It will have been seen in the course of the present enquiry how many side questions need to be determined.  It would be well if monographs were written upon all the quotations from the Old Testament in the Christian literature of the first two centuries, modelled upon Credner’s investigations into the quotations in Justin.  Before this is done there should be a new and revised edition of Holmes’ and Parsons’ Septuagint [Endnote 359:1].  Everything short of this would be inadequate, because we need to know not only the best text, but every text that has definite historical attestation.  In this way it would be possible to arrive at a tolerably exact, instead of a merely approximate, deduction as to the habit of quotation generally, which would supply a firmer basis for inference in regard to the New Testament than that which has been assumed here.  At the same time monographs should be written in English, besides those already existing in German, upon the date or position of the writers whose works come under review.  Without any attempt to prove a particular thesis, the reader should be allowed to see precisely what the evidence is and how far it goes.  Then if he could not arrive at a positive conclusion, he could at least attain to the most probable.  And, lastly, it is highly important that the whole question of the composition and structure of the Synoptic Gospels should be investigated to the very bottom.  Much valuable labour has already been expended upon this subject, but the result, though progress has been made, is rather to show its extreme complexity and difficulty than to produce any final settlement.  Yet, as the author of ‘Supernatural Religion’ has rather dimly and inadequately seen, we are constantly thrown back upon assumptions borrowed from this quarter.

Pending such more mature and thorough enquiries, I quite feel that my own present contribution belongs to a transition stage, and cannot profess to be more than provisional.  But it will have served its purpose sufficiently if it has helped to mark out more distinctly certain lines of the enquiry and to carry the investigation along these a little way; suggesting at the same time—­what the facts themselves really suggest—­counsels of sobriety and moderation.

What the end will be, it would be presumptuous to attempt to foretell.  It will probably be a long time before even these minor questions—­much more the major questions into which they run up—­ will be solved.  Whether they will ever be solved—­all of them at least—­in such a way as to compel entire assent is very doubtful.  Error and imperfection seem to be permanently, if we may hope diminishingly, a condition of human thought and action.  It does not appear to be the will of God that Truth should ever be so presented as to crush out all variety of opinion.  The conflict of opinions is like that of Hercules with the Hydra.  As fast as one is cut down another arises in its place; and there is no searing-iron to scorch and cicatrize the wound.