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THE REV. CANON E. MCCLURE, M.A., M.R.I.A., ON 



country, or by Harnack in Germany. M. Loisy thinks the 

 Gospel according to St. Mark was written at a period subsequent 

 to the destruction of Jerusalem, probably about 75 A.D., and 

 that its author was an unknown Christian of Hellenic culture. 

 The Gospel of St. Matthew he ascribes to a non-Palestinian 

 Jew who compiled it about the beginning of the second century. 

 The narratives peculiar to St. Mark are, M. Loisy thinks, to be 

 regarded rather as legendary developments having no historical 

 value, than as real reminiscences. The chapters about the 

 birth of Christ have not, in M. Loisy's opinion, the slightest 

 historical foundation. 



St. Luke's Gospel was probably written, he thinks, between 

 90 and 100 a.d. Certain touching passages in it — such as 

 Christ weeping over Jerusalem, His prayer for His executioners, 

 His promise to the penitent thief, and His last words, may, 

 says M. Loisy, be in conformity with this spirit, but they have 

 no traditional basis.* The genealogical descent of Jesus 

 through Joseph was, according to M. Loisy, an interpolation 

 introduced in order to support the later idea of a Virgin Birth. 

 As for the Fourth Gospel, it is in no sense historical, but the 

 work, M. Loisy says, of the first and greatest Christian mystic. 



M. Loisy's Opinion of Christ. 



M. Loisy gleans from his critical examination of the Gospels 

 the views Of the " Career of Jesus," summarized as follows : — 



Jesus was born of a pious family, about four years before the 

 Christian Era. The terrifying teaching of St. John Baptist 

 had for Him, as well as for many others, a great attraction, and 

 He accepted Baptism at his hands. He attempted also to take 

 his place when John was imprisoned and began by preaching 

 around the Lake of Galilee, where He was compelled by the 

 persistent demands of the crowd to " work miracles." This 

 mission lasted only a few months, but was long enough to enable 

 Him to enrol twelve auxiliaries, who, travelling two and two 

 throughout the villages of Galilee, prepared His coming. Those 

 who nocked to hear Him belonged to the lowest class. The 

 main point in His teaching was the advent of the Kingdom of 

 God — the sudden and speedy coming, or return, of the Messiah. 

 His teaching was not acceptable to the Pharisees or the 

 authorities and their hostility obliged Him to fly to the region 



* Les Evangilts Sy/ioptiques, p. 119. 



