2

to return. It was frequently styled St. Peter's gospel, not so much because dictated by him to St. Mark, as because he principally composed it out of that account which St. Peter usually delivered in his discourses to the people. Which probably is the reason of what Chrysostom observes, that in his style and manner of expression he delights to imitate St. Peter, representing much in a few words. Though he commonly reduces the story of our Saviour's acts into a narrower compass than St. Matthew, yet want there not passages which he relates more largely than he. The last chapter of his gospel, at least part of it, was (as Jerome informs us3) wanting in all ancient Greek copies, rejected upon pretence of some disagreement with the other gospels, though, as he there shows, they are fairly consistent with each other. His great impartiality in his relations appears from hence, that he is so far from concealing the shameful lapse and denial of Peter, his dear tutor and master, that he sets it down with some particular circumstances and aggravations, which the other evangelists take no notice of. Some dispute has been made in what language it was written, whether in Greek or Latin: that which seems to give most countenance to the Latin original, is the note that we find at the end of the Syriac version of this gospel, where it is said that Mark preached and

1 Vid. Pap. loc. supr. citat.

2 Homil. 3, in Matth. p. 30.

3 Ad Hedib. Quæst 3, p. 143, tom. iii.

4 Ταῦτα παρὰ τοῦ διδασκάλε μαθών. και γὰρ φοιτητὴς ἦν Πέτρῳ. ἔθεν μάλιτα ἄν τις αὐτὸν ἐκπλαγείη, ὅτι ἐ μόνον οὐκ ἔκρυψε τὸ ἐλάττωμα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων σαφέσερον ἀπήγγειλεν, αὐτῷ τέτῳ τῷ μαθητῇ.—Chrys. Homil. 86, in Matth. p. 719.

declared his holy gospel at Rome, in the Roman, or the Latin tongue. An evidence that with me would almost carry the force of a demonstration, were I assured that this note is of equal value and authority with that ancient version, generally supposed to come very few centuries short of the apostolic age. But we know how usual it is for such additions to be made by some later hand; and what credit is to be given to the subscriptions at the end of St. Paul's epistles, we have showed elsewhere. Besides, that it is not here said that he wrote, but that he preached his gospel at Rome in that language. The advocates of the Romish church plead, that it is very congruous and suitable, that it should at first be consigned to writing in that language, being principally designed for the use of the Christians at Rome. An objection that will easily vanish, when we consider that as the convert Jews there understood very little Latin, so there were very few Romans that understood not Greek, it being (as appears from the writers of that age) the genteel and fashionable language of those times. Nor can any good reason be assigned, why it should be more inconvenient for St. Mark to write his gospel in Greek for the use of the Romans, than that St. Paul should, in the same language, write his epistle to that church. The original Greek сору, written with St. Mark's own hand, is said to be extant at Venice at this day; written (as they tell us) by him at Aquileia,' and thence, after many hundreds of years, translated to Venice, where it is still preserved, though the letters so worn out with length of time, that they are not capable of

Corn. à Lap. præfat. in Marc. 562.

being read. A story which as I cannot absolutely disprove, so I am not very forward to believe, and that for more reasons than I think worth while to insist on in this place.

215

ST. LUKE

THE EVANGELIST.

ST. LUKE was born at Antioch, the metropolis of Syria, a city celebrated for its extraordinary blessings and eminence, the pleasantness of its situation, the fertility of its soil, the riches of its traffic, the wisdom of its senate, the learning of its professors, the civility and politeness of its inhabitants, by the pens of some of the greatest orators of their times:' and yet, above all these, renowned for this one peculiar honour, that here it was that the disciples were first called Christians. It was an university, replenished with schools of learning, wherein were professors of all arts and sciences. So that being born in the very lap of the muses, he could not well miss of an ingenuous and liberal education, his natural parts meeting with the advantages of great improvements. Nay, we are

1 Dion. Chrys. Orat. 47, de Patria. Liban. Orat. 11, cui Tit. 'AvTóxicos. tom. ii. Chrysost. Encom. Antioch. Tí Tor' v ἐπὶ τῆν παρ' ἡμῖν πόλεως ἀξίωμα ; ἐγένετο πρῶτον ἐν ̓Αντιοχείᾳ τὰς μαθητὰς χρηματίσαι Χρισιανές. τέτο δε οὐδεμία τῶν κατὰ τὴν οἰκεμένην ἔχειν πόλεων, οὐδ ̓ αὐτὴ ἡ Ῥωμύλε Tóig.-Chyrost. Hom. 17, ad Pop. Antioch. p. 198, tom. i.

told, that he studied not only at Antioch, but in all the schools both of Greece and Egypt, whereby he became accomplished in all parts of learning and human sciences.' Being thus furnished out with skill in all the preparatory institutions of philosophy, he more particularly applied himself to the study of physic, for which the Grecian academies were most famous; though they that hence infer the quality of his birth and fortunes, forget to consider, that this noble art was in those times generally managed by persons of no better rank than servants: upon which account a learned man conceives St. Luke, though a Syrian by birth, to have been a servant at Rome, where he sometimes practised physic; and whence being manumitted, he returned into his own country, and probably continued his profession all his life; it being so fairly consistent with, and in many cases so subservient to the ministry of the gospel, and the care of souls. Besides his abilities in physic, he is said to have been very skilful in painting,3 and there are no less than three or four several pieces still in being, pretended to have been drawn with his own hand; a tradition which Gretser the Jesuit sets himself with a great deal of pains, and to very little purpose, to defend ; either in respect of credit or very little esteem and value.

2

though his authors, antiquity, deserve Of more authority

with me would be an ancient inscription found in a vault near the church of St. Mary, in Via Lata, at

1 S. Metaphr. apud Sur. ad diem 18 Octob. p. 289.

2 Grot. Annot. in Luc. 1.

3 Metaphr. ib Niceph. lib. ii. c. 43.

4 De imag. non manuf. et à S. Luca pict. c. 18 et 19, p. 354; Rom. Subterr. Part ii. c. 46, n. 10, p. 188.