Excerpts from the writings of two additional authors, Robert Cockburne (1755) and Thomas Townson (1778), relating to the origins of Matthew’s Gospel, have now been posted. As with the other excerpts, I have modified the spellings and punctuation, to make the material more accessible to the modern reader.
An extended excerpt has been posted from Cockburne, as he advances several arguments for why the early church would have been motivated to publish a Gospel at an early date. Besides the cited material, Cockburne is worth reading further, as he wrestles with the difficult statements of Irenaeus.
Townson is of interest, as he provides a number of arguments for an early date for Matthew, based on how the Gospel refers to various individuals. An excerpt containing one of these arguments has been posted.
