| PRÆFATIO
VICTORIS CAPUANI. |
Preface
of Victor of Capua. |
|
|
Cum fortuito in manus meas incideret unum ex quattuor evangelium
conpositum et absente titulo non invenirem nomen auctoris, |
It was by chance
that into my hands would fall the unified Gospel well made up from the
quartet.
It was without title and I could not find the name of the author.
|
|
| diligenter
inquirens quis gesta vel dicta domini et salvatoris nostri evangelica
lectione discreta in ordinem quo se consequi videbantur non minimo
studii labore redegerit, |
By carefully inquiring which deeds
or sayings of our Lord and Saviour with the readings from Separate
Gospels
into the order which themselves were being seen to follow with not the
least
effort of (this) work, he will have rendered. |
|
| repperi Ammonium
quemdam Alexandrinum, qui canonum quoque evangelii fertur inventor, Matthei evangelio reliquorum trium excerpta iunxisse ac sic in unam seriem evangelium nexuisse. |
I have discovered Ammonius a
certain Alexandrian, who of the tables and likewise of the Gospel is
considered the author. Who using the Matthew’s Gospel and selected parts of the other three, to have joined and woven them thus into a unified continuous Gospel. |
|
| Sicut Eusebius episcopus Carpiano
cuidam scribens in præfatione editionis suæ qua canones
memorati evangelii edidit, supradicti viri imitatus studium refert in
hunc modum: |
Like bishop Eusebius, writing to a certain
Carpianus in the preface of his book in which the tables of the said
Gospel he has published, his following of the aforementioned man’s
devotion shows in this way: |
|
| Ammonius quidam
Alexandrinus multum ut arbitror laboris et studii impendens unum ex
quattuor nobis abreliquit evangelium. |
"Ammonius, this Alexandrian, I
consider how much exerting of effort and energy (has) bequeathed us,
the Unified
Gospel, taken from the Quartet." |
|
| Ex historia quoque
eius conperi quod Tatianus vir eruditissimus et orator illius temporis
clarus unum ex quattuor conpaginaverit evangelium, cui titulum Diapente
conposuit. |
From each account of his I have
learned that Tatianus, [a learned man and clear orator of that time],
has been able to assemble a Unified Gospel from the Quartet, to which
he gave the title Diapente, (Through Five)*. |
|
| Hic
beati Iustini philosophi et martyris dum adviveret
discipulus fuit. |
[This (man) became the
disciple of Saint Justin, the philosopher and martyr, while he lived
with
him. |
|
| Quo
migrante ad dominum cum palma martyrii magistri sanctam deserens
disciplinam et doctrinæ
supercilio elatus in lapsum Encratitarum hæresim Marcionis potius
amplexus errorem quam Iustini Christi philosophi veritatem suæ
vitæ |
Whose passing away to the Lord, with
the victory of the Master’s martyrdom, (caused Tatian’s) abandoning the
holy teaching also (as he was) exalted (to) haughty doctrine, (and)
into
the Encratites’ fallen heresy with Marcionites, rather (to take) the
clasp
of the error than Justin’s, Christ’s philosopher’s truth to his life. |
|
| perniciosus
excoluit asserens inter alia nuptias et stupra pari crimini subiacere. |
A pernicious asserting he has
cultivated among other things, that marriage and debauchery (are) to be
subject to
equal condemnation. |
|
| Sed et
dictis apostolicis manus profanæ emendationis vel ut dicam verius
corruptionis dicitur intulisse. |
But also, to the Apostolic sayings,
common scribe’s correction, or how truly I may say, corruption, he is
said,
to have inflicted]. |
|
| Sed
quia et hominum perfidorum Christi dei nostri operante potentia
confessione
vel opere sæpe triumphat gloria veritatis |
But also because
faithless men’s confession to Christ, our God’s power of working or by
exertion (it) often triumphs over the glory of the truth |
|
| (nam et
dæmones Christum fatebantur et filii Scéuæ in
actibus apostolorum in nomine Ihesu quem prædicaret Paulus
dæmonia fugabant) |
[for also demons were confessing
Christ and the sons of Sceva, who in the acts of the apostles, were
exorcising
demons in the name of Jesus, of whom Paul would preach], |
|
| Tatianus quoque
licet profanis inplicatus erroribus non inutile tamen exhibens
studiosis exemplum hoc evangelium ut mihi videtur sollerti
conpaginatione disposuit et forsitan adhuc |
it can also be that Tatian (though)
entangled with profane errors, (is) however not useless, (being)
an
outstanding example of assiduity how this Gospel to me is seen, with
the
skilful structure arranged and perhaps hitherto |
*Diapente: Some learned authors assume this to be a blunder on the part of St. Victor, or that his knowledge of Greek was such that he did not appreceate that the word, which in Latin, means, as does diatessaron, a mixture. However, St. Victor was well learned in both Greek and Latin, and would not have so blundered. Neither would a scribe so missread. Victor is here clearly stating that he knows that though this may be the work of Tatian, it is a derivation of his Diatessaron, and not a copy. He is telling us that this was composed in Latin, using the Latin Gospels, and the Diatessaron as a guide, hence through five.
The Codex Sangallensis 56
http://www.cesg.unifr.ch/getMs.php?ref=56-1
