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Quaestiones evangelicae ad Marinum

A SELECTION IN BRIEF FROM THE SAME EUSEBIUS TO MARINUS CONCERNING THE QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS IN THE GOSPELS.

Having already previously composed two treatises on the questions and solutions that are raised at the beginning of the divinely-inspired Gospels, I am now present, having passed over the middle parts, then to those questions at the end which are always sought by all; perhaps the will of God urged us to this through your commands, Marinus my most honored and industrious son. You asked first: I. How is it that in Matthew the Savior appears to have been raised late on the Sabbath, but in Mark, early on the first day of the week.

1. The solution to this might be twofold; for one person, rejecting the passage itself which states this, would say that it is not found in all the copies of the Gospel according to Mark; for indeed the accurate copies mark the end of the history according to Mark with the words of the young man who appeared to the women and said to them, "Do not be afraid, you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene;" and what follows, to which he adds, "and when they heard, they fled, and said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid." For at this point, the end is marked in almost all the copies of the Gospel according to Mark; but the following things, which are found rarely in some but not in all, would be superfluous, and especially if they should contain a contradiction to the testimony of the other evangelists; thus someone might say these things, dismissing and completely nullifying a superfluous question. But someone else, not daring at all to rejec 22.940 t any of the things found in any way in the writing of the Gospels, says that the reading is twofold, as also in many other cases, and that each is to be accepted, on the grounds that neither this one nor that one is preferred by the faithful and devout.

2. And indeed, if we grant that this part is true, it is necessary to interpret the meaning of the reading. For if we divide the sense of the passage, we would not find it contrary to what is said by Matthew, that the Savior was raised late on the Sabbath. For the phrase in Mark, "Now when he rose early on the first day of the week," we shall read with a pause. And after "Now when he rose," we shall place a stop. And we will separate the sense from what follows. Then "when he rose" would refer to "late on the Sabbath" in Matthew, for he was raised then. And let us join what follows, which is the substance of another thought, to the words that are added. For "early on the first day of the week he appeared to Mary Magdalene." John, too, made this clear, testifying that he was seen by Magdalene early on the first day of the week. Thus, in Mark also he appeared to her early; not having risen early, but much earlier, according to Matthew, late on the Sabbath. For having risen then, he appeared to Mary, not then, but early in the morning. So that in these things two times are presented: the time of the resurrection, which was late on the Sabbath; and the time of the Savior's appearance, which was early in the morning, which Mark wrote, saying what must be read with a pause: "Now when he rose;" then, placing a stop, the rest is to be said, "early on the first day of the week he appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons."

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Quaestiones evangelicae ad Marinum

ΕΚΛΟΓΗ ΕΝ ΣΥΝΤΟΜΩ ΕΚ ΤΟΥ ΑΥΤΟΥ ΕΥΣΕΒΙΟΥ ΠΡΟΣ ΜΑΡΙΝΟΝ ΠΕΡΙ ΤΩΝ ΕΝ ΕΥΑΓΓΕΛΙΟΙΣ ΖΗΤΗΜΑΤΩΝ ΚΑΙ ΛΥΣΕΩΝ.

Τῶν ἐν τοῖς θεοπνεύστοις Εὐαγγελίοις περὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀπορουμένων ζητημάτων καὶ λύσεων δύο πεπονηκὼς ἤδη πρότερον συγγράμματα, πάρειμι νῦν, τὰ μέσα παρελθὼν, ἔπειτα πρὸς τῷ τέλει τῶν αὐτῶν πάντοτε τοῖς πᾶσι ζητούμενα· τάχα που τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ βουλῆς διὰ τῶν σῶν ἐπιταγμάτων ἐπὶ τοῦτο ἡμᾶς παρορμησάσης, Μαρῖνε υἱὲ τιμιώτατέ μοι καὶ φιλοπονώτατε. Ἠρώτας δὲ τὸ πρῶτον· Αʹ. Πῶς παρὰ μὲν τῷ Ματθαίῳ ὀψὲ Σαββάτων φαίνεται ἐγηγερμένος ὁ

Σωτὴρ, παρὰ δὲ τῷ Μάρκῳ πρωῒ τῇ μιᾷ τῶν Σαββάτων.

αʹ. Τούτου διττὴ ἂν εἴη ἡ λύσις· ὁ μὲν γὰρ τὸ κεφάλαιον αὐτὸ τὴν τοῦτο φάσκουσαν περικοπὴν ἀθετῶν, εἴποι ἂν μὴ ἐν ἅπασιν αὐτὴν φέρεσθαι τοῖς ἀντιγράφοις τοῦ κατὰ Μάρκον Εὐαγγελίου· τὰ γοῦν ἀκριβῆ τῶν ἀντιγράφων τὸ τέλος περιγράφει τῆς κατὰ τὸν Μάρκον ἱστορίας ἐν τοῖς λόγοις τοῦ ὀφθέντος νεανίσκου ταῖς γυναιξὶ καὶ εἰρηκότος αὐταῖς, «Μὴ φοβεῖσθε, Ἰησοῦν ζητεῖτε τὸν Ναζαρηνόν·» καὶ τοῖς ἑξῆς, οἷς ἐπιλέγει· «καὶ ἀκούσασαι ἔφυγον, καὶ οὐδενὶ οὐδὲν εἶπον, ἐφοβοῦντο γάρ.» Ἐν τούτῳ γὰρ σχεδὸν ἐν ἅπασι τοῖς ἀντιγράφοις τοῦ κατὰ Μάρκον Εὐαγγελίου περιγέγραπται τὸ τέλος· τὰ δὲ ἑξῆς σπανίως ἔν τισιν ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν πᾶσι φερόμενα περιττὰ ἂν εἴη, καὶ μάλιστα εἴπερ ἔχοιεν ἀντιλογίαν τῇ τῶν λοιπῶν εὐαγγελιστῶν μαρτυρίᾳ· ταῦτα μὲν οὖν εἴποι ἄν τις παραιτούμενος καὶ πάντη ἀναιρῶν περιττὸν ἐρώτημα. Ἄλλος δέ τις οὐδ' ὁτιοῦν τολμῶν ἀθε 22.940 τεῖν τῶν ὁπωσοῦν ἐν τῇ τῶν Εὐαγγελίων γραφῇ φερομένων, διπλὴν εἶναί φησι τὴν ἀνάγνωσιν, ὡς καὶ ἐν ἑτέροις πολλοῖς, ἑκατέραν τε παραδεκτέαν ὑπάρχειν, τῷ μὴ μᾶλλον ταύτην ἐκείνης, ἢ ἐκείνην ταύτης, παρὰ τοῖς πιστοῖς καὶ εὐλαβέσιν ἐγκρίνεσθαι.

βʹ. Καὶ δὴ τοῦδε τοῦ μέρους συγχωρουμένου εἶναι ἀληθοῦς, προσήκει τὸν νοῦν διερμηνεύειν τοῦ ἀναγνώσματος· εἰ γοῦν διέλοιμεν τὴν τοῦ λόγου διάνοιαν, οὐκ ἂν εὕροιμεν αὐτὴν ἐναντίαν τοῖς παρὰ τοῦ Ματθαίου ὀψὲ σαββάτων ἐγηγέρθαι τὸν Σωτῆρα λελεγμένοις· τὸ γὰρ ἀναστὰς δὲ πρωῒ τῇ μιᾷ τοῦ Σαββάτου κατὰ τὸν Μάρκον, μετὰ διαστολῆς ἀναγνωσόμεθα· καὶ μετὰ τὸ ἀναστὰς δὲ, ὑποστίξομεν· καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν ἀφορίσομεν τῶν ἑξῆς ἐπιλεγομένων· εἶτα τὸ μὲν ἀναστὰς ἂν, ἐπὶ τὴν παρὰ τῷ Ματθαίῳ ὀψὲ Σαββάτων· τότε γὰρ ἐγήγερτο· τὸ δὲ ἑξῆς ἑτέρα, ὂν διανοίας ὑποστατικὸν, συνάψωμεν τοῖς ἐπιλεγομένοις· πρωῒ γὰρ τῇ μιᾷ τοῦ Σαββάτου ἐφάνη Μαρίᾳ τῇ Μαγδαληνῇ· τοῦτο γοῦν ἐδήλωσε καὶ ὁ Ἰωάννης πρωῒ καὶ αὐτὸς τῇ μιᾷ τοῦ Σαββάτου ὦφθαι αὐτὸν τῇ Μαγδαληνῇ μαρτυρήσας· οὕτως οὖν καὶ παρὰ τῷ Μάρκῳ πρωῒ ἐφάνη αὐτῇ· οὐ πρωῒ ἀναστὰς, ἀλλὰ πολὺ πρότερον κατὰ τὸν Ματθαῖον ὀψὲ τοῦ Σαββάτου· τότε γὰρ ἀναστὰς ἐφάνη τῇ Μαρίᾳ, οὐ τότε, ἀλλὰ πρωΐ· ὡς παρίστασθαι ἐν τούτοις καιροὺς δύο· τὸν μὲν γὰρ τῆς ἀναστάσεως, τὸν ὀψὲ τοῦ Σαββάτου· τὸν δὲ τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐπιφανείας, τὸν πρωῒ, ὃν ἔγραψεν ὁ Μάρκος εἰπὼν ὃ καὶ μετὰ διαστολῆς ἀναγνωστέον «ἀναστὰς δέ·» εἶτα ὑποστίξαντες, τὸ ἑξῆς ῥητέον, «πρωῒ τῇ μιᾷ τοῦ Σαββάτου ἐφάνη Μαρίᾳ τῇ Μαγδαληνῇ, ἀφ' ἧς ἐκβεβλήκει ἑπτὰ δαιμόνια.»