The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-03-28
GOSPEL RECORDS
 LECTURERS THEME pr. Smaller Mathews Heard
 With Much Interest REGARDING AUTHORSHIP Many Side Lights Thrown on Work of the EVangelists-Facts and Theo-
 ries-Lecturer Ready to
 Answer Questions.

Owing to the rain, Shaller Math- ews, lecture, "The People to Whom Jesus Came,n announced for yesterday, was postponed until tonight, and Dr. Smaller Mathews gave his lecture on 'The Genesis of the Gospel Records He showed that the earliest manuscripts all read the gospel according to- and not by Matthew, Mark or Luke, and so did not warrant the opinion that these were not the authors of this gospel ma terial. but only the eompilers.
 This material, the speaker showed must have existed in written and not oral form. and so gospel writing goes back of the eanonical gospels as is stated in the preface to Luke. This preface shows 0) that before Luke wrote many had already drawn up ar account of what had been fulfilled among Christiansi(O that Theophilus had been orally instructed in these things; (S) that there were minis. ters and witnesses of the word who, like Barnabas and Mark, accompanied the missionaries and taught the new con verts about Jesus and his life and teach irgs.
 It was natural that these converts to Christianity would wish to know about Him whom they believed to be the Christ. which this memora biblia of Jesus cir culated in groups of his sayings and stories of his deeds.
 Some Character.
 Mark almost entirely consists of stories of Jesus life, but both Matthew and Luke add to this narrative many of the groups of his teachings. These groups of sayings and stories of his life were car ried all over the Roman empire by the missionaries and collections of them were made in the several communities.
 The early fathers, pr. Mathews pointed out, do not quote the gospels accurately, but show signs of the influence of these collections in the several sections. The logia found recently in Egypt illustrate this habit of collecting sayings as do different recensions of the letters of Ignatius. After the death of the first hand witnesses to the life of Jesus, the written form would be needed to verify the oral instruction as was Luke's pur- pose in his gospel.
 Most Spiritual Book.
 Matthew and Luke used Mark for their narrative material and added to him much of the teachings. Luke also added some narrative from other sources. The gospel according to John was written later as the Apostle looked back over @ long experience as a Christian, and is more of an interpretation than record, though all the gospels are homiletical rather than historical in their purpose.
 Johns gospel is the most spiritual book in the world, continued the speaker, and 1t is impossible that such a book could have been produced in the second cen- turv and its author not otherwise have been known No other character in early Christian life seems to measure up to the height required to produce such book except the beloved disciple.
 Answers Questions.
 After the four gospels were written and recognized the tendency to gospel writings, said pr. Mathews, continued in an effort to combine them into one as was done by Tatian in the Syrian church, as to write them in the interest of some school of theology or philosophy, as in Marcians gospel of Peter. Also efforts were made to write pseudo gospels, said the speaker, to fill up gaps in the can onical facts or like the gospel of James to account for the virgin birth. But these fall so far below our canonical gospels as to be put In a separate class and are never received as gospels except by the sect who compound them.
 After the lecture Dr. Mathews an- swered many questions asked by the audience. The lecture today at 10:9O will be on the Social Teachings of Jesus" and at 7:45 D. m. on "The People to Whom Jesus Came"
 In spite of the bad weather the lectures were heard with much interest by good audience both morning and night. After the morning talk Dr. Mathews conducts a lecture on the Epistle to the Galatians for a class of teachers and preachers.
 AMI TICEMENTC