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THE REV. J. E. H. THOMSON, M.A., D.I)., ON 



logy of our Lord, His claims to Divinity in forgiving sins, and of 

 authority in teaching ; the record of the symbols of kingship at 

 the Crucifixion, although given in mockery, tend in the same 

 direction. 



The study of the special features of each Gospel is attracting 

 much attention at the present time, and this part of the paper is 

 a useful contribution to this subject. 



On page 181 our author speaks of the shifting of the Jewish centre 

 of gravity from Jerusalem to Babylon after the destruction of 

 Jerusalem by Titus. At the present day, modern Jews observe 

 many ceremonies of the Passover not enjoined in the Bible, but 

 which they declare have come down to them from the times of the 

 Jews in Babylonia. 



Now that Mesopotamia has come under our influence, we may 

 perhaps hope to discover some traces of the Jews and even of the 

 early Christians in that part of the world, notwithstanding the 

 subsequent persecutions of the Sassamide princes and of the Mos- 

 lems. We know that in North Africa, though long under 

 Mahomedan sway, there are many vestiges of former Christian 

 worship and customs. Possibly, similar vestiges may be found in 

 Mesopotamia ; the features and some of the tribal customs of the 

 Afghans resemble those of the Jews in Old Testament times. 



The Diatessaron is mentioned several times in the paper before 

 us; it aims at being a connected narrative of our Lord's life, or 

 a harmony of the Gospels. I happen to have examined a transla- 

 tion of it with some little care a few years ago, to see if its 

 chronology agreed with that which I had deduced from a study of 

 all the Gospels, particularly from that of St. Luke, but agreement 

 could not be found, except with that of St. Matthew ; in fact, it 

 appeared that St. Matthew's Gospel had been taken as a frame- 

 work, and events not narrated by him had been inserted by the 

 author in a somewhat careless manner sometimes, being in positions 

 quite contradictory to their places in the other three Gospels. Pos- 

 sibly, future investigators may find other resemblances between the 

 records of St. Matthew and the Diatessaron. 



Our warm thanks are due to Dr. Thomson for his careful and 

 very able paper. 



Rev. F. E. Marsh said : Miles Coverdale, in his translation, 

 lays down the following rules in reading any section of the 

 Scriptures. These rules are of primary importance: — 



" It shall greatly helpe ye to understande Scripture, if thou mark 

 Not only what is spoken or written. 

 But of whom. 

 And to whom. 

 And what words, 

 At what time. 



