The Harmony of the Gospels.pdf

The Catholic Primer’s

Reference Series:

THE HARMONY OF THE GOSPELS

Augustine of Hippo

Saint and Doctor of the Church

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TRANSLATOR'S INTRODUCTORY NOTICE ............................................................................................... 14

THE HARMONY OF THE GOSPELS. ............................................................................................................ 17

BOOK I. ....................................................................................................................................................... 17

THE TREATISE OPENS WITH A SHORT STATEMENT ON THE SUBJECT OF THE AUTHORITY OF

THE EVANGELISTS, THEIR NUMBER, THEIR ORDER, AND THE DIFFERENT PLANS OF THEIR

NARRATIVES. AUGUSTIN THEN PREPARES FOR THE DISCUSSION OF THE QUESTIONS

RELATING TO THEIR HARMONY, BY JOINING ISSUE IN THIS BOOK WITH THOSE WHO RAISE A

DIFFICULTY IN THE CIRCUMSTANCE THAT CHRIST HAS LEFT NO WRITING OF HIS OWN, OR

WHO FALSELY ALLEGE THAT CERTAIN BOOKS WERE COMPOSED BY HIM ON THE ARTS OF

MAGIC. HE ALSO MEETS THE OBJECTIONS OF THOSE WHO, IN OPPOSITION TO THE

EVANGELICAL TEACHING, ASSERT THAT THE DISCIPLES OF CHRIST AT ONCE ASCRIBED

MORE TO THEIR MASTER THAN HE REALLY WAS, WHEN THEY AFFIRMED THAT HE WAS GOD,

AND INCULCATED WHAT THEY HAD NOT BEEN INSTRUCTED IN BY HIM, WHEN THEY

INTERDICTED THE WORSHIP OF THE GODS. AGAINST THESE ANTAGONISTS HE VINDICATES

THE TEACHING OF THE APOSTLES, BY APPEALING TO THE UTTERANCES OF THE PROPHETS,

AND BY SHOWING THAT THE GOD OF ISRAEL WAS TO BE THE SOLE OBJECT OF WORSHIP,

WHO ALSO, ALTHOUGH HE WAS THE ONLY DEITY TO WHOM ACCEPTANCE WAS DENIED IN

FORMER TIMES BY THE ROMANS, AND THAT FOR THE VERY REASON THAT HE PROHIBITED

THEM FROM WORSHIPPING OTHER GODS ALONG WITH HIMSELF, HAS NOW IN THE END

MADE THE EMPIRE OF ROME SUBJECT TO HIS NAME, AND AMONG ALL NATIONS HAS

BROKEN THEIR IDOLS IN PIECES THROUGH THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL, AS HE HAD

PROMISED BY HIS PROPHETS THAT THE EVENT SHOULD BE. ..................................................... 17

CHAP. I.--ON THE AUTHORITY OF THE GOSPELS............................................................................. 17

CHAP. II.--ON THE ORDER OF THE EVANGELISTS, AND THE PRINCIPLES ON WHICH THEY

WROTE. ................................................................................................................................................... 18

CHAP. III.--OF THE FACE THAT MATTHEW, TOGETHER WITH MARK, HAD SPECIALLY IN VIEW

THE KINGLY CHARACTER OF CHRIST, WHEREAS LUKE DEALT WITH THE PRIESTLY. .............. 19

CHAP. IV.--OF THE FACT THAT JOHN UNDERTOOK THE EXPOSITION OF CHRIST'S DIVINITY. .20

CHAP. V.--CONCERNING THE TWO VIRTUES, OF WHICH JOHN IS CONVERSANT WITH THE

CONTEMPLATIVE, THE OTHER EVANGELISTS WITH THE ACTIVE. ................................................ 20

CHAP. VI.--OF THE FOUR LIVING CREATURES IN THE APOCALYPSE, WHICH HAVE BEEN

TAKEN BY SOME IN ONE APPLICATION, AND BY OTHERS IN ANOTHER, AS APT FIGURES OF

THE FOUR EVANGELISTS..................................................................................................................... 21

CHAP. VII.--A STATEMENT OF AUGUSTIN'S REASON FOR UNDERTAKING THIS WORK ON THE

HARMONY OF THE EVANGELISTS, AND AN EXAMPLE OF THE METHOD IN WHICH HE MEETS

THOSE WHO ALLEGE THAT CHRIST WROTE NOTHING HIMSELF, AND THAT HIS DISCIPLES

MADE AN UNWARRANTED AFFIRMATION IN PROCLAIMING HIM TO BE GOD. ............................. 22

CHAP. VIII.--OF THE QUESTION WHY, IF CHRIST IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN THE WISEST OF

MEN ON THE TESTIMONY OF COMMON NARRATIVE REPORT, HE SHOULD NOT BE BELIEVED

TO BE GOD ON THE TESTIMONY OF THE SUPERIOR REPORT OF PREACHING. ........................ 24

CHAP. IX.--OF CERTAIN PERSONS WHO PRETEND THAT CHRIST WROTE BOOKS ON THE ARTS

OF MAGIC. .............................................................................................................................................. 24

CHAP. X.--OF SOME WHO ARE MAN ENOUGH TO SUPPOSE THAT THE BOOKS WERE

INSCRIBED WITH THE NAMES OF PETER AND PAUL. ...................................................................... 25

CHAP. XI.--IN OPPOSITION TO THOSE WHO FOOLISHLY IMAGINE THAT CHRIST CONVERTED

THE PEOPLE TO HIMSELF BY MAGICAL ARTS. ................................................................................. 25

CHAP. XII.--OF THE FACT THAT THE GOD OF THE JEWS, AFTER THE SUBJUGATION OF THAT

PEOPLE, WAS STILL NOT ACCEPTED BY THE ROMANS, BECAUSE HIS COMMANDMENT WAS

THAT HE ALONE SHOULD BE WORSHIPPED, AND IMAGES DESTROYED..................................... 26

CHAP. XIII.--OF THE QUESTION WHY GOD SUFFERED THE JEWS TO BE REDUCED TO

SUBJECTION. ......................................................................................................................................... 27

CHAP. XIV.--OF THE FACT THAT THE GOD OF THE HEBREWS, ALTHOUGH THE PEOPLE WERE

CONQUERED, PROVED HIMSELF TO BE UNCONQUERED, BY OVERTHROWING THE IDOLS,

AND BY TURNING ALL THE GENTILES TO HIS OWN......................................................................... 27

SERVICE. ................................................................................................................................................ 27

CHAP. XV.--OF THE FACT THAT THE PAGANS, WHEN CONSTRAINED TO LAUD CHRIST, HAVE

LAUNCHED THEIR INSULTS AGAINST HIS DISCIPLES. .................................................................... 29

CHAP. XVI.--OF THE FACT THAT, ON THE SUBJECT OF THE DESTRUCTION OF IDOLS, THE

APOSTLES TAUGHT NOTHING DIFFERENT FROM WHAT WAS TAUGHT BY CHRIST OR BY THE

PROPHETS. ............................................................................................................................................ 29

CHAP. XVII.--IN OPPOSITION TO THE ROMANS WHO REJECTED THE GOD OF ISRAEL ALONE.29

Chap. XVIII.--OF THE FACT THAT THE GOD OF THE HEBREWS IS NOT RECEIVED BY THE

ROMANS, BECAUSE HIS WILLIS THAT HE ALONE SHOULD BE WORSHIPPED............................. 30

CHAP. XIX.--THE PROOF THAT THIS GOD IS THE TRUE GOD. ........................................................ 31

CHAP. XX.--OF THE FACT THAT NOTHING IS DISCOVERED TO HAVE BEEN PREDICTED BY THE

PROPHETS OF THE PAGANS IN OPPOSITION TO THE GOD OF THE HEBREWS.......................... 31

CHAP. XXI.--AN ARGUMENT FOR THE EXCLUSIVE WORSHIP OF THIS GOD, WHO, WHILE HE

PROHIBITS OTHER DEITIES FROM BEING WORSHIPPED, IS NOT HIMSELF INTERDICTED BY

OTHER DIVINITIES FROM BEING WORSHIPPED. .............................................................................. 32

CHAP. XXII.--OF THE OPINION ENTERTAINED BY THE GENTILES REGARDING OUR GOD......... 32

CHAP. XXIII.--OF THE FOLLIES WHICH THE PAGANS HAVE INDULGED IN REGARDING JUPITER

AND SATURN.......................................................................................................................................... 33

CHAP, XXIV.--OF THE FACT THAT THOSE PERSONS WHO REJECT THE GOD OF ISRAEL, IN

CONSEQUENCE FAIL TO WORSHIP ALL THE GODS; AND, ON THE OTHER HAND, THAT THOSE

WHO WORSHIP OTHER GODS, FAIL TO WORSHIP HIM. .................................................................. 36

CHAP.XXV.--OF THE FACT THAT THE FALSE GODS DO NOT FORBID OTHERS TO BE

WORSHIPPED ALONG WITH THEMSELVES. THAT THE GOD OF ISRAEL IS THE TRUE GOD, IS

PROVED BY HIS WORKS, BOTH IN PROPHECY AND IN FULFILMENT............................................ 37

CHAP. XXVI.--OF THE FACT THAT IDOLATRY HAS BEEN SUBVERTED BY THE NAME OF CHRIST,

AND BY THE FAITH OF CHRISTIANS ACCORDING TO THE PROPHECIES. .................................... 39

CHAP. XXVII.--AN ARGUMENT URGING IT UPON THE REMNANT OF IDOLATERS THAT THEY

SHOULD AT LENGTH BECOME SERVANTS OF THIS TRUE GOD, WHO EVERYWHERE IS

SUBVERTING IDOLS. ............................................................................................................................. 40

CHAP. XXVIII.--OF THE PREDICTED REJECTION OF IDOLS. ............................................................ 40

CHAP. XXIX.--OF THE QUESTION WHY THE HEATHEN SHOULD REFUSE TO WORSHIP THE GOD

OF ISRAEL; EVEN ALTHOUGH THEY DEEM HIM TO BE ONLY THE PRESIDING DIVINITY OF THE

ELEMENTS?............................................................................................................................................ 41

CHAP. XXX.--OF THE FACT THAT, AS THE PROPHECIES HAVE BEEN FULFILLED, THE GOD OF

ISRAEL HAS NOW BEEN MADE KNOWN EVERYWHERE. ................................................................. 42

CHAP. XXXI.--THE FULFILMENT OF THE PROPHECIES CONCERNING CHRIST............................ 43

CHAP. XXXII.--A STATEMENT IN VINDICATION OF THE DOCTRINE OF THE APOSTLES AS

OPPOSED TO IDOLATRY, IN THE WORDS OF THE PROPHECIES. ................................................. 45

CHAP. XXXIII.--A STATEMENT IN OPPOSITION TO THOSE WHO MAKE THE COMPLAINT THAT

THE BLISS OF HUMAN LIFE HAS BEEN IMPAIRED BY THE ENTRANCE OF CHRISTIAN TIMES. .46

CHAP. XXXIV.--EPILOGUE TO THE PRECEDING................................................................................ 47

CHAP. XXXV.--OF THE FACT THAT THE MYSTERY OF A MEDIATOR WAS MADE KNOWN TO

THOSE WHO LIVED IN ANCIENT TIMES BY THE AGENCY OF PROPHECY, AS IT IS NOW

DECLARED TO US IN THE GOSPEL..................................................................................................... 48

BOOK II. ...................................................................................................................................................... 49

IN THIS BOOK AUGUSTIN UNDERTAKES AN ORDERLY EXAMINATION OF THE GOSPEL

ACCORDING TO MATTHEW, ON TO THE NARRATIVE OF THE SUPPER, AND INSTITUTES A

COMPARISON BETWEEN IT AND THE OTHER GOSPELS BY MARK, LUKE, AND JOHN, WITH THE

VIEW OF DEMONSTRATING A COMPLETE HARMONY BETWEEN THE FOUR EVANGELISTS

THROUGHOUT ALL THESE SECTIONS. .............................................................................................. 49

THE PROLOGUE..................................................................................................................................... 49

CHAP. I.--A STATEMENT OF THE REASON WHY THE ENUMERATION OF THE ANCESTORS OF

CHRIST IS CARRIED DOWN TO JOSEPH, WHILE CHRIST WAS NOT BORN OF THAT MAN'S

SEED, BUT OF THE VIRGIN MARY. ...................................................................................................... 50

CHAP. II.--AN EXPLANATION OF THE SENSE IN WHICH CHRIST IS THE SON OF DAVID,

ALTHOUGH HE WAS NOT BEGOTTEN IN THE WAY OF ORDINARY GENERATION BY JOSEPH

THE SON OF DAVID. .............................................................................................................................. 51

CHAP. III.--A STATEMENT OF THE REASON WHY MATTHEW ENUMERATES ONE SUCCESSION

OF ANCESTORS FOR CHRIST AND LUKE ANOTHER........................................................................ 51

CHAP. IV.--OF THE REASON WHY FORTY GENERATIONS (NOT INCLUDING CHRIST HIMSELF)

ARE FOUND IN MATTHEW, ALTHOUGH HE DIVIDES THEM INTO THREE SUCCESSIONS OF

FOURTEEN EACH. ................................................................................................................................. 53

CHAP. V.--A STATEMENT OF THE MANNER IN WHICH LUKE'S PROCEDURE IS PROVED TO BE

IN HARMONY WITH MATTHEW'S IN THOSE MATTERS CONCERNING THE CONCEPTION AND

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