The Newe Testament dylygently corrected and compared with the Greke by Willyam Tindale, and fynesshed in the yere of our Lorde God A.M.D. & xxxiiij. in the moneth of Nouember.

¶ A prologe into the .iiii. Euangelystes shewynge what they were & their auctoryte. And fyrst of S. Mathew.

AS towchynge y^e euāgelystes: ye se in y^e new testament clearly what they were Fyrst mathew (as ye reade Mat ix. Mar. ii. Luke. v) was one of christe apostles / and was with christ all the tyme of his prea∣chynge / and sawe and heard his awne selfe al¦most all that he wrote.

¶ Marke

OF Marke reade (actes xii) how peter (after he was loosed oute of pryson by the angell) came to Mark{is} mothers house / where manye of y^e desciples were pray∣enge for his delyueraūce. And paul & Barna∣bas toke him w^t thē frō Ierusalem & brought him to Antioche / act{is} .xii. And act{is} .xiii. paul & Barnabas toke Marke w^t them when they were sent oute to preache: from whome he al∣so departed / as it apereth in the sayde chapter / & returned to Ierusalem agayne. And act{is}. xv paul & Barnabas were at varyaunce aboute him / paul not wyllynge to take him w^t them / because he forsoke thē in their fyrst Iorneye. Notw^tstondynge yet / when paul wrote y^e epi∣stle to y^e collossyās / Marke was w^t him / as he sayth in the fourth chapter: of whome Paul also testifieth / both y^t he was Barnabas si∣sters sonne and also his felowe worker in the kyngedome of God.

And .ii. Timothe. iiii paul cōmaundeth Timo¦the to brynge Marke w^t him / affirmynge y^t he was nedefull to him / to mynister to him. Final¦lye / he was also w^t peter when he wrote his fyrst epistle / & so famylier y^t peter calleth him his sonne. Wherof ye se / of whome he learned his gospell / euen of the verye apostles / with whome he had his cōtynuall conversacion / & also of what auctoryte his wrytynge is / and how worthie of credence.

¶ Luke.

LUcas was Pauls companyon / at the least waye frō y^e .xvi. of the act{is} forth & with him in all his trybulacyō. And he wēt with paule at his last goynge vp to Ierusalem. And frō thence he folowed paul to Cesarea / where he laye two yere in pryson And frō Cesarea he went with paul to Rome where he laye two other yer••s in pryson. And he was with Paul when he wrote to y^e collos∣syōs / as he testifieth in y^e fourth chapter say¦enge: the beloued Lucas the phisiciō saluteth you. And he was w^t paul whē he wrote y^e se¦cōde pistle to Timothe / as he sayth ī y^e fourth chapter sayenge: Onlye Lucas is with me. Wherby ye se y^e auctorite of the man and of what credēce & reuerēce his wrytinge is wor¦thie of / & therto of whome he learned y^e storye of his gospell / as he him selfe sayth / how y^t he learned it & searched it oute with all dyly∣gence of them y^t sawe it and were also partta∣kers

at the doynge. And as for the actes of y^e apostles / he him selfe was at the doynge of thē (at the least) of the moost parte / & had his parte therin / and therfore wrote of his aw∣ne experyence.

¶ Iohn.

IOhn / what he was / is manyfest by the thre fyrst euāgelist{is}. Fyrst christes apo¦stle / & y^t one of y^e chefe. Thē christes ny¦e kinsmā / & for his synguler innocēcie & softe¦nes / singulerlye beloued & of synguler famyli¦arite with christ / & euer one of y^e thre wytnes∣ses of moost secret thynges. The cause of his wrytynge was certayne heresyes that arose in his tyme / & namelye two / of which one denyed christ to be verye man & to be come in y^e verie fleshe & nature of man. Agaynst which two heresyes he wrote both his gospell & also his fyrst epistle / & in y^e begynnynge of his gospell sayth y^t the worde or thynge was at y^e begyn∣nynge / & was w^t God / & was also verye God and y^t all thynges was created & made by yt / and y^t it was also made fleshe: y^t is to saye / be∣came verie mā. And he dwelt amōge vs (sayth he) & we sawe his glorye.

And in y^e begynnynge of his pistle / he saith we shew you of y^e thynge y^t was frō the begyn¦nynge / which also we heard / sawe w^t oure eyes & oure handes hādeled. And agayne we shew you euerlastynge lyfe / that was with y^e father and apered to vs / & we heard and sawe. & ce.

In that he sayth that it was from the begyn∣nynge / and that it was eternall lyfe / and that it was with God / he affirmeth him to be ve∣rie God. And that he sayth / we hearde / sawe and fealte / he wytnesseth that he was verie man also. Ihon also wrote last / and therfore touched not the storie that the other had com∣piled. But wryteth most of the fayth and promyses / & of the sermones of Christ. This be sofficient concerninge the .iiii. Euangelistes and their auctoritie and worthynes to be beleued.

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