3 Or, which thou wast taught by word of mouth.

a Luke is the first critic of the life of Christ whose criticism has been preserved to us. Others had drawn up narratives of certain portions of Christ's work. Others still had been eyewitnesses of the ministry of Jesus and gave Luke their oral testimony. Luke sifted it all with care and produced an orderly and reasonably full narrative of the earthly ministry of Jesus. We cannot reproduce all the sources that Luke had at his command, but it is clear that he followed in the main our Gospel of Mark, as any one can see for himself by comparing the two Gospels in this Harmony. Both Matthew and Luke made use of Mark. But they had other sources also. See [note 2] on Synoptic Criticism at the close of the Harmony. See also Chapter IV, "Luke's Method of Research" in my Luke the Historian in the Light of Research.

b Luke alone follows the method of ancient historians in dedicating his Gospel, as also the Acts (1:1), to a patron who probably met the expense of publication. So Luke as a Gentile Christian writes an historical introduction in literary (Koiné) Greek after the fashion of Thucydides and Plutarch. Mark had no formal introduction. Matthew's introduction is genealogical because he is writing for Jewish readers to prove that Jesus is the Messiah of Jewish hope. John, writing last of all, has a theological introduction to meet the Gnostic and philosophical misconceptions concerning the Person of Christ. Thus he pictures Christ as the Eternal Logos, with God in his pre-incarnate state, who became flesh and thus revealed the Father to men.

PART II
THE PRE-EXISTENT STATE OF CHRIST AND HIS INCARNATION

§ 2. IN HIS INTRODUCTION JOHN PICTURES CHRIST AS THE WORD (LOGOS)

John 1:1-18

1 In the beginning was the Word,a and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made 1by him; and without him 2was not anything made that hath been made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness 3apprehended it not. 6 There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John. 7 The same came for witness, that he might bear witness of the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came that he might bear witness of the light. 9 4There was the true light, even the light which lighteth 5every man, coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made 1by him, and the world knew him not. 11 He came unto 6his own, and they that were his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 which were 7born, not of 8blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Worda became flesh, and 9dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of 10the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth. 15 John beareth witness of him, and crieth, saying, 11This was he of whom I said, He that cometh after me is become before me: for he was 12before me. 16 For of his fulness we all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given 1by Moses; grace and truth came 1by Jesus Christ. 18 No man hath seen God at any time; 13the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

1 Or, through.