_II. David, the King._ I Samuel Chap. XVI-XXXI;
also II Samuel
Chaps. I-XXIV. I Kings
Chaps. I-II. I Chronicles
Chaps. X-XXIX. The
Psalms of David, Josephus'
Antiquities,
Books VI and VII.
_III. Maccabees, the Patriots, their Times Books of the Maccabees
and Achievements._[1] I and II (found in
Douay Bible). Josephus'
Antiquities, Book XII,
Chaps. VI-XI.
_SPECIAL TEXT: "I exhort you, especially, to agree with one another;
and in what excellency any one of you exceeds another, to yield to
him so far, and by that means to reap the advantage of everyone's own
virtues."_--MATTATHIAS, _Father of the Maccabees, to his sons._
_NOTES._
1. _Suggestions in the Formation of an Unwritten Lecture:_ "The
simplest formal address that can be constructed has three distinct
parts. They may be named as follows:
1. _The Introduction_.
2. _The Discussion_.
3. _The Conclusion_.
On this framework a speech-plan can be constructed simple enough for
any child. And it is at the same time true that even a child, with such
a plan, might speak appropriately who would otherwise not be able to
begin at all.
_The Introduction:_ "This is at once important and embarrassing.
First words are nearly always heard attentively, and they do much
to determine the degree of attention that will be bestowed on the
remainder of the speech. The young speaker should select something
as an introduction upon which his mind can fasten, instead of
dwelling upon the frightful generality of the naked theme. * * * *
The introduction should be simple, and, above everything else, easy
for the speaker to comprehend and remember. If there is anything in
the whole world which he is sure he can talk about for a few moments,
and which can be made to have a moderate degree of connection with
his subject, let that be chosen for an opening. * * * * When the
introductory topic is selected it should be turned over in the mind
until the speaker knows just what he is going to say about it. This
process will have a wonderfully quieting effect upon his nerves. He has
fairly mastered something, and knows that at all events he can begin
his speech. It is well to make a note of this introduction in a few
simple words, which will strongly fasten themselves in the memory. No
effort toward elaboration should be made, for that would naturally lead
to a memorized introduction, and either require the whole speech to be
written, or produce a painful and difficult transition.
_The Discussion:_ "This should deal directly with the subject or
central idea of the discourse. Here a clear statement of at least one
thought which the speaker can fully grasp should be made. The pen (or
pencil) may be used in preparation without impropriety. If but one idea
is thought of, let that be written in the fewest and strongest words at
the students' command. While doing this it is likely that another and
related thought will spring into mind which can be treated in the same
manner. With diligent students there may even be a danger of getting
down too many seed-thoughts. When this central division is completely
wrought out, two other points claim attention. How shall the transition
be made from the introduction to the discussion? A little reflection
will show how to glide from one to the other, and that process should
be conned over, without writing, until it is well understood. It is
wonderful how many outlines of ideas the memory will retain without
feeling burdened; and this power of retention grows enormously through
exercise. After this, the mode of gliding from the discussion to the
conclusion may be treated in the same manner, and with equal profit.
_The Conclusion:_ "The conclusion itself is scarcely less material
than the introduction; but there is much less range of choice in the
manner of closing than in that of beginning. The subject is before
the audience, and any wide departure from it seems like the beginning
of a new speech--something not usually well received. There is this
distinction between the relative value of introduction and conclusion;
a good introduction adds most to a speaker's ease, confidence, and
power during the moment of speech; but a good conclusion leaves
the deepest permanent impression upon the audience. It is usually
remembered longer than any other part of the address." (Extempore
Speech, Pittenger, pp. 46-49.)
Footnotes
1. Paper.
LESSON XII.
ANALYSIS. REFERENCES.
_I. The Greater Prophets--Four._ All Bible Dictionaries
1. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel. and Helps (including Bible
_II. The Minor Prophets--Twelve:_ Treasury), Heretofore
1. Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, cited in Part II,
Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, under title of "Prophets."
Zephamiah, Haggai, Zechariah, Notes 1, 2.
Malachi.
_III. The Prophetic Calling._ See the Dictionaries
1. Distinction between major (greater) and Helps heretofore
and minor prophets. cited, as also ordinary
2. Mission of the Prophets. Dictionaries on "Inspiration,"
3. Schools of the Prophets. "Revelation,"
"Prophecy," "Prophets,"
etc.
Notes 3, 4.
_SPECIAL TEXT: "And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the
word which the Lord hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the
name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is
the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken
it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him."--Deut. xviii: 22._
_NOTES._
1. _Of the Term Prophet._ "The Hebrew word _"Nabi"_ is uniformly
translated in our English Bible by the word "Prophet." In classical
Greek, it is said by highest authority, to signify 'one who speaks
for another, especially one who speaks for a God and so interprets
his will to man.' (Liddell and Scott.) Hence, its essential meaning
is "an interpreter." In fact, the English word 'prophet,' like the
word 'inspiration,' has always been used in a larger and in a closer
sense. In the larger sense our Lord Jesus Christ is a 'prophet,'
Moses is a 'prophet,' Mahomet is a 'prophet.' The expression means
that they proclaimed and published a new religious dispensation. In
a similar though not identical sense, the church is said to have a
'prophetical,' i. e., an expository and interpretative office. But in
its closer sense the word, according to usage, though not according
to etymology, involves the idea of foresight. And this is and always
has been its more usual acceptation. The different meanings, or shades
of meaning, in which the abstract noun is employed in scripture, have
been drawn out by Locke as follows: 'Prophecy comprehends three things:
prediction; singing by the dictate of the Spirit; and understanding and
explaining the mysterious, hidden sense of scripture, by an immediate
illumination and motion of the Spirit.'" (Smith's Bible Dictionary,
Vol. III, pp. 2591-2.)
2. _School of the Prophets, or the Prophetic Order:_ "Samuel, himself a
Levite, of the family of Kohath (I Chron. vi: 28), and almost certainly
a priest, was the instrument used at once for effecting a reform in the
sacerdotal order (I Chron. ix: 22), and for giving to the prophets a
position of importance which they had never before held. * * * * Samuel
took measures to make his work of restoration permanent, as well as
effective for the moment. For this purpose he instituted companies,
or Colleges of Prophets. One we find in his lifetime at Ramah (I Sam.
xix: 19, 20); others afterwards at Bethel (II Kings ii: 3), Jericho
(II Kings ii: 5), Gilgal (II Kings iv: 38), and elsewhere (II Kings
i). Their constitution and object were similar to those of Theological
Colleges. Into them were gathered promising students, and here they
were trained for the office which they were afterwards destined to
fulfill. So successful were these institutions, that from the time of
Samuel to the closing of the canon of the Old Testament, there seems
never to have been wanting a due supply of men to keep up the line of
official prophets. The apocryphal books of the Maccabees (I, iv: 26;
ix: 27, xiv: 41) and of Ecclesiasticus (xxvi: 15) represent them as
extinct. The colleges appear to have consisted of students differing in
number. Sometimes they were very numerous (I Kings xviii: 4; xxii: 6;
II Kings ii: 16). One elderly, or leading prophet, presided over them
(I Sam. xiv: 20), called their father (I Sam. x: 12), or master (II
Kings ii: 3), who was apparently admitted to his office by the ceremony
of anointing (I Kings xix: 16; Isaiah lxi: 1; Psalms cv: 15). They were
called his sons. Their chief subject of study was, no doubt, the Law
and its interpretation; oral, as distinct from symbolical, teaching
being henceforward tacitly transferred from the priestly to the
prophetical order." (Smith's Bible Dictionary, Vol. III, pp. 2592-3.)
3. _The Prophetic Gift:_ "We have been speaking of the Prophetic Order.
To belong to the prophetic order and to possess the prophetic gift are
not convertible terms. There might be members of the prophetic order to
whom the gift of prophecy was not vouchsafed. There might be inspired
prophets, who did not belong to the prophetic order. Generally, the
inspired prophet came from the College of the Prophets, and belonged
to the prophetic order; but this was not always the case. In the
instance of the Prophet Amos, the rule and the exception are both
manifested. When Amaziah, the idolatrous Israelitish priest, threatens
the prophet, and desires him to 'flee away into the land of Judah,
and there eat bread and prophesy there, but not to prophesy again any
more at Bethel,' Amos in reply says, 'I was no prophet, neither was
I a prophet's son; but I was an herdsman, and a gatherer of sycamore
fruit; and the Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said
unto me, Go prophesy unto my people Israel' (vii: 14). That is, though
called to the prophetic office, he did not belong to the prophetic
order; and had not been trained in the prophetical colleges; and this,
he indicates, was an unusual occurrence." (Smith's Bible Dictionary,
Vol. III, p. 2593.)
4. _Revelation and Inspiration Defined:_ "The word 'revelation'
stands for the act of God in making truth known to men, and then, in
a secondary sense, for the truth itself, which is thus made known.
Inspiration is the name of the special divine influence under which
the writers of the Bible worked. We speak of the 'revelation' of God
in the Bible, and of the 'inspiration' of the writers of the Bible.
In order to understand the questions which have been raised on these
two subjects it is important that we should discriminate between
them in thought, but in fact they are closely connected. It is the
association of the two that gives its supreme value to the Bible. This
is recognized as a book of unique character, because, as we have seen,
it is an inspired record of divine revelation." (Teacher's Bible Helps,
Bagster's Bible, p. 2.) The whole article, comprising several pages,
should be studied. Also the article, "Prophets," in the Seventy's Bible
Dictionary.
LESSON XIII.
_THE PROPHETIC BOOKS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT._
_I. The book of Isaiah._ Isaiah I-LXVI. Notes
1. Historic Period of Isaiah. 1, 2. Seventy's Bible
2. General Outline of His Prophecies. Dictionary, Art. "Isaiah,"
3. His Prophecies of the Messiah. Bible Treasury Ditto.
4. Select Readings from Isaiah. Other Bible Helps and
Dictionaries, under
same title.
"Messianic Prophecies,"
Chap. IX: 6, 7; XLIX: 1-13;
LIII: 1-12; LXI: 1-3.
_II. The Book of Jeremiah._ Select Readings--Fall
1. Historic Period. of Lucifer, Chap. XIV: 12-29.
2. General Nature of His Warnings The Apostasy,
to Israel. XXIV: 1-6. Book of Mormon,
XXIX: 1-24. The
Gathering of Israel, XI: 10-16.
3. Prophecies yet to be fulfilled--especially Bible Dictionaries and
on the restoration of Helps as above, Art.
Israel. "Jeremiah, Book of,"
etc. Warnings: Jeremiah
XIV: 1-22, and XV: 1-3.
(Read as if is in one
chapter), XVII and
XVIII; also XXI and
XXII.
Prophecies (in course
of fulfillment and those
yet future). Chap. III: 12-19;
XVI: 14-16;
XXXIII: 1-14.
_SPECIAL TEXT: "And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity,
and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed
into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers; and
thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way,
walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the
left."_--ISAIAH.
_NOTES._
1. _Isaiah,_ (i. e., the Lord is Salvation), son of Amoz, a prophet in
Jerusalem during 40 years, (B. C. 740-701.) He had great religious and
political influence during the reign of Hezekiah, whose chief adviser
he was. Tradition states that he was "sawn asunder" during the reign
of Manasseh; for that reason he is often represented in art, holding a
saw." (Cambridge Bible, p. 82.)
2. _Character of Isaiah's Prophet Writings:_ "In Isaiah we see
prophetic authorship reaching its culminating point. Everything
conspired to raise him to an elevation to which no prophet either
before or after could as a writer attain. Among the other prophets,
each of the more important ones is distinguished by some one particular
excellence, and some one peculiar talent: in Isaiah, all kinds of
talent and all beauties of prophetic discourse meet together so as
mutually to temper and qualify each other; it is not so much any
single feature that distinguishes him as the symmetry and perfection
of the whole. * * * * He is not the especially lyrical prophet, or
the especially elegiacal prophet, or the especially oratorical and
hortatory prophet, as we should describe a Joel, a Hosea, a Micah, with
whom there is a greater prevalence of some particular color; but, just
as the subject requires, he has readily at command every several kind
of style and every several change of delineation; and it is precisely
this that, in point of language, establishes his greatness, as well
as in general forms one of his most towering points of excellence."
(Smith's Bible Dictionary, pp. 1162-3.)
3. _Isaiah as a Messianic Prophet:_ The following are the outlines of
Messianic prophecies in the book of Isaiah: A scion of David, springing
from his family, after it has fallen into a very low estate, but being
also of divine nature, shall, at first, in lowliness, but as a prophet
filled with the Spirit of God, proclaim the divine doctrine, develope
the law in truth, and render it the animating principle of national
life; he shall, as high priest, by his vicarious suffering and his
death, remove the guilt of his nation, and that of other nations, and
finally rule as a mighty king, not only over the covenant people,
but over all nations of the earth who will subject themselves to his
peaceful sceptre, not by violent compulsion, but induced by love and
gratitude. He will make both the moral and the physical consequences
of sin to cease; the whole earth shall be filled with the knowledge of
the Lord, and all enmity, hatred, and destruction shall be removed even
from the brute creation. This is the survey of the Messianic preaching
by Isaiah, of which he constantly renders prominent those portions
which were most calculated to impress the people under the then
existing circumstances. * * * * Jesus Sirach (xlviii: 22-5) bestows
splendid praise upon Isaiah, and both Philo and Josephus speak of him
with great veneration. He attained the highest degree of authority
after the times of the New Testament had proved the most important part
of his prophecies, namely, the Messianic, to be divine. Christ and the
Apostles quote no prophecies so frequently as those of Isaiah, in order
to prove that he who had appeared was one and the same with him who had
been promised. The fathers of the Church abound in praises of Isaiah.
(Kitto's Biblical Literature, pp. 49-50.)
4. The First Nephi on Isaiah as the Messianic Prophet. "And now I,
Nephi, write more of the words of Isaiah, for my soul delighteth in his
words. For I will liken (apply) his words unto my people, and I will
send them forth unto all my children, for he verily saw my Redeemer,
even as I have seen him. And my brother Jacob also has seen him as
I have seen him: wherefore I will send their words forth unto my
children, to prove unto them that my words are true.. Wherefore, by the
words of three, God hath said, I will establish my word." (II Nephi ii:
13.)
5. _Jeremiah, Book of. Arrangement:_ "The absence of any chronological
order in the present structure of the collection of Jeremiah's
prophecies is obvious at the first glance; and this has led some
writers (Blayney, Pref. of Jeremiah) to the belief that, as the book
now stands, there is nothing but the wildest confusion--'a preposterous
jumbling together' of prophecies of different dates. Attempts to
reconstruct the book on a chronological basis have been made by
almost all commentators on it since the revival of criticism; and the
result of the labors of the more recent critics has been to modify
the somewhat hasty judgment of the English divine (Blayney). Whatever
points of difference there may be in the hypothesis of Movers, Hitzig,
Ewald, Bunsen, Nagelsbach, and others, they agree in admitting traces
of an order in the midst of the seeming irregularity, and endeavor
to account, more or less satisfactorily, for the apparent anomalies.
The conclusion of the three last-named is that we have the book
substantially in the same state as that in which it left the hands of
the prophet, or his disciple Baruch." (Smith's Bible Dictionary, p.
1261.)
5. _Jeremiah:_ "The author of the prophecies of this book was the son
of Hilkiah, a priest, and a native of the priestly city of Anathoth,
situated three miles north of Jerusalem. He was early called to the
prophetic office (chap. i: 6), and began his career as a prophet in his
native place. This he soon left, to prosecute his calling in Jerusalem;
and here, in the exercises of it, he spent the greater part of his
life. His ministry commenced seventy years after the close of Isaiah's,
and extended from the thirteenth year of Josiah's reign to the eleventh
of Zedekiah's, i. e., from 629 to 588 B. C., thus embracing a period
of forty-one years. It was a life-long protest against the iniquity
and folly of his countrymen, and conceived in bitter foreboding of the
hopeless ruin they were bringing down upon their heads." (Bagster's
Bible Helps, p. 37.)
6. _Jeremiah and His Contemporaries:_ "Jeremiah was contemporary with
Zephiniah, Habakkuk, Ezekiel, and Daniel. None of these, however,
are in any remarkable way connected with him, except Ezekiel. The
writings and character of these two eminent prophets furnish many very
interesting points both of comparison and contrast. Both, during a
long series of years, were laboring at the same time and for the same
object. The representations of both, far separated as they were from
each other, are in substance singularly accordant; yet there is at the
same time a marked difference in their modes of statement, and a still
more striking diversity in the character and natural disposition of
the two. No one who compares them can fail to perceive that the mind
of Jeremiah was of a softer and more delicate texture than that of his
illustrious contemporary. His whole history convinces us that he was by
nature mild and retiring." (Cycl. of Biblical Literature, Vol. II, p.
83.)
LESSON XIV.
SCRIPTURE READING EXERCISE--NOTE 3.
_THE PROPHETIC BOOKS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT._ _(Continued.)_
ANALYSIS. REFERENCES.
_I. Ezekiel, the Prophet of the Captivity._ Book of Ezekiel. All
1. Prophecies against Jerusalem and the Dictionaries, Bible
the Nation, chaps. i-xxiv. Helps, Bible Treasury,
2. Prophecies of the Restoration of Kitto's Biblical Literature
Israel, chaps. xxv-xxxix. previously quoted,
3. Visions of the Reconstruction of Art. "Ezekiel." Note 1.
the Temple, chaps. xl-xlviii.
4. Prophecy of the Resurrection,
chap. xxxvi: 1-14.
_II. Daniel, Book of_ Book of Daniel I-XII.
1. Historical--i-vi. All the above Dictionaries
2. Prophetical--the Rise and Fall of and Bible Helps,
Empires, vii-xii. Encyclopaedias, etc.
above cited. Art. "Daniel."
Church History
Vol. I, Introduction, pp. xxxvi-xl.
Note 2.
_SPECIAL TEXT: "Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the
house of Israel; therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them
warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die;
and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from
his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in
his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou
warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his
wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy
soul."_--EZEKIEL.
_NOTES._
1. _Ezekiel:_ "The author of this book was a native of Jerusalem,
and, like Jeremiah, of priestly descent, a member of a family of some
standing in the city. When, as would appear, about twenty-five years
of age, and after he had seen some service as a priest, he was carried
away captive to Babylon along with Jehoiachin and other noble Jews in
599 B. C., and before the destruction of Jerusalem (II Kings xxiv:
15). He must have been a witness of the plundering of the temple by
Nebuchadnezzar, as recorded in II Kings xxiv: 13, and his prophecies
give evidence of a familiar acquaintance with its structure (chap.
viii: 5-16, etc.) His place of banishment was Tel-Abib, on the banks
of the river Chebar, about 200 miles north of Babylon. Here he settled
with his family, and here he established himself as the prophet of the
captivity, his house being the rendezvous of all who mourned over the
dispersion and sought for the restoration of Israel." (Bagster Bible
Helps, p. 39.)
2. _The Book of Daniel._ Perhaps no book of prophecy is more bitterly
criticised than the Book of Daniel, and certainly no book is of more
prophetic value.. Its prophecies concerning the rise and fall of
empires, with the final supremacy of the kingdom of God as a universal
empire, renders it at once one of the most important of prophetic books.
"Porphyry, the assailant of Christianity in the third century,
asserted that the book of Daniel was a forgery of the time of the
Maccabees (170-164 B. C.), a time when confessedly there were no
prophets, written after the events as to Antiochus Epiphanes, which
it professes to foretell; so accurate are the details. A conclusive
proof of Daniel's inspiration, if his prophecies can be shown to have
been before the events. Now we know, from Josephus, that the Jews in
Christ's days, recognized Daniel as in the canon. Zachariah, Ezra, and
Nehemiah, centuries before Antiochus, refer to it. Jesus refers to it
in his characteristic designation, 'Son of man,' Matthew xxiv: 30;
Daniel vii: 13); also expressly by name, and as a prophet, in Matthew
xxiv: 15 (cf. Matthew xxiv: 21, with Daniel xii: 1, etc.); and in the
moment that decided his life (Matthew xxvi: 64) or death, when the high
priest adjured him by the living God. Also, in Luke 1:19-26, 'Gabriel'
is mentioned, whose name occurs nowhere else in scripture, save Daniel
viii: 16; ix: 21. Besides the references to it in Revelation, Paul
confirms the prophetical part of it, as to the blasphemous king (Daniel
vii: 8, 25; xi: 36), in I Corinthians 6:2; II Thessalonians ii: 3, 4;
the narrative part, as to the miraculous deliverances from 'the lions'
and 'the fire,' in Hebrews xi: 33, 34. Thus the book is expressly
attested by the New Testament on the three points made the stumbling
block of neologists--the predictions, the narratives of miracles, and
the manifestations of angels." (Commentary, Explanatory and Critical,
p. 620.)
_A Sample Scripture Reading._ At this lesson we introduce the
scripture reading exercise referred to in our introduction, and as an
illustration of what is meant we give the following as an example of
such reading:
The Reader says: "I have selected for this reading the first nine
verses of the 19th Psalm of David, universally conceded, I think, to
be one at least of the most beautiful psalms of this very remarkable
collection of Hebrew poetry. (Reading):
"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth
his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night
sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their
voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a
tabernacle for the sun, which is as a bridegroom coming out of his
chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going
forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends
of it; and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony
of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the
Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord
is pure, enlightening the eyes.. The fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous
altogether."
Let us contemplate a little so much of this Psalm as we have read.
"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth
his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night
sheweth knowledge."
If that could be said
of the heavens in the days of David, how much
more abundantly can it be said now, when the few thousand stars
visible to David's unaided vision, our modern telescopes have to our
vision increased to more than forty millions of such stars! Each, as
is supposed, a sun, the center of a planetary system--when thus we
contemplate the heavens, truly they "declare the glory of God, and the
firmament sheweth his handywork!" and "day unto day uttereth speech,
and night unto night sheweth knowledge!"
Mark how David notes that the heavens speak a universal
language:--"there is no speech nor language, where their voice is
not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their
words to the end of the world." The special revelation to the Hebrews
might be locked up from some parts of our human race for centuries
in the mystery of the Hebrew language; but in the heavens, as David
contemplated them, there is a universal language, a world book--spread
out in glory for all men to read, and somehow or other, all men have
read it with more or less clearness, and have arrived at the same
conclusion with the Hebrew prophet,--"the heavens declare the glory of
God." Paul must have felt something of this when he exclaimed, "The
invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly
seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal
power and Godhead." So that he concludes that the ungodly are without
excuse, by reason of this revelation found in the creations of God--the
heavens that declare God's glory. Then notice how David glides from
the contemplation of the heavens to the contemplation of the law of
the Lord--"perfect, converting the soul;" the "testimony" of the Lord
which is "sure, making wise the simple." The "statutes of the Lord that
are right, rejoicing the heart;" the "commandment of the Lord" that is
"pure, enlightening the eyes." The "fear of the Lord" that is "clean,
enduring forever;" the "judgments of the Lord" that "are true, and
righteous altogether." Such a scripture prepares the mind for devotion,
and is a worthy introduction to the act of worship. (End of reading.)
This kind of exercise is intended to run through the remainder of the
lessons of this year, and every week someone should be appointed to
come to the following week's lesson prepared with a scripture reading,
which should be delivered as above, that is, read with reflections, and
comments, to which it gives rise.
LESSON XV.
SCRIPTURE READING EXERCISE.
_THE PROPHETIC BOOKS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT._ _(Continued.)_
_I. The Twelve Minor Prophets._ Note 1 and 2. Each of
1. Historical Period of their ministry. the books of the 12
_II. Select Readings from Zechariah:_ prophets should be read.
1. Repentance. See also the summary of
2. Prophecies Yet Future. each book in the Bible
Helps, Dictionaries, Bible
Treasury, quoted in
previous lessons.
Readings, Zech. 1: 1-7.
Chaps. vii and viii.
Chaps. xii, xiii, xiv.
_III. Select Readings from Malachi:_
1. His Arraignment of Israel for Unfaithfulness. Mal. iii: 7-18.
The Promise of
God's Returning Favor.
2. The Coming of Messiah's Messenger. Mal. iii: 1-6.
3. Destruction of the Wicked--Elijah's Mal. iv: 1-6.
Mission.
_SPECIAL TEXT: "Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions
every man to his brother; and oppress not the widow, nor the
fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine
evil against his brother in your heart."_--ZECHARIAH.
_NOTES._
1. _The Greater and Minor Prophets:_ "A review of the books as they
stand in our Bible gives us first the Greater Prophets, and secondly
the Minor Prophets. It should be understood that this arrangement is
determined by the length of the books, not by the comparative rank of
the writers. The minor prophets are not to be regarded as necessarily
less important persons than the greater prophets. Amos may have been
a grander man than Ezekiel--yet Amos is classed with the minor and
Ezekiel with the greater prophets. This simply means that we have less
of the writings of Amos preserved than of those of Ezekiel--and so of
the other minor prophets." (Cambridge Bible Helps, p. 34.)
2. _The Historic Period of the Minor Prophets:_ "The Minor Prophets
form in the Hebrew canon one whole, and go collectively under the
name of the Book of the Twelve Prophets. They cover a period of four
hundred years, from the ninth to the fifth centuries before Christ, but
they are not arranged in the order of the time of their production."
(Cambridge Bible Helps, p. 41.)
3. _Passages from the Prophets Quoted by Moroni to Joseph Smith:_
"After telling me these things, (concerning the Book of Mormon) he
commenced quoting the prophecies of the Old Testament. He first quoted
part of the third chapter of Malachi, and he quoted also the fourth or
last chapter of the same prophecy, though with a little variation from
the way it reads in our Bibles. Instead of quoting the first verse as
it reads in our books, he quoted it thus:
"For behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and all the
proud, yea, and all that do wickedly shall burn as stubble; for they
that come shall burn them, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave
them neither root nor branch.
"And again, he quoted the fifth verse thus:
"'Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah
the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the
Lord.'
"He also quoted the next verse differently:
"'And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made
to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their
fathers; if it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at
his coming.'
"In addition to these, he quoted the eleventh chapter of Isaiah, saying
that it was about to be fulfilled. He quoted also the third chapter of
Acts, twenty-second and twenty-third verses, precisely as they stand
in our New Testament. He said that that Prophet was Christ, but the
day had not yet come when "they who would not hear his voice should be
cut off from among the people," but soon would come. He also quoted
the second chapter of Joel, from the twenty-eighth verse to the last.
He also said that this was not yet fulfilled, but was soon to be.
And he further stated that the fullness of the Gentiles was soon to
come in. He quoted many other passages of Scripture, and offered many
explanations which cannot be mentioned here." (History of the Church,
Vol. 1, pp. 12, 13.)
LESSON XVI.
SCRIPTURE READING EXERCISE.
_MISCELLANEOUS BOOKS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT._
_I. Poetical Books:_ Book of Psalm, Lamentations
1. Psalms; Lamentations, The Song and Song of
of Solomon[1] Songs.
_II. Didactic Books:_ All the Dictionaries
1. Job, dramatic. Bible Helps cited in
_III. Sapiential:_ previous lessons may be
1. Proverbs, gnomic.[2] consulted on the separate
2. Ecclesiastes, Speculative.[3] books mentioned in this
lesson.
1. _Psalms, Book of:_ "This collection of sacred poetry received its
name, in consequence of the lyrical character of the pieces of which it
consists, as intended to be sung to stringed and other instruments of
music. The word is thus aptly defined by Gregory of Nyssa. The Hebrew
title signifies hymns or praises, and was probably adopted on account
of the use made of the collection in divine service, though only a part
can be strictly called songs of praise, not a few being lamentations
and prayers. (Cycl. of Biblical Literature, Kitto, p 377.)
2. _Authors of the Psalms:_ "Many of the ancients, both Jews and
Christians, maintained that all the Psalms were written by David; which
is one of the most striking proofs of their uncritical judgment. So the
Talmudists; Augustine, who is never a good critic; and Chrysostom. But
Jerome, as might be expected, held the opinion which now universally
prevails. The titles and the contents of the Psalms most clearly
show that they were composed at different and remote periods, by
several poets, of whom David was only the largest and most eminent
contributor." (Cycl. of Biblical Literature, Kitto, p. 580.)
3. _Character of the Psalms._ "The distinguishing feature of the Psalms
is their devotional character. Whether their matter be didactic,
historical, prophetical, or practical, it is made the ground or subject
of prayer, or praise, or both. The doctrines of theology and precepts
of pure morality are here inculcated. God's nature, attributes,
perfections, and works of creation, providence, and grace, are
unfolded." (Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, p. 345.)
4. _Song of Solomon,_ or Canticles, called in Hebrews the Song of Songs
(i. e. the Song of supreme excellence). Some regard it as a beautiful
romance in glorification of true love. Tennyson called it "the most
perfect Idyll of the faithful love of a country girl for her shepherd,
and of her resistances to the advances of a great king, that ever was
written." Others see in it a parable of singular depth, a revelation
of the future of the Church to the end of the world." (Seventy's Bible
Dictionary, p. 144.)
5. _The Age when Job Lived:_ "Eusebius fixes it two ages before Moses,
(i. e., about the time of Isaac): eighteen hundred years before
Christ, and six hundred after the Deluge." (Commentary, critical and
Explanatory, p. 308.)
6. _Job a Real Person:_ "It has been supposed by some that the Book of
Job is an allegory, not a real narrative, on account of the artificial
character of many of its statements. Thus the sacred numbers, three
and seven, often occur.. He had seven thousand sheep, seven sons, both
before and after his trials; his three friends sit down with him seven
days and seven nights; both before and after his trials; he had three
daughters. So also the number and form of the speeches of the several
speakers seem to be artificial. The name of Job, too, is derived from
an Arabic word signifying repentance. But Ezekiel 14:14 (cf. v. 16, 20)
speaks of "Job" in conjunction with "Noah and Daniel," real persons.
St. James (5:11) also refers to Job as an example of "patience," which
he would not have been likely to do had Job been only a fictitious
person. Also the names of persons and places are specified with a
particularity not to be looked for in an allegory." (Commentary,
Critical and Explanatory, p. 308.)
7. _Design of the Book:_ "It is a public debate in poetic form on
an important question concerning the divine government; moreover
the prologue and epilogue, which are in prose, shed the interest of
a living history over the debate, which would otherwise be but a
contest of abstract reasoning. * * * * The question to be solved, as
exemplified in the case of Job is, Why are the righteous afflicted
consistently with God's justice? The doctrine of retribution after
death, no doubt, is the great solution of the difficulty. And to it Job
plainly refers in chapter 14:14, and chapter 19:25. The objection to
this, that the explicitness of the language on the resurrection in Job
is inconsistent with the obscurity on the subject in the early books of
the Old Testament, is answered by the fact that Job enjoyed the divine
vision (chapter 38:1; 42:5), and therefore, by inspiration, foretold
these truths." (Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, p. 309.)
8. _Proverbs:_ "The Hebrew title of this book is the 'Mishele,' (i.
e., the maxims) 'of Solomon,' and it was in early ages, sometimes
along with other similar portions of the Bible, often referred to as
"Wisdom," in one instance specifically defined as the "wisdom that
respects virtuous conduct"--as summarizing the teachings of wisdom
in their bearing on the conduct of life. Though ascribed to Solomon,
these maxims are obviously not all of his composition, or even his
collection, being of very varied authorship, and the vintage of the
observation and experience of many wise men at different periods of
Jewish history." (Cambridge Bible Helps, p. 32.)
9. _Ecclesiastes:_ "This title, which we receive through the Vulgate,
is the translation into Greek by the LXX of the Hebrew title
"Koheleth," a word which is, agreeably to Jewish tradition, rendered
'preacher,' but meant originally 'gatherer, or summoner together,' and
means here one who, personifying Wisdom (for the word is feminine, as
that for wisdom is), gathers men together to listen to her verdict."
10. _Authorship and Date of Ecclesiastes:_ "This book was for long
accepted as the production of Solomon, written in his old age, and
intended as a warning to others against sundry delusions of which he
had himself been the victim; but it is now, from internal evidence, and
by almost universal consent, allowed to be the work of one who wrote
about the time of Malachi (i. e., about 400 B. C.), though in the name
of Solomon, and dramatically personifying the famous king." (Cambridge
Bible Helps, p. 33.)
Footnotes
1. Sometimes called the Canticles--the "Song of Songs," a superlative
meaning--"the Matchless Song."
2. "Sapiential: "Marked by or consisting of Sapience--wisdom--profound
knowledge."
3. Gnomic--Expressed in maxims--"gnomic poetry consists of
observations on human life and society or generalizations respecting
conduct and character."
_PART III._
_A Study of the Christian Scriptures.---The New Testament. (note 1)_
LESSON I.
SCRIPTURE READING EXERCISE.
_THE CLASSIFICATION OF THE BOOKS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT._
ANALYSIS. REFERENCES.
_I. Institutional and Historical:_ Notes 2, 3. Also all the
1. The Gospels: (a) The Synoptic Bible Dictionaries, Helps
Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke; and Bible Treasury heretofore
(b) The Supplemental Gospel, cited in previous
John. lessons--Art. "New Testament,"
2. The Acts of the Apostles. "Bible"--"Canon,"
etc.
_II. Didactic:_[1] Notes 5, 6, 7, 8.
1. The Pauline Epistles, viz: (a)
Doctrinal, (Addressed to
Churches): Romans, Corinthians,
Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians,
Colossians, Thessalonians, Hebrews:
(b) Pastorial, (addressed
to individuals): Timothy and Titus.
2. Special: Philemon.
3. Catholic Epistles (i. e., addressed
to the Church at large); one of
James, two of Peter, three of
John, one of Jude.
_III. Prophetic, The Book of Revelation._
_SPECIAL TEXT: "Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of
great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day,
in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ, the Lord._--THE ANGEL
_to the Shepherds_.
_NOTES._
1. _The New Testament--Definition:_ "This is the name given in the
Western Church, ever since the days of Tertullian [second century A.
D.] to the collection of sacred books that were written by certain
disciples of Christ at different periods after the planting of the
Christian Church, and that were afterwards accepted by the Church as
the inspired record of the new dispensation of the grace of God to the
world. The expression New Testament is the Latin translation of the
expression New Covenant." (The Comprehensive Teacher's Bible Helps, p.
57.)
2. _Origin of the New Testament as Scripture:_ "The institution of
the Christian Church was, of course, prior to any record of it. That
institution was founded at first, and for long rested, on the merely
oral testimony of those who had witnessed, or were otherwise assured
of, the life, death, and rising again of its founder, Jesus the Son of
God and Savior of the world (Acts ii: 22 seq.; xiii: 31, 32). Except
this oral testimony, as confirmed, moreover, by signs and wonders [and
the testimony of the Holy Ghost], the first Christian churches had no
other evidences of the character and certainty of the events on which
their faith was grounded, unless we add the surprising correspondence
between these events and the predictions of prophecy--which, in point
of fact, we find to be the chief argument insisted on by the Apostles
in persuading their countrymen to accept Jesus of Nazareth as the
promised Messiah. It was only when controversies arose affecting the
first principles of the faith, and misapprehensions and irregularities
began to show themselves in certain sections and quarters of the
Church, that it was found necessary to have recourse to a literary
vehicle in the statement of the facts and doctrines of the gospel."
(Comprehensive Teacher's Bible Helps, p. 57.)
3. _The Gospels._ The Gospel narratives record in writing what had
previously been propagated by oral teaching respecting the sayings and
doings of Christ; and this history appears to have continued to be so
propagated till the time when the original ear and eye witnesses were
beginning to die out, and some uncertainty to attach to the traditional
oral accounts. * * * * * From all this we are not to conclude that the
early Christian Church had no sacred scripture; for they had and read
the Old Testament scripture, the authority, as well as the significance
and importance of which was so enhanced to them by the fulfilment it
had received [in part] in the facts of Christianity. (Comprehensive
Teacher's Bible Helps, p. 57.)
4. _Origin of the New Testament:_ The twenty-seven books collected
in the New Testament were written by a number of authors, eight at
least (nine, in case the Epistle to the Hebrews was not written by
Paul). For each book there was some special occasion, each had its
distinct purpose, and between the writing of the earliest and latest
parts nearly half a century intervened. The agreement, under these
circumstances, is truly wonderful, and the adaptation of a volume, thus
penned, for all ages and classes is not less so. Nothing will account
for such agreement and adaptation save a supernatural element in the
composition; but we are now concerned with the human conditions which
called forth these writings. Christ wrote nothing; but is himself the
book of life to be read by all. He is written on the world's history
and on men's hearts, and furnishes an unending theme of holy thoughts,
discourses, and songs of praise. So, too, the Lord chose none of his
Apostles, Paul excepted, from among the learned; he did not train them
to literary authorship, nor expressly command them to perform such
labor. They were to preach the glad tidings of salvation. Personal
oral teaching was the means used for first propagating the gospel and
founding the Church; as it is today the indispensable instrumentality.
No book of the New Testament was written until about twenty years
after the resurrection of Christ, and more than half a century had
passed before John wrote the fourth Gospel." (International Commentary,
Introduction,[2] p. 8.)
5. _The Language in Which the New Testament was Written:_ The New
Testament was written in Hellenistic Greek, i. e., in that idiom
of Macedonian Greek spoken by the Jews of the Dispersion (called
Hellenists) at the time of Christ. It has a Greek body, a Hebrew soul,
and a Christian spirit." (International Commentary, Introduction to
Matthew, p. 9.)
6. _The Character of the New Testament:_ The Apostles all drew their
doctrine from personal contact with the divine human history of the
crucified and risen Savior, and from the inward illumination of the
Holy Spirit, revealing the person and work of Christ in them, and
opening to them his discourses and acts. This divine enlightenment is
inspiration, governing not only the composition of the sacred writings,
but also the oral instructions of their authors; not merely an act,
but a permanent state. The Apostles lived and moved continually in
the element of truth. They spoke, wrote, and acted from the Spirit
of truth; and this, not as passive instruments, but as conscious and
free agents. For the Holy Spirit does not supercede the gifts and
peculiarities of nature, ordained by the Lord; it sanctifies them to
the service of the kingdom of God. * * * * * While the New Testament
forms one harmonious whole, it was written by different men, inspired
indeed, and yet free and conscious agents. The peculiar character,
education, and sphere of the several writers, therefore, necessarily
show themselves in their writings." (International Commentary and
Introduction, p. 9.)
7. _The Chronological Order of the Books:_ This cannot be determined
with absolute certainty, as no dates are given in the books
themselves. Some of the Epistles of Paul, especially that to the
Romans, contain indications and allusions which enable us to assign
them to a particular year. The Epistle of James, and the Epistles to
the Thessalonians were probably writen first, the writings of John
last. The three Synoptic Gospels must have been composed before the
destruction of Jerusalem (A. D. 70), which by them is predicted as a
future event. The Acts were written after 63, yet before the death of
Paul, (which is supposed to have occurred 68 A. D.), as they suddenly
close with his imprisonment in Rome." (Ibid, pp. 10, 11.)
8. _Unity of the New Testament:_ The New Testament is a collection of
twenty-seven distinct writings, from eight (or nine) different hands.
Of these writers, four were Apostles--St. Matthew, St. John, St. Paul,
and St. Peter; two were companions of the Apostles--St. Mark and St.
Luke; two were our Lord's brothers, probably not Apostles--St. James
and St. Jude. The books are usually classed as Historical (five),
Didactic (twenty-one), Prophetical (one), though the writings of the
first class include much more than one-half of the entire matter. The
unity of the whole is remarkable; all the books find their center in
Jesus Christ our Lord. The four Gospels narrate his life on earth;
the fifth historical book tells how the new life, that came from Him
through the Holy Spirit, passed from Jerusalem to Rome. The epistles,
written by men of varied personal character and temperament, set forth
the significance of the gospel facts, as revealed to them, according
to our Lord's promise (John xvi: 12, 13). The single prophetical book,
however it is to be interpreted, shows the Lamb as King, to become
Victor on earth, where his church is preparing through conflict to
share his triumph. (Bible Treasury, p 123.)
9. _Order:_ In our English Bible the order is not chronological. In
ancient manuscripts there was much variation in position; the seven
General Epistles were usually placed immediately after Acts, the
Gospels coming first, though not always in the order now universal. The
Pauline Epistles seem to have been arranged according to length, so
that the earliest and the latest stand together, viz., I and II Thes.
with I and II Timothy, and Titus." (Bible Treasury, p. 123.)
Footnotes
1. "Pertaining to or of the nature of teaching; intended to instruct or
edify." (Dictionary.)
2. The above and some of the following notes of this lesson are taken
from the "International Revision Commentary," on the New Testament. The
comments are based upon the revised version of the New Testament of
1881 by English and American scholars. The International Commentaries
were considered necessary, owing to the Anglo-American revision of
the New Testament. For this revision it is claimed that it is based
upon a much older and purer text, and corrects several thousand
errors and inaccuracies which mar the excellence of the version of
1611. It also claims to put "the English reader as nearly as possible
into the position of the student of the Greek Testament." We shall
have occasion now and then to quote this work, and it will always be
done under the title, "International Commentary," and must not be
confounded with the "Commentary, Critical and Explanatory," by Messrs.
Jamieson-Faussett-Brown, already frequently quoted, and still to be
quoted in subsequent lessons.
LESSON II.
SCRIPTURE READING EXERCISE.
_THE BOOKS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT._
ANALYSIS. REFERENCES.
_I. The Gospel According to St. Matthew:_ Notes 1, 2, 3.
1. Author.
2. Date.
3. The Language and Aim of the Notes 4, 5, 6.
Book.
_II. The Gospel According to St. Mark._ All the Bible Helps,
1. Author. Dictionaries, Encyclopedias,
2. Date. Biblical Literature,
3. Purpose and style of the Book. Bible Treasuries,
Commentaries, etc., before
cited may be consulted
under the title of
the books of this lesson.
_III. The Gospel According to St. Luke._ Notes 7, 8, 9.
1. Author. Notes 10, 11, 12.
2. Date.
3. Purpose and style.
_SPECIAL TEXT: After these things the Lord appointed other Seventy
also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and
place, whither he himself would come. Therefore said he unto them, the
harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; pray ye therefore
the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his
harvest."_--ST. LUKE.
_NOTES._
1. _The Name "Gospels" Defined:_ "The word "gospel" (God's spell,
good spell, or story, message) is the nearest English equivalent for
the Greek 'evangelion,' and means 'good news,' 'glad tidings' of
salvation by Jesus Christ. It is also applied to the four books of the
New Testament, which contain the fourfold authentic record of the one
gospel of Christ, _according_ to Matthew Mark, Luke, John (not the
Gospel _of_ Matthew, etc.)." (International Commentary, Intro. 12.)
2. _Character and Aim of the Gospels:_ "The canonical Gospels do not
assume to be full biographies of Jesus, but give only a selection of
the characteristic features of his life and work, for the practical
purpose of leading the reader to a saving faith in Jesus as the
promised Messiah and Son of God (John xx: 31). They are not photographs
which represent the momentary image in a single attitude, but living
pictures from repeated sittings, which represent a combination of the
varied expressions and aspects of Christ's person." (International
Commentary, Intro. p. 12.)
3. _St. Matthew:_ "Matthew (or Levi; see Mark ii: 14; Luke v: 27,
29) was a publican, or tax-gatherer, called by our Lord from the
toll-booth, near the Sea of Galilee, where he was performing his
secular duty (Matt. ix: 9-13). The name is derived from the same word
as Matthias (Acts i: 23, 26), or Theodore, meaning "gift of God." It
was probably adopted as his new Christian name (which Jesus was wont to
give his disciples. See Simon Peter-Cephas, etc.). His former avocation
was regarded by the Jews with contempt, but gave him an extensive
knowledge of human nature and accurate business habits, which tended to
fit him for his great work as an evangelist. The topical arrangement
of his gospel may be largely due to the influence of his previous
occupation. The New Testament is silent in regard to his special
labors. Tradition says he was murdered in Ethiopia, while at prayer;
but according to the earlier statement of Clement of Alexandria, he
died a natural death. The first Gospel is his immortal monument. If he
had done nothing else, he must be ranked among the most useful servants
of Christ. In this book he still preaches the gospel to all nations.
(xxviii: 19.)" (International Commentary, Intro., pp. 15, 16.)
4. _Time of Writing the Book of Matthew:_ "From the Gospel itself it is
plain that it was written before the destruction of Jerusalem, but a
number of years after the resurrection (xxvii: 7; xxviii: 15). Irenaeus
says it was written, 'when Peter and Paul were preaching at Rome,'
which was certainly after 61 A. D.; though most of the fathers think
it was the first one written. The very early date often assigned (45
A. D.) may be correct if applied to an Aramaic original; but the Greek
Gospel, which we have should probably be assigned to a later date,
since, on the theory that the Synoptic Gospels are independent of each
other, this one could not have preceded by many years the two others.
All were probably written between 60 and 64 A. D., and that of St.
Matthew may have been written about 60 A. D." (Bible Treasury, p. 124.)
5. _The Language of the Original Text Book of Matthew:_ There is some
controversy as to the language in which Matthew first wrote his book.
The status of the controversy is well stated in the following quotation:
"Papias and Irenaeus, both of whom lived in the second century, state
that Matthew wrote in the Hebrew dialect (Aramaic). The former uses
the word 'logia,' or oracles, which was certainly used of writings
containing more than discourses, and applied very early to books of
Scripture. But the earliest citations from the Gospels, some of them
in works of the earlier half of the second century, give the exact
words of the Greek Gospel we now have. No certain traces of a previous
Aramaic Gospel have been discovered, nor does the Greek Gospel show
any marks of being a translation. It is therefore probable either that
there was no Aramaic original, or that it was superseded very soon by a
Greek narrative which the Apostle made, or caused to be made. As Greek
was extensively spoken in Palestine, and a publican would necessarily
be familiar with that language, a Greek original is not improbable.
At all events, we now have a well-attested Greek Gospel; and we are
not likely to discover in it, or anterior to it, traces of an Aramaic
original written by St. Matthew." (Bible Treasury, p. 124.)
6. _Apparent Aim of Matthew:_ "The aim of this Gospel is to show that
the Messiah promised in the Old Testament has appeared in Jesus of
Nazareth--in a form, however, which led to his rejection by the Jews
and their consequent rejection by him, to the eventual emancipation
and salvation of the Gentile nations (chap. xxviii: 19, 20). It is the
author's justification, as it was that of the Apostles generally, for
missionary work among the heathen to the neglect of his own countrymen,
who had spurned his message." (Bagster Bible Helps, p. 60.)
7. _St. Mark and His Book:_ "The author of this Gospel is the John Mark
spoken of in the Acts, and who accompanied first Paul and then Barnabas
in their missionary journeys among the Gentiles (Acts xii: 12 et seq.,
xiii. 5). He was the son of Mary, Barnabas' sister, apparently a woman
of some standing, and of high repute among those that ministered to
Christ, and at whose house in Jerusalem the Apostles used frequently to
assemble after the death and resurrection of their Master. He appears,
from I Peter v: 13, to have been a convert or spiritual child of St.
Peter, who there calls him Mark, my son; and tradition alleges, with
great probability, that the material for his Gospel was furnished him
by that Apostle. His Gospel is certainly written from the standpoint of
the Apostle who most clearly recognized the divinity of Christ (Matt.
xvi: 16); and it is an expanded narrative of the facts in Christ's life
emphasized in Peter's own preaching, e. g., in his speech at the house
of Cornelius at Caesarea (Acts x: 36-41). According to ecclesiastical
tradition Mark went as a missionary to Egypt and other parts of Africa,
where he suffered martyrdom for Christ in 62 or 66 A. D."
8. _Date of St. Mark:_ "The Gospel was, according to Iraneaus, composed
by Mark after the death of Peter and Paul. It was probably written
after the year 62, when Mary appears only as a relative of Barnabas
(see Col. iv: 10), and before the destruction of Jerusalem, and is
alleged to have been written in Rome. The language, however, in which
it was written was Greek, and not Latin, as some have supposed."
(Bagster Bible Helps, p. 61.)
9. _Literary Character of St. Mark:_ "The presence in this Gospel
of Latin terms and also of Aramaic words, which are translated into
Greek, points to a Gentile circle of readers, probably in Rome, as
is generally held. It exhibits Christ in his power, as a worker of
miracles, producing amazement and fear.. The discourses are reported
very briefly; events are noted in their exact sequence; many vivid
details of gesture and action are introduced. All these peculiarities
suggest that an eye-witness was the source of information. From the
days of Papias it has been believed that St. Peter was this source,
and internal phenomena favor this view. No direct supervision by that
Apostle can be affirmed, though Eusebius asserts, on the authority
of Clement of Alexandria, that it was submitted to him for approval.
This Gospel contains few passages (two miracles, one parable, and
the story of the young man near Gethsemane) peculiar to itself, but
many details are mentioned which are not found elsewhere. Our Lord's
gestures are noted; prominence is given to his power over evil spirits;
the withdrawals are more frequently indicated. The style is vivacious;
the present tense is often used in narrative; the word "straight way"
(variously rendered in the authorized version) occurs more than forty
times. This Gospel could not have been an abridgement of that of St.
Matthew, since it bears all the marks of originality." (Bible Treasury,
p. 125.)
10. _Book of St. Luke:_ "Luke was probably of Gentile extraction (Col.
iv: 10-14), born at Antioch, and a faithful colleague of Paul. His
superior education is proved by the philological excellence of his
writings (viz. the Gospel and Acts of Apostles, which are but two
volumes of one work). His preface, in pure Greek, implies previous
careful study of documentary and other evidence. He speaks of 'other
attempts' to write a Life of Christ, which were unsatisfactory. Though
it is the same Gospel, it is narrated with peculiar independence,
containing additional matter, more accuracy in preserving the
chronological order of events, and complying with the requirements of
history. He tested tradition by documentary records (e. g., i: 5; ii:
2; iii: 1); by comparing the oral testimony of living witnesses (i:
2, 3); and only when he had 'perfect understanding of all things from
the very first,' ventured to compile a 'Life of Christ' as a perfect
man, restoring human nature, and offering himself a sacrifice for all
mankind." (Oxford Helps, p. 26.)
11. _Date of St. Luke:_ "Luke's Gospel can be proved to have been in
use and familiarly known about 120 A. D., and to have been written
prior to the year 63 A. D., since it is at that date that the Acts,
which continues the Gospel narrative by the same author, closes. It is
not known where it was written, though the Acts was probably written at
Rome." (Bagster Bible Helps, p. 62.)
12. _Purpose and Literary Style:_ "Luke's Gospel is written, in the
first instance, to confirm the faith of Theophilus, a native, it is
thought, of Italy, and probably of Rome, and a man of some social
position, in whose spiritual edification and Christian steadfastness,
as in all likelihood a convert of his own, he took especial interest;
and its aim is to represent the Gospel of Christ as destined to bless
all mankind, and Jesus as the Savior at once of Jew and Gentile. The
literary style is better than that of the other Gospels, as befits the
writing of an educated, professional man. This Gospel and the Acts of
the Apostles approach more nearly to the 'classic' Greek than the other
New Testament narratives." (Bagster Bible Helps, p. 63.)
LESSON III.
SCRIPTURE READING EXERCISE.
_BOOKS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. (Continued.)_
ANALYSIS. REFERENCES.
_I. The Gospel According to St. John._ Notes 1, 2 and 3.
1. The Author.
2. Time of Writing.
3. Style and Purpose. All Bible Dictionaries,
Helps, etc., previously
cited have articles on
St. John and the Acts,
_II. The Acts of the Apostles._ which should be consulted.
1. Authorship.
2. The Historical Period Covered by Notes 6, 7.
Its Narrative. See especially Seventy's
Acts of the Apostles.