such would be the adoration of the Magi, the slaughter of the innocents, the flight into Egypt, the conjunction of the foal with the ass in the entry into Jerusalem.  All these are strong evidence for the use of the first Gospel, which is confirmed in the highest degree by the occurrence of a reflection peculiar to the Evangelist, ’Then the disciples understood that He spake unto them of John the Baptist’ (Matt. xvii. 13, compare Dial. 49).  Of the same nature are the allusions to the census of Cyrenius (there is no material discrepancy between Luke and Justin), and the statement of the age at which the ministry of Jesus began.  These are almost certainly remarks by the third Evangelist himself, and not found in any previously existing source.  The remand to Herod in all probability belonged to a source that was quite peculiar to him.  The same may be said with only a little less confidence of the sections of the preliminary history.

Taking these salient points together with the mass of the coincidences each in its place, and with the due weight assigned to it, the conviction seems forced upon us that Justin did either mediately or immediately, and most probably immediately and directly, make use of our Canonical Gospels.

On the other hand, the argument that he used, whether in addition to these or exclusively, a Gospel now lost, rests upon the following data.  Justin apparently differs from the Synoptics in giving the genealogy of Mary, not of Joseph.  In Apol. i. 34 he says that Cyrenius was the first governor (procurator) of Judaea, instead of saying that the census first took place under Cyrenius. [It should be remarked, however, that in another place, Dial. 78, he speaks of ’the census which then took place for the first time ([Greek:  ousaes tote protaes]) under Cyrenius.’] He states that Mary brought forth her Son in a cave near the village of Bethlehem.  He ten times over speaks of the Magi as coming from Arabia, and not merely from the East.  He says emphatically that all the children ([Greek:  pantas haplos tous paidas]) in Bethlehem were slain without mentioning the limitation of age given in St. Matthew.  He alludes to details in the humble occupation of Jesus who practised the trade of a carpenter.  Speaking of the ministry of John, he three times repeats the phrase ’as he sat’ by the river Jordan.  At the baptism of Jesus he says that ’fire was kindled on’ or rather ‘in the Jordan,’ and that a voice was heard saying, ‘Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee.’  He adds to the notice of the miracles that the Jews thought they were the effect of magic.  Twice he refers, as evidence for what he is saying, to the Acts of Pontius Pilate.  In two places Justin sees a fulfilment of Ps. xxii, where none is pointed out by the Synoptics.  He says that all the disciples forsook their Master, which seems to overlook Peter’s attack on the high priest’s servant.  In the account of the Crucifixion he somewhat amplifies the Synoptic version of the mocking gestures of the crowd.  And besides these matters of fact he has two sayings, ’In whatsoever I find you, therein will I also judge you,’ and ’There shall be schisms and heresies,’ which are without parallel, or have no exact parallel, in our Gospels.