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THE PLAN AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE GOSPEL.

In making the second Gospel the framework of his own, the editor has adopted the general outline and plan of that Gospel, which is as follows:

A. Mk 11-13 Introductory. The Messiah had been heralded by the Baptist, had been declared to be the Son of God at His baptism, and had been prepared for His ministry by temptation. B. 115-723 Ministry in Galilee.

C. 724-9 Ministry in the surrounding districts.

This period is marked by the confession of S. Peter, and by teaching as to Christ's death and resurrection.

D. 101-52 The Journey through Perea to Jerusalem.

E. 11-168 The last days of the Messiah's life.

To this general framework the editor prefixes two chapters dealing with the genealogy, birth, and three incidents of the Messiah's childhood.1

[4. 1. 2 Birth and Infancy of the Messiah.]

He then inserts Mk.'s introductory section with considerable expansions.

B. 31-411 Preparation for His ministry,

[37-10. 12. 14-15 43-11].

Passing to Mk.'s section B, the editor makes considerable alterations in the order of Mk 115-618. For a detailed examination of these alterations, see pp. xiii–xvii.

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(4) Extension of His mission in the work of the Twelve,

985-111 [936b-88 105b-8. 10b, 15-16. 23-111).

[(5) Survey of His ministry,

II2-801.

(6) Illustrations of His controversies with the Pharisees,

121-45 [5-7. 17-21. 22-23. 27-28. 30. 32-45

(7) His relations seek Him,
(8) Illustrations of His teaching in parables,

.32-45]. 1246-50

13 [16-17 24-30. 83. 85-52]. From this point the editor is entirely guided by the order of sections as they stand in Mk. [1428-31 and 1512-14 are not found in Mk.].

1

(9) Various incidents,

1359-1520

1 Passages enclosed in square brackets are interpolations into Mk.'s narrative.

In the next sections he follows the order of incidents in Mk.'s section C. Thus:

D. 1521-1835 Ministry in the neighbourhood of Galilee, [1523-24 162-3. 17-19 1724b-27 188-4.7.10-35].

E. 191-2084 Journey to Jerusalem,
F. The last days of the Messiah's life,

[1911-12. 28 201-15].

2128 [214-5. 10-11. 14-16

3-10. 19. 24-25. 43. 52-53. 62-66

2228-32. 43-45 221-14 23 (very greatly enlarged from Mk
1337b-40) 2426-28 25. 2625. 52-54
289-10. 11-22].

273-10.

The life of Christ as thus presented in the Gospel is framed in an Old Testament setting.

He was the Jewish Messiah descended from Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation (11, cf. 39), and within narrower limits from David (11.20 1223 219.15 2242). In particular, he was the Messianic King (22 215 2711. 29. 37. 42), the Messianic Son of God (317 46 1127 1433 1616 175 2754), and the Messianic Son of Man. See pp. lxxi ff.

Many of the incidents of His life had been foretold by the prophets. His birth (122-23) by Isaiah, at Bethlehem (26) by Micah, Herod's massacre of the children (217-18) by Jeremiah, Christ's return from Egypt (215) by Hosea, the settlement of His parents at Nazara by the prophets, the coming of His herald (38) by Isaiah, His own mission in Galilee (414-16) by Isaiah, His work of mercy in healing the sick (817) by Isaiah, His avoidance of publicity (1217-21) by Isaiah, His preaching in parables (1335) by the Psalmist, and the inability of the people to understand them (1314-15) by Isaiah; His entry as king into Jerusalem (214-5) by Zechariah, and the use to which the price of His life was put (279-10) by "Jeremiah." His betrayal (2624. 54. 56), His desertion (2681), and many of the incidents of His death and burial had been foretold in Scripture (2734. 35. 39. 43. 57). And of His three days' sojourn in the tomb Jonah was a type, 1240.

Three features of the Gospel are prominent as characteristic of the editor's method:

(a) the grouping of material in 423-13 into sections illustrative of different aspects of Christ's ministry.

(b) the massing of sayings into long discourses.

(1) the Sermon on the Mount (5-727), which seems to be an expansion of a shorter Sermon found in the Logia.

(2) the charge to the Twelve (10).

(3) the chapter of parables (13).

(4) the discourse about greatness and forgiveness (18). (5) the discourse about the last things (24-25).

These are all ended by a special formula.

We might add:

(6) the discourse about the Baptist (11).

(7) the denunciation of the Pharisees (23).
(8) the parables of warning, 2128-2214.

(c) the arrangement of incidents or sayings into numerical groups.

e.g. three, five, and seven:

three divisions in the genealogy,

three incidents of childhood,

three incidents prior to His ministry,
three temptations,

three illustrations of righteousness,
three prohibitions,

three commands,

three miracles of healing,

117.

2.

31-411. 41-11 61-18 619-76. 77-20

three miracles of power,

fasting,

three miracles of restoration,

threefold "fear not,"

threefold answer to question about

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three incidents which vexed the Pharisees,

three petitions in the Lord's Prayer,

611-13

three aspirations in the Lord's Prayer, 610.

five great discourses,

ended with a formula.

5-727 10. 13. 18. 24-25,

five illustrations of the fulfilment of the law, 521-48.

seven woes,

23.

Cf. also 1245 seven demons, 1821-22 forgiveness seven times, 2225 seven brethren, 1534 seven loaves, seven baskets.

87

Many commentators reckon seven beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount, and seven petitions in the Lord's Prayer, and Sir John Hawkins1 reckons ten miracles in 81-934.

For two, cf. the two demoniacs, 828; two blind men, 2030; two false witnesses, 2660; two blind men, 927.

1 Hor. Syn. p. 134.

THE THEOLOGY OF THE GOSPEL.

A. CHRISTOLOGY.

Jesus was the Messiah of the Old Testament (11), and was therefore descended from David and from Abraham (11). His ancestral line rose to monarchical power in the person of David (1), lost their royal dignity at the time of the Captivity (11), but recovered it in the person of Jesus, the anointed Messiah (116). Jesus was therefore born as King of the Jews (22), entered Jerusalem as its king (214-5), and died as a claimant to royal power (2711. 29. 37. 42). He was born of a virgin, as the Prophet Isaiah had foretold (122), by conception of the Holy Spirit (120), so that He could be called God-with-us (123), or Son of God (215 317 43.6 829 1483 175 2663 2740. 43. 54). At His baptism the Spirit of God came down upon Him; and here, as at the Transfiguration, He was proclaimed by God to be His Son, the Beloved, divinely elected (317 175). He therefore spoke of Himself as "Son," and of God as "Father" in a unique sense1 (1127 2436).2 As Messiah, He fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament. His supernatural birth (122), several incidents of His early years 25. 15. 17. 23), His public ministry in Galilee (414), His ministry of healing (817), His avoidance of publicity (1217), the misunderstanding of His hearers (1314), His use of parables (1385), the manner of His entry into Jerusalem (214), His betrayal (2624), His desertion (2681), His arrest (2654. 56), and the use to which the money given for His betrayal was put (279), had all been foretold in the Old Testament. As Son of God, He cast out demons by the Spirit of God (1228). He preached the near advent of the kingdom of heaven (see below). He performed miracles, chiefly of healing, but He also cast out demons, raised dead persons to life, walked on the water on one occasion, and twice fed multitudes with a few loaves and fishes. He foretold His death and resurrection, and promised that He would come again in the near future (see below) to inaugurate the kingdom. He spoke of Himself as the "Son of Man." As such He had angels at His command (1341 2481), and

1 The distinction is also implied in the fact that Christ is represented as speaking of "My Father," but not of "our Father," except in 69, where the phrase is put into the mouths of the disciples. Schmidt (The Prophet of Nazareth, p. 154) argues that "Jesus said neither My Father' nor your Father,' but the Father who is in heaven.'" But whilst it is true that Christ may have used Abba (=the Father) in the sense of "My Father," cf. Mk 1436 and Dalm. Words, 192, the evidence of the first Gospel, that He spoke of "your Father" and "their Father," must not be set aside, since it is supported by the usage of the Jewish literature. Cf. the instances cited on p. 44. Consequently the absence from the Gospel of "our Father," except in 69, is very significant; cf. Dalm. Words, 190.

But see note on 2436.

would come again in glory with angels (1627 2480), and sit on the throne of His glory (1928 2581).

Thus three aspects of the Messiah's work are represented in the Gospel: (1) The work of healing and preaching, which formed a sort of preparation for the coming kingdom; (2) the reappearance at the end of the age, when He would come again to inaugurate the kingdom; (3) His death. This was, from one point of view, a necessary stage in the development of the divine purpose. If the Son of Man was to appear on the clouds of heaven in His kingdom, He must first return to the Father in heaven to be invested with the divine glory. Thus the Son of Man "must" suffer (1621). This was a part of the divine scheme (1623). It had been foretold in prophecy (2624. 54).

But it was something more than a necessary link in a divinely foreseen chain of events. It had in itself a redemptive aspect. His blood was "shed for many," that their sins might be forgiven (2628). This bloodshedding signified the ratification of a covenant between God and man (2628). The idea presumably is that the death could be regarded as a sacrifice which once and for all propitiated God, brought men into a right relation to God, in virtue of which men could approach Him and be received by Him without further sacrifices. Hence it can be said that He came for this very purpose to "give His life a ransom for many" (2028 from Mk 1045).

1912.

B. THE KINGDOM OF THE HEAVENS.

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This phrase occurs in the Gospel 32 times, viz. 32 417 53. 10. 19 (2). 20 721 811 107 111. 12 1311. 24. 31. 44. 45. 47.52 1619 181. 3. 4. 23 14. 23. 24 (Z 133 124 157 S1 S2 abce, but & Bal Toû bεov) 201 222 2314 251. We find also ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ in 1228 1924 ( B al) 2181. 43 and 633 (E al latt S2, but & B g1k omit Toû cû). This phrase occurs in Mk. 14 times; Mt. 5 times substitutes Baoiλeía Tuv oupavov, and 8 times omits or paraphrases. In the remaining case, Mk 1025 Mt 1924, both readings are found in Mt.; but, in spite of the fact that Tv oйpavov is not so well attested as Tou cou, there is a strong presumption against the latter, from the fact that in the 13 other cases the editor omits, paraphrases, or substitutes τῶν οὐρανῶν for τοῦ θεοῦ. In any case, it is clear that in 1228 2131 and 48 there must be special reasons for the occurrence of ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ. In 1228, which finds a parallel in Lk 1120, the phrase probably occurred in the source used by the Evangelist. He would, no doubt, have substituted Tv ovpavŵv if the context had admitted it. But, as will be shown below, he everywhere uses ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν of the kingdom which Christ announced as at hand, to be inaugurated when the Son of Man came on the clouds of heaven. In 1228 the editor found in

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