The text at the top of this page explains how the
Eusebian Canon works. It is part of a letter written by Eusebius to his friend Carpianus, and was
usually included with the Canon. It's in Latin, so unless you are an old Roman, forget trying
to read the text.
This first Canon shows Scripture that is paralleled
in all four Gospels. The names of the Gospels are abbreviated in red at the top. The Reference Numbers are
the Roman numerals that are printed in black. To use the Canon, you read across each line. (See the
previous page for an example of how to read this.)
This Canon lists passages that are common to all four Gospels. It says so in the red
text at the
bottom of the page:
Canon primus in quo quatuor finit.
("First Canon in which four are similar")
See? I still remember my High School Latin. (Well, more or less.)
Could you imagine typesetting this page by hand?
All those little X's, I's, and C's. It's more tedious than I would like to
undertake.
