By Philip Schaff VOLUME 1. First Period
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a Grace Notes course History of the Christian Church By Philip Schaff VOLUME 1. First Period – Apostolic Christianity 1 Chapter 12: The New Testament 1 Editor: Warren Doud History of the Christian Church VOLUME 1. First Period – Apostolic Christianity Contents Volume 1, Chapter 12. The New Testament .................................................................................3 1.74 Literature. .................................................................................................................................. 3 1.75 Rise of the Apostolic Literature. ................................................................................................ 3 1.76 Character of the New Testament. ............................................................................................. 4 1.77 Literature on the Gospels. ......................................................................................................... 6 1.78 The Four Gospels. ...................................................................................................................... 8 1.79 The Synoptists. ......................................................................................................................... 11 1.80 Matthew. ................................................................................................................................. 20 1.81 Mark. ........................................................................................................................................ 25 1.82 Luke. ......................................................................................................................................... 34 1.83 John. ......................................................................................................................................... 44 1.84 Critical Review of the Johannine Problem. .............................................................................. 59 1.85 The Acts of the Apostles. ......................................................................................................... 63 1.86 The Epistles. ............................................................................................................................. 70 1.87 The Catholic Epistles. ............................................................................................................... 71 1.88 The Epistles of Paul .................................................................................................................. 75 1.89 The Epistles to the Thessalonians. ........................................................................................... 78 1.90 The Epistles to the Corinthians. ............................................................................................... 79 1.91 The Epistles to the Galatians. .................................................................................................. 81 1.92 The Epistle to the Romans. ...................................................................................................... 82 1.93 The Epistles of the Captivity. ................................................................................................... 84 1.94 The Epistle to the Colossians. .................................................................................................. 85 1.95 The Epistle to the Ephesians. ................................................................................................... 88 1.96 Colossians and Ephesians Compared ...................................................................................... 90 1.97. The Epistle to the Philippians. ................................................................................................. 93 1.98 The Epistle to Philemon. .......................................................................................................... 95 1.99 The Pastoral Epistles. ............................................................................................................... 97 1.100 The Epistle To The Hebrews. ............................................................................................... 101 1.101 The Apocalypse. ................................................................................................................... 107 History of the Christian Church, Philip Schaff 3 Volume 1, Chapter 12 a Grace Notes course Volume 1, Chapter 12. The New III., 358 sqq.; comp. 595 sqq.); F. OVERBECK (Zur Geschichte des Kanons. Chemnitz, 1880); RÉVILLE Testament (FRENCH, 1881); THEOD. ZAHN (Forschungen zur 1.74 Literature. Geschichte des neutestamentl. Kanons, Part I-III., 1881–84; and Geschichte des Kanons d. N. T., The CRITICAL EDITIONS of the Greek Testament Leipz., 1888 sqq., 3 vols). Comp. HARNACK: Das N. by LACHMANN (1842–50, 2 VOLS.); T. um das Jahr. 200, Freiburg, 1889 (against Zahn), TISCHENDORF (ed. octava critics major, 1869–72, and Zahn’s reply, Leipz., 1889. 2 vols., with Prolegomena by C. R. GREGORY, PART I., LEIPZ., 1884); TREGELLES (1857–79); 1.75 Rise of the Apostolic Literature. WESTCOTT AND HORT (1881, with a vol. of Christ is the book of life to be read by all. His Introd. and Appendix. Cambridge and New York, religion is not an outward letter of command, revised ed. 1888). like the law of Moses, but free, quickening Lachmann laid the foundation; Tischendorf and spirit; not a literary production, but a moral Tregelles greatly enlarged and carefully sifted the creation; not a new system of theology or critical apparatus; Westcott and Hort restored the cleanest text from the oldest attainable sources; philosophy for the learned, but a all substantially agree in principle and result, and communication of the divine life for the give us the ancient uncial instead of the mediaeval redemption of the whole world. Christ is the cursive text. personal Word of God, the eternal Logos, who Two bilingual editions also deserve special became flesh and dwelt upon earth as the mention in connection with the recent revision of true Shechinah, in the veiled glory of the only Luther’s and King James’s versions. OSKAR VON begotten from the Father, full of grace and GEBHARDT, Novum Testamentum Graece et truth. He spoke; and all the words of his Germanice, Lips., 1881, gives the last text of mouth were, and still are, spirit and life. The Tischendorf (with the readings of Tregelles, and human heart craves not a learned, letter- Westcott and Hort below) and the revised writing, literary Christ, but a wonder- translation of Luther. His Greek text is also working, cross-bearing, atoning Redeemer, separately issued with an "Adnotatio critica," not risen, enthroned in heaven, and ruling the contained in the diglott edition. The Greek-English New Testament, containing Westcott and Hort’s world; furnishing, at the same time, to men Greek Text and the Revised English Version on and angels an unending theme for meditation, opposite pages, with introduction by Schaff. New discourse, and praise. York (Harper & Brothers), 1882, revised ed. 1888. So, too, the Lord chose none of his apostles, The works quoted below on the Gospels and with the single exception of Paul, from the Epistles. ranks of the learned; he did not train them to On the CANON OF THE NEW TEST., THE WORKS literary authorship, nor give them, OF KIRCHHOFER (Quellensammlung, etc. Zürich, throughout his earthly life, a single express 1844, Engl. transl. enlarged by CHARTERIS: command to labor in that way. Plain Canonicity, etc. Edinb., 1881); CREDNER (Zur fishermen of Galilee, unskilled in the wisdom Gesch. des Kanon. Halle, 1847; Geschichte des of this world, but filled with the Holy Spirit of Neutest. Kanon, herausg. von Volkmar. Berlin, truth and the powers of the world to come, 1860); GAUSSEN (Engl. transl., London, 1862; abridged transl. by Kirk, Boston, 1862); were commissioned to preach the glad tidings TREGELLES (Canon Muratorianus. Oxford, 1867); of salvation to all nations in the strength and SAM. DAVIDSON (LOND., 1878, 3D ED., 1880); in the name of their glorified Master, who sits WESTCOTT (CAMBRIDGE AND LONDON, 1855; on the right hand of God the Father Almighty, 6TH ED., 1889); REUSS (Histoire du canon des S. and has promised to be with them to the end Écritures. Strasb., 2d ed., 1864); AD. HARNACK of time. (Das muratorische Fragment und die Entstehung The gospel, accordingly, was first propagated einer Sammlung Apost.-katholischer Schriften, in and the church founded by the personal oral Brieger’s "Zeitschrift f. Kirchengeschichte," 1879, History of the Christian Church, Philip Schaff 4 Volume 1, Chapter 12 a Grace Notes course teaching and exhortation, the "preaching," of the early church; and in performing it she "testimony," "word," "tradition," of the was likewise guided by the Spirit of God and apostles and their disciples; as, in fact, to this by a sound sense of truth. It was not finished day the living word is the indispensable or, at to the satisfaction of all till the end of the least, the principal means of promoting the fourth century, down to which time seven Christian religion. Nearly all the books of the New Testament books (the "Antilegomena" of New Testament were written between the Eusebius), the second Epistle of Peter, the years 50 and 70, at least twenty years after second and third Epistles of John, the the resurrection of Christ, and the founding of anonymous Epistle to the Hebrews, the the church; and the Gospel and Epistles of Epistles of James and Jude, and in a certain John still later. sense also the Apocalypse of John,