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CALENDAR OF OUR LORD'S MINISTRY.

BY LANT CARPENTER, LL. D.

[The precise dates are of course conjectural, but the general outlines of the table are based upon historical facts. N. B. The Jewish Sabbaths are marked §.]

A. D. 29.

Jan. 20. BAPTISM OF JESUS: after this, he retires to the Desert, for forty

days.

Feb. 28. The Priests and Levites come to John from the Sanhedrim.
Mar. 1. Christ returns to the Baptist, and receives his testimony.

2. John, Andrew, and Peter follow Jesus.

3. Philip and Nathanael become disciples of Jesus.

7. FIRST MIRACLE, at Cana.

8. Our Lord goes to Capernaum, which was thenceforward his ordinary residence.

19. The FIRST PASSOVER begins: during the festival, our Lord drives the traders from the Temple, and converses with Nicodemus.

27. Christ exercises his ministry in the country of Judea.

Apr. 22. Conference with the Samaritan woman at Sychar.

- 27. Jesus, while at Cana, heals the youth lying ill at Capernaum.

May 8. The PENTECOST begins.

June.

July.

14.

The cure of the infirm man at Bethesda.

15. Christ departs for Galilee, where he remains till the FEAST OF

TABERNACLES.

21. § The walk through the cornfields.
28. § Christ rejected at Nazareth.

August.

During these months, our Lord appears to have been occupied in preparatory instruction in the synagogues of Galilee ; occasionally employing his miraculous powers; but awaiting the fit season, and the signal given by the imprisonment of John, to commence the public announcement, and the series of wonderful works, which immediately afterwards ensued.

XX

CALENDAR OF OUR LORD'S MINISTRY.

Sep. 13. The FEAST OF TABERNACLES begins. A little before this, probably, the Baptist was imprisoned by Herod Antipas.

16. Our Lord reaches Jerusalem.

19. "The last day, the great day of the feast.”

20. Our Lord gives sight to the blind man. He then goes to Galilee.
23. CHRIST BEGINS HIS PUBLIC PREACHING. Call of Peter, &c.

24. § Cure of the demoniac in the synagogue at Capernaum.
25. FIRST PROGRESS through Galilee.

Oct. 16. Our Lord delivers the Sermon on the Mount, heals the leaper, &c.

17. The widow's son at Nain raised from the dead.

20. The tempest stilled, in crossing the Lake, and the demoniacs
restored to sanity, on the eastern shore, in the district of
Gadara.

21. Cure of the paralytic at Capernaum, and call of Matthew.
23. The day of Matthew's feast. (The 22d was a Sabbath.)
24. Christ selects the Twelve, and begins his SECOND PROGRESS
through Galilee.

Nov. 20. MISSION OF THE TWELVE into Galilee.

Dec.

Jan.

21. The disciples of John come to Jesus.

Pharisee.

The visit to Simon the

22. MISSION OF THE SEVENTY into the Perea.
25. The visit to Martha and Mary at Bethany.

26.

Conference with the Jews near the close of the FEAST OF
DEDICATION.

27. Jesus withdraws to Bethabara, east of the Jordan.

A. D. 30.

Jesus exercises his ministry in the Perea; and there probably many of the Seventy rejoin him, as also some of the Twelve.

Jan. 20. The RESURRECTION OF LAZARUS, at Bethany.

22. The Sanhedrim resolve to kill Jesus, and he withdraws to Ephraim, in Samaria, till the death of the Baptist.

Feb. 15. Jesus leaves Ephraim, to return to Galilee, on the death of John. 18. § Cure of the man with the withered hand.

19. Cure of the dumb demoniac. The Day of Parables.

Feb. 25.

Last visit at Nazareth, after which our Lord teaches in the neighboring villages, and the rest of the apostles collect together to him.

Mar. 4. The infirm woman healed in the synagogue, on the Sabbath. 5. MIRACLE OF THE FIVE THOUSAND, near Bethsaida Philippi. 6. Discourse, the day following, in the synagogue at Capernaum.

Mar. 7. Departure for the region of Tyre and Sidon.

9. Cure of the Syrophoenician woman's daughter.

·11. Our Lord again near Bethsaida in Philip's dominions.
-14. Miracle of the Four Thousand.

- 15. Cure of the blind man at Bethsaida of Galilee.

17. Avowal of Peter near Cæsarea Philippi.

25. § The TRANSFIGURATION, in the northern part of Galilee.

27. The Temple tribute paid at Capernaum.

-29. Having been refused reception by the Samaritans, Christ enters the Peræa.

31. Crosses the Jordan in the afternoon, and passes the Sabbath near Jericho.

Apr. 1. Jesus visits Zaccheus at Jericho.

May.

2. Sunday. Our Lord arrives at Bethany: the supper at the house
of Simon.

3. Monday. Public entry into Jerusalem: Voice in the Temple.
4. Tuesday. Miracle on the barren fig-tree: the Temple cleared.
5. Wednesday. The last day in the Temple: prophecy on the
Mount of Olives.

6. Thursday. Christ at Bethany: in the evening he goes to Jeru-
salem. (The Paschal Supper.)

7. Friday. The CRUCIFIXION.

8. Saturday. The (Jewish) Sabbath. The sepulchre sealed, and a guard set.

9. Sunday. Before sunrise our Saviour left the tomb; and, not long after, was seen by Mary Magdalene.

18. Second visit to the apostles, Thomas being present.

Christ appears to the apostles, and perhaps at the same time to the Five Hundred Brethren, on a mountain in Galilee.

18. The ASCENSION OF CHRIST, near Bethany.

27. The PENTECOST. The communication of the Holy Spirit to the apostles.

[CHIEFLY TAKEN FROM ALLEN'S QUESTIONS, PART I.1

Money mentioned in the New Testament reduced to Federal Currency.

A Mite, (Leptum, Mark xii. 42, Luke xii. 59)

A Farthing, (Quadrans, Matt. v. 26, Mark xii. 42)

A Farthing, (Assarium, Matt. x. 29, Luke xii. 6)

A Piece of Silver, (Drachm, Luke xv. 8)

A Penny, (Denarius, Matt. xx. 2, Mark xiv. 5)

Tribute Money, (Didrachm, or half-shekel, Matt. xvii. 24)

A Piece of Silver, (Stater, or shekel, Matt. xxvi. 15)
A Pound, (Roman Mina, Luke xix. 13)

A Talent of Silver, (Matt. xxv. 15) about

A Talent of Gold, about

Measures of Length mentioned in the New Testament.

dolls. c. m.

12

15

140

140

1280

560

13888

1,500 000 24,000,000

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A Firkin, (Metretes, John ii. 6) probably about 7 gallons, though some say 9 gallons.

A Measure, (Satum, Matt. xiii. 33) 1 peck, 4 quarts..

A Roman Bushel, (Modius, Matt. v. 15) 1 peck.

A Cor, (Corus, or homer, Luke xvi. 7) about 14 bushels.

A Pot, (Sextarius, Mark vii. 4) about 14 pint.

A Bath, (Batus, Luke xvi. 6) 7 gallons.

A Measure, (Chanix, Rev. vi. 6) about one quart.

Seasons of the Year in Palestine.

1. Seed Time, corresponding to our October and November.

"December and January.

2. Winter,

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"February and March.

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"April and May.

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"June and July.

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"August and September.

TO THE

GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW.

MATTHEW, or Levi, the son of Alpheus, was probably a native of Galilee. Little is recorded of him in the New Testament. He was called by our Lord to be one of his twelve apostles, as he sat at the receipt of custom in Capernaum, in the discharge of his duties as a publican, or taxgatherer. He immediately left all, and followed the Messiah. Those who collected the Roman revenues in Palestine were held in great odium and ignominy by the Jews, and loaded with every opprobrious name. But Jesus hesitated not to mingle with this abhorred class, and even to choose one as his apostle, as if the better to demonstrate his reliance upon a power more than human, which could employ the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.

The period of Matthew's discipleship and remaining life appears to have passed without note. Uncertain traditions existed in early times that he preached the Gospel in Parthia and Ethiopia, and fell as a martyr at Naddaber, in the latter country. But the single illustrious monument that remains of him is the following work. This towers simple and majestic over the ruins of time, and bears the name of the once despised publican down to the latest posterity.

His character, as we gather it from the brief data of history, and the style, structure, and spirit of his Gospel, was marked by decision, sterling honesty, and straight-forwardness. He showed his meekness in recording himself as one of a hated and ignominious calling; and his modesty in forbearing to state that the feast which took place after he was called by Jesus, was due to his hospitality. The marks of his unswerving truth and honest independence are traceable throughout his work.

He is generally supposed to have written his Gospel before the others, and hence it has always been placed first. At what exact period it was composed is unknown. Some critics assign it to A. D. 38 or 41, while others, with more probability, conjecture it to have been written as late as A. D. 61 or 64. The great authority of Lardner is in favor of the last date. Matthew is believed to have used the Hebrew language in the original composition of his Gospel; or rather a mixed dialect termed Aramean, or Syro-Chaldaic, made up of Hebrew, Chaldaic, and Syriac, our Saviour's vernacular tongue. According to Eusebius, it is stated by Papias, who lived about A. D. 100, that "Matthew composed his history in the Hebrew dialect, and every one translated it as he could; " and by Irenæus, A. D. 190, that " Matthew, then among the Hebrews, published a Gospel in their own language; whilst Peter and Paul were preaching the Gospel,

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