Chapter V.—By the Rule of Antiquity, the Catholic Gospels are Found to Be True, Including the Real St. Luke’s. Marcion’s Only a Mutilated Edition. The Heretic’s Weakness and Inconsistency in Ignoring the Other Gospels.1264    [On this whole chapter and subject, consult Kaye, pp. 278–289.]

On the whole, then, if that is evidently more true which is earlier, if that is earlier which is from the very beginning, if that is from the beginning which has the apostles for its authors, then it will certainly be quite as evident, that that comes down from the apostles, which has been kept as a sacred deposit1265    Sacrosanctum. Inviolate.  Westcott, On the Canon, p. 384. Compare De Præscript. Hæret. c. 36, supra. in the churches of the apostles. Let us see what milk the Corinthians drank from Paul; to what rule of faith the Galatians were brought for correction; what the Philippians, the Thessalonians, the Ephesians read by it; what utterance also the Romans give, so very near1266    De proximo. Westcott renders this, “who are nearest to us.” See in loco. (to the apostles), to whom Peter and Paul conjointly1267    et…et. [N.B. Not Peter’s See, then.] bequeathed the gospel even sealed with their own blood. We have also St. John’s foster churches.1268    Alumnas ecclesias. He seems to allude to the seven churches of the Apocalypse. For although Marcion rejects his Apocalypse, the order1269    [Not the Order of bishops (as we now speak) but of their succession from St. John. Kaye, p. 219.] of the bishops (thereof), when traced up to their origin, will yet rest on John as their author. In the same manner is recognised the excellent source1270    Generositas. of the other churches. I say, therefore, that in them (and not simply such of them as were founded by apostles, but in all those which are united with them in the fellowship of the mystery of the gospel of Christ1271    De societate sacramenti. [i.e. Catholic Unity.]) that Gospel of Luke which we are defending with all our might has stood its ground from its very first publication; whereas Marcion’s Gospel is not known to most people, and to none whatever is it known without being at the same time1272    Eadem. condemned. It too, of course,1273    Plane. has its churches, but specially its own—as late as they are spurious; and should you want to know their original,1274    Censum. you will more easily discover apostasy in it than apostolicity, with Marcion forsooth as their founder, or some one of Marcion’s swarm.1275    Examine. Even wasps make combs;1276    Favos. See Pliny, Nat. Hist. xi. 21. so also these Marcionites make churches.  The same authority of the apostolic churches will afford evidence1277    Patrocinabitur. [Jones on the Canon, Vol. I. p. 66.] to the other Gospels also, which we possess equally through their means,1278    Proinde per illas. and according to their usage—I mean the Gospels of John and Matthew—whilst that which Mark published may be affirmed to be Peter’s1279    See Hieronymus, Catal. Scriptt. Eccles. c. 8. whose interpreter Mark was. For even Luke’s form1280    Digestum. of the Gospel men usually ascribe to Paul.1281    See above, chap. 2, p. 347. And it may well seem1282    Capit videri. that the works which disciples publish belong to their masters. Well, then, Marcion ought to be called to a strict account1283    Flagitandus. concerning these (other Gospels) also, for having omitted them, and insisted in preference1284    Potius institerit. on Luke; as if they, too, had not had free course in the churches, as well as Luke’s Gospel, from the beginning. Nay, it is even more credible that they1285    The Gospels of the apostles John and Matthew, and perhaps Mark’s also, as being St. Peter’s. existed from the very beginning; for, being the work of apostles, they were prior, and coeval in origin with1286    Dedicata cum. the churches themselves. But how comes it to pass, if the apostles published nothing, that their disciples were more forward in such a work; for they could not have been disciples, without any instruction from their masters? If, then, it be evident that these (Gospels) also were current in the churches, why did not Marcion touch them—either to amend them if they were adulterated, or to acknowledge them if they were uncorrupt?  For it is but natural1287    Competit. that they who were perverting the gospel, should be more solicitous about the perversion of those things whose authority they knew to be more generally received. Even the false apostles (were so called) on this very account, because they imitated the apostles by means of their falsification. In as far, then, as he might have amended what there was to amend, if found corrupt, in so far did he firmly imply1288    Confirmavit. that all was free from corruption which he did not think required amendment. In short,1289    Denique. he simply amended what he thought was corrupt; though, indeed, not even this justly, because it was not really corrupt.  For if the (Gospels) of the apostles1290    Apostolica, i.e., evangelia. have come down to us in their integrity, whilst Luke’s, which is received amongst us,1291    That is, the canonical Gospel of St. Luke, as distinct from Marcion’s corruption of it. [N.B. “Us” = Catholics.] so far accords with their rule as to be on a par with them in permanency of reception in the churches, it clearly follows that Luke’s Gospel also has come down to us in like integrity until the sacrilegious treatment of Marcion. In short, when Marcion laid hands on it, it then became diverse and hostile to the Gospels of the apostles. I will therefore advise his followers, that they either change these Gospels, however late to do so, into a conformity with their own, whereby they may seem to be in agreement with the apostolic writings (for they are daily retouching their work, as daily they are convicted by us); or else that they blush for their master, who stands self-condemned1292    Traducto. either way—when once1293    Nunc—nunc. he hands on the truth of the gospel conscience smitten, or again1294    Nunc—nunc. subverts it by shameless tampering. Such are the summary arguments which we use, when we take up arms1295    Expedimur. against heretics for the faith1296    Fide, integrity. of the gospel, maintaining both that order of periods, which rules that a late date is the mark of forgers,1297    Posteritati falsariorum præscribentem. and that authority of churches1298    [Mark the authority of churches. He uses the plural—quod ab omnibus.] which lends support to the tradition of the apostles; because truth must needs precede the forgery, and proceed straight from those by whom it has been handed on.

CAPUT V.

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In summa, si constat id verius quod prius, id prius quod et ab initio, id ab initio, quod ab Apostolis; pariter utique constabit, id esse ab Apostolis traditum, quod apud ecclesias Apostolorum fuerit sacrosanctum. Videamus quod lac a Paulo Corinthii hauserint; ad quam regulam Galatae sint recorrecti ; quid legant Philippenses, Thessalonicenses, Ephesii; quid etiam Romani de proximo sonent, quibus Evangelium et Petrus et Paulus sanguine quoque suo signatum reliquerunt. Habemus et Joannis alumnas ecclesias. Nam etsi Apocalypsim ejus Marcion respuit, ordo tamen episcoporum ad originem recensus, in Joannem stabit auctorem. Sic et caeterarum generositas recognoscitur. Dico itaque apud illas, nec solas 0366D jam apostolicas, sed apud universas, quae illis de societate sacramenti confoederantur, id Evangelium Lucae ab initio editionis suae stare, quod cum maxime 0367A tuemur: Marcionis vero plerisque nec notum; nulli autem notum, ut non eo damnatum. Habet plane et illud ecclesias, sed suas; tam posteras quam adulteras; quarum si censum requiras, facilius apostaticum invenias quam apostolicum; Marcione scilicet conditore, vel aliquo de Marcionis examine. Faciunt favos et vespae : faciunt ecclesias et marcionitae. Eadem auctoritas ecclesiarum apostolicarum caeteris quoque patrocinabitur Evangeliis, quae proinde per illas et secundum illas habemus, Joannis dico et Matthaei, licet et Marcus quod edidit, Petri affirmetur, cujus interpres Marcus: nam et Lucae Digestum Paulo adscribere solent. Capit magistrorum videri, quae discipuli promulgarint. Itaque et de his Marcion flagitandus, quid omissis eis, Lucae 0367B potius institerit; quasi non et haec apud ecclesias a primordio fuerint, quemadmodum et Lucae. Atquin haec magis primordio fuisse credibile est, ut priora, qua apostolica; ut cum ipsis Ecclesiis dedicata. Caeterum, quale est, si nihil Apostoli ediderunt, ut discipuli potius ediderint, qui nec discipuli existere potuissent sine ulla doctrina magistrorum? Igitur dum constet haec quoque apud Ecclesias fuisse, cur non haec quoque Marcion attigit, aut emendanda si adulterata, aut agnoscenda si integra? nam et competit, ut si qui Evangelium pervertebant, eorum magis curarent perversionem, quorum sciebant auctoritatem receptiorem, ideo et pseudapostoli, quod per falsum Apostolos imitarentur. In quantum ergo emendasset quae fuissent emendanda, si fuissent corrupta, 0367C in tantum confirmavit non fuisse corrupta, quae non putavit emendanda. Denique emendavit, quod corruptum existimavit. Sed ne hoc merito, quia non fuit corruptum. Si enim apostolica integra cucurrerunt ; Lucae autem quod est secundum nos, adeo congruit regulae eorum, ut cum illis apud Ecclesias maneat, jam et Lucae constat integrum decucurrisse usque ad sacrilegium Marcionis. Denique, ubi manus illi Marcion intulit, tunc diversum et aemulum factum est apostolicis. Igitur dabo consilium discipulis ejus, ut aut et illa convertant, licet sero, ad formam sui, quo cum apostolicis convenire videantur (nam et quotidie reformant illud, prout a nobis 0368A quotidie revincuntur), aut erubescant de magistro ubique traducto, cum Evangelii veritatem nunc ex conscientia tramittit; nunc ex impudentia evertit. His fere compendiis utimur, cum de Evangelii fide adversus haereticos experimur , defendentibus et temporum ordinem posteritati falsariorum praescribentem, et auctoritatem Ecclesiarum traditioni Apostolorum patrocinantem: quia veritas falsum praecedat necesse est; et ab eis procedat, a quibus tradita est.