Chapter 29

THE HISTORICAL BOOKS--1. The New Testament a Necessary Sequel to the Old--The Two Testaments interpret Each Other, and can be truly understood only as an Organic Whole--2. Remarks on the Use Made of the Old Testament by the Writers of the New--Fundamental Character of the Gospel Narratives--I. _The Gospel as a Whole_--3. Signification of the Word "Gospel"--Its Primary and Secondary Application--4. General Remarks on the Relation of the Gospels to Each Other--5. Agreements of the Synoptic Gospels--6. Differences--7. Theories of the Origin of these Three Gospels: That of Mutual Dependence; That of Original Documents; That of Oral Apostolic Tradition--Remarks on this Tradition--Its Distinction from Tradition in the Modern Sense--8. No One of the Gospels gives the Entire History of our Lord, nor always observes the Strict Chronological Order of Events--Remarks on our Lord's Life before his Baptism--9. Remarks on the Peculiar Character of the Fourth Gospel--This and the other Three mutually Supplementary to Each Other--10. Harmonies of the Gospels--Relative Size of the Gospels--II. _Matthew_--11. Personal Notices of Matthew--12. Original Language of his Gospel--The Problem stated--13. Testimony of the Ancients on this Point--14. Various Hypotheses considered--15. Primary Design of this Gospel to show that Jesus of Nazareth was the Promised Messiah--16. He is also exhibited as the Saviour of the World--17. Fulness of Matthew's Record in Respect to our Lord's Discourses--18. He does not always follow the Exact Order of Time--19. Place and Date--20. Integrity--Genuineness of the First Two Chapters--III. _Mark_--21. Personal Notices of Mark--Intimate Relation of Mark to Peter and Paul--22. Place--Date--Language--23. Design of this Gospel to exhibit Jesus as the Son of God--He makes the Works of Jesus more Prominent than his Discourses--24. Characteristics of Mark as a Historian--25. Closing Passage in Mark's Gospel--IV. _Luke_--26. Notices of Luke in the New Testament--27. Sources of his Gospel--His Relation to Paul--28. Date and Place of Writing--29. Universal Aspect of Luke's Gospel--30. Its Character and Plan--Comparison of the Gospels in Respect to Peculiar Matter and Concordances--31. Integrity of Luke's Gospel--The Two Genealogies of Matthew and Luke--V. _John_--32. John's Manner of indicating himself--33. Personal Notices of him--34. Late Composition of his Gospel and Place of Writing--35. Peculiarity of this Gospel in Respect to Subject-Matter--Its Relation to the First Three Gospels--36. General Design of this Gospel--It is peculiarly the Gospel of Christ's Person--VI. _Acts of the Apostles_--37. Author of this Book--38. Plan of the Book--Its First Division; Second Division--Notices of Antioch--39. Office of this Book--Portraiture of the Apostolic Age of Christianity; Cursory View of the Inauguration of the Christian Church; Various Steps by which the Abolition of the Middle Wall of Partition between Jews and Gentiles was effected--40. Concluding Remarks