S. Iohns Gospel may be diuided into foure partes.

The first part is, of the actes of Christ before his solemne manifestation of himselfe, vvhile Iohn Baptist vvas yet baptizing: Chap. 1. 2. 3. 4.

The second, of his Actes in Iurie (hauing novv begonne his solemne manifestation in Galilee, Mat. 4, 12) the second Easter or Pasche of his preaching: Chap. 5. For of the first pasche, we had in the first part, chap. 2, 13: And the pasche of ^note the Iewes was at hand. And that feast vvhereof vve haue in this second part, chap. 5, 1: After this there was a festiual day of ^note the Iewes, is thought of good Authors, to be the feast of Pasche. ^note

The third part is, of his Actes in Galilee, and in Iuríe, about the third Pasche, and after it: cap. 6, to the 12. For so vve haue chap. 6, 4: And Pasche the festiual day of ^note the Iewes was at hand.

The fourth part is of the fourth pasche (vvhich vve haue in the end of the chap. 11, 55: And the pasche of ^note the Iewes was at hand) that is to say, of the Holy vveke of his Pa&esset;ion in Hierusalem: chap. 12. vnto the end of the booke.

By vvhich diuision it is manifest, that the intent of this Euangelist vvriting after the other three, vvas, to omit the Actes of Christ in Galilee, because the other three had vvritten them at large: and to reporte his Actes done in Iurie, vvhich they had omitted.

And this he doth, because Iurie vvith Hierusalem and the Temple, being the principal parte of the Countrey, there abode the principal of the Ievves, both for authoritie, and also for learning in the lavv or knovvledge of the Scriptures. and therfore that vvas the place, vvhere our Lord Iesvs finding in the Head it selfe and in the leaders of the rest, such vvilful obstinacie and desperate resistance, as the Prophets had foretold, did by this occasion, much more plainely then in Galilee, both say and proue, at sundry times, euen euery yere of his preaching, himselfe to be the CHRIST that had bene so l&obar;g promised vnto them, & expected of them: & the same CHRIST to be not onely a man, as they imagined, but also the natural, consubstantial, & coëternal Sonne of God the Father, vvho novv had sent him. Therfore these vvere the vvordes and deedes that serued best the purpose of this Euangelist, being, to shevv the glorie & excellencie of this person IESVS. that thereby the G&ebar;tils might see, hovv vvorthily Hierusalem & the Ievves vvere reprobated, vvho had refused yea & crucified such an one: and hovv vvel & to their ovvne saluation themselues might doe, to receiue him and to beleeue in him. For this to haue bene his purpose, him selfe declareth in the end, saying: These are written, that you may beleeue that Iesvs is Christ the Sonne of God: and that beleeuing, you may haue life in his name. ^note

And here vpon it is, that S. Hierome vvriteth thus in his life: Iohn the Apostle, ^note whom Iesvs loued very much, the ^note sonne of Zebedee, ^note the brother of Iames the Apostle ^note whom Herod after our Lords Passion

beheaded, last of al wrote the Gospel, at the request of the Bishops of Asia, against Cerinthus, and other Heretikes, and specially against the assertion of the Ebionites then rising, who say that Christ was not before Marie. ^note Wherevpon also he was compelled to vtter his Diuine Natiuitie. Of his three Epistles, and of his Apocalypse, shal be said in their ovvne places.

It folovveth in S. Hierome, that In the Second persecution vnder Domitian, fourtene yeres after the persecution of Nero he was exiled into the ile Patmos. But after that Domitian was slaine, and his actes for his passing crueltie repealed by the Senate: vnder Nerua the Emperour he returned to Ephesus, and there continuing vnto the time of Traiane the Emperour, he founded and gouerned al the Churches of Asia, and worne with old age, he died the threescore and09Q0776 eighteth yere after the Passion of our Lord, and was buried besides the same citie. Whose excellencie the same holy Doctor thus breifly describeth. li. I. Aduers. Iouinianum.

Iohn the Apostle, one of our Lords Disciples, vvho vvas the yongest among the Apostles, and vvhom the faith of Christ found a virgin, remained a virgin, and therefore is ^note more loued of our Lord, and ^note lieth vpon the breast of Iesvs: and that vvhich Peter durst not aske, ^note be desireth him to aske: and after the resurrection, vvhen Marie Magdalen had reported that our Lord vvas risen againe, both of them ranne to the Sepulchre, ^note but he came thither first: and vvhen they vvere in the ship and fished in the lake of Genezareth, Iesvs stood on the shore, neither did the Apostles knovv vvhom they savv: ^note onely the virgin knovveth the virgin, and saith to Peter, It is our Lord. This Iohn vvas both an Apostle, and Euangelist, and Prophet: an Apostle, because he vvrote to the Churches as a Maister: an Euangelist because he compiled a booke of the Gospel, vvhich (except Matthew) none other of the tvvelue Apostles did: a Prophet, for he savv in the ile Patmos, where he was banished by Domitian the Emperour for the testimonie of our Lord, the Apocalypse, conteining infinite mysteries of things to come. Tertullian also reporteth, that at Rome being cast into a barrel of bote boiling oile, he came forth more pure and fresher or liuelier, then he vvent in. Yea and his Gospel it self much differeth from the rest. Matthevv beginneth to vvrite as of a man: Marke of the prophecie of Malachie and Esay. Luke of the Priesthod of Zacharie: the first hath the face of a man, because of the genealogie: the second the face of a lion, for the voice of one crying in the desert: the third the face of a calfe, because of the Priesthod. But Iohn as an Eagle flieth to the things on high, & mounteth to the Father him self, saying: In the beginning was the VVord, and the VVord was with God, and God was the VVord. Thus far S. Herome.

Vpon this Gospel there are the famous commentaries of S. Augustine called Tractatus in Euang. Ioan. to. 9. and tvvelue bookes of S. Cyrils commentaries.

THE HOLY GOSPEL OF IESVS CHRIST ACCORDING TO IOHN.

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