As a special case, take the most famous of Logia, the one already men tioned (Matt. xi, 25-30),. and hear the latest enlightened and enlightening judgment, that of Ed. Norden (elaborating earlier suggestions) in Agnostos Theos (1913, pp. 307-08). °The author of the source Q [the Oracles, commonly regarded as an oldest layer of Gospel tradition] was acquainted with a mystic-theosophic tract, which already had a long past behind it and which in any case had taken a fixed literary form in oriental languages (Greek included, which, however, is secondary). Not a few re ligious communities had made it their own; not only through literature but also by oral propa ganda it had been spread abroad; meantime the ground-form had in each case been adapted to the special interests involved. Hence it fol lowed of itself that it drew Christianity into its circles, as the latter was just entering into the rivalry of religions. The author of Q has accordingly taken out of it, over into his own book of doctrine and edification for the Chris tian community, motifs, preserving the exact connection of thought and words, a path along which the author of the Fourth Gospel has advanced consistently further. But to the old wine they have given an especial spice. The Gnosis, to propagating which—according to the conception of the next following genera tions— the aristian Soter (Saviour] was de voted, was of a kind wholly different from that in whose service both before and after him. the Soters of the other cult-communities had been engaged. In their theosophic systems the uris dom of this world was by no means banned; without lcnowledge no one could follow their complicated trains of thought, Ott the con trary, the struggle of the former against the learning of the scribes was still fresh in mem ory when the first sketches were begun. By combining individual traits drawn from the life-struggle of Jesus against the conceit of wisdom, with the traditional motif of the Jew ish-Gnostic propaganda, the author of this Logion, like the author of the Fourth Gospel, gave the Logion a polemical point directed against such 'Gnostic' treatises. The Christian Soter, from whom the 'babes' ought to learn that he is meelc and lowly of heart, directs his appeal to the weary and heavy-laden, to whom out of love and cornpassion he will give peace for the soul. Here a new sun flashes through the cold darlcness of the pretentious Mages, theurges and 'proplipts.) In the strict sense of the worcl, not even this new element was an autophonia [actual utterance of Jesus]: it is far too deeply interwoven with motifs, bor rowed from literary tradition, for that. But that the Ideal is true in the higher sense, and as such is also imperishable, we know from Plato." A Gnostic This literal transla tion makes no pretense to lighten the laboring speech of the illustrious linguist, nor does his view seem correct at one vital point; he throws out sops to Cerberus, nor hints that the °babes," as elsewhere in the New Testa ment, are Gentile converts to monotheism; but his general conception of the oracle as primarily a theosophic tneditation of pre christian Gnostics, transformed in passing from community to community and laid at last in noble music on the lips of Jesus, is cer tainly correct and in full accord with the two years tarlier statements of Ecce Deus already cited. Now we may indeed inquire with von Soden after the °oldest attainable text-form" of these verses, but that will certainly not be "the original text," a notion that vanishes along with that of the original author.
This glimpse at the studio of an Evangelist reveals also. the momentous fact that these °Oracles" were not prose as every where read, but were verse, even as Norden prints this one, three stanzas of four lines each. If the numerous poems in the New
Testament were all properly printed in verse, it would contribute more to the popular un derstanding of these writings than many commentanes. A good beginning has been made by Professor Briggs in his 'Wisdom of Jesus' and some striking examples are given in his 'Study of Holy Scripture' ; as also by Dr. Moffatt in his 'New Translation) (1913).
Latest Phase.--Furthermore, with the dis appearance of the mirage of °neutrality') in certain manuscripts, the centre of gravity of text-authority seems to have suffered displace ment ; it lies no longer in the testimony of the codices, but rather in the earliest translations and in the quotations by the Fathers. Of these there seem to be three types: Old Sy-riac, Old Latin, Clementine. Tatian's Diatessaron. Justin's quotations and others may attest the Greek text in Rome in the first half of the 2d century. For Buchanan's views see Butucm. ARCH XOLOGY - NEW TESTAMENT.
The literature of the Bible is immeasurable; 2,000 quarto volumes issued in Paris, in the second third of the last cen tury, from the press of Migne alone; fortu nately,. it is also in great part dispensable; it perishes by supersession, what is valuable in the work or possession of one century being constantly absorbed, assimilated and repro duced in the next. A few of the most noted books have already been named or even ap praised in the foregoing text; a few others may now be added.
The writings of the Fathers are preserved in 476 quarto volumes in Migne's Patrologies and in the later more critical collections not yet complete. From time to time copious selec tions have been made under such names as (e.g., Cramer's, 1841), (Spicilegium' (J. A. Grabius, 1700) and the like. Such a huge anthology is found in the 32-volumed Bible-work of Lemastire, hereafter mentioned under VERSIONS. Like the works of Augustine, those of his great continuator, in the Reforma tion, Jehan Calvin, especially the masterly 'In stitutes of the Christian Religion' (Latin, 1536; greatly enlarged in French, 1540), stand con spicuous for all time. Less rigorous but very influential the (Loci communes) (1521) of Melanchthon, scribe of the Reformation. On the Catholic side, surpassing even Bellarmine's, the works of Bossuet (1627-1704), as the cours sur l'histoire universelle,' and especially the des variations, etc.> (1688), out shine all others. (The Great Commentary> of the Flemish Jesuit, Cornelius a Lapide (van den Steen, 1567-1637), excels in extent (omit ting only Psalms and Job) and thoroughness (reveling in the ((fourfold sense"), and has been repeatedly edited and translated. Nathaniel Lardner s (The Credibility of the Gospel His tory, (1727, 1733-55), a pioneer work of exhaustive patience and painstaking, was the chef d'cruvre of its day. J. J. Wetstein's 'Novum Testamentum Grmcum) (1751-52) de serves renewed mention as a_ storehouse of classical parallels. Joseph Butler's famous (Analogy> (1736) displayed extraordinary power of sustained thought, but the arch of argument from premises to conclusion was too long and fine spun. William Paley's more common-sense (Natural Theology, or Evi dences, etc) (1802), as well as his earlier (Horse Pauline,) appealed powerfully to the Anglo-Saxon mind, but proved unequal to, the increasing demands of thought and imowleage. About the same time (1818) T. H. Horne occupied the field with his long popular, but now superseded, (Introduction to the Critical Study, etc) Later works are generally less ambitious and comprehensive, content to oc cupy some limited sector in the long line of discussion, and in the main escape brief char acterization.