the
'apologetic' argument? Having set up a man of straw, he has no
difficulty in knocking him down. He has only to declare that 'the
identification of an eye-witness by details is absurd.' It would have
been more to the purpose if he had boldly grappled with such arguments
as he might have found in Mr Sanday's book for instance [15:1];
arguments founded not on the minuteness of details, but on the thorough
naturalness with which the incidents develop themselves, on the subtle
and inobtrusive traits of character which appear in the speakers, on the
local colouring which is inseparably interwoven with the narrative, on
the presence of strictly Jewish (as distinguished from Christian) ideas,
more especially Messianic ideas, which saturate the speeches, and the
like. And, if he could have brought forward any parallel to all this in
the literature of the time, or could even have shown a reasonable
probability that such a fiction might have been produced in an age which
(as we are constantly reminded) was singularly inappreciative and
uncritical in such matters, and which certainly has not left any
evidence of a genius for realism, for its highest conception of
romance-writing does not rise above the stiffness of the Clementines or
the extravagance of the Protevangelium--if he could have done this, he
would at least have advanced his argument a step [15:2]. Why again, when
he is emphasizing the differences between the Apocalypse and the Fourth
Gospel, does he content himself with stating 'that some apologetic
writers' are 'satisfied by the analogies which could scarcely fail to
exist between two works dealing with a similar (!) theme,' [15:3]
without mentioning for the benefit of the reader some of these
analogies, as for instance, that our Lord is styled the Word of God in
these two writings, and these alone, of the New Testament? He recurs
more than once to the doctrine of the Logos, as exhibited in the Gospel,
but again he is silent about the presence of this nomenclature in the
Apocalypse [15:4]. Why, when he contrasts the Christology of the
Synoptic Gospels with the Christology of St John [15:5], does he not
mention that 'apologists' quote in reply our Lord's words in Matt. xi.
27 sq, 'All things are delivered unto me of my Father; and no man
knoweth the Son but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save
the Son, and he to whom soever the Son will reveal him. Come unto me,
all ye that labour and are heavy laden,