the family of Jesus, according to Mark 320-21, actually proposed to place him under restraint because of his eccentric conduct.

And he cometh into a house. And the multitude cometh together again so that they could not so much as eat bread. And when his friends heard it, they went out to lay hold on him; for they said, He is beside himself.

The sequel follows in 31-35, when his mother and brothers, standing outside the house, send in a message to summon him forth to them. His first reply seems a blank repudiation of the parental tie: 'Who is my mother and my brethren?' It is intelligible only when the key to the whole scene is supplied by Mark. But as the conception of the Master grew in majesty in the hearts of the disciples, so grievous a misinterpretation could be endured no more; the purpose of the family was suppressed; and Jesus was left exposed to the shaft of the modern critic who thought it harsh and unfilial that he should find a new home in the hearts of those who do the Father's will.

One further instance may be quoted because it exhibits a plain manipulation of a question and an answer dealing with one of the most simple problems of the time. Every one remembers the enquiry of the rich young man, reported in identical terms in Mark 10" and Luke 1818, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?' And And every one recalls the disclaimer of Jesus, 'Why callest thou me good? None is good, save one, even God.' Matthew, however, shrinks from such an implied

confession. Accordingly he drops from the opening address the title 'good,' to attach it to the conduct to be prescribed, 1916: Master, what good thing shall I do?' The counter-question of Jesus then appears in the form, Why askest thou me concerning that which is good?' But the continuation, 'One there is who is good,' shows that the reference after all was to persons not to things. It is in accordance with the reverence implied in such changes, that the First Gospel presents Jesus in the Messianic character from the outset. The heavenly utterance addressed to him at the Baptism, announcing his Messianic sonship, Mark 111, is converted in Matt. 31 into a public proclamation attesting his dignity to the bystanders. From the Mount he issues a new legislation, designed to supersede the ancient Law, and already contemplates the day' when he will reject from entrance into the kingdom of heaven those that work iniquity. The disciples in the boat, when he has rescued Peter, and the wind has fallen, recognise his Messianic character, 143, though Peter's declaration of the title is afterwards expressly ascribed to revelation, 1617; and in the final scene, 2818, Jesus appears invested with all authority' in heaven and on earth, as a permanent spiritual presence abiding with the Church. On every ground, then, of language, order, and general contents, Matthew appears in its present form posterior to Mark.1

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The relative positions of Matthew and Luke are

1 Some counter phenomena are briefly discussed below.

more difficult to decide. A very brief examination of the Gospels at once discloses the fact that they contain numerous parallels not to be found in Mark. Thus each opens the history of Jesus with a story of his birth; each relates three temptations in the wilderness; each reports a Great Sermon, Matthew putting it on the Mount, and Luke upon the Plain; each recites a prayer to be used by the disciples and a parable of the Talents or Pounds. When these are set side by side, they are seen to be characterised by very marked variations in degree of resemblance. The birth-stories have no element in common save that the scene is laid in Bethlehem. The temptations are identical, though the order varies. The Sermons follow the same general course, but Luke's is much shorter (like his version of the Prayer), and the spirit of its opening is in marked contrast to that of its counterpart. The parables of the Talents and the Pounds are founded on somewhat different bases (the story might, of course, have been easily told twice in changing forms); but Luke has amalgamated his version with another story having an independent motive. On the other hand, there are passages where the verbal correspondence is so close as at once to suggest that they are derived from a common source. Thus, the message of John the Baptist, and the reply of Jesus, are reported in almost identical terms; though the slight narrative settings show less close resemblance.

1 See The First Three Gospels, p. 309.

Matt. 112-11.

Now when John heard in the prison the works of the Christ, he sent by his disciples, and said unto him, Art thou he that cometh, or look we for another?

And Jesus answered and said unto them, Go your way, and tell John the things which ye do hear and see; the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good tidings preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall find none occasion of stumbling in me.

Luke 718-28.

And the disciples of John told him of all these things. And John, calling unto him two of his disciples, sent them to the Lord, saying, Art thou he that cometh, or look we for another? And when the men were come unto him, they said, John the Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that cometh, or look we for another?

In that hour he cured many of diseases and plagues and evil spirits; and on many that were blind he bestowed sight.

And he answered and said unto them, Go your way, and tell John the things which ye have seen and heard; the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good tidings preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall find none occasion of stumbling in me.

And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ve out into the wilderness to behold? a reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out to see? A man clothed in soft raiment ?

And as these went their way, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to behold? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out to see a man clothed in soft [raiment]? Behold they that wear soft Behold they that are gorgeously [raiment] apparelled, and live delicately,

The exact concord of many of the words of Jesus in these two passages, which even include the same misquotation from Malachi 31, points to a common source. But Luke, while reporting the language of Jesus in almost identical terms, adds to the story the remarkable statement 21 of a number of illustra

2

tive cures. These are obviously designed to prepare the way for the language of the reply of Jesus to the Baptist, which Matthew appears-no doubt correctly, in view of the last clause about the poor, to have understood symbolically. In this case we may provisionally infer that Matthew and Luke have drawn their materials from some prior document, but

1 The Greek of Mt. and Lk. is here the same, but the punctuation varies.

2 There is a curious variation in the 'gorgeously apparelled,' etc., 25; the parallels in the last verses, 'kingdom of heaven' and 'kingdom of God,' are severally characteristic of the two Gospels.