A Brighter Day Begins with His Word.

PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK

A Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels — Volume 1

James Hastings · 1,289,916 words · 1288 reading sections

SECTION 781

Section 781

(1) In the Synoptics. — In its active sense of ' faith,' iriiTTis usually means here belief or trust in God or God's poM-er as manifested in Christ (the so-called 'miracle-faith ').t The response of faith conditions the granting of relief to those in bodily distress (Mk 5" II, 10'- II), the eliect being propor- tionate…

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SECTION 782

Section 782

saved,' cf. Jn 1"). The usual sense of the verb in the Fourth Gospel is a soteriological one. It expresses saving faith directed to the Person of Christ. In some instances, it is true, the immediate object of the faith is the wonder-working power of Jesus (the 'miracle- faith ') : Jn 4'"* (' Except ye see signs and wo…

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SECTION 783

Section 783

It is worth notim; in this i-onnexion that iAii(/«i« (which like T.o-TK is ciiii.l".!' 1 III 111. i.\x to translate njiDN) seems to be ~ense oi /aith/tUiiess, righlneas, ineanint^ of intellectual truth. :i icn or njlDNl nnn, and by Illness corresponding to certain promises ' ( Wendt •). Cf . also do the right,' i.e. to…

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SECTION 784

Section 784

' In these discourses, too, Jesus' primary task is to bind men to Him by faith. The chief difference is that here, consonantly with the nature of the discourses recorded, much more prevail- ing stress is laid upon the higher aspects of faith, and we see Jesus striving specially to attract to Himself a faith consciously…

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SECTION 785

Section 785

In the midst of this story of sin and judgment we find the fir.st promise of restoration, and thus the Divine purpose of redemption is brought into association with the very beginnings of human evil. ' I wll put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed : it shall bruise thy head, and thou sh…

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SECTION 786

Section 786

(d) To base the incarnation solely on the need of redemption, is to make Christ a means and not an end in Himself, or, in more modern language, to reduce the most glorious manifestation of God for the perfecting of humanity to an expedient contingent upon the untoward incident of sin. In Christ alone, as the centre and…

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SECTION 787

Section 787

(ii.) This is borne ont liy the more specific teach- ing in regard to the I'nl! in its relation to the work of Christ in Ko .V- ' ,iimI I Co 1521- -■ «-49. The general and clear liu<' of argument in the former passage brings ovit the following points ; Adam's act of disobedience involved all men in (a) Sin, and (b) De…

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SECTION 788

Section 788

*Note if<« .- . ill r- '■■• .11.1 -• . rT«a«, ^«.pi?xri! in 574 FALSE CHRISTS FALSE CHRISTS corded in the Gospels of iMt. and Lk., is so fully in harmony with His unique personality and charac- ter, that, though we cannot fully understand, -we may at least be satisfied that all form parts of one Divine plan, and th…

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SECTION 789

Section 789

The locale of the false Messiahs (Mt 24=«) is either the wilderness (cf. Ac 21^), as in the case of Simon son of Gioras, or the inner chambers, as in the case of John of Giscala (cf. 1 K 20**) — alluding possibly to the current idea that the Messiah was to remain hidden for some time pre- vious to His appearance in pub…

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SECTION 790

Section 790

taking, with this one exception, precedence of all other ranks. The prominence of the prophet may be seen in the Didaehc (c. 11), and in the part played by him in the Montanist movement, llence their truth or falseness, their faithful use, or theii .'ilmse of the spiritual gift, was an ira- |.oit.'iiil factor for the i…

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SECTION 791

Section 791

We are told tliat curly in the ministry of Jesus a fame of Him wont IliKiuuii I l.ililee and the sur- rounding country, incin.liii^ Syria (Mt4^, Lk 4"). Special occasions were the n^toration of ademoniac (Mk 128, lIj 437) ami jijg cleansing of a leper (Lk 5'^, cf. Mk l''^). The First Gospel uses the term also in connex…

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SECTION 792

Section 792

G. M. Mackie. FAMILY FAMILY FAMILY.- 1. Jesus as the member of a family. 2. Teaching of Jesus on the family. (a) Marriage. (6) Position of women. (c) Filial obedience. (d) The family and the Kingdom of God. 1. Whatever be the force of the phrase ' the brethren of the Lord ' (see article s.v. ), it is evident …

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SECTION 793

Section 793

2. In the teaching of Christ, although the word ' family ' does not occur, yet the institution is everywhere presupposed and its laws emphasized, as it is also connected with the first miracle re- corded in the Fourth Gospel, (a) The pivot on which family life turns is marriage, and this sub- ject holds a unique place …

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SECTION 794

Section 794

,! The First f\nd Second Gospels the wife among the objects l.oth in the parallel ^lassage .rts this also (cf. Mt low with -•■ ■ domestic claims if there is ui ifvMii the reality of his service, as tdily have we family and friendship. ' (Mart«nsen). But such a conflict of eyes of Christ only when devotion to :…

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SECTION 795

Section 795

Sarticularly among the Pharisees, fasted on Mon- ays and Thursdays all the year round (Lk 18" ; Lightfoot and Wetstein, ad loc). Religious teach- ers, moreover, were ajiparently accustomed to lay isting for til down rules about fasting -he guidance of their disciples (Mk 2'8, Mt 9", Lk 5^^). The ' frequent fasts ' o…

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SECTION 796

Section 796

5S0 FATHER, FATHERHOOD FATHER, FATHERHOOD In setting forth Jesus' conception of the Father- liood of God, we sliall consider (1) the use of tlie name ' Father ' ; (2) the meaning of Fatherhood ; (3) the Fatherhood of God in the Fourth Gospel ; (4) the place of Fatherhood in the teaching of Jesus ; and (5) Jesus' c…

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SECTION 797

Section 797

It is true that Jesus considered Himself sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and that He confined His labours chiefly to theui ; but it is equally true that this was solely a matter of order. He told the Canaanitish woman that the children should be iaA first (Mk 7^), which plainly suggests that the gospel w…

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SECTION 798

Section 798

4. The Place of Fatherhood in the teaching of Jesus.— In accordance with the fact that the sole subject on which Jesus claimed to possess unique knowledge was the character of God, or, as we may now say, the Fatherhood of God, we find that this truth is central and determinative in all His teaching. His conception of t…

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SECTION 799

Section 799

v>»n ,. . a-\v 1^ th- translation of the OT into Greek (3rtl ,..,„ ; , ) tl,' tendency towards a more abstract ~n«P ■»» ^J . i.l'i^ 111 I'll -t The translators sought to remove tne inou„iii- ,;;,( i;."l ImI .ome into actual contact w th i n 1"« ' ,„:; 'miI, Ik 1.-5 call God a man of -nar but render tl e p^ ^-^g^ b.v th…

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SECTION 800

Section 800

p^^^^5e.^r«^'^^^-«^«"^ etc. 292ff. ; Schurer, GJV^ ... 31,. ^^^ ^^^_^^^ ^^^^^^ FATHER'S HOUSE {oUia toO ivarpis MO.').— The name appfied by Jesus in Jn 14= to the eterna^ home, w-1 ither He goes to prepare a place for His isdples. To their fear lest they might nevei re on Him after the impending ^fPa^ation He •wiswers…

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SECTION 801

Section 801

E. F. Scott. FAILINGS.— See Animals, p. 63">. FA YOUR.— See GRACE and Graciousness. FEAR (^(i^os, ./.o/Sof-Mai ; in Mt 8'* and Mk 4" ' fear- iul' = 5ei\is). — 1. In many pa.ssages in the Go.spels fear is a motive restraining or compelling action in the ordinary course of human relationships. Men fear others, and shap…

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SECTION 802

Section 802

man who kills you for your ii i ;it- to buy you off, and the de\il V, li . i tThe NTin Modern Speck) ui-r, ,. , ,- ,| ,hat iiofWoCLk 125) usually deiiL.t-^ ,] , ,. r en- joyed on sufferance'; and refers to Llv .: I .1 lis, and Rev 13' for illustrations of the a- ~ itan. On the other side Plummer ('St. Luk> ' .,m.…

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SECTION 803

Section 803

FFASTS bond of unonbet\eei tl ^;SfJer^'hH"hn"^f IS He q otes Philo M in thou'iand!, of peopk 1 l^rimagcs to tlie Temple 1 \ seT ind coming from 1 of Jews m Jerusalem at manj as 3,700,000 (BJ VI. every boy who could w ill i li( 1 Iiul itt i 1 1 and that it was onl-v U i iiitl al \ «1 1 1 at a distance weie ilh \ …

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SECTION 804

Section 804

1. It will be better to consider these instances separately, and to treat the feeding of the 5000 in the light of the first three Gospels. The Synoptics agree that the place was .a desert one on the east side of the Sea of Galilee ; .and Lk. fixes it at Bethsaida Julias (see Capernaum). Mk. and Lk. connect the withdraw…

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SECTION 805

Section 805

make it necessary to affirm that the words of Jesus are incorrectly reported. But here Mt. is evidently dependent upon the collection of narratives by Mk. , not Jlk. upon the collection of sayings made by Matthew. Mt. and !Mk. are not two independent witnesses. We may not be able to account satisfactorily for the misun…

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SECTION 806

Section 806

LiTERATDRE.— Meyer's Com. on St. Matthew; EUicott, His- torical Lectures on the Life of Our Lord^ p. 353 ; Andrews, Bible Student's Life of Our Lord^, p. 462 f. John Reid. FELLOWSHIP.— Neither the word 'fellowship* (xoivuvia.) nor any equivalent term occurs in the Synoptic Gospels, but the reality in faith, love, and…

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SECTION 807

Section 807

1035-45). In time Jesus announces to His followers that His society, as the true Israel, is to take the place of the Jewish nation, which as such is becoming a massa perclita. Out of this perishing world His FELLO^ySHIP FELLOWSHIP disciples are saved into tlie eternal Kingdom, and as heirs of salvation they are in …

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SECTION 808

Section 808

iv. The Gentile Churches of the Pauline WORLD. — With the rise of Antioch a peril threatened the prestige of Jerusalem. Could the fruit of the Spirit thrive equally well in the valleys and on the plains of Syria and Asia as on the isolated plateau of Judoea? If so, it was bound to be very much more abundant. Fortunatel…

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SECTION 809

Section 809

The fellowship of chiiicli with . Iniiili was further increased by the visits of Aimsllr, and teachers, as well as by the intcrclian^^e of correspondence. What was of interest to one was of interest to all in so far as it touched their common gospel. While we do not find any uniform creed or liturgy in these Epistles,…

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SECTION 810

Section 810

V. The Johaxnine writings.— Assuming that the books which bear the name of John came from the Apostle, we may consider them together, for tliey bring before us the conditions of a later period. The Gospel and the Epistles at lea.st are the mature work of one who seeks to set before his readers the mind of Christ, after…

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SECTION 811

Section 811

Errlraia ; WeizsScker, The inn MuiiMry in the Early 'inn Churchea; art. , Cnmmunicm. with ■ist, Semi, i., also i .. i.-iv. ; Harnack, R. A. Falconer. FETTERS.— See Chain. FEYER (6 irvperds, and in Ac 28' ol wvperoi, with corresponding participle in Mt. and Mk. Tvp4<r- ffovaa). There are only five passages in th…

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SECTION 812

Section 812

spend their last farthing in the efibrt(cf. Thomson, LB ii. p. 640). In the parable of the Sower (Mt IS-", Mk 4-', Lk 8^), where the AV has 'some (seeds) fell by the wayside,' the picture is really of grains of wheat or barley which fell on the trodden pathivay leading across the field, and so were left exposed wliere…

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SECTION 813

Section 813

Thus to His Divine tenderness did Jesus add a strange fierceness, as tliough to teach that in faith's war with darkness lightning has its. place. See art. Anger. pro- into the FIG-TREE (in NT cvktj, in OT njxp tfcmlh ; the Fitus Carica, L. ).— 1. The fig is the principal shade- and fruit-tree of Palestine, growing in…

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SECTION 814

Section 814

2. The Gospel references to the fig-tree include both parables and incidents, and make allusion to phenomena both of its leafage and its fruitage. As questions arise to how great an extent the in- cidents may not be symbolic, parables becoming concrete in process of repetition, or even pure symbols, it is best to consi…

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SECTION 815

Section 815

This superfluousness of Mk II20 25 is mo! of such attempted explanations as that 1 The cursing of the fiix-tree w.is 'of course' meant by Jesus symbolically, the concrete fulfilment given it by God being with- out intention on Jesus' part. <.>n this statement Wellhausen («(f loc.) comments sarcasticallv : ' Weiss under…

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SECTION 816

Section 816

More conservative criticism, while recognizing the secondary character of Mk 1 1="-^, and perhaps admitting the fundamental identity of the sym- bolic cursing with the parable whose lesson is so obviously the same, may still demand more evi- dence before it surrenders the possibility that our Second Evangelist retains …

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SECTION 817

Section 817

emblem of the imril \' .uni inien-il \- ■.! i (-Mk9«-^'" *-). The iind in the s ji^e. Ihe k,. •line con- to their le v.alley ni;s in Mk lich tire is world, by iillii accompanymg the li.iptisin ot tin' Unix Spnit ^^■llleh he foretold that Christ slioul<l bestow (IMt 3" = Lk 3i«). The eyes of the glorified Chris…

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SECTION 818

Section 818

divinam illius naturam indigitaii Jesa. xliv. 6. JBgo, inquit, prir, verbis ^oternitatem designatam etiam Messiam sic vocant ')• The natme of God necessarily transcends defini- tion, but ' the First and the Last ' and the parallel titles are endeavours to suggest such conceptions of God iis men can comprehend. It -wou…

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SECTION 819

Section 819

He2'",wli.M. : . , ii. .■ is to (!od). All things have their -i.li.i.' ^ iiiiim the sphere of the life of Him who is • tlie l''iist .-iiid the Last.' In Him they originate and in Him they cohere— oiV6s fern irpo irdvTUV, Kal tA Trai/ro fV aiV^i cvvidTtiKev (cf. Ac 17^, in reference to God). He is the Uaixb^ of the Uni-…

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SECTION 820

Section 820

** The same custom is kept up by modern orthodox Jews ; if the day falls on a .Sabbath or a Holy Day, the ceremony is per- formed on the following day. ment which has to be made for the puritication of the mother ; it may be owing to Lv 12 that in Lk 2^- 'their' purification is spoken of, i.e. of the child as well as …

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SECTION 821

Section 821

Fish (OT :^, .nji!) are designated in the NT only by the general term Ix^is, alternating occasionally witli its diminutive IxSOSiov, without the employ- ment of the latter term necessarily marking any intended distinction ; cf. for an instance in point, Mt 15^^ with v.**. Nowhere in the whole Bible do we find a special…

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SECTION 822

Section 822

The waters of the Lake of Tiberias are exception- ally rich in fish, especially by the shore of el-Batiha (to the east of the mouth of the Jordan), and in the bay of et-Tabigha. Tlie.se were in former times the fjivou'rite grounds of fishermen, and these spots are still preferred by them in our own day. There, on the s…

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SECTION 823

Section 823

A still more emphatic expression signifying the distinction between man and God is found in St. Matthew's Gospel (16"), where adp^ is joined with alfia to denote man in his present condition of spiritual limitation and of defective knowledge. A somewhat similar antithesis is incidentally, albeit elaborately, pointed ou…

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SECTION 824

Section 824

Keeping in mind this usage, we shall be enabled to apprehend more fully the thought underlying the language of Jesus about His power of impart- ing Himself in His perfect humanity (cf. Jn 6^'-^). His ' flesh,' by virtue of its union with His Divine Personality, is ' living ' (6 fiif) food, and therefore possesses tlie …

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SECTION 825

Section 825

I FLIGHT 601 if the Lord, they re- iiwii city Nazareth' (93»). From those wonls ,.iii' \\..uM naturally infer that the return took jiI.mc i icdiately after the events thus recorded, ami that mi mimi was left for the episodes of the First (iospel. Is that infer- ence necessary, or even well founded ? If the nar- ra…

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SECTION 826

Section 826

Equally beside the mark is the attempt to ex- plain the story as in some way parallel to the sojourn of Moses in Egyjjt. The two stories are rich, not in resemblance, but in contra.st : they have absolutely nothing in common save the word ' Egypt.' The attempt to derive the one from tlie other is a triumph of misdirect…

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SECTION 827

Section 827

Jamics Coopkr. FLOOD. — The Flood is referred to only in Mt 2438. 39 and its parallel Lk IT". Jesus is speaking of the concealment of the day and hour of tlie coming of the Son of Man, and He uses the Flood .as an illustration wliich would be well known to His hearers. Men and women were eating and drinking, marrying…

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SECTION 828

Section 828

1. Most frequently. «A^''./" " w i 'i ^1 •- r . <■ ■ , l.k i9ip; CAm(, except Mt i)^-', -MK '•■ 'iii \>i' i ii'ii-'. kct. ixoX. in the two tuniicr, proljably a - lli- more usual fonn). 6. hiuy,:-, JuUow after {[,]•: 17 ' \\ in a good sense of tliose in .search of one. 7. ■'i,lo pursue closely, 'the xxtm gives tlie…

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SECTION 829

Section 829

vised by a niissionaiy in Syria lo make a tour of Europe, .and answered, ' I must first of all bury my father.' The missionary expressed sur- prise at the news of his death, as he had hitherto been in good health ; but the young in.iii explained th.at lie only meant that one must hetoie all things devote himself to the…

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SECTION 830

Section 830

Our Lord ^vished to emphasize the enormity of murder. He said, ' Ye have heard tliat it was said to them of old time, Thou shalt not kill, and Whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment. But I say unto you that whosoever is angry [the inward feeling] with his brother, is in danger of the judgment ; and who…

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SECTION 831

Section 831

Richai;d Gl.\ister. FOOT. — The references in this connexion arise chiefly from the fact that the foot in relationship to the head is the inferior part of the body. 1. Hnmilitij and dejllrmmf. — A still lower level was readied by the shoes or sandals, which were in direct contact with the common earth. John the Bapti…

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SECTION 832

Section 832

DuGALD Clark. FORCE.— 1. Force, as defined by modern science, is inherent in matter and inseparable from it. It is defined al.so as the power of doing work. Tlie modes and the efi'ects of its activities are mechanical. It can neither exist nor act, therefore, within the moral sphere of the universe. And from this fact…

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SECTION 833

Section 833

It needs to be strongly emphasized that all the forms of the power in question are moral. The power to forgive sins, to judge men as moral beings, to give eternal life to men as moral beings, to lay down one's life in perfect self-sacrificing love and service for others' good, to exercise the moral government of heaven…

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SECTION 834

Section 834

(1) Christ regarded the ])ower with which He associated Himself and His activities and their effects as moral, and as having its ultimate source in God. He conceived God as a moral Being, and to Him as such He ascribed the power alluded to (Mt 22=» 26«*, Mk 91 14«2, Lk 22=9).— (2) But, again, such being Christ's view. …

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SECTION 835

Section 835

But thatw-as only the beginning of the mightiest work of all with which the power of God in Christ is associated, and which is only coming slowly to manifestation in the moral progress of humanity. Christ in the power of His Spirit is in the moral life of mankind. He is morally re-creating the life of the human race. T…

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SECTION 836

Section 836

FORESIGHT FORESIGHT gramme in its detailed completeness lies only in the Divine purpose ; and in Scripture only so far forth as God has chosen to place it there for tlie guidance or the assurance of His people. The meaning is rather that all th; Jesus in the OT Scriiiluics h ment in Him ; and tli.U cihuii. Him there…

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SECTION 837

Section 837

The signature of this sn].eni.ituial life which the Evangelists depict ,l,-ii- a- Ininj. lies thus in the perfection of the f..ic-iL:hi h\ which it was governed. Of the reality oi this foresight they leave their readers in no doulit, nor 3'et of its com- pleteness. They suggest it by the general picture they iliaw of t…

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SECTION 838

Section 838

(561.W.7U 76 g-JS lO'S-lS 12'- 23 131.11.21.38 14-"J 165.32 18*- "). It is difficult to see, however, why St. John's Gospel should be .separated from its companions in this matter (Schenkel s.iys frankly that it is only because there is no such passa-r in'St. John's Gos- pel as Mk 13»2, on whirl, „.,■ 1„ !,,«■. Whate…

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SECTION 839

Section 839

FOEESIGHT FORESIGHT 611 in the way, it might well be understood that the ilwmurlisis would be deterred from seeking, in the ciisi' (if Mirh .-i Being, other sources of information huHides Ills Divine intelligence to account for all His far-roaching and varied knowledge. At all events, it is clearly their conviction …

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SECTION 840

Section 840

612 FOEESIGHT FOEESIGHT Jolin undertakes to depict is what was said and done by the incarnated Word, no less what the Synoptics essay is to present the Gospel (as Mark Suts it) of Jesus Christ the Son of God. It is istinctly a supernatural life that He is repre- sented by them all as liWng ; and the human aspect of…

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Public-domain historical reference work (1906–1908); OCR text from Internet Archive. Historical scholarship and terminology reflect its era; OCR may contain errors. Verify quotations and current scholarly claims independently.

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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.