evident impartiality, we propose to take all Justin's readings of the Sermon on the Mount, from which the above passages are taken, and compare them with our Gospels. This should furnish a fair test of the composition of the Memoirs of the Apostles.
Taking first, for the sake of continuity, the first Apology, we find that Chapters xv., xvi., xvii., are composed almost entirely of examples of what Jesus himself taught, introduced by the remark with which Chapter xiv. closes, that: "Brief and concise sentences were uttered by him, for he was not a sophist, but his word was the power of God."(1) It may broadly be affirmed that, with the exception of the few words quoted above by De Wette, not a single quotation of the words of Jesus in these three chapters agrees with the Canonical Gospels. We shall however confine ourselves at present to the Sermon on the Mount. We must mention that Justin's text is quite continuous, except where we have inserted asterisks. We subjoin Justin's quotations, together with' the parallel passages in our Gospels, side by side, for greater facility of comparison.(2)
1 [——]—] How completely this description contradicts the
representation of the fourth Gospel of the discourses of
Jesus. It seems clearly to indicate that Justin had no
knowledge of that Gospel.
2 It need not be said that the variations between the
quotations of Justin and the text of our Gospels must be
looked for only in the Greek. For the sake of the reader
unacquainted with Greok, however, we shall endeavour as far
as possible to indicate in translation where differences
exist, although this cannot of course be fully done, nor
often, without being more literal than is desirable. Whore
it is not necessary to amend the authorized version of the
New Testament for the sake of more closely following the
text, and marking differences from Justin, wo shall adopt
it. We divide the quotations where desirable by initial
letters, in order to assist reference at the end of our
quotations from the Sermon on the Mount.
[—-Greek—-]
4 Matt. v. 29, 30, it will be remembered, are repeated with
some variation and also reversed in order, and with a
totally different context, Matt, xviii. 8, 9. The latter
verse, the Greek of the concluding part of which we give
above, approximates more nearly in form to Justin's, but is
still widely different. "And if thine eye ('right' omitted)
offend thee pluck it out and cast it from theo; it is good
for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having
two eyes to be cast into hell fire." The sequence of Matt.
v. 28, 29, points specially to it. The double occurrence of
this passage, however, with a different context, and with
the order reversed in Matthew, renders it almost certain
that the two passages A. and B. were separate in the
Memoirs. The reading of Mark ix. 47, is equally distinct
from Justin's: And if thine eye offend thee cast it out
[——]—]; it is good for thee [——]—] to enter into the kingdom
of God [——]—] with one eye rather than having two eyes to
be cast into hell, [——]—]
[—-Greek—-]
[—-Greek—-]