These discourses form, in fact, when detached from the rest, a sufficiently complete whole.

As to the narratives of the first and second Gospels, they seem to have for basis a common document, of which the text reappears sometimes in the one and sometimes in the other, and of which the second Gospel, such as we read it to-day, is but a slightly modified reproduction.

In other words, the scheme of the _Life of Jesus_, in the synoptics, rests upon two original documents--first, the discourses of Jesus collected by Matthew; second, the collection of anecdotes and personal reminiscences which Mark wrote from the recollections of Peter.

We may say that we have these two documents still, mixed with accounts from another source, in the two first Gospels, which bear, not without reason, the name of the "Gospel _according_ to Matthew" and of the "Gospel _according_ to Mark." What is indubitable, in any case, is, that very early the discourses of Jesus were written in the Aramean language, and very early also his remarkable actions were recorded.

These were not texts defined and fixed dogmatically.