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March/April 2022
R E F O R M AT I O N R E S O U R C E S
“The Four Evangelists” by Georg Aemelius Excerpted from Biblicae Historiae translated by Casey Carmichael
Georg Aemelius—or Oemler in German—(1517–69) was a Lutheran theologian and botanist. His father was a friend of Hans and Margarethe Luder, Martin Luther’s parents. After studying theology at Wittenberg, Georg worked in school administration in various places throughout Germany. The following translation is a portion of his Biblicae Historiae, magno articifio dipictae, or A Beautifully Illustrated Biblical History, first published in Frankfurt in 1539. The portion translated here is of the four Gospels.
Matthew, who was conquered by love of wealth in a shameless way, Was a tax collector of people who passed by. Taking up the sweet commands of Christ who calls, He deserves to be a companion of eternal divinity. And when he had already seen very many miracles, God having been assumed through the high stars, He began to describe the descent of Christ with a pen, Who drew out genealogical trees from his own nation of Jesse. And running through the long origins of former kings, He enumerates the ancient grandfathers through a series. Hence the angel is added to him with shining wings. He sincerely composed a work on the blood of Christ. And since he teaches that Christ was begotten in a mortal body, He bears the face of a human body.
