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and appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he 10 had cast seven demons*. She went and told those that 11 had been with him, as they mourned and wept. But

when they heard that he was alive, and had been seen by her, they believed not.

12 And after that, he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they were walking, and going into the 13 country. And they went and told it to the rest: but they believed not them also.

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Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves, as they were at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and perverseness of heart, because they believed not those who had seen him after he was risen.

And he said unto them, "Go ye into all the world, 16 and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved†; but he who be17 lieveth not shall be condemned. And these signs shall

follow those who believe In my name they shall cast 18 out demons; they shall speak in new languages; they

shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them: they shall put their hands on the sick, who shall recover."

19 So then, after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was

taken up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. 20 And they went forth, and preached every where; the Lord working with them, and confirming the word by signs followingt.

* i. e. whom Jesus had cured of raving madness. sion. See Farmer on Dem. p. 105.

So Celsus understood the expres

He who professes faith in me shall be admitted to the privileges of the christian community: he who does not believe shall remain under all the disadvantages of a heathen state.

At the close of the history some postscripts add, "The gospel according to Mark was written in Latin, at Rome; others say in Egypt; that it was suggested by Peter to Mark the evangelist, by whom it was preached at Alexandria, and in all the neighbouring country: also, that it was published ten or twelve years after the ascension of Christ." These postscripts are not of great authority.

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1 SINCE many have undertaken to prepare an account of 2 those things which are fully believed among us; accord

ing as those delivered them unto us, who from the be 3 ginning were eye-witnesses, and ministers of the Word*; it hath seemed good to me also, having gained exact know, ledget of all things from the first, to write them unto thee 4 in order, most excellent Theophilus; that thou mayest know the certainty of those things in which thou hast been instructed.

* Viz. Christ. See John i. 1, and Cappe's Crit. Rem. p. 19,

Or, exactly traced. N. m.

The remaining verses of this, and the whole of the second chapter, are printed in Italics, as an indication that they are of doubtful authority: for though they are to be found in all manuscripts and versions which are now extant, yet the following considerations have induced many to doubt whether they were really written by Luke:

1. The evangelist expressly affirms that Jesus had completed his thirtieth year in the fifteenth year of Tiberius Cæsar, chap. iii. 1. 23. He must, therefore, have been born fifteen years before the death of Augustus, A. U. C. 752 or 753: but the latest period assigned for the death of Herod is the spring of A. U. C. 751, and he died, probably, the year before. See Lardner's Works, vol. i. p. 423—428, and Jones's Developement of Facts, vol. i. p. 365-368. Herod therefore must have been dead upwards of two years before Christ was born. A fact which invalidates the whole parration. See Grotius on Luke iii. 23.

2. The two first chapters of this gospel were wanting in the copies used by Marçion, a reputed heretic of the second century: who, though he is represented by his adversaries as holding some extravagant opinions, was a man of learning and integrity, for any thing that appears to the contrary. He, like some moderns, rejected all the

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In the days of Herod, the king of Judea, there was a certain priest named Zachariah, of the course of Abijah: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name 6 was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous in the sight of God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances 7 of the Lord unblameably. And they had no child, because Elisabeth was barren; and they were both far advanced in years.

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And it came to pass that, while he executed the priest's 9 office before God in the order of his course, according to the

evangelical histories excepting Luke, of which he contended that his own was a correct and authentic copy.

3. The evangelist, in his preface to the history of the Acts of the Apostles, reminds his friend Theophilus, Acts i. 1, that his former history contained an account of the public ministry of Jesus, but makes no allusion to the remarkable incidents contained in the two first chapters: which, therefore, probably were not written by

him.

4. If the account of the miraculous conception of Jesus be true, he could not be the offpsring of David and of Abraham, from whom it was predicted, and by the Jews expected, that the Messiah should descend.

5. There is no allusion to any of these extraordinary facts in either of the succeeding histories of Luke, or in any other books of the New Testament. Jesus is uniformly spoken of as the son of Joseph and Mary, and as a native of Nazareth, and no expectation whatever appears to have been excited in the public mind by these wonderful and notorious events.

6. The style of the two first chapters is different from the rest of the history-the date of the enrolment, ch. ii. 1, 2, is a great historical difficulty-that John the Bap→ tist should have been ignorant of the person of Christ is not probable, if this narrative be true: John i. 31-34. And there are many other circumstances in the story which wear an improbable and fabulous aspect. Evanson's Disson. ch. i. sect. 3. p. 57.

See likewise the note upon the two first chapters of Matthew, and the references there. It has been objected, that so large and gross an interpolation could not have escaped detection, and would never have been so early and so generally received.

In reply to this objection it is observed, that this interpolation was not admitted into the Hebrew copies of Matthew's gospel, nor into Marcion's copies of Luke-that it is notorious that forged writings under the names of the apostles were in circulation almost from the apostolic age. See 2 Thess. ii. 2.—that the orthodox charge the heretics with corrupting the text; and that the heretics recriminate upon the orthodox-also that it was much easier to introduce interpolations when copies were few and scarce, than since they have been multiplied to so great a degree by means of the press: and finally, that the interpolation in question would, to the generality of Christians, be extremely gratifying, as it would lessen the odium attached to Christianity from its founder being a crucified Jew, and would elevate him to the dignity of the heroes and demi-godsof the heathen mythology.

custom of the priest's office, his lot was to go into the temple 10 of the Lord and to burn incense. And the whole multitude

of the people were praying without, at the time of in11 cense. And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord, 12 standing on the right hand of the altar of incense. And

when Zachariah saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell 13 upon him. But the angel said unto him, " Fear not, Zachariah: for thy prayer hath been heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his 14 name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and 15 many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in

the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the holy spirit, even 16 from his mother's womb. And many of the sons of Israel 17 he shall turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go be

fore Christ in the sight of the Lord God, with the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers together with the children, and the disobedient by the wisdom of the righteous; to make ready for the Lord a prepared 18 people." And Zachariah said unto the angel," By what shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife is 19 far advanced in years." And the angel answered, and said unto him, "I am Gabriel, who stand in the presence of God; and I am sent to speak unto thee, and to tell thee 20 these glad tidings. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and

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not able to speak, until the day in which these things will be performed; because thou hast not believed my words, which will be fulfilled in their season."

Now the people were in expectation of Zachariah, and 22 wondered that he tarried so long in the temple. And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he made 23 signs unto them, and remained speechless. And it came to pass that, as soon as the days of his ministration were ac complished, he departed to his own house.

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And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived; and

25 she concealed herself five months, saying, "The Lord hath thus dealt with me, in the days wherein he hath looked on me, to take away my reproach among men."

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AND in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent 27 from God to a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man named Joseph, of the house of Da28 vid; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel en

tered in unto her, and said, " Hail, thou that art highly favoured: the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among 29 women." And she was much troubled, and considered what 30 kind of salutation this could be. And the angel said unto

her, "Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with 81 God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and

shalt bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called Son of the Most

High and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of 33 his father David: and he shall reign over the house of

Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end." 34 Then said Mary to the angel, "How can this be, since I 35 know not man?" And the angel answered and said unto her, "The holy spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: therefore that holy child also who shall be born of thee shall be called a son of 36 God. And, behold, thy kinswoman Elisabeth she also hath

conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month 37 with her that was called barren. For with God nothing is 38 impossible." Then Mary said, "Behold the servant of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word." And the angel departed from her.

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And Mary arose in those days, and went into the moun40 tainous country with haste, to a city of Judea, and entered 41 into the house of Zachariah, and greeted Elisabeth. And

it came to pass that, when Elisabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb: and Elisabeth was 42 filled with the holy spirit, and spake out with a loud voice, and said, "Blessed art thou among women; and blessed is

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