Originally delivered as one of the Jowett Lectures for 1906, the contents of this booklet emerged during the first quest for the historical Jesus. Somewhat surprisingly, Burkitt discovered that historical criticism increased the historical credibility of the Synoptic Gospels in his estimation. This fourth lecture in the series begins by noting that in early Christianity it was Jesus that was preached and not Jesus’ sayings. This creates special problems for trying to reconstruct Jesus’ actual words. Burkitt first suggests some criteria for this exercise and then applies them in order to reconstruct the teachings of Jesus. Providing a list of likely original sayings, Burkitt then considers Jesus’ teaching in regard to the scribes and Pharisees. Differences between Judaism and Christianity spur him to discuss the differing interpretations of the two belief systems. He finds an unique aspect to Jesus’ teachings on humility and watchfulness.

Francis Crawford Burkitt (1864-1935) began his academic career as a student of mathematics. While at Cambridge University he moved to Divinity, becoming the Norrisian Professor. His interest in the text of the New Testament led him to study Syriac manuscripts and to publish widely in the field. He was a fellow of the British Academy.