The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 19

This circurnslnnce rrvonls the fact that divergences of text o.roso befol'o either tho ::lyriac or Old Latin Vel'sion was made, and we nre thrown still further back ton period long before the time of Marcion for the original autograph from which those two families of texts must genealogically have descended. 'l'ortullian, therefore, ie witness unconsciously to the great antiquity of a document which in a p:uticular form of codex muet have been long honoured and widely diffused before tbo date of Mnrcion. Now, It is generally agreed that Marcion diffused his sentiments between A,D. 139 o.nd 142. 'l'he author of 'Supernatural Religion' has acknowledged that, in this al'gument, Dr. Sanday bas refuted his own hypothesis; and so we may consider the question as finally settled. The examination goes very far towards demonstrating lho authenticity of the 'l'bird Gospel. Godet (' Introduction to John's Gospel,' i. 221) makes it uppear eminently probable that Marcion was acquainted with the Gospel of John. 3. Further testimonies arc borne to the existence of the four Gospels by the writings of JusTIN the Martyr. These writings, consisting of the' Dialogue with Trypho • and the two 'Apologies,' according to the best critics must he.ve been written between A.D. 145 and 148, the latter year being that of his martyrdom. ' The na1Tatives and teachings in the four Gospels, and especially in tbo first and third, arc frequently cited by Justin. He professes to have appealed to the" Memorials composed by the apostles and their followers," without mentioning their names- 1,ames, however, which would have carried no weight either with bigoted Jews, Greek philosophers, or Roman emperors. In 'Apol.,' i. 66, he refers to those memorials "which are called Gospels." Opponents arc eager to evade the force of this reference by saying that the parenthetical clause is a gloss foisted into the text from the margin. This is not impossible, but we l""now that Marcion had already called the narrative which he published "a Gospel," or "the Gospel." The expression, "memoirs by apostles," is used eight times. Four times, "memoirs" or "memorabilia" (d1roµ.,,.,,,,_o- 11d,p,rra); once (' Apol.,' i. 66), "memoirs made by the apostles" (" tcaAeiTal. ,lia.yyb1.1a.); once (' Dial.,' 103), " memoirs composed by apostles of Christ and those who followed them," when quoting Luke; and once from "Peter's memoirs," when quoting a fact only mentioned in the Second Gospel. He uses the expression, "the apostles wrote" (' Dial.,' 88), when speaking of an incident mentioned by all four; and (' Apo!.,' i. _67) he refers to the "memoirs by the apostles" as of equal value with tl:ie writings of 'the prophets. The author of 'Supernatural Religion' says this description cannot apply to the four Gospels, because only two professed to be written by apostles, whereas the term "the apostles" ought to have meant the twelve! Now, the references which Justin makes do in a few places add interesting and picturesque details to the narratives of the synoptists; such, e.g., as that the Magi came from Arabia; that a fire was kindled in Jordan at the baptism of Christ; that in a cave at Bethlehem Christ was born; and that as a carpenter he made ploughs and yokes. Some sayings not recorded in our canonical Gospels are cited by Justin; but the great proportion of these quotations or references correspond in a remarkable way ·with the narrative of the four Gospels, and record matters peculiar to all four of them. The story told by Justin was substantially identical with that of the Gospels, both as to the great character portrayed, the miraculous accompaniments of hie ministry, the sorrow and mystery of his death, the incidents of his trial, which he characteristically confirms by aJJpealing to the 'Acta Pontii Pilati.' Ha refers to the last Supper, to the fulfilment of the prophecy contained in the twenty-second psalm, to the nails and spear, to the sneers of his murderers, and to the cry, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" He refers to the resurrection on the third day being a first day-of a week, to his ascension, and the institution of baptism in the Name of the Fa~her of all, and of our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit. Now Dr. Sanday, admitting for the sake of argument that Justin may have bad before him some digest or harmonistic document which he used as well as the original Gospels, makes it extremely probable that such a document, if it existed, must have been one framed out .of the original Gospels, and not that from which they can have been supposed to have been fashioned. 'l'he alterations, deviations, and additions are of the secondary and derivative, not of the primary and gcrminant, kind_. 'fhe author of 'Supernatural Religion' points to the 'Goapel according to the l:lcbrews' u the primitive source of these quotations, but unfortunately for the theory, it ii  'l'Irn GOSPEL .ACCORDING To s·r. JOHN. xxiii