ISHOʿDAD ON THE GOSPELS.
ST MATTHEW.
In the strength of our Lord Jesus the Christ we begin to write the Commentary of the books of the New Testament, which was laboriously collected from many writings of expositors and teachers of the Holy Church, by the holy and doctrine-loving Mar Ishoʿdad of Maru[1] Bishop of Hadatha in Assyria. Lord, help me and strengthen me, and make me wise, and lead me to the completion by Thy grace.
In the very name of I am that I am and the Leader of the Two Covenants, we are moving from the Elysian fields, the Old Testament, to the meadows of asphodel[2], the New Testament, and we interpret the meanings thereof concisely in some kind of expansion[3], that is, in a sort of little supplement in the middle of the lines of the body of the Scripture. Lord Christ, lead Thy servant to the completion by grace from Thyself, Amen.
The Preface to the Book.
[t 1]Evangel is a Greek word. It is interpreted in Syriac, good Hope, our life and motion and breath. It is called the Evangel, that is to say, the good tidings, because it announced a myriad of good things to the world. For even Expectation is different from Hope, inasmuch as Expectation indicates good and evil things at the same time, whereas Hope p. ܒ is about good things only. And it is very aptly called the Good Hope, a word which is not even read in any place in the Old Testament; so therefore the New Testament possesses an immense difference from the Old Testament; inasmuch as that served as the shadow, but this carries the true body; and that one instructed babes in carnal knowledge, but this speaks spiritual wisdom among them that are of full age.[t 2] I speak of the Kingdom of Heaven, and of the blessings and the delights incomprehensible and unspeakable that are there, as also Basil, the basis
