Wetstein) have a note or comment, which states that they have been met with in some older manuscripts, and this is confirmed by the marginal observations of the Syriac translation. From hence it is evident that the manuscripts which contained this addition were as old, if not older than the sixth century; they are, therefore, older than any Greek manuscript which have come down to our time. The following are the verses: Every thing which was commanded them, "with respect to Peter, they quickly executed; "after that Jesus had himself sent by them, the

holy and uncorrupt preaching of eternal salva"tion from the east even unto the west."

I wish to explain these verses in order to shew that they are not from the hands of Mark, as they contain a mode of speaking, which was unusual with him, and a thought, which was scarcely to be expected from him.

Every thing which was commanded them.”] According to this the women were not silent about what was intrusted to them, and the eighth verse only intimates that they spoke to no intermediate person. This would make the eighth verse much clearer.

"With respect to Peter."] The original Greek is classical; (John xi. 19, Acts xiii. 13,

H

xxi. 8.) but for Mark, perhaps too good. A similar mode of construction does not occur in any part of his gospel, and he, of all the evangelists, writes the worst Greek.

Quickly."] This word does not bear the same acceptation as in Acts xxiv. 4, for how would it be possible to abridge the short injunction of the angel, without leaving out something essential? although the same as in the Proverbs, where it is said," he shall quickly perish," it is a rare word to find in Mark who uses what we translate straightways," forty times, and in the eighth verse quickly," although from a different Greek. Besides the notes of the Syriac translation have it not.

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"From the east unto the west."] This is true, but would Mark have said it? Would he then know how far the gospel would extend? But to this it may be answered, he was with Peter in Babylon. 1 Peter v. 13.

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Through them."] Namely, through the disciples mentioned in the seventh verse.

"Incorrupt preaching."] That is, the pure gospel. We find this expression in the Book of Wisdom xviii. 4, but this, as well as the epithet "holy" does not strike me, as being in the usual style of Mark.

"Eternal salvation."]

I should have ex

pected from Mark" his resurrection," but the whole of this appendix seems to betray a style different from Mark's.

LUKE XXIV. 1—11.

1. "Now upon the first day, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.

2. "And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.

3. "And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.

4. "And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold two men stood by them in shining garments;

5. "And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, why seek ye the living amongst the dead?

6. He is not here, but is risen: Remember how he spake unto you, when he was yet in Galilee,

7." Saying, the son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.

8. "And they remembered his words.

9. "And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.

10. "It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women, that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles.

11. And their words seemed to them, as idle tales, and they believed them not.”

1. Luke speaks evidently of more women than Matthew, and than Mark, as we may collect from the chap. xxiii. 55, and from the ninth verse of this quoted chapter; they were partly females, who accompanied Jesus from Galilee, and are mentioned Luke viii. 2, 3, partly also others who were with them, as we read in the tenth verse, and who, by their being distinguished from the former, may have probably resided at Jerusalem. We cannot assume that they went in a body to the sepulchre, and still less that, when they found it empty, they remained all equally long there. Mary Magdalene, according to John xx. 2, returned immediately to the city, when she found the grave empty. The probability is, that, as they did not all dwell together, they went separately by different routes to the sepulchre, and some returned earlier, some remained later. If Luke relates something more than the other evange

lists, this is no contradiction; they do not, perhaps, speak of one and the same woman; Matthew and Mark name Mary Magdalene, and Mary, the mother of James, and yet they do not distinguish accurately what other women saw, and what Mary Magdelene alone saw; (John does,) and Luke may therefore have related, what upon authentic grounds he may have heard from other women, who visited the sepulchre.

Very early in the morning."] All the time from the first weak beginning of twilight until the actual rising of the sun is known in Greek by the word "pwt used by Mark xvi. 2. This again, is divided into two parts, of which the one, according to the Greek word (öppoç) used by Luke, signifies the time of twilight, whilst it is yet dark and whilst it is still necessary to burn a light, and the other (ew) is expressed by a Greek word, which denotes the time, just bebefore sunrise, and when the morning red appears. Wetstein, to whom I refer, has collected the parallel passages. Luke, therefore, speaks of the first beginning of twilight, when it was yet very dark.

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Bringing the spices which they had prepared."] The objection, that Jesus was already