It only remains for me to express my heartfelt thanks to those who so kindly invited me to deliver these lectures, and to those who gave me such generous and considerate hospitality, while they were being delivered. My visit to America was deeply interesting to me. I returned home, not only with the feeling that I had made new and valued friends, but also with a greatly strengthened hope and desire that American and English workers may long be found side by side—not as though either of them had already obtained, or were already made perfect, but pressing on, if so be that they may apprehend that for which also they were apprehended by Christ Jesus. I must also add a word of very sincere thanks to my friends Dr. Lock, who read the whole, and Mr. Ll. J. M. Bebb, who read a part of the proofs of these lectures, and to whose kindness and care I owe it that they are not more faulty than they are. OXFORD. _Easter, 1905_. CONTENTS LECTURE I SURVEY OF RECENT LITERATURE 1 LECTURE II CRITICAL METHODS. THE OLDEST SOLUTION OF THE PROBLEM OF THE FOURTH GOSPEL 42 LECTURE III THE STANDPOINT OF THE AUTHOR 74 LECTURE IV THE PRAGMATISM OF THE GOSPEL 109 LECTURE V THE CHARACTER OF THE NARRATIVE 142 LECTURE VI THE DOCTRINE OF THE LOGOS, AND ITS INFLUENCE ON THE GOSPEL 185 Lecture VII THE CHRISTOLOGY OF THE GOSPEL 205 LECTURE VIII THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE GOSPEL 236 LECTURE I SURVEY OF RECENT LITERATURE _The Situation in November, 1903._ The subject of these lectures illustrates in a striking way the fluctuations and vicissitudes of critical opinion as presented before the public. The facts remain the same, and the balance of essential truth and error in regard to them also remains the same; but the balance of published opinion is a different matter, and in regard to this the changes are often very marked and very rapid.