of the New Testament. I shall have, therefore, to repeat some things which I have already said, concerning each of these writings, and to add some remarks, which are entirely new, so that this work, now reduced to a single whole, may be rendered more complete and unassailable, by the addition of this preface,1 armed, as it were, to the teeth.
I have long since given the name of GNOMON, a modest, and, as I think, appropriate, title, to these Exegetical Annotations, which perform only the office of an Index ;2 and, I should have chosen the term Index, as the title of my work, but for the mis conception which would have arisen, in the minds of most persons, from the ordinary and technical use of that term [i.e., a Registry or Table of Contents]. It is, in short, my intention, briefly to point out, or indicate, the full force of words and sentences, in the New Testament, which, though really and inherently belonging to them, is not always observed by all at first sight, so that the reader, being introduced by the straight road, into the text, may find as rich pasture there as possible. The Gnomon points the way with sufficient clearness. If you are wise, the text itself teaches you all things.3
Human selections of sayings and examples, taken from Scrip ture, have their use ; the study, however, of the Sacred Volume, should not end here ; for it should, both as a whole, and in its several parts, be thoroughly studied and mastered, especially by those who are occupied in teaching others. In order fully to accomplish which, we ought to distinguish the clearly genuine words of the Sacred Text, from those which are open to doubt or
1 Prologus galeatm, lit. " Helmeted " Prologue. A prologue, in which a person defends himself against the opponents of a book. Thus, Jerome calls the preface to his edition of Holy Scripture. — See Riddle. — (I. B.)
2 In the sense of pointer or indicator, as of a sun-dial, etc. — (I. B.)
3 In the original the last sentence is expressed by the following distich,
Nonnihil Indicii satis est in Gnvmone facttim, : Omnia te Textus, si sapis, ipse docct. — (I. B.)