In the latter and minor investigation, we were
guided by canons of criticism, previously laid down, which are based
upon the simplest laws of evidence. We found that the writings of the
Fathers, during a century and a half after the death of Jesus, are a
complete blank so far as any evidence regarding the composition and
character of our Gospels is concerned, unless we except the tradition
preserved by Papias, after the middle of the second century, the details
of which fully justify the conclusion that our first and second
Synoptics, in their present form, cannot be the works said to have been
composed by Matthew and Mark. There is thus no evidence whatever
directly connecting any of the canonical Gospels with the writers to
whom they are popularly attributed, and later tradition, of little or no
value in itself, is separated by a long interval of profound silence
from the epoch at which they are supposed to have been composed. With
one exception, moreover, we found that, during the same century and a
half, there is no certain and unmistakable trace even of the anonymous
use of any of our Gospels in the early Church. This fact, of course,
does not justify the conclusion that none of these Gospels was actually
in existence during any part of that time, nor have we anywhere
suggested such an inference, but strict examination of the evidence
shows that there is no positive proof that they were.
Pages:
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229