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THE HARMONY OF THE GOSPELS.

BOOK I.

THE TREATISE OPENS WITH A SHORT STATEMENT ON THE SUBJECT OF THE AUTHORITY OF THE EVANGELISTS, THEIR NUMBER, THEIR ORDER, AND THE DIFFERENT PLANS OF THEIR NARRATIVES. AUGUSTIN THEN PREPARES FOR THE DISCUSSION OF THE QUESTIONS RELATING TO THEIR HARMONY, BY JOINING ISSUE IN THIS BOOK WITH THOSE WHO RAISE A DIFFICULTY IN THE CIRCUMSTANCE THAT CHRIST HAS LEFT NO WRITING OF HIS OWN, OR WHO FALSELY ALLEGE THAT CERTAIN BOOKS WERE COMPOSED BY HIM ON THE ARTS OF MAGIC. HE ALSO MEETS THE OBJECTIONS OF THOSE WHO, IN OPPOSITION TO THE EVANGELICAL TEACHING, ASSERT THAT THE DISCIPLES OF CHRIST AT ONCE ASCRIBED MORE TO THEIR MASTER THAN HE REALLY WAS, WHEN THEY AFFIRMED THAT HE WAS GOD, AND INCULCATED WHAT THEY HAD NOT BEEN INSTRUCTED IN BY HIM, WHEN THEY INTERDICTED THE WORSHIP OF THE GODS. AGAINST THESE ANTAGONISTS HE VINDICATES THE TEACHING OF THE APOSTLES, BY APPEALING TO THE UTTERANCES OF THE PROPHETS, AND BY SHOWING THAT THE GOD OF ISRAEL WAS TO BE THE SOLE OBJECT OF WORSHIP, WHO ALSO, ALTHOUGH HE WAS THE ONLY DEITY, TO WHOM ACCEPTANCE WAS DENIED IN FORMER TIMES BY THE ROMANS, AND THAT FOR THE VERY REASON THAT HE PROHIBITED THEM FROM WORSHIPPING OTHER GODS ALONG WITH HIMSELF, HAS NOW IN THE END MADE THE EMPIRE OF ROME SUBJECT TO HIS NAME, AND AMONG ALL NATIONS HAS BROKEN THEIR IDOLS IN PIECES THROUGH THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL, AS HE HAD PROMISED BY HIS PROPHETS THAT THE EVENT SHOULD BE.

CHAP. I. —ON THE AUTHORITY OF THE GOSPELS. 1. In the entire number of those divine rec

memorable occurrences which took place at a period antecedent to the formation of their own ords which are contained in the sacred writings, which belonged also to the time of His nativity, connection with Him in the way of discipleship, the gospel deservedly stands pre-eminent. For what the law and the prophets aforetime an- which they were able to institute exact inquiry His infancy, or His youth, and with regard to nounced as destined to come to pass, is exhibited in the gospel in its realization and fulfilment. hand or at the hands of His parents or other and to obtain information, either at His own The first preachers of this gospel were the apos- parties, on the ground of the most reliable intles, who beheld our Lord and Saviour Jesus timations and the most trustworthy testimonies. Christ in person when He was yet present in the flesh. And not only did these 2 men keep namely, Matthew and in remembrance the words heard from His lips, John-gave to the world, in their respective and the deeds wrought by Him beneath their books, a written account of all those matters eyes; but they were also careful, when the duty which it seemed needful to commit to writing of preaching the gospel was laid upon them, to concerning Him. make mankind acquainted with those divine and

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2. And to preclude the supposition that, in what concerns the apprehension and proclamation of the gospel, it is a matter of any consequence whether the enunciation comes by men who were actual followers of this same Lord here

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were (only) two, belonging to the number of those whom the Lord chose before the passover, that obtained places, namely, the first place and the last. For the first place in order was held by Matthew, and the last by John. And thus the remaining two, who did not belong to the number referred to, but who at the same time had become followers of the Christ who spoke in these others, were supported on either side by the same, like sons who were to be embraced, and who in this way were set in the midst between these twain.

4. Of these four, it is true, only Matthew is

when He manifested Himself in the flesh and had the company of His disciples attendant on Him, or by persons who with due credit received facts with which they became acquainted in a trustworthy manner through the instrumentality of these former, divine providence, through the agency of the Holy Spirit, has taken care that certain of those also 'who were nothing more than followers of the first apostles should have authority given them not only to preach the gospel, but also to compose an account of it in writing. I refer to Mark and Luke. All those other individuals, however, who have attempted or dared to offer a written record of the acts of reckoned to have written in the Hebrew the Lord or of the apostles, failed to commend themselves in their own times as men of the character which would induce the Church to yield them its confidence, and to admit their compositions to the canonical authority of the Holy Books. And this was the case not merely because they were persons who could make no rightful claim to have credit given them in their narrations, but also because in a deceitful manner they introduced into their writings certain matters which are condemned at once by the catholic and apostolic rule of faith, and by sound doctrine.'

CHAP. II.- ON THE ORDER OF THE EVANGELISTS,

AND THE PRINCIPLES ON WHICH THEY WROTE.

language; the others in Greek. And however they may appear to have kept each of them a certain order of narration proper to himself, this certainly is not to be taken as if each individual writer chose to write in ignorance of what his predecessor had done, or left out as matters about which there was no information things which another nevertheless is discovered to have recorded. But the fact is, that just as they received each of them the gift of inspiration, they abstained from adding to their several labours any superfluous conjoint compositions. For Matthew is understood to have taken it in hand to construct the record of the incarnation

of the Lord according to the royal lineage, and to give an account of most part of His deeds 3. Now, those four evangelists whose names and words as they stood in relation to this have gained the most remarkable circulation 2 present life of men. Mark follows him closely, over the whole world, and whose number has and looks like his attendant and epitomizer.3 been fixed as four, it may be for the simple For in his narrative he gives nothing in concert reason that there are four divisions of that world with John apart from the others: by himself through the universal length of which they, by separately, he has little to record; in conjunctheir number as by a kind of mystical sign, indi- tion with Luke, as distinguished from the rest, cated the advancing extension of the Church he has still less; but in concord with Matthew, of Christ, are believed to have written in the he has a very large number of passages. Much, order which follows: first Matthew, then Mark, too, he narrates in words almost numerically and thirdly Luke, lastly John. Hence, too, [it would identically the same as those used by Matthew, appear that] these had one order determined where the agreement is either with that evanamong them with regard to the matters of their gelist alone, or with him in connection with the personal knowledge and their preaching [of the rest. On the other hand, Luke appears to have gospel], but a different order in reference to occupied himself rather with the priestly lineage the task of giving the written narrative. As far, and character of the Lord. For although in indeed, as concerns the acquisition of their own his own way he carries the descent back to knowledge and the charge of preaching, those David, what he has followed is not the royal unquestionably came first in order who were actu- pedigree, but the line of those who were not ally followers of the Lord when He was present kings. That genealogy, too, he has brought to in the flesh, and who heard Him speak and saw a point in Nathan the son of David,5 which Him act; and [with a commission received] person likewise was no king. It is not thus, from His lips they were despatched to preach however, with Matthew. For in tracing the the gospel. But as respects the task of com- lineage along through Solomon the king," he posing that record of the gospel which is to be has pursued with strict regularity the succession accepted as ordained by divine authority, there of the other kings; and in enumerating these,

[The character of the Apocryphal Gospels is obvious. The reference of Luke (i. 1) is probably to fragmentary records, now lost. Comp below Book iv. chap. 8.-R.]

Notissimi.

3 [This opinion is not only unwarranted, since Mark shows greater signs of originality, but it has been prejudicial to the correct appreciation of the Gospel of Mark. The verbal identity of Matthew and Mark in parallel passages is far less than commonly supposed. - -R.] 4 Personam 5 Luke iii. 31. 6 Matt. 1. 6.

he has also conserved that mystical number of the humanity of Christ for it was according to which we shall speak hereafter.

CHAP. III. - OF THE FACT THAT MATTHEW, TO-
GETHER WITH MARK, HAD SPECIALLY IN VIEW
THE KINGLY CHARACTER OF CHRIST, WHEREAS

LUKE DEALT WITH THE PRIESTLY.

His humanity that Christ was made both King
and Priest. To Him, too, God gave the throne
of His father David, in order that of His king-
dom there should be none end." And this was
done with the purpose that there might be a
mediator between God and men, the man
Christ Jesus," to make intercession for us. Luke,
on the other hand, had no one connected with
him to act as his summarist in the way that Mark
was attached to Matthew. And it may be that
this is not without a certain solemn significance."
For it is the right of kings not to miss the obe-
dient following of attendants; and hence the
evangelist, who had taken it in hand to give an
account of the kingly character of Christ, had a
person attached to him as his associate who was
in some fashion to follow in his steps. But inas-
much as it was the priest's wont to enter all
alone into the holy of holies, in accordance with
that principle, Luke, whose object contemplated
the priestly office of Christ, did not have any
one to come after him as a confederate, who was
meant in some way to serve as an epitomizer of
his narrative.12

CHAP. IV. — OF THE FACT THAT JOHN UNDERTOOK
THE EXPOSITION OF CHRIST'S DIVINITY.

5. For the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the one true King and the one true Priest, the former to rule us, and the latter to make expiation for us, has shown us how His own figure bore these two parts together, which were only separately commended [to notice] among the Fathers. This becomes apparent if (for example) we look to that inscription which was affixed to His cross "King of the Jews: " in connection also with which, and by a secret instinct, Pilate replied, “What I have written, I have written."2 For it had been said aforetime in the Psalms, "Destroy not the writing of the title." 3 The same becomes evident, so far as the part of priest is concerned, if we have regard to what He has taught us concerning offering and receiving. For thus it is that He sent us beforehand a prophecy respecting Himself, which runs thus, "Thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchisedek." 5 And in many other testimonies of the divine Scriptures, Christ appears both as King and as Priest. Hence, also, even David himself, whose son He 7. These three evangelists, however, were for is, not without good reason, more frequently the most part engaged with those things which declared to be than he is said to be Abraham's Christ did through the vehicle of the flesh of son, and whom Matthew and Luke have both man, and after the temporal fashion.13 But John, alike held by, the one viewing him as the on the other hand, had in view that true divinity person from whom, through Solomon, His line- of the Lord in which He is the Father's equal, age can be traced down, and the other taking and directed his efforts above all to the setting him for the person to whom, through Nathan, forth of the divine nature in his Gospel in such a His genealogy can be carried up, did rep-way as he believed to be adequate to men's needs resent the part of a priest, although he was and notions. Therefore he is borne to loftier patently a king, when he ate the shew-bread. For heights, in which he leaves the other three far it was not lawful for any one to eat that, save the priests only. To this it must be added that Luke is the only one who mentions how Mary was discovered by the angel, and how she was related to Elisabeth, who was the wife of Zacharias the priest. And of this Zacharias the same evangelist has recorded the fact, that the woman whom he had for wife was one of the daughters of Aaron, which is to say she belonged to the tribe of the priests.$

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behind him; so that, while in them you see men who have their conversation in a certain manner with the man Christ on earth, in him you perceive one who has passed beyond the cloud in which the whole earth is wrapped, and who has reached the liquid heaven from which, with clearest and steadiest mental eye, he is able to look upon God the Word, who was in the beginning with God, and by whom all things were made.15 And there, too, he can recognise Him who was made flesh in order that He might dwell amongst us; 16 [that Word of whom we say,] that He assumed the flesh, not that He was changed into the flesh. For had not this assumption of the

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flesh been effected in such a manner as at the same time to conserve the unchangeable Divinity, such a word as this could never have been spoken, namely, "I and the Father are one.' For surely the Father and the flesh are not one. And the same John is also the only one who has recorded that witness which the Lord gave concerning Himself, when He said: "He that hath seen me, hath seen the Father also ;" and, "I am in the Father, and the Father is in me "2 "that they may be one, even as we are one; "3 and, "Whatsoever the Father doeth, these same things doeth the Son likewise."4 And whatever other statements there may be to the same effect, calculated to betoken, to those who are possessed of right understanding, that divinity of Christ in which He is the Father's equal, of all these we might almost say that we are indebted for their introduction into the Gospel narrative to John alone. For he is like one who has drunk in the secret of His divinity more richly and somehow more familiarly than others, as if he drew it from the very bosom of his Lord on which it was his wont to recline when He sat at meat.5

CHAP. V. CONCERNING THE TWO VIRTUES, OF WHICH JOHN IS CONVERSANT WITH THE CONTEMPLATIVE, THE OTHER EVANGELISTS WITH THE ACTIVE.

8. Moreover, there are two several virtues (or talents) which have been proposed to the mind of man. Of these, the one is the active, and the other the contemplative: the one being that whereby the way is taken, and the other that whereby the goal is reached; the one that by which men labour in order that the heart may be purified to see God, and the other that by which men are disengaged 7 and God is seen. Thus the former of these two virtues is occupied with the precepts for the right exercise of the temporal life, whereas the latter deals with the doctrine of that life which is everlasting. In this way, also, the one operates, the other rests; for the former finds its sphere in the purging of sins, the latter moves in the light of the purged. And thus, again, in this mortal life the one is engaged with the work of a good conversation; while the other subsists rather on faith, and is seen only in the person of the very few, and through the glass darkly, and only in part in a kind of vision of the unchangeable truth. Now these two virtues are understood to be presented emblematically in the instance of the two wives of Jacob. Of these I have discoursed already up to the measure of my ability, and as fully as seemed to be appropriate

1 John x. 30.

8

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4 John v. 19. 5 John xiii. 23. 6 Illa qua itur, ista qua pervenitur. Reading lumine; but one of the Vatican minatione, in the enlightenment of the purged. 91 Cor. xiii. 12.

to my task, (in what I have written) in opposition to Faustus the Manichæan.10 For Lia, indeed, by interpretation means "labouring," "I whereas Rachel signifies "the first principle seen." 12 And by this it is given us to understand, if one will only attend carefully to the matter, that those three evangelists who, with pre-eminent fulness, have handled the account of the Lord's temporal doings and those of His sayings which were meant to bear chiefly upon the moulding of the manners of the present life, were conversant with that active virtue; and that John, on the other hand, who narrates fewer by far of the Lord's doings, but records with greater carefulness and with larger wealth of detail the words which He spoke, and most especially those discourses which were intended to introduce us to the knowledge of the unity of the Trinity and the blessedness of the life eternal, formed his plan and framed his statemnent with a view to commend the contemplative virtue to our regard.

CHAP. VI. OF THE FOUR LIVING CREATURES IN THE APOCALYPSE, WHICH HAVE BEEN TAKEN BY SOME IN ONE APPLICATION, AND BY OTHERS IN ANOTHER, AS APT FIGURES OF THE FOUR EVANGELISTS.

9. For these reasons, it also appears to me, that of the various parties who have interpreted the living creatures in the Apocalypse as significant of the four evangelists, those who have taken the lion to point to Matthew, the man to Mark, the calf to Luke, and the eagle to John, have made a more reasonable application of the figures than those who have assigned the man to Matthew, the eagle to Mark, and the lion to John.13 For, in forming their particular idea of

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12 Visum principium. In various editions it is given as visus principium. The MSS. have visum principium. In the passage referred to in the treatise against Faustus the Manichæan, Augustin appends the explanation, sive verbum ex quo videtur principium, = the first principle seen, or the word by which the first principle is seen. The etymologies on which Augustin proceeds may perhaps be

=

see, and Chalal = begin

these: for Leah, the Hebrew verb Laah, to be wearied (?); and for Rachel the Hebrew forms Raah (,). For another example of extravagant allegorizing on the two wives of Jacob, see Justin Martyr's Dialogue with Trypho, chap. cxl. TR.

13 [The latter application is that of Irenæus (Adv. Hær. iii.); but the prevalent application is that of Jerome, which is accepted in mediæval art. It differs from that of Augustin (see table below). As a curious illustration of the fanciful character of such interpretations, the reader may consult the following table, which gives the order of the following living creatures in Rev. iv. 7, with some of the leading "applications."

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2. Calf 3. Man 4. Eagle.

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Luke.

Matthew. Luke. Matthew. Mark. Mark.

Mark. Mark. Luke. Matthew. Matthew. Luke.

John.

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No doubt further variations could be discovered. Comp. Schaff's Church History, rev. ed. vol. i. 585-589. - R.]

1

FOR UNDERTAKING THIS WORK ON THE HAR

MONY OF THE EVANGELISTS, AND AN EXAMPLE
OF THE METHOD IN WHICH HE MEETS THOSE
WHO ALLEGE THAT CHRIST WROTE NOTHING
HIMSELF, AND THAT HIS DISCIPLES MADE AN
UNWARRANTED AFFIRMATION IN PROCLAIMING
HIM TO BE GOD.

10. Those sacred chariots of the Lord," how

ever, in which He is borne throughout the earth and His light burden, are assailed with calumniand brings the peoples under His easy yoke vanity or in ignorant temerity, think to rob of ous charges by certain persons who, in impious their credit as veracious historians those teachers by whose instrumentality the Christian religion has been disseminated all the world over, and

plentiful that unbelievers now scarcely dare so much as to mutter their slanders in private among themselves, kept in check by the faith of the Gentiles and by the devotion of all the peoples. Nevertheless, inasmuch as they still strive by their calumnious disputations to keep some from making themselves acquainted with

the matter, these latter have chosen to keep in CHAP. VII.-A STATEMENT OF AUGUSTIN'S REASON view simply the beginnings of the books, and not the full design of the several evangelists in its completeness, which was the matter that should, above all, have been thoroughly examined. For surely it is with much greater propriety that the one who has brought under our notice most largely the kingly character of Christ, should be taken to be represented by the lion. Thus is it also that we find the lion mentioned in conjunction with the royal tribe itself, in that passage of the Apocalypse where it is said, "The lion of the tribe of Judah hath prevailed." For in Matthew's narrative the magi are recorded to have come from the east to inquire after the King, and to worship Him whose birth was notified to them by the star. Thus, too, Herod, who himself also was a king, is [said there to be] afraid of the royal child, and to put so many little children to death through whose efforts it has yielded fruits so in order to make sure that the one might be slain. Again, that Luke is intended under the figure of the calf, in reference to the pre-eminent sacrifice made by the priest, has been doubted by neither of the two [sets of interpreters]. For in that Gospel the narrator's account commences with Zacharias the priest. In it mention is also made of the relationship between Mary and Elisabeth.3 In it, too, it is recorded that the ceremonies proper to the earliest priestly service were attended to in the case of the infant Christ; and a careful examination brings a variety of other some brethren who, without detriment to their matters under our notice in this Gospel, by which own faith, have a desire to ascertain what answer it is made apparent that Luke's object was to deal with the part of the priest. In this way it advantage of their own knowledge or for the can be given to such questions, either for the follows further, that Mark, who has set himself neither to give an account of the kingly lineage, enemies, with the inspiration and help of the purpose of refuting the vain utterances of their nor to expound anything distinctive of the priest-Lord our God (and would that it might prove hood, whether on the subject of the relationship or on that of the consecration, and who at the profitable for the salvation of such men), we same time comes before us as one who handles the errors or the rashness of those who deem the things which the man Christ did, appears to themselves able to prefer charges, the subtilty be indicated simply under the figure of the man of which is at least sufficiently observable, against among those four living creatures. But again, those four different books of the gospel which those three living creatures, whether lion, man, have been written by these four several evangelor calf, have their course upon this earth; and in like manner, those three evangelists occupy a successful conclusion, we must prove that the ists. And in order to carry out this design to themselves chiefly with the things which Christ did in the flesh, and with the precepts which writers in question do not stand in any antagoHe delivered to men, who also bear the burden in the habit of adducing this as the palmary of the flesh, for their instruction in the rightful allegation in all their vain objections, namely, exercise of this mortal life. Whereas John, on the other hand, soars like an eagle above the that the evangelists are not in harmony with clouds of human infirmity, and gazes upon light of the unchangeable truth with those keenest and steadiest eyes of the heart.5

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5 See also Tract. 36, on John i. 5. [This figure of Augustin has controlled all the subsequent symbolism respecting the Evangelist John, and has been constantly cited by con.mentators. — - R.]

the faith, and thus prevent them from becoming believers, while they also endeavour to the utmost who have already attained to belief, and thereby of their power to excite agitations among others give them trouble; and further, as there are

have undertaken in this work to demonstrate

nism to each other. For those adversaries are

each other.

II. But we must first discuss a matter which is apt to present a difficulty to the minds of some. I refer to the question why the Lord has written nothing Himself, and why He has thus

6 Has Domini sanctas quadrigas.

7 Reading either palmam suæ vanitatis objicere, or with several MSS. palmare, etc.

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