14 OCTOBER 1893, Page 11

The Synoptic Problem. By Alfred J. Jolley. (Macmillan and Co.)—Mr.

Jolley's theory is something of this kind. There was a Primitive Gospel written about the beginning of the last Jewish war. This he reconstructs out of the Synoptic Gospels. It con- tains, we may observe, neither the Birth, nor the Crucifixion, nor the Resurrection. There was an Ebionite Gospel, which is now lost. •St. Mark wrote, inspired in a measure by his recollections of the teaching of St. Peter; St. Luke wrote with St. Mark and the Ebionite Gospel before him. We do not wish to deny that Mr. Jolley contributes something to our knowledge of the question ;

but wo must own that we do not share his confidence that ho has been able to extract from the Synoptics the true " Primitive Gospel."