things and particularly on Dionysius the Areopagite concerning the Angels and hâ—eir Hierarchy As touching Severus whom so far as I can gather from deliberate conjecture I take to be Severus Alexandrinus Genebrard in his Chronography reduceth his Prelacy in that Church to the Year of our Lord 646 though others upon a more exact Chronography of Ecclesiastical Annals make him to have liv'd after Peter Patriarch of Alexandria who govern'd in that See Ten Years and succeeded Cyrus who died An. 640. according to the Chronology of Nicephorus he wrote in the Syriack Language Some would make this Severus an Eutichian Heretick mistaking him for Severus Antiochenus of whom Nicephorus writes thus Doctrinam hic tuebatur Entichis de confusis duabus naturis in Christo And upon this mistake perhaps the Translator of Severus in the Bibliotheca Patrum gives the name of Alexandrinus to the other which the Original doth not Our Severus is term'd among his Countreymen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Severus the mouth of all the Doctors which could not have been his Attribute had he been an Eutichian for the Heresie of Eutiches was never more vigorously nor with more reason oppugned than by Dionysius and other Doctors of that Nation as appears by many passages of his and of theirs in his Exposition on the Four Gospels This Severus is celebrated as for many other Tracts so also for his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 often quoted by Dionysius Syrus and Bar Cepha He hath several Sermons bound up with the Sermons of other Authours in a Syriack Manuscript now remaining in Trinity Colledge Library in Dublin wherein I find this Passage worthy to be inserted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Christ for an Establishment placed the Holy Apostles First in the Holy Church but afterwards that happiness might abound and be propagated they ordained to every Order and Degree therein those who from them and by their hands received Deduction conferring on the Bishops those things which did belong to the High Priests and to Presbyters those things which were peculiar to the Priests and to the Deacons those things which were peculiar to their Administration to the intent that those things which did appertain to the Priestly Function might be decently performed according to the consonancy and requisition of Administrations Whence it appeareth That Bishops are the Apostles Successors and at least of Apostolick institution And that they are of a different Order from Presbyters and that there is a perpetual succession and it seems also hereby That there are no more Orders in the Church of Apostolick institution than those of Bishop Priest and Deacon and that there is subordination of Orders in the Church according to that of Tim. 3.13 For they who have used the Office of a Deacon well purchase to themselves a good Degree That is to say a greater Degree For though the Greek there useth the Positive Degree 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as also several ancient Versions Yet I concieve it is to be taken in a comparative sense by way of Enallagie of the Positive For the Comparative according to that of Mat. 18.8 Bonum tibi est ingredi in vitam claudum quà m duas manus c. And Mark 14.21 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Good were it for that man that he had never been born i. e. better in which sense it is taken by the Aethiopick Translator in that place viz. 1 Tim. 3.13 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They who minister well purchase to themselves a greater imposition viz. of hands of the Bishop For 1 Tim. 4. v. 4. The Aethiopick expresly explains who had the power of laying on of hands in these very words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Laying on the hands of Bishops But that I may not proceed too far in digression I must return to the File of my former Discourse and in the next place speak of Bar Cepha Bar Cepha seems to have been contemporary with Severus or to have liv'd within a very short time after him for he wrote before the Year 700 and cites Severus Bellarmine takes notice That this Bar Cepha quotes Athanasius Cyril and Chrysostom sine splendida ulla verborum praefatione But he would not have laid any particular blame on him for that reason had he known or considered That both Dionysius Syrus and other Syriack Authours use the same plainness in naming the best of Greek and Syriack Fathers without the addition of any Title of Honour I have no more to say of Philoxenus Mabugensis than that he was a Bishop and that his authority is often made use of by Dionysius Syrus and that he is quoted by Moses Bar Cepha 1 par cap. 20. As to Jacobus Sarugensis I shall say no more here than what I have spoken of the aforementioned Philoxenus I intending to prefix a large Discourse of the abovenamed and many other Authours quoted by our Dionysius to the Latin Edition of his Exposition on the Four Gospels As to the Book out of which I have Translated this Treatise of Dionysius on St Mark and other passages of the same Authour herewith published take notice Reader That it is a fair Manuscript which the most learned and renowned Vsserius late Lord Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of all Ireland purchased chased for a great sum of Money together with the Samaritan Pentateuch and other Syriack Manuscripts at Antiech the which he caused to be transported thence into Ireland Forty Years fince or thereabouts and now belongs to the Library of Trinity Colledge in the University of Dublin which together with other loose Flowers I thought fit to bind up in this Nosegay which I here present to thy acceptance in their Native sincerity without any extrinsick blemish of a forc't or a corrupt Translation hoping that thou wilt improve such Truths as are therein contained and have been so long smothered in an unknown Tongue as a help or furtherance to use and advantage which that thou mayest do 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God be thy help The several Titles of Syriack Armenian Persian and Greek Treatises annexed to the Exposition of Dionysius Syrus on St. MARK DIonysius Syrus his Exposition on the Ten Beatitudes pronounced in the Fifth chapter of Saint Matthew c. Page 63 Dionysius his Exposition on the Prophesie of Zacharias Page 77 The Exposition of Dionysius Syrus on the Magnificat Page 81 Dionysius his Exposition on Simeon's Nunc dimittas his Benediction and his Prophesie Page 85 Dionysius Syrus his Exposition on the Ave Maria Page 89 An Exposition of the Lords Prayer taken out of Dionysius Syrus his Catena on the sixth chapter of St. Matthew Page 91 The Form of Prayer which our Saviour made after his Baptism when the Heavens were opened as it is delivered by Dionysius Syrus according to the Testimony of St. Philoxenus Page 97 Dionysius Syrus his Question and Answer concerning the Form of Prayer which John the Baptist taught his Disciples Page 99 Gregorius the Syriack Scholiast called 〈◊〉
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
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 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
an horn for us He calls Christ an horn according to that then I will raise an horn unto David Psal 132.17 An horn is taken from the similitude of wiâ—d Beasts which fight and help themselves with their horns In the house of David his servant For in respect to him were the promises made That of the seed of David Christ should arise Severus de Gebulo God is the horn of the Righteous and Saints wherefore is he called an horn as an horn is one of the integral parts of the body and hath nothing like the body for it is not flesh specifically nor bones nor nerves nor veins nor any of the entralls though it be of the body So Christ though he be of men yet hath he not in him any thing like unto men of those things which are of sin As he spake by the mouth of the Holy Prophets That Christ should arise from the seed of David That he might redeem us from our Enemies That is to say from the Devil and his ministers and from sin and death And hath remembred his Covenant That he remembred is as much as to say he performed viz. The agreement which he made with Abraham this day hath he performed for Covenants are the Agreements which he made with Abraham swearing That of his seed one should arise in whom all Nations should be blessed By my self have I sworn said the Lord because thou hast done this thing and hast not with-held thy Son from me c. And the Oath which he sware That is to say That which I sware by my self saith the Lord of lords He calls his seed which sojourned in the Land of his Enemies the children of Israel and the seed wherein all Nations were to be blessed he calls Christ And that they might serve him without fear He therefore delivered us that we might worship him and not Idols without being afraid of the Devil In Justice and Righteousness That is to say in Holiness and not in Sacrifices of dumb Beasts Thou Childe the Prophet of the Highest That is to say If Christ be the Highest he hath Prophets also as hath his Father It is manifest That the Word is the most high from that which John said That he who came from on high is above all therefore it was the most High God who was incarnated and his Prophet was John not far off but neer at hand for he said Behold there cometh one after me For thou shalt go before the face That is to say To prepare the way before him in the minds of men who are sunk in sins Again He went before his Face for he said Behold there cometh after me one who is more powerful than I. That he might give knowledge of salvation to his people To give unto the Faithful knowledge of salvation by remission of sins he calls his people those who believe in him that he might give them the knowledge of God the Father who is the true God and that they might lead their lives as Christ said This is life that they may know thee the true God By the tender mercies of God That is to say By the mercies and favour of God He sent unto us from on high a branch According to that Behold a man and his name was a branch Others call the Star which declared unto the Wise men a branch which came from on High and preached unto the Wise men who sate in sin To give light unto them who are in darkness He calls sin darkness and the shadow of death for to this end he came from on High that he might expiate our sins and iniquities which are darkness and death because he is the light of the World To guide our feet in the way Feet and the way he calls Conversation and Actings In the way of peace That is in the way of the Gospel according to that Your feet shod with the blessing of the Gospel And he made peace between us and his Father THE EXPOSITON OF DIONYSIVS SYRVS ON THE MAGNIFICAT Translated by D. L. MY Soul doth magnifie the Lord. That is to say My Soul gives Thanks and glorifies him who hath magnified me and made me the Mother of his Son It is a Query Whether the Lord magnified Mary or whether Mary magnified the Lord And it is certain That the Lord magnified Mary Again Magnifie here is like that of the Scripture which saith Give Majesty unto God And my Spirit hath rejoyced in God Because he hath sent down his Son unto me and hath preserved me from that Curse In sorrow shalt thou conceive Regarded the lowliness of thy Hand-maiden That is to say He hath beheld my Humility and hath exalted me and made me the Mother of his Son Moses also by reason of his Humility was made a Prince And he saw that she obscured her self in the low condition of a Maid-servant though she was to be the Mother of his Son Behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed That is to say From this time that she conceived the Word of God And this she spoke by Prophesie For behold all generations of the earth called her blessed according as she said Hath done great things to me That is to say That she conceived him without the Society of Man and bare him with the Conservation of Virginity He that is mighty and holy is his Name Because he is Mighty and Omnipotent he hath done great things for me And his mercy is to generations Because he poureth forth his mercies upon those who are of a righteous and vertuous Conversation And she took of those Things which were her own and conferr'd them upon others i. e. because she feared God he multiplied his mercy on her in Virginity He hath gotten the victory with his arm i. e. his Dominion and Kingdom he calleth Victory In time past the Victory the Arm and Dominion of the Lord was seen in the Wonders which he wrought by the Prophets but in this time forward by the Revelation of his Son He hath scattered the proud In time past the Proud and Vain glorious but in the time to come the Crucifiers He hath put down the mighty i. e. In times past the Kings who rose up against the Hebrews but at this time the Gentiles and the Jewes and the Hereticks who have risen against the Church And exalted the humble i. e. In the time of Abraham and Isaac and afterward the Apostles and Faithful The hungry he hath filled with good things i. e. Really he satisfied and will satisfie and spiritually he satisfieth and will satisfie those who hunger after vertue and in the world to come will fill them with good Things and Rewards The rich he dismist i. e. Those who gloried in their Riches he vomited out and drove away from him He hath holpen his servant Israel i. e. In Egypt and in the Wilderness and in that he gave him the Land of Promise and freed him from his Enemies He hath
command from Augustus Caesar Augustus was the proper name of this King but the name Caesar was a common name for every King who was set over the Romans was called Caesar even unto this as the King of the Egyptians was called Pharaoh and of the Persians Kosro and this Caesar governed the Romans the Egyptians the Hebrews and the Assyrians The Command went out That the inhabited World should be Taxed because he was desirous to know the number of men within his Jurisdiction according as David sent Joab and numbred the people Others say because he was willing to send every one into his own City and Countrey but these opinions are not the likeliest to be true but that which is most probable is That he was willing to raise Pole-money which is manifest from that which Gamaliel said in the Acts of the Apostles That Judah of Galilee arose in the dayes when men were taxed for Pole-money and there was not another tax neither before nor after that And St. Ephraim in his Exposition testifieth as much and Christ was born in the time of this Tax and he excited this King thereunto though he were unworthy as he did unto Balaam and the Wise men that Joseph and Mary coming up from Nazareth to Bethlehem might there be Taxed and our Lord be born there to fulfill the word of Micah Thou Bethlehem c. And that the Jewes might not contend and say That he was not Christ neither of the Lineage of David therefore he ascended thither and he was born in the Forty third year of Augustus and the Thirty third of Herod Augustus is expounded an arising brightness and splendor and Christ is the splendor of the Father and did arise from on high Augustus had not yet governed Sixteen years and Christ unto whom he was Type hath no end of his Kingdom And if Caesar Taxed them for Pole-money Christ also said Give unto Caesar that which is Caesars And if it were to know how many men were within the compass of his Jurisdiction Christ also in regard of the Providence he hath over us said The hairs of your heads are numbred and if it were for the return of every one into his own Countrey or Region Christ also brought forth Souls out of Hell and caused them to return unto their former place And it came to pass in those dayes Not in those wherein John was Nursed up until the day of his Proclamation in those dayes Christ was Thirty years old Neither in the dayes that Elizabeth brought forth for then Mary had conceived Three Months but dayes he calls in this place the dayes after Elizabeth brought forth FINIS The ARMENIAN CREED Translated out of that Language by D.L. J.U.D. WE profess and believe with a sincere heart God the Father not made nor begotten and without beginning the Begetter of the Son and Fountain of the Holy Ghost We believe God the Word not made but begotten and having a beginning from the Father before the world being not after nor younger than the Father the Father being Father onely and the Son Son onely We believe the Holy Ghost not made eternal not begotten but proceeding coessential with the Father and equal in glory with the Son We believe the Holy Trinity One Nature One Godhead not Three Gods but One God One Will One Kingdom One Authority Creator of all things visible and invisible We believe the Holy Church the remission of sins the communion of Saints We believe that One of the Three Persons the Word God begotten of the Father before the world descending in time took of the blood of the Virgin Mary the Mother of God and united it unto his Godhead was Nine moneths contain'd in the Womb of an uncorrupted Virgin and that he was perfect God and perfect man with soul mind and body One Soul and One Person compos'd in One Subsistence God was made Man without mutation without confusion without seed of Conception of incorrupt Nativity There is no beginning of his Divinity nor end of his Humanity for Jesus Christ yesterday and to day and for ever We believe our Lord Jesus Christ convers'd on earth and that after Thirty Years conversation here He was Baptized the Father testifying This is my well-beloved Son and the Holy Ghost descending as a Dove That He was tempted of Satan and that he assiduously preached Salvation unto men That He laboured in Body and suffered in weariness That he was hungry and thirsty That He afterward voluntarily came among his enemies That he was Crucified and Dyed in his Body but lived in the Divinity He preached unto souls and took Hell captive and free'd the Spirits After Three dayes he arose from the Dead and appeared to the Disciples I believe our Lord Jesus Christ is with the self same Body ascended into Heaven and that he sits on the Right Hand of the Father Moreover That He is with the same Body and with the glory of the Father to judge the living and the dead at the Resurrection of all men I believe also a retribution of Works eternal life for the Just and eternal torment for Sinners FINIS INTRODUCTIO DIONYSIISYRI IN EXPOSITIONEM SUAM QUATUOR EVANGELISTARUM Per DUDLEIUM LOFYUSIUM J. U. D. in Linguam Latinam versa DVBLINII Et prostant venales apud Josophum Wilde M. D C. LXXII Virtute quidem auxilio sanctae Trinitatis in essentia aequalis Patris Filii ac Spiritus sancti unius veri Dei exorsi sumus scribere explicationem Evangelii colendi sancti è quatuor sanctis Evangelistis Matthaeo Marco Luca Johanne collecti quam edidit sanctus Dominus Dionysius viz. Jacobus filius Crucis qui secernens eam quasi in Sectiones ab omnibus libris Expositorum ad instar flabelliferi divenit Caput primum ipsius Sancti praenominati ABsolutâ explicatione Legis antiquae Prophetarum Frater noster prout expedire visum est breviter stiloque quem potui adhibere simpliciore novam aggressisumus i.e. Evangelium Actus Apostolorum necnon Pauli Epistolas ea mente ut eandem simili modo tractemus de propriis tamen nostris nihil dicturi sed Expositorum innitentes fundamento aedificium spirituale animae proficiens struximus Cum autem intuiti fuerimus exploraverimus explicationem Evangelii quam ediderunt ipsi quorum nomina sum recitaturus viz. Dominus Ephraim Dominus Johannes Cyrillus insuper etiam Moses Bar Cepha Johannes de Dara cum non modica aliorum Doctorum Caterva nobis videatur omnino impossibile omnes eorum Expositiones in uno libro coacervare nè ita ultra justam produceretur mensuram hujusmodi Tractatus ut ei non sufficeret librorum Schedarum multitudo Nobis visum est omnium istorum Expositorum sensum in Compendium deducere nec non longitudinem latitudinem verborum quibus usi sunt in quantum poterimus contrahere haec est instituti nostri ratio