I need not follow him minutely here, for I have treated the subject
fully in _Supernatural Religion_, [117:1] to which I beg leave to
refer any reader who is interested in the discussion; and this is
merely Dr. Lightfoot's reply. I will confine myself here to a few
words on the fundamental question at issue.

Papias, in the absence of other testimony, is an important witness of
whom theologians are naturally very tenacious, inasmuch as he is the
first writer who mentions the name of anyone who was believed to have
written a Gospel. It is true that what he says is of very little
weight, but, since no one else had said anything at all on the point,
his remarks merit attention which they would not otherwise receive.

Eusebius states that, in his last work, [117:2] "Exposition of the Lord's
Oracles" ([Greek: Logiôn kuriakôn exêgêsis]), Papias wrote as follows:

"And the elder said this also: 'Mark, having become the interpreter
of Peter, wrote down accurately everything that he remembered,
without, however, recording in order what was either said or done
by Christ. For neither did he hear the Lord, nor did he follow Him;
but afterwards, as I said, [attended] Peter, who adapted his
instructions to the needs [of his hearers], but had no design of
giving a connected account of the Lord's oracles [or discourses]
([Greek: all' ouch hôsper suntaxin tôn kuriakôn poioumenos logiôn]
or [Greek: logôn).' So, then, Mark made no mistake while he thus
wrote down some things as he remembered them; for he made it his
one care not to omit anything that he heard, or to set down any
false statement therein." [118:1]

The first question which suggests itself is: Does the description here