Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-05-23
THE GOSPELS.

1t is now nearly half a century since
any serious attempts to show that the
four Gospels were 1he product OF UNI
known and unaccredited writer's have
gained much currency among either the
masses of the people or the students
OF the Scriptures.
Al that time this charge was not
easily refuted. Any skeptic could say
that the four Gospels were without de-
finitely known authorship and were not
written until many centuries after the
Christian era,
We now know, with reasonable GER
tainty, that the gospels according to
Matthew, Mark and Luke must date
originally Before the destruction Of
Jerusalem in the year 10 A. D., because
they predict it as a future event. The
Acts were written after So, but before
the death of Paul which is supposed
to have occurred about 6S A. d. That
book closes suddenly with his imprls-
onment in Rome.
or the four Canonical Gospels. the
FIRST three, differing from the fourth),
agree in naratins nearly the same
events IN somewhat similar language
and are called synoptical together),
The syuoptic Gospels are those that
hear the names OF Matthew, Mark and
Luke
There is no internal evidence for cx-
actly determining the date of any one
of the synoptics but it is Il reasonable
inference that the compilers OF the
first and second Gospels, wrote before
Luke; aud there Is a balance OF proba-
bility IN favor OF the supposition that
they wrote before the fan of Jerusalem,
In reading the four Gospels, Biblical
students now find that Mark does not
seem TO borrow from either Matthew
or Luke. ana that these two. though
clearly influenced by some form OF
Mark yet probably borrowed, not from
Mark. but from original tradition. Ups
on this tradition Mark also is thought
Ia be based, what this original tradi-
ton was whether oral or wiltton and
n written whetheh IN Aramaic OF
Greek, has not yet been determined.
An early tradition, circulated perhaps
in various churches before being em-
bodie1 IN document would naturally
Nave been modified and supplemented.
But # seems probable that Mark Mat,
thew and Luke are all based upon this
early, original tradition, Certain words
and phrases which are common to
Matthew, Mark and Luke are given
the name of the triple tradition. such
/ expressions must have peculiar
| weight, since they undoubtedly approx
innate to the original tradition itself
As 10 the authors, Matthew WAS one
OF the Twelve M U.s. according To ira
1 dition, the author Of the first GOSPEL.
/ In tho Gospel that bears his name be- is
described as tax Eatherer but little is
! recorded of him or Mark. nothing Is
/ positively known, either Of his birth or
his country but It is certain that no
| Was a friend and follower OF Paul and
accompanied him on one OF his jour
! ncys. The name Mark occurs In sew
/ eral of The books OF the New Tesla
menl Peter sfoaks Of him as Mark
my son, These words are usually I'M
! dcrslood iu metaphorlcal sense
| Luke's name rs attached 10 the thlrd
! Gospel He appears 20 have been one
q the companions - Paul. From
such illusions "a those IN Col. iy, "a, We
infer that Luke was not born Jew
and that he was physician. or his
birth and country nothing is positively