The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1889-03-30
REVIEW OF THE QUARTER
LESSON XIII, FIRST QUARTER, IN
TERhATlONAL SERIES, MARCH 81.

The Gospel of st. Mark Who He Was.
Character of His Gospel-Reasons for
the Variations in Style OF the Eour
Evangelists.
The first quarter Of the present year is de-
voted to study of Christs life aud teachings
as recorded in the Gospel according TO ST
Mark. 1t is, therefore, most fitting to con
slider the pecuiiarltles of this GOSPEL and to
al least glance at the oft debated question
why there should he four distinct accounts of
the Saviours mission on earth, STRANGELY va
rying in style and the subjects made proni-
neut, and yet all agreeing in tie essentials of
Christian doctrine AMI ethics. 1t is evident
even to the unlearned reader that each writer
addressed different class, but each sets forth
the same eternal trEtAs-the fatherhool of
God and the helplessness of man. the divinity
of Christ aud His atonIng death, the necos-
sity of faith, repentance and baptism for the
remission OF sins, the moral government OF
the universe, grace, eternal lie, the way Of
redemption, the possibility Of eternal separa-
ton from God and all that is good
First, it must be noted that the time Of
Christ's incarnation was diyineiy appointed
for the only period in all history Wien tie
civilized world was under one government,
when one written language was used by all
scholars aud statesmen, when the laws roy
erniu2 the empire were IN general principles
tie same and when the dignity OF citizen
ship under one ruler was the cIt.zeu's protcc-
ton, from the mountains Of Scotland in the
north To the Sahara in the south, and from
the Pillars OF Hercules 10 the river Eu-
pirates Never before the establishment
OF the Roman empire had this been the case.
Never has it been the case since the over
throw of that empire. The Romans had con
qucrcd All the central belt Of the known
world, their civil war had @, ded in TIE cstab-
l.shment Of an imperial line aud when all
opposition TO that line had ceased and the
long peace under Augustus Caesar had Sc,
cured stability and order, Clrist's eartaly
mission began.
In ell the western half Of the empire Latin
was the vcruacuiar, in all the eastern halt
Greek; both mingled, Of course, with local
dialects La both sections the tavern keep
ers. merchants, sailors travellers and scAol
ars, as a rule, understood both languages
but while the Latin was official, Cree. WAS lie
language OF most writer's, and the Roman
rulers over each Of the 40 provinces under
stood both, and in most eases knew some
T
wrote tho inscription over tie cross
written in Greek and Latin and Hebrew
not that tho Jews OF that day spoke
Hebrew, for they did not, but it was
their sacred or written LANGUAGE
/ The corrupt tongue they spoke, commonly
called Gaelic Syriac, vas not reduced To writ
/ ing. bat many of its words were necessarily
quoted by some Of the New Testament writ
I ers, and hence the reader VIII find the words
which is by interpretation etc, as they
thought necessary To translate some phrases
for the people they aimed TO reach.
TO jew of Palestine the empire was q
vided into jew and GeutiIe;" to a Roman
( into bond and free" and TO a scholar, lntc
Greek and barbarian The last word meant
not necessarily, as now, q wild or Uncivi1 zeC
/ man. but merely one who could not spcal
Greek that Is, ''prattler,' one whose tall
/ was Ike ''barbar" to = Greek ear. Thus thl
Greeks called the PcrsaGs "barbaroi," ever
when the latter were as civilized as them
selves. With these hints the reader may set
the force of many short suggestions, esDe
cially in Mark and Luke; bus be should Eote
that st. Paul, as the great apostle to Tx
Geu:iles, constantly enLeayoT5 to do away
with such distinctions as between Christians
IN these facts, too, we find tho principal rea
! son for the four Gospels.
! 1t is, first, self evident that st. Matthew
wrote for the Jews, and there IS some eri
dcnce that his gospel was first composed il
Hebrew, and ROT long after the cruc. ti1iou
but the Gree; copy, IS we now have i, dc
/ no. appear till thirty years later 1T. Mark
Us evidently, wrote for q somewhat larger
! constituency, and one which needed bric
statement Of facts rather than lengthy ad
/ dresses, but still people familiar wi.2 TIT
/ local affairs of Palestine IN St Luac ~
/ find from the start a remarkable difference
I He begins by stating that many aCUouIa
have been written, and therefore he Wi. pre-
sent the exact facts as lie received them irof:
( eye witnesses Lastly, st. John wrote VI he.
hcrcsie5 hal begun to trouble the church, Gng
some teachers were tainted with the falcIu
! Of Greek philosophy.
MARI: may be called the strictly historical
evangelist lie was tho son OF woman
/ named Mary, whose house ut Jerusalem va
u resort of the first CHRISTIANS lie Travelled
with Paul and Barla5as to Antioch, anC
was afterwards an intimate associate Of Pau
as well as of Peter The tradition Of Ii,
early church was that he founded the churcl
at Alexandria in Egypt and suffered martyr
/ dom there. 1t is q long disputed question il
4
on that Of Matthew or obtained lis fact.
directly from ST. Peter, and very large anl
I respectable school maintains that all IL,
/ later gospels, and perhaps that Of Matthew
! also, were complied from an original work
a sort Of memorabilia OF the sayings and act
/ OF Christ which IS 10 longer in existence
/ Al agree that it was written il Rome, il II;
/ Greek language, and at some period between
+ the deaths of Peter and Paul and the GestTuc
/ ton of JerusaluI. | should be noted. how
4 ever, that while al agree that st. John ont
1 lived all the other apostles, yet it is claimed
that i'll their present form t4o gospels O
Luke and John are contemporary l. is no
4 important however, rs we have the un2ni
nous testimony of the apostolic father
those whose youth was in apostolic times
that the four gospels were G.ceptel by tn,
entire church as the inspired record @
/ CErist's mission TIE point to be ch.e4l
/ noted here is that the four accounts were in
sense necessary to meet the wants Of tn
different classes in the empire, and that st
Mark set down the f2css Ce1ai!el by all la
others il a form suited for historic arrange
[ mynt.
Jews and CyI,sies in London.