1933-09-11 — Page 2

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HOW TO READ THE GOSPELS

HOW FAR HAVE WE THE EXACT

WORDS OF JESUS

Bishop Hall on the Modern Interpretation

The subject of Bishop Hall's second address in St. John's Cathedral, on “How to Read the Gospels" "was on the problem ua to how far we have the actual words of Jesus.

Bishop Hall said:-

It was Martin Luther who called the Gospels The cradle wherein Jesus is laid."

T

The Gospels are not a guide book to life-but the place where we may meet the Lord of life and open, our hearts to let His life into ours.

"A terrible thing was wout to hap- pen every year in the Royal Palace in Madrid,

Thirty combed and washed, reclothed and scented beg gars were brought from the streets to the palace. From a golden sal

ver a pretence was made to wash their feet. Then the king passed like lightning from one to the other letting the towel he carried just Then a royal meal touch each man. was served. Twenty or thirty dishes were place by the king in rapid succession upon the table, to be whisked away untouched by the at- tendant chamberlain. In ten min ates the farce was over, and the beggars went back to their beggary with a new suit of clothes for the pawn shop.

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to the authority of old texts. More over, recent studies of Rabbinic books of the same period shows that the form of our Lord's Teaching in Matthew is much influenced by Rabbinie forms. For example, the phrase which occurs again and again in the Sermon on the Mount, "It was said to you" of old time, but I say unto you," was a very common Rabbinic form. It pre- faced some new avoidance of 3 literal septance of an old law, which had become inconvenient. or impossible.

19

At the destruction of Jerusalem, many of the Jewish Christians es caped and found hospitality with the vigorong Church at Antioch, which had started. S .Paul on his journeys. Hero S. missionary Matthew's Gospel was finally pro- duced, combining like S. Luke. S. Mark's Gospel with an independent collection.

Papias, writing about 150 A.D., says Mark having becoma the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately everything that he re- mambered."

Justin Martyr writing in Rome about the same time speaks of Memoirs composed by the Apost- lies and their followers." These he said were read at the weekly service of the Church. In his writings

for

trate on the Jews, but wrong for His followers to do so,

so alearly that He must each men's are not his men. You cannot re hearta or fail entirely: the Lord, cognise them by the mark of his why died to draw all men unto methods, or his ways upon them. They are not in any sense a "school Himit

view of many of the beat of thought." His genius has been thinkers in our Church, at the press to help each man to develop his ent time is this: that our Lord's own individual way. He has been This approach to the sayings of yings about divorce, were directed successful, not because he is a Jesus, and to His whole purposeo protect women in a world in colourless person. He is very much in life, has a very practical bearing which there was no other security the reverse as the stories about on many issues, Wo should nok for them. For the same reason the him will tell but because he teaches say, "What would Jesus do if he early Church was right to be more his students to use the Gospels. were here "But rather, What shall I do, being what I am and legalistic than their Lord. Our not as a drill book; or text book, answer to the question of divorce but as the cradle wherein they may having the help and power of Jesus must be given in the same spirit:find the living Christ. There they Thither they to carry out His mind, His will not What did Jesus say bars, have found Him. and His purpose for men,”

Apply this to divorce, one of the most thorny questions of our day. You will notice at otice that the attitude of the Church to sex la not Jesus's attitude: but it is the ntti- tude of S. Paul, and as far as we can judge, of the Apostles. What

"for us." attitude is right

These are the facts:-- The divorde-passages are not among the best attested in the

Опа at least Gcspels. not fit the text well.

Listen to these words of S. Luke'a Gospel:

་

How can we achieve in our day return day by day that they may what He set out to achieve in His koow Him better.

Let us do likewise.

Time Chart of Gospel Transmission'

A.D. 29 33,-Our Lord's Life and Teaching. Nothing written down.

A Christian Divorce Law It is possible that in these days a Christian Divorce Law might achieve this better than the present

The following Tima chart of attitude of Church, or State.

Gospel Transmission was distribut A Christian Divorce Law woulded to the Congregation:- pay more attention to the future than to the past, It would give some such precedence, as the follow A. D. 33 to A. D. 60. Sayings ing to

the various questions in and actions repeated from memory. besvolved:

These "devotional memories" are (a) The future of children should gradually committed to "writing

be the main point as issue.

and collections of them wade in (by Only if it were clear that local churches, Át least four divarce would ensure better collections can be traced in our opportunities for the children Gospela. These included A Jerusa should it be granted-with a

lem collection, S. Mark's Gospel, time limit to allow for possiANorthern collection. S. "Take's ble reconciliation."

"collection, (c) If there are no children there. D. 6o to A. D. 100. The Gos

is only one Christian reason pels reach their present form using for divorce,at adultery (or material" deposited in the pre- any other fault) "but the tious thirty years. 9. Matthew at death of the love. that made Antioch A. D. 6. S. Mark, Rome, the marriage.

A. D. 60. S. Luke, Corinth, A. D. Two further points are entailed so. S. John, Ephesus, A. D. 00-08. in a Christian view! -

A. D. 100 to Invention of Print-

Period of copying (1) No Christian law can be or ing

should be imposed on those scripts for the rapidly increasing who do not accept the Chris-Christian Congregations. "Ali ori- tian faith.

ginals lost. Two surviving manu (2) Christian marriage is not scripts probably made about A. D.

only life-long-but eternity 337 are nearest to 'originals in point, long.

of date, but later manuscripts may be copies of more accurate earlier manuscripta

The decay or death of love must be recognised as, a fact due to sia and selfishness on the part of one

A. D. 1650 to A. D. 1811.

manu.

Stand-

or other partner. The Christianard Text of Greek Manuscript way of dealing with sin has two printed by Stephanus become masis aspects:

of:-Authorised Version

(a) Forgiveness...

And the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things and they scoffed at him. And he said unto them. That which is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God. The law and the prophets were until John: from that time. the gospel of the kingdon of God is preached, and every man

But entereth violently into it. it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one tittle of the law to fall. Every one that putteth sway his wife, and committeth marrieth another, adultery: and be that marrieth one that is put away from a hus band committeth adultery. Now there was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in purple, and fine linen, faring sumptuously every <day." (St. Luke XVI 16-19.)

Now it is perfectly plain that "the abomination in the eyes of God" is not divorce, but the "cer tain rich man. "The divorce and law passages have been inserted as comment on the verse "That which is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God," though this verse obviously be The tradition connecting

s.longs to the 'Dives and Lazarus John's Gospel with S. Joha him- story which is the true comment on Church at it. Moreover of the two divorce self, and with the

passages in S. Matthew, that in the Ephesus, receives every year creasing support from scholars. Sermon on the Mount is introduced Its dependence po the meditative by a phrase different from the other parallel passages in which it is set. memory of S. John gives it at once"

far as

“Individuality" the The second passage in S. Matthew's great authority" as

Finally, may I say this? This Spirit and Purpose of Our Lord's Gospel is copied, like the verse in teaching is concerned, though much S. Luke above quoted from Supproach to the Gospel will not lesa authority than the others as Mark's Gospel.

destroy but enhance your own in- far His-actual words are concern- If we take our Lord's teaching on dividual personality. bed.

divores "au pied de la lettre"- What was right for Jesus may be must we not also take “equally | wrong for us. fitesally" his instructions about What is the right way for you, turning the other cheek, and giving may not be the right way for me. away our latest frocks!

Coming to the Cradle where Christ is laid that we may keep in touch with His dynamic Spirit will not make us pale reproductions of Him, but will intensify and deepen our own personality.

are to be found about one bundred quotations or reminiscence of Mat thew and Luke, and some of Mark Holy and John,"

JD-

The greatest danger for the Chris tian is that in our own little way, we may copy the letter of the Gos- pels in utter disregard for the Spirit. Our lives and environment are so different from our Lord's, that any exact copying of Him is almost certain to be, wrong.

It is for that reason that it is so vital to be free from a concep tion of a set of rules or principles laid down by Jesus, and preserved for our guidance by the Spirit. The Heart of the Gospels is not the Sermon on the Mount, but Jesus Himself. That is why in every Gospel so much space is given to Jesus's death and resurrection. There, in His supreme struggle with the powers of evil can the Master Himself be most fully From Calvary He takes us most surly where He would have as be into the very Heart of God. Did Jesus Really Live?

The acceptance of this position How can we know then that this is of great importance in the mat is true, that Jesus really did live, ter of the second coming of Our and live like that Might not the Lord If we only had S. John's Gospels be the pious imaginings Gospel and the "Acts, we would and exaggerations of a religious naturally believe that Pentecost sect 1. Rome was suffering," as was the Second Coming. That is. Professor Gilbert Murray says, the plain teaching of S. John's

from a fit of nerves." Another Gospel. has said, "Like a, drowning man she -Followers of the Lord after three clutched as a straw." But in fact, year's living with Him and eveu the straw proved to be rock not an after Calvary, Easter, and the for- isolated rock, but firm dry land, ty days after Easter, could say on That fact is one of the greatest the Mount of Ascension, "Lord evidences for the truth of the Goswilt thou at this time restore the pels. They had the power to save, kingdom to Israel How natural to cleanse, to revitalise contem that they should interpret his pro- porary civilisation. On this ques mise of a second coming, as they tion there are only two things we did his teaching of the Kingdom can do:--

in the material way which appears 1. When the most skilled and in some passages in the synoptic learned scholars of the world Gospels, and which is the view of tell us that every new arch-those who in these days, preach acological discovery has en-second coming of Our Lord on this dorsed the historicity of the earth. Gospels, we can accept their wish to say here: categorically verdiet as we do the scientific and definitely, that those who make verdict about Gravity.

the Christian life consist in a pre- 2. Secondly, we can act on it, paration for a second coming, seri- AS we do on the Law of ously misrepresent the teaching of Gravity, and so test its truth Christ, and betray their God, by in our own lives, If a flower giving a false view of the way vaše placed on the table He chose at Bethlehem for the always rose to the ceiling, or

}

world's redemption.

if a man brought into honest An understanding of how the

and living contact with Jesus in the Gospels became thereby & murderer, thief and a vagabond we should have to ask questions.

different Gospels came to be written will save Christian people from this mistake.

"Bright For Him, Wrong For Us

Such an understanding throws

a light on many problems.

In

But we know in fact these things do not happen. More than that we know that, those who honestly, Syrophoenician woman, whose the puzzling story of the with absolute honesty, draw near daughter Our Lord seemed so re- to the cradle and keep near theluctant to heal. 8: Matthew gives cradle that they may be near their one reason, S. Mark another, for Lord and keep in touch with Him, this reluctance. 9. Matthew says," do acquire not perfect goodness, or I am not sent save unto the lost complete freedom from faults but sheep of the House of Israel." S. in their different ways something Mark, that Jesus wanted to be of their Master's Spirit, which quiet and escape publicity. strangely makes them more them- selves than ever, ha

It is to those men and women who are using, or wish to use their Gospels, to know Jesus better, that I would say some things this morn ing which may help them to a bet- ter understanding of their Lord

(I have put on a chart the more precise details and dates of the transmission of the Gospels),

S. Matthew's Gospel comes from Antioch whither Christians were sent from Jerusalem to oppose 5. Paul's work for the Gentiles. Can you not imagine them telling that. story and quoting that text

source, wrote in Rome for a Church S. Mark, though 8. Peter was his largely Gentile. His contact was with & Peter converted finally to S. Paul's view. Did Our Lord say those words. I believe He not once, but many times, but with the emphasis on the T

The Synoptic Solution. Last week I suggested that Lake made a collection of his own in Jerusalem and Caesarea, and Every contact with religious Gen- later perhaps for the growing Mountain-top temptation. It would. tiles faced Jesus again with the Church of Corinth, combined what he had himself collected with be so much easier to be understood Mark's Gospel.

by those attractive free thinking In the same way, the best saho Gentiles-brought up in the vision laatio opinion is that S, Matthew's and freedom of Greek philosophy, Chapel is based on a collection But Jeans knows in the ord, tận cop- made originally, in Jerusalem hyservative, narrow, prejudiced few. Matthew himself. The Actstelle has a faith and conviction about us that many of the priests believed God, which the Gentile can only get the Gospel Matthew's Gospel is from the Jew So He roots the plainly directed to Jews, to renew Church in the old ligious Jews, secustomed to appeal It was right for Him to concen-

(b) A new start.

A. D: 1870-1884. Following much work on manuscripts earlier than those used by Stephanus:-Revised Version.

Plainly this approach to sin and selfishness in marriage should do much to make divorce unncessary: Forty Greek Manuscripts of the but there may be cases when this Gospela are over 1,000 years old. approach can only be made in a only one Manuscript of Tacitus is new marriage with new partnera

as old,

There are times when Christ's purpose of protecting the sacred- ness of the personality of women and children may make Divorce the inevitable Christian course.

I know many of you will recoil at once from that suggestion saying The Divorce Law is something that can be kept, by legal compul- sion. Turning the other check is an ideal which cannot be kept by There is a group of persons in- any compulsion." That is exactly fuencing our Church in England. the paint. Will you drag the Lord to-day, who received their theclo- of life down to the pedestrian level Igical training at the hands of one of compulsion; the Lord who saw who is a Master indeed. They

1..

Official reports from Yatien, district north of Peiping recently taken over by the Chinese, indicate that the former troops of Gen. Shih Yu San, which have been reorganis- ed into a special police corps, are creating a reign of terror for the population and officials alike, Be- cause he was unable to meet their demands for provisions and finds, there soldiers recently inflicted all sorts of indignities on the city magistrate and publicly "paraded him as a criminal.

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