Chapter 2

GENUINENESS OF THE GOSPEL NARRATIVES. 1. Terms defined--Necessity of knowing the Authors of the Gospels--2. Remarks on their Origin--They were not written immediately, but successively at Intervals--Earlier Documents noticed by Luke--3. Manner of Quotation by the Early Church Fathers--4. _External Evidences_ traced upward from the Close of the Second Century--Testimony of Irenæus--Of Tertullian--Of Clement of Alexandria--Letter of the Churches of Lyons and Vienne--5. Comprehensiveness and Force of these Testimonies--Freedom of Judgment in the Primitive Churches--This shown by the History of the Disputed Books--6. Public Character and Use of the Gospels--7. Earlier Testimonies--Justin Martyr--His Designation of the Gospels--They are Our Canonical Gospels--Explanation of his Variations and Additions--His References to the Gospel of John--8. Testimony of Papias--9. Epistle to Diognetus--10. The Apostolic Fathers--Clement of Rome--Ignatius Polycarp--The So-called Epistle of Barnabas--11. The Ancient Versions and Muratorian Canon--Syriac Peshito--Old Latin--12. Testimony of the Heretical Sects--Marcion--Valentinus--Tatian--13. Conclusiveness of the above External Testimony--14. _Internal Evidences_--Relation of the First Three Gospels to the Last--They differ in Time--The First Three written before the Destruction of Jerusalem; the Fourth after that Event--They differ in Character and Contents--Yet were all alike received by the Churches--15. Relation of the First Three Gospels to Each Other--They have Remarkable Agreements and Differences--These and their General Reception explained by their Genuineness--16. The Gospels contain no Trace of Later Events--17. Or Later Modes of Thought. 18. From the Character of the Language