R LAMDA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER THETA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON WITH OXIA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMEGA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~} {~GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ETA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER MU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA WITH OXIA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMEGA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}. word with signs
{~GREEK CAPITAL LETTER ALPHA WITH PSILI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER MU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ETA WITH OXIA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}. following. Amen.

Chapter I.

THE CASE OF THE LAST TWELVE VERSES OF S. MARK'S GOSPEL, STATED.

These Verses generally suspected at the present time. The
popularity of this opinion accounted for.

It has lately become the fashion to speak of the last Twelve Verses of the
Gospel according to S. Mark, as if it were an ascertained fact that those
verses constitute no integral part of the Gospel. It seems to be generally
supposed, (1) That the evidence of MSS. is altogether fatal to their
claims; (2) That "the early Fathers" witness plainly against their
genuineness; (3) That, from considerations of "internal evidence" they
must certainly be given up. It shall be my endeavour in the ensuing pages
to shew, on the contrary, That manuscript evidence is so overwhelmingly in
their favour that no room is left for doubt or suspicion:--That there is
not so much as _one_ of the Fathers, early or late, who gives it as his
opinion that these verses are spurious:--and, That the argument derived
from internal considerations proves on inquiry to be baseless and
unsubstantial as a dream.

But I hope that I shall succeed in doing more. It shall be my endeavour to
shew not only that there really is no reason whatever for calling in
question the genuineness of this portion of Holy Writ, but also that there
exist sufficient reasons for feeling confident that it must needs be
genuine. This is clearly as much as it is possible for me to achieve. But
when this has been done, I venture to hope that the verses in dispute will
for the future be allowed to retain their place in the second Gospel
unmolested.

It will of course be asked,--And yet, if all this be so, how does it happen
that both in very ancient, and also in very modern times, this proposal to
suppress twe