The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 145

GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. EXPOSITION. traditionary notices, have been continuously CHAPTER I. credited, not with having personally set any THE title of the book is differently given special type of doctrine before the Church, in the manuscripts and ancient versions, but as having been respectively the inter- e.nd the differences are so considerable the.t preter of Peter or Pe.ul. Consequently the they cannot be referred to the origine.l text. meaning of the phrase compels us to ask The simplest form of the title is found in ~, whether the word "Gospel" or "Holy B, D, and is nothing more than "accOTding Gospel" did in the first in.stance refer to the to John," KATA l!lANNHN (B gives only book at all. It is not "John's Gospel" one Nin John's no.me, but 1/t two); :i.nd this that is intended, but the good news or glad is followed by the Vulge.te and Syria.a as a tidings of God related by John, of which running title. The immense proportion of this and similar titles speak. l\Ioreover, the uncials-A, C, E, F, G, L, e.nd eight or numerous instances occur where the KaTa. is nineothers-ree.d "Gospel nccordingto John" similarly used to denote e.uthorship. Thus (Euayyb..,ov KaTit. J.,if,nw). This is followed "The Pentateuch according to Moses,"" The by Tregelles, Lachme.nn, Alford. The T.R., History according to Herodotus," .. The with e. le.rge number of manuscripts, ree.ds, Gospel according to Peter," are titles which "The Gospel e.ccording to John;" e.nd in in every case are meant to suggest the idea. Stephen's third edition the word "holy" of authorship (Godet). We cannot imagine occurs before "Gospel." The cursives 69, that any other implication was intended by 178, 259, read Eba")l")l<ll.1ov iK Tov KaTit. 'J.,c£v- this ancient superscription. nw. Some cursives ree.d, "Of the (holy) Each of the evangelists starts with a Gospel according to John." The printed grand "presupposition," or main thesis, of texts of the Peschito Syriac he.ve E-oangelium his own, expressed with more or less of Banctum prredicationis Jollannis pr2coni8. explicitness, which it becomes his obvious The Revisers, with T.R., have placed To 1<11T11 purpose to sustain. 'lo,CIVJ17JV EJii.nell.1ov 88 their title. This main thesis is set forth in t.he first The phrase, " according to," has been sentences of each of the synoptists. '.l'hu3 thought by some to suggest a type of doo- MARK opened with the memorable words, trine or teaching with which the document "The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus might be supposed to harmonize, and there- Christ the Son of God." 1 From the :tint fore to set aside the idea of persone.1 authen• 1 The text, u/ov e,ov, Mark i. I, is not ticity by its very form. 'rhis interpretation, rejected by Tregelles, nor Lachmann, nor seeing it applies to Me.rk and Luke as well R.T., though omitted by Tischendorf (8th as to John and Mutthew, would lose its edit.). It is found in i-;•, B, D, L, uiov Toii mee.uing; for Mark and Luke, by numeroua e,ov, A, E, F, G, and many other uncials. JOHN. B  .2 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING 'l'O ST. JOHN. [en, 1. 1-Gl,