They will gird their loins with a stout zone of truth, put on the breastplate of righteousness, walk innocently in the shoes of peace, raise the shield of faith to ward off burning darts, guard the head with the helmet of salvation, and wield the potent sword of the word of God, ever proceeding on their pilgrim path with meek prayer and pious watchfulness. The conception is artistic; and we may doubt if Paul's quick and impassioned hand could have drawn so consistent and finished a picture of the Christian warrior.*

The Epistles to the "Little Children," to the "Elect Lady," and to Gaius (i. ii. iii. John). Of all the New Testament writers, none speak so much of God as the author of the epistle to the Little Children; and to him, far more than to the sensational dreamer of the Apocalypse, the title of the Theologian justly appertains. By that title, therefore, we shall describe the unknown writer of the so-called First Epistle of "John." The letter of "Polycarp" appears to be the earliest extant treatise which quotes this first epistle.

A most cursory glance at this composition convinces us that here Christian speculation has taken a remarkable leap in advance. The epistle moves in an atmosphere of reflection, of refinement, of calm certitude, of philosophic peace. It might have been written in a library, a cave, a lonely island. It proceeds from a spot where all the murmurs of the world are hushed. Its very preface, so devoid of the frank and genial salutations of Paul, subdues the ear: "That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we beheld, and our hands handled, concerning the Logos (Word) of Life (and the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare unto you the life, the eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us); that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you also, that ye also may have fellowship with us; yes, and our fellowship is with the Father, and with his son Jesus Christ." The style is that of a writer who communes with himself rather than addresses a correspondent. The

*Davidson's "Introduction;" Renan's preface to "St. Paul." More conservative, but always interesting, views of these and other moot points of New Testament criticism will be found in Dr. George Salmon's "Historical Introduction."

"Little Children" are shadows. Thoughts are repeated; no continuous argument is visible. One might, without loss of the sense, read the fifth chapter first, and pass backwards. The keynotes are Light, Life, Love, Propitiation. Humbly confessing his sins, the believer is cleansed by the blood of Jesus, and enjoys fellowship with Jesus, and walks in the celestial light; the unhappy and ignorant world lies in the arms of the Wicked One, in the gloom of the outer darkness. God is eternal life, and gives life to all who accept the gracious mediation of the Advocate; and to deny that Jesus is the true Propitiation is a fatal lie; it is antichrist, it is the devil, it is death. God is love, and the appreciation of his love awakens reciprocal love in the breasts of the Elect; and, in loving him, they love their human brethren even to the heroic laying down of life. And to this gospel three sublime witnesses testify-the Spirit, the Water, and the Blood. The Spirit is the truth, and carries conviction of truth; the Water purifies by restoring righteousness; the Blood cleanses by removing

sin.

The date of the epistle must remain obscure. We may judge from the cast of the Theologian's thought that he came later than the Synoptic writers.*

The letter to the Elect Lady (ii. John) echoes the sentiment of the Theologian-" love one another;" antichrist denies that Jesus Christ came in the flesh; he who receives the teaching of love unites himself with the divine Father and Son, etc. But a less benevolent spirit utters itself in the caution against the teacher of other religious doctrines : "Give him no greeting, for he who gives him greeting partakes in his evil works." The little document, written by the "Elder," perhaps dates about 130 C.E.

The short note addressed to Gaius (iii. John) by the "Elder " furnishes an interesting sample of the letters which, no doubt, frequently passed between the Christian societies. We can only regret that so little of this correspondence has been preserved. In the present document the Elder praises Gaius for his steadfast adherence to the Truth, commends the kind hospitality with which he has entertained the itinerant preachers, throws in a jealous word against a rival

* Davidson suggests 130 C.E.

leader, Diotrephes, gives favourable testimony concerning the disciple Demetrius, and closes with the hope of soon meeting Gaius. The writer himself may have been a minister who made missionary circuits from town to town. In tone and temper this letter is still further removed from the Theologian's epistle than is the letter to the Elect Lady. *Conjecturally we may assign it to the date 130. Even down to the time of Eusebius the sacred authority of the two epistles, ii. and iii. "John," was left in suspense.*

The Epistle of Jude.-A Christian pastor of a somewhat vehement type wrote a letter to his flock to warn them against teachers of doctrines which he considered unholy. He calls himself "Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James," and hopeless attempts are sometimes made to connect the writer with Judas, the brother of Jesus and James (Matt. xiii. 55).

Apocalyptic zeal imparts to this epistle acertain ruggedness and passion; and the strong languageof the Book of Enoch is freely borrowed.

The writer beseeches his readers to keep uncorrupt the faith "once delivered unto the Saints." [An early Christian would not have so spoken]. He angrily denounces the heretics who have crept into the Christian churches, and denied both God and Christ. [The Book of Enoch has the passage, "Denied the Lord of Spirits and his anointed."] He proceeds to give examples of the woeful fate that befell opponents of the true way of religion: the fallen angels who lie in everlasting chains [these are described in the Book of Enoch]; the doomed cities of Sodom and Gomorrhah; murderous Cain; greedy Balaam; ambitious Korah. The false teachers show no reverence for authority and superior knowledge; they speak evil of dignities, forgetting that even Michael the Archangel did not speak intemperately against the Devil. They are brutes, foul spots, waterless clouds, rotten trees, unprofitable scum, "wandering stars" [an expression from Enoch] who are reserved for endless horrors. Then the Book of Enoch (i. 9) is directly quoted: "Also Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, Behold, the Lord came with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all

* Davidson's "Introduction."

the ungodly of all their works of ungodliness which they have ungodly wrought, and of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him." [The writer clearly supposed that the Book of Enoch was a genuine production of the mythical patriarch.] All these troubles, however, were foretold by the "Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ," who cautioned the Saints against the sensual mockers of the last times. Let the disciples, therefore, cling all the more loyally to the Faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, and compassionately pulling from the clutch of heresy as many of their weaker brethren as they could. And the Saints who remain true to the Christian Way will appear unstained in the presence of the glory of the Saviour-God.

The animus shown against rival preachers-Gnostics, perhaps indicates a period when the sect which was destined to create Christian orthodoxy began to separate itself from competing schools and assail them as heretics and accursed.*

15. Jewish Literature. We shall now glance at the progress of Jewish literature during this period (70-138 C.E.). Several Jewish writings were appropriated by the Christians and interpolated with Christian sentiments.

The famous Rabbi Akiba (see p. 116) belonged to an illustrious series of Tanaim, or teachers of the traditional Law. He created much enthusiasm among the Jews by his method of interpretation of the old Mosaic Torah. In the words and expressions of the sacred Law he detected new meanings, new fountains of truth, starting-points for new developments. With infinite pains he and his disciples methodised traditions and precepts with respect to the Sabbath, marriage, property, etc., into a collection which, when afterwards completed, constituted the Mishna, or text of the Talmud. The Mishna existed only on the tongues and in the memory of pious Hebrews. Not for many years was it committed to manuscript.

Akiba had a disciple named Akylas. This Akylas came of a wealthy family from Pontus. At one time he had joined the Christians but he subsequently passed over to

* Davidson's "Introduction;" Charles's edition of the Book of Enoch. Some critics fix the date at 140.

Judaism. At this time the Greek version of the Hebrew scriptures had fallen into ill-repute among the orthodox Jews on account of its being used and misquoted by Christians and Gnostics; and we have seen how the Theophilist cites from it in the Book of Acts. Akylas determined to make a fresh and pure Greek version, which should follow literally the Hebrew text. His Greek trans

lation of the Old Testament was at once accepted as authoritative among the Jews, and employed for public reading in the synagogues.

*

It was not till the year 118 C.E. that the book of Koheleth,or Ecclesiastes, was received by the Jews into their sacred canon of scriptures. Hitherto this treatise, which savours so strongly of a sceptical temper towards Providence, had lain among the books regarded as doubtful.†

A religious and national romance, now commonly known as the Third Book of the Maccabees, was composed in Greek in the first century B.C., or not later than 100 C.E. It recounted a legend which the Jewish youth would pore over with delight, and out of which they might draw happy auguries for the future. The story is briefly as follows:Ptolemy IV., surnamed Philopator, flushed with victory. over his enemies, visited Jerusalem, and, notwithstanding the groans and sobs of the scandalized citizens, attempted to enter the Temple. Simon the High-priest prayed to "the all-seeing God," and the king fell paralysed on the threshold of the Holy Place. Ptolemy returned to Egypt, brooding revenge. At Alexandria he issued an edict depriving the Jews of all privileges, and then had a great multitude of them, old and young, herded together in the Hippodrome, or racecourse. A vast host of Alexandrians

looked on while a number of elephants, excited by potions of wine, were driven into the enclosure. The unhappy Jews embraced one another, and prepared for death under the feet of the elephants. Holy Eleazar besought God's pity. Two angels descended. The furious beasts turned and trampled on the royal troops. Ptolemy, horror-stricken and repentant, proclaimed favour and protection for all Jews in his dominions.

* Graetz's "History of the Jews," vol. ii., chapters xiii. and xiv. + E. Dillon's "Sceptics of the Old Testament.