med the account of
the demoniac (chap. 5:2-20), and the lunatic. Chap. 9:14-27. It is not
necessary to assume that Mark was himself a disciple of our Lord. If, as
ancient tradition asserts, he was the disciple and interpreter of Peter
he could receive from his lips those circumstantial details with which
his narrative abounds.

25. The closing passage of this gospel, chap. 16:9-20, is wanting in a
number of important manuscripts, among which are the Vatican and
Sinaitic. The same was the case also in the days of Eusebius and Jerome.
But it was known to Irenaeus, and quoted by him and many others after
him. The reader must be referred to the critical commentaries and
introductions for the discussion of the difficult questions concerning
it. Tregelles, who, in his account of the printed text has given a full
statement of the case, thus expresses his judgment (in Horne, vol. 4, p.
436): "It is _perfectly_ certain that from the second century and
onward, these verses have been known as part of _this gospel_ (whoever
was their _author_)." He thinks that "the _book of Mark himself_ extends
no farther than 'for they were afraid,' chap. 16:8; but that the
remaining twelve verses, by whomsoever written, have a full claim to be
received as an authentic part of the second gospel, and that the full
reception of early testimony on this question does not in the least
involve their rejection as not being a part of canonical Scripture."

IV. LUKE.

26. The unanimous voice of antiquity ascribes the third gospel with the
Acts of the Apostles to _Luke_. He first appears as the travelling
companion of Paul when he leaves Troas for Macedonia (Acts 16:10); for
the use of the first person plural--"we endeavored," "the Lord had
called us," "we came," etc.--which occurs from that point of Paul's
history and onward, with certain interruptions, through the remainder of
the Acts of the Apostles, admits of no other natural and reasonable
explanation. There is good reason to believe that he is identical with
"Luke, the beloved physician," who was with Paul when a prisoner at
Rome. Col. 4:14; Philemon 24; 2 Tim. 4:11. From the first of these
passages it has been inferred that he was not a Jew by birth, since he
is apparently distinguished from those "who are of the circumcision," v.
11.

Tradition represents him to have been by birth a Syrian of
Antioch (Eusebius, Hist. Eccl., 3. 4; Jerome, Preface to Matt.,
and elsewhere), and a J