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states, further on, that in the fifteenth year of Tiberius-our year 29 A.D.-Christ was about thirty years old. The dates in S. John are in absolute contradiction with these two and make the death of Jesus much later. The miraculous birth is not related by S. Mark; S. Matthew and S. Luke give two quite different genealogies for Christ's descent, through Joseph from King David, but these, though fulfilling the Jewish traditions that the Messiah should be a descendant of David (Mark, xii. 35), are in contradiction with the story of His birth from a Virgin. Had Mary and Joseph known of the miraculous birth, would they have been astonished when Christ spoke in the Temple of His Father's business (Luke ii. 50)? The miracles related by the synoptics are much alike, but the circumstances under which they are stated to have occurred are very different, and might show that only the facts, and nothing more, were known to the authors. The greatest miracle-the raising of Lazarus-is related only by S. John. The other miracles are healing, exorcism and often allegories (the multiplication of loaves, the changing of water into wine, etc.) The names of the persons at the foot of the Cross are not given alike in two places. On the subject of Resurrection the synoptics differ considerably. What Mark says in xvi. 9-20, is an appendix added afterwards. Luke undertakes in his preface to give a historical version of the life of Christ, but fails to give a single date, contenting himself continually with such indications as on the Sabbath,' at the same time,' etc. His historical indications are false. Herod was never king, but a governor. Cyrenius, whom he brings into his history of Jesus, governed from the year 7 to 11 A.D., and had consequently nothing to do with the story. He also mentions the name of Lysanias, although he had died thirty-four years before Jesus was born. The Gospel writers cannot have been familiar with the customs of the Jews in Palestine, when they speak of baptising in a river, and especially in the Jordan, where even bathing was prohibited. In Luke we find two High Priests, Caiphas and Annas, existing at the same time which is impossible. We find Jesus teaching in the Temple where only sacrifices took place, the synagogue serving for preaching. Through Josephus (Antiq. XVIII, ii. 2) we know that on the night of the Passover it was the custom for the priests to open the doors of the Temple a little after midnight, when everybody gathered in the Temple, so that the arrest of Christ at that
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