A Critical And Historical Enquiry Into the Origin of the Third Gospel

alone Tertullian refers to it throughout his voluminous writings. That was the title of the first edition of this Gospel. In the second and subsequent editions it received the title of The Gospel according to Luke (see p. 388). There is no doubt in my mind that the preface or prologue (Luke i. 1-4) in the present Canonical Gospel did not occupy that position in the original Gospel of the second century. Irenaeus gives us the commencement of the four Gospels in the famous passage in which he logically demonstrates that the Gospels can neither be more or less than four, because there are four zones of the world in which we live, and four principal winds (Ad Har., 1n. xi . 8). In explaining the symbolism of the Gospels, he quotes the commencement of all four; and we can test that he has accurately done so in the case of three, as our First, Second, and Fourth Gospels commence as he states. With regard to the Third Gospel, he says : " But that which is according to Luke, since it is of a sacerdotal character, commenced with Zacharias the priest sacrificing to God." There can be no mistake that the commencement of the Third Gospel in the second century was at verse 5 of the first chapter. There is very distinct corroboration of Irenaeus' accuracy, in stating the commencement of the Third Gospel, in a writing called a Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John, by St Victorinus, Bishop of Petau, and Martyr, who flourished towards the end of the third century. ...