Cornelius a Lapide

Evangelical Canons and Thematic Indexes to the Gospels

Table of Contents

Canons Bearing the Torch Before the Gospels and the Evangelists (Canones qui Facem Evangeliis et Evangelistis Praeferunt)

First. The scope and purpose of the Evangelists was not to narrate all the words and deeds of Christ (for that would have been too lengthy and nearly impossible), but to select a few from many, the principal from the common, so that through these they might set before us an image and, as it were, an ideal of the doctrine and life of Christ, as St. John expressly states at the end of his Gospel: namely, to show that Jesus, the son of the Blessed Mary, is the Christ, or the Messiah promised long ago in the Law and the Prophets, and now sent to redeem mankind from sin, death, and hell; and that He is not a mere man, but true God and true man, subsisting in one Person of the Son of God; and consequently that the attributes of God in Christ are equally to be attributed to the man, and what belongs to the man is to be given to God through the communication of properties, so that God is said to have been born, crucified, and to have died, because this man, namely Jesus, who was at the same time God, was born, crucified, and died for the salvation of mankind.

Second. For this reason they often do not maintain chronological order in recounting the words and deeds of Christ. Many things one Evangelist passes over in silence that others express, and yet he continues and pursues his narrative as though nothing had been omitted, as is evident in the appearance of Christ after the Resurrection to the women, which they narrate in very different ways. Accordingly, they not infrequently join together disconnected sayings, parables, and discourses which have no connection or order among themselves, but were spoken by Christ at another time, on another occasion, and concerning another subject.

Third. The Evangelists, lest they seem to say entirely the same thing, differ in words but agree in meaning. Those Evangelists who narrate the same deed or saying of Christ are therefore to be compared with one another (which is why they are customarily noted in the margins of Bibles), so that from a comparison of all of them the full history of the matter may be gathered. Where they seem to say contradictory things, they must be reconciled, because they had in view different circumstances of time, place, persons, etc., omitted by others, according to the saying: Distinguish the times, and we shall reconcile the laws. St. Augustine says admirably in Book II of On the Harmony of the Evangelists, chapter 28: Through such varied but not contradictory expressions of the Evangelists, we learn a most useful and necessary lesson: that in anyone's words we ought to look for nothing other than the intention which the words are meant to serve; nor does anyone lie who expresses in different words what the person meant whose words he does not quote. Nor should wretched word-catchers think that truth is somehow bound to the fine points of letters, since assuredly not only in words, but also in all other signs of minds, it is the mind itself that must be sought.

Fourth. Christ, following the ancient sages and pagans, especially the Hebrews, delivers the Gospel doctrine on morals through brief maxims and disconnected sayings, just as Solomon did in Proverbs and Sirach in Ecclesiasticus. Therefore, in these a connection is sought in vain, as is evident in the sermon that Christ delivered on the mount. Matt. 5 and following.

Fifth. Christ adapts the same saying, especially if it is a proverb, many times and to many different purposes. An example is Matt. 5:15, where by means of this proverb: Neither do they light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a lampstand, that it may give light to all who are in the house, Christ teaches the Apostles that they must give a public example of virtue to all; whence He applies it to this, when He immediately adds: So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. But in Luke 8:17 and Mark 4:21, Christ by this same proverb teaches the Apostles that they must not hide the Gospel but preach it publicly to all; whence He adds: For there is nothing hidden that will not be made manifest, nor concealed that will not be known. Therefore this proverb generically: A lamp is to be placed on a lampstand, signifies that teachers must shine before all others both by word and by the example of a holy life. Another example: Christ, in Matt. 18:21, by means of this proverb: A disciple is not above his master, nor a servant above his lord, proves that the Apostles ought not to be in a better condition than He Himself, nor to expect honor and praise from a world from which He Himself received reproach; whence He adds: If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household! But in John 13:16, by this same proverb He proves that the Apostles ought to serve one another and wash one another's feet, since He Himself had washed theirs. For I have given you an example, He says, that as I have done to you, so also you should do. Luke 6:40, however, by this same proverb proves that the disciple is not more learned and better than his master; therefore, if the master is blind, unlearned, and vicious, the disciple should not hope to be clear-sighted, learned, and endowed with virtue. Therefore this proverb: A disciple is not above his master, is to be taken generically, as signifying that the disciple is not superior to the master, neither in honor, nor in comfort, nor in glory, nor in learning, nor in virtue, etc.

Sixth. Christ, because He is a knower of hearts and an inspector of minds, adapts and accommodates His speech more to the thoughts and interior sentiments of those who were dealing with Him than to their external questions and words, as St. Chrysostom says on Matt. 9:3, where a clear example stands: And behold, certain of the Scribes said within themselves: This man blasphemes. And when Jesus had seen their thoughts, He said: Why do you think evil in your hearts? And in chapter 12:25, when the Pharisees were thinking within themselves: This man does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, Matthew adds: But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said to them, etc.

Seventh. The unity of the Godhead is proclaimed in the Law by Moses; the duality of Persons by the Prophets; the Trinity by Christ in the Gospel. For Moses says: Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Deut. 6:4. The Prophets foretell and proclaim that the Father will send the Son into the world for the salvation of mankind. But Christ says: Teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Matt. 28:19. Not that the Holy Trinity is denied in the Law and the Prophets, or is in no way presented, but rather it is rarely, faintly, and obscurely proclaimed; whereas in the Gospel it is frequently, expressly, and clearly proclaimed. So St. Epiphanius, Heresy 74, past the middle: The unity of the Godhead is especially announced in Moses; the duality is vigorously proclaimed in the Prophets; but the Trinity is manifested in the Gospels, further suited to the occasions of the times and to the generations, fitting for the just in the knowledge and faith. For gradually in the world, as God revealed more to the Prophets and Apostles, faith grew, and the knowledge of God and of the Holy Trinity, just as the sun grows from the darkness of dawn until the clear light of midday. 2 Pet. 1:19.

Eighth. In Christ, says St. Gregory Nazianzen to Cledonius, there is one thing and another, namely one divine nature, another human. But in the Holy Trinity there is one person and another, because in it there are three hypostases, or persons, namely the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, which however in essence are one, namely one godhead.

Ninth. Of God the Father it is often said that He is the one God or the only God, as in John 17:3: And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent; supply and repeat: to be the only true God. For the word "only" here does not exclude the Son and the Holy Spirit, but idols and the false gods of the nations, who are of a different nature from God the Father. But the Son and the Holy Spirit are of the same divine nature as the Father, and therefore are the same God as He, who is one only and alone, not many or several. So St. Chrysostom, Homily 72 on Matthew: When, in Scripture, whether Old or New, it is said that God is one, and that there is no other besides Him, this is said not to exclude the Son, but to exclude idols. Likewise St. Jerome, on Isaiah chapter 43, before the middle; Nazianzen, Oration 4 On Theology; St. Augustine, On the Spirit and the Letter, chapter 33; and theologians passim.

Tenth. Christ possesses certain knowledge and foreknowledge of all future events; yet He sometimes adds the adverb of doubt "perhaps" or "possibly," not to indicate that the matter is doubtful or uncertain in itself or to Himself, but to show that the future event is contingent, not necessary, and that it is subject to the free will of men, so that men, being doubtful and uncertain about their perseverance and salvation, may be more careful and more diligent in pursuing it. "Perhaps," therefore, does not take away God's foreknowledge, but denotes the contingency of the thing and the freedom of the human will, whose future choice God nevertheless foreknows determinately and certainly, and foresees through the immensity of the vision of His mind. Therefore freedom is not opposed to God's foreknowledge, nor does foreknowledge take away man's freedom, because by nature it is posterior to the thing foreseen and freely chosen by man. For, as Damascene rightly says, God foreknows that Peter, for example, will sin, because Peter will freely choose to sin; but he will not sin because God foresees that he will sin — just as, because I am walking, God sees me walking, but not conversely, because God sees me walking, therefore I walk. "Perhaps," therefore, signifies that a thing happens not necessarily, but by chance and as if by lot, if you consider secondary causes and human freedom; for to God nothing is fortuitous, but all things are certainly foreseen. That this is so is clear from the Greek text, which instead of "perhaps" has ἄν, which is an expletive particle, of one confirming, not doubting, meaning "surely, certainly." So Christ says of Capernaum: For if in Sodom the mighty works had been done which were done in you, perhaps (Greek ἄν, that is, certainly) they would have remained until this day. Matt. 11:23. As if to say: If in Sodom the miracles that I performed in Capernaum had been done, the Sodomites would surely have repented, and by their repentance appeasing God, they would have escaped the destruction by conflagration.

Eleventh. Christ, when healing the sick, often attributes health, or the salvation of soul and body, to faith, saying: Your faith has saved you, where by faith He does not mean faith alone and bare, as the heretics would have it, but faith clothed with charity and operating through acts of hope, repentance, love, etc., as is clear in the repentance of Magdalene, who out of the most ardent love and contrition, in a public banquet, washing the feet of Christ with her tears, wiping them with her hair, and kissing them with her mouth, deserved to hear from Him: Your sins are forgiven you, etc. Your faith has saved you. Go in peace. Luke 7:48 and following. He nevertheless names faith alone, both because at the beginning of His preaching, faith in Him was especially necessary — namely, that He who outwardly appeared poor, lowly, and despised was the true Messiah, the teacher and redeemer of the world — and because faith is the principle and root of hope, repentance, charity, and all other virtues. Therefore Christ, and after Him Paul, under faith as the principle understands by metonymy all gifts and virtues, as fruits in a tree and root; for He opposes faith not to charity and grace, but to the old law and the powers of nature, and this to show the necessity of faith and of His grace, which is the beginning of justification and salvation. So St. Augustine, On Faith and Works, chapter 14, and the Council of Trent, Session 6, chapter 8.

Twelfth. Words among the Hebrews signify now an incipient act, now a continuing one, now a completed and consummated one. For example: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven; Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the land. Matt. 5:1. "Blessed," that is, incipiently, or in hope, but not yet in reality, because they are on the way that leads and conducts to eternal blessedness. Continuing, as when through the miracle of the conversion of water into wine at Cana of Galilee, the disciples are said to have believed in Jesus, John 2:21 — to have believed, that is, to have been confirmed in believing. For they had already believed in Him before, being His followers and disciples. Consummated, as when in John 20:17, Jesus says to Magdalene: Do not touch Me, that is, do not linger and remain in this touching of Me, but go quickly and announce to My Apostles, who are most sorrowful at My death, that I have now risen. And: He who shall have believed and shall have been baptized, Mark 16:16, namely he who shall have believed perfectly, not only in heart and mouth, but also in deed, so that what he believes in his heart, he confesses with his mouth and carries out in deed, and this continually and perseveringly to the end of life. For if anyone, after having believed, should apostatize from the faith or live wickedly, he would certainly not be saved, but condemned.

Thirteenth. Affirmative propositions, especially those containing promises, blessings, beatitudes, rewards, etc., are often to be understood not absolutely and universally, but in a qualified sense and with an exception, namely, as signifying the power and nature of the thing insofar as it depends on itself — that is, that the thing is of such a nature as to be apt to lead a person to such a reward or good, unless something else impedes it, or if the other requisites are present. So a doctor says to a sick person: This medicine will heal you, that is, it is capable and apt to cure your illness, unless its operation is impeded from elsewhere, as by your intemperance or imprudence. So Christ again attributes eternal salvation to faith, John 3:1; Rom. 1:22 and following, because faith, insofar as it depends on itself, is apt to lead a person to hope, fear, repentance, charity, and salvation, unless the person impedes and cuts short this operation of faith by his own malice or sloth. Sometimes, however, salvation is attributed to the invocation of God, as in Joel 2:32: Whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved, namely if the other requisites are present; for elsewhere salvation is attributed to charity, hope, fear, repentance, and good works, as in Luke 7:47; 1 Cor. 13:2; Isaiah 40:31. Otherwise, if no qualification is applied, it would follow in the same way that neither sacraments are required, and that whoever has once believed will be saved, even if he afterward becomes an unbeliever.

Negative propositions, however, are to be understood absolutely and without any additional condition, such as: You shall not commit adultery, you shall not kill, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, you shall not covet. Rom. 13:9.

Fourteenth. St. Matthew especially devotes himself to a full and orderly recounting of the doctrine and words of Christ suited to the right formation of human morals; Luke, on the other hand, adheres more closely to the deeds and acts of Christ. Mark is an abbreviator of Matthew, and occasionally an interpreter. John especially establishes the divinity of Christ, so that through His disputes with the Scribes and Pharisees and through His miracles, he may show that Christ is truly God and the Son of God, and this against Cerinthus and Ebion, and similar heretics then just beginning to arise, who taught that Christ was a mere man and denied that He was God.

Fifteenth. Christ, the Apostles, and the Prophets explain spiritual and divine things through corporeal and human ones, because otherwise men could not grasp them. For whatever a person conceives in the mind, he first came to know through some sense, according to the saying of Aristotle: There is nothing in the intellect that was not first in the senses. Therefore, because we cannot imagine God and divine things as they are in themselves, hence Christ shadows forth and represents these things to men through images of corporeal things. For it was not otherwise permitted, says St. Dionysius, in chapter 1 of the Celestial Hierarchy, near the middle, for the divine ray to shine upon our weakness, unless it were covered with the variety of sacred veils (by which we might be raised to higher things), and clothed with those things that are familiar to us, with the paternal providence of nature accommodating itself to mortals. For this reason, Sacred Scripture attributes to God a head, hands, a throne, weapons, and likewise postures and passions, such as sitting, standing, flying, being angry, showing mercy, being sorrowful — in an anthropomorphic manner, on which subject St. Augustine wrote the book On the Essence of the Divinity, and Eucherius of Lyon the treatise On the Form of Words of Spiritual Understanding, and Damascene, Book I of On the Faith, chapter 14. Thus Christ is figuratively called a lion, a lamb, a door, a light, a vine. Thus eternal life is called a denarius, a treasure, the wedding of the Lamb, a great supper, the table of Christ, the kingdom of heaven, etc. Thus angels are depicted in Scripture as winged youths. St. Augustine says admirably, in the book Against Adimantus, chapter 7: Sacred Scripture, speaking in our words, demonstrates even through these words that nothing can be worthily said about God. For why should not these very words be spoken of that majesty, of which whatever has been said is said unworthily, and who surpasses all the riches of all languages by His ineffable sublimity.

Sixteenth. The attributes of God, such as goodness, wisdom, omnipotence, foreknowledge, providence, justice, mercy, holiness, etc., which are in reality the same as the most simple nature of God, and therefore are a certain one thing, and one singular and indivisible essence — Sacred Scripture expresses them in the plural number, to signify the many powers and effects of each attribute, and indeed even the affections, which in men and angels are various and manifold, but in God are united and are one with the divinity. Take these examples: His mercies are over all His works. Ps. 144:9. Great are the works of the Lord, sought out according to all His purposes. Ps. 110.

Seventeenth. If Christ, the Prophets, or the Apostles seem by their words to command or counsel a crime or a shameful deed, those words are not to be taken literally, but figuratively and mystically. Such also is everything that is impossible, or that cannot properly be referred to moral rectitude, or to the truth of faith, or to the sacraments. For example: If your hand or your foot scandalizes you, cut it off and cast it from you, etc. If your eye scandalizes you, pluck it out and cast it from you. Matt. 18:8. Taking this literally, Origen castrated himself so as to escape the temptations of lust; but he was wrong, for it is not lawful to mutilate oneself. Therefore these sayings are to be taken not literally, as they sound, but figuratively — so that by the hand, foot, and eye you understand a friend, intimate, relative, etc., who serves and assists you like a hand, eye, or foot; for if such a person scandalizes you and entices you to heresy, lust, or some other crime, he is to be completely cut off from your company and cast aside. But when Christ commands no crime or shameful deed, then what is said is to be understood literally, as it sounds — as when He says: This is My body, etc. This is My blood. Matt. 26:26. For we do not tear the flesh of Christ in the Eucharist, nor do we drink His blood as gory or exposed, as the Capharnaites understood and shuddered at. Rather, we receive both concealed and hidden under the species of bread and wine, like an angel, and in this there is no shameful deed and no horror.

St. Augustine hands down this canon in Book III of On Christian Doctrine, chapter 19: Whatever, in the divine discourse, cannot properly be referred either to moral rectitude or to the truth of faith, know that it is figurative. Moral rectitude pertains to the love of God and neighbor; the truth of faith pertains to the knowledge of God and neighbor. And in chapter 16: If the expression is preceptive, either forbidding a shameful deed or a crime, or commanding a useful or beneficent action, it is not figurative. But if it seems to command a shameful deed or a crime, or to forbid something useful or beneficent, it is figurative.

The same Augustine, in On Catechizing the Uninstructed, chapter 26: But let him learn this briefly: that whatever he hears from the canonical books that cannot be referred to the love of eternity, truth, and holiness, and to the love of neighbor, he should believe to have been said or done figuratively, and should try so to understand it as to refer it to that twofold love. Origen hands down the same canon in Peri Archon, Book IV, chapter 2.

Eighteenth. It is the custom of the Hebrews to pass over antecedents and causes in silence, and to narrate the consequents and effects, or conversely, from the causes they recount, to leave the effects which they pass over in silence to be understood. So John, chapter 1:43, says: On the morrow He wished to go into Judea, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him: Follow Me, where from the word "found" it is to be understood that Christ had already been searching for Philip. As if to say: Therefore Jesus went into Galilee to seek Philip, for He had already in His mind destined him to be called to the apostolate; hence He found the one whom He was seeking and called him, saying: Follow Me. Likewise, chapter 12:14, says: And Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, where from the word "found" it is understood that He had already been looking for it. For, as Matthew says, chapter 21:2, Jesus had sent two disciples ahead to a nearby village to seek a donkey and bring it to Him. Therefore He found it not by chance but by deliberately seeking it. In the same way, from the response they leave the preceding question to be gathered. So John, chapter 1:20, says that the Jews sent envoys to John the Baptist, asking: Who are you? The Baptist replied: I am not the Christ, from which response it is understood that the Jews had asked him: Are you the Messiah, that is, the Christ? Likewise, chapter 3:2, says: Jesus answered (Nicodemus) and said to him: Amen, I say to you, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. From which response it is gathered that Nicodemus had previously asked Jesus by what means he could attain salvation and the kingdom of God; but John passes over this question in silence. Sometimes, however, among the Hebrews, "to respond" is the same as "to begin a discourse," even when no one's question has preceded it. So also among the Greeks; whence that expression so often repeated by Homer: Τὸν δ' ἀποκριθόμενος, προσέφη πόδας ὠκὺς Ἀχιλλεύς, that is, answering him, swift-footed Achilles spoke, which he uses even when no one is questioning Achilles.

In a similar way, they pass over in silence certain things which nevertheless were said, and either they themselves later or others report or suggest them. So John, chapter 6:36, records Jesus saying: But I said to you that you also have seen Me, and you do not believe. Where and when Jesus said this, John nowhere expressed, as St. Chrysostom notes. But from this passage it is established that He did say it. Likewise, in John 11:28, Martha says to Magdalene: The Master is here and calls for you, although no mention had been made of this summons previously in the conversation of Martha with Jesus; but John was content to suggest it in this passage only through Martha, as SS. Cyril, Chrysostom, and Leontius note. In the same place, verse 40, Jesus says to Martha: Did I not say to you that if you believe, you shall see the glory of God? — namely the glorious raising of Lazarus your brother — although where and when Jesus said this, John had never previously expressed.

Nineteenth. By a Hebraism, a verb is often placed without a subject, especially in St. Mark, as though this could easily be understood and supplied from the circumstances, namely from what precedes and follows. So in chapter 4:26, Mark says: So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed upon the ground, and should sleep and rise, night and day — should sleep, namely the man; should rise, namely the seed. Hence, explaining this, he adds: And (meaning "that is") the seed should sprout and grow, while he knows it not. As if to say: Just as, while the man who sowed sleeps, the seed itself rises and grows day and night, so, while Christ rests in heaven and, as it were, sleeps, the preaching and doctrine of the Gospel grows and is propagated continually. So explain St. Jerome, Bede, and the Glossa, although St. Chrysostom, Theophylactus, and Euthymius interpret it otherwise and more plainly, as I shall say in its proper place. And in chapter 9:49: For everyone (supply: who desires to serve God and Christ, and to offer himself as a victim) shall be salted with fire (of tribulation). Whence, explaining this, He adds: And every victim shall be salted with salt.

Twentieth. In the Gospel and in Scripture, a round number is customarily expressed even if something is lacking from it or exceeds it. Thus the disciples of Christ are numbered as 70, although they were precisely 72. St. Augustine, in Questions on the Gospels, question 47: Again, a definite number is customarily used for an indefinite one. So Christ promises a hundredfold to those who leave all things and follow Him. Matt. 19:29, which Luke, chapter 18:30, explains by saying: He shall receive many times more.

Twenty-first. Christ, following the Hebrew idiom, customarily expresses a comparison of two things by affirming the greater and denying the lesser; for He affirms that which is greater and takes precedence, and denies that which is less and inferior. Therefore by the negation He does not properly signify a denial, but merely indicates that what is denied is less than the other, or certainly that it is not the only thing of its kind. For example: I desire mercy and not sacrifice, Matt. 9:13 — that is, I prefer and choose mercy over sacrifice; otherwise it is certain that sacrifice also pleases Him and is acceptable in its own order and degree, namely after mercy. So in Luke 10:20, Christ says to the Apostles: Do not rejoice that the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven — that is, rejoice more that you are enrolled in heaven than that the demons are subject to you; for in this latter also one ought to rejoice in its own way and degree. Likewise in John 12:44, Christ says: He who believes in Me does not believe in Me (namely alone, or principally), but in Him who sent Me. As if to say: Such a one does not merely believe in Me as a man speaking and teaching, but much more believes in God the Father, who sent Me as His envoy.

Twenty-second. In the explanation of Sacred Scripture, excessive subtlety and cleverness must be avoided, just as much as overly plain and excessive crudeness and clumsiness. Hence St. Jerome, on Matt. chapter 25: I always advise the prudent reader not to acquiesce in superstitious interpretations, and in those that are spoken phrase by phrase according to the whim of those who invent them, but to consider what comes before, what is in the middle, and what follows, and to connect for himself everything that is written. Therefore Sacred Scripture, when compared and composed with itself, is the best interpreter of itself.

Twenty-third. The Evangelists often play on words for the sake of elegance, and immediately take the same word or noun in different senses, especially when they rise from the literal sense to the allegorical or anagogical. So Christ plays on the word "dead," saying: Follow Me, and let the dead (spiritually) bury their dead (corporally). Matt. 8:22. For those who are dead corporally cannot bury other dead, as is obvious. Likewise, John, chapter 2:23-24, plays on the word "believe," saying: Many believed in His name, seeing the signs which He was doing; but Jesus did not entrust Himself to them. For the first "believed" denotes divine faith, while the latter "entrusted" denotes human faith, or trust. As if to say: Jesus did not trust them, because although He saw them believing in Him, He nevertheless knew them to be changeable and easily liable to be perverted by the Scribes; hence He did not stay with them for long, nor securely. So St. Chrysostom. Similarly Paul plays on the word "sin" in 2 Cor. 5:21: Him who knew no sin, for us He made sin, that we might become the justice of God in Him. Here he takes "sin" in the first instance properly, but in the second metonymically, so that it signifies a victim for sin. That is to say: God made Christ, who was innocent and free from all sin, to be sin, that is, a victim for sin, so that He might free us from sin and justify us.

Twenty-fourth. It was customary for the Palestinians and Syrians (of whom Christ was one) to use parables, proverbs, and worn catachreses, so that they might flow more sweetly into the minds of their hearers: for which reason Christ so often uses parables and multiplies them, as is evident from Matt. 13. So too at Rome we have heard Maronites, who are Syrians and inhabitants of Mount Lebanon, immediately embellish what they say with brought-in similitudes and parables. Hear St. Jerome on chapter 18 of Matthew, 23: It is customary for the Syrians, and especially the Palestinians, to join parables to all their discourse, so that what cannot be retained by hearers through a simple precept may be retained through the likeness of examples.

Twenty-fifth. Christ, in the presence of sharp-nosed critics, such as the Scribes and Pharisees were, used ambiguous and obscure parables, both because they were unworthy to understand them, and because they sought to catch Jesus in His speech, to accuse and kill Him; but privately He interpreted the same to His disciples and friends, as is expressly clear from Matt. 13:11, and 7:6. Do not, says Christ, give what is holy to dogs, nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turning, tear you to pieces. Aristotle did the same thing, writing his books so covertly and intricately that they could not be criticized or refuted by his rivals: whence he himself writes to Alexander that his books On the Physical Lecture had been written and had not been written, because they consist of the greatest ambiguities and obscurities, in which he wraps and conceals himself like a cuttlefish.

Twenty-sixth. The literal sense of a parable is not that which the words show at first glance, but that which is designated through the things signified by the words: the first sense of the words is grammatical, which explains the outer shell of the letter, namely the words and expressions; the second is parabolic, and therefore in a parable it is the proper, literal, and genuine sense; for example, Matt. 6:22, and Luke 14:16, in the parable of the King inviting the lame and crippled to the wedding because the more honorable had excused themselves, the literal sense is not that which the γράμματα, that is, the letters and words display, namely that some King actually did this very thing, since this is irrelevant to Christ's purpose and perhaps never happened; but what is signified literally through the parable is that Christ called the gentile idolaters, and therefore the base and lowly, to His Church, grace, and glory, because the Jews, clinging to the Law of Moses, rejected Christ.

Twenty-seventh. There are three parts to a parable, apologue, or fable, namely the προμύθιον, μύθος, ἐπιμύθιον, that is, the pro-fable, the fable, and the after-fable, or the pro-parable, the parable itself, and the epi-parable.

The pro-fable is the preface of the parable or fable, a kind of prologue or foretaste and preliminary sampling of the parable, which is placed before it to indicate the purpose and against whom the parable is to be told; after which follows the parable or fable itself; and finally the after-fable or post-fable is appended, as a conclusion and application of the fable or parable, which explains the parable or fable and applies it to what it signifies and what it indicates should be corrected or done in matters of conduct.

A clear example is Luke 18:9, in the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican, where the προμύθιον, or pro-fable, is prefaced when it says: And He spoke also to certain ones who trusted in themselves as being just, and despised others, this parable. Then He narrates the parable itself. Finally in verse 14, the ἐπιμύθιον, or post-fable, by which He shows the meaning and fruit of the parable, He adds, saying: I say to you: this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; because everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted. The same can be seen plainly in the fables of Aesop, in the apologues of Phaedrus, and in the emblems of Alciati.

Twenty-eighth. In parables, often the persons are not compared to persons, nor the parts of the parable to the parts of the thing signified, but the whole parable is compared to the whole thing or idea. An example is Matt. 11:16: It is like children sitting in the marketplace, who crying out to their companions say: We piped for you, and you did not dance; we lamented, and you did not mourn; and then He applies this to the preaching of Christ and John the Baptist, not part by part, because Christ and John cannot be compared to those children, but He fits the whole parable to the whole thing signified. For the meaning is, as it were: One can see in this generation something similar to what happens in the parable and game of children, so that just as neither by the singing nor by the weeping of children are peevish men moved to dance or to lament, so the Scribes and Pharisees could be provoked neither by the example of the more relaxed life of Christ, nor by the more severe life of John the Baptist, to repentance, conversion, and salvation.

Similar is Matt. 13:24: The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field, etc., for the sower is not precisely and part-by-part similar to the kingdom, but rather to the king. The meaning therefore is, as it were: Things proceed similarly in the kingdom of heaven, just as if someone sows good seed in his field, and then an enemy sows weeds over it.

Twenty-ninth. In parables as well as in similitudes, not everything is similar, nor is everything to be applied to the thing signified. For many things in them are said for the beauty and elegance of the parable, and so that you may distinguish these from the parts that are to be applied to the thing signified, note this canon. In parables, the end and purpose of the parable must be considered; for those parts which pertain to this purpose are necessarily to be applied to the things signified by the parable; but those which do not pertain to this purpose are the parable's embellishments and ornaments. So Origen and St. Chrysostom on Matt. chapter 13, and St. Augustine, Book 16 of The City of God, chapter 2. Thus in Matt. 25:15, it is said that the king distributed talents to his servants, to each according to his own ability, because a prudent king is accustomed to do so. But Christ does not act this way, for He does not bestow grace according to the powers and endowments of nature and free will, as the Pelagians wished, giving more to the talented, the rich, and the noble, and less to the uneducated, the poor, and the common people. So too in Luke 14:26, in the parable of one counting the cost for preparing a war and for building a tower, there are many embellishments, as will be evident there. Finally, from the parable and from the post-parable, namely the prologue, as well as from the conclusion of the parable, the genuine sense of the same must be sought out. Hear St. Basil in the Shorter Rules, question 55: Certainly, the similitudes that are brought forward do not by any means correspond in all their individual parts to the things for which they are employed; but they serve to direct the mind toward the subject being discussed. Famous is St. Augustine's teaching, Book 18 of The City of God, chapter 2: Certainly not all things which are narrated as deeds are to be thought of as also signifying something; but on account of those which do signify something, even those which signify nothing are interwoven: for the earth is plowed by the plowshare alone; but in order that this may be done, the other parts of the plow are also necessary. So in prophetic history, some things are recounted which signify nothing, but to which those that do signify something may cling and in a certain manner be bound.

Thirtieth. In many parables, besides that for which they are primarily and principally employed, Christ also wished to insinuate certain secondary mysteries, as if in a tropological or allegorical sense, as is evident from Luke 10:30, where Christ, through the parable of the Samaritan, not only wished to show who our neighbor is, whom we ought to love, which was what the lawyer was asking, but at the same time allegorically signified that He Himself was the Samaritan, who would heal and save Adam and his descendants, wounded by original sin, by pouring in the oil of His grace and the wine of His Blood.

Thirty-first. Parables are of two kinds: some are based on likeness, others on unlikeness. In the former, the force of the argument proceeds from equality or similarity; in the latter, from the lesser to the greater.

Thirty-second. Certain things are said in the Gospel and in Scripture not according to the truth of the matter, but according to the opinion of the people of that time in which the events are recounted. Thus Joseph is called the father of Christ even by the Blessed Virgin, because the people of that age thought him to be His father, when in truth he was not His father. Luke 2:48. So Ananias, Jer. 28:10, is called a prophet, because he was so esteemed by the common people, when in truth he was a false prophet. So St. Jerome on Jer. 28.

Thirty-third. Sacred Scripture, though things have been changed, nevertheless preserves and assigns to things the same former names that they previously had. Thus in John 6, the flesh of Christ in the Eucharist is called bread; it was bread, but through the transubstantiation that takes place in the consecration, the bread was changed into the flesh of Christ. Thus Dinah, corrupted by Shechem, is called a virgin, because shortly before she had been a virgin. Gen. 24:2. Thus the rod of Aaron, converted into a serpent, is called a rod, because shortly before it had been a rod. Exod. 7:12: The rod of Aaron devoured their rods, that is, the serpent into which the rod of Aaron had been converted by Moses devoured the serpents into which the magicians of Pharaoh had likewise converted their rods for a display of a miracle. So St. Jerome on Matt. 26.

Thirty-fourth. The Evangelists and Apostles, in citing Sacred Scripture of the Old Testament, often cite it not word for word, but as to the sense: for example, because He shall be called a Nazarene, Matt. 2:23; about which see more there. Thus what Hosea says, chapter 2:12: Say to your brothers, "My people"; and to your sister, "She who has obtained mercy." Paul, Romans 9:25, cites it as: As He says in Hosea: I will call those who are not My people, My people; and her who has not obtained mercy, one who has obtained mercy.

Thirty-fifth. The Scripture of the New Testament often alludes to the Old Testament, because the things of the New were foreshadowed in the Old: For Christ is the end of the law. Rom. 10:4. Moses therefore and the Prophets were the πρόδρομοι and forerunners of Christ. Wonderful, therefore, and wonderfully harmonious is the harmony of the New Testament with the Old, whose craftsman and author is the Holy Spirit. Therefore, to explain the Scripture of the New Testament from its root and foundations, search out and trace the figure, prophecy, or statement of the Old Testament to which it alludes; for the old law was the prelude to the new, and the new is the fulfillment of the old, as St. Augustine teaches at length in the several books he wrote against Faustus the Manichean, and Tertullian in the four books he wrote against Marcion.

Thirty-sixth. The Latin translator renders the same Greek word in different ways, especially when a single Latin word does not capture or equal the force of the Greek word: thus ἐπιτιμάω in Mark is almost always rendered as "to threaten," in Luke as "to rebuke," and in Matthew as "to command" or "to order," as in Mark 4:39: And rising up, He threatened the wind. But Luke, chapter 8:25: And He, rising up, rebuked the wind. Matt. 8:26: Then rising up, He commanded the winds and the sea; because ἐπιτιμάω signifies to order or command, not simply, but with rebuke, reproof, and threatening — to reproach with added threats, to menace, and to forbid.

Finally, the 64 Canons which I have prefixed to the Epistles of St. Paul also pertain here. For those Epistles explain the Gospel; because Paul is the interpreter of Christ.

Thirty-seventh. The Evangelists often, for the sake of brevity, entangle and wrap up the events they recount, for which reason they sometimes seem to say contradictory things: therefore the event must be explained more fully and elucidated more distinctly by the interpreter, so that the harmony may appear. Thus Luke, chapter 7:3, concerning the Centurion sending messengers to Christ to heal his servant, says: And when he had heard about Jesus, he sent the elders of the Jews to Him, asking Him to come and save his servant, yet shortly after he adds that the same man said: For which reason I did not think myself worthy to come to You, because, that is, I am a gentile and therefore unworthy of Your sight and conversation, and so I sent the elders of the Jews to You on my behalf. How then did he shortly before think himself worthy of this, indeed ask that Christ come to him? The answer is: the word "asking," insofar as it refers to "that He might save his servant," pertains to the Centurion himself; but insofar as it refers to "that He might come," it pertains to the elders of the Jews, who added this on their own, thinking it fitting and that the Centurion tacitly desired it. Luke however attributes the same thing also to the Centurion, because what an envoy says and requests in the name of the one who sent him, the sender himself is considered to say and request — on which see Matthew at length, 8:6. Thus Luke, chapter 19:9, says that Christ said to Zacchaeus, when He entered his house: Today salvation has come to this house, where He signifies in a compressed way that when Zacchaeus believed in Christ and was converted, his whole household followed its master's example and believed in Christ and was sanctified, even though shortly before He had mentioned only Zacchaeus as believing. Thus the eight Beatitudes which Matthew recounts, chapter 5:1 and following, Luke, chapter 6:20, contracts into four.

Thirty-eighth. Christ, when about to heal the sick, was accustomed first to require faith from them, by which they would believe that Christ could do this and hope that He would do it. Therefore this faith is not historical and bare, nor is it faith formed by charity and justifying, but it is the faith of miracles, which includes a certain hope and confidence in the miracle, namely that Christ will heal them by His omnipotent hand — such as was the faith of St. Gregory, who for this reason was surnamed Thaumaturgus, that is, worker of miracles. For Christ required this faith as a fitting disposition for a miracle; whence He says of it: Amen I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain: Move from here to there, and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you. Matt. 17:19.

Finally, in the Gospels one must carefully weigh and distinguish whether what Christ says is a counsel, or a precept, or a permission, or merely a permission (such as that given to Judas the traitor: What you do, do quickly) John 13:27; or a parable, or a proverb, or an emblem, etc. Wherefore, as a service to the reader, from the individual Gospels I have collected (since no one has done this heretofore) all the Evangelical counsels, precepts, promises, threats, miracles, oracles, sacraments, paradoxes, parables, proverbs, emblems, and enigmas, and I append them here arranged in their proper order.

Evangelical Counsels and Precepts (Consilia et Praecepta Evangelica)

Receive therefore first all the counsels scattered throughout the Gospel, here collected into one, then the precepts proper to the Gospel, and finally the mixed, that is, partly counsels, partly precepts. I call counsels and precepts those which are for the most part such; for counsels in time of necessity become precepts, and precepts apart from necessity sometimes become counsels, as is evident in the precept of almsgiving.

Evangelical Counsels (Consilia Evangelica) — Which Are All Concerning the Heroic Acts of Christian, Indeed Apostolic, Virtues

1. Without measure; for thus it becomes us to fulfill all justice. Matt. 3:13.

2. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matt. 5:3.

3. Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the earth.

4. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be consoled.

5. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied.

6. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

7. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God.

8. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.

9. Blessed are those who suffer persecution for justice's sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

10. Blessed are you when they revile you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you, lying, for My sake: Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.

11. If someone strikes you on your right cheek, offer him the other also. Matt. 5:39.

12. And if anyone wishes to go to law with you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. Ibid. 40.

13. Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Ibid. 41.

14. Give to everyone who asks of you; and from him who takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. Luke 6:30. Matt. 5:42.

15. Be you perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matt. 5:48.

16. Follow Me, and let the dead bury their dead. Matt. 8:22.

17. But do not be called Rabbi; for one is your Master, and you are all brothers. Matt. 23:8.

18. And call no man your father on earth; for one is your Father, who is in heaven. Ibid. Nor be called teachers, for your one teacher is Christ. Ibid. Whoever is greatest among you shall be your servant. Ibid. But whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. Ibid.

20. One must always pray and never give up. Luke 18:1.

21. There are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who can accept this, let him accept it. Matt. 19:12.

22. Concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord; but I give counsel, as one who has obtained mercy from the Lord to be faithful. I therefore consider this to be good on account of the present necessity, because it is good for a man to be so.

23. If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come, follow Me. Matt. 19:21.

24. Mary has chosen the best part, which shall not be taken from her. Luke 10:42.

25. Greater love than this no one has, than to lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13.

26. Lend, hoping for nothing in return. Luke 6:35.

27. Do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who persecute and slander you. Matt. 5:44.

28. And a certain Scribe came and said to Him: Master, I will follow You wherever You go. And Jesus says to him: Foxes have dens, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head. Matt. 8:19.

29. Behold, we have left all things and followed You. What then shall be ours? Matt. 19:27.

30. Finally, it is an Evangelical counsel to preach the Gospel freely, accepting no salary or compensation for preaching, as St. Paul did, supporting himself and his companions by the labor of his hands, who accordingly says: What then is my reward? That preaching the Gospel, I may deliver the Gospel without charge. 1 Cor. 9:18. For by the law of nature and by divine law, an Apostle can live from the Gospel; for the laborer is worthy of his wages: hence if he preaches freely, he performs a generous work of supererogation, which belongs to counsel, not to precept.

From what has been said, it is clear that there are many Evangelical counsels, but principally three, namely voluntary poverty, chastity, and religious obedience, as all the orthodox unanimously teach against the innovators.

Precepts Proper to the Gospel, Not Expressed in the Old Law (Praecepta Evangelio Propria, Nec in Lege Veteri Expressa)

1. Do penance; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matt. 4:17.

2. So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify the Father who is in heaven. Matt. 5:16.

3. If you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go first to be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Matt. 5:23.

4. Come to terms quickly with your adversary (the plaintiff and accuser, whom you have injured by word or blow) while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary hand you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officers, and you be cast into prison. Matt. 5:25.

5. Whoever looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matt. 5:28.

6. And if your right eye (or hand) causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. Matt. 5:29.

7. Everyone who divorces his wife, except for the cause of fornication, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. Matt. 5:32.

8. Love your enemies, that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven, who makes His sun rise on the good and the evil, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. Matt. 5:43.

9. Whoever is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment: and whoever says to his brother "Raca" shall be liable to the council, and whoever says "Fool" shall be liable to the fire of Gehenna. Matt. 5:22.

10. Take heed that you do not perform your justice before men, in order to be seen by them; otherwise you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Matt. 6:1.

11. But when you pray, enter your room, and having shut the door, pray to your Father in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. Ibid. 6.

12. When praying, do not speak much (with the mouth, but with the heart) as the pagans do. Ibid. 7.

13. Thus therefore shall you pray: Our Father, who art in heaven; hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, etc.

14. Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, etc., but in heaven. Matt. 6:19.

15. You cannot serve God and mammon. Matt. 6:24.

16. Do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat, nor about your body, what you shall wear. Matt. 6:25.

17. Seek therefore first the kingdom of God and His justice, and all these things shall be added unto you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow. Matt. 6:33.

18. Do not judge, that you may not be judged. Matt. 7:1.

19. Do not give what is holy to dogs, nor cast your pearls before swine. That is to say: Do not hand over sacred teachings to the unbelieving and obstinate, who would laugh at and mock them. Matt. 7:6.

20. Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do also to them. Matt. 7:12.

21. Enter by the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction. Matt. 7:13.

22. Whoever speaks a word against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this age, nor in the age to come. Matt. 12:32.

23. Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give an account of it on the day of judgment. For by your words you shall be justified; and by your words you shall be condemned. Matt. 12:36.

24. Unless you are converted and become as little children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. Matt. 18:3.

25. If your brother sins against you, go and reprove him between you and him alone; if he listens to you, you have gained your brother. Ibid. 15.

26. But if he does not listen to you, take with you one or two more, so that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may stand. Ibid.

27. And if he refuses to listen to them, tell the Church; and if he refuses to listen even to the Church, let him be to you as a pagan and a tax collector. Ibid. Amen I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound also in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed also in heaven. Ibid. A new commandment I give you, that you love one another as I have loved you. John 13:34.

To these add the precepts of the Sacraments, which I shall present below.

Mixed: Partly Counsels, Partly Precepts (Mixta)

1. But I say to you, do not swear at all. Matt. 5:34.

2. But let your speech be: yes, yes; no, no: and whatever is more than this comes from evil. Matt. 5:37.

3. When you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in secret. That is to say: When you fast, do not display it, but conceal and disguise it by bodily and spiritual cheerfulness and joy. Matt. 6:17. He said the same about almsgiving, 3; about prayer, 6.

4. Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. Matt. 7:7.

5. Whoever receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive the reward of a prophet; and whoever receives a just man in the name of a just man shall receive the reward of a just man. Matt. 10:41.

6. And whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones only in the name of a disciple, amen I say to you, he shall not lose his reward. Matt. 10:42.

7. Come to Me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you shall find rest for your souls. Matt. 11:28.

8. Whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother, and sister, and mother. Matt. 12:50.

9. If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. Matt. 16:24.

10. Sell what you possess and give alms. Luke 12:33.

11. Watch therefore at all times, praying, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that are to come, and to stand before the Son of Man. Luke 21:36.

12. Search the Scriptures. John 5:39.

13. Labor not for the food that perishes, but for that which endures unto eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For Him the Father, God, has sealed. John 6:27.

14. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:35.

Precepts and Counsels Given by Christ Separately to the Apostles (Praecepta et Consilia a Christo Seorsim Data Apostolis)

1. Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. Matt. 4:19.

2. Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter the cities of the Samaritans; but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Matt. 10:5.

3. And as you go, preach, saying: The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Ibid.

4. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.

5. Freely you have received, freely give. Ibid.

6. Do not possess gold, nor silver, nor money in your purses. Ibid. Neither a bag for the journey, nor sandals, nor a staff; for the laborer is worthy of his food. Ibid.

8. Into whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there until you depart. Ibid.

9. And when you enter a house, greet it, saying: Peace be to this house. Ibid.

10. And whoever does not receive you, nor listen to your words, as you go out of that house or city, shake the dust from your feet. Ibid. 14. Amen I say to you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that city. Ibid.

11. Behold, I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be therefore wise as serpents and simple as doves. Ibid. 16.

12. But beware of men. For they will hand you over to councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues. Ibid. 17. And you shall be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the nations. Ibid.

13. But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you shall speak; for it shall be given to you in that hour what you shall speak. Ibid. 19. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. Ibid.

14. But when they persecute you in one city, flee to another. Amen I say to you, you shall not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes. Ibid. 23.

15. Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed; and nothing hidden that will not be known. Ibid. 26.

16. What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light, and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops. Ibid.

17. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; but rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Ibid. 28.

18. Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man's enemies will be those of his own household. Ibid. 34.

19. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. Ibid. 37.

20. And he who does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.

21. He who finds his life shall lose it; and he who loses his life for My sake shall find it. Ibid. 39.

22. He who receives you receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. Ibid. 40.

23. Tell the vision (of the Transfiguration) to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead. Matt. 17:9.

24. But lest We scandalize them (the collectors of the didrachma for the tribute), go to the sea and cast a hook, and the fish that first comes up, take, and opening its mouth you shall find a stater; take it, and give it to them for Me and for you.

25. Whatever you shall bind upon earth, shall be bound also in heaven, and whatever you shall loose upon earth, shall be loosed also in heaven. Matt. 18:18.

26. Whoever wishes to become great among you, let him be your minister. And whoever wishes to be first among you, shall be your servant. Matt. 20:26. Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. Ibid.

27. My soul is sorrowful even unto death; remain here and keep watch with Me: watch and pray, that you may not enter into temptation. Matt. 26:38.

28. I have prayed for you (O Peter) that your faith may not fail, and you, once converted, confirm your brethren. Luke 22:32.

29. Then He says to Thomas: Put your finger here, and see My hands; and bring your hand, and put it into My side; and be not unbelieving, but faithful. John 20:27.

30. Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you shall find, etc.; bring some of the fish which you have now caught, etc. Come, eat. John 21:6 et seq.

31. Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these? He says to Him: Yes, Lord, You know that I love You. He says to him: Feed My lambs. He says to him again: Simon, son of John, do you love Me? He says to Him: Yes Lord, You know that I love You. He says to him: Feed My lambs. Ibid. 15.

32. Go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. Matt. 28:19. And I send the promise of My Father upon you. But remain in the city, until you are clothed with power from on high. Luke 24:49.

Gospel Promises (Promissa Evangelica)

1. Do not fear, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And he will be a joy and gladness to you, and many will rejoice at his birth. Luke 1:13.

2. For he shall be great before the Lord; and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink, and he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb. Ibid.

3. And he shall convert many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.

4. And he shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah; to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the unbelieving to the wisdom of the just, to prepare for the Lord a perfect people. Ibid.

Do not fear, Mary: for you have found grace with God.

5. Behold you shall conceive in your womb, and shall bring forth a son, and you shall call His name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God shall give Him the throne of David His father, and He shall reign in the house of Jacob forever. And of His kingdom there shall be no end. Ibid. 30.

6. Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matt. 5:3. Ibid. in what follows. — The same kingdom is promised under other titles and names in the remaining seven beatitudes.

7. He who receives you, receives Me; and he who receives Me, receives Him who sent Me. Matt. 10:40.

8. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet, shall receive the reward of a prophet; and he who receives a just man in the name of a just man, shall receive the reward of a just man. Ibid.

9. And whoever shall give to drink to one of these little ones a cup of cold water, only in the name of a disciple: amen I say to you, he shall not lose his reward. Ibid.

10. The just shall shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Matt. 13:43.

11. Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona; because flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father, who is in heaven. Matt. 16:17.

12. And I say to you, that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

13. And I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you shall bind upon earth, shall be bound also in heaven; and whatever you shall loose upon earth, shall be loosed also in heaven. Matt. 16:17.

14. If two of you shall agree upon earth, concerning anything whatsoever they shall ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. Matt. 18:19. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them. Ibid.

15. Then Peter, coming to Him, said: Lord, how many times shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times? Jesus says to him: I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. Ibid.

16. There are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Matt. 19:11.

17. For thus says the Lord to the eunuchs: Who shall keep My Sabbaths, and shall choose the things that please Me, and shall hold fast My covenant. I will give them in My house and within My walls a place, and a name better than sons and daughters: I will give them an everlasting name which shall not perish. Isa. 56:4.

18. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven. Matt. 19:21.

19. Amen I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration, when the Son of Man shall sit on the seat of His majesty, you also shall sit upon twelve seats, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

20. And everyone who shall have left home, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall possess life everlasting. Ibid.

21. In the resurrection they shall neither marry, nor be given in marriage, but shall be as the Angels of God in heaven. Matt. 22:30.

22. Well done, good and faithful servant; because you have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things, enter into the joy of your Lord. Matt. 25:23.

23. Behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world. Matt. 28:20.

24. And these signs shall follow those who believe: in My name they shall cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues.

25. They shall take up serpents; and if they shall drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them: they shall lay their hands upon the sick, and they shall recover. Mark 16:17.

26. Have faith in God.

27. Amen I say to you, that whoever shall say to this mountain: Be taken up and cast into the sea; and shall not hesitate in his heart, but shall believe that whatsoever he says shall be done, it shall be done for him.

28. Therefore I say to you, all things whatsoever you ask when you pray, believe that you shall receive, and they shall come to you. Mark 11:22.

29. Now You dismiss Your servant, O Lord, according to Your word, in peace. Luke 2:29.

30. The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me; because He has anointed Me, He has sent Me to preach the gospel to the poor, to heal the contrite of heart.

31. To preach deliverance to the captives, and sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of recompense. Luke 4:18.

32. Behold I have given you power to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and upon all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.

33. But yet rejoice not in this, that spirits are subject to you; but rejoice in this, that your names are written in heaven. Luke 10:19.

34. Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things. But one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the best part, which shall not be taken away from her. Luke 10:41.

35. Everyone who shall confess Me before men, the Son of Man also will confess him before the Angels of God. Luke 12:8; Matt. 10:32.

36. Seek first the kingdom of God, and His justice, and all these things shall be added unto you. Matt. 6:33.

37. I came to cast fire on the earth; and what will I, but that it be kindled? Luke 12:49.

38. They shall lay their hands on you, etc. Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to premeditate how you shall answer. For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to resist and contradict. Luke 21:13.

39. But you are they who have remained with Me in My temptations. And I dispose to you, as My Father has disposed to Me, a kingdom. That you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom; and may sit upon thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Luke 22:28.

40. Peace be to you, it is I, do not fear. Luke 24:36.

41. And I send the promise of My Father upon you; but remain in the city, until you are clothed with power from on high. Ibid. 49.

42. And He led them out as far as Bethania; and lifting up His hands, He blessed them. And it came to pass, while He blessed them, He departed from them, and was carried up into heaven. Ibid.

43. And they worshiping went back into Jerusalem with great joy. And they were always in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen. Ibid.

44. My sheep hear My voice; and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them life everlasting; and they shall not perish forever; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. John 10:27.

45. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I shall go, and shall prepare a place for you, I come again, and will take you to Myself, that where I am, you also may be. John 14:2.

46. Amen I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he also shall do, and greater than these shall he do; because I go to the Father.

47. And whatsoever you shall ask the Father in My name, this will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. John 14:12.

48. And I will ask the Father, and He shall give you another Paraclete, that He may abide with you forever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him, nor know Him; but you shall know Him, because He shall abide with you, and shall be in you.

49. I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you. John 14:16.

50. He who has My commandments, and keeps them, he it is who loves Me. And he who loves Me, shall be loved by My Father; and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him. John 14:21. If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and will make Our abode with him. John 14:23.

51. But when the Paraclete comes, whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He shall give testimony of Me. And you shall give testimony, because you are with Me from the beginning. John 15:26.

52. I will not now call you servants, for the servant does not know what his lord does; but I have called you friends, because all things whatsoever I have heard from My Father, I have made known to you. John 15:15.

53. You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and have appointed you, that you should go and should bring forth fruit, and your fruit should remain; that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it you. John 15:16.

54. But when the Paraclete comes, whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He shall give testimony of Me. And you shall give testimony, because you are with Me from the beginning. John 15:26.

55. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will teach you all truth; for He shall not speak of Himself, but whatsoever He shall hear, He shall speak, and the things that are to come He shall announce to you. John 16:13.

56. Sanctify them in truth, etc. And for them I do sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. John 17:17.

57. And not for them only do I pray, but for those also who through their word shall believe in Me. Ibid. 20.

58. That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You have sent Me. Ibid. 21. And the glory which You have given Me, I have given to them, that they may be one, as We also are one. Ibid. 22.

59. Father, I will that where I am, they also whom You have given Me may be with Me, that they may see My glory, which You have given Me; because You have loved Me before the foundation of the world. John 17:24.

60. Woman, behold your son. Then He says to the disciple: Behold your mother. And from that hour the disciple took her to his own. John 19:26.

Gospel Threats (Minae Evangelicae)

1. Whoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, going forth out of that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.

2. Amen I say to you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city. Matt. 10:14.

3. Woe to you, Chorazin: Woe to you, Bethsaida; for if in Tyre and Sidon had been wrought the miracles that have been wrought in you, they would have done penance long ago in sackcloth and ashes. Matt. 11:21.

4. But I say to you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment, than for you. Ibid. 22.

5. And you, Capharnaum, shall you be exalted up to heaven? You shall go down even to hell; for if in Sodom had been wrought the miracles that have been wrought in you, perhaps it would have remained unto this day. Ibid. But I say to you, that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you. Ibid.

7. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it, because they did penance at the preaching of Jonah; and behold more than Jonah is here. Matt. 12:41.

8. The Queen of the South shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it; because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold more than Solomon is here. Ibid.

9. So shall it be at the consummation of the world: the Angels shall go out, and shall separate the wicked from among the just. Matt. 13:49.

10. And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Ibid.

11. Woe to the world because of scandals. For it must needs be that scandals come; but nevertheless woe to that man by whom the scandal comes. Matt. 18:7.

12. And if your hand or your foot scandalizes you, cut it off, and cast it from you; it is better for you to go into life maimed or lame, than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. Matt. 18:8.

13. Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men, etc. Matt. 23:13.

14. Woe to you, Scribes, etc., because you devour the houses of widows, etc. Matt. 23:14 and following, where continuously, up to the end of the chapter. The "Woe" denotes the thunderbolt of eternal damnation against the Scribes, on account of their pride, avarice, cruelty, and impiety.

15. That upon you may come all the just blood that has been shed upon the earth, from the blood of Abel the just, even unto the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you killed between the temple and the altar. Matt. 23:35. Amen I say to you: all these things shall come upon this generation.

16. Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the Prophets, and stones those who are sent to you, how often would I have gathered your children together, as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and you would not! Behold, your house shall be left to you desolate. Ibid.

17. But if that wicked servant shall say in his heart: My lord is long in coming; and shall begin to strike his fellow servants, and shall eat and drink with drunkards; the lord of that servant shall come in a day that he does not expect, and at an hour that he does not know; and shall divide him, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matt. 24:48.

18. And these shall go into everlasting punishment, but the just into life everlasting. Matt. 25:46.

19. Woe to that man (Judas) by whom the Son of Man shall be betrayed; it were better for him if that man had not been born. Matt. 26:24.

20. Woe to you who are rich, for you have your consolation.

21. Woe to you who are filled, for you shall hunger; woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.

22. Woe when men shall bless you; for according to these things did their fathers to the false prophets. Luke 6:24.

23. And that servant who knew the will of his lord, and did not prepare, and did not act according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.

24. But he who did not know, and did things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes.

25. And to whomsoever much is given, of him much shall be required; and to whom they have committed much, of him they will demand the more. Luke 12:48.

26. Unless you shall do penance, you shall all likewise perish. Luke 13:3.

Miracles of Christ in Chronological Order (Miracula Christi Ordine Temporis Quo Patrata Sunt, Sigillatim Digesta)

1. And it came to pass, that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Luke 1:41.

2. And she cried out with a loud voice, and said: Blessed are you among women; and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Ibid.

3. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? Ibid.

4. Christ, newly born, sent an Angel to the shepherds, and a star to the Magi, to announce His birth, and to call them to visit and adore Him. Luke 2:9; Matt. 2:3.

5. When presented in the temple, He caused Simeon and Anna to recognize Him as the Messiah, and to prophesy concerning Him. Luke 2:25.

6. Upon Christ, when He was being baptized by John, the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove, and the voice of the Father thundered: This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Matt. 3:16.

7. Christ immediately after His Baptism, withdrawing into the desert, fasted there for forty days and by a miracle abstained from all food and drink. Matt. 4:2.

8. Christ at the wedding in Cana of Galilee changed water into wine. John 2:11.

9. Soon at Passover, terrifying all the sellers and buyers by the majesty of His countenance, He drives them out of the temple with a whip. John 2:15.

10. He heals the ruler's sick son at Capharnaum. John 4:50.

11. He frees a demoniac there in the Synagogue from a demon. Mark 1:23.

12. He cures Peter's mother-in-law of a fever, and many sick. Matt. 8:15.

13. Sleeping in the ship, He is awakened by the disciples, and calms the storm of the sea, and commands the winds and waves. Matt. 8:25.

14. He heals two demoniacs in the region of the Gerasenes, and permits the demons to enter into the swine, who throw themselves headlong into the sea. Matt. 8:28.

15. He heals the paralytic let down through the tiles before Him. Matt. 9:2.

16. He calls Matthew from the tax collector's office, and so transforms his mind, that leaving all things he immediately follows Him. Matt. 9:9.

17. He recalls the synagogue ruler's daughter from death, and stops the flow of blood of the woman with the hemorrhage. Matt. 9:18.

18. He gives sight to two blind men, and cures a mute demoniac. Matt. 9:27.

19. At the Sheep Pool on the Sabbath He heals a man sick for thirty-eight years. John 5:2.

20. He restores the withered hand to the crippled man. Matt. 12:13.

21. He cleanses a leper from leprosy. Matt. 8:2.

22. He heals the centurion's paralytic servant. Matt. 8:5.

23. He raises from the dead the widow's son at Nain. Luke 7:11.

24. He frees Mary Magdalene from the death of the soul, and from demons. Luke 7:48.

25. He cures a demoniac, blind and mute. Matt. 12:22.

26. With five loaves He feeds five thousand men. John 6:11.

27. Jesus walks upon the sea, and makes Peter walk upon it. Matt. 14:25.

28. He heals the daughter of the Canaanite woman, vexed by a demon. Matt. 15:28.

29. He heals a deaf mute by putting His fingers in his ears, and spitting and touching his tongue, saying to him ephpheta, that is, be opened. Mark 7:34.

30. He fed five thousand men with seven loaves. Matt. 15:36.

31. He gave sight to a blind man in Bethsaida, who said: I see men like trees walking. Mark 8:24.

32. Christ transfigured Himself on Mount Tabor: And His face shone like the sun, and Moses and Elijah appeared, speaking with Him. Matt. 17:2.

33. He cast out a lunatic demon which the disciples had not been able to cast out; for this kind, He said, is not cast out except by prayer and fasting. Matt. 17:14.

34. He caused Peter to find a didrachma in the mouth of a fish, and to pay it as tribute. Matt. 17:26.

35. He cleansed ten lepers. Luke 17:12.

36. He restored sight to a man born blind. John 9:1.

37. He healed a crippled woman. Luke 13:11.

38. He healed a man with dropsy on the Sabbath, while dining with a Pharisee. Luke 14:2.

39. At the Feast of the Dedication, He escaped from the hands of those stoning Him. John 10:31 and 39.

40. He called Lazarus, four days dead, out of the tomb and raised him. John 11:1.

41. He gave sight to two blind men near Jericho, of whom one was more famous, named Bartimaeus. Matt. 20:29; Mark 10:46; Luke 18:33.

42. Riding upon a donkey, He entered Jerusalem gloriously as the Messiah, while the crowds with palm branches acclaimed Him, and even the children cried: Hosanna to the Son of David. Matt. 21:9.

43. He immediately healed the blind and the lame in the temple. Matt. 21:14.

44. He withered a fig tree by cursing it. Ibid. 19.

45. He again drove the buyers and sellers from the temple. Luke 19:45; Matt. 21:12.

46. There appeared to Him an Angel from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. And His sweat became like drops of blood falling upon the ground. Luke 22:44.

47. When therefore He said to them, I am He, they went backward, and fell to the ground. John 18:6.

48. Now from the sixth hour, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour. Matt. 27:45.

49. Christ in His passion and on the cross was a miracle of miracles; for He was a wonder, nay, an abyss of humility, patience, obedience, charity, fortitude, martyrdom, and all virtues. Matt. 27.

50. Crying out: Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit, He expired by a miracle; for in one who is dying, the voice, life, and spirit fail. Ibid. 50.

51. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth shook, and the rocks were split, and the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep arose. And coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they came into the holy city, and appeared to many. Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping watch over Jesus, seeing the earthquake and the things that were happening, feared greatly, saying: Truly this was the Son of God. Ibid. 51.

52. One of the soldiers opened His side with a lance, and immediately there came out blood and water. John 19:34.

53. Christ on the third day after death raised Himself, and adorned and beatified His body with glory and the other gifts of beatitude. Matt. 28; Mark 16; Luke 24.

54. And it came to pass, while He reclined at table with them, He took bread, and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him, and He vanished from their sight, and they said to one another: Was not our heart burning within us, while He spoke on the way, and opened to us the Scriptures? Luke 24:30.

55. Christ on the fortieth day after His resurrection, in the presence of the Apostles, gloriously ascended into heaven from the Mount of Olives, and sits at the right hand of God. Luke 24:51; Mark 16:19.

Oracles and Prophecies of Christ (Oracula et Prophetiae Christi)

1. For behold, from this time all generations will call me blessed. Luke 1:48.

2. And you, child, will be called the Prophet of the Most High: for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways.

3. To give the knowledge of salvation to His people, for the remission of their sins. Luke 1:76.

4. Behold, this Child is set for the fall and the rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be contradicted.

5. And your own soul a sword will pierce, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. Luke 2:34.

6. Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you. John 1:48.

7. You will see heaven opened and the Angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man. Ibid.

8. Christ, casting out the buyers and sellers from the temple, gave the Jews who demanded a sign the sign of His death and resurrection; predicting both: 1. John 2:19; 2. shortly before, and after His transfiguration, Matt. 17:21; 3. shortly before His death, when He was going up to Jerusalem, Matt. 20:19; 4. at the Last Supper, a few hours before He was seized. Matt. 26:2.

9. Christ revealed to the Samaritan woman the secret things she had done throughout her life; and so He converted her and the Samaritans. John 4:18.

10. The hour comes and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. John 4:23.

11. Lift up your eyes and see the fields, for they are already white for the harvest. John 4:35.

12. I have come in the name of My Father, and you do not receive Me; if another (the Antichrist) comes in his own name, him you will receive. John 5:43.

13. Did I not choose you twelve, and one of you is a devil? Namely Judas, who will betray Me. John 6:71.

14. Many will come from the East and the West, and will recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; but the children of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness. Matt. 8:11.

15. For they will hand you over to councils, and in their synagogues they will scourge you; and you will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. Matt. 10:17.

17. And brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his son; and children will rise up against their parents, and put them to death.

18. And you will be hated by all for My name's sake; but he who perseveres to the end, he will be saved. Ibid. 21.

19. Amen I say to you; there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. Matt. 16:28.

20. Elijah is to come, and he will restore all things. Matt. 17:11.

21. Go (O Peter) to the sea, and cast a hook, and take the first fish that comes up, and opening its mouth you will find a stater; take it, and give it to them for Me and for you. Matt. 17:26.

22. You will indeed drink My chalice; but to sit at My right hand or at My left is not Mine to give to you, but it belongs to those for whom it has been prepared by My Father. Matt. 20:23.

23. Writing with His finger on the ground, He revealed the hidden crimes of the Pharisees who were accusing the adulteress, and confounded them. John 8:8.

24. Go into the village that is opposite you, and upon entering you will find a colt of a donkey tied, on which no man has ever sat: untie it, and bring it.

25. And if anyone asks you: Why are you untying it? you shall say to him: Because the Lord has need of it.

26. And those who were sent went and found the colt standing just as He had told them. Luke 19:30.

26. The days will come upon you (O Jerusalem), and your enemies will surround you with a rampart, and encircle you, and hem you in on every side. And they will dash you to the ground, and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation. Luke 19:43.

27. Behold, I send to you Prophets, and Wise Men, and Scribes, and some of them you will kill and crucify; and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city.

28. That upon you may come all the just blood which has been shed upon the earth, from the blood of Abel the just even to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Barachiah, whom you killed between the temple and the altar. Matt. 23:34.

29. Behold, your house will be left to you desolate. Ibid.

30. For I say to you, you will not see Me henceforth, until you say: Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Ibid. 38.

31. For many will come in My name, saying: I am Christ, and they will deceive many. Matt. 24:5.

32. For you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. Ibid.

33. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be pestilences, and famines, and earthquakes in various places. Ibid. But all these things are the beginning of sorrows. Ibid.

34. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation, and will kill you; and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. Ibid.

35. And then many will be scandalized, and will betray one another, and will hate one another. Ibid.

36. And many false prophets will arise, and will deceive many. Ibid.

37. And because iniquity will abound, the charity of many will grow cold. Ibid.

38. But he who perseveres to the end, he will be saved. Ibid.

39. And this Gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world, as a testimony to all nations; and then the consummation will come. Ibid.

40. The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give her light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Ibid. 29.

41. And then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of heaven with great power and majesty. Ibid.

42. And He will send His Angels with a trumpet and a great voice; and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from the heights of heaven to their furthest ends. Ibid.

43. For as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark. Ibid. 38. And they did not know until the flood came and swept them all away; so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Ibid.

44. Then two will be in the field: one will be taken, and one will be left. Two women grinding at the mill: one will be taken, and one will be left. Ibid. Watch therefore, for you do not know at what hour your Lord will come. Ibid.

45. But when the Son of Man comes in His majesty, and all the Angels with Him, then He will sit upon the throne of His majesty. Matt. 25:31.

46. And all nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. Ibid.

47. And He will set the sheep indeed on His right hand, but the goats on His left. Ibid.

48. Then the King will say to those on His right hand: Come, you blessed of My Father, possess the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Ibid.

49. Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles, until the times of the nations are fulfilled. Luke 21:24.

50. Behold, when you enter the city, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you: follow him into the house which he enters.

51. And you shall say to the master of the house: The Master says to you: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?

52. And he will show you a large upper room, furnished; prepare there. And those who were sent went and found it just as He had told them, and they prepared the Passover. Luke 22:10.

53. Amen I say to you, that one of you will betray Me. Matt. 26:21.

54. He who dips his hand with Me in the dish, he will betray Me. Ibid. 23.

55. It is he to whom I shall give the dipped bread. And when He had dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Simon Iscariot.

56. And after the morsel, Satan entered into him. And Jesus said to him: What you do, do quickly. John 13:26.

57. And Judas, who betrayed Him, answering said: Is it I, Rabbi? He said to him: You have said it. Matt. 26:25. All of you will be scandalized in Me this night. For it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. Ibid. But after I have risen, I will go before you into Galilee. Ibid. But Peter answering said to Him: Even if all are scandalized in You, I will never be scandalized. Jesus said to him: Amen I say to you, that this night, before the cock crows, you will deny Me three times.

58. Christ both before and after His death foretold the coming of the Holy Spirit. John 14:16; Luke 24:49.

59. I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it with you anew in the kingdom of My Father. Matt. 26:29.

60. Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man will be betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us go; behold, he who will betray Me is at hand. Matt. 26:45.

61. Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children;

62. For behold, the days will come in which they will say: Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that have not borne, and the breasts that have not nursed.

63. Then they will begin to say to the mountains: Fall upon us, and to the hills: Cover us.

64. For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry? Luke 23:28.

65. Amen I say to you: today you will be with Me in paradise. Luke 23:43.

66. Then Jesus said to them (the women coming to Christ's tomb): Do not be afraid: go, tell My brethren to go into Galilee, there they will see Me. Matt. 28:10.

To these, add some passages from John, outside the chronological order.

67. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold, and them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice, and there will be one fold and one shepherd. John 10:16.

68. Your brother will rise again (said Christ to Martha concerning the dead Lazarus). John 11:23.

69. It is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish. John 11:50.

70. Leave her alone, that she may keep it for the day of My burial (namely, Mary Magdalene's ointment). John 12:7.

71. Jesus, knowing that His hour had come to pass from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, loved them to the end. John 13:1.

72. They will put you out of the synagogues; but the hour comes when everyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. And these things they will do to you, because they have not known the Father, nor Me. John 16:2.

73. Behold, the hour comes, and has now come, when you will be scattered, each to his own; and you will leave Me alone, and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.

74. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace; in the world you will have tribulation, but take courage, I have overcome the world. John 16:32.

The Sacraments Instituted by Christ (Sacramenta a Christo Instituta)

1. Baptism (Baptismus)

Unless a man is born again of water and the Holy Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. John 3:5.

All power has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and behold, I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world. Matt. 28:18.

2. Confirmation (Confirmatio)

Having heard these things, they were baptized in the name of Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. Acts 19:5.

They sent Peter and John to them. Who, when they had come, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit; for He had not yet come upon any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands upon them, and they received the Spirit. Acts 8:14.

3. The Eucharist (Eucharistia)

And while they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to His disciples, and said: Take and eat, this is My body. And taking the chalice, He gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying: Drink of this, all of you. For this is My blood of the new Testament, which will be shed for many for the remission of sins. Matt. 26:26.

I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I will give is My flesh for the life of the world. John 6:51.

The Sacrifice of the Eucharist.

Do this in remembrance of Me. Luke 22:19.

This is the chalice, the new Testament in My blood, which will be shed for you, which, namely the chalice (as is clear from the Greek), will be offered for you (for liquids are customarily poured out as a libation and offering to God) even now at this Last Supper, when I and you will drink it, and by drinking will offer it as a libation to God. Luke 22:20.

4. Penance (Poenitentia)

Receive the Holy Spirit: whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained. John 20:22.

Whatsoever you shall bind upon earth, shall be bound also in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose upon earth, shall be loosed also in heaven. Matt. 18:18.

5. Extreme Unction (Extrema Unctio)

They anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them. Mark 6:13.

Is any one among you sick? Let him bring in the priests of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick man; and the Lord will raise him up, and if he is in sins, they will be forgiven him. James 5:14.

6. Holy Orders (Ordo)

As the Father has sent Me, so also I send you. When He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them: Receive the Holy Spirit: whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven, etc. John 20:21.

I admonish you to stir up the grace of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 2 Tim. 1:6.

Then fasting and praying, and laying hands upon them, they sent them away. Acts 13:3.

Appoint priests in every city, as I also directed you. Titus 1:5.

7. Matrimony (Matrimonium)

For this cause a man shall leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and the two shall be in one flesh. Therefore they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder. Matt. 19:3.

This is a great sacrament: but I speak in Christ and in the Church. Eph. 5:32.

Evangelical Paradoxes (Paradoxa Evangelica)

1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, etc. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. John 1:1.

2. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. John 1:4.

3. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came unto His own, and His own did not receive Him.

4. But as many as received Him, He gave them power to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.

5. Those who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:10.

6. He who is to come after me was made before me, because He was prior to me. Ibid. 45.

7. And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.

8. Because the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

9. No one has ever seen God; the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known. John 1:46.

10. Behold, I send My angel before your face, who will prepare your way before you.

11. The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight. Mark 1:2.

12. Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who takes away the sins of the world. John 1:29.

13. The Spirit breathes where He wills; you hear His voice, but you do not know where He comes from or where He goes: so is everyone who is born of the Spirit. John 3:8.

14. No one has ascended into heaven except He who descended from heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven.

15. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up; that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but have eternal life.

16. For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but have eternal life. John 3:13.

17. He must increase, but I must decrease. John 3:30.

18. He who has received His testimony has certified that God is truthful.

19. For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for God does not give the Spirit by measure.

20. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand. John 3:33.

21. Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.

22. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life. John 4:13.

23. My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work. John 4:34.

24. The Son cannot do anything of Himself, except what He sees the Father doing; for whatever He does, the Son likewise does. John 5:19.

25. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also the Son gives life to whom He wills.

26. For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son. John 5:21.

27. The hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear the voice of the Son of God.

28. And those who have done good will come forth to the resurrection of life; but those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment. John 5:28.

29. I am the bread of life: he who comes to Me shall not hunger; and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. John 6:35.

30. No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.

31. It is written in the Prophets: And they shall all be taught by God. Everyone who has heard from the Father and has learned, comes to Me. John 6:44.

32. It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing: the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. Ibid. 64.

33. You will seek Me and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come. John 7:34.

34. If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture says: Rivers of living water shall flow from his belly.

35. Abraham your father rejoiced to see My day: he saw it and was glad. John 8:36.

36. For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind. Ibid. 39.

37. I am the resurrection and the life: he who believes in Me, even if he has died, shall live; and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. John 11:25.

38. He who loves (Matt. 10:30, he who finds) his soul shall lose it; and he who hates his soul in this world shall keep it for eternal life. John 12:24. Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are the meek. Blessed are those who mourn, etc. Matt. 5:1.

39. Now is the judgment of this world; now the prince of this world shall be cast out.

40. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to Myself. But He said this signifying by what death He was about to die. John 12:31.

41. I am the way, the truth, and the life: no one comes to the Father except through Me; if you had known Me, you would have known My Father also, and from now on you know Him and have seen Him. John 14:6.

42. Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? John 14:10.

43. I am the vine, and My Father is the vinedresser, etc. I am the vine, you are the branches: he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; because without Me you can do nothing.

44. If anyone does not abide in Me, he shall be cast out like a branch and shall wither; and they will gather him up and cast him into the fire, and he burns.

45. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. John 15:5.

46. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

47. I have glorified You on earth; I have accomplished the work that You gave Me to do.

48. And now, Father, glorify Me in Your own presence with the glory that I had with You before the world existed.

49. I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world. John 17:3.

50. It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Matt. 19:24.

51. Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. Luke 18:14.

52. Do not touch Me; for I have not yet ascended to My Father. John 20:17.

Evangelical Apologues and Parables in Historical Order (Apologi et Parabolae Evangelicae Ordine Historico Dispositae)

1. Parable of the children singing and lamenting. Matt. 11:46.

2. Parable of the sower, in which some seed fell by the wayside, some on rocky ground, some among thorns, and some on good soil, and yielded fruit a hundredfold, sixtyfold, and thirtyfold. Matt. 13:4.

3. Parable of the tares, which an enemy sowed over the good seed. Ibid. 24.

4. The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed. Ibid. 31.

5. The kingdom of heaven is like leaven in three measures of flour. Ibid. 38.

6. The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. Ibid. 44.

7. The kingdom of heaven is like a precious pearl. Ibid. 45.

8. The kingdom of heaven is like a net cast into the sea. Ibid. 47.

9. Parable of the householder who demanded back from a servant the debt of ten thousand talents, already forgiven, because of his mercilessness toward a fellow servant. Matt. 18:23.

10. Parable of the good shepherd, the hireling, and the sheep. John 10:2.

11. Parable of the Samaritan who cared for the man who had fallen among thieves, pouring oil and wine on his wounds. Luke 10:30.

12. Parable of the friend asking at night for three loaves from a friend for his guest, teaching the manner and power of prayer. Luke 11:5.

13. Parable of the rich man who said: Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years: rest, eat, drink, be merry. But God said to him: Fool, this night they demand your soul from you: and the things you have prepared, whose will they be? Luke 12:19.

14. Parable of the servant keeping watch at night and awaiting the master returning from the wedding. Luke 12:36.

15. Parable of the barren fig tree, which is ordered to be cut down. Luke 13:6.

16. Strive to enter through the narrow gate into heaven, for few are saved; and narrow is the way of salvation. Luke 13:24.

17. Parable of seeking the lowest place among guests at a banquet. Luke 14:7.

18. Parable of counting the costs before war and before building a tower. Luke 14:28.

19. Parable of the hundredth sheep that was lost, which the shepherd, leaving the ninety-nine, sought out. Luke 15:4.

20. Parable of the woman seeking a lost coin, and upon finding it, congratulating herself and her friends. Luke 15:8.

21. Parable of the prodigal son. Luke 15:11.

22. Parable of the unjust steward, making friends for himself with the mammon of unrighteousness, so that, when removed from office, he might be received by them. Luke 16:1.

23. Parable of the rich man who feasted sumptuously and Lazarus the beggar. Ibid. 19.

24. Parable of the unjust judge and the widow. Luke 18:2.

25. Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican. Luke 18:9.

26. Parable of the laborers hired for the vineyard at the first, third, sixth, ninth, and eleventh hours, where in the payment the last become first and the first last. Matt. 20:1.

27. Parable of the ten minas distributed to servants for trading. Luke 19:13.

28. Parable of the two sons, one repenting and obeying the father, the other pretending to obey. Matt. 21:28.

29. Parable of the leased vineyard, whose tenants killed the master's servants and son. Ibid. 33.

30. Parable of the one inviting guests to his son's wedding, where the invited neglected to come, but went away, one to his farm, another to his business; so the master invited all passersby, and entering the banquet, cast out the one who lacked a wedding garment. Matt. 22:1.

31. Parable of the ten virgins, five wise who took oil in their vessels with their lamps, and five foolish who neglected to take oil. Matt. 25:1.

32. Parable of the talents distributed to servants, when to one he gave five, to another two, to a third one. Ibid. 14.

Evangelical Adages, Maxims, and Emblems (Adagia, Gnomae et Emblemata Evangelica)

1. You are the salt of the earth: but if the salt loses its flavor, with what shall it be salted? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

2. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

3. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a lampstand, that it may give light to all who are in the house. Matt. 5:13.

4. Where your treasure is, there is your heart also. Matt. 6:21.

5. No one can serve two masters. Matt. 6:24.

6. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Ibid. 34.

7. With whatever measure you measure, it will be measured back to you. Matt. 7:2.

8. Why do you see the speck in your brother's eye, but do not notice the beam in your own eye? Ibid. 3.

9. Do not give what is holy to dogs, nor cast your pearls before swine. Ibid. 6.

10. What man is there among you, who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

11. Therefore, whatever you wish that men would do to you, do also to them. Ibid. 9.

12. Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.

13. But go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners. Matt. 9:13.

14. Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.

15. No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear becomes worse.

16. Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved. Matt. 9:17.

17. According to your faith let it be done to you. Matt. 9:29.

18. The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Ibid. 38.

19. A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. Matt. 10:24.

20. There is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and nothing hidden that will not be known.

21. What I tell you in darkness, speak in the light, and what you hear in the ear, proclaim upon the housetops. Matt. 10:26.

22. There has not risen among those born of women anyone greater than John the Baptist: yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

23. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent seize it.

24. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John.

25. And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.

26. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. Matt. 11:11.

27. Wisdom is justified by her children. Ibid. 19.

28. I confess to You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to little ones.

29. Yes, Father, for such was Your gracious will. Ibid. 26.

30. My yoke is easy and My burden is light. Matt. 11:30.

31. Every kingdom divided against itself will be brought to desolation. Matt. 12:25.

32. He who is not with Me is against Me. Ibid. 30.

33. Whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother, and sister, and mother. Ibid. 50.

34. Every scribe instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like a householder, who brings out of his treasure things new and old. Matt. 13:52.

35. A prophet is not without honor except in his own country. Ibid. 57.

36. O you of little faith, why did you doubt? Matt. 14:31.

37. It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.

38. But she said: Yes, Lord; for even the little dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table. Matt. 15:26.

39. It is not what enters the mouth that defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man. Matt. 15:11.

40. When evening comes you say: It will be fair weather, for the sky is red. And in the morning: Today there will be a storm, for the sky is red and threatening. You know then how to discern the face of the sky; but can you not discern the signs of the times? Matt. 16:2.

41. What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, but suffers the loss of his own soul? Matt. 16:26.

42. Amen I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain: Move from here to there, and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you. Matt. 17:19.

43. Whoever humbles himself like this little child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matt. 18:14.

44. My house shall be called a house of prayer; but you have made it a den of thieves. Matt. 21:13.

45. When the scribes asked whether it was lawful to pay tribute to Caesar, Christ replied: Show Me the coin of the census. And they offered Him a denarius. And Jesus said to them: Whose image and inscription is this? They said to Him: Caesar's. Then He said to them: Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. Matt. 22:19.

46. The Scribes and Pharisees sit on the chair of Moses. Therefore, whatever they tell you, observe and do; but do not act according to their works, for they say and do not do. Matt. 23:2.

47. And you, fill up the measure of your fathers. Matt. 23:32.

48. For as lightning comes from the East and appears even to the West, so also will be the coming of the Son of Man.

49. A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish. Matt. 12:20.

50. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. Ibid. 35.

51. Watch, for you do not know at what hour the Lord will come. Matt. 24:42.

52. As long as you did it to one of these My least brethren, you did it to Me. Matt. 25:40.

53. My Father, if this cup cannot pass unless I drink it, let Your will be done. Matt. 26:42.

54. The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath; therefore the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath. Mark 2:28.

55. Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Matt. 4:4.

56. He has given His angels charge over you, and in their hands they shall bear you up, lest perhaps you dash your foot against a stone. Ibid.

57. No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God. Luke 9:26.

58. The laborer is worthy of his hire. Luke 10.

59. Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts that nursed You. But He said: Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it. Luke 11:27.

60. Make friends for yourselves with the mammon of unrighteousness, so that when you fail, they may receive you into eternal dwellings. Luke 16:9.

61. He who is faithful in the least is faithful also in the greater; and he who is unjust in a small matter is unjust also in a greater. If therefore you have not been faithful in unrighteous mammon, who will entrust to you what is true? And if you have not been faithful in what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? Luke 16:10.

62. Son, remember that you received your good things in your lifetime, and Lazarus likewise evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are tormented.

63. And in all these things, between us and you a great chasm has been established, so that those who wish to cross from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross from there to us. Luke 16:23.

64. He saw a certain poor widow putting in two small coins; and He said: Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all the others. For all these out of their abundance cast into the offerings of God; but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had. Luke 21:2.

65. Was it not necessary for Christ to suffer these things, and so to enter into His glory? Luke 24:26.

66. Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his soul will lose it; and he who hates his soul in this world will keep it for eternal life. John 12:24.

67. If therefore I, the Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.

68. For I have given you an example, that as I have done to you, so you also should do. John 13:14.

69. Because you have seen Me, Thomas, you have believed: blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed. John 20:29.

Evangelical Enigmas (Aenigmata Evangelica)

1. He Himself will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

2. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly cleanse His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire. Matt. 3:12.

3. The people who sat in darkness saw a great light; and upon those sitting in the region of the shadow of death, light has dawned for them. Matt. 4:16.

4. The lamp of your body is your eye: if your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light.

5. But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! Matt. 6:22.

6. Let the dead bury their own dead. Matt. 8:22.

7. When an unclean spirit has gone out of a man, it walks through dry places seeking rest, and finds none. Then it says: I will return to my house from which I came; and coming, it finds it empty, swept clean, and adorned. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and entering in they dwell there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. So shall it be also with this most wicked generation. Matt. 12:43.

8. The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner, etc. And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder. Matt. 21:42.

9. To him who has, it will be given; and from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. Mark 4:25.

10. I see men like trees walking. Mark 8:24.

11. For everyone will be salted with fire, and every sacrifice will be salted with salt.

12. Salt is good; but if the salt becomes tasteless, with what will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace among yourselves. Mark 9:48.

13. God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Luke 3:8.

14. Tell that fox (Herod): Behold, I cast out demons and perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I am perfected. Luke 13:32.

15. And many who are first will be last, and the last first. Matt. 20:30.

16. Now let him who has a purse take it, and likewise a bag; and he who has no sword, let him sell his tunic and buy one. Luke 22:36.

17. A little while, and you will no longer see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father. John 16:16.

18. Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together. Matt. 24:28.

19. And when He (the Paraclete) comes, He will convict the world concerning sin, and concerning righteousness, and concerning judgment. Concerning sin indeed, because they did not believe in Me. Concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see Me no longer. Concerning judgment, because the prince of this world has already been judged. John 16:8.

20. Do not touch Me; for I have not yet ascended to My Father. John 20:17.

21. When you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and lead you where you do not wish to go. John 21:18.

22. So I wish him to remain until I come — what is that to you? Ibid. 22.

23. Blind guides, straining out a gnat but swallowing a camel. Matt. 23:24.

24. Woe to you, Scribes, etc., because you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of robbery and uncleanness. Ibid.