attached promise, MK 9:1? Is it unreasonable to regard both MK 8:38 and 9:1 as genuine sayings of Jesus which have found a place at this point in document MK not because they were spoken in connection with what precedes but because what precedes was taken to refer primarily to the treatment of the disciples by their persecutors? And does the difference in form between the above MK and P reports of the saying result from the fact that the MK record is contiguous to the saying in MK 9:1?1

IO. THE BLASPHEMY AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT

DOCUMENT MK §18

Verily I say unto you, All their sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and their blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: but whosoever shall blaspheme against the Holy Spirit hath never forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin:

DOCUMENT PS21

And every one who shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Spirit it shall not be forgiven.

It has been observed that this saying seems to have its true context in MK §18. Its lack of thought relation to P §§20, 22 seems evident. As to the verbal form of the saying, it may be a question which report more accurately expresses the probable thought of Jesus.

Though it seems difficult to hold that P §21 is related in thought to either P $20 or P $22, there seems to be very close affinity between P §§22 and P §20, that is, a single consistent topic results from the assignment of P §21 to the document MK context, and the bringing together of the two sections of document P which are separated by it. This theme is the mission of the disciples and the attendant persecutions. But this is precisely the theme of the paragraph in document MK to which the above saying belongs, MK 13:9-13. Shall it be held then that Jesus spoke twice on this subject? Theoretically there is nothing against this general supposition. The evangelist Matthew decided to represent Jesus as treating the theme once fully, and again by mere brief reference. To this end he combined docuThe problems raised by the context of this saying in document MK are considered on pp. 79–81.

ment MK 13:9-13 with document P §§20, 22 and with such other sayings on the subject as he could find in his sources from first to last, Matt. 9:35-10:42. Ought we to concur in his judgment on this problem? Are the portions P §§20, 22 so bound up with their context that it must be supposed that they were spoken at the indefinite time indicated by the P document? At what period in the life of Jesus is it most likely that he would deal with the future of his disciples, in the last days or at a period when they did not believe that he was about to be taken away from them? Matthew believed that P §§28, 29 belonged in the final discourse of Jesus on the future, MK 13=Matt. 24, 25, and placed them there, Matt. 24:43-51. Shall we agree with his judgment, and take a step farther by suggesting that he would better have left MK 13:9-13 in its place there and have brought to it P§§20, 22, than have placed both in connection with the MK account of the sending-out of the disciples as he does? Does document MK record only a part of the final discourse of Jesus on the future, and are other sections of that address in the last hours to be found at different points in the unarticulated but highly valuable document P? Does the comparison of the two above reports of a saying about attitude under prosecution require that such a possibility be considered ?1

Both form and context necessitate the conclusion that a thought of Jesus is expressed here to which he gave utterance on more than one occasion. But since the occasion of the document P saying is not made clear, it may not now be learned with certainty. What follows in P, Matthew placed with other sayings that seemed to deal with the period of the mission, Matt., chap. 10; what precedes, Matthew believed to have a better place in the final discourse on the future, Matt., chaps. 24, 25. Since Matthew's treatment of the mission in Matt., chap. 10, was future, and not present as in document MK at that point,

The whole subject is reviewed on pp. 140-49, 202-5.

he involved himself in no serious inconsistency by thus separating allied material in P. But in the process P§§30, 31 were dropped out by Matthew, the latter probably for the same reason as led him to omit the references to baptism when taking over the document MK report as Matt. 20:22, 23. To what period of the life of Jesus shall it be said that P §§ 30, 31 belong? Document P neither says nor suggests anything decisive in answer.

13. THE PARABLE OF THE MUSTARD SEED

DOCUMENT MK §23

And he said, How shall we liken the kingdom of God? or in what parable shall we set it forth? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown upon the earth, though it be less than all the seeds that are upon the earth, yet when it is sown, groweth up, and becometh greater than all the herbs, and putteth out great branches; so that the birds of the heaven can lodge under the shadow thereof.

DOCUMENT P $37

He said therefore, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I liken it? It is like unto a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his own garden; and it grew, and became a tree; and the birds of the heaven lodged in the branches thereof.

Document MK and document M each contain a group of parables of the kingdom of God, MK §§20-24, M §§15-25. There are none in document G. Although document P contains a large number of parables, there are two only which are designated as parables of the kingdom, those in P $37. Of these, that of the mustard seed is in the MK group also. This relates both parables of P §37 fundamentally to that MK group. And since the setting of this body of parables in document MK is so circumstantial and clear, while the two in P have apparently no attachment whatever to their context, our judgment may well follow that of Matthew in regarding them as parables of the same occasion, spoken in exposition of "the mystery of the kingdom."

14. THE FIRST LAST AND THE LAST FIRST DOCUMENT MK 10:31

But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.

DOCUMENT P $41

And behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.

The two contexts are very different. Luke seems to have decided that having used the saying in its document P position he ought not to take it up when he found it in the MK document, MK 10:30, 31= Luke 18:30.

15. THE SABBATH QUESTION

DOCUMENT MK $15

And he saith unto them, Is it lawful on the sabbath day to do good, or to do harm? to save a life, or to kill? But they held their peace.

DOCUMENT P 843

And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath, or not? But they held their peace.

This is a question said to have been raised by Jesus in connection with the healing of a man with a withered hand, document MK, and again, document P, a man with the dropsy.

It would seem clear from a study of the whole of P §44 that Jesus is endeavoring there to define the conditions of discipleship in a broad way, and without special reference to the future mission of those who were to be propagandists. There is no hint that the requirements outlined are those special ones imposed by a state of persecution. They are regarded rather as normal and constant demands upon all of those who would be true followers of Jesus. The words are addressed to "great multitudes" who are attaching themselves to him without a sense of what is involved in discipleship. Similarly in MK 8:34-37 Jesus seems engaged in defining his conception of discipleship, or, in impersonal terms, "life." The above paralleled saying is therefore a repeated saying, forming in each case a part of a unified paragraph on discipleship or "life." To this interpretation there is perhaps one objection only, the presence of MK 8:38, which seems to narrow the thought in what precedes so that its application is primarily to the state of persecution. May it reasonably be said that, since MK 8:38 forms an obstacle to so normal an interpretation of both MK 8:34-37 and P §44, it must be regarded, as suggested under 9 above, as a saying which has its true context not here but in P $20 ?1

17. DIVORCE WITH REMARRIAGE DEFINED AS ADULTERY

DOCUMENT MK 10:11, 12

And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her: and if she herself shall put away her husband, and marry another, she committeth adultery.

DOCUMENT P 852

Every one that putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and he that marrieth one that is put away from a husband committeth adultery.

1 It is not thought worth while to exhibit the appearances of “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear” in P §45; MK §§20, 21; M §15.

It seems difficult to find the slightest connection between this saying and its P context; indeed, it seems to have found about as unfortunate conjunction as possible, since it comes as close as any utterance of Jesus to abrogating the law, P §51. Its setting in MK, however, is convincingly historical. But having used P as a whole, Luke did not take up what he regarded as the MK equivalent, MK 10:2-12. As to the form of the saying, it may not be assumed that because the P record is without suitable setting it is therefore inferior in content. It will be observed that the MK words, "against her," materially alter the sense of the saying, reducing, perhaps, the rigor of the utterance. Shall it be said that this is in the line of the movement which is seen at its strongest in Matthew, where in the use of this saying he each time modifies its apparent rigor by adding "saving for the cause of fornication," Matt. 5:32=P §52; Matt. 19:9- MK 10:11, 12?

To whom did Jesus refer by the phrase, "these little ones"? The answer is not made clear by the P context; the MK narrative as a whole suggests that they are none other than little children, MK 9:36, 37. Could it be said of a child, of such an age that it might be taken in the arms, that it is capable of belief on Jesus-"these little ones that believe on me"? And how cause so young a child "to stumble"? By what use of hand, foot, or eye, MK 9:43-48 ?*

1 The problems presented by MK 9:36–50 are considered on pp. 67–78.