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¶Saint Iohns lyfe Wrytten by Saynt Ierome.
IOhn the Apostle whom Iesus loued tight well, beyng the sonne of Zebe∣deus, and Iames the Apostles brother, whom after the Lordes deathe He∣rode had beheaded, wrote his ghospel last of all ye rest, being desired there∣to by the byshops of Asia, both agaynst Cerinthus, and diuers other Here∣tickes, but principally agaynste the opinion of the Ebeonites, whiche euen than arose, which Ebeonites auouche that Christe was not before Marie: by reason wherof he was enforced to shew euen his diuine natiuitie. They saye that besydes this, there was an other cause of his wrytyng, because that whan he had red the volumes of Matthewe, Marke, and Luke, he well allowed the texte of the story, and affirmed that they had sayd the trueth, but had only made their stor•• of one yeres actes, in whiche after the imprisonmente of Iohn, Christe suffered. Wherfore omitting that yeres actes, whiche were sufficiently entreated of all three, he shewed such thynges as were doen before Iohn was imprisoned. Whiche thyng may euidently appeare to suche, as shall diligently reade the volumes of the fower gospels: the whiche thing also doeth take awaye the disagreyng that semeth to be betwene Iohn and the rest. He wrote besides the premisses one Epistle, which beginneth thus. That which was from the begin∣nyng, which we haue heard, which we haue sene with our iyes, &c. The other two which begin. The elder to the welbeloued Lady and her chyldren. &c. And the elder to the best be∣loued Caius, whom I loue in the trueth. &c, are affirmed to haue been written of Iohn the priest, whose seuerall toumbe is at this daye to be sene at Ephesus, and many suppose that there are two memorials of this same Iohn the Euangelist, of whiche matter we will en∣treate, after we shall by order come to the lyfe of Papias his scholler. In the fowertenth yere than, at what tyme Domicianus after Nero styred vp the seconde persecucion. Ihon being banished into the Isle of Pathmos, wrote ye reuelacion, which is entitled the Apoca∣lipsis, which Iustine the martir, and Hireneus doe make commentaries vpon. But after Domician was stayne, and all his actes reuoked by the Senate, because of his o∣uer muche crueltie, he returned to Ephesus, in the tyme of prince Nerua: and continuyng there vntill the tyme of the Emperour Traiane, he instituted and gouerned all the churches of Asia, and there continued tyll he was impotente for age. He dyed the three score and eight yere after the passion of the Lorde Iesu, and was buried a lytle be∣syde thesame Citie.