B. Besides giving ample eWdence of their belief in the real manhood of the historical person Jesus Christ, NT -writers endeavour in dillerent ways to express their sense of something transcendent and superhuman in His personality. There is no question, it may be observed, in regard to the actual belief of the apostles themselves, which may be gathered from their Epistles. The importance of the Gospels is that they describe the way in whicli this belief was arrived at. Speaking broadly, the apostles believed that in the histori- cal Christ a pre-existent being had manifested Himself,* a being to whom belonged the dignity of a unique divine sonship. This common belief is by no means eijually prominent in all the apostolic Ejjistles ; but it is always latent, and even where not expressed it is usually implied in the attributes or functions ascribed to Christ. This belief, then, was slowly and hesitatingly reached by successive steps which can be traced with some clearness in the Gospel narrative. Tlie Gospels record those utterances of Christ which suggested the idea of His higher nature. He Himself proposed the questiou to His disciples, ' Whom say men that I, the Son of Man,am?'(Mt 16"); He Himself ascribed to His own person a particular signilicance {e.g. Mt 10"); He pointed men to Himself, and the Gospels record the ell'ect on His hearers of Christ's utterances. Tliov describe the moral authority of His teaching (Mt 7^, Mk 1-'', Lk-1'-), the impres.sion produced by His personality, the claim He put forward to forgive sins (Mt 9-"*, Lk S*"-"), to judge men according to their personal relation to Him- Belf (Mt 7^), to revi.-ie, expand, interpret the Mosaic Law (Mt 5"" 1-2" 19"), to be the giver of
* Notice the use of the vb, f»»tf*Zr6»t In reUlioD to the InoMTiiiUon, t.g. I Ti S", 1 P l», 1 Jn S»- ».
rest to the burdened soul (Mt 11^), to be an object of devotion to the heart of man superseding all other interests (Mt 10^^ Lk 14^). There can be no serious doubt, moreover, that Christ claimed to be the Messiah. In calling Himself 'the Sou of Slan' He adopted a title whicli indisputably involved Jlessianic pretensions. Further, He claimed to stand in a unique relation to God ; although He very rarely applies to Himself the title 'Son of God,' He never disclaims it ; on occasions of ex- ceptional urgency He refuses to di.sown it (Ml 10" 2li'^) ; indeed. He habitually speaks of Gud a-s ' my Father ' (Mt 23 times), and He attributes to Him- self powers and prerogatives which implj-coeciuality with God. He exercises sovereign authority over souls, claiming them as His own, and putting forward that jealous, exclusive claim which can rightfully belong only to the Creator Him.self (Mt !(>"■ ■"', Llv 10'«, Mt 24" 13", Lk 21»). He promises to bestow the Holy Spirit (Ml 10'», Lk 12'-, cf. 21'=) ; He speaks of Him.selt as having given a commission to the ancient prophets of Israel (Mt 23^, cf. Lk ll**). Finally, in one solemn passage common to Mt and Lk, He claims an exclusive knowledge of the Father (Mt 11-'', Lk 10^), and an exclusive power of manifesting Him. On the other hand, the negative consideration is important, that although Christ is the preacher of humility, repentance, conversion, and the vehement rebuker of Pharisaic self-righteousness. He never betrays any conscious- ness of guilt, such as OT prophets frequently exhibit, nor any sense of a personal need of re- conciliation with God.
But the Gospels do not merely preser\'e char- acteristic utterances of Christ, they describe the process of apostolic belief in Him. We can trace more or less distinctly the successive stages through which the faith of the apostles advanced to the point of acknowledging the higher, or pre- existenl personality of Christ. The Fourth Gospel seems, indeed, to serve, among other purpo.ses, that of depicting tlie development of faith. To sum up brielly the gist of the evangelic testimony : it would seem that the apostles discerned in Jesus Christ first a Teacher or liabbi sent from God, then successively the expected Messiah, the Holy One, the Lord of nature, the searcher of hearts, the revealer of God, the supreme example of sutiering love, the conqueror of death, the Son of God. Faith, finally, bows before Him as ' Lord and God ' (Jn 20^). This point is arrived at only after a long and heart-searching discipline of suspense and hesitation ; but it unquestionably represents the final answer of the apostles to a question which was morally inevitable, and which, as a matter of fact, had been repeatedly and openly raised, — the question ' who is this ? ' (Mt 21'", Lk 5-' 7*» 9" ; cf. Mt 8-'', Mk 4", Lk 8=»). The ultimate answer seems to have been based on a numl)er of con- vergent considerations : on the ell'ect of Christ's personality, and the ' self-evidencing ' imwer of His appeal to heart and conscience, on the sujierhuman claims which His teaching di.sclosed, and on the symbolic acta of power by which He at once illus- trated and authenticated His teaching. For much of the evidential imiHjrtance of the Go.spel miracles depends on their moral character, 'fhey are in keeping with all that Christ re\-cals of Goil's nature and attributes. They are exactly such plicMomcna as we should expect in a universe in wliicli jiliysical forces are 8ul)ordinate<l to righteoiu law and a purpose of grace. They reveal power, but the j>ower is that of righteous will ; and they are symbolic of the redemptive action of God which the doctrine of Chri.st pro<'laims. But what finally crowned and justified the faith of the aiH)stle» woa the actual resurrection of Jesus Christ from death. Their t«»tinioDy is cod .^entrated OD