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[TranslatedbyRogerPearse]
Mark
1
...Markrecorded,whowascalledColobodactylus ,becausehehadfingersthatweretoosmallfortheheightof
therestofhisbody.HehimselfwastheinterpreterofPeter.AfterthedeathofPeterhimself,thesameman
wrotethisgospelinthepartsofItaly.
Luke
IndeedLukewasanAntiocheneSyrian,adoctorbyprofession,adiscipleoftheapostles:laterhoweverhe
followedPauluntilhismartyrdom,servingtheLordblamelessly.Heneverhadawife,heneverfathered
children,anddiedattheageofeightyfour,fulloftheHolySpirit,inBoetia.Thereforealthoughgospelshad
alreadybeenwrittenindeedbyMatthewinJudaeabutbyMarkinItalymovedbytheHolySpirithe
wrotedownthisgospelinthepartsofAchaia,signifyingintheprefacethattheotherswerewrittenbeforehis,
butalsothatitwasofthegreatestimportanceforhimtoexpoundwiththegreatestdiligencethewholeseriesof
eventsinhisnarrationfortheGreekbelievers,sothattheywouldnotbeledastraybythelureofJewishfables,
or,seducedbythefablesofthehereticsandstupidsolicitations,fallawayfromthetruth.Andsoatonceatthe
starthetookuptheextremelynecessary[story]fromthebirthofJohn,whoisthebeginningofthegospel,the
forerunnerofourLordJesusChrist,andwasacompanionintheperfectingofthepeople,likewiseinthe
introducingofbaptismandacompanioninmartyrdom.OfthisdispositiontheprophetMalachi,oneofthe
twelve,certainlymakesmention.AndindeedafterwardsthesameLukewrotetheActsoftheApostles.Later
theapostleJohnwrotetheApocalypseontheislandofPatmos,andthentheGospelinAsia.
John
TheGospelofJohnwasrevealedandgiventothechurchesbyJohnwhilestillinthebody,justasPapiasof
Hieropolis,theclosediscipleofJohn,relatedintheexoterics,thatis,inthelastfivebooks.Indeedhewrote
downthegospel,whileJohnwasdictatingcarefully.ButthehereticMarcion,afterbeingcondemnedbyhim
2
becausehewasteaching theoppositetohim[John],wasexpelledbyJohn.Buthe[Marcion]hadbrought
writingsorletterstohim[John]fromthebrotherswhichwereinPontus.
ThetranslationwasmadefromthetextpublishedbyDeBruyneinRevueBndictine40(1928),p.193ff.
1.Thenicknamemeans"stumpyfinger."
2.Lit.sentiebat:hewasthinking.
ThistextwastranscribedbyRogerPearse,Ipswich,UK,2006.Allmaterialonthispageisinthepublicdomaincopyfreely.
Greektextisrenderedusingunicode.
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