“So greatly, however, did the splendour of piety enlighten the minds of Peter’s hearers, that it was not sufficient to hear but once, nor to receive the unwritten doctrine of the Gospel of God, but they persevered, in every variety of entreaties, to solicit Mark as the companion of Peter, and whose Gospel we have, that he should leave them a monument of the doctrine thus orally communicated, in writing.  Nor did they cease with their solicitations until they had prevailed with the man, and thus become the means of that history which is called the Gospel according to Mark.  They say also, that the Apostle (Peter), having ascertained what was done by the revelation of the Spirit, was delighted with the zealous ardour expressed by these men, and that the history obtained his authority for the purpose of being read in the Churches.  This account is given by Clement in the Sixth Book of his Institutions, whose testimony also is corroborated by that of Papias, Bishop of Hierapolis.” (Bk. ii. chap. xv.  Cruse’s translation.)

This is narrated as having taken place in the reign of Claudius, i.e., between A.D. 41 and A.D. 54.

The next Gospel whose origin he describes is that of St. Luke, in the following words:—­

“But Luke, who was born at Antioch, and by profession a physician, being for the most part connected with Paul, and familiarly acquainted with the rest of the Apostles, has left us two inspired books, the institutes of that spiritual healing art which he obtained from them.  One of these is his Gospel, in which he testifies that he has recorded, ’as those who were from the beginning eye-witnesses and ministers of the word,’ delivered to him, whom also, he says, he has in all things followed.  The other is his Acts of the Apostles, which he composed, not from what he had heard from others, but from what he had seen himself.  It is also said that Paul usually referred to his Gospel, whenever in his Epistles he spoke of some particular Gospel of his own, saying, ‘according to my Gospel.’” (Bk. iii. ch. iv.  Cruse’s translation.)

Further on, he describes the publication of the First and Fourth Gospels, thus:—­

“Of all the disciples, Matthew and John are the only ones that have left us recorded comments, and even they, tradition says, undertook it from necessity.  Matthew also, having first proclaimed the Gospel in Hebrew, when on the point of going also to other nations, committed it to writing in his native tongue, and thus supplied the want of his presence to them by his writings.  But after Mark and Luke had already published their Gospels they say that John, who, during all this time, was proclaiming the Gospel without writing, at length proceeded to write it on the following occasion.  The three Gospels previously written had been distributed among all, and also handed to him; they say that he admitted them, giving his testimony to their truth; but that there was only