Tuesday, October 18, 2011

"When Paul says, 'According to my Gospel', he means the Gospel written by Luke."


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From Matins of the Feast of St. Luke the Evangelist
Source: www.breviary.net

Lesson iv
Ex libro sancti Hierónymi Presbyteri de Scriptóribus ecclesiásticisThe Lesson is taken from the Book on Ecclesiastical Writers, written by St. Jerome the Priest
Cap. 7
Lucas, médicus Antiochénsis, ut ejus scriptaíndicant, Græci sermónis non ignárus, fuit sectátor Apóstoli Pauli, et omnis peregrinatiónis ejus comes.  Scripsit Evangélium, de quo idem Paulus : Mísimus, inquit, cum illo fratrem, cujus laus est in Evangélio per omnes ecclésias.  Et ad Colossénses : Salútat vos Lucas, médicus caríssimus.  Et ad Timótheum : Lucas est mecum solus.  Aliud quoque édidit volúmen egrégium, quod título, Acta Apostolórum, prænotátur ; cujus história usque ad biénnium Romæ commorántis Pauli pérvenit, id est, usque ad quartum Nerónis annum.  Ex quo intellígimus, in eádem urbe librum esse compósitum.
Luke was a physician of Antioch, who, as appeareth from his writings, knew the Greek language.  He was a follower of the Apostle Paul, and his fellow-traveller in all his wanderings.  He wrote a Gospel, whereof the same Paul saith : We have sent with him the brother, whose praise is in the Gospel throughout all the Churches.  Of him, he writeth unto the Colossians, Luke, the beloved physician greeteth you.  And again, unto Timothy, Only Luke is with me.  He also published another excellent book intituled The Acts of the Apostles, wherein the history is brought down to Paul's two-years sojourn at Rome, that is to say, until the fourth year of Nero, from which we gather that it was at Rome that the said book was composed.
V.  Tu autem, Dómine, miserére nobis.
R.  Deo grátias.
V.  But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.
R.  Thanks be to God.

St. Luke painting the first icon
R.  Vidi conjúnctos viros, habéntes spléndidas vestes, et Angelus Dómini locútus est ad me, dicens: * Isti sunt viri sancti facti amíci Dei.
V.  Vidi Angelum Dei fortem, volántem per médium cælum, voce magna clamántem et dicéntem.
R.  Isti sunt viri sancti facti amíci Dei.
R.  I saw men standing together, clothed in raiment white and glistering, and the Angel of the Lord spake unto me saying, *  These men are holy, for they are the friends of God.
V.  And I saw a strong Angel of God flying in the midst of heaven, and the same did proclaim with a loud voice, saying:
R.  These men are holy, for they are the friends of God.

V.  Jube domne, (Dómine) benedícere.
V.  Vouchsafe, Reverend Father (O Lord), thy blessing.
Benedíctio 5: Christus perpétuæ det nobis gáudia vitæ.
R.  Amen.
Benediction 5: May Christ bestow upon us the joys of life eternal.
R.  Amen.
Lesson v
Igitur períodos Pauli et Theclæ, et totam baptizáti Leónis fábulam, inter apócryphas scriptúras computámus.  Quale enim est, ut indivíduus comes Apóstoli, inter céteras ejus res, hoc solum ignoráverit?  Sed et Tertulliánus, vicínus eórum témporum, refert presbyterum quemdam in Asia, amatórem Apóstoli Pauli, convíctum a Joánne quod auctor esset libri, et conféssum se hoc Pauli amóre fecísse, et ob id loco excidísse.  Quidam suspicántur, quotiescúmque in epístolis suis Paulus dicit, Juxta Evangélium meum, de Lucæ significáre volúmine.
The silence of Luke is one of the reasons why we reckon among Apocryphal books The Acts of Paul and Thecla, and the whole story about the baptism of Leo.  For why should the fellow-traveller of the Apostle, who knew other things, be ignorant only of this?  At the same time there is against these documents the statement of Tertullian, almost a contemporary writer, that the Apostle John convicted a certain Priest in Asia, who was a great admirer of the Apostle Paul, of having written them, and that the said Priest owned that he had been induced to compose them through his admiration for Paul, and that he was deposed in consequence.  There are some persons who suspect that when Paul in his Epistles useth the phrase, According to my Gospel, he meaneth the Gospel written by Luke.
V.  Tu autem, Dómine, miserére nobis.
R.  Deo grátias.
V.  But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.
R.  Thanks be to God.
R.  Beáti estis, cum maledíxerint vobis hómines, et persecúti vos fúerint, et díxerint omne malum advérsum vos, mentiéntes, propter me: * Gaudéte et exsultáte, quóniam merces vestra copiósa est in cælis.
V.  Cum vos óderint hómines, et cum separáverint vos, et exprobráverint, et ejécerint nomen vestrum tamquam malum propter Fílium hóminis.
R.  Gaudéte et exsultáte, quóniam merces vestra copiósa est in cælis.
R.  Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake: * Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven.
V.  When men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil for the Son of Man's sake.
R.  Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven.

V.  Jube domne, (Dómine) benedícere.
V.  Vouchsafe, Reverend Father (O Lord), thy blessing.
Benedíctio 6: Ignem sui amóris accéndat Deus in córdibus nostris.
R.  Amen.
Benediction 6: May God enkindle in our hearts the fire of his holy love.
R.  Amen.
Lesson vi
Lucam autem, non solum ab Apóstolo Paulo dídicísse Evangélium, qui cum Dómino in carne non fúerat, sed et a céteris Apóstolis ; quod ipse quoque in princípio sui volúminis declárat, dicens : Sicut tradidérunt nobis, qui a princípio ipsi vidérunt et minístri fuérunt sermónis.  Igitur Evangélium, sicut audíerat, scripsit ; Acta vero Apostolórum, sicut víderat ipse, compósuit.  Vixit octogínta et quátuor annos, uxórem non habens.  Sepúltus est Constantinópoli, ad quam urbem, vigésimo Constantíni anno, ossa ejus cum relíquiis Andréæ Apóstoli transláta sunt de Achája.
Howbeit, Luke learned his Gospel not from the Apostle Paul only, who had not companied with the Lord in the flesh, but also from other Apostles, as himself declareth at the beginning of his work, where he saith : They delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eye-witnesses and ministers of the word.  According to what he had heard, therefore, did he write his Gospel.  As to the Acts of the Apostles, he composed them from his own personal knowledge.  He was never married.  He lived eighty-four years.  He is buried at Constantinople, whither his bones were brought from Achaia in the twentieth year of Constantine, together with the relicks of the Apostle Andrew.
V.  Tu autem, Dómine, miserére nobis.
R.  Deo grátias.
V.  But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.
R.  Thanks be to God.

The Basilica of Santa Giustina in Padua, Italy
Final resting place of the body of St. Luke
R.  Isti sunt triumphatóres et amíci Dei, qui contemnéntes jussa príncipum, meruérunt præmia ætérna: * Modo coronántur, et accípiunt palmam.
V.  Isti sunt qui venérunt ex magna tribulatióne, et lavérunt stolas suas in sánguine Agni.
R.  Modo coronántur, et accípiunt palmam.
V.  Glória Patri, et Fílio, et Spirítui Sancto.
R.  Modo coronántur, et accípiunt palmam.
R.  These are they which do celebrate an eternal triumph and are become the friends of God, who overcame the princes of this world in the service of him who rewardeth everlastingly :* And now they have crowns on their heads and palms in their hands.
V.  These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb.
R.  And now they have crowns on their heads and palms in their hands.
V.  Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
R.  And now they have crowns on their heads and palms in their hands.

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