.¦mi iillli » 1, ' li liPlil il i^^ I III! H i I, : I i 'l I !'• r.i liiiiiHIiV' t'.ili ll' HUiaaiiiElitlliin!!: ULmmMMW DIVINITY SCHOOL TROWBRIDGE LIBRARY The Teachings of the Books By Herbert L. Willett, Ph. D Professor in the University of Chicago The Call of The Christ. A Study of the Challenge of Jesus to the Pres ent Century, i zmo, cloth, net $ i .00. A work of striking power and reality — a vital, living, convincing portrayal. Scholarly, yet simple, philosophical, yet understandable, orig inal in phraseology yet lucid, a positive yet pursuasive presentation of the claims of Christ. The Ruling Quality. A Study of Faith as the Means of Victory in Life. i2mo, English boards, net 35 cents. By Willett & Campbell The Teachings of the Books. The Literary Structure and Spiritual Inter pretation of the Books of the New Testament. A work of collaboration by Herbert L. Willett, Ph. D., and James M. Campbell, D. D., net .50. " One of the most trustworthy and helpful books of introduction to the New Testament published." — Bibliotheca Sacra. The Teachings of the Books Or The Literary Structure and Spiritual Interpretation of the Books of the New Testament A Work of Collaboration by Herbert L Willett and James M Campbell TBJRt!^ ¦b'6jt.X9n. H^JTA' amtkfG&AlPHY Fleming H. Revell Company Chicago New York Toronto MDCDI Copyright, 1899, by Fleming H. Revell Company PREFATORY NOTE This Handbook has been prepared especially for advanced Bible-class work, but it is hoped that it may also be found useful to the pastor and to the general Bible student. It is designed to furnish something more than an introduction' to the study of the books of the New Testament. Whatever justification it has to offer for its existence is found in the effort which it makes to examine the several books of the New Testa ment themselves, so as to get hold of the essential truths which they contain. Special attention is given to the study of the New Testament as literature, but the proper classification and arrangement of literary material is valued only as an aid to the interpretation of spiritual facts. The results of the older and of the newer learning are alike gladly accepted when they can assist in seeing things from the author's stand point, in giving to his words their appropriate histor ical setting, and in getting through them to the mind of the Spirit. In a word, the aim of the book is to get through the letter of Scripture to the spirit, through the shell to the kernel, through the bone to the marrow. In this work of collaboration the sections upon the literary structure and historical background of the separate books are the work of Herbert L. Willett; those upon the spiritual teaching of the books are the work of James M. Campbell. 9 THE TEACHINGS OF THE BOOKS THE FOUR GOSPELS Why four gospels? A symbolical meaning has been attached to the number four. It has been taken to refer to the four rivers which went out from the Gar den of Eden, and also to the four cherubim of Ezekiel. Another explanation is that it contains a suggestion of God's intention to extend the gospel to the four quarters of the globe. Irenseus compares the four gospels to four pillars on which the Church rests as it covers the earth. Calvin compares them to a chariot drawn by four horses, in which the King of Glory rides forth to receive the triumphal acclamation of all people. It is vain to search for a secret meaning in anything so simple. The four gospels — which are fragmentary memorabilia, and not exhaustive biog raphies — present a four-fold picture of Him who is the sum and substance of God's revelation to men. Each portrait gives a partial representation, and by chang ing the angle of vision it presents our Lord in a new aspect. In the separate memoirs there is neither discord nor discrepancy. They exhibit a unity which shows the presence of "a presiding mind who planned the whole." Strictly speaking there is but one gospel, which is 12 The Teachings of the Books presented in a four-fold form. It is called "the gos pel of God" (Rom. xv. i6), because God is its author; "the gospel of Christ" (L Thess. i. 8), be cause Christ is its subject matter; "the gospel of Sal vation" (Eph. i. 13), because salvation is its object. The four forms of the one gospel blend as the hues of the rainbow. Taken together they give a complete conception of Christ's unique personality and mission. From their pages looks out a face that the imagination of mortal could not have created. And when that face is seen, the books in which it is sketched are joy fully accepted as a divine revelation. "Men think they believe in Christ," says Dr. R. W. Dale, "because they believe in the Bible ; they really believe in the Bible because they believe in Christ." "I hold the gospels genuine through and through," says Goethe, "for there is apparent in them the reflected glory of the majesty which went out from the person of Christ, and which is divine in its nature, as the divine only once was manifested here upon earth. ' ' It is difficult to sum up in a sentence the leading characteristics of the evangelists. In ancient sym bolism Matthew has been compared to an ox, because he suggests the priestly relations of Christ; Mark to a lion, because of the strength and energy of his gos pel; Luke to a man because he brings to view Christ's human and kingly qualities; John to an eagle, because he soars into the heavens and looks with steady eye upon the dazzling brightness of the divine glory. In the cases of Matthew and Luke this order has been sometimes reversed, and Matthew has been compared to a man, and Luke to an ox. The gospel of Matthew '•s *,hft didactic gospel ; that of Mark is the dynamic The Four Gospels 13 gospel ; that of Luke, the humanitarian gospel ; that of John the spiritual gospel. Or it might be put thus: Matthew records the sayings of Jesus; Mark, His mighty acts; Luke reveals His human heart; John, the secrets of His divine nature. But all of these classifications are necessarily imperfect. Each evangelist was to some extent an independent wit ness; yet the four separate gospels unite together in forming one stream of historic testimony in behalf of the manifestation of God in human life, which has made glad the waste places of the earth, and has made the wilderness to blossom as the rose. THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW THE WRITER The man with whose name the first gospel is con nected was a collector of customs from merchants crossing the Sea of Galilee. The name given to him by Mark and Luke is Levi. He calls himself by his Christian name "Matthew," but with a touch of humility adds, "the publican," in reference to the unsavory profession which he had abandoned. He was the son of Alphseus (Mark ii. 14) ; probably not the Alphaeus mentioned as the father of James, and a member of the apostolic band (Matt. x. 3; Mark iii. 18). His duties as a publican would bring him into disrepute with his countrymen, who hated all agents of the foreign despotism under which they groaned. The social ostracism from which men of this class usually suffered may have produced, or may have fos tered, that rapacity and avarice for which publicans were noted. It was an audacious act to choose a fol lower from this class. But Jesus, who had probablyoften marked the man Levi at his post, called him one day to follow Him, and he obeyed. The beginning of the new career was celebrated by the assumption or bestowal of the new name, "Matthew," which signifies "the gift of God," and by a feast which he gave in honor of his new master, and to which many of his former associ ates were invited (Luke v. 29). Matthew, who is The Gospel According to Matthew 15 a modest man, and keeps himself well in the back ground, veils the fact that the feast of which he makes mention was his farewell to the world, that interest ing bit of information being supplied by Mark and Luke. If, like most publicans, he was a wealthy man, the hint that "he forsook all" to follow Jesus is sig nificant. This event, together with the appearance of his name in each of the four lists of apostles, is all that we know of him. From his being named in con nection with Thomas "the twin," some have thought that they were brothers. But in the great silence that fell over his life all must be left to conjecture. Had it not been for the connection of his name with the first gospel, he would have passed quite from the notice of the Church. But even this fact is significant as bearing witness to the validity of that connection, for no writer of a spurious record would have thought of naming it after so obscure a member of the apos tolic group. Tradition, however, was busy with his name, and it asserted that after remaining in Jerusa lem for some fifteen years following the Ascension, he departed for the East, to fulfill the wider ministries of his apostolic office. SOURCES It is the testimony of the early fathers that Matthew wrote a gospel in Hebrew (or Aramaic).* It becomes a question, therefore, as to the relation of that gospel to our Greek gospel of Matthew. That the latter is not a direct translation seems clear. It bears evi dence of passing through the rounding and smoothing ?Papias says "Matthew accordingly composed tlie oracles (logia or 'say ings') in the Hebrew dialect, and each one interpreted them as he was able." --Eusei. Hist. Mccl, iii. 40. 1 6 The Teachings of the Books process of oral use before being committed to writing. Moreover, if, as many suppose, the Aramaic gospel of Matthew is to be identified with the so-called "Gospel according to the Hebrews," of which only a few frag ments remain, the obvious differences between these fragments and our gospel further complicate the problem. It is believed that suggestions approaching a solution maybe set down as follows : (i) A collec tion of narratives dealing with the life of Jesus, and put into form by Peter from his own personal knowl edge of the facts, circulated as an oral tradition in the earliest circle of believers, and was at a latter time written by Mark in practically the form in which we now possess the second gospel. (2) The apostle Matthew, in the period before he left Jerusalem, taught and wrote down in Aramaic a collection, chiefly sayings or discourses of Jesus, which was soon trans lated into Greek, either by himself or some of his pupils, and formed, together with the Petrine narra tive, the foundation of our first gospel. While it is impossible to decide whether the relation of the apos tle Matthew to the gospel is primary or secondary, it is quite clear that the sources are apostolic, as coming from himself and Peter, and are therefore of the high est value. CHARACTERISTICS The gospel of Matthew is marked by certain char acteristics which give it a distinct and impressive indi viduality. Among the more striking of these may be named : I. The tendency to group the materials about cer tain centers or leading ideas. This appears espe- The Gospel According to Matthew 17 cially in the massing together of the utterances of our Lord, which in the other gospels are distributed over wide portions of His ministry. An example of this may be observed in the treatment of the Sermon on the Mount (v. -vii.), which Luke scatters through several periods of Jesus' work, and which may be regarded as embodying the most striking utterances of His whole ministry. The collection of Christ's teachings found in Matthew is ^called "The Sermon on the Mount," and yet the Scriptures nowhere speak of a formal discourse of Jesus by such a name. Indeed, the parallel account given in Luke vi. expressly states that after spending all night in prayer on the mountain, and choosing the Twelve from the larger circle of His disciples. He came down into the plain, and there discoursed to a great multitude, after work ing certain miracles of healing. We have, therefore, clear indications that at some time in the earlier ministry of Jesus a somewhat formal statement of His purpose was made by Him. Matt. v. -vii. and Luke vi. probably give us the substance of what Jesus was constantly preaching. According to Matthew's fash ion of grouping together materials of the same char acter, we have here gathered a variety of those brief and pithy utterances which formed such an important feature of Jesus' discourses. He was constantly preaching or talking to those whom He met, and His conversation, passing often into discourse as His audi ence increased, deals continually with such ideas as these chapters contain. One may almost venture to believe that the so-called Sermon on the Mount was the one great sermon of Jesus' life, which He was fre quently preaching with variation of material and illus- 1 8 The Teachings of the Books tration, but with continued insistence upon its great themes. The same grouping of material is seen in the instructions to the disciples (x.), which by comparison with Luke will be seen to combine the parting words to both the Twelve and the Seventy (Luke ix. i , 2 ; x. i) ; the massing of seven parables in one continuous nar rative at the first introduction of parabolic teaching (xiii.), and of other groups of parables at later periods (xxi. 28-xxii. 14; XXV.); and the discourse on the Last Things (xxiv.), in which, however, Mark is for the most part closely followed. It is evident that this gospel does not present the events or discourses in their chronological order, but groups the material from different periods about common ideas. 2. On comparing this gospel with Mark it is to be noted that there are both abbreviations and additions. Mark is vivid and detailed in describing events, and his work has in a striking degree the quality which belongs to an eye-witness. In this is seen the Petrine influence. In narratives of events the gospel of Matthew leaves out many of these details, as being less concerned with the accessories of the picture, and J as hastening on to the teachings involved. But the first gospel adds to the Petrine material in many instances, for the most part in the region of teaching, and not a few of these additions bear evidence of being the product of the process of oral growth, after the original teaching began to circulate. Some of these additions essentially modify the older state ments, and some even interrupt the thought. Exam ples of this may be seen in such appended phrases as "thy coming and the end of the age" (xxiv. 3), The Gospel According to Matthew 19 "neither on the Sabbath" (xxiv. 20), the modification of the statement of Jesus regarding divorce by the additional words "for every cause" (xix. 3), and "ex cept for fornication" (xix. 9), and in such passages as xii. 40, xix. 28, xxvii. 51-53, xxiv. 10-13, 26-28. 3. This gospel is didactic. It has a very decided theological bent.* Where it supplies information concerning our Lord which is not found in the other gospels, it will be noticed that in most cases such additional material is intended to enforce teachings, not to narrate incidents. Even where the record of events is more elaborate than that of Mark, it will be seen that the events themselves have a direct didactic value, as in the cases of the Temptation, the Plucking of the Grain, or Peter's Confession. It is especially the gospel of discourses. Such collections of sayings as the Teaching on the Hill, the Instructions to the Twelve, the various groups of parables, and the Dis course on Final Things, are among the most character istic features of this great book. 4. It is the Jewish gospel. It emphasizes the con nection between the past national experiences and the life of Jesus. The first and third gospels contain most of the Petrine narrative, which is given in its simplest form by Mark. In addition to this they record much of that material known as the "utter ances of Jesus," which has been recognized as the second of our original sources. The point in which the gospel of Matthew differs most strikingly from Mark and Luke is in the large national element which it contributes. All the gospels quote the Old Testa- * It is worth noting that Matthew is the only one of the synoptists who gives a tJieological definition of the worlc of Christ. See xx. 27, 28, which contains the seed of the Pauline theology. 20 The Teachings of the Books ment to a certain degree, and see in the life of Jesus striking fulfillments of its statements ; but the first gospel exhibits this feature to a degree unapproached by the others. The disciples, through Peter, gave expression to their perception of the fact that Jesus was the expected Jewish Messiah (Matt. xvi. i6). This was the keynote of the early preaching among the Jews. No other phase of the gospel was so signi ficant to them as this. Among the Jewish Christians the Old Testament was therefore searched with fresh interest to discover predictions of the Messiah ; and wherever such were found they were eagerly seized upon as proofs that Jesus was indeed the Coming One. The gospel of Matthew is the best evidence of this process. Its references to the Old Testament are very numerous. They show not so much that the gospel was addressed to the Jewish people as that it had its origin in a circle of Jewish thought where the final proof of a statement was a quotation from the Old Testament, whose primary or remote applicability to the matter in hand could be shown. No doubt a treatment of the life of Jesus linked so closely with utterances of the Jewish Scriptures was also most effective in dealing with non-Christian Jews, but prob ably the reason for this feature of the gospel li«s in the interest attaching to the discovery of Christ in the Old Testament, rather than in the directly apologetic. purpose of the writer. Examples of the more direct Messianic statements quoted may be found in the assertion of Micah (v. 2) that the Messianic deliverer should come forth from Bethlehem (Matt. ii. 6) ; in the portrait of the Suffering Servant of God, taking upon him our infirmities (Isa. liii. 4, cf. ; Matt. The Gospel According to Matthew 21 viii. 17); in the description of his quiet yet effective redemptive methods (Isa. xlii. 1-4, cf. ; Matt. xii. 17); in the words of Jesus, "The Son of .Man goeth, as it is written of Him" (Matt, xxvi. 24), where the reference is not specific but general, and refers tp statements like those of Isaiah liii. concerning the tragic outcome of the Servant's career; and in the language quoted by Jesus from Zech. xiii. 7. There are also many passages in the Old Testa ment which refer to events in the time of the writer, or in the past, narrating some episode in national or individual experience, or voicing a proph ecy or a hope for the immediate future, in which the early disciples saw statements which seemed to fit admirably into certain events in the life of our Saviour; and moved by the tendency of the religious teachers of the age to discover remote and hidden meanings in the Scripture, or impressed by the profounder truth that the unfulfilled life-work of the nation, Israel, as the Servant of God was taken up and brought to a glorious accomplishment by the greater Servant of God, the Messiah, they did not hesitate to affirm that such Scriptures were "fulfilled" in Jesus; not so much, however, as predictions corne to pass, as events in history which find their larger meaning and more significant expression in later events. In this way episodes in the life of the nation were seen to have significant parallels, and to come to their fuller mean ing — i. e., to be "fulfilled" in events in the life of Christ. Examples of this may be seen in the depar ture of Israel from Egypt (Hos. xi. i, cf. ; Matt. ii. 15) ; the mourning of Hebrew mothers when their children were carried away to Babylon (Jer. xxxi. 15-17, cf.; t 22 The Teachings of the Books Matt. ii. 1 7) ; and the prediction of Isaiah that Tiglath Pileser would soon retire from the north country (Isa. ix. if; cf. Matt. iv. 14). There is even observable in some cases a disposition to alter slightly the words and sense of the Old Testament statement, in order to make it agree more closely with some particular event in the life of Jesus, as may be seen in the change in Matt. iii. 3, as compared with Isa. xl. 3, where the prophet had spoken of a voice which pro-' claimed the preparation of a highway in the wilderness on which the exiled Israelites could return home, whereas in the later use the language is made to refer to the voice in the wilderness — i. e., John the Baptist. In Matt. xxi. 4, two animals are named, whereas in the earlier account (Mark xi. i f) only one is mentioned — the change seemingly resulting from a desire to make the narrative accord with Zech. ix. 9; for, as the parallelism shows, only one animal is there referred to. A similar instance is given in Matt, xxvii. 9. The statement in Acts i, 18, that Judas purchased with the price of the betrayal a field, which from his mysterious and dreadful death there was known as the Field of Blood, is said to have been a fulfillment of Zech. xi. .12, 13. However, what is there stated is that a shepherd of God's people, upon receiving only an insignificant reward for his service, publicly rejected it, throwing it on the temple floor at the feet of the potter. The story of Matthew that Judas, stricken with remorse, threw the silver on the floor of the temple, and went out to commit suicide, the priests purchasing with the blood money the potter's field — which from that fact was called the Field of Blood — has but slight relevancy to the incident re- The Gospel According to Matthew 23 corded by Zechariah. Such changes are hardly to be reckoned as . deliberate modifications of facts. They grow naturally out of the process of oral repetition before the material has received a written form ; and they occur naturally under the influence of the Old Testament records with which the events connect themselves. The early Christians "searched the Scriptures," and they found Christ everywhere. The profound significance of this fact is apparent to the student of the New Testament. The gospel of Mat thew records frequent references to the Hebrew Scrip tures in the teaching of Jesus, as shown in such passages as ix. 13; xxi. 13, 16, 42; xxii. 31, 37, Yet this gospel cannot be called Jewish in any nar row or partisan sense, for it names such foreigners as Ruth and Rahab among the ancestors of our Lord ; it records the visit of the Magi to honor Him at His birth (ii. 1-12); it tells of His visit to the regions be yond Palestine, and the healing of the heathen girl (xv. 21), and declares that the evangel of salvation is to be carried to all nations (xxiv. 14, xxviii. 19). More over, its translation of such Aramaic words as Imman- ~tiel (i. 23), Golgotha (xxvii. 33), and the prayer on the cross (xxvii. 46) shows that it was designed to circulate in non-Jewish communities, where such interpretations were necessary. 5. In this gospel there is a certain element of stern ness and severity which does not appear elsewhere in the reported teachings of Jesus. It alone records the parables of judgment — namely, that of the tares, the drag-net, the ten virgins, and the rejection of the goats. It is this gospel which gives the eightfold denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees (xxiii. 13-36), and reports 24 The Teachings of the Books the only occasion on which Jesus applied to them the terrible words of John, "serpents, offspring of vipers" (xii. 34, xxiii. 33). It also recalls the frightful responsi bility for the death of Jesus incurred by the leaders of the nation when they sought to ease the troubled conscience of Pilate with the ominous words, "His blood be on us and on our children" (xxvii. 25). THE SITUATION The date at which the gospel of Matthew was put into its written form was probably not far from the year 70 A.D. Many of its expressions leave the impression that the fall of Jerusalem may have occurred. But it must be remembered that the mate rial may have taken form some time earlier, before the fall of the city. It will be safe to place the writing in the early part of the seventh decade of the first century. Growing out of the situation, we have what paint ers call the atmosphere of the picture. We can see what formative forces were at work in the writer's mind. These were (i) the Messianic hope; (2) the national spirit, which at that time beat strongly in the Jewish breast; (3) the political and religious unrest of the times; (4) The general expectancy that some thing of stupendous eventfulness was about to happen. DIVISIONS OF THE BOOK These are five in number, (i) Preparations, includ ing all that lies between the birth of Jesus and His baptism (i.-iv.). (2) His Galilean ministry, which was one of marked success. During this period the Twelve were chosen; miracles were wrought; the Ser- The Gospel According to Matthew 25 mon on the Mount delivered (iv.-vii.). (3) The time of opposition (xii. -xvi.). As the opposition deepened the introduction of the parable into His teaching took place, it being adapted to reveal the truth to His disciples, and to conceal it from his opposers. (4) The shadow of the cross (xvi. -xxi.). (5) The final week (xxi. -xxviii.), with the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the cleansing of the temple, the tragedy of Calvary, the resurrection, the final interview with the disciples, and the great commission. ARRANGEMENT OF MATERIALS The writer of this gospel selects and arranges his materials according to his own subjective conception of Jesus and His work. The order which he observes, while neither strictly logical nor chronological, gives, with an artlessness which is akin to the highest art, a record of the life of Jesus which is characterized by symmetry and unity. Besides central ideas around which events are grouped, there is the grouping of things in twos and sevens. But from the fact that we find seven parables thrown together in one group, we are not to infer that they were spoken at one time. In Matthew's gospel there is no straining after effect. He is natural, unaffected, simple, sublime in his sim plicity. If not much of an actor, he was a keen observer. He mused until the fire burned. He does not, like John, weave his own opinions into his narra tive. He aims to put things down just as they hap pened. The personal element is obliterated. The eloquence of the book is the eloquence which belongs not to the writer, but to his theme. He was not a great man, but he had a great subject, and he allowed 26 The Teachings of the Books himself to be carried along by it. If the gospel of Mark is like a rushing mountain torrent, the gospel of Matthew is like a majestic river, which increases in volume as it sweeps onward. It is not a piece of literary patch-work. Its materials are woven together into one harmonious whole. It has unity, continuity, increase, climax. SPIRITUAL TEACHINGS I. This gospel shows the unity and progressiveness of the revelation which God has given to man in His Word. It forms the connecting link between the Old Dispen sation and the New. Although not the oldest gospel, by a sure instinct — or rather, let us say, by a guid ing Providence — it has been placed first in the New Testament canon.* It is preeminently the gospel of prophetic fulfillment. One of its oft-repeated phrases is, "that it might be fulfilled." It has upwards of sixty citations from the Old Testament, all of which contain references to things which, whatever may have been their original application, are believed to find their complete fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Christian ity is represented as having its roots in the Old Testa ment. It is the ripened fruit of Judaism ; it is Juda ism enlarged and spiritualized; it is Messianic hope brought to fruition. In the words of Jesus, "I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill" (v. 17), we have "a doctrinal epitome of this gospel." (Farrar.) 2. This gospel proves that Jesus is the Messiah promised *The word " canon " means primarily a measuring rod, or rule. Its secondary meaning is " that by which things are measured or tested " In this sense it is applied to the accepted collection of the boolcs of the Bible, which supply the test of truth. The Gospel According to Matthew 27 in the Jewish Scriptures. It may be putting the matter too strongly to say that this is its fixed and definite aim. Looking into the Jewish Scriptures, Matthew saw what he was prepared to see, and he reported what he saw. His standpoint is Jewish; the flavor of his gospel is Jewish. His gospel is specially adapted to the spiritual needs of his countrymen. Its opening words, "the genealogical roll of Jesus the Christ, Son of David, Son of Abraham," connect the subject of the book with the fulfillment of Messianic hopes. Jesus is spoken of six times as "the Son of David"; Jerusalem is "the Holy City," "the City of the Great King"; the God whom Jesus reveals is "Israel's God"; the messengers of Jesus are sent "to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." The entire setting of the book is Jewish. Its culminating point is the iden tification of the advent of Jesus of Nazareth with the advent of the Jews' Messiah.* 3. In Matthew's gospel the central idea is the kingdom of God, and the central aim is the exhibition of Jesus Christ as the one by whom the kingdom of God was to be brought in. In Jesus of Nazareth the golden dream of Israel's seers touching that kingdom which is "the true human ideal" was to be realized. Matthew is the only one of the synoptistsf who uses the expres sion "the kingdom of heaven," or more literally, "the kingdom of the heavens"; and with him that expres- *The doctrine of the coming of a personal Messiah, says Dr. Felix Adler, the celebrated Hebrew scholar, " is the purple thread which runs through the writings of our prophets and historians.' And one of the thirteen articles which every Israelite is enjoined to rehearse daily is, " I believe with a per fect heart that the Messiah will come: and although his coming be delated, nevertheless will I daily expect him." tThe first three evangelists are called "synoptists," because their gospels can be ''seen together," and the common elements which they contain can be systematized and arranged in tabular form. The fourth gospel stands by itself. 28 The Teachings of the Books sion is an equivalent for "the kingdom of God."* Inwardly considered the kingdom of heaven is the reign of God in the heart ; outwardly considered it is the realm over which He rules as King. The rule of God on earth is not only a royal rule, it is a heavenly rule. It is heaven's order brought down into this disordered worid; it is the world-end of God's eternal purpose of redemption. Matthew's gospel is the good news of the coming of "a kingdom which is the realization of righteousness in the life of human ity." (Mulford.) 4. In Matthew's gospel Jesus Christ is set forth as the appointed head of the Messianic kingdom. The glad evangel proclaimed to the people of Israel was the ad vent of their king, in whom all their hopes were bound up. (i) Jesus is shown to be of royal descent. He is "the Son of David," "the hero king of Israel," and heir of the promised kingdom (i. i). (2) His coming is heralded as the coming of a king (ii. 1-12). (3) He is the expected king for whom all the world was anx iously waiting. The Magi, as representatives of the Gentile world, come to Jerusalem, inquiring, "Where is He that is born king of the Jews?" (ii. 2). (4) He is publicly inaugurated by baptism into his Messianic mission (iii. 13-17). (s) He gathers the twelve around Him, constituting them His ambassadors (iv. 1 7-2 2). f (6) He preaches "the gospel of the kingdom," *Jesus did not coin the phrases, " the kingdom of God "and "the king dom of heaven." He found them in current use, and by adopting them gained the attention of the people. He however put into these familiar words a new content, exalting them above the idealism of the prophets, from which the people of Israel had miserably fallen. tThe method of Jesus was to select and train choice men to be His rep resentatives. His public ministry, which was brief in duration and restrict ed in area, was a sort of clinic for the special benefit of those who after His departure were to carry his gospel to wider circles. The training of the Twelve to which He particularly devoted Himself reveals His plan for tne agation of His kingdom. The Gospel According to Matthew 29 the good news of the speedy establishment of the reign of God on the earth (iv. 23). Jesus did not preach the gospel of salvation; He' came that there might be a gospel of salvation to preach. He is the gospel of salvation; He preached the gospel of the kingdom. (7) He promulgates the laws of His king dom (v. -vii. ). The Sermon on the Hill is the manifesto of the King, "the Magna Charta of the new kingdom" (Tholuck). It is a declaration of the righteousness of the kingdom of heaven in its relation to the new the ocracy. (8) He, as the royal Lawgiver, proclaims the law of love to be the generic law of His kingdom. In love the whole law is comprehended (xxii. 40). The apostle James calls love "the royal law." But it is more than a law; it is also the vital root from which the kingdom grows. (9) Under a series of seven par- alales Jesus describes the nature of the kingdom (xiii.) The parable of the sower shows the seminal principle to be the one by which His kingdom is propagated; the seed being "the word of the kingdom"; that of the tares shows "the gathering out of His kingdom of things that cause stumbling and them that do iniquity' ' ; that of the mustard seed shows its outward growth ; that of the leaven its secret and expansive power; that of the treasure hid in the field represents it as a prized possession unexpectedly found; that of the merchantman seeking goodly pearls as the highest good eagerly sought after; that of the draw-net as a process of separation and purification which was to take place at the end of the Jewish age. (10) He announces the privileges of His kingdom under the figure of a royal feast (xxii.). Luke says, "A certain man made a great supper." Matthew puts it, "The 30 The Teachings of the Books kingdom of heaven is likened untO a certain king who made a marriage feast for his son, ' ' To this royal feast are all invited, (ii) His kingship is unwittingly acknowledged by His enemies. By the soldiers (xxvii. 3o); by Pilate (xxvii. 37); by the chief priests (xxvii. 43). (12) As king He judges from His throne of glory: (a) "His own servants," the Jewish people (xxv. 14-30) ; (b) the Gentile nations (xxv. 31-46). Notice the difference in the criterion of judgment in .the two cases. In the judgment of the Jews the criterion consists of fidelity to definite instruction ; in the judgment of the Gentiles it consists of fidelity to the inward spirit and principle of benevolence. The latter is the judgment of the present age. (13) He delegates to His disciples the kingly authority with which He is invested (xxviii. 19). 5. The unfolding of the kingdom, (i) The kingdom as foretold (ii. 6). (2) As at hand (iii. 2). John the Baptist heralded the coming of a kingdom into which he himself did not enter (xi. 11). (3) As come (xii. 28). It is already in the world, but it is yet to attain more perfect form. (4) As assailed by violent men, who attempt to take it by force (xi. 12).* (5) As a realized ideal (vi. 10). Jesus certainly believed in the applicability of His teaching, and He now waits for the world to make it the basis of a new society. All hope for the world lies in obedience to the law that fell from His lips. (6) As progressive (xiii), unfolding by the power of its own inherent life. (7) As taken *Tha violence here referred to Is not something to be commended, but something to be condemned. We are not to " batter the gate of heaven with storms of prayer ' till God capitulates. Heaven's gate is open, not barred The Gospel According to Matthew 3 1 from the Jews, "the sons of the kingdom" who are cast into the outer darkness (viii. 12), despoiled of the vineyard which they have neglected (xxi. 43), and blasted with perpetual barrenness (xxi. 19). This rejection is national, not individual. When this is kept in mind, the seeming severity of Jesus in the acted parable of the cursing of the barren fig-tree is taken away. (8) As widened to include the Gentiles (xii. 21,. xxi. 43). (9) As made visible to those who have spiritual discernment (xvi. 28). (10) As triumph ing through judgment. Judgment .is sent forth unto victory; that is, by judgment the kingdom is advanced (xii. 20). (11) As spiritual; being founded upon spir itual facts, and built up by spiritual forces.* Viewed broadly the kingdom is external and internal, individ ual and social. But its distinguishing quality under all its forms is its spirituality (xiii. 43). The Jews, discerning its spiritual character, would have none of it. The kingdom that they sought was a new political order, not a new social order; the reign of an Israelitish king rather than the reign of God; a reign of out ward glory rather than the reign of righteousness. (12) As universal, embracing all men in its final devel opment (viii. 11). The aim of Matthew is to show that the religion of Jesus, which began as a spiritual ized Judaism, was destined to burst its Jewish shell and grow into a world-religion. It was to find its embodiment, not in the temple, but in living souls, who should become "the habitation of God in the Spirit. " (13) As eternal, a kingdom that shall have no *Jesus invariably subordinated physical power to spiritual ends. When, at the time of His baptism. He became fully conscious of the possession of divine power, He was tempted to use it for His own advantage or glory. His triumph over this temptation reveals His determination to depend solely upon spiritual forces for the advancement of His Kingdom. 32 The Teachings of the Books end. "Prepared from the foundation of the world" (xxv. 34)- 6. Characteristics of those who are members of the kingdom, (i) A sevenfold beatitude is pronounced upon them because of the kingliness of their charac ter* (v. 3-12). (2) They are poor in spirit (v. 3). (3) They are peacemakers (v. 9). (4) They endure per secution for righteousness' sake (v. 10). (5) They teach and do the least of Christ's commandments (v. 19) — not with the ceremonial legalism of the Phari sees, who strained out a gnat and swallowed a camel (xxiii. 24), but with a spirit of sweet subniissiveness which seeks to know and do all of the Master's will. (6) They pray for the coming of the kingdom (vi. 14), making their life one continuous prayer for its enlarge ment. (8) They live for the kingdom, making it the primal object of all their effort (vi. ^^. In the service of the kingdom their life finds its true end. (9) They are charitable (vii. 1-5). (10) They are self-denying (xvi. 24). (11) They are humble and childlike (xviii. 4). (12) They minister to the needy and dis tressed because they belong to Christ (xxv. 34). "They are fully subject to God through boundless confidence in Him and unbounded love for their neighbor." (Herrmann). It is like king, like subjects. The greatest in the kingdom are those who most closely resemble their Lord. 7. Who are excluded from the kingdom? (i) Formal ists (v. 20). (2) The morally worthless (xiii. 47). (3) The unforgiving (xviii. 35). (4) The spiritually sloth ful (xxv. 26). (5) The unrepentant (xviii. 3). (6) The careless guests who have not on the robe of personal ?Numerically the beatitudes are nine, topically they are seven. The Gospel According to Matthew ^^ righteousness (xxii. 13). (7) The unwatchful (xxv. 12). (8) The selfish (xxv. 41). (9) The rich while not necessarily excluded, enter with difficulty (xix. 23). (10) The publicans and the harlots enter before the priests and elders (xxi. 31). 8. delations of the subjects of the kingdom to O'ne another, (i) They acknowledge a common paternity and a common brotherhood. Sons of God, they are brothers one of another (vi. 9). (2) They manifest fraternal interest in each other's welfare. They do not each pray "Give me my daily bread, but give us our daily bread" — our needful bread, the bread of our necessity, our sustenance for to-day, our bread for the coming day (vi. 11). The Lord's Prayer is through out a social, not an individualistic prayer. (3) They recognize Christ as Master of the new brotherhood, and themselves as servants one of another under Him (xxiii. 8). (4) Embraced in a spiritual solidarity they feel bound to each other in covenant obligations (xxvi. 28). (5) As members of one brotherhood they are called upon to perform reciprocal duties. They are not to cause one another to stumble (xviii. 6). They are to help one another to glorify God (v. 16). Being brothers, they are to act brotherly. 9. Conditions of entering the kingdom, (i) Faith, or confidence in the King. This condition is funda mental, but it is implied rather than expressed. And inasmuch as faith cannot act in the dark, some measure of knowledge is assumed as necessary to its existence. (2) Repentance, or change of mind (iv. 17).* *The call to repentance was urgent. Already was "the axe I^d unto the root of the tree. (iii. lo.) That is, it was laid up against the root of the tree, while the woodman was getting ready to use it. Soon the stroke of doom would fall and the venerable tree of the Jewish theocracy would come down with a crash. The time of respite was brief, 34 The Teachings of the Books The Greek term metanoia literally means "thinking with"; that is, the act of thinking with God; taking His view of things, thinking His thoughts after Him. The reason why emphasis is here put upon repentance is because the Gospel of Matthew, being addressed to Jews, seeks to re-echo and re-enforce the prophetic call of the Old Testament, which was a call to repentance — a call, in other words, to turn from sin to God. (3) Reformation, or change of life, which is the practical side of repentance (iii. 8). (4) Self-sur render, or submission to the King (xvi. 24). (5) Childlike confidence and simplicity, or humility before the King (xviii. 3). 10. As touching the King, (i) He came in disguise. The world rulers did not know Him (ii. i), (2) His coming stirred the world (ii. 1-9). (3) His life on earth was one of humiliation (xxi. 5). (4) Royal authority belongs to Him by right. The kingdoms of the world which Satan offered to Him in the wilderness were already His (iv. 8). (5) His mediatorial reign has already begun. His kingdom came in spiritual power at the end of the Jewish age. When the Jewish age closed, the Christian age opened. Endless confusion has arisen from translating the expression, "the end of the age," by the words "the end of the world." The crisis that is constantly referred to as imminent is not the end of the world, but the end, or "con summation," of the Jewish age (xiv. 3). Christ came the first time in the flesh "at the end of the age," /. e., of the Jewish age; He came the second time in the presence and power of the Spirit at the begin ning of the new age, the age of the kingdom. Of The Gospel According to Matthew 35 the new age, which is now running its glorious course. He is King. (6) His promise that some of those who listened to Him would live to see Him coming in His kingdom has been literally fulfilled (xvi. 28). The destruction of Jerusalem was not the second coming of Christ, it was the sign of His second coming. The double question, "When shall these things be, and what shall be the sign of Thy presence?" (xxiv. 3) implies that the desolating judgments about to fall upon the Jewish nation had their significance as the outward signs of a stupendous spiritual fact. They were the visible tokens of our Lord's Parousia, or spiritual presence. (7) Christ, who is now present in kingly power, is ruling by His Spirit in the empire of the soul (xvii. 20). (8) His throne of power is the cross. He rules the world through sacrifice (xxvi. 37-55)- (9) As the world's King He is the world's Judge (xxv. 34). The work of judgment with which His kingdom was ushered in still goes on. The judgment-seat of Christ is already erected. Before it all men are summoned. The ethics of Christ are be coming more and more the recognized standard of judgment for nations and individuals. He is now carrying on a process of judgment which is to end in a crisis. The picture of the age-long judgment of the Jewish nation ending in a day of judgment may be fitted to the larger frame of universal history and the end of the ages. Days of judgment always end in a judgment day. (10) His kingdom is developing throughout the Christian centuries. It grows through its own expansive power — by accretion, and by con quest. Over all opposition it will be finally trium- 36 The Teachings of the Books phant. The Christ who was crucified is the King of Glory. The Christ who conquered death will con quer all. Before the scepter of His omnipotent love every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess that He is Lord. THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK THE WRITER Among the Jewish Christians living in Jerusalem in the days following Pentecost was a woman named Mary, whose home was a rendezvous for the mem bers of the Church, including the apostles (Acts xii. 1 2). She had a son whose Jewish name was John, but who, in accordance with the custom of the time among his people,* had a Gentile name, Mark or Marcus (Acts xii. 25). He was related to Barnabas as nephew, or more probably cousin (Col. iv. 10), and may have owed his conversion to Peter, who refers to him as a son in the faith (I. Pet. v. 13). For several years Peter was the leading figure in the Jerusalem church, and Mark as a young man of promise would natur ally be used by him in Christian work. The work most needed in this period was that of teaching, especially the giving of instruction in the story of Jesus' life. There were no written narratives at first. It is not likely that the Church at this time so much as thought of any other form of narrative than oral recitals of the ministry of our Lord. From no source would such teaching come more naturally than from Peter, and this dissemination "?The common practice among the Jews was that of giving children one name for use in Jemsh circles and another by which they were known among the Gentiles. Cf. Saul and Paul, Cephas and Peter, Levi and Matthew, Joseph and Barnabas. 37 38 The Teachings of the Books of the "teaching" of the apostles (Acts ii. 42) was one of the earliest and most important ministries of the Church, as the frequent use of the words "teach ers" and "pupils," or "instructed" (literally, "cate chised") shows. In this instruction, constantly repeated, the oral narratives cf the work of Jesus became a common possession of the Jerusalem Church, and tended, as is usual in the Orient, to preserve their original form. The earliest narrative was probably Aramaic, but its different sections would naturally find translation into Greek, for the benefit of those Hellenistic Jews who before long made a considerable part of the Jerusalem Church (Acts vi. i). Mark may have been one of the teachers who repeated the gos pel message put into form by Peter. The home of Mark was probably used by the dis ciples as a place of meeting, and may have been the scene of the Last Supper and of the descent of the Spirit. The effort has been made to identify John Mark as the young man who narrowly escaped arrest in Gethsemane (Mark xiv. 51, 52), but this is mere conjecture. However, he must have had the most favorable opportunities for knowing the leading members of the Church. When Barnabas and Saul visited Jerusalem they may have been guests at his home. The vividness of the narrative in Acts xii. i- 19 suggests that Luke may have learned the facts from Paul, who was in Jerusalem with Barnabas about this time. Certain it is, that Mark left his mother and returned to Antioch with them (Acts xii. 25). If he had been a co-worker and assistant of Peter in the ministry of teaching, his departure for a new work may be explained on the ground of Peter's The Gospel According to Mark 39 withdrawal more and more from Jerusalem to engage in the wider activities of the apostolic office (Acts ix. 32-43). Soon after their arrival at Antioch Barna bas and Paul started on an evangelizing tour, and Mark went with them (Acts xiii. 5) ; but after they had left Cyprus and reached Perga, on the coast of Asia Minor, he deserted them and returned to Jerusa lem (Acts xiii. 13). His motive may be found in the hardships of such a missionary career, or in his fear for his mother's safety in Jerusalem, where the Christians were in danger of frequent persecution ; but certain it is that his loss was felt by Paul, who strongly disap proved of his departure, and viewed it as a defection from a sacred work. Mark, no doubt, regretted his conduct, for by the time Paul and Barnabas were ready to undertake their second journey, he was back in Antioch prepared to accompany them. This, how ever, Paul would not permit, whereupon Barnabas took Mark and departed to the work in Cyprus (Acts XV. 36-39). How long his association with his cousin continued cannot be known, but at the time of Paul's imprisonment in Rome (A. D. 62) he was with the apostle (Col. iv. 10, Phil. 24), and seemingly about to start on a mission to the East, which shows that Jie had been restored to the favor of Paul, and was one of his trusted helpers. In I. Peter v. 13 the writer speaks of Mark as with him in Babylon, which prob ably stands for Rome, according to a frequent Chris tian usage of the first century; and later on Paul requests Timothy to bring Mark from the vicinity of Ephesus to Rome, as being able to assist him there , (II. Tim. iv. 11). These hints afford us our only cer tain information regarding Mark. The writings of 40 The Teachings of the Books the early fathers declare that he was the interpreter of Peter, that he lived and labored in Rome, and that he went later to Alexandria, where he founded the Egyptian church, and where he was buried. Tra dition records the removal of his remains to Venice, where the beautiful church of St. Mark was built in his honor. SOURCES The direct connection of Mark with the writing of the second gospel is generally accepted. The attempt to show that he is the author of a lost document on which our gospel of Mark is based, rather than the author of the gospel itself, has not proved convincing. That much of the material which Mark has given us is reproduced from Peter's teaching is morally cer tain. Upon this point, the testimony of Papias, the earliest authority (120 A. D.), is in harmony with that of the Greek and Latin fathers.* It would seem that Peter gave form to the earliest narrative, made up of accounts of events in Jesus' life which could be used separately or repeated in a continuous recital. That narrative dealt mostly with events in the life of Jesus, and included the report of only a few of his discourses or teachings. It circulated very early in Jerusalem, and had both an Aramaic and a Greek form. Mark, as a teacher of the gospel, was able to put it into writ ing with few if any changes from the form in which he * Papias, 'on the authority of John the Presbyter, declared that " Mark, having become the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately, tliough not indeed in order, whatsoever he remembered of the things said or done by Christ. For he neither heard the Lord nor followed Him; but afterward, as is said, he followed Peter, who adapted his teaching to the needs of his hearers, but with no intention of giving a connected account of the Lord's discourses, so that Mark committed no error while he thus wrote some things as he remembered them, for he was careful of one thing, not to omit any of the things which he had heard, and not to state any of them falsely," Euseb. H.E.AlUS)- The Gospel According to Mark 41 received it from Peter. This written version was probably not prepared for some time afterward. One tradition has it that it was written in Rome; another that it was written in Alexandria. It is generally conceded to be the oldest of the gospels, and either in its present form or as an oral narrative it formed one of [the sources for both Matthew and Luke.* Papias affirms that Mark does not preserve the chronological order of events in the life of Christ, but it is probable that he more closely approaches it than any other, since Matthew and Luke in the main follow his arrangement. This explains the fact that all three of the synoptic gospels give special prominence to the Galilean ministry, and record only one Passover, as contrasted with John, who records the Judean minis try of Jesus, together with the fact that three Pass overs were celebrated by him. In reading Mark's gospel we are therefore nearer to the acts and words of Jesus than anywhere else, being in possession of a recital of them which must have been put into essen tially its present form within a dozen years of the death of our Lord. Nothing could exceed the deep significance of this fact. Whether the Gospel of Mark originally ended abruptly at xvi. 8, or whether the remaining portion was lost, is uncertain. But the section xvi. 9-20 is not regarded as genuine, and it has been rightly separated from the body of the gospel in the Revised Version. *The theory which at present is generally accepted by scholars is that fanced by Prof. Bruce in his introduction to the Expositor's Greek Testa ment, to-wit, that "a book like our canonical Mark, if not identical with it, was the source of narratives common to the three gospels, and another book containing the sayings of Jesus was the source of didactic matter common to Matthew and Luke.'"^ 42 The Teachings of the Books CHARACTERISTICS The careful reader will notice certain striking fea tures in this gospel. 1. It is a gospel of events and actions. This is what might be expected in the earliest narrative regarding Jesus. The striking deeds are emphasized. The teachings take form later. This explains why in the earliest gospel the Sermon on the Mount and all but six parables are omitted. Those events only which concern the ministry of Jesus are mentioned, the inter esting accounts of His birth and childhood being left out. The narrative opens with the work of John, and goes swiftly onward to the close. Rapidity of movement is particularly noticeable. Jesus is de scribed as going from one action to another with tireless energy and enthusiasm. The adverb trans lated "immediately," "straightway," and "forth with" is used no fewer than forty times by Mark. The mind is impressed by a series of swiftly moving scenes. Action is the prevailing quality, and closely connected with this is the vividness and realism of the narrative. The entire book bears the characteristics of an eye witness. It has incidents or features which are related nowhere else. It is impossible to believe that we have in this gospel simply a condensation of Matthew and Luke, when it is noticed that it gives ¦ far more of those personal and realistic touches than they do. The most casual comparison will disclose numerous instances of this. Take for example the following: The pressing of the multitude upon the little group consisting of Jesus and the disciples, so that they could not eat (iii, 20) ; Jesus sleeping on The Gospel According to Mark 43 the cushion of the boat (iv. 38) ; Jesus turning round and discovering the woman who had touched him in the throng (v. 32); the exact reporting of His words (iii. 17, V. 41, vii. 34, xiv. 36, xv. 34); His sighing when He was asked for a sign (viii. 12); His rebuk ing of Peter (viii. 33); His taking the child in His arms (ix. 36); the disclosure to Peter, James, John, and Andrew of the coming catastrophe (xiii. 3); the bearing of the cross by Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus (xv. 21). The vividness of the picture is further enhanced by the frequent use of the present tense where the other narrators use the historical tenses as being suited to the description of past events. This may be observed in such touches as "There comes to Him a leper" (i. 4); "they come to Him bringing," etc. (ii. 3); "while He was yet speak ing there comes to Him Judas" (xiv. 43). Mark has little that is peculiar to himself, as almost all that he records has been used by the other evangelists; but among the things peculiar to his narrative are the par ables of the secretly growing seed (iv. 20-29) ^nd of the householder (xiii. 34); two miracles of healing, one being that of the deaf and dumb man (vii. 32-37), the other that of the blind man at Bethsaida (viii. 22-26); also the story of the young man clad in a linen cloth who followed Jesus on His way to the judgment hall (xiv. 51, 52). Mark also gives several additional features, evidencing the value of the narrative as that of an eye witness, and as put into form while the events were still fresh in memory; which quite agrees with the Petrine character of the gospel. 2. There is a certain air of boldness about the gospel of Mark which does not belong to the other gospels. The 44 The Teachings of the Books statements regarding Jesus are sometimes startling in their frankness, and might seem to be in danger of a wrong construction, and yet they are set down with out reservation. "The gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God" is the title which Mark gives to his book. The thoughts of Jesus as expressed in His actions are here given as nowhere else. Jesus is represented as looking about with anger (iii. 5) ; as being filled with indignation (x. 14); as loving the rich young man (x. 21) ; as marveling at the unbelief of the people (vi. 6) ; as being suspected of insanity by His friends (iii. 21). This feature is still more evident in the parallel accounts where the other gospels, especially Matthew, modify the statements of Mark so that they are less abrupt. Jesus is the carpenter in Mark (vi. 3), but the son of the carpenter in Matt. xiii. 55. Mark says Jesus was not able to do any mighty work at Nazareth, save to heal a few sick people (vi. 5). Matthew's account simply says He did few mighty works there because of their unbelief (xiii. 58). Mark says the young man who asked Jesus what he should do to inherit eternal life called Him "Good Master," and Jesus responded, "Why callest thou me good? None is good save one, God" (x. 17, 18). Luke follows this account (xviii. 18, 19), but Matthew's ver sion gives the question in the form, "Master, what good thing shall I do," etc., and the answer, "Why askest thou me concerning that which is good? One there is who is good" (xix. 16, 17). Mark says that James and John asked for conspicuous offices in the expected kingdom (x. 35), but in Matthew it is their mother who proffers the request. It is also noticeable that Matthew and Luke omit the two mir- The Gospel According to Mark 45 acles in which Jesus made use of remedial means in accomplishing the result (vii. 32-37, viii. 22-26). These facts illustrate the great value of Mark's testi mony as uninfluenced by any apologetic purpose to exhibit Jesus only in a favorable light. The result is a portraiture singularly powerful and convincing. 3. It is the gospel of miraculous power. One-half of this gospel is devoted to the narration of the miracles of Jesus. Of the thirty-six miracles wrought by Him, one-half are recorded by Mark. The picture of Christ presented is not so much that of a teacher as the mighty master of nature and life. It is significant that the earliest cycle of narrative, which took shape within a few years of the death of our Lord, and which circulated widely among those who knew the events of His life, should concern itself so largely with miracle rather than with teaching. These won derful events gained earliest attention, and it is only in the second cycle of narrative that the teachings are made prominent; and this is exactly the order we should expect if the gospels are to be trusted as giv ing us honest and reliable recitals of the work of Jesus. 4. The gospel of Mark is the Gentile gospel. It makes almost no reference to the Old Testament.* such 'reference being of interest chiefly to Jews or Christians. It adds translations and explanations of such words of the vernacular as the vividness of this narrative made it worth while to preserve. Instances of this are found in such expressions as "Boanerges, that is. Sons of thunder" (iii. 17); "Talitha cumi," which is, being interpreted, "Damsel, I say unto * The only exception is in i. 2, 3 where Mal. iii. i and Isa. xl. 3 are blended together as if taken from Isaiah xv. 28. 46 The Teachings of the Books thee, arise" (v. 41); "Corban, " that is, "given to God" (vii. 11); "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened" (vii. 34); "Bartimeus, the Son of Timseus" (x. 46); "Abba," that is, "Father" (xiv. 36); "Golgotha," which is, being interpreted, "the place of a skull" (xv. 22); and the cry of Jesus upon the cross (xv. 34). In the same manner Jewish customs are frequently explained, as they would not need to have been for Jews; this may be seen in the explanations given of washing (vii. 3); of fasting (ii. 18); of the beliefs of the Sadducees (xii. 18); and of the Passover (xiv. 12; XV. 6, 42). References to places are more particular than they would have been in a writing addressed to the people of Palestine (e. g., i. 5; xiii. 3). The tra dition that Mark wrote in Rome, and that his gospel was intended for people of the Roman type, gains color from the directness, rapidity of movement, and forcefulness of his gospel ; from the frequent use of Latin words;* from the portraiture of Jesus as Master of men, a worker of miracles, and the possessor of more than mortal authority and might. While in any attempt to fix the date of the present literary form of the gospel many elements of conjec ture have to be reckoned with, it is probable that it was written between 65 and 70 A.D. It may there fore be safely regarded as by several years the earli est of the gospels. SPIRITUAL TEACHINGS Jesus is set forth in Mark's gospel as the Mighty Son of God, the representative of the Father on the earth. That He was one with the Father; that He .*Such e.g. as denarius (vi. 37), centurio (xv. 39). census (xii. 14), prje- tonum (xv. 16), etc, "^ The Gospel According to Mark 47 possessed His essential attributes, is proved by His ability to do the works of the Father. While