as the celebrated _Life of Jesus_ by Strauss,(809) a
criticism on the four biographies given in the gospels; a work in which
the whole destructive movement was concentrated, with such singular
ability and clearness, that hardly any work of theology has subsequently
been written without some notice of the propositions there maintained.

It presented a double aspect: it was both philosophical and critical.
Strauss added to a general admission of the Hegelian point of view a love
for the critical studies so much neglected by that party. Brought up in
the moderate orthodoxy of Tuebingen, he had studied at Berlin under
Schleiermacher, but caught the critical rather than the philosophical side
of that master's teaching, and especially interested himself in the
solution of the question relating to the origin and credibility of the
Gospels, already partially considered in the critical inquiries of the old
rationalism, and of the school of De Wette. It was an investigation which
in its nature, in the spirit in which it was decided, and in its
similarity to the contemporaneous discussions of classical criticism, bore
a close resemblance to that before described in reference to the
Pentateuch. A few words of explanation concerning it are necessary,
previous to the statement of the nature of Strauss's work.(810)

As early as the last century the resemblance between the three
"synoptical" Evangelists had excited attention; and examination was
directed to discover the cause. Some, as Wetstein,(811) supposed that one
or two of the Gospels were borrowed from the third; others, as
Michaelis(812) and Eichhorn, that the three were all derived from one
common original, now lost; others, as Schleiermacher, that they were
composed from many detached written narratives; others, as Herder, and
subsequently Gieseler, that they were the committal to writing of the oral
tradition common in the church. Thus, whether the Gospels were regarded as
copies, or as being composed from earlier documents, or from primitive
tradition, the effect was, that they were reduced to the level of natural
testimony, and instead of being three witnesses they became one. The
fourth Gospel also was involved in uncertainty. Bretschneider added the
full examination of it, and provoked a discussion concerning the alleged
disagreement of its tone and statements with those of the synoptists.(813)
Thus a chasm was introduced between the events and the record of them; and
the