190:1
Rationabiliter evangelistae principiis diversis utuntur, quamvis una eademque evangelizandi eorum probetur intentio. Matthæus ut Hebræis scribens, genealogiæ Christi ordinem texuit, ut ostenderet ab ea Christum descendisse progcnie de qua eum nasciturum universi prophetae cecinerant. Joannes autem ad Ephesum constitutis, qui legem tanquam ex Gentibus ignorabant, a causa nostrae redemptionis Evangelii sumpsit exordium: quæ causa ex eo apparet, quod Filium suum Deus pro nostra salute voluit incarnari: Lucas vero a Zachariæ sacerdotio incipit, ut ejus fi. Iii miraculo nalivitatis, et tanti prædicatoris officio, divinitatem Christl Gentibus declararet.
With good reason do the evangelists use different beginnings, although one and the same purpose of their preaching is manifest. Matthew, writing as to the Hebrews, wove the order of Christ's genealogy, that he might show that Christ descended from that stock from which all the prophets had foretold he should be born. John, writing to those established at Ephesus, who as coming from among the Gentiles knew not the law, took the beginning of his Gospel from the cause of our redemption; which cause appears from this, that God willed his Son to be incarnate for our salvation. But Luke begins from the priesthood of Zacharias, that by the miracle of his son's birth, and by the office of so great a preacher, he might declare the divinity of Christ to the Gentiles.
福音書作者採用不同的開頭，是有道理的，雖然他們傳福音的用意顯然是同一個。馬太因是寫給希伯來人，便編織基督家譜的次序，為要顯明基督是從眾先知所預言他要生於其中的那族裔降生的。約翰是寫給在以弗所的人，他們既出於外邦，不曉得律法，就從我們得救贖的緣由起首寫他的福音；這緣由顯明於此，就是神願意他的兒子為我們的救恩成為肉身。路加卻從撒迦利亞的祭司職分起首，好藉他兒子出生的神蹟，並這麼大一位傳道者的職分，向外邦人宣明基督的神性。
190:2
Unde et Marcus antiqua prophetici mysterii competentia adventui Christi declarat: ut non nova, sed antiquitus prolata ejus praedicatio probaretur. Aut per hoc evangelistis curse fuit, eo uti prooemio, quod unusquisque judicabat auditoribus expetere. Nihil ergo contrarium reperitur, ubi licet diversis scriptis, ad eamdem tamen patriam pervenilur.
Whence Mark too declares that the ancient elements of the prophetic mystery are in keeping with the coming of Christ, so that his preaching might be proved not new, but uttered from of old. Or by this the evangelists were concerned to use that proem which each judged to be needful for his hearers. Nothing contrary, therefore, is found, where, though by diverse writings, one nevertheless arrives at the same homeland.
故此馬可也宣明，預言奧祕的古老成分與基督的來臨相符，好使祂的宣講被證實並非新事，而是自古便已傳述的。又或藉此，眾福音作者各自關注要採用那段序言，乃因各人都判斷那是聽眾所需要的。所以，這裡找不到任何矛盾之處；因為雖然出於不同的著作，人卻同樣抵達那同一個家鄉。