PRESENT DAY FACTORS IN NEW TESTAMENT STUDY. 55 



Mr. David Howard referred to the fact that St. Paul's testimony 

 was very important, as he was at the earlier period of his life a 

 hostile witness, and probably resident in Jerusalem during our Lord's 

 life. Surely St. Luke himself taught him the inner history of our 

 Lord's teaching. The Apostles were in full knowledge, being eye- 

 witnesses, of what they wrote. And why should we assume that 

 St. Mark and St. Luke had not their knowledge direct from them ? 



If we believe, as I trust we all do, that the Gospels were written 

 by those who were either with our Lord during His life or intimate 

 friends of His Apostles, why should we inquire where they got 

 their information from, in the same way that we look into the 

 histories of Bede or Gerald the Welshman, who record events of 

 which they could have no personal knowledge 



The Chairman proposed a hearty vote of thanks to the lecturer, 

 which was carried unanimously, and the meeting terminated. 



Communications were received from Chancellor Lias, Colonel 

 Mackinlay, Mr. Schwartz, and Mr. Higgens. 



Chancellor Lias wrote : "In regard to the remarks on the 

 genuineness of the fourth Gospel, I think that before the question is 

 represented as settled, some attention should be paid to the facts, 

 which I myself pointed out in 1875, that the doctrine found in all 

 the Epistle-writers is traced to its source, the authoritative teaching 

 of Christ, by the Apostle St. John in his Gospel, and that, in every 

 case, its form in that Gospel is more elementary than in the 

 Epistles. The matter therefore in St. John's Gospel must have 

 been everywhere current in the Church, long before that Gospel 

 was written, and must be attributed to the Lord Himself. The 

 great doctrines of the Incarnation and the Divine Indwelling of 

 God in the believing soul are not found in the Synoptists, but they 

 are found in every Epistle, except perhaps bhat of St. Jude. They 

 must therefore have formed part of that great ' deposit ' of faith 

 committed to the Apostles by our Lord Jesus Christ." 



Author's Reply. 



In reading the generous criticisms which have been made upon 

 my paper by the Dean of Canterbury and Canon Girdlestone, it is 

 refreshing to note the stress laid by both of them upon one factor 

 in New Testament study, viz., the work and inspiration of the Holy 



