The Earliest Gospel. By Allan Menzies, M.A. (Macmillan and Co.
8s. 6d. net.)—This "historical study of the Gospel according to St. Mark" is a valuable piece of work, executed with a tho- roughly competent acquaintance with the subject, and in a sober and sane spirit. The title expresses a result about which critics of all classes are almost unanimous, and yet how short a time it is since this priority of the Mark Gospel was accepted! Augustine held that Mark abbreviated Matthew, and the conjecture kept its ground down to our own time. There could not be a more con- vincing proof of the greatness of Augustine's influence, and of the fact that even men of the greatest genius do not rise above the critical level of their time. In his introduction Professor Menziei devotes some space to the important question of the priority of New Testament writings. He believes, and gives very good reasons for believing, that the Epistles preceded the Gospels in date. Another matter discussed in a very reasonable way is the notable feature of the Gospel, the comparative absence of recorded teaching. There may have been some immediate reason which lies wholly beyond conjecture for limiting the length of the book. Of the space at disposal, narrative, the demand for which precedes the demand for reported speech, claimed a large proportion, and, as Professor Menzies remarks, many of the narratives as given by Mark are longer than their parallels in Matthew and Luke. The teaching is limited to some parables and to the eschatological discourse, which "possessed a pressing and immediate interest which required its insertion." Our critic is not inclined to see much " Paulinism" in Mark. As to date,
• be is inclined to fix on A.D. 70 as a probable date. We are not inclined to go with him when he doubts the authenticity of 1 Peter. His summary, however, of the bearing of what Papias says about Mark and his Gospel in relation to the Gospel of John is well worth attention. Our space does not permit us to speak in detail of the annotation, but we may say that, as far as we have been able to examine it, it seems adequate and trustworthy.
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