THE Gospel of Luke belongs to that portion of the evangelical history categorized by Clement of Alexandria as the somatic gospels-writings more especially devoted to the delineation of the humanity of Christ. These words were written more particularly in relation to the Gospel of John which, in opposition, was styled a pneumatic, or spiritual gospel," they run thus:-" But John, the last of the evangelists, seeing that the carnal (ra owarika) had been set forth in the other gospels, and being urged by his friends, and inspired by the Holy Ghost, wrote a spiritual (TVEVμATIKOV) gospel."* This is perfectly true, but it contains no contradiction to the fact that the divinity of our Lord is clearly manifested in each of the gospels, the only difference being one of manner. In the three first gospels the divinity of Christ is manifested through his humanity underlying it, as it were, and forcing from the witnesses of his deeds unwilling confessions of its reality; they began by astonishment and envy, they would have stoned him and slain him, but they ended in the confession that "Surely a great prophet is risen up amongst us, and God has visited his people." (Luke iv. 28, vi. 11, and vii. 16.)

But with the Gospel of John the

IRENEUS-Cont. Hares lib. iii., cap. 1.

humanity underlies the divinity; but the two are in perfect harmony. Though Jesus is represented as the Incarnate Logos, who has existed with the Father from eternity, by whom all things were made, yet the same gospel contains some of the most tender traits of the humanity of Christ; he weeps the tears of human sympathy at the tomb of Lazarusnot for the death of Lazarus, as he knew he should raise him, but from sympathy with the sorrowing sisters.+

It pertained equally to our salvation that Christ should take upon himself our humanity, and thus become our elder brother, as that he should be in such perfect unity with the Father as to be very God himself. The mystery of the Incarnation and the secret of its salvatorial influence is that it restored man to his lost position in creation, that it opened up a way of returning to God, that the God-man Christ Jesus was the new Adam-that, as by the first, sin and death came into the word, i.e. estrangement from God, which is death; so by the second came life and reconciliation.

This gospel, therefore, is rich in matter concerning the life of Christ, and contains many things not to be found in the other gospels.

We are indebted to Luke for the

"Commentar zum Johannis Evan

1*