"And when he had come to Capernaum, he entered into the house of Simon, who was surnamed Peter, and opened his mouth and said,
"Passing by the Lake of Tiberias, I chose out John and James, sons of Zebedee, and Simon and Andrew, ... and Thaddæus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the Iscariot;
"And thee, Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom, I called, and thou didst follow me.
"I will therefore that ye be twelve apostles for a testimony to Israel."
A fragment shows that the flight into Egypt was in the gospel.
"... then he arose and took the young child and departed into Egypt,
"That it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the prophet, Out of Egypt have I called my son."
Now, supposing that there were no class interests in the way, it would be difficult to read the opening verses of this gospel without seeing what Justin meant by the "Memoirs of the Apostles." In it the Apostles expressly announce that Jesus has "chosen them out" to produce a "testimony," testament, memorial; and Matthew, apparently, is to be the amanuensis. This "testimony" was the entire New Testament, with the earliest Church, the Church of Jerusalem. It was called indiscriminately, as we have seen from Jerome, the Gospel according to the Apostles, and the Gospel according to Matthew. Papias and Hegesippus, the immediate predecessors of Justin, used it, and Irenæus some years later.
Let us go on with the Gospel of the Apostles.
"And John began baptizing.