ot possible;
every one chooses the "discourses," and not the "dialogues." Does
Plato, however, teach us nothing about Socrates? Would it be good
criticism, in writing the biography of the latter, to neglect the
"dialogues"? Who would venture to maintain this? The analogy,
moreover, is not complete, and the difference is in favor of the
fourth Gospel. The author of this Gospel is, in fact, the better
biographer; as if Plato, who, whilst attributing to his master
fictitious discourses, had known important matters about his life,
which Xenophon ignored entirely.

Without pronouncing upon the material question as to what hand has
written the fourth Gospel, and whilst inclined to believe that the
discourses, at least, are not from the son of Zebedee, we admit still,
that it is indeed "the Gospel according to John," in the same sense
that the first and second Gospels are the Gospels "according to
Matthew," and "according to Mark." The historical sketch of the fourth
Gospel is the Life of Jesus, such as it was known in the school of
John; it is the recital which Aristion and _Presbyteros Joannes_ made
to Papias, without telling him that it was written, or rather
attaching no importance to this point. I must add, that, in my
opinion, this school was better acquainted with the exterior
circumstances of the life of the Founder than the group whose
remembrances constituted the synoptics. It had, especially upon the
sojourns of Jesus at Jerusalem, data which the others did not possess.
The disciples of this school treated Mark as an indifferent
biographer, and devised a system to explain his omissions.[1] Certain
passages of Luke, where there is, as it were, an echo of the
traditions of John,[2] prove also that these traditions were not
entirely unknown to the rest of the Christian family.

[Footnote 1: Papias, _loc. cit._]

[Footnote 2: For example, the pardon of the adulteress; the knowledge
which Luke has of the family of Bethany; his type of the character of
Martha responding to the [Greek: diechouei] of John (chap. xii. 2);
the incident of the woman who wiped the feet of Jesus with her hair;
an obscure notion of the travels of Jesus to Jerusalem; the idea that
in his passion he was seen by three witnesses; the opinion of the
author that some disciples were present at the crucifixion; the
knowledge which he has of the part played by Annas in aiding Caiaphas;
the appearance of the angel in the agony (comp. John xii. 28, 29).