THE DATE OF THE GOSPELS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1162, 24 June 1911, Page 9

THE DATE OF THE GOSPELS.

DR. HAEXACK'S CONCLUSIONS. In tho "Theologischo Litemturzeitung," Dr. Harnack, following a practice not uncommon in Germany, writes- an account, of his own last work, the fourth and closing part of his "Contributions' to the Introduction to tho New Testament." He sums up his results as follows:—"In tho third chapter I return to the question of the date of the Acts. In the third part I had left it open, but. shown that there are engent reasons for holding that, the bonk war. written in the year in which it breaks off. 1 have new gone into these reasons more fully, and hope that they are now so confirmed that tho early date of the Acts may he taken to be proved alike by positive and negative arguments. This early date, .however, can only be established if we are convinced that the Gospel of Luke and its sources (Q. and Mark) raise no obstacle. In this connection, therefore. I have had to investigate the date of these writings. The result i« that ueithcr the third nor the second Gospel (and the first is also included) contains any positive marks of having been composed after tho Fall of .Terusiilcm, or after the third decade a.ii." This conclusion represents a further step on Harwich's part towards a quite early date for the Gospels as compared with those set out in his "Chronologic" iu ISO", j