took and would not put him to death for that he was a wise man and did foretell many things as afterwards they came to pass and as it seems unto me he was for this reason called Caiphas viz. because the Arabians calls him who subtilâ—y declares a thing Kaiph A Town called Ephraim This was a City on the East of Bethel and they say that he there wrought a miracle that there comes not there any evil creeping thing CHAP. XII YE also all of ye are clean These words All of ye are not congruous nor are they in the Greek but were added by the Writer it being clear that it ought to be read Ye also are clean but not all of ye CHAP. XIII VVHO leaned on his bosome This was John for he sate behind between him and Simon not in order being a youth CHAP. XIV My Father is greater than me That is to say in Majesty Moreover he is greater than this bodily appearance and by reason of the imbecillity of their minds he said this to comfort them CHAP. XVII THat they might know thee the onely true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent Theodorus expounds Thee thee onely c. of the Three persons And whom thou hast sent concerning the Son of man assumed but he erred for Christ is not the name of the Son of man but of God-man And for their sakes I sanctifie my self That is to say I offer to thee my self a sacrifice to wit a separation and sanctification for them CHAP. XVIII AND they themselves entred into the Judgment Hall lest they should be defiled when they were to eat the Passeover This sheweth That the Jewes had not yet eaten the Passeover on the morning of the Friday and therefore they did not eat it on Friday Eve as our Lord did eat CHAP. XIX FOR that Sabbath was an high day For therein was the celebration of the Passeover and therein was accomplished the Week of Fifty years for the setting free of servants and the reversion of Inheritances CHAP. XX. ENtred not in Either he was afraid or gave a difference of honour to Simeon My Father and your Father my God and your God That is to say my Father by nature and your Father by grace and my God by grace and your God by nature He breathed on them and said Receive the Holy Ghost That is to say he ordained them Priests and only gave them authority of remission of sins until they should be compleated in the upper room and it is likely that he disposed them to receive the Spirit afterwards in the upper room plenarily And they saw burning coals laid and fish laid thereon and bread These he created of nothing and not as before when he fed the multitudes Neither the world it self as I suppose would be sufficient for the Books which should be written That is to say Man who is a little World would not have been sufficient to comprehend his Wonders and to know the power of his Divinity And men say That these words are not the words of the Evangelist but are as this The Angel at certrin seasons moved the water FINIS The Syriack Scholiast his Reconciliation of Saint Paul and James touching JUSTIFICATION Translated by D. L. J. U. D. JAMES II. Ver. 26. Faith without Works is dead THis is not contrary to that of St. Paul who saith That a man is justified by the Law of Faith and not by the Law of Works For St. James speaks of Faith subsequent unto Baptisin and Paul of Faith precedent to Baptism as St. Severus makes it appear for he who believeth and is to be baptized although he hath not good Works is justified but after he is baptized of necessity good Works are required of him and both of them refer the matter unto Abraham St. James after he was Circumcised and offered up Isaac upon the Altar And Paul before he was Circumcised when he believed in God and it was imputed unto him for righteousness in Circumcision which is a Type of Baptism The Genealogy OF MELCHIZEDECK Translated by D. L. J.U.D. THis Melchizedeck was King of Salem whose Father and Mother were not written in the Genealogies because they were not first born and he was of the seed of Shem Shem begate Arphaxad and Arphaxad begate Melchizedeck And when Noah dyed he gave Commandment unto Shem concerning the bones of our Father Adam for they had them with them in a Chest when they departed from the Land of Eden to this spiritual Land and Shem went to the Chest and took out the bones of our Father Adam and sealed the Chest with the signature of his Father and said unto his Brethren My Father commrnded me to go and observe the original of Seas and Rivers and he said unto the Father of Melchizedeck and to his Mother Jozvet Give me your blessing to accompany me in this Journey The Position of the Syriack Scholiast dogmatically declaring That the Sin of a High Priest is greater than a sin of the same kind committed either by Prince or people by him expressed in the Fourth Chapter of Levit. ver 3. Translated out of the Syriack Language by D.L. J.U.D. IF the Priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people In the Greek If the High Priest he who is anointed shall sin so as to make the people to sin i. e. they imitating him and offending in the same kind the whole Congregation shall offer an Oblation a young Bullock for his sin i. e. All the people when they offend offer the same Oblation onely which the Priest did when he offended and therefore it is said That the transgression of him who standeth in an high place ought to be reputed as if it were the sin of all those who stand under him And if a Ruler shall sin i. e. a Prince he shall bring his offering a Kid of the Goats i. e. his Oblation is less than that of the Priest or that of the Congregation altogether nor was he sprinkled with blood seven times by reason of his Prerogative of Honour And although in some respects the Prince himself be less than the Priest and the people do far exceed him in number yet he is greater than any one of the Congregation and therefore every one of them offending offereth a Female but he a Male kid The Opinion of Gregorius Syrus concerning the Suns going retrogade ten degrees Translated out of the Syriack Language by D.L. J.U.D. BY reason of the Suns return from the West to the East retrogade the shadow return'd from the East to the West And if these degrees be computed according to the number of the degrees in the Zodiack viz. 360. every fifteen degrees make up one hour of the 24. of the natural day so that it is clear that the addition was an hour and â…“ of an hour viz. 20 degrees for whereas the Sun went ten degrees toward the East it must of necessity return ten degrees
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on the Four Gospels Page 101 Mark chap. I. The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ Luke chap. I. Page 137 Johannis chap. I. The Word was made flesh and dwelt in us Page 149 The Syriack Scholiast his Reconciliation of St. Paul and James touching Justification Page 159 The Genealogy of Melchizedeck Page 160 The Position of the Syriack Scholiast dogmatically declaring That the sin of a High Priest is greater than a sin of the same kind committed either by Prince or people by him expressed in the Fourth chapter of Levit ver 3. Page 161 The Opinion of Gregorius Syrus concerning the Suns going retrograde ten degrees Page 162 Gregorius Syrus his Explication of the nature of Jephthah's Vow Page 163 Gregorius Syrus concerning Gideon's souldiers lapping the Water Page 164 The Letter of Abgarus King of Edessa to our Saviour Christ Page 165 The Answer of Christ to the Letter of Abgarus ibid. Pilate to Tiberius Caesar concerning Christ Page 166 Lentulus President of Jerusalem to the Senate and people of Rome Greeting Page 168 Dionysius Syrus his Opinion concerning the Nature of the sin against the Holy Ghost Page 169 Dionysius Syrus concerning Free-will in his Exposition on the Eighteenth chapter of Matthew ver 7. Page 172 Dionysius Syrus concerning the Woman that had six husbands John 4. Page 175 Dionysius Syrus concerning Herod's taking his Brothers Wife Page 177 Dionysius Syrus his Exposition on the withering of the Fig-tree Page 180 Dionysius Syrus his Exposition declaring sundry opinions concerning John the Baptists eating of Locusts and Honey Page 183 Dionysius Syrus concerning the darkness over the earth when our Saviour was crucified mentioned Matthew 27 Page 185 Dionysius concerning the Majesty of Christ Page 187 Dionysius Syrus his Description of the Roman Government in Judea Page 189 Dionysius Syrus his Evposition concerning the Tax made by Augustus Page 191 Introductio Dionysii Syri in Expositionem suam Quatuor Evangelistarum Page 193 ERRATA Page 68. line 28. Land for Lord. Page 158. line 2. deference for difference Page 182. line 2. branches for pranches CHAP. I. SInce that we have finished our Treatise upon Matthew the Apostle at large and therein have gathered together in Writing much of the meaning of the rest of his Fellow Evangelists In such passages whetein they agree we are to proceed to the Exposition of St. Mark and such Expositions as you shall not find on him you may be furnisht with out of what we have written on St. Matthew Let us therefore apply our selves to the occasion of the Book having confidence in God who is gracious and his mercies endure for eve◠and is also able to furnish us with strength and words that we shall be able to finish this Enterprize THE EXPOSITION OF Dionysius Syrus alias Jacobus Exiguus UPON THE Gospel of St. Mark TRANSLATED BY DUDLEY LOFTUS J.U.D. Through Confidence in God the Lord of all the World assisting and strengthning us We proceed to render the sense and meaning of the Evangelist St. Mark THE EXPOSITION OF Dionysius Syrus alias Jacobus Exiguus UPON THE Gospel of St. Mark TRANSLATED BY DUDLEY LOFTUS J.V.D. Through Confidence in God the Lord of all the World assisting and strengthning us We proceed to render the sense and meaning of the Evangelist Saint Mark. CHAP. I. SInce that we have finished our Treatise upon Matthew the Apostle at large and therein have gathered together in Writing much of the meaning of the rest of his Fellow Evangelists In such passages wherein they agree we are to proceed to the Exposition of St. Mark and such Expositions as you shall not find on him you may be furnisht with out of what we have written on St. Matthew Let us therefore apply our selves to the occasion of the Book having confidence in God who is gracious and his mercies endure for ever and is also able to furnish us with strength and words that we shall be able to finish this Enterprize CHAP. II. The proper Occasion of the Book BLessed Mark was he of whom it is written in the Acts of the Apostles John who was sirnamed Mark It was he who once adhered unto Paul and Barnabas when they Preached unto the Gentiles He was of the Colledge of the Seventy two and a Disciple of St. Peter He wrote his Gospel in the Roman Tongue at Rome he wrote it briefly not but that he had enough to have written at large but that he had two Reasons to contract himself First He knew that the Romans were desirous to have received the Gospel from St. Peter The second Reason was That he might imitate his Master St. Peter who wrote his Epistles concisely in few and apt words for the Romans besought St. Peter That he would deliver in Writing the Gospel which he had Preached by word of mouth concerning those things which our Lord had done and he gave command unto Mark his Disciple to commit the same to Writing and the occasion of the Narrative was thus Because Shimeon had detected Simon the Sorcerer in Samaria he betook himself by flight unto Rome in the dayes of Claudius Caesar and by means of Sorcerie and some appearances of Fancy which he presented he became famous amongst the Romans insomuch that they erected an Image for him as if he had been a God on the brink of the River which is called Tyber because King Tyberinus was drowned therein and another for his Curtezan whose name was Sahelina and in former times had been a common Strumpet in Tyre When Shimeon had heard of this Seduction he went to Rome to detect Simon on a certain day Simon by his Sorcerie made shew of raising a dead man which was only by delusion of the fancy but Peter restored him to life in very deed in the Name of Christ The Romans then seeing the matter to be thus rose up against Simon with intention to stone him Whereupon he being enraged with anger said unto them Since that you have not approved of me I will go to my Father who is in Heaven and by his Sorcery made shew as if a fiery Chariot had snatched him up aloft And after he had mounted higher than all the sublime Buildings of Rome Peter then took courage and interdicted the Devils who bore him up and made the sign of the Cross in their sight and immediately they forsook him and fled and he fell on the earth and dyed Which being observed by the Romans they glorified God and straightway gathered up a heap of stones against Simon And Peter instructed them and built a Church which he governed for a long time and when the Romans understood that Peter was disposed to depart thence and to Preach the Gospel elsewhere they used persuasions to him That he should write a Gospel for them which he did not do for two Reasons First Because he could not attend it for he was the prime Preacher and desired to Preach unto the Jews and Gentiles Secondly
Lest the Faithful should forsake the other three Gospels and adhere to his onely as being the Chief and Primate of all the rest Moreover He did not hold himself worthy to write a Gospel because of his denial and therefore he persuaded Mark and he wrote and whatsoever he delivered by word of mouth his Disciple wrote and because Matthew had spoken of the Genealogy of Christ and his Generation according to the Flesh he took his beginning from his Baptism Others speak of another occasion Tatianus a Disciple of Justinus the Philosopher and Martyr made a Collection out of the Four Evangelists and thereof made and composed a Gospel and called it a Diateseron that is of harmonies and it was this Book which Prince Ephraim expounded it begins thus In the beginning was the Word Clemens Romanus wrote in his great Epistle against those who contemned Marriage for that married men being ordained Apostles they observed Chastity after they were made Disciples as also Moses and others who after they were thought worthy of Divine Revelations abstained from the Marriage bed Saith Clemens Do they also despise the Apostles for Peter and Philip begate children and Paul himself made no scruple to salute the Daughter of his marriage in an Epistle but he did not lead her about with him by reason of the modesty of his Ministry Whereas it is written in the Acts of the Apostles That after Peter was freed from Prison by an Angel he came to the house of Mary the Mother of John who was sirnamed Mark it is said that this Mary was the wife of Shimeon and that Mark was his Son and that the young Maiden Roda who opened unto him was his Daughter and Peter makes mention of her in his first Epistle which he wrote from Rome describing her under a figure whil'st he calls her Babel by reason of her excellency and renown The chosen Church which is in Babel saluteth you and Mark my son Peter after he was delivered out of Prison went to Antioch and in the same Year built a Church there and gave command to worship towards the East and taught that on the first day of the Week our Lord proceeded from his Mothers womb and on the same day was the Resurrection And after two Years he heard of the error of Simon and placed Evodius Bishop in Antioch as his Successor and this Bishop governed Twenty five Years but Peter went up to Rome by occasion of Simon This Simon was by Nation a Samaritan of the Town called Gathnin he was named Shimeon but Peter changed his name and called him Simon And when Peter entred into Rome he found a Dog at the gate of Simons house and said unto him Go in signifie unto Simon that Shimeon is come to the gate Again Simon spoke in the Ear of an Oxe and it was parted in two but Peter revived it Moreover some of his followers desired him to work some sign in the fight of Shimeon and it so fell out that they met with a certain dead man the son of Cyprianus one of the Magistrates of the City and Simon approached the Bier whereon he was carried and spoke many things aloud and with a low voyce but the dead man was not raised yet Peter immediately drew nigh and cryed with a loud voyce and said in the Name of Jesus Christ who hath been crucified Arise from the Bier and with these words the dead man was restored to life Whereupon the Romans rose up to stone Simon and when he made shew as if he were ascending into Heaven Peter rebuked the Devils and they forsook him so that he fell down and dyed as we said in the first occasion And when Peter had governed the Church of Rome for the space of Twenty five Years Nero commanded that he should be crucified with his Head downwards he established Bishop in his place Elius whom the Apostle mentioneth in his second Epistle to Timothy and after him succeeded Clemens for Nine Years And near the time that Peter was to be crucified the Romans urged him by many persuasions That he would write a Gospel unto them but he did not incline to their persuasion lest that the Gospel of Matthew being already written it should be thought it had been displeasing to Peter had he written another but he persuaded Mark to write unto them the deeds of our Lord his Objections and Replies whereof he omitted many and chiefly took care with much diligence to write those things which concerned Peters denial and it is possible that Peter himself excited his diligence in that particular and because Simon had Preached there that our Lord had not assumed a Body he therefore took care to write of such things as concerned his Humanity And after Mark wrote a Gospel in Rome he immediately went to Aegypt and Preached there and Established a Church in Alexandria Mark therefore is setled in a SEE We are further to know That there were Evangelists of the Twelve and of the Seventy and two according to the number of the Apostles and Evangelists but after the Apostles departed this life their Disciples carefully examined them and chose out of them four Gospels which the Church retained because they observed them to be agreeable and true and finally because they were willing to prohibit men from using multiplicity of Books because they agreed in the same mind they ordered the Apostles to begin and end as the top and foundation the other Evangelists they placed in the middle to the intent they might honour the Seventy and two They took Two Evangelists out of the Twelve and Two out of the Seventy and two Others say that this Inquisition or Examination was made in the dayes of the Apostles and that they chose two Gospels of their own and two of the Seventy and two which they ordained to be read in the Church CHAP. III. WHerefore did not Mark write the Acts of Christ one after another as did Luke We say That St. Mark did not write those things that were first done in the first place nor every thing as they succeeded one to another but after the example of Matthew observing that order wherein they seemed to adhere one to another whether they were words or actions to the intent that so far as it was possible there might be found an harmony and agreement between them but not so as to be an exact History of things done but Doctrine useful to Religion He did not write concerning Genealogies because he observed they were sufficiently Treated of by Matthew CHAP. IV. THere are in Mark Six Parables and Similitudes Twenty and two Miracles and Sixteen Testimonies which he produced in confirmation of what he said MARK Chap. I. The Beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ THE beginning of the Gospel was Baptism Moreover Basilius and Philoxenus say thus That St. Mark first used the word Evangelium or Gospel and that Baptism was the beginning of the Gospel Others say That the
beginning of the Evangelium which is good Tydings is the Baptism of Christ as blessed Mark saith and inasmuch as he saith The Beginning of the Gospel he sheweth that he was the first that gave the name of Evangelium to a Book Moreover forasmuch as Evangelium or Gospel is by interpretation good Tydings and Christ before his Baptism did neither Preach nor Evangelize but after he was Baptized and Tempted he immediately Preached Repent the Kingdom is at hand as Matthew and Mark have written Moreover from his Birth to his Baptism he was governed by the Law and from his Baptism by such a new Administration as comported with the New Testament Again before his Baptism he performed no Miracle nor delivered any Doctrine otherwise than by Question and Answer in the Temple when he was Twelve years old as Luke sayes Moreover those things which were from his Birth to his Baptism are not to be reputed as of the Gospel though they have relation thereunto and are compiled therewith that we might be taught after what manner were his Conception and Birth Nor were it possible that we should be capable of receiving the Doctrine of the Gospel if we had not first learned where and how he was born whereas in those Years from his Birth to his being Thirty Years of Age he satisfied the Obligation of the Law of Nature and the written Law then he applied himself to frame a Module of a new World in his Baptism and to Preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God And forasmuch as Mark knew that Baptism was the Beginning of the Gospel and that our Lord thence took his Commencement in the new Administration he wrote in the beginning of his Book thus The Beginning of the Gospel And if it shall be Objected Wherefore did the other Evangelists begin higher than his Baptism It is plain that Matthew wrote so that he might make it appear unto the Hebrews to whom he wrote That as the Prophets had before written that Christ should spring from the Lineage of David so he did then spring thence and Luke that he might bring them into Contempt who unskilfully undertook to write the Histories of deeds and John that he might write concerning the Divinity of Christ for that the other three omitted it lest it should be concealed and Christ be reputed but a meer man for these three causes they took their rise so high and not for that his Conception his Birth his Circumcision c. were of the Gospel The Son of God He calls Jesus Christ the Son of God and not the Son of Grace as say the Nestorians for we are the sons of grace and that Mark doth not here call Jesus Christ the Son of Grace but the Natural Son of God is evident from that which the Apostle said to the Philippians in an Epistle Let this mind be in your selves which was also in Christ Jesus who being the likeness thought it not robbery to be equal with God but evacuated himself of reputation and assumed the likeness of a servant and was made in the likeness of the sons of men and in fashion was found as man and humbled himself and became obedient even to death even the death of the Cross wherefore God hath exceedingly exalted him and given him a Name more excellent than all names That at the Name of Jesus every knee should how c. Let the Nestorians and Calcedonians be demanded Who is he who so evacuated himself and assumed the likeness of a servant Man or the word God Divine Nature or Nature Humane for Man and Humane Nature were already evacuated and servants wherefore this is the sense of the words that the word God evacuated himself and observe that the word God who evacuated himself and assumed the likeness of a servant doth he call Jesus Christ and to him is attributed Subjection Obedience and Death and the Cross and to him is attributed Exaltation and the giving of the Name of God which is more excellent than all Names And forasmuch as the Apostle said concerning the word God that he evacuated himself these are evident Demonstrations First That he being God by Nature was incarnate and made Man of his own will without being changed from being God Secondly That being equal in Nature with the Holy Ghost and Giver thereof and having a natural Holiness he took upon him to be anointed and sanctified by the Holy Ghost as he was Man for being made Man he suffered natural and animal Passions but not culpable Hunger and Thirst Sleep and Death did he taste for us And Thirdly That being called by eminent and exalted Names to wit Lord and God and Omnipotent and other the like so that whatsoever he had did as naturally belong unto him as to the Father and the Holy Ghost as having life of his own nature having power over all things and having glory due unto him from all things yet it is said That it was given him of the Father and that he received it from the Father And this moreover for that he was evacuated and made man And these were Demonstrations of his Exinanition that he vouchsafed to be called by humble and inferiour names as of Man Son of Man and a Stone Moreover it is certain That the word God who was the natural Son of God the Father is called Christ and not the Son of man who was of Mary for David saith That thy Throne O God is for ever and ever a right Scepter is the Scepter of thy Kingdom thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity wherefore God thy God hath anointed thee with the oyle of gladness above thy fellows It is therefore clearly understood that he whom he calls God and of whom he saith Thy Throne O God for ever is the same whom God the Father anointed and not the Son of Man who was of Mary Furthermore forasmuch as he saith That he anointed him above his fellows that is to say more than all they who were anointed by the Holy Ghost because they stood in need of anointing and were anointed by the Holy Ghost but the word God was anointed and sanctified by the Holy Ghost not being in want thereof because he was equal with the Holy Ghost and had a natural Holiness and was full as St. John saith of his fulness have we all received but because he was made man he received the Spirit and his anointing and his holiness that by his Mediation he might give us the Spirit to anoint and sanctifie us for that this word was anointed and sanctified by the Spirit because he was sent into the World and was made man is manifest from that which he saith of himself Say ye of him whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world thou blasphemest because I said unto you that I am the Son of God for it is certain that he who was sent from God the Father into the world was God the word and he who was sent was
sanctified by the Spirit that the word God is called Christ because he was made man St. Paul saith But to us there is one God the Father of whom are all things and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things and one Holy Ghost in whom are all things Moreover he saith of Christ that all things were made by his hands by whose hands therefore saith Paul that all things were created whether by the hands of the Son of man who was begotten of Mary or by the hands of the word God as John saith All things were made by him and the same word by whom all things have been created doth Paul call Jesus Christ It is evident therefore from these premises that Mark calls the Natural Son of God the Father who was incarnated and made man by the Name of Christ and not the Son of man who was born of Mary who was the Son of Grace as say the Hereticks As it is written in Isaiah the Prophet behold I send my Angel That is to say he produceth this Testimony to prove That the Beginning of the Gospel is the Baptism of Christ for this Allegation Behold I send my Angel is written in Malachi and not in Isaiah but others say that it was also written in Isaiah and that it is lost Others say That this Gospel was Translated out of the Roman Language into the Greek and out of the Greek into the Syriack and that the Interpreters mistake put Isaiah in the place of Malachi Others That in the Book of Diateseron which is preserved in Alexandria and was written by Tatianus the Bishop as also in the Greek Gospel and the Harkalian it is written in the Prophet without expressing what Prophet Others say that this Quotation hath reference to the voyce of one crying in the wilderness Prepare ye the way of the Lord make his paths strait for Isaiah speaks after that manner but not to this Behold I send my Angel for the Evangelist was not curious as to the exactness of his Narrative according to the custom of a Book wherein a Subject is Treated of at large but wrote after an ordinary manner according as other Divine Writers have done after this sort all the people saw the Voyces and the Lightnings whereas it is known that Voyces cannot fall under the sense of sight Again a Bullock or a Lamb whose Ear is cleft or wants a Tayle whereas a Bullock hath no Tayle In like manner it is said My hand kissed my mouth whereas the mouth did kiss and not the hand So Mark sets down that of Isaiah then this I send my Angel and after this The voyce of one crying not distinguishing to which of the two sayings he referred the Quotation out of Isaiah The voyce of one crying Wherefore is John called a voyce because Christ is called the word and a word without a voyce or writing is not known therefore very aptly is John called a voyce because with his voyce was Preached the onely Word Prepare the way of the Lord. The way and path he calls the coming of Christ Prepare your minds and thoughts against the coming of Christ John was in the wilderness He calls the Wilderness the desolate passage from Earth to Heaven By Baptising and Preaching he signified that the destruction of Mortality was to be destroyed By his cloathing of Hair he signified Repentance By the Girdle about his Loyns and the Band upon his Bowels he denotes the sensitive and intellectual Faculties and Continency from an exorbitant Appetite which in Prosperity is exuberant By the winged Locusts the seed of the Just to meet the Lord. By the sweetness of Honey the sweetness of the Blessings which come from our Lord of higher value than Jewels Moreover Honey signifieth the purging of the World from the rust of sin for Honey is of a cleansing Nature 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Region of Judaea That is to say a place of Towns or Villages The Garment of Camels Hair signifies the meanness of his Apparrel and his Poverty for he was not cloathed with Wooll but with course Hair The time is accomplished and the Kingdom is at hand That is to say the time of the shadows of the Law and the fulfilling of Mysteries and Types is at hand the Kingdom of God he ealls here the Gospel and Grace A certain man with an unclean spirit He calls the Devil unclean by reason of the unclean deeds he frequently acted by him in whom he dwelt Art thou come to destroy us He hints two things First Their fear of our Lord which possessed them from the victory had against them in the Wilderness Secondly Their wickedness in respect that the delivery of that man out of their power who was their Captive was reputed their loss I know thee who thou art the Holy One of God He speaks unto him as unto a holy man and not as persuaded that he was God And when they had found him they said unto him all men seek thee This saying all in this place is like to this Jesus looked upon her with all the Earth and all the Nations round about me and all they who came were Thieves and Robbers See thou say nothing to any man He prohibited them who were cured to publish the same lest he might be suppressed by the Jews as a vain-glorious person for he knew that the Miracles which he did were not to be concealed When he performed Miracles before the multitude he gave no command that they should not publish them as in Kotna and when he multiplied the bread but as touching the matter of Lazarus he forbade his own followers to publish it as he did also concerning this Leprous man the Paralytick and the blind men And we say that among the Multitudes he openly wrought Miracles to the intent that he might draw them to faith in him and did not praerequire from them faith in him as he did amongst his own followers for when he changed Water into Wine he did not first of all take the Suffrages of the company to acknowledge whether he were able to do it or no as he did in the case of the Leprous person the Paralitick and the blind men whom he did not cure until they had confessed that he was God As Moses commanded for a testimony unto them He commanded the Leprous person to offer an Oblation that he might manifest the agreement of both Testaments Secondly That he might shew that there was one giver of them both although the first was the Doctrine of Babes and ours of Perfection Thirdly That he might declare that this of God was not contrary to that of the Law so that they needed not to suppress this for the other CHAP. II. THey lifted up the Roof By Art they found out a way to lift up the Roof of the House and easily to let down the Bed in such manner that neither the Timber nor Dust might fall upon them as many in these dayes
set down by St. Mark is evident from this That before our Lord was Baptized he neither Preached nor Evangelized but after that he was Baptized and Tempted he began to say Repent the Kingdom of heaven is at hand And St. Basil saith That this Mark first used the word Evangelium and this is clear from hence That the other Three Evangelists made no mention thereof A voyce crying in the wilderness John is called a voyce because he made known Christ the Word for by the voyce is made known the Word that is hidden in the mind Confessing their sins Hence it is manifest That confession is necessary for the Faithful And straightway he came up out of the water That is to say our Lord. He saw To wit John the Baptist And straightway the Spirit took him out To wit the holy Spirit What have we to do with thee This one speaks as from the mouth of them all CHAP. II. THE son of Halphaeus All the Doctors agree That this Levi was Matthew the Publican who was an Evangelist and that Jesus sat down in his House and Mark here calls him the son of Halphaeus and that this was not the brother of James the son of Halphaeus is demonstrable from this That Matthew was of the Tribe of Issachar and this James was of the Tribe of Menasse When Abiathar was High Priest In the Book of Samuel it is written That David desired the holy bread from Achimelech the Father of Abiathar and it is possible that he desired it from Achimelech and that Abiathar his son gave it CHAP. III. SOns of Thunder Because the sons of Zebedee did preach with a high voyce he calls them by this name And his Kindred heard That is to say the children of Joseph CHAP. IV. THat under the shadow thereof the Fowl may dwell That is to say the Gentiles without the Law may rest under the shade of the Gospel And they left the multitudes In some Copies it is read He left but that reading is not to be approved but we ought to follow the Greek Copies to wit That he and his Disciples left them or dismissed them And there was a great tempest The Syriack word signifieth a boysterous wind which bloweth on the face of the earth and raiseth up dust and sand it is of an Hebrew derivation and is expounded the ascent of God CHAP. V. LEGION That is to say Ten Thousand CHAP. VI. BEhold the Carpenter the son of Mary It is likely that Joseph was dead and therefore he did not mention him with his mother and brethren Except a Rod. The word except beareth the sense of neither in this place and it is clear from this That Matthew saith neither a Rod. It is not lawful for thee to take the wife of thy brother Because she had by fraud caused him to be put to death and had it not been for this it had not been unlawful for him to take her to Wife according to the Law of Moses CHAP. X. TImaeus the son of Timaeus In two Greek copies it is a blind man the son of a blind man And to say Son of David In two Greek copies we find it Son of the Son of David have mercy upon me CHAP. XIII AND not the Son but the Father Matthew hath not the woâ—ds and not the Son And our Lord said this wâ—th reservatâ—on and not that he was ignorant of the thing for he who knew the Father who was concealed and â—ncomprehensible saying No man knows the Father but â—he Son Hâ—w could he but know the time of the end of the World He said thus for this reason to wit That if he had said I know and will not tell they had been offended and it he had said he knew and had declared it unto them others would have known it frâ—m them and have communicated it to all other generations and so by reason of the remoteness of time they would have grown negligent and careless Hence it is known That it is more advantagious to the sons of men to be ignorant of a matter of this kind than to have knowledge thereof CHAP. XIV AND he took the Chalice and gave thanks and blessed and gave unto them In the Greek it is not said That he blessed any moâ—e than the body onely And a certain young man followed him and was naked onely covered with a linen cloth That this was a stranger is known from hence that his Disciples were modest and ashamed to accompany him with a linen cloth only Wine mixed with myrrhe That he might be the more intoxicated and not be sensible of the agony of death And Mary the mother of James the less That is to say the brother of our Lord and that he might be distinguished from James the brother of Zebedee he calls him the less and this Mary was not the mother of our Lord but the wife of Joseph to wit the mother of his children And of Jose and Shalom These also were the natural sons of Joseph and were called the brethren of our Lord in name only and not by consociation of blood CHAP. XVI AFter this he was seen of two of them Luke the Evangelist speaks clearly of one of them that he was Cleophas but as concerning the other there are different opinions Some say it was the wife of Cleophas Others say That it was Luke himself and that he might not seek glory he did not mention his name And confirmed their words with the signs which they wrought St. Severus saith in the Seventy seventh discourse of his Epithronion That in approved Greek copies the Gospel of Mark ends with these words For they were afraid LUKE CHAP. I. FOrasmuch as many That is to say The Sect of Simon the Sorcerer and those of the Circumcision for it is said That there were Eighty four Gospels according to the number of Apostles and Disciples and after the Apostles departed this life their Disciples chose two of those of the Apostles to wit those of Matthew and John and two of those of the Disciples to wit Mark and Luke and that they destroyed the rest According to what they have delivered That is to say The Apostles To us That is to say To me and to Mark. Of the Word That is to say of Preaching to wit Evangelical denuntiation and the doctrine of our Lord in the World and that this voyce the Word is applicable to those Three senses is apparent from the words of Gregorius Theologus Theophilus This man was a Believer and one of the Rulers of Alexandria Nor Seicera strong drink That is to say a certain kind of drink which was made of Honey and of Dates c. From the Birth of Jesus to his Baptism were Thirty years and from his Baptism to his Ascension were Two years and Six months He shall be great That is to say His greatness shall be revealed to Angels and to Men. And the power of him on high shall come upon thee All the
Greek Doctors agree That with this saying the Divinity was united with the Soul and Body and amongst the Syrian Fathers Absanius of Mabog saith That with this saying the Word was united with the Flesh as John saith The Word was made flesh and dwelt in us and after Forty dayes when the body was formed it received the rational soul By the name of his father Zacharia Every first-born son they called by the name of his Father according to the custom which they held And they made signs unto his father This sheweth That his speech failed also with his hearing And he was in the Wilderness When he was Two years and an half old his Mother fled with him from Herod for he was born Six months before our Lord and when our Lord was Two years old the Wise men came and Herod slew the Children and because Zacharia had caused his son to flie away he sent to put him to death between the Altar and the Temple whereunto he fled and betook himself viz. to the horns of the Altar CHAP. II. THat all the people of his Empire should be taxed The Greek That all the inhabitated World should be taxed Here the Syriack sense is more to be approved than the Greek because Caesars power did not extend its self to all Nations of the World And good tydings unto men You may take notice that the word Amen is hereunto added in some Syriack Copies but not in the Greek And when eight dayes were accomplished The Armenians partly adhering to the fancy of Julianus say That he was not in Truth circumcised but that they onely drew a line over his skin And when the dayes of their purification were accomplisht She who bore a son was purified in Forty days but she who bore a daughter in Eighty dayes His name was Simeon He was the Father of Jesus the son of Asira and he was one of the Seventy and two Interpreters who Translated the Hebrew Bible into the Greek in the dayes of Ptolomy and because he doubted concerning this passage viz. a Virgin shall conceive and bring forth spoken by Esay the Prophet he was bound Two hundred and eighty years to the Oblation until he saw him who was born of a Virgin Behold he is appointed for the fall That is to say of the Scribes and Pharisees And for the rising of many in Israel That is to say of sinners who shall be justified by him And for a sign of contention That is to say There shall be divers Opinions concerning him Of the Tribe of Aser she also was aged In the Greek the words she also are not written for she was not so old as Simeon CHAP. III. VVIth your allowance That is whatsoever was given by the King for their maintenance I baptize you with water That is to say I wash you from sins The son of Heli. Matthew the Evangelist calls Joseph the son of James and not the son of Heli and Aphrichianus the Genealogist saith That Heli was the son of Matthath and that James was the son of Mathan Brethren by the Mother whose name was Estha and they were searchers of Secrets and when Heli dyed without sons James his Brother took his Wife according to the Law for constitution of sons and of her begate Joseph Hence it is that Joseph was the natural son of James as Matthew said and the legal son of Heli as Luke said The son of Matthath the son of Levi the son of Melchi Aprichianus saith That according to the Tradition they received from the Hebrew Genealogists Heli Matthath and Levi were Brethren the sons of Melchi and not as Luke said Heli the son of Matthath and Matthath the son of Levi. The son of Zerubabel Matthew saith That Zerubabel begate Abiud and Luke saith That Zerubabel begate Resa and St. Severus saith That Zerubabel had two sons Abiud and Resa and Matthew computed Abiud and Luke reckoned upon Resa and George of the Gentiles saith That they had not one Father but two who were called by the same name Zerubabel and others say That Abiud was Resa to wit that one person was called by two names The son of Shelathiel the son of Neri Matthew saith That Jechonia begate Shelathiel and Luke saith That Neri begate Shelathiel and St. Severus saith That Melchi the Father of Neri took a Wife whose name was Nahashta and of her begate Neri and when Melchi dyed Jehoiakim the King who was Eliakim took Nahashta his Wife for her beauty and of her begate Jochania and Neri and Jochania were Brethren by the Mother and Neri took a Wife and dyed without sons and Jochania his Brother took his Wife and of her begate Shelathiel Hence it was that this Shelathiel was the natural son of Jochania as Matthew said and the legal son of Neri as Luke said and George of the Gentiles doth not agree to this but saith That Shelathiel the son of Jochania was one and Shelathiel the son of Neri was another The son of Joram This Joram was not the son of Jehoshaphet as Matthew saith but the son of Mathitha The son of Nathan the son of David Matthew saith That David begate Solomon and Luke saith That David begate Nathan and this difference proceeds from this That Matthew was willing to write onely the natural Genealogy which was deduced from Solomon the son of David and Luke by reason of a contest amongst the Jewes was forced to write the natural and legal Genealogy which was deduced from Nathan the son of David for which reason many names in Luke differ from those in Matthew The son of Jesse the son of Obed the son of Boaz. Julianus King of the Gentiles objects and saith If Luke wrote the legal Generations wherefore doth he mention Obed to be the son of Boaz according to the rule of nature and not the son of Malion according to the legal deduction as it is written in the book of Ruth The Doctors answer thus That there was a controversie amongst the Jewes concerning Joseph whether he proceeded from David or no and therefore blessed Luke proves That not only naturally as Matthew writes but legally also the Genealogy of Joseph mounts up to David and Luke ascending from David to Abraham computes the natural Fathers as Matthew did The son of Abraham the son of Terah From hence Luke begins to carry on the Genealogy where Matthew left off and to raise it to Adam because he did not as St. Matthew write his Gospel to the Hebrews who boasted of Abraham but to all Nations who were deduced from Adam as well as he The son of Adam who was from God Aprichianus sets down Fifty persons from Abraham to Christ and in all the Copies of Luke which are read in the Holy Churches there are Fifty and Six and so from Adam to our Lord Seventy and six and according to the natural Genealogy of the Gospel of Matthew from Abraham to Joseph there were Forty persons and according to the Book