist says, " and the world knew it not."

(41) Thus, even if we had fewer books of the Old and New Testament than we
have, we should still not be deprived of the Word of God (which, as we have
said, is identical with true religion), even as we do not now hold ourselves
to be deprived of it, though we lack many cardinal writings such as the Book
of the Law, which was religiously guarded in the Temple as the original of
the Covenant, also the Book of Wars, the Book of Chronicles, and many
others, from whence the extant Old Testament was taken and compiled. (42)
The above conclusion may be supported by many reasons.