XEW TESTAMEXT
XEW TESTAMENT
243
As indicated above, the definition of the Chris- tian ethic as a 'new coniniandment' is in one resi>ect inadequate, and even involves a self- contradiction. The true originality of the moral demand of Jesus consisted in its breaking away from the idea of outward requirement. The Law imposed from without \<^as replaced by the inward spirit of faitii and love and obedience. In the Fourth Gospel we have probably the earliest phase of the reaction which ended in the formulation of Christianity as nova lev. Tiie development of the Church as "an institution was accompanied by a certain externalizing of moral and religious ideas, while at the same time the influence of the UT favoured the relapse into a modified legalism. Thus where St. Paul, in full accordance with the Synoptics, demand3d a new spirit (cf. Ro 12-, tral 5'"*), the later Church was satisfied with obedience to a 'new law.' The Fourth Gospel appears to mark the transition between these two conceptions of Christian morality. The true character of the 'commandment' is still safeguarded bj- the pro- found religious spirit of the Gospel, but tiie idea of outward ordinance has begun to re-establish itself. In a subsequent age, which had drifted out of sympathy with the original teaching of Jesus, the 'new commandment' became literally the nova lex.
LrrERATrRE.— The Comm. on Jn 133*f- 15'2, e.ff. Holtzmann, Hdcom. (1S93); Godet (Ensr. tr. 1S92); Oscar Holtzmann (1&S7); Bu^e (Germ. tr. 1S94); Lpisy, Le Quatriime Eran(jUe (1903); J. Reville, Le Qnatri^mt Ecangile. 245 f. (1901): cf. also H. J. Holtzmann, .Vr Theol. i. 494 f., ii. 344 f., 3^f. (1S97); Stevens, Johannine Theol. 266 f. (1900); R, F. Horton, The Command- ments of Jesus, 319 ; F. W. Robertson, Ser. i. 234 ; T. T. Carter, Spirit of WatchfuUte^, 206. E. F. SCOTT.
NEW TESTAMENT. — The expression ' Xew Testament ' \Ka:in] OiadrjKr]) has a double meaning. (1) The New Covenant itself (Lk 22^'. 1 Co 11^, 2 Co S** etc. ). See artt. CovEXAXT and Tkstamext. No other meaning is possible in the Bible. (2iThe books that contain the New Covenant. The latter is the subject of this article.
1. The genesis of a NT literature. — This is to be assigned, humanly speaking, to the slowly developing needs of the Christian society. The Apostles Avere commissioned not to write but to preach. The OT, interpreted in the light of its fulfilment in Christ, contained both for them and for their eailiest converts the whole deposit of Di\ine truth (2 Ti 3^'^ etc.). (a) Epistles, as a class, were needed first, in order to settle questions that soon arose on the conversion of Gentiles (Ac 15). Many of the Epistles plainly show their ' occasional ' origin (1 Co 7', 2 Co 9^ Gal 1*. 2 Th 2"- etc. ). Formal communications were e\idently no new thing in Jewish commimities (Ac 9^ 28-'). (b) Narratives of Christ's words and works, such as the Gospels, were not at once so necessary. Men were looking for Christ's speedy return (2 Th 2-), and eye-witnes-ses of His ministry were at first plentiful (Ac 1-, 1 Co 15«). The demand for A\Titten and authentic nanatives wa.s forcibly realized only when Apostles and eve-witnesses began to pass away (2 P l'^''^-, 2 Ti 4*^-), and irre- sponsible persons took in hand to supply the want (Lk 1''). Yet even in the next generation there lingered a preference for traditional reminiscences, cf. Papias (c a.d. 140) ajx Eus. BE iii. 39. On the shortest reckoning no Gospel wa.s cominitted to ■\%Titing in its present shape A\ithin twenty-five years after Christ's Ascension.
2. The canonical reception of NT writings.— This may be said to have pa.s.sed through three stages, not wholly separable in point of time.
(1) The first stage is that of collective recognition (extending roughly to a.d. 170K Chri.^tian writers of this period exhibit — (a) Coincidences of language
with NT expressions : e.g. Clem. Koni. y;. a.d. 9ol ; Ign. (c. A.D. IIU); Polyc. (c. A.D. 116); Barn. ('■. A.D. 70-1301: Bidache (e. A.D. 90-16o) ; Herm. (c. A.D. 14l>-155) ; Heges. [ap. Eus.] (c. A.D. 155). — (b) Anonymous references — which seem to have been the set rule for all writers of ' Apologies,' whatever their custom in other Avorks : e.g. Just. M. (r. A.D. loU) ; ad Diogn. (<■. A.D. 170?); also 2 Ep Clem. (c. A.D. 1-40). — (c) Direct references ; e.g. Clem., ad Cor. xlvii., alludes to 1 Co. ; Polyc, ad Ph. iii., to Philippians ; Papias (before A.D. 15<J), ap. Eus. HE iii. 39, mentions a record of Christ's words and deeds by Mark, and ' logia ' (originally in Hebrew) by Mattliew ; Just. M., Bird, ciii., speaks of • Me'moirs by Apostles and those that followed them," and refers to the Apocalypse [Bial. Ixxxi. ) by name. — (d) Dogmatic recensions : Tatian, Biotissaron (c. A.D. loO), harmonized the four Gos- pels ; Marcion (<■. A.D. 140) mutilated Luke and (acknowledging ten Pauline Epistles) rejected the three Pastoral Epistles. — (e) Catalognies : e.g. the Muratorian fragment (comi>osedc. A.D. 160), which, according to Westcott, gives ' a summary of the opinion of the Western Church on the Canon shortly after the middle of the 2nd century.'
(2) The second stage is that of unique authiji-ity. — (rt) A succession of contrasts is draAvn by Christian AATiters. (a) Apostles and themselves: cf. all the Aiwstolic Fathers— Clem. Kom. vii. xhii. ; Polyc. ad Ph. iii. : Ign. ad Rom. iv. ('not as Peter and Paul ') ; Bam. i, iv ('not as a teacher '1. (3) Apos- tolic records and traditions : Justin M. , Ap. i. 33, says the Memoirs of the Ajwstles relate ' all things concerning Jesus Christ.' ' These word< (Westcott observes) mark the presence of a new age. . . . Tradition was definitely cast aside as a new source of information.' (7 » Canonical (evStd^T^Kot) and im- canonical (air6Kpv<poi) books : generally, e.g. Dio- nysius of Corinth (c. A.D. 176), ap. Eus. HE iv. 23, says, ' the Scriptures of the Lord . . . and those that are not of the same character'; and in detail, e.g. Clem. Alex. (c. a.d. 165-200) 16. \i. 14 ; Origen (A.D. 286-353), ib. v\. 25; Dionys. Alex. {c. A.D. 248) ib. vii. 25 — representing the opinion of Alex- andria ; Tertullian (c. A.D. 160-240), dc Pudi'-. 20, that of Latin Africa ; Cains (c. A.D. 213), ap. Eus. HE vi. 20, that of Rome ; Irenaeus (c. A.D. 135- 1 2<;iO), ib. V. 8, cf. Iren. Htv. iii. 7, that of Asia ' Minor and Gaul ; Serapion (<■. A.D. 190), ap. Eus. ' HE vi. 12, that of Syria. These exhibit substan- ! tial agreement, together with variety in detail. I From Tertullian's time the general estimate was much as it is to-day.