History of the Christian Church, Volume I: Apostolic Christianity. A.D. 1-100.

Norton, Tischendorf, Wieseler, Ebrard, Da Costa, Westcott, Lightfoot, Sanday, Kennedy, Thomson,

Godet, Ezra Abbot, and Fisher are conservative and constructive, yet critical; Baur, Hilgenfeld,

Holtzmann, Keim, Renan, Scholten, Davidson, and the author of "Supernatural Religion" are

radical but stimulating and negatively helpful especially Baur, Reim, and Renan. Bleek, Ewald,

Reuss, Meyer, and Weiss occupy independent middle ground, but all defend the genuineness

of John except Reuss, who hesitates.

III. Commentaries.

1. Ancient Works: Origen (in Math., Luc., etc., fragmentary); Chrysostom (Hom. in Matth., ed. Fr.
   Field, 1839); Jerome (in Matth.; in Luc.); Augustine (Quaestionum Evangeliorum libri II.);
   Theophylact (Comment, in 4 Evang., Gr. et Lat.); Euthymius Zigabenus (Com. in 4 Evang.,
   Gr. et Lat.); Thomas Aquinas (Catena aurea in Evan .; English edition by Pusey, Keble, and
   Newman. Oxford, 1841–45, 4 vols.).


2. Since the Reformation: Calvin (Harmonia, and Ev. Joa., 1553; Engl. ed., Edinb., 1846, 3 vols.);
   Maldonatus (R. Cath., Com. in quatuor Evang., 1615); Pasquier Quesnel (Jansenist; The Four
   Gospels, French and English, several editions); John Lightfoot (Horae Hebraicae et Talmudicae
   in quatuor Evangelistas, and Harmonia quatuor Evangelistarum tum inter se, tum cum Veteri
   Testamento, in his Opera. London, 1684; also Leipz., 1675; Rotterdam, 1686; London, 1825);
   J. Macknight (Harm. of the Four Gospels, with Paraphrase and Notes. London, 1756; 5th ed.,
   1819, 2 vols.); George Campbell (d. 1796; The Four Gospels, with Dissertations and Notes.
   Aberdeen, 1814, 4 vols.; Andover, 1837, 2 vols.).


3. In the nineteenth century: Olshausen (d. 1839; 3d ed., 1837 sqq. revised and completed by Ebrard
   and others; Engl. transl., Edinb. and Now York); De Wette (d. 1849; Exeget. Handbuch zum
   N. T., 1837; 5th ed. by Brückner and others, 1863 sqq.); Bleek (d. 1859; Synopt. Erklärung der
   3 ersten Evang., 1862, 2 vols.); Meyer (d. 1874; 6th ed., 1876–80, Matthew by Meyer Mark,
   Luke and John revised by Weiss); Lange (Am. ed. enlarged, New York and Edinb., 1864 sqq.,
   3 vols.); Alford (d. 1871; 6th ed., 1868; new ed., 1877); Wordsworth (5th ed., 1866); Jos. A.
   Alexander (d. 1859; Mark and Matthew, the latter unfinished); McClellan (The Four Gospels,
   with the Chronological and Analytical Harmony. London, 1875); Keil (Matthew, Mark, Luke,
   and John, 1877–1881); Morison (Matthew and Mark, the latter in a third ed., 1882); Godet
   (Luke and John, French and English), Strack and Zöckler (1888). For English readers: Speaker’s
   Com., Ellicott’s Com., Schaff’s Revision Com., 1882, etc.
   Comp. a list of Com. on the Gospels in the English transl. of Meyer on Matthew (Edinb., 1877, pp.
   xxiv.-xliii).

§ 78. The Four Gospels.

General Character and Aim of the Gospels.

Christianity is a cheerful religion and brings joy and peace from heaven to earth. The New

Testament opens with the gospel, that is with the authentic record of the history of all histories, the

glad tidings of salvation through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.^871 The four canonical

(^871) The Greek word εὐαγγέλιον which passed into the Latin evangelium, and through this into modern languages (French,
German, Italian, etc.), means 1st, reward for good news to the messenger (in Homer); 2d, good news, glad tidings; 3d, glad tidings
A.D. 1-100.