# Cheltenham List (Mommsen Canon) - Author: Anonymous - Latin title: *Canon Mommsenianus (Indiculum veteris et novi testamenti)* - Date: ca. 360 (approximate) - Source: William Sanday, "The Cheltenham List of the Canonical Books of the Old and New Testament and of the Writings of Cyprian," in Studia Biblica et Ecclesiastica 3 (Oxford: Clarendon, 1891), 217–325 (the list on 222–225, reprinted from Theodor Mommsen, Hermes 21 [1886]) (Text from the Internet Archive's digitization of Studia Biblica et Ecclesiastica 3 (1891); the OCR is poor and the stichometric numerals are unreliable) - Translation: Claude, from the original text, unless a passage says otherwise; each passage below gives the translator - Editions and translations: Theodor Mommsen, "Zur lateinischen Stichometrie," Hermes 21 (1886): 142–56 - Work page: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/canon-mommsenianus/ - Passages: 3 ## Old Testament list - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/canon-mommsenianus/1/#p-1 - Source: Sanday, Studia Biblica 3 3:221–224 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: A list of the Old Testament books counted canonical, with line counts, tied to the twenty-four elders of Revelation. ### Latin text Incipit. indiculum veteris. testamenti qui sunt libri cannonici sic Genesis ver Exodus ver Numeri ver Leviticum ver Deuteronomium ver Thi Nave ver Iudicum ver fiunt libri VII ver XVIIIC Rut ver CCI Regnorum liber I ver 11CCC Regnorum. liber II ver 11CC Regnorum liber III ver ILD Regnorum liber ITIL ver I1CCL fiunt versus VIIID Paralipomen lib. I I1XL lib. 11 ver LIC Machabeorum lib, I ver IICCC lib, Il ver DCCC Job ver DCCC Tobias ver DCCCC Hester ludit ver C Psalmi David CLI ver V Salomonis uer VD profetas maiores ver XV ICCCLXX numero IIII Esaias uer 1IDLXXX Ieremias uer 111IICCOC L Daniel ver CCCL Ezechiel ver ILLDCCC profetas XII I11DCCC erunt omnes ver LXVIIIID Sed ut im apocalypsis lohannis dictum est; ‘vidi XXIIII seniores mittentes coronas suas ante thronum, maiores nostri pro- bant hos libros esse canonicos et hoc divisse sensores. ### English translation (Claude) Here begins the list of the Old Testament: which are the canonical books. Thus: Genesis, lines … Exodus, lines … Numbers, lines … Leviticus, lines … Deuteronomy, lines … Jesus Nave, lines … Judges, lines … They make seven books, lines XVIIIC Ruth, lines CCI Kingdoms, book 1, lines 11CCC Kingdoms, book 2, lines 11CC Kingdoms, book 3, lines ILD Kingdoms, book 4, lines I1CCL They make lines VIIID Chronicles (Paralipomenon), book 1, I1XL Book 2, lines LIC Maccabees, book 1, lines IICCC Book 2, lines DCCC Job, lines DCCC Tobit, lines DCCCC Esther Judith, lines C Psalms of David, 151, lines V Of Solomon, lines VD Major prophets, lines XV ICCCLXX, four in number Isaiah, lines 1IDLXXX Jeremiah, lines 111IICCOC L Daniel, lines CCCL Ezekiel, lines ILLDCCC Twelve prophets, I11DCCC All together there will be lines LXVIIIID But as it is said in the Apocalypse of John, "I saw twenty-four elders casting their crowns before the throne," so our forefathers approve that these books are canonical, and that the elders said this. ### Scripture references - Rev 4:10: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The line counts (stichometric numerals) are given exactly as printed in the digital text, which is a poor OCR of Sanday's 1891 reprint of Mommsen; many are plainly garbled (e.g. '11CCC', 'ILD', 'CCOC') and the counts for the first seven books are missing. They are not corrected or guessed; check Mommsen (Hermes 21, 1886) before relying on any number. - 'Jesus Nave' is Joshua son of Nun. 'Of Solomon' is a single entry, probably for the books ascribed to Solomon. The list includes Maccabees, Tobit and Judith; Esther has no number in this text. - 'Divisse sensores' is read as 'dixisse seniores' ('the elders said'); translated by sense. The twenty-four elders: Rev 4:10, here matched to a count of twenty-four books. ### Citation (SBL) Canon Mommsen. 1 (Sanday, Studia Biblica 3 3:221–224; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/canon-mommsenianus/1). ## New Testament list and note on the stichometry - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/canon-mommsenianus/1/#p-2 - Source: Sanday, Studia Biblica 3 3:223–224 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: A list of the New Testament books with line counts, and the compiler's note on how he counted them. ### Latin text Item indiculum novi testamenti, euangelia III Matheum vr ITDCC Marcus ver DCC Johannem ver DCCC Luca vr 11ICCC fiunt omnes versus X eplae Pauli à XIII actus aplorum ver 111 DC apocalipsis ver DCCC eplae Iohannis III ur CCCCL una sola eplae Petri II ver CCC una sola Quoniam indiculum versuum in urbe Roma non ad liquidum, sed et alibi avariciae causa non habent-integrum, per singulos. libros computatis syllabis posui numero XVI versum Virgilianum omnibus libris numerum adscribsi !. ### English translation (Claude) Likewise the list of the New Testament: Four Gospels: Matthew, lines ITDCC Mark, lines DCC John, lines DCCC Luke, lines 11ICCC They make in all lines X Letters of Paul, thirteen in number Acts of the Apostles, lines 111 DC Apocalypse, lines DCCC Letters of John, three, lines CCCCL one only Letters of Peter, two, lines CCC one only Since the list of lines in the city of Rome is not given clearly, and elsewhere too, out of greed, they do not have it complete, I counted the syllables book by book, taking the Virgilian line of sixteen syllables as the measure, and wrote the number beside every book. ### Translation notes - Numerals are given as printed; most are garbled in the OCR (see section 1). The mark before 'XIII' for Paul's letters is unreadable in the digital text; 'thirteen' is the number given. - 'One only' stands under the Letters of John and the Letters of Peter; it is generally read as a correction accepting only one letter of each. Hebrews, James and Jude are not listed. - The last sentence explains the stichometry: lines were reckoned by counting syllables against a standard hexameter of Virgil, taken as sixteen syllables. ### Citation (SBL) Canon Mommsen. 2 (Sanday, Studia Biblica 3 3:223–224; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/canon-mommsenianus/2). ## Cyprian list - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/canon-mommsenianus/1/#p-3 - Source: Sanday, Studia Biblica 3 3:224–225 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: A list of the works and letters of Cyprian with their line counts. ### Latin text Indiculum Cecili Cipriani. 1. ad Donatum CCCCX 2. ad virgines 1) 3. de lapsis DCCCCLXXX 4. de opere et elemosyna DCLXX 5. ad Demetrianum DXXXV 6. de aeclesiae unitate DCCL 7. de zelo et liuore CCCCXX 8. de mortalitate DL 9. de patientia DCCCLX 10. ad Fortunatum DCCXL 11. de domini oratione 12. ad Quirinum libri III: I DL. II DCCCL III DCCLXX 13. ad Antonianum DCL 14. de calice dominico CCCC L. 15. de laude martyrii DCCCXXX 16. ad confessores martyrum CXL 17. Moysi et Maximo LXX 18. ad eosdem alia CXX 19. de precando deum CXC 20. ad clerum LIIII 21. Aurelio lectori pro ordinato CXL 22. Celerino C 23. ad Iobianum DL 24. ad. Quintum C 25. Ade prb XIII à . XXX 26. Ade prb à . CXX 27. sententzae episcoporum DXX 28. ad Pompeium CCXC 29. ad Stephanum C 30. ad Fidum CVI 31. ad Magnum CCLXXXIIII 32. ad Martialem CCCL 33. Luci ad Eucratium XL 34. Felici et ceteris XX 35. de Numidia conf. XXX 36. ad Florentium CCV II 37. ad presb LXXII 38. ad eosdem et diac XXV 39. ad clerum urb LXX 40. Romani resc (so) CCXV 41. adversus Iud CCXC 42-50. ad Cornelium VIIII oo CF III 51. vita Cypriani DC fiunt omnes versus y XVIIID ### English translation (Claude) List of Caecilius Cyprian. 1. To Donatus, CCCCX 2. To the virgins, 1) 3. On the lapsed, DCCCCLXXX 4. On works and almsgiving, DCLXX 5. To Demetrianus, DXXXV 6. On the unity of the church, DCCL 7. On jealousy and envy, CCCCXX 8. On mortality, DL 9. On patience, DCCCLX 10. To Fortunatus, DCCXL 11. On the Lord's Prayer 12. To Quirinus, three books: book 1, DL; book 2, DCCCL; book 3, DCCLXX 13. To Antonianus, DCL 14. On the Lord's cup, CCCC L. 15. In praise of martyrdom, DCCCXXX 16. To the confessors of the martyrs, CXL 17. To Moyses and Maximus, LXX 18. Another to the same, CXX 19. On praying to God, CXC 20. To the clergy, LIIII 21. On Aurelius, ordained reader, CXL 22. To Celerinus, C 23. To Jubaianus, DL 24. To Quintus, C 25. Ade prb XIII … XXX 26. Ade prb … CXX 27. Opinions of the bishops, DXX 28. To Pompeius, CCXC 29. To Stephen, C 30. To Fidus, CVI 31. To Magnus, CCLXXXIIII 32. To Martialis, CCCL 33. Luci, to Eucratius, XL 34. To Felix and the others, XX 35. Of the confessors from Numidia(?), XXX 36. To Florentius, CCV II 37. To the presbyters, LXXII 38. To the same and the deacons, XXV 39. To the clergy of the City, LXX 40. Reply of the Romans (so), CCXV 41. Against the Jews, CCXC 42–50. To Cornelius, nine, oo CF III 51. Life of Cyprian, DC All together there are lines y XVIIID ### Translation notes - Numerals as printed; several are garbled (e.g. '1)', 'oo CF III', 'y XVIIID') and are not corrected. Items 25–26 ('Ade prb') and 33 ('Luci') are left untranslated: the abbreviations are unclear in the digital text. 'De Numidia conf.' is taken as confessors from Numidia, uncertainly. '(so)' is printed in the source, apparently the editor's 'sic'. - Several items (e.g. In praise of martyrdom, Against the Jews) are works now judged not to be Cyprian's; the list gives them as his. ### Citation (SBL) Canon Mommsen. 3 (Sanday, Studia Biblica 3 3:224–225; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/canon-mommsenianus/3).