THE MORNING STAR IN THE GOSPELS. 



257 



ill which symbolism, harmonies and figures of all kinds are 

 very freely employed will, it is believed, prevent any thoughtful 

 reader from hastily rejecting the conclusions which have been 

 drawn, when he rememljers that some harmonies akin to those 

 we have investigated actually do exist in Scripture. No one, 

 for instance, would suggest mere coincidence, but rather 

 harmonious design, in the facts that Christ died at the 

 Passover, Matt, xxvi, 18 ; xxvii, 46, 50 ; 1 Cor. v, 7 ; that 

 He rose from the grave on the day when the sheaf of first- 

 fruits was waved before the Lord, on the morrow after the 

 Sabbath after the Passover, Lev. xxiii, 11; John xx, 1; 

 1 Cor. XV, 20 ; and that the Holy Spirit fell on the disciples 

 on the day of Pentecost, Lev. xxiii, 15, 16 ; Acts ii, 1. 



A coiitirmatioii of this method of harmonies is furnished by 

 the fact that references to the Sabbatic year, a.d. 26-27, in the 

 Gos]3els also indicate the same date, a.d. 29, for the Crucitixion. 

 Harmonies connected with the Sabbatic year and other har- 

 monies connected with the figure of the Baptist as the morning 

 star combine in indicating B.C. 8 as the date of the Nativity. 

 This year satisfies the scanty historical date perfectly ; it is true 

 it involves that Christ must have been thirty-two years' old 

 when He began His ministry, but scholars* tell us that the 

 Greek of Luke iii, 23, " about thirty years of age," will fully 

 and readily include any age between twenty-eight and thirty- 

 tw^o. Want of space prevents any further mention of these 

 two lines of investigation, but they are alluded to in order to 

 show that inferences, similar to the main suljject of this article, 

 will also lead to other definite and highly prol)a1)le results. 



If, as we fully believe, the harmonies which have Ijeen 

 pointed out really exist, not only do they furnish interesting 

 chronological evidence, but, better far, they bear witness to the 

 utter truthfulness of the Divinely inspired record in tlie 

 gospels; as the existence of the harmonies would have been 

 impossible in a mere made-up stor>'. 



Discussion. 



Commander AV. F. Caborne, C.B., Pv.X.R.L — My thanks are due 

 to the Victoria Institute for the privilege of listening to another 

 interesting paper from Colonel Mackinlay, and also for the 

 opportunity of taking part in its discussion. 



Was Ch?'ist horn in Bethlehem ? p. 197. Professor W. ]M. Eam?<ay. 



