Saint Matthew
Secundum Matthaeum · the Man (winged)
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Evangelia Quattuor · Douay-Rheims
The Four Gospels
A digest of the most-cited passages, and a register of every chapter — so that you may know in which book, and in which chapter, a saying is found.
Table of Titles
Four books, eighty-nine chapters. Each Gospel is a Title; each chapter a Caput; each cited passage is entered in the Digest with its parallels.
Saint Mark
Secundum Marcum · the Lion
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Saint Luke
Secundum Lucam · the Ox
Register of chapters →
Saint John
Secundum Ioannem · the Eagle
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Digest — passages of the first rank
The sayings everyone quotes, with their exact seat in the text. The full Digest holds 222 passages, with parallels and filters by theme.
Matthew 58 of the first rank
| Matt. 4:4 | 'Not in bread alone doth man live' |
| Matt. 4:19 | 'I will make you fishers of men' |
| Matt. 5:3–12 | The Beatitudes |
| Matt. 5:13 | Salt of the earth |
| Matt. 5:14–16 | Light of the world; a city on a mountain |
| Matt. 5:39 | Turn the other cheek |
| Matt. 5:44 | 'Love your enemies' |
| Matt. 6:9–13 | The Our Father |
| Matt. 6:19–21 | Treasure in heaven; 'where thy treasure is' |
| Matt. 6:24 | 'No man can serve two masters' — God and mammon |
| Matt. 6:26–29 | Birds of the air; lilies of the field |
| Matt. 6:33 | 'Seek ye first the kingdom of God' |
| Matt. 7:1–2 | 'Judge not, that you may not be judged' |
| Matt. 7:3–5 | The mote and the beam |
| Matt. 7:6 | Pearls before swine |
| Matt. 7:7–8 | 'Ask, and it shall be given you' |
| Matt. 7:12 | The Golden Rule |
| Matt. 7:13–14 | The narrow gate |
| Matt. 7:16–20 | 'By their fruits you shall know them' |
| Matt. 7:24–27 | The house built upon a rock |
| Matt. 8:8 | 'Lord, I am not worthy' — the centurion |
| Matt. 9:37–38 | 'The harvest indeed is great, but the labourers are few' |
| Matt. 10:16 | 'Wise as serpents and simple as doves' |
| Matt. 10:34 | 'Not peace, but the sword' |
| Matt. 11:28–30 | 'Come to me, all you that labour' — my yoke is sweet |
| Matt. 13:3–9 | The Sower |
| Matt. 13:31–32 | The mustard seed |
| Matt. 13:44–46 | Hidden treasure; the pearl of great price |
| Matt. 13:57 | 'A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country' |
| Matt. 15:14 | The blind leading the blind |
| Matt. 16:16 | Peter: 'Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God' |
| Matt. 16:18–19 | 'Thou art Peter, and upon this rock' — the keys |
| Matt. 16:23 | 'Go behind me, Satan' |
| Matt. 16:24 | 'Take up his cross, and follow me' |
| Matt. 16:26 | 'What doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world?' |
| Matt. 17:19 | Faith as a grain of mustard seed moves mountains |
| Matt. 18:3 | 'Unless you become as little children' |
| Matt. 18:20 | 'Where there are two or three gathered in my name' |
| Matt. 18:21–22 | 'Seventy times seven times' |
| Matt. 19:6 | 'What God hath joined together, let no man put asunder' |
| Matt. 19:14 | 'Suffer the little children' |
| Matt. 19:24 | A camel through the eye of a needle |
| Matt. 19:26 | 'With God all things are possible' |
| Matt. 19:30 | 'Many that are first, shall be last' |
| Matt. 20:28 | 'The Son of man is not come to be ministered unto, but to minister' |
| Matt. 22:14 | 'Many are called, but few are chosen' |
| Matt. 22:21 | 'Render therefore to Caesar' |
| Matt. 22:37–40 | The two great commandments |
| Matt. 25:14–30 | The talents |
| Matt. 25:21 | 'Well done, good and faithful servant' |
| Matt. 25:31–46 | The Last Judgement: sheep and goats |
| Matt. 25:40 | 'As long as you did it to one of these my least brethren' |
| Matt. 26:26–28 | The institution of the Eucharist |
| Matt. 26:39 | 'Not as I will, but as thou wilt' |
| Matt. 26:41 | 'The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh weak' |
| Matt. 26:52 | 'All that take the sword shall perish with the sword' |
| Matt. 27:46 | 'My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?' |
| Matt. 28:19–20 | The Great Commission; 'I am with you all days' |
Mark 8 of the first rank
| Mark 1:15 | 'Do penance, and believe the gospel' |
| Mark 2:27 | 'The sabbath was made for man' |
| Mark 3:25 | 'A house divided against itself' |
| Mark 4:39 | 'Peace, be still' |
| Mark 5:9 | 'My name is Legion' |
| Mark 9:23 | 'Lord, I do believe; help my unbelief' |
| Mark 12:42–44 | The widow's mite |
| Mark 16:15–16 | 'Go ye into the whole world, and preach the gospel' |
Luke 25 of the first rank
| Luke 1:28 | 'Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee' |
| Luke 1:38 | 'Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me' |
| Luke 1:42 | 'Blessed art thou among women' |
| Luke 1:46–55 | The Magnificat |
| Luke 2:7 | 'No room for them in the inn' |
| Luke 2:10–11 | 'Tidings of great joy... a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord' |
| Luke 2:14 | 'Glory to God in the highest' |
| Luke 4:23 | 'Physician, heal thyself' |
| Luke 6:38 | 'Give, and it shall be given to you: good measure' |
| Luke 9:60 | 'Let the dead bury their dead' |
| Luke 9:62 | 'No man putting his hand to the plough, and looking back' |
| Luke 10:25–37 | The Good Samaritan |
| Luke 10:41–42 | 'Martha, Martha... Mary hath chosen the best part' |
| Luke 12:48 | 'Unto whomsoever much is given, of him much shall be required' |
| Luke 15:4–7 | The lost sheep; joy in heaven upon one sinner |
| Luke 15:11–32 | The Prodigal Son |
| Luke 16:19–31 | Dives and Lazarus |
| Luke 17:21 | 'The kingdom of God is within you' |
| Luke 18:9–14 | The Pharisee and the publican |
| Luke 18:13 | 'O God, be merciful to me a sinner' |
| Luke 19:10 | 'The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost' |
| Luke 22:19–20 | 'Do this for a commemoration of me' |
| Luke 23:34 | 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do' |
| Luke 23:43 | 'This day thou shalt be with me in paradise' |
| Luke 23:46 | 'Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit' |
John 39 of the first rank
| John 1:1–5 | 'In the beginning was the Word' — the Prologue |
| John 1:14 | 'The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us' |
| John 1:29 | 'Behold the Lamb of God' |
| John 2:1–11 | The wedding at Cana |
| John 3:3–5 | 'Born again' of water and the Holy Ghost |
| John 3:16 | 'God so loved the world' |
| John 3:30 | 'He must increase, but I must decrease' |
| John 6:35 | 'I am the bread of life' |
| John 6:51–52 | 'The bread that I will give, is my flesh' |
| John 6:54–57 | 'Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man' |
| John 6:69–70 | 'Lord, to whom shall we go?' |
| John 8:7 | 'He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone' |
| John 8:11 | 'Go, and now sin no more' |
| John 8:12 | 'I am the light of the world' |
| John 8:32 | 'The truth shall make you free' |
| John 8:58 | 'Before Abraham was made, I am' |
| John 9:25 | 'Whereas I was blind, now I see' |
| John 10:10 | 'That they may have life, and may have it more abundantly' |
| John 10:11 | 'I am the good shepherd' |
| John 10:30 | 'I and the Father are one' |
| John 11:25–26 | 'I am the resurrection and the life' |
| John 11:35 | 'And Jesus wept' |
| John 12:24–25 | 'Unless the grain of wheat falling into the ground die' |
| John 13:34–35 | 'A new commandment I give unto you' |
| John 14:1–3 | 'Let not your heart be troubled... many mansions' |
| John 14:6 | 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life' |
| John 14:27 | 'Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you' |
| John 15:1–5 | 'I am the vine; you the branches' — 'without me you can do nothing' |
| John 15:12–13 | 'Greater love than this no man hath' |
| John 16:33 | 'Have confidence, I have overcome the world' |
| John 17:21 | 'That they all may be one' |
| John 18:36 | 'My kingdom is not of this world' |
| John 18:38 | Pilate: 'What is truth?' |
| John 19:26–27 | 'Woman, behold thy son' |
| John 19:30 | 'It is consummated' |
| John 20:19–23 | 'Peace be to you'; 'whose sins you shall forgive' |
| John 20:28 | Thomas: 'My Lord and my God' |
| John 20:29 | 'Blessed are they that have not seen, and have believed' |
| John 21:15–17 | 'Feed my lambs... feed my sheep' |
Method of this Register
To learn the chapters. Begin with the memory rail on each Title page: the chapter number and a keyword. Say them aloud in order (Matthew: Genealogy, Magi, Baptist, Temptation, Sermon, Sermon, Sermon, Leper…). Only then descend to the memory-line for each chapter, and last to the passages themselves.
To fix a saying. Every cited passage carries its parallels (Also entered at…). Learn the seat where the saying is fullest — usually Matthew for the Sermon, Luke for the parables of mercy, John for the I AM sayings — and note the others as cross-references.
Of the numbering. Chapter numbers agree with every modern Catholic Bible (NABRE, RSV-CE, Jerusalem). Verse numbers follow the Douay-Rheims and are occasionally one off from modern editions; the chapter, which is what you are memorising, is never in doubt.
Of the Patron
Sir Thomas More (1478–1535), Lord Chancellor of England, lawyer, humanist and martyr.
Called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn, he rose through the courts and the King's council to the Chancellorship in 1529, and resigned it in 1532 rather than assent to the King's supremacy over the Church. He wrote his Dialogue of Comfort against Tribulation in the Tower, and was beheaded on Tower Hill on 6 July 1535, professing himself the King's good servant, but God's first
.
Canonised in 1935, he was named patron of statesmen and politicians in 2000. Feast: 22 June, with St John Fisher.
This register borrows the manner of his profession — titles, chapters and articles, entered and cross-referenced — so that the Gospel may be as exactly known as a statute.