responsibilities newly devolved upon them to find leisure for writing. Most of what is recorded was written in Jerusalem before the later appearances took place.

Nothing is stated as to the way in which the Apostles spent in Jerusalem the week following the first Sunday. Doubtless it was then that they composed the narratives of what occurred during the few days preceding and ending with the death of Jesus. The narratives written at that time consist of Matthew xxvi. 1-xxvii. 61; Mark xiv. 1-xv. 47; Luke xxii. 1-xxiii. 56; John xi. 45-xii. 19, 366-43, xiii. 1-38, xviii. 1-xix. 42. This duty would take up the greater part of the five days available. On the Saturday they doubtless attended the Temple services and rested as usual.

It was probably on the following Monday that they began to write the story of the Resurrection. It could not have been much later, for they must soon after have repaired to Galilee to keep the appointment made by Christ to meet them there. The following presumably are the portions that were written during the earlier part of the second week: Matthew xxvii. 62-xxviii. 15; Mark xvi. 1-8; Luke xxiv. 1-49; John xx.

I-29.

Having written the above, the disciples started on their journey to Galilee, where they arrived towards the end of the week. On the following Monday seven of their number, disappointed at not having again seen the Lord on the Sunday, returned to their old occupation of fishing on the sea of Galilee, and on the Tuesday morning Jesus appeared to them. The account of this appearance was written by John the same day.

Matthew was not one of the seven to whom our Lord appeared at the lake; but the whole Eleven shortly after went by appointment to meet Him at a certain mountain in Galilee. There they saw Him; and Matthew wrote his account of the interview immediately after (xxviii. 16–20).

Nothing more was written in the course of the seven weeks we are in this place considering.

The following table shews at a glance how this period was probably occupied : April 9. Sunday.

Christ rises from the dead: Appears to Mary

Magdalene and other women, to disciples on the way to Emmaus, to Peter, and to all the Apostles except Thomas.

The Apostles meet daily: Matthew writes xxvi. I-xxvii. 61; Peter writes Mark xiv. and xv. ; James writes Luke xxii. and xxiii.; John writes and composes (separately) xi. 45-xix. 42, arranging in their places the tautochronistic reports already written.

The Sabbath observed as usual.

Christ appears to the Eleven, Thomas included.
Matthew, Peter, James and John write separ-
ately their accounts of the Resurrection,
namely, Matthew xxvii. 62-xxviii. 15, Mark
xvi. 1-8, Luke xxiv. 1-49, John xx. 1-29.
The disciples start for Galilee.
On the journey.

They arrive at Galilee.

They observe the Sabbath.

They hope to see Jesus, but are disappointed.
Seven disciples resolve to go fishing: The day
is spent preparing the boats and tackle: They
set out in the evening and toil unsuccessfully
all night.
Christ appears to the seven disciples in the
morning. Large draught of fish. After break-
fast Peter and John leave the others to dispose
of the fish and follow Jesus. John writes
xxi. I-22.

Christ meets the Eleven by appointment at a
Mountain. Matthew writes xxviii. 16-20.
Frequent meetings between Christ and the dis-

ciples, in the course of which He instructs them
in "the things concerning the Kingdom of
God."

The Apostles return from Galilee to Jerusalem.

Final interview at Jerusalem between Christ and the Apostles: He leads them out to near Bethany and ascends to Heaven,

Daily meetings for prayer in "the upper chamber": Election of Matthias to the vacant apostleship: Frequent attendances at the Temple for worship.

Day of Pentecost.

MATTHEW'S NARRATIVE.

Matthew xxvii. 62-xxviii. 20.

For the same reason that Matthew relates the dream of Pilate's wife, he also is the one to inform us of the steps taken by the chief priests and Pharisees to secure the sepulchre, and the results of their precautions. Matthew doubtless learned from the women who were the first to arrive at the sepulchre, that they had seen Roman soldiers there. Accordingly he made inquiry amongst acquaintances in the Governor's offices and ascertained the facts stated in the last five verses of chap. xxvii. Not content with this, however, he appears to have sought out some member of the guard itself, and obtained from him the only description preserved to us of what took place at the very moment of the Resurrection. In the same way doubtless he learned how the chief priests and the elders bribed the soldiers to misreport the facts.

The latter clause of verse 15, "And this saying was spread abroad among the Jews, and continued until this day," it is needless to say is an editorial addition.

From the women he gathered the particulars of what they saw on their arrival at the sepulchre, and of their meeting with Christ as they ran to bring word of the Resurrection to the disciples.

All this Matthew wrote before leaving Jerusalem for Galilee. The portion forming the five verses with which his Gospel concludes was written in Galilee after the interview with Christ at which he was himself present.

PETER'S NARRATIVE.

Mark xvi. 1-8.

This is but a mere fragment of the story which Peter in

tended to write. He obtained from the women an account of what they saw at the sepulchre, and proceeded to commit the same to paper; but owing to some unknown interruption left his task unfinished. The many duties which devolved upon him as the foremost of the Apostles left him no leisure afterwards to complete the story. The longer he delayed the work the less valuable would it be, and when at length he handed his papers to Mark to translate and redact he refused to weaken his testimony by the addition of a single word. Hence in this Gospel the fact of the Resurrection is not even asserted.

The section from verse 9 to verse 20 did not form part of the original Gospel of Mark, and therefore, whether composed by Ariston the Elder as asserted in the Armenian manuscript discovered by Dr. Conybeare or by some other early Christian, in order to complete the Gospel, does not come within the scope of our argument.

JAMES' NARRATIVE.

Luke xxiv. 1-53.

Like Matthew and Peter, James questioned the women who went first to the sepulchre and recorded the results of his inquiries. He also learned from Peter the fact of his running to the tomb after hearing the women's report, and recorded his statement in what constitutes a single verse.

At much greater length he narrated the experiences of the two travellers to Emmaus. The name of one of the travellers is given, Cleopas-who was the other? In all probability it was James himself, and the fulness of the story is thus explained.

The final section of Luke (verses 50-53) was added by James after the Ascension. Its extreme brevity is owing to the little time available to a leading Apostle as James was, and whose hands were full of the cares of the rapidly increasing Church.

JOHN'S NARRATIVE AND CLOSING Sentences.
John xx. 1-xxi, 25.

The first eighteen verses of John's story consist of the experiences related to him by Mary Magdalene and his own.

The remainder of his narrative was written entirely from his own personal knowledge. The statement in xxi. II of the exact number of fishes caught should have led students to recognise that the story was written very shortly after the catch was counted, it being inconceivable that such a detail would be remembered by John during the lapse of any considerable time.

Verses 30, 31 of chap. xx., and verses 24, 25 of chap. xxi., are of course editorial additions made by John at time of redaction.