f the historian, finds a sufficient reason in verse 17 on the
words which were spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, "A voice was heard in
Rama, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; and she
would not be comforted, because they are not."

Later, when Joseph returns with the child and journeys to Nazareth, this
too is explained by the words of the prophet, who said, "He shall be
called a Nazarene."

On the false idea of the words of the prophet, that a Nazarene is an
inhabitant of Nazareth, I shall say nothing here. Everything, even such
popular errors, is quite intelligible from this point of view, and only
shows how convinced the people were that Jesus was the Messiah, and
therefore must have fulfilled everything which was expected of the
Messiah. To us these fulfilments of the prophecy may not sound very
convincing. But as a presentation of the ideas which then held sway over
the people, and as proof of the grasp of the colloquial process, they are
of great value to the historian.

The appearance of John the Baptist, too, is immediately explained by
reference to prophetic words (iii. 3). And when Jesus, after the
imprisonment of John, left his abode and removed to Capernaum, as was
quite natural, this, likewise must have occurred (iv. 14-16) that certain
words of Isaiah should be fulfilled.

There follows in the fifth to the seventh chapters the real kernel of
Christian teaching in the sermon on the mount, and the announcement of the
coming kingdom of God upon earth. Here we ask nothing more than a true
statement, such as an apostle or his disciples were fully in a position to
give us. No miraculous inspiration is needed for it; on the contrary, it
would only injure for us the trustworthiness of the reporter. In the next
chapters we read of the works done by Jesus, which were soon construed by
the people as miracles, while in another place the evangelist sets the
forgiveness of sins higher than all miracles, than all healing of the
sick, and even declares this to be a power which God had given to men (ix.
8). Jesus himself often makes his healing power depend on the faith of the
person to be healed, and of miraculous arts he says not a word (ix. 28).
Next follow the appointment and despatch of the disciples, and soon after
those words, which are so significant for this Gospel (xi. 27), "All
things are delivered unto me of my Father; and no man knoweth the Son, but
the Father; neither knoweth any ma