his fact.

Let us see what has resulted from this close study of the sources. We
must remember that books were not published in ancient days as they are
at present. Manuscripts passed from hand to hand, and individuals
added to them, or altered them, or combined them as they saw fit.
Plagiarism did not have the meaning it has now when authors live on the
proceeds of the sale of their books. Besides, it was quite the custom
to attach names to manuscripts at pleasure or in accordance with
tradition. Our modern critical attitude had not arisen--for obvious
reasons. Besides, it was difficult to secure copies of manuscripts.
For instance, Papias, bishop of Hierapolis in Phrygia toward the middle
of the second century, believed that there was an Aramaic gospel
according to Matthew, but he was unable to get a glimpse of it and had
to trust to the oral tradition of his time. To bring this situation
home: suppose we had to rely on the oral tradition still lingering in
regard to the life of Washington, how certain would we be of its
authenticity? Why, there are already myths in regard to the life of
Mary Baker Eddy! In olden days, {77} myths sprang up like mushrooms.
Only too many varieties were at hand to choose from.

Scholars are pretty certain that the present Matthew is not a
translation of an Aramaic original. Moreover, the present Matthew
breaks up into separate parts conflicting with one another quite
extensively, and is full of insertions of a comparatively late date.
Only after the gospel has been radically revised are we likely to be
near an old tradition of the life and deeds of Jesus.

While we are on the topic of the authenticity of the gospels, it may be
worth while to discuss the other synoptics as briefly as possible. The
majority of critics regard Mark as the oldest but this is mere
guesswork when all is said and done. In its present form it is briefer
than the others and this fact has impressed many students. Besides, it
does not contain an account of the infancy of Jesus. But it, itself,
is evidently a compilation of other documents since it repeats the same
event in slightly different forms. In all probability, it was written
in Greek for a Hellenistic audience and emphasizes those traditions
which would be the most likely to impress its readers. It is not known
who wrote it or exactly when it was written.

The gospel according to Luke did not originally make any claim to have
been written