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et fluctuare cœpit, quia ignorabat, quid fibi potiffimum effet faciendum. Neque enim eam traducere voluit, quia juftus erat, neque fornicationis fufpicione infamare, quia pius. Itaque cogitavit clam diffolvere conjugium, et occulte dimittere eam. Hæc autem eo cogitante, ecce Angelus Domini ei apparuit in fomnis, dicens; Jofeph, fili David, noli timere, hoc eft, ne velis fornicationis fufpicionem in Virgine habere, vel aliquid finiftrum cogitare, neque timeas eam in uxorem ducere. Quod enim in ea natum eft, et nunc animum tuum angit, non hominis, fed Spiritus Sancti eft opus. Pariet enim omnium Virgo fola Dei Filium, et vocabis nomen ejus Jefum, id eft Salvatorem; ipfe enim falvum faciet populum fuum a peccatis eorum. Igitur Jofeph, fecundum Angeli præceptum, Virginem uxorem duxit, nec tamen cognovit eam, fed cafte procurans cuftodivit. Jamque nonus a conceptione inftabat menfis, cum Jofeph uxore cum aliis quæ neceffaria erant affumpta,

uneafy and doubtful, not knowing what course it would be beft to take; for being a juft man, he was not willing to expose her, nor defame her by the fufpicion of being a whore, fince he was a pious

man.

He purposed therefore privately to put an end to their agreement, and as privately to send her away. But while he was meditating these things', behold the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in his fleep, and said, Jofeph, fon of David, fear not, i. e. be not willing to entertain any fufpicion of the Virgin's being guilty of fornication, or to think any thing amifs of her, neither be afraid to take her to wife, for that which is begotten in her, and now diftreffes your mind, is not the work of man, but the Holy Ghoft. For fhe of all women is that only Virgin who shall bring forth the Son of God, and you shall call his name Jefus, i. e. Saviour, for he will fave his people from their fins. Jofeph thereupon, according to the command of the Angel, married the Virgin, and did not know her, but kept her in chastity. And

now the ninth month from her conception drew near, when Jofeph took his wife and what other things were necessary to

Matt. i. 19, &c.

Bethlehem,

Bethlehem civitatem, unde ipfe erat, tetendit. Factum est autem, cum essent ibi, impleti funt dies ut pareret, et peperit filium fuum primogenitum, ficut fancti Evangeliftæ docuerunt, Dominum noftrum Jefum Chriftum, qui cum Patre et Filio et Spiritu Sancto vivit et regnat Deus per omnia fecula feculorum.

Bethlehem, the city from whence he came. And it came to pafs, while they were there, the days were fulfilled for her bringing forth, and fhe brought forth her firstborn fon, as the holy Evangelifts have taught, even our Lord Jefus Chrift, who with Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, lives and reigns to everlasting ages.

CHA P. XIV.

The Epistle of Chromatiús and Heliodorus to Jerome, relating to the Gospel of the Birth of Mary. Jerome's Answer to their Letter, containing his Sentiments concerning it. Another Epistle of Jerome's to the fame Purpose.

THE

HE following Epistles I find among Jerome's works, immediately prefixed to the Gospel of the Birth of Mary; and because they relate entirely to it, I thought it proper to infert them here. They are to be found in Jerome's works, a Par. II. Tract. II. Epift. XXIII. Epift. XXIV. Epift. XXV, Fol. xxxviii. and xxxix. I find the last of these Epiftles in another place of Jerome's works, viz. Par. II. Tract. VI. Epift. LXXXII. Fol. cxl.

а

Epiftola Chromatii et Heliodori Epifcoporum ad Hiero

путит.

DILECTISSIMO fratri Hieronymo Prefbytero Chro

The Epistle of Chromatius and
Heliodorus Bishops to Fc-

rome.

CHROMATIUS and Heliodorus to our beloved

matius et Heliodorus Epif- brother Jerome, a Prefbyter,

2 [In Edit. Benedi&t. tom. 5. p. 444, 445.]

greeting

copi, falutem in Domino. Ortum Mariæ Reginæ Virginis, fimul et Nativitatem atque Infantiam Domini noftri Jefu Chrifti in Apocryphis invenimus libris; in quibus multa contraria noftræ fidei confiderantes fcripta, recufanda credimus univerfa; ne per occafionem Chrifti lætitiam Antichrifto tradere

mus.

Ifta igitur nobis confiderantibus, extiterunt viri Dei, Armenius et Virinus, qui dicerent fanctitatem tuam beatiffimi Matthæi Evangeliftæ manu fcriptum volumen Hebraicum inveniffe, in quoet Virginis Matris et Salvatoris Infantia effet fcripta ; et idcirco tuam charitatein per ipfum Dominum noftrum Jefum Chriftum expetimus, quatenus ut illud ex Hebræo Latinis auribus tradas; non tantum ad percipiendum quæ funt Chrifti infignia, quantum ad Hæreticorum aftutiam excludendam, qui ut doctrinam malam inftituerent, bonam Chrifti Nativitatem fuo mendacio mifcuerunt; ut poft dulcedinem vitæ mortis amaritudinem occultarent. Erit ergo puriffimæ pietatis,

greeting in the Lord. We have found in fome Apocryphal books, an account of the birth of the Virgin Queen Mary, as alfo the birth and infancy of our Lord Jefus Chrift; in which, because we obferve many things contrary to our faith, we believe they ought all to be rejected; left, by the occafion of Chrift, advantage should be brought to Antichrift. When we were thinking these things, there came two men of God, Armenius and Virinus, who faid your holiness had found a volume in Hebrew written with St. Matthew the Evangelift's own hand, in which was defcribed the infant ftate of the Virgin Mother, and our Saviour. We, therefore, intreat you by your love to our Lord Jefus Christ, that you would tranflate it out of Hebrew into Latin, not only that we may perceive what the famous things concerning Chrift are, but also especially to refute the craft of the Hereticks, who, that they may the better spread their evil doctrines, have mixed them with the genuine hiftory of our Saviour's Nativity, by a

notorious falfehood, that fo after the sweetness of life, they might conceal the bitterness of death. It will therefore be

an

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ARDUUM opus injungitur, cum hoc fuerit mihi a veftra beatitudine imperatum, quod nec ipfe Sanctus Matthæus Apoftolus et Evangelifta voluit in aperto confcribi. Si enim hoc fecretum non effet, Evangelio utique ipfius quod edidit, addidiffet: fed fecit hunc libellum Hebraicis literis obfignatum, quem ufque adeo edidit, ut ex manu ipfius liber fcriptus Hebraicis literis a viris religiofiffimis habeatur, qui etiam a fuis prioribus per fucceffus tempo

St. Jerome's Answer to the aforefaid Bishops, concerning the fame fubject.

To the holy Lords and most bleffed Bishops, Chromatius and Heliodorus, Jerome a mean fervant of Christ, fendeth greeting in the

Lord.

IT was a difficult task which was fet me, when I received your holiness's command (to translate that) which the Holy Apoftle and Evangelift himself St Matthew would not have to be made publick. For if it was not to have been a fecret, he would certainly have annexed it to his own Gospel, which he published; but he com-pofed this little book in Hebrew letters, which he fo publifhed, that moft pious perfons, who have received it from the preceding ages, do

judge it was written by him in Hebrew characters, but have

never

rum fufceperunt, hunc autem ipfum librum nunquam alicui transferendum tradiderunt, textum ejus aliter atque aliter narraverunt. Sed factum eft, ut a Manichæi difcipulo nomine Seleuco, qui etiam Apoftolorum gefta falfo fermone confcripfit, hic liber editus, non ædificationi fed deftructioni materiam exhibuerit; et quod talis probaretur in Synodo, cui merito aures Ecclefiæ non paterent. Ceffent nunc oblatrantium morfus; non iftum libellum Canonicis fuperaddimus Scripturis, fed ad detegendam hærefeos fallaciam, Apoftoli atque Evangeliftæ fcripta transferimus; in quo opere non tam piis jubentibus Epifcopis obtemperamus, quam impiis Hæreticis obviamus. Amor igitur eft Chrifti cui fatisfacimus, credentes quod nos fuis orationibus adjuvent, qui ad Servatoris noftri infantiam fanctam per noftram potuerint obedientiam pervenire.

never taken care to have it tranflated by any one, but delivered very different accounts of its defign and contents. But the truth is, that this book was published by a certain disciple of the Manichees, named Seleucus, (who also compofed a spurious history of the Acts of the Apostles), and it rather tends to the ruin than the interest of religion, and was judged to be such in a certain Synod, as the Church fhould juftly disregard. Let not therefore any one reproach or cenfure (my tranflation). For I am not about to make any addition of a book to the Canonical Scriptures, but, by tranflating the (pretended) writings of an Apoftle and Evangelift, to lay open the tricks of the Hereticks. So that in this work I do not fo much obey the holy Bifhops' command, as oppose the impious Hereticks. It is therefore the love of Christ by which I am influenced, hoping I fhall receive

the benefit of their prayers, who by means of my labour arrive to the knowledge of the holy infancy of our Saviour.

Befides the two preceding Epiftles relating to this Gospel, there follows in Jerome's works another afcribed to him, which is a fort of preface or introduction to his tranflation of it, and is as follows:

Petitis

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