i. has been assailed, and it has been described as an apocalyptic
"fly-sheet," which was somehow inserted in the Gospel. There is no
reason for believing this theory to be true. The chapter was in Mark
when it was incorporated into Matthew, and its teaching agrees with
that attributed to our Lord in the collections of Logia. We have also
the beginning of the charge given to the apostles (vi. 7-11; cf. Matt.
x.). There are a few echoes of the Sermon on the Mount, and only a
specimen of the final denunciation of the Pharisees, which occupies a
whole chapter in Matt. (Mark xii. 38-40, cf. Matt. xxiii.). We find a
few statements made by our Lord which are peculiar to this Gospel:
_e.g._--"the sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath"
(ii. 27), "foolishness" coming from the heart (vii. 22); "every
sacrifice shall be salted with salt" (ix. 49); "Father, all things are
possible unto Thee," in the touching filial appeal during the agony
(xiv. 36). Here alone have we the tiny parable about the growth of the
blade of corn (iv. 26), and that of the porter commanded to watch until
the master's return (xiii. 34). There are two miracles peculiar to
Mark, the cure of the deaf-mute (vii. 32) and of the blind man at
Bethsaida (viii. 22). Among the miracles recorded in Mark, the cures
of demoniacs are prominent. This is in peculiar contrast with John,
where we find no cure of demoniacs recorded.

In marked contrast to St. Luke, St. Mark appears indifferent {59} to
the political conditions of the countries where our Lord worked. Thus
Herod Antipas is simply called "the king" (vi. 14), whereas both in
Matt. and Luke he is correctly called by the title of "tetrarch," which
only implies governorship of a portion of a country. Yet the narrative
of St. Mark shows that he was quite aware of facts which can only be
explained by the political conditions which he does not describe. He
knows that Tyre and Sidon, Caesarea Philippi and Bethsaida, which were
not under Herod Antipas, were more safe for our Lord than Capernaum.
And he knows that in travelling to Jerusalem He was in greater danger
than while He remained in Galilee, and was meeting His doom at the
sentence of Gentile officials. Although St. Mark is silent as to the
names of many of the places which our Lord visited, he gives us
numerous indications of the various scenes of our Lord's labours. We
are thus able to fix the geographical surroundings of nearly all th