The Last Twelve Verses of the Gospel According to S. Mark. John William Burgon
reply, recited the words afresh.39
VI. The Apocryphal Acta Pilati (sometimes called the “Gospel of Nicodemus”) Tischendorf assigns without hesitation to the iiird century; whether rightly or wrongly I have no means of ascertaining. It is at all events a very ancient forgery, and it contains the 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th verses of this chapter.40
VII. This is probably the right place to mention that ver. 15 is clearly alluded to in two places of the (so-called) “Apostolical Constitutions;”41 and that verse 16 is quoted (with [pg 026] no variety of reading from the Textus Receptus42) in an earlier part of the same ancient work. The “Constitutions” are assigned to the iiird or the ivth century.43
VIII and IX. It will be shewn in Chapter V. that Eusebius, the Ecclesiastical Historian, was profoundly well acquainted with these verses. He discusses them largely, and (as I shall prove in the chapter referred to) was by no means disposed to question their genuineness. His Church History was published A.D. 325.
Marinus also, (whoever that individual may have been,) a contemporary of Eusebius—inasmuch as he is introduced to our notice by Eusebius himself as asking a question concerning the last twelve verses of S. Mark's Gospel without a trace of misgiving as to the genuineness of that about which he inquires—is a competent witness in their favor who has hitherto been overlooked in this discussion.
X. Tischendorf and his followers state that Jacobus Nisibenus quotes these verses. For “Jacobus Nisibenus” read “Aphraates the Persian Sage,” and the statement will be correct. The history of the mistake is curious.
Jerome, in his Catalogue of Ecclesiastical writers, makes no mention of Jacob of Nisibis—a famous Syrian Bishop who was present at the Council of Nicæa, A.D. 325. Gennadius of Marseille, (who carried on Jerome's list to the year 495) asserts that the reason of this omission was Jerome's ignorance of the Syriac language; and explains that Jacob was the author of twenty-two Syriac Homilies.44 Of these, there exists a very ancient Armenian translation; which was accordingly edited as the work of Jacobus Nisibenus with a Latin version, at Rome, in 1756. Gallandius reprinted both the Armenian and the Latin; and to Gallandius (vol. v.) we are referred whenever “Jacobus Nisibenus” is quoted.
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But the proposed attribution of the Homilies in question—though it has been acquiesced in for nearly 1400 years—is incorrect. Quite lately the Syriac originals have come to light, and they prove to be the work of Aphraates, “the Persian Sage,”—a Bishop, and the earliest known Father of the Syrian Church. In the first Homily, (which bears date A.D. 337), verses 16, 17, 18 of S. Mark xvi. are quoted,45—yet not from the version known as the Curetonian Syriac, nor yet from the Peshito exactly.46—Here, then, is another wholly independent witness to the last twelve verses of S. Mark, coeval certainly with the two oldest copies of the Gospel extant—B and א.
XI. Ambrose, Archbishop of Milan (A.D. 374–397) freely quotes this portion of the Gospel—citing ver. 15 four times: verses 16, 17 and 18, each three times: ver. 20, once.47
XII. The testimony of Chrysostom (A.D. 400) has been all but overlooked. In part of a Homily claimed for him by his Benedictine Editors, he points out that S. Luke alone of the Evangelists describes the Ascension: S. Matthew and S. John not speaking of it—S. Mark recording the event only. Then he quotes verses 19, 20. “This” (he adds) “is the end of the Gospel. Mark makes no extended mention of the Ascension.”48 Elsewhere he has an unmistakable reference to S. Mark xvi. 9.49
XIII. Jerome, on a point like this, is entitled to more attention than any other Father of the Church. Living at a very early period, (for he was born in 331 and died in 420,)—endowed with extraordinary Biblical learning—a man of excellent judgment—and a professed Editor of [pg 028] the New Testament, for the execution of which task he enjoyed extraordinary facilities—his testimony is most weighty. Not unaware am I that Jerome is commonly supposed to be a witness on the opposite side: concerning which mistake I shall have to speak largely in Chapter V. But it ought to be enough to point out that we should not have met with these last twelve verses in the Vulgate, had Jerome held them to be spurious.50 He familiarly quotes the 9th verse in one place of his writings;51 in another place he makes the extraordinary statement that in certain of the copies, (especially the Greek,) was found after ver. 14 the reply of the eleven Apostles, when our Saviour “upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen Him after He was risen.”52 To discuss so weak and worthless a forgery—no trace of which is found in any MS. in existence, and of which nothing whatever is known except what Jerome here tells us—would be to waste our time indeed. The fact remains, however, that Jerome, besides giving these last twelve verses a place in the Vulgate, quotes S. Mark xvi. 14, as well as ver. 9, in the course of his writings.
XIV. It was to have been expected that Augustine would quote these verses: but he more than quotes them. He brings them forward again and again,53—discusses them as the work of S. Mark—remarks that “in diebus Paschalibus,” S. Mark's narrative of the Resurrection was publicly [pg 029] read in the Church.54 All this is noteworthy. Augustine flourished A.D. 395–430.
XV. and XVI. Another very important testimony to the genuineness of the concluding part of S. Mark's Gospel is furnished by the unhesitating manner in which Nestorius, the heresiarch, quotes ver. 20; and Cyril of Alexandria accepts his quotation, adding a few words of his own.55 Let it be borne in mind that this is tantamount to the discovery of two dated codices containing the last twelve verses of S. Mark—and that date anterior (it is impossible to say by how many years) to A.D. 430.
XVII. Victor of Antioch, (concerning whom I shall have to speak very largely in Chapter V.,) flourished about A.D. 425. The critical testimony which he bears to the genuineness of these verses is more emphatic than is to be met with in the pages of any other ancient Father. It may be characterized as the most conclusive testimony which it was in his power to render.
XVIII. Hesychius of Jerusalem, by a singular oversight, has been reckoned among the impugners of these verses. He is on the contrary their eager advocate and champion. It seems to have escaped observation that towards the close of his “Homily on the Resurrection,” (published in the works of Gregory of Nyssa, and erroneously ascribed to that Father,) Hesychius appeals to the 19th verse, and quotes it as S. Mark's at length.56 The date of Hesychius is uncertain; but he may, I suppose, be considered to belong to the vith century. His evidence is discussed in Chapter V.
XIX. This list shall be brought to a close with a reference to the Synopsis Scripturae Sacrae—an ancient work [pg 030] ascribed to Athanasius,57 but probably not the production of that Father. It is at all events of much older date than any of the later uncials; and it rehearses in detail the contents of S. Mark xvi. 9–20.58
It would be easy to prolong this enumeration of Patristic authorities; as, by appealing to Gregentius in the vith century, and to Gregory the Great, and Modestus, patriarch of Constantinople in the viith;—to Ven. Bede and John Damascene in the viiith;—to Theophylact in the xith;—to Euthymius in the xiith59: but I forbear. It would add no strength to my argument that I should by such evidence support it; as the reader will admit when he has read my Xth chapter.
It will be observed then that three competent Patristic witnesses of the iind century—four of the iiird—six of the ivth—four of the vth—and two (of uncertain date, but probably) of the vith—have admitted their familiarity with these “last Twelve Verses.” Yet do they not belong to one particular age, school, or country. They come, on the contrary, from every part of the ancient Church: Antioch and [pg 031] Constantinople—Hierapolis, Cæsarea and Edessa—Carthage, Alexandria and Hippo—Rome and Portus. And thus, upwards of nineteen early codexes have been to all intents and purposes inspected for us in various lands by unprejudiced witnesses—seven of them at least of more ancient date than the oldest copy of the Gospels extant.
I propose to recur to this subject for an instant when the reader has been made acquainted with the decisive testimony which ancient Versions supply. But the Versions deserve a short Chapter to themselves.
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