180 Many Mss. omit the words: and holiness, and righteousness, and charity.
182 One edition reads Dominum, the Lord, the Holy Spirit, etc., instead of donum.
1 i.e. the third order of catechumens, embracing those thoroughly prepared for baptism.
5 City of God, Bk. xxii. Ch. 21.
1 Hab. ii. 4; Rom. i. 17; Gal. iii. 11; Heb. x. 38.
3 Isa. vii. 9, according to the rendering of the Septuagint.
5 Reading pulchre ordinatum. Some editions give pulchre ornatum = beautifully adorned.
6 Si mundum fabricare non posset. For si some Mss. give qui = inasmuch as He could not, etc.
9 Speciosissima species = the seemliest semblance.
12 For qui several Mss. give quibus here = under many other appellations is the Lord Jesus Christ introduced to our mental apprehensions, by which He is commended to our faith.
13 For Rector we also find Creator = Creator.
15 Adopting the Benedictine version per ipsam innotescit dignis animis secretissimus Pater. There is, however, great variety of reading here. Some Mss. give ignis for dignis = the most hidden fire of the Father is made known to minds. Others give signis = the most hidden Father is made known by signs to minds, Others have innotescit animus secretissimus Patris, or innotescit signis secretissimus Pater = the most hidden mind of the Father is made known by the same, or = the most hidden Father is made known by the same in signs.
16 Sonantia verba = sounding, vocal words.
18 Nostra notitia = our knowledge.
19 Reading conantes et verbis, etc. Three gooD Mss. give conante fetu verbi = as the offspring of the word makes the attempt. The Benedictine editors suggest conantes fetu verbi = making the attempt by the offspring of the word.
23 According to the literal meaning of the phrase ex tempore. It may, however, here be used as = under conditions of time, or in time.
24 Reading sempiterne: for which sempiternus = the eternal wise God, is also given
29 Adopting in hominibus creavi. One important Ms. gives in omnibus = amongst all.
30 Prov. viii. 22, with creavit me instead of the possessed me of the English version.
31 Various editions give principium et caput Ecclesiae est Christus = the beginning of His ways and the Head of the Church is Christ.
32 For via certa others give via recta = a right way.
35 Per ejus primatum = by means of His standing as the First-born. We follow the Benedictine reading, qui post ejus et per ejus primatum in Dei gratiam renascuntur. But there is another, although less authoritative, version, viz. qui post ejus primitias in Dei gratia nascimur = all of us who, subsequently to His first-fruits, are born in the grace of God.
36 Luke viii. 21; Rom. viii. 15-17; Gal. iv. 5; Eph. i. 5; Heb. ii. 11.
37 Id existens quod Pater est, etc. Another version is, idem existens quod Pater Deus = subsisting as the same that God the Father is.
39 The term dispensatio occurs very frequently as the equivalent of the Greek oi0konomi/a = economy, designating the Incarnation.