The first tome or volume of the Paraphrase of Erasmus vpon the Newe Testamente

The prologue.

¶ For asmuche as many haue taken in hand to sette foorth the declaracion of the actes that are come to passe emong vs, lyke as they deliue••ed them vnto vs that first sawe them themselues, and were ministers of the woorde: I thought good also (now that I had gottē the knowlege of all thynges from the begynnyng) to wryte thē diligentlye vnto the in or∣dre, good Theophilus, to the ende that thou mightest knowe the trueth of those woerdes, of the whiche thou art enfourmed.

IN the histories of worldly affaires, vpon consideraciō, that not a lytle, aswel delectacion as also profite, is takē of the knowlege of thynges: there is customably requi∣red an vpright trueth of reporting thesame. But muche more oughte this vpright trueth to be in makyng rela∣cion of the Ghospell: the whiche not onely doeth muche delite the mynde hauyng litle els to do, or is very com∣modious and profitable vnto this transitory lyfe: but also is necessary vnto true godlinesse, without the which no man atchiueth eternal saluacion, and the blisse that neuer shal decaye of the lyfe euerlastyng. For it were no matier of daungier, thoughe a manne did not knowe what man Hannibal was, or Alexander: what actes Epaminondas or Scipio hath doen: what mat••ers Solon, Lycurgus, or Draco haue writen: what doctrine Socrates, Plato, or Aristotle taughte, albeit the knowleage of these thynges also, after the rate of mans state and case in this world, hath their fruite. But whatsoeuer person shall not knowe the father, the sonne, and the holy ghoste: whosoeuer shall not learne what actes the soonne of God Iesus Christe hath dooen on yearth for the saluacion of mankynde, what he hathe taught, what he hath promised vnto suche as doe constauntely cleue to the doc∣trine of the ghospell, what he hath threatned vnto suche persones as doe either litle regarde, or els doe playnely despise thesame: suche an one shall not possibly bee hable to auoyde, but that beeyng excluded out of the coumpanye of Gods children, and shut out from the ioyes of the heauenly lyfe, he shalbee adiudged with the wicked, to the tormentes of the diepe pitte of hell, whiche neuer shall haue ende.

And in dede at the first, by meane of thapostles beeyng therunto chosen of our Lorde hymselfe, and by the residue of his disciples beyng enspired with the ho∣ly ghost, the ghospell (in dede by liuely voice and by mouth onely, but yet with moost vpright certaintye and assured trueth) is begonne to bee spred abrode throughout all coastes and countreyes of the worlde, and dooeth daylye yet still ferther and ferther renne abrode. Yet forasmuche as the synceritie of repor∣tyng (the whiche goyng from man to man by mouth onely issueth successiuelye to a great noumber) is more lightlye corrupted, then suche reporte as is sette out and left from one to another in writyng: therefore Mathew the Apostle,

one of the twelue, whom our Lorde Iesus beeyng yet cōuersaunte on yearthe, had specially appointed and chosen to this office: and also Marke the disciple of Peter the Apostle, were by inspiracion of the holy ghoste admonished to put the summe of the whole story of the ghospell in writyng: not myndyng ne go∣yng about by preuencion to take awaye from others any libertie to write of the same matiers: but rather, leste any person beyng craftilye deceiued by false A∣postles shoulde folowe the Iewes facions, or fonde fables in stede of the gos∣pell. Notwithstandyng, lyke as not euery manne did at that tyme with eguall synceritie and purenesse preache the ghospell, so those that write dooe not euery man with lyke faythfulnesse and trueth handle the storye of the ghospell. For many an one hath attempted after like sorte to patche and to make a medley of the discourse of reportyng Christes ghospell, as other wryters are woonte of mortall mennes actes: that is, entremedlyng ofttymes false thynges emong the true, and tellyng for matiers of approued certaintie, suche thinges as they had afore taken onely of the vncertaine rumoures and voyces of the common people, yea, and many tymes inuentyng of their owne braynes some thyng to tell, eyther of a delite and lust to lye, or els beeyng corrupted with some other affeccion. And (as mortall mennes matiers are of nature apte and readie to bee corrupted) there shall perchaunce hereafter also some persones sterte by, whiche through makyng lyes on the actes and doctryne of Christe and of his disciples, shall cause, that true matiers shall not be credited neither. Therfore the spirite of Iesus hath (as it were) nipped my herte also with a litell twynge, that after Mathewe and Marke, (whiche two with all possible trueth and vp∣rightnesse, wrote as muche as at that tyme they iudged to bee sufficiente, and yet neuerthelesse of a sette purpose and entente, left vnto others certain thinges to be written, supplying in the meane tyme with the office of liuely voyce, that lacked in theyr writinges:) and after some others whiche haue not with sem∣bleable vprightnesse attempted thesame: of whiche persones some haue euerye where entermyngled many poyntes muche contrary to the doctryne of the gos∣pell: and many haue rather had an iye to fyll vp the holes of the story with fa∣bles and tales vnseemyng for the grauitie of the ghospell, then to tell suche thinges as the holy ghost hath iudged to be auailable towardes the blisse euer∣lastyng: I Luke also should by composyng a certaine ordre and processe of the storie euangelicall, bothe supplye suche matiers as haue been omitted by the others, and also debarre the authoritie of other persones, whiche eyther hereto∣fore haue written, or hereafter shall wryte for mattiers of certaynetie and for matiers of euident trueth, eyther fātasyes of their owne imagining, or els thin∣ges none otherwyse knowen but by the rumoure and bruite of the people, who is commonly an authour and brynger vp of thynges not all of the fynest. And yet do not we our selues so frame the processe of this storie, that we leatte passe no manier poynte at al of the thynges that haue been sayde or doen: But we make relacion of suche thinges onely, as we know to concerne the godly deuo∣cion of the gospel, and the fruicion of the lyfe euerlastyng. For an infinite and endelesse matier it were, throughly to write euery thyng that Iesus hath doen or taught. Some poyntes there bee, whiche without the preiudice of saluaciō maye not bee vnknowen, some other thynges agayne there bee, the knowelage wherof bryngeth very muche profite to the zele and desire of perfect godlinesse: and some poyntes finally there bee, that maye bee vnknowen withoute anye

perill of saluacion, and without any greuous empechemente or hinderaunce of a christen mannes perfeccion: as in dede (for an exaumple) all that euer we knowe in diuine matiers,* 1.1 is but a litle litle porcion, in respect and comparison of that that we knowe not. Therfore neither wyll we touche and treate of euery matier to the vttermoste, nor yet tell or recite thinges vncertayne: but those thynges onely wyll we declare, of whiche there hath been moost assured and e∣uident certaintie shewed vnto vs by the vndoubted Apostles and disciples of Christ, the whiche had not onely theimselues with their owne iyes seen a great parte of the thynges that they tolde vnto vs, and hadde hearde thesame with their owne eares, and had the handeling and doyng of muche parte therof with theyr owne handes: but also hadde theimselues been a parte of thesame actes that they reported were doen, as men that had doen many thinges at the commaundemēt of the Lord, and had suffered not a fewe thynges for his sake, because they were in all matiers inseparable companions and folowers of Ie∣sus Christ, almoste neuer out of his presence. Neyther ought there the lesse cre∣dite to bee giuen vnto me, for that I do wryte suche thynges, not as I haue seen my selfe, but as I haue learned of others. It was requisite to a matier be∣yng so ferre out of all vse, and so straunge, and so vnreedible: that feith should first be acquired and woonne out of all the senses of the body, and than thesame feith to be confirmed with euident wondres and miracles.

But this kynde of tokens or prouffes cannot euermore continue ne endure. For on the one syde Christe didde not long exhibite himselfe to bee seen in this worlde, and on the other syde miracles are thynges but for a time geuen to mē∣nes hardnesse of belefe,* 1.2 and afterwarde once to ceasse and to haue an ende. It is sufficient that the rudimentes and first principles of the feith▪ proceded from suche beginninges as these. Thomas the Apostle sawe Christ after his resur∣reccion, hearde hym and felte hym with his handes, and than beleued: but oure Lorde and maister Christe pronounceth suche persones to bee blissed, whiche although they haue not bodyly seen the thynges dooen, yet neuerthelesse dooe geue as muche credite to the woordes of the gospell, as if they had personally been presente at the dooyng of thesame. For otherwyse, if onely the iyes should bee beleued, euen veray they that were bodyly conuersaunt with our lorde, doe reporte many matiers, at the dooyng of whiche themselues were not presente, but learned it of other persones beeyng substanciall, credible, and true of theyr reporte: as (for an exaumple) of the natiuitie and petigrewe of Christe, of the wyse men that were called Magi, (whiche came from the Easte to see Christ beeyng newe borne) of the flying of Ioseph & Marie with Christ into Egipte▪ of Satan how he tempted Christe. We Euangelistes, though we sawe not the begynnynges of thynges, yet haue we seen the sequeles and endes of them. We haue seen in the Apostles, al that euer oure Lorde had promised of them in the gospell. We haue seene theim beeyng enspired with the holy ghoste, geue thesame holy spirite of God to other persones also beeyng baptised, by laying their hande ouer them: yea, and in our owne selues haue we found and felt the effectual power and strength of the holy ghoste. We haue seen diuilles drie∣uen out of mē at the name of Iesus: we haue seen diseases put away: we haue seen poysons voyde of al effecte or force to dooe harme. We haue seen that the maiestie of the gospel, by men of slendre substaunce in worldely rychesse, by men of lowe degree borne, by men priuate, that is to saye, by men hauyng no seculare autoritie at al, is yet neuerthelesse in a fewe yeres famously notified

throughout the whole vniuersall yearth, and that the great and mightie prin∣ces of the worlde haue in vaine striued and wrastled to suppresse it.

And verayly euen thesame thyng also, had our Lorde spoken afore and pro∣phecied: whan I shall be lifted vp from the yearth (sayed he) I shall drawe all thinges to my selfe. Suche autours and auouchers of thinges, and the grow∣yng of thesame thynges to suche an ende and proufe as afore is sayd, doth not suffre vs to doubte, neither of tho thynges that haue passed before our tyme, ne yet of suche thynges, as for many hundredes of yeres to come are promysed. Whatsoeuer had of long tyme afore been foresayed by the godlye sayinges of the prophetes, Iesus at his cummyng into the worlde did perfourme and ful∣fyll: and whatsoeuer thyng Christ toward his departure from hēce vp to hea∣uen, sayd afore to thapostles that it should come to passe, hath in dede come to passe: neither is it to be doubted, but that he will with semblable vprightnesse and trueth, accomplishe all other thynges, whiche he hath differred vn••y••l his second cōming to bee perfourmed, concernyng the resurreccion of our bodyes, and concernyng the rewardes of the godly persones, and of the wicked. Ther∣fore as for the ordre and processe of the gospell matiers, I haue with earnesse studie throughly bou••ted out of the mouthes of suche, whose woordes are vn∣doubted and certain to write vpon. And out of these haue I pieked suche poin∣tes as semed to be moste effectuall and moste helpyng to the fayth, and to the deuout godlynesse of the gospell: not geuyng it but a litle touche here and there as it were at nouers, and as men gather floures here and there one, at auēture as they come to hand: but folowyng the ordre of the tyme, and the due course or processe of matiers, I haue diligently compyled the storye, yea euen some∣what ferre fettyng the matier from the firste grounde, that is to wete from the concepcion of hym, whiche went before the commyng of our salueour, lyke as in byrth, so in preachyng also, and in death. And than furthermore I treate of the straunge concepcion of Christ within the wombe of the virgin, of the byrthe of the childe, of his circumcision, of the puri••icacion of Marie, of sōdrie prophe∣cies spoken vpon the childe, & of certayne tokens of godly towardnesse whiche euen very than already did like certaine litle sparkes appere in the chylde: of whiche thynges the other Euangelistes that with vpright trueth and certaintie wrote before, had touched almoste nothing at all. After al this, how Iohn bap∣tised and preached, and than of the baptising of Iesus, of his beyng tēpted, of his doctryne, of wondres that he wrought, of his death, of his beeyng layed in graue, of his arisyng again frō death to lyfe, and of his returnyng vp into hea∣uen. These thynges well set in an ordre eche in his moste conuenient place, I shall in another treatise adde,* 1.3 howe he sente the holye ghoste, and what were the firste rudimentes and principles of the primitiue churche whan it firste came v••, and begonne, and also as it grewe from time to tyme greater and greater, what the chiefe Apostles Peter, Iames, Paule, and Barnabe didde, what they taughte, by what myracles, and by what affliccions they glorifyed the name of oure Lorde Iesus, not for that I suppose that these thynges wyll bee strange vnto thee, moste honest Theophilus, but partelye to the entente that thou mayest eftesones peruse in an ordre tho thynges whiche thou haste by piecemele learned of others: and partelye to thende that thou mayest of a more perfecte, and assured credence, throughly perceyue by my wrytyng, thesame thynges, whiche thou haddest hearde of others afore tymes by theyr liuelye

voyce, and woorde of mouthe, and mayest refuse the fablinges of a great sorte whiche dooe at this present, vnder the false counterfeicte name of the ghospell, set out theyr owne peynted sheath:* 1.4 and not thou alone, o Theophilus, (for we dooe not wryte these thynges to any one sole person onelye) but also all other personnes, either at this presente tyme beyng, or hereafter to come, whiche ei∣ther be or shalbe the same in dede, that thou arte called in name, that is to wete, the louers of god: whiche renouncyng and vttrely geuyng vp the deuyll, dooe with prest readinesse of beleuyng, and with godlye applying theimselues, sue to the frendeship of god: and the whiche despising aswell the eiuilles as also the good thynges of this transitory world, do bend al their desyre to those thynges, that are euerlastyng and heauenly.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Of the ac∣tes that are cōe to passe emong vs.
• * 1.2

  That if mighie not bee denyed but that they hadde seen hearde and felte these thyn∣ges.
• * 1.3

  In the ac∣tes of the apo••••les.
• * 1.4

  Theophi∣lus ī Greke is in english the louer of god.