CORNELL 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
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 THIS BOOK IS ONE OF 
 A COLLECTION MADE BY 
 
 BENNO LOEWY 
 
 1854-1919 
 
 AND BEQUEATHED TO 
 CORNELL UNIVERSITY 
 
BR165 .Wi r 4 nel 1900 erSl,y U "" y 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of this book is in 
 the Cornell University Library. 
 
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 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924029229650 
 
History 
 
 of the 
 
 Christian Religion 
 
 to the 
 YEAR TWO HUNDRED. 
 
 By CHAKLES B. WAITE, A. M. 
 
 Fifth Edition— Revised. 
 Containing much additional matter in Appendix. 
 
 CHICAGO: 
 
 C. V. WAITE & CO. 
 
 1900. 
 
Copyright, 1900, 
 By Charles B. Waite. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 This volume is the result of an investigation , ex- 
 tending through several years, and instituted for the 
 satisfaction of the author. 
 
 Two years of the time were spent in the Library 
 of Congress, which is peculiarly rich in the depart- 
 ment of Biblical Literature. It contains the writ- 
 ings of all the earlier fathers, in the original, and 
 an immense collection of the works of later writers. 
 
 The intent to publish was formed upon ascertain- 
 ing facts and arriving at conclusions which ap- 
 peared of great importance, and which had never 
 before been fully made known. 
 
 To the accomplished Librarian, who furnished 
 the author with every facility for the prosecution of 
 his work, and gave him much valuable informa- 
 tion, he returns his sincere thanks ; also to the as- 
 sistant librarians, for the promptness with which 
 the treasures of the Library were from time to time 
 placed at his disposal. 
 
 It is believed that this will be found to be the 
 most complete record of the events connected with 
 the Christian religion during the first two centuries 
 that has ever been presented to the public. 
 
IV PEEFACE. 
 
 The time has been divided into six periods, and 
 the different writers and events are carefully ar- 
 ranged in regular chronological order. In fixing 
 the dates of the various writers, it was found that 
 the subject was involved in much confusion. In 
 each case, the different dates were carefully- 
 examined, and the one selected which appeared the 
 most consistent, and supported by the most ap- 
 proved authorities. 
 
 A comprehensive view is given of the gospels of 
 the first two centuries, with a brief sketch of those 
 of a later date. The comparisons which have been 
 instituted between the canonical and certain apocry- 
 phal gospels, constitute a peculiar feature of this 
 work, and one which is believed to be of great im- 
 portance in arriving at correct conclusions. 
 
 The Gospel of Marcion has been reproduced from 
 the writings of the fathers, principally from the 
 Greek of Epiphanius. This is something which, 
 so far as the author is aware, has never before been 
 attempted in this country. 
 
 The references to authorities will be found useful 
 to those who may desire to pursue further the inves- 
 tigation of the questions discussed. 
 
 The reader will find considerable repetition in the 
 following pages. The importance of the subject, 
 and the necessity of examining many of the ques- 
 tions from different points of view, would seem to 
 justify, if not absolutely to demand, a restatement, 
 from time to time, of the same facts and proposi- 
 tions in different chapters. 
 
 In the preparation and publication of this work, 
 the author has proceeded upon the assumption that 
 
PREFACE. V 
 
 the ascertainment of the truth is all important, and 
 that its promulgation cannot fail to result in the 
 permanent benefit of the human race. 
 
 The author is under special obligations to the 
 Hon. "William Birney, of Washington, formerly 
 Professor in the University of France, who took a 
 deep interest in the prosecution of the work, and de- 
 voted many hours to its examination and criticism. 
 
 The final result of the undertaking is submitted 
 to the public, in the hope that it may add some- 
 thing to the pages of reliable history. 
 
FROM PREFACE TO THIRD EDITION. 
 
 The History of the Christian Religion has met 
 with a reception from the public, and especially 
 from that great exponent of popular thought, the 
 secular press, far more favorable than the author 
 had expected. With but very few exceptions, the 
 reviews have been fair and liberal in spirit, while 
 many of them have been in the highest degree com- 
 mendatory. 
 
 In this edition the author has availed himself of 
 sundry criticisms, as well as of the kind suggestions 
 of friends, in making some corrections, which, it is 
 believed, will materially add to the value of the 
 work. 
 
 The changes do not in any way affect the main 
 propositions which peculiarly characterize the book, 
 and which have given it such a hold upon the pub- 
 lic mind. These remain unimpeached, and almost 
 unassailed. 
 
 A writer of reputation in theological circles lately 
 delivered a lecture upon the date of the canonical 
 gospels, in which he asserted that there was no 
 record of their introduction, and no evidence that 
 they displaced older gospels . The fact is , there were 
 various instances of the displacement of older gos- 
 pels, and the substitution of the canonical in their 
 
Vlll PREFACE TO THIRD EDITION. 
 
 stead. Even as late as the fifth century Theodoret 
 found it necessary to suppress the Gospel of Ta- 
 tian, and substitute in its place the four Gospels. 
 
 "I found myself," says Theodoret (A. D. 430), "upwards of two 
 hundred such books held in honor among your churches, and collect- 
 ing them all together, I had them put aside, and instead introduced 
 the Gospels of the Four Evangelists."— [Haeret, Fab. 1. 20. See His- 
 tory, ch. 22. 
 
 Such points as appear worthy of attention in the 
 various criticisms which have thus far appeared 
 will be here briefly noticed : 
 
 Chrishna and Christ. — It is claimed to have 
 been settled that the legends concerning Chrishna 
 have originated since the Christian era. 
 
 The author has yet to meet with a writer who has 
 produced any tangible evidence to sustain the posi- 
 tion. The argument is based upon the facilities of 
 intercommunication between Palestine and India, 
 which would render interpolations possible, and 
 upon the fact that the legends of Chrishna are not 
 in some of the older sacred books of the Hindus. 
 
 The first branch of the argument neutralizes it- 
 self ; since the same facilities which would enable 
 the Hindus to interpolate from the Christian gos- 
 pels, would furnish the Christian missionaries 
 equal opportunities to enrich their own gospels 
 from the Hindu writings. As to the omission of 
 the legends from the Vedas, that is no more strange 
 than the fact that the Christian Bible has an Old 
 and a New Testament. If the Chrishna stories are 
 later than the Vedas, that does not prove that they 
 are also later than Christ. 
 
 That they were anterior to the Christian era, is 
 maintained by Christian Lassen, an eminent Ger- 
 
PREFACE TO THIRD EDITION. ix 
 
 man scholar and Professor of Ancient Indian Lan- 
 guage and Literature in the Royal University at 
 Bonn. In the second volume of his Indian An- 
 tiquities, "Indische Alterthumskunde," pp. 1124 to 
 1128, he discusses the question fully, and comes to 
 the following conclusion : 
 
 "I can discover no valid ground for the conjecture that Christian 
 legends had then already [during the first three centuries of the 
 Christian era] been transferred to Krishna." 
 
 "Kami ich keinen trif tigen Grand f uer de Vermuthung entdecken, 
 dass christliche Legenden damals schon auf Krishna uebertragen 
 worden seien."— [Alterthumskunde, vol 2, p. 1128 2d ed.; p. 1109 of 1st 
 edition. 
 
 Whether any such transfer was made at a later 
 period, he does not discuss. But if the integrity of 
 the Chrishna legends at any time after Christ be 
 once established, the presumption of their contin- 
 uance in the same form becomes exceedingly strong, 
 and, in the absence of evidence of change, conclu- 
 sive. 
 
 That Chrishna lived long before Christ is incon- 
 trovertible. Col. Wilford supposes him to have 
 flourished about 1300 B. C. ; while according to Col. 
 Tod, he was born B. C. 1156. Sir Wm. Jones says 
 the story of his birth is long anterior to the birth of 
 Christ, and thinks it was probably at the time of 
 Homer. Lassen places him in the period preceding 
 the Pandava. — [Alterthumskunde, vol. 1, pp. 765- 
 770. 
 
 That the history of Chrishna antedated Christian- 
 ity was the opinion of Mr. H. T. Colebrook, Major 
 Moor, and many others. That Chrishna himself 
 was before Christ is conceded in the Religious Cy- 
 clopedia of McClintock and Strong. 
 
X PREFACE TO THIRD EDITION. 
 
 Here, then, we have the older religion and the 
 older god. This, in the absence of any evidence on 
 either side, ought to settle the question. To assume 
 without evidence that the older religion has been 
 interpolated from the later, and that the legends of 
 the older hero have been made to conform to the 
 history of a later character, is worse than illogical 
 — it is absurd. As well might one take a painting 
 of one of the old masters, and claim that it has been 
 retouched to make it resemble one known to have 
 had a later origin . 
 
 The Divinity op Christ, and his Miraculous 
 Conception. — Professor Elliott, of the Presbyteri- 
 an Theological Seminary, quotes at some length 
 from the History to show that according to the au- 
 thor certain doctrines were not taught in the first 
 century ; and assuming that the divinity of Christ 
 was one of them, he makes quotations from Paul's 
 writings apparently in favor of that doctrine. The 
 author nowhere asserts that the divinity of Christ 
 was not taught in the first century. On the contra- 
 ry, he shows (chap. 33), that Pliny spoke of the 
 Christians as singing hymns "to Christ as to God," 
 and (on the preceding page) distinctly admits that 
 such a doctrine was countenanced by Paul himself. 
 
 The author does maintain that there is no evi- 
 dence of the doctrine of the miraculous conception 
 in the first century, and the mistake of Professor 
 Elliott arose from thinking this doctrine was neces- 
 sarily involved in the other. 
 
 Marcion held that Christ in his conception and 
 birth was entirely human , but that when he was 
 baptized, preparatory to entering upon his minis- 
 
PREFACE TO THIRD EDITION. X i 
 
 try, the Holy Ghost descended upon him, and from 
 that time he became divine. This doctrine he 
 claimed to have received from Paul. 
 
 If the Epistles of Paul are studied in the light of 
 this theory, it will be seen that all of the expres- 
 sions implying the divinity of Christ find a full ex- 
 planation ; while, so far from believing in the mi- 
 raculous conception, he says that Christ was of the 
 seed of David, according to the flesh. 
 
 When the Four Gospels were Written. — The 
 editor of the San Francisco Chronicle, in a learned 
 and very favorable review of the History, says that 
 to many, the views of the author in differing from 
 eminent German scholars as to the date of the four 
 gospels, will seem, at the outset, to savor of pre- 
 sumption. 
 
 Of this he is fully aware. He can only say that 
 he has given his own convictions, after a careful 
 and thorough examination. In so doing, he feels 
 that he is more at liberty to differ from the German 
 scholars alluded to, from the fact that they nearly 
 all differ from each other. It is believed that in 
 this work the solution of the question is made eas- 
 ier by the application of a principle to which suf- 
 ficient attention has not heretofore been given ; a 
 principle designated as the law of accretion. This, 
 properly applied, indicates for the four gospels a 
 date late in the second century. The historical evi- 
 dence points the same way. 
 
 Having arrived at his conclusions by evidence , 
 both internal and external, the author feels justified 
 in maintaining them, even against some eminent 
 names. He is not, however, unsupported by high 
 
x ii PREFACE TO THIRD EDITION. 
 
 German authority. Eichhorn and several others 
 came to the conclusion that the four gospels did not 
 come into use until near the close of the second cen- 
 tury. 
 
 Credibility of the Gospels — Argument of 
 Greenleaf. — The argument of Prof. Greenleaf has 
 been reproduced by several of our critics. He un- 
 dertook to apply to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, 
 as witnesses, certain presumptions and rules of evi- 
 dence. 
 
 The first questions put to a witness are as to his 
 name and place of residence, and his means of 
 knowledge of the facts concerning which he is ex- 
 pected to testify. But what are the names and 
 where were the residences of the men who wrote or 
 compiled the four gospels? When did Matthew,. 
 Mark, Luke or John ever claim to have written a 
 gospel? So far from claiming any such thing, if 
 any one of them could be placed upon the witness 
 stand to-day, and questioned, he would undoubtedly 
 testify at once that he knew nothing about any gos- 
 pel bearing his name, and never heard of it. There 
 is, then, nobody in the witness box to whom these 
 legal presumptions and rules of evidence can be ap- 
 plied. 
 
 As to the presumption of validity arising from 
 the gospels being ancient, and being in the posses- 
 sion of the church, the law wisely provides for a 
 record of title papers where the custodian is an in- 
 terested party. Here there is no record, and the 
 slight presumption arising from possession has been 
 overthrown. 
 
 There have been many other criticisms, but these 
 
PREFACE TO THIRD EDITION. Xlll 
 
 are the most important. We must not pass, how- 
 ever, an allusion by one critic to the discrepancy 
 between Josephus and the gospel historians, in ref- 
 erence to the person whose wife had been taken by 
 Herod. He says a glance at Smith's Bible Diction- 
 ary will explain the apparent diversity. Certainly ; 
 and how is it explained? Simply by adding to 
 Philip another name, to make the name of this 
 prince accord with the gospel narrative. This 
 mode of making history conform to theology, 
 is at least to be admired for its simplicity, and is 
 not infrequent in our religious and semi-religious 
 cyclopedias. 
 
 In conclusion, we again call attention to the fact 
 that none of the main propositions of this work 
 have been in the slightest degree impeached ; much 
 less, overthrown. 
 
 Nearly every one of these propositions is of a 
 negative character. A single positive fact upon the 
 other side would be sufficient for disproof. For in- 
 stance, it is stated that no reference is made to the 
 miracles of Christ by any writer, Christian, heathen 
 or Jewish , until nearly a hundred years after they 
 are said to have been performed. A single well 
 attested passage from any writer would disprove 
 the assertion. Why is no such passage produced? 
 Simply because it cannot be found. 
 
 Until these propositions are overthrown, this 
 work will remain , as it has thus far proved to be , 
 an obstacle in the path of superstition, and an aid 
 to the free searcher after truth. C. B. W. 
 
PREFACE TO FIFTH EDITION. 
 
 It is now nearly twelve years since the fourth 
 edition of this work was exhausted. So many in- 
 quiries have been made for it during that time, 
 that a fifth edition has become an imperative neces- 
 sity. This would have been issued long since but 
 for the unfortunate loss of the plates, which neces- 
 itated an entire republication. 
 
 The author has availed himself of this opportu- 
 nity to make a careful and thorough revision of 
 
 the entire work. 
 
 Though the History of the Christian Religion 
 has been before the public for a number of years, 
 and has been extensively and sometimes adversely 
 criticised, it can be safely asserted that no single 
 statement of fact contained in it has been success- 
 fully controverted. This is the more remarkable, 
 since the book is a magazine of facts from begin- 
 ning to end. In such a multitude of statements, 
 
XVI PKEFACE TO FIFTH EDITION. 
 
 it would not have been strange if some error had 
 been found. That there has not been, is the 
 strongest possible evidence of the correctness and 
 reliability of the entire work. Having passed 
 through such an ordeal, the fifth edition will un- 
 dergo no changes of consequence in the text. As 
 a history, it will stand as it was written. 
 
 The value of the work will, however, be enhanced 
 by the addition of an Appendix, in which will be 
 discussed the following topics : 
 
 Was Jesus an Essene ? 
 
 The Zealots ; 
 
 The Inquisition ; 
 all of them subjects of absorbing interest. 
 
 Other notes, also, have been added to those in 
 the original appendix. 
 
 A new Index has been prepared, completely al- 
 phabetical, and some other changes and additions 
 have been made, all adding to the value of the 
 work, which has now about a hundred pages more 
 than the earlier editions. 
 
 During the last twenty years great changes have 
 been going on in the theological world, especially 
 in the view taken of the origin and history of the 
 gospels. The theory of the apostolic origin of 
 these books — that they were written by eye-wit- 
 nesses of the events therein related — is no longer 
 insisted upon. On the contrary, it is now conceded 
 
PREFACE TO FIFTH EDITION. XVII 
 
 that the gospels had their origin in tradition, partly 
 oral, partly written. Evidence of this change of 
 front is given in an article in the Appendix, 
 entitled "Date of the Gospels," wherein quotations 
 are made from late authors upon the subject. 
 
 The articles on the Essenes and the Zealots will 
 be found to contain important matter not hitherto 
 sufficiently understood. 
 
 The subject of the Inquisition has been treated 
 in a new light, and its philosophical connection 
 with the Christian religion has been shown. In- 
 stead of being, as has been maintained, an excres- 
 cence which originated some six or seven hundred 
 years ago, it has been traced back to Jerome and 
 Augustine, and its roots have been found in the 
 teachings of Paul the apostle, with some sanction 
 in the reported sayings of Jesus himself. 
 
 It is believed that in the present form, with the 
 improvements and additions mentioned, this work 
 will more than justify the many encomiums that 
 have been passed upon it throughout this country 
 and in Europe. 
 
 Chicago, October, 1900. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 Fiest Period. — Apostolic Age. A. D. 30 to A. D. 80. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 The Lost Gospels of the First Century 1 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 John the Baptist — Jesus Christ — Paul — Peter and the other 
 
 Apostles— The Epistles of the New Testament 16 
 
 Second Pebiod. — Apostolic Fathees. A. D. 80 to 120. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 Clement of Rome— Ignatius— Polycarp 40 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 Lost Gospels of the Second Century — Gospel of the Hebrews 62 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 Lost Gospels of the Second Century— Continued. Gospel of 
 
 the Egyptians 78 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Lost Gospels of the Second Century— Concluded 88 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 The Age of Miracles.— Apollonius of Tyana_. 101 
 
XX. CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTEE VIII. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Age of Miracles— Continued. Simon Magus 117 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 Other Miracles and Miracle-Workers— Jewish Superstitions- 
 Miracles of the Fathers— Miracles of the New Testament... 128 
 
 Thied Peeiod. 
 The Theee Apooeyphal Gospels. — A. D. 120 to 130. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 The Three Apocryphal Gospels — The Protevangelion 144 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 The Protevangelion and the Gospels of Luke and Matthew 150 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 Gospel of the Infancy 167 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 The Gospel of the Infancy Compared With Luke and Matthew 175 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 Origin and History of the Gospels of the Infancy 188 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 The Acts of Pilate 202 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 Acts of Pilate and the Canonical Gospels Compared 211 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Other Extant Gospels 242 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 Writers of the Third Period 251 
 
 Foubth Peeiod. 
 Foety Teaes op Cheistian Wkitees. — A. D. 130 to 170. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 Writers from A. D. 130 to A. D. 150 261 
 
CONTENTS. XXI 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 PAGE 
 Marcicm— A. D. 145 272 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 Justin Martyr— A. D. 150 to 160 304 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Writers from A. D. 150 to 170— Continued 318 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Value of the Testimony of Eusebius 327 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 Review of Third and Fourth Periods— A. D. 120 to 170 338 
 
 Fifth Period. 
 The Four Canonical Gospels. — A. D. 170 to 185. 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 The Four Canonical Gospels 340 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 The Four Gospels as a Group 353 
 
 CHAPTER XX VII. 
 
 History of Jesus as given in the Gospels 361 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 Gospel According to Luke 379 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 Gospel According to Mark 388 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 Gospel According to John 394 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 Gospel According to Matthew 402 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 Acts of the Apostles 415 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 Origin and History of Christian Doctrines— The Miraculous 
 Conception— Miracles of Christ— His Material Resurrec- 
 tion—His Divinity — The Trinity— Atonement — Original 
 Sin, etc 420 
 
XXII CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Writers of the Fifth Period 440 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 Review of Fifth Period— Destruction of the Literature of the 
 Gospels— List of Gospel Writings of that Age Lost or 
 Destroyed 449 
 
 Sixth Peeiod. 
 Close of the Second Century — A. D. 185 to A. D. 200. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 
 Writers of the Sixth Period 462 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 Irenaeus— Clement of Alexandria and Tertullian 470 
 
 CHAPTER XXX VIII. 
 
 Formation of the Roman Catholic Hierarchy 474 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIX. 
 Review of Sixth Period— Testimony of Heathen Writers— Gen- 
 eral Review— Conclusion 483 
 
LIST OF CHRISTIAN WRITERS 
 
 AND WRITINGS, OF THE FIRST TWO CENTURIES. 
 
 Chronologically Arranged. 
 
 A.D 
 
 Oracles of Christ, by Matthew, 
 
 60 
 
 Gospel of Paul, 
 
 CI 
 
 Gospel or Recollections of Peter, 
 
 « 
 
 Paul's Epistles. (See Note.) 
 
 
 1. 2d Epistle to the Thessalonians, 
 
 52 
 
 2. 1st " 
 
 53 
 
 3. 1st " " Corinthians, 
 
 57 
 
 4. 2d " " " 
 
 It 
 
 5. Epistle to the Galatians, 
 
 58 
 
 6. " " Romans, 
 
 II 
 
 7. •• to Philemon, 
 
 62 
 
 8. " to the Colossians, 
 
 U 
 
 9. " " Philippians, 
 
 63 
 
 10. " " Ephesians, 
 
 It 
 
 The General Epistle of Peter, (1st Peter), 
 
 80 
 
 " James, 
 
 It 
 
 " Jude, 
 
 •i 
 
 First Epistle of Clement of Rome, to the Corinthians, 
 
 97 
 
 Epistle of Ignatius to the Romans, 
 
 115 
 
 " " " Ephesians, 
 
 II 
 
 ■« " to Polycarp, 
 
 II 
 
 Gospel according to the Egyptians, 
 
 « 
 
 Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians, 
 
 116 
 
 Proverbs of Xystas, 
 
 119 
 
 Menander, Prodicus, 
 
 120 
 
XXIV LIST OP WRITERS. 
 
 A.D. 
 
 Preaching of Peter, Doctrine of Peter, 125 
 
 Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, " 
 
 Sibylline Oracles, later form, Preaching of Paul, " 
 
 , Some Syriac Documents, " 
 
 Gospel according to the Hebrews, " 
 
 Gospel of Perfection, Gospel of Philip, '■ 
 Gospel of Matthias, Gospel of Judas Iscariot, 
 Gospel or Harmony of Basilides, Book of the Helkesaites, 
 
 Midwife of our Savior, Gospel of Thaddseus, '• 
 And many other gospels now lost, written about this time. 
 
 Aces of Peter, Acts of Paul, " 
 Acts of Peter and Andrew, Acts of John, Acts of St. Mary, " 
 And more than 30 other books of Acts, some of them extant. 
 Apocalypse of Peter, Apocalypse of Paul, of Bartholomew, " 
 And many other books of Revelation, written about that time. 
 
 Saturninus, Basilides, Papias, " 
 
 The Protevangelion, or Book of James, " 
 
 Aristides, Quadratus, 126 
 
 Gospel of the Infancy, attributed to Thomas, 130 
 
 Acts of Pilate, or Gospel of Nicodemus, " 
 
 Epistle of Barnabas, Epistle to Titus, attributed to Paul, " 
 
 First and Second Epistles to Timothy, attributed to Paul, " 
 
 General Epistle of John, (1st John), " 
 
 Second and Third Epistles of John, " 
 
 Agrippa Castor, Aristion, John the Presbyter, " 
 
 Revelation or Apocalypse of John, " 
 
 Carpocrates, 135 
 
 Epistles to the Magnesians, Trallians, Smyrnseans and Philadel- 
 
 phians, attributed to Ignatius, 140 
 
 Epiphanes, Cerdon, Epistle to Diognetus, " 
 
 Epistle to the Laodiceans, attributed to Paul, « 
 
 Hermas, Author of The Shepherd, 145 
 
 Cerinthus and his Gospel, « 
 
 Marcion and his New Testament, << 
 
 Isidorus, Valentinus, and The Gospel of Truth, 150 
 
 Justin Martyr, The Clementines, « 
 
LIST OF WRITERS. XXV 
 
 A. D. 
 
 Apelles and his Gospel, Peregrinus, Marcellina, 160 
 
 Epistle to the Hebrews, attributed to Paul, « 
 
 Soter, 164 
 
 Tatian and his Harmony or Gospel, ( ?) 170 
 
 Philip, Montanus, Second Epistle of Peter, " 
 
 Gospel according to Luke, « 
 
 Aristo of Pella, Dionysius of Corinth, Miltiades, 175 
 
 Maximus, Pinytus, Dialogue between Jason and Papiscus, " 
 
 Gospel according to Mark, « 
 
 Modestas, Musanus, 176 
 
 Florinus, Blastus, Epistle of Churches of Vienne and Lyons, 177 
 
 Melito of Sardis, Athenagoras, Claudius Apollinaris, '< 
 
 Gospel according to John, 178 
 
 Theophilus of Antioch, Bardesanes, Hermogenes, 180 
 
 Bacchylus of Corinth, Pantaenus, « 
 
 Gospel according to Matthew, « 
 
 Acts of the Apostles, « 
 
 Apollinaris, Bishop of Hierapolis, << 
 
 Marcia, 183 
 
 Hegesippus, 186 
 
 Asterius Urbanus, 188 
 
 Irenseus, Cassianus, Ptolemseus, Heracleon, Victor, 190 
 
 Serapion, Bishop of Antioch, Maximilla, Muratorian Fragment, " 
 
 Theodotus, of Byzantium, 192 
 
 Bhodon, Narcissus, Bishop of Jerusalem, 195 
 
 Palmas, Polycrates, Bishop of Ephesus, 196 
 
 Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Noetus, Hermas, 3d, 200 
 
 Praxeas, Symmachus, Maximus, Bishop of Jerusalem, " 
 
 Seleucas, Artemon, Pistis Sophise, " 
 
 Julius Africanus, 2d Epistle of Clement of Borne, " 
 
 [Note. The Epistles of Paul.— We have taken as genuine the ten epistles 
 which constituted the Apostolicon of Marcion. The same course has been adopted by 
 Dr. Davidson, except that he rejects, upon what appear insufficient grounds, the 
 Epistle to the Ephesians] 
 
ROMAN EMPERORS 
 
 OF THE FIRST TWO CENTURIES. 
 
 Augustus, 
 Tiberius, 
 
 
 B. C. 
 
 31 
 A. D. 
 
 14 
 
 to 
 to 
 
 A. D. 
 14 
 
 37 
 
 Caligula, 
 
 
 37 
 
 to 
 
 41 
 
 Claudius, 
 
 
 41 
 
 to 
 
 54 
 
 Nero, 
 
 
 54 
 
 to 
 
 68 
 
 Galba, 
 
 
 68 
 
 to 
 
 69 
 
 Gtho, 
 
 January to April. 
 
 i 
 
 
 69 
 
 VlTELLIUS, 
 
 April to December, 
 
 i 
 
 
 69 
 
 Vespasian, 
 
 
 69 
 
 to 
 
 79 
 
 Titus, 
 
 
 79 
 
 to 
 
 81 
 
 Domitian, 
 
 
 81 
 
 to 
 
 96 
 
 Nerva, 
 
 
 96 
 
 to 
 
 98 
 
 Trajan, 
 
 
 98 
 
 to 
 
 117 
 
 Hadrian, 
 
 
 117 
 
 to 
 
 138 
 
 Antoninus Pius, 
 
 
 138 
 
 to 
 
 161 
 
 Marcus Aurelius, 
 
 
 161 
 
 to 
 
 180 
 
 Commodus, 
 
 
 180 
 
 to 
 
 192 
 
 Pertinax, 
 
 January to March 
 
 » 
 
 
 193 
 
 Julian, 
 
 March to June, 
 
 
 
 193 
 
 Septimius Severus, 
 
 
 193 
 
 to 
 
 211 
 
First Period A. D.30 to A. D. 80- 
 
 THE APOSTOLIC AGE. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 lost gospels of the first century. 
 
 The Gospel op Paul — Gospel oe Recollections of Peter 
 — References and Citations by the Fathees of the 
 Church — Views of Modern Writers — Oracles or Sat- 
 ings of Christ, attributed to Matthew — These the 
 Germs of the Synoptic Gospels, Luke, Mark and Mat- 
 thew. 
 
 This is an attempt to write a history of the Chris- 
 tian religion during the first two centuries. Not a 
 history of Christianity, which would require us to 
 follow the principles of that religion, in their dis- 
 semination through various countries, and in their 
 influence upon other institutions. Nor yet a his- 
 tory of the church ; which would make it necessary 
 to examine questions of ecclesiastical polity, to 
 trace the rise and progress of different forms of 
 church government, and to notice the manners and 
 customs of the early Cristians, and their treatment 
 by the civil magistrates. 
 
 These are touched upon only in their bearing up- 
 on the main object of the inquiry ; which is, an ex- 
 amination into the principal doctrines distinctive of 
 
2 HISTORY OP THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 
 
 the Christian religion, so far as they were known 
 and taught in the first two centuries ; also the prin- 
 cipal traditions and books by which those doctrines 
 were disseminated. 
 
 The difficulty of the undertaking is great. The 
 gospels of the first century are unfortunately lost. 
 There are left, of that century, only the epistles 
 of Paul, the one epistle of Clement of Rome, some 
 slight notices by Jewish and heathen writers, and 
 the few legends and traditions preserved in the 
 writings of the fathers, and in the extant second 
 century gospels. And when we enter upon the next 
 century, though there is more remaining than of 
 the first, still, the great body of the Christian lit- 
 erature of that age also, has been lost or destroyed. 
 
 Availing himself of what remains, the author 
 will, though conscious of the magnitude of the task, 
 enter upon it at least with fidelity to the truth , as 
 he understands it. 
 
 The time will be divided into six periods, to be 
 designated as follows : 
 
 First Period . . .Apostolic Age A.D. 30 to A.D. 80. 
 
 Second Peeiod... Apostolic Fathers " 80" "120. 
 
 Thikd Period The Three Apocryphal 
 
 Gospels "120" " 130. 
 
 Foukth Period . . Forty Years of Christian 
 
 Writers "130" " 170. 
 
 Fifth Period The four Canonical Gos- 
 pels "170" " 185. 
 
 Sixth Period Close of the Second Cen- 
 tury " 185 " " 200. 
 
FIRST PERIOD 
 
 Lost Gospels of the First Century. 
 
 When Christianity had become partially estab- 
 lished by the teaching of Christ and the preaching 
 of his apostles and disciples, there arose among the 
 Christians of the various churches a necessity, and 
 hence a demand, for some written testimonies or 
 records of the life and doctrines of their great mas- 
 ter. But this need was not so apparent or pressing 
 in the first century, and especially during the life- 
 time of those who had been with Jesus, and had 
 been his followers and companions. 
 
 Of the numerous gospels which were in circula- 
 tion in the second century, not more than three 
 can with any certainty, or with any high degree of' 
 probability, be traced back to the times of the 
 apostles. These are the Gospel of Paul, the Gospel 
 or Recollections of Peter, and the Oracles or Say- 
 ings of Christ, attributed to Matthew. 
 
 THE GOSPEL OF PAUL. 
 
 Ewald, one of the best of the German critics, 
 concludes that there was a Gospel of Paul ; thinks it 
 was in the Greek language, and that it may have 
 been written by the evangelist Philip. 1 
 
 It maybe inferred that it afterward became incor- 
 porated into the Gospel of Marcion (A. D. 145), 
 since Marcion was a follower of Paul, and for his 
 own gospel claimed the sanction of that apostle. 2 
 
 Marcion was a native of Sinope, a town of Asia 
 
 (i.) Jahrbuecher, 1848, 1849. 
 
 (2.) See Fabricius, Codex Apocryphus, Hamb. 1703, vol. i, p. 372. Also History of 
 the Canon, by Westcott, 3d ed. Lond. 1870, p. 282. 
 
4 FIRST PERIOD A. D. 30 TO A. D. 80. 
 
 Minor, on the south shore of the Black Sea. It is 
 supposed that the church at Sinope was furnished 
 by Paul, at the time of its formation, with a collec- 
 tion such as he supplied to the other Asiatic 
 churches ; containing records of the life and teach- 
 ings of Christ. 
 
 It was the opinion of Jerome, and of several other 
 writers, that when Paul spoke of his gospel, (Rom. 
 2. 16 ; 16. 25 ; 2d Thess. 2. 14,) he referred to a 
 written gospel then in circulation. 
 
 Paul may have had such a gospel in mind ; but his 
 language is not sufficiently explicit to justify us in 
 concluding, with any certainty, that he meant any 
 thing more than that gospel of which he was the 
 great expounder. 
 
 There is, however, a more distinct trace of the 
 Gospel of Paul in his First Epistle to the Corinthi- 
 ans, ch. 11, vv. 23 to 25. By comparing this pas- 
 sage with Luke 22. 19, 20, it will be seen that the 
 language is almost identical ; while the parallel 
 passages, Matt. 26. 26 to 28, and Mark 14. 22 to 24, 
 have no such complete similarity, though the idea 
 is the same. The Gospel of Luke, whether directly, 
 or through Marcion's, was founded partly upon the 
 Gospel of Paul. That Paul had something to do 
 with a written gospel, which now appears, in whole 
 or in part, in the compilation of Luke, is generally 
 acknowledged.; and this passage in First Corinthi- 
 ans, taken in connection with the corresponding 
 passage in Luke, is strong evidence that in Corin- 
 thians Paul refers to a written gospel, which he had 
 "delivered" to the church at Corinth, and a portion 
 of which written gospel appears in Luke 22. 19*, 20. 
 
LOST GOSPELS OF THE FIRST CENTURY. 5 
 
 Paul may have referred, also, to the same gospel in 
 Galatians 2.2. 
 
 This supposition receives countenance from a 
 passage in Tertullian . In his work against Marcion 
 (A. D. 200-210), after saying that Marcion did not 
 ascribe his gospel to any author, and arguing 
 thence that it was not authentic, he proceeds as fol- 
 lows : 
 
 " Had Marcion even published his gospel in the name of Paul him- 
 self, the single authority of the document, destitute of all support 
 from preceding authorities, would not be a sufficient basis for our 
 faith. There would still be wanting that gospel which Paul found in 
 existence, to which he yielded his belief, and with which he so ear- 
 nestly wished his own to agree, that he actually on that account went 
 up to Jerusalem, to know and consult the apostles 'lest he should run 
 or had been running in vain;' in other words, that the faith which he 
 had learned and the gospel which he was preaching, might be in ac- 
 cordance with theirs. Then, at last, having conferred with the au- 
 thors, and having agreed with them touching the rule of faith, they 
 joined their hands in fellowship, and divided their labors thenceforth 
 in the office of preaching the gospel, so that they were to go to the 
 Jews, and Paul to the Jews and Gentiles. Inasmuch, therefore, as 
 the enlightener of Luke himself desired the authority of his prede- 
 cessors, for both his own faith and preaching, how much more may 1 
 not require from Luke's Gospel, that which was necessary for the 
 gospel of his master."— [Tertullian adv. Marcion, bk. 4, ch. 2, Ante-M- 
 cene Christian Library, vol. 7, p. 180. 
 
 From this passage of Tertullian it is manifest, 
 first, that there was a Gospel of Paul, and the infer- 
 ence is very strong that it was in writing ; since 
 Paul is represented as going to Jerusalem to com- 
 pare his gospel with another, and while there, con- 
 ferring with the "authors" of the other gospel ; sec- 
 ondly, that it was necessary, for the purpose of ver- 
 ification, that these two gospels should be com- 
 pared ; and thirdly, that all this was anterior to the 
 Gospel according to Luke. It might be inferred, 
 from the closing portion of the paragraph, that Ter- 
 
6 FIRST PERIOD — A. D. 30 TO A. D. 80. 
 
 tullian thought the Gospel of Luke itself stood in 
 need of some verification. 
 
 It does not follow, however, that the gospel with 
 which Paul was so anxious to compare his own, was 
 written before his . The word " primitive ' ' inserted 
 by the Ante-Nicene translator, in brackets, before 
 the word "authors," we have therefore discard- 
 ed as unnecessary to the sense, and unauthor- 
 ized. 
 
 The language of Tertullian is, "Denique, ut cum auctoribus contu- 
 lit, et convenit de regula fidei, dexteras miscuere," etc. — [Tertull. Op? 
 torn. 1, p. 251. 
 
 The opinion of Ewald is, that the Greek Gospel 
 of Paul was the first ever written. There was prob- 
 ably no great length of time intervening between 
 the origin of that and of the other two gospels of 
 the first century. 
 
 The testimony of Irenaeus (A. D. 190) concerning 
 this gospel is, that it was written by Luke. 
 
 "Luke, also, the companion of Paul, recorded 
 in a book the gospel preached by him." 1 
 
 Notwithstanding the positive language here used, 
 the statement is to be taken with some allowance. 
 Irenseus was fully committed to the four gospels, 
 and was engaged in endeavoring to give them au- 
 thority. He maybe said, in fact, to have intro- 
 duced them to the notice of the literary world ; since 
 he is the first author who mentions more than one 
 of them. He speaks frequently of these gospels, 
 and argues that they should be four in number, 
 neither more nor less, because there are four uni- 
 versal winds, and four quarters of the world. 
 
 (i.) Irenseus v, Haer. bk. 3, ch. *, Ante-Nie. vol. 5, p. 259. 
 
LOST GOSPELS OF THE FIRST CENTURY. 7 
 
 Davidson calls him "credulous and blunder- 
 ing." 1 
 
 Those who are so quick to receive the statement 
 of Irenseus that the Gospel of Paul was written by 
 Luke, a statement manifestly made to give apos- 
 tolic sanction to the Gospel of Luke, are not pre- 
 pared to accept so readily his assertion that the 
 ministry of Jesus lasted twenty years, and that he 
 was fifty years old at his crucifixion. 2 
 
 THE GOSPEL OR RECOLLECTIONS OF PETER. 
 
 This was a book more generally known than the 
 Gospel of Paul, and of the existence of which there 
 can be no doubt. In the year 190, a large number 
 of these Gospels of Peter were found in use by the 
 church of Ehossus, in Cilicia ; and so much were 
 the Christians of that church attached to them 
 that it became necessary for Serapion, one of the 
 bishops, to suppress them, and to substitute the 
 canonical gospels in their stead. 3 
 
 Another case of the suppression of older gospels 
 in use in the churches, to make way for those 
 which had been selected, will be noticed hereafter. 
 (See Tatian.) 
 
 Eusebius (A. D. 325) speaking of the Gospel ac- 
 cording to Peter, with other books, says : 
 
 "Neither among the ancient nor the ecclesiastical writers of our 
 day, has there been one that has appealed to the testimony taken 
 from them." Again, in book 3, chapter 25, he speaks of the Gospel of 
 
 (i.) Canon, p. 121. 
 
 (2.) Iren. v. Hasr. 2. 22, Ante-Nic. vol. 5, p. 196. 
 
 (3.) Dr. Lardaer's Works, vol. 4, p. 636; Theodoret, Fab. Haer. z. 2; Euseb. Ecc. Hist. 
 6. 12; Lost and Hostile Gospels by S. Baring-Gould, p 245. Theodoret there says, the 
 Nazarenes held that Christ was a just man, and they used the Gospel of Feter. He 
 speaks as of his own day, A. D. 430. 
 
8 FIRST PERIOD — A. D. 30 TO A. D. 80. 
 
 Peter as among those that were "adduced by the heretics, under the 
 name of the apostles," and "of which no one of those writers in the 
 ecclesiastical succession, has condescended to make any mention in 
 his works;" and says, "they are to be ranked not only among the spu- 
 rious writings, but are to be rejected as altogether absurd and impi- 
 ous."— [Eccles. Hist, bk 3, ch. 3. 
 
 Eusebius had a peculiar faculty for diverging 
 from the truth. Let us see how far from it he has 
 gone in these assertions : 
 
 1. Justin Martyr, in the Dialogue, written about 
 A. D. 160, says: 
 
 "The mention of the fact, that Christ changed the name of Peter, 
 one of the apostles, and that the event had been recorded in his [Pe- 
 ter's] Memoirs, together with his having changed the name of two 
 other brethren, who were sons of Zebedee, to Boanerges, tended to 
 signify that he was the same through whom the surname Israel was 
 given to Jacob, and Joshua to Hosea." — [Dialogue with Trypho, ch. 106. 
 
 The translation, as given in the Ante-Nicene 
 Christian Library, vol. 2, p. 233, is as follows : 
 
 "And when it is said that he changed the name of one of the apos- 
 tles to Peter, and when it is written in the memoirs of Him that this 
 so happened, as well as that he changed the name of other two 
 brothers," etc. 
 
 The word "Him," commencing with a capital 
 letter, of course refers to Christ ; thus making it 
 read, the memoirs of Christ, and ignoring Peter 
 as the author. The Greek is, 
 
 "Kai to eipein metonomakenai avion Petron hena tone Apostol- 
 one, kai gegraphthai en tois apomneemoneumasin autou," etc. 
 
 Such a construction, besides referring the pro- 
 noun autou (of him), at the close of the sentence, 
 to the more distant antecedent, contrary to the rule 
 in such cases, attributes to Justin language which 
 he is not in the habit of using. Elsewhere, when 
 speaking of the gospels which he cites so frequently, 
 he calls them, not Memoirs of Christ, but "Memoirs 
 
LOST GOSPELS OF THE FIRST CENTURY. 9 
 
 of the Apostles." He has ten times "Memoirs of 
 the Apostles," and five times "Memoirs ;" not once 
 "Memoirs of Christ." 
 
 For the rendering we have adopted we have the 
 authority of Dr. Westcott 1 and other eminent schol- 
 ars. Moreover, it is powerfully supported by the 
 fact, that the only one of the canonical gospels 
 which has this account of the change of the name 
 of James and John to Boanerges, is Mark, which 
 has such an intimate connection with the Gospel of 
 Peter. (See Mark 3. 17.) 
 
 We conclude, therefore, that Justin Martyr here 
 refers to the Memoirs or Recollections of Peter, 
 which can be nothing else than the Gospel of Peter. 
 It was probably a consideration of this passage 
 which induced Credner to say that Justin made use 
 of this gospel. 2 
 
 2. The next writer who refers to the Gospel of 
 Peter, is Turtullian (A. D. 200-210). He was one 
 of the three fathers who were engaged in establish- 
 ing the canonical gospels. And as Irenseus had 
 undertaken to confound the Gospel of Paul with 
 the Gospel of Luke, so Tertullian endeavors to 
 identify the Gospel of Peter with the Gospel of 
 Mark. He says : 
 
 "The Gospel which Mark published is affirmed 
 to be Peter's, whose interpreter Mark was." 3 
 
 Jones, who is unwilling to recognize the Gospel 
 of Peter as authoritative, attempts to break the 
 force of this testimony by interpolating, in the 
 translation, the words "by some"; thus: "is af- 
 
 (i) Hist, of the Canon, p. 103. 
 
 (2) Geschicht. N. T. Kan. p. 22. 
 
 (3) Tert. ad. Marcion, 4. 5. 
 
10 FIRST PERIOD A. D. 30 TO A. D. 80. 
 
 firmed by some to be Peter's." But this is en- 
 tirely unauthorized. 
 
 The original is, "Evangelium quod edidit Mar- 
 cus, Petri afiirmatur, cujus interpres Marcus;" 
 translated in the Ante-Nicene collection, "That 
 [gospel] which Mark published, may be affirmed to 
 be Peter's, whose interpreter Mark was." 
 
 Tertullian manifestly intended to assert that in 
 his day the Gospel of Mark was understood to be 
 Peter's, or to have the Gospel of Peter for its orig- 
 inal. 
 
 3. The third father who referred to this Gospel, 
 wasOrigen, A. D. 230. 
 
 "There are some," says he, "who say the brethren of Christ [here 
 mentioned] were the children of Joseph by a former wife, who lived 
 with him before Mary; and they are induced to this opinion by some 
 passages in that which is entitled the Gospel of 1'eter, or The Book 
 of James."— [Com. on Matt. 13. 55. 
 
 It must not be inferred that Origen here speaks 
 of the books as the same ; but that the opinion was 
 held, in accordance with passages in the one book 
 or the other. In the Protevangelion, or Book of 
 James, as it was called, it is related, that when the 
 high priest told Joseph that he was the person se- 
 lected to take the virgin, he demurred, saying, "I 
 am an old man and have children ; but she is young, 
 and I fear lest I should appear ridiculous in Is- 
 rael." 
 
 Though Origen was not fully prepared to accept 
 this statement, not seeing it in the canonical gos- 
 pels, which had then, to /use his own language, been 
 "chosen," 1 and were thenceforth to be authorita- 
 tive, yet the fact had become so well understood, 
 
 (i) "And that not four gospeis but very many were written, out of which those wo 
 
LOST GOSPELS OF THE FIRST CENTURY. 11 
 
 from the previous use of the other gospels, that it 
 was by most of the fathers, implicitly received as 
 true , for a long time afterward . Epiphanius , Chrys- 
 ostom, Cyril, Theophylact, CEcumenius, and all 
 the Latin fathers till Ambrose, and the Greek 
 fathers afterward, held to the opinion that Joseph 
 was a widower, and had children by a former wife ; 
 showing that the Gospel of Peter and the Protevan- 
 gelion were regarded as authority. 
 
 Thus we find the Gospel of Peter expressly re- 
 ferred to by three of the fathers before Eusebius, 
 though that historian asserts that no one of them 
 had condescended to make any mention of it. 
 
 Eusebius exhibited a still more reckless disregard 
 for the truth, in regard to the Preaching of Peter. 
 He made a similar sweeping assertion respecting 
 that ; while the fact was, it had been mentioned by 
 Heraclion andLactantius, and six times by Clem- 
 ent of Alexandria, and every time with indications 
 of approval. It may be well to mention an error 
 of some writers, in supposing the Preaching of Pe- 
 ter and the Preaching of Paul to be one book, or 
 parts of the same book, merely from their being 
 mentioned in the same connection by Lactantius. 
 Such an inference is not authorized. 
 
 Other writers have mentioned this gospel. The- 
 odoret (A. D. 430) says, "The Nazarenes are Jews 
 who venerate Christ as a just man merely, and it is 
 said they use the Gospel according to Peter." 1 
 
 iave were chosen, and delivered to the churches, we may perceive," etc.— [Origen, in 
 Prcem. Lues, Horn. I, t. 2, p. 210. 
 
 Again: "Four gospels only have been approved, out of which the doctrines of our Lord 
 and Savior are to be learned." 
 
 These gospels were selected, or "separated" from others.— [Westcott, p. 317. 
 
 <i) Haer. Fab. 2. 2. 
 
12 FIEST PERIOD — A. D. 30 TO A. D. 80. 
 
 Credner thinks the gospel was one of the oldest 
 writings of the church , and the source from which 
 Justin Martyr drew many of his quotations ; also 
 that it was essentially identical with the Harmony 
 of Tatian, and the Gospel according to the He- 
 brews. 1 
 
 Dr. Mill 2 says it was publicly read by the Chris- 
 tians ; and Mr. Whiston 3 asserts that it was prob- 
 ably, in some sense, a sacred book. 
 
 Jones, who wishes to discredit it, says it was 
 interdicted by the decree of Pope Gelasius (A. D. 
 494) , according to some copies ; though he does not 
 explain how the interdict crept into those copies , 
 nor why it is not in the decree as generally pub- 
 lished, and as it appears in his own work, vol. 1, p. 
 154. 
 
 The Gospel of Peter favored the opinions of the 
 Docetas, who held that Christ and Jesus were dif- 
 ferent ; that Jesus really suffered, but Christ only 
 in appearance. 
 
 Norton , 4 whose opinion is entitled to great weight, 
 thinks this gospel was not a history of Christ's 
 ministry. 4 
 
 Rev. S. Baring-Gould asks the question, "Was 
 this gospel a corrupted edition of St. Mark?" and 
 answers it thus: "Probably not. We have not 
 much ground on which to base an opinion, but 
 there is just sufficient to make it likely that such 
 was not the case . ' ' 5 
 
 He considers the statement concerning the brOth- 
 fi) Gesch. d. N. T. Kanon, p. 22. 
 
 (2) Prolegom. in Nov. Test., sec. 336. 
 
 (3) Essay on the Constitutions of the Apostles, p. 24. 
 
 (4) Evidences of the Genuineness of the Gospels, by Andrews Norton, Boston, 1837, 
 vol. 1, p 234. Notes. 
 
 (5) Lost and Hostile Gospels, p. 221. 
 
LOST GOSPELS OF THE FIRST CENTURY. 13 
 
 ers and sisters of Christ, as most valuable, as the 
 gospel is "wholly unprejudiced, and of great an- 
 tiquity." 1 
 
 THE ORACLES OR SAYINGS OF CHRIST. 
 
 Our information concerning this collection, is 
 exceedingly meager ; being based entirely upon a 
 passage in Eusebius, in which Papias is represented 
 as saying, "Matthew set forth the Oracles in the 
 Hebrew dialect, which every one interpreted as he 
 was able." 2 
 
 Eusebius says further, that Papias wrote five 
 books of "Expositions of the Oracles of the Lord." 
 These are a part of the multitude of lost writings of 
 those times. 
 
 Baring-Gould thinks the Oracles consisted of five 
 parts, ending at the following passages : 
 
 First, at Matthew ch. 7, v. 28 ; second, at Matt. 
 11. 1 ; third, at Matt. 13. 53; fourth, at Matt. 19. 
 1, and fifth, at Matt. 26. 1. Upon this theory, the 
 Oracles were a compilation of different manu- 
 scripts. It is the generally received opinion that 
 a number of older manuscripts have entered into 
 the construction of the Gospel according to Mat- 
 thew, and that this gospel was to some extent based 
 upon the Oracles. 
 
 RECAPITULATION. 
 
 The Gospel of Paul, though it does not stand 
 out so clearly and indisputably as the Gospel of Pe- 
 ter, has yet sufficient evidence of having been one 
 of the gospels of the first century. It is testified to 
 by Marcion , and is apparently alluded to by Irense- 
 
 (i) P. 222. 
 
 (2) Euseb. Ecc. Hist., bk. 3, ch. 39. 
 
14 FIRST PERIOD A. D. 30 TO A. D. 80. 
 
 us and Tertullian, and by Paul himself. It was in 
 the Greek language. 
 
 The Gospel or Recollections op Peter, was a 
 book well known, and of high authority among the 
 ancient Christians. Even after the introduction of 
 the four gospels afterward made canonical, the Gos- 
 pel of Peter maintained so firm a footing that it be- 
 came necessary to suppress it in some of the 
 churches. It was retained and used by the Naza- 
 renes, long afterward. 
 
 It is cited by Justin Martyr, and referred to by 
 Tertullian and Origen. The statement of Eusebi- 
 us, that no one of the ecclesiastical writers had ap- 
 pealed to testimony taken from it, and that no one 
 of them had condescended to make any mention of 
 it, is untrue. The passage in Justin Martyr is mis- 
 translated in the Ante-Nicene collection, and the 
 passage in Turtullian is mistranslated by Jones. 
 
 The statement contained in this gospel, that Jo- 
 seph had children by a former wife, was generally 
 received by the fathers, for several centuries. The 
 Gospel of Peter is highly spoken of by Dr. Mill, 
 Mr. "Whiston, and other eminent writers. Credner, 
 a German writer of high authority, thinks it was 
 used by Justin Martyr, A. D. 150-160. 
 
 The Oracles, or Sayings of Christ, in the Ar- 
 amaic language, we know but little about. It has 
 been generally conceded, on the authority of Euse- 
 bius, that Papias (A. D. 125) had such a book, and 
 that he wrote commentaries upon it. 
 
 Doctrines. — There is no evidence that any of 
 these gospels taught the miraculous conception, 
 
LOST GOSPELS OP THE FIRST CENTURY. 15 
 
 or the material resurrection of Christ, or contained 
 any account of his miracles, or any reference to 
 any book containing such accounts or teaching ei- 
 ther of those doctrines. 
 
 It will be seen as we proceed, that the three gos- 
 pels which have been considered, were the germs of 
 the three synoptic gospels, respectively. That is, 
 the Gospel of Paul was the germ of the Gospel ac- 
 cording to Luke ; the Gospel of Peter, of the Gos- 
 pel according to Mark ; and the Oracles, of the Gos- 
 pel according to Matthew. 
 
 They cannot, however, in any sense, be consid- 
 ered the same. The synoptic gospels were un- 
 doubtedly written long afterward, and contained, in 
 many respects, very different material. Moreover, 
 the Gospel of Paul appears to have passed through 
 the Gospel of Marcion before reaching the author 
 of Luke, and the Oracles through the Gospel of the 
 Hebrews before reaching the author of Matthew. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 apostolic age— a. d. 30 to a. d. 80. 
 
 (continued.) 
 
 John the Baptist — Jesus Cheist — Paul — Peter — John — 
 The Jameses — The Judases — The Other Apostles — 
 Epistles of the New Testament — The Apocalypse. 
 
 The first character in Christian history is John, 
 the Baptist. 
 
 What was his connection with Jesus , and what 
 were his relations to the origin of the Christian re- 
 ligion? 
 
 Josephus, while he gives an account of John 
 the Baptist baptizing and making converts, says 
 nothing of his announcing the approach of a coin- 
 ing Messiah. 1 
 
 The author of Luke commences his account of 
 John the Baptist by saying that he appeared in the 
 fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Csesar, Pon- 
 tius Pilate being Governor of Judea and Herod be- 
 ing Tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip Tetrarch 
 of Iturea and of the region of Trachonitis, Lysanias 
 Tetrarch of Abilene, Annas and Caiaphas being 
 the high priests. (Luke 3. 1, 2.) 
 
 In the 23d verse of the same chapter, after relat- 
 ing the baptism of Jesus, he states that he began to 
 be about thirty years of age. 
 
 (i) Antiquities, bk. 18, ch. 5, 2. 
 
APOSTOLIC AGE JOHN THE BAPTIST. 17 
 
 If by this language the author of Luke meant to 
 say that Jesus was not then past thirty,, did he not 
 make a mistake of at least three years? Tiberius 
 commenced reigning A. D. 14, and the fifteenth 
 year of his reign would be A. D. 29, or when Jesus 
 was thirty-three years of age, as he was four years 
 old at the commencement of the Christian era. 
 
 We do not, however, look upon this as a very seri- 
 ous discrepancy, and think Dr. Lardner over-esti- 
 mated the question when he spoke of it as one 
 of "very great difficulty." The word "hosei," 
 "about," used by the gospel historian, relieves him 
 from any very exact criticism. 
 
 So of another objection ; the statement that An- 
 nas and Caiaphas were high priests ; it being noto- 
 rious that the Jews never had but one high priest 
 at a time. This has been partially explained by 
 showing that Josephus, in one place, spoke of one 
 as a high priest, who had held, but did not at the 
 time referred to, hold that office. The language 
 here is somewhat more definite, and appears more 
 plainly to intimate that two did actually hold the 
 position the same year. 
 
 This would indicate that this portion of the book 
 was written long afterward , by one not acquainted 
 with Jewish customs. Dr. Lardner says, "It would 
 be extremely unreasonable to impute to St. Luke so 
 great a mistake as the supposing there were prop- 
 erly two high priests among the Jews at the same 
 time." The most effectual way of relieving him 
 from the imputation is, not to charge upon him 
 the authorship of a work which bears so many 
 marks of having been written long after his day. 
 
18 FIRST PERIOD A. D. 30 TO A. D. 80. 
 
 If the passage in Josephus concerning Christ 
 were genuine, then the failure to connect him with 
 John the Baptist, would be utterly incomprehensi- 
 ble. But since it is the general verdict of scholars 
 that the paragraph in the 3d chapter of the 18th 
 book of the Antiquities, wherein it is stated that 
 Jesus was the Christ, etc. , is an interpolated forgery, 
 the matter appears very differently. It is easy to 
 see that Josephus, retaining all his Jewish preju- 
 dices and antipathies, might have intentionally 
 passed over the proclamation of the coming Mes- 
 siah. 
 
 Pursuing the biography of John, as given in the 
 gospel history, the next incident presents a diffi- 
 culty of a more serious character. 
 
 It is stated that Herod the Tetrarch shut up John 
 in prison, being reproved by him for Herodias, his 
 brother Philip's wife. (Luke, 3. 19, 20 ; Mark, 6. 
 17-20 ; Matthew, 14. 3-5. ) This Philip could be no 
 other than Philip the Tetrarch of Trachonitis, men- 
 mentioned in Luke 3. 1. He was the brother, or 
 rather half-brother of Herod the Tetrarch, and 
 Herod had no other brother Philip. They were 
 both sons of Herod the Great. 
 
 But according to Josephus, Philip could not have 
 been the former husband of Herodias. It was an- 
 other Herod, half-brother of Herod the Tetrarch, 
 having the same father, but not the same mother. 
 The father of this Herod was Herod the Great, 
 while his mother was Mariamne, daughter of Si- 
 mon the high priest. 1 
 
 Josephus could not well be mistaken in this mat- 
 
 (i) Antiq., bk 18, ch. 5, sec. 1, and same, sec. 4. 
 
APOSTOLIC AGE JOHN THE BAPTIST. 19 
 
 ter, being himself a Jew, and all the parties occu- 
 pying a high position among his people. Not only 
 were all these sons of Herod the Great, but Hero- 
 dias was sister of Agrippa the Great. The atten- 
 tion of the historian was particularly called to the 
 transaction, and he relates in full the visit of Her- 
 od the Tetrarch to Herod, his half-brother, his fall- 
 ing in love with Herodias, his brother's wife, and 
 their subsequent arrangement to be married. Also 
 the difference that arose on this very account, be- 
 tween Herod the Tetrarch and Aretas, King of Pe- 
 trsea, father of the wife whom Herod put aside, in 
 favor of Herodias ; a difficulty which resulted in a 
 war. 
 
 The gospel account of the death of John, is also 
 very different from that of the historian. It does 
 not appear in Luke, but in Mark and Matthew it is 
 related that the daughter of Herodias danced before 
 Herod, at a supper given by him on his birthday ; 
 (Mark, 6. 21, 22;) that Herod was pleased, and 
 promised to give her whatever she should ask ; and 
 she, being instructed by her mother, asked the head 
 of John the Baptist ; that the king ordered it to be 
 given her, and it was brought in a charger. (Mark, 
 6.21-29; Matt., 14.6-11). 
 
 The account by Josephus is, in substance : 
 That John was a good man ; that he commanded 
 the Jews to exercise virtue, and exhorted them to 
 come to his baptism ; that crowds came about him, 
 much pleased at his discourses ; that Herod feared 
 that his great influence over the people might put 
 it into his power and inclination to raise a re- 
 bellion, the people being ready to do anything he 
 
20 FIRST PERIOD — A. D. 30 TO A. D. 80. 
 
 should advise ; that to prevent any mischief he 
 might do, and to put it out of his power to raise a 
 rebellion, Herod had him thrown into prison at 
 Macherus, and there put to death. 
 
 Though it might be possible, by the exercise of 
 skill and ingenuity, to show that the accounts of 
 John the Baptist, as given by Josephus on the one 
 hand and the gospel historians on the other, are 
 not absolutely contradictory, except as to the for- 
 mer husband of Herodias ; yet the general tenor of ' 
 the two biographies is so different, and the narra- 
 tives so divergent, as to render it problematical 
 whether John sustained any such relation to Jesus 
 as is commonly supposed. 
 
 The Gospel of Marcion (A. D. 145), which, in 
 other respects, was very similar to Luke, contained 
 no such history of John. Marcion 's Gospel was 
 probably first written. The first two chapters of 
 Luke were not in Marcion. In place of the 3d and 
 4th chapters, there was the first chapter in Mar- 
 cion 's Gospel, which commenced as follows : 
 
 "Now in the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate 
 ruling in Judea, Jesus came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, 
 and straightway on the sabbath days, going into the synagogue, he 
 taught. 
 
 " 2. And they were astonished at his doctrine, for his word was 
 -with power." 
 
 There was no statement in Marcion as to the age 
 of Christ, nor concerning the two high priests, nor 
 were there any contradictions of Josephus. 
 
 Before leaving the history of John the Baptist, 
 we cannot refrain from referring to the grotesque 
 incident of the daughter of Herodias dancing at a 
 supper given by Herod to his lords, high captains 
 and chief estit3S This portion of the narrative 
 
APOSTOLIC AGE JOHN THE BAPTIST JESUS. 21 
 
 caused a sore trial to the faith of the great Dr. 
 Lardner. 
 
 " It may perhaps be expected," he says, " I should here produce an 
 instance, about that time, of some lady of like station with Herodias' 
 daughter, who danced at a public entertainment. But I must own, I 
 am not furnished with any instance exactly parallel." 
 
 Although the Doctor did not hesitate to believe 
 in miracles, yet, when any thing purported to be 
 inside the bounds of nature, he desired to see it 
 within the range of probability. 
 
 JESUS CHEIST. 
 
 The next character is Christ himself. 
 
 He is said to have been begotten of a virgin, by 
 the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 This event does not appear to have been men- 
 tioned in heathen, Jewish or Christian history, un- 
 til more than a hundred years after it is said to 
 have taken place. The doctrine of the immaculate 
 or miraculous conception, when it was promulgated 
 to the Christians of the second century, was found 
 to be so congenial to the prevailing disposition to 
 deify Christ, that it was at once taken up by the 
 bishops, and incorporated among the founda- 
 tions of the grand religious structure then being 
 erected. 
 
 Paul, who had already laid the foundations of the 
 structure, seems to have known nothing of the doc- 
 trine. 
 
 It was somewhat incongruous to deify a person 
 
 born in the ordinary course of generation. The mi- 
 raculous conception was needed, to give form and 
 consistency to the doctrine of the divinity of Je- 
 sus. 
 
22 FIRST PERIOD A. D. 30 TO A. D. 80. 
 
 Many attempts have been made to write the life 
 of Christ. But it is difficult to see where, outside 
 the gospels, the material for such a work is to 
 come from ; while, if the gospels are to be taken 
 as a basis, it is equally difficult to understand what 
 is to be gained by rewriting what is contained in 
 them. Any such attempt only brings out, in plain- 
 er light, the discrepancies in those accounts, and 
 finally results in a mere display of ingenuity on 
 the part of the biographer, in his efforts to recon- 
 cile them ; or, as in the case of some writers, in a 
 sublime unconsciousness of any discrepancies what- 
 ever. 
 
 We know of Christ historically, that he was a 
 prominent moral and religious teacher ; that he had 
 the most devoted followers and disciples ; that he 
 was put to death in the reign of Tiberius Cae- 
 sar; 1 and that upon his doctrines and precepts, 
 and upon a belief in his spiritual resurrection, 
 Paul, the chief of his disciples, founded a new re- 
 ligion . 
 
 PAUL. 
 
 That Paul was the one who did the work, is man- 
 ifest, from recorded tradition, and from those won- 
 derful epistles, written in the first century, which 
 are still extant, and the most of which are consid- 
 ered by scholars to be genuine. 
 
 Countless volumes have been written concerning 
 Paul ; works abounding in unmixed eulogy. It is 
 the duty of the impartial historian , while appreci- 
 ating and admiring those grand qualities which 
 mark him as one of the greatest men of any age — 
 
 (i) See Appendix. 
 
APOSTOLIC AGE PAUL. 23 
 
 while conceding his intellectual and moral gran- 
 deur, his thorough conviction of the truth of the 
 doctrines he was teaching, and the zeal and devo- 
 tion which he manifested in their propagation, to 
 point out, at the same time, some of the defects in 
 his character. 
 
 The chief of these, which was the result of his 
 excessive zeal, was an impatience, and even a vin- 
 dictiveness, toward those who differed with him in 
 opinion. 
 
 By an occasional outburst of that spirit of perse- 
 cution under the influence of which he had so un- 
 relentingly pursued the Christians, he demon- 
 strates, that however thorough was his conversion, 
 it had not eradicated or essentially changed those 
 traits of character, and peculiarities of disposition, 
 which distinguished him from other men. Com- 
 mentators would have us believe, that when, in his 
 Epistle to the Galatians , he said , " I would they were 
 even cut off who trouble you," he meant nothing 
 more than that they should be cut off from the 
 church. But this he had power to have done ; and 
 did direct it, in addressing other churches. An ex- 
 amination of the context, and of the whole epistle, 
 in the commencement of which he had anathema- 
 tized any one who should preach any other doc- 
 trine, ("Let him be accursed,") together with the 
 application of a careful and thorough philological 
 analysis of the words used by the apostle, all com- 
 bine to give to his language a deeper meaning ; 
 showing that in a moment of exasperation, he gave 
 utterance to a sentiment, which, taken in connec- 
 tion with the teaching and practice of Peter, and the 
 construction which was put upon some of the say- 
 
24 FIRST PERIOD — A. D. 30 TO A. D. 80. 
 
 ings of Christ, resulted in the most fearful and 
 wide-spread persecutions, through subsequent ages. 
 
 It is not strange that the apostle should have 
 such feelings toward those whom he saw endeav- 
 oring to remove some of the beautiful pillars from 
 the splendid edifice he was constructing ; but it is to 
 be regretted that he did not foresee the use which 
 could be made of his language in after times. 
 
 Again : notwithstanding the spirit of kindness, of 
 brotherly love, and even of tenderness, pervading 
 the letters of the apostle, there may be discovered 
 occasionally, beneath it all, glimpses of an over- 
 bearing and tyrannical disposition. This is partic- 
 ularly noticeable in his injunctions to the female 
 Christians, and in his determination to discounten- 
 ance any ambition on their part to take an equal 
 place with their brothers in the management of 
 church affairs. 
 
 They were permitted to hold the position of dea- 
 coness, an office the functions of which consisted 
 principally in ministering to the necessities of the 
 saints. An office of labor and subserviency they 
 could fill, but not one of honor ; "I suffer not a wo- 
 man to teach , ' ' said Paul ; thus disclosing his dom- 
 ineering spirit, and his inability to rise above the 
 prejudices of the age. 
 
 This prohibition of the apostle was scrupulously 
 carried out ; and in the Council of Laodicea, A. D. 
 365, the 11th canon forbade the ordination of wo- 
 men for the ministry, while the 44th canon prohib- 
 ited them from entering into the altar. 1 
 But the point upon which the fathers were most 
 sensitive, in reference to the position of women in 
 
 (i) Landon's Manual of Councils, pp. 284 to 287. 
 
APOSTOLIC AGE — PAUL. 25 
 
 the church, related to administering the rite of bap- 
 tism. One of the earliest Chistian writings was the 
 Acts of Paul and Thecla. It was a romance. 
 Thecla,who was engaged to be married, had heard, 
 from an upper window, Paul, preaching. She had 
 fallen in love with him ; had deserted her lover and 
 relatives, and had followed Paul ; had become a 
 devoted Christian ; had baptized ; first baptizing 
 herself. Then she worked miracles, became a saint, 
 and finally a martyr. She was held in the highest 
 veneration by the fathers. But the book gave im- 
 plied sanction to the right of women to baptize. 
 On that account it was declared heretical, and 
 search was made for its author ; an unusual pro- 
 ceeding in those days. It was traced to a presbyter 
 of one of the eastern churches, who acknowledged 
 he had written it ' ' for the honor of Paul . ' ' He 
 was tried for the offense, and being convicted, was 
 deposed from the ministry. l 
 
 The women claimed the right to baptize their own 
 sex. But the bishops and presbyters did not care 
 to be relieved from the pleasant duty of baptizing 
 the female converts. 2 
 
 Of the life of Paul we know but little. The ac- 
 counts in the Acts of the Apostles, cannot, for rea- 
 sons which will hereafter be given, be considered 
 historical. 
 
 In the first epistle of Clement of Borne, it is 
 stated that Paul was seven times imprisoned. Dr. 
 
 (i) Tertullian, de Baptismo, ch. 17; Jerome, de Vir., 1. 7. Jerome states, erroneous- 
 ly, that Turtullian had said he was convicted before John. 
 
 (2) See Bunsen's Christianity and Mankind, vol. 7, pp. 386 to 393, published in the 
 3d volume of the Analecta. The converts were first exorcised of the evil spirits that 
 were supposed to inhabit them; then, after undressing, and being baptized, they were 
 anointed with oil. The custom may not have prevailed in the colder climates. 
 
26 FIRST PERIOD — A. D. 30 TO A. D. 80. 
 
 Doellinger says Paul was seven times imprisoned. 1 
 Was Paul Married? — Eusebius said, 
 
 " Paul does not demur, in a certain epistle, to mention his own wife, 
 whom he did not take about with him, in order to expedite his min- 
 istry the better." 
 
 In saying this, Eusebius was quoting from the 
 Stromata, of Clement of Alexandria (A. D. 200). 
 The full passage in Clement is as follows : 
 
 '' Paul does not, indeed, in a certain epistle, fear to speak of his own 
 wife, whom he did not take about with him, because it was not neces- 
 sary for him, in the great work of the ministry. Therefore he says 
 in a certain epistle, ' Have we not power to take about a sister wife, 
 as also the other apostles ?' For they, as was proper, while engaged 
 in the ministry, because they could not keep them apart, were accus- 
 tomed, doubtless as a matter of commendation, to take about with 
 them female attendants, not as wives, but as sisters, who, together 
 with the female servants, might be among the women who had charge 
 of the house, by whom without any reprehension or suspicion of evil 
 the doctrine of the Lord might be carried even to the secret apart- 
 ments of the women."— [Strom., bk. 3, ch. 6, Latin Translation in An- 
 te-Nicene Collection, vol. 12, p. 109. 
 
 Paul, according to the fathers, was martyred at 
 Rome, A. D. 67 or 68. 
 
 An interesting story is preserved, of Paul and 
 Perpetua. It is related that Perpetua, seeing Paul 
 dragged along the streets of Rome, in irons, had 
 compassion upon him, and wept bitterly. She had 
 but one eye. 
 
 Paul asked her for her handkerchief. She gave it . 
 
 It was tied around Paul's head, and afterward re- 
 turned to her, bloody. When she received it back, 
 her other eye was restored. Perpetua was afterward 
 thrown into prison, and tortured, and at last, with 
 a great stone tied to her neck, was thrown over a 
 precipice. 
 
 (i) First Age of the Church, p. 87. 
 
APOSTOLIC AGE EPISTLES OP PAUL. 27 
 
 There was between Paul and his followers on one 
 side and Peter and his followers on the other, a 
 strong antagonism, not generally understood in our 
 day, and which, if properly taken into account, 
 will explain several knotty points of scripture, and 
 throw light upon many controverted questions in 
 the early history of the church. Paul was rejected 
 by large bodies of Jewish Christians ; and in the 
 entire volume of the Recognitions, a Petrine work 
 of the early ages, abounding in scripture quota- 
 tions, there is not a single citation from Paul's epis- 
 tles. 
 
 The controversy related principally, in the first 
 instance, to the observance by the Christians of Jew- 
 ish rites and ceremonies ; but afterward it became 
 hereditary and traditional. 
 
 The Ebionites claimed that Paul was an imposter ; 
 that he only became a convert for the purpose of 
 obtaining a Jewish lady with whom he had fallen 
 in love, and when he failed, he turned against the 
 Jews, and opposed their observances and customs. 
 
 His Epistles. — Ten of the Epistles of Paul are 
 probably genuine ; though some of the German 
 critics hold that we cannot be certain of more than 
 four : Romans, 1st and 2d Corinthians, and Gala- 
 tians. 1 The 15th and 16th Chapters of Romans, 
 also , are disputed , or at least not considered part of 
 the Epistle to the Romans ; not only by German 
 critics, but by many others. Davidson and some 
 others confine the objections to the 16th chap- 
 ter. 2 
 
 (i) See an interesting and well written work, entitled "What is the Bible?" by J. T. 
 Sunderland, Chicago, 1878; where authorities are referred to. 
 
 (2) Davidson, Int. to N. T., •., p. 137. Weiss, das Marc, 1872, p. 495. 
 
28 FIRST PERIOD — A. D. 30 TO A. D. 80. 
 
 Though all the fourteen epistles ascribed to Paul 
 have maintained a place in the canon, many, even 
 among evangelical writers, look with distrust upon 
 the Epistle to the Hebrews, as having been admit- 
 ted upon insufficient evidence. 
 
 Westcott states that at . the close of the second 
 century, it had not yet become established as au- 
 thoritative in the churches. * It was not in the 
 Latin version made by Tertullian, A. D. 210; Je- 
 rome speaks of it dubiously, and Toland says it 
 was doubted by "the soundest part" of the an- 
 cients. 2 Dr. Doellinger says Paul did not write 
 it. 3 
 
 The New Testament as compiled by Marcion (A. 
 D. 145) contained ten epistles of Paul. He knew 
 of no epistles to Timothy, to Titus, or to the He- 
 brews ; or if he did, he did not consider them genu- 
 ine. Probably they were later productions. 
 
 The style of the Apostle Paul, though strong and 
 concise, is sometimes elliptical and ambiguous. 
 He indulges in mystical and allegorical expressions f 
 and his applications are at times far-fetched and 
 fanciful . ' ' He often , ' ' says Doellinger , ' ' gets more 
 out of a passage than the words or historical sense 
 convey." This author shows that in one place he 
 applies to his argument a meaning precisely oppo- 
 site to that of the passage quoted. The passage is 
 Psalms 68. 18 ; where, instead of "Thou receivedst 
 gifts among men," or, "Thou hast received gifts 
 for men," Paul reads, "He gave gifts unto men." 
 (Ephes.,4. 8.) 
 
 (i) History of the Canon, p. 306. 
 
 (2) Amyntor, p. 57. 
 
 (3) First Age of the Church, p. 83. 
 
APOSTOLIC AGE — DOCTRINES OP PAUL. 29 
 
 Doctrines. — The epistles of Paul being the old- 
 est Christian writings extant, l their importance in 
 the history of the Christian religion, cannot be 
 over-estimated. 
 
 Paul believed in the resurrection of Christ, with 
 a spiritual body. His idea of the resurrection, like 
 that of Clement of Rome, was that the spiritual 
 body arose from the decay of the natural body, as a 
 plant from the decay of the seed sown to produce 
 it. It is manifest that when Paul saw Jesus, he saw 
 what appeared to be a spirit ; since it was after the 
 time when, as is alleged, Christ had ascended in the 
 body. There is no evidence that Paul knew any 
 thing of the canonical gospels ; nor is there any 
 reason to believe he had ever seen a gospel in which 
 Jesus denied being a spirit, after the resurrection. 
 With Paul, the resurrection and ascension were one 
 and the same thing ; and obviously meant, a man- 
 ifestation from the spiritual world. 
 
 Paul believed that Christ, after his resurrection, 
 or ascension, communicated to his disciples, by the 
 agency of the Holy Spirit, through intercession 
 with the Father, supernatural gifts ; "charismata" ; 
 and that these gifts were imparted by the laying on 
 of hands. The precise nature of these "charisma- 
 ta" has been the subject of much discussion. 
 There is no doubt that in the view of Paul, they not 
 only included some miraculous powers, but extend- 
 ed as well to the natural operations and processes 
 of the mind ; those involved in preaching and ex- 
 horting, as well as in interpreting, prophesying, 
 etc. The assistance of this extraordinary gift ex- 
 
 (i) Origin of the Four Gospels, by Tischendorf, 1867, p. 24; Credibility of the Gos- 
 pel History, by Dr. Lardner, vol. 3, p. 148. 
 
30 ; FIRST PERIOD A. D. 30 TO A. D. 80. 
 
 tended to all the qualities necessary for the guid- 
 ance as "well as the edification of the church . 
 
 Whether Paul claimed to have himself performed 
 miracles, is also a mooted question. He apparently 
 makes such a claim, in Rom. 15. 18, 19, and in 2d 
 Corinthians, 12. 12 ; but it has been contended that 
 the original does not necessarily require that con- 
 struction. * 
 
 Whatever Paul may claim for himself and his 
 fellow-disciples, by virtue of the descent of the Holy 
 Ghost, there is no reference in his epistles to any 
 miracles performed by Jesus, during his earthly 
 ministry, nor any evidence that Paul believed 
 in any such miracles, or had ever heard of them. 
 
 It has often been asked, why did not any heathen 
 or Jewish writer of the first century speak of the 
 miracles of Christ? But a question arises which is 
 equally suggestive, why does neither Paul nor 
 Clement of Rome, the only Christian writers of the 
 first century, make the slightest allusion to them? 
 
 The same is true of the miraculous conception. 
 Justin Martyr is constantly referring to Christ as 
 "born of a virgin." So with other writers of the 
 second century. But in the epistles of Paul and 
 Clement, though they abound continually in refer- 
 ences to Christ, we look for that phrase in vain. 
 
 PETER. 
 
 If the fanatics of subsequent times could point 
 to the sayings of Paul, as apparent authority for 
 their excesses, they could, with still more confi- 
 dence, turn to the teaching and example of Peter. 
 
 "When," says Dr. Doellinger, "Ananias and Sapphira, through 
 
 (i) Supernatural Religion, vol. 3, pt. 2, ch. 2. 
 
APOSTOLIC AGE PAUL'S DOCTRINES — PETER. 31 
 
 their hypocrisy and avaricious attempt at deception, had made the 
 first assault on the authority of the apostles and the Holy Ghost rul- 
 ing in the church, St. Peter inflicted a terrible punishment upon 
 them." i 
 
 When we meet with such language in a Christian 
 writer of the nineteenth century, what might not be 
 expected of the priests of the middle ages? 
 
 In the Epistle of Clement to James, in the An- 
 te-Nicene collection, Clement describes his ordina- 
 tion. 
 
 He says, when Peter was about to die, the breth- 
 ren being assembled (at Rome), he laid his hands 
 on Clement as the bishop, and communicated to 
 him the power of binding and loosing, etc. ; and as 
 to him who should grieve the president of the 
 truth, after declaring that such a one sins against 
 Christ, and offends the Father of all, Peter pro- 
 ceeded as follows : 
 
 " Wherefore, he shall not live ; and therefore it becomes him who 
 presides, to hold the place of a physician; and not to cherish the rage 
 -of an irrational beast." — [Ante-Nicene Christian Library, vol. 17, p. 7. 
 
 It does not require a forced construction to ena- 
 ble one to find the inquisition in this sentence. 
 'The genuineness of the epistle is not generally ad- 
 mitted by Protestants ; but it appears among the 
 ancient writings of the church. If its authenticity 
 cannot be proved, the same may be said of other 
 writings which are implicitly received as genuine. 
 
 But little is known of the personal history of Pe- 
 ter. His name was Simon. There has not been 
 the same difficulty in distinguishing him from the 
 Apostle Simon Zelotes, as in the case of the two 
 apostles James, and the two apostles Judas. There 
 
 (i) First Age of the Church, by John Ignatius Doellinger, D. D., 2d London Edition, 
 l867, p. 44- 
 
32 FIRST PERIOD A. D. 30 TO A. D. 80. 
 
 results, however, considerable confusion, when an 
 attempt is made to identify Peter with the Cephas, 
 so often alluded to by Paul , and we are tempted to 
 seek refuge from the dilemma, by assuming, with 
 Eusebius, that Paul alludes to a person supposed 
 to be one of the seventy ; not to Peter the Apostle. l 
 
 It is noticeable that in every place in the gospels 
 but one (and the total number is nearly a hundred) 
 where Peter is mentioned, the Greek name "Pe- 
 tros" is given, which is supposed to be used by 
 Jews as well as others. This would indicate that 
 all the canonical gospels, Matthew included, are 
 original Greek productions. 
 
 So little is there authentic in the history of Pe- 
 ter, that to this day the learned cannot agree 
 whether he ever went to Rome. Protestants gen- 
 erally do not admit that such a journey was 
 made. 2 
 
 Theodore of Mopsuestia, about A. D. 394, says, 
 Peter went to Rome, the others elsewhere. But he 
 probably took it from Eusebius. That writer does 
 not hesitate to make the statement explicitly, and 
 to give the most circumstantial evidence. But in 
 this instance, as in so many others, his testimony 
 is at second hand, from lost writings. He quotes 
 from Oaius, a writer whose works, if they ever ex- 
 isted, are now lost or destroyed, what he said dis- 
 puting with Proclus , and Caius quotes from another 
 writer whose works are lost, Dionysius of Cor- 
 inth. 3 
 
 (i) Eccles. Hist., 1. 12, citing Clement of Alexandria. 
 
 (2) Rev. Dr. Sunderland, late Chaplain of the United States Senate, is said to have 
 thanked the Lord, in a prayer, at a public meeting, that Paul had visited Koine, though 
 Peter had not. 
 
 (3) Euseb. Eccles. Hist., 2. 25. 
 
APOSTOLIC AGE PETER. 33 
 
 Going back 135 years, we find the same thing in 
 Irenseus. He says : 
 
 " Matthew wrote a gospel for the Jews, and in the language of the 
 Jews, at the same time when Peter and Paul founded the church at 
 Borne."— [Iren. adv. Haer., 3. 1. 
 
 This complicates the question somewhat. Per- 
 haps the easiest way to dispose of this testimony, 
 would be to adopt the construction of Dupin, who, 
 maintaining that Matthew wrote his gospel earlier, 
 says the words of Irenseus are not to be understood 
 in the literal sense. 1 
 
 The journey of Peter to Rome, and his residence 
 there, cannot be denied by Protestant writers , with- 
 out rejecting the testimony of witnesses who, in oth- 
 er matters, are, by the same writers, relied upon 
 with implicit confidence. 
 
 The received accounts of the miracles of Peter, 
 are sufficient to excite our astonishment ; but the 
 most wonderful of all his miracles is related in the 
 Acts of Peter and Andrew, where he is represented 
 as making a camel go through the eye of a needle. 
 
 "After the needle had been brought, and all the multitude of the 
 city were standing by to see, Peter looked up and saw a camel com- 
 ing. And he ordered her to be brought. Then he fixed the needle in 
 the ground, and cried out with a loud voice, saying: ' In the name of 
 Jesus Christ, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate, I order thee, O 
 camel, to go through the eye of the needle.' Then the eye of the nee- 
 dle was opened like a gate, and the camel went through it, and all the 
 multitude saw it."— [Ante-Nicene, vol. 16, p. 371. 
 
 The miracle was repeated. Onisephorus, who 
 would not believe, sent for another needle and an- 
 other camel , with a woman sitting on the camel . 
 "And they went through twice." 
 
 (i) Dupin, Eccles, Hist., vol. I, p, 46. 
 
34 FIRST PERIOD — A. D. 30 TO A. D. 80. 
 
 His Epistles. — The First Epistle of Peter is not 
 free from doubt, and the Second has long been a 
 subject of controversy. 
 
 It was omitted in the Latin Version of Tertul- 
 lian of Africa, (A. D. 210,) 1 in the Muratorian 
 Fragment, 2 in the Peshito Version, used in the east 
 in ancient times ; 3 and as Mr. Toland says, was 
 doubted by the soundest part of the ancient writers . 
 
 Westcott cannot trace it back earlier than A. D. 
 170, 4 and says it was not authoritative until near 
 the close of the second century. 5 
 
 Davidson says it was the last of the New Testa- 
 ment documents , 6 and Norton declares that there, 
 is no historical evidence to justify us in believing 
 it to be the work of the Apostle Peter. 7 
 
 Doctrines. — There is too little extant which can 
 be relied upon as the genuine writing of Peter, to 
 throw much light upon the history of Christian 
 doctrine. The two epistles ascribed to him are as 
 silent as those of Paul concerning the miracles ol 
 Christ, or the material resurrection, or the miracu- 
 lous conception. 
 
 If we could only rely upon the Clementine writ- 
 ings as authority for the views of Peter, we might 
 infer that he did not look upon Jesus as equal to 
 the Father. 
 
 "Our Lord," he is represented as saying, " neither asserted that 
 there were gods, except the Creator of all, nor did he proclaim him- 
 self to be God, but he pronounced him blessed who called him the 
 Son of that God who ordered the universe." — [Clementine Homilies, 
 10. 15. 
 
 (i) Westcott, History of Canon, p. 234. 
 
 (2) McClintock and Strong. 
 
 (3) Westcott, p. 221. (4) p. 214. (5) p. 306. 
 
 (6) Canon, p. 85. 
 
 (7) Genuineness of the Gospels, vol. 2, p. 162. 
 
APOSTOLIC AGE WRITINGS OF JOHN. 35 
 
 JOHN. 
 
 John is the only one of the twelve apostles whose 
 life appears to extend into the region of authentic 
 history. And of him, this can only be said of the 
 latter portion of his life. He is supposed to have 
 been driven to Patmos, by some persecution, but 
 the learned cannot agree what emperor it was un- 
 der ; the range being from Claudius to Domitian. 
 In the persecution under Domitian he was taken 
 to Rome. There, it is said, the boiling oil into 
 which he was thrown had no power to hurt him. * 
 
 The account of his living to an old age, at Ephe- 
 sus, has been universally received, and maybe con- 
 sidered historic. Irenseus says that at Ephesus 
 John leaped out of a public bath, with horror, when 
 he saw Oerinthus, the heretic, entering it. Cerin- 
 thus flourished about the middle of the second cen- 
 tury. Some ecclesiastical historians, in aid of Ire- 
 nseus, have tried to bring Cerinthus within the first 
 century. 
 
 The Writings of John. — Probably none of the 
 writings attributed to the Apostle John are entitled 
 to be considered genuine. 
 
 His 2d and 3d epistles were omitted in the 
 Peshito , 2 were not established as late as at the close 
 of the second century, 3 and were doubted by Euse- 
 bius himself. Even as late as 1562, when Igna- 
 tius, Patriarch of Antioch, hearing of the advan- 
 tages of printing, sent a certain priest of Mesopota- 
 mia into Europe, with a copy of the Syriac Testa- 
 
 (i) Tertullian, de Pras., c. 36. 
 
 (2) Westcott, Hist. Canon, p. 221. 
 
 (3) Ibid., p. 297. 
 
36 PIEST PERIOD — A. D. 30 TO A. D. 80. 
 
 ment to be printed, it lacked the 2d Epistle of Pe- 
 ter, 2d and 3d John, Jude, and Revelation. 1 
 
 The Apocalypse, or Revelation, ascribed to 
 John, seems to have been one of many productions 
 of the kind which appeared early in the second 
 century. It is similar to the Revelation of Cerin- 
 thus, and may have emanated from the same 
 source. 
 
 It was omitted from the Peshito Version ; from 
 the Catalogue of Cyril of Jerusalem ; from that of 
 Gregory Nazianzen ; and Davidson thinks it was 
 not in the collection of New Testament books made 
 by Eusebius for the use of the churches, by order 
 of Constantine. 2 
 
 It was not established at the close of the second 
 century, 3 and was not in the Syriac Testament, sent 
 to be printed in 1562. 
 
 But the most remarkable circumstance is the fact 
 that it was rejected by the very churches to whom 
 it was addressed. 
 
 In the Council of Laodicea, A. D. 365, consisting 
 of 32 bishops, from the different Asiatic churches, 
 by the 60th canon, it was solemnly decreed what 
 should be the canonical books of the New Testa- 
 ment. The Apocalypse was omitted. 4 
 
 Eusebius argues against it, and thinks it was 
 written by John the Presbyter, or Elder, who lived 
 in the second century. 5 
 
 After all this evidence, it would seem superflu- 
 
 (i) Jones, vol. i, p. 87. 
 
 (2) Canon, p. 118. 
 
 (3) Westcott. 
 
 (4) Landon's Manual of Councils, pp. 284 to 287. 
 
 -.(5) Ecc.Hist., 3. 39. Also, 7. 25. The argument is credited to Dionysius. 
 
APOSTOLIC AGE WRITINGS OF JOHN. 37 
 
 ous to add, that the church at Thyatira was not 
 founded until after the death of the Apostle John. 
 
 The Gospel according to John. — The Rev. Dr. 
 Davidson, who is considered such high authority 
 that he was employed to write the article on the 
 Canon for the new edition of the Encyclopedia 
 Britannica, says : 
 
 "Its existence [the Gospel of John] before 140 
 A. D., is incapable either of decisive or probable 
 showing." And again: "The Johannine author- 
 ship has receded before the tide of modern' criti- 
 cism ; and although the tide is arbitrary at times, 
 it is here irresistible." ' 
 
 THE JAMESES. 
 
 Two apostles are mentioned by the name of 
 James; one, the son of Zebedee, and brother of 
 John, also called James the Elder; and the other, 
 James the son of Alphseus, who was called James 
 the Less, and James the Just. But whether the 
 latter James was the same with the brother of the 
 Lord, commentators have not been able to decide. 
 This, the great church historian, Neander, pro- 
 nounces the most difficult question in apostolic his- 
 tory. 
 
 James, the brother of Jesus, is a historic person- 
 age. An account of his death is given, with full 
 particulars, by Josephus. Some evangelical writers 
 have been inclined to let this passage go with the 
 other, as a forgery. But there does not appear to 
 be any good reason to deny its authenticity. The 
 account is as follows : 
 
 (i) Canon of tbe Bible, by Samuel Davidson, D. D., LL. D., London, 1877, p. 99. John 
 not written before 150. See Davidson's Int. N. T. 
 
38 FIRST PERIOD — A. D. 30 TO A. D. 80. 
 
 "Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; [hav- 
 ing been appointed procurator of Judaea] ; so he [Ananus, who had 
 just been appointed high priest], assembled the Sanhedrim of judges 
 and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called 
 Christ, whose name was James, and some of his companions ; and 
 when he had formed an accusation against them, as breakers of the 
 law, he delivered them to be stoned."— [Antiq. bk. 20, oh. 9. 
 
 The historian then proceeds to relate, that some 
 of the citizens condemned the proceeding, and went 
 to meet Albinus, who was returning from Alexan- 
 dria ; that they complained to him of Ananus, and 
 claimed that he had no right to assemble the San- 
 hedrim without Albinus' consent; that Albinus, 
 taking the same view of the matter, wrote a severe 
 letter of reproof to Ananus, and soon after, had the 
 high-priesthood taken from him. Now here is a 
 network of historical facts and incidents connected 
 with the customs and ecclesiastical polity of the 
 Jews, which forbids the supposition of the whole 
 account being a forgery. And if the words relating 
 to Christ are to be stricken out, there must be some 
 good reason given for it. We do not see any. 
 There is nothing inconsistent in the language. Jo- 
 sephus is not here, as in the other passage, made 
 to declare that Jesus is the Christ. He is spoken 
 of as "Jesus who was called Christ," to distin- 
 guish him from other Jews by the name of Jesus. 
 
 Epistle op James. — Commentators think this 
 epistle was written by James the son of Zebedee, 
 according to the subscription of the Syriac Version ; 
 or James the son of Alpheus, J or James the brother 
 of the Lord, 2 or an unknown James, which was 
 
 (i.) Dr. Davidson, Introduction to N. T., i. 385, supports 2d or 3d hypothesis. 
 (2.) Alford, Gr. Test. 4. 28, supported by Eusebius. 
 
APOSTOLIC AGE — EPISTLE OP JAMES. 39 
 
 Luther's opinion. As the Epistle maintains its 
 place among the writings of the New Testament, 
 we must conclude that upon the question of its 
 inspiration, it is immaterial by whom it was writ- 
 ten. 
 
 The Jtjdases and the other Apostles. — There 
 were two apostles by the name of Judas. The one, 
 called Thaddseus, the other, Judas Iscariot. Wheth- 
 er the one called Thaddseus, and at other times 
 Lebbseus, was also the Lord's brother, here again 
 the learned cannot agree ; nor whether he was the 
 author of the Epistle of Jude. This epistle was not 
 in the Peshito, nor in the Syriac Version of 1562. 
 It was rejected by Norton ' and had been long before 
 by Michaelis. 2 This was one of the seven books 
 which were for a long time discredited by the fath- 
 ers. The others were 2d Peter, 2d and 3d John, 
 James, Hebrews and Revelation. 
 
 It is scarcely worth while to attempt to complete 
 a history of the apostles. The whole subject is in- 
 volved in obscurity. After, with much difficulty, 
 we have settled upon eleven apostles, the twelfth, 
 in the synoptic gospels was Bartholomew, while in 
 John it was Nathanael. 
 
 (I.) Vol. 2, p. 162. 
 
 (2.) Vol. 1, p. 291. 
 
SECOND PERIOD 
 
 THE APOSTOLIC FATHEES. 
 A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Clement of Kome, Ignatius, and Polycabp. 
 
 Clement. A.D.97. — No grander character ap- 
 pears in Christian history, than Clement of Rome. 
 
 Whether we look at his First Epistle to the Cor- 
 inthians, generally considered to be genuine, or at 
 the numerous other writings attributed to him, and 
 the recorded traditions concerning his life and teach- 
 ings, we find, in either case, one of the highest and 
 noblest types of Christian character. His first 
 Epistle, written about A. D. 97, will compare favor- 
 ably with the Epistles of Paul. 
 
 The great and absorbing question connected with 
 this, the first authentic Christian writing outside 
 the gospels, and subsequent to the New Testament 
 Epistles, is, whether any of the gospels are recog- 
 nized in it, and which? 
 
 There are some passages claimed as parallel , but 
 there is no mention of any gospel by name. Of the 
 supposed parallel passages, some have a similarity 
 of language, while the idea is different ; in others, 
 
APOSTOLIC FATHERS. CLEMENT OF ROME. 41 
 
 the same or a similar meaning is conveyed in dif- 
 ferent language. 
 
 When these are eliminated, it will be found, that 
 while there are, in Clement, twenty passages parallel 
 to similar ones in the N. T. Epistles, there are but 
 five parallel to any in the canonical gospels. But 
 these do not by any means indicate that these 
 gospels were then in existence. The passages all 
 relate to the sayings of Christ, which were preserved 
 by tradition, as well as in 'older gospels. Four of 
 the parallelisms are in Matthew, and no doubt were 
 in the Oracles, or other collections of sayings, to 
 which Clement had access. The other is in Luke, 
 6th chapter, vv. 36 to 38. That also is a saying of 
 Christ, which in Clement differs considerably from 
 Luke, although Clement professes to give the very 
 "words of the Lord Jesus, which he spake." — 
 [Clem. Ep. ch. 13. 
 
 Tischendorf concludes that Clement's Epistle 
 does not furnish proof of the existence of the four 
 gospels at that time. 1 
 
 In connection with the Epistle of Clement, there 
 is a circumstance worthy of notice. 
 
 In the 17th chapter of Luke, between the 1st and 
 2d verses, the words elsewhere occurring in the 
 gospels, "it had been good for that man if he had 
 not been born," are wanting. Now these very 
 words were in the Gospel of Marcion, in the same 
 connection as they would be if between verses 1st 
 and 2d, of 17th Luke. They were also used in a 
 similar connection, by Clement, in the 46th chapter 
 
 (i.) Origin of the Four Gospels, p. 52. 
 
42 SECOND PERIOD A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 of his Epistle, long before the time of Marcion. If 
 then, as is claimed, Marcion 's Gospel is nothing 
 but a corruption of Luke, how did it happen, that 
 Marcion should interpolate a sentence precisely in 
 the same connection in which it had been used by 
 Clement? Is it not more probable that Clement 
 and Marcion were using in common an ancient 
 gospel , in which that sentence occurred, and that 
 the author of Luke either omitted the sentence, or 
 made use of a different version of the same ancient 
 gospel? It is true, these or similar words occur in 
 Mark and Matthew, but not in the same connection 
 as in Marcion. In Clement thev are in the same 
 connection. 
 
 The authorities are somewhat conflicting, as to the 
 time when Clement was Bishop, but it is now pretty 
 generally agreed that he wrote his Epistle about 
 A. D. 97. He is said to have lived to the year 100. ' 
 
 Besides his First Epistle to the Corinthians, there 
 are several volumes of writings attributed to Clem- 
 ent. There is a Second Epistle to the Corinthians ; 
 the Epistle to James, giving an account of his ordin- 
 ation by Peter ; two Epistles in praise of Virginity ; 
 the Canons and Apostolic Constitutions, and the 
 Clementines, so called, consisting of the Epitome, 
 the Homilies and the Recognitions. 
 
 The Recognitions is a religious romance of much 
 interest, throwing light upon the manners and cus- 
 toms of the times, and upon the religious views and 
 practices of the early Christians, and especially 
 illustrating the prevailing rage for miracles. 
 
 (2.) Mosheim, vol. i, p. 96 ; 2d ed. note. 
 
APOSTOLIC FATHERS — CLEMENT OF ROME. 43 
 
 There is but little doubt that portions of it, at 
 least, were written in the second century ; the evi- 
 dences which have been detected of a later date, 
 being in the interpolations. The Latin translator, 
 Rufinus, (A. D. 410), is the same who is generally 
 believed to have taken such unwarrantable liberties 
 with the text of Origen. 
 
 Origen referred to the Recognitions, A. D. 230. 
 
 Clement commences, in the Recognitions, by 
 stating that he was born in the city of Rome, and 
 was, from his early youth, given to meditating upon 
 serious subjects; upon the nature of life, whether 
 there was pre-existence, and would be immortality, 
 &c. While engaged in these reflections, a report 
 reached him, which took its rise in the regions of 
 the east, in the reign of Tiberius Caesar. He 
 speaks of the miracles of Christ. These reports be- 
 came confirmed. About this time, Barnabas came 
 to Rome to preach ; and he being derided by the 
 people, and a tumult having arisen, Clement, who 
 was a person of distinction, interfered in behalf of 
 Barnabas. He becomes interested, and resolves to 
 return with him to the east. Barnabas sails, and 
 Clement, as soon afterwards as he can arrange his 
 affairs. 
 
 Arriving at Csesarea, Barnabas presents Clement 
 to Peter, who receives him joyfully, and running 
 up to him, kisses him. Peter is preparing for a 
 debate with Simon Magus. (For an account of this 
 discussion, see chapter 8.) 
 
 After a long stay, and meeting with many inci- 
 dents, Clement recognizes in two of the disciples of 
 
44 SECOND PERIOD A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 Peter, Niceta and Aquila, two brothers of Clement, 
 who, with their mother, had gone to a distant 
 country, in their boyhood, and whom he had never 
 heard of since. He also recognizes, in an old wo- 
 man, and an old man, who are unknown to each 
 other, and whom Clement meets at different times, 
 his mother and his father ; neither of whom he had 
 seen since his boyhood. These are the "Recogni- 
 tions," which give title to the book. 
 
 Doctrines. — Turning again to the First Epistle of 
 Clement to the Corinthians, which, out of defer- 
 ence to the learned, is the only one of the writings 
 attributed to him which can be recognized as genu- 
 ine, let us see what it contains. 
 
 Though it is a long epistle, covering more than 
 forty octavo pages, and is full of doctrinal allusions, 
 we look in vain for any trace of the immaculate or 
 miraculous conception of Jesus, or of his miracles, 
 or of his material resurrection. 
 
 His views of the resurrection are given in the 
 24th chapter, in beautiful language, similar to that 
 used by Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians. He 
 compares the burial of the body, to the sowing of 
 fruit in the earth. 
 
 "The sower goes forth and casts it into the ground; and the seed 
 being thus scattered, though dry and naked when it fell upon the 
 earth, is gradually dissolved. Then out of its dissolution, the mighty 
 power of the province of the Lord, raises it up again," &c. 
 
 He refers to the phenix ; a bird which was reported 
 to live to a great age ; and says, when its days are 
 fulfilled, it builds its nest, and lies down and dies, 
 and when its flesh has decayed, a new bird arises in 
 its place. 
 
APOSTOLIC FATHERS CLEMENT OP ROME. 45 
 
 It is difficult to believe, that Clement, when he 
 wrote these words, or Paul, when he declared, "It 
 is sown in corruption, it is raised inincorruption," 
 "it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual 
 body," had before him a gospel in which it was re- 
 corded, that Jesus expressly denied being a spirit, 
 after his resurrection, and called for meat, that 
 he might demonstrate to his disciples, that he had 
 a material body like theirs. 
 
 The spiritualism of Paul and Clement was too re- 
 fined for the gross conceptions of the second cen- 
 tury, which would be satisfied with nothing less 
 than the resurrection of the very crucified body of 
 Jesus. Gospels were accordingly constructed, con- 
 taining accounts of such a resurrection, related with 
 great circumstantiality. 
 
 In the 40th chapter, Clement recognizes the rites 
 and ceremonies of the Jewish worship, as still sub- 
 sisting in his day, apparently even in the Christian 
 church . 
 
 A large part of this epistle relates to those stir- 
 ring up sedition and schism in the church . By the 
 acts of these, the large-hearted father was deeply 
 grieved. 
 
 After reminding them of the time when they were 
 united and harmonious, in the following beautiful 
 and affecting words, 
 
 "Every kind of faction and schism was abomin- 
 able in your sight ; ye mourned over the transgres- 
 sions of your neighbors ; their deficiencies you 
 deemed your own ;" 
 
46 SECOND PERIOD — A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 He refers to those who, "through pride and sedi- 
 tion, have become the leaders of a detestable emula- 
 tion." But so far from expressing feelings of 
 hatred toward them, he says in the same paragraph , 
 "Let us be kind to one another, after the pattern of 
 the tender mercy and benignity of our Creator." 
 After citing many examples of humility and long 
 suffering from the Old Testament, he calls upon his 
 brethren to reflect, how free from wrath God is, 
 toward all his creation. — [ch. 19. 
 
 Illustrating his subject by the peace and harmony 
 of the universe, he says : 
 
 " The heavens, revolving under his government, are subject to him 
 in peace. Day and night run the course appointed by him, in no wise 
 hindering each other. The sun and moon, with the companies of the 
 stars, roll in harmony, according to his command, within their pre- 
 scribed limits, and without any deviation. The fruitful earth, ac- 
 cording to his will, brings forth food in abundance," &c. " The vast, 
 immeasurable sea, gathered together by his working, into various 
 basins, never passes beyond the bounds placed around it, but does as 
 he has commanded." 
 
 "Those," said he, "who have been the leaders of 
 sedition and disagreement, ought to have respect to 
 the common hope." 
 
 He closes with this sublime benediction : 
 
 " May God, who seeth all things, and who is the ruler of all spirits, 
 and the Lord of all flesh, — who chose our Lord Jesus Christ, and us 
 through him, to be a peculiar people,— grant to every soul that calleth 
 upon his glorious and holy name, faith, fear, patience, long-suffering, 
 self-control, purity and sobriety; to the well pleasing of his name, 
 through our High Priest and Protector, Jesus Christ, by whom be to 
 Him glory, and majesty, and power, and honor, both now and forever- 
 more, Amen." 
 
APOSTOLIC FATHERS IGNATIUS. 47 
 
 Ignatius. A. D. 115. — The personal history of 
 Ignatius is so complicated with that of his epistles, 
 that they cannot be separated. 
 
 Two hundred years ago, there were fifteen epistles 
 in circulation, ascribed to Ignatius, who was Bishop 
 of Antioch, about the commencement of the second 
 century. 
 
 Scholars soon decided that eight of them were 
 spurious. The other seven, being those addressed 
 to the Ephesians, Magnesians, Trallians, Romans, 
 Philadelphians and Smyrnseans, and to Polycarp, 
 •appeared in two forms ; one very much longer than 
 the other, and in some places, containing whole 
 pages not in the shorter form. Internal and other 
 evidence caused the rejection of the long form, or 
 long recension, and the learned settled down upon 
 the short recension, or the Vossian Epistles, as they 
 were named, from Vossius, their publisher, as the 
 .genuine writings of Ignatius; not, however, with- 
 out some doubt expressed, as to the genuineness 
 even of these. 
 
 Thus matters stood until 1845 ; when Dr. Cure- 
 ton, who had charge of the Syriac department of 
 the British Museum, published three Syriac Epist- 
 les of Ignatius, which had been discovered three 
 years previous, having been procured by Archdea- 
 con Tattam, from the monastery of St. Mary Dei- 
 para, in the desert of Nitria, in Egypt. 
 
 Dr. Cureton, in an able treatise, maintained that 
 these were the only genuine epistles of Ignatius. 
 They were the Epistles to the Ephesians, to the 
 
48 SECOND PERIOD A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 Romans, and to Polycarp ; all in shorter form than 
 in the Vossian Letters. 
 
 For a number of years, the opinion of Dr. Cure- 
 ton gained ground, and promised fair to become 
 universal. But of late, the investigations of Ger- 
 man scholars have resulted in raising grave doubts as 
 to the integrity of any of the epistles. In England, 
 the subject has undergone an animated discussion , 
 and has been made the occasion of exhaustive re- 
 search, resulting in very able treatises on both sides, 
 of the question. 
 
 The subject was opened by the author of "Super- 
 natural Religion." After reviewing the arguments- 
 against the accepted statements of the fathers, that- 
 Ignatius was sent from Antioch to Rome to be mar- 
 tyred, statements upon which the genuineness of 
 the letters in any shape depends, since in every 
 form they purport to be written on such a journey, 
 the author says : 
 
 " This conclusion, irresistible in itself, is, however, confirmed by 
 facts arrived at from a totally different point of view. It has been, 
 demonstrated that Ignatius was not senl to Rome at all, but suffered 
 martyrdom in Antioch itself on the 20th of December, A. D. 115; 
 when he was condemned to be cast to wild beasts in the amphitheater, 
 in consequence of the fanatical excitement produced by the earth- 
 quake which took place on the 13th of that month." — [Sup. Bel. vol. 
 l,p.268. 
 
 The writer refers to a number of authorities, all 
 German, except Dr. Davidson. 
 
 This statement was subjected to the most search- 
 ing criticism, by Mr. Westcott, in the Preface to 
 the 4th edition of his work on the Canon, and by 
 Dr. Lightfoot, in an article on the Ignatian Epistles,. 
 
APOSTOLIC FATHERS — IGNATIUS. 49 
 
 published in the Contemporary Review for Febru- 
 ary, 1875. Also in a milder and more liberal style, 
 by Mr. Sanday, in "The Gospels in the Second 
 Century." 
 
 The criticisms of Lightfoot, Westcott and others, 
 were replied to with great ability, in over fifty 
 pages of the Preface to the sixth edition of Super- 
 natural Religion. 
 
 The argument, briefly stated, on both sides, is as 
 follows : 
 
 Against the Martyrdom at Rome, and against 
 the Genuineness op any op the Epistles. — It is 
 shown that during the winter of 115-116, the Em- 
 peror Trajan, being engaged in war with the Par- 
 thians, was in Antioch. If, therefore, he condemned 
 Ignatius to martyrdom, he would be more likely to 
 do it there, where they both were. Sending him to 
 Rome would be an additional act of cruelty, not in 
 accordance with the character of Trajan, who was a 
 mild prince, under whose reign but one other in- 
 stance of martyrdom is recorded, and that not well 
 established. Ignatius, according to the account, 
 was sent by a long and difficult land route, instead 
 of the shorter and easier route by sea ; which is im- 
 probable. Deputations of Christians have access 
 to him, and accompany him, though he represents 
 himself as guarded strictly by ten leopards. ( Ro- 
 man soldiers. ) He is represented as being permit- 
 ted to write long letters , advocating the very doctrines 
 for which he is condemned. The epistles do not 
 contain the last exhortations and farewell words 
 that might be expected; but "are filled with ad- 
 
50 SECOND PEBIOD A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 vanced views of church government, and the dignity 
 of the episcopate." There is no instance recorded, 
 even during the persecutions under Marcus Aurelius, 
 in which any one was sent to Rome, to be cast to 
 wild beasts ; although such executions frequently 
 took place in Syria. Again, an earthquake occurred 
 in Antioch, on the 13th of December, A. D. 115, 
 which caused great consternation. This was a week 
 before the martyrdom. It is probable that Ignatius 
 fell a victim to the superstitious feeling which re- 
 sulted from it. His remains were afterward known 
 to be at Antioch, said to have been brought from 
 Rome, but they were probably there all the time. 
 
 These arguments are endorsed by Davidson in 
 England, and in Germany, by Volkmar, Bauer, 
 Scholten and Hilgenfeld. Volkmar also adds the 
 authority of an ancient writer, John Malalas, about 
 A. D. 600, who lived at Antioch, and would there- 
 fore, be likely to know. 
 
 Foe the Martyrdom at Rome, and the Genuine- 
 ness OF THE CURETON (THE THREE SYRIAc) EPISTLES. 
 
 — The unbroken testimony of the fathers for nearly 
 five hundred years. If Malalas lived at Antioch, 
 so did Chrysostom and Evagrius, both earlier than 
 Malalas, and both of whom state the martyrdom 
 was at Rome. Besides, Malalas is shown to be en- 
 tirely unreliable on several other subjects. Many 
 reasons may have operated on the mind of Trajan, 
 to induce him to send Ignatius to Rome, which 
 cannot be judged of at this late day. Other instances 
 are shown, where Christians, when in imprisonment, 
 
APOSTOLIC FATHERS EPISTLES OF IGNATIUS." 51 
 
 had been permitted to see their friends, and com- 
 municate with them. It is conceded that Ignatius- 
 suffered martyrdom, by order of Trajan. Arguments 
 therefore go for naught, which are based upon the 
 clemency of Trajan, or on the supposed fact that 
 there were no other martyrdoms. The objection 
 that he was permitted to write long letters, is re- 
 moved, since it is generally conceded, that not more 
 than the three short letters, according to Syriac 
 version, are genuine. But little can be inferred 
 from the contents o f the letters . The martyr wished 
 to improve that opportunity to give advice and in- 
 struction which would be of lasting benefit. The 
 connection between his execution and the earth- 
 quake, is merely speculation. Furthermore, — and 
 these two considerations are probably the strongest 
 of all — First, the epistles are referred to in such a way 
 in the Epistle of Polycarp, as to require a compli- 
 cated double forgery, if the Ignatian letters are not 
 genuine ; and secondly, the Epistles of Ignatius are 
 quoted by Origen, A. D. 230, and still earlier, by 
 Irenaeus, A. D. 190 ; both quotations being found 
 in the Cureton Epistles. 
 
 Such arguments are urged by Drs. Westcott, 
 Lightfoot and others in England, and in Germany, 
 by Bleek, Guericke and Mayerhoff. 
 
 In our judgment, f the scales turn on the side of 
 the martyrdom at Rome, and the authenticity of 
 the Cureton Epistles. 
 
 Dr. Lightfoot, while he accepts these epistles as 
 genuine, states that the Vossian letters are a pro- 
 duction of not later than the middle of the second. 
 
52 SECOND PERIOD A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 century, and desires the question of genuineness 
 to remain an open one. But do not the Cureton 
 letters, if genuine, exclude any longer form of the 
 same epistles ? Besides, that question was supposed 
 to have been settled by Lipsius, whose opinion Dr. 
 Lightfoot himself had indorsed, before writing this 
 article for the Contemporary Review. Lipsius had 
 -come to the conclusion that the Vossian letters were 
 an interpolation ; that is, a forgery as to four, and 
 an interpolation as to the other three ; and that they 
 were written about A. D. 140. 
 
 The Cureton- Epistles. — They are written in an 
 affectionate and fatherly spirit, and the sentiments 
 and views of the writer are expressed in language 
 at once simple and dignified. 
 
 When referring to those making trouble in the 
 church, he does so in the following words : 
 
 "Bear with all men, even as our Lord beareth with thee." 
 (Addressed to Polycarp.) "If thou lovest the good disciples only, 
 thou hast no grace; rather subdue those that are evil by gentleness." 
 " Let not those who seem to be somewhat, and teach strange doc- 
 trines, strike thee with apprehension." " More especially is it fitting, 
 that we should bear everything, for the sake of God, that he also may 
 bear us." 
 
 In the Epistle to the Romans, the condemned 
 martyr looks joyfully forward to the time when he 
 shall be offered up, as a testimony to the faith. 
 He is even apprehensive, lest the brethren should 
 interfere. 
 
 " Ye cannot," said he, "give me any thing more precious than this, 
 that I should be sacrificed to God, while the altar is ready." Again: 
 " I am the wheat of God, and by the teeth of the beasts I shall be 
 ground, that I may be found the pure bread of God." (Quoted, with 
 s. slight variation, by Irenseus, adv. User., 5. 28.) 
 
APOSTOLIC FATHERS IGNATIUS. 53 
 
 The zeal and enthusiasm of Ignatius, in contem- 
 plation of his martyrdom, rose to the height of fa- 
 naticism. His mind even dwelt with delight upon 
 the details of his sufferings. 
 
 " Fire and the cross, and the beasts that are prepared, cutting off 
 of the limbs, and scattering of the bones, and crushing of the whole 
 body, harsh torments of the devil, let them come upon me, but only 
 let me be accounted worthy of Jesus Christ." 
 
 He coveted and earnestly desired the glory of 
 martyrdom, and feared the brethren at Rome, whom 
 he was addressing, might interfere in his behalf, 
 before his arrival. 
 
 THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION. 
 
 Doctrine. — In the Epistle of Ignatius to the 
 Ephesians, there is, apparently, an obscure reference 
 to the immaculate conception of Jesus ; the first 
 intimation of such a doctrine, which we have ^been 
 able to find in history. 
 
 It is in these words : 
 
 " There was concealed from the ruler of this world, the virginity of 
 Mary, and the birth of our Lord, and the three renowned mysteries, 
 which were done in the tranquility of God, from the Star." 
 
 This, at first, even in connection with what fol- 
 lows, is not very clear. There appears to be a hid- 
 den meaning, not easily fathomed. 
 , But if it be remembered, that Ignatius was Bishop 
 of Antioch, [in Syria, a country imbued with the 
 religious and mythological ideas of Persia, that he 
 must be supposed to have been familiar with the 
 two principles, one of good, and the other of evil, 
 and of their conflict through the ages ; and also that 
 Zoroaster had been immaculately conceived by a ray 
 
54 SECOND PERIOD A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 from the divine reason ; had been taken to heaven 
 by lightning, and there enthroned as a living star ; 
 if we suppose these thoughts and images to be blend- 
 ed with his Christian convictions, giving his religi- 
 ous views a tinge of that Gnosticism then commen- 
 cing to prevail so extensively in the church, the 
 paragraph cited may be read with what follows 
 more intelligibly. 
 
 " There was concealed from the ruler of this world, the virginity of 
 Mary, and the birth of our Lord, and the three renowned mysteries, 
 which were done in the tranquility of God, from the Star." Then the 
 following: "And here, at the manifestation of the Son, magic began 
 to be destroyed, and all bonds were loosed; and the ancient kingdom 
 and the error of evil were destroyed." 
 
 The ancient struggle is at an end ; the principle 
 of good has triumphed ; and this has come from the 
 influence of the living Star. The Gospel of the In- 
 fancy, which was published soon afterward, and 
 which Ignatius may have seen, states that the magi 
 came to Bethlehem, guided by a star, in accordance 
 with the prophecy of Zoroaster. 
 
 Evidence as to the Four Gospels. — There is but 
 one passage in the Cureton Epistles, which can be 
 cited, even as apparent evidence of the existence of 
 either of the four gospels. 
 
 "Be thou wise as the serpent in every thing, and 
 harmless, as to those things which are requisite, as 
 the dove." No source is indicated, whence this is 
 taken. It is one of the sayings of Jesus, which 
 were preserved in various forms, both by tradition, 
 and in the older gospels. It is not much relied on 
 as evidence. Bev. Mr. Sanday, after citing the 
 
APOSTOLIC FATHERS — POLYCAEP. 55 
 
 passage, from the Epistle of Ignatius to Polycarp, 
 and thinking it ought to be referred to the similar 
 passage in Matthew 10.16, adds : 
 
 "It is however, possible, that Ignatius may be quoting, not directly 
 from our gospel, but from one of the original documents, (such as 
 Ewald's hypothetical Spruch-Sammlung), out of which our gospel 
 was composed; though it is somewhat remarkable that this particular 
 sentence is wanting in the parallel passage in St. Luke."— [Gospels in 
 the Second Century, p. 78. 
 
 Ignatius had been forty years bishop of Antioch, 
 and was said to be 86 years old at the time of his 
 death . 
 
 * 
 
 "The Martrydom op Ignatius." — This pur- 
 ports to have been written soon after the martyr- 
 dom, by some persons who accompanied Ignatius 
 to Rome. 
 
 Many have expressed doubts as to its authenticity ; 
 others have rejected it altogether. It is unnecessary 
 to decide. The document has but little historic 
 value, since the martyrdom is generally admitted. 
 
 Polycarp. A. D. 116. — It is difficult to under- 
 stand how the Ante-Nicene editors and some other 
 writers can concede the genuineness of the Epistle 
 of Polycarp to the Philippians, and still claim that 
 it cannot be dated earlier than the middle of the 
 second century. If there is any portion of it that 
 belongs to that period, it must be an interpolation. 
 The original epistle, if genuine, was written very 
 soon after the martyrdom of Ignatius. This will 
 become manifest, by comparing this letter with the 
 one from Ignatius to Polycarp. 
 
56 SECOND PERIOD — A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 In that letter, Ignatius says, " I salute him who 
 is reckoned worthy to go to Antioch, in my stead, 
 as I directed thee." This can only become intel- 
 ligible by reference to the 13th chapter of the Epis- 
 tle of Polycarp to the Philippians . It must be borne 
 in mind that Smyrna, the residence of Polycarp, 
 was southeast of Philippi, in Macedonia, the place 
 to which his letter was directed ; that Ignatius had 
 passed through Macedonia, on his way to Rome, and 
 that Antioch, whence he started, was a long way 
 southeast of Smyrna. Polycarp, writing from 
 Smyrna to the Philippians, says : " Both you and 
 Ignatius wrote to me , that if any one went into 
 Syria, he should carry your letter with him." He 
 proceeds to say, in substance, that he will send the 
 letter, if he has an opportunity. Again, same 
 chapter (13), he says: "Any more certain in- 
 formation you may have obtained, both respecting 
 Ignatius himself, and those with him, have the 
 goodness to make known to us." 
 
 He refers to Ignatius in language implying that 
 he had proceeded, with his friends, on his journey 
 to Rome. Nothing can be plainer, than if the let- 
 ter is genuine, it was written after Ignatius had 
 gone to Rome to suffer martyrdom , but before in- 
 formation of the particulars had been sent to 
 Smyrna. 
 
 It has been objected, that in ch. 9, he spoke of 
 Ignatius as having already suffered martyrdom, 
 while afterward, he asked for information of Igna- 
 tius and "those with him." The latter portion has 
 been thought to be an interpolation. But we do not 
 
APOSTOLIC FATHERS — POLYCARP. 57 
 
 think the two passages irreconcilable . Ignatius had 
 gone to Rome as a martyr, and Polycarp be- 
 lieved him to have suffered when he wrote ; and in- 
 quired after his companions, and for the particulars 
 of the martyrdom. 
 
 Upon the question of the genuineness of this 
 Epistle, also, there has been considerable discus- 
 sion. But it was expressly referred to, about the 
 year 190, by Irenseus, who in his youth had known 
 Polycarp personally. Polycarp lived till 155. 
 
 Evidence as to the Four Gospels. — The pass- 
 ages claimed as parallel, are all sayings of Christ, 
 somewhat similar to those in the canonical gospels, 
 but not ascribed to any definite source. No men- 
 tion is made of either of the Gospels Luke, Mark, 
 John or Matthew, by Clement, Ignatius or Poly- 
 carp. 
 
 One of the sayings of Jesus quoted by Polycarp, 
 is precisely like one quoted by Clement ; but is not 
 in any one of the four gospels. It is as follows : 
 " Be pitiful, that ye may be pitied." In Clement, 
 word for word the same. Again : Clement ; " For- 
 give, that it may be forgiven you." Polycarp; 
 " Forgive, and it shall be forgiven you." The near- 
 est to which in the canonical gospels, is, "For if ye 
 forgive men their trespasses," &c. 
 
 These circumstances and some others struck the 
 mind of the Rev. Mr. Sanday with so much force, 
 that he admitted the passages might have been de- 
 rived from other collections. 1 
 
 (I.) Gospels in the Second Century, p. 87. 
 
58 SECOND PERIOD — A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 He concludes, that if the apostolic fathers did not 
 make use of the gospels, they had writings closely- 
 resembling them. That is true, so far as the say- 
 ings of Christ are concerned. But in other re- 
 spects, they were widely different. The sayings of 
 Jesus had become so extensively known among his 
 disciples, and had been preserved in so many dif- 
 ferent ways, that they maintained, for the most 
 part, a substantial identity, in whatever writing 
 contained. 
 
 Perhaps the most satisfactory solution of the 
 question of the evidence of the apostolic fathers, 
 was found by Dr. Less, a German evangelical 
 scholar, who wrote about the year 1770. He was 
 author of a celebrated work, written to establish 
 the "authenticity, uncorrupted preservation, and 
 credibility of the New Testament. " He was stimu- 
 lated to investigate the question, by a remark of 
 Lord Bolingbroke. In his Letters on the Study of 
 History, Bolingbroke had exposed a want of judg- 
 ment in "those who attempt to vindicate the an- 
 tiquity of the sacred writings by examples drawn 
 from the fathers of the first century, with a design 
 to prove that these fathers had read the gospels ; 
 though the instances alleged amounted to no dem- 
 onstration." 
 
 Whereupon Dr. Less gave the subject a very care- 
 ful and thorough examination. The result is given 
 by Bishop Marsh, in a note to Michaelis, as follows : 
 
 "From the Epistle of Barnabas, no inference can be adduced 
 that he had read any part of the New Testament. 
 
APOSTOLIC FATHERS NOT WITNESSES TO GOSPELS. 59 
 
 " From the General Epistle, as it is called, of Clement of 
 Rome, it may be inferred, that Clement had read the First Epistle 
 of the Corinthians. 
 
 '• From the Shepherd of Hermas, no inference -whatever can be 
 drawn. 
 
 " From the Epistle of Ignatius, it may be concluded that he had 
 read St. Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians, and that there existed in his 
 time, evangelical writings, though it cannot be shown that he quoted 
 from them. (This investigation was made long before the discovery 
 of the Cureton Epistles, and the remark of Dr. Less was founded upon 
 the Yossian Letters, which were more voluminous, and included four 
 spurious letters ascribed to Ignatius.) 
 
 "From Polyoaep's Epistle to the Philippians, it appears 
 that he had heard of St. Paul's Epistle to that community, and that 
 he quotes a passage which is in the First Epistle to the Corinthians, 
 and another which is in the Epistle to the Ephesians; but no positive 
 conclusion can be drawn, with respect to any other Epistle, or any 
 of the Four Gospels." — [Miohaelis by Marsh, vol. 1, p. 354, citing Less, 
 Oesch. der Religion, pp. 503-537, ed'n 1786. 
 
 As the result of this analysis, including, besides 
 the apostolic fathers proper, Barnabas and Hermas, 
 and extending to about the middle of the second 
 century, no evidence of the four gospels was seen, 
 in the writings of the apostolic fathers, by this em- 
 inent German theologian. Subsequent English 
 and American ecclesiastical writers have discovered 
 much, as they suppose, which escaped his careful 
 scrutiny. 
 
 All three of the apostolic fathers mentioned Paul 
 expressly, and referred to his writings. 
 
 Clement, in writing to the Corinthians, referred 
 to Paul's Letter to them, and Polycarp, in his Let- 
 ter to the Philippians, spoke of Paul's Epistle to 
 that Church. 
 
 There has been an attempt made to make Poly- 
 carp a witness for the four gospels, in another man- 
 
60 SECOND PERIOD — A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 ner. Feuardentius, in his note to Irenaeus, 3. 3 r 
 published, with some other fragments, what pur- 
 ported to be a fragment of Polycarp, out of a very 
 ancient manuscript of Victor Capuanus' catena 
 upon the four evangelists, wherein Polycarp men- 
 tioned each by name ; "which catena," says Feuar- 
 dentius, "he there promises to publish ; but whether 
 he did or no , I know not." Victor Capuanus lived, 
 A, D. 480, according to this writer. Grynaaus 
 places him at A. D. 455: others a hundred years 
 later. 
 
 This testimony may be stated thus : Feuardentius 
 says, that Capuanus had, in 480, a manuscript, 
 showing that Polycarp, more than 300 years pre- 
 vious, mentioned the four gospels. 
 
 Westcott prudently abandons this evidence, sig- 
 nificantly asking, "Is anything known of the MS. 
 catena, from which it was taken?" 1 
 
 Polycarp was for many years, Bishop of Smyrna y 
 and was martyred, A. D. 155. 
 
 He was a devoted Christian, and an able ex- 
 pounder of the faith. In his treatment of heretics, 
 he traveled in the footsteps of Clement and Igna- 
 tius. 
 
 Speaking of Valens, who had been a presbyter, 
 but who had departed from the faith, he says : 
 
 " I am deeply grieved, therefore, brethren, for him and for his wife; 
 to whom may the Lord grant true repentance! And be ye, then, 
 moderate in this matter, and do not count such as enemies, but call 
 them back as suffering and straying members, that ye may save your 
 whole body."— [Ch. 11. 
 
 (i) Canon, p. 36. 
 
APOSTOLIC FATHERS. 61 
 
 RECAPITULATION. 
 
 The apostolic fathers make no mention of the 
 miracles of Jesus, nor do they refer to any of the 
 circumstances connected with the alleged material 
 resurrection. 
 
 Upon that subject, Clement holds the same views 
 with Paul, and illustrates them in an impressive 
 and beautiful manner. 
 
 Ignatius, A. D. 115, appears to allude, in a mys- 
 terious way, to the immaculate conception of Jesus ; 
 the first time we find it mentioned in history. 
 
 No reference is made to either of the four gospels, 
 nor to the Acts of the Apostles, nor are there any 
 quotations except such as evangelical writers con- 
 cede may have been taken from other sources. 
 
 "The Martyrdom op Polycarp." — This was 
 doubtless one of the earliest of the martyria. Its 
 genuineness has been denied ; but the question is of 
 little importance, as the document contains noth- 
 ing of much historical value, in the way of fact or 
 doctrine. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE LOST GOSPELS OF THE SECOND CENTURY. 
 
 Gospel According to the Hebrews. 
 
 This is the most celebrated of all the ancient gos- 
 pels. It made its first appearance early in the sec- 
 ond century ; probably not later than 125, and pos- 
 sibly five or even ten years sooner. 
 
 As this gospel, in various forms, and under dif- 
 ferent titles, was the one most in use among the 
 Christians of the second century, we shall give all the 
 citations of it by the fathers, and all the fragments 
 of the gospel which they have preserved. 
 
 1. Hegesippus; A. D. 185. According to Euse- 
 bius, Ecclesiastical History, bk. 4, ch. 22. 
 
 Eusebius here says of Hegesippus, 
 
 " He has also written (laid down) some things concerning the Gospel 
 according to the Hebrews and Syrians, as also concerning the Hebrew 
 language, by which he evidences that he was converted from Judaism 
 to Christianity." 
 
 It may be mentioned in passing, that this is the 
 principal testimony relied upon to show that there 
 was a Syriac Version of the canonical gospels in 
 the second century. But so far from its being any 
 evidence of the fact, Eusebius was not referring at 
 all to the canonical gospels, or either of them, but 
 
LOST GOSPELS GOSPEL OP THE HEBREWS. 63 
 
 to the Gospel of the Hebrews. He calls it the Gos- 
 pel according to the Hebrews and Syrians ; by which 
 he evidently means, that it was used by the Jews in 
 Syria, as elsewhere. 
 
 This view is confirmed by the statement of Jer- 
 ome, which will appear presently, that the Gospel 
 of the Hebrews was written "in the Ghaldee and 
 Syriac languages." It appears it was used by the 
 Nazarenes residing in Berea, Syria ; hence it was 
 translated into Syriac. 
 
 2. Clement op Alexandria; A. D. 200. Strom- 
 ata, bk. 2, ch. 9. 
 
 "And it is written in the Gospel according to the Hebrews,. 'He who 
 wonders shall reign, and he who reigns shall be at rest.'" 
 
 3. Origen ; A. D. 230. Comm. in Joan. : 
 
 " But if any one will receive the Gospel according to the Hebrews, 
 in which our Savior says, 'The Holy Ghost, my mother, lately took me 
 by one of my hairs, and bore me to the great mountain Tabor,' " &c. 
 
 From the same. Fragment of the gospel, preser- 
 ved in Horn. 8, in Matt. torn. 3, p. 21 : 
 
 "But let us treat this place a little otherwise: It is written in a 
 certain gospel, which is entitled, 'according to the Hebrews,' (if any 
 one be pleased to receive it, not as of any authority, but only for 
 illustration) of the present question." 
 
 Then comes the following account of the collo- 
 quy between Jesus and the rich man, which the 
 reader can compare with Matt. 19. 16-24. Ashe 
 does so, he may wonder at its being pronounced by 
 Origen, "not of any authority," since it is in spirit 
 the same as the account in Matthew, and is some- 
 what more simple and natural. 
 
64 SECOND PEEIOD — A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 There is reason to believe that the clause in 
 brackets is one of the many interpolations to which 
 it is well known the writings of Origen have been 
 subjected. In the same sentence he himself speaks 
 of it as a gospel ; not as a book called "the Gospel 
 according to the Hebrews," but as a gospel, "en- 
 titled according to the Hebrews." The phrase 
 "it is written," used by the fathers, is generally 
 understood to apply to writings considered script- 
 ural. Origen says, "It is written in a certain gos- 
 pel." It will be seen also directly, that Jerome 
 speaks of this gospel as "one which Origen often 
 used." 
 
 The following is the narrative. 
 
 "Another rich man said unto him, 'Master, what good thing shall I 
 do that I may live ?' He said unto him, 'O man, fulfil the law, and 
 the prophets.' And he answered him, 'I have done so.' Then said he 
 unto him, 'Go sell all thou hast, and give to the poor; and come, fol- 
 low me.' 
 
 "Then the rich man began to smite his head, and it pleased him not. 
 And the Lord said unto him, 'How sayest thou, I have fulfilled the law 
 and the prophets, when it is written, in the law, Thou shalt love thy 
 neighbor as thyself ? And lo, many of thy brethren, sons of Abra- 
 ham, are covered with filth, and dying of hunger, and thy house is full 
 of many good things, and nothing therefrom goeth forth at any time* 
 unto them.' " 
 
 "And turning himself about, he said unto Simon, his disciple, sit- 
 ting near him, 'Simon, son of Jonas, it is easier for a camel to go 
 through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the 
 kingdom of heaven.' " 
 
 Rev. S. Baring-Gould, after comparing this with 
 the corresponding passage in Matthew, says : 
 
 "The comparison of these two accounts is not favorable to that in 
 the canonical gospel. It is difficult to understand how a Jew could 
 
LOST GOSPELS GOSPEL OP THE HEBREWS. 65 
 
 have asked, as did the rich young man, (according to Matthew's Gos- 
 pel), what commandments he ought to keep, in order to enter into 
 life. The decalogue was known by heart to every Jew. Moreover, 
 the narrative in the lost gospel is more connected than in the canon- 
 ical gospel." 
 
 To which may be added, that the account is con- 
 siderably shorter than in the Gospel of Matthew, or 
 Mark ; indicating, according to a principle which 
 will be frequently adverted to as we proceed, that 
 it was first written. The narrative in Luke is of 
 about the same length with that in the Hebrews. 
 
 4. Eusebius ; A. D. 325. Ecc. Hist. bk. 3, ch. 
 25. 
 
 In enumerating the apocryphal books, he adds : 
 
 "In this number, some have placed the Gospel according to the 
 Hebrews; with which they of the Jews, who profess Christianity, are 
 very much delighted." 
 
 Again, speaking of the Ebionites ; ib. ch. 27 : 
 
 "They made use only of that which is called the Gospel according 
 to the Hebrews; very little esteeming any other." 
 
 Again, speaking of Papias ; ch. 39 : 
 
 "He mentions another history, concerning a woman accused of 
 many crimes before our Lord, which is contained in the Gospel ac- 
 cording to the Hebrews." 
 
 5. Epiphanius ; A. D. 385. Hseres. 29, sec. 9 : 
 
 "They (the Nazarenes) have tbe Gospel of Matthew most entire in 
 the Hebrew language, among them: for this truly is preserved amonff 
 them; as it was at first in Hebrew characters. But I know not wheth- 
 er they have taken away the genealogy from Abraham to Christ." 
 
66 SECOND PERIOD A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 Again, against Heresies, 30 : (Ebionites.) 
 
 "They (the Ebionites) also receive the Gospel according to Matthew. 
 For this, both they and the Cerinthians make use of, and no other. 
 They call it the Gospel according to the Hebrews; for the truth is, 
 that Matthew is the only one of the New Testament writers who 
 published his Gospel and preaching in the Hebrew language and He- 
 brew characters." 
 
 Again ; in Sec. 13 : 
 
 "In the gospel which they (the Ebionites) have called the Gospel 
 according to Matthew, which is not entire and perfect, but corrupted 
 and curtailed, and which they call the Hebrew Gospel, it is written: 
 
 "There was a certain man called Jesus; and he being about thirty 
 years of age, made choice of us. (This was called also the Gospel of 
 the Twelve Apostles.) And coming to Capernaum, he entered into the 
 house of Simon, called Peter, and opening his mouth, said: When I 
 passed by the Lake of Tiberias, I chose John and James, the sons of 
 Zebedee, and Simon and Andrew, and Thaddeus, and Simon 
 Zelotes, and Judas Iscariot; and thee, Matthew, sitting at the receipt 
 of custom, I called, and thou didst follow me. I will, therefore, that 
 ye be my twelve apostles, for a testimony to Israel. And John the 
 Baptist was baptizing, and the Pharisees went out to him, and were 
 baptized, and all Jerusalem. 
 
 " 'And John had his garment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle 
 about his loins, and his meat (according to that gospel) was wild 
 honey, the taste of which was like manna, or as cakes made with honey 
 and oil.' Thus they change the true account into a falsehood, and for 
 locusts, put cakes made with oil and honey. 
 
 " The beginning of their gospel was this: 'It came to pass, in the 
 days of Herod, King of Judsa, that John came baptizing with the 
 baptism of repentance, intheKiver Jordan, who was reported to be of 
 the family of Aaron, the high priest, the son of Zacharias and Eliza- 
 beth; and all people went out after him.' 
 
 "And after several other things, it is said in this gospel: 'The peo- 
 ple being baptized, Jesus also went, and was baptized by John; and as 
 he ascended out of the water, the heavens were opened, and he saw 
 the Holy Spirit of God in the form of a dove, descending and enter- 
 ing into him; and a voice was made, (egeneto), from heaven, saying: 
 Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; and then an- 
 other, I have this day begotten thee; and suddenly there shone around 
 
LOST GOSPELS GOSPEL OP THE HEBREWS. 67 
 
 the place a great light; which when John saw, (says this gospel), he 
 said to him, Who art thou, Lord? and then another voice from heaven 
 came to him, 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.' 
 Hereupon, (according to this gospel), John fell down before him, and 
 said, 'O Lord, I pray thee, baptize me;' but he hindered him saying, 
 that it is so fit, that all things should be fulfilled. See how their false 
 doctrine appears everywhere, how all things are imperfect, disordered 
 and without truth or order. 
 
 "So also Cerinthus and Carpocrates, using the same gospel of theirs, 
 would prove from the beginning of that Gospel according to St. Mat- 
 thew, viz., by the genealogy, that 'Christ proceeded from the seed of 
 Joseph and Mary.' But they (the Ebionites) have quite other senti- 
 ments; for they have taken away the genealogy from Matthew, and 
 accordingly begin their gospel, as I have above said, with these words : 
 It came to pass, in the days of Herod, King of Judaea, &c." 
 
 Again, Epiphanius says, sec. 16 : 
 
 "They (the Ebionites) do not say that he, (Christ), was begotten of 
 the Father, but made as one of the angels; but being greater than 
 they, he has dominion over them, and all the works of the Almighty; 
 and that he came and taught that which is contained in their gospel, 
 viz., 'I came to abolish sacrifices; and unless ye cease to offer sacrifices, 
 the wrath (of God) shall not cease from you.' And such as these are 
 their tenets." 
 
 Epiphanius also tells us, 1 that a certain Jew, 
 called Joseph, found in a cell at Tiberias, in the 
 time of Constantine, the Hebrew Gospel ascribed to 
 Matthew. Not much confidence has been placed in 
 this statement by subsequent writers. 
 
 6. Jerome; A.D. 400. Catal. Vir. Illust. in Matt. 
 
 "Matthew, also called Levi, who became from a publican an apostle, 
 was the first who composed a gospel of Christ; and, for the sake of 
 those who believed in Christ from among the Jews, wrote it in the 
 Hebrew language and letters; but it is uncertain who it was who 
 translated it into Greek. Moreover the Hebrew (copy) itself is to this 
 time preserved in the library of Csesarea, which Pamphilus the mar- 
 tyr, with much diligence, collected. The Nazarenes who live in 
 Berea, a city of Syria, and make use of this volume, granted me the 
 favor of writing it out; in which (gospel), there is this observable, that 
 
 (i.) Haeres. 30, Ebion. sec. 6. 
 
68 SECOKD PERIOD — A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 wherever the evangelist either cites, himself, or introduces our Savior 
 as citing, any passage out of the Old Testament, he does not follow 
 the translation of the LXX, but the Hebrew copies; of which there 
 are these two instances, to wit: 'out of Egypt have I called my Son;' 
 and 'he shall be called a Nazarene.' " 
 
 [Note.— If this statement of Jerome, who is not very reliable, could 
 be depended upon, there was a version of the Old Testament then in 
 circulation, containing the latter passage ; a passage which, it has been 
 often asserted, was not in the Old Testament; and which is not now 
 to be found in that volume.] 
 
 Again, same work, Life of James ; after relating 
 various wonderful things concerning James , he says : 
 
 "The gospel also, which is called 'according to the Hebrews,' and 
 which I translated into Greek and Latin, and which Origen often used, 
 relates that after our Savior's resurrection, when our Lord had given 
 the linen cloth to the priest's servant, he went to James, and appeared 
 to him; for James had sworn that he would not eat bread, from that 
 hour in which he drank the cup of the Lord, till he should see the 
 Lord risen from the dead. And a little after, the Lord said, 'Bring 
 the table and the bread;' and then it is added, he took the bread and 
 blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to James the Just, and said 
 -to him, 'My brother,eat thy bread; for the Son of man is risen from 
 the dead.' " 
 
 This appearance is not related in the canonical 
 gospels ; but an appearance to James is mentioned 
 by Paul, 1 Cor. 15. 7 ; which would indicate that 
 the Gospel of the Hebrews contained the oldest 
 traditions. 
 
 Again ; Jerome, adv. Pelag. 1. 3, in prin. 
 
 "In the Gospel according to the Hebrews, which is written in the 
 •Chaldee and Syriac languages, which the Nazarenes use, that accord- 
 ing to the Twelve Apostles; or as most think, according to Matthew; 
 which is in the library of Cseserea, there is the following history: 
 
 " 'Behold, the mother and brethren of Christ spake to him : John the 
 Baptist baptizeth, f or the remission of sins; let us go and be baptized 
 of him. He said to them, In what have I sinned, that I have need to 
 go and be baptized by him ? unless my saying this proceeds, perhaps, 
 from ignorance ?' 
 
LOST GOSPELS GOSPEL OP THE HEBREWS. 69 
 
 "And in the same volume it is said, 'If thy brother offend thee by 
 any word, and make thee satisfaction, though it be seven times in a 
 day, thou must forgive him.' Simon, his disciple, said to him, 'What! 
 Seven times in a day ?' The Lord answered and said unto him, 'I tell 
 thee also, even till seventy times seven.' " 
 
 Again, Jerome, Lib. 4, Comm. in Isai. c. 11. 
 
 "According to this gospel, which is written in the Hebrew language 
 and read by the Nazarenes, the whole fountain of the Holy Ghost de- 
 scended upon him. Besides, in that gospel just mentioned, we find 
 these things written: 
 
 " 'It came to pass, when the Lord ascended from the water, the 
 whole fountain of the Holy Ghost descended, and rested upon him, 
 and said to him, 'My Son, among all the prophets, I was waiting for 
 thy coming, that I might rest upon thee; for thou art my rest; thou 
 art my first begotten Son, who shall reign to everlasting ages.' " 
 
 And again, in Lib. 11, Comm. in Isai. 40, 11 : 
 
 "But it is written in the Gospel according to the Hebrews, which 
 the Nazarenes read, 'The Lord said, The Holy Ghost, my mother, just 
 now laid hold on me.' " 
 
 By the same, in Lib. 2, Comm. in Mic. 7. 6 : 
 
 "Whoever reads the book of Canticles, and will understand, by the 
 spouse of the Soul, the word of God, and will believe the gospel which 
 is entitled, 'The Gospel according to the Hebrews,' which I lately 
 translated, in which our Savior is introduced, saying, 'Just now my 
 mother, the Holy Ghost, laid hold on me by one of my hairs,' will not 
 scruple to say, the Word of God was born of the Spirit, and the soul, 
 which is the spouse of the Word, has the Holy Ghost for its mother-in- 
 law, who, in the Hebrew language, is expressed in the feminine gen- 
 der." 
 
 The same in Lib. 6, Comm. Ezek. 18. 7 : 
 
 "In that which is entitled, 'The Gospel according to the Hebrews,' 
 it is reckoned among the chief of crimes, for a person to make sor- 
 rowful the heart of his brother." 
 
 Again ; Jerome, Lib. 1, Comm. in Matt. 6. 11 : 
 
 ■'In the gospel entitled, 'according to the Hebrews,' I find, instead 
 of supersubstantial bread,' 'mahar;' which signifies the morrow; so, 
 the sense is, 'Give us this day, the bread necessary for the morrow;' i. 
 e., for the future." 
 
70 SECOND PERIOD — A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 Again, the same. Lib. 2, Coram, in Matt. 12. 13. 
 
 "In the Gospel which the Nazarenes and Ebionites use, (which I 
 lately translated out of Hebrew into Greek, and which is by most 
 esteemed the authentic Gospel of Matthew), the man who had the 
 withered hand, is said to be a mason, and prayed for relief in the fol- 
 lowing words: 
 
 "'I was a mason, who got my livelihood by my hands; I beseech 
 thee, Jesus, that thou wouldst restore to me my strength, that I may 
 no longer thus scandalously beg my bread.' " 
 
 And again, in Lib. 4, Coram, in Matt. 23. 
 
 "In the gospel which the Nazarenes use, for the son of Barachias, I 
 find written, 'The son of Joiada.' " 
 
 The following extracts also are from Jerome : 
 From Lib. 4, Comm. in Matt. 27. 16 : 
 
 "In the gospel entitled, 'according to the Hebrews.' he (Barabbas), 
 is interpreted, The son of their master, who was condemned for sedi- 
 tion and murder." 
 
 Same book : 
 
 "In the gospel which I have often mentioned, we read, that a lintel 
 of the temple, of immense size, was broken and rent." (At the time 
 of the crucifixion.) 
 
 From Epistle ad. Hedib. ch. 8. 
 
 "In that gospel which is written in Hebrew letters, we read, not that 
 that the vail of the temple was rent, but that a lintel (or beam) of a 
 prodigious size fell down." 
 
 From lib. 3, Comm. in Ep. ad. Eph. c. 5, v. 4 : 
 
 "In the Hebrew Gospel, we read, that our Lord said to his disciples, 
 'Be ye never cheerful, unless when you can see your brother in love.'" 
 
 From Prsef. lib. 18, Comm. in Isai. : 
 
 "For when the apostles supposed him to be a spirit, or according to 
 the Gospel which the Nazarenes received, an incorporeal demon, he 
 said to them, 'Why are ye troubled,' &c." 
 
LOST GOSPELS GOSPEL OP THE HEBREWS. 71 
 
 And in De Vir. 111. c. 16, in Ig., he bears the follow- 
 ing testimony to the source whence Ignatius was 
 supposed to have taken the quotation , concerning 
 the conversation between Jesus and his disciples, 
 after the resurrection. 
 
 "In the epistle to theSmyrnseans, (which, in the time of Jerome, and 
 until lately, was thought to have been written by Ignatius,) he (Igna- 
 tius) takes a testimony from the Gospel which I lately translated, as 
 spoken by Christ; he says, I saw Christ in the flesh after the resurrect- 
 ion, and believe that it was he; and when he came to Peter, and to 
 those who were with Peter, he said unto them, Behold, feel me, and 
 see that I am not an incorporeal spirit; and presently they touched 
 and believed. " 
 
 Such are the testimonies of the fathers concern- 
 ing this famous gospel, and the fragments of it 
 which they have preserved for our inspection. 
 
 It may be added, that it was not condemned in 
 the decree of Gelasius, A. D. 494. 
 
 There has been much diversity of opinion, and a 
 good deal of learning brought to bear upon the 
 question whether the Gospel according to the He- 
 brews was written by Matthew ; and if not, whether 
 Matthew wrote a Gospel in Hebrew. 
 
 It will be seen by the foregoing extracts, that 
 Epiphanius and Jerome are very explicit in assert- 
 ing that this was the Gospel of Matthew. 
 
 The readiness with which these statements are set 
 aside by able modern writers, may be regarded as 
 an instructive commentary upon the degree of 
 credit and authority to which the fathers are entit- 
 led, on questions requiring for their decision an 
 educated and critical judgment. 
 
72 SECOND PERIOD A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 It will be noticed hereafter, that Jerome asserts, 
 with the same positiveness, that the Gospel of the 
 Infancy, which he translated from memory, and a 
 portion of which translation has since been called 
 the Gospel of the Birth of Mary, was written also 
 by Matthew. In that case, he went so far as to say, 
 it was in Matthew's own handwriting. (See chap- 
 ter 17.) 
 
 That the Gospel of the Hebrews was Matthew's 
 Hebrew Gospel, was the opinion of Dupin, 1 and 
 Father Simon. 2 Beausobre considered it, whether 
 written by Matthew or not, very ancient, and of 
 very high authority. 
 
 Dr. Niemeyer thought this gospel, "the fountain 
 from which other writings of this sort, have deriv- 
 ed their origin ; as streams from a spring." Bar- 
 onius said, "The present Greek text of St. Mat- 
 thew is of no value or authority, unless it were to 
 be compared with the Hebrew Gospel of the Naza- 
 renes, which is the true original." 3 
 
 Michaelis [A. D. 1777], examined the question 
 critically. After citing Father Simon, Dr. Mill, 
 and other writers, and admitting frankly that the 
 Nazarenes knew nothing of the Greek gospels, he 
 considers whether in the gospel of the Nazarenes, 
 like that of the Ebionites, the first two chapters of 
 Matthew were wanting. He examines Jerome's 
 references to the gospel which he had translated, 
 and comes to the conclusion, that while there is no 
 
 (i.) History of the Canon, vol. 2, c. 2, 3. 
 (2.) Crit. Hist. N. T„ Ft. 1, ch. 7, 9. 
 (3.) Annal. ad. Am. Ct. 34, num. 175. 
 
LOST GOSPELS GOSPEL OP THE HEBREWS. 73 
 
 trace of the first chapter of Matthew, it probably 
 contained the second chapter. He does not speak 
 with much confidence, however, and says, "at diff- 
 erent times, I have entertained different opinions 
 on this subject." 
 
 The difficulty experienced by this eminent schol- 
 ar, appears to have been easily surmounted by more 
 modern writers, some of whom do not hesitate to 
 assert, in the most positive manner, that the refer- 
 ences of Jerome prove that the gospel which he 
 translated contained both chapters. 
 
 Michaelis finally concludes, upon the main ques- 
 tion, that if the Gospel of the Hebrews was origin- 
 ally the Hebrew Gospel of Matthew, it received 
 various additions among theNazarenes, after it had 
 been translated into Greek. 1 
 
 Bishop Marsh , assuming that the Gospel of Mat- 
 thew was a translation from the Hebrew, thinks 
 the first two chapters may not have been in the 
 original, and that the Greek translator prefixed a 
 translation of some other Chaldee document, con- 
 taining an account of the birth of Christ. 2 
 
 Stroth, (1780), whose essay on the subject was 
 printed in Eichhorn's Repertorium, contended that 
 the Gospel of the Hebrews was used by Justin 
 Martyr ; an opinion which many others have since 
 adopted. 
 
 (i.) Vol. 3, p. 169. 
 
 (2.) Notes to Michaelis. toI. 3, pt. 2, p. 139. 
 
74 SECOND PERIOD — A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 Bishop Marsh, referring to this theory of Stroth, 
 and to the reasons given, which had been favorably- 
 referred to by Dr. Rosenmueller (A. D. 1800), says, 
 " It is true that if the force of these arguments be 
 admitted, and they seem really convincing, we can- 
 not produce Justin as an evidence of the four gos- 
 pels." 1 
 
 Norton thinks the Gospel of the Hebrews should 
 not be considered apocryphal, and says, in its prim- 
 itive form it was probably the Hebrew original of 
 Matthew. 2 
 
 Toland says the Gospel of the Hebrews was pub- 
 licly read in the Nazarene and Ebionite churches 
 as authentic, "for above 300 years;" and was 
 "alleged as a true gospel" by Papias, Ignatius, 
 Clemens Alexandrinus, Justin Martyr, Hegesippus 
 and others. Tischendorf finds that it was proba- 
 bly used by Justin, by the author of the Clemen- 
 tines, and by Tatian and Hegesippus. 3 
 
 From the views of these writers, after comparing 
 them carefully with the testimony of the fathers, 
 in the foregoing pages, we may, perhaps, elicit the 
 truth, and state it in a few simple propositions. 
 
 1. The Gospel of the Hebrews was an ancient 
 gospel, and nearly the only one in use among the 
 Jewish Christians, in the first ages of the Church. 
 It was also extensively used by others, and was of 
 high authority with the fathers. 
 
 (i,) Notes to Michaelis, vol. 1, p. 361. 
 
 (2.) Genuineness of the Gospels, vol. 1, pp. 214, 225. 
 
 (3.) Origin of the Four Gospels, p. 78. 
 
LOST GOSPELS — GOSPEL OF THE HEBREWS. 75 
 
 2. It was universally attributed to Matthew. 
 
 3. There was no other Gospel of Matthew at 
 that time. (First half of second century.) The 
 Hebrew Gospel of Matthew so much talked about, 
 other than the Gospel of the Hebrews, is a myth, 
 so far as there is any historical evidence. 
 
 4. The Greek Gospel of Matthew was a subse- 
 quent production, and either originally appeared in 
 the Greek language, or was a translation of the 
 Gospel of the Hebrews, with extensive changes and 
 additions. There is reason to believe it to have 
 been an original compilation, based upon the Ora- 
 cles of Christ, but containing, in whole, or in part, 
 a number of other manuscripts. 
 
 The arguments used to prove that Matthew's 
 Gospel was originally in Hebrew, all run in a cir- 
 cle. They assume that the Greek gospel is in some 
 way from Matthew, and is therefore authoritative. 
 The reasoning then runs smoothly, and ends in 
 proving a Hebrew Matthew, a document of the ex- 
 istence of which no mention is made in history ; if 
 we except a vague tradition never yet traced to its 
 source. 
 
 As a specimen of this reasoning, we may refer to 
 the argument of Jones, contained in three proposi- 
 tions : 
 
 1. The Greek gospel contains all that Matthew 
 ever wrote ; else it would not be a complete revela- 
 tion of the divine will, so far as Matthew is con- 
 cerned. 
 
76 SECOND PERIOD A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 2. It differed from the Gospel of the Hebrews. 
 
 3. Therefore the latter was not written by Mat- 
 thew. 
 
 The corollary would be, that there was a Gospel 
 of Matthew in Hebrew, different from the Gospel 
 of the Hebrews. 
 
 By whom and when written. — It will be safe to 
 accept the almost unanimous opinion of theological 
 writers, that the Hebrew Gospel used by the Naz- 
 arenes and Ebionites, was not written by Matthew. 
 The author is unknown. 
 
 It was a compilation made for the use of the 
 Jewish Christians, from the gOspels and gospel 
 documents then in circulation ; the manuscripts 
 principally used appearing to be, the Oracles or 
 Sayings of Christ, and the Gospel, Preaching and 
 Doctrine of Peter. The Oracles probably consti- 
 tuted the principal basis, and as they had been at- 
 tributed to Matthew, that circumstance is sufficient 
 to account for the association of the apostle's name 
 with this gospel. 
 
 The exact time when it was written can only be 
 a matter of conjecture. It could not have been 
 later than the first quarter of the second century. 
 
 Jerome supposed it to have been written before 
 the epistles of Ignatius. But this was because he 
 thought Ignatius had referred to it in his epistle to 
 the Smyrnseans ; a document of which Ignatius was 
 not the author. 
 
LOST GOSPELS GOSPEL OP THE HEBREWS. 77 
 
 Doctrines. — There is no sufficient evidence that 
 this gospel contained the doctrine of the immacu- 
 late conception of Jesus. On the contrary, it is 
 well understood that the earlier Jewish Christians 
 did not believe in it. 
 
 The miracles of Christ now first begin to be 
 heard of, and as might be expected, the first men- 
 tioned are those relating to the healing of the sick 
 and deformed. The more wonderful and startling, 
 such as turning water into wine, and raising to life 
 a human body in a state of decomposition, are not 
 met with until some time afterward. 
 
 The doctrine of the resurrection of Christ in a 
 material body, now for the first time appeared, and 
 was stoutly maintained by the fathers afterward. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 LOST GOSPELS OF THE SECOND CENTURY.— Continued. 
 
 Gospel According to the Egyptians. 
 
 This is universally conceded to have been a very- 
 ancient gospel. The learned Dr. Lardner thinks 
 it was not written until the second century. 1 
 
 Clement of Alexandria (A. D. 200) mentions it 
 in various places, and gives several fragments from 
 it: 
 
 1. From Stromata, bk. 3, ch. 6. 
 
 "When Salome asked our Lord, 'How long death should prevail,' 
 (not as though life were an evil, or the creation an evil), he answered, 
 'As long as ye women do bring forth children.' " 
 
 From what follows, it will be seen that this pass- 
 age was in the Gospel of the Egyptians. The fact 
 that the gospel is not cited by name in this place, 
 becomes, after we know the quotation was taken 
 from that book, a very strong indorsement of it ; 
 since it is asserted that Jesus said what he was re- 
 ported to have said, in the Gospel of the Egyptians. 
 
 2. From the same, ch. 9. 
 
 " But they who oppose the established order of God, by their spuri- 
 ous pretences to celibacy, cite those things which our Saviour spake to 
 
 (i.) Works, vol. 3, p. 204. 
 
LOST' GOSPELS GOSPEL OF THE EGYPTIANS. 79 
 
 Salome, which I just before mentioned. They are, 1 think, in the 
 Gospel according to the Egyptians; for they say that our Savior him- 
 self said, 'I am come to destroy the works of the woman; that is, the 
 works of female concupiscence, generation and corruption.' 
 
 "Afterward, Salome asked him how long it should be that death 
 should prevail against men ? And he answered, While ye women 
 bring forth children. 
 
 "Hereupon she said, 'Then I have done well in bearing no children, 
 seeing there is no necessity of generation.' To which our Lord 
 replied, Teed upon every herb, but that which is bitter, eat not.' " 
 
 3. From the same, ch. 13. 
 
 ""Wherefore Cassianus saith, that when Salome asked, when the 
 things should be known concerning which she inquired, our Lord 
 answered, 'When you shall despise the covering of your nakedness, 
 and when two shall become one, and the male with the female, 
 neither male nor female.' First, (I observe) we have not this saying 
 in the four gospels given to us, but in that according to the Egyp- 
 tians ." 
 
 This passage, quoted from the Gospel of the 
 Egyptians, may be found in similar language in 
 the second Epistle to the Corinthians, formerly at- 
 tributed to Clement of Rome, but which is now 
 thought to have been written not earlier than 
 A. D. 150. 
 
 The next author who refers to this gospel, is Or- 
 igen ; (A. D. 230.) In his Homily on the Gospel 
 of Luke, ch. 1. v. 1, he 1 says : 
 
 ■"The church has four gospels, the heretics many; among which is 
 that according to the Egyptians, that according to the Twelve Apos- 
 tles," &c. (This according to the Latin translator of Origen.) 
 
 The next is Jerome ; Prsef. in Com. in Matt. : 
 
 "The evangelist Luke declares that there were many who wrote 
 gospels, when he says, 'Forasmuch as many,' &c. &c. (ch, 1, v. 1,) 
 which being published by various authors, gave birth to several her- 
 esies; such as that according to the Egyptians, and Thomas, and 
 
80 SECOND PERIOD — A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 Matthias, and Bartholomew, that of the Twelve Apostles, and Basil- 
 ides, and Apelles, and others, which it would be tedious to enumer- 
 ate; in relation to these it will be enough at present to say, that there 
 have been certain men who endeavored, without the spirit and grace 
 of God, rather to set forth some sort of account, than to publish; a 
 true history." 
 
 It will be seen that Jerome admits that not only 
 the Gospel of Basilides, composed about A. D. 125, 
 and other gospels, admitted to have been first pub- 
 lished in the second century, were written before 
 that of Luke, but even the Gospel of Apelles also, 
 which was written not earlier than A. D. 160. 
 
 That the Gospel of the Egyptians was one of 
 those referred to in Luke's preface, was the opinion 
 of Origen, Theophylact and others of the ancients, 
 and among the moderns the same view has been 
 expressed by Grotius, Dr. Grabe, Erasmus, and 
 many others. 
 
 Epiphanius speaks of this gospel , r and thus refers- 
 to one of its doctrines : 
 
 "They (the Babellians) make use of all the Scriptures, both of the 
 Old and New Testament, but principally of some certain passages, 
 which they pick out according to their own corrupt and preposterous, 
 sentiments. But the whole of their errors and the main strength of 
 their heterodoxy they have from some apocryphal books, but princi- 
 pally from that which is called the 'Gospel of the Egyptians;' which 
 is a name some have given it: for in that, many things are proposed 
 in a hidden, mysterious manner, as by our Savior, as though he had 
 said to his disciples, that the Father was the same person, the Son the- 
 same person, and the Holy Ghost the same person." 
 
 The learned Dr. Grabe 2 has a long dissertation 
 concerning this gospel, the substance of which is,, 
 
 (I.) Hares. 62. 2. 
 
 (2.) Spiceleg. Patr. torn. 1, pp. 13 to 34. 
 
LOST GOSPELS GOSPEL OP THE EGYPTIANS. 81 
 
 that it was composed by some Christians in Egypt ; 
 that it was published before either of the canonical 
 gospels, and that Clement of Alexandria did not 
 reject it, but endeavored rather to explain it ; which 
 he would not have done, had he considered it the 
 work of a heretic. 
 
 Dr. Mill * thinks this and the Gospel of the He- 
 brews were composed before either of our canonical 
 gospels, and that the authors of it were probably 
 Essenes, who received the Christian doctrine from 
 the preaching of Mark at Alexandria. 
 
 Mr. Whiston says : 
 
 "The Therapeutse mentioned by Philo seem to have been those 
 first Christian ascetics, who were converted from the Jews, chiefly in 
 Egypt, soon after our Saviour's passion, before the coming of Mark 
 thither, and to have both imperfectly understood and practiced the 
 Christian religion. Eusebius, Epiphanius and Jerome plainly take 
 them for Christians, and then sacred, ancient, mystical books are by 
 Eusebius supposed to be the gospels and epistles of the New Testa- 
 ment. The modern critics are entirely puzzled about these Thera- 
 peutse, and yet are not willing commonly to believe them Christians. 
 And indeed Eusebius' opinion, that their ancient allegorical books 
 were our gospels and epistles, is liable to great exceptions, since they 
 are not allegorical in their nature, nor were they published any con- 
 siderable time before Philo's own writings; so that upon the whole, I 
 believe, it is more reasonable to say, these Therapeutse were those 
 first Christian ascetics, who had gotten very imperfect accounts of 
 Christianity, and were guided by the Gospel according to the Egyp- 
 tians, which we know by the fragments remaining, was a gospel suffi- 
 ciently mystical and allegorical, according to the genius of that 
 nation."— {Essay on Const. 1. 37. 
 
 The statement of Eusebius, 2 that the Therapeutse 
 of Egypt became Christians, (though not in the 
 first century), may be accepted. It is supported 
 by Epiphanius and Jerome, and by the historical 
 
 (i.) Prolegom. in N. T. sec. 35 to 38, and sec. 50. 
 (2,) Ecc. Hist. 2. 16, 17. 
 
82 SECOND PEEIOD A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 fact, that the Christian monkish system had its 
 origin in Egypt. 
 
 How far the Therapeutse of Egypt and the Es- 
 senes of Palestine may be identified as one and the 
 same class or sect, is a question which has been 
 much discussed. Their beliefs and practices were 
 similar; they both had, anterior to the Christian 
 system, many of its peculiar doctrines, and the 
 members became easy converts to the new religion, 
 and were among the first Christian disciples. 
 
 A full account of the Essenes will be found in 
 the writings of Josephus. 
 
 Jerome says, in his life of Mark, 
 
 "He went with his gospel into Egypt, and there constituted a 
 church; that he was so remarkable in the abstemiousness of his life, 
 that he obliged all his converts to follow his example; insomuch that 
 Philo, the most eloquent of all the Jewish writers, when he saw the 
 first church at Alexandria still observing the Jewish customs, thought 
 it would be to the honor of his nation to write a book concerning 
 their way of life; and as Luke says the Christians at Jerusalem had 
 all things common, so he relates that it was at Alexandria, under 
 Mark's instructions." — [Oatal. Vir. Illust. in Marco. 
 
 And again, in his life of Philo, he says, he places 
 Philo among the church writers, because, 
 
 "By writing a book concerning the first church of Mark at Alexan- 
 dria, he has said much in commendation of the Christians. He not 
 only mentions such as were there, but in many other provinces; and 
 calls their places of abode monasteries; from whence it appears, that 
 the first Christians, who believed there on Christ, were such as the 
 monks now pretend and desire to be; to wit, to have all things com- 
 mon," &c— [Catal. Vir. Illust. in Philone. 
 
 This is a good illustration of the careless writing 
 of the fathers, and of their readiness to supply, 
 from their own imaginations, what is wanting in 
 historical data. Philo, though he writes of the 
 
LOST GOSPELS — GOSPEL OP THE EGYPTIANS. 83 
 
 Therapeutse, and of their mode of life, says nothing 
 of any church of Mark at Alexandria, or of any 
 other church, nor does he once mention the Chris- 
 tians in that connection, if indeed in any other. 
 
 There is, in fact, no historical evidence, at all 
 reliable, that any Christian church was founded in 
 Egypt in the first century. The first reliable infor- 
 mation upon the subject, is in the letter of Hadrian 
 to Servianus, husband of Paulina, the Emperor's 
 sister. Servianus was consul, A. D. 134. The let- 
 ter is preserved by Vopiscus, who wrote about the 
 year 300, and who took it from the books of Phle- 
 gon, the historian, who was a freedman of Hadrian. 
 From this epistle it appears, that the religion of 
 the Christians was so crude that Christ and Serapis 
 were worshiped indiscriminately ; from which we 
 may reasonably infer that the Christian religion 
 had not long been established in that country. 
 
 The testimony of Epiphanius is as follows : 
 
 "They who believed on Christ were called Jesssei, (or Essenes), be- 
 fore they were called Christians, either because Jesse was the father 
 of David, or from Jesus, the name of our Lord, because they were 
 his disciples, and derived their constitution from him, or from the 
 signification of the name Jesus, which in Hebrew signifies the same 
 as Therapeutes, (the name by which Philo calls them), i. e. a Savior 
 or physician." — {Hares. 29. 4. 
 
 Who this Mark or Marcus was, who established 
 the first Christian church at Alexandria, is uncer- 
 tain ; possibly it was the same who wrote the Gos- 
 pel of Mark, in the second century. 
 
 That it was not Mark, the associate of Peter, who 
 wrote the Preaching, and perhaps the Gospel, of 
 Peter, is manifest from the fact, that in this first 
 church in Egypt the ascetic system among the 
 
84 SECOND PERIOD — A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 Christians had its origin ; and that system , as we 
 learn from other sources, originated not earlier 
 than .the second half of the second century. 1 
 
 Jerome also witnesses that it was not earlier than 
 that, in the following passage : 
 
 "It has" often been a question, from whom the desert way of life of 
 the monks, derives its original. Some derive it as far as from Elijah 
 and John. 
 
 "Others, which is the prevailing opinion, from Antonius; which is 
 in part true; for he was not so much the first in this way of life, as 
 the means of propagating it; for Amathas and Macarius, two disci- 
 ples of Antonius, affirm, that one Paul of Thebais, (in Egypt), was 
 the chief author of this matter; which I also assent to." — [In Vita 
 Paul, Eremit. par. 3, tr. 8. Be Tit. Con. Ep. 37. 
 
 Antonius and Paul of Thebais are thought to 
 have lived in the third century. However that 
 may be, it is manifest, from all the evidence, that 
 the ascetic system of the Christian monks cannot 
 be traced back further than the latter half of the 
 second century. Baring-Gould thinks the Gospel 
 of the Egyptians was related to that of Mark, and 
 that it was composed at the beginning of the second 
 century. He classes it among the Petrine Gos- 
 pels. 2 
 
 It was no doubt older than Mark, and this, as 
 has been shown, is the opinion of eminent Chris- 
 tian writers. 
 
 Davidson says 3 it was classed by Origen with the 
 Gospel of the Hebrews, as inauthentic. 
 
 Norton 4 thinks it was not a historical, but a doc- 
 trinal book. 
 
 (i.) Consult Serarius, Sozomen and Spanheim. 
 
 (2.) Lost and Hostile Gospels, pp. 117, 123. 
 
 (3.) Canon, p. 115. 
 
 <4.) Vol. 3, p. 243. 
 
LOST GOSPELS — GOSPEL OF THE EGYPTIANS. 85 
 
 This gospel was not condemned in the famous 
 decree of Pope Gelasius. 
 
 As has been already seen, the decree did not in- 
 clude either of the first century gospels ; the Gos- 
 pel of Paul, the Gospel of Peter, the Oracles of 
 Matthew ; neither did it touch the Gospel of the 
 Hebrews. 
 
 Jones objects to the Gospel according to the 
 Egyptians, that it contradicts the canonical gospels, 
 in representing Salome to be a single woman. But 
 it will be found, upon examination, that the objec- 
 tion is hastily made. Matt. 27. 56, and Mark 15. 
 40, are cited to show that Salome was the mother 
 of Zebedee's children; assuming that the third 
 woman spoken of in each place, as present at the 
 crucifixion, was the same. But this may or may 
 not have been the case. It is stated, both in Mark 
 and Matthew, that many women were there. Be- 
 cause each historian mentions two of the number 
 alike, it by no means follows, that the' third was 
 also the same. 
 
 If Salome had been the mother of the two apos- 
 tles, James and John, she would doubtless have 
 been so designated, wherever spoken of. 
 
 Before leaving the Gospel of the Egyptians, it 
 will be necessary to notice a mistranslation of 
 Jones, made for the purpose of bringing this gospel 
 into disrepute. 
 
 He makes Clement of Alexandria say, Strom. 
 3, ch. 9, 
 
 "The things which follow, spoken to Salome, they cite, who had 
 rather follow any thing, than the true canon of the gospel," &c. 
 — [Jones, vol. \,page 208. 
 
86 SECOND PERIOD A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 The inference would be that Clement considered 
 the Egytian Gospel an uncanonical book. 
 The Greek used by Clement is, 
 
 " Epipherousin hoi panta mallon ee to kata teen aleetheian euang- 
 geliko stoikeesantes kanoni, phamenees gar autees," etc. 
 
 " They cite, who rather follow anything, than what is according to 
 the truth, in the gospel rule." 
 
 The Greek word kanon meant, literally, a rule of measurement; 
 hence, secondarily, a moral rule. It was not used, as applied to the 
 collection of New Testament books, until the fourth century; while 
 Clement wrote at the close of the second. 
 
 When and by whom written. The original of 
 this gospel may have been in use among the Ther- 
 apeutse of Egypt, a long time before the introduc- 
 tion of Christianity, the passages relating to Christ 
 being afterward added. Or it may have been writ- 
 ten in another country, and brought into Egypt, 
 with the Christian religion. In either case it may 
 be dated as early as A. D. 110 to 115. 
 
 Doctrines. "We find no evidence that this gospel 
 contained the doctrine of the immaculate concep- 
 tion or of the material resurrection, or made any 
 allusion to the miracles of Christ. 
 
 RECAPITULATION. 
 
 The Gospel of the Egyptians was very ancient ; 
 written early in the second century ; is mentioned 
 in several places, and fragments given by Clement 
 of Alexandria, A. D. 200, who emphatically 
 indorses it, although Jones disingenuously at- 
 tempts to prove otherwise. The gospel taught 
 abstemiousness and celibacy and gave countenance 
 to the Sabellian form of the doctrine of the unity 
 
LOST GOSPELS — GOSPEL OP THE EGYPTIANS. 87 
 
 of the Godhead. According to Jerome, Origen and 
 Theophylact of the ancients, and Grotius, Erasmus, 
 Dr. Grabe, Dr. Mill, and others of the moderns, it 
 was written before the Gospel of Luke, and in the 
 opinion of Drs. Grabe and Mill, and other eminent 
 theologians, before either of the canonical gospels. 
 Was not condemned in the decree of Gelasius. The 
 objection as to Salome shown to be untenable. The 
 gospel probably written more than fifty years be- 
 fore the introduction of Christianity into Egypt ; 
 the Christian religion having probably been intro- 
 duced at the same time with Mark's gospel, and 
 with the establishment of the monkish system; 
 toward the close of the second century. 
 
 The story of Joseph and Mary appears not to 
 have been known when this gospel was written. 
 Neither is any thing said, so far as we have infor- 
 mation of its contents, of the miracles of Christ, or 
 of the material resurrection. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 LOST GOSPELS OF THE SECOND CENTURY.— Concluded, 
 
 Other Lost Gospels. 
 
 Gospel of Perfection — Gospel of Andrew — of Bar- 
 tholomew — of Philip — The Syriao Gospel — Gospel of 
 Eve — The Gospel of Matthias — of Judas — Other Gospels 
 
 AND UnOANONIOAL "WRITINGS. 
 
 The Gospel oe Perfection. — Epiphanius alludes 
 to this gospel in the following manner : 
 
 But others of them (the Gnostics) produce a certain spurious and 
 suppositious work, to which work they have given the name of the 
 Gospel of Perfection; which really is no gospel, but the perfection of 
 sorrow; for all the perfection of death is contained in that product of 
 the devil."— [Adv. Hares. 26. 2. 
 
 Baring-Gould classes this as a Pauline gospel. 
 It was regarded as sacred by the Ophites. Bauer 
 thinks it the same as the Gospel of Eve. But they 
 are distinguished by Epiphanius. Norton says, if 
 it ever existed, it was not a historical work. 1 
 
 The doubt expressed by Norton, as to the exist- 
 ence of this gospel, might well be indulged, if it 
 depended only upon the assertions of Epiphanius. 
 But it is expressly mentioned in the Gospel of the 
 Infancy, one of the oldest pre-canonical gospels 
 which have been preserved. 
 
 (l) Genuineness of the Gospels, vol. 3, p. 222. 
 
LOST GOSPELS GOSPEL OF ANDREW. 89 
 
 In that gospel, after a lengthy account of the 
 miracles performed by Christ while a child in Egypt, 
 it is added : 
 
 "And the Lord Jesus did many miracles in Egypt, which are 
 neither to be found in the Gospel of the Infancy, nor in the Gospel of 
 Perfection."— [Infancy, eft. 25. 
 
 Camerarius supposed that Basilides and other 
 Gnostics used this gospel, and that it was the same 
 with the Gospel of Philip. 1 But Epiphanius distin- 
 guishes between them. (See Gospel of Philip.) 
 
 Gospel of Andrew. — There are no fragments ex- 
 tant of the Gospel of Andrew, and but little is 
 known of it beyond the fact, that it was condemned 
 as apocryphal in the decree of Pope Gelasius, A. D. 
 494. In some copies of the decree, however, it was 
 not mentioned. 
 
 The Gospel of Andrew is considered by Jones and 
 others to have been one of the "many" referred to 
 in the preface of Luke. It is thought to have been 
 alluded to by Augustine (A. D. 420), in his Prol. in 
 Matthseum. 
 
 Gospel of Bartholomew. — Strauss refers to the 
 Gospel of Bartholomew as one of those "always 
 current," quoted by heretics and sometimes by or- 
 thodox. 2 
 
 No fragments are extant. It was pronounced 
 apocryphal by the decree of Gelasius. Was counted 
 by Jerome, Venerable Bede and others, among those 
 referred to in Luke. 
 
 (i.) Fabricius, Codex. Apoc. vol. i, p. 373. Note. 
 
 (2.) New Life of Jesus, vol. 1, p. 56. > 
 
90 SECOND PERIOD — A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 Some have thought it the same as the Hebrew 
 Gospel of the Nazarenes ; but Jerome, who saw and 
 read the Gospel of the Nazarenes, spoke of the Gos- 
 pel of Bartholomew as distinct from it. 
 
 It was reported that Pantsenus, when sent to 
 India to preach the gospel, found that Bartholomew 
 had preached there before him, and had left the 
 Gospel of Matthew in Hebrew ; and Jerome says 
 he brought it back with him to Alexandria. This 
 has been thought to be the same as the Gospel of 
 Bartholomew. The subject is involved in much 
 confusion and uncertainty. 
 
 Nicephorus says, Bartholomew, while in India, 
 dictated the Gospel of Matthew to them out of his 
 memory, and did not take it along with him. 1 
 
 Monsieur Daille supposed the Gospel of Barthol- 
 omew was forged, a short time before Gelasius. 2 
 
 Gospel op Philip. — The following notice of this 
 gospel, and fragment of its contents, is taken from 
 Epiphanius on Heresies, ch. 25, sec. 13. 
 
 "They (the Gnostics) laugh at the conduct of the monks, and 
 those who profess chastity and virginity, as submitting to unnecessary 
 hardships. They produce a forged gospel, under the name of the holy 
 Apostle Philip; in which it is written: 
 
 " ' The Lord hath revealed to me what the soul must say when it 
 ascends into heaven, and what answer it must make to each of the 
 celestial powers: I knew myself and gathered; recollected myself on 
 all sides, and did not raise children for the devil, (Archon, prince of 
 this world), but extirpated all his principles, and I have gathered my- 
 self together, the scattered members; and I know who thou art, for I 
 am one of the celestial number. And thus,' says that book, ' she is set 
 at liberty.' But it adds, that if the soul be found to have propagated 
 children, it is obliged to stay below, till she shall be able to receive and 
 bring those children to herself." 
 
 (i.) Ecc. Hist, 1, 4, c, 3, 2. 
 
 (2.) De Pseud. Dion. Areop. c. 27. 
 
LOST GOSPELS GOSPEL OF PHILIP. 91 
 
 It is not safe to place reliance upon these accounts. 
 
 Norton says, " Epiphanius is a writer as deficient 
 in plausibility, as in decency and veracity." ' He 
 was fond of indulging in obscenity, when treating 
 of the doctrines and practices of heretics. 2 
 
 Dupin supposes the Gospel of Philip was made 
 use of by Basilides and Apelles, and by the Ebion- 
 ites. 3 
 
 If Epiphanius is to be at all relied upon, there 
 could have been but little affinity between the Gos- 
 pel of Philip and that of the Hebrews, or Nazarenes. 
 
 The Gospel according to Philip is mentioned by 
 Timotheus , 4 as one of the new books which the im- 
 pious Manichseus, inspired by the devil, had made. 
 It is one of the Pauline gospels of Baring-Gould. 
 Philip, like Paul, is said to have been an apostle of 
 the Gentiles. 
 
 "This Gospel," says Baring-Gould, "belongs to the same category 
 as those of Perfection, and of Eve, and belonged, if not to the Ophites, 
 to an analogous sect, perhaps that of the Prodicians." — [Lost and 
 Hostile Gospels, p. 293. 
 
 The Syriac Gospel. — This was probably nothing 
 but the Gospel of the Hebrews in the Syriac lan- 
 guage. It is said to have been used by Hegesippus, 
 the first church historian, A. D. 185. 
 
 Gospel op Eve, — Is another of the gospels of 
 Epiphanius. The following extract is from his fa- 
 mous work against heresies. 
 
 (i.) Genuineness of the Gospels, by Andrews Norton, 1837, vol. 2, p. 211. 
 
 (2.) See his work, adv. Hser. 26. 5, 
 
 (3.) History of the Canon, vol. 2. 
 
 (4.) In Epist. &c. p. 117. 
 
92 SECOND PERIOD — A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 " Some of these, (the Gnostics), do produce a certain spurious and 
 forged writing which they call the Gospel of Perfection;— others 
 have the impudence to produce one called the Gospel of Eve; — for un- 
 der her name, as reported to have received great discoveries, revealed ' 
 to her in her discourse with the serpent, they propagate their princi- 
 ples. 
 
 " But as the discourses of a person in drink, pretending to give ad- 
 vice, are according to his giddy fancy, not equal, but some of them 
 merry, others melancholy, so are the wicked principles of these impos- 
 tors. For they are led away with certain ridiculous testimonies and 
 visions, which are in that gospel which they make use of. They pro- 
 duce such as the following: 
 
 " ' I stood upon a very high mountain, and saw one man very tall 
 and another short. And I heard a voice, as it were of thunder; upon 
 which I went nearer to hear; and he spake to me saying, I am thou, 
 and thou art I; and again, I am thou and thou art I; and where thou 
 art, there am I; and I am in all places, and in everything; and where- 
 soever thou wilt, thou shalt find me, and in finding me thou findest 
 thyself.' Behold the doctrine of devils."— [46, 47. 
 
 Other pretended quotations are made from this 
 gospel, which can scarcely be given in English. 1 
 
 Baring-Gould dignifies this doubtful production 
 with a place among his Pauline gospels. 2 He thinks 
 it was used by Marcus the Valentinian, and says it 
 contained the Alpha Beta story of the childhood of 
 Christ, to be found in some of the extant gospels. 
 
 Gospel op Matthias. — There are no fragments of 
 the Gospel of Matthias extant. It was well known 
 by the ancients, having been referred to by Origen, 
 Eusebius, Ambrose and Jerome, and in some copies 
 of the decree of Gelasius. 
 
 Origen calls it a gospel of the heretics. 3 
 
 Jerome and Erasmus include it among those 
 
 (i.) See the Greek text of Epipbanius. adv. Ha;r. ch. 26, sec. 2, 3, and 5. 
 (2.) Lost and Hostile Gospels, p. 287. 
 (3.) Ho mil. in Luc. 1. in init. 
 
LOST GOSPELS — GOSPEL OP JUDAS. 93 
 
 which they think were written before Luke. So 
 also Origen. Venerable Bede was of the same opin- 
 ion. Dr. Grabe and Dr. Mill think it the same as 
 the Traditions of Matthias. 
 
 Gospel op Judas Iscaeiot. — Judas also had his 
 gospel. 
 
 It is mentioned by Irenseus as follows : 
 
 " But there are other heretics who say Cain (was delivered) by a 
 heavenly power, and who acknowledge Esau, Corah and the Sodomites, 
 as their pattern; who, though they were fought against by the Crea- 
 tor, yet received no damage thereby; for Wisdom took from them 
 whatever belonged to it. These things, they say, Judas, who betrayed 
 Christ, carefully obtained the knowledge of; and as he was the only 
 one of the apostles who knew the truth, he accomplished the mystery 
 of betraying Christ. By him (Judas) they say, all things in heaven 
 and earth were dissolved; and according to their views, they produce 
 a certain forgery, which they call the Gospel of Judas."— [Adv. Hosr, 1 
 31.1. 
 
 Epiphanius says : 
 
 "They will have him to be their relation, and esteem him to have 
 obtained extraordinary knowledge; inasmuch as they produce a cer- 
 tain book under his name, which they call the Gospel of Judas." — 
 [Adv. Hmr. 38. 1. 
 
 Mr. Toland having spoken of the gospel with some 
 respect, Jones becomes indignant, and calls those 
 who use it, "a set of impious, beastly, profane 
 wretches. " He must have accepted the statements 
 of Epiphanius concerning them, which, by more 
 moderate writers, are rejected as malicious slanders. 
 Dr. Lardner refers to some of his stories concern- 
 ing the heretics, as "fictions of Epiphanius. " x 
 
 (I.) Vol 4, P- 397- 
 
94 SECOND PERIOD — A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 Theodoret speaks of this gospel. 1 Baring-Gould 
 makes it a Pauline gospel. 2 He thinks it was com- 
 posed by the Cainites. 
 
 Not a fragment has been preserved, outside of the 
 writings of Irenseus and Epiphanius. 
 
 OTHER LOST GOSPELS. 
 
 The following, mentioned by various writers, are 
 not included in the foregoing list, for reasons which 
 will be given. 
 
 Gospel op Apelles. — This and some others will 
 be treated of in connection with the persons to whom 
 they are attributed. (See Apelles. ) 
 
 The Gospel op Barnabas does not appear to be- 
 long to the second century. 
 
 It is first expressly mentioned in the decree of 
 Gelasius, A. D. 494. It has been supposed, how- 
 ever, by some, that Clement of Alexandria alluded 
 to it, when, commenting on Psalms, 118. 19, 20, he 
 says : 
 
 "Barnabas, expounding this saying of the prophet, thus reasons: 
 " ' Although there are many gates opened, righteousness is the gate 
 
 which is in Christ, at which all they that enter shall be blessed.' " — 
 
 [Stromata. 6, 8. 
 
 But as this passage is not in the Epistle of Barna- 
 bas, but is in the first Epistle of Clement of Rome 
 to the Corinthians, it has been thought by Dr. Grabe 
 and others, that Clement of Alexandria made a mis- 
 take in the citation. Either that, or both Clements 
 took the passage from the Gospel of Barnabas. 
 
 (i.) Lib. 1, Hser. F. 1. 15. 
 (2.) Page 305. 
 
LOST GOSPELS GOSPEL OP BARNABAS. 95 
 
 Dr. Grabe found also, in an ancient manuscript, 
 another citation, as follows : 
 
 "Barnabas the apostle saith, 'He who prevails in unlawful con- 
 tests, is so much the more unhappy, because he goes away, having 
 more sin.' " 
 
 Dr. Grabe was inclined to think this came from 
 the Gospel of Barnabas. Others were of the opin- 
 ion that it was in the lost portion of the Epistle of 
 Barnabas. Since the discovery of the entire manu- 
 script of the Epistle by Tischendorf , as it is found 
 not to contain this passage, more weight is now to 
 be given to the conjecture of Dr. Grabe. 
 
 Mr. Toland, in the "Nazarenus," says that he 
 saw this passage in substance, in an Italian manu- 
 script, in Holland, entitled "The True Gospel of 
 Jesus called Christ, a new Prophet sent by God to 
 the world, according to the relation of Barnabas his 
 Apostle . ' ' This is supposed to ha ve been a Moham- 
 medan imposture ,as Mohammed is , in several places , 
 expressly named as the Paraclete, or promised Com- 
 forter . 
 
 There is a hypothetical history of the Gospel of 
 Barnabas, which may be worthy of attention. 
 
 It is related by Theodorus Lector, Suidas, Nice- 
 phorus and others, that, in the reign of the Emper- 
 or Zeno, the remains of Barnabas, the apostle and 
 companion of Paul, were found in Cyprus, under a 
 tree, and upon the breast the Gospel of Matthew in 
 Barnabas ' own hand- writing. The book was carried 
 to the emperor, and was very highly esteemed by 
 him, and put under a crown in his palace. There 
 is a historical incident connected with this story, 
 
96 SECOND PERIOD — A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 which gives it an air of probability. It is stated 
 that on account of the honor which attached to Cy- 
 prus, by virtue of this discovery, the inhabitants, 
 by means of it, prevailed in their contest with the 
 Bishop of Antioch, so that their metropolis had an 
 independent bishop, not subject to the jurisdiction 
 of Antioch. 
 
 The hypothesis was, that this book, thus found 
 on the breast of Barnabas, was an interpolated and 
 corrupted Gospel of Matthew, and was henceforth 
 called the Gospel of Barnabas. 
 
 According to this, one of the gospels became so 
 corrupted and interpolated by being copied by an 
 apostle, that it became necessary for the head of the 
 church to pronounce it apocryphal. 
 
 Gospel or Harmony op Basilides. — (See Basil- 
 ides.) 
 
 The Clementine Gospel occupies a conspicuous 
 place in the work of Baring-Gould. He appears to 
 be the only writer who has given this name to the 
 gospel or gospels used in the Clementines. It is 
 commonly supposed that the principal gospel made 
 use of in these works, was that of the Hebrews. 
 
 Gospel op Cerinthus. — (See Cerinthus.) 
 
 Accounts or Genealogies op the Desposyni. — 
 The Desposyni is the term made use of by Eusebius, 
 to designate those relatives of Christ, who were sup- 
 posed to keep family records and genealogies. Fab- 
 ricius has the above title in his list of gospels. 
 
LOST GOSPELS — GOSPEL OP THE GNOSTICS. 97 
 
 Descent prom the Cross, by John. — One of the 
 many apocryphal writings of uncertain origin, some- 
 times classed among the gospels. 
 
 Gospel op the Encratites. — Fabricius and others 
 have inferred that Epiphanius ascribed a gospel to 
 to the sect of the Encratites. It is more probable, 
 however, that he referred to the Gospel of Tatian. 1 
 
 The Eternal Gospel. — The idea of the Eternal 
 Gospel, was taken from Revelation, 14, 6. It was 
 thought John had promised an eternal gospel ; and 
 none having appeared, one was accordingly brought 
 to light, as late as the 13th century ; attributed by 
 some to John of Parma. 
 
 Gospel op the Gnostics is a term sometimes used. 
 The Gnostics had various gospels. Epiphanius 
 speaks of their writing " The Revelations of Adam, 
 and other false gospels." 
 
 False Gospels op Hesychitjs. — This phrase is 
 found in the decree of Pope Gelasius, wherein cer- 
 tain gospels are condemned by that title. What 
 they were, is uncertain. Jerome speaks of " those 
 books which go under the names of Lucian and 
 Hesychius, and are esteemed through the perverse 
 humors of some." 2 
 
 The Book of the Helkesaites is spoken of by 
 Epiphanius and Eusebius. The Helkesaites affirm- 
 ed, that the book had fallen down from heaven ; 
 and that they who believed and observed it, should 
 obtain the pardon of their sins. 
 
 (i.) See Epiph. Hseres. bk. 30, 13, also bks. 46 and 47. 
 (2.) Praefat. in Ev. ad. Damas. 
 
98 SECOND PERIOD — A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 Epiphanius says, it described Christ as a power, 
 whose height was twenty-four schoena, or Egyptian 
 leagues , or about sixty-six miles ; his breadth twenty- 
 four miles and his thickness in proportion. His 
 limbs and feet were correspondingly large. Also, 
 that according to this book, the Holy Ghost was of 
 the female sex, and like Christ, reaching above the 
 clouds, and standing between two mountains. 
 
 Gospel of Justin. — Renan employs this term in 
 referring to the gospel principally used by Justin 
 Martyr. This is supposed to have been the Gospel 
 of the Hebrews, or the Gospel of Peter, which may 
 have been nearly the same. 
 
 Gospel op James the Less. — This is spoken of by 
 some writers, but appears to be none other than the 
 Protevangelion, which will be fully considered in a 
 subsequent chapter. 
 
 Gospel op Jude. — The same as the Gospel of 
 Judas Iscariot. 
 
 Gospel op the Lord. — One of the Lost Gospels 
 of Rev. S. Baring-Gould. He says the Gospel of 
 the Lord was used by Marcion, and apparently be- 
 fore him by Cerdo. It may, however, be affirmed 
 with much confidence, that Marcion 's Gospel was 
 not used before his time ; since Marcion is univer- 
 sally conceded to have been the author or compiler 
 of it. But as this consisted of a collection of nu- 
 merous manuscripts, it is possible that Cerdo may 
 have used a collection, consisting of a portion of 
 the same manuscripts. 
 
LOST GOSPELS — GOSPEL OF LONGINUS, ETC. 99 
 
 Gospel op Lucius. — Such a title is to be seen in 
 the list of Fabricius, but it appears to be one of the 
 books designated as the 
 
 False Gospels op Lucianus. — These were pro- 
 nounced apocryphal in the decree of Gelasius ; but 
 as in the case of the False Gospels of Hesychius, 
 they are not described with sufficient certainty to 
 enable us to identify them. 
 
 Gospel op Life. — This is mentioned by Fabricius, 
 citing Photius, Cod. 85 ; also Timotheus, Presb. 
 C, Politanus, in Epist. &c, p. 117, who says: 
 ' ' The impious Manichseans, following him (Manes), 
 and inspired by the devil, make new books, such as, 
 ( 1 . ) Evangelium Vivum, ' ' etc . 
 
 The Legal Priesthood of Christ is an obscure 
 book, sometimes spoken of as a gospel. But little 
 is known of its contents. 
 
 Gospel of Longinus. — Nothing definitely known 
 concerning it. Probably not of the second century. 
 
 Gospel of Manes. — (Third century.) 
 
 Gospel op Marcion. — (See Marcion.) 
 
 Memorabilia of Justin. — No gospel, though 
 sometimes alluded to as such. Same as the "Me- 
 moirs," so often referred to by Justin. 
 
 Midwife of our Savior. — Condemned by Gela- 
 sius, which appears to be all that is known of it. 
 
 Manichee Gospel. — (See Gospel of Manes.) 
 
 Gospel of Merinthus. — Merinthus was only 
 another name for Cerinthus. 
 
100 SECOND PERIOD A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 Passing of St. Mary, by St. John. In the list 
 of Fabricius. But little is known of it. 
 
 Persian History of Christ. — "Written by 
 Jerome Xaverius, from the Persian, A. D. 1600. 
 
 Gospel of Scythianus. — Nothing known relat- 
 ing to it. 
 
 Gospel of Simonides, or of the Simonians. — 
 ( See Simon Magus. ) 
 
 Gospel of Thadd^us. — Rejected by Gelasius. 
 
 Gospel of Tatian. — (See Tatian.) 
 
 Gospel of Truth. — (See Valentinus.) 
 
 other uncanonical writings of the second cen- 
 tury. 
 
 Besides the foregoing gospels, there appeared in 
 the second century, a large number of other writings 
 relating to Christ and his apostles ; Acts, Epistles, 
 Revelations, etc. Fabricius gives a list, alphabeti- 
 cally arranged, of Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles, 
 36 in number ; among which are the Acts of Peter, 
 Acts of Peter and Andrew, Acts of John, Acts of 
 St Mary, etc. 
 
 Then there was the Apocalypse of Peter, Apoca- 
 lypse of John, (another), Apocalypse of Paul, Bar- 
 tholomew, etc. 
 
 These were subsequently called apocryphal ; a 
 term, meaning, at first, only hidden ; but which, 
 afterward, when the books had been for some time 
 laid aside and disused, came to be looked upon as a 
 term of reproach. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE AGE OP MIRACLES. 
 
 Apollomus of Tyana. 
 
 Apollonius Tyaneus, one of the most remarkable 
 characters of history, was born two years before the 
 commencement of the Christian era. He lived a 
 hundred years, witnessed the reign of a dozen Ro- 
 man emperors, and during his long and brilliant 
 career, sustained the role of a philosopher, teacher, 
 traveler, religious reformer and worker of miracles. 
 
 The most of our information concerning him is 
 derived from his biography, written in Greek, by 
 Flavius Philostratus, in the year 210. It was com- 
 posed at the request of the beautiful and gifted Julia 
 Domna, wife of the Emperor Septimius Severus. 
 
 As soon as Julia was made empress, she gathered 
 around her the finest intellects and the greatest ora- 
 tors of the day. Among them were Dion Cassius, 
 the historian, the eminent lawyers, Paulus, Papi- 
 nian and Ulpian, and the learned sophist and schol- 
 ar, Philostratus. It was under such auspices that 
 the life of Apollonius was written. The work has 
 attracted much attention, and has been translated 
 into various languages. 
 
102 SECOND PEEIOD A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 In England in 1680, Charles Blount, the deist, 
 commenced a translation, and had proceeded as far 
 as the first two books, which he published with ex- 
 tensive notes, when he seems to have become 
 alarmed at the opposition of the ecclesiastics of his 
 day, and did not further prosecute the work. 
 
 In his preface , Blount refers , in his quaint manner, 
 to the supposed opposition of the book of Philos- 
 tratus to the Christian Scriptures. " Philostratus 
 does not," says he, " anywhere so much as mention 
 the name of Christ ; and if one heathen writer, 
 Hierocles, did make an ill use of this history, by 
 comparing Apollonius to Christ, what is that to 
 Philostratus? Now as to myself," he continues, ' ' I 
 am so far from comparing him to our blessed Sav- 
 ior, or from giving credit to any new miracles, that 
 my daily request to God is, to give me faith enough 
 to believe the old." 
 
 In the year 1809, the Rev. Edward Berwick, Vicar 
 of Leixslip, in Ireland, translated the whole eight 
 books of Philostratus ; the celebrated Lardner hav- 
 ing in the mean time given his opinion, that the 
 work was not intended to antagonize the New Tes- 
 tament. 
 
 Let us now open this celebrated book of Philos- 
 tratus, and take a brief survey of its contents. 
 
 He commences by giving an account of the mate- 
 rials from which the work was composed ; stating 
 that he obtained them from the different cities and 
 temples, from tradition, and from the epistles of 
 
AGE OF MIRACLES APOLLONIUS. 103 
 
 Apollonius, " addressed to kings, and sophists, and 
 philosophers ; to Elians, Delphians, Indians and 
 Egyptians." Also that he had made use of the 
 book of Maximus the iEgsean, the biography writ- 
 ten by Damis the Assyrian, who had accompanied 
 Apollonius in his travels, and a work written by 
 one Meragenes. 
 
 The following is an epitome of the biography, as 
 given by Philostratus. 
 
 LIFE OF APOLLONIUS. 
 
 Apolloniua was born at Tyana, a town founded by Greeks, in Cap- 
 padocia. 
 
 Before his birth, Proteus, an Egyptian god, appeared to his mother. 
 She asked the god, whom she should bring forth. To which he replied, 
 " Thou shalt bring forth me." Apollonius was born in a meadow, un- 
 der a temple since dedicated to him. When his mother was near the 
 time of her delivery, she was warned in a dream to go and gather 
 flowers in a meadow. When she came there, while her maidens were 
 dispersed up and down, employed in their several amusements, she 
 fell asleep on the grass. While thus situated, a flock of swans that 
 was feeding in the meadow, formed a chorus around her, and clapping 
 their wings, as their custom is, sang in unison, while the air was fan- 
 ned by a gentle zephyr. At the same time, her son was born. The na- 
 tives of the place affirm that at the instant of his birth, a thunderbolt, 
 which seemed ready to fall upon the ground, rose aloft, and suddenly 
 disappeared. 
 
 All the people of the country said he was the son of Jupiter; but 
 he constantly called himself the son of Apollonius. 
 
 As he grew up, he gave signs of great strength of memory, and per- 
 severing application. 
 
 The eyes of all were attracted by his beauty. 
 
 His youth was spent, partly in Tarsus, and partly in jJEgae, where 
 he enjoyed the conversation of Plato, Chrysippus and Aristotle. He 
 was an enthusiastic admirer and devoted follower of Pythagoras. He 
 declined eating anything that had life, living exclusively on fruits, 
 
104 SECOND PERIOD — A. D. 80 to A. D. 120. 
 
 and other productions of the earth. His fame was spread far and 
 near. While in his youth, he lost his parents, and buried them in his 
 native town, Tyana. He resolved never to marry. 
 
 As a true disciple of Pythagoras, he maintained silence for five 
 years. Opposes hot baths. Wherever he goes he reforms religious 
 worship. 
 
 His probationary term of silence having expired, he resolves to 
 travel to India, and visit the Brahmins and Germanes, and converse 
 with the magi inhabiting Babylon and Susa; saying it was his duty to 
 go where wisdom and his guardian angel led him. While on this jour- 
 ney, he acquired from the Arabians a knowledge of the language of 
 animals; an art for which others of the ancients were celebrated; 
 Melampus, Teresius, and Thales Milesius. 
 
 Entering the territories of Babylon, he had an interview with the 
 satrap. He continued his journey, interpreting to Damis, his compan- 
 ion, dreams and visions, by the way. Then we have an account of 
 Babylon, with its royal mansions, covered with brass, and the apart- 
 ments and porticos, adorned with silver, with tapestry of gold, and 
 with beaten gold. 
 
 ■ Apollonius enters the king's palace, conversing with Damis, and 
 not noticing at all the splendid things surrounding him. He was re- 
 ceived with honor by the king, Bardanes, who invited him to join in 
 the sacrifice he was then preparing, of a white horse of the Nisaean 
 plains, to be offered to the sun, adorned as if in a solemn procession. 
 Apollonius declined; but sacrificed to the sun with frankincense, and 
 then retired; lest he should be made a partaker in the shedding of 
 blood. 
 
 He visits India, and is well received by Phraotes, the king. He is 
 offered money by both these kings, but refuses to receive it. 
 
 We must not omit to mention, that while on this journey to India, 
 Damis, the companion of Apollonius, saw on Mt. Caucasus, the very 
 chains with which Prometheus had been bound. 
 
 They arrive at the wonderful hill occupied by the Brahmins. The 
 sages communicate freely with Apollonius, who participates in their 
 ablutions and ceremonies. Philostratus relates, that when, with 
 staves uplifted, the Brahmins struck the earth all together, they made 
 it heave and swell like waves of the sea, and they themselves were 
 
AGE OP MIRACLES — APOLLONIUS. 105 
 
 elevated to the height of almost two cubits above it. There they 
 would dance awhile in chorus, and then descend together. Iarchus, 
 the chief of the Brahmins, declares that Apollonius was, in a previous 
 life, a pilot of an Egyptian vessel. Apollonius admits it to be true, 
 and gives some account of his life as a pilot. 
 
 Then comes a feast, given by the king and Brahmins. Pour Pyth- 
 ian tripods, like those described in Homer, came forward of their own 
 accord. Then advanced cupbearers of black brass, like the Gany- 
 medes and Pelops of the Greeks. The earth strewed under them 
 herbs, softer than beds. Bread and fruits, and the vegetables of the 
 season, together with the dainties used at second courses, came of 
 themselves, each in order, better dressed than they could be by our 
 cooks. The cupbearers of brass mixed the wine and the water for 
 the company, which they presented, in small cups, to every guest. 
 
 Iarchus cures the lame, and the blind, and performs many other 
 miracles. 
 
 Apollonius returns home by going south to the sea, thence by ves- 
 sel, up the Euphrates to Babylon, thence, by way of Antioch, to Cy- 
 prus and Paphos. 
 
 He goes to Ephesus. People flock about him. Certain prophecies 
 from the oracles at Coryphon, Didyme and Pergamos, in his favor, 
 spread abroad. Ambassadors come to him from several cities. He 
 predicts the plague, and tells what is going on at a distance. 
 
 The plague raging at Ephesus, ambassadors were sent to him at 
 Smyrna, entreating him to come to their assistance. Apollonius 
 said, "I think the journey is not to be delayed." No sooner had he 
 uttered these words, than he was at Ephesus. There he put an end 
 to the plague, by having the people stone a demon, which took var- 
 ious forms. 
 
 He travels through Greece. At Athens, casts out an evil spirit 
 from a youth. As soon as Apollonius fixed his eyes upon him, the 
 demon broke out into the most angry and horrid expressions, and 
 then swore he would depart out of the youth. Apollonius rebuked 
 him, commanded him to come out, and told him to give a visible 
 sign. Immediately the demon cried out, "I will make that statue 
 tremble;" to which he pointed, standing in a royal portico. Where- 
 
106 SECOND PERIOD A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 upon the statue first began to shake, then totter, and finally tum- 
 bled down. 
 
 Apollonius visits the temples of Greece, and reforms their religious 
 rites and ceremonies. 
 
 At Corinth, Menippus, one of his disciples, a young Lycian, was in 
 love with a beautiful and intelligent woman, whom he was soon to 
 marry. Apollonius goes as a guest to the wedding. When every- 
 thing is ready, Apollonius announces that the woman is one of the 
 Empusse, who pass under the name of Lamiso and Larvae. Upon 
 this announcement, everything vanished into thin air; the gold and 
 silver vessels, cupbearers and cooks, and the whole domestic appara- 
 tus. Whereupon the phantom, appearing as if in tears, begged not 
 to be tormented, nor forced to make a confession. But Apollonius 
 was peremptory, and she confessed to being an Empusa, and that she 
 had pampered Menippus with rich dainties, for the express purpose 
 of devouring him. Philostratus says, "I have been necessarily in- 
 duced to mention this transaction, as it was one of the most celebra- 
 ted performances by Apollonius, and as it happened in the center of 
 Greece, many were acquainted with it." 
 
 Having traveled all over Greece, he next went to Rome. As Nero 
 was persecuting philosophers, his companions became frightened, and 
 nearly all left him. At Rome, he was accused of treason. The ac- 
 cuser came forward, holding in his hand a roll, on which had been 
 written the accusation. When the roll was unfolded, lo and behold, 
 neither letter nor character was to be seen. 
 
 A girl, when about to be married, "seemingly died," says the bio- 
 grapher, and the funeral procession was on its way to bury her. She 
 was of a consular family, and all Rome condoled with the young hus- 
 band. Apollonius, meeting the procession, said to the attendants, 
 "Set down the bier, and I will dry up the tears which you are shed- 
 ding for the maid." He touched the young woman, and uttering a 
 few words over her, in a low tone of voice, he wakened her from that 
 death with which she seemed to be overcome. The relatives of the 
 girl presented him with a hundred and fifty thousand drachmas, 
 which he settled upon the bride, as a marriage portion. 
 
 "It is difficult to me," adds Philostratus, "as it was to all who were 
 present, to ascertain whether Apollonius discovered the vital spark, 
 
AGE OP MIRACLES — APOLLONIUS. 107 
 
 which had escaped the faculty, (for it was raining at the time, which 
 caused a vapor to lise from her face), or whether he cherished and 
 brought back her soul, which to all appearances was extinct." 
 
 Apollonius visits Spain and Africa, and thence returns to Italy and 
 Sicily. At Syracuse he makes a prediction, concerning the three em- 
 perors which Rome was soon to have, which was fully verified in Gal- 
 ba, Vitellius and Otho. He again travels through Greece. Leaving 
 one vessel, and taking another, the one he leaves is shipwrecked. He 
 goes to Egypt. Arriving at Alexandria, he declares a convicted man 
 innocent. A further examination proves him to be so, and his life is 
 saved. 
 
 At Alexandria, he has an interview with Vespasian, who, on his way 
 to Rome from Judea, where he had been carrying on the Jewish war, 
 goes to Egypt on purpose to visit Apollonius. 
 
 While Apollonius was in this part of Egypt, a tame lion coming up 
 to him, and paying him special attention, Apollonius stated to the peo- 
 ple, that the lion wanted him to tell them by what human soul he was 
 inhabited. He tells them it is the soul of Amasis, who was formerly 
 king of Egypt, in the district of Sais. The moment the lion heard this, 
 he roared in a piteous strain, crouching on his knees, and at the same 
 time, bursting into tears. The lion was then dressed in collars and 
 garlands, and sent into the interior parts of Egypt, accompanied all 
 the way with the sound of flutes, and the singing of hymns. 
 
 Journeying into the interior of Ethiopia, Apollonius visits the 
 gymnosophists. To show they could perform wonders as well as the 
 Brahmins, Thespesion, their leader, said to an elm tree near the one 
 under which they were sitting, "Salute Apollonius, O tree." No 
 sooner were the words uttered, than the tree saluted him; speaking 
 In a voice which was articulate, and resembled that of a woman. 
 
 Titus, having been declared emperor of Rome, requested Apollon- 
 ius to meet him at Argos. On his arrival, Titus embraced him, and 
 said he had a letter from his father, Vespasian, wherein he said, he 
 considered that Apollonius was his benefactor, to whom they were 
 under many obligations. 
 
 Apollonius again travels through Greece and Italy. In the Helles- 
 spont, he drove out the wandering Egyptians and Chaldeans, who, 
 
108 SECOND PERIOD A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 for their owe gain, operating on the fears of the people, who were 
 dreading earthquakes, were collecting money, on pretense of making 
 costly sacrifices. 
 
 He now took up his residence at the grove of Smyrna, on the banks 
 of the Meles, where he discoursed of fate and necessity. Knowing 
 that Nerva was to succeed Domitian, he spoke of it as a matter of 
 public notoriety; and showed that tyrants themselves were unable to 
 resist the decrees of fate. 
 
 Some of his expressions having been repeated to Domitian, Apollo- 
 nius was cited to appear before him. Before receiving the summons, 
 however, he was apprised of it by his guardian spirit, and started at 
 once for Italy. Arriving at Rome, he is brought before the emperor, 
 and is accused, with great violence, of being an enchanter. Is taken 
 to prison. Discourses encouragingly to his fellow prisoners. 
 
 Being brought before the emperor, he talks with so much boldness, 
 that Domitian orders his hair and beard to be cut off, and that he be 
 sent back to prison, loaded with chains, and be cast among the vilest 
 felons. He was now nearly a hundred years old. 
 
 Damis, who was also in prison, asked him when he would be at lib- 
 erty. "To-morrow," answered Apollonius, "if it depends on the 
 judge; this instant, if it depends on myself." Saying this, he drew 
 his leg out of the fetters, and said to Damis, " You see the liberty I 
 enjoy." He then put his leg in the fetters again. 
 
 He goes to the tribunal, to make his defense. Domitian perused the 
 indictment, sometimes in great wrath, sometimes with more compos- 
 ure. "I think," says Philostratus, "we may represent Domitian to 
 our minds, as a man highly incensed at the laws, for ever having suf- 
 fered such things as tribunals to be constructed. Apollonius was re- 
 quired to enter the tribunal, free from amulet, book or charm, or any 
 writing whatever. As he went into the room, he did not once look at 
 the emperor. He was commanded to look at Domitian, as the god of 
 men. Apollonius lifted his eyes to the vaulted arch of the court, and 
 by his gesture showed that they were turned to Jupiter. The water 
 was then measured into the clepsydra, the dropping from which was 
 to measure the time of his defense. 
 
 There were four articles of accusation. 
 
AGE OP MIRACLES APOLLONIUS. 109 
 
 The accuser thus began: " What is the reason, Apollonius, you do 
 not wear the same kind of garments as other men ?" 
 
 "Because," replied he, "the earth, which supplies me with food, 
 supplies me also with raiment; and by wearing garments derived from 
 it, I offer no injury to miserable animals." 
 
 2. " Why do men call you a god ?" 
 
 " Because," said he, " every man that is good, is entitled to the ap- 
 pellation." 
 
 3. How could he fortell the plague at Ephesus? Answer, "By liv- 
 ing on a lighter diet than other men." 
 
 4. "Tell me, Apollonius," said the accuser, " on whose account you 
 sacrificed a boy on the day you left your- house and went into the coun- 
 try?" "If it can be proved," replied Apollonius, "that I left my 
 house on the day alluded to, I will grant my being in the country, and 
 offering the sacrifice in question; but it shall require persons of both 
 credit and character to substantiate the fact." Thereupon a shout of 
 applause arose from the spectators; and Domitian himself, being af- 
 fected by the strength and ingenuity of his answers, said, "I acquit 
 you of the crimes laid to your charge, but here you shall stay until I 
 have had some private conversation with you." 
 
 Apollonius replied, " You can detain my body, but not my soul; and 
 I will add, not even my body; for as Homer says, 
 
 ' Not even thy deadly spear can slay me 
 Because I am not mortal.' " 
 
 While uttering these words, he vanished from the tribunal. 
 
 Damis had gone to Puteoli, where he and Demetrius the philoso- 
 pher, a friend of Apollonius, were on that day, musing and walking 
 together, on the seashore, celebrated by the story of Calypso. 
 
 They had little or no hope of ever seeing Apollonius again. Tired 
 with their walk, they sat down in a Nymphseum, a building adorned 
 with statues of the nymphs, wherein was a cistern of white marble, 
 containing a living spring of water, which never rose above, and was 
 never drawn below its margin. They were talking listlessly, while 
 sorrow filled their hearts, when suddenly Apollonius appeared before 
 them. It was on the same day of the trial, though Puteoli was more 
 than three days journey from Kome. Demetrius wished to know if 
 
110 SECOND PERIOD A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 he was alive. Apollonius stretched out his hand, and commanded him 
 to take it, to assure himself that he was still living. 
 
 He returned to Greece, and traveled through all the cities, teaching 
 the crowds who flocked to see him. 
 
 While Domitian was being assassinated at Home, by Stephanus, 
 Apollonius was walking and talking, disputing among the trees, in 
 one of the xystas of Ephesus. It was about mid-day. Suddenly 
 Apollonius let his voice fall, as if alarmed at something. He then 
 went on, conversing in a lower tone. Then became quite silent. Soon 
 after, fixing his eyes steadfastly on the earth, and advancing three or 
 four steps, he cried out, "Strike the tyrant; strike;" as if actually wit- 
 nessing some occurrence. 
 
 All Ephesus was astonished at what was heard, there being a large 
 concourse present. But Apollonius, after stopping some time, cried 
 out, " Keep up your spirits, O Ephesians, for this day the tyrant is 
 killed. And why do I say this day ? At this very moment, while the 
 words are in my mouth, I swear it by Minerva, the deed is done." 
 Then he remained silent. 
 
 This is the account of Philostratus. The same transaction is related 
 by Dion Cassius, with such variation of details as is supposed to 
 strengthen statements of that kind. That author's account is as fol- 
 lows: 
 
 On the very day — nay, the moment Domitian was assassinated, as 
 it was afterward known upon a most exact search into the matter, 
 Apollonius Tyaneus got up, whether it was in the city of Ephesus or 
 elsewhere, upon a very high stone, and calling the people together- 
 cried out with a loud voice, " Courage, Stephanus, courage! strike the 
 murderer. Thou hast struck him; thou hast wounded him; thou hast 
 killed him." "As incredible as the fact seems to be," says the historian, 
 "it is no less true." — [Manning's Dion Cassius, vol. 2, p 92. 
 
 This testimony of Dion Cassius is more important from the fact 
 that he was no admirer of Apollonius, but, in another part of his 
 history, puts him down as an impostor and a magician. He com- 
 plains of Caracalla, that he was such a favorer of impostors and ma- 
 gicians, that he paid great honors to the memory of Apollonius of 
 Cappadocia, and raised a monument to him. — [Dion Cassius, vol. 2, p. 
 327. 
 
AGE OF MIRACLES— APOLLONIUS. Ill 
 
 Baroiiius supposes the assassination of Domitian to have been com- 
 municated to ApolloniuB, by a demon. 
 
 The time was now approaching which was to terminate the career 
 of this remarkable man. Nerva having sent a letter to the philoso- 
 pher, requesting him to come to Rome and give him his advice, Apollo- 
 nius replied as follows: 
 
 " We will converse together, O emperor, during a long time, where 
 we will neither command others, nor will others command us." 
 
 This letter was afterward construed to mean, that Apollonius was 
 ■about to leave this world, and that Nerva's reign was to be short. 
 
 "Here," says Philostratus, "ends the history of Apollonius the Tya- 
 nean, as written by Damis the Assyrian. Concerning the manner of 
 his death," he continues, " if he did die," various are the accounts. 
 
 "Some say he died at Ephesus, waited on by two handmaids, to one 
 of whom he gave her freedom, f orseeing it would be better for the 
 other to remain where she was. 
 
 " Some say he entered the temple of Minerva at Lindus, and there 
 disappeared." 
 
 Others affirm that his exit was made at Crete, in a still more extra- 
 ordinary way. The temple of Dictyma, at Crete, was under the protec- 
 tion of dogs, who took care of the riches laid up in it. When 
 Apollonius entered the temple, the dogs did not bark at him as they 
 •did at others, but received him with fawning affection. The priests 
 who had the care of the temple, seeing this, seized Apollonius, and 
 bound him; thinking him a magician, or a robber. About midnight, 
 he freed himself from his chains, and called the priests, to show that 
 he did nothing in secret. Then, going to the gates of the temple, he 
 found them open. As soon as he entered them, they shut of them- 
 selves, as they had been before, and the temple resounded with the 
 singing of many virgins; the burden of whose song was, "Leave the 
 •earth; come to heaven; come, cornel" 
 
 After his death, he appeared at Tyana, to a young man who had 
 doubted the immortality of the soul, and discoursed with him upon 
 the subject. The young man cried out, " I believe you now." He 
 tad often requested Apollonius to appear to him, and he finally did so. 
 
 Here ends the history by Philostratus. Suidas 
 and Eudocia inform us that a life of Apollonius 
 
112 SECOND PERIOD — A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 was •written also, by one Soterichus Oasites. 
 
 For several centuries after his death Apollonius 
 was worshiped as a god, in many parts of the 
 world. Not only did Caracalla build him a temple, 
 but Alexander Severus held him in such esteem 
 that he had his statue in his private closet. On 
 account of Apollonius, Tyana was held sacred, and 
 exempted from the jurisdiction of governors sent 
 from Rome. 
 
 Roman emperors have not refused him the same 
 honors as were paid to themselves ; and Gibbon 
 relates that when Aurelian took the town of Tyana, 
 "a superstitious reverence induced him to treat 
 with lenity the countrymen of Apollonius the phil- 
 osopher." 
 
 M. Bayle remarks that Apollonius was worshiped 
 in the beginning of the fourth century, under the 
 name of Hercules, and refers to Vopiscus, Euse- 
 bius and Marcellinus, to show that the people of 
 Tyana had not left off the worship of Apollonius in 
 the beginning of the fourth century. His image 
 was set up in many temples. Roman emperors 
 encouraged it. 
 
 Lampridius states that Christ was really wor- 
 shiped by some of the later heathen emperors, to- 
 gether with Abraham , Orpheus, and Apollonius ; 
 these being all looked upon as holy men, and 
 tutelary genii. 1 
 
 Albert Re ville says, "The universal respect in 
 which he was held by the whole pagan world, testi- 
 
 (i.) Lamp. Life of Alex. Severus. 
 
AGE OP MIRACLES APOLLONIUS. 113 
 
 fied to the deep impression which the life of this 
 supernatural being had left indelibly fixed in their 
 minds ; an impression which caused one of his 
 contemporaries to exclaim, 'We have a god living 
 among us.' " — ["Pagan Christ," etc., by Albert 
 Reville, London, 1866, p. 39. 
 
 Eunapius, who wrote at the beginning of the 
 fifth century, says of him, that he was not so much 
 of a philosopher, as something between a god and 
 a man, and that Philostratus ought to have en- 
 titled his history, "The Descent of a God upon 
 Earth." 1 
 
 Sidonius Apollinaris, (A. D. 475), praises the 
 morals and philosophy of Apollonius, without 
 speaking of his miracles. In the 8th book, 3d 
 epistle to Leon, counselor to the king of the Goths, 
 he delivers a glowing eulogium upon Apollonius ; 
 speaks of his disdain for riches and ostentatious 
 display ; of his love for science, his frugality, his 
 gravity, sincerity and uprightness of character, his 
 abstinence from animal food, etc., and closes as 
 follows : "In one word, to say the truth, I do not 
 know as there is, in all antiquity, the life of a phil- 
 osopher equal to this one ; and I am very certain 
 that such a one cannot be found in this age. ' ' 2 
 
 Notwithstanding all this evidence of the high es- 
 teem in which he was held by the ancients, the 
 historian Froude, on the strength of a sentence or 
 two of Lucian, in a letter to Oelsus, would place 
 him on a level with the impostor, Alexander Abo- 
 notichus, of the second century. 
 
 (i.) Life of Apollonius, by M. le Nain de Tillemont, page 42. 
 (2.) History of Apollonius, by Dupin, Paris, 1705. Pref. p. 16. 
 
114 SECOND PERIOD — A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 That such a classification would do great injus- 
 tice to Apollonius, is manifest from his epistles, 
 which are still extant. 1 
 
 They are addressed to individuals, to societies, to 
 philosophers, to kings and emperors. 
 
 These writings show him to have been a man of 
 learning, with a consummate knowledge of human 
 nature, imbued with the noblest sentiments, and 
 with the principles of a profound philosophy. 
 
 In his letter to Hestiaeus, he says : 
 
 "The truth is not concealed from us, how beautiful it is to have all 
 ithe earth for one's country, and all men for brothers and friends; and 
 that those who derive their origin from God, are all endowed with 
 one and the same nature and with a community of reason and affec- 
 tions; and that wheresoever any one may be, or in whatever manner 
 born, whether barbarian or Greek, he is still a man. But the claims 
 of kindred cannot be evaded, and one recalls to himself whatever is 
 properly his own. Thus the Ulysses of Homer, as they say, did not 
 prefer immortality, even when offered by the goddess." 
 
 In the epistle to Valerius, we have the doctrine 
 of the indestructibility of matter : 
 
 "There is no death of any thing, except in appearance; and so, also, 
 there is no birth of any thing, except in appearance. That which 
 passes over from essence into nature, seems to be birth, and what 
 passes over from nature into essence, seems, in like manner, to be 
 death; though nothing really is originated, and nothing ever perishes; 
 but only now comes into sight, and now vanishes. It appears, by rea- 
 son of the density of matter, and disappears by reason of the tenuity 
 of essence; but is always the same, differing only in motion and con- 
 dition." 
 
 In the next paragraph, enlarging upon the same 
 idea, he closes by saying, "no thing is ever created 
 or destroyed." Again : 
 
 (i.) They may be seen in the original Greek, in the Library of Congress. 
 
AGE OP MIRACLES — APOLLONIUS. 115< 
 
 "By what other name, then, than First Essence, shall this rightly 
 be called? These things are done and permitted by the Eternal God,, 
 who becomes all, in all, and through all, and who, if he were to clothe 
 himself in names and forms, would suffer loss and damage in his 
 own nature." 
 
 To a brother, who had lost his wife, he writes : 
 
 "It is destined, that whatever has come to perfection, must pass 
 away. Let not, therefore, the loss of your wife, in the ripeness of age,, 
 shock you, and not, because something is called death, consider life, 
 better than it, since life is considered inferior, by every wise person. 
 
 "If there had been anything to be reprehended in your late wife,, 
 you might reasonably be cast down. But she was always esteemed 
 by us, was always loving to her husband, and everything to be desired." 
 
 He closes the letter with these affecting words : 
 
 "For tears have I not been able to write more, and more than this I 
 have not thought necessary." 
 
 As to the miracles ascribed to Apollonius, the 
 most of them were probably the invention of the 
 second century. There is little doubt, however, 
 that he possessed some extraordinary faculty, 
 which he exercised in such a way as to establish 
 and maintain an influence over his fellow men, be- 
 yond what he could otherwise attain. 
 
 Perhaps the highest tribute paid to Apollonius, 
 was by the emperor Titus. The philosopher hav- 
 ing written him, soon after his accession, counsel- 
 ing moderation in his government, Titus replied as 
 follows : 
 
 "In my own name, and in the name of my country, I give you 
 thanks; and will be mindful of those things. I have indeed taken 
 Jerusalem, but you have captured me." 
 
 The miracles of Apollonius were extensively be- 
 lieved in the second century, and for hundreds of 
 
116 SECOND PERIOD — A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 years afterward ; and by Christians as well as 
 others. As late as the fourth century, when Hier- 
 ocles had drawn a parallel between Apollonius and 
 Christ, Eusebius, who thought it necessary to make 
 an elaborate reply, did not deny the performance of 
 miracles by Apollonius, but attributed them to 
 sorcery. 
 
 Tillemont thought he had the assistance of 
 Satan. 
 
 "The devil," said he, "may know the history of 
 past ages," etc., "and he may know what men are 
 doing, in very distant places. And what he knew, 
 he might discover to Apollonius. " Reville is of 
 the opinion, that Apollonius practiced what this 
 writer calls "theurgy ;" a sort of compromise be- 
 tween imposture and the display of miraculous 
 power. 
 
 The difficulty in placing a proper estimate upon 
 such a character, at this distance of time, is great. 
 But it may safely be asserted, that Apollonius was 
 a man possessed of many elements of greatness ; 
 that he was a man of much learning and great 
 ability ; and whatever may have been his weak- 
 nesses, he was endowed with a certain grandeur of 
 soul, which at once commands our respect and 
 admiration. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE AGE OF MIRACLES.— Continued. 
 
 Simon Magus. 
 
 Simon Magus was another miracle worker, who 
 lived in the first, and whose miracles were written 
 up in the second century. 
 
 Simon was the prince of heretics. His miracles 
 were notorious, and admitted by all. By orthodox 
 Christians they were attributed to magic, or to the 
 machinations of Satan. At a later day, it has been 
 supposed they might be accounted for on scientific 
 principles. 
 
 Dr. Westcott says, "It would be interesting to 
 inquire how far the magic arts universally attri- 
 buted to Simon and his followers, admit of a phy- 
 sical explanation. In his school, if anywhere, 
 we should look for an advanced knowledge of 
 nature. ' " 
 
 Mosheim is not willing to class Simon among 
 the heretics, since that would be impliedly admit- 
 ting that he was a Christian ; but he concedes that 
 "nearly all the ancient and modern writers make 
 
 (i.) History of the Canon, p. 249, Note. 
 
118 SECOND PEKIOD A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 him to have been the head, the father and the ring- 
 leader of the whole heretical camp." ' 
 
 This conspicuous position makes his opinions of 
 some importance. 
 
 Theodoret, (A. D. 430), says that he denied that 
 there was but one principle. He asserted two, and 
 held that there was another maker of this world. 
 This was the Demi-Ourgos, who was under the 
 control of the Supreme God, who presided over the 
 whole universe. 2 — This doctrine was extensively 
 believed in by the Gnostics of the second century. 3 
 In his system, the third power in the trinity was a 
 woman. 4 For this his followers had the authority 
 of the Gospel of the Hebrews. 
 
 Simon held that matter was eternal, and that an 
 evil deity presided over it. 5 He was educated at 
 Alexandria. 6 His followers became so numerous 
 that they were spread over the whole world, and in 
 Rome, in the reign of Claudius, a statue was erect- 
 ed in his honor. 7 
 
 In the 8th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, 
 we have a glimpse of Simon, who had bewitched 
 the people, insomuch that they all gave him heed, 
 "from the least to the greatest, saying, 'This man 
 is the great power of God.' " [Acts. 8, 9, 10.] 
 
 (i,) Mosheim, vol. i, p. 92, 
 
 (2.) Hseret. Fab. 4. 188. 
 
 (3.) See Dr. Lardner's Works, vol, 4, p. 511. 
 
 (4.) Fabricius, Codex Apoc. vol, 1, p. 362. Note. 
 
 (5.) Mosheim, Ecc. Hist. vol. 1, p. 93. 
 
 (6.) Clementine Homilies, 2. 22. 
 
 (7.) Justin Martyr, 1st Apology, 26. 56; Irenasus, v. Hair. 1. 23. s 
 
AGE OP MIRACLES — SIMON MAGUS. 119 
 
 In the Recognitions, attributed to Clement of 
 Rome, and a portion of which, at least, was written 
 about the same time with the Acts, there is a fuller 
 account of this wonderful man. As in the Acts of 
 the Apostles, so in the Recognitions, he appears as 
 the great antagonist of Peter. 
 
 The reader may be introduced to Peter at Cse- 
 sarea, where he is preparing for a discussion with 
 Simon Magus. 
 
 "When the day dawned, which had been fixed for the discussion 
 with Simon, Peter, rising at the first cock-crowing, aroused us also; 
 for we were sleeping in the same apartment, thirteen of us all; of 
 whom, next to Peter, Zaccheus was first, then Sophonius, etc. After 
 these, I (Clement) and Nicodemus, then Niceta and Aquila, who had 
 formerly been disciples of Simon, and were converted to Christ, under 
 the teachings of Zaccheus. Of the women, there was no one present." 
 —[Recognitions, book 2, chapter 1. 
 
 Peter then tells them that he has formed the 
 habit of waking in the middle of the night, and 
 lying awake till morning, recalling and arranging 
 in his memory the words of the Lord. 
 
 The conversation turning on the coming discus- 
 sion, Peter wishes to know what kind of a person 
 Simon is. Niceta thinks he will prove to be a 
 formidable antagonist. Aquila gives a full history 
 of Simon, from which it appears, that his father 
 was Antonius, and his mother Rachel. By nation 
 he was a Samaritan, of the Gettones. His profes- 
 sion was that of a magician, yet exceedingly well 
 trained in Greek literature ; desirous of glory, and 
 boasting above all the human race. 
 
 " So that he wishes to be an exalted person, who is above God the 
 Creator, and to be thought to be the Christ, and to be called 'the Stand- 
 ing one.' He uses this name, as implying that he can never be dis- 
 
120 SECOND PERIOD — A. D. 80 TO A . D. 120. 
 
 solved; asserting that his flesh is so compacted by the power of his 
 divinity, that it can endure to eternity."— [Ibid. chs. 3 to 7. 
 
 Simon had been a disciple of Dositheus, and be- 
 came one of the thirty. Aquila proceeds with his 
 story : 
 
 "But not long after, he fell in love with that woman whom they call 
 Luna, and he confided all things to us as his friends; how he was a 
 magician, and how he loved Luna, and how, being desirous of glory, 
 he was unwilling to obtain her ingloriously;" but was waiting patient- 
 ly, when he could have her honorably. 
 
 "Yet so if we also would conspire with him, in the accomplishment 
 of his desires. 
 
 " Meantime, at the outset, as soon as he was reckoned among the 
 thirty disciples of Dositheus, he began to depreciate Dositheus himself, 
 saying that he did not teach purely or perfectly, and that this was the 
 result, not of ill intention but of ignorance. Dositheus, when he saw 
 that Simon was depreciating him, fearing lest his reputation among 
 men might become obscured, (for he himself was supposed to be the 
 Standing-one), moved with rage, when they met as usual at the school, 
 seized a rod and began to beat Simon; but suddenly the rod seemed to 
 pass through his body, as if it had been smoke. On which Dositheus, 
 being astonished said to him, 'Tell me if thou art the Standing one; 
 that I may adore thee.' And when Simon assured him that he was, 
 Dositheus, perceiving he himself was not the Standing one, fell 
 down and worshiped him, and gave up his own place as chief to Simon, 
 ordering all the rank of thirty men to obey him; himself taking the 
 inferior place which Simon formerly occupied. Not long after this he 
 died. 
 
 "After the death of Dositheus, Simon took Luna to himself, and 
 with her he still goes about, as you see, deceiving multitudes, and as- 
 serting that he himself is a certain power, which is above God, the 
 Creator, while Luna, who is with him, has been brought down from 
 the higher heavens. That she is Wisdom, the mother of all things; 
 'for whom,' says he, 'the Greeks and barbarians, contending, were 
 able, in some measure, to see an image of her; but of herself, as the 
 dweller with the first and only God, they were wholly ignorant." 
 
 He then proceeds to relate a miracle which he 
 (Aquila) once saw ; Luna being in the tower, and 
 looking out of all the windows of the tower at the 
 same time. 
 
AGE OF MIRACLES SIMON MAGUS. 121 
 
 Peter evidently believes what Aquila had related, 
 for he says, "It has been permitted to the wicked 
 one, to use those arts by which the affections of 
 every one toward the true father may be proved. " 
 [Bk. 2, chs. 9-18. 
 
 THE DISCUSSION. 
 
 Chapteb 19. — Zaccheus enters, saying it is time the disputation 
 commenced, for a great crowd, collected in the court of the house, was 
 awaiting him. Then Peter, having prayed with the brethren, went 
 forth to the court of the house, and when he saw the multitude all 
 looking intently on him, in profound silence, and Simon, " standing 
 like a standard bearer in the midst of them," he commenced: 
 
 First he invoked a peaceable discussion. But Simon at once re- 
 torted, that Christ said, he came, not to send peace but a sword. Peter 
 replies in the words of Jesus, " Blessed are the peace-makers." Simon 
 continues to comment upon the inconsistency of Christ, if he came 
 not to bring peace, enjoining upon others to keep it. — [Chs. 19 to 27. 
 
 Simon announces his position. "I say," said he, "that there are 
 many gods, and that there is one, incomprehensible and unknown to 
 all; that he is the God of all these gods. He then argues for polythe- 
 ism; saying to Peter, that he will prove it from his own scriptures. 
 He cites Genesis, 3. 5: " On the day ye eat of the tree of knowledge, of 
 good and evil, ye shall be as gods." Also, Gen. 3. 22: "Behold, Adam 
 is become as one of us." Also Gen. 1. 26: " Let us make man after 
 our own image and likeness;" and Gen. 3. 22: " Let us drive him out." 
 Also, Gen. 11. 7: " Come, let us go down, and confound their language;" 
 and Exodus, 22. 28: " Thou shalt not curse the gods," etc. "One of 
 these," says Simon, "was chosen by lot, that he might be the god of 
 the Jews." 
 
 "But," says he, "it is not of him that I speak; but of that God who 
 is also his God, whom even the Jews themselves do not know. For 
 he is not their God, but the God of those who know him." 
 
 Peter has a long disquisition on God, to which Simon replies, that 
 he would refute him from the words of his master, who said no one 
 knew the Father but the Son, and he to whom the Son should reveal 
 
122 SECOND PEEIOD A. D. 80 to A. D. 120. 
 
 him. Yet the god o f the Jews was known to Adam, to Enoch, to 
 Noah, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and to Moses.— [Chs. 38 to 47. 
 "Remember," Simon urges, "that you said that God has a son; which 
 is doing him wrong; for how can he have a son, unless he is subject 
 to passions, like men or animals ? My opinion is, that there is a cer- 
 tain power of the Universe, an ineffable light, whose greatness is to 
 be held to be incomprehensible; of which power, even the maker of 
 the world is ignorant, and Moses the lawgiver, and Jesus, your mas- 
 ter."— [Ch. 49. 
 
 The reasoning of Simon: That there is one God, who is better than 
 all, from whom all that is, took its beginning; that he must be perfect. 
 That the god who created the world, shows many signs of imperfec- 
 tion. There must, therefore, be a God over him. He argues the im- 
 perfection of the god who made the world and man, thus: The many 
 evils in the world which are not corrected, show that its creator is 
 powerless, if he cannot correct what is done amiss; or else, if he does 
 not wish to remove the evils, then he is himself evil; but if he neither 
 can nor will, then he is neither powerful nor good. — [Chs. 53, 54. 
 
 The disputation was closed for the day. 
 
 The audience, of whom there were about 3,000, divided, about one- 
 third going away with Simon, and the rest staying with Peter. 
 
 Book 3. The debate is re-commenced next day, and is continued 
 two days longer.— [Chs. 1 to 69. Ante-Nic. Ch. Lib. vol. 3, pp. 240 to 
 265. 
 
 The second day there is some acrimony in the discussion, and some 
 difference as to the questions to be debated. 
 
 They discuss the nature of evil, free will, the power of God, etc. 
 
 Ch. 23. — Simon says, "What I wish to know is this: If what God 
 wishes to be, is; and what he does not wish to be, is not?" The pur- 
 port of the answer of Peter is, that some actions depend upon the will 
 of man. 
 
 The discussion closed for the day; Simon calling upon Peter each 
 day to show him whether the soul was immortal. 
 
 Third day. Simon pressing for evidence of the immortality of the 
 soul, Peter argues in favor of it, because of the necessity of having a 
 day of judgment; since men do not get their deserts in this world. 
 
AGE OP MIKACLES SIMON MAGUS. 123 
 
 Simon claims that Peter cannot assert that the bouI is immortal, 
 and that he knows if it be proved to be mortal, his religion will fall. 
 
 " But Peter, when he heard him speaking thus, grinding his teeth, 
 and rubbing his forehead with his hand, and sighing with a profound 
 grief, said: 'Armed with the cunning of the old serpent, you stand 
 forth to deceive souls.' "— [Ch. 42. 
 
 Ch. 44. — Peter having offered to prove to Simon, in one sentence, 
 that the soul is immortal, asks him, which is the best evidence, hear- 
 ing or seeing ? Simon answers seeing. Peter then tells him to go to 
 his (Simon's) own house, and entering the inner bed-chamber, he would 
 see an image, containing the figure of a murdered boy, clothed in 
 purple. 
 
 Simon hearing this, was smitten in his conscience, changed color, 
 and became bloodless. He then proposed to become a convert; think- 
 ing Peter possessed the power of divination. Peter disabused him 
 and admitted that he had only stated what he had been informed of, 
 and spake " what he knew, and not what he foreknew." 
 
 Thereupon Simon, seeing himself betrayed, went from one extreme 
 to another, and becoming fairly furious with anger, burst forth as 
 follows: 
 
 "I stood by and spoke with you in my goodness, and bore patiently 
 with you. But now, I shall show you the power of my divinity, so 
 that you shall quickly fall down and worship me. I am the first pow- 
 er, who am always, and without beginning. But having entered into 
 the womb of Rachel, I was born of her as a man, that I might be vis- 
 ible to men. I have flown through the air; I have mixed with fire, 
 and been made one body with it; I have made statues to move; I 
 have animated lifeless things; I have made stones bread; I have flown 
 from mountain to mountain; I have moved from place to place, up- 
 held by angels' hands, and have lighted on the earth. Not only have 
 I done these things, but even now I am able to do them; that by facts 
 I may prove to all, that I am the Son of God, enduring to eternity, and 
 that I can make those who believe on me, endure in like manner for- 
 ever. But your words are all vain; nor can you perform any real 
 works. (Such as I have mentioned.) He also who sent you is a ma- 
 gician, who yet could not deliver himself from the suffering of the 
 cross." 
 
124 SECOND PERIOD — A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 To this speech Peter answered, 
 
 " Do not meddle with the things that belong to others; for that yon 
 are a magician, you have confessed and made manifest, by the deeds 
 that you have done.'' 
 
 At this point in the proceedings, the historian relates, that Simon 
 endeavored to make a riot, and the people, in indignation, cast him 
 from the court, and drove him forth from the gate of the house. It 
 does not appear, however, that Peter denied the truth of what Simon 
 asserted, or that he challenged him to a proof of his miraculous pow- 
 ers. 
 
 After Simon and his friends had gone, Peter explained to those re- 
 maining, his reference to the image of the murdered boy; Simon had 
 been deluded by demons, and he had persuaded himself that he had 
 the soul of a murdered boy, ministering to him, in whatever office he 
 pleased to employ it. 
 
 Peter then pronounced a benediction, and dismissed the multitude, 
 and thus ended this most remarkable discussion. — [Chs. 48 to 50. 
 
 The next morning, Niceta said to Peter, he de- 
 sired to learn how Simon, who was the enemy of 
 God, was able to do such wonderful things. " For 
 indeed," says Niceta, " he told no lie in his decla- 
 ration of what he had done . ' ' (Niceta had been one 
 of Simon's disciples.) Peter undertakes to explain 
 how Simon "is able to do so great marvels." Si- 
 mon, he said, was a magician. 
 
 Niceta asked, " In what respect do they sin, who 
 believe Simon, since they see him do so great mar- 
 vels? Or is it not marvelous to fly through the air, 
 to be so mixed with fire as to become one body with 
 it, to make statues walk, etc. Yea," says Niceta, 
 " he has also been seen to make bread of stones. 
 But if he sins who believes those who do signs, how 
 shall it appear that he also does not sin, who has 
 believed our Lord, for his signs and works of pow- 
 er?"— [Chs. 52 to 57. 
 
AGE OP MIKACLES — SIMON MAGUS. 125 
 
 Peter replies, that if a man believes him who 
 comes first, showing signs, he must of necessity, for 
 the same reason, believe him who comes second. 
 When he believes the second one, he will learn from 
 him that he ought not to believe the first, who 
 comes of evil. — [Chs. 58 to 62. 
 
 After the disscussion, Simon sets out for Rome, 
 and Peter resolves to follow him. — [Chs. 63 to 65. 
 
 Following Simon Magus to Rome, we learn that 
 he there lost his life. In the Encyclopedia Ameri- 
 cana it is stated that he perished in an aeronautic 
 expedition ; giving as authority, Eusebius and Sue- 
 tonius. Suetonius in relating the cruel sports and 
 games which Nero instituted for his own diversion, 
 merely says, "Icarus fell, splashed with blood." 
 From which the reader may infer, only, that Nero 
 had compelled some one to attempt the flight of 
 Icarus. The story is to be traced to ' ' The Acts of 
 Peteb and Paul." 
 
 From that book, we take the following : 
 
 "When, consequently, the people were making a seditious mur- 
 muring, Simon, moved with zeal, roused himself, and began to say 
 many evil things about Peter; saying that he was a wizard and a 
 cheat. And they believed Simon, wondering at his miracles. For he 
 made a brazen serpent move itself, and stone statues to laugh, and 
 move themselves, and himself to run, and suddenly to be raised into 
 the air. As a set-off to this, Peter healed the sick by a word, by pray- 
 ing made the blind to see, and put demons to flight by a command. 
 Sometimes, he even raised the dead. Those who adhered to Simon, 
 strongly affirmed Peter to be a magician." 
 
 The matter coming to the ears of Nero, he ordered 
 
 Simon the Magian to be brought before him. 
 
 And he, coming in, stood before him, and began suddenly to as- 
 sume different forms; so that on a sudden he became a child, and af- 
 ter a little an old man, and at other times a young man. For he 
 changed himself both in face and stature, into different forms, and 
 
126 SECOND PEBIOD A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 was in a frenzy, having the devil as his servant. 
 
 "And Nero, beholding this, supposed him to be truly the Son of 
 God. But the apostle Peter showed him to be both a liar and a wiz- 
 ard." 
 
 After considerable conversation, Nero says : 
 
 "Art thou not afraid, Peter, of Simon, who con- 
 firms his godhead by his deeds?" 
 
 Peter replies, that Simon does not know the hid- 
 den thoughts of men. 
 
 Nero said, "Do you mean me to believe, that 
 Simon does not know these things, who both raised 
 a dead man, and presented himself the third day af- 
 ter he had been beheaded, and who has done what- 
 ever he said he would do?" 
 
 Peter said, "But he did not do it before me." 
 Nero said, " But he did all these things before me. 
 For assuredly, he ordered angels to come to him, 
 and they came." Peter still demanded that Simon 
 should tell what was in his thoughts. Simon made 
 the same challenge to Peter. Peter then demanded 
 of Simon, to know what he, Peter, had just done in 
 secret. For, having taken a barley-loaf, he had 
 broken it, and hid it in his sleeves. 
 
 " Then Simon, enraged that he was not able to tell the secret of the 
 apostle, cried out, saying: 'Let great dogs come forth, and eat him 
 up, before Caesar.' And suddenly there appeared great dogs, which 
 rushed at Peter. But he, stretching forth his hands to pray, showed 
 to the dogs the loaf which he had blessed, and the dogs, seeing it, no 
 longer appeared. 
 
 "Simon said, 'Dost thou believe, O Good Emperor, that I, who was 
 dead and rose again, am a magician?'" 
 
 [The writer of the Acts of Peter and Paul here explains how Nero 
 had been deceived by Simon; stating, that as Simon was to be behead- 
 ed, he had requested that it be done in a dark place; and when the ex- 
 ecutioner came, and was about to strike the blow, Simon turned him- 
 
AGE OP MIRACLES — SIMON MAGUS. 127 
 
 self into a ram. He so remained until the ram's head was taken off, 
 when be became himself again. On the third day, he appeared, as if 
 risen from the dead.] 
 
 Then followed a conversation in which Nero, 
 Simon, Peter, and Paul also, who was present, 
 participated. 
 
 Nero, not being able to satisfy himself, says : 
 "The three of you show that your reasoning is un- 
 certain ; and thus in all things you have made me 
 doubt, so that I find I can give credit to none of 
 you." 
 
 Simon now proposes to Nero, that if he will build 
 a high wooden tower, he will go to the top, and 
 thence fly through the air, attended by his angels ; 
 and thus give open evidence of his divinity. 
 
 Nero agrees to the proposal, and the next day 
 builds the tower. Simon goes upon it, and com- 
 mences flying in the air, attended by his angels. 
 Peter, looking steadfastly at him, prays to the Lord 
 to stop him. His prayer is answered, and Simon 
 falls headlong, in a place called Sacra Via, or Holy 
 Way, and perishes. 1 
 
 This, no doubt, was the aeronautic expedition, 
 alluded to by the encyclopedic compiler, and to 
 which he supposed Suetonius to refer, when "Ica- 
 rus fell splashed with blood." 
 
 Simon Magus also had his gospel. It was called 
 11 The Great Announcement," and consisted of the 
 revelations which, as he claimed, had been commu- 
 nicated to him from the Supreme God. It was 
 sometimes called the Gospel of Simonides ; also, 
 the Gospel of the Simonians. 
 
 (i.) Ante-Nicene Ch, Lib. vol. 16, pp. 263 to m. 
 
CHAPTEE IX. 
 
 THE AGE OF MIBACLES— Concluded. 
 
 Other Miracles and Miracle-Workers. 
 
 Alexandeb Abonotichus — Apuleius — Antinous — Jew- 
 ish StTPEBSTITIONS — MlBACLES OF THE FATHEES — THE THUN- 
 
 debing Legion — Change of Watee into Oil, etc. — The 
 mlbacles of the new testament. 
 
 Alexander Abonotichus. — The satirist, Lucian, 
 at the request of Celsus, wrote an account of this 
 celebrated imposter. The following is a condensed 
 statement of it, as reproduced by the historian » 
 Froude : 
 
 Alexander was born at Abonotichus, a small town on the south 
 shore of the Black Sea, early in the second century. The boy was of 
 unusual beauty. He was taken up by a doctor, who had been a dis- 
 ciple of Apollonius. Alexander's master was a magician, and he 
 himself became an apt pupil. 
 
 At the age of twenty, when his master died, he set up for himself. 
 He started for Byzantium, the great mart of ancient commerce. 
 Here he became acquainted with one Coconas, by whom he was in- 
 troduced to a wealthy Macedonian lady. She fell in love with him r 
 and took him and his friend with her, to her country seat at Pella. 
 Here the two friends laid plans for the future. They purchased a 
 large, tame snake; took it with them when they left Pella, and by the 
 aid of the serpent, made a business of fortune- telling. 
 
AGE OP MIRACLES ALEXANDER ABONOTICHUS. 129 
 
 They repaired to Abonotichus. From Chalcedon they brought 
 some brass plates, which had been discovered buried, and which bore 
 an inscription, that Apollo and Esculapius were about to appear at 
 Fontus. The people of Abonotichus commenced building a temple 
 for Alexander, who now soon acquired great reputation and renown. 
 
 Lucian describes him as he then appeared; tall, majestic, extremely 
 handsome— hair long and flowing, complexion fair, a moderate beard, 
 partly his own and partly false, but the imitation excellent; eyes large 
 and lustrous, and voice sweet and limpid. "As to his character," 
 says he, "God grant that I may never meet with such another. His 
 cunning was wonderful, his dexterity matchless. His eagerness for 
 knowledge, his capacity for learning and power of memory, were 
 equally extraordinary." 
 
 He made for the serpent a human face, of linen, which was painted 
 in an ingenious manner, and so arranged that the mouth would open 
 and shut, and this was the face of Esculapius. From it he delivered 
 oracles and spoke in unknown tongues. 
 
 The temple was finished, the god was formally established in it, and 
 the oracles became a permanent institution. People flocked from all 
 parts of Asia Minor, to consult them. Immense treasures flowed into 
 the coffers of Alexander. 
 
 "The air was full of miracles. The sick were healed; the dead were 
 raised to life." The Christians considered him a missionary of the 
 devil. 
 
 Among his dupes was Rutelian, a senator, in high favor with the 
 emperor. 
 
 There was a girl, said to be the daughter of Selene, the moon, and 
 Alexander. She is declared to be destined for Rutelian, and the mar- 
 riage is celebrated with great pomp and splendor. 
 
 Lucian himself visited Alexander and endeavored to expose him. 
 He frankly admits that the attempt was a complete failure. When 
 the prophet gave him his hand to kiss, Lucian bit it to the bone. For 
 this, he came near paying the forfeit of his life. Alexander, conceal- 
 ing his pain and mortification, treated Lucian with the utmost cour- 
 tesy and kindness, and gave him a vessel for his return home. The 
 commander was secretly instructed to throw him overboard. This he 
 
130 SECOND PERIOD — A. D. 80 to A. D. 120. 
 
 was too humane to do, but told Lucian he should be obliged to put 
 him ashore, which he did; and Lucian found himself in Bithynia, a 
 long way from home. 
 
 He returned, a wiser man, and the prophet continued to nourish. 
 The emperor bestowed distinctions upon him. He lived to be an old 
 man, and died in the acme of his fame. 
 
 Apuleius. — Some of the early writers speak of 
 Apuleius as a worker of miracles. He was a pagan 
 philosopher of the Platonic school, born at Madau- 
 ra, in Africa. 
 
 He lived about A. D. 150. He was distinguished 
 for his eloquence, and stood high as a Latin writer. 
 Having married a rich widow in Tripoli, he was 
 prosecuted by his relations, on a charge that he had, 
 in his courtship, made use of magical arts. He de- 
 fended himself on that occasion, by an 'Apology,' 
 which is still extant. There has also come down to 
 us, another of his works, entitled, "Metamorpho- 
 sis, or the Golden Ass ;" supposed to have been a 
 satire on the wealthy debauchees of his time. Lac- 
 tantius, referring to what Hierocles had asserted, 
 that Apollonius was greater than Christ, because he 
 rescued himself from Domitian, while Christ was 
 put to death , says it is somewhat strange that wri- 
 ters should pass over Apuleius, "of whom many 
 wonderful things are commonly said. " 1 
 
 Antinous was a beautiful youth, a favorite of the 
 Emperor Hadrian. He was born in Bithynia. 
 He accompanied Hadrian to Egypt, and was drowned 
 in the Nile, A. D. 132. A city called Antino-opolis, 
 was built by the emperor, near the spot where he 
 
 (i.) Lact. Inst. lib. 5, ch. 3. 
 
AGE OF MIRACLES — JEWISH SUPERSTITIONS. 131 
 
 perished, and countless statues were erected in his 
 honor. Some of them still exist, and are remark- 
 able for their beauty. 
 
 Justin Martyr says he was worshiped as a god. 1 
 
 Origen says there were miracles wrought in many 
 places, 2 and Celsus mentions, as miracle- workers , 
 Esculapius, Aristeas of Proconnesus, and Cleomedes 
 of Astypalsea. 
 
 JEWISH SUPERSTITIONS. 
 
 The Jews were ever exceedingly superstitious. The miracles of the 
 Old Testament are familiar to the reader. These were supplemented 
 by an innumerable multitude of angels and demons of every descrip- 
 tion. 
 
 The casting out of demons was familiar to the Jews, long before 
 the coming of Christ. In the Book of Tobit, the angel Raphael 
 directs fumigation with the heart and liver of a fish, in order to drive 
 a demon out of a man or woman, so that it will never return. The 
 demon Asmodeus was in love with Sara, the daughter of Raguel, and 
 had strangled seven men who were going to marry her; but by the 
 process mentioned above, he was driven out, and flew into Egypt, 
 where he was bound by the angel.— [Book of Tobit, 6. 7; 3. 7; 
 6. 14, ejc. 
 
 In the Book of Enoch, the names of twenty-one angels are given, 
 who had fallen, through love for the daughters of men. The off- 
 spring of these were giants, whose height was 3,000 ells. From tnese 
 come the evil demons of earth. 
 
 Raphael was the angel who presided over the spirits of men. Uriel 
 was the angel of thunder, earthquakes, etc. There were spirits con- 
 trolling the winds and the lightning, others over the seas, and still 
 others over hail, snow, frost, etc., etc.— [Book of Enoch, ch. 69; chs. 7, 
 8, 9, 34, etc. 
 
 The Jews believed the stars were animated beings.— [Gfroerer, das 
 Jahrhundert des Heils, 1, p. 362. 
 
 Enoch saw seven stars bound together, and he inquired of the angel, 
 on account of what sin they were bound. Uriel replied, they were. 
 
 (i.) ist Apology, ch. 29. 
 (2.) Contra Celsum, 3, 3. 
 
132 SECOND PEKIOD A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 stars which had transgressed the commands of the highest God, and 
 they were thus bound till ten thousand worlds, the number of days of 
 their transgression, should be accomplished.— [Chs. 21 and 18. 
 
 The targums are full of similar views, concerning the stars and 
 other heavenly bodies. 
 
 The multitude of angels was innumerable. 
 
 Each angel had a particular duty to perform. Michael was angel 
 over water, Jehuel over fire, Jechiel over wild beasts, and Anpiel 
 over birds. Hariel was appointed over cattle, Messannahel over rep- 
 tiles, Deliel over fish, and Samniel over created things moving in the 
 waters, and over the face of the earth. Euchiel was set over the 
 winds, Gabriel over thunder and fire, and over the ripening of fruit. 
 Nuriel over hail, Makturiel over rocks, Alpiel over fruit-bearing 
 trees, Saroel over those which do not bear fruit, and Sandalfon over 
 the human race. Under each of these were subordinate angels. — 
 [Sanhed. 95. 2; Eisenmenger, Entd. Jud. 2. 378. Sup. Relig. vol. 1, 
 p. 108. 
 
 The demons were equally as numerous. They were in the air, on 
 earth, in the bodies of men and animals, and even at the bottom of 
 the sea. They were the offspring of the fallen angels who loved the 
 daughters of men.— [Eisenmenger, Ent. Jud. 1. 380; 2. 437. 
 
 "Their number is infinite. The earth is so full of them, that if man 
 had power to see, he could not exist, on account of them. There are 
 more demons than men, and they are about as close as the earth 
 thrown up out of a newly made grave." 
 
 It was stated that each man had 10,000 demons at his right hand, 
 and 1,000 on his left. "He who wishes to discover these spirits, must 
 take sifted ashes, and strew them about his bed, and in the morning 
 he will perceive their footprints upon them, like a cock's tread. If 
 any one wishes to see them, he must take the afterbirth of a black 
 cat, which has been littered by a first born black cat, whose mother 
 was also a first birth, burn and reduce it to powder, and put some of 
 it in his eyes, and he will see them." — [Bab. Beracoth. 6. 1. 
 
 The casting out of demons, was an important feature in the Jew- 
 ish theological system. Dr. Lightfoot says, "There was hardly any 
 people in the whole world, that more used, or were more fond of am- 
 ulets, charms, mutterings, exorcisms, and all kinds of enchantments." 
 —[Lightfoot, Horae Heb. et. Talm. Works, 11. p. 299. 
 
 Josephus states, that among other gifts, God gave to Solomon 
 knowledge of the way to expel demons. Josephus himself had seen 
 a countryman of his own, named Eleazar, release people possessed of 
 devils, in the presence of the Emperor Vespasian and his sons, and 
 
AGE OP MIRACLES MIRACLES OP THE FATHERS. 133 
 
 his army. He put a ring, containing one of the roots prescribed by 
 Solomon, to the nose of the demoniac, and drew the demon out by his 
 nostrils, and in the name of Solomon and reciting one of his incanta- 
 tions, he adjured him to return no more.— [Antiquities of the Jews, 
 bk. 8, ch. 2, sec. S. 
 
 Miracles of the Fathers. — These commence 
 about the middle of the second century. More 
 than a hundred years ago, Rev. Dr. Middleton, in 
 his "Free Enquiry into the Miraculous Powers of 
 the Christian church," called attention to the fact, 
 that in the writings of the apostolic fathers, (refer- 
 ring to those who had written previous to about 
 A. D. 150,) there was not the least pretense to the 
 possession of extraordinary gifts, nor to any stand- 
 ing power of working miracles ; and showed that 
 the claim in the second century, was first set up 
 about the time of Justin Martyr. 
 
 "Here, then," said he, "we have an interval of 
 about half a century, the earliest and purest of all 
 Christian antiquity, after the days of the apostles, 
 in which we find not the least reference to any 
 standing power of working miracles. "* 
 
 In the writings of Justin Martyr, (A. D. 150 to 
 160), the claim to miraculous power was put forth 
 with much distinctness. He says : 
 
 "•There are prophetical gifts among us at this 
 day, and both men and women are endued with ex- 
 traordinary powers by the spirit of God." 2 
 
 He frequently appeals to what he says every one 
 might see with his own eyes, in every part of -the 
 
 (i.) Middleton's Miscellaneous Works, vol. i, p. 8. 
 (2.) Dialogue, chapter 88. 
 
134 SECOND PERIOD A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 world, and particularly in Rome, in the case of 
 persons possessed with devils, "who were cured 
 and set free, and the devils themselves baffled and 
 driven away, by the Christians adjuring and exor- 
 cising them in the name of Jesus, when all other 
 exorcists and enchanters had tried in vain to help 
 them." 1 
 
 Justin says the angels to whom God had com- 
 mitted the care of mankind, had been led away by 
 love of the daughters of men, and begat children, 
 who are the demons, who have corrupted the 
 human race. 2 
 
 He thinks demoniacs are possessed and tortured 
 by the souls of the wicked dead. 3 
 
 Irenaeus (A. D. 190 to 200), affirms, that "all who are truly disciples 
 of Jesus, receiving grace from him, wrought miracles in his name, for 
 the good of mankind, according to the gift which each man had re- 
 ceived. Some cast out devils, so that those from whom they were 
 ejected, often turned believers, and continued in the church. Others 
 had the knowledge of future events, visions, and prophetical sayings. 
 Others healed the sick by the imposition of hands. Even the dead 
 had been raised, and lived afterward many years among them. It 
 was impossible to reckon up all the mighty works which the church 
 performed, every day, to the benefit of nations." — [Adv. Hser. lib. 2, 
 ch. 32. 
 
 And in regard to raising from the dead, he declares it to have been 
 "frequently performed on necessary occasions, when by great fasting, 
 and the joint supplication of the church of that place, the spirit of 
 the dead person returned into him, and the man was given back to 
 the prayers of the saints."— [Adv. Hser. 2. 31. 
 
 Again: "We have many," says he, "in the church, endued with 
 prophetic gifts; speaking with all kinds of tongues, laying open the 
 secrets of men, for the public good."— [Ibid. 5. 6. 
 
 5. 14- 
 
 (I.) 
 
 Apology, 2. 6. 
 
 (2.) 
 
 Apol. z. 5. Ibid, 
 
 (30 
 
 Ibid. i. 18. 
 
AGE OF MIRACLES — MIRACLES OF THE FATHERS. 135 
 
 Clement of Alexandria (A. D. 200) says presid- 
 ing angels were distributed over nations and cities ; 
 that the Son gave philosophy to the Greeks, by 
 means of the inferior angels ; and argued that it 
 was absurd to attribute it to the devil. 1 
 
 Tertullian (A. D. 200 to 210) calls upon the heathen magistrates to 
 "summon before their tribunal any person possessed with a devil; and 
 if the evil spirit, when exorcised by any Christian whatsoever, did not 
 own himself to be a devil, as truly, as in other places he would falsely 
 call himself a god, not daring to tell a lie to a Christian, that then 
 they should take the life of that Christian."— [Apology, ch. 23. 
 
 Again: "There is a sister among us, endued with the gifts of rev- 
 elations, which she suffers in the church, during the time of divine 
 service, by an ecstasy, in the spirit. She converses with angels, and 
 sometimes also with the Lord; sees and hears mysteries; and knows 
 the hearts of some, and prescribes medicines to those who want 
 them." — [De Anima, sec. 9. 
 
 He has a disquisition concerning angels and de- 
 mons, in which he enters into minute details. 2 
 
 He gives the case of a woman who went to a 
 theater, and came back possessed by a demon ; and 
 on being cast out, the evil spirit said he had a right 
 to act as he did, having found her within his lim- 
 its. 3 
 
 Origen ( A. D. 230) was of the opinion that certain 
 demons, offspring of the Titans or giants, who 
 haunt the grosser parts of bodies and the unclean 
 places of the earth, had the power of divining the 
 future. 4 
 
 After fully discussing the question, and citing 
 many passages of scripture, he comes to the conclu- 
 
 (i.) Stromata, 6. 17. 
 
 (2.) Apol. sec. 22; Ad. Scapulam, sec. 2. 
 
 (3.) De Spectaculis, sec. 26. 
 
 , (4.) Contra Celsum, 4. 92; 8. 11. 
 
136 SECOND PERIOD A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 sion that the sun, moon and stars are living, ration- 
 al beings. 1 
 
 He says many could heal the sick, by invoking 
 the name of God over them, and of Jesus, with a 
 recital of some story of his life. "I myself," says 
 he, "have seen many so healed in difficult cases ; 
 loss of senses, madness, and innumerable other evils, 
 which neither men nor devils could cure. ' ' 2 
 
 Theophilus, Bishop of Antioch (A. D. 180), says 
 that evil and seducing spirits were exorcised and 
 cast out in his day. 3 
 
 Minucius Felix, (3d century), addressing himself to his heathen 
 friend, in his Dialogue of "Octavius," says, "The greatest part of you 
 know what confessions the demons make, concerning themselves, as 
 oft as they are expelled by us, out of the bodies of men, by the tor- 
 ture of our words, and the fire of our speech. Saturn himself, and 
 Serapis, and Jupiter, and the rest of them, whom you worship, con- 
 strained by the pain which they feel, confess what they are."— [Minuc. 
 Octav. p. 23, ch. 27. 
 
 Cyprian (A. D. 250), Arnobius (A. D. 303), and 
 Lactantius (A. D. 310), all give testimony in simi- 
 lar language, to the casting out of devils and evil 
 spirits by the Christians. 4 
 
 Eusebius had similar views. 5 
 
 Tertullian relates that a woman, whom he knew, 
 a member of the church, after having died, while 
 the presbyter was praying for her, removed her 
 
 (i.) De Principiis, i. 7, sec. 3; Contra Cels. S. 10, 11. 
 
 (2.) Ibid. lib. 3, ch. 24. 
 
 (3.) Ad Autolycum. 
 
 (4.) Cyprian, Epist.; Arnobius, lib. 1. 46; Lactantius, Divin. Inst. 1. 2, t . 16. 
 
 (5.) Praep. Evang., 5. 2. 
 
AGE OP MIRACLES MIRACLES OF THE FATHERS. 137 
 
 hands from her sides, and folded them in the atti- 
 tude of supplication. 1 
 
 Even the great Augustine relates a number of 
 most astounding miracles, which were performed 
 in the church, in his immediate neighborhood. 2 
 
 The Thundering Legion. — Eusebius quotes from 
 a lost work of Claudius Apollinaris, his account of 
 a remarkable answer to prayer, received, about 
 A. D. 175, by the Christian soldiers of the Emper- 
 or Marcus Aurelius, in his war with the Quadri. 
 Tertullian, writing about A. D. 200, in a public 
 apology, also urges the same fact. 
 
 The incident referred to was this : 
 
 "It is said, that when Marcus Aurelius Caesar was forming his 
 troops in order of battle, against the Germans and Sarmatians, he 
 was reduced to extremities, by a failure of water." 
 
 Thereupon, in answer to the prayers of the Christian soldiers of the 
 Melitine Legion, so called, there came thunderbolts, which caused 
 the enemy's flight and overthrow. And upon the emperor's army, a 
 rain, "which restored it entirely, when it was all but perishing by 
 thirst."— [Euseb. Ecc. Hist., 5. 5. 
 
 This circumstance we mention, not because there 
 is any miracle connected with it, even in appear- 
 ance ; since there is nothing miraculous in a sud- 
 den shower, or in a superstitious people being 
 frightened by thunderbolts ; but because of the 
 great prominence which has been given to it, in 
 what might be called miraculous literature.- 
 
 Much has been written about it. Dion Cassius 
 attributes the occurrence and the preservation of 
 the army to an Egyptian magician by the name of 
 
 (i.) De Anima, sec.51. (2.) De Civ. Dei, 22. 8. 
 
138 SECOND PERIOD A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 Amuphis. Julius Capitolinus attributes it to the 
 emperor's prayers. Themistius the same. Baro- 
 nius, Moyle, Scaliger, Valesius and others have 
 written about it ; and more recently, the late Cardi- 
 nal Newman devoted fourteen pages to it, at the 
 close of which, he concludes it to have been a very 
 noted miracle. 1 
 
 There was, no doubt, an occurrence of the kind ; 
 the army, when in dire extremity, having been re- 
 lieved by a sudden fall of rain. This we learn 
 from Dion Cassius and other heathen writers, and 
 from a sculpture of the celebrated Antonine Column 
 at Rome, where is a figure of Jupiter Pluvius, scat- 
 tering lightning and rain, the enemy and their 
 horses lying prostrate, and the Romans, sword in 
 hand, rushing upon them. 
 
 We hear nothing of any connection of Christians 
 in the transaction , except from Tertullian and Euse- 
 bius, and those who copied from them. 
 
 As to the Christian legion, called, according to 
 Eusebius, the Melitine Legion, which he represents 
 as afterward remaining intact, Moyle says there 
 were few or no Christians in the army ; and adds, 
 " I would as soon believe my Lord Marlborough 
 had a whole regiment of Quakers in his army, as 
 that Antoninus had a whole legion of Christians in 
 his." 2 
 
 Then, as to the name "Thundering," applied to 
 the Melitine Legion, which Eusebius makes Apolli- 
 
 (i.) Two Essays on Scripture Miracles, etc,, London, 1870, 2d Edn. pp. 240 to 254. 
 (2.) Moyle's Posthumous Works, vol. 2, pp. 84, 85. 
 
AGE OP MIRACLES — APOCRYPHAL WRITINGS. 139 
 
 naris say the emperor gave to it on account of this 
 transaction, the fact is, that one of the Roman le- 
 gions had that name, from the time of Augustus 
 Csesar. 
 
 Turning Water into Oil. — Narcissus, Bishop of 
 Jerusalem, when oil failed for lamps, at the vigil 
 of Easter, sent the persons who had the care of 
 them, to the neighboring well for water. "When 
 they brought it , he prayed over it , and it was changed 
 into oil. At least, so says Eusebius. 1 Narcissus 
 was made bishop about 180. 
 
 This reported miracle has been the occasion of 
 learned disquisitions by Dodwell, Jortin and many 
 others. Newman devotes several pages to it, and 
 closes by saying, that while he cannot say positive- 
 ly that he believes it, yet he has no doubt about it. 2 
 
 From the list of noted miracles discussed by Dr. 
 Newman, those two have been mentioned, because 
 they are said to have occurred in the second centu- 
 ry. 
 
 It is a significant fact, that they both come, either 
 originally, or with important accessions, from Euse- 
 bius. 
 
 APOCRYPHAL WRITINGS. 
 
 From the middle of the second century, and even 
 earlier, the Christian world was flooded with anon- 
 ymous writings of a religious character, filled with 
 miracles of every description. There was a morbid 
 demand for that kind of literature. At a later day, 
 these writings were styled apocryphal. 
 
 (I.) Ecclesiastical Hist., 6. 9. (2,) Essays on Miracles, p. 259. 
 
140 ■;.__ SECOND PERIOD A. D. 80 to A. D. 120. 
 
 There were gospels, acts, revelations, epistles, etc. , 
 etc. 
 
 The Revelation of Moses gives a long history of Adam and Eve. 
 The Revelation of Esdra resembles Bomewhat the Apocalypse of 
 John. The Revelation of Paul is of the same sort, relating, at great 
 length, the wonderful things revealed to Paul, when he went up to 
 the third heaven, and was caught up into paradise, and heard un- 
 speakable words. [2d Cor. 12. 4.] There is another Revelation of 
 John, the Book of John concerning the Falling Asleep of Mary, the 
 Passing [Translation] of Mary, etc. 
 
 The Acts of Peter and Paul, the Acts of Paul and Thecla, and the 
 story of Perpetua, have already been mentioned. 
 
 The Acts of Barnabas relate the journeyings, the miracles and 
 martyrdom of that apostle. 
 
 Finding a town, called Curium, was very wicked, he rebuked it, 
 and the western part fell, "so that many were wounded, and many of 
 them also died." 
 
 The Acts of Philip.— Nicanora, wife of the proconsul of Hiera- 
 polis, having been converted and healed of her sickness by the 
 preaching of Philip, her husband was so enraged, that he caused 
 them both, with Bartholomew, to be scourged, and the two apostles 
 to be hanged, Philip head downward. In this position, Philip has a 
 long conversation with Bartholomew, and preaches a discourse to 
 those standing about. When Mariamne was stripped, her body was 
 changed, and became a glass chest filled with light. 
 
 The Acts and Martyrdom of Andrew.— Andrew has a dis- 
 cussion with iEgeates, the proconsul. iEgeates, becoming very 
 angry, has Andrew crucified. Afterward, he was himself tormented 
 by the deyil, and came to a violent death. 
 
 Besides these, there were the Acts of Andrew and Matthias, in the 
 City of the Man-Eater, the Acts of Peter and Andrew, the Acts and 
 Martyrdom of St. Matthew, the Acts of the Holy Apostle Thomas, 
 and many others. — Fabricius has a list of Apocryphal Acts, 36 in 
 number. Some of them are written very much in the style of the 
 Acts of the Apostles. 
 
 Acts of Paul.— Dr. Lardner thinks that Origen referred to a 
 book entitled "The Acts of Paul."— De Principiis, 1, 2, T. 1, p. 54. 
 
 The Miracles op the New Testament. 
 
 When we turn to the miracles of the New Testa- 
 ment, we instinctively feel like making them an ex- 
 
AGE OP MIRACLES — MIRACLES OP THE N. T. 141 
 
 eeption to the mass of wonders of that age. How 
 much of this feeling may be owing to education and 
 association, we will not stop to inquire ; and per- 
 haps it would not be found easy to determine. 
 
 The fact, however, cannot be ignored, that there 
 is no evidence showing that either of the five books 
 in which these miracles are recorded, was written 
 until nearly one hundred and fifty years after the 
 transactions are said to have occurred. How much 
 earlier the manuscripts existed from which these 
 books were compiled, is not known. None of them 
 can be clearly traced to the first century. 
 
 There are other important considerations. A 
 number of these miracles consist in casting out de- 
 mons from human beings. But the doctrine of de- 
 mons is a doctrine of the past. It is now recognized 
 and admitted, that from the beginning, the demons 
 have existed only subjectively, as forms of doctrine 
 and belief. What then becomes of this class of mir- 
 acles? 
 
 If, without irreverence, we carefully examine 
 even the most imposing class of New Testament 
 miracles, looking upon them at the same time as 
 violations of known laws of nature (without which 
 a miracle loses its force and meaning), we meet with 
 very serious obstacles in the way of giving them 
 implicit credence. 
 
 In the case of Jairus' daughter, we have but to 
 take the explicit language of Jesus himself, " The 
 maid is not dead, but sleepeth." 
 
142 SECOND PERIOD — A. D. 80 TO A. D. 120. 
 
 There are two other reported cases of raising from 
 the dead, in the canonical gospels. The raising of 
 the son of the widow of Nain, is found only in the 
 compilation of Luke. The authorship of the man- 
 uscript containing it, and the time when it was writ- 
 ten, are involved in obscurity. 
 
 The raising of Lazarus, and the turning of water 
 into wine, the two transactions most plainly con- 
 travening the laws of nature, are only related in the 
 Gospel of John ; the author of that work having 
 probably taken them from the Acts of Pilate. 
 
 Why do the other canonical gospels contain no 
 mention of those stupendous miracles? 
 
 How can the belief in miracles be of any import- 
 ance in the Christian system? If the doctrines and 
 precepts of the Christian religion are adapted to the 
 nature of man, and in harmony with the divine 
 economy of the universe, they will stand, through 
 all time. If not, they will fall. The changing of 
 one element or substance into another, or even the 
 raising of a person from the dead, cannot make 
 wrong right, or change the truth into falsehood. 
 
 This great truth was all but comprehended by 
 Tertullian, intellectually the most vigorous of all 
 the early fathers. He declared that the proof of the 
 Christian religion by miracles, was inconclusive ; 
 "because," said he, "Jesus Christ has assured his 
 disciples that some would arise, who should work 
 false miracles." — [Adv. Marcion, 3. 3. 
 
 Archbishop Trench falls into the same line of ar- 
 gument : 
 
AGE OF MIRACLES MIRACLES OF THE N. T. 143 
 
 "A miracle does not prove the truth of a doctrine, or the divine 
 mission of him that brings it to pass. The doctrine must first com- 
 mend itself to the conscience as being good, and only then can the 
 miracle seal it as divine.— [Notes on the Miracles of our Lord, 8th 
 Ed. 1866, p. 25. 
 
 The same view is taken by Mozley and others. 
 But if the doctrine has received the sanction of the 
 conscience as good, is it not already divine? And 
 what need of the miracle afterward? 
 
THIRD PERIOD. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE THREE APOCRYPHAL GOSPELS. 
 
 The Protevangelion. 
 
 Of the extant gospels of the second century, the 
 three most ancient are, the Protevangelion, or Book 
 of James, the Gospel of the Infancy, and the Acts- 
 of Pilate, or Gospel of Nicodenms. 
 
 The Protevangelion was attributed to the apostle 
 James, and was called by Origen, " The Book of 
 James." 
 
 It is generally considered one of the oldest gospels 
 of the second century; probably appearing about 
 the third decade. The name , ' ' First Gospel , ' ' would 
 indicate it to be the first of certain writings of the 
 kind. 
 
 The following is an abstract of its contents : 
 
 THE PROTEVANGELION. 
 
 Chapter 1.— An account of Joachim, and of the refusal of his 
 offerings in the temple, which were despised, because he had no 
 children. 
 
 Chaps. 2 and 3.— Anna, the wife of Joachim, mourns her barren- 
 ness, and has a conversation upon the subject with her maid, Judith. 
 
APOCRYPHAL GOSPELS THE PROTEVANGELION. 145 
 
 Chaps. 4 to 7. — The angel announces to Anna that she is to have a 
 child. 
 
 She brings forth a daughter, and calls her name Mary. 
 
 When Mary was nine months old, she walked nine steps. When 
 she was a year old, Joachim gave a great feast to the priests, scribes, 
 elders, and all the people of Israel. 
 
 When she was three years old, they took her to the temple, accom- 
 panied by the daughters of the Hebrews, carrying lamps. 
 
 Chaps. 8 and 9. — She continued in the temple, and received her 
 food from the hand of an angel. When she was twelve years old, the 
 priests met in consultation, to determine what to do with her. Zach- 
 arias, the high priest, consulting the Lord, was told to summon the 
 widowers with their rods, etc. The priest took the rods, and went 
 into the temple to pray. After finishing his prayer, he came out and 
 distributed the rods. 
 
 "The last rod was taken by Joseph, and behold, a dove proceeded 
 out of the rod, and flew upon the head of Joseph." The high priest 
 then designated Joseph as the one to take the virgin. 
 
 "Bat Joseph refused, saying: 'I am an old man, and have children; 
 but she is young, and I fear lest I should appear ridiculous in 
 Israel.' " The priest insisting, Joseph took her to his house, and then 
 went away, to mind his trade of building. 
 
 Chap. 10.— Mary selected by the priests to spin the true purple, for 
 a new vail for the temple. 
 
 Chap. 11.— The announcement to Mary by the angel. Similar to 
 Luke. 
 
 Chap. 12.— Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth. Similar to the account 
 in Luke. She is now 14 years old. 
 
 Chaps. 13 and 14.— Joseph, returning from building houses abroad, 
 found the virgin with child, and reproached her. Mary protested her 
 innocence, saying, she knew not how it had occurred. 
 
 Joseph was about to put her away, when an angel appeared, and 
 dissuaded him from it. Joseph then took the virgin, glorifying God. 
 
 Chaps. 15 and 16.— Joseph and Mary were brought before the 
 priest, accused of having violated her virginity; Joseph having taken 
 her merely to keep as a virgin. 
 
 Joseph was required to drink holy water, which he did, unharmed. 
 He was then acquitted. 
 
 Chaps. 17 and 18.— Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem to be 
 taxed. As Mary's time drew near, they were obliged to stop, three 
 miles from Bethlehem. 
 
146 THIRD PERIOD — A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 Mary was taken into a cave, and left, with Joseph's sons, while 
 Joseph went to Bethlehem after a midwife. On the way, he saw 
 various prodigies. Fowls of the air, stopping in the midst of their 
 flight; people sitting before a table at dinner, their hands on the table 
 motionless; sheep standing still, the shepherd with his hand raised to 
 smite them, his hand remaining motionless; kids with their mouths 
 to the water, but not drinking. 
 
 Chaps. 19 and 20.— Joseph met a mid- wife. As they approached the 
 cave, a bright cloud overshadowed it, and going in, they found Jesus 
 was born. Salome came to the cave, and desiring proof that Mary was 
 a virgin, proof was vouchsafed. But as a result, Salome's hand im- 
 mediately withered. She prayed to the Lord; an angel appeared, and 
 told her to take the child, and her hand would be restored. She took 
 the child, and her hand was made whole. 
 
 Chap. 21. — Wise men came from the east to Bethlehem, inquiring 
 for the King of the Jews. The interview between Herod and the wise 
 men. Similar to Matthew. 
 
 Chaps. 22 to 24.— Herod having issued his order for the slaughter of 
 the children, "Mary, hearing that the children were to be killed, being 
 under much fear, took the child, and wrapped him up in swaddling 
 cloths, and laid him in an ox-manger, because there was no room for 
 them in the inn." 
 
 Elizabeth, hearing that her son John was to be searched for, took 
 him, and went up into the mountains. There a mountain opened and 
 received them. Zacharias, because he would not disclose the hiding 
 place of his son John, was murdered in the entrance of the temple. 
 When Zacharias was killed, "the roofs of the temple howled, and were 
 rent from the top to the bottom, and his blood was congealed to stone." 
 
 Chap. 25. — Conclusion. "I, James, wrote this history in Jerusa- 
 lem; and when the disturbance was, I retired into a desert place, until 
 the death of Herod. And the disturbance ceased at Jerusalem." 
 
 Opinions of the Fathers. 
 
 The account in the Protevangelion, of the mur- 
 der of Zacharias, father of John the Baptist, was 
 generally accredited by the fathers. It is mentioned 
 and endorsed by Tertullian, 1 by Origen, 2 by Epipha- 
 
 (i.) Scorpiac, adv. Gnost., c. 8. 
 (2.) Hom.26, Matt. 23, fol, 49. 
 
APOCRYPHAL GOSPELS THE PROTEVANGELION. 147 
 
 nius, 1 by Theophylact, 2 and others. 
 
 The Protevangelion says, Zacharias was killed at 
 the entrance of the temple, and his blood was hard- 
 ened into stone. — (Ch. 24.) 
 
 Tertullian says, Zacharias was killed between the 
 altar and the temple, and the drops of his blood 
 made indelible impressions on the stones. 
 
 As has been already mentioned, the circumstance 
 of Joseph being an old man when Mary was be- 
 trothed to him, and having had children by a for- 
 mer wife, was accredited by the fathers generally. 
 The Protevangelion was here supported by the Gos- 
 pel of Peter. 
 
 Origen, it is true, only refers to it as believed by 
 some, but others adopt it implicitly. Eusebius says 
 James was called the brother of Christ, because he 
 was also called the son of Joseph. 3 Epiphanius 
 says the same/ and in another place, that Joseph 
 was about fourscore years old when he married 
 Mary ; and had six children before that time, by a 
 former wife ; 5 and again, writing against a sect 
 which denied the perpetual virginity of Mary, he 
 says : 
 
 •'Joseph was very old when he married Mary, and had been many 
 years a widower; that he was the brother of Cleophas, the son of 
 James, surnamed Panther; that he had his first wife of the tribe of 
 Judah, and by her six children, to wit, four sons and two daughters. 
 His eldest son was James, surnamed Oblias, [this probably taken from. 
 
 (i.) De Vit. Prophet, vol. z, p. 250, (attributed to Epiphanius.) 
 
 (2.) In Matt. 
 
 (3.) Ecc. Hist., 2. 1. 
 
 (4.) Hseres. 29; Naz. sec. 3, 4- 
 
 (5.) Haeres. 51; Alogor. sec. 10. 
 
148 THIRD PERIOD — A. D. 120 to A. D. 130. 
 
 Eusebius, Ece. Hist. 2. 23], that he begat him when he was about forty 
 years old; after him he had another son named Jose, then Simeon and 
 Judas, and then his two daughters Mary and Salome: after his wife's 
 death, he continued many years a widower, and about fourscore years 
 old, married Mary."— [Epiph. Hseres., 78, sec. 8. 
 
 So also was the account in the Protevangelion ac- 
 cepted as true by Hilary, 1 by Chrysostom (A. D. 
 407), Cyril (A. D. 375), by Euthymius and Theo- 
 phylact, and generally, as Bishop Pearson says, 2 by 
 all the Latin fathers till Ambrose (A. D. 390), and 
 the Greek fathers afterward. 
 
 Epiphanius refers, also, to the death of Zacharias, 
 but there is a wide departure from the account in 
 the Protevangelion. 
 
 "It was," he says, "the occasion of the death of Zacharias in the tem- 
 ple, that when he had seen a vision, he through surprise was willing 
 to disclose it, and his mouth was stopped. That which he saw, was 
 at the time of offering incense; and it was a man standing in the form 
 of an ass. 
 
 "When he had gone out, and had a mind to speak thus to the people, 
 'Wo unto you, whom do ye worship?' he who had appeared to him in 
 the temple, took away the use of his speech. Afterward, when he re- 
 covered it, and was able to speak, he declared this to the Jews, and 
 they slew him. They add, that on this very account, the high priest 
 was appointed by their lawgiver to carry little bells, that whensoever 
 he went into the temple to sacrifice, he whom they worshiped, hearing 
 the noise of the bells, might have time enough to hide himself, and not 
 be caught in that ugly shape and figure."— [Epiph. Hser., 79. 5. 
 
 That Mary, at three years of age, was taken to 
 the temple, and remained there eleven years, was 
 received as true by Euodius, Gregory of Nyssen, 
 (380), Damascene, (725), Germanus, Bishop of Con- 
 
 (i.) InMatth. i. 
 
 (2.) On the Creed, p. 175, Art. 3. 
 
APOCRYPHAL GOSPELS — THE PROTEVANGELION. 149 
 
 stantinople, Andreas Cretensis, (675), George, bish- 
 op of Nicomedia, and others. 1 
 
 The Protevangelion was not condemned by the 
 decree of Pope Gelasius. 
 
 Jones was mistaken in supposing that Epiphanius 
 and Austin were the first writers who had recog- 
 nized the Protevangelion. 2 Origen mentioned it as 
 ' ' the Book of James ;" Tertullian was acquainted 
 with it, and still earlier, Justin Martyr. 
 
 The fact that Christ was born in a cave, is fre*- 
 quently alluded to in the writings of the fathers. 
 Thus Gregory Nyssen (380) says : 
 
 "We are indeed cheered by the gospel, when we revert to the speech 
 at Bethlehem, and when we contemplate the divine mysteries in the 
 cave." "Speelaio musteeria."— [Greg. Nys. Op. vol. 3, p. 348. (See also, 
 the chapter of this work entitled, "Justin Martyr.") 
 
 (i.) See Baronius, (1588), Apparat. ad Annal., no. 48. 
 (2.) Jeremiah Jones, New Method, etc., vol. 2, p. 144. 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 THE PROTEVANGELION, 
 AND THE GOSPELS OF LUKE AND MATTHEW. 
 
 The Pbotevangelion one op the Manuscripts used in 
 the Compilations of Luke and Matthew — The Peotevan- 
 gelion AND THE FIEST TWO CHAPTERS OP LUKE AND MATTHEW 
 
 oompaeed. — Which was first weitten? 
 
 Dr. Frederick Schleiermacher, who is styled, in 
 the Imperial Dictionary of 'Biography, "the most 
 influential theologian of Protestant Germany that 
 has appeared during the present century," in an 
 able essay, has shown, that the Gospel of Luke con- 
 sists, almost entirely, of a compilation of manu- 
 scripts, older than the time of the compiler. 
 
 Speaking of the first and second chapters, he 
 says: 
 
 "It is impossible, at the outset, to avoid observing the great differ- 
 ence of style between the introductory passage, (ch. 1, w. 1 to 4), and 
 this section (balance of chs. 1 and 2); since from very tolerable and 
 well constructed Greek, which even makes some attempts at elegance, 
 we suddenly drop into the harshest Hebraistic phraseology; so that 
 one is loth to attribute both to the same hand." — [Critical Essay on 
 Luke, p. 21, Ed. London, 1825. 
 
 Again: 
 
 "If we compare the end of the first chapter with the beginning of 
 the second, we can scarcely remain in doubt, that the section from 
 
APOCRYPHAL GOSPELS THE PROTEVANGELION. 151 
 
 verse 5 to the end of the chapter, (ch. 1), was originally an independent 
 whole. In the first place, the 80th verse is an evident form of conclu- 
 sion. 
 
 "To this it may be added, that if it were the same narrator who is 
 proceeding in the second chapter, many things ought to be differently 
 stated."— [lb. p. 22. 
 
 "Thus then we begin by detaching the first chapter as an originally 
 independent composition. If we consider it in this light somewhat 
 more closely we cannot resist the impression, that it was originally a 
 a poetical work rather than a proper historical narrative. The latter 
 supposition in its strictest sense, at all events, no one will adopt; or 
 contend that the angel Gabriel announced the advent of the Messiah, 
 in figures so purely Jewish, and in expressions taken mostly from the 
 Old Testament; or that the alternate song between Elizabeth and 
 Mary actually took place in the manner described; or that Zachariah, 
 at the instant of recovering his speech, made use of it to utter the 
 hymn, without being disturbed by the joy and surprise of the compa- 
 ny, by which the narrator himself allows his description to be inter- 
 rupted. 
 
 "At all events, then, we should be obliged to suppose that the au- 
 thor made additions of his own, and enriched the historical narrative 
 by the lyrical effusions of his own genius. But even in the historical 
 part, there is much that will not admit of being understood as literal 
 narrative. In the first place, the whole chronology depends on the 
 circumstance which the author was desirous of introducing, that the 
 child in Elizabeth's womb leaped for joy at Mary's approach. Mary 
 is, on this account, made to defer her visit till after the fifth month; 
 and in order to leave no chasm in the whole, the angel, for the same 
 reason, is made to come to her no sooner. Immediately after the an- 
 nunciation, she sets out, and stays three months with her cousin;— a 
 circumstance also very improbable, on account of her own approach- 
 ing nuptials— in order that upon her return, the birth of Jesus might 
 be immediately subjoined. 
 
 "Similar to this is the circumstance, that Zacharias is punished 
 with dumbness for his unbelief, and thus contrasted with Mary, who 
 breaks forth, under divine inspiration, into songs of praise; and yet 
 that, although his unbelief must long before have ceased, he does 
 not recover his speech till the instant when, by confirming the name, 
 he solemnly recognizes the angel's declaration of his son's calling. 
 
 "If to this we add the whole grouping, the angel coming to Zacha- 
 rias, and announcing the last prophet of the old covenant in the tem- 
 ple, the same coming afterward to Mary, and announcing the advent 
 of the Messiah in the despised Nazareth, the meeting of Mary and 
 
152 THIRD PERIOD — A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 Elizabeth, the winding up of the whole by the restoration of Zacha- 
 rias to speech, and his hymn, which form the conclusion, there nat- 
 urally presents itself to us a pleasing little composition, completely in 
 the style and manner of several Jewish poems, still extant among our 
 apocryphal writings ; written in all probability, originally in Aramaic, 
 by a Christian of the more liberal Judaizing school, and of the general 
 style of which, a faithful image is conveyed in the early severe school 
 of Christian painting."— [Essay on Luke, by Schleiermacher, pp. 24 to 
 26. 
 
 The Prote vangelion , which is one of the extant 
 apocryphal writings alluded to, is in the Greek lan- 
 guage, but is filled with Hebraisms, showing it to 
 have been written by a Hellenic Jew ; and justify- 
 ing the supposition of our author, that it was orig- 
 inally in the Aramaic tongue. 
 
 The following comparison of the two gospels 
 will, it is believed, sustain the inference of Schleier- 
 macher, that the apocryphal gospel, so called, was 
 first written : 
 
 (We have consulted the original Greek text, from the Orthodoxo- 
 grapha of Grynseus, p. 71, etc.) 
 
 The Protevangelion 
 Compared with Luke and Matthew. 
 
 Protevangelion, ch. 11. 
 
 And she (Mary) took a pitcher, 
 and went out to fill it with water. 
 And behold, a voice, saying; Hail, 
 full of grace; the Lord is with 
 thee; blessed art thou among wo- 
 men. 
 
 And she looked around, to the 
 right and to the left, to see whence 
 this voice came. And trembling, 
 she went into her house, and put 
 
 Luke, ch. 1. 
 
 26. And in the sixth month the 
 angel Gabriel was sent from God, 
 unto a city of Galilee, named 
 Nazareth. 
 
 27. To a virgin espoused to a 
 man whose name was Joseph, of 
 the house of David; and the vir- 
 gin's name (was) Mary. 
 
 28. And the angel came in unto 
 her, and said, Hail (thou that art) 
 highly favored, the Lord is with 
 thee: blessed (art) thou among 
 women. 
 
 29. And when she saw (him,) she 
 was troubled at his saying, and 
 
APOCRYPHAL GOSPELS — THE PROTEVANGELION. 153 
 
 Protevangelion, ch. 11. 
 
 down the pitcher, and taking the 
 purple, she sat down in her seat, 
 to work it. And behold the an- 
 gel of the Lord (one version reads, 
 "a young man of ineffable beau- 
 ty,") stood by her, and said: Fear 
 not, Mary; for thou hast found 
 favor with God. 
 
 When she heard this, she rea- 
 soned with herself, What sort of 
 salutation is this to me? And 
 the angel said unto her, The Lord 
 is with thee, and thou shalt con- 
 ceive. And shall I conceive, said 
 she, by the living God, and bring 
 forth as other women do ? 
 
 The angel replied, Not so,Mary, 
 for the Holy Ghost shall come up- 
 on thee, and the power of the 
 Highest shall overshadow thee; 
 therefore also the holy thing 
 which shall be born of thee shall 
 be called the Son of the living 
 God. 
 
 And thou shalt call his name 
 Jesus, for he shall save his people 
 from their sins. 
 
 And behold thy cousin Elisa- 
 beth, she has also conceived a son 
 in her old age. And this is the 
 sixth month with her who was 
 called barren. 
 
 For nothing shall be impossible 
 with God. 
 
 And Mary said,behold the hand- 
 maid of the Lord; be it unto me 
 according to thy word. 
 
 Chapter 12. 
 
 And she wrought the purple, 
 and took it to the high priest. 
 And the high priest blessed her, 
 saying: Mary, the Lord hath mag- 
 nified thy name, and thou shalt 
 be blessed in all generations of 
 the earth. 
 
 Luke, ch. 1. 
 
 cast in her mind what manner of 
 salutation this should be. 
 
 30. And the angel said unto her, 
 Fear not, Mary; for thou hast 
 found favor with God. 
 
 31. And behold, thou shalt con- 
 ceive in thy womb, and bring 
 forth a son, and shalt call his 
 name JESUS. 
 
 32. He shall be great, and 
 shall be called the Son of the 
 Highest; and the Lord God shall 
 give unto him the throne of his 
 father David. 
 
 33. And he shall reign over the 
 house of Jacob forever; and of 
 his kingdom there shall be no end. 
 
 34. Then said Mary unto the 
 angel, how shall this be, seeing I 
 know not a man ? 
 
 35. And the angel answered and 
 said unto her, The Holy Ghost 
 shall come upon thee, and the 
 power of the Highest shall over- 
 shadow thee; therefore also, that 
 holy thing which shall be born of 
 thee, shall be called the Son of 
 God. 
 
 36. And behold, thy cousin Elis- 
 abeth, she hath also conceived a 
 son in her old age; and this is the 
 sixth month with her who was 
 called barren: 
 
 37. For with God nothing shall 
 be impossible. 
 
 38. And Mary said, Behold the 
 handmaid of the Lord; be it unto 
 me according to thy word. And 
 the angel departed from her. 
 
 39. And Mary arose in those 
 days, and went into the hill-coun- 
 try with haste, into a city of Ju- 
 da, 
 
 40. And entered into the house 
 of Zacharias, and saluted Elisa- 
 beth. 
 
154 THIRD PERIOD — A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 Protevangelion, ch. 12, 
 
 Then Mary, filled with joy, 
 went away to her cousinElisabeth, 
 and knocked at the door. 
 
 When Elisabeth heard, she ran, 
 and opened to her, and blessed 
 her. 
 
 Luke, ch. 1. 
 
 41. And it came to pass, that 
 when Elisabeth heard the saluta- 
 tion of Mary, the babe leaped in 
 her womb; and Elisabeth was 
 filled with the Holy Ghost. 
 
 42. And she spake out with a 
 loud voice, and said: Blessed (art) 
 thou among women, and blessed 
 (is) the fruit of thy womb. 
 
 43. And whence (is) this to me, 
 that the mother of my Lordshould 
 come to me ? 
 
 44. For lo, as soon as the voice 
 of thy salutation sounded in mine 
 ears, the babe leaped in my womb 
 for joy. 
 
 45. And blessed (is) she that be- 
 lieved; for there shall be a per- 
 formance of those things which 
 were told her from the Lord. 
 
 46. And Mary said, My soul 
 doth magnify the Lord, (etc. See 
 the song of Mary, Luke, ch. l,vv. 
 46 to 55.) 
 
 56. And Mary abode with her 
 about three months, and returned 
 to her own house. 
 
 And said; Whence is this to 
 me, that the mother of my Lord 
 should come to me ? 
 
 For lo; as soon as the voice of 
 thy salutation came to my ears, 
 that which is within me leaped 
 and blessed thee. 
 
 But Mary, being ignorant of 
 those mysterious things, which 
 the archangel Gabriel had spoken 
 to her, lifted up her eyes to heaven, 
 and said: Lord, what am I, that 
 all the generations of the earth 
 should call me blessed ? 
 
 But as day by day she grew big, 
 being afraid, she went to her 
 home, and hid herself from the 
 children of Israel. 
 
 She was fourteen years old when 
 these mysteries happened. 
 
 No one can doubt that one of the foregoing nar- 
 ratives was used in the composition of the other. 
 
 If, as Schleiermacher supposes, the author of 
 Luke has inserted an entire manuscript, running 
 from verses 5 to 80, then the author of that man- 
 uscript drew from the Protevangelion, or the author 
 of the Protevangelion drew from the manuscript, 
 either before or after it was placed in the gospel of 
 Luke. 
 
 Grynasus, the author of the Orthodoxographa, 
 believed that the Protevangelion was first written. 1 
 
 (i.) He says, "Multa babet quae narrationibus quatuor evangelistarum pulchre 
 consentiunt, plura autem quae ab illis velut parerga sunt pratermissa." 
 
 "It contains many things which perfectly agree with the accounts of the four evan- 
 gelists, but more which are omitted by (from) them as needless." 
 
APOCRYPHAL GOSPELS THE PROTEVANGELION. 155 
 
 If the foregoing parallel passages be carefully 
 examined, in connection with the abstract in the 
 previous chapter, it will be seen that the internal 
 evidence favors the earlier composition of the pas- 
 sages from the Protevangelion. Those are in the 
 midst of a much longer story, forming a natural 
 and consistent part of it ; while the account in 
 Luke is a disjointed and unconnected narrative. 
 
 The variations in Luke are evidently for a pur- 
 pose. 
 
 For instance, in the 27th verse, it is stated that 
 Joseph was of the house of David ; and in the 32d 
 verse, that Jesus should be given the throne of his 
 father David ; for neither of which is there any 
 parallel in the Protevangelion. The earlier fath- 
 ers, who followed this gospel, thought it sufficient 
 to trace the descent of Mary from David. But the 
 author of Luke desired to show that Joseph was 
 descended from David ; hence the change, which 
 appears to have been made in support of his gene- 
 alogy. 
 
 In pursuance of the same object, in the 4th verse 
 of the 2d chapter, he represents that Joseph went 
 up from Galilee to Bethlehem, to be taxed, "because 
 he was of the house and lineage of David." The 
 17th chapter of the Protevangelion represents Jo- 
 seph as going to Bethlehem to be taxed, but says 
 nothing of his being of the house and lineage of 
 David. If the Protevangelion had been last writ- 
 ten, there is no reason why that circumstance, if 
 true, should have been omitted; and especially if 
 that was the reason why Joseph went to Bethlehem 
 
156 THIRD PERIOD — A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. > 
 
 to be taxed. On the contrary, the author of the 
 Protevangelion would have inserted the reference 
 to David, as calculated to magnify the importance 
 of Jesus, by showing his royal descent, on the male 
 side of his ancestry. 
 
 Then the song of praise with which Mary breaks 
 forth, has a theological look, being composed, 
 almost entirely, from passages in the Old Testa- 
 ment. This, also, is not in the Protevangelion. 
 If, indeed, it was spoken by Mary herself, it may 
 be looked upon as strong evidence of the truth of 
 the statement, that Mary was brought up in the 
 temple ; since in no other way would she have been 
 so conversant with the Jewish scriptures. 
 
 Passing on to the second chapter of Luke, Dr. 
 
 Schleiermacher, commenting on verses 1 to 20, and 
 
 suggesting that it appears like a separate narrative, 
 
 says: 
 
 "We can recognize neither the same author, nor the prevalence of 
 a poetical character, since this would necessarily have occasioned the 
 introduction of more lyrical passages. Here, therefore, we must 
 refer the main fact, at least, to an historical tradition. But upon 
 this, if we seek grounds for an exact conclusion, there arises in the 
 first place the question, from what source the narrative may be drawn. 
 For two may be conceived, Joseph and Mary on the one side, the shep- 
 herds on the other." 
 
 After considering the circumstances, he inclines 
 to the opinion, that the narrative came originally 
 from the shepherds. He thinks the shepherds 
 related what occurred, and the affair became known 
 in the neighborhood of Bethlehem. He concludes 
 as follows : 
 
 "We must therefore suppose, that this story was only drawn forth 
 from the dust of oblivion, by the recollection of individuals, after the- 
 
APOCRYPHAL GOSPELS THE PEOTEVANGELION. 157 
 
 fame of Jesus was already established, and therefore probably did not 
 obtain further publicity until after his death."— [Essay on Luke, pp. 
 32 to 35. 
 
 The following parallel may enable us to deter- 
 mine which of these gospels contains the earlier 
 record of this story : 
 
 THE BIETH OF JESUS. 
 
 Protevangelion, ch. 17. 
 
 And it came to pass that there 
 went forth a decree from the Em- 
 peror Augustus, that all the Jews 
 should be taxed, (apographesthai), 
 who were of Bethlehem of Judea. 
 
 And Joseph said, I will take 
 care that my children shall be 
 taxed; but what shall I do with 
 this young woman ? To have her 
 taxed as my wife I am ashamed; 
 But if as my daughter, all Israel 
 knows she is not my daughter. 
 The day itself of the Lord shall 
 bring to pass what it will. 
 
 And he saddled the ass, and 
 placed her upon it. Joseph and 
 Simeon followed, and arrived 
 within three miles (of Bethlehem.) 
 
 Chapter 18. 
 
 And he found there a cave, and 
 led her into it, and leaving her 
 and his sons in the cave, he went 
 forth to seek a Hebrew midwife 
 in the country of Bethlehem. 
 
 (On his way Joseph sees the 
 prodigies mentioned in last chap- 
 ter.) 
 
 (Ch. 19.— He meets a midwife 
 coming down from the mountains. 
 They return together, and find 
 Jesus born, in the cave.) 
 
 In subsequent chapters, various 
 remarkable events are related, in- 
 cluding the visit of the wise men 
 "to Bethlehem," and the order for 
 the slaughter of the children. The 
 
 Luke, ch. 2. 
 
 And it came to pass in those 
 days, that there went out a de- 
 cree from Caesar Augustus, that 
 all the world should be taxed. 
 
 2. (And this taxing was first 
 made when Cyrenius was Gover- 
 nor of Syria.) 
 
 3. And all went to be taxed, 
 every one into his own city. 
 
 4. And Joseph also went up 
 from Galilee, out of the city of 
 Nazareth, into Judea, unto the 
 city of David, which is called 
 Bethlehem; (because he was of 
 the house and lineage of David,) 
 
 5. To be taxed with Mary, his 
 espoused wife, being great with 
 child. 
 
 6. So it was, that while they 
 were there, the days were accom- 
 plished that she should be deliv- 
 ered. 
 
 7. And she brought forth her 
 first-born son, 
 
158 THIED PERIOD — A. D. 120 to A. D. 130. 
 
 Protevangelion, ch. 18. 
 
 story proceeds as follows:) 
 
 But Mary hearing that the child- 
 ren were to be killed, being under 
 much fear, took the child, and 
 wrapped him up in swaddling- 
 cloths, and laid him in an ox- 
 manger, because there was no 
 room for them in the inn. — [ch. 22. 
 
 Luke, ch. 2. 
 
 and wrapped him in swad- 
 dling-clothes, and laid him in a 
 manger; because there was no 
 room for them in the inn. 
 
 The account of the vision of the shepherds, etc., 
 does not appear in the Protevangelion ; a circum- 
 stance which cannot well be accounted for, if Luke 
 was first written. The author of the Protevangel- 
 ion enlarges upon many unimportant circumstan- 
 ces, and is not in want of space. It is difficult to 
 see why, if his work was last written, he should 
 omit so interesting a portion of the story, as that 
 concerning the shepherds ; one too, which would 
 have added so much to the importance of the trans- 
 action. 
 
 In a subsequent chapter, it will be seen that this 
 account has a parallel in the Gospel of the Infancy. 
 This gospel states also that Jesus was circumcised 
 in the cave. 
 
 So with the presentation in the temple : 22d to 
 40th of 2d chapter of Luke, which, Schleiermacher 
 thinks, was a separate narrative, from another man- 
 uscript. This, though not in the Protevangelion, 
 is in the Gospel of the Infancy. The same may be 
 said of the balance of the chapter, verses 41 to 52. 
 
 Of this portion of the narrative, Schleiermacher 
 
 says : 
 
APOCRYPHAL GOSPELS THE PROTEVANGELION. 159 
 
 "That the last piece of this division, too, Jesus' first visit to the tem- 
 ple, did not originally belong to the same context with what goes be- 
 fore, is rendered evident by a variety of marks. Verse 40, which some 
 most strangely consider as the beginning of this last piece, against all 
 analogy with 1st. 80, and 2d. 52, is a mere form of conclusion."— [Essay 
 p. 41. 
 
 This learned writer sums up his view of the com- 
 position of the first two chapters of Luke, as fol- 
 lows : 
 
 "Thus, then, by an apparently gradual annexation of several de- 
 tached narratives, committed to writing independently of each other ) 
 to a piece which was originally composed, not as an historical narra- 
 tive, but as a poem, did the first division of this gospel, according to 
 these indications, take its rise."-[Essay, p. 44. 
 
 The internal evidence going to show that this gos- 
 pel was written before Luke, is supported by the 
 historical fact, that Justin Martyr (A. D. 150 to 160), 
 who furnishes no evidence of having seen the Gos- 
 pel of Luke, was acquainted with the Protevangel- 
 ion history, and received it as true. He refers to 
 Christ being born in a cave, and to various other 
 incidents of the narrative, not found in the canoni- 
 cal gospels. 
 
 Let us now pass on to the Gospel of Matthew : 
 
 JOSEPH AND THE ANGEL. 
 
 Pbotevangelion, ch. 13. 
 
 And when her sixth month was 
 come, Joseph, returning from his 
 building houses, and entering in- 
 to his house, found the virgin 
 grown big with child. 
 
 Chapter 14. 
 
 Then Joseph was exceedingly 
 afraid, and went away from her, 
 considering what he should do 
 with her: and he thus reasoned 
 with himself: 
 
 Matthew, ch. 1. 
 
 v. 18. Now the birth of Jesus 
 Christ was on this wise: When as 
 his mother Mary was espoused to 
 Joseph, before they came together, 
 she was found with child of the 
 Holy Ghost. 
 
 19. Then Joseph her husband, 
 being a just (man,) and not will- 
 
160 THIRD PERIOD — A. D. 120 TO A. D, 130. 
 
 Protevangelion, ch. 14. 
 
 If I conceal her crime, I shall 
 be found guilty, by the law of 
 the Lord; and if I discover her to 
 the children of Israel, I fear lest, 
 she being with child by an angel, 
 I shall be found to betray the life 
 of\ an innocent person. What, 
 therefore shall I do? I will privily 
 put her away. 
 
 And night came upon him, and 
 behold, an angel of the Lord ap- 
 peared to him in a dream, saying: 
 Be not afraid to take the young 
 woman, for that which is within 
 her is of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 And she shall bring forth a son, 
 and thou shalt call his name 
 Jesus, for he shall save his people 
 from their sins. 
 
 Then Joseph arose from his 
 sleep, and glorified the God of 
 Israel, who had shown him such 
 grace, and he kept the maiden. 
 
 Matthew, ch. 1. 
 
 ing to make her a public example,, 
 was minded to put her away pri- 
 vily. 
 
 20. But while he thought on 
 these things, behold, the angel of 
 the Lord appeared unto him in a 
 dream, saying, Joseph, thou son 
 of David, fear not to take unto 
 thee Mary thy wife; for that 
 which is conceived in her is of the 
 Holy Ghost. 
 
 21. And she shall bring forth a 
 son, and thou shalt call his name 
 Jesus, for he shall save his peo- 
 ple from their sins. 
 
 22. Now all this was done that 
 it might be fulfilled which was 
 spoken of the Lord by the prophet 
 saying: 
 
 23. Behold a virgin shall be with 
 child, and shall bring forth a son, 
 and they shall call his name Em- 
 manuel, which being interpreted 
 is, God with us. 
 
 24. Then Joseph, being raised 
 from sleep, did as the angel of the 
 Lord had bidden him, and took 
 unto him his wife. 
 
 Here, again, the later and more theological char- 
 acter of the composition, is apparent in Matthew. 
 
 Not only does the angel address Joseph as the son 
 of David, which form of address is not in the Prote- 
 vangelion, but verses 22 and 23 are injected into 
 the Protevangelion history, for the purpose of mak- 
 ing the account fit in with a certain prophecy of the 
 Old Testament. These verses are, however, no 
 improvement upon the Protevangelion . When that 
 prophecy is examined , it is found not to relate to 
 Christ at all. 
 
APOCRYPHAL GOSPELS THE PROTEVANGELIOH. 161 
 
 The passage is in the 7th chapter of Isaiah. 
 
 In the days of Ahaz, King of Judah, the kings 
 of Syria and Israel went up to Jerusalem, and made 
 war against it. Then the Lord sent Isaiah forth 
 with instructions to meet Ahaz, and to bid him to 
 be quiet, and fear not. He was instructed to assure 
 Ahaz, that within three-score and five years, Eph- 
 raim should be broken. The Lord then bid Ahaz 
 ask for a sign. But Ahaz replied, he would not 
 ask, neither would he tempt the Lord. Then the 
 Lord (through Isaiah) said : 
 
 "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin 
 shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. But- 
 ter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and 
 choose the good. For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, 
 and choose the good.the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of 
 both her kings."— [Isaiah, 7. 14. 16. 
 
 The 8th chapter proceeds as follows : 
 
 "Moreover, the Lord said unto me, Take thee a great roll, and write 
 in it with a man's pen concerning Maher-shalal-hash-baz. And I took 
 unto me faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah 
 the son of Jeberechiah. And I went unto the prophetess, and she con- 
 ceived, and bare a son. Then said the Lord to me, Call his name 
 Maher-shalal-hash-baz. (In making speed to the spoil, he hasteneth 
 the prey.) For before the child shall have knowledge to cry, My fath- 
 er, and my mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria 
 shall be taken away before the king of Assyria."-[Isa. 8. 1-4. 
 
 It is only necessary to read the passage, in con- 
 nection with the context, to see that it had no ref- 
 erence to Christ whatever. The language does not 
 profess to be prophetic, beyond sixty-five years. 
 Otherwise, it is historical, throughout, and the his- 
 tory needs no interpretation. 
 
162 THIRD PEEIOD A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 VISIT OF THE MAGI — SLAUGHTER OF THE CHILDREN. 
 
 Protevangelion, ch. 21. 
 
 Then Joseph was preparing to 
 go away. For there was a great 
 commotion in Bethlehem, by the 
 coming of wise men from the east, 
 
 saying: Where is he that is born 
 King of the Jews ? For we have 
 seen his star in the east, and are 
 come to worship him. 
 
 When Herod heard this, he was 
 -exceedingly troubled; and having 
 sent messengers to the wise men 
 and the priests, he inquired of 
 them in the prsetorium, saying to 
 them, Where is it written among 
 you, of Christ the king, that he 
 should be born ? 
 
 Then they say unto him, In 
 Bethlehem of Judea; for thus it 
 is written; And thou Bethlehem, 
 in the land of Juda, art not the 
 least among the princes of Juda; 
 for out of thee shall come a gov- 
 ernor, who shall rule my people 
 Israel. 
 
 And having sent away the chief 
 priests, he inquired of the wise 
 men in the prsetorium, and said 
 unto them: What sign was it ye 
 saw concerning the king that is 
 born ? They answered, 
 
 We saw an extraordinary large 
 star, shining among the stars of 
 heaven, and it so outshined all the 
 other stars, that they became not 
 visible; and we know that a great 
 king has come in Israel, and there- 
 fore have come to worship him. 
 
 Then said Herod to them, Go 
 and make diligent inquiry, and if 
 ye find him bring me word again, 
 that I may come and worship him 
 .also. 
 
 Matthew, ch. 2. 
 
 Now when Jesus was born in 
 Bethlehem of Judea, in the days 
 of Herod the king, behold there 
 came wise men from the east to 
 Jerusalem, 
 
 2. Saying: Where is he that is 
 born King of the Jews ? For we 
 have seen his star in the east, and 
 are come to worship him. 
 
 3. When Herod the king had 
 heard (these things), he was 
 
 troubled, and all Jerusalem with 
 him. 
 
 4. And when he had gathered 
 all the chief priests and scribes of 
 the people together, he demanded 
 of them where Christ should be 
 born. 
 
 5. And they said unto him, In 
 Bethlehem of Judea; for thus it 
 is written by the prophet: 
 
 6. And thou Bethlehem in the 
 land of Juda, art not the least 
 among the princes of Juda; for 
 out of thee shall come a governor, 
 who shall rule my people Israel. 
 
 7. Then Herod, when he had 
 privily called the wise men, in- 
 quired of them diligently what 
 time the star appeared. 
 
 8. And he sent them to Bethle- 
 hem, and said, Go and search dil- 
 igently for the young child, and 
 when ye have found him, bring 
 me word again, that I may come 
 and worship him also. 
 
APOCRYPHAL GOSPELS — THE PROTEVANGELION. 163 
 
 Protevangelion, ch. 21. 
 
 So the wise men went forth, and 
 behold the star which they saw in 
 the east went before them, till it 
 came and stood over the cave 
 where the young child was, with 
 Mary his mother. 
 
 Then they brought forth out of 
 their treasures, and offered unto 
 him gold, and frankincense, and 
 myrrh. 
 
 And being warned in a dream 
 by an angel, that they should not 
 return to Herod, through Judea, 
 they departed into their own 
 country, another way. 
 
 Chapter 22. 
 
 Then Herod, when he perceived 
 that he was mocked by the wise 
 men, being very angry, sent mur- 
 derers, commanding them to slay 
 all the children, from two years 
 old and under. 
 
 Matthew, ch. 2. 
 
 9. When they had heard the 
 king, they departed; and lo, the 
 star which they saw in the east, 
 went before them, till it came and 
 stood over where the young child 
 was. 
 
 10. When they saw the star, 
 they rejoiced with exceeding great 
 joy. 
 
 11. And when they were come 
 into the house, they saw the young 
 child, with Mary his mother, and 
 fell down and worshiped him; 
 and when they had opened their 
 treasures, they presented unto 
 him gifts; gold, and frankincense, 
 and myrrh. 
 
 12. And being warned of God 
 in a dream, that they should not 
 return to Herod, they departed 
 into their own country another 
 way. 
 
 (The warning of Joseph, and 
 the flight to Egypt, not in the 
 Protevangelion. They are how- 
 ever, in the Gospel of the In- 
 fancy.) 
 
 16. Then Herod, when he saw 
 he was mocked by the wise men, 
 was exceeding wroth, and sent 
 forth and slew all the children 
 that were in Bethlehem, and in 
 all the coasts thereof, from two 
 years old and under, according to 
 the time which he had diligently 
 inquired of the wise men. 
 
 17. Then was fulfilled that 
 which was spoken by Jeremy the 
 prophet, saying: 
 
 18. In Rama there was a voice 
 heard, lamentation and weeping, 
 and great mourning; Rachel 
 weeping for her children, and 
 would not be comforted, because 
 they are not. 
 
 Here is another prophecy, not alluded to in the 
 Protevangelion . 
 
 In this case as in the other, it is only necessary 
 to read the prophecy in its connection with the con- 
 
164 THIRD PERIOD — A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 text, in order to determine whether its application 
 here is legitimate. 
 
 In the 30th and 31st chapters of Jeremiah, the 
 prophet predicts the return of the children of Israel 
 from their captivity. The revelation was, it ap- 
 pears, communicated to him in a dream ; for in the 
 26th verse of the 31st chapter, he says, "Upon this 
 I awaked, and beheld ; and my sleep was sweet un- 
 to me. ' ' 
 
 The 30th chapter commences thus : 
 
 "The word that came to Jeremiah, from the Lord, saying: 
 Verse 3. "For lo, the days are come, saith the Lord.that I will bring 
 again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the Lord; and 
 I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers. 
 and they shall possess it." 
 
 v. 5. "For thus saith the Lord: We have heard a voice of trembling, 
 of fear, and not of peace." 
 
 v. 10 "And Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, 
 
 and none shall make him afraid." 
 
 v. 18. "Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring again the captivity 
 of Jacob's tents," etc. 
 
 V. 20. "Their children also shall be as aforetime," etc. 
 
 Ch. 31, v. 8. "Behold I will bring them from the north country," etc. 
 
 V. 9. "They shall come with weeping," etc. 
 
 Then, soon after, with nothing intervening, to 
 change the subject matter, comes the following : 
 
 v. 15. "Thus saith the Lord, A voice was heard in Ramah, lamenta- 
 tion, and bitter weeping: Rachel weeping for her children, refused to 
 be comforted for her children, because they were not. 
 
 v. 16. "Thus saith the Lord ; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and 
 thine eyes from tears; for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord; 
 and they shall come again from the land of the enemy. 
 
 v. 17. "And there is hope in thine end, saith the Lord, that thy child- 
 ren shall come again, to their own border." 
 
APOCRYPHAL GOSPELS THE PROTEVANGELION". 165 
 
 lb needs no argument or construction to show that 
 the children of Israel are the children referred to in 
 this chapter, and that it had no more reference to 
 the infant children of Bethlehem to be slain by 
 Herod, than it had to the children of Chicago. 
 
 It is only by applying a principle known to theo- 
 logians as ' 'accommodation, " that any such appli- 
 cation of the language can be made. But by the 
 method of accommodation, any conceivable propo- 
 sition can be proved from any chapter of the bible. 
 
 The reference to the prophecy of Micah, "And 
 thou, Bethlehem," etc., is only in some copies of 
 the Protevangelion. It is not in the Ante-Nicene 
 version, and was probably an interpolation. 
 
 From the subsequent verses of the 5th chapter of 
 Micah, it appears that the prophecy related to a 
 ruler of Israel who should be able to cope success- 
 fully with the king of Assyria. 
 
 If the prophecy related to Christ, then it was nec- 
 essary that he should be born in the village of Beth- 
 lehem . But all the copies of the Protevangelion rep- 
 resent that he was born in a cave three miles from 
 Bethlehem. So it is related in the Gospel of the 
 Infancy, that Jesus was born in a cave before his 
 parents reached Bethlehem, though the distance is 
 not stated. But Bethlehem being comparatively a 
 small village, the prophecy would not thus be ful- 
 filled. "For out of thee shall come," etc. Hence 
 the probability that the reference to the prophecy 
 in some copies of the Protevangelion, is an inter- 
 polation. Hence also the necessity, that in Mat- 
 thew, where the verses relating to the prophecy stand 
 
166 THIRD PERIOD — A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 on the same footing with the rest, Jesus should be 
 born in the very village of Bethlehem. 
 
 If Matthew was first written, and was known to 
 the authors of the other gospels, it is strange that 
 they should have Jesus born outside of Bethlehem, 
 at the risk of disconnecting the event from the 
 prophecy. The authors of those gospels were dis- 
 posed, neither to deny the Messiahship of Jesus, nor 
 to deprive him of the benefit of any of the Jewish 
 prophecies. 
 
 For the reasons given, and because in the Prote- 
 vangelion all the circumstances are simply and nat- 
 urally related in their connection, as portions of a 
 longer story, we conclude the Protevangelion was 
 first written. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE GOSPEL OF THE INFANCY. 
 
 Different Versions — Synopsis of Contents — Testimo- 
 nies and Citations op the Fathers. 
 
 The complete Gospel of the Infancy of the Savior, 
 first appeared in the Arabic language. It was 
 translated into Latin, and was published by Mr. 
 Sike, Professor of Oriental languages at Cambridge, 
 England. It was published at Utrecht, in 1697. 
 
 Besides this, there is a fragment of what is 
 thought to be a more ancient gospel, ascribed to 
 the Apostle Thomas, and known as Thomas' Gos- 
 pel of the Infancy. 
 
 It is published in the Ante-Nicene collection, in 
 three forms : two being translations from the 
 Greek, and one from the Latin. It is manifest 
 that these, as well as the publication of Mr. Sike, 
 are but different versions of the one Gospel of the 
 Infancy. 
 
 The following is a synopsis of the complete gos- 
 pel, as published by Mr. Sike : 
 
 Chapter 1. — "The following accounts we have found in the book 
 of Joseph, the high priest, who lived in the time of Christ; arid some 
 say that he is Caiaphas. He has said that Jesus spoke, and indeed, 
 
168 THIRD PERIOD — A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 that when he was lying in his cradle, he said to his mother Mary, I 
 am Jesus, the Son of God, the Logos whom thou hast brought forth, 
 as the angel Gabriel announced to thee; and my Father hath sent me 
 for the salvation of the world." 
 
 Chs. 2 & 3.— The decree for the taxing; the journey of Joseph 
 and Mary; stopping at the cave; Joseph going after a midwife, and 
 the birth of Jesus in the cave; the general tenor of the story being 
 the same as in the Protevangelion, but the account being in a con- 
 densed form, and differing in some details. 
 
 Chs. 4, 5 & 6.— The story of the shepherds, the circumcision in the 
 cave, etc. Jesus brought to Jerusalem. Simeon, and Hannah.— [See 
 next chapter of this work]. 
 
 Ch. 7.— The wise men came from the east, "according to the pro- 
 phecy of Zoradascht," [Zoroaster], and brought offerings, gold, etc. 
 Lady Mary gave them one of the swaddling-cloths of Jesus, "which 
 they received from her, as a most noble present." They followed the 
 star back to their own country. 
 
 Ch. 8. — On their return to their own country, having made a fire 
 and worshiped it, they cast in the swaddling-cloth, which remained 
 unharmed by the fire. 
 
 Ch. 9. — Herod inquired concerning the wise men; whereupon Jo- 
 seph, being warned by an angel, fled into Egypt. 
 
 Chs. 10 to 22.— [Here follows a series of most astounding miracles, 
 performed by Jesus, while a baby, in Egypt: 
 
 Idols fall down at his approach— people possessed of devils, are 
 cured by touching his swaddling-cloths; in one case, the devils com- 
 ing out of the mouth of one who had put a swaddling-cloth on his 
 head. A bride who had become dumb, recovers her speech, by tak- 
 ing the infant Jesus in her arms— a girl whose body was white with 
 leprosy, is cured by "being sprinkled with water in which the Lord 
 Jesus had been washed." Another is freed from Satan, who flees 
 away in the form of a young man. A young man who had been 
 changed into a mule, is re-transformed into his proper shape, by the 
 boy Jesus having been placed on the mule's back, etc. etc.] 
 
 Ch. 23.— In a desert country they met two robbers, named Titus 
 and Dumachus. Titus having interested himself for the safety of 
 the mother and child, St. Mary prophesied that the Lord God would 
 receive him on his right hand, and grant him the pardon of his sins. 
 Jesus also said to his mother, "When thirty years are expired, O 
 mother, the Jews will crucify me at Jerusalem, and these two thieves 
 shall be with me, at the same time, upon the cross, Titus on my right 
 
GOSPEL OF THE INFANCY. 169 
 
 hand, and Dumachus on my left, and from that time, Titus shall go 
 before me into paradise." 
 
 Ch. 24.— In Matarea, the Lord Jesus caused a well to spring forth, 
 in which St. Mary washed his coat. 
 
 Ch. 25. — Thence they proceeded to Memphis, and saw Pharaoh. 
 They abode three years; "And the Lord Jesus did very many mir- 
 acles in Egypt,which are neither to be found in the Gospel of the In- 
 fancy, nor in the Gospel of Perfection." 
 
 [Mr. Ellicott, in his Essay on the Apocryphal Gospels, which will be 
 noticed hereafter, very ingeniously supposes the writer of the Infancy, 
 by the Gospel of Perfection, here to mean the four canonical gospels; 
 though it is well understood, that one of the lost gospels of the second 
 century was called "The Gospel of Perfection." See that title]. 
 
 Ch. 26.— At the end of three years, they returned out of Egypt, and 
 when they came near Judea, Joseph was afraid of Archelaus. At 
 the same time, he was warned by an angel to go to Nazareth. 
 
 The writer then makes this pertinent remark: 
 
 "It is strange, indeed, that He who is the Lord of all countries, 
 should be carried backward and forward, through so many countries." 
 
 Chs. 27 to 34.— Here follows another series of miracles, similar to 
 those performed in Egypt. 
 
 St. Mary had healed a sick boy, by giving his mother one of the 
 swaddling-cloths of the boy Jesus, in exchange for a handsome car- 
 pet. Another woman, who was envious, threw Caleb [the boy who 
 had been healed] into a hot oven. When his mother returned, she 
 saw Caleb lying in the middle of the oven, laughing. When the 
 woman told her story, St. Mary replied, "Be quiet, for I am concerned, 
 lest thou shouldst make this matter known." After this, the other 
 -woman threw Caleb into a well, but he sat upon the surface of the 
 water, uninjured. The woman who had thrown him in, fell in her- 
 self and perished. 
 
 A boy whose eyes were closed in death, revived at the smell of the 
 garments of the Lord Jesus. 
 
 A girl who was afflicted by Satan sucking her blood, put upon her 
 head, as Satan approached her, one of the swaddling-cloths of Jesus. 
 Thereupon there issued forth from the cloth, flames and burning 
 coals, which fell upon the dragon. Then the dragon cried out, "What 
 have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou son of Mary ? Whither shall I 
 flee from thee ?" He then left the girl. 
 
 Ch. 35.— A boy named Judas was possessed by Satan. Whenever 
 Satan seized him, he wished to bite any one present. The mother of 
 
170 THIRD PERIOD — A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 the miserable boy took him to St. Mary. In the mean time, James 
 and Jose had taken away the infant Lord Jesus, to play, and were 
 sitting down together. Judas came and sat down, at the right hand 
 of Jesus, and tried to bite him. Because he could not do it, he struck 
 Jesus in the right side, so that he cried out; and at the same moment, 
 Satan went out of the boy, and ran away like a mad dog. This boy 
 was Judas Iscariot. 
 
 Ch. 36. — When the Lord Jesus was seven years old, he, with other 
 boys of about the same age, was making clay into the shape of asses, 
 oxen, birds, etc. Jesus commanded his to move and walk, which 
 they did. He also made figures of sparrows, and caused them to fly. 
 The fathers of the other children told them that Jesus was a 
 sorcerer. 
 
 Chs. 37 to 39.— Other miracles. Jesus, playing with other boys, 
 threw the clothes of a dyer into a furnace. When taken out, they 
 were all dyed, with the desired colors. Jesus accompanied his father 
 Joseph in his carpenter work, and whenever Joseph wanted any 
 thing made longer or shorter, Jesus would stretch his hand toward it, 
 and it became of the proper length. Joseph had spent two years 
 making a throne for the king of Jerusalem. It was short on each 
 side, two spans. Joseph was so afraid of the king's anger, that he 
 went to bed without his supper. In the morning, Jesus took hold on 
 one side, and Joseph on the other, and pulled, and the throne came 
 to the right dimensions. 
 
 Ch. 40. — Jesus turned some boys into kids; saying to them, "Come 
 hither, O ye kids, to your shepherd." The boys came forth like kids, 
 and leaped about. He then turned the kids back into boys. 
 
 Ch. 41. — Jesus gathered the boys together, and ranked them as 
 though he' had been a king. They spread garments upon the ground 
 for him to sit upon, and crowned him with flowers. 
 
 Ch. 42. — In the mean time, a boy was brought along upon a couch. 
 Having put his hand into a partridge's nest, to take out the eggs, he 
 had been stung by a poisonous serpent. When, the boy came to the 
 place where the Lord Jesus was sitting, like a king, and the other 
 boys standing round him like his ministers, Jesus inquired on what 
 account they carried the boy ? When they told him, he returned 
 with them to the nest, and there caused the serpent to suck all the 
 poison out again. 
 
 Ch. 43". James the son of Joseph was bitten by a viper. Jesus 
 blew upon it, and cured it instantly. 
 
 Ch. 44. — The Lord Jesus was playing with other boys upon a house- 
 top. One of them fell off and was killed. Jesus being accused of 
 
GOSPEL OP THE INFANCY. 171 
 
 throwing him off, he stood over the dead boy, and said in a loud 
 voice, "Zeinunus, Zeinunus, who threw thee down from the house- 
 top?" Then the dead boy answered, "Thou didst not throw me 
 down, but (such a one) did." 
 
 Ch. 45. — Jesus, being sent by his mother to the well for water, 
 broke the pitcher. He thereupon gathered the water into his mantle, 
 and brought it to his mother. 
 
 Ch. 46.— Jesus was with some other boys by a river, drawing water 
 out of the river by little channels, and making fish pools. Jesus made 
 twelve sparrows, and caused them to fly. The son of Hanani, a Jew, 
 came by, and asked if they thus made figures on the Sabbath ? And 
 he broke down their fish pools. Coming to the fish pool of Jesus to 
 ■destroy it, the water vanished away; and the Lord Jesus said to him, 
 "In like manner as this water has vanished, so shall thy life vanish." 
 And presently the boy died. 
 
 Ch. 47. — "Another time, when the Lord Jesus was coming home, in 
 the evening, with Joseph, he met a boy, who ran so hard against him, 
 that he threw him down ; to whom the Lord Jesus said, 'As thou hast 
 thrown me down, so shalt thou fall, nor ever rise!' And that mo- 
 ment, the boy fell down and died." 
 
 Chs. 48 and 49.— Jesus was sent to school to Zaccheus. The master 
 told him to say Aleph, which he did. Then, to say Beth. "Then the 
 Lord Jesus said to him, 'Tell me first the meaning of the letter Aleph, 
 and then I will pronounce Beth.' " Jesus explained the meaning of 
 Aleph and Beth, and all the alphabet. He was taken to a more 
 learned master. When the same scene was repeated, the master 
 raised his hand to whip him, but his hand presently withered, and he 
 died. 
 
 Ch. 50.— Jesus with the doctors in the temple. [See next chapter of 
 this work.] 
 
 Ch. 51.— Jesus explains to an astronomer, "the number of the 
 spheres and heavenly bodies, as also their triangular, square and 
 sextile aspect; their progressive and retrograde motion; their size, 
 and several prognostications." 
 
 Ch. 62.— He explains to a philosopher, physics and natural philoso- 
 phy. "The things which were above and below the power of nature; 
 the powers of the body; the numbers of its members, and bones, 
 veins, arteries and nerves; how the soul operated on the body," etc. 
 {The particulars of these explanations are not given.] 
 
 Ch. 53.— His parents find him among the doctors, in the temple. 
 
 Ch. 54.— Jesus conceals his miracles and secret works, and devotes 
 
172 THIRD PERIOD — A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 himself to the study of the law, till thirty years old. His acknowl- 
 edgment by the Father, at the Jordan. 
 
 Ch. 55.— Conclusion.— "The end of the whole Gospel of the In- 
 fancy, by the assistance of the Supreme God, according to what we 
 found in the original." 
 
 Testimonies and Citations by the Fathers. 
 
 1. Justin Martyr was acquainted with this gos- 
 pel, A. D. 150 to 160. [See Justin Martyr.] 
 
 All the arguments, therefore, against its antiq- 
 uity, drawn from internal evidence, if directed 
 against the gospel as a whole, fall to the ground. 
 Those arguments are based upon modes of expres- 
 sion which were thought not to prevail until the 
 third or fourth century, or even later ; such as 
 "The Lord Christ," "The Lady St. Mary;" etc., 
 also upon the veneration and devotion paid to 
 Mary, and the efficacy ascribed to relics and em- 
 blems. Whatever force there may be in these ob- 
 jections, they can only apply to some portions of 
 the gospel , and to some of its phraseology, which 
 may have been introduced by a copyist or a trans- 
 lator. 
 
 2. It is referred to by Irenseus, (A. D. 190), in 
 an unmistakable manner. 
 
 He claims it was a forgery of the Marcosians, of 
 the second century, and relates, with much partic- 
 ularity, the scene between Jesus and the school- 
 master. 1 
 
 3. It is alluded to by Origen, (A. D. 230), as 
 the Gospel of Thomas. 2 Also by Epiphanius, 
 
 (i,) Adv. Haer. i. 20. 
 (2.) In Luc. 1. 1. 
 
GOSPEL OP THE INFANCY. 173 
 
 (385), 1 by Eusebius, (325), 2 by Cyril, (375V and by 
 Athanasius ; (373.) 
 
 It is possible that some of the miracles in Egypt 
 may have been added by a later hand, to a changed 
 version of the Gospel of Thomas. Epiphanius, 
 however, refers to the miracles performed by Jesus 
 in his childhood, and does not discredit them. 
 He says : 
 
 "Christ wrought his first miracle in Cana of Galilee, the third day 
 after he began to preach; for Christ is not said to have been at the 
 marriage before his temptation. Nor did he work any miracles, or 
 preach any sermons before that time, except some things which some 
 say he did at play, when a child. And indeed it was fit some things 
 should be done by him in his childhood, that there might not be any 
 foundation for the assertion of those heretics, who say that Christ 
 did not come upon him till he was baptized, in Jordan, in the form 
 of a dove."-[Hser. 51, 20. 
 
 Both Eusebius and Athanasius relate, that when 
 Joseph and Mary arrived in Egypt, they took up 
 their abode in Hermopolis, a city of Thebais, in 
 which was a superb temple of Serapis. "When 
 Joseph and Mary entered the temple, not only the 
 great idol, but all the lesser gods fell down before 
 them. 4 
 
 It is agreed by Origen, Jerome and many others, 
 that the Gospel of the Infancy, or the Gospel of 
 Thomas, was one of "the many," referred to in 
 Luke. 
 
 Jones, who has made an elaborate attack upon 
 
 (i.) Haer. 51. 20. 
 
 (2.) Ecc. Hist. 3. 25. 
 
 (3.) Hier. Catech. 4, p. 38. 
 
 (4.) Euseb. Demonst. Evang. lib. 6, c. 20; Atban. de Incarn. Verbi, p. 89. 
 
174 THIRD PERIOD — A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 the Gospel of the Infancy, pronouncing its mira- 
 cles absurd and ridiculous, concedes, nevertheless, 
 that the original of this gospel was written early 
 in the second century. 1 
 
 In the Ecclesiastical History of Sozomen, one of 
 the Greek fathers, who wrote A. D. 439, will be 
 found the following reference to some of the inci- 
 dents connected with the residence of Christ in 
 Egypt. 
 
 "At Ermopolis in Thebais, is a tree called Persea, of which the 
 branches, the leaves, and the least portion of the bark, are said to heal 
 disease, when touched by the sick. It is related by the Egyptians, 
 that when Joseph fled with Christ and Mary, the Holy Mother, from 
 the wrath of Herod, they went to Ermopolis; and, as they were enter- 
 ing the city, this tree bent down, and worshiped Christ. 1 relate pre- 
 cisely what I have heard, from many sources, concerning this tree. I 
 think that this was the sign of the presence of God in the city; or 
 perhaps, as seems most probable, it may have arisen from the fear of 
 the demon, who had been worshiped in this large and beautiful tree, 
 by the people of the country ; for at the presence of Christ, the idols 
 of Egypt were shaken, even as Isaiah the prophet had foretold. On 
 the expulsion of the demon, the tree was permitted to remain as a 
 monument to what had occurred, and was endued with the property 
 of healing those who believed. The inhabitants of Egypt and of Pal- 
 estine, [referring to another event which he had related, also], testify 
 to the truth of these events which took place among themselves." — 
 [Sozomen's Ecc. Hist. bk. 5, ch. 21. 
 
 Such is the testimony, and such are the conclu- 
 sions, of one of the more moderate of the ancient 
 ecclesiastical historians. There were many mir- 
 acles ascribed to Jesus, which were fully accredited 
 by the fathers, for several centuries. Those not 
 contained in the canonical gospels, became, after a 
 while; first doubted, then discredited ; the miracles 
 related in those gospels only, being considered fi- 
 nally worthy of belief. 
 
 (i.) Jones on the New Testament, vol. 2, p. 259. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE GOSPEL OF THE INFANCY, 
 COMPARED WITH LUKE AND MATTHEW. 
 
 The Gospel op the Infancy one of the Manttscbipts 
 used in the compilations of luke and matthew — the 
 fiest two Chapters of those Gospels and the Gospel 
 of the Infancy compaeed. 
 
 In regard to the taxing, etc., the parallel passage 
 in the Protevangelion has already been given. The 
 following is the parallel with the Infancy : 
 
 THE TAXING, AND THE BIRTH OF CHRIST. 
 
 Gospel of the Infancy, ch. 2. 
 
 In the three hundred and ninth 
 year of the era of Alexander, 
 Augustus published a decree, 
 that all persons should go to be 
 taxed, into their own country. 
 
 Joseph therefore arose, and 
 with 
 
 Mary his spouse, he went to Jeru- 
 salem, and then came to Bethle- 
 hem, that he and his family 
 might be taxed, in the city of bis 
 fathers. 
 
 ["When they came by the cave," 
 they stopped, and there Jesus was 
 born.] 
 
 Gospel of Luke, ch. 2. 
 
 And it came to pass in those 
 days, that there went out a de- 
 cree from Caesar Augustus, that 
 all the world should be taxed. 
 
 2. (And this taxing was first 
 made when Cyrenius was Gover- 
 nor of Syria.) 
 
 3. And all went to be taxed, 
 every one into his own city. 
 
 4. And Joseph also went up 
 from Galilee, out of the city of 
 Nazareth, into Judea, unto the 
 city of David, which is called 
 Bethlehem, (because he was of 
 the house and lineage of David,) 
 
 .5. To be taxed, with Mary, his 
 espoused wife, being great with 
 child. 
 
 (Christ was then born in Beth- 
 lehem.) 
 
176 THIRD PERIOD — A. D. 120 to A. D. 130. 
 
 This reference to "the cave," as something well 
 understood, indicates that the writer of the Infancy- 
 was familiar with the Protevangelion. 
 
 VISION TO THE SHEPHERDS. 
 
 Infancy, ch. 4. 
 
 After this, when the shepherds 
 came, and had made a fire, and 
 they were rejoicing exceedingly, 
 the heavenly host appeared to 
 them, praising and adoring the 
 Supreme God. As the shepherds 
 were engaged in the same em- 
 ployment, the cave at that time 
 seemed like a glorious temple, 
 because both the tongues of an- 
 gels and men united to adore and 
 magnify God, on account of the 
 birth of the Lord Christ. 
 
 Luke, ch. 2. 
 
 8. And there were in the same 
 country shepherds abiding in the 
 field, keeping watch over their 
 flock at night. 
 
 9. And lo, the angel of the 
 Lord came upon them, and the 
 glory of the Lord shone round 
 about them; and they were sore 
 afraid. 
 
 10. And the angel said unto 
 them, Fear not; for behold I 
 bring you good tidings of great 
 joy, which shall be to all people. 
 
 11. For unto you is born this 
 day, in the City of David, a Sa- 
 vior, who is Christ the Lord. 
 
 12. And this (shall be) a sign 
 unto you; ye shall find the babe 
 wrapped in swaddling-clothes, ly- 
 ing in a manger. 
 
 13. And suddenly there was 
 with the angel a multitude of the 
 heavenly host, praising God, and 
 saying: 
 
 14. Glory to God in the highest, 
 and on earth, peace, good will 
 toward men. 
 
 15. And it came to pass as the 
 angels were gone away from 
 them into heaven, the shepherds 
 said to one another, Let us now 
 go even unto Bethlehem, and see 
 this thing which is come to pass, 
 which the Lord hath made known 
 to us. 
 
 16. And they came with haste, 
 and found Mary and Joseph, and 
 the babe lying in a manger. 
 
 The account in the Gospel of the Infancy, though 
 sufficiently marvelous, has much the more natural 
 surroundings. 
 
GOSPEL OP THE INFANCY. 
 
 177 
 
 Mary, on her way to Bethlehem, not being able 
 to continue the journey, stops at a cave, used by 
 shepherds for herding cattle. Here Jesus is born. 
 In the mean time, the shepherds, returning to the 
 cave, build a fire, and as they come to understand 
 the nature of the transaction, they unite in praises 
 to God, in which they are joined by the heavenly 
 host of angels. 
 
 In Luke, Jesus is born in Bethlehem, and the 
 shepherds, who are in the field, are informed by an 
 angel of the birth of a Savior, and that he is lying 
 in a manger ; but they are left to find the place the 
 best way they can. Then the heavenly host, in- 
 stead of appearing where Jesus was, is made to 
 appear to the shepherds in the field. 
 
 It is manifest that the story has been taken from 
 its natural setting, in order that Jesus might be 
 born at Bethlehem, in fulfillment of the proDhecy 
 of Micah. 
 
 THE CIRCUMCISION. 
 
 Infancy, ch. 5. Luke, ch. 2. 
 
 And when the time of circum- 
 cision was come, viz. the eighth 
 day, on which the law commanded 
 that a boy should be circumcised, 
 they circumcised him in the cave, 
 etc. 
 
 21. And when eight days were 
 accomplished for the circumcis- 
 ing of the child, his name was 
 called JESUS, who was so named 
 by the angel before he was con- 
 ceived in the womb. 
 
 PRESENTATION IN THE TEMPLE. 
 
 Here, again, it may be well to note the remarks 
 of Shleiermacher. He says : 
 
 "What we read from 22 to 40 in chapter 2, respecting the presenta- 
 tion of the child in the temple, which was combined with the purifi- 
 cation of his mother, seems also to have been originally related and 
 committed to writing, without connection with the preceding pas- 
 sage; for at the end, mention is made of the return to Nazareth, just 
 
178 THIRD PERIOD — A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 as though the parents had come from that place to Jerusalem, with- 
 out notice being taken, by a single word, of their residence up to that 
 time in Bethlehem, which would nevertheless, have been so easy and 
 natural. This narrative, therefore, knows nothing of that residence. 
 Only I would not on that account understand the surprise of Mary 
 at the language of Simeon, as implying that she herself did not know 
 yet who her son was." — [Essay on Luke, p. 39. 
 
 While the narrative of the vision to the shep- 
 herds, as contained in Luke, had a basis in the 
 Gospel of the Infancy, there has been a wide de- 
 parture from the story as there given, and much 
 new matter introduced, showing that the whole 
 account had been rewritten. 
 
 In the following, however, it will not be difficult 
 to perceive, that we have but different versions of 
 the same narrative : 
 
 Infancy, chs. 5 and 6. 
 
 Ten days having intervened, 
 they brought him to Jerusalem; 
 and on the fortieth day of his 
 birth, they presented him in the 
 temple before the Lord, making 
 offerings for him, according to 
 what is prescribed in the law of 
 Moses, to wit: Every male who 
 openeth the womb, shall be called 
 the holy of God. 
 
 Then old Simeon saw him shin- 
 ing as a pillar of light, when the 
 Lady Virgin Mary, his mother, 
 was carrying him in her arms, 
 and rejoicing exceedingly over 
 him. And angels, praising him, 
 stood around him in a circle, like 
 life-guards standing by a king. 
 
 Ltjke, ch. 2.; 
 
 22. And when the days of her 
 purification, according to the law 
 of Moses, were accomplished, 
 they brought him to Jerusalem, 
 to present (him) to the Lord; 
 
 23. (As it is written in the law 
 of the Lord, Every male that 
 openeth the womb shall be called 
 holy to the Lord;) 
 
 24. And to offer a sacrifice ac- 
 cording to that which is said in 
 the law of the Lord, a pair of 
 turtle-doves, or two young 
 pigeons. 
 
 25. And behold there was a 
 man in Jerusalem, whose name 
 (was) Simeon; and the same man 
 (was) just and devout, waiting 
 for the consolation of Israel; and 
 the Holy Ghost was upon him. 
 
 26. And it was revealed unto 
 him by the Holy Ghost, that he 
 should not see death before he 
 had seen the Lord's Christ. 
 
 27. And he came by the Spirit 
 into the temple; and when the 
 
GOSPEL OF THE INFANCY. 
 
 17.9 
 
 Infancy, ch. 6. 
 
 Then Simeon, going up before 
 Lady Mary, and -stretching out 
 his hands before her, said to the 
 Lord Christ, Now, O my Lord, let 
 thy servant depart in peace, ac- 
 cording to thy word. 
 
 For mine eyes have seen thy 
 mercy, 
 
 Which thou hast prepared for 
 the salvation of all peoples; 
 
 A light to all nations, and a 
 glory to thy people Israel. 
 
 Hannah, a prophetess, was also 
 present, and drawing near, she 
 gave 
 
 thanks to God, and celebrated 
 the happiness of Lady Mary. 
 
 Luke, ch. 2. 
 
 parents brought in the child Je- 
 sus, to do for him after the cus- 
 tom of the law, 
 
 28. Then took he him up in his 
 arms, and blessed God, and said: 
 
 29. Lord, now lettest thou thy 
 servant depart in peace, accord- 
 ing to thy word. 
 
 30. For mine eyes have seen 
 thy salvation 
 
 31. Which thou hast prepared 
 before the face of all people; 
 
 32. A light to lighten the Gen- 
 tiles, and the glory of thy people 
 Israel. 
 
 33. And Joseph and his mother 
 marveled at those things which 
 were spoken of him. 
 
 34. And Simeon blessed them, 
 and said unto Mary his mother, 
 Behold, this (child) is set, etc. 
 
 35. Yea, a sword shall pierce, 
 etc. 
 
 36. And there was one Anna, 
 a prophetess, the daughter of 
 Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser; 
 she was of great age, and had 
 lived with a husband seven years 
 from her virginity. 
 
 37. And she (was) a widow of 
 about fourscore and four years* 
 who departed not from the tem- 
 ple, but served (God) with fast- 
 ings and prayers, night and day. 
 
 38. And she, coming in that 
 instant, gave thanks likewise un- 
 to the Lord, and spake of him 
 to all them that looked for re- 
 demption in Jerusalem. 
 
 JESUS DISPUTING WITH THE DOCTORS. 
 Infancy, ch. 50. Luke, ch. 2. 
 
 And when he was twelve years 
 old, they took him to Jerusalem, 
 to the feast. 
 
 41. Now his parents went to 
 Jerusalem every year, at the feast 
 of the passover. 
 
 42. And when he was twelve 
 years old, they went up to Jeru- 
 salem, after the custom of the 
 feast. 
 
180 THIRD PERIOD — A. D. 120 to A, D. 130. 
 
 Infancy, ch. 50. 
 
 And when the feast was fin- 
 ished, they indeed returned, but 
 
 the Lord Jesus remained behind, 
 in the temple, among the doctors 
 and elders, and learned men of 
 the sons of Israel; to whom he 
 put various questions in the sci- 
 ences, and gave them answers in 
 his turn. 
 
 [The balance of chapter 50 and 
 the whole of chapters 51 and 52 
 are taken up with an account of 
 this discussion. It is stated that 
 Jesus explained the books of the 
 law and the mysteries of the 
 prophets; also the sciences of 
 astronomy, philosophy, etc. But 
 the particular explanations are 
 not given.] 
 
 Chapter 53. 
 
 While they were speaking to 
 each other these and other things, 
 the Lady St. Mary came, after 
 having been going about for three 
 days, with Joseph, seeking for 
 him. She therefore, seeing him 
 sitting among the doctors, asking 
 them questions, and answering in 
 his turn, said to him, My son, 
 why hast thou thus dealt with 
 us? Behold, I and thy father 
 have sought thee, with much 
 trouble. 
 
 He replied, Wherefore did ye 
 seek me ? Did ye not know that 
 I ought to be employed in my 
 father's house ? But they under- 
 stood not the word which he 
 spake unto them. 
 
 Then the doctors asked Mary 
 whether he was her son. And 
 when she signified that he was, 
 
 Luke, ch. 2. 
 
 43. And when they had fulfilled 
 the days, as they returned, the 
 child Jesus tarried behind in 
 Jerusalem; and Joseph and his 
 mother knew not (of it.) 
 
 44. But they, supposing him to 
 have been in the company, went 
 a day's journey; and they sought 
 him among (their) kinsfolk and 
 acquaintance. 
 
 45. And when they found him 
 not, they turned back again to 
 Jerusalem, seeking him. 
 
 46. And it came to pass, that 
 after three davs, they found him 
 in the temple, sitting in the 
 midst of the doctors, both hearing 
 them, and asking them questions. 
 
 47. And all who heard him 
 were astonished at his under- 
 standing and answers. 
 
 48. And when they saw him, 
 they were amazed; and his moth- 
 er said unto him, Son, why hast 
 thou thus dealt with us ? Behold, 
 thy father and 1 have sought thee, 
 sorrowing. 
 
 49. And he said unto them, 
 How is it that ye sought me? 
 Wist ye not, that I must be about 
 my Father's business ? 
 
 50. And they understood not 
 the saying which he spake unto 
 them. 
 
 51. And he went down with 
 
GOSPEL OP THE INFANCY. 
 
 181 
 
 Infancy, ch. 53. 
 
 they said, O happy Mary, who 
 hast brought forth such a son. 
 
 Then he returned with them to 
 Nazareth, and obeyed them in all 
 things; and his mother kept all 
 these sayings in her heart. 
 
 And the Lord Jesus grew in 
 stature and wisdom and in favor 
 with God and man. 
 
 Luke, ch. 2. 
 
 them, and came to Nazareth, and 
 was subject unto them; but his 
 mother kept all these sayings in 
 her heart. 
 
 52. And Jesus increased in wis- 
 dom and stature, and in favor 
 with God and man. 
 
 The foregoing accounts are closely parallel , with 
 no particular inference as to which was first 
 written. 
 
 The next chapter of the Infancy is as follows : 
 
 Ch. 54.— "But from this time he began to conceal his miracles and 
 secret works, and gave himself to the study of the law, till he arrived 
 to the end of his thirtieth year; at which time the Father publicly 
 owned him at Jordan, sending down this voice from heaven: This is 
 my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; the Holy Ghost being 
 also present, in the form of a dove." 
 
 Passing on to the Gospel of Matthew, the parallel 
 commences with the 7th chapter of the Infancy, 
 and the 2d chapter of Matthew, as follows : 
 
 VISIT OF THE MAGI. 
 
 Infancy, ch. 7. 
 
 And it came to pass, when the 
 Lord Jesus was born at Bethle- 
 hem, a city of Judea, in the time 
 of Herod the King, behold, wise 
 men came from the east to Jeru- 
 salem, as Zoradascht [in the An- 
 te- JSficene copy, Zeraduscht] had 
 predicted; and there were with 
 
 Matthew, ch. 2. 
 
 Now when Jesus was born in 
 Bethlehem of Judea, in the days 
 of Herod the King, behold, there 
 came wise men from the east to 
 Jerusalem, 
 
 2. Saying: Where is he that is 
 born King of the Jews ? For we 
 have seen his star in the east, and 
 are come to worship him. 
 
 [Verses 3 to 10 have a parallel in 
 the Protevangelion, which has 
 been given.] 
 
 11. And when they were come 
 into the house, they saw the 
 
182 THIRD PERIOD— A. D. 120 TQ A. D. 130. 
 
 Infancy, ch. 7. 
 
 them gifts, gold, and frankin- 
 cense, and myrrh. And they 
 adored him, and presented to him 
 their gifts. 
 
 Then the Lady Mary took one 
 of those swaddling- cloths (in 
 which the infant was wrapped), 
 and gave it to them instead of a 
 blessing; which they received 
 from her as a most noble present. 
 And in the same hour there ap- 
 peared unto them an angel in the 
 form of that star, which had be- 
 fore been their guide in their 
 journey; and they went away, 
 following the guidance of its 
 light, till they returned into their 
 own country. 
 
 [On their return, having made 
 a flre and worshiped it, they cast 
 in the swaddling-cloth, which re- 
 mained unharmed by the flre.] 
 
 It will bo noticed, that according to the Infancy 
 Gospel , the visit of the magi was made in accord- 
 ance with the prophecy of Zoradascht (Zoroaster). 
 
 The reference to the prophecy of Zoroaster can- 
 not well be explained, except on the hypothesis 
 that the Gospel of the Infancy was first written. 
 
 THE FLIGHT TO EGYPT. 
 
 Matthew, ch. 2. 
 
 young child with Mary his moth- 
 er, and fell down and worshiped 
 him. And when they had open- 
 ed their treasures, they presented 
 unto him gifts; gold, and frankin- 
 cense and myrrh. 
 
 12. And being warned of God 
 in a dream, that they should not 
 
 return to Herod they departed 
 into their own country, another 
 way. 
 
 Infancy, ch. 9. 
 
 But Herod, perceiving that the 
 wise men did delay, and not re- 
 turn to him, called together the 
 priests and the wise men, and 
 said, Tell me in what place the 
 Christ is to be born. And when 
 they replied, In Bethlehem, a city 
 of Judea, he began to contrive in 
 his mind, the death of the Lord 
 Jesus Christ. 
 
 Then appeared an angel of the 
 Lord to Joseph in his sleep, and 
 said, Arise, take the boy and his 
 
 Matthew, ch. 2. 
 
 13. And when they were de- 
 parted, behold the angel of the 
 Lord appeareth to Joseph in a 
 dream, saying: Arise and take 
 the young child and his mother, 
 and flee into Egypt; and be there 
 until I bring thee word; for Her- 
 od will seek the young child, 
 to destroy him. 
 
GOSPEL OF THE INFANCY. 
 
 183 
 
 Infancy, ch. 9. Matthew, ch. 2. 
 
 mother and go into Egypt, at the 14. When he arose, he took the 
 crowing of the cock. So he arose young child and his mother, by 
 and went. night, and departed into Egypt. 
 
 [Here follows the passage of 
 Hosea, ch. 11, v. 1, referring to 
 the calling of Israel out of Egypt, 
 which is applied, as a prophecy, 
 to this transaction.] 
 
 In reply to the inquiry of Herod, as to the place 
 where the Christ was to be born, the priests and 
 wise men said, "In Bethlehem." Yet, according to 
 the Infancy Gospel, he was born on the road, 
 before his parents reached Bethlehem. (According 
 to the Protevangelion, three miles distant). The 
 author of Luke, perceiving this inconsistency, has 
 Christ born in the village of Bethlehem. But in 
 so doing, as has been seen, he is obliged to break 
 up the consecutive incidents, and, in several re- 
 spects, to reconstruct the narrative. 
 
 The slaughter of the children is mentioned in the 
 Protevangelion, but not in the Infancy, in this 
 connection . 
 
 In the twelfth chapter, there is a reference to it, 
 as also to the prophecy of Micah, thrown in, in the 
 midst of the miracles wrought in Egypt. It is 
 doubtless an interpolation. 
 
 Josephus, though he enlarges upon the cruelties 
 of Herod, says nothing of the slaughter of the 
 children. 
 
 The account can scarcely be considered historical. 
 It must be looked upon as legendary, and probably 
 first appeared in the Protevangelion. 
 
184 THIRD PERIOD — A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 THE RETURN FROM EGYPT. 
 
 Infancy, ch. 
 
 At the end of three years, he 
 returned out of Egypt; and when 
 he came near to Judea, Joseph 
 was afraid to enter; for, hearing 
 that Herod was dead, and that 
 Archelaus his son reigned in his 
 stead, he was afraid; and when 
 he went to Judea, an angel of 
 God appeared to him and said; O 
 
 Joseph, go into the city of Naza- 
 reth, and there abide. 
 
 It is indeed wonderful, that the 
 Lord of all countries should thus 
 be carried about, through so 
 many regions. 
 
 Matthew, ch. 2. 
 
 19. But when Herod was dead, 
 behold, an angel of the Lord ap- 
 peareth in a dream, to Joseph in 
 Egypt, 
 
 20. Saying: Arise, and take the 
 young child and his mother, and 
 go into the land of Israel; for 
 they are dead who sought the 
 young child's life. 
 
 21. And he arose, and took the 
 young child and his mother, and 
 came into the land of Israel. 
 
 22. But when he heard that 
 Archelaus did reign in Judea, in 
 the room of his father Herod, he 
 was afraid to go thither. Not- 
 withstanding, being warned of 
 God in a dream, he turned aside 
 into the parts of Galilee. 
 
 23. And he came and dwelt in 
 a city called Nazareth. 
 
 In the foregoing comparisons, the reader must 
 have noticed, that where, in the account of the 
 birth and childhood of Jesus, as given in Luke and 
 Matthew, there was no parallel in one of the 
 apocryphal gospels, the history was almost invari- 
 ably supplemented in the other. This will appear 
 more plainly by the following arrangement, where 
 the portions of each which contain parallel pas- 
 sages are indicated : 
 
 Luke. 
 The Announcement, and the Visit to Elisabeth. 
 Protevangelion, chs. 11 and 12. Luke, ch. 1, vv. 26 to 56. 
 
GOSPEL OP THE INFANCY. 185 
 
 The Taxing, and the Birth of Jesus. 
 
 Protevangelion, chs. 17 and 18. ) 
 
 Also, Infancy, chs. 2 and 3. ) Luke, cb. 2, vv. 1 to 7. 
 
 Vision to the Shepherds. 
 
 Infancy, ch. 4. Luke, chapter 2, vv. 8 to 16. 
 
 Circumcision of Jesus. 
 
 Infancy, ch. 5. Luke, ch. 2, v. 21. 
 
 Presentation in the Temple. 
 
 Infancy, chs. 5 and 6. Luke, ch.2 , vv. 22 to 38. 
 
 Jesus disputing wiTn the Doctors. 
 
 Infancy, chs. 50 to 53. Luke, ch. 2, vv. 41 to 52. 
 
 Matthew. 
 
 Joseph and the Angel. 
 
 Protevangelion, chs. 13 and 14. Matthew, ch. 1, vv. 18 to 24. 
 
 Visit of the Magi, and Slaughter of the Children. 
 
 Protevangelion, chs. 21 and 22. ) 
 
 Also visit of the Magi, Infancy, ch. 7. S Matthew, ch. 2, vv. 1 to 18. 
 
 Flight to Egypt. 
 
 Infancy, ch. 7. Matthew, ch. 2, vv. 13 to 15. 
 
 Return from Egypt. 
 
 Infancy, ch. 26. Matthew, ch. 2, vv. 19 to 23. 
 
 In considering the question of priority, it must 
 be borne in mind, that these are, so far as is known, 
 the only histories of the birth and childhood of 
 Jesus to be found in the ancient gospels. 
 
 There was no such history in the Gospel of the 
 Hebrews, nor in the Gospel of Marcion ; nor have 
 we any evidence that there was any such in the 
 gospels still older — those of the first century — nor 
 in any of the lost gospels of the second century. 
 
 On the hypothesis that the Protevangelion and 
 the Infancy were first written, it might be interest- 
 
186 THIRD PERIOD A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 ing to inquire, according to what rule or law the 
 selections were made by the authors of Luke and 
 Matthew. Upon this point we will venture to 
 make a suggestion. 
 
 The Protevangelion and the Infancy were rude 
 gospels. They were very inartificially constructed, 
 and both of them contained accounts which were 
 inconsistent and irreconcilable. They were incon- 
 sistent, not only with each other, but each with 
 itself. 
 
 Looking at them together, we find, in endeavor- 
 ing to trace the history of Jesus, that according to 
 one account, he was taken from Bethlehem to 
 Jerusalem, and publicly presented in the temple ; 
 thence to Nazareth, where he remained till his dis- 
 pute with the doctors. The other account repre- 
 sented his parents fleeing with him, soon after his 
 birth, from Bethlehem to Egypt, under a warning 
 from an angel not to return by Jerusalem. These 
 conflicting accounts, founded on different tradi- 
 tions, ran through the two gospels, indiscrimi- 
 nately. 
 
 Each of the compilers of Luke and Matthew, 
 wishing to give, as a sort of preface to his gospel, 
 a history of the birth and childhood of Christ, not 
 too long, but one which would appear consistent in 
 itself, selected, we may suppose, such portions of 
 the other two gospels, as, in his judgment, would 
 form such a history ; the one adopting the theory 
 of the presentation in the temple, and the other, 
 the flight to Egypt. This would result in giving us 
 
GOSPEL OF THE INFANCY. 187 
 
 precisely what we have ; two diverse, inconsistent, 
 and utterly irreconcilable histories of the birth and 
 childhood of Jesus. 
 
 "If we compare," says Schliermacher, "without any prepossession, 
 this (Luke, chs. 1 and 2), and the corresponding portion in Matthew, 
 we have two parallel successions of narratives; parallel in the stricter 
 sense of the word, inasmuch as they have no single point, that is, in 
 this case, no entire fact, in common. They are not at all supple- 
 mental to each other, but on the contrary, the corresponding mem- 
 bers of the two successions, almost entirely exclude each other. 
 Hence, then, if in any one point, the narrative of the one evangelist 
 is correct, that of the other, so far as it relates to the same epoch, 
 cannot be so."— [Essay on Luke, pp. 44, 45. 
 
 Again: "All attempts to reconcile these two contradictory state- 
 ments, seem only elaborate efforts of art, to which one should not 
 needlessly resort; or indeed, should rather give no explanation at all." 
 —[Ibid. p. 48. 
 
 Conceding them to be irreconcilable, he under- 
 takes, by an ingenious process, to pick out the 
 truth, a little here from Luke, and a little there 
 from Matthew. 
 
 He thinks the accounts rest upon ' 'a totally dif- 
 ferent tradition, one from the other." — [p. 48. 
 
 In the Protevangelion and in the Infancy, the 
 traditions are grouped together. In Luke and 
 Matthew, they are separated. 
 
 In the next chapter, we shall endeavor to trace 
 the origin and history of these traditions, and in so 
 doing, some further light may be thrown upon the 
 question of priority as between the two apocryphal 
 and the two canonical gospels. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 ORIGIN AND HISTORY 
 OF THE GOSPELS OF THE INFANCY. 
 
 We are now to search for the origin of the 
 legendary accounts of the conception, birth and 
 childhood of Jesus. 
 
 For the purpose of this investigation, the Prote- 
 vangelion and the Gospel of the Infancy may be 
 considered together, as Gospels of the Infancy. 
 
 While in the subsequent history of the childhood 
 of Christ, there are incidents which may be traced 
 to other countries, there are certain leading feat- 
 ures in the first part of the narrative, which stamp 
 it as of Persian derivation. These are, the visit of 
 the magi, guided by a star, and the fact that the 
 visit was made in accordance with the prophecy of 
 Zeraduscht, or Zoroaster. 
 
 This prophecy will be found in the life of Zoro- 
 aster, in Du Perron's translation of the Zend- 
 Avesta. 
 
 Faber thinks the materials from which the Zend- 
 
GOSPEL OP THE INFANCY. 189 
 
 Avesta was composed, were taken from heathen, 
 rather than from Jewish sources, giving many 
 reasons, based upon the peculiar construction of 
 the legends of the Zend-Avesta. One of these pecu- 
 liarities consists in the association of a star with 
 the deluge ; a circumstance not to be found in the 
 Mosaic account of the flood. 
 
 Taschter, the second man bull, of the creation, 
 to whom was committed the charge of bringing on 
 the deluge, was said to be a star, and his light is 
 spoken of, as shining on high, during thirty days 
 and thirty nights, while the waters of the deluge 
 were increasing. 
 
 The star may be found in the mythology of other 
 nations. Astarte consecrated, at Tyre, a star, 
 which she found falling from the sky. Electra, 
 the mother of Dardanus, was one of the seven stars 
 of the Pleiades, and was saved from a deluge, both 
 in Arcadia and Samothrace. 
 
 The star is older, even than Zoroaster, and ac- 
 cording to Faber, older than Hebrew tradition. 
 
 There were two Zoroasters. The first, spoken of 
 by Greek writers, flourished, according to these 
 authors, several thousand years before Christ. 
 Pliny speaks of him as thousands of years before 
 Moses ; and from that writer and Aristotle, it may 
 be concluded that he lived some six thousand years 
 before Christ. Hermodorus, Hermippus, and Plu- 
 tarch concur in dating him five thousand years be- 
 fore the siege of Troy. 
 
 The other Zoroaster flourished, according to Dr. 
 
190 THIRD PERIOD A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 Prideaux, in Jbhe time of Darius Hystaspes. 1 Sir 
 William Jones agrees in assigning him to that 
 period. 
 
 It was the opinion of the learned Mr. Faber, that 
 there were two Zeraduschts, or Zoroasters, and 
 that the primeval Zoroaster was none other than 
 Menu, or Mahabad, or Buddha. He traces many- 
 analogies and resemblances between the ancient 
 religions and mythologies of the Persians and the 
 Hindus, and thinks the Zend-Avesta a modern 
 compilation, founded upon religious books com- 
 piled by the second Zeraduscht ; and those again , 
 based upon more ancient legends, which were sub- 
 stantially identical with the older mythology of 
 India. 
 
 He ably antagonizes the theory of Dr. Prideaux, 
 that the accounts of the Zend-Avesta concerning 
 the deluge and the antediluvial age, were taken 
 from the Mosaic history. 2 
 
 Malcolm, in his history of Persia, states that 
 Zoroaster first introduced the worship of fire. 
 
 In the Recognitions may be found an interesting 
 tradition upon this subject. 
 
 Peter states that Zoroaster, being frequently in- 
 tent upon the stars, and wishing to be considered a 
 god among them, began to draw forth sparks from 
 the stars, that he might astonish, as with a miracle, 
 rude and ignorant men. That he attempted those 
 
 (i.) Frideaux's Connect, pt. i, b. 4, p. 219. 
 
 (2.) Origin of Pagan Idolatry, by George Stanley Faber, B. D., Rector of Long» 
 Newton, London, 1816, vol. 2, pp. 58 to 73. 
 
GOSPEL OF THE IKFANCY. 191 
 
 things again and again, until he was set on fire, 
 "and consumed by the demon himself, whom he 
 accosted with too great importunity." That the 
 men of his day, after this, extolled him all the 
 more ; raised a monument to his honor, and adored 
 him as a friend of God, and one who had been 
 removed to heaven in a chariot of lightning. They 
 then worshiped him as a living star; which, says 
 the author of the Recognitions, is the meaning of 
 the name ; from "zoe, " life, and "aster," star. 
 
 The star, which had previously been an object of 
 worship, now became associated with Zoroaster. 
 
 But what about the prophecy, upon which was 
 founded the legend of the magi? 
 
 In the life of Zoroaster, as given by Du Perron, 
 in his translation of the Zend-Avesta, is an account 
 of the three prophetic sons of Zoroaster, who were 
 to appear, according to the Pehlvian and Parsian 
 books of the Persians, at successive periods of time. 
 They were to be the result of immaculate concep- 
 tions, caused by the washing of virgins in the water 
 in which the wife of Zoroaster had bathed. 
 
 "The first is named Oschederbami. He will appear in the last mil- 
 lenium of the world. He will stop the sun for ten days and ten 
 nights, and the second part of the human race will embrace the law, 
 of which he will bring the 22nd portion. 
 
 "The second posthumous son of ZoroaBter, is Oschedermah. He 
 will appear 400 years after Oschederbami. He will stop the sun 
 twenty days and twenty nights, and he will bring the 23rd part of the 
 law, and the third part of the world will be converted." 
 
 This is somewhat different from the prophecy as 
 given by Hyde, in his work on the religion of the 
 ancient Persians. But the Oschedermah and the 
 
192 THIRD PERIOD A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 Oschederbami of Du Perron, are doubtless the 
 same as the Oshanderbega and the Osiderbega of 
 Hyde. 1 
 
 Then follows, in Du Perron, this remarkable 
 
 prophecy : * 
 
 "The third is named Sosiosch. He will be born at the end of the 
 ages. He will bring the 24th portion of the law; he will stay the sun 
 thirty days and thirty nights, and the whole earth will embrace the 
 law of Zoroaster. After Mm will be the resurrection. Behold what 
 the books of the Parsees apprise us of the family of the legislator." 
 —[Vie de Zoroastre, in the French translation of the Zend-Avesta, 
 by Du Perron, Paris, 1771, vol. 1, pt. 2, p. 45. 
 
 From Abulpharagius, we learn that the prophecy 
 was connected with the appearance of a star, and 
 the visit of magi. 
 
 Zoroaster declared, says this writer, that in the 
 latter days, a pure virgin would conceive, and that 
 as soon as the child should be born, a star would 
 appear, blazing even at noonday, with undimin- 
 ished luster. 
 
 "You, my sons,'' exclaimed the seer, "will perceive its rising before 
 any other nation. As soon, therefore, as you shall behold the star, 
 follow it, whithersoever it shall lead you; and adore that mysterious 
 child, offering your gifts to him, with profound humility. He is the 
 Almighty Word, which created the heavens." — [Abulpharagius, accord- 
 ing to Hyde, de Rel. Vet. Pers. c. 3. 
 
 Here, from a writer vouched for by Faber as 
 high authority, we have, not only the immaculate 
 conception, the star and the magi of Matthew, but 
 
 (i.) See his work, de Rel. Vet. Pers. c. 31. 
 
 (2.) The following is the text of Du Perron: 
 
 "Le troiseme est norame Sosiosch. II naitra a la fin des siecles, apportera le 24 
 Nosk de la Loi, arretera le Soleil trente jours, et trente nuits; et toute la terre embras- 
 serala Loi de Zoroastre. Apres lui se sera la resurrection. Voila ce que Ies Livres des 
 Parses nous apprennent de la famille de ce Legislateur." 
 
GOSPEL OP THE INFANCY. 193 
 
 also the Logos of John. The Rev. Mr. Faber con- 
 siders thoroughly the question, whether this re- 
 markable prediction was before or after the birth of 
 Christ ; and concludes it was a long time before. 
 One reason why he rejects the idea of its being a 
 subsequent forgery, is, that in the old Irish his- 
 tory, there was a Zeraduscht, associated with a 
 similar prophecy, which was first delivered by a 
 Daru or Druid of Bokhara. 1 
 
 The same prophecy was, in the East, ascribed by 
 Abulpharagius to a Zeraduscht who was actually a 
 Daru or Druid of Bokhara. This coincidence is so 
 singular, that Faber thinks it can only be account- 
 ed for on the hypothesis of an ancient emigration 
 from Persia to Ireland, by the north-west passage, 
 which carried the legend with it. 
 
 Thus, in the prophecy of Zoroaster, we have the 
 origin of the legend of the star and the magi, which 
 appeared early in the second century, in the In- 
 fancy gospels, and thence became incorporated into 
 the prefatory chapters of Luke and Matthew. To 
 which may be added, that there was a Christian 
 sect called Prodiceans, whose leader, Prodicus, 
 [about A. D. 120] , boasted that they had the secret 
 books of Zoroaster. 2 
 
 Having traced to their source the legends con- 
 nected with the conception and birth of Jesus, and 
 having found them associated with the central 
 figure of Persian mythology, let us now go farther 
 
 (i.) As authority, see Vallancey's Vindication of the Ancient History of Ireland, 
 Collect, de Reb. Hibern. vol. 4, p. 202. 
 
 (2.) Clement of Alexandria, Stromata, bk. 1, cb. 15. 
 
194 THIRD PERIOD — A. D. 120 tO A. D. 130. 
 
 south, and see what light may be thrown upon sub- 
 sequent history, as given in the gospels of the In- 
 fancy ; portions of which, also, are to be found in 
 Luke and Matthew ; not forgetting, as we proceed, 
 the intimate connection which existed between the 
 ancient religions of Persia and India. 
 
 CHRISHNA. 
 
 In the History of Hindostan, by Rev. Thomas 
 Maurice, vol. 2, will be found a complete history 
 of Ohrishna, the eighth incarnation of the Hindu 
 God Vishnu ; translated by Mr. Maurice from the 
 Bhagavat Purana, one of the sacred books of 
 India. 
 
 Chrishna, according to Colonel Tod, was born 
 1156 years before Christ. 1 
 
 There are many other traditions, that might be 
 collected from different writers, and thrown to- 
 gether, which would show a still closer resemblance 
 between the narratives. But without going into 
 these, except Baldseus, taking the translation of 
 Mr. Maurice from the sacred Hindu scriptures, 
 we have the following parallel between Chrishna 
 and Christ : 
 
 Chrishna and Christ. 
 
 BHAGAVAT PUKANA. 
 
 Cheishna 
 
 Was believed to be God incar- 
 nate, by a miraculous conception. 
 Was born in a dungeon. 
 
 GOSPELS OF THE INFANCY. 
 
 Christ 
 
 Was believed to be God incar- 
 nate, by a miraculous conception. 
 Was born in a cave. 
 
 (i.) Annals and Antiquities of Rajust'han, vol. I, p. 37. 
 
GOSPEL OP THE INFANCY. 
 
 195 
 
 Chrishna 
 
 At the time of his birth, the 
 walls of his chamber were illumi- 
 nated. 
 
 At the time of his birth, a cho- 
 rus of devatas, or angels, saluted 
 the newborn infant. 
 
 Of royal descent. 
 
 As soon as born, had the power 
 of speech. (According to Bal- 
 dseus, Chrishna, immediately 
 when born, conversed with his 
 mother, soothing and comforting 
 her.) 
 
 Cradled among shepherds. 
 
 Cansa, the ruler of the country, 
 fears the loss of his kingdom, and 
 seeks the life of the infant. 
 
 The child is carried away by 
 night, and concealed in a remote 
 region. 
 
 Cansa is wroth, and issues an 
 order for the slaughter of all the 
 young children throughout his 
 kingdom. 
 
 Has a combat with, and sub- 
 dues a huge serpent, in his in- 
 fancy. 
 
 The serpent vomits streams of 
 fire from bis mouth and nostrils. 
 
 Performs many miracles in his 
 infancy and boyhood. 
 
 While a boy, raises the dead to 
 life. 
 
 While a boy, strikes dead, per- 
 sons who have offended him. 
 
 Was preceded by his elder bro- 
 ther, Ram, who was his associate 
 in the work of purification, and 
 was hurried away as soon as 
 born, to escape the decree of 
 Cansa. 
 
 Lived at Mathurea. 
 
 One of his first miracles was 
 curing a leper. 
 
 Christ 
 
 The cave was filled with a 
 great light, and seemed like a 
 glorious temple. 
 
 At the time of his birth, a cho- 
 rus of angels saluted the new- 
 born infant. 
 
 Of royal descent. 
 
 As soon as born, spoke to his 
 mother, informing her of his di- 
 vine character, his origin and des- 
 tiny. 
 
 Cradled among shepherds. 
 
 Herod, the ruler of the coun- 
 try, fears the loss of his kingdom, 
 and seeks the life of the infant. 
 
 The child is carried away by 
 night, and concealed in a remote 
 region. 
 
 Herod is wroth, and issues an 
 order for the slaughter of all the 
 children of Bethlehem, from two 
 years old and under. 
 
 Has several combats with ser- 
 pents; overcomes them, and 
 drives them out of persons pos- 
 sessed. 
 
 In one case, there issued forth, 
 from one of his swaddling -cloths, 
 flames and burning coals, and fell 
 on the head of the serpent. 
 
 Performs many miracles in his 
 infancy and boyhood. 
 
 While a boy, raises the dead to 
 life. 
 
 While a boy, strikes dead, per- 
 sons who have offended him. 
 
 Was preceded by John the Bap- 
 tist, who was. sent into the wil- 
 derness, to escape the decree of 
 Herod. 
 
 On his visit to Egypt, in his 
 childhood, stopped at a place 
 called Maturea. This name it 
 afterward retained. 
 
 Among the first miracles, was 
 the curing of lepers. 
 
196 THIRD PERIOD — A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 Chrishna 
 
 While a boy, is chosen by the 
 other boys as their king.— [Bal- 
 daeus. 
 
 Learns all the sciences in one 
 day and night. 
 
 Christ 
 
 While a boy, is chosen by the 
 other boys as their king. 
 
 While a boy, teaches the doc- 
 tors and philosophers in the tem- 
 ple, the whole circle of the, 
 sciences. 
 
 This remarkable parallel, which leaves no room 
 for doubt, that one of the narratives was drawn 
 upon in the construction of the other, raises at 
 once the question, which was first written? A 
 question of the utmost importance ; since if the 
 Bhagavat Purana preceded the gospels of the In- 
 fancy, it could hardly be contended, at the same 
 time, that it was subsequent to Luke and Matthew. 
 
 It is considered by evangelical writers, that the 
 Infancy gospels were composed early in the second 
 century, and the same writers do not now claim 
 that the canonical gospels appeared much sooner. 
 If, therefore, the Hindu production was long ante- 
 rior to that time, the only question remaining 
 would be, whether the parallelisms between the life 
 of Chrishna, and that of Christ as recorded in Luke 
 and Matthew, were taken directly from the Bhaga- 
 vat Purana, or through the medium of the Infancy 
 gospels. 
 
 The Rev. Mr. Maurice, who fully appreciated 
 the importance of the question, and saw that in 
 discussing it the gospels must all be considered to- 
 gether, would have his readers believe, that the 
 Bhagavat Purana was interpolated, from "both the 
 genuine and the spurious gospels." x 
 
 (I.) Vol. *, p. 322. 
 
GOSPEL OP THE INFANCY. 197 
 
 In advocating this theory, however, he found 
 himself embarrassed by the fact, that in various 
 places in this and others of his works, he had con- 
 tended for the great antiquity of the Hindu books, 
 and had repeatedly hinted at' the absurdity of sup- 
 posing that the Brahmins would ever "descend so 
 far from the conscious superiority of mental dis- 
 tinction" to which they laid claim, as to receive 
 instruction, either in regard to the rites of religion, 
 or the principles of science, from aliens. 
 
 But while he did not entertain for a moment, the 
 idea, that the Indian philosophers had taken any 
 thing from Greece or Arabia, from a mythology 
 much akin to their own ; and while he believed many 
 of the Indian legends to be older than the oldest of 
 Greece, he found no difficulty in supposing that 
 eastern magi would travel a year or more, in search 
 of a king of the Jews ; would fall down and wor- 
 ship him, and on their return, would incorporate 
 accounts concerning him, into their own sacred 
 scriptures. 
 
 He overlooked the fact, that the prophecy of Zo- 
 roaster, in which the magi had been instructed, had 
 no reference to a Jewish king, or to the Jewish 
 people. 
 
 What are the facts, upon which an intelligent 
 opinion upon the subject, is to be based? The 
 original Gospel of the Infancy was attributed to the 
 apostle and evangelist, Thomas. In this connec- 
 tion, we cannot ignore the ancient tradition of the 
 church, that Thomas was a missionary to Parthia, 
 
198 THIRD PERIOD — A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 and to India. According to that tradition, and the 
 testimony of the fathers, when the distribution was 
 made by the apostles, of the several regions of the 
 Gentile world, in which they were respectively to 
 preach the gospel, the vast district of Parthia, and 
 the more eastern empires of Asia, were allotted to 
 Thomas. He visited the various countries then 
 constituting the Parthian empire ; that is, Media, 
 Persia, Carmania, Hyrcania and Bactria. The 
 capital of Bactria was Balkh, the ancient residence 
 of the magi. Here, according to eastern tradition, 
 he had an interview with the sages, and the tradi- 
 tion does not fail to say he converted them. 1 
 
 From Parthia, St. Thomas is said to have visited 
 India. It is not claimed that he converted the 
 Brahmins, but it is thought the Brahmins may 
 have profited by his visit, to interpolate their sacred 
 books, from his instructions. 
 
 But how did it happen , that after this visit of 
 Thomas, there appeared among the Christians of 
 Palestine, and countries west of it, a Gospel of 
 Thomas, full of stories so closely resembling the 
 legends of the Bhagavat Purana? If the interpo- 
 lations were made by the Brahmins, how was it, 
 that this gospel appeared after the interpolations, 
 and not before? 
 
 In confirmation of the visit of Thomas to India, 
 it is related by Maffei , that at Cranganor, on the 
 Malabar coast, St. Thomas instituted an order of 
 
 (i.) See a work entitled "Opus Imperfectum in Matthasum," bom, 2. This "Im- 
 perfect Commentary on Matthew" was written about A. D, 560. 
 
GOSPEL OF THE INFANCY. 199 
 
 Christians, still known by his name, and which 
 boasts to retain the records of their institution, and 
 a grant of land to St. Thomas, their pastor, from 
 the reigning king of India. l 
 
 The records and grant were engraved on tablets of 
 brass, which had been lost for centuries, but were 
 dug up, during the vice-royalty of Don Alfonso 
 Sousa, one of the early governors of Portuguese In- 
 dia. 
 
 Thomas is said to have been murdered at Melia- 
 poor ; from which circumstance it was afterward 
 called St. Thome. 
 
 The conclusion must be, that while for some of 
 the salient points of the Gospels of the Infancy, the 
 authors were indebted to Zoroaster, and the legends 
 of Persia, the outline of the story was largely filled 
 up from the history of Chrishna, as sent back to 
 Palestine, by the Apostle Thomas, from the land of 
 the Brahmins. 
 
 As to the slaughtered infants, there was discov- 
 ered, in a cavern at Elephanta, in India, a sculp- 
 tured representation, of great antiquity, of a huge 
 and ferocious figure, bearing a drawn sword, and 
 surrounded by slaughtered infants, while mothers 
 we're weeping for their slain. 2 
 
 Antiquity of the Bhagavat Purana. 
 
 The Puranas are eighteen in number. The fifth, 
 which was translated by Maurice, is the Bhagavata. 
 
 (i.) History of India, 1. 2, p. 85. 
 (2.) See Forbes' Oriental Memoirs. 
 
200 THIRD PERIOD A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 The legends concerning Chrishna appear in sub- 
 stantially the same form in several of the others. 
 
 Those who may wish to examine further as to the 
 antiquity of these books, will find the whole sub- 
 ject thoroughly and ably discussed, in a correspond- 
 ence between Col. Vans Kennedy, and Prof. Horace 
 H. Wilson, author of a translation of the Vishnu 
 Purana. 
 
 The correspondence is in the form of five letters 
 from Col. Kennedy, the reply of Prof. Wilson, and 
 rejoinder of Kennedy. It was published originally 
 in the London Asiatic Journal, for 1840 and 1841, 
 and was republished in the Appendix to the 5th 
 volume of the work of Prof. Wilson. x 
 
 This writer inclines to the opinion, that the 
 Puranas, in their present form, are modern com- 
 pilations ; and gives some countenance to the theory 
 though he does not fully endorse it, that the Bha- 
 gavata was written by one Bopadeva, as late as the 
 twelfth century. 
 
 This position is opposed, with great ability, by 
 Col. Kennedy, who reminds the learned author of 
 the "Vishnu Purana," that he had himself, in his 
 Preface to that work, stated, that there is "abun- 
 dant positive and circumstantial evidence of the 
 prevalence of the doctrines which they [the Puran- 
 as] teach, the currency of the legends which they 
 narrate, and the integrity of the institutions which 
 
 (i.) The Vishnu Purana: A System of Mythology and Tradition, translated from 
 the original Sanscrit, by Horace Hayinan Wilson, F. R. S., etc., London, 1864. 
 
GOSPEL OP THE INFANCY. 201 
 
 they describe, at least three centuries before the 
 Christian era." ' 
 
 This concession, Col. Kennedy thinks, leaves it 
 comparatively unimportant when the Puranas as- 
 sumed the exact form they now have. The word 
 "Purana" itself signifies "old, " thus indicating the 
 character of the contents. He maintains, however, 
 that they are now essentially the same that they 
 were two thousand years ago. 
 
 "It is unquestionable," says Col. Kennedy, "that certain works 
 called Puranas, have been immemorially considered by the Hindus as 
 sacred books. They inculcated the doctrines of the Hindu religion." 
 
 And proceeding to consider the theory which had 
 been advanced as to the authorship of the Bha- 
 gavata Purana, he says : 
 
 "If the Bhagavata was written by Bopadeva, at Doulutabad, in 
 the twelfth century, was the original Bhagavata then in existence or 
 not ? If it was, what reason, consistent with probability, can be as- 
 signed, for supposing that the Brahmins of all India would have sup- 
 pressed one of their sacred books, to which they ascribed a divine 
 origin, and received, as entitled to the same reverence, the acknowl- 
 edged composition of an obscure grammarian ? The supposition is 
 evidently absurd."— [Appendix to vol. 5, of Vish. Pur. by Wilson, p. 
 278. 
 
 He concludes, "that the present Puranas are, in 
 fact, in all essential respects, the same works which 
 were current, under that name, in India, in the 
 century prior to the Christian era." 
 
 (i.) Vishnu Purana, etc., by H. H. Wilson, Pref. p. 99. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THE ACTS OF PILATE. 
 
 It has been supposed that Pilate made a report to 
 Tiberius Csesar, of the crucifixion of Christ, and of 
 the circumstances attending it. 
 
 Frequent references to such a report were made 
 by early Christian writers, who called it "The Acts 
 of Pilate." That Justin Martyr [A. D. 150] made 
 frequent allusions to a book or writing of some 
 sort, entitled "The Acts of Pilate," will be seen in 
 a subsequent chapter. [See Justin Martyr.] 
 
 Some writers have thought that he alluded to the 
 original report, supposed to have been made to 
 Csesar. It will be seen, however, that he must have 
 alluded to a gospel then in circulation, entitled 
 "The Acts of Pilate, or Gospel of Nicodemus ;" 
 since his citations not only were in that gospel, but 
 were such as would not have been in any report 
 made by Pontius Pilate himself. It is possible that 
 he was not able to distinguish between them, or did 
 not care to do so. He was not a critical writer. 
 
THE ACTS OP PILATE. 203 
 
 The fact that one of the early gospels was con- 
 founded by the Christians themselves, with the re- 
 port of Pilate, renders the existence of such a report 
 somewhat problematical ; although it would have 
 been in accordance with the mode of procedure in 
 such cases that a report should have been made. 
 
 Tertullian, some sixty years later than Justin, re- 
 fers to it several times ; but not in a manner suf- 
 ficiently definite, to determine whether or not he 
 distinguishes it from the gospel. He says : 
 
 "Tiberius, accordingly, in whose days the Christian name made its 
 entry into the world, having himself received intelligence from Pales- 
 tine, of events which had clearly shown the truth of Christ's divinity, 
 brought the matter before the senate, with his own decision in favor 
 of Christ. The senate, because it had not given approval itself, re- 
 jected his proposal. Caesar held to his opinion, threatening wrath 
 against all accusers of the Christians."— [Apology, ch. 5, Ante Nicene, 
 vol. 11, p. 63. 
 
 Speaking of the darkness at the time of the cruci- 
 fixion, he says : 
 
 " You yourselves have the account of the world portent, still in 
 your archives." — [Apol. ch. 21; Ant. Nic. vol. 11, p. 94. 
 
 The account of the darkness at the crucifixion, 
 was in the Gospel of the Acts of Pilate. Whether 
 Tertullian, like Justin Martyr, alluded to this, as- 
 suming that it was the same as the Romans had in 
 their archives, or whether he referred to another 
 document, it is impossible to determine. Again, 
 he says : 
 
 "All these things Pilate did to Christ; and now in fact a Christian 
 in his own conviction, he sent word of him to the reigning Caesar, 
 who was at the time, Tiberius."— [Ibid. ch. 21, p. 95. 
 
 It would be very important to ascertain whether 
 there was any report of Pilate. That there was 
 
204 THIRD PERIOD A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 such a report, was the general opinion of the fath- 
 ers ; Eusebius, Jerome and others. Also of Gro- 
 tius, Bishop Pearson, Spanheim, Fabricius, and 
 modern writers generally. But these opinions are 
 all founded upon the testimony of Justin Martyr 
 and Tertullian . The writings of these fathers throw 
 no light upon the subject ; every thing referred to 
 by them being contained in the gospel. The report, 
 if any existed, could not have contained much in 
 common with the gospel. For instance, would Pi- 
 late, in describing the crucifixion, have quoted from 
 the Jewish scriptures, and said, "Upon his vesture 
 they cast lots?" 
 
 Leclerc, Jones and others conclude, with good 
 reason, that if there was such a report, neither 
 Justin nor Tertullian had ever seen it, nor any sub- 
 sequent Christian writer. 
 
 An attempt has lately been made to reproduce 
 the original Report of Pilate. This will be consid- 
 ered in another chapter. 
 
 The Acts of Pilate— Abstract of Contents. 
 
 Chapter 1.— Annas and Caiaphas, and eight others, who are 
 named, went to Pilate, accusing Jesus of many crimes; declaring 
 they were satisfied that he was the son of Joseph the carpenter, and 
 that he declared himself the Son of God, and a king. Also that be 
 attempted a dissolution of the sabbath, and of the laws of their 
 fathers. 
 
 Pilate inquired what Jesus had done ? 
 
 The Jews replied, that he worked cures on the sabbath, contrary to 
 their law; that he cured the lame and the deaf, those afflicted with 
 the palsy, the blind, the lepers, and demoniacs, by wicked methods. 
 
 Pilate sent a messenger after Christ. When the messenger met 
 him, he worshiped him, and spread his cloak for Jesus to walk upon. 
 
THE ACTS OP PILATE. 205 
 
 The Jews complained of this act of the messenger. When Pilate 
 asked him why he had done it, he replied, "When thou sentest me 
 from Jerusalem to Alexander, I saw Jesus sitting in a mean figure, 
 upon a she-ass, and the children of the Hebrews cried out, 'Hosanna;' 
 holding boughs in their hands; others spread their garments in the 
 way, and said, 'Save us, thou who art in heaven; blessed is he who 
 cometh in the name of the Lord.' " The messenger was again sent, 
 and did as before. "And as Jesus was going in by the ensigns who 
 carried the standards, the tops of them bowed down, and worshiped 
 Jesus." This was repeated, in the presence of Pilate. 
 
 Ch. 2. — Pilate's wife sent to him, saying: "Have nothing to do with 
 that just man; for I have suffered much concerning him in a vision, 
 this night." 
 
 Pilate, then calling Jesus, said, "Hast thou heard what they testify 
 against thee, and makest no answer ?" Jesus replied, "If they had 
 not the power of speaking, they would not have spoken; but because 
 every one has the command of his own tongue, to speak both good 
 and bad, let them see to it." 
 
 The elders of the Jews charged him with being born through forni- 
 cation; also that on account of his birth, the infants were slain in 
 Bethlehem, and his father and mother fled into Egypt, because they 
 could not trust the people. Others of the Jews spoke more favor- 
 ably, among whom a number are named, including James and Judas. 
 (These are the only names that correspond with those of the twelve 
 apostles.) Then Pilate ordered all to go out, except the twelve, and 
 Jesus to withdraw. He then asked the twelve why the Jews wished 
 to kill Jesus. They replied that they were angry because he wrought 
 cures on the sabbath. 
 
 Ch. 3. — Scenes between Jesus and Pilate. (See next chapter of this 
 work.) The closing conversation is as follows: 
 
 "Pilate saith to him, 'What is truth ?' Jesus said, 'Truth is from 
 heaven.' Pilate said, 'Truth, therefore, is not on earth ?' Jesus re- 
 plied, 'Believe that truth is on earth, among those who, when they 
 have the power of judgment, are governed by truth, and form their 
 judgment aright.' " 
 
 Ch. 4.— Scenes between Pilate and the Jews. Pilate finding no 
 fault in Jesus — the report of the Jews as to what Jesus had said 
 about the temple— Pilate declaring himself innocent of the blood of 
 Jesus, etc. 
 
 " Then the governor again commanded the Jews to depart out of 
 the hall; and calling Jesus, said to him, 'What am I to do with thee?' 
 Jesus answered him, 'According as it is written.' Pilate said to him, 
 
206 THIRD PERIOD — A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 'How is it written ?' Jesus answered, ' Moses and the prophets made 
 known beforehand, concerning my suffering and resurrection.' " 
 
 The Jews, hearing this, were enraged, and said to Pilate, " Why will 
 you longer listen to his blasphemy ?" Pilate said to them, " If these 
 words seem to you blasphemous, take him, bring him before your 
 synagogue, and try him according to your law." The Jews said to Pi- 
 late, "It is contained in our law, that if one man has sinned against 
 another, he is worthy of nine and thirty stripes; but when he has 
 blasphemed in this manner, against the Lord, he is to be stoned." 
 
 Pilate replied, " If this speech is blasphemy, then judge him accord- 
 ing to your law." The Jews said, "Our law commands us not to put 
 any one to death. [The preceding sentence in some copies only.] We 
 desire that he may be crucified, because he is worthy of death at the 
 cross." Pilate said to them, "It is not proper to crucify him. Let 
 him be whipped and sent away." i 
 
 "The governor, looking upon the people, and upon the Jews stand- 
 ing around, saw many of the Jews in tears; and said to the foremost 
 of the Jewish priests, 'Not all of the multitude wish him to die.' The 
 Jewish elders said to Pilate, 'We and the whole multitude came 
 hither for this purpose, that he should die.' Pilate said to them, 
 'Wherefore should he die?' They replied, 'Because he declares him- 
 self the Son of God, and a king.'" 
 
 Ch. 5.— But Nicodemus, a certain Jew, stood before the governor, 
 and said: "I entreat thee, O merciful Judge, that thou wouldst deign 
 to hear me a few words." Pilate said to him, "Speak on." 
 
 Nicodemus said, "I have spoken to the elders of the Jews, and the 
 scribes, the priests and the Levites, and to the whole multitude of the 
 Jews in the synagogue, and have asked them what they would do 
 with this man ? He is a man who has done many useful and 'glorious 
 signs and wonders, such as no man on earth has done, or can do. 
 Dismiss him, and do him no harm. If he is from God, his wonderful 
 works will stand. But if from men, they will come to naught. Thus 
 Moses," etc. [Alluding to the miracles wrought in Egypt, by Jannes, 
 Jambres, etc.] 
 
 The Jews became angry at Nicodemus for interfering. Colloquy 
 between them and Nicodemus. 
 
 Ch. 6.— "Another certain one of the Jews, rising up, asked the gov- 
 ernor, that he would hear him a word. The governor said, 'Whatever 
 thou hast to say, say.' " [Here follows an account of the miracle at 
 the sheep-pool. See next chapter.] 
 
 And another certain Jew, coming forth, said: "I was blind," etc. 
 [See next chapter.] 
 
THE ACTS OF PILATE. 207 
 
 "And another Jew, starting forth, said: '1 was a leper,'" etc. [See 
 next chapter.] 
 
 "And another Jew came forth and said: 'I was crooked and he 
 made me straight by his word.' " 
 
 Ch. 7.— And a certain woman named Veronica, etc. [See next 
 chapter.] 
 
 Then follows, from another Jew, the account of the turning of 
 water into wine; from another, the casting out of a devil at Caper- 
 naum. 
 
 "Then the following things were also said by a Pharisee: 
 
 '"I saw that a great company came to Jesus, from Galilee and 
 Judea, and the sea coast, and many countries about Jordan; and 
 many infirm persons came to him, and he healed them all. And I 
 heard the unclean spirits crying out and saying, 'Thou art the Son of 
 God.' And Jesus strictly charged them that they should not make 
 him known. " 
 
 Ch. 8. — "After this, another person, whose name was Centurio, 
 said," etc. (See next chapter.) 
 
 "And many others, also, from the Jews, both men and women, cried 
 out, saying: 
 
 "'He is truly the Son of God, who cures all diseases, only by his 
 word; and to whom all the demons are subjected.' Some from among 
 them said, 'This power is only from God.' 
 
 "Others said to Pilate, that he restored Lazarus from the dead, 
 after he had been four days in the tomb." 
 
 "The governor, hearing these things, trembling, said to the multi- 
 tude of the Jews, 'What will it profit you, to shed innocent blood?'" 
 
 Chapters 9, 10 and 11 give an account of the sentence of Jesus, and 
 of the circumstances attending his crucifixion. (See next chapter.) 
 
 Ch. 12.— The Jews, having heard that Joseph had begged and 
 buried the body of Jesus, sought for Joseph and others, his com- 
 panions and accomplices. They concealed themselves, all but Nico- 
 demus. He showed himself boldly, and disputed with the Jews. Jo- 
 seph also afterward appeared, and expostulated with them. The 
 elders of the Jews were enraged, "and seizing Joseph, they put him 
 into a chamber, where was no window. They fastened the door, and 
 put a seal upon the lock." They also placed a guard about it. 
 
 Ch. 13.— When he was ordered brought forth, they found the same 
 seal on the lock of the chamber, but could not find Joseph. While 
 they were all wondering at this, one of the soldiers who had guarded 
 
208 THIED PEEIOD — A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 the sepulcher, entered, and reported that while they were guarding 
 the sepulcher, etc. (See next chapter.) 
 
 "Then the Jews called together all the soldiers who kept the 
 sepulcher of Jesus, and said to them, 'Who were those to whom the 
 angel spoke ? Why did ye not seize them ?' The soldiers answering, 
 said, 'We know not who the women were; besides, we became as dead 
 persons, through fear of the angel; and how could we seize the 
 women ?' " 
 
 The Jews do not believe the soldiers, and an altercation ensues be- 
 tween them. The soldiers say, "Do ye produce Joseph, whom ye put 
 under guard in your chamber, and we will produce Jesus, whom we 
 guarded in the sepulcher." The Jews gathered a large sum of money, 
 and gave it to the soldiers, etc. (See next ch.) 
 
 Ch. 14. — Three persons came from Galilee to Jerusalem, and re- 
 ported that they had seen Jesus in Galilee, talking with his eleven 
 disciples, etc. (See next ch.) The chief priests gave these persons a 
 large sum of money, and had them take oath not to declare what 
 they had seen, and sent them back to their own country. The Jews 
 were now in great consternation. 
 
 "But Annas and Caiaphas comforted them, saying: 'Why should 
 we believe the soldiers ?' " etc. (See next ch.) 
 
 Ch. 15. — On the advice of Nicodemus, men were sent into the 
 mountains, to search for Jesus. They could not And him, but found 
 Joseph. They induced him to return. He related his marvelous 
 escape. Jesus had appeared to him in the room, and having liberated 
 him, had shown him the tomb in which he had been laid, etc. 
 
 Ch. 16. — The Jews were astonished. They said, they knew the 
 father and mother of Jesus. A certain Levite said, he knew his 
 relations, etc. 
 
 Ch. 17.— Joseph related to the Jews, that the two sons of Simeon 
 had risen from the dead, and were at Arimathea. He suggested 
 visiting them, for the purpose of ascertaining some of the mysteries 
 of their resurrection. Five persons visited their graves, and [found 
 them open. They found them in the village, and brought them to 
 Jerusalem, to the synagogue. They took the book of the law of the 
 Lord, and swore them by the God Adonai, and the God of Israel, to 
 tell them how they were raised from the dead, and what they had 
 seen. 
 
 Charinus and Lenthius, the two sons of Simeon, called for paper, 
 and wrote down the mysteries which they had experienced. 
 
the acts op pilate. 209 
 
 Gospel op Nicodemus. Part 2. The Descent 
 into Hell [Hades] . — This part of the gospel con- 
 sists of the story thus written down, which is, 
 briefly, as follows : 
 
 When they were in the depths of hell, suddenly 
 there was a golden light, as of the sun. Adam then 
 rejoiced ; also Isaiah the prophet, etc. Then their 
 father Simeon came, and quoted what he said when 
 he took Jesus in his arms ; the saints in hell then 
 rejoiced ; then came John the Baptist, like a little 
 hermit. Seth appeared, and repeated a long speech 
 of Michael. Then Satan, the prince and captain of 
 death , announced to the prince of hell that Jesus 
 was coming. The prince of hell and Satan made 
 long speeches. While they were discoursing, there 
 was heard a voice as of thunder: "Lift up your 
 gates, O ye princes, and the King of Glory shall 
 come in." 
 
 The prince of hell prepared to resist, but the sound 
 was repeated, and the mighty Lord appeared in the 
 form of a man, lighting up the darkness. The King 
 of Glory tramples upon death, seizes the prince of 
 hell, and takes father Adam and the saints with 
 him to glory. In exchange for the loss of Adam 
 and his righteous sons, he gives Satan over to 
 Beelzebub, the prince of hell, to be subject to his 
 dominion forever. 
 
 Ch. 27. — "These are the divine and sacred mys- 
 teries, which we saw and heard." Thus say Char- 
 inus and Lenthius. 
 
 They, having written all this down, gave one 
 copy to the Jewish priests, and one copy to Nico- 
 demus and Joseph ; "and immediately they were 
 exchanged into exceeding white forms, and were 
 seen no more." 
 
210 THIRD PERIOD — A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 "But immediately, all these things, which were 
 related by the Jews in their synagogue, concerning 
 Jesus, were directly told to the governor, by Joseph 
 and Nicodemus, and Pilate wrote down all the 
 transactions, and placed them all in the public 
 records of the prsetorium. " 
 
 Ch. 28. — Pilate went to the temple, and calling 
 together the rulers, and the scribes, and the doctors 
 of the law, he stated that he had heard they had a 
 large book in the temple, and he desired it to be 
 brought. When the great book, carried by four 
 ministers of the temple, and adorned with gold and 
 precious stones, was brought, Pilate adjured them 
 to tell him, if they had found anything in the 
 scriptures about Jesus coming for the salvation of 
 the human race ; and at what time of the world he 
 should have come. Annas and Caiaphas being 
 sworn, declared that they had found, in the first of 
 the seventy books, where Michael the archangel 
 gave to the third son of Adam an account concern- 
 ing the appearance of Christ after 5500 years. 
 
 Here follows, in the copy of the gospel which we 
 have adhered to, taken from the Orthodoxographa, 
 vol. 1, torn. 2, p. 643, a list of chronological pe- 
 riods, footing up 4964 years. But in the Latin form 
 of the gospel, published in the sixteenth volume of 
 the Ante-Nicene collection, is a list of dates, 
 which, after a slight correction, foots up 5500 
 years. 
 
 The copy from the Orthodoxographa closes by stating that these Acts were 
 found, in the 19th year of Tiberius Caesar, by the Emperor, Theodosius the Great, in 
 Jerusalem, in the praetorium of Pontius Pilate, among the public records. That it was 
 in the 17th year of Herod the Tetrarch, and in the io2d Olympiad. That the history 
 was written in Hebrew, by Nicodemus, In the preface to the Latin form it is stated that 
 the Acts were translated by i?Eneas, from the Hebrew in the 17th consulship of Theodo- 
 sius, and the 5th consulship of Valentinian. That they had been written by Nico- 
 demus, in Hebrew, in the 19th year of Tiberius. That Pilate laid up a statement of the 
 Acts of Christ in the public records of the prsetorium, and wrote a letter to Claudius, 
 stating that Jesus had been crucified, and referring to the miracles which he had 
 wrought. Also, that he rose again the third day, while the soldiers were keeping guard. 
 
CHAPTER XVI 
 
 ACTS OF PILATE 
 AND THE CANONICAL GOSPELS COMPARED. 
 
 Before instituting a comparison of these gospels, 
 it will be necessary to consider more carefully, a 
 custom which prevailed extensively in the first ages 
 of the church, and especially in the first two cen- 
 turies. 
 
 The prevailing religious excitement and enthusi- 
 asm, the trusting credulity and love of the marvel- 
 ous, which were characteristic of the early Christ- 
 ians, led them to accept, unhesitatingly, what came 
 to them, sanctioned by the authority of their bish- 
 ops and teachers. 
 
 "When the better educated among them were 
 called upon to translate or to transcribe the reli- 
 gious writings of the day, they saw at a glance, 
 what liberties had been taken with previous mate- 
 rials, and how readily the changes had. been accept- 
 ed. Accordingly, not with any improper motives, 
 but for the purpose of edification, and of increasing 
 somewhat, the volume, not then very large, of cur- 
 
212 THIRD PERIOD — A. D. 120 tO A. D. 130. 
 
 rent Christian literature, they made additions, 
 more or less extensive, to the writings which they 
 were copying or translating. This process, which 
 may be termed literary accretion, prevailed so ex- 
 tensively and universally, in those times, that it 
 was the rule, rather than the exception ; and must 
 be constantly kept in view, in all investigations and 
 discussions of Christian doctrine, as well as in the 
 exegesis of the Christian scriptures. 
 
 This practice is well understood by ecclesiastical 
 writers, as well as the disposition and habits of 
 thought to which it is to be referred . ' ' The ancient 
 transcribers of the gospels," says Michaelis, "were 
 always more inclined to insert new passages , than 
 to erase what already existed." * 
 
 Many passages in the New Testament are thus to 
 be accounted for ; notably may be mentioned the 
 last twelve verses of the Gospel according to Mark ; 
 which are generally considered a later addition to 
 the narrative. 2 
 
 One of the most remarkable illustrations of the 
 process of interpolation and accretion, is in the 
 Ignatian Epistles. It is now established that the 
 only genuine writings of Ignatius extant, are the 
 Cureton Epistles. These consist of about twelve 
 octavo pages. They were written A. D. 115. 
 
 Twenty- five years later, these three epistles had 
 
 (i.) Volume 3, p. 169. 
 
 (2.) It is stated in the religious Encyclopedia of McClintock and Strong, that one 
 of the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, the one called "Codex BezaV' or the 
 Cambridge manuscript, "is chiefly remarkable for its bold and extensive interpolations; 
 amounting to some 600 in the Acts alone."— [Article "Cambridge MS." 
 
THE ACTS OF PILATE. 213 
 
 increased from 12 pages to 20, while four new ones 
 had appeared, making in all, 40 pages. Some time 
 afterward, the 40 pages, which constituted the 
 seven epistles, were found swollen to 60, while 
 eight new epistles had appeared, adding 40 pages 
 more, making 100 pages of the Epistles of Ignatius ! 
 These all passed as genuine, for hundreds of years. 
 Here was a natural growth, from twelve pages to 
 100. They were all for edification. They all 
 breathed the same spirit with the original epistles ; 
 some new doctrines had crept in, but no harm had 
 been intended, and no great violence had been done 
 to anything but the truth of history. 
 
 While 88 pages had been added to the Ignatian 
 Epistles, how many had been taken away? One 
 half page, and that supposed to be by mistake, 
 from the loss of the last half sheet of the MS. 
 
 Of the 150,000 various readings which Griesbach 
 found in the manuscripts of the New Testament, 
 probably 149,500 were additions and interpolations. 
 
 Prof. Abbot gives us a list of over 60 passages in 
 the New Testament, the genuineness of which the 
 Bible Revision Committee considered "more or 
 less questionable. " They include Mark, ch. 16, vv. 
 9 to 20, and John 8. 1 to 11 ; and if published 
 together, would constitute of themselves a gospel 
 of no mean dimensions. What part of the same 
 space would be occupied by the portions which they 
 found to have been erased? Probably not one- 
 hundredth. 
 
 In comparing the Gospels of the Infancy with 
 
214 THIRD PERIOD — A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 Luke and Matthew, it was seen that the changes 
 were to be accounted for by other considerations. 
 
 Now, however, when we come to the miracles of 
 Christ, which are given in the Acts of Pilate on 
 the one hand, and in the canonical gospels on the 
 other, the principle is allowed full play, and can be 
 applied, as internal evidence, tending to show 
 which were first written. 
 
 The fact that in the Acts, the narratives are 
 related to Pilate by Jews, testifying in behalf of 
 their master, is no reason why the accounts should 
 be shortened, but rather the contrary. The wit- 
 nesses would be anxious to have Pilate impressed 
 with the details of the wonderful occurrences. If 
 the writer of the Acts of Pilate had before him the 
 gospels containing these narratives, we may be 
 assured he would have put into the mouths of the 
 witnesses, every circumstance of an impressive 
 character contained in those accounts, and would 
 probably have added others. Let us see if that was 
 the case. 
 
 Some op the Miracles op Jesus. 
 turning water into wine. 
 
 This miracle is related in only one of the four 
 gospels ; the Gospel according to John. 
 
 The comparison can be made between the Acts of 
 Pilate and the Gospel of John, with no disturbing 
 forces from the other gospels, to be accounted for : 
 
 Acts of Pilate, ch. 7. 
 And after other things, a cer- 
 
 Gospel of John, ch. 2. 
 
 And the third day, there was a 
 marriage in Cana of Galilee; and 
 the mother of Jesus was there; 
 
THE ACTS OF PILATE. 
 
 215 
 
 Acts of Pilate, ch. 7. 
 
 tain Jew said: I saw Jesus invit- 
 ed to a wedding with his disci- 
 ples, and there was a want of 
 wine; in Cana of Galilee. 
 
 And when the wine was all 
 drunk, he commanded the ser- 
 
 Gospel of John, ch. 2. 
 
 2. And both Jesus was called, 
 and his disciples, to the marriage. 
 
 3. And when they wanted'wine, 
 the mother of Jesus saith unto 
 him, They have no wine. 
 
 4. Jesus saith unto her, Wo- 
 man, what have I to do with 
 thee ? Mine hour is not yet come. 
 
 5. His mother saith unto the 
 servants, "Whatsoever he saith 
 unto you, do (it.) 
 
 6. And there were set there, six 
 water-pots of stone, after the 
 manner of the purifying of the 
 Jews, containing two or three fir- 
 kins apiece. 
 
 7. Jesus saith unto them, Fill 
 the water-pots with water. And 
 they filled them up to the brim. 
 
 8. And he saith unto them, 
 Draw out now and bear unto the 
 governor of the feast. And they 
 bare (it.) 
 
 9. When the ruler of the feast 
 had tasted the water that was 
 made wine, and knew not whence 
 it was, (but the servants Who 
 drew the water knew), the gov- 
 ernor of the feast called the 
 bridegroom, 
 
 10. And saith unto him, Every 
 man at the beginning doth set 
 forth good wine; and when men 
 have well drunk, then that which 
 is wors6; (but) thou hast kept the 
 good wine until now. 
 
 11. This beginning of miracles 
 did Jesus, in Cana of Galilee, and 
 manifested forth his glory; and 
 
 I his disciples believed on him. 
 
 Which of these accounts was first written? 
 
 The process of accretion, which has been alluded 
 to, has two modes of development. The one, by 
 clothing the same facts in a more copious dress, 
 the other, by the interpolation of additional facts. 
 
 Both these processes are here to be observed. 
 
 vants, that they should fill six 
 pots that were there, with water; 
 
 and they filled them up to the 
 brim. And he blessed them and 
 turned the water into wine. 
 
 And all the people drank, being 
 surprised at this miracle. 
 
216 THIRD PERIOD — A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 Not only are the facts constituting the miracle, 
 which, in the Acts of Pilate, are narrated in a 
 plain, concise and impressive manner, enveloped 
 in much additional and useless verbiage, in John, 
 but also, two additional circumstances are inserted ; 
 the size of the water-pots, and the fact that the 
 newly made wine was better than the other. If the 
 author of the Acts had been acquainted with the 
 Gospel of John, is it probable that he would have 
 omitted these circumstances? 
 
 The next miracle, also, is related only by John : 
 
 HEALING OF THE NOBLEMAN'S SON. 
 
 Acts of Pilate, ch. 8. 
 
 Then a certain nobleman said, 
 I had a son at Capernaum, who 
 lay at the point of death. 
 
 And when I heard that Jesus 
 was come into Galilee, I went 
 and besought him, that he would 
 come down to my house, and heal 
 my son; 
 
 For he was about to die. 
 
 He said to me, Go thy way; thy 
 son liveth. And my son was 
 cured, from that hour. 
 
 John, 4. 46 to 53. 
 
 46. And there was a certain 
 nobleman whose son was sick at 
 Capernaum. 
 
 47. And when he heard that Je- 
 sus was come out of Judea into 
 Galilee, he went unto him and be- 
 sought him that he would come 
 down, and heal his son; for he 
 was at the point of death. 
 
 48. Then said Jesus unto him, 
 Except ye see signs and wonders, 
 ye will not believe. 
 
 49. The nobleman saith unto 
 him, Sir, come down, ere my child 
 die. 
 
 50. Jesus saith unto him, Go 
 thy way; thy son liveth. And 
 the man believed the word that 
 Jesus had spoken unto him, and 
 he went his way. 
 
 51. And as he was now going 
 down, his servants met him, and 
 told (him), saying, Thy son liveth. 
 
 52. Then inquired he of them 
 the hour when he began to a- 
 mend. And they said unto him, 
 Yesterday, at the seventh hour, 
 the fever left him. 
 
 53. So the father knew that (it 
 was) at the same hour in the 
 which Jesus said unto him, Thy 
 son liveth: and himself believed, 
 and his whole house. 
 
THE ACTS OP PILATE. 
 
 217 
 
 The difference in the narrative consists, almost 
 entirely, in the greater diffuseness of style and 
 copiousness of detail, in John, with no new facts of 
 any importance introduced. This difference indi- 
 cates a later narrative in John. That the short 
 paragraph in the Acts should, under the hand of 
 the author of John, grow into the nine verses, 
 would be in perfect accordance with the law of 
 accretion, then prevailing. 
 
 The next miracle is related in Luke and Mark, 
 but not in John or Matthew. The comparison will 
 be made with the shorter narrative, in Luke. 
 
 CASTING OUT THE UNCLEAN DEVIL AT CAPERNAUM. 
 
 Acts of Pilate, ch. 7. 
 
 And another Jew stood forth 
 in the midst of them, and said: 
 I saw Jesus in Capernaum, 
 
 teaching in the synagogue; and 
 there was in the synagogue a cer- 
 tain man who had a devil. 
 
 And he cried out, saying: Let 
 me alone ; what have wetodowith 
 thee, Jesus of Nazareth? Art 
 thou come to destroy us ? I know 
 that thou art the Holy One of 
 God. 
 
 And Jesus rebuked him, and 
 said to him, Hold thy peace, un- 
 clean spirit, and come out of the 
 man. And presently he came 
 out of him, and did not at all 
 hurt him. 
 
 Luke, 4. 31 to 35. 
 
 31. And on the sabbath days he 
 taught them. 
 
 32. And they were astonished 
 at his doctrine; for his word was 
 with power. 
 
 33. And in the synagogue, there 
 was a man who had a spirit of 
 an unclean devil; and he cried 
 out with a loud voice, 
 
 34. Saying: Let (us) alone; what 
 have we to do with thee, (thou) 
 Jesus of Nazareth? Art thou 
 come to destroy us? I know 
 thee, who thou art: the Holy One 
 of God. 
 
 35. And Jesus rebuked him, 
 saying: Hold thy peace, and come 
 out of him. And when the devil 
 had thrown him in the midst, he 
 came out of him, and hurt him 
 not. 
 
 In ; the foregoing account, there is amplification 
 in Luke. Not satisfied that the man should be 
 possessed of a devil, the writer makes it "a spirit 
 of an unclean devil ;" and he has the devil, before 
 
218 THIRD PERIOD A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130, 
 
 leaving the man, ''throw him in the midst." In 
 Mark, where the narrative is longer, and the am- 
 plification still greater, the devil, when required to 
 come out, is made to cry out with a loud voice. 
 
 HEALING OF THE LEPER. 
 
 The miracle is related in Luke, Mark and Mat- 
 thew. The account in Matthew is almost exactly 
 the same as that in Luke. Mark shows some evi- 
 dence of additional accretion. The comparison 
 will be continued with Luke : 
 
 Acts of Pilate, ch. 6. 
 
 Another Jew, also coming 
 forth, said: 
 I was a leper, and he cured me 
 
 by his word only; saying, I will, 
 be thou clean. And immediately 
 I was cleansed from my leprosy. 
 
 Luke, 5. 12, 13. 
 
 12. And it came to pass, when 
 he was in a certain city, behold, a 
 man full of leprosy; who, seeing 
 Jesus, fell on (his) face, and be- 
 sought him, saying, Lord, if thou 
 wilt, thou canst make me clean. 
 
 13. And he put forth (his) hand 
 and touched him, saying: I will: 
 be thou clean. And immediately 
 the leprosy departed from him. 
 
 HEALING OF THE INFIRM MAN AT BETHESDA. 
 
 This miracle, again, is only related in John 
 
 Acts of Pilate, ch. 6. 
 
 Then another certain one of 
 the Jews, rising up, desired of the 
 governor, that he would hear him 
 a word. 
 
 The governor said, What thou 
 wishest to say, say. 
 
 He said, I lay for thirty-eight 
 years, by the sheep-pool at Jeru- 
 salem, suffering under a great in- 
 firmity. I was expecting a cure 
 to come from the coming of an 
 
 angel, who disturbed the water 
 at a certain time. Whoever, af- 
 ter the troubling of the water, 
 first descended into it, was made 
 whole of every infirmity. 
 
 John, 5. 1 to 16. 
 
 After this, there was a feast of 
 the Jews; and Jesus went up to 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 2. Now there is at Jerusalem, 
 by the sheep (market), a pool, 
 which is called in the Hebrew 
 tongue, Bethesda; having five 
 porches. 
 
 3. In these, lay a great multi- 
 tude of impotent folk, of blind, 
 halt, withered, waiting for the 
 moving of the water. 
 
 4. For an angel went down at a 
 certain season into the pool, and 
 troubled the water; whosoever 
 then first, after the troubling of 
 the water, stepped in. was made 
 
THE ACTS OP PILATE. 
 
 219 
 
 Acts of Pilate, ch. 6. 
 
 Jesus, finding me languishing 
 there, said to me, 
 
 Wilt thou be made whole? And 
 1 answered, Sir, I have no man, 
 when the water is troubled, to 
 put me into the pool. 
 
 And he said unto me, Rise, 
 take up thy bed, and walk. 
 
 And I was made whole, and 
 immediately took up my bed, 
 and walked. 
 
 [Here follows a colloquy con- 
 cerning the sabbath, of the same 
 general tenor as that in John, 
 but much shorter.] 
 
 John, 5. 1 to 16. 
 
 whole of whatsoever disease he 
 had. 
 
 5. And a certain man was there 
 who had an infirmity, thirty and 
 eight years. 
 
 6. When Jesus saw him lie, and 
 knew that he had been now a 
 long time so, he saith unto him, 
 Wilt thou be made whole ? 
 
 7. The impotent man answered 
 him, Sir, I have no man, when the 
 water is troubled, to put me into 
 the pool; but while I am coming, 
 another steppeth down before me. 
 
 8. Jesus saith unto him, Eise, 
 take up thy bed, and walk. 
 
 9. And immediately the man 
 was made whole, and took up his 
 bed, and walked. 
 
 [Then follows a colloquy con- 
 cerning the sabbath, verses 10 to 
 16; varying in detail from that in 
 the other gospel, and consider- 
 ably longer.] 
 
 HEALING OP THE SERVANT OF 
 CENTURIO, OR THE SERVANT OF THE CENTURION. 
 
 The comparison will be made with Luke ; the 
 
 account in that gospel being more nearly parallel. 
 
 In Matthew, the narrative is somewhat shorter, but 
 
 still it is twice as long as in the Acts of Pilate. 
 
 Acts of Pilate, ch. 8. Luke, ch. 7. 
 
 Now, when, (etc.), he entered 
 into Capernaum. 
 
 2. And a centurion's servant, 
 who was dear unto him, was sick, 
 and ready to die. 
 
 3. And when he heard of Jesus, 
 he sent unto him the elders of the 
 Jews, beseeching him that he 
 would come and heal his servant. 
 
 Lord, my servant lieth at home, a 4. And when they came to Jesus 
 
 paralytic. they besought him instantly; say- 
 
 And Jesus said to me, I will ing that he was worthy, for whom 
 
 come and cure him. But I said, he should do this. 
 
 After this a certain person 
 whose name was Centurio, said: 
 
 I saw Jesus at Capernaum, and 
 I entreated him, saying: 
 
220 THIED PERIOD — A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 Acts of Pilate, ch. 8. 
 
 Lord, I am not worthy, that 
 thou shouldst come under my 
 
 roof; But only speak the word, 
 and my servant shall be healed. 
 
 And Jesus said unto me, Go 
 thy way; and as thou hast be- 
 lieved, so be it done unto thee. 
 
 And the servant was healed, 
 from that same hour. 
 
 Luke, ch. 7. 
 
 5. For he loveth our nation, and 
 he hath built us a synagogue. 
 
 6. Then Jesus went with them. 
 And when he was not far from 
 the house, the centurion sent 
 friends unto him, saying unto 
 him, Lord, trouble not thyself, for 
 I am not worthy that thou 
 shouldst enter under my roof. 
 
 7. Wherefore neither thought I 
 myself worthy to come unto thee: 
 but say in a word, and my servant 
 shall be healed. 
 
 8. For I also am a man set under 
 authority, having under me sold- 
 iers; and I say unto one, Go, and 
 he goettr, and to another, Come, 
 and he cometh ; and to my serv- 
 ant, Do this, and he doeth (it.) 
 
 9. When Jesus heard these 
 things, he marveled at him, and 
 turned him about, and said 
 unto the people that followed 
 him, I say unto you, I have not 
 found so great faith, no, not in 
 Israel. 
 
 10. And they that were sent, 
 returning to the house, found the 
 servant whole, that had been sick. 
 
 Here the account in Luke is nearly three times 
 as long as that in the other gospel. 
 
 It is manifest, also, that one of the historians 
 made a mistake in the person upon whose servant 
 the miracle was performed ; a mistake arising from 
 the use of the word Centurio, or centurion. 
 
 In which gospel was the mistake probably made? 
 
 If the Acts of Pilate was written last, and the 
 author had at first mistaken the word centurion for 
 the name of the person, he would, as he proceeded 
 with the narrative, discover his mistake, by notic- 
 ing the character of the person, and his military 
 
THE ACTS OP PILATE. 
 
 221 
 
 position, as a commander of men. On the other 
 hand, if Luke was last written, it would be very- 
 natural for the author to suppose, inasmuch as 
 Centurio was an unsual name, that centurion was 
 intended. And having once made the change, 
 either by mistake or otherwise, he would naturally, 
 in the usual process of interpolation, make addi- 
 tions to the narrative, illustrative of the peculiar 
 position occupied by the person upon whom the 
 miracle was wrought, and of the willingness of 
 Jesus to cure Gentiles as well as Jews. 
 
 THE HEALING OF VERONICA. 
 
 Acts of Pilate, ch. 7. 
 
 And a certain woman, Veron- 
 ica by name, said: 
 
 I was flowing with blood for 
 twelve years; and I touched the 
 fringe of his garment, and imme- 
 diately the flowing of my blood 
 stopped. 
 
 (Note. The name of the woman 
 is not given in the first Greek 
 form of the Acts of Pilate, as 
 published in the Ante-Nicene 
 Christian Library, vol. 16, pp. 125 
 to 148.) 
 
 Luke, 8. 43 to 48. (Shortest form.) 
 
 43. And a woman having an 
 issue of blood twelve years, who 
 had spent all her living upon phy- 
 sicans, neither could be healed 
 by any, 
 
 44. Came behind him, and 
 touched the border of his gar- 
 ment:' and immediately her issue 
 of blood stanched. 
 
 (Then follow four verses, giving 
 a conversation concerning the 
 matter, between Jesus, the people 
 and the woman.) 
 
 According to Eusebius, this woman erected a 
 statue to the honor of Christ, on account of the 
 miracle. 1 
 
 The historian says, the woman lived at Csesarea 
 Philippi ; that her house was to be seen in his time, 
 and several monuments of the miracle. That near 
 her house was a brazen statue of the woman, fixed 
 on a pedestal of stone, in the posture of a suppliant, 
 
 (I,) Ecclesiastical History, 7. 18. 
 
 / 
 
222 THIRD PERIOD — A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 on bended knees, with outstretched hands. Oppo- 
 site to it, made of the same metal, was the statue 
 of a man, in a standing posture, with a cloak over 
 his shoulders and stretching forth his hand to the 
 woman. At the foot of this statue, at the very 
 base of the column, grew a certain unknown herb, 
 which, growing up to the hem of the garment, was 
 a present remedy, so said Eusebius, for all sorts of 
 distempers. This statue was said to belike Christ. 
 "It continued," says Eusebius, "to my time, and I 
 went to that city, and saw it myself." 
 
 Sozomen, the historian, [A D. 439], mentions 
 the same story, and says that Julian the apostate 
 took down the statue, and placed his own in the 
 room of it. He adds, that a fire from heaven smote 
 the statue erected by Julian, and took off the head 
 and neck, and fixed it in the earth ; where it con- 
 tinued to his day, looking black, as if it had been 
 burnt by lightning. 1 
 
 The statue is also mentioned by the historian 
 Cassiodorus, [A. D.550], by Theophylact, Epi- 
 phanius and Nicephorus. Also by Asterius, a 
 writer of the fourth century, who says it was re- 
 moved by the Emperor Maximus. 2 
 
 Luebke, who was unacquainted with this tradi- 
 tion, or did not give credit to it, speaks of the first 
 statue of Christ, as having been erected by Alex- 
 ander Severus. 3 
 
 (I.) Sozomen's Ecc. Hist. 5. 21. 
 
 (2.) See Photius, Bib. Cod. 272, p. 1507. 
 
 (3.) History of Art, vol. 1, 3d Ed. p. 306. 
 
THE ACTS OP PILATE. 
 
 223 
 
 It is said, also, that the second picture of Christ 
 ever taken, (the first being the one sent by him to 
 Abgarus, King of Edessa), was stamped or im- 
 pressed upon the handkerchief of Veronica. That 
 when Jesus was led to his crucifixion, Veronica, 
 who followed him, put a handkerchief to his face, 
 on which Christ impressed his picture. This is 
 attested by Methodius, Bishop of Tyre, [A. D. 300] , 
 Constantius Porphyrogenitus, and others. 1 
 
 CURING BLIND BAKTIMETJS. 
 
 Acts of Pilate, ch. 6. 
 And a certain other Jew, rising 
 
 up, said: I was blind; could hear 
 sounds, but could see no one. 
 
 And as Jesus was going along, 
 I heard the multitude passing by, 
 and I asked what was there? 
 They told me that Jesus was 
 passing by. Then I cried out, 
 saying: Jesus, Son of David, have 
 mercy on me. 
 
 And he, standing still, com- 
 manded me to be brought to him, 
 
 and said to me, What wilt thou? 
 I said, Lord, that I may receive 
 my sight. 
 
 Luke, 18. 35 to 43. 
 
 35. And it came to pass, that 
 as he was come nigh unto Jericho, 
 a certain blind man sat by the 
 way-side, begging: 
 
 36. And hearing the multitude 
 pass by, he asked what it meant. 
 
 37. And they told him that 
 Jesus of Nazareth passed by. 
 
 38. And he cried, saying: Jesus, 
 thou Son of David, have mercy 
 on me. 
 
 39. And they who went before, 
 rebuked him, that he should hold 
 his peace; but he cried so much 
 the more, (Thou) Son of David, 
 have mercy on me. 
 
 40. And Jesus stood, and com- 
 manded him to be brought unto 
 him; and when he was come 
 near, he asked him, 
 
 41. Saying: What wilt thou that 
 I shall do unto thee? And he 
 said, Lord, that I may receive my 
 sight. 
 
 (i.) See Durant, de Retib. Cath. Eccles. 1. 1, t. 5: 
 
 "Altera Christi imago sudario Veronica; impressa fuit: cum enim Christus ad cruci- 
 figedum duceretur, Veronica, quae Christum sequebatur, faciei sudarium, admovit, in 
 quo Christi effigiem, expressam retulit. Hujus rei, auctores sunt Methodius," etc, 
 
 Durant also refers to the image of Christ erected by the woman cured of the flowing 
 of blood. 
 
224 THIRD PERIOD — A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 Acts of Pilate, ch. 6. 
 
 And he said to me, Beeeive thy 
 Bight. 
 
 And immediately I saw, and 
 followed him, rejoicing and giv- 
 ing thanks. 
 
 Luke, 18. 35 to 43. 
 
 42. And Jesus said unto him, 
 Eeceive thy sight; thy faith hath 
 saved thee. 
 
 43. And immediately he receiv- 
 ed his sight, and followed him r 
 glorifying God; and all the people, 
 when they saw (it), gave praise 
 unto God. 
 
 The author of Matthew has two blind men ; and 
 as Schleiermacher observes, has a habit of duplicat- 
 ing, in such cases. 
 
 THE RAISING OP LAZARUS. 
 Acts of Pilate, ch. 8. Gospel of John. 
 
 But others, said to Pilate, that 
 he raised Lazarus from the dead, 
 after he had been four days in 
 his grave. 
 
 The reader is familiar with the 
 long account of this miracle, con- 
 tained in the 11th chapter of 
 John, consisting of 44 verses. 
 
 The foregoing are all of the gospel miracles 
 which are related in the Acts of Pilate. The result 
 of the comparison may be stated thus : 
 
 In every instance, the account in the Acts of Pilate is shorter than 
 the shortest narrative in the canonical gospels. 
 
 In view of the practice of interpolation, which 
 prevailed so extensively in the second century, it 
 is for the reader to judge which was last written. 
 
 THE CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS. 
 
 The account of the crucifixion, as given in the 
 Acts of Pilate, is undoubtedly the nearest historical 
 of any religious writings of the second century. As 
 everything connected with this event is of absorb- 
 ing interest, the subject cannot be approached with 
 indifference. 
 
THE ACTS OP PILATE. 225 
 
 Bishop Ellicott, in an able Essay on the Apocry- 
 phal Gospels, published in the Cambridge Essays 
 for 1856, admits that this account was used by the 
 earlier fathers. 
 
 To show the value of this testimony, we will 
 quote from his prefatory remarks the contemptuous 
 language which he employs, when speaking of the 
 apocryphal gospels as a class : 
 
 "Their real demerits, their mendacities, their absurdities, their 
 coarsenesses, the barbarities of their style, and the inconsequence of 
 their narratives, have never been excused or condoned. It would be 
 hard to find any competent writer, in any age of the church, who has 
 been beguiled into saying anything civil or commendatory." 
 
 And yet the writer who could not refrain from 
 expressing himself thus strongly toward these un- 
 fortunate, bantling gospels, when he comes to con- 
 sider the Acts of Pilate, feels compelled to speak in. 
 a more respectful manner. In commencing, he 
 says : 
 
 "We pass onward to a very important document, apparently of a 
 very early date, the first part of the Gospel of Nicodemus, or, as it is 
 commonly called, the Acta Filati. 
 
 "The question of real interest is this. 
 
 "Whether the present Acta Pilati are substantially the same with 
 the very ancient document, referred to with such respect by Justin 
 Martyr, Tertullian, and other early and reputable writers. It need 
 scarcely be said that these ancient acts are not the real, judiciary acts 
 of Pilate. The Acta noticed by Tertullian, was probably an account 
 of our Savior's condemnation, written by some early Jewish-Christ- 
 ian, and derived from eye-witnesses, or from important oral traditions, 
 which, in so short a time, and on such an event, could not have 
 become seriously erroneous." 
 
 After stating that it would be liable to changes 
 and interpolations, and that there is reason to think 
 the apocryphal Acts of Pilate was one of the inter- 
 polated manuscripts, he says : 
 
226 THIRD PERIOD — A. D. 120 to A. D. 130. 
 
 "When, however, it is remembered that the quotations made by 
 Tertullian and others from the ancient Acta, are all found in the pre- 
 sent Acta, it seems fair to conclude, especially from the nature and 
 length of the composition, that these changes or interpolations have 
 not been very serious, and that we have, in this first part of this Gos- 
 pel of Nicodemus, substantially, the very ancient and important Acta 
 Pilati, of the second century." 
 
 Again: "If we strip off the obviously fabulous, it does seem that 
 the writer has related some portions of the trial in a manner so very 
 probable and plausible, that we may well pause before we sweep 
 away the whole as a mere party fiction. There is something very 
 natural in the way in which the Jews heap up indiscriminate accusa- 
 tion; there is an eager ferocity on their part, met by a steady and 
 almost indignant scorn on the part of the governor, that seems, at any 
 rate, very happily depicted. The desire of the Jews, not only that 
 Christ should die, but that he should be crucified, that he should die 
 the death of a malefactor,— is brought out very distinctly. 
 
 "There are minor incidents, — the weeping populace — the appear- 
 ance of witnesses in favor of the accused (though here there is evi- 
 dently much interpolated) — the steady defense of Nicodemus — the 
 persecution of the pious Joseph — the cloth wound round the crucified 
 Savior — the crown of thorns still retained on the brow — the account 
 given by the centurion to Pilate, and the distress of that unjust man 
 and his wife,— which all tend to make us regard these interpolated, 
 but still very ancient records, with a greater interest than we can feel 
 for any other member of the apocryphal family." 
 
 After so respectable a testimony for this gospel, 
 from one who cannot be accused of any prejudice 
 in its favor, we proceed to contrast its narrative of 
 the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, with the 
 parallel accounts in the canonical gospels : 
 
 THE PROPOSAL TO RELEASE A PRISONER. 
 
 This account is given in all four of the canonical 
 gospels. The narrative is, however, so divergent, 
 that it can scarcely be considered parallel, except 
 in Mark and Matthew. Of these, the comparison 
 will be made with the shorter form : 
 
THE ACTS OF PILATE. 
 
 227 
 
 Acts of Pilate, ch. 9. 
 
 Pilate, again calling the multi- 
 tude, said to them, Since there is 
 a custom among you, on the day 
 of passover, that I should release 
 to you one that is bound; I have 
 a noted murderer, called Barab- 
 bas, also Jesus who is called 
 Christ; in whom I find no cause 
 of death. 
 
 Matthew, 27. 16 to 23. 
 
 15. Now at (that) feast, the gov- 
 ernor was wont to release unto the 
 people a prisoner, whom they 
 would. 
 
 16. And they had then a notable 
 prisoner, called Barabbas. 
 
 17. Therefore, when they were 
 gathered together, Pilate said 
 unto them, Whom will ye that I 
 release unto you? Barabbas, or 
 Jesus who is called Christ ? 
 
 18. For he knew that for envy 
 they had delivered him. 
 
 19. [Omitted. Parallel in an- 
 other part of the Acts of Pilate.] 
 
 20. But the chief priests and 
 elders persuaded the multitude, 
 that they should ask Barabbas, 
 and destroy Jesus. 
 
 21. The governor answered and 
 said unto them, Whether of the 
 twain will ye that I release unto 
 you? Thay said, Barabbas. 
 
 22. Pilate saith unto them, 
 What shall I do then with Jesus^ 
 who is called Christ? (They) all 
 say unto him, Let him be cruci- 
 fied. 
 
 23. And the governor said, 
 Why, what evil hath he done? 
 But they cried out the more, say- 
 ing : Let him be crucified. 
 
 The foregoing accounts are closely parallel. But 
 the canonical gospel exhibits considerable accretion. 
 There is some amplification of language, and the in- 
 troduction of the dream of the wife of Pilate. 
 
 PILATE WASHING HIS HANDS OF .THE BLOOD OF JESUS. 
 Acts of Pilate, ch. 9. Matthew, ch. 27. 
 
 24. When Pilate saw that he 
 could prevail nothing, but (that) 
 rather a tumult was made, he 
 took water, and washed (his) 
 hands before the multitude, say- 
 ing: I am innocent of the blood 
 of this just person; see ye (to it). 
 
 25. Then answered all the peo- 
 ple, and said, His blood (be) on 
 us, and on our children. 
 
 Which, therefore, of these two 
 do you wish to have released? 
 They all cried out, saying, Re- 
 lease unto us Barabbas. 
 
 Pilate saith unto them, What 
 then shall I do with Jesus who is 
 called Christ ? They all say unto 
 him, Let him be crucified. 
 
 Then Pilate, taking water, 
 washed his hands before the peo- 
 ple, saying: 
 
 I am innocent of the blood of 
 this just person; see ye to it. 
 
 The Jews answered, saying: 
 
 His blood be upon us, and upon 
 our children. 
 
228 THIRD PERIOD — A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 Not in either of the other gospels. 
 
 In the Acts of Pilate, Jesus is now sentenced, as 
 follows : 
 
 "Then Pilate commanded Jesus to be brought before him, and 
 spake to him the following words: 
 
 "'Thy own nation hath charged thee, as making thyself a king. 
 Wherefore, I, Herod, sentence thee to be whipped, according to the laws 
 of former governors; and that thou be first bound, then hanged upon 
 a cross, in that place where thou art now a prisoner; and also two 
 criminals with thee; whose names are Demas and Gestas.'" 
 
 JESUS TAKEN TO EXECUTION. 
 
 As the account is less connected in the canonical 
 gospels, we shall be obliged here, in order to pre- 
 serve the parallel, to put several passages together : 
 
 Acts of Pilate, ch. 10. 
 
 Then Jesus went out of the 
 hall, and the two thieves with 
 him. And when they were come 
 to the place which is called Gol- 
 gotha, they stripped him of his 
 raiment, and girt him about with 
 
 a linen cloth, and put a crown of 
 thorns upon his head, and put a 
 reed in his hand. 
 
 Matthew, ch. 27. 
 
 26. And ... he delivered him 
 to be crucified. 
 
 33. When they were come unto 
 a place called Golgotha, that is to 
 say, a place of a skull, 
 
 28. They stripped him, and put 
 on him a scarlet robe, 
 
 29. And when they had platted 
 a crown of thorns, they put (it) 
 upon his head, and a reed in his 
 right hand. 
 
 PRAYING FOR HIS ENEMIES. 
 Acts of Pilate, ch. 10. Luke, 23. 34. 
 
 But Jesus said, My Father, for- 
 give them; for they know not 
 what they do. 
 
 Then said Jesus, Father, for- 
 give them; for they know not 
 what they do. 
 
 HIS GARMENTS ARE DIVIDED. 
 Acts of Pilate, ch. 10. Mark, 15. 24. 
 
 And they divided his garments, 
 and upon his vesture they cast 
 lots. 
 
 And when they had crucified 
 him, they parted his garments, 
 casting lots upon them, what 
 every man should take. 
 
THE ACTS OF PILATE. 229 
 
 Matthew, 27. 35. 
 
 And parted his garments, cast- 
 ing lots; that it might be fulfilled 
 which was spoken by the prophet: 
 They parted my garments among 
 them, and upon my vesture did 
 they cast lots. 
 
 Luke, 23. 34. 
 
 And they parted his raiment, 
 and cast lots. 
 
 The law of accretion is well illustrated here, by 
 comparing the short statements in Luke and the 
 Acts of Pilate, on the one hand, with Mark and 
 Matthew on the other. Luke being a compilation, 
 this portion of it is probably from a manuscript 
 older, even, than the Acts of Pilate. 
 
 In John, the account is extended, with the 
 additional statement, that the garments were 
 divided into four parts, to every soldier a part, and 
 that lots were cast for the coat, which was without 
 seam. 
 
 MOCKED BY THE CHIEF PRIESTS AND SOLDIERS. 
 
 Acts op Pilate, ch. 10. 
 
 The people in the mean time 
 stood by, and the chief priests 
 and elders of the Jews mocked 
 him, saying: 
 
 He saved others, let him now 
 save himself if he can; if he be 
 the Son of God, let him now come 
 down from the cross. 
 
 The soldiers also mocked him, 
 and taking vinegar and gall, 
 offered it to him to drink, and 
 said to him: If thou art King of 
 the Jews, deliver thyself. 
 
 Mark, 15. 29 to 32, 36. 
 
 29. And they that passed by 
 railed on him, wagging their 
 heads, and saying: Ah, thou that 
 destroyest the temple, and build- 
 est (it) in three days, 
 
 30. Save thyself, and come 
 down from the cross. 
 
 31. Likewise, also, the chief 
 priests, mocking, said among 
 themselves, with the scribes, He 
 saved others, himself he cannot 
 save. 
 
 32. Let Christ, the King of Is- 
 rael, descend now from the cross, 
 that we may see and believe. 
 
 36. And one ran and filled a 
 sponge full of vinegar, and put 
 (it) on a reed, and gave him to 
 drink. 
 
230 THIRD PERIOD A. D. 120 to A. D. 130. 
 
 JESUS PIERCED IN THE SIDE. 
 
 Acts or Pilate, ch. 10. 
 
 Longinus, a soldier, taking a 
 spear, pierced his side; and di- 
 rectly, there came forth blood 
 and water. 
 
 John, 19. 34. 
 
 But one of the soldiers with a 
 spear pierced his side, and forth- 
 with there came out blood and 
 water. 
 
 THE TITLE UPON THE CROSS. 
 
 Acts of Pilate, ch. 10. 
 
 And Pilate wrote a title upon 
 the cross, in Hebrew, Latin and 
 Greek letters, to wit: 
 
 "This is the King of the 
 Jews." 
 
 John, 19. 19, 20. 
 
 19. And Pilate wrote a title 
 and put (it) on the cross. And 
 the writing was, 
 
 "Jesus of Nazareth, the 
 King of the Jews." 
 
 20. This title then read many 
 of the Jews: for the place where 
 Jesus was crucified, was nigh to 
 the city: and it was written in He- 
 brew, (and) Greek, (and) Latin. 
 
 In the synoptic gospels, it is not stated who wrote 
 the title. In Luke, it is "This is the King of the 
 Jews." In Mark, "The King of the Jews." In 
 Matthew, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews." 
 In Luke, it is stated to have been in Greek, Latin 
 and Hebrew. 
 
 THE THIEVES ON THE CROSS. 
 
 Acts of Pilate, ch. 10. 
 
 But one of the two thieves who 
 were crucified with Jesus, whose 
 name was Gestas, said to Jesus, 
 If thou art the Christ, deliver thy- 
 self and us. 
 
 But the thief who was crucified 
 on the right hand, whose name 
 was Demas, answering, rebuked 
 him, and said: 
 
 Dost not thou, who art con- 
 demned to this punishment, fear 
 God? We, indeed, justly and 
 rightly, according to what we 
 have done, receive our reward. 
 But this Jesus, what evil hath he 
 done? 
 
 Luke, 23. 39 to 43. 
 
 39. And one of the malefactors 
 who were hanged, railed on him, 
 saying: If thou be Christ, save 
 thyself and us. 
 
 40. But the other answering re- 
 buked him, saying: Dost thou 
 not fear God. seeing thou art in 
 the same condemnation ? 
 
 41. And we indeed justly; for 
 we receive the due reward of our 
 deeds: but this man hath done 
 nothing amiss. 
 
THE ACTS OF PILATE. 231 
 
 Acts of Pilate, ch. 10. Luke, 23. 39 to 43. 
 
 After this, groaning, he said to 
 Jesus, Lord, remember me when 
 thou comest into thy kingdom. 
 
 Jesus, answering, said unto him, 
 Verily I say unto thee, to-day 
 shalt thou be with me in para- 
 dise. 
 
 42. And he said unto Jesus, 
 Lord, remember me when thou 
 comest into thy kingdom. 
 
 43. And Jesus said unto him, 
 Verily I say unto thee, to-day 
 shalt thou be with me in paradise. 
 
 The account in the compilation of Luke, is the 
 shortest, and indicates a manuscript of greater anti- 
 quity than the Acts of Pilate. The accretion is in 
 the latter gospel, which gives as additional circum- 
 stances, the names of the thieves, the crucifixion of 
 Demas on the right hand and Gestas on the left hand 
 of Jesus, and the groaning of Demas, before making 
 his dying request. 
 
 In Mark and Matthew, both of the thieves revile 
 Jesus. 
 
 Attention might here be called to the fact, that 
 while there are older manuscripts concerning the cru- 
 cifixion, etc. , which found their way into the Gospel 
 of Luke, the case is different with the miracles. The 
 shortest, and, as there is reason to believe, the ear- 
 liest accounts of these, are in the Acts of Pilate. 
 
 THE DARKNESS AT THE CRUCIFIXION. 
 Acts of Pilate, ch. 11. 
 
 And it was about the sixth 
 hour; and there was darkness 
 over the whole earth until the 
 ninth hour. And while the sun 
 was eclipsed, etc. 
 
 Luke, 23. 44, 45. 
 
 44. And it was about the sixth 
 hour, and there was a darkness 
 over all the earth, until the ninth 
 hour. 
 
 45. And the sun was darkened, 
 etc. 
 
 In Mark and Matthew, it is stated, "There was 
 darkness over all the land, until the ninth hour." 
 
232 THIRD PEEIOD — A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 RENDING OP THE VAIL OF THE TEMPLE. 
 
 Acts of Pilate, ch. 11. 
 
 Behold, the vail of the temple 
 was rent from the top to the bot- 
 tom; and the rocks also were 
 rent. 
 
 Matthew, 27. 51. 
 
 And behold, the vail of the 
 temple was rent in twain from 
 the top to the bottom; and the 
 earth did quake, and the rocks 
 rent. 
 
 In Matthew, there is the work of a later hand, 
 which interpolated the earthquake. In Luke and 
 Mark, there is only the rending of the vail. 
 
 RISING OP THE SAINTS. 
 Acts of Pilate, ch. 11. Matthew, 27. 52, 53. 
 
 And the graves opened, and 
 many bodies of saints who slept, 
 arose. 
 
 52. And the graves were open- 
 ed; and many bodies of the saints 
 who slept, arose, 
 
 53. And came out of the graves 
 after his resurrection, and went 
 into the holy city, and appeared 
 unto many. 
 
 No such account in any of the other gospels. 
 The interpolation by the author of Matthew, of the 
 Acts of Pilate or of some common manuscript, is 
 manifest. The whole of the 53d verse is accretion ; 
 and by a strange anachronism, though the author 
 of Matthew has the graves opened by the earth- 
 quake, at the time of the crucifixion, and mani- 
 festly intends to represent their inhabitants as 
 coming forth in consequence of that event, they do 
 not arise until several days afterward. 
 
 Michaelis, Farrar, Dean Milman and others at- 
 tribute this scene to the excited imaginations of 
 some of the disciples. 
 
THE ACTS OF PILATE. 
 
 233 
 
 THE DYING WORDS, AND DEATH OF JESUS. 
 Acts of Pilate, ch. 11. Mark, 15. 34. 
 
 And about the ninth hour, Jesus 
 cried out with a loud voice, Heli, 
 Heli, lama, zabathani? Which in- 
 terpreted, is, My God, my God, 
 why hast thou forsaken me? 
 
 And after these things, Jesus 
 said, Father, into thy hands I 
 commend my spirit. And having 
 said this, he gave up the ghost. 
 
 And at the ninth hour, Jesus 
 cried with a loud voice, saying: 
 Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani ? 
 Which is, being interpreted, My 
 God, my God, why hast thou for- 
 saken me ? 
 
 Luke, 23. 46. 
 
 And when Jesus had cried with 
 a loud voice, he said, Father, into 
 thy hands I commend my spirit; 
 and having said thus, he gave up 
 the ghost. 
 
 SCENES AT THE CROSS AFTERWARD. 
 
 Acts of Pilate, ch. 11. 
 
 The centurion, when he saw 
 that Jesus, crying out, thus gave 
 up the ghost, glorified God, and 
 said: 
 
 Of a truth, this was a just man. 
 
 And all the people who stood 
 by, were accordingly troubled at 
 the sight, and reflecting upon 
 what had passed, smote upon 
 their breasts, and returned to the 
 city of Jerusalem. 
 
 Luke, 23. 47, 48. 
 
 47. Now when the centurion 
 saw what was done, he glorified 
 God, saying: Certainly this was 
 a righteous man. 
 
 48. And all the people that came 
 together to that sight, beholding 
 the things which were done, smote 
 their breasts, and returned. 
 
 In one of the canonical gospels, the centurion is 
 made to say, "Truly this was the Son of God;" 
 and in another, "Truly this man was the Son of 
 God." 
 
 THE WOMEN AT THE CRUCIFIXION. 
 Acts of Pilate, ch. 11. Luke, 23, 49. 
 
 But all his acquaintances stood 
 at a distance, as also the women 
 who had followed him from Gali- 
 lee; beholding these things. 
 
 And all his acquaintance, and 
 the women who followed him 
 from Galilee, stood afar off, be- 
 holding these things. 
 
 JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA. 
 
 Acts of Pilate, ch. 11. 
 
 And, behold, a certain man of 
 Arimathea, named Joseph, who 
 
 John, 19. 38. 
 
 And after this, Joseph of Ar- 
 imathea, being a disciple of Jesus, 
 
234 THIED PERIOD A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 Acts of Pilate, ch. 11. John, 19. 38. 
 
 also was a disciple of Jesus, but 
 secretly for fear of the Jews, came 
 to the governor, and entreated 
 the governor, that he would per- 
 mit him to take the body of Jesus 
 from the cross. And the gov- 
 ernor permitted it. 
 
 (but secretly for fear of the Jews> 
 besought Pilate, that he might 
 
 take away the body of Jesus; and 
 Pilate gave (him) leave. 
 
 [Longer accounts in Luke and 
 Mark.] 
 
 THE BURIAL OP JESUS. 
 
 Acts of Pilate, ch. 11. 
 And Nicodemus came, bringing 
 
 with him a mixture of myrrh and 
 aloes, about a hundred pound 
 weight. 
 
 And with tears, they took down 
 Jesus from the cross, and bound 
 him in linen clothes, with spices, 
 according to the custom of bury- 
 ing among the Jews, and placed 
 him in a new tomb, which Joseph 
 had built and caused to be cut 
 out of a rock; in which no man 
 
 had yet been placed; and they 
 
 rolled a great stone to the door of 
 the sepulcher. 
 
 John, 19. 39 to 41. 
 
 39. And there came also Nico- 
 demus, (who, at the first, came to 
 Jesus by night), and brought a 
 mixture of myrrh and aloes, about 
 a hundred pounds (weight.) 
 
 40. Then took they the body of 
 Jesus, and wound it in linen 
 clothes, with the spices, as the 
 manner of the Jews is to bury. 
 
 41. Now, in the place where he 
 was crucified, there was a garden; 
 
 and in the garden a new sepulcher 
 wherein was never man yet laid. 
 
 42. There laid they Jesus, there- 
 fore, because of the Jews' prep- 
 aration (day); for the sepulcher 
 was nigh at hand. 
 
 Matthew, 27. 60. 
 
 And he rolled a great stone to 
 the door of the sepulcher, and de- 
 parted. 
 
 THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS. 
 
 Acts of Pilate, ch. 13. 
 
 And while they (the priests and 
 rulers of the Jews assembled) 
 were all wondering (at the mirac- 
 ulous escape of Joseph), behold, 
 one of the soldiers who were 
 guarding the sepulcher (of Jesus), 
 spake in the synagogue, and said: 
 
 While we were guarding the 
 sepulcher of Jesus, there was an 
 earthquake; and we saw an angel 
 of God, who rolled away the stone 
 from the sepulcher, and sat upon 
 it; and his countenance was like 
 
 Matthew, 28. 1 to 7. 
 
 In the end of the sabbath, as it 
 began to dawn, toward the first 
 (day) of the week, came Mary 
 Magdalene, and the other Mary, 
 to see the sepulcher. 
 
 2. And behold, there was a great 
 earthquake; for the angel of the 
 Lord descended from heaven, and 
 came and rolled back the stone 
 from the door, and sat upon it. 
 
 3. His countenance was like 
 
THE ACTS OP PILATE. 
 
 235 
 
 Acts of Pilate, ch. 13. 
 lightning, and bis garment like 
 
 snow; and we became through 
 fear, as dead persons. 
 
 And we heard the angel saying 
 to the women at the sepulcher of 
 Jesus, Pear not; I know that ye 
 
 seek the crucified Jesus. He has 
 risen, as he foretold. Come and 
 behold the place where hewaslaid; 
 
 and go quickly, and say to his 
 disciples, He has risen from the 
 dead, and will go before you into 
 Galilee. There ye shall see bim, 
 as he told you. 
 
 Matthew, 28. 
 
 lightning, and his raiment white 
 as snow. 
 
 4. And for fear of him, the 
 keepers did shake, and became as 
 dead (men.) 
 
 5. And the angel answered and 
 
 said unto the women, Fear not 
 ye; for I know that ye seek Jesus, 
 who was crucified. 
 
 6. He is not here; for he is 
 risen, as he said. Come, see the 
 place where the Lord lay. 
 
 7. And go quickly, and tell his 
 disciples, that he is risen from 
 the dead; and behold, he goeth 
 before you into Galilee. There 
 shall ye see bim; lo, I have told 
 you. 
 
 BRIBING THE SOLDIERS. 
 
 Acts of Pilate, ch. 13. 
 
 The Jews, hearing this, were 
 afraid; and said among them- 
 selves, If by any means these 
 things become public, everybody 
 will believe in Jesus. 
 
 Then gathering a large sum of 
 money, they gave it to the sol- 
 diers, saying: Tell the people, 
 that while ye were sleeping, the 
 disciples of Jesus came by night, 
 and stole the body of Jesus. And 
 if this should come to the ears of 
 Pilate the governor, we will sat- 
 isfy him, and secure you. 
 
 The soldiers, accordingly, re- 
 ceiving the money, said as they 
 were instructed by the Jews, 
 And their report was spread 
 abroad, among all the people. 
 
 Matthew, 28. 11 to 15. 
 
 11. Now when they were going, 
 behold, some of the watch came 
 into the city, and showed unto 
 the chief priests all the things 
 that were done. 
 
 12. And when they were assem- 
 bled with the elders, and had 
 taken counsel, they gave large 
 money unto the soldiers, 
 
 13. Saying: Say ye, His disciples 
 came by night and stole him 
 (away,) while we slept. 
 
 14. And if this come to the gov- 
 ernor's ears, we will persuade 
 him, and secure you. 
 
 15. So they took the money, 
 and did as they were taught. 
 And this saying is commonly re- 
 ported among the Jews until this 
 day. 
 
 The account in Matthew, which is most nearly 
 parallel with the Acts of Pilate, differs from it in 
 one very important feature. In the Acts of Pilate, 
 the resurrection is only stated upon the report of 
 
236 THIRD PERIOD — A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 the soldiers. In Matthew, it is related as a distinct 
 narrative, on the authority of the historian him- 
 self ; while the report of the soldiers is brought in 
 afterward, as confirmatory testimony. But in the 
 bribing of the soldiers, for the purpose of keeping 
 the resurrection a secret, the narratives again run 
 together. 
 
 The closing sentence in the Acts of Pilate, is, 
 
 "And their report was spread abroad, among all 
 the people." 
 
 In Matthew it reads, "And this saying is com- 
 mon among the Jews, until this day." 
 
 The language of Matthew appears to be that of 
 the later document. 
 
 THE ASCENSION OF JESUS. 
 Acts of Pilate, and Appendix to Mark. 
 
 It is generally agreed, that the last twelve verses 
 of the Gospel of Mark, are an interpolation ; a sort 
 of appendix to the gospel , added by some tran- 
 scriber. 
 
 There is the following parallel between the Acts 
 of Pilate and a portion of this appendix : 
 Acts of Pilate, ch. 14. Make, ch. 16. 
 
 But a certain priest named 
 Phineas, Ada, a schoolmaster, and 
 a Levite named Ageus, they three 
 came from Galilee to Jerusalem, 
 and told the chief priests and all 
 who were in the synagogues, say- 
 ing: 
 
 We have seen Jesus, whom you 
 crucified, talking with his eleven 
 disciples, and sitting in the midst 
 of them on Mount Olivet, and 
 saying to them: 
 
 14. Afterward, he appeared un- 
 to the eleven, as they sat at meat, 
 and upbraided them with their 
 unbelief, and hardness of heart, 
 because they believed not them 
 who had seen him after he was 
 risen. 
 
THE ACTS OF PILATE. 
 
 237 
 
 Acts of Pilate, ch. 14. 
 
 Go ye into all the world; preach 
 to all nations; baptizing them in 
 
 the name of the Father, and the 
 Son, and the Holy Spirit; and he 
 who shall believe and be baptized, 
 will be saved. 
 
 And when he had said these 
 things to his disciples, we saw 
 him ascending into heaven. 
 
 Mare, cb. 16. 
 
 15. And he said unto them, Go 
 ye into all the world, and preach 
 the gospel to every creature. 
 
 16. He that believeth and is 
 baptized, shall be saved; but he 
 that believeth not, shall be 
 damned. 
 
 17. And these signs shall follow 
 them that believe: In my name 
 shall they cast out devils; they 
 shall speak with new tongues. 
 
 18. They shall take up serpents; 
 and if they drink any deadly 
 thing, it shall not hurt them; they 
 shall lay hands on the sick, and 
 they shall recover. 
 
 19. So then, after the Lord had 
 spoken unto them, he was received 
 up into heaven, and sat on the 
 right hand of God. 
 
 This parallel would indicate that the Acts of Pilate 
 was antecedent to the gospel, since if it were subse- 
 quent, this portion of the Acts could not be accounted 
 for ; it not being in the original of Gospel of Mark. 
 
 In the Acts of Pilate, the narrative is continued in 
 the following manner : 
 
 The chief priests, being alarmed at the news of 
 the resurrection of Jesus, and his appearance to the 
 Galileans, gave them money, and sent them back. 
 
 The Jews then assembled for consultation, and 
 
 Annas and Caiaphas comforted them, saying : 
 
 "Why should we believe the soldiers who guarded the sepulcher of 
 Jesus, telling us that an angel rolled away the stone from the door of 
 the sepulcher? Perhaps his own disciples told them this, and gave 
 them money, that they should declare these things; and that they, 
 the disciples, might bear away the body of Jesus. Besides, consider 
 this: That there is no credit to be given to the foreigners, because 
 they also took a large sum from us, and have declared to all, accord- 
 ing to the instructions we gave them. They have to maintain faith 
 either to us, or to the disciples of Jesus." 
 
238 THIRD PERIOD— A. D. 120 to A. D. 130. 
 
 The foregoing are all the parallels between the 
 Acts of Pilate and the canonical gospels. 
 
 It is impossible not to perceive, that the narrative 
 in the Acts of Pilate is more natural and consistent, 
 and better sustained throughout. 
 
 In Luke, there is a preliminary trial before 
 Herod ; who has Jesus arrayed in a gorgeous robe, 
 and sent back to Pilate. Then, after the trial, he is 
 taken to execution, addressing the women by the 
 way. After the mocking and deriding, the dividing 
 of the raiment, etc., and the inscription on the cross, 
 the historian gives the prayer of Jesus for his 
 enemies. Then the scene between the two thieves 
 on the cross, and between one of them and Jesus. 
 It is stated that the sun was darkened at the cruci- 
 fixion. After describing the other scenes in a man- 
 ner somewhat similar to the other synoptics, the 
 author of this gospel states that on the first day of 
 the week, early in the morning, the women who 
 came with him from Galilee, came to the sepulcher, 
 bringing spices, etc., for the purpose of embalming 
 the body of Jesus. They found the stone rolled 
 away, and the sepulcher empty. They then saw 
 two men, clothed in shining garments, who told 
 them Jesus had risen, and reminded them of his 
 words, that he should rise the third day. Then 
 Peter went, and saw the grave empty. Jesus after- 
 ward appeared to the two disciples, on their way to 
 Emmaus, and to the eleven apostles, at Jerusalem. 
 Then, leading them to Bethany, he blessed them, 
 and ascended into heaven. 
 
THE ACTS OP PILATE. 239 
 
 In Mark, Jesus is delivered to Pilate, directly, 
 by the chief priests, who, after holding a consul- 
 tation with the elders and scribes, and with the 
 council, had apprehended and bound Jesus ; 
 nothing being said about the examination before 
 Herod. Then follows the trial or examination, 
 before Pilate — the clamor of the Jews — the show of 
 resistance and final yielding by Pilate — scenes on 
 the way to the crucifixion, and at the cross, differ- 
 ing from Luke, in various details, with which the 
 reader is familiar. Then, after the death and 
 burial of Jesus, when the sabbath was past, three 
 women, whose names are mentioned, went with 
 spices, to anoint him. They found the stone 
 rolled away, and entering into the sepulcher, they 
 saw a young man, sitting, clothed in a long white 
 garment. He told them Jesus had gone into Gali- 
 lee. Jesus then appeared, first to Mary Magdalene, 
 after that to the two disciples. Then to the eleven, 
 as they sat at meat. Then follows the remainder 
 of the spurious appendix. 
 
 In Matthew, the author relates nearly all the in- 
 cidents given in Luke and Mark, concerning the 
 crucifixion, and several of his own besides. He 
 has two earthquakes, and many other incidents, un- 
 known to the other synoptics. After the death and 
 burial, the two Marys came to the sepulcher ; there 
 they saw one who is now represented as the angel 
 who had rolled away the stone from the sepulcher. 
 He stated, also, that Jesus had gone into Galilee. 
 Jesus appeared to the women, as they were return- 
 
240 , THIRD PERIOD — A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 ing. He then appeared to the eleven, on a moun- 
 tain in Galilee. 
 
 The narrative in John differs still, in many par- 
 ticulars, from all three of the synoptics ; not only 
 omitting many incidents, but adding important 
 additional matter, not always consistent with the 
 other accounts. Among such might be mentioned 
 much that Jesus said to Pilate, sayings of Jesus on 
 the cross, etc., the piercing of his side ; the scene 
 with Thomas after the resurrection ; the appearance 
 of Jesus, after that event, to the fishermen on the 
 Sea of Tiberias, and the miraculous draft of fishes, 
 which are manifestly confounded with scenes in 
 Christ's ministry. 
 
 If we turn to the narrative of all these events, as 
 found in the Acts of Pilate, while there is sufficient 
 that is marvelous, there will be found, nevertheless, 
 a degree of unity and consistency, which is wanting 
 in the other gospels. 
 
 In the first place, there is the trial before Pilate ; 
 and in the language of Bishop Ellicott, the Jews 
 "heaping up indiscriminate accusation ;" "an eager 
 ferocity on their part, met" at first "by a steady 
 and almost indignant scorn on the part of the gov- 
 ernor." At the same time, "the weeping populace ; 
 the appearance of witnesses in favor of the accused . ' ' 
 These witnesses testify to many miracles Jesus had 
 wrought, hoping thereby to save his life. 
 
 All this having failed, Pilate, overborne by the 
 Jews, passes sentence on Jesus ; something quite 
 natural in a judicial proceeding, but which is 
 
THE ACTS OF PILATE. 241 
 
 entirely omitted in the other gospels, except that in 
 Luke it is stated, that Pilate gave sentence that it 
 should be as the Jews required. 
 
 Then Jesus is taken to execution. The scenes at 
 the cross are stated briefly, and in natural order. 
 
 Coming to the resurrection, we find it related on 
 the report of the soldiers. The appearance of Jesus 
 was to the Galileans and to Joseph of Arimathea. 
 
 When considered in reference to the length of the 
 accounts, it will be found that the narratives in the 
 Acts of Pilate are generally, though not invariably, 
 shorter than those in the canonical gospels. 
 
 Upon the whole, we may reasonably conclude, 
 that the older gospels — those of the first century — 
 contained fragmentary accounts of the crucifixion ; 
 that these were first put together, in a connected 
 form, in the Acts of Pilate, to which there was 
 added, for the first time, the material resurrection. 
 This event, at first stated at second hand , as coming 
 from the soldiers, was afterward incorporated into 
 the canonical gospels, as a part of the principal 
 narrative. 
 
CHAPTER XVII . 
 
 OTHE$ EXTANT GOSPELS. 
 
 History op Joseph the Caepentee — Narrative op Jo- 
 seph op Aeimathea — Pseudo Matthew — The supposed 
 Gospel op the Nativity op Mary — Letter of Pontius 
 Pilate — Report of Pilate — The Giving up of Pontius 
 Pilate — Avenging of the Savior — The Newly Discovered 
 Acts of Pilate. 
 
 The remaining extant gospels must be considered 
 very briefly ; since none of them have fully estab- 
 lished their claims to the great antiquity accorded 
 to those which have been examined. As a part of 
 the literature connected with the early history of the 
 Christian religion, they cannot be passed unno- 
 ticed. 
 
 History of Joseph the Carpenter.— Tischendorf thinks this 
 gospel was written in the fourth century. There is no reason for 
 placing it earlier. The early fathers knew nothing of it. 
 
 It purports to be a discourse of Jesus Christ himself to his disci- 
 ples, on the mount of Olives, in which he relates to them the history 
 of his father, Joseph. 
 
 He speaks of the former marriage of Joseph, and the death of his 
 first wife; his marriage to the virgin Mary. Says she brought up 
 James, one of the sons of Joseph's former wife; whence she was called 
 the mother of James. Refers .to the birth at Bethlehem, the flight to 
 Egypt and return. Joseph lived to be 111 years old. A large part of 
 
NARRATIVE OF JOSEPH. 243 
 
 the gospel is occupied in a minute and affecting account of the scenes 
 attending the death of Joseph. 
 
 The last part of the narrative is as follows: 
 
 "Having thus spoken, I embraced the body of my father Joseph, 
 and wept over it; and they opened the door of the tomb, and placed 
 his body in it, near the body of his father Jacob. And at the time 
 when he fell asleep, he had fulfilled a hundred and eleven years. 
 Never did a tooth in his mouth hurt him, nor was his eyesight ren- 
 dered less sharp, nor his body bent, nor his strength impaired: but he 
 worked at his trade of a carpenter, to the very last day of his life; 
 and that was the six-and-twentieth of the month of Ahib." 
 
 This having been related to the apostles, they rose up and pros- 
 trated themselves, making an address to Jesus, to which he replied, 
 referring to the prophecies, and to the return into the world of Enoch 
 and Elias, etc. 
 
 Narrative of Joseph of Aeimathea.— The full title of the 
 gospel is, 
 
 "The Narrative of Joseph of Arimathea, that begged the Lord's 
 Body; in which also he brings in the Cases of the Two Robbers." 
 
 It is not known when it was written. It was popular in the middle 
 ages. 
 
 It is based upon the Gospel of Nicodemus, or the Acts of Pilate. 
 The narrative in the Acts is closely followed. But Judas charges 
 Jesus with stealing the law from the temple, and betrays him. Judas 
 was son of the brother of Caiaphas the priest. Trial of Jesus, and 
 crucifixion with the thieves. 
 
 In the incidents taken from the Acts of Pilate, there is the cus- 
 tomary accretion. For instance, the thief says to Jesus: 
 
 "Before, then, Lord, my spirit departs, order my sins to be washed 
 away, and remember me, the sinner, in thy kingdom, when upon the 
 great, most lofty throne, thou shalt judge the twelve tribes of Israel." 
 
 This sentence is sufficient evidence, that the composition of the 
 book was subsequent to the second century. The law of accretion is 
 also aptly illustrated in the address of the other thief on the cross: 
 
 "If thou art the Christ, come down from the cross, that I may believe 
 thee. But now I see thee perishing along with me, not like a man, 
 but like a wild beast." 
 
 The gospel contains original matter, also, of a wonderful and 
 startling character. 
 
 Pseudo Matthew.— A mere compilation of portions of the Gospel 
 
244 THIRD PERIOD — A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 of the Infancy, with such accretions as may be expected after two 
 hundred years. 
 
 There is reason to believe that it did not appear much before the 
 time of Jerome. Some have thought it to have been the publication 
 of Seleucas, alluded to in the correspondence between Jerome and the 
 bishops. Others have thought it to have been the translation which 
 Jerome made at the request of the bishops. But that, as will be seen, 
 was another document. 
 
 The supposed Gospel op the -Nativity op 
 Mary. — In all the collections of apocryphal gospels, 
 will be found a Gospel of the Birth of Mary. It is 
 sometimes spoken of as among the most ancient. 
 
 We are satisfied that there was anciently no such 
 gospel ; that its supposed existence is based upon a 
 misapprehension . The facts are these : 
 
 In the works of Jerome is found a correspondence 
 between him and two bishops, named Chromatius 
 and Heliodorus. The bishops, addressing their 
 beloved brother and presbyter, Jerome, state that 
 they had found in some apocryphal books, "an 
 account of the birth of the Virgin Queen Mary, as 
 also the birth and infancy of our Lord and Savior 
 Jesus Christ;" in which they had** observed many 
 things contrary to their faith. They say they had 
 heard that he (Jerome) had found a volume in 
 Hebrew, written in St. Matthew the Evangelist's 
 own hand, "in which was described the infant state 
 of the Virgin Mary and our Savior." They there- 
 fore entreat him to translate it out of Hebrew into 
 Latin ; that they may know what the famous things 
 concerning Christ were and to refute the heretics, 
 who had mixed other things "with the genuine his- 
 tory of the Savior's nativity." 
 
NATIVITY OF MARY. 245 
 
 Jerome replies, saying it was a difficult task 
 which they had imposed on him, 
 
 "Because the holy apostle and evangelist Matthew did not himself 
 wish to have it written for the public; [nee voluit in aperto conscribi.] 
 For if it was not to have been a secret, he would certainly have an- 
 nexed it to his own gospel which he published. 
 
 "But he composed this little book in Hebrew letters, [sed fecit hunc 
 libellum Hebraicis Uteris obsignatum,] which he so published, in 
 order that this book might be in the hands of religious men, written 
 in his own hand, in Hebrew characters; [ex manu ipsius scriptus He- 
 braicis Uteris.] They have transmitted it from preceding to subse- 
 quent times. They have taken care, however, never to have it trans- 
 lated by any one, and have given different accounts of its contents; 
 textus ejus aliter atque aliter narraverunt. 
 
 "But the truth is, that the book was published by a certain Mani- 
 chaean disciple, Seleucas by name, who also composed a false history 
 of the Acts of the Apostles." 
 
 He speaks of the publication as injurious, and 
 not to be listened to by the church. He then ac- 
 cedes to their request. 
 
 In another epistle, he says he will translate 
 it "as well as he can remember ;" [in quantum re- 
 cordari possum ;] and notifies them, that not only 
 will the translation be not literal, but that he will 
 feel at liberty to wander considerably from the ori- 
 ginal. He says he will translate, following the 
 meaning rather than the words, saying only "what 
 has been written , or what may be supposed consist- 
 ently, to have been written ;" [et non alia dicam, 
 quam quae aut scripta sunt ibi, aut consequenter 
 scribi potuerunt ;] "sometimes walking in the same 
 path with the author, though not in the same steps ; 
 and though sometimes turning a little one side, re- 
 turning the same way again," (nunc eadam semita 
 non iisdem vestgiis incedens, nunc quibusdam di- 
 verticulis, et eandem viam recurrens). 
 
246 THIRD PERIOD — A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 It will be noticed that nowhere in the correspond- 
 ence is either the gospel which the bishops had seen, 
 or the one which Jerome claimed to have seen in 
 Matthew's handwriting, spoken of as a Gospel of 
 the Birth or Nativity of Mary only, but in connec- 
 tion with the Infancy of the Savior. 
 
 Jerome proceeded to make his translation, but the 
 publisher of his works, for some reason, omitted 
 the last part, and published only that relating to 
 the birth and infancy of Mary. This was placed 
 after the correspondence, and the whole was en- 
 titled "De Nativitate Marias;" indicating that all 
 that followed, was concerning the nativity of Mary. 
 The translation was only what Jerome remembered 
 of the Gospels of the Infancy ; he having probably 
 seen a version purer than that published by Seleu- 
 cas. 
 
 The translation, under the very wide latitude 
 which the pious father had given himself, doubtless 
 differed from any version of those gospels which 
 had previously been seen. Hence it was thought 
 to be a new gospel ; an impression which was 
 strengthened by the title placed by Jerome's pub- 
 lisher before the correspondence ; "De Nativitate 
 Marise." 
 
 This view of the matter is confirmed by the his- 
 torical evidence. The first writers who refer to this 
 gospel, are Epiphanius and Gregory Nyssen, both 
 of whom were contemporary with Jerome . Neither 
 of these writers speak of it as "the Gospel of the 
 Birth of Mary," but as "De Nativitate Marias." 1 
 
 (i.) See Epiphanins, Haeres, 26. Gnost. No. 12, and Ilaeres. 79. CoIIyr. No. 5. 
 Also Gregory Nyssen, Horn, de Nativ. S. Man. Vir. torn. 3. Opp. p. 346. 
 
THE REPORT OP PILATE. 247 
 
 Letter of Pontius Pilate.— This letter may be seen in trans- 
 lation from Latin and Greek manuscripts, the date of which is uncer- 
 tain. The Greek text is given in "The Acts of Peter and Paul." 
 
 There is a discussion between the Emperor Nero, Peter, and Simon 
 Magus. Peter appeals to the writings of Pontius Pilate, sent to 
 Claudius. Nero orders them to be brought and read, which was done. 
 The letter stated, 
 
 That the fathers of the Jews had promised, that God would send 
 Jesus from heaven, who should be their king, and he should come to 
 earth by means of a virgin. That he came into Judea, and was 
 enlightening the blind, cleansing lepers, healing paralytics, expelling 
 demons from men, raising the dead, subduing the winds, walking 
 upon the waves of the sea, and doing many other wonders. That the 
 Jews seized him and delivered him up to Pilate, who, after scourging 
 him, gave him up to their will. That they crucified him, but Jesus 
 rose on the third day, while the soldiers of Pilate were guarding him. 
 That the Jews bribed the soldiers. That the soldiers could not keep 
 silence, and had testified that they had seen Jesus after he was risen. 
 
 Another and probably older form of this letter is in one version of 
 the Acts of Pilate. It is not materially different. 
 
 Report of Pilate.— There are two forms of this in the Greek. 
 It is similar to the foregoing. It enlarges upon the miracles, and is 
 written in a more fervid style. 
 
 It is possible that some ancient form of the letter or Report, was 
 the original from which the Acts of Pilate, or the first part of the 
 Gospel of Nicodemus, was constructed. In their present form the 
 letter and Report are manifestly of a later date. 
 
 The Giving up of Pontius Pilate.— Csesar, filled with rage 
 at what had happened, sent soldiers, and ordered them to bring Pilate 
 a prisoner. When brought to Rome, he was arraigned for what he 
 had done. 
 
 While Csesar was addressing Pilate, when he named the name of 
 Christ, all the multitude of Gods fell down in a body. Pilate making 
 his defense, and throwing the blame on the Jews, Csesar sent, and 
 had "all the nation of the Jews" seized. He ordered Pilate to be be- 
 headed. Pilate prayed to the Lord, and received assurances that he 
 should be blessed, because under him the prophecies had been ful- 
 filled. 
 
 When he was beheaded, an angel of the Lord received his head. 
 His wife Procla, seeing this, filled with joy, immediately gave up the 
 ghost, and was buried with her husband. 
 
248 THIRD PERIOD — A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 The Death of Pilate.— A variation of the foregoing. 
 
 Tiberius Csesar, emperor, had a disease, and sent for Jesus to come 
 and cure him. The messenger, on arriving in Palestine, found that 
 Christ had been crucified. But on his journey, he met Veronica, who 
 lent him the cloth on which was impressed an image of the Savior, 
 which, she said, would cure Csesar. 
 
 "Ceesar therefore ordered the way to be strewn with silk cloths, and 
 the picture to be presented to him. As soon as he had looked upon 
 it, he regained his former health.'' 
 
 Pilate was brought to Rome, where the emperor was furious 
 against him. But Pilate appearing before him in the seamless tunic 
 which Jesus had worn, all the anger of Tiberius at once disappeared. 
 
 Having been condemned to die a disgraceful death, Pilate killed 
 himself with his own knife. His body was bound to a great mass, 
 and sunk in the River Tiber. 
 
 "But malignant and filthy spirits, in his malignant and filthy body, 
 all rejoicing together, kept moving themselves in the waters, and in 
 a terrible manner, brought lightnings and tempests, thunders and 
 hail-storms, in the air, so that all men were kept in horrible fear." 
 Wherefore the Romans, driving him out of the Tiber, carried him to 
 Vienna, and sunk him in the River Rhone. "But there evil spirits 
 were present, working the same things in the same place. Those 
 men, therefore, not enduring such a visitation of demons, removed 
 from themselves that vessel of malediction, and sent him to be buried 
 in the territory of Losania. And they, seeing that they were troubled 
 by the aforesaid visitations, removed him from themselves, and sunk 
 him in a certain pit, surrounded by mountains; where, to this day, 
 according to the account of some, certain diabolical machinations 
 are said to bubble up." 
 
 The Avenging of the Savior.— There are, in this document, 
 two distinct legends: one of Veronica, the other, that of Nathan's 
 embassy. 
 
 In the days of Tiberius Caesar, Titus, a prince under Tiberius, in 
 Equitania, was afflicted with a cancer in his face. And Tiberius was 
 ill, and full of ulcers and fevers, having nine kinds of leprosy. Nath- 
 an was sent from Judea, to carry a treaty to Rome. He tells about 
 Christ, his miracles, his crucifixion and his resurrection. Titus ad- 
 dresses Tiberius strongly in condemnation of the Jews who had slain 
 Jesus. Whereupon the wound fell from the face of Titus, "and his 
 flesh and his face were restored to health. And all the sick who were 
 in the same place, were made whole, in that hour." He then sent for 
 
THE AVENGING OF THE SAVIOR. 249 
 
 Vespasian, who brought five thousand armed men. With them they 
 went and made war on the Jews for killing Jesus. 
 
 Jerusalem was taken with great slaughter. A search was made, 
 and Veronica was found, who had the portrait of Jesus. When the 
 emperor saw the portrait, he was immediately cured. And all the 
 blind, the lepers, and those affected in divers ways, were healed. 
 
 Nathan then came forward, and baptized Tiberius, who ascended 
 his throne, and publicly returned thanks to God. 
 
 The Newly Discovered Acts of Pilate. — A 
 learned German, while traveling in Missouri, some 
 years ago, became the guest of a clergyman by the 
 name of W. D. Mahan, at Boonville. In conver- 
 sation, he mentioned to this clergyman, that he had 
 seen, in the Vatican Library, at Rome, the original 
 Acts of Pilate. 
 
 After the German had left, Mr. Mahan, deeming 
 the matter of great importance, wrote to him, in 
 Europe, and at considerable expense, had the 
 manuscript copied. He then published it, with the 
 correspondence. 
 
 Afterward, the same document was published, 
 under an arrangement with the proprietor, by Rev. 
 George Sluter, A. M. , of the Presbyterian Synod of 
 Missouri. 
 
 The publication is preceded by a statement of the 
 discovery and procuring of the document ; an in- 
 troduction, giving the references to the Acts of 
 Pilate by Justin Martyr and Tertullian, and the 
 subsequent comments of Eusebius. The volume 
 contains, also, remarks and critical notes. 
 
 Without doubt, these clergymen are acting in 
 good faith, and think they have obtained the orig- 
 
250 THIRD PERIOD — A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 inal Acts of Pilate. There is none the less doubt 
 that they are mistaken. One sentence alone is suf- 
 ficient to show that the document published by 
 them is of comparatively modern date ; if indeed 
 the whole affair is not an imposition upon them, 
 by some astute adventurers. 
 
 When Pilate requested Jesus to be more circum- 
 spect in his language, while discoursing to the Jews, 
 he is represented in this document, as replying to 
 Pilate , as follows : 
 
 "Say to the torrent, Stop in the midst of the mountain home, be- 
 cause it will uproot the trees of the valley."— [Page 55, Sluter's Ed. . 
 
 This, with considerable more of the same sort, is 
 sufficient, without taking time with other reasons, 
 to brand the document, not only as a forgery, but 
 as a modern, and a vulgar one. Any person of 
 but a small degree of literary skill, would have 
 come nearer to the simple and impressive style of 
 Jesus. "Brief and concise utterances," says Jus- 
 tin Martyr, "fell from him, for he was no sophist, 
 but his word was the power of God." 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 WRITERS OF THE THIRD PERIOD. 
 
 Menandee — Satukninus — Basilides — Peodious — Aeisti- 
 
 DES — QUADKATUS — BARNABAS — AuSlPPA CaSTOB — AsiSTION 
 
 — John the Peesbytee. — Anonymous Wbitings. — Pso- 
 tebbs of xystas — pbeaching and docteine of petee — 
 Testimony of the Twelve Patbiabchs — Sibylline Obaoles 
 — Pbeaohing of Paul — Sybiao Documents. 
 
 Most of the Christian writers of the second cen- 
 tury who immediately succeeded the apostolic fath- 
 ers, advocated doctrines which were afterward con- 
 sidered heretical. 
 
 "Heresy," says Dr. Lardner, "in Greek, hairesis, signifies election, 
 or choice; and is used for any opinion which a man chooseth as best, 
 or more probable."— [Works, vol. 4, p. 505. 
 
 Menander, Saturninus and Basilides, are gener- 
 ally classed together, by the orthodox fathers, and 
 their heresies considered in the order here named. 
 
 Menander, — A. D. 120, 
 
 Is said to have been the fellow countryman and 
 disciple of Simon Magus. 1 This is denied, how- 
 ever, by some. He is said to have aspired to the 
 honor of being a Messiah, and one of the iEons, 
 
 fi.) Westcott Canon, p. 252. 
 
252 THIRD PERIOD— A. D. 120 to A. D. 130. 
 
 sent from the pleroma, or celestial regions, to suc- 
 cor souls oppressed by the demons of earth. He 
 had a form of baptism in his own name. His in- 
 fluence continued for several centuries. He was 
 written against by Justin Martyr, by Irenseus, Eu- 
 sebius, and several others. Justin speaks of him 
 as follows : 
 
 "And a man, Menander, also a Samaritan, of the town of Cappare- 
 taea, a disciple of Simon, and inspired by devils, we know to have de- 
 ceived many, while he was in Antioch, by his magical art. He per- 
 suaded those who adhered to him, that they should never die. And 
 even now, there are some living, who hold this opinion of his." 
 —[Apology, 1. 25. 
 
 Saturninus, — A. D. 125. 
 
 Saturninus, like Menander, held that there was 
 one Father, unknown to all, who made angels, 
 archangels, principalities and powers. He said the 
 world and all things therein were made by a com- 
 pany of seven angels. The Savior, he taught to be 
 unbegotten and incorporeal ; and that he was a 
 man in appearance only. "He says that marriage 
 and generation are of Satan." * 
 
 Basilides, — A. D. 125, 
 
 Was a Gnostic of Alexandria. Is said to have 
 written a commentary, in 24 books, on "The Gos- 
 pel." This was refuted by Agrippa Castor. 
 
 Fragments of his writings are given by Hippoly- 
 tus, who wrote in the third century. They have 
 caused much discussion in reference to the gospel 
 upon which he commented ; whether it was in writ- 
 ing, and whether his own or another's. 
 
 (i.) Irenaeus, adv. Haer. lib. i, c. 24. 
 
BASILIDES. 253 
 
 He made use of "The traditions of Matthias;" 
 or, as Miller supposes, the traditions of Matthew. 
 These "claimed to be grounded on private inter- 
 course with the Savior.' ' ' They were, possibly, the 
 much talked of Oracles of Matthew. 
 
 The fact that Basilides made use of such a collec- 
 tion, is significant, and may go far to explain the 
 source of many of the sayings of Christ, so often 
 quoted by the fathers before Irenseus, and which 
 have been supposed to be evidence of the existence 
 of the canonical gospels. 
 
 Some have claimed Basilides as a witness to the 
 four gospels, more particularly to Luke. The 
 arguments upon which the claim is based, are vague 
 and unsatisfactory. Perhaps it will be sufficient, 
 upon this question, to take the judgment of Dr. 
 Davidson. He says : 
 
 "As to Basilides, his supposed quotations from the New Testament, 
 in Hippolytus, are too precarious to be trusted."— r Canon, p. 86. See 
 also his Introduction to the N. T., vol 2, p. 388. 
 
 Any apparent use of Luke may be explained by 
 
 the fact, that Basilides had access to the same 
 
 manuscripts from which the Gospels of Marcion 
 
 and Luke were compiled. 
 
 Doctrines. — "Basilides," says Irenseus, "that he may appear to 
 have discovered something more sublime and plausible, gives an im- 
 mense development to his doctrines. He sets forth that Nous was 
 first born of the unborn Father; that from him again was born Logos, 
 from Logos Fhronesis, from Fhronesis Sophia and Dynamis; and 
 from Dynamis and Sophia, the powers and principalities, and angels, 
 whom he calls the first; and that by them the first heaven was made. 
 Then other powers, being formed by emanation from these, created 
 another heaven, similar to the first," etc. 
 
 (i.) Westcott, Canon, p, 264. 
 
254 THIRD PERIOD A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 The chief of the angels who occupy the lowest heaven, is the God 
 of. the Jews, and he and bis angels created the world. 
 
 That Jesus himself was not crucified, but Simon of Cyrene, who 
 bore the cross, and assumed the form of Jesus. Salvation belongs to 
 the soul alone, for the body is by nature subject to corruption. — [ Ire- 
 nseus adv. Hseres. bk. 1, ch. 24. Ante Nic. vol. 5, p. 90. 
 
 Eusebius makes the doubtful statement, that 
 like Pythagoras, Basilides enjoined upon his fol- 
 lowers, a silence of five years. 1 A gospel is attri- 
 buted to him. But this is thought to be the same 
 as the commentaries. 
 
 Prodicus.— A. D. 120. 
 
 But little is known of this writer, except that he 
 was leader of a sect called Prodiceans ; and that 
 they were accused, by Clement of Alexandria, of 
 licentious practices. 
 
 "They say," says Clement, "they are by nature the children of the 
 supreme deity ; but they dishonor their high birth and freedom ; for they 
 live as they choose, and they choose to live in pleasure. They scorn 
 to be controlled, as being lords of the sabbath, and the King's chil- 
 dren."— [Clem. Alex. Str. 3. 4. 
 
 They also held that prayer was needless. 2 
 
 They did not separate themselves from the Chris- 
 tian churches. 
 
 The followers of Prodicus boasted of having the 
 secret books of Zoroaster. 3 
 
 Baring-Gould thinks they may have used the 
 Gospel of Philip. 4 
 
 (i.) Ecclesiastical History, 4. 7; attributing it to Agrippa Castor. 
 
 (2.) Stromata, 7. 7. 
 
 (3.) Strom. 1. 15. 
 
 (4.) Lost and Hostile Gospels, p. 293. 
 
ARISTIDES AND QUADRATUS. 255 
 
 Aristides and Quadratus. — A. D. 126. 
 
 They delivered to the Emperor Hadrian, Apolo- 
 gies for the Christian Religion. That of Quadratus 
 is said to have procured the Rescript of the em- 
 peror to Minucius, in favor of the Christians. 
 
 Eusebius says that this was in circulation among 
 the brethren, and that he had a copy of it. He 
 gives an extract, in which there is reference to the 
 miracles of Christ. 1 If we could rely upon the 
 correctness of the statement, this might be recorded 
 as the earliest historical reference to the miracles 
 of Jesus. 
 
 The same historian, speaking of Quadratus and 
 others, "who held the first rank in the apostolic 
 succession," makes a statement, by which he mani- 
 festly intends to leave the impression, that the 
 canonical gospels were in circulation at that time. 
 He says : 
 
 "Afterwards, leaving their country, they performed the office of 
 evangelists to those who had not yet heard the faith, whilst with a 
 noble ambition to proclaim Christ, they also delivered to them the 
 books of the holy gospels."— [Ecc. Hist. 3. 37. 
 
 Westcott, after speaking of the apologies of 
 Quadratus and Aristides, says : "Nothing, it will be 
 seen, can be drawn directly from these scanty no- 
 tices, in support of the Canon." 2 
 
 Barnabas. — About A. D. 130. 
 
 The Epistle of Barnabas is often classed among 
 the writings of the apostolic fathers. There is much 
 
 (i.) Ecc. Hist. 4. 3. 
 (z.) Canon, p. 76- 
 
256 THIRD PERIOD — A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 difference of opinion as to its date, but those writers 
 who place it after A. D. 120, comprise a large ma- 
 jority. 
 
 The ancient fathers of the church held it in high 
 esteem, and attributed it to Barnabas, the compan- 
 ion of Paul. Such was the opinion of Clement of 
 Alexandria. 1 Origen called it a "catholic epistle," 
 and ranked it among the sacred scriptures. 2 
 
 In the introduction to the epistle, in the Anti- 
 Nicene Collection, it is stated, the ancients unani- 
 mously attribute it to Barnabas the Levite, of apos- 
 tolic times. 
 
 "Certainly," says the editor, "no other name is 
 even hinted at in Christian antiquity, as that of the 
 writer . " 3 The editor is equally explicit in asserting, 
 that scarcely any scholars now ascribe it to the illus- 
 trious friend and companion of St. Paul. What a 
 commentary upon the credit to be given to the 
 opinions of the fathers, upon such questions ! 
 
 The Gospels. — Some writers have supposed they 
 saw in this epistle, evidence of the use of the canon- 
 ical gospels. It is not, however, much relied upon. 
 The reader will remember the verdict of Dr. Less, 
 upon this subject. 
 
 Dr. Davidson says he has apparently a citation 
 from Matthew, but it is uncertain. 4 
 
 Dr. Westcott, speaking of this class of evidence, 
 says: 
 
 (i.) Strom. 2. 6; 2, 7, etc. 
 
 (2.) Contra Celsum, 1. 63, Coram, in Rom. 1. 24. 
 
 (3,)Ante. Nic. vol. 1, p. 99, et seq. 
 
 (4.) Canon, p. 94. 
 
AGKIPPA CASTOR. 257 
 
 "References in the sub-apostolic age, to the discourses or actions of 
 our Lord, as we find them recorded in the gospels, show, so far as 
 they go, that what the gospels relate was then held to be true; but it 
 does not necessarily follow that they were already in use, and were 
 the actual source of the passages in question."— [Canon, p. 49. 
 
 The Miracles. — In the 5th chapter of the Epis- 
 tle of Barnabas, is the first reference to the mira- 
 cles of Christ ; if we except those in the apocryphal 
 gospels, which appeared about the same time. 
 Speaking of Jesus, he says : 
 
 "Morever, teaching Israel, and doing such great miracles and signs, 
 [Peras ge tot dedaskon ton Israel, kai peelikauta terata kai seemeia 
 toiori], he preached the truth to him, and greatly loved him." 
 
 Agrippa Castor. — A. D. 130. 
 
 According to Eusebius, Agrippa Castor wrote 
 books against Basilides. 1 Eusebius says he was one 
 of the most distinguished writers of that day. 2 
 
 These, with many other writings of the kind, are 
 lost or destroyed. It was a natural source of infor- 
 mation, and would have disclosed, almost certainly, 
 the nature of the gospels or other writings used by 
 Basilides. 
 
 It is somewhat remarkable, that all the writings 
 of the second century which would have furnished 
 the most direct evidence as to the gospels then in 
 use, have perished. 
 
 Aristion. — About A. D. 130. 
 
 It might be inferred from a passage in Eusebius, 
 that Aristion had preserved written traditions of 
 
 (i,) Ecclesiastical History, 4. 7. 
 
 (2.) See also Jerome, Catal. Script, c. 20. 
 
258 THIRD PERIOD — A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 the time of Christ. Speaking of Papias, he says : 
 
 "He moreover hands down, in his own writing, other narratives 
 given him by the previously mentioned Aristion, of the Lord's sayings> 
 and the traditions of the presbyter John."— [Ecc. Hist. 3. 29. 
 
 A fair inference would be that these "narratives' ' 
 were in writing ; as they are distinguished from the 
 ' 'traditions ' ' of the presbyter. 
 
 John the Presbyter, — About A. D. 130, 
 
 Is supposed by some, to have written the Revela- 
 tion. This was the opinion of Eusebius. 1 
 
 He is also, not without reason, believed to have 
 been the author of the epistles of John. It will be 
 noticed that in the 2d and 3d of these epistles, the 
 writer styles himself "the elder," or presbyter. 
 
 The theory that he wrote the Gospel of John, has 
 less plausibility ; since there is no sufficient evi- 
 dence of its existence, until about half a century 
 later. 
 
 Anonymous Writings. 
 
 There are also some anonymous writings, belong- 
 ing to the third period, which will be briefly consid- 
 ered. 
 
 The Pkoverbs of Xtstas. 
 
 Written, about A. D. 119. The genuineness of the book is doubt- 
 ed by Westcott and others. Ewald places it among the most valuable 
 relics of early Christian literature.— [Gott, Gel. Anz. 1859, p. 261; and 
 Gesch. 7. 321. 
 
 Westcott says it contains no definite references to the New Testa- 
 ment.— [Hist. Canon, p. 174. 
 
 (i.) Ecc. Hist. 3. 39. 
 
ANONYMOUS WRITINGS. 25$ 
 
 The Preaching, and Doctrine of Peter. 
 
 These books were well known in the second century. 
 
 The Preaching of Peter was condemned by Eusebius, in the same 
 language used in reference to the Gospel of Peter. He pronounced 
 it a forgery, and stated that none of the ancients, nor any ecclesias- 
 tical writers had taken testimonies from it.— [Ecc. H. 3. 3. 
 
 On the contrary, it is referred to by Heracleon, A. D. 190, accord- 
 ing to Origen, (Tom. 1, in Joan, p. 211), and repeatedly by Clement of 
 Alexandria. — [Stromata, 1. 29; 2. 15; 6. 5; 6. 6, and 6. 15.] Also by 
 Lactantius; all before Eusebius. Clement took numerous testimon- 
 ies from it, and endorsed it in the most emphatic manner; declaring 
 that Christ said to his disciples, what he is reported to have said, in 
 the Preaching of Peter.— [Strom. 6. 6. 
 
 It was also referred to in the epistle of Peter to James, published 
 by Cotelerius.— [See Ante-Nic. Ch. Lib. vol. 17, p. 1. 
 
 The book was subsequently cited by Theodotus, Byzantius, and 
 Gregory Nazianzen, of the ancients, and among the moderns has been 
 very favorably spoken of by Dr. Grabe, Mr. Toland, Mr. Whiston, Dr. 
 Mill, and others. 
 
 The Doctrine of Peter was a small book, in use in the 2d century, 
 of which little is now known. It was referred to and condemned by 
 Origen. From him we learn that it contained the same passage which 
 Jerome says was in the Gospel of the Hebrews, in which Christ says 
 to those who were with Peter, "Lay hold, handle me, and see that I 
 am not an incorporeal spirit."— [Origen, de Princip. Prsef . eec. 8. 
 
 Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs. 
 
 Supposed to have been written, about A. D. 125. The character 
 of the book is indicated by the title. Each of the sons of Jacob gives 
 his dying testimony on some important subject. — "The Testament of 
 Reuben concerning Thoughts;" "The Testament of Simeon concern- 
 ing envy; " etc. 
 
 Dr. Lardner thought he discovered in it some slight evidence of 
 the use of some of the canonical gospels. Nothing better illustrates 
 the dearth of evidence, than the necessity of searching for it in 
 a document of this kind. 
 
 The Sibylline Oracles 
 
 Belong properly to an earlier age, but are supposed to have been in- 
 terpolated about this time, in order to furnish additional evidence for 
 the Christian religion. They were extensively quoted, from Justin 
 
260 THIRD PERIOD — A. D. 120 TO A. D. 130. 
 
 Martyr down; though the quotations of Justin have reference, for the 
 most part, to the utterances of the ancient sibyl. 
 
 The Preaching of Paul. 
 
 This, as well as the Preaching of Peter, was referred to by Lac- 
 tantius and others, and was generally known in the second century. 
 It contained references to the Sibylline writings. Also to the fire in 
 Jordan, at the time of the baptism of Jesus. — [See Anonymous 
 Treatise on Re-Baptism, Ante-Nicene, vol. 13, p. 426. 
 
 It has been favorably referred to by Cardinal Baronius, Dr. Grabe, 
 and others. Sixtus Senensis believed it to have been written by Paul. 
 —[Bib. Sane. lib. 2, p. 113. 
 
 Syeiao Documents. 
 
 The late Dr. Cureton found among the Syriac manuscripts of the 
 British Museum, several documents purporting to have been written 
 in the first and second centuries. — [See 20th volume of Ante-Nicene 
 Collection. 
 
 They are full of mistakes and anachronisms, and cannot be con- 
 sidered of much value. — [Consult "Revelations of Anti-Christ;" Bos- 
 ton and N. Y. 1879; an able work, but written in an objectionable 
 style. ' 
 
FOURTH PERIOD. A. D. 130 TO 170. 
 
 FORTY YEARS OF CHRISTIAN" WRITERS. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 FIRST HALF OF FOURTH PERIOD.— A. D. 130 TO 150.] 
 
 Caepooeates — Epiphanes — Ceedo — Heemas — Oeeinthus 
 — Isidobus — Valentinus — Papias — Epistle to Diognetus 
 — The Clementines. 
 
 Carpocrates. — About A. D. 135. 
 
 Irenasus, in his first book against Heresies, writes 
 
 as follows : 
 
 "Carpocrates, again, and his followers, maintain that the world and 
 the things which are therein, were created by angels greatly inferior 
 to the unbegotten Father. They also hold that Jesus was the son of 
 Joseph, and was just like other men, with the exception that he dif- 
 fered from them in this respect, that inasmuch as his soul was stead- 
 fast and pure, he perfectly remembered those things which he had 
 witnessed within the sphere of the unbegotten God. On this account, 
 a power descended upon him from the Father, that by means of it, he 
 might escape from the creators of the world." 
 
 After enlarging upon this idea, and stating that 
 they believe the human soul, which is like that of 
 Christ, can rise above the creators of the world, he 
 says: 
 
 "This idea has raised them to such a pitch of pride, that some of 
 
262 FOURTH PERIOD — A. D. 130 TO A. D. 170. 
 
 them declare themselves similar ^o Jesus; while others, still more 
 mighty, maintain that they are superior to his disciples, such as Peter 
 and Paul, and the rest of the apostles, whom they consider to be in no 
 respect inferior to Jesus." 
 
 He then charges them with practicing magical 
 arts and incantations ; of using philters and love 
 potions ; of having recourse to familiar spirits, 
 dream-sending demons, "and other abominations ;" 
 and of leading a licentious life. 1 
 
 Dr. Lardner thinks the charge of licentiousness 
 a slander. 2 
 
 Clement of Alexandria speaks of Carpocrates 
 and Epiphanes as both advocating a community of 
 wives. Clement argues against it in the second 
 chapter of the third book of the Stromata. 3 
 
 Epiphanes, — About A. D. 140, 
 
 Was the son of Carpocrates, and was, like his 
 father, a Gnostic. He believed in an infinite, 
 eternal principle. It is ignorance and passion, 
 which, in disturbing the equality and community 
 of goods, have introduced evil into the world. The 
 idea of property forms no part of the divine plan. 
 All unequal laws should be abolished, and equality 
 should be re-established. He is reported to have 
 advocated the community of wives, as well as of 
 the fruits of the earth. 
 
 He died at the early age of seventeen years. 
 
 A temple was consecrated to him in Cappadocia, 
 
 (i.) Adv. Hser. i. 25. Ante-Nic. vol. 5, p. 93. 
 (2.) Lard. Works, vol. 4, p. 562. 
 (3.) Ante-Nic. vol. 12, p. 86. 
 
HERMAS. 263 
 
 and according to Clement of Alexandria, he was 
 honored as a god. 1 
 
 Cerdo or Cerdon. — About A. D. 140. 
 
 Cerdon, also, was a Gnostic. Irenasus says he 
 came to Rome from Syria, in the time of Hyginus. 
 His views were adopted and amplified by Marcion. 
 Like Marcion, he is accused of mutilating the Gos- 
 pel of Luke ; and with as little reason. [See "Mar- 
 cion."] 
 
 Hermas. — A. D. 145. 
 
 Hermas, like Barnabas, is often classed with the 
 apostolic fathers. He is, however, placed after 120, 
 by a large majority of writers, and most of them 
 date his works near the middle of the second cen- 
 tury. 
 
 The authorship of the Pastor or Shepherd of Her- 
 mas, as stated in the Muratorian Fragment, is gen- 
 erally accepted. "The Pastor, moreover," says the 
 Fragment, "did Hermas write, very recently, in our 
 times, in the city of Rome, while his brother, 
 Bishop Pius, sat in the chair, in the church of 
 Rome." 
 
 According to the "Handbuch der Kirchenge- 
 schichte, ' ' a work extensively used as a text book 
 among Catholics, Pius was Bishop from A. D. 142 
 to 157. 
 
 This, which may now be considered the settled 
 verdict of scholars as to the authorship of the Pastor, 
 
 (I.) Stromata, bk. 3, cb. z. 
 
264 FOURTH PERIOD — A. D. 130 TO A. D. 170. 
 
 by no means accords with the opinions of the 
 fathers. 
 
 With them, Hermas, the author of the Shepherd, 
 was the Hermas of apostolic times. Origen dis- 
 tinctly ascribes the Shepherd to the Hermas men- 
 toned in the Epistle to the Romans. 1 This is fa- 
 vored by Eusebius, 2 and by Jerome. 3 
 
 The early writers considered it an inspired book. 
 
 Irenaeus quotes it as scripture. 4 Clemens Alex- 
 andrinus thought it divinely inspired. 5 It was read 
 in the churches as scripture. 
 
 Here we have the same phenomenon as in the 
 case of the Epistle of Barnabas. A work univers- 
 ally attributed to a co-worker and companion of 
 Paul, which modern scholars of all shades of reli- 
 gious opinion concur in deciding was never written 
 by him, nor even in that century. In view of such 
 facts, it is impossible not to perceive that the books 
 finally admitted into the canon, were selected with 
 reference to their contents, rather than to any 
 question of authenticity, or of proof of apostolic 
 origin. 
 
 The Shepherd of Hermas was one of the most 
 popular books among the Christians of the second 
 century. 
 
 About the year 494, it was condemned in the de- 
 
 (i.) Comment, in Rom. 16. 14; lib. 10, 31. Origen there states that he thinks it 
 divinely inspired. 
 
 (2.) Ecce. Hist. 3. 3. (3.) De Viris Must. 1. 10. 
 
 (4.) Adv. Haer. 4. 20. z. 
 (5.) Strom. 1. 29. 
 
HEEMAS. 265 
 
 «ree of Pope Gelasius ; from which time it began 
 to decline in public favor. 
 
 As late as the 15th century, a translation of the 
 Shepherd of Hermas was found in a MS. of the 
 Latin bible. 
 
 The Pastor or Shepherd consists of three books. 
 The first is entitled Visions, the second, Command- 
 ments, the third, Similitudes. There is in it all , 
 nothing attractive to the modern mind. It is not 
 easy to understand how, in any age, its wild vaga- 
 ries and crude piety could have been found inter- 
 esting, and even been considered inspired. A par- 
 tial explanation may be found in its supposed 
 semi-apostolic origin. 
 
 Its Evidence fob the Gospels. — Dr. Westcott 
 says it contains no definite quotation from either 
 the old or New Testament. 1 
 
 "From the Shepherd of Hermas," says Dr. Less, 
 "no inference whatever can be drawn." 
 
 Cerinthus and His Gospel. — About A. D. 145. 
 
 The history as well as the writings of Cerinthus 
 are strangely blended with those of John the pres- 
 byter, and even with John the apostle. 
 
 By the ancient writers on heresies, he is gener- 
 ally placed after Carpocrates. 
 
 A sect called the Alogi, attributed to him (so 
 says Epiphanius), the gospel, as well as the other 
 writings of John. 
 
 (i.) Canon, p. 181. 
 
266 FOURTH PERIOD — A. D. 130 TO A. D. 170. 
 
 Cerinthus had both a gospel and a revelation. 
 
 Toland states that the Gospel of John was attri- 
 buted to Cerinthus. 1 
 
 Cerinthus is believed to have been a Jew by- 
 birth. He was educated at Alexandria, and taught 
 philosophy there. 2 
 
 Irenseus says : 
 
 "He represents Jesus as not having been born of a virgin, but as 
 being the son of Joseph and Mary according to the ordinary course 
 of human generation; while he, nevertheless, was more righteous, 
 prudent and wise than other men." "Moreover, after his baptism, 
 Christ descended upon him in the form of a dove, from the Supreme 
 Ruler, and that he proclaimed the unknown Father, and performed 
 miracles."— [Adv. Hser. 1. 26. 
 
 The same writer says, John's Gospel was written 
 to confute the errors spread abroad by Cerinthus. 3 
 
 This may be accepted, as throwing some light on 
 the time when the Gospel of John was written. 
 Jerome also asserts that John wrote against 
 Cerinthus. 4 
 
 Isidorus. — A. D. 150. 
 
 Isidorus was the son of Basilides. He wrote 
 works of an exegetical and ethical character. Frag- 
 ments are preserved by Clement of Alexandria and 
 Epiphanius. There are other fragments by Hip- 
 polytus. Isidorus maintained the doctrine of his 
 father. 
 
 "No references to the gospels," says Westcott. s 
 
 (I.) Amyntor, London, 1699, p. 64. 
 
 (2.) Mosheim, vol. 1, pp. 93to 95. 
 
 (•i.) Adv. Har. 3. 11. .. 
 
 (4.) See Michaelis, vol. 3, p. 278. 
 
 (5.) Canon, p. 267. 
 
THE GOSPEL OP TRUTH. 267 
 
 Valentinus, and the Gospel of Truth. — A. D. 150. 
 
 Valentinus was one of the most famous Gnostics 
 in the early history of the church. According to 
 Tischendorf, he came from Egypt to Rome, about 
 A. D. 140. He was by birth an Egyptian, and 
 possibly of Jewish descent. Lardner says he was a 
 man of letters. 1 
 
 The Valentinians did not admit that Christ had 
 a human body. Such a body, they said, must have 
 sprung, not from spirit, or from God, but from 
 the will of man. 2 
 
 The Gospel of Truth is generally attributed to 
 Valentinus ; though Westcott says it was composed 
 by his followers. 
 
 There was a tradition among the Valentinians, 
 that Jesus remained among his disciples eighteen 
 months after his resurrection. 3 
 
 The Canonical Gospels. — An effort has been 
 made to make Valentinus a witness for the canoni- 
 cal gospels. 
 
 Davidson says it is doubtful whether Valentinus' 
 alleged citations from the New Testament can be 
 relied upon. 4 
 
 Papias.— A. D. 125. 
 
 Papias, who had long been considered an imme- 
 diate successor to the apostles, is now generally 
 relegated to the second century. 
 
 (I.) Vol. 4. P- 526. 
 
 (2.) Tertullian, de Carne Christi, c. 15. 
 
 (3.) Iremeus adv. Haer. 1. 3- 2. 
 
 (4.) Canon, p. 87. 
 
268 FOURTH PERIOD — A. D. 130 to A. D. 170. 
 
 Papias was bishop of Hierapolis, in Phrygia. He 
 was a millenarian. The doctrine that the end of 
 the world was near at hand, was extensively believed 
 and may be considered as orthodox in the second 
 century. 
 
 Fragments from Papias. — (Ecumenius repre- 
 sents him as saying that Judas came to his death 
 in this manner : 
 
 "His body having swollen to such an extent, that he could not pass, 
 where a chariot could pass easily, he was crushed by the chaiiot, so 
 that his bowels gushed out." 
 
 The writer of this could hardly have seen the 
 Gospel of Matthew. Irenseus, in the 33d chapter 
 of the 5th book against heresies, cites from Papias, 
 sayings of Christ unlike anything in the New Tes- 
 tament : 
 
 "The elders who saw John, the disciple of the Lord, related that 
 they had heard from him, how the Lord used to teach, in regard to 
 these times, and say: 
 
 '"The days will come, in which vines shall grow, each having ten 
 thousand branches, and in each branch ten thousand twigs, and in 
 each twig ten thousand shoots, and in each one of the shoots ten 
 thousand clusters, and on every one of the clusters ten thousand 
 grapes, and every grape, when pressed, will give five and twenty 
 metrets of wine.' " etc. 
 
 Also that 1,000,000,000 pounds of clear, pure r 
 fine flour would be produced from one grain of 
 wheat; and that animals should become peaceful 
 and harmonious, and perfectly subject to man. 
 
 Irenaeus adds, that these things were borne wit- 
 ness to by Papias, the hearer of John, and com- 
 panion of Polycarp. 
 
 The famous testimony of Eusebius, concerning 
 
FRAGMENTS PROM PAPIAS. 269 
 
 Papias, which, in some form, will be found in 
 every work on the canon of the New Testament, is 
 is as follows : 
 
 That Papias wrote five books, called an Exposition of the Oracles 
 of the Lord, citing Irenseus. 
 
 That Papias affirmed that he received the sayings of the apostles 
 from those who accompanied them, and that he heard in person 
 Aristion, and the presbyter John; and gives their traditions. 
 
 That there was a narrative received by Papias from the daughters 
 of Philip, of the raising of a man from the dead, and how Justus, 
 surnamed Barsabas, swallowed a deadly poison, and received no 
 harm. 
 
 That Papias had set down, as coming to him from unwritten tra- 
 dition, "some strange parables and instructions of the Savior, and 
 some other things, of a more fabulous nature." 
 
 Eusebius then adds, "as a matter of primary importance, a tradi- 
 tion regarding Mark, who wrote the gospel." 
 
 That the presbyter said that Mark, having become the interpreter 
 of Peter, wrote down accurately, whatsoever he remembered. It was 
 not, however, in exact order that he related the sayings or deeds of 
 Christ. For he neither heard the Lord, nor accompanied him. But 
 afterward, he accompanied Peter, who accommodated his instructions 
 to the necessities (of his hearers), but with no intention of giving a 
 regular narrative of the Lord's sayings. Wherefore Mark made no 
 mistake in thus writing some things as he remembered them. Eor of 
 one thing he took especial care, not to omit anything he had heard, 
 and not to put anything fictitious in the statements. 
 
 That "Matthew put together the oracles (of the Lord) in the 
 Hebrew language, and each one interpreted them as best he could." 
 
 That Papias gives a story of a woman who was accused of many 
 sins before the Lord, which was to be found in the Gospel of the 
 Hebrews. 
 
 Also that Papias considered, "That the information which he 
 could derive from books, was not so profitable as that which was pre- 
 served in a living tradition.— [Eusebius, Ecc. Hist. bk. 3, ch. 39. 
 
 Such is this far-famed testimony. That portion 
 relating to the Gospels of Mark and Matthew, may 
 be stated as follows : 
 
270 FOURTH PERIOD — A. D. 130 TO A. D. 170. 
 
 Eusebius says, that Papias said, that John the 
 presbyter told, in what manner certain writings of 
 Mark and Matthew had been constructed. 
 
 The value to be attached to any statements of 
 Eusebius, will be considered hereafter. 
 
 One important circumstance will be noted, in the 
 evidence, as it stands : 
 
 Notwithstanding this explanation of the apos- 
 tolic origin of the books, it appears that Papias 
 considered them, as evidence, inferior to oral tra- 
 dition. That, too, a hundred years after the time, 
 when, as is claimed, they were written. 
 
 Again, it is contended by able critics, that the 
 language here attributed to Papias, concerning the 
 book written by Mark, cannot be applied to the 
 gospel which bears his name. 1 They insist that it 
 must be referred to the Preaching of Peter, or some 
 other document more ancient than the Gospel of 
 Mark. So also of the logia, oracles or sayings of 
 Christ, by Matthew, which were not the same as 
 the Gospel of Matthew. 
 
 Epistle to Diognetus. — About A. D. 140. 
 
 This is an apology, or argument, in favor of the 
 Christian system, and in defense of the Christians 
 of that day. It is well written. It has been 
 variously^ attributed to Quadratus, to Aristides, 
 Justin Martyr, and others . Bunsen thought part of 
 it was written by Marcion. 2 Westcott thinks he 
 
 (i.) Credner, Davidson, Guericke, Griesbach, Neander, and many others. 
 (2.) Analecta Ante-Nic. 1. 103. 
 
THE CLEMENTINES. 271 
 
 sees indications of John's Gospel in this document, 
 but says there are no direct references. 1 This 
 epistle is only to be found in a single manuscript of 
 a late date, and hence has been suspected of being 
 a forgery. 
 
 The Clementines. — A. D. 150. 
 
 The Recognitions, the Homilies, Epitome, etc. 
 These are Ebionite productions. The writer ap- 
 pears to have had the same gospels which were 
 used by Justin. 
 
 Tischendorf thinks the Gospel of the Hebrews 
 was used by Justin Martyr, by the author of the 
 Clementines, and by Tatian and Hegesippus. 2 
 
 (i.) Canon, p. 81. 
 
 (2.) Origin of the Four Gospels, p. 78. 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 FIRST HALF OF FOURTH PERIOD— Continued. 
 
 Marcion. — A. D. 145, 
 
 Marcion, the great heresiarch, was born at 
 Sinope, in the second century. He came to Rome 
 about the year 142. 
 
 Tertullian says, the fiercest and most barbarous 
 nations lived upon the Euxine Sea — that nothing 
 had the glow of life there — that all things were 
 torpid and stiff with cold — that nevertheless, 
 nothing in Pontus was so barbarous and sad, as 
 that Marcion was born there. 
 
 Dr. Lardner, on the authority of Jerome and 
 Augustine, credits Marcion with being a man of 
 letters. 1 He preached and disseminated his doc- 
 trines, for twenty years ; and with such success, 
 that in the time of Epiphanius, his followers were 
 in every nation under heaven. 
 
 The story that before he came to Rome, he had 
 seduced a young woman, Dr. Lardner thinks an 
 invention of Epiphanius. 2 It probably originated 
 
 (i.) Lardner's works, vol. 4, p. 526. 
 (2.) Ibid. vol. 4, p. 591. 
 
MARCION. 273 
 
 in the fact, which we learn from Jerome, that Mar- 
 cion had sent before him to Rome, a woman, to 
 prepare the minds of the people for his doctrines. 1 
 
 Marcion is said to have rejected the Old Testa- 
 ment entirely ; not considering it of any authority 
 after the coming of Christ. He wrote a work en- 
 titled "Antithesis," in which he contrasted the old 
 system with the new — the God of the one, with the 
 God of the other — the law with the gospel. He 
 represented Christianity as a new system, abrogat- 
 ing the old, and as entirely disconnected from it. 
 The Creator of the world described in the Old Tes- 
 tament, [The Demi-ourgos] , was different from the 
 God of the new dispensation, and inferior to him. 
 From the superior God, Jesus had come, endued 
 with divine power, commencing with the begin- 
 ning of his ministry. 
 
 He maintained the doctrine of the impurity of 
 matter and could not therefore believe in the im- 
 maculate conception. According to Tertullian, 2 he 
 even denied the corporeal reality of the flesh of 
 Christ. But this statement may be received with 
 some allowance. 
 
 Marcion denied the resurrection of the body, 
 and believed in the doctrine of necessity. 
 
 He was a follower of Paul, and accused the other 
 apostles of having perverted the gospel doctrines. 
 
 Tertullian ingeniously endeavors to treat this 
 accusation as aimed at the four gospels ; and argues 
 
 (i.) Jerome, adv. Ctesipb. t. 4, p. 477. 
 
 (2.) Adv. Marcion, 3. 8. See also de Pr. t. 33, 34. 
 
274 FOURTH PERIOD — A. D. 130 TO A. D. 170. 
 
 thence that they must have been in existence be- 
 fore Marcion. His argument, however, destroys 
 itself ; since the apostles denounced, were Peter, 
 James and John ; only one of whom has credit for 
 writing either of the four gospels, while to the 
 other two were attributed two of the apocryphal 
 gospels. Marcion probably referred to the cor- 
 ruption of "the gospbl," and not to any written 
 books. 
 
 Marcion taught and permitted the baptizing by 
 women. It may be inferred, also, from Epiphan- 
 ius, that he did not treat with much respect those 
 who refused them this privilege. 1 
 
 Marcion 's New Testament. 
 
 The first New Testament that ever appeared, was 
 compiled and published by Marcion. It was in the 
 Greek language. It consisted of "The Gospel," 
 and "The Apostolicon." No Acts — no Revelation, 
 and but one gospel. The Apostolicon comprised 
 ten of Paul's Epistles, as follows : Galatians, 1st 
 and 2d Corinthians, Romans, except the 15th and 
 16th chapters, 1st and 2d Thessalonians, Ephesians, 
 Colossians, Philemon and Philippians ; arranged in 
 the order as here named. 2 
 
 This canon of the New Testament was prepared 
 and published soon after his arrival at Rome ; prob- 
 ably about A. D. 145. Baring-Gould thinks he 
 brought the gospel with him from Sinope. 3 
 
 (i.) Adv. Haer. 42. 4. 
 
 (2.) Also part of the Epistle to the Laodiceans. 
 
 (3.) Lost and Host. Gospels, p. 241. 
 
marcion 's new testament. 275 
 
 Tertullian accuses Marcion of giving no name or 
 title to his gospel. It was called simply "the Gos- 
 pel ;" and sometimes, "the Gospel of the Lord." 
 Marcion claimed for it the authority of Paul him- 
 self. It closely resembles the Gospel of Luke, but 
 is much shorter. 
 
 Ever since the time of Tertullian, it has been, by 
 many, charged against Marcion, that he corrupted 
 the Gospel of Luke. This charge, it will be seen 
 as we proceed, cannot be sustained. 
 
 Nearly all we have concerning the Gospel of 
 Marcion, comes through Tertullian and Epiphanius, 
 both of whom were violently opposed to him, and 
 neither of whom was particularly scrupulous in the 
 means employed against an adversary. Hence it 
 has become difficult to reproduce the gospel. Sev- 
 eral German critics have attempted to reconstruct 
 it, and it is published in the Codex Apocryphus of 
 Thilo, from the works of Hahn. 
 
 In Marcion 's Gospel, there was nothing corres- 
 ponding to the first three chapters of Luke. 
 
 The first chapter of Marcion was similar to the 
 fourth of Luke, but had many variations from it ; 
 and it is here that the critics have had the most 
 difficulty. 
 
 After passing the first chapter of Marcion and 
 fourth of Luke, the progress is somewhat easier. 
 Tertullian furnishes but little aid ; but Epiphanius, 
 writing in the same language with Marcion, gives a 
 list of 78 passages, in which, as he claims, Marcion 
 corrupted the text of Luke. As he mentions the 
 
276 FOURTH PERIOD A. D. 130 TO A. D. 170. 
 
 most trivial deviations, giving the exact words in 
 every instance, we think it may be taken aa the 
 correct text of Marcion. 
 
 This opinion is confirmed by the fact, that in his 
 scholia, he recapitulates every reading in almost 
 precisely the same words ; the deviations being few 
 and unimportant. 
 
 Tertullian, in his work against Marcion, has a 
 running commentary on Luke, with a constant in- 
 vective against Marcion, and an occasional allusion 
 to his gospel. From this some little further assist- 
 ance may be obtained. Too much reliance has been 
 placed upon it by some critics, as it is quite uncer- 
 tain, in many cases, whether Tertullian is referring 
 to the Gospel of Marcion, or to the text of Luke, 
 as it prevailed in his day. By comparing all that 
 is said by these two writers, the text of Marcion 
 may be pretty nearly discovered. 
 
 We have not been able to procure a copy of this 
 important gospel, as it appears in Thilo, or else- 
 where. 
 
 From the works of Tertullian and Epiphanius, 
 we have, however, attempted to reproduce it ; oc- 
 casionally invoking the aid of some of the German 
 
 critics. 
 
 THE GOSPEL. [According to Marcion.] 
 
 Chapter 1.— (Mostly in the 4th chapter of Luke.) 
 
 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Csesar, (Part of Luke 
 3. 1), Jesus came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught 
 them on the sabbath days. (Luke 4. 31.) 
 
 Verse 2. And they were exceedingly astonished at his doctrine, 
 
THE GOSPEL OF MARCION. 277 
 
 for his word was with power. (For parallel with verses 2 to 9 inclu- 
 sive, see Luke, ch. 4. vv. 32 to 39.) 
 
 3. And in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an 
 unclean devil, and who cried out with a loud voice, 
 
 4. Saying: Let us alone, what have we to do with thee, Jesus? 
 {omitting the words "of Nazareth.") Art thou come to destroy us ? 
 I know thee who thou art, the holy one of God. 
 
 5. And Jesus rebuked him, saying: Hold thy peace, and come out 
 of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came 
 out of him, and hurt him not. 
 
 6. And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, say- 
 ing: What a word is this? For with authority and power he com- 
 mandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out. 
 
 7. And the fame of him went out into every place, in the country 
 round about. (This verse is omitted by Volkmar, but retained by 
 Hahn, Hilgenfeld and others. See Sup. Rel. vol. 2, p. 128. Note. 
 Baring-Gould, who reproduces this chapter, follows "Volkmar. The 
 two following verses are omitted by Ritschl and Bauer, but retained 
 by others.) 
 
 8. And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon's 
 house. And Simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever; and 
 they besought him for her. 
 
 9. And he stood over her and rebuked the fever; and it left her; 
 and immediately she arose and ministered unto them. (Following 
 this, Volkmar has the last part of Luke 4. 14 and 15; but he is not 
 supported by other critics.) 
 
 10. And he came to Nazareth, and, as his custom was, he went into 
 the synagogue on the sabbath day, and began to preach to them. 
 (See Luke 4. 16.) 
 
 11. And he sat down, and the eyes of all who were in the syna- 
 gogue, were fastened on him. (Luke 4. 20.) 
 
 12. And he began to speak to them. And all bare him witness, and 
 wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. 
 (Luke 4. 21, 22.) 
 
 13. And he said unto them, Ye surely will say unto me this prov- 
 erb: Physician, heal thyself; whatsoever ye have done in Caper- 
 naum, do also here. (Luke 4. 23.) (The next verse, 24th of Luke, 
 was not in Marcion. Neither were verses 25 and 26, according to 
 Hahn, Ritschl and DeWette. We accordingly omit them, though 
 they were retained by Volkmar and Hilgenfeld. Verse 27 is also 
 
278 FOURTH PERIOD — A. D. 130 TO A. D. 170. 
 
 omitted by most critics. Baring-Gould, who follows Volkmar, re- 
 tains these three verses.) 
 
 14. And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, 
 were filled with wrath. (Luke 4. 28.) 
 
 15. And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him to the 
 brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast 
 him down headlong. (Luke 4. 29.) 
 
 16. But he, passing through the midst of them, went his way. 
 (Volkmar says "to Capernaum.") (See Luke 4. 30.) 
 
 17. Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with 
 divers diseases, brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on 
 every one of them, and healed them. (Luke 4. 40.) 
 
 18. And devils also came out of many, crying out and saying, 
 Thou art Christ, the Son of God. And he, rebuking them, suffered 
 them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ. (For parallel 
 to verses 18 to 21, inclusive, see Luke 4. 41 to 44.) 
 
 19. And when it was day, he departed, and went into a desert place. 
 And the people sought him, and came unto him, and staid him, that 
 he should not depart from them. 
 
 20. And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to 
 other cities also; for therefore am I sent. 
 
 21. And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee. 
 
 Chapter II. (See Luke, ch. 5.) 
 
 Verses 1 to 13, same as in the Gospel of Luke. 
 
 14. And he charged him to tell no man, But go and show thyself to 
 the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, 
 for a testimony unto you. 
 
 Verses 15 to 39 inclusive, same as in Luke. 
 
 Chapter III. (Luke, ch. 6.) 
 Verses 1 to 16, same as in Luke. 
 
 17. And he came down among them, (era autois), and stood in the 
 plain, and there was the company of his disciples, and a great multi- 
 tude of people, out of all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the sea 
 coast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him, and to be healed of 
 their diseases. 
 
 18. Same as in Luke. 
 
 19. And the whole multitude sought to touch him. 
 20, 21 and 22, Same as in Luke. 
 
 23. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy; for behold your reward 
 
THE GOSPEL OF MARCION. 279 
 
 is great in heaven; for in the like manner did your fathers unto the 
 prophets. 
 
 24 to 49 inclusive, same as in Luke. 
 
 Chapter IV. (Luke, ch. 7.) 
 
 Verses 1 to 28, same as in Luke, except some unimportant verbal 
 differences. 
 
 /Verses 29 to 35 inclusive, of Luke, not in Marcion.) 
 
 29. (36 of Luke.) And going into the house of a Pharisee, he ate 
 with him. 
 
 30. (37 and 38 of Luke.) But a sinful woman, standing near, before 
 his feet, washed his feet with her tears, and anointed them, and 
 kissed them. 
 
 31 to 35 inclusive, same as 39 to 43 of Luke. 
 
 36. (44, 45 and 46 of Luke.) And he turned to the woman, and said 
 unto Simon, See'st thou this woman ? I entered into thy house, thou 
 gavest me no water for my feet. She has washed my feet with her 
 tears, and has anointed them, and kissed them. 
 
 37 to 40 inclusive, same as 47 to 50 of Luke. 
 
 Chapter V. (Luke, ch.-8.) 
 
 Verses 1 to 18 inclusive, same as in Luke. (Verse 19 of Luke not in 
 Marcion.) 
 
 19, 20 and 21 inclusive, same as 20, 21 and 22 of Luke. But Volk 
 mar has, in verse 20 of Marcion, (21 of Luke), "Who is my mother ? 
 and who are my brethren ? My mother and my brethren are," etc. 
 
 22. (23 and 24 of Luke.) He was sleeping with the sailors. And he 
 arose, and rebuked the wind, and the sea. 
 
 23 to 40 inclusive, same as 25 to 42 of Luke. 
 
 41. (43, 44 and 45 of Luke.) And a woman, touching him, was 
 healed of an issue of blood; and the Lord said, Who has touched me? 
 
 42 to 52 inclusive, same as 46 to 56 of Luke. 
 
 Chapter VI. [Luke, ch. 9.] 
 
 Verses 1 to 15 inclusive, same as in Luke. 
 
 16. Same as in Luke, except, "he asked blessing upon them.", 
 [Ep autois.] 
 
 17 to 21 inclusive, same as in Luke. 
 
280 FOURTH PERIOD — A. D. 130 to A. D. 170. 
 
 22. Saying, the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be put to 
 death, and after three days rise again. 
 
 23 to 29 inclusive, same as in Luke. 
 
 30. (30 and 31 of Luke.) And behold two men talked with him; 
 Elias and Moses, in glory. 
 
 31 to 33 inclusive, same as 32 to 34 of Luke. 
 
 34. (35 of Luke.) From the cloud a voice saying: This is my 
 beloved Son. 
 
 35 to 38 inclusive, same as 36 to 39 of Luke. 
 
 39. (40 of Luke.) And I besought thy disciples, and they were not 
 able to cast him out. (ouk eedunestheesan ekballein auto.) 
 
 40. (41 of Luke.) And he said to them, O faithless generation, how 
 long shall I suffer you? 
 
 41 to 61 inclusive, same as in 42 to 62 of Luke. 
 
 Chapter VII. (Luke, ch. 10.) 
 Verses 1 to 20 inclusive, same as in Luke. 
 
 21. In that hour, he rejoiced in the spirit, and said: I thank thee, 
 Lord of heaven, that those things which were hidden from the wise 
 and prudent, thou hast revealed unto babes. Even so, Father, for it 
 seemed good in thy sight. 
 
 22. All things are delivered to me of my Father, and no man hath 
 known the Father save the Son, nor the Son save the Father, and he 
 to whom the Son hath revealed. 
 
 23 and 24, same as in Luke. 
 
 25. And behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, say- 
 ing: Master, doing what shall I obtain life ? (aionion omitted.) 
 
 26. He said unto him, What is written in the law? 
 
 27 and 28, same as in Luke, except that instead of orthos apekri- 
 thees, Marcion had orthos eipes. 
 
 29 to 42 inclusive, same as in Luke. 
 
 Chapter VIII. (Luke ch. 11.) 
 Verse 1, same as in Luke. 
 
 2. And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Father, may thy 
 Holy Spirit come to us. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as 
 in heaven, so on earth. 
 
 3 and 4, same as in Luke. 
 
THE GOSPEL OP MABCION. 281 
 
 5. And he said: Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go 
 unto him at midnight, asking for three loaves? [aiton treis artous;] 
 
 (Verses 6, 7 and 8 of Lake, not in Marcion.) 
 
 6. [9 of Luke.] Ask, and it shall be given. (Verse 10 of Luke, not 
 in Marcion.) 
 
 7. [11 and 12 of Luke.] Who of you, being a father, if his son ask 
 a fish, instead of a fish, will give to him a serpent ? Or, instead of an 
 egg, a scorpion ? 
 
 8. [13 of Luke.] If, therefore, you being evil, know how to give 
 good things unto your children, how much more your Father, who is 
 in heaven? 
 
 9 to 23 inclusive, same as 14 to 28 of Luke. 
 
 24. [29 of Luke.] And when the people were gathered thick 
 together, he began to say: This is an evil generation; they seek a 
 sign; no sign shall be given them. 
 
 [Verses 30, 31 and 32 of Luke, not in Marcion.] 25 to 33 inclusive, 
 same as 33 to 41 of Luke. 
 
 34. [42 of Luke.] Wo unto you, Phariseesl For ye tithe mint and 
 rue, and all manner of herbs, and pass over the calling [kleesin], and 
 the love of God. These ought ye to have done, and not to leave the 
 other undone. 
 
 35 to 40 inclusive, same as 43 to 48 of Luke. [Verses 49, 50 and 51 
 of Luke, not in Marcion.] 41, 42 and 43, same as 52, 53 and 54 of 
 Luke. 
 
 Chapter IX. (Luke, ch. 12.) 
 Verses 1, 2 and 3, same as in Luke. 
 
 4. (4 and 5 of Luke.) I say unto you, be not afraid of them who 
 kill the body; fear him who has power, after killing, to cast into hell. 
 
 (Verses 6 and 7 of Luke, not in Marcion.) 
 
 5. (8 of Luke.) Also I say unto you, whosoever shall confess me 
 before men, him shall the Son of Man also confess before God. 
 
 6. (9 of Luke.) But he that denieth me before men, shall be denied 
 before God. 
 
 7 to 24 inclusive, same as 10 to 27 of Luke. (Verse 28 of Luke, not 
 in Marcion.) 
 
 25. same as 29 of Luke. 
 
 26. (30 of Luke.) For all these things do the nations of the 
 
282 FOURTH PERIOD — A. D. 130 TO A. D. 170. 
 
 world seek after. And your Father knoweth that ye have need of 
 these things of the flesh. 
 
 27. (31 of Luke.) Pleen before zeeteite, omitted. 
 
 28. (32 of Luke.) Instead of ho pateer humon, Marcion had ho 
 pateer; "the Father." 
 
 29 to 33 inclusive, same as 33 to 37 of Luke. 
 
 34. (38 of Luke.) And if he shall come in the evening watch, (hes- 
 perieen phulakeeri), and shall find them so, blessed are those 
 servants. 
 
 35 to 41 inclusive, same as 39 to 45 of Luke. 
 
 42. (46 of Luke.) The Lord of that servant will come, and will cut 
 him in sunder, and will appoint his portion with the unbelievers. 
 
 43 to 53 inclusive, same as 47 to 57 of Luke. 
 
 54. (58 of Luke.) Instead of separado, Marcion has paradosei se. 
 
 55, same as 59 of Luke. 
 
 Chapter X. (Luke, ch. 13.) 
 
 (Verses 1 to 10 of Luke, not in Marcion.) Verses 1 to 5 inclusive, 
 same as 11 to 15 of Luke. 
 
 6. (16 of Luke.) Ought not this daughter of Abraham, whom Satau 
 hath bound, lo these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond, on the 
 sabbath day ? 
 
 7 to 17 inclusive, same as 17 to 27 of Luke. 
 
 18. (28 of Luke.) There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, 
 when ye shall see all the righteous in the kingdom of God, and your- 
 selves cast out, and held back. 
 
 (Verses 29 to 35 of Luke, not in Marcion.) 
 
 Chapter XI. (Luke, ch. 14.) 
 
 Verses 1 to 6 inclusive, same as;in Luke. (Verses 7 to 11 inclusive 
 of Luke, not in Marcion.) 
 
 7 to 30 inclusive, same as 12 to 35 of Luke. 
 
 Chapter XII. (Luke, ch. 15.) 
 This chapter consisted of the first 10 verses only, of 15th Luke. 
 
 Chapter XIII. (Luke, ch. 16.) 
 Verses 1 to 11 inclusive, same as in Luke. 
 
THE GOSPEL OP MAKCION. 283 
 
 12. And if ye have not been faithful in that which was another 
 man's, who will give you that which is mine ? 
 
 13 to 16 inclusive, substantially the same as in Luke. 
 
 17. Heaven and earth may pass, but one tittle of my words shall 
 not fail. 
 
 18 to 28 inclusive, substantially the same as in Luke. 
 
 29. (In place of the last three verses qf 16th Luke.) Abraham saith 
 unto him, They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them. 
 Not after one has risen from the dead, will they listen, (epei oude 
 tou egeiromenou apo nekron akouousin.) 
 
 Chapter XIV. (Luke, ch. 17.) 
 
 Verse 1, same as in Luke. 
 
 2. (According to Yolkmar.) It would be better for him, if he had 
 not been born; or if a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he 
 were cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little 
 ones. 
 
 3 to 9 inclusive, same as in Luke. 
 
 10. So, likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which 
 are commanded you. 
 
 11, 12, and 13, substantially as in Luke. 
 
 14. And he sent them away, saying: Go, show yourselves unto the 
 priests. And it came to pass, that as they went, they were cleansed. 
 
 15, 16, and 17, same as in Luke. 
 
 18. These are not found returning, to give glory unto God. And 
 there were many lepers, in the days of Eliseus the prophet, and none of 
 these were cleansed, except Naaman the Syrian. 
 
 19 to 37, substantially the same as in Luke. 
 
 Chapter XV. (Luke, ch. 18.) 
 Verses 1 to 18 inclusive, same as in Luke. 
 
 19. Jesus said to him, Do not call me good; one is good: the Father. 
 
 20 to 30 inclusive, same as in Luke. (Verses 31 to 34 inclusive, of 
 Luke, not in Marcion.) 
 
 31. (In place of 35 to 43 inclusive, in Luke, were this verse and the 
 following:) And it came to pass, as he came near Jericho, a blind 
 man cried out, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. 
 
284 FOURTH PERIOD — A. D. 130 TO A. D. 170. 
 
 32. And when he had healed him, he said, Thy faith hath saved 
 thee. 
 
 Chapter XVI. (Luke, ch. 19.) 
 
 Verses 1 to 8 inclusive, same as in Luke. 
 
 9. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come unto this 
 house. 
 
 10 to 28 inclusive, same as in Luke. 
 
 (Verses 29 to 48 of Luke, not in Marcion.) 
 
 Chapter XVII. (Luke, ch. 20.) 
 
 Verses 1 to 8 inclusive, same as in Luke. (Verses 9 to 18 of Luke, 
 not in Marcion.) 
 
 9, (19 of Luke.) And the chief priests and the scribes the same 
 hour sought to lay hands on him, and they feared the people. 
 
 10 to 24 inclusive, same as 20 to 31 of Luke. 
 
 25. (35 of Luke.) But they who shall be accounted worthy of God,, 
 to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither 
 marry nor are given in marriage. 
 
 26, same as 36 of Luke. (Verses 37 and 38 of Luke, not in Marcion.) 
 27 to 35 inclusive, same as 39 to 47 of Luke. 
 
 Chapter XVIII. (Luke, ch. 21.) 
 
 Verses 1 to 17 inclusive, same as in Luke. (Verse 18 of Luke, not 
 in Marcion.) 
 
 18 and 19, same as 19 and 20 of Luke. (Verses 21 and 22 of Luke, 
 not in Marcion.) 
 
 20 to 35 inclusive, same as 23 to 38 of Luke. 
 
 (Dr. Lardner thought, the first 18 verses of 21st Luke were not in 
 Marcion. But later authorities include vv. 1 to 17.) 
 
 Chapter XIX. (Luke, ch. 22.) 
 
 Verses 1, 2 and 3, same as in Luke. 
 
 4. And he communicated with the captains, how he might betray 
 him unto them. 
 
 5, 6 and 7, same as in Luke. 
 
 8. And he said to Peter and the rest, Go and prepare, that we may 
 eat of the passover. 
 
THE GOSPEL OP MARCION. 285 
 
 (Kai eipe, to Petro kai tois loipois, apelthontes etoimasate, hina 
 phagomen to pascha.) 
 
 9 to 13 inclusive, same as in Luke. 
 
 14. And he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. 
 
 15. Same as Luke, except pros autous in Luke. 
 
 (Verses 16, 17 and 18 of Luke, not in Marcion.) 
 
 16 to 24 inclusive, same as 19 to 27 of Luke. (Verses 28, 29 and 30 
 of Luke, not in Marcion.) 
 
 26 to 28 inclusive, same as 31 to 34 of Lake. (Verses 35 to 38 of 
 Luke, not in Marcion.) 
 
 29 to 38 inclusive, substantially the same as 39 to 48 of Luke. 
 (Verses 49, 50 and 51 of Luke, not in Marcion.) 
 39 to 49 inclusive, same as 52 to 62 of Luke. 
 
 50, substantially the same as 63 of Luke. 
 
 51. (64 of Luke.) And striking him, they said: Prophesy: Who is 
 it that smote thee ? 
 
 52 to 58 inclusive, same as 65 to 71 of Luke. 
 
 Chapter XX. (Luke, ch. 23.) 
 
 Verse 1, same as in Luke. 
 
 2. And they began to accuse him, saying: We found this fellow per- 
 verting the nation, and destroying the law and the prophets; forbid- 
 ding to give tribute to Caesar, and turning away the women and 
 children. 
 
 3 to 32 inclusive, same as in Luke. 
 
 33. And coming to the place called the place of Calvary, (place of a 
 skull, kraniou topos,) they crucified him and divided his garments; 
 and the sun was darkened. 
 
 34 to 42 inclusive, same as in Luke, excepting from Luke the por- 
 tions contained in verse 33 of Marcion. 
 
 (Verse 43 of Luke, not in Marcion.) 43, same as 44 of Luke. 
 
 44. (45 of Luke.) And the vail of the temple was rent in the 
 midst. 
 
 45. (46 of Luke.) And crying out with a loud voice, he expired. 
 
 46. 47 and 48, same as 47, 48 and 49 of Luke. 
 
 49. (50 to 53 of Luke.) And behold, a man named Joseph taking 
 down the body, wrapped it up, and placed it in a hewn tomb. 
 
286 FOURTH PERIOD — A. D. 130 to A. D. 170. 
 
 60 and 51, same as 54 and 55 of Luke. 
 
 52. (56 of Luke.) And returning, they rested the sabbath day, 
 according to the commandment. 
 
 Chapter XXI. (Luke ch. 24.) 
 Verses 1 to 4 inclusive, same as in Luke. 
 
 5. And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the 
 earth, those in white clothing said to them, Why seek ye the living 
 among the dead? 
 
 6. He has risen; remember what he said while yet living, (eti on.) 
 
 7. That it was necessary for the Son of Man to suffer, and be deliv- 
 ered up. 
 
 8 to 24, same as in Luke. 
 
 25. Then he said to them, O fools, and slow to believe all that he 
 said unto you! 
 
 26, same as in Luke. [Verse 27 of Luke not in Marcion.] 
 27 to 30 inclusive, same as 28 to 31 of Luke. 
 
 31. (32 of Luke.) And they said one to another, Did not our hearts 
 burn within us, while he talked with us by the way ? 
 
 32 to 36 inclusive, same as 33 to 37 of Luke. 
 
 37. (38 and 39 of Luke.) And he said unto them, Why are ye 
 troubled ? Behold my hands and my feet; a spirit hath not bones, as 
 ye see me have. 
 
 38 to 41 inclusive, same as 40 to 43 of Luke. 
 
 42. (44 of Luke.) These are the words which I spake unto you 
 while I was yet with you. 
 
 (Verse 45 of Luke, not in Marcion.) 
 
 43. (46 of Luke.) That thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to 
 rise from the dead, the third day. 
 
 44 to 48 inclusive, same as 47 to 51 of Luke. 
 (Verses 52 and 53 of Luke, not in Marcion.) 
 
 From the foregoing synopsis the reader can 
 write out the Gospel of Marcion, and will have the 
 test of that gospel, very nearly as it stood in the 
 fourth century. The English reader may pass over, 
 as unimportant, the Greek readings not translated, 
 and may adopt the corresponding text of Luke. 
 
makci0n and luke. 287 
 
 Marcion and Luke. 
 
 The question of priority, as between these gos- 
 pels, is one of the most interesting connected with 
 the history of early Christian literature. 
 
 From the commencement of the third, down to 
 the beginning of the present century, it has been 
 fashionable to accuse Marcion of corrupting the 
 Gospel of Luke ; the emphatic and oft-repeated 
 assertions of Tertullian and Epiphanius to that 
 effect, having been deemed sufficient authority. 
 
 Bishop Marsh was one of the first to do Marcion 
 justice. He said there was no proof that Marcion 
 used Luke's Gospel at all. 1 
 
 Since then, many of the most intelligent Ger- 
 man critics have come to the same conclusion. 
 
 Baring-Gould also says : "Marcion was toO con- 
 scientious and earnest a man, wilfully to corrupt a 
 gospel." 2 
 
 This author thinks that the Church of Sinope, 
 where Marcion formerly resided, had been fur- 
 nished by Paul with a collection of the records of 
 the life and teaching of Christ ; that Marcion thus 
 obtained his gospel, and brought it to Rome. 3 
 
 Again: "Mansion's Gospel contained a different arrangement of 
 the narrative, from the canonical Luke, and was without many pas- 
 sages which it is not possible to believe he wilfully excluded."— [Ibid, 
 p. 242. 
 
 (i.) Notes to Micbaelis, vol. 3, pt. 2, p. 160. 
 (2.) Lost and Hostile Gospels, p. 241 
 
288 FOURTH PERIOD — A. D. 130 TO A. D. 170. 
 
 He afterward speaks of differences of arrange- 
 ment, which are unaccountable on the theory that 
 Marcion corrupted Luke, and says that Marcion's 
 Gospel was without several passages which appar- 
 ently favor his views. 1 
 
 Canon Westcott is equally explicit in acquitting 
 Marcion from the accusation made against him by 
 the early fathers of the church. 
 
 He says: "Tertullian and Epiphanius agree in affirming that 
 Marcion altered the text of the books which he received, to suit his. 
 own views; and they quote many various readings in support of the 
 assertion. Those which they cite from the epistles, are certainly 
 insufficient to prove the point; and on the contrary, they go to show 
 that Marcion preserved without alteration, the text which he found 
 in his manuscript. Of the seven readings noticed by Epiphanius, [in 
 the epistles], only two are unsupported by other authority: and it is- 
 altogether unlikely that Marcion changed other passages, when, as 
 Epiphanius himself shows, he left untouched those which are most 
 directly opposed to his system." — [History of the Canon, p. 284. 
 
 It is one of the most hopeful signs of the times, 
 that men, even in religious matters, can vindicate 
 the character of an adversary, after it has been 
 aspersed for fifteen hundred years. 
 
 Some writers still persist in repeating the old 
 slander. But the more candid and intelligent 
 opinion of Westcott and Baring-Gould, is supported 
 by Semler, Griesbach, Loeffler, Schmidt, Schleier- 
 macher, Halyi, and many others. 
 
 These writers, perceiving how little reliance is to 
 be placed upon the statements of the fathers, in 
 matters of critical exegesis, or of authorship, or 
 upon their assertions concerning the heretics, have 
 
 (i.) Ibid, p. 243; referring to Luke n. 51; 13. 30, 34, and 20. 9 to 16. 
 
MARCION AND LUKE. 289- 
 
 examined carefully the text of Marcion, and find- 
 ing the statements of Tertullian and Epiphaniu& 
 unsupported by internal evidence, have rejected 
 them altogether. 
 
 Which was first written? — Let us now see if 
 we cannot ascertain with reasonable certainty 
 which was first written ; the Gospel of Luke or the 
 Gospel of Marcion. 
 
 The question of priority, in this case, is closely 
 connected with that of brevity. 
 
 The first three chapters of Luke were entirely 
 wanting in Marcion, except the opening clause in 
 the third chapter, which was the commencement of 
 the Gospel of Marcion : "In the fifteenth year of 
 the reign of Tiberius Caesar." The balance of the 
 first chapter of Marcion is contained with some 
 variations in the fourth of Luke. About half that 
 chapter is wanting entirely, in Marcion. 
 
 After passing this, the different chapters of the 
 two gospels correspond, the 2d of Marcion with 5th 
 of Luke, 3d of Marcion with 6th of Luke, and 
 so on. 
 
 The Gospel of Luke is the most copious through- 
 out. The number of verses in Luke in excess of 
 those in Marcion, is as follows: In chapter 7,. 
 seven verses : in ch. 8, one ; in ch. 11, ten ; in ch. 
 12, three; in ch. 13, seventeen ; in ch. 14, five; 
 in ch. 15, twenty-two ; in ch. 18, four; in ch. 19,. 
 twenty; in ch. 20, twelve; in ch. 21, three; in 
 ch. 22, thirteen; in ch. 23, one, and in ch. 
 24, four: total 122 verses. To this add the 
 
290 FOURTH PERIOD — A. D. 130 TO A. D. 170. 
 
 excess of 23 verses in the 4th chapter of Luke, and 
 we have altogether 145 verses, or more than three 
 average chapters. Add the first three chapters of 
 Luke, which are entirely wanting in Marcion, and 
 the result is, more than six chapters, or more 
 than one- fourth of the entire Gospel of Luke, 
 wanting in Marcion. 
 
 But this is not all. In a number of places, the 
 verses of Marcion are shorter. Then, again, two 
 or more verses of Luke are contained, in substance, 
 in one of Marcion, and in one place, nine verses of 
 Luke in two of Marcion. 
 
 The Law op Accretion. 
 
 LUKE AND MARCION COMPARED. 
 
 Leaving out of view, for the present, the whole- 
 sale accumulation of matter, aggregating 315 verses, 
 the law of accretion will be well illustrated by those 
 eases where one or more verses in Marcion are found 
 swollen into several in Luke, or where a single pas- 
 sage has additions. They are as follows : 
 
 I. 
 
 Marcion, ch. l, v. 4. 
 
 Saying, Let us alone; what have 
 we to do with thee, Jesus? 
 
 Luke, ch. 4, v. 34. 
 
 Saying, Let (us) alone; what 
 have we to do with thee, Jesus of 
 Nazareth ? 
 
 The difference is important. According to 
 Matthew, the parents of Jesus, when they returned 
 from Egypt, being warned of God in a dream, 
 turned aside, (they were going to Bethlehem or 
 Jerusalem,) into the parts of Galilee, that a certain 
 
MARCION AND LUKE COMPARED. 
 
 291 
 
 prophecy might be fulfilled. The language does 
 not imply that Nazareth was their residence. 
 
 The theory of the author of Luke was, that 
 Nazareth was their residence. Accordingly, in this 
 passage, which, though followed in Mark, has no 
 parallel in Matthew, Jesus is addressed as "of 
 Nazareth," a phrase not in Marcion. 
 
 ii. 
 A corresponding variation will be found in 
 
 Maecion, i. 10. 
 
 And be came to Nazareth, and 
 s his custom was, etc. 
 
 Luke, 4. 16. 
 
 And he came to Nazareth,, 
 where he had been brought up; 
 and as his custom was, etc. 
 
 These are probably interpolations, made for the* 
 purpose of establishing Nazareth as the birth-place- 
 of Jesus. 
 
 in. 
 
 Marcion, 3. 19. 
 
 And the whole multitude sought 
 to touch him. 
 
 Luke, 6. 19. 
 
 And the whole multitude sought 
 to touch him; for there went vir- 
 tue out of him, and healed (them) 
 all. 
 
 There is no reason why Marcion, who had not 
 rejected the miracles of Christ, should omit the 
 closing sentence. It is more probable that it was 
 added in Luke, to give expression to a very natural 
 inference on the part of the writer, as to the object- 
 of the multitude in pressing forward toward Jesus „ 
 and seeking to touch him. 
 
 There is no parallel in the other gospels. 
 
292 FOURTH PERIOD — A. D. 130 TO A. D. 170. 
 
 IV. 
 
 Maecion, 4. 29 
 
 And going into the house of a 
 Pharisee, he ate with him. 
 
 Luke, 7. 36. 
 
 And one of the Pharisees de- 
 sired him that he would eat with 
 him. And he went into the 
 Pharisee's house, and sat down to 
 meat. 
 
 V. 
 
 JESUS AND THE SINFUL WOMAN. 
 
 Marcion, 4, 30. 
 
 But a sinful woman, standing 
 near, before his feet, washed them 
 with tears, and anointed them, 
 and kissed them. 
 
 Luke, 7. 37 and 38. 
 
 37. And behold, a woman in the 
 city, who was' a sinner, when she 
 knew that (Jesus) sat at meat in 
 the Pharisee's house, brought an 
 alabaster box of ointment, 
 
 38. And stood at his feet, be- 
 hind (him,) weeping, and began to 
 wash his feet with tears, and did 
 did wipe (them) with the hairs of 
 her head, and kissed his feet, and 
 anointed (them) with the oint- 
 ment. 
 
 This touching incident, simply and beautifully 
 told in the sixteen Greek words of Marcion, is spun 
 out, by the author of Luke, into more than three 
 times the number, with no improvement in the 
 story. The washing of the feet of Jesus, which in 
 Marcion is left as a figurative expression, denoting 
 the great grief of the woman, is stated in Luke as 
 an actual fact. While weeping, "she began to wash 
 his feet with tears." Then, having washed them, 
 she must needs "wipe them with the hairs of her 
 head." 
 
 There can be but little doubt, that Marcion was 
 first written, and that the author of Luke drew 
 upon his imagination in filling up the text. 
 
MARCION AND LUKE COMPARED. 
 
 293 
 
 Again, there is a similar variation, in the follow- 
 ing reference to the same transaction : 
 
 VI. 
 
 Mabcion, 4. 36. 
 
 And he turned to the woman, 
 and said unto Simon, Seest thou 
 this woman ? I entered into thy 
 house; thou gavest me no water 
 for my feet. She has washed my 
 feet with her tears, and has 
 anointed them, and kissed them. 
 
 Luke, 7. 44 to 46. 
 
 44. And he turned to the wo- 
 man, and said unto Simon, Seest 
 thou this woman ? I entered in- 
 to thine house; thou gavest me 
 no water for my feet. But she 
 hath washed my feet with tears, 
 and wiped (them) with the hairs 
 of her head. 
 
 45. Thou gayest me no kiss; 
 but this woman, since the time I 
 came in, hath not ceased to kiss 
 my feet. 
 
 46. My head with oil thou didst 
 not anoint; but this woman hath 
 anointed my feet with ointment. 
 
 The use here, by Jesus himself, of the figurative 
 expression, "she hath washed my feet with tears," 
 misled the author of Luke into conceiving, and 
 hence expressing, a literal and complete washing 
 of feet, followed by wiping them in the manner 
 described. 
 
 This account is not in the other canonical gos- 
 pels. It is simply a question between Marcion and 
 
 Luke. 
 
 VII. 
 
 JESUS REBUKING THE STORM. 
 
 Marcion, 5. 22. 
 He was sleeping with the sail- 
 
 ors, and he arose, and rebuked 
 the wind, and the sea. 
 
 Luke, 8. 23, 24. 
 
 23. But as they sailed, he fell 
 asleep: and there came down a 
 storm of wind on the lake; and 
 they were filled (with water), and 
 were in jeopardy. 
 
 24. And they came to him, and 
 awoke him, saying: Master, Mas- 
 ter, we perish I Then he arose, 
 and rebuked the wind, a^d the 
 raging of the water: and they 
 ceased, and there was a calm. 
 
294 FOUKTH PERIOD — A. D. 130 TO A. D. 170. 
 
 The language of Marcion, as given by Epiphan- 
 
 ius, is highly elliptical. It was probably preceded 
 
 by some sentence having reference to the storm. 
 
 The text of the synoptics is more copious ; 
 
 especially Mark, in which a pillow is provided 
 
 for the head of Jesus. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 HEALING OF THE WOMAN. 
 Marcion, 5. 41. Luke, 8. 43 to 45. 
 
 And a woman, touching him, 43. And a woman, having an 
 
 issue of blood twelve years, who 
 had spent all her living upon 
 physicians, neither could be 
 healed by any, 
 
 44. Came behind (him), and 
 touched the border of his gar- 
 ment; and immediately her issue 
 of blood stanched. 
 
 45. And Jesus said, Who 
 touched me? When all denied, 
 Peter and they who were with 
 him, said, Master, the multitude 
 throng thee and press [thee], and 
 sayest thou, Who touched me ? 
 
 was healed of an issue of the 
 blood. And the Lord said, who 
 has touched me ? 
 
 If these accounts come from a common 
 script, it had passed through many hands, 
 reaching the author of Luke. 
 
 manu- 
 before 
 
 IX, x. 
 
 Marcion, 6. 22. 
 
 Saying: The Son of Man must 
 suffer many things, and be put to 
 death, and after three days, rise 
 again. 
 
 Marcion, 6. 30. 
 And behold two men talked 
 
 with him; Elias and Moses in 
 glory. 
 
 Luke, 9. 22. 
 
 Saying: The Son of Man must 
 suffer many things, and be reject- 
 ed by the elders, and chief priests 
 and scribes, and be slain, and be 
 raised the third day. 
 
 Luke, 9. 30, 31. 
 
 30. And behold, there talked 
 with him two men, who were 
 Moses and Elias; 
 
 31. Who appeared in glory, and 
 spake of his decease, which he 
 should accomplish at Jerusalem. 
 
MARCION AND LUKE COMPARED. 
 
 295 
 
 XI, 
 Makcion, 6. 34. 
 
 XII, XIII, 
 
 From the cloud a voice, saying: 
 This is my beloved son. 
 
 Makcion, 6. 40. 
 
 And he said to them, O, faith- 
 less generation; how long shall I 
 suffer you ¥ 
 
 Marcion, 7. 21. 
 
 In that hour, he rejoiced in the 
 spirit, and said: I thank thee, 
 Lord of heaven, that, etc. (bal- 
 ance of the verse substantially as 
 in Luke.) 
 
 Marcion, 7. 25. 
 
 Master, doing what shall I ob- 
 tain life ? 
 
 XIV. 
 
 Luke, 9. 35. 
 
 And there came a voice out of 
 the cloud, saying: This is my be- 
 loved son. Hear him. 
 
 Luke, 9. 41. 
 
 And Jesus answering said: O 
 faithless and perverse generation! 
 How long shall I be with you, 
 and suffer you? 
 
 Luke, 10. 21. 
 
 In that hour, Jesus rejoiced in 
 spirit, and said, I thank thee, O 
 Father, Lord of heaven and 
 earth, that, etc. 
 
 Luke, 10. 25. 
 
 Master, what shall I do to in- 
 herit eternal life ? 
 
 The word aionion, (eternal,) was inserted by the author of Luke, to 
 make more clear the meaning of Marcion. 
 
 The argument of Tertullian, (adv. Mar. 4. 25), that Marcion struck 
 out aionion, so that the question might be confined to this life, is 
 weak and untenable. 
 
 XV, XVI, XVII. 
 
 Marcion, 7. i 
 
 And he said unto him, What is 
 written in the law ? 
 
 Marcion, 8. 5. 
 
 And shall go unto him at mid- 
 night, asking for three loaves ? 
 
 Marcion, 8. 6. 
 
 Ask and it shall be given. (Aitei- 
 te, kai dotheesetai.) 
 
 Luke, 10. 26. 
 
 He said unto him, What is 
 written in the law ? How read- 
 est thou? 
 
 Luke, 11. 5. 
 
 And shall go unto him at mid- 
 night, and say unto him, Friend, 
 lend me three loaves. 
 
 Luke, 11. 9. 
 
 Ask, and it shall be given you. 
 (Aiteite, kai dotheesetai humin.) 
 
296 FOURTH PEBIOD — A. D. 130 TO A. D. 170. 
 
 XVIII, XIX, XX. 
 
 Marcion, 8. 7, 8. 
 
 Who of you, being a father, if 
 his son ask a fish, instead of a fish, 
 will give to him a serpent ? Or 
 instead of an egg, a scorpion ? 
 
 If ye, then, being evil, know 
 how to give good gifts unto your 
 children, how much more your 
 Father who is in heaven ? 
 
 Marcion, 8. 24. 
 
 This is an evil generation; they 
 seek a sign; no sign shall be given 
 it. 
 
 Marcion, 9. 4. 
 I say unto you, be not afraid of 
 
 them that kill the body; fear him 
 who has power after killing, to 
 cast into hell, [eia geennan.] 
 
 I<uke, 11. 11 to 13. 
 
 11. If a son shall ask bread of 
 any of you that is a father, will 
 he give him a stone ? Or if (he 
 ask) a fish, will he for a fish, give 
 him a serpent ? 
 
 12. Or if he shall ask an egg, 
 will he offer him a scorpion ? 
 
 13. If ye then, being evil, know 
 how to give good gifts unto your 
 children, how much more shall 
 (your) heavenly Father give the 
 Holy Spirit to them that ask 
 him? 
 
 Luke, 11. 29. 
 
 This is an evil generation; they 
 seek a sign, and there shall no 
 sign be given it but the sign of 
 Jonas the prophet. 
 
 IvUKE, 12. 4, 5. 
 
 4. But I say unto you, my 
 friends, be not afraid of them 
 that kill the body, and after that, 
 have no more that they can do. 
 
 5. But I will forewarn you 
 whom ye shall fear; fear him 
 who, after he hath killed, hath 
 power to cast into hell, [eis teen 
 geennan.] Yea, I say unto you, 
 fear him. 
 
 The last passage illustrates, throughout, the 
 prevailing practice of verbal accumulation. The 
 language of Jesus, "I say unto you 
 when it reaches the author of Luke, "I 
 you, my friends ;" "Be not afraid of them that 
 kill the body," becomes, "Be not afraid of them 
 that kill the body, and after that, have no more 
 that they can do ;" etc. 
 
 " becomes, 
 say unto 
 
MARCION AND LUKE COMPARED. 
 XXI, XXII, XXIII, XXIV, XXV, XXVI. 
 
 297 
 
 Marcion, 9. 5. 
 
 Him shall also the Son of Man 
 confess before God. 
 
 Marcion, 9. 34. 
 
 And if he shall come in the 
 evening watch, and shall find 
 them so, blessed are those ser- 
 vants. 
 
 Marcion, 9. 42. 
 And the Lord of that servant 
 
 will come, and will cut him in 
 sunder, and will appoint his por- 
 tion with the unbelievers. 
 
 Marcion, 13. 29. 
 
 Abraham saith unto him, They 
 have Moses and the prophets, let 
 
 them hear them. Not after one 
 has risen from the dead, will they 
 listen. 
 
 Marcion, 14. 10. 
 
 So likewise ye, when ye shall 
 bave done all those things which 
 are commanded you. 
 
 Marcion, 15. 31, 32. 
 
 31. And it came to pass, as he 
 came near to Jericho, a blind 
 
 Luke, 12. 8. 
 
 Him shall the Son of Man also 
 confess before the angels of God. 
 [Similar difference in the next 
 verse.] 
 
 Luke, 12. 38. 
 
 And if he shall come in the 
 second watch, or come in the 
 third watch, and And (them) so, 
 blessed are those servants. 
 
 Luke, 12. 46. 
 
 The Lord of that servant will 
 come in a day when he looketh 
 not for (him), and at an hour 
 when he is not aware, and will 
 cut him in sunder, and will ap- 
 point him his portion with the 
 unbelievers. 
 
 Luke, 16. 29 to 31. 
 
 29. Abraham saith unto him, 
 They have Moses and the proph- 
 ets; let them hear them. 
 
 30. And he said, Nay, father 
 Abraham; but if on* went unto 
 them from the dead, they will re- 
 pent. 
 
 31. And he said unto him, if 
 they hear not Moses and the 
 prophets, neither will they be 
 persuaded, though one rose from 
 the dead. 
 
 Luke, 17. 10. 
 
 So likewise ye, when ye shall 
 have done all those things which 
 are commanded you, say, We are 
 unprofitable servants: we have 
 done that which was our duty to 
 do. 
 
 Luke, 18. 35 to 43. 
 
 35. And it came to pass, that as 
 he was come nigh unto Jericho, a 
 
298 FOURTH PERIOD A. D. 130 TO A. D. 170. 
 
 man cried out, Jesus, thou Son of 
 David, have mercy on me. 
 
 32. And when he had healed 
 him, he said, thy faith hath saved 
 thee. 
 
 certain blind man sat by the way- 
 side, begging: 
 
 36. And hearing the multitude 
 pass by, he asked what it meant. 
 
 37. And they told him, that 
 Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. 
 
 38. And he cried, saying: Jesus 
 (thou) Son of David, have mercy 
 on me! 
 
 39. And they who went before, 
 rebuked him, that he should hold 
 his peace; but he cried so much 
 the more, (Thou) Son of David, 
 have mercy on me! 
 
 40. And Jesus stood, and com- 
 manded him to be brought unto 
 him; and when he was come near, 
 he asked him, 
 
 41. Saying: What wilt thou that 
 I shall do unto thee? And he 
 said, Lord, that I may receive my 
 sight. 
 
 42. And Jesus said unto him, 
 Receive thy sight. Thy faith 
 hath saved thee. 
 
 43. And immediately he re- 
 ceived his sight, and followed 
 him, etc. 
 
 XXVII, XXVIII, 
 Maecion, 16. 9. 
 
 And Jesus said unto him, This 
 day is salvation come to this 
 house. 
 
 Maecion, 19. 4. 
 
 And he communicated with the 
 captains, how he might betray 
 him unto them. 
 
 Maecion, 19. 14. 
 
 And he sat down, and 
 twelve apostles with him. 
 
 the 
 
 Maecion, 19. 51. 
 
 And striking him, they said 
 Prophesy; who is it that smote 
 thee? 
 
 XXIX, XXX. 
 
 Luke, 19. 9. 
 
 And Jesus said unto him, This 
 day is salvation come to this 
 house, forasmuch as he also is a 
 son of Abraham. 
 
 Luke, 22/4. 
 
 And he went his way, and com- 
 muned with the chief priests and 
 captains, how he might betray 
 him unto them. 
 
 Luke, 22. 14. 
 
 And when the hour was come, 
 he sat down, and the twelve apos- 
 tles with him. 
 
 Luke, 22. 64. 
 And when they had blindfolded 
 him, they struck him on the face; 
 and asked him, saying : Prophesy, 
 who is it that smote thee ? 
 
MARCION AND LUKE COMPARED. 
 
 299 
 
 The account in Marcion, besides being shorter, 
 is the more natural. Being struck from behind, 
 or by a stranger, Jesus was called upon to tell who 
 struck him. It was an impulsive action. 
 
 But the author of Luke has the Jews deliberately 
 blindfold Jesus, before striking him. 
 
 XXXI. 
 
 Marcion, 20. 45. 
 
 And crying out with a loud 
 voice, he expired. 
 
 Luke, 23. 46. 
 
 And when Jesus had cried with 
 a loud voice, he said, Father, into 
 thy hands I commend my spirit; 
 and having said thus, he gave up 
 the ghost. 
 
 These dying words of Jesus are not in either of 
 the other three canonical gospels. They may have 
 been taken by the author of Luke from the Acts of 
 Pilate, or from a later version of the manuscript 
 used by Marcion. 
 
 XXXII. 
 
 Marcion, 20. 49. 
 
 And behold,' a man named Jo- 
 seph, taking down the body, 
 wrapped it up, and placed it in a 
 hewn tomb. 
 
 Luke, 23. 50 to 53. 
 
 50. And behold, (there was) a 
 man named Joseph, a counselor; 
 (and he was) a good man, and a 
 just; 
 
 51. (The same had not consent- 
 ed to the counsel and deed of 
 them;) he was of Arimathea, a 
 city of the Jews; who also himself 
 waited for the kingdom of God. 
 
 52. This man went unto Pilate, 
 and begged the body of Jesus. 
 
 53. And he took it down, and 
 wrapped it in linen, and laid it in 
 a sepulcher, that was hewn in 
 stone, wherein never man before 
 was laid. 
 
300 FOURTH PERIOD A. D. 130 TO A. D. 170. 
 
 XXXIII, XXXIV, XXXV, XXXVI. 
 
 MARCION, 20. 52. 
 
 And returning, they rested the 
 eabbath day, according to the 
 commandment. 
 
 Marcion, 21. 6. 
 
 He has risen; remember what 
 he said, while yet living. 
 
 Marcion, 21. 7. 
 
 That it was necessary that the 
 Son of Man should suffer, and be 
 delivered up. 
 
 Marcion, 21. 37. 
 And he said unto them, why 
 
 are ye troubled? Behold my 
 
 hands and my feet, a spirit hath 
 not bones, as ye see me have. 
 
 Luke, 23. 56. 
 
 And they returned, and pre- 
 pared spices and ointments; and 
 rested the sabbath day, according 
 to the commandment. 
 
 Luke, 24. 6. 
 
 He is not here, but is risen; re- 
 member how he spake unto you, 
 when he was yet in Galilee. 
 
 Luke, 24. 7. 
 
 Saying: The Son of Man must 
 be delivered into the hands of 
 sinful men, and be crucified, and 
 the third day rise again. 
 
 Luke, 24. 38 and 39. 
 
 38. And he said unto them, 
 Why are ye troubled ? and why 
 do thoughts arise in your hearts ? 
 
 39. Behold my hands and my 
 feet, that it is I, myself; handle 
 me and see; for a spirit hath not 
 flesh and bones, as ye see me 
 have. 
 
 THE OTHER SIDE 
 
 • We will now give the cases where the text of 
 Marcion is the more copious : 
 
 Marcion, 5. 20. 
 
 Luke, 8. 21. 
 
 According to Volkmar, (though not in the 
 schedule or scholion of Epiphanius), in this verse, 
 after the words, "And he answered and said unto 
 them," is the question, "Who are my mother and 
 my brethren?" Balance of the verse, same as in 
 Luke. 
 
MARCION AND LUKE COMPARED. 
 
 301 
 
 Volkmar may have taken some of his variations 
 from the "Dialogues," etc., attributed to Origen, 
 to which he appears to have given too much 
 attention. 
 
 II, III, IV, v, VI. 
 
 Makcion, 9. 26. 
 
 And your Father knoweth that 
 ye have need of these things of 
 the flesh; (ton sarkikon.) 
 
 Makcion, 14. 2. 
 
 (On the authority of Volkmar.) 
 It would be better for him if he 
 had not been born; or if a mill- 
 stone were hanged about his 
 neck, etc. 
 
 (This may have been the read- 
 ing of Luke at that time. See 
 Tertullian adv. Marcion, 4. 35.) 
 
 Makcion, 17. 25. 
 
 But they who shall be account- 
 ed worthy of God, to obtain that 
 world, etc. 
 
 Marcion, 20. 2. 
 
 And they began to accuse him, 
 saying: We found this fellow 
 perverting the nation, and de- 
 stroying the law and the prophets, 
 and forbidding to give tribute to 
 Caesar, and turning away the 
 women and children. 
 
 Makcion, 21. 5. 
 
 And as they were afraid, and 
 bowed down their faces to the 
 earth, those in white clothing 
 said to them, etc. 
 
 Luke, 12. 30. 
 
 And your Father knoweth that 
 ye have need of these things. 
 
 Luke, 17. 2. 
 
 It were better for him, that a 
 millstone were hanged about his 
 neck, etc. 
 
 Luke, 20. 35. 
 
 But they who shall be account- 
 ed worthy to obtain that world, 
 etc. 
 
 Luke, 23. 2. 
 
 And they began to accuse him 
 saying: We found this (fellow) 
 perverting the nation, and for- 
 bidding to give tribute to Caesar, 
 saying that he himself is Christ, 
 a king. 
 
 Luke, 24 5. 
 
 And as they were afraid, and 
 bowed down (their) faces to the 
 earth, they said unto them, etc. 
 
 Here are six cases in Marcion, against thirty-six 
 in Luke ; or 35 new words in Marcion , to 660 in 
 Luke. If to these we add 315 verses of Luke which 
 are not in Marcion in any form, we have a ratio of 
 1 to 230. 
 
302 FOURTH PERIOD A. D. 130 TO A. D. 170. 
 
 The strength of the argument, then, based upon 
 the principle of accretion, would be 230 to 1, that 
 the Gospel of Marcion was first written. 
 
 But there is other evidence of priority. The 
 Gospel of Marcion is more simple and natural, not 
 only in the mode of expression , but in the order of 
 arrangement. 
 
 In the fourth chapter of Luke, Jesus is repre- 
 sented as being tempted in the wilderness, immedi- 
 ately after his baptism ; thence he returned into 
 Galilee, and came to Nazareth ; [Luke, 4. 16] ; 
 where his public ministry commenced . But though 
 commencing, at Nazareth, he is made to refer [v. 
 23] , to works which he had done at Capernaum ; a 
 place to which he goes, afterward ;[v. 31.] 
 
 In Marcion, on the contrary, his public ministry 
 commenced at Capernaum ; [Marcion, 1. 1] ; 
 whence, [v. 10] , he came to Nazareth, and preached ; 
 and here, in the natural order, [v. 13] , he refers to 
 the works done at Capernaum. 
 
 This accords with the Gospel of Matthew, which 
 represents that Jesus did not commence preaching 
 until after he had taken up his residence in Caper- 
 naum. [Matt. 4. 13 to 17.] Mark follows Luke. 
 Matthew and Marcion were probably from a com- 
 mon manuscript. 
 
 In the Gospel of John, Jesus is represented as 
 performing his first miracle in Cana of Galilee, 
 after which he went down to Capernaum. [John 
 2. 11, 12.] This, therefore, is confirmatory of 
 Marcion. 
 
 It is probable that in Luke, the manuscripts were 
 
MARCION AND LUKE COMPARED. 303 
 
 put together out of their natural order, and that 
 this disorder was followed in Mark. It was the 
 opinion of Griesbach that the author of Mark had 
 before him the whole of the present Gospel of Luke. 
 Schleiermacher thinks he had some of the manu- 
 scripts which comprise the Gospel of Luke. 1 
 
 At the same time, the fact that nearly every word 
 of Marcion is in Luke, besides much additional 
 matter, is strongly suggestive of the theory, that 
 the author of Luke had before him , besides other 
 material, the Gospel of Marcion entire. On the 
 supposition that Marcion was last written, it is dif- 
 ficult to conceive why he should have excluded so 
 large a part of the Gospel of Luke, especially as it 
 is now conceded that it was not done for dogmatic 
 purposes. On the other hand, if Luke was written 
 last, the accumulations were in accordance with the 
 spirit of the age, and the practice of the times. 
 Besides, it was necessary t6 have a gospel different 
 from that of Marcion, who was a heretic. There is 
 no satisfactory evidence that Marcion had seen 
 either of the canonical gospels, or had even heard 
 of them. 
 
 The first two chapters of Luke were wanting in 
 the gospels of the first century. They were also 
 wanting in the Gospel of the Hebrews, or Naza- 
 renes, about A. D. 125, as well as in the Gospel of 
 Marcion, A. D. 145. They first appeared in the 
 Protevangelion, about A. D. 125, and were prob- 
 ably not deemed by Marcion, authentic. 
 
 (i.) Schleiermacher on Luke, p. 91. 
 
CHAPTER XXL 
 
 SECOND HALF OF FOURTH PERIOD. 
 
 Justin Martyr. — A. D. 150 to 160. 
 
 There has been much diversity of opinion as to 
 the time when Justin Martyr lived, and wrote his 
 far-famed Apologies. 
 
 His first Apology was supposed by Page, Nean- 
 der, Otto, Semisch and others, to have been written 
 A. D. 139. But the reason given for the opinion 
 was, that Verissimus became Caesar in 139, and it 
 was thought, if the First Apology had been written 
 after that date, he would have been styled Csesar 
 by Justin. He calls him "the philosopher ;" a 
 title in which Justin himself took great pride. He 
 says : 
 
 "Do you then, since ye are called pious and philosophers, guardians 
 of justice and lovers of learning, give good heed, and hearken to my 
 address."— [1st Apology, ch. 2. 
 
 And again: "This judgment of yours, O Urbicus, does not be- 
 come the Emperor Pius, nor the philosopher, the son of Caesar, nor 
 the sacred senate."— [2d Apology, ch. 2. 
 
 Here Verissimus is called the philosopher, in 
 the Second Apology, also, which is admitted by all 
 
JUSTIN MARTYR. 305 
 
 to have been written after 139. The title "philo- 
 sopher" was at that time esteemed a very honor- 
 able one. The embassy or apology of Athenagoras, 
 A. D. 177, was addressed as follows : 
 
 "The Embassy of Athenagoras, the Athenian, a 
 philosopher and a Christian, concerning Christians, 
 to the Emperors Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, and 
 Lucius Aurelius Commodus, Armeniaci, Sarmatici, 
 and above all, philosophers." 
 
 There are other considerations, which go strongly 
 against so early a date. 
 
 Justin was born, A. D. 114, and therefore would 
 be but 25 years of age in 139. 
 
 Again : Marcion did not come to Rome, until 
 about 140. The date is generally fixed at 142. 
 But Justin, in the First Apology, speaks of him in 
 terms which imply that he had been a long time 
 disseminating his doctrines. 
 
 "And there is Marcion, a man of Pontus," says he, '-who is even at 
 this day alive, and teaching his disciples to believe in some other god 
 greater than the Creator."— [1st Apology, ch. 26. 
 
 Still further: Justin himself says impliedly, 
 that he was writing 150 years after Christ : 
 
 "But lest some should, without reason," says he, "and for the per- 
 version of what we teach, maintain that we say that Christ was born 
 one hundred and fifty years ago, under Cyrenius, and subsequently, 
 in the time of Pontius Pilate, taught what we say he taught," etc. 
 —[1st Apology, ch. 46. 
 
 Those who contend for an early date, claim that 
 Justin is here speaking in round numbers merely. 
 But if, when writing in 139, he wished to speak in 
 
306 FOURTH PERIOD A. D. 130 TO A. D. 170. 
 
 round numbers, would he not have said 140? 
 Some writers, seeing that for this reason the date 
 should be nearer 150 than 140, have placed it at 
 146 to 148. Burton has 148. * 
 
 We think it consists better with the age of Justin, 
 and with what he says of Marcion, as well as with 
 a true construction of this passage, to take the 150 
 years as the true time, certainly the minimum 
 time after the birth of Christ, when the First 
 Apology was written. This is the opinion of Tille- 
 mont, Fleury, Ceillier, Dr. Grabe and others, and 
 is sanctioned by the authority of Norton. Dr. 
 Davidson speaks of Justin as nourishing about 150, 
 though he is inclined to date the Apology two or 
 three years earlier. 
 
 We have thought it necessary to review the evi- 
 dence on this question, because of its importance, 
 and because, though the evidence of a later date 
 than 139, appears almost overwhelming, we find, 
 in the very valuable encyclopedia of McClintock 
 and Strong, it is still stated, that the First Apology 
 was written A. D. 139. 2 
 
 What Gospels were used by Justin? 
 
 This is a question of the highest importance. 
 We have now come to the middle of the second 
 century, and to one of the ablest and most cele- 
 brated of the fathers ; one whose works are famous 
 for the zeal and piety which they display. 
 
 (i.) Ecc. Hist. Vol. 2, p. in. 
 
 (2.) Article, "Marcion." The article is accredited to Frof. Worman, ol Drew 
 Theological Seminary. 
 
JUSTIN MARTYR. 307 
 
 Canon Westcott, through some seventy-five pages, 
 labors with great earnestness, and with much abil- 
 ity, to show that Justin Martyr was acquainted 
 with the canonical gospels. 
 
 At the very threshold of the subject, we are met 
 by the fact, that nowhere in all the writings of 
 Justin, does he once so much as mention any of 
 these gospels. Nor does he mention either of their 
 supposed authors, except John. Once his name 
 occurs ; not, however, as the author of a gospel, 
 but in such a connection as raises a very strong 
 presumption, that Justin knew of no gospel of John 
 the Apostle. 
 
 "And further," says he, "there was a certain man with us, whose 
 name was John, one of the apostles of Christ, who prophesied, by a 
 revelation that was made to him, that those who believed in our 
 Christ, would dwell a thousand years in Jerusalem; and that there- 
 after, the general, and, in short, the eternal resurrection and judg- 
 ment of all men, would likewise take place."— [Dialogue with Trypho, 
 ch. 81. 
 
 This language is quite inconsistent with the 
 theory that John was the author of a gospel then 
 well known and generally received, and which was 
 a part of the "Memoirs of the Apostles," used and 
 referred to by Justin. 
 
 The failure of Justin Martyr to refer to either of 
 the supposed authors of the four gospels, as a 
 writer of such a book, becomes still more significant, 
 when it is considered how often he refers to the Old 
 Testament writers by name, (nearly 200 times in 
 all), and that besides the "Memoirs of the Apostles," 
 the title of which is somewhat indefinite, he speci- 
 fically mentions two gospels, one of which, the 
 
308 FOURTH PERIOD — A. D. 130 TO A. D. 170. , 
 
 Acts of Pilate, is still extant. The other, the Gos- 
 pel of Peter, is lost. 
 
 The argument of Westcott and others is, that in- 
 asmuch as there are found in the canonicals gospels, 
 passages closely resembling those quoted by Justin , 
 and in two or three instances, passages exactly the 
 same,that by the Memoirs of the Apostles, which 
 Justin frequently refers to, he must mean the 
 canonical gospels. 
 
 On the contrary, it has been shown, by Hilgen- 
 feld, Credner, Mayerhoff and others, and more 
 lately by the author of "Supernatural Religion," 
 who has reviewed the whole subject with great abil- 
 ity, that the argument based upon the similarity of 
 these passages, is entirely inconclusive ; and that 
 except in two or three instances, it becomes neces- 
 sary, in order to obtain parallels, to put together, 
 not only passages from different portions of the 
 same gospel, but in some cases, passages from dif- 
 ferent gospels. Also, that by this process the con- 
 nection is broken up, while the quotations in Justin 
 have, for the most part, a consecutive order, and, 
 as is shown in the context, had such an order in the 
 gospel from which they were taken. 
 
 There are also a number of sayings of Christ, 
 given by Justin as quotations, which are not in the 
 canonical gospels at all. 
 
 Again, the references of Justin to the various in- 
 cidents in the life of Jesus, show a divergence from 
 the canonical gospels, not only in the mode of 
 stating facts, but in the facts themselves. In some 
 
JUSTIN MAETYE. 309 
 
 instances, they point to a known source, whence 
 they were taken. 
 
 While in Luke and Matthew the genealogy of 
 Jesus is traced through Joseph, Justin traces it 
 through Mary. In the Protevangelion, of the use 
 of which by Justin there is much evidence, Mary is 
 said to be of the lineage of David. 1 
 
 Justin, in relating the announcement to Mary, 
 has the angel say, "Behold, thou shalt conceive of 
 the Holy Ghost, and shalt bear a Son, and he shall 
 be called the Son of the Highest, and thou shalt 
 call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people 
 from their sins." 2 
 
 In the Protevangelion, the angel says to Mary : 
 
 "The power of the Most High shall overshadow thee; wherefore also 
 the holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of. 
 the Highest, [in one version,- the 'Son of the living God,'] and thou 
 shalt call his name Jesus; for he shall save his people from their sins." 
 —[Chapter 11. 
 
 In Luke, the closing of the salutation is, 
 
 "Therefore also, that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be 
 called the Son of God."— [Luke, 1. 35. 
 
 The closing phrase, "for he shall save his people 
 from their sins," which is exactly the same in the 
 Apology and in the Protevangelion, is not in this 
 passage of Luke ; neither is it in the 31st verse, 
 which reads, "And behold, thou shalt conceive in 
 thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his 
 name Jesus." 
 
 (i.) Protevangelion, ch. 10. 
 (2.) Apology, I. 33. 
 
310 FOUETH PERIOD A. D. 130 tO A. D. 170. 
 
 Again, in one version of the Protevangelion, the 
 angels say to Mary, "Fear not, Mary, for thou hast 
 found favor before the Lord, and thou shalt con- 
 ceive of his Word." 1 
 
 Justin, after quoting what the angel said to Mary, 
 but without giving his authority, says : 
 
 "It is wrong, therefore, to understand the spirit and power of God, 
 as anything else than the Word, who is also the first-born of God, as 
 the aforesaid prophet Moses declared; and it was this which, when it 
 came upon the virgin and overshadowed her, caused her to conceive; 
 not by intercourse, but by power." 
 
 Nothing of this in Luke. Justin then adds : 
 
 "And the name Jesus, in the Hebrew language, means Saviorinthe 
 Greek tongue;" and continuing, he repeats the closing words in the 
 announcement to Mary, thus: 
 
 "Wherefore, too, the angel said to the virgin, Thou shalt call his 
 name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins."— [Apology, 
 ch. 33. 
 
 This deliberate repetition of the sentence, in the 
 same words, indicates, quite conclusively, that he 
 was quoting the words of the Protevangelion, from 
 that gospel, or from some other now lost. 
 
 Tischendorf himself thinks this passage was a 
 recollection from the Protevangelion, and that it 
 was "unconsciously added, by Justin, to the 
 account in Luke." 2 
 
 Justin, when speaking of the journey of Joseph 
 and Mary to Bethlehem, says : 
 
 "On the occasion of the first census, which was taken in Judea, 
 under Cyrenius, he (Joseph) went up from Nazareth, where he lived, 
 
 (i.) Ch. ii, as given by Tischendorf, Evang. Apoc. p. 21. 
 (2.) Wann wurden, etc. p. 77. 
 
JUSTIN MARTYR. 311 
 
 to Bethlehem, to which he belonged, to be enrolled; for his family 
 was of the tribe of Judah, which then inhabited that region."— [Dia- 
 logue with Trypho, ch. 78. 
 
 The differences between the account of Justin, 
 and that in Luke, are manifest. 
 
 In the one, the census was taken in Judea. (In 
 the Protevangelion, all the Jews were to be taxed, 
 who were of Bethlehem, in Judea.) In the other, 
 the census was to extend to all the world, or in 
 other words, to the whole Roman Empire. In the 
 one, (not in this passage, but in 1st Apology, ch. 
 34), Cyrenius is styled "your first procurator in 
 Judea," and in this passage it is stated, that the 
 going to Bethlehem was on the occasion of the first 
 census which was taken under him . In the other, 
 the census is spoken of as being made when Cy- 
 renius was governor of Syria. In the one, the 
 descent of Joseph is said to be from the tribe of 
 Judah. In the other, it is asserted that he was of 
 the house and lineage of David, and that is given 
 as the reason for going to Bethlehem, it being the 
 city of David. 
 
 Justin represents Jesus as having been born in a 
 cave, 1 So do the Protevangelion, and the Gospel 
 of the Infancy. In the 70th and 78th chapters of 
 the Dialogue, Justin quotes from Isaiah 33. 16, to 
 prove that it was necessary, for the fulfillment of 
 prophecy, that Christ should be born in a cave. 
 That the birth of Christ took place in a cave, was 
 believed generally by the fathers. Origen and 
 
 (i.) Dialogue, ch. 78. 
 
312 FOURTH PERIOD — A. D. 130 TO A. D. 170. 
 
 Eusebius state that the cave was shown in their 
 day. 1 
 
 "Later Fathers," says Westcott, "speak of the 
 cave, without any misgivings that they contradict 
 St. Luke." 2 
 
 Justin, when referring to the magi, nearly every 
 time speaks of their coming from Arabia ; making 
 the assertion no less than nine times. This must 
 have been taken from some gospel now lost. 
 
 Justin says, speaking of Christ, 
 
 "He was deemed a carpenter, (for he was in the habit of working 
 as a carpenter, when among men, making plows and yokes; by which 
 he taught the symbols of righteousness and an active life.)" — [ Dial, 
 ch. 88. 
 
 In the copy of the Gospel of the Infancy pub- 
 lished by Tischendorf, 3 it is said of Jesus, 
 
 "Now his father was a carpenter, and made at that time, plows and 
 yokes." 
 
 Justin speaks of a fire in the River Jordan, when 
 Jesus was baptized. So did the Gospel of the He- 
 brews. 4 It is also mentioned in "The Preaching 
 of Paul." 5 
 
 Justin has the Holy Spirit say to Jesus, at his 
 baptism, ' 'This is my beloved Son ; to-day have I 
 
 (i.) Origen, cont. Cels. l. 51, and Euseb. Vita Const. 3. 40. See also Socrates, 
 Ecc. Hist. 1. 17; Sozomen, Ecc. Hist. 2. 2; Epiph. Haer. 20. 1; Jerome, Ep. 58, ad Paul. 
 The reference to the cave by Gregory Nyssen, has already been given. (Ch. 10.) Ori- 
 gen refers to the Gospel of the Infancy. 
 
 (2.) Canon, p. 92, note; referring to Origen and Epiphanius. 
 
 (3.) Ev. Apoc. p. 144- 
 
 (4.) See chopter 4 of this work, fragment from Epiphanius. 
 
 (5.) Treatise on Re-Baptism, apppended to Cyprian's works. 
 
JUSTIN MARTYR. 313 
 
 begotten thee." The same form of expression was 
 in the Gospel of the Hebrews , and was quoted by- 
 others of the fathers. 
 
 These are some of the indications, and it must 
 be admitted they are plain ones, showing that 
 Justin made extensive use of other gospels. 
 
 Some of those used by him, are expressly named. 
 — Not only does he allude to the Gospel or Me- 
 moirs of Peter, 1 but he twice cites by name, the 
 Acts of Pilate, or Gospel of Nicodemus. 
 
 In the 35th chapter of the First Apology, he says 
 
 of Christ, 
 
 "And after he was crucified, they cast lots upon his vesture, and 
 they that crucified him, parted it among them. And that these things 
 did happen, you can ascertain from the Acts of Pontius Pilate." 
 
 Some writers have thought that the reference 
 here is to the official report, said to have been made 
 by Pilate to Tiberius. At the same time it is con- 
 ceded, that even if such a report was made, Justin 
 had never seen it. These writers do not explain, 
 how he could so confidently refer to a report which 
 he had never seen, or how such a report could con- 
 tain an account so manifestly founded upon Jewish 
 prophecies. 
 
 In the text of the gospel called ' 'The Acts of Pi- 
 late," as published in the Orthodoxographa of 
 Grynseus, is the following : 
 
 "And divided his garments, and upon his vesture they cast lots."— 
 [Acts of Pilate, ch. 10. 
 
 Justin says : 
 
 (i.) See chapter i of this work. 
 
314 FOURTH PERIOD A. D. 130 TO A. D. 170. 
 
 "They cast lots upon his vesture, and they that crucified him, parted 
 it among them;" 
 
 And refers to the Acts of Pilate, as authority for 
 the statement. There is but little doubt, that the 
 gospel by that name now extant, was the work re- 
 ferred to by Justin. 1 It will be seen that the phrase- 
 ology is different from that in the canonical gos- 
 pels. Davidson also thinks Justin had this 
 gospel. 2 
 
 Again : in the 48th chapter of the First Apology, 
 Justin says : 
 
 "And that it was predicted that our Christ should heal all diseases, 
 and raise the dead, hear what was said: There are these words: 'At 
 his coming, the lame shall leap as an hart, and the tongue of the 
 stammerer shall be clear speaking; the blind shall see, and the lepers 
 shall be cleansed; and the dead shall rise and walk about.' And that 
 he did those things, you can learn from the Acts of Pontius Pilate." 
 
 A number of these miracles are reported in the 
 Gospel of the Acts of Pilate, including the raising 
 from the dead. It is undoubtedly the authority 
 referred to in this passage of Justin Martyr. If 
 any official report was ever made by Pilate to Ti- 
 berius, it would scarcely contain admissions that a 
 person whom he had put to death, had performed 
 such miracles. 
 
 If, then, as there is every reason to believe, the 
 Gospel of the Acts of Pilate was the work alluded 
 to, we have, on the supposition that the canonical 
 gospels then existed, the extraordinary spectacle 
 presented, of a writer of the middle of the second 
 
 (i.) This is the opinion of Tischendorf. — Evang. Apoc. Proleg. p. 64; — Wann 
 wurden, etc. p. 82. 
 (2.) Canon, p. 100. 
 
JUSTIN MARTYR. 315 
 
 century, one of the most prominent fathers of the 
 church, passing over gospels in general circulation, 
 and which were considered authoritative, and as 
 evidence of the miracles of Jesus, citing an apocry- 
 phal and discredited gospel. 
 
 Various other considerations might be mentioned, 
 affecting, with more or less force, the question, as 
 to what gospels were used by Justin. But let these 
 suffice. 
 
 When it is considered, That no one of the canon- 
 ical gospels is expressly mentioned, nor either of 
 the supposed writers, except John, and he under 
 such circumstances as negative the presumption 
 that Justin knew of him as the author of a gospel — 
 that Justin refers by name to the writers of the 
 Old Testament Scriptures nearly 200 times — that 
 from a large number of quotations from written 
 accounts of the sayings of Christ, only two or three 
 agree literally with the canonical gospels — that in 
 nearly all cases, parallel passages can only be ob-* 
 tained by patching together different passages, and 
 sometimes from different gospels — that Justin 
 quotes sayings of Christ not in the canonical gos- 
 pels — that he refers to incidents in the life of Jesus, 
 not found at all in those gospels, but which are in 
 other known gospels — and finally that he cites two 
 or three such by name, and one of them as author- 
 ity for the miracles of Jesus ; it cannot be denied, 
 that the evidence that the canonical gospels were 
 unknown to Justin Martyr, is very strong, and in- 
 deed, well nigh conclusive. 
 
316 FOURTH PERIOD — A. D. 130 to A. D. 170. 
 
 There are two circumstances which should be 
 mentioned, which are sometimes relied upon to 
 break the force of this accumulated evidence. 
 
 One is, that Justin quotes from the Old Testa- 
 ment loosely, the difference between his quotations 
 and the passages themselves, being, in several in- 
 stances, as great as between the quotations which 
 have been referred to, and the corresponding pas- 
 sages in the New Testament. The proportion of 
 exact quotations is, however, much greater in the 
 one case than the other, there being over sixty 
 from the Old Testament, or nearly one-half of the 
 whole number ; while in a large number of other 
 instances the variation is very slight. 
 
 In the citations, on the other hand, relating to 
 the sayings and doings of Christ, the number of 
 exact quotations will not exceed three, out of 
 nearly a hundred. Those which are the same, 
 consist of the sayings of Christ, which were pre- 
 served in other gospels, and by oral tradition. 
 Thus, where the quotations are the most important, 
 and should therefore more exactly correspond, they 
 are found, on the contrary, the more divergent. 
 
 The other circumstance is, that Justin does not 
 expressly mention Paul, or his writings. Hence, 
 it is argued, his omission to mention other New 
 Testament writers, should not be looked on with 
 surprise. There is some force in the suggestion. 
 At the same time, it is claimed on the other side, 
 that there were special reasons for this omission. 
 The silence concerning Paul has been referred to 
 
JUSTIN MARTYR. 317 
 
 the well-known schism between him and Peter. 
 Justin's works have been considered as standing 
 upon the Petrine side, or at least, as anti- Pauline. 
 It is possible that some further explanation of the 
 silence of Justin, may be found in the fact, that 
 the only collection of Paul's epistles then in circu- 
 lation, had been made by Marcion, a heretic, who 
 was peculiarly obnoxious to Justin. 
 
 In regard to the "Memoirs of the Apostles," 
 which are referred to some fifteen or twenty times 
 by Justin, as the source of many of his quotations, 
 those who contend that he meant the Gospel of 
 the Hebrews, 1 in support of their theory, point to 
 the significant fact that the Gospel of the Hebrews 
 was also known as The Gospel of the Twelve Apos- 
 tles." This, they think, was "The Memoirs of the 
 Apostles," referred to by Justin Martyr. 
 
 Justin was of Greek descent, but was born at 
 Flavia Neapolis, a city of Samaria. He studied in 
 the various schools of philosophy, and afterward 
 became an earnest and devoted Christian. He 
 lived for a while at Ephesus, and then settled in 
 Rome. Here he suffered martyrdom, about the 
 year 165. 
 
 Doctrines. — Dr. Priestly held that Justin was 
 the first who advanced the doctrine of the divinity 
 of Christ. 2 
 
 From the time of Justin Martyr, the doctrine of 
 the Logos, or Word, which had prevailed in various 
 
 (I.) Davidson, Ewald, Credner, Teschendorf, De Wette, and many others, 
 (2.) History of the Corruptions of Christianity, vol. i, p. 46. 
 
318 FOURTH PERIOD A. D. 130 TO A. D. 170. 
 
 forms from ancient times, and which had been so 
 extensively treated by Philo, became associated 
 with the person of Jesus Christ. 
 
 The "Word" of Philo, was "The first begotten 
 Son of God," T "the first begotten Word," 2 "the 
 Image of God," "the Divine Word," 3 "his most 
 ancient Word," 4 "the Image of God, by which 
 the whole world was created. " But Philo was a 
 Jew, and knew nothing of Christ as the Word. 
 
 In the writings of Justin Martyr, this phrase- 
 ology was applied to Jesus. 5 A similar application 
 of the term was afterward adopted in the Gospel of 
 John. 
 
 Paul had applied to Jesus the language of the 
 Psalmist, "Thou art my Son ; this day have I be- 
 gotten thee;" but he had not identified the Son 
 and the Word as the same. The "Word" of Paul 
 was the written word of Scripture. 
 
 Philo had said the Word was the first begotten 
 Son ; Justin Martyr, applying these terms to Christ, 
 asserted that he was the Word, the first and only 
 begotten Son of God. In the writings of Justin, 
 however, he is still subordinated to the Father. It 
 remained for the author of the Gospel of John to 
 boldly and unqualifiedly announce that "the Word 
 was with God, and the Word was God." 
 
 (i.) De Agricult. sec. 12. 
 
 (2.) De Confus. Ling. sec. 28. 
 
 (3.) De Somniis, 1, sec. 12. 
 
 (4.) Ibid, 1. 39. 
 
 (5.) Dialogue, chs. 87 to 100, 105, and other places. 
 
CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 SECOND HALF OF FOURTH PERIOD.— Continued. 
 
 Apelles — Peeegeinus — Maeoellina — Philip — Soteb — 
 montanus — tatian. 
 
 Apellks. — A. D. 160. 
 
 Apelles is said to have been excommunicated by 
 Marcion. He afterward had a sect and a gospel of 
 his own. He was a Gnostic. There were various 
 Gnostic sects. One of their cardinal doctrines was 
 that Jesus was a man, begotten by man. Some of 
 them held that he became Christ, the Son of God,, 
 at the time of his anointing and baptism. 
 
 "When," says Baring-Gould, "Gnosticism fixed on the anointing as 
 the communication to Christ of his divine mission and Messiahship, 
 their mention of it was cut out of the gospels in possession of the 
 church, and consequently the canonical gospels are without it to this 
 day."— [Lost and Hostile Gospels, p. 202. 
 
 Others believed that Jesus and Christ were dif- 
 ferent. That Jesus suffered, but Christ only in 
 appearance. These were called Docetse. Christ, 
 as distinct from the man Jesus, had a pre-exist- 
 ence. 
 
 According to the fathers, Apelles denied the 
 resurrection of the dead. He published a collection 
 
320 FOURTH PERIOD A. D. 130 TO A. D. 170. 
 
 of revelations which he had received from a noted 
 courtezan, by the name of Philumene. 1 
 
 Not much reliance is placed upon these asser- 
 tions. They are considered slanders by Dr. Lard- 
 ner and other candid historians. Especially are 
 such statements against prominent women, who 
 held heretical opinions, entitled to but little credit. 
 
 Neander defends the character of Apelles, and 
 considers his intimacy with Philumene altogether 
 blameless. 2 
 
 The Gospel of Apelles. 
 
 But little is known of this gospel. Jerome, in 
 the preface to his Commentary on Matthew, and 
 Venerable Bede, in his Commentary on Luke, refer 
 to the Gospel of Apelles, as one of those alluded to 
 in Luke : ' ' Forasmuch as many have taken in 
 hand to set forth," etc. (Luke, 1.1.) According 
 to these writers, then, the Gospel of Luke was 
 written in the latter part of the second century. 
 
 Peregrinus. — A. D. 150 to 169. 
 
 Lucian, author of the Dialogues, A. D. 165, 
 gives a history of Peregrinus. He says he learned 
 a wonderful doctrine of the Christians, by convers- 
 ing with their priests and scribes, near Palestine. 
 
 "And in a short time, he showed they were but children to him; for 
 he was prophet, high priest, ruler of a synagogue; uniting all offices 
 in himself alone. Some books he interpreted and explained; others 
 he wrote. They spoke of him as a god, and took him for a law-giver, 
 
 (i.) See Tertullian, de Praes. adv. Haer. c. 30; Epiph. Hsr. 44; Austin, de Hser. ad 
 Q. 23 in Ap. 
 
 (2. Church History, vol. 2, p. 151. 
 
PEEEGRINUS. 321 
 
 and honored him with the title of master. They still, therefore, wor- 
 ship that great man who was crucified in Palestine, because he intro- 
 duced into the world this new religion." i 
 
 Lucian was contemporary with Peregrinus, hav- 
 ing been born A. D. 124, 2 and living until after 
 180. 3 The same writer says further, that Pere- 
 grinus was a person who rambled from place to 
 place, and from one sect of philosophy to another. 
 "Having been guilty of parricide and other crimes, 
 he was obliged for a while to leave his native coun- 
 try and travel abroad." He was afterward im- 
 prisoned. "While in prison, he was visited' by 
 Christians, who administered to his necessities. 
 The Governor of Syria set him at liberty. He then 
 returned to Parium, his native place, and after- 
 ward, about the year 169, he ascended a funeral 
 pile, which he had voluntarily prepared, and per- 
 ished in the flames, in the sight of all Greece. 
 
 Peregrinus was also called Proteus. His death 
 is mentioned by some of the fathers. 4 
 
 Athenagoras refers to it thus : 
 
 "Of the statues of Alexander and Proteus, (the latter, you are 
 aware, threw himself into the fire near Olympia), that of Proteus is 
 likewise said to utter oracles." — [Plea for the Christians, ch. 26. 
 
 There is reason to believe that the picture drawn 
 by Lucian, was, like his portraiture of Alexander 
 Abonotichus, and his casual mention of Apollonius 
 of Tyana, colored by the pen of prejudice. 
 
 (1.) De Morte Peregrin. 1. 1, p. 565. 
 
 (2.) Moyle's Works, vol. 2, p. 363. 
 
 (3.) Lardner, vol. 4, p. 149. 
 
 (4.) Tertullian, ad Mart. cap. 4, p. 157; Athenagoras, see above. 
 
322 FOUKTH PERIOD A. D. 130 TO A. D. 170. 
 
 From other writers there are more favorable 
 accounts : 
 
 Ammianus M'arcellinus, (3d century), mentions 
 his death, and calls him an illustrious philo- 
 sopher. 1 
 
 Philostratus (210), refers to his death, and speaks 
 of him as a cynic philosopher. 2 
 
 Aulus Gellius, (2d century), speaks of him as 
 follows : 
 
 "I saw, when I was at Athens, a philosopher named Peregrinus, 
 and surnamed afterward Proteus; a man of dignity and fortitude, 
 who resided in a little cottage, without the city. As I used to go to 
 him frequently, I heard from him many useful and excellent remarks, 
 among which this is what I chiefly remember: 
 
 "He said, 'A wise man would not be guilty of sin, although gods 
 and men were alike ignorant of it.' For he thought a wise man 
 would avoid sin, not from the fear of punishment or disgrace, but 
 from his sense of duty and love of virtue."— [Noctes Atticae, bk. 12, 
 ch. 11. 
 
 He then represents Peregrinus as quoting these 
 lines of Sophocles : 
 
 "Nor vainly think your skill can aught conceal ; 
 Time, that knows all things, shall all truths reveal." 
 
 It is as difficult to reconcile this sprightly picture 
 by the author of the Attic Nights, with what is said 
 by Lucian, as it is to reconcile the extant Epistles 
 of Apollonius with the notice which Lucian chose 
 to take of that philosopher. 
 
 Marcellina. — A. D. 160. 
 Marcellina was the founder of a sect called Mar- 
 
 (i.) Amm. i. 29, cap. i, 
 
 (2.) De Vit. Soph. i. 2, n 1, sec. 13. 
 
MONTANUS. 323 
 
 cellians. She was a Gnostic — a disciple of Carpo- 
 crates. 
 
 The fathers are almost entirely silent concerning 
 her. If we are left in ignorance of desirable infor- 
 mation, her name has at least been handed down 
 free from detraction and calumny. 
 
 Soter.— A. D. 164. 
 
 Soter was Bishop of Rome, about A. D. 175. 
 Dr. Lardner puts him down as one of the writers 
 of the second century, whose works are lost, and 
 dates his writings, A. D. 164. He may have 
 nourished as a writer before he was made bishop. 
 
 Philip.— A. D. 170. 
 
 This writer is in the same category with the pre- 
 ceding. He is mentioned with Soter and others, as 
 writers of the second century, whose works are 
 lost. 1 
 
 Montanus. — A. D. 170. 
 
 Dr. Priestly thinks many of the Montanists were 
 Unitarians. 
 
 Epiphanius gives extracts from the writings of 
 Montanus, and shows him to have been a millen- 
 arian. 
 
 Apollonius, the Christian writer of the third cen- 
 tury, became an active opponent of Montanism, 
 and endeavored to counteract the impulse which 
 had been given to it by Tertullian. This great 
 father had left the catholic church , and had gone 
 
 (i.) Lardner, vol. i, p. 436. 
 
324 FOURTH PERIOD A. D. 130 TO A. D. 170. 
 
 over to Montanism, about the end of the second 
 century. 
 
 Tischendorf says, the opponents of Montanism 
 rejected the Gospel of John. 1 
 
 Epiphanius mentions the Pepuzians, a sect of 
 Montanists, who permitted women to baptize. 2 
 
 Tatian.— A. D. 170. 
 
 Tatian was by birth an Assyrian . He was con- 
 verted by Justin Martyr, but afterward became a 
 Gnostic, a follower of Marcion. He joined the 
 Encratites, and has been considered by some as the 
 founder of that sect. 
 
 His Oration against the Greeks is still extant. It 
 contains no mention of any of the canonical gos- 
 pels. Some writers claim there are passages parallel 
 with those gospels. They consist of the sayings of 
 Christ, and the better opinion appears to be, that 
 they were taken from the Gospel of the Hebrews. 
 
 The Gospel or Harmony op Tatian. 
 
 There is a Harmony of the Gospels attributed to 
 Tatian. It is sometimes called, "The Gospel of 
 Tatian." 
 
 The work is first heard of in Eusebius, who says, 
 
 "Tatian, however, their former chief, having put together a certain 
 amalgamation and collection, I know not how, of the Gospels, named 
 this the Diatessaron; which even now is current with some." — [ Ecc. 
 Hist. 4. 29. 
 
 (i.) Origin of the Four Gospels, p. 123. 
 (2.) Haeer. 49. *. 
 
T ATI AN. 325 
 
 The next reference to the Gospel of Tatian is by 
 Epiphanius. He says : 
 
 "It is said that he (Tatian) composed the Gospel by Four, which is 
 called by some the Gospel of the Hebrews."— [Hser. 46. 1. 
 
 It does not appear that either of these writers 
 had seen any such gospel. They wrote from hear- 
 say ; and the statement of Epiphanius as to the 
 name of the gospel, is no doubt based upon the 
 passage in Eusebius. 
 
 The third writer is Theodoret. He says : 
 
 "He (Tatian) also composed the gospel which is called the Diates- 
 saron, excising the genealogies, and all the other parts which declare 
 that the Lord was born of the seed of David, according to the flesh. 
 This was used, not only by his own sect, but also by those who held 
 the apostolic doctrines, who did not perceive the evil of the composi- 
 tion, but made use of the book in simplicity, on account of its con- 
 ciseness. I found, myself, upwards of two hundred such books held 
 in honor among your churches, and collecting them all together, I 
 had them put aside, and instead, introduced the Gospels of the Four 
 Evangelists."— [Haeret. Fab. 1. 20. 
 
 The next century, Victor of Capua, referring to 
 Tatian's Gospel, called it "Diapente;" "The Gos- 
 pel by Five." 1 
 
 Such is the evidence concerning the Gospel or 
 Harmony of Tatian. Let us attempt to analyze it : 
 
 Epiphanius only states, that it was then said that 
 he (Tatian) composed the Gospel by Four ; and im- 
 mediately adds that it was called by some the Gos- 
 pel of the Hebrews. This was about A. D. 385. 
 Half a century later, Theodoret asserts that it was 
 
 (i.) Fabricius, Cod, N. T. i, p. 378. 
 
326 FOURTH PERIOD — A. D. 130 TO A. D. 170. 
 
 then called the Diatessaron, and states something 
 about its composition. 
 
 Independently of Eusebius, then, it only appears 
 that in the fourth and fifth centuries it was called 
 the Diatessaron, and in the sixth, the Diapente. 
 
 But Eusebius says that Tatian himself called it 
 the Diatessaron. This is not the first statement of 
 Eusebius tending to give an early date to the can- 
 onical gospels, in which he is unsupported by 
 earlier authorities. 
 
 The importance of the question renders it neces- 
 sary to examine into the credibility of this witness, 
 and to endeavor to ascertain whether his unsup- 
 ported statement may be relied upon. This sub- 
 ject will be treated in the next chapter. 
 
 In the mean time, there is a circumstance dis- 
 closed, which in itself goes strongly to rebut the 
 presumption that Tatian made use of the four 
 gospels. 
 
 It appears from the testimony of The6doret him- 
 self, that he felt under the necessity of suppressing 
 this gospel, though it was held in high respect, and 
 two hundred were in use in the churches which he 
 visited. 
 
 The fact that Theodoret felt obliged to suppress 
 it, is inconsistent with the theory that it was a har- 
 mony of the four gospels, and throws suspicion 
 upon a statement made manifestly for the purpose 
 of supporting such an inference. 
 
 (See Note III.) 
 
CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 VALUE OP THE TESTIMONY OF EUSEBIUS. 
 
 The Estimate op Friendly Writers. 
 
 Those who are disposed to take the most favor- 
 able view of this historian, hold him in low repute 
 as a chronicler of facts. 
 
 "The great fault of Eusebius," says canon Westcott, "is a want of 
 independent judgment. He writes under the influence of the last in- 
 formant, and consequently his narrative is often confused and incon- 
 sistent. This is the case, in some degree, with his statements on the 
 canon."— [Canon, p. 283.] He believes it possible, however, to ascer- 
 tain his real judgment on the question. 
 
 Jones charges him with being too credulous, and 
 thinks he was imposed upon, in the correspondence 
 between Christ and Abgarus, or else that the cor- 
 respondence had been interpolated into the history 
 of Eusebius. 1 The historian affirms, that he found 
 the letters written in the Syriac language, in the pub- 
 lic records of the city of Edessa, and that he himself 
 translated them into Greek. The letters are very 
 generally discredited, as well as the statements 
 of Eusebius concerning them. 
 
 (i.) Jones, vol. 2, p. 18. 
 
328 FOURTH PERIOD A. D. 130 to A. D. 170. 
 
 "No one," says Scaliger, speaking of Eusebius, 
 "has contributed more to Christian history, and no 
 one is guilty of more mistakes. ' n 
 
 His Falsehoods and Forgeries. 
 
 The statements of this historian are made, not 
 only carelessly and blunderingly, but in many in- 
 stances, in falsification of the facts of history. 
 
 Not only the most unblushing falsehoods, but 
 literary forgeries of the vilest character, darken the 
 pages of his apologetic and historical writings. 
 
 His misstatements made for the purpose of bring- 
 ing into disrepute the Gospel of Peter and other 
 writings of the first century, have already been 
 noticed. 
 
 As the greater includes the less, we will not stop 
 to consider the countless other merely false state- 
 ments to be found in his works, but will proceed at 
 once to some of the forgeries of which he has been 
 convicted. 
 
 Forgeries on Josephus. 
 
 One of the most notorious of these, is in the ac- 
 count of the death of Herod Agrippa. 
 
 In the 12th chapter of Acts, it is stated that 
 Herod, while sitting upon his throne, arrayed in 
 royal apparel, and as the people were shouting and 
 calling him a god, was smitten by the angel of the 
 
 (i.) Elench. Trihjer. c. 20. See also, Father Maimberg's Hist, of Ariaaism, in 
 French, Tom. 1, x. 1, p. 32; and Valesius' Life of Eusebius, prefixed to bis Ecclesiastical 
 History. 
 
FORGERIES ON JOSEPHUS. 329 
 
 Lord, and was eaten by worms, and gave up the 
 ghost. 1 
 
 Josephus says, "Agrippa, casting his eyes up- 
 ward, saw an owl, sitting upon a rope, over his 
 head." 2 
 
 Eusebius, in order to make Josephus agree with 
 the Acts of the Apostles, struck out of the text of 
 the Jewish historian , a whole Greek phrase, mean- 
 ing an owl sitting upon a rope or cord, and substi- 
 tuted the word meaning angel ; so as to make Jo- 
 sephus state that Herod, looking up, saw an angel 
 over his head. 3 
 
 This forgery has been known for centuries , and 
 is not denied by any. Some endeavor to excuse or 
 palliate it, while others pass it over in silence, or 
 as a matter of small importance. 
 
 Again : It was the opinion of the learned Dr. 
 Lardner, that Eusebius was the one who was guilty 
 of the forgery of the passage in Josephus concern- 
 ing Christ. 
 
 In the third volume of his works, Dr. Lardner 
 did not openly charge this forgery upon Eusebius, 
 though he more than hinted that he believed him 
 to be the author of it ; saying, 
 
 "Probably some learned Christian, who had read the works of Jo- 
 sephus, thinking it strange that this Jewish historian should say 
 nothing of Jesus Christ, wrote this paragraph, in the margin of his 
 copy, and thence it came to be afterward inserted into many copies 
 of Josephus." 
 
 (I.) Acts, 12. 21 to 23. 
 (2.) Antiquities, bk. 19, c. 8, 2. 
 
 (3.) Ecc. Hist. bk. 2, ch. 10. Eusebius omitted the words "boubona epi skoiniou 
 linos," "an owl on a certain rope," and substituted "anggelon," "angel." 
 
330 FOURTH PERIOD A. D. 130 TO A. D. 170. 
 
 "Who was the first author of this interpolation," said he, "cannot 
 be said. Tanaquil Faber (ap. Havercamp, p. 272), suspected Eusebius. 
 I do not charge it upon him, but I think it was first made about his 
 time."— [Works, vol. 3, p. 542. 
 
 Afterward, however, in the preface to the fourth 
 volume, he speaks more plainly, and says: 
 
 "Indeed, it is not Josephus, but Eusebius or some other Christian 
 about this time, who composed this paragraph. Every one must be 
 inclined to think so, who observes the connection in the Evangelical 
 Demonstration, where is the first quotation of it. In the third book 
 of that work, Eusebius has a chapter or section, against those who do 
 not give credit to the history of our Savior's wonderful works. ('Pros 
 tous apenthountas tee tou soteeros heemon peri ton paradoxon prax- 
 eon dieegeeseU — [Dem. Ev. 1. 3, c. 7, p. 109.] Where follows an excel- 
 lent argument, taken from the internal characters of credibility in 
 the evangelical history, the success of the gospel among the Greeks 
 and Eomans, and barbarians, and the zeal, intrepidity and sufferings 
 of Christ's apostles and the first Christians. Then he says: 
 
 " 'Though the testimony of such men concerning our Savior, must 
 be esteemed fully sufficient, it cannot be amiss for me to add, over 
 and above, the testimony of Josephus, a Hebrew; who, in the eigh- 
 teenth book of the Jewish Antiquities, writing the history of affairs 
 in the time of Pilate, speaks of our Savior in these words:' where 
 follows the paragraph which we are considering: where" continues 
 Dr. Lardner, "our Lord is said to be 'a worker of wonderful works,' 
 ('Seen gar paradoxon ergon poieetees:') which way of speaking is so 
 agreeable to Eusebius, and has such a similitude with his style, that 
 I am disposed to put down below, some instances from him; which 
 must be of use to satisfy us, that the style of this paragraph is very 
 Christian, if it be not the composition of Eusebius himself; as Tana- 
 quil Faber suspected." 
 
 (Here follow several quotations from the 'Evangelical Demonstra- 
 tion' in the original Greek, showing the frequent use by Eusebius, of 
 the phrase, poieetees ergon paradoxon, 'worker of wonderful works.') 
 — [Lardner's Works, vol. 4, p. 6. 
 
 Thus it appears that Dr. Lardner, who, in the 
 third volume, only intimated a strong suspicion 
 against Eusebius , as the author of this forgery, 
 now, in the commencement of the fourth volume, 
 after considering the matter more fully, draws an 
 
EUSEBIUS AS A WITNESS. 331 
 
 indictment, charging him openly with the crime ; 
 and calling up the case, introduces the evidence. 
 The words "or some other Christian about this 
 time," contained in the indictment, are to be con- 
 sidered as surplusage ; since the evidence and the 
 argument are directed against Eusebius himself. 
 
 There are other gross liberties taken by Eusebius 
 with the writings of Josephus. 
 
 He transcribes Josephus' account of Theudas, 
 and applies it as confirmatory of Acts, 5. 36 ; while 
 in fact, it disagrees with the account in Acts so 
 much as to have made commentators great trouble. 
 He quotes the passage from the fifth chapter of the 
 twentieth book of the Antiquities, and asserts that 
 the Theudas there mentioned is the same referred 
 to in the Acts ; skillfully suppressing the fact, that 
 the Theudas mentioned by Josephus, led that re- 
 bellion in the year 45 or 46 , at least 38 years after 
 the time mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles. 
 
 Again, in regard to the question of the taxing : 
 
 Eusebius, in his Chronicles, p. 76, asserts that 
 Cyrenius "made a census of goods and persons" in 
 the time of Herod. In the Ecclesiastical History, 
 bk. 1, ch. 5, he says that Christ was born "the 
 same year when the first census was taken, and 
 Quirinus was Governor of Syria." He adds, ''This 
 census is mentioned by Flavius Josephus, the dis- 
 tinguished historian among the Hebrews." If a 
 census was taken in the time of Herod, it is not 
 mentioned by Josephus, who states distinctly, that 
 after the death of Herod, Archelaus reigned nine 
 
332 FOURTH PERIOD — A. D. 130 TO A. D. 170. 
 
 years and was banished, and then Cyrenius had the 
 assessment and the taxing. 1 
 
 Dr. Lardner, referring to this disingenuous pas- 
 sage, says he ascribes it, not to ignorance, but "to 
 somewhat a great deal worse. ' ' 
 
 "It is impossible," says he, "that a man of Eusebius' acuteness, who 
 had the New Testament and Josephus before him, should think a 
 census made after Archelaus' banishment, was the same with that 
 before Herod died; but Eusebius was resolved to have St. Luke's his- 
 tory confirmed by the express testimony of the Jewish historian, 
 right or wrong." — [Lardner's works, vol. 1, p. 179. 
 
 The Forgery on Phlegon. 
 Origen, in his work against Celsus, says : 
 
 "But of the eclipse, which happened in the time of Tiberius, in 
 whose reign Jesus was crucified, and of the great earthquakes which 
 were at that time, Phlegon writes in the thirteenth, or as I think, the 
 fourteenth book of the Chronicle."— [Cont. Celsum, lib. 2, c. 33. 
 
 Phlegon was a heathen historian, who wrote 
 about the middle of the second century, and whose 
 works are lost. 
 
 The statement of Origen, which was open to sus- 
 picion from the first, was severely handled by con- 
 temporary writers, who urged that an eclipse of the 
 sun could not then have taken place, as the cruci- 
 fixion occurred at the time of the Jewish passover, 
 which was at the full of the moon ; when an eclipse 
 of the sun is impossible. 
 
 Whether it was further shown that the passage 
 was misquoted, we know not. At all events, Ori- 
 gen, afterward, in his Commentary on Matthew, 
 
 (i.) Antiquities, bk. 17, cb. 13; also bk. 18, cb. 1. 
 
EUSEBIUS AS A WITNESS. 333 
 
 27. 45, in reply to the objections which had been 
 made, said, that Phlegon did not assert that the 
 eclipse mentioned by him, happened at the time of 
 the full moon, and finally concludes that we must 
 not too positively maintain, against heathen peo- 
 ple, that Phlegon spoke of the darkness which hap- 
 pened at the death of Jesus Christ. 
 
 Now comes Eusebius ; who, writing a hundred 
 years later, not only repeats the original statement, 
 which had been substantially retracted by Origen, 
 but undertakes to quote the very words of Phlegon. 
 The passage in Eusebius is as follows : 
 
 "Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Lord, according to the prophe- 
 cies concerning him, came to his passion on the 19th year of the reign 
 of Tiberius; about which time, we find these things related in other, 
 even Gentile memoirs, in these very words: 'The sun was eclipsed; 
 there was an earthquake in Bithynia, and many houses were over- 
 turned in Nice.' All which things he relates with what happened at 
 our Savior's passion. So writes and says the author of the Olympiads, 
 in the thirteenth book, in these words: 'In the fourth year of the 
 two hundred and second Olympiad, there was an eclipse of the sun, 
 the greatest of any known before. And it was night at the sixth 
 hour of the day, so that the stars appeared in the heavens. And 
 there was a great earthquake in Bithynia, which overturned many 
 houses in Nice.' So writes this aforementioned author." — [Eusebius' 
 Chronicle, p. 77. 
 
 This is one of the most manifest of the forgeries 
 of Eusebius. If there had been any such passage 
 in Phlegon, stating that there was an eclipse of the 
 sun, at the very hour when Christ was crucified, it 
 would have been found out by Origen, who would 
 have availed himself of it, when hard pressed by 
 his adversaries. 
 
 Besides, the passage bears internal evidence of 
 being a fabrication. 
 
334 FOURTH PERIOD — A. D. 130 to A. D. 170. 
 
 Eusebius had already quoted the passage from 
 Phlegon, giving the very words. In the first quo- 
 tation, Phlegon says: "The sun was eclipsed; 
 there was an earthquake in Bithynia, and many 
 houses were overturned in Nice." This is given 
 as the language of Phlegon. Afterward, Phlegon 
 is made to say, "In the fourth year," etc., "there 
 was an eclipse of the sun, the greatest," etc., "and 
 it was night, the sixth hour of the day," etc., and 
 "there was a great earthquake in Bithynia which 
 overturned many houses in Nice. " All this new 
 matter prefixed to the quotation, and the quotation 
 itself different. What was only "an earthquake," 
 (giving the very words, as he said, of Phlegon), be- 
 comes, in the second quotation, "a great earth- 
 quake," and the statement that "the sun was 
 eclipsed," becomes swollen into a long sentence, 
 full of additional circumstances. Then a heathen 
 historian, for the purpose of sustaining the Christ- 
 ian religion, narrates an earthquake, and an eclipse 
 of the sun , taking place at the very hour when 
 Christ was crucified, although the moon was at the 
 fuU ! 
 
 This was only equaled by making a Jewish his- 
 torian declare that Jesus "was the Christ." 
 
 The Forgery on Thallits. 
 
 Eusebius makes Thallus, another heathen histo- 
 rian, who wrote about 220, testify to the eclipse of 
 the sun. The following is the language of our his- 
 torian : 
 
 "There was a dreadful darkness over the whole world, and the 
 
EUSEBIUS AS A WITNESS. 335 
 
 rocks were rent by an earthquake, and many buildings were over- 
 turned in Judea, and in other parts of the earth. This darkness 
 Thallus calls an eclipse of the sun, in the third book of his histories; 
 but as seems to me very improperly; for the Jews keep the passover 
 in the fourteenth day of the moon; at which time an eclipse of the 
 sun is impossible."-[Eusebius, Canon. Chron. Grsece, by Scaliger, p. 77. 
 
 Since quoting from Phlegon, Eusebius appears 
 to have become enlightened in regard to the possi- 
 bility of an eclipse of the sun when the moon is at 
 its full. Nevertheless, he persists in perpetrating 
 these forgeries on the heathen writers. He has no 
 compunction in making Thallus, a heathen, in his 
 anxiety to support the gospel historians, declare 
 that there was an eclipse of the sun at the cruci- 
 fixion of Christ. 
 
 This forgery Eusebius undertakes to father upon 
 Africanus, quoting as from that writer the words 
 which are attributed to Thallus. As the works of 
 Africanus are lost, there is no way of determining 
 the question with complete certainty. There is no 
 reasonable doubt, however, that the passage ema- 
 nated, in the first instance, from the author of the 
 church history. 
 
 Thallus was a Syrian, and wrote in Greek. He 
 is cited by Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Minucius 
 Felix, Lactantius and Theophilus, no one of whom 
 ever claimed that his works contained any such 
 passage, nor was the passage known, so far as we 
 have any evidence, to any other ancient writer. 
 
 The Forgery on Porphyry. 
 
 Eusebius quotes, as evidence of the truth of the 
 Christian religion, from a pretended work of Por- 
 
336 FOURTH PERIOD — A. D. 130 TO A. D. 170. 
 
 phyry, entitled "The Philosophy of Oracles," a 
 work never heard of before the time of Eusebius, 
 and never since, but from those who accept as 
 authority the author of the ecclesiastical history. 
 The majority of scholars are pretty well satisfied 
 that such a work never existed. 
 
 Porphyry flourished in the latter part of the 
 third century. He was an active opponent of the 
 Christian religion. He wrote so strongly and pow- 
 erfully against it, that his writings were, by an 
 edict of Constantine, condemned to the flames. 
 Porphyry is made to speak of Christianity as the 
 "prevailing religion;" which it was not, until 
 some time after Porphyry. 
 
 It was probably not until after the destruction of 
 the writings of Porphyry, in accordance with the 
 decree of Constantine, that this bold attempt was 
 made to bring him in as a witness in favor of the 
 very religion which he so powerfully opposed. 
 
 The " Philosophy of Oracles" has been branded 
 as spurious by Van Dale, 1 by Fontenelle, 2 and other 
 able writers. 
 
 Other portions of the works of the church histo- 
 rian, have been suspected. 
 
 Dr. Dodwell, Thirlby, and Dr. Jortin thought 
 the letter of rescript of Antoninus Pius, as given 
 by Eusebius, was a forgery. It is generally sus- 
 pected that the correspondence between Christ and 
 Abgarus is a literary work of the same character. 
 
 (I.) De Orae. Ethnic, p. 14. 
 (2.) Hist, of Oracles, Diss, i, ch. 4. 
 [See Note IV.] 
 
EUSEBIUS AS A WITNESS. 337 
 
 Such was the first chronicler of church history 
 
 whose works have come down to us. Such is the 
 
 witness, the only witness to any thing which would 
 
 indicate, with any definiteness, the existence of any 
 
 of the canonical gospels earlier than about A. D. 
 
 170. 
 
 "Reject Eusebius," says Prof. Stowe, "and what have we for a his- 
 tory of the Christian churches of the first three centuries, or of the 
 books used as scripture in those churches ?"— [History of the Bible, 
 p. 47. 
 
 And yet, the truth requires that he should not 
 at all be relied upon, except where he is supported 
 by earlier, or at least contemporary writers, or by 
 strong circumstantial evidence. 
 
CHAPTER X;X I V . 
 
 REVIEW OF THE THIRD AND FOURTH PERIODS. 
 
 A. D. 120 to 170. 
 
 Since leaving the apostolic fathers, we have tra- 
 veled, by the uncertain light of patristic literature, 
 through half a century ; — the last half of a period 
 well characterized by Dr. Westcott as the dark age 
 of church history. (A. D. 70 to 170.) 
 
 We have met with twenty-six Christian writers, 
 some of them persons of much celebrity, and all of 
 them writers of considerable repute, besides others 
 of less note, and with various anonymous works, 
 including the three most famous so-called apocry- 
 phal gospels. 
 
 In all this mass of Christian literature, there is 
 not to be found a single mention of any of the 
 canonical gospels. Not one of all these writers, in 
 any work which has been preserved, has mentioned 
 Luke, Mark, John or Matthew, as the author of a 
 gospel. 
 
 The Gospel of Marcion, written about A. D. 145, 
 bears internal evidence of having preceded Luke, 
 
REVIEW OP THIRD AND FOURTH PERIODS. 339 
 
 and in like manner the Protevangelion and the 
 Gospel of the Infancy were manifestly written be- 
 fore Luke and Matthew, and the Acts of Pilate be- 
 fore any of the canonical gospels. 
 
 Coming to Justin Martyr, who wrote fully as late 
 as the middle of the second century, there is no 
 satisfactory evidence that he used or knew of the 
 existence of any such gospels as those which after- 
 ward became canonical. 
 
 Continuing through the remainder of the peri- 
 od, we meet with several writers, nearly all of 
 whose works are lost. These end with Tatian. 
 There is no sufficient evidence that the. so called 
 Diatessaron of this writer was a harmony of the 
 Four Gospels. 
 
 The character of Eusebius has been examined, 
 and he has been found to be, as an unsupported 
 witness, entirely unreliable. The facts to which 
 this witness testifies, are not, by any means, of a 
 conclusive character. But they are skillfully 
 thrown together in such a manner as to create the 
 impression, that the canonical gospels were in 
 existence during the time of which he was writing. 
 
 In every instance, the assertion is by implica- 
 tion. But the intent to deceive is manifest. The 
 silence, even of Eusebius, as to any evidence 
 earlier than A. D. 126, is significant. 
 
FIFTH PERIOD. A. D. 170 to 185. 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 THE FOUR CANONICAL GOSPELS. 
 
 More than fourteen hundred years ago, Faustus, 
 a Manichsean bishop, a Christian, in his discussion 
 with Augustine, after calling attention to the fact 
 that his opponent himself rejected many portions 
 of the Old Testament, said : 
 
 "If there are parts of the Testament of the Father which we are 
 not bound to observe, (for if you attribute the Jewish law to the 
 Father, and it is well known that many things in it shock you, etc.) 
 the testimony of the Son must be equally liable to corruption, and 
 may equally well contain objectionable things; especially as it is 
 allowed not to have been written by the Son himself, nor by his apos- 
 tles; but long after, by some unknown men, who, lest they should be 
 suspected of writing things they knew nothing of, gave to their books 
 the names of the apostles, declaring the contents to be according to 
 these originals. In this, I think they do grievous wrong to the disci- 
 ples of Christ, by quoting their authority for the discordant and con- 
 tradictory statements in these writings, saying that it was according 
 to them that they wrote the gospels, which are so full of errors and 
 discrepancies, both in facts and opinions, that they can be harmo- 
 nized neither with themselves, nor with one another. This is nothing 
 else than to slander good men, and to bring the charge of dissension 
 on the brotherhood of the disciples. In reading ,the gospels, the clear 
 intention of our heart perceives the errors, and to avoid all injustice, 
 we accept whatever is useful in the way of building up our faith, and 
 promoting the glory of the Lord Christ, and of the Almighty God, 
 the Father, while we reject the rest, as unbecoming the majesty of 
 
THE FOUR CANONICAL GOSPELS. 341 
 
 God and Christ, and inconsistent with our belief."— [Works of Au- 
 gustine.— On the Manichean Heresy, bk. 32, 1. 2. 
 
 Again, in a subsequent passage, continuing his 
 argument, he says : 
 
 "I do not suppose you will even consent or listen to such things, as 
 that a father-in-law should lie with his daughter-in-law, as Judah did; 
 or a father with his daughters, as Lot; or with harlots, like Hosea; or 
 that a husband should sell his wife for a night, to her lover, like A- 
 braham; or that a man should marry two sisters, like Jacob; or that 
 the rulers of the people, and the men you consider most inspired, 
 should keep their mistresses by hundreds and thousands; or accord- 
 ing to the provision made in Deuteromony about wives, that the wife 
 of one brother, if he die without children, should marry the surviving 
 brother, and that he should raise up seed for her instead of his 
 brother, and if the man refuses to do this, the fair plaintiff should 
 bring her case before the elders, that the brother may be called, and 
 admonished to perform this religious duty, and that if he persists in 
 his refusal, he must not go unpunished, but the woman must loose 
 his shoe from his right foot, and strike him in the face, and send him 
 away, spat upon and accursed, to perpetuate the reproach in his 
 family. 
 
 "These, and such as these, are the examples and precepts of the Old 
 Testament. If they are good, why do you not practice them ? If 
 they are bad, why do you not condemn the Old Testament, in which 
 they are found ? But if you think that these are spurious interpola- 
 tions, that is precisely what we think of the New Testament. You 
 have no right to claim from us an acknowledgment for the New Tes- 
 tament which you do not make for the Old."— [Ibid. bk. 32, 4. 
 
 Again, he says : 
 
 "So, then, with the help of the Paraclete, we may take the same 
 liberties with the New Testament, as Jesus enables you to take with 
 the Old, unless you suppose that the Testament of the Son is of great- 
 er value than that of the Father, if it is really the Father; so that 
 while many parts of the one are to be condemned, the other must be 
 exempted from all disapproval. That too, when we know, as I said 
 before, that it was not written by Christ or his apostles." — [Ibid. 
 
 To this charge, thus repeated, Augustine, after 
 treating other points at length, replies as follows : 
 
342 FIFTH PERIOD A. D. 170 TO A. D. 185. 
 
 "We can now answer the question, how we know that these books 
 were written by the apostles. In a word, we know this in the same 
 way that you know that the books whose authority you are so delud- 
 ed as to prefer, were written by Manichseus. For suppose some one 
 should raise a question on this point, and should contend, in arguing 
 with you, that the books which you attribute to Manichseus, are not 
 of his authorship. Your only reply would be, to ridicule the absurd- 
 ity of thus gratuitously calling in question a matter confirmed by 
 successive testimonies, of such wide extent. As, then, it is certain 
 that these books are the production of Manichseus, and as it is ridicu- 
 lous in one born so many years after, to start objections of his own, 
 and to raise a discussion on the point; with equal confidence may we 
 pronounce it absurd, or rather, pitiable, in Manichseus or his follow- 
 ers, to bring such objections against writings originally well authen- 
 ticated, and carefully handed down from the times of the apostles to 
 our own day, through a constant succession of custodiers." — [Ibid. 
 
 Fausttjs in Reply. — "It is not without reason that we bring a 
 critical judgment to the study of the scriptures, where there are such 
 discrepancies and contradictions. By thus examining every thing, 
 and comparing one passage with another, we determine which con- 
 tains Christ's actual words, and what may or may not be genuine. 
 For your predecessors have made many interpolations in the words 
 of our Lord, which thus appear under his name while they disagree 
 with his doctrine. Besides, as we have proved again and again, the 
 writings are not the production of Christ or of his apostles, but a 
 compilation of rumors and beliefs, made long after their departure, 
 by some obscure semi-Jews, not in harmony even with one another, 
 and published by them under the name of the apostles, or of those 
 considered the followers of the apostles, so as to give the appearance 
 of apostolic authority to all these blunders and falsehoods."— [Ibid, 
 bk. 33. 
 
 Augustine, in response, repeats the argument 
 already given, and illustrates it by reference to cer- 
 tain books which had appeared under the name of 
 Hippocrates, and had been rejected by physicians, 
 because when compared with the genuine writings 
 of Hippocrates, they were seen to be inferior. As 
 to the genuine writings of that author, he says : 
 
 "There is a succession of testimonies of books from the time of 
 Hippocrates to the present day, which makes it unreasonable now or 
 
THE FOUR CANONICAL GOSPELS. 343 
 
 hereafter to have any doubt on the subject. How do we know the 
 authorship of the works of Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Varro, and other 
 similar writers, but by the unbroken chain of evidence?"— [Ibid. 
 
 He afterward speaks of ' 'the ability of the church 
 of the apostles — a community of brethren as nu- 
 merous as they were faithful, to transmit their writ- 
 ings unaltered to posterity, as the original seats of 
 the apostles have been occupied by a continuous 
 succession of bishops to the present day. ' ' 
 
 This closed the argument. 
 
 Such was the state of the controversy early in 
 the fifth century ; a controversy within the church 
 itself. 
 
 On the one side, Faustus had stated, first, that it 
 was "allowed" that the New Testament was not 
 written by Christ or his apostles, but long after, by 
 some unknown men. Then, that they "knew" it 
 was not written by Christ or his apostles, and fi- 
 nally that they "had proven it, again and again." 
 
 To this, Augustine, not expressly denying the 
 assertions of Faustus, or challenging him to the 
 proof, replies with the argument founded on tradi- 
 tion. This he illustrates by a comparison with 
 books ascribed to Hippocrates, Aristotle and other 
 writers. 
 
 As to the proof that may have been offered by 
 Faustus on former occasions, we are entirely igno- 
 rant. But that such proof of some kind had been 
 adduced, may be safely inferred, since the state- 
 ment was'not expressly denied by Augustine. 
 
344 FIFTH PEEIOD A. D. 170 TO A. D. 185. 
 
 The argument of Augustine was the same as has 
 been relied upon since his day. 
 
 The bold challenge of Faustus would seem to 
 have required something more at the hands of his 
 adversary ; at least, an enumeration or mention of 
 some of those by whom the tradition had been pre- 
 served and handed down. 
 
 The argument of Augustine was not good, because 
 the statement upon which it rested was not true. 
 It was not true that the books had been ' 'confirmed 
 by successive testimonies from the times of the apos- 
 tles ; that they were originally well authenticated 
 and carefully handed down, "etc., unless, indeed, we 
 are to suppose, that every successive link in this 
 chain of evidence has been lost, and that of all the 
 writings of the Christian fathers to the latter part 
 of the second century, only those which made no 
 mention of the books were preserved, while those 
 which mentioned them were in every instance lost. 
 Such a supposition, if not actually preposterous, is 
 in the highest degree incredible ; and we are forced 
 to the conclusion, that such a chain of evidence 
 existed only in the imagination of Augustine. 
 
 The tradition cannot be traced further back than 
 Irenseus, A. D. 190. No one of the four gospels- 
 was mentioned earlier, except the Gospel of John, 
 A. D. 180, by'Theophilus of Antioch. 
 
 He does not say it was written by the apostle, but 
 "by an inspired man." 
 
 For nearly a hundred and fifty years after the 
 events related in the canonical gospels, there is no 
 
THE FOUR CANONICAL GOSPELS. 345 
 
 evidence of any such tradition as was necessary to 
 sustain the argument of Augustine. The contro- 
 versy cannot, therefore, be looked upon as having 
 been settled in his discussion with Faustus ; and as 
 no new light has since been thrown upon the ques- 
 tion, it is still an open one. 
 
 As such, we propose to consider it. It is the duty 
 of the historian to do what he can toward settling 
 truthfully, important facts ; and surely no fact can 
 be of more importance in religious history, than 
 the time when the four gospels were written. 
 
 The external evidence has been considered as our 
 history progressed. It was necessarily of a nega- 
 tive character, but has pointed strongly toward the 
 non-existence of the books, previous to the year 
 170. We are now to examine the internal evidence. 
 This naturally comes last, and is not ordinarily to 
 be resorted to , except when the historical evidence 
 fails to bring a satisfactory conclusion. "History " 
 says Westcott, "must deliver its full testimony, 
 before internal criticism can find its proper use." 
 
 That the external evidence is unsatisfactory, and 
 justifies the resort to internal evidence, is distinctly 
 asserted by Eev. Dr. Davidson, who says : 
 
 "The evidence in favor of the authors traditionally assigned to the 
 gospels, and some of the epistles, is still uncertain. A wide gap in- 
 tervenes between eye witnesses of the apostles or apostolic men that 
 wrote the sacred books, and the earliest fathers who assert their 
 authorship. The additional bridge between them is a precarious one. 
 As the chasm cannot be filled by adequate external evidence, we are 
 thrown back on the internal character of the works themselves." — 
 [Davidson on the Canon, p. 126. 
 
 Before proceeding to the internal evidence, there 
 
346 FIFTH PERIOD A. D. 170 TO A. D. 185. 
 
 are certain considerations which are necessary to a 
 complete view of the subject. 
 
 1. No one of the four gospels is mentioned in any 
 other part of the New Testament. 
 
 2. No work of art of any kind has ever been dis- 
 covered, no painting, or engraving, no sculpture, 
 or other relic of antiquity, which may be looked 
 upon as furnishing additional evidence of the 
 existence of those gospels, and which was executed 
 earlier than the latter part of the second century. 
 Even the exploration of the Christian catacombs 
 failed to bring to light any evidence of that 
 character. 
 
 3. The four gospels were written in Greek, and 
 there was no translation of them into other lan- 
 guages, earlier than the third century. 
 
 It has been supposed by some, that Matthew was 
 a translation from a Hebrew gospel. But the ten- 
 dency of modern thought and criticism is strongly 
 toward the conclusion, that Matthew, as well as 
 the others, was an original Greek production. 
 
 The oldest known translations are the Peshito , in 
 the Syriac, and in the Latin, an old translation, the 
 original of the Vulgate. 
 
 Efforts have been made to show that there were 
 Latin translations in the second century. They 
 have resulted in nothing tangible, and may be 
 looked upon as mere speculations. 
 
 In Germany, Semler made an elaborate attempt 
 to prove that Tertullian had a Latin translation, 
 
THE POUR CANONICAL GOSPELS. 347 
 
 which had been used before his time ; but the effort 
 cannot be pronounced successful. The view taken 
 by the author of the article in the Encyclopedia of 
 McClintock and Strong, is doubtless the correct 
 one : that Tertullian did not make use of a transla- 
 tion, but translated for himself. The article was 
 written originally for Kitto, by Dr. Alexander, and 
 is entitled "Ante-Hieronymian Versions." The 
 writer says : 
 
 "The early and extensive diffusion of Christianity among the 
 Latin-speaking people, renders it probable that means would be used 
 to supply the Christians who used that language with versions of the 
 scriptures in their own tongue, especially those resident in countries 
 where the Greek language was less generally known. That from an 
 early period such means were used, cannot be doubted; but the in- 
 formation which has reached us is so scanty, that we are not in cir- 
 cumstances to arrive at certainty on many points of interest con- 
 nected with the subject. It is even matter of debate, whether there 
 were several translations, or one translation, variously corrupted or 
 emended. 
 
 "The first writer by whom reference is supposed to be made to a 
 Latin version, is Tertullian; in the words, 'sciamus plane non sic esse 
 in Greece authentico, quomodo in usum exiit per duarum syllabarum 
 aut callidam, aut simplicem eversionem,' etc. — [De Monogamia.c. 11.] 
 'We may certainly know, that in the Greek original, it does not stand 
 in the form in which, (through the either crafty or simple alteration 
 of two syllables), it has gone out into common use,' etc.— {Ante- 
 Nicene, 'in the form which (through, etc.) has gone out,' etc.] 
 
 "It is possible Tertullian has in view here, a version in use among 
 the African Christians: but it is by no means certain that such is his 
 meaning, for he may refer merely to the manner in which the pas- 
 sage in question had come to be usually cited, but without intending 
 to intimate that it was so written in any formal version. The proba- 
 bility that such is really his meaning, is greatly heightened when we 
 compare his language with similar expressions in other parts of his 
 writings. Thus, speaking of the Logos, he says: 
 
 "'Hanc Grseci logon dicunt, quo vacabulo etiam Sermonem appel- 
 lamus. Ideoque in usu est nostrorum per simplicitatem interprets- 
 tionis, Sermonem, dicere, in primordio apud deum esse,' etc.— {Adv. 
 
348 FIFTH PERIOD — A. D. 130 to A. D. 170. 
 
 Prax. c. 5.] 'This the Greeeks call 'Logos' by which term we also 
 designate Word (or Discourse); and therefore it is now usual, owing 
 to the simple interpretation of our people, to say that the Word was 
 in the beginning with God,' etc. 
 
 "Where he seems to have in view, simply, the colloquial usage of 
 the Christian compatriots." 
 
 From this it appears, there is no sufficient evi- 
 dence of a Latin translation of the gospels, up to 
 the time of Tertullian, at the opening of the third 
 century. 
 
 The fact that Tertullian did not use a Latin 
 translation, is made more manifest by a passage in 
 the 9th chapter of the second book against Mar- 
 cion. Speaking of the nature of the soul, he says : 
 
 "We must, at the outset, hold fast the meaning of the Greek scrip- 
 ture, which has afflatus, not spirit, (pnoeen, not pneuma.) Some in- 
 terpreters of the Greek, without reflecting on the difference of the 
 words, and careless about their exact meaning, put spirit for efflatus;" 
 etc. 
 
 Here Tertullian would very naturally have re- 
 ferred to the translation, had there been one in use, 
 and would have commented upon the meaning giv- 
 en to the Greek words by the translator. On the 
 contrary, he speaks of the meaning attached to the 
 words by different "interpreters of the Greek." 
 Tertullian was a Greek scholar, and, doubtless, did 
 his own translating. 
 
 In the passage referred to by Tertullian, the word 
 is spiraculum in the Vulgate, not efflatus. If a 
 Latin translation was then in use, it is not probable 
 the Vulgate would afterward have differed from it, 
 in the use of this word. 
 
THE POUR CANONICAL GOSPELS. 349 
 
 Again, in his citations from Marcion, Tertullian 
 quoted in Latin, as he did from the four gospels. 
 There is still less reason to suppose that he had 
 before him a translation of the Greek of Marcion. 
 The reasonable conclusion is, therefore, that he gave 
 his own rendering to the text of all these gospels. 
 
 Tertullian aside, there is absolutely no evidence 
 of any Latin translation of the gospels earlier than 
 the third century. 
 
 There is, in fact, nothing very definite until the 
 fourth century. But as the language of Augustine, 
 Jerome and Hilary would seem to imply the exist- 
 ence of at least one translation before their time, it 
 may be assumed that there was a Latin translation. 
 in the third century. 
 
 The Vulgate. — This may be said to date prop- 
 erly from the revision of Jerome, A. D. 383. It is 
 not certain whether it extended beyond the gospels, 
 though he was requested by Damasus to revise the 
 New Testament, and his work is sometimes spoken 
 of as a revision of the whole. 
 
 If any revision of the balance was made, it was 
 less carefully and thoroughly done ; so that the 
 Vulgate was a composite work, consisting of a 
 complete translation of the gospels, and some cor- 
 rections and emendations of the then current Latin 
 version of the balance of the New Testament. 
 
 The Peshito. — Efforts have been made, also, to 
 date the Syriac version in the second, or even in 
 the first century ; but with no better success. The 
 whole subject was carefully examined by Bishop 
 
350 FIFTH PERIOD — A. D. 170 TO A D. 185. 
 
 Marsh, who came to the conclusion that we had no 
 reliable evidence concerning the Peshito, earlier 
 than Ephraem, who lived in the fourth century. 
 How much earlier than that the version existed, 
 was a matter of speculation. 1 
 
 Dr. Davidson goes somewhat farther, but stops 
 at the third century. He says : 
 
 "In Syria, a version of the New Testament for the use of the 
 church, was made early in the third century." This was the 
 Peshito.— [Canon, p. 114. 
 
 The Latin and Syriac were the languages spoken 
 by the great body of Christians who did not under- 
 stand the Hebraistic Greek, in which the scriptures 
 were written. There being, then, no translations 
 into these languages before the third century, why, 
 if the gospels were written in the times of the apos- 
 tles, were all the churches where those languages 
 prevailed, deprived of the use of the books for 
 more than a hundred and fifty years? 
 
 4. No manuscripts of the gospels are in exist- 
 ence, dating farther back than the fourth century. 
 Of that century or the next, there are three or four ; 
 and some twenty or thirty, more than a thousand 
 years old. 
 
 Not only are there no older manuscripts now in 
 existence, but there is no evidence, so far as we are 
 aware, that older copies have existed, at any time, 
 for hundreds of years past. They are said to have 
 been destroyed in the persecution of Diocletian, 
 about A. D. 303 ; but how could every hidden 
 
 (i.) Notes to Michaelis, vol. z, p. 554. 
 
THE FOUR CANOKICAL GOSPELS. 351 
 
 manuscript be thus reached and destroyed? 
 
 5. No autograph manuscript of any of the gos- 
 pels has ever been known, so far as there is any 
 authentic record ; nor has any credible witness ever 
 claimed to have seen such a manuscript. Jerome 
 did claim that the gospel concerning the birth of 
 Mary, and the infancy of the Savior, which he trans- 
 lated for the bishops, was in the handwriting of 
 Matthew. But we are not aware that he or any one 
 else ever claimed to have seen a manuscript of a 
 gospel, in the handwriting of either Luke, Mark, 
 Matthew or John. If the autograph manuscripts 
 had ever existed, they would have been preserved 
 among the most sacred relics of the church. 
 
 If they once existed, and were destroyed, where 
 is the record of their existence, and when and 
 where were they destroyed, by whom and under 
 what circumstances? Who made the first copies 
 and when, and what evidence have we that they 
 were correctly transcribed ? 
 
 6. During the first two centuries, tradition was 
 esteemed of more value, and better evidence of the 
 gospel history, than any written book or manu- 
 script. 
 
 Of this the reader has had repeated evidence in 
 these pages. Papias, writing early in the second 
 century, considered that the information which he 
 could derive from books, was not so profitable as 
 that which was preserved in a living tradition. 
 
 The great outlines of the life of Christ, says Ire- 
 nseus, were received by barbarous nations, without 
 
352 FIFTH PERIOD A. D. 130 TO A. D. 170. 
 
 written documents, by "ancient tradition." 1 
 
 The extent to which tradition was relied upon, is 
 well illustrated by the letter of Ptolemseus to Flora 
 about A. D. 190. He says he will explain to her the 
 particulars of that doctrine which he had just been 
 mentioning, "by the help of tradition received 
 from the apostles, and handed down to us." He 
 adds, "All must be tried by, and made to square 
 with, the doctrine of the Savior himself, which was 
 to be the rule. ' ' 2 
 
 This extensive use of tradition , and the prefer- 
 ring it to any written books, is inconsistent with 
 the general use of gospels which were deemed 
 authoritative and inspired records. 
 
 7. The dialect in which the New Testament 
 books were written, a sort of Hebraistic Greek, has 
 been considered evidence of their antiquity. But 
 this dialect prevailed for three centuries after 
 Christ, and was in full use during the second cen- 
 tury. The same or similar Hebraisms abound in 
 the apocryphal gospels of that age. 
 
 8. The canonical gospels were selected by the 
 bishops from a large number then in circulation. 
 This is asserted by Origen, who says : 
 
 "And that not four gospels, but very many were written, out of 
 tohich those we have were chosen, and delivered to the churches, we 
 may perceive," etc. — [In Proem. Lucae, Horn. 1, t. 2, p. 210. 
 
 (i.) Adv. Haer. 3. 4. 2. 
 
 (2,) In App. ad Iren. Grabe, Spi. Pat. vol. 1, p. 77. 
 
CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 THE FOUR CANONICAL GOSPELS.— Continued. 
 
 The Gospels as a Gkoup. 
 
 Considered together, as a history, the gospels are 
 fragmentary and incoherent, and far from harmo- 
 nious. 
 
 In the first place, there is a radical difference be- 
 tween the Gospel of John on the one side, and the 
 three synoptics on the other. 
 
 In the synoptics, Jesus speaks in parables and 
 proverbs . Short, pithy sayings are ever on his lips . 
 In John, he indulges in theological discourses. In 
 the Synoptics, his ministry lasted one year. Scene, 
 Galilee, except the last few days of his life. In 
 John his ministry lasted some three years, and the 
 time was spent mostly in Jerusalem, and other 
 parts of Judea. 
 
 There are a few places where the four gospels run 
 parallel. There are parallel passages, more or less 
 similar, concerning the feeding of the multitude 
 on five loaves and two fishes — Jesus riding into Je- 
 
354 FIFTH PERIOD A. D. 130 TO A. D. 170. 
 
 rusalem — the reference to his betrayal, when in 
 conversation with his disciples — the prediction of 
 his denial to Peter — the smiting by Peter of the 
 servant of the high priest — the denial of Christ by 
 Peter — the question of Pilate to Jesus, asking him 
 if he was the king of the Jews — the scene concern- 
 ing the release of Barabbas — the crucifixion of 
 Jesus, with some few of the circumstances attend- 
 ing it — the parting of his garments — the crucifixion 
 of the thieves — the title on the cross — the begging 
 of the body of Jesus, his burial, and the visit to the 
 sepulcher. In these, however, there is consider- 
 able diversity, and even contrariety of statement. 
 
 Then, again, John is parallel with Mark and 
 Matthew, in the account of Jesus walking on the 
 sea ; and of the woman who poured ointment upon 
 him. 
 
 John is also parallel with Mark, in the appear- 
 ance of Jesus to Mary Magdalene, after the resur- 
 rection, though the account is much amplified in 
 John , and is parallel with Luke, in the report of 
 Pilate to the Jews, that he found no fault in Jesus, 
 and with the visit of Peter to the sepulcher ; with, 
 as in the case of Mary, much amplification. 
 
 With the exception of these, and perhaps two or 
 three other passages, everything in John is differ- 
 ent from the other gospels, or very differently 
 related. 
 
 Any consideration of the gospels as a group, 
 must therefore be confined to the other three. 
 
the four canonical gospels. 355 
 
 The Synoptic Gospels. 
 
 No question connected with gospel history, has 
 attracted more attention, or elicited more discussion, 
 than that of the origin and formation of the synop- 
 tic gospels, Luke, Mark, and Matthew. Volumes 
 have been written upon it, but with very unsatis- 
 factory results. That they are not merely copied, 
 one from the other, with changes, is the almost 
 unanimous verdict of biblical scholars. At the same 
 time the resemblance, not in incident merely, but 
 in language also, is so close, as to indicate some 
 common source, which was drawn upon in their 
 construction. As to the nature of this source, some 
 have supposed an original gospel, others, several 
 original fragmentary gospels ; others again, have 
 believed them written mainly from oral traditions. 
 
 Eichhorn thought but one document was used by 
 the three evangelists ; that additions had been made 
 to different copies of it ; that some of the evan- 
 gelists had some of these copies ; others, others ; 
 that everything found in common in the three syn- 
 optics, was in the common document. 
 
 In one respect, the theory of Eichhorn deserves 
 especial attention ; recognizing as it does, the natur- 
 al result of accretion. He considered those por- 
 tions which were common to Matthew and Marie, 
 and not in Luke, additions made in the copies of a 
 common document, which were used by Matthew 
 and Mark ; and in like manner, that those portions 
 found in common in Mark and Luke , and not in 
 
356 FIFTH PERIOD — A. D. 170 TO A D. 185. 
 
 Matthew, were additions made in the copies used by 
 Mark and Luke. 1 
 
 Bishop Marsh made a thorough examination of 
 the subject, and his views may be condensed as 
 follows : 
 
 1. The three evangelists used copies of a common Hebrew doc- 
 ument. 
 
 2. Matthew used this with some additions, in writing his original 
 gospel, which Marsh supposes to have been in Hebrew. 
 
 3. Mark and Luke translated the common document into Greek, 
 and used, besides, another Greek translation of it. 
 
 4. Afterward, Matthew was translated into Greek, by some one 
 who made use of Mark and Luke. 
 
 5. In addition to the common document, there was another, 
 containing only precepts, parables and discourses of Christ, which 
 was used only by Matthew and Luke, who had different copies. 2 
 
 This theory, though quite complicated, comes 
 nearer, probably, than any other, to explaining all 
 the facts, on the hypothesis that Matthew is a mere 
 translation. 
 
 That hypothesis is, however, pretty nearly aban- 
 doned. 
 
 Schleiermacher, not looking upon the theory of 
 Marsh as satisfactory, discarded the hypothesis of 
 a common, original gospel, and undertook to show 
 that Luke, which he considered the principal, and 
 the most reliable gospel, consisted merely of a col- 
 lection of a large number of manuscripts, compiled 
 and arranged by some one, who wrote nothing more 
 than was necessary to adapt the phraseology to a 
 
 (1.) Michaelis, by Marsh, vol. 3, pt. 2, p. 192. 
 (2.) Notes to Michaelis, vol. 3, pt. z. 
 
THE FOUR CANONICAL GOSPELS. 357 
 
 continuous narrative. This theory deserves the 
 most careful attention. It may prove to be the key 
 to the whole subject ; especially if it shall become 
 established, as we believe it will be, that Luke was 
 the first of these gospels, and was written after 
 Marcion. 
 
 Ewald supposes an original gospel, containing the 
 record of the baptism, the temptation, and the pas- 
 sion. 
 
 This was the substructure used by Paul, and com- 
 posed, perhaps, by the evangelist Philip. It was 
 in Greek. Then followed the Hebrew Oracles, by 
 Matthew, which, with some narratives, contained 
 nearly all the discourses of Christ. Then came 
 Mark, and after that Matthew and Luke. 1 
 
 In all these theories, too little attention appears 
 to have been given to the evidence indicating a late 
 date to these gospels ; too little account taken of 
 their close relation to the apocryphal gospels ; and 
 the law of accretion, in its application to the ques- 
 tion, has not been sufficiently considered. 
 
 Other things being equal, the shortest document 
 is the oldest. Not until this fact is recognized, can 
 the complicated questions connected with the syn- 
 optic gospels, ever be solved. 
 
 The character of the synoptics is well delineated 
 by Mr. Sunderland, as follows : 
 
 "At least three of the four gospels can have had no real authors, as 
 we usually understand that word. They are the work of editors; 
 they are compilations; (they are 'mosaics';) the material which enters 
 
 (i.) jahrbuecber, 1848, 1849. 
 
358 FIFTH PERIOD — A. D. 170 TO A. D. 185. 
 
 in to make them up being real utterances of Jesus, real events of his 
 life, together with more or less of legendary elements and deviations 
 from historic facts, occasioned by the lapse of years and the neces- 
 sary imperfections of the human memory."— [What is the Bible, etc., 
 p. 65. 
 
 the law op accretion, 
 Applied to the Canonical Gospels. 
 
 The result of a careful comparison of the four 
 gospels, noting all the parallels which consist, not 
 of short passages merely, but of continuous narra- 
 tives, may be stated as follows : 
 
 l. Luke compared with Matthew. 
 
 In 92 parallels, Luke is the shorter in 44, and the longer in 32. The 
 others about equal. 
 
 2. Luke compared wiTn Make. 
 
 In 95 parallels, Luke is the shorter in 57, and the longer in 21. The 
 others equal. 
 
 3. Luke compared with John. 
 
 In 19 parallels, Luke is the shorter in 13, the longer in 4. 
 
 The preponderance of shorter passages in Luke, 
 
 As compared with Matthew, is as 11 to 8. 
 
 As compared with Mark, as 19 to 7. 
 
 As compared with John, more than 3 to 1. 
 
 Of all the parallels, 206 in number, Luke is the shorter in 114, the 
 longer in 57. Proportion, 2 to 1. 
 
 This points to Luke as the older gospel, unless some other reason 
 can be assigned for its greater brevity. 
 
 4. Matthew compared with Mark. 
 
 In 105 parallels, Matthew is the shorter in 44 and the longer in 35. 
 
 5. Matthew compared with John. 
 
 In 22 parallels, Matthew is the shorter in 13, and the longer in 7. 
 
 6. Mark compared with John. 
 
 In 23 parallels, Mark is the shorter in 12, and the longer in 10. 
 
THE FOUR CANONICAL GOSPELS. 359 
 
 According to the law of accumulation , or accre- 
 tion, the order of date of these gospels would be, 
 Luke, Matthew, Mark, John. 
 
 We think for reasons that will be given in a subse- 
 quent chapter, that the Gospel of Matthew consti- 
 tutes an exception to the rule, and the true order 
 is, Luke, Mark, John, Matthew. 
 
 This order for the synoptics, agrees with the con- 
 clusions of the Rev. Mr. Sanday, as to the relative 
 correctness of the three gospels. 
 
 "The very same investigation," says he, "which shows that our 
 present St. Mark was not an original (gospel), tells with increased 
 force against St. Matthew. When a document exists dealing with 
 the" same subject matter as two other documents, and those two other 
 documents agree together, and differ from it, on as many as 944 sep- 
 arate points, there can be little doubt, that in a great majority of 
 those points, it has deviated from the original, and that it is, there- 
 fore, secondary in character. It is both secondary, and secondary on 
 a lower stage than St. Mark; it has preserved the features of the 
 original with a less amount of accuracy. 
 
 "The points of the triple synopsis, on which Matthew fails to 
 receive verification, are in all, 944; those on which Mark fails to 
 receive verification, 334; or in other words, the inaccuracies of Mat- 
 thew are to those of Mark, nearly as three to one." — [Gospels in the 
 Second Century, p. 152. 
 
 The inaccuracies of Matthew as compared with 
 Luke, he estimates at five to one. 
 
 The time when the four gospels were written, can- 
 not be definitely determined, but may be approxi- 
 mately stated, thus : 
 
 Luke, A. D. 170, Mark, 175, John, 178, Matthew, 
 180. 
 
 The theory of a common document for the synop- 
 tic gospels, so ably advocated by Eichhorn, cannot 
 
360 FIFTH PERIOD A. D. 170 TO A. D. 185. 
 
 be considered as overthrown. The fragmentary- 
 character of Luke has, it is true, been quite conclu- 
 sively shown by Schleiermacher. But suppose the 
 common document was of a like fragmentary char- 
 acter, and was itself a compilation. Suppose one 
 copy of this came to the hands of Marcion,and was 
 afterward used by the author of Luke, each of whom 
 made additions from other manuscripts. Suppose 
 other copies of the same document, in later stages 
 of accretion, came afterward to the hands of the 
 other gospel historians, successively, and were used 
 by them, with additions of their own, or from other 
 manuscripts. This would account for the compli- 
 cated phenomena which are presented by the gos- 
 pels, and which have proved so perplexing to com- 
 mentators. 
 
 Eichhorn did not believe, from a comparison of 
 the four gospels with each other and with older 
 documents, that they came into use before the end 
 of the second century. 
 
 Thus his theory, based upon internal criticism, 
 harmonizes with the historical evidence ; a fact 
 which entitles it to greater consideration. 
 
CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 THE FOUR CANONICAL GOSPELS.— Continued. 
 
 History op Jesus, as given in the Gospels. 
 
 The genealogy, birth and childhood of Jesus, are 
 narrated in two only of the canonical gospels, 
 Luke and Matthew. 
 
 1. The Genealogy of Jesus. 
 
 If immaculately conceived, Christ had no hu- 
 man genealogy, except upon the mother's side ; a 
 fact which was recognized in some of the earlier 
 gospels, and by the earlier fathers, who deemed 
 it sufficient that Mary was of the race of David. l 
 
 But the compilers of Luke and Matthew, not 
 satisfied that the genealogy of Jesus should be 
 traced through a woman, undertook, strangely 
 enough, to show that Joseph was descended from 
 David. ThaPt this was an afterthought, is suffi- 
 ciently manifest from the result of the undertak- 
 ing. Both historians give a long line of ancestry ; 
 
 (i,) Protevangelion, ch. 10; Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, chs. 23, 43, 45, 
 100; Clement of Alex. Strom. 1. 21. 
 
362 FIFTH PERIOD A. D. 170 TO A. D. 185. 
 
 but Matthew has Christ descended from Solomon, 
 son of David, while, according to Luke, he descend- 
 ed from Nathan, brother of Solomon. 
 
 From that point on, the chain would necessarily 
 be different. "Where the names given are alike, if 
 not all fictitious, and thrown in merely to fill up, 
 they were, of course, different persons having the 
 same name ; and the genealogy ends as might be 
 expected ; the chroniclers assigning to Joseph dif- 
 ferent fathers. 
 
 Many attempts have been made to explain this 
 palpable contradiction, but there is no substantial 
 agreement concerning it, among commentators. 
 The theory that Luke intended the genealogy of 
 Mary, though flatly opposed to the grammatical 
 construction of the Greek, finds probably, at the 
 present time, the most supporters. 
 
 Perhaps the reader will be satisfied with the fol- 
 lowing explanation of Augustine : 
 
 "St. Matthew descends through Solomon, by whose mother David 
 sinned; St. Luke ascends through Nathan, another son of the same 
 David, through whom he was purged from his sin. For we read that 
 Nathan was sent to reprove him, and that he might, through repent- 
 ance, be healed. Both evangelists meet together in David, the one 
 in descending, the other in ascending."— [Sermon 51. , .„ 
 
 Again: "Now in the generations which Matthew enumerates, the 
 predominant number is forty. For it is the custom of the holy scrip- 
 tures, not to reckon what is over and above certain round numbers." 
 —[Ibid. 
 
 2. The Birth and Infancy of Jesus. 
 
 Here, again, the only canonical historians are 
 the authors of Luke and Matthew, and they agree 
 
THE FOUR CANONICAL GOSPELS. 363 
 
 no better in this, than in the genealogy of Joseph. 
 According to Luke, Jesus having been born in 
 Bethlehem, his parents remained there until the 
 forty days expired for the purification of Mary, 
 when they brought him to Jerusalem, where he was 
 publicly presented in the temple. Joseph and Mary 
 then returned to Nazareth, which, according to the 
 historian, had been their former residence. It has 
 been seen in a former chapter, that the author of 
 Luke made several changes in Marcion's Gospel, to 
 accommodate it to his theory that the parents of 
 Jesus had formerly resided in Nazareth. 1 
 
 The author of Matthew, on the other hand , did 
 not recognize Nazareth as having been the former 
 residence of Joseph and Mary. Instead of return- 
 ing to that place from Bethlehem, through Jerusa- 
 lem, they are warned to flee into Egypt, since 
 Herod would seek to destroy the child. And 
 when, after the death of Herod, they returned 
 from Egypt, being warned in a dream, they 
 "turned aside" into the parts of Galilee. 
 
 In Luke, nothing is said of the magi, the slaugh- 
 ter of the infants, or the flight to Egypt. In Mat- 
 thew, nothing is said of the announcement to Mary, 
 the appearance to the shepherds, or the presenta- 
 tion in the temple. 
 
 The public presentation of Jesus at that time, in 
 the temple, at Jerusalem, is utterly inconsistent 
 with the seeking of his life by Herod, and the 
 warning to his parents at Bethlehem. 
 
 (i.) This theory was supported by the Gospel of the Infancy. 
 
364 FIFTH PERIOD A. D. 170 to A. D. 185. 
 
 "All. attempts," says Schleiermacher, "to reconcile these' two con- 
 tradictory statements, seem only elaborate efforts of art." — [Essay on 
 Luke, p. 48. 
 
 But this is not all. There is a difference between 
 Luke and Matthew, of about eleven years, in the 
 time of the birth of Christ. 
 
 According to Matthew, Jesus was born during 
 the reign of Herod, and some time, say two years, 
 before his death. Herod was succeeded by Arche- 
 laus, who reigned nine years, and was then ban- 
 ished. The country of Archelaus was then added 
 to the province of Syria, and Cyrenius was sent out 
 as governor, with instructions to take an account 
 of the people's effects, for the purposes of taxa- 
 tion. 1 
 
 This, which was more than nine years after the 
 death of Herod, was, according to Luke, the time 
 when Jesus was born. — [Luke, 2. 1 to 7.] 
 
 Numberless attempts have been made to solve 
 the difficulty. Dr. Lardner has handled the sub- 
 ject at great length, and with much skill and in- 
 genuity. 2 
 
 It may be safely said, however, that the diffi- 
 culty has never been removed. In the language of 
 Schleiermacher, the "most indispensable condi- 
 tions" to a solution of these chronological difficul- 
 ties, "are wanting. " For which reason, he asserts 
 that in the attempt to solve them, "no one has yet 
 met with the slightest degree of success." 3 
 
 (i.) Josephus, Antiq. bk. 17, ch. 13; bk. 18, ch. 1. 
 (2.) Lardner's Works, vol. ±, pp. 136 to 179. 
 (3.) Essay on Luke, p. 38. 
 
THE FOUR CANONICAL GOSPELS. 365 
 
 Perhaps the most plausible theory is that of 
 Zumpt, who supposes Cyrenius was twice Govern- 
 or of Syria. 1 
 
 The argument of Zumpt, though ingenious, is 
 far from satisfactory. It is rather a speculation as 
 to what might possibly have been. The two gov- 
 ernorships are inconsistent with the language of 
 Josephus, who speaks of Cyrenius as one who had 
 been consul, and who had passed through various 
 magistracies before becoming consul. His gov- 
 ernorship is then spoken of, in such a way as indi- 
 cates it to be a new magistracy. 
 
 Besides, even if Cyrenius had before been Gov- 
 ernor of Syria, the difficulty would not be removed, 
 except by supposing an assessment and taxing, un- 
 der his first administration. But the taxing re- 
 ferred to by Josephus, was a new thing. It was 
 manifestly the first attempt of the kind, as it re- 
 sulted in a revolt, of a very serious character. 
 
 In regard to the place of residence of the parents 
 of Jesus, and the journey to Bethlehem, some light 
 may be thrown upon the subject by Jerome's trans- 
 lation, from memory, of one of the gospels of the 
 Infancy, a translation which has usually been 
 known as the Gospel of the Birth of Mary. 2 
 
 It is there stated, (ch. 1.), that the family of 
 Mary's father was of Nazareth, and the family of 
 her mother of Bethlehem. According to the Gos- 
 
 (i.) See Smith's Bible Dictionary, Article "Cyrenius." 
 (2,) See ch. 17, of this work. 
 
366 FIFTH PERIOD — A. D. 170 TO A. D. 185. 
 
 pel of the Infancy, also, Joseph and Mary were re- 
 siding at Nazareth. 
 
 It would be very natural that as the time of her 
 delivery drew near, Mary should desire to be with 
 her mother, who, probably, was not able to visit 
 her. This furnishes a much more plausible reason 
 for the journey to Bethlehem, than that of the en- 
 rollment for taxation, as given in Luke ; since the 
 personal presence of Mary, for that purpose, would 
 not, under such circumstances, have been required. 
 
 3. The Childhood of Jesus. 
 
 Here Luke is the only historian, and relates but 
 a single incident : the dispute of Jesus with the 
 doctors in the temple, when he was but twelve 
 years of age. This narrative, which Schleier- 
 macher supposes to have been contained in a sep- 
 arate manuscript, was no doubt the same which, 
 with accumulations, constituted the 50th chapter 
 of the Gospel of the Infancy. 
 
 With this exception, the whole life of Jesus, ex- 
 cept one year or perhaps three years at its close, is 
 buried in oblivion. 
 
 In the Gospel of the Infancy there are further 
 accounts of the childhood of Jesus. But as some 
 of them are not to his credit, while all are of an 
 extravagant nature, they are prudently omitted 
 from the canonical history. 
 
 4. The Ministry of Jesus. 
 The plain inference from the synoptic gospels is, 
 
THE FOUR CANONICAL GOSPELS. 367 
 
 that the ministry of Christ lasted but one year. 
 Every thing related appears to have taken place in 
 or near Galilee, and within the year. He goes up 
 to Jerusalem to but one passover. 
 
 But according to John, the ministry must have 
 lasted much longer, as he goes up to three or four 
 passovers, at least. A large part of the time was 
 passed in Judea and Jerusalem. 
 
 To add to the confusion, Irenseus, the first writer 
 who mentions the four gospels, asserts that the 
 ministry of Jesus lasted about twenty years, and 
 that he was more than fifty years old when he was 
 crucified. He discusses the question at consider- 
 able length. The following is his statement, with 
 the argument by which he supports it : 
 
 IREN^JUS AGAINST HERESIES, BOOK II, CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Christ did not suffer in the Twelfth Month after his 
 Baptism; but was more than Fifty Years old when he died. 
 
 "I have shown that the number thirty fails them (the heretics) in 
 every respect; too few aeons, as they represent them, being at one 
 time found within the Pleroma, and then again too many. 
 
 "There are not, therefore, thirty aeons, nor did the Savior come to 
 be baptized when he was thirty years old for this reason, that he 
 might show forth the thirty silent aeons of their system; otherwise 
 they must first of all separate and eject (the Savior) himself from the 
 Pleroma of all. 
 
 "Moreover, they affirm that he suffered in the twelfth month, so 
 that he continued to preach for one year after his baptism. They 
 endeavor to establish this point out of the prophet; (for it is written, 
 'To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of retribu- 
 tion;') being truly blind, inasmuch as they affirm they have found out 
 the mysteries of Bythus; yet not understanding that which is called 
 by Isaiah, the acceptable year of the Lord, nor the day of retribution. 
 For the prophet neither speaks concerning a day which includes a 
 
368 FIFTH PEKIOD— A. D. 170 TO A. D. 185. 
 
 space of twelve hours, nor of a year the length of which is twelve 
 months. 
 
 "For even they themselves acknowledge, that the prophets have 
 very often expressed themselves in parables and allegories, and not 
 according to the mere sound of the words." 
 
 2. [In this section, Irenaeus comments further upon the meaning 
 of the phrases, 'acceptable year of the Lord,' and 'day of retribution.' 
 He claims that the day of retribution has not come, and therefore the 
 acceptable year of the Lord has not passed, and hence it must be 
 more than a year of twelve months.] 
 
 3. [The argument in this section is based upon the Gospel of John, 
 Irenseus claiming, that according to the record of "John, the disciple 
 of the Lord," Christ went up to Jerusalem to three passovers. Besides 
 the three mentioned by Irenaeus, there would appear to be another; 
 four in all, as follows: (1), John, 2. 23; (2), John, 5. 1 ; (3), John, 6. 4; 
 (4), John, 13. 1. The first, second and fourth are mentioned by Ire- 
 naeus. He closes the section thus:] 
 
 "Their explanation, therefore, both of the year and the twelfth 
 month, has been proved false, and they ought to reject, either their 
 explanation, or the gospel; otherwise, how is it possible, that the Lord 
 preached for one year only ? 
 
 "4. Being thirty years when he came to be baptized, and then pos- 
 sessing the full age of a master, (or teacher,) he came to Jerusalem, 
 so that he might be properly acknowledged by all as a master. For 
 he did not seem one thing while he was another, as those affirm who 
 describe him as being man only in appearance; but what he was, that 
 he also appeared to be. Being a master, therefore, he also possessed 
 the age of a master, not despising or evading any condition of 
 humanity, nor setting aside in himself that law which he had ap- 
 pointed for the human race, but sanctifying every age, by that period 
 corresponding to it, which belonged to himself. For he came to save 
 all through means of himself— all I say, who through him are born 
 again to God— infants and children, and boys, and youths, and old 
 men. 
 
 "He therefore passed through every age; becoming an infant for 
 infants, thus sanctifying infants; a child for children, thus sanctify- 
 ing those who are of this age, being at the same time made to them 
 an example of ptety, righteousness and submission; a youth for 
 youths, becoming an example to youths, and thus sanctifying them 
 for the Lord. 
 
 "So likewise, he was an old man for old men, that he might be a 
 perfect master for all; not merely as respects the setting forth of the 
 
THE FOUR CANONICAL GOSPELS. 369 
 
 troth, but also as regards age; sanctifying at the same time, the aged 
 also, and becoming an example to them likewise. Then, at last, he 
 came on to death itself, that he might be 'the first born from the dead, 
 that in all things he might have the pre-eminence;' the Prince of Life,, 
 existing before all, and going before all. 
 
 "6. They, however, that they may establish their false opinion re- 
 garding that which is writcen, 'To proclaim the acceptable year of the 
 Lord,' maintain that he preached for one year only, and then suffered 
 in the twelfth month. They are forgetful to their own disadvantage, 
 destroying his work, and robbing him of that age which is both more 
 necessary and more honorable than any other; that more advanced 
 age, I mean, during which also, as a teacher, he excelled all others. 
 For how could he have had disciples if he did not teach ? And how 
 could he have taught, unless he had reached the age of a master? 
 For when he came to be baptized, he had not yet completed his thir- 
 tieth year, but was beginning to be about thirty years of age. (For 
 thus Luke, who has mentioned his years, has expressed it: 'Now Jesus 
 was, as it were, beginning to be thirty years old,' when he came to 
 receive baptism.) And, (according to these men), he preached only 
 one year, reckoning from his baptism; and on completing his thirtieth 
 year, he suffered, being, in fact, still a young man, who had by no 
 means attained to advanced age. 
 
 "Now, that the first stage of early life embraces thirty years, and 
 that this extends onward to the fortieth year, every one will admit;; 
 but from the fortieth and fiftieth year a man begins to decline to- 
 ward old age; which our Lord possessed, while he still fulfilled the 
 office of a teacher, even as the gospel and all the elders testify; those 
 who were conversant in Asia with John, the disciple of the Lord, 
 that John conveyed to them that information. And he (John) re- 
 remained among them, up to to the times of Trajan. Some of them, 
 moreover, saw not only John, but the other apostles also, and heard 
 the same account from them, and bear testimony to the statement. 
 
 "Whom, then, should we believe ? Such men as these, or Ptolemseus, 
 who never saw the apostles, and who never, even in his dreams, at- 
 tained to the slightest trace of an apostle ? 
 
 "6. But besides this, those very Jews who then disputed with the 
 Lord Jesus Christ, have most clearly indicated the same thing. For 
 when the Lord said to them, 'Your father Abraham rejoiced to see 
 my day, and he saw it, and was glad;' they answered him, 'Thou art 
 not yet fifty years old; and hast thou seen Abraham?' Now, such 
 language is fittingly applied to one who has already passed the age of 
 forty, without having yet reached his fiftieth year, yet is not far from 
 this latter period. But to one who is only thirty years old, it would 
 
370 PIFTH PERIOD — A. D. 170 TO A. D. 185. 
 
 unquestionably be said, 'Thou art not yet forty years old.' For those 
 who wished to convict him of falsehood, would certainly not extend 
 the number of his years far beyond the age which they saw he had 
 attained. But they mentioned a period near his real age, whether 
 they had truly ascertained this out of the entry in the public register, 
 or simply made a conjecture from what they observed, that he was 
 above forty years old, and that he certainly was not one of only thirty 
 years of age. 
 
 "It is altogether unreasonable to suppose that they were mistaken 
 by twenty years, when they wished to prove him younger than the 
 times of Abraham. For what they saw, that they also expressed; 
 and he whom they beheld, was not a mere phantom, but an actual 
 being of flesh and blood. He did not then want much of being fifty 
 years old; and in accordance with that fact, they said to him, 'Thou 
 art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? ' 
 
 "He did not, therefore, preach for only one year, nor did he suffer 
 in the twelfth month of the year. For the period included between 
 the thirtieth and fiftieth year, can never be regarded as one year, 
 unless, indeed, among their aeons there be so long years assigned to 
 those who sit in their ranks, with Bythus, in the Pleroma. Of which 
 beings, Homer, the poet, too, has spoken; doubtless being inspired 
 by the mother of their error: 
 
 " 'The gods sat round, while Jove presided o'er, 
 And converse held upon the golden floor.' " 
 
 This extraordinary passage from Irenseus, we 
 have given almost entire. It is a very important 
 chapter in the history of the times ; one which has 
 hitherto been kept in the background. It is time 
 an attempt was made to estimate its historical value. 
 
 As to the reasoning of Irenseus, much of it is of 
 an a priori character, and as applied to such a sub- 
 ject, entitled to but little consideration. But the 
 argument founded upon the passage, John, 8. 56, 
 57, is a good one. If Jesus was then but about 
 thirty years of age , the Jews might have said , ' 'Thou 
 art not yet forty years old ; ' ' but they would scarcely 
 have said, for any purpose, "Thou art not yet fifty 
 
THE FOUR CANONICAL GOSPELS. 371 
 
 years old." Much less, when their object was to 
 remind him of the few years which he had spent 
 upon the earth, would they have added eighteen or 
 twenty years, in specifying the limit which he had 
 not reached. 
 
 Our author was fully aware of the force of the 
 argument, and accordingly he elaborates it with the 
 confidence of one conscious of writing from a strong 
 position. His conclusion cannot well be avoided. 
 We may, therefore, put down the author of the 
 Gospel according to John , as the second witness of 
 the second century, to the fact, that Jesus was near- 
 ly fifty years old at his crucifixion. 
 
 Besides these two, there is also, unless Irenseus 
 tells an absolute falsehood, the testimony of all the 
 elders in Asia, who were conversant with John, and 
 some of them with the other apostles also. It must 
 be remembered that Irenseus had been a companion 
 of Polycarp and of others who had seen John, and 
 that he was speaking of what had come to his per- 
 sonal knowledge from the elders in Asia. If, 
 then, Irenseus tells the truth, the evidence in 
 favor of the fact, is almost overwhelming. If, 
 on the other hand, he would deliberately falsify 
 in a matter of this importance, what is his tes- 
 timony worth, as to the origin of the four gospels? 
 
 Against this evidence, we have only the silence 
 of the gospels. But if the silence of the synoptics 
 is consistent with a ministry of three or four 
 years, why is not the further silence of all the gos- 
 pels, consistent with a ministry of twenty years? 
 
372 FIFTH PERIOD A. D. 170 TO A. D. 185. 
 
 How would such a theory affect the received 
 ■chronology concerning Christ? The date of the 
 crucifixion at not later than A. D. 36, or when 
 Christ was by the received chronology, forty years 
 old, is settled by the fact, that in that year, Pontius 
 Pilate was removed from his government. That 
 the death of Jesus occurred while Pilate was procu- 
 rator is attested, not only by five extant gospels, 
 but by the historian Tacitus, who, in speaking of 
 the Christians, says : 
 
 "They had their denomination from Christus, who, in the reign of 
 Tiberius, was put to death as a criminal, by the procurator, Pontius 
 Pilate.— [Annals, lib. 15, ch. 44.] (Tiberius reigned till A. D. 37.— See 
 Note V.) 
 
 If, then, it be accepted as a historical fact that 
 Christ was about fifty years old at his crucifixion, 
 the date of his birth would have to be set back at 
 least ten years. 
 
 It having already been found necessary to date 
 his birth four years before the time first settled upon 
 for the commencement of the Christian era, there 
 can be no objection to extending the four to four- 
 teen, if the facts require it. 
 
 It is well known that the date of the Christian 
 era was fixed, in the year 525, by the Roman Abbot, 
 Dionysius Exiguus. It was based upon the account 
 of the birth of Christ as given in Matthew, which 
 is a legend of but little historic value. It is now 
 agreed that Dionysius was mistaken in his date, by 
 at least four years. It is agreed that Jesus was 
 born at least four years before the commencement 
 
THE POUR CANONICAL GOSPELS. 373 
 
 of the Christian era, and it may have been fourteen 
 or even twenty. 
 
 5. The Crucifixion op Jesus. 
 
 In a former chapter, we have given the reasons 
 for believing that the extant gospel, called the Acts 
 of Pilate, contains the most reliable historical 
 account of the crucifixion. 
 
 The accounts in the canonical gospels are by no 
 means consistent or harmonious. The four histo- 
 rians agree that Jesus was apprehended and brought 
 before the high priest, and taken thence before 
 Pilate, where he was examined. Luke has him 
 then sent by Pilate to Herod, who mocked him, 
 arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him back 
 to Pilate ; an episode of some importance in the 
 trial, not mentioned in the other gospels. Passing 
 over some minor discrepancies, such as that Barab- 
 bas was a murderer in Mark and Luke, while in 
 John he was only known as a robber, and the dif- 
 ference in the color of the robe placed upon Jesus, 
 we come to the statement of John, that Jesus bore 
 his own cross, (which was customary in such cases), 
 to the place of crucifixion. The synoptics, on the 
 other hand, unite in saying that the cross was borne 
 by Simon the Cyrenian. This discrepancy, on the 
 face of it a somewhat serious one, is explained in 
 one of the apocryphal gospels, which states that 
 Jesus himself bore the cross a portion of the way, 
 and Simon the remainder. 
 
 Proceeding with the narrative, we find that in 
 Luke only is related an address of Jesus to the wo- 
 
374 FIFTH PERIOD A. D. 170 TO A D. 185. 
 
 men, on the way to his execution. When arrived 
 there, he is given to drink, according to Mark, 
 wine mingled with myrrh ; according to Matthew, 
 he was given vinegar, mingled with gall, in fulfill- 
 ment of a prophecy ; Luke has the vinegar without 
 the gall. 
 
 Mark says, Jesus was crucified at the third hour. 
 (Ch. 15, v. 25.) According to John, (19. 14,) it 
 was about the sixth hour, when he was brought 
 forth to the Jews by Pilate, after which he had to 
 be led to execution. According to Matthew and 
 Mark, there was darkness all over the land, from 
 the sixth to the ninth hour ; to which Luke adds, 
 that the sun was darkened. The dying words of 
 Jesus do not agree ; Matthew and Mark giving the 
 same as those in the Acts of Pilate, while the words 
 in Luke are different, and those in John different 
 from all the others. 
 
 Jesus was upon the cross from three to six hours. 
 Even the latter period was much less than usual. 
 Persons crucified generally lingered at least twelve 
 hours, and sometimes two or three days. The 
 remarkably short time that he remained upon the 
 cross, before being taken down by his disciples, has 
 led some writers to adopt the theory of suspended 
 animation, to account for the supposed resurrec- 
 tion of his body. 
 
 The inscription on the cross is given in four 
 different ways, and Luke and John state that it 
 was written in Greek, Latin and Hebrew. Accord- 
 ing to Mark, it consisted of four Greek words ; ac- 
 
THE FOUR CANONICAL GOSPELS. 375 
 
 cording to Luke, it consisted of six ; acccording to 
 Matthew, seven; according to John, seven also; 
 but with a very important difference in two of the 
 words. 
 
 In Mark and Matthew, both of the thieves on the 
 cross are represented as reviling Jesus, while, 
 according to Luke, which follows the Acts of Pilate, 
 but one of them did so ; he being rebuked by the 
 other. 
 
 The synoptics state that the vail of the temple 
 was rent ; to which Matthew adds an earthquake, 
 the rending of the rocks, the opening of the graves, 
 and the coming forth of the dead, though this last 
 is deferred until after the resurrection. The graves 
 are opened at the crucifixion , and remain open two 
 days, the inhabitants waiting till Jesus should first 
 arise, in order that certain prophecies might be 
 fulfilled. 
 
 In the Gospel of John, it is stated that in fulfill- 
 ment of certain prophecies, the side of Jesus was 
 pierced with a spear, and the soldiers refused to 
 break his legs, according to the custom in such 
 cases, though it is to be inferred that they had been 
 commanded to do so. 
 
 These narratives throughout bear the impress of 
 having been constructed with reference to the ful- 
 fillment of divers Jewish prophecies. It is not 
 probable that the details of the crucifixion had been 
 preserved in any authentic record, made contem- 
 poraneously with the event. If such record ex- 
 isted, it was disregarded in the prevailing anxiety 
 
376 FIFTH PERIOD A. D. 170 TO A. D. 185. 
 
 to sustain the Messianic character of Jesus, in 
 accordance with the prophecies. The Acts of 
 Pilate, which, in its account of the crucifixion, was 
 probably the most authentic of any existing record, 
 was followed, in the canonical gospels, in some 
 particulars; in others, it was entirely disregarded. 
 
 The Resurrection of Jesus. 
 
 The resurrection of the crucified body of Christ, 
 is a doctrine which cannot be traced back beyond 
 the second century. 
 
 Paul, who believed in visions, thought he had 
 seen Jesus, and enumerates various other occasions 
 when Christ had been seen by his disciples. First, 
 he was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve, then by 
 more than five hundred brethren at once, then by 
 James, then by all the apostles, and last of all by 
 Paul himself. 
 
 It is a fair inference, that these were all appari- 
 tions. Paul had seen, or thought he had seen, the 
 spirit, or spiritual body of Jesus, and he heard that 
 the others mentioned had seen the same. That 
 such was the nature of his own vision of Christ, is 
 evident, not only from his explanation of the 
 nature of the resurrection, but from the fact that 
 the appearance to him was after the time when, 
 according to the canonical gospels, Jesus had as- 
 cended to heaven. If, then, Jesus appeared on 
 earth, in the same body in which he was crucified, 
 it was not to Paul. 
 
 The appearance to the others, to which Paul al- 
 
THE FOUR CANONICAL GOSPELS. 377 
 
 ludes, was no doubt, of the same character as that 
 to himself. The disciples believed they had seen 
 the spirit or spiritual body of Jesus. 
 
 But the Christians of the second century de- 
 manded a doctrine concerning the resurrection, 
 of a more material and tangible character. 
 
 Accordingly, in the canonical gospels, the very 
 body in which Jesus was crucified , and which was 
 buried by Joseph of Arimathea, is raised from the 
 dead, appears to the disciples, is not only seen but 
 felt, and Jesus himself, in the flesh, as he was be- 
 fore he was crucified, calls for meat, to satisfy his 
 disciples that he was not a spirit ; that his body 
 was not spiritual, but material and human like 
 theirs. 
 
 As might have been expected, the accounts 
 framed for the purpose of establishing this doc- 
 trine, are far from being harmonious or con- 
 sistent. 
 
 In Matthew, two women first come to the sepul- 
 cher ; in Mark, three ; in Luke, a larger number ; 
 in John, one. As to the time of day, in Matthew, 
 it had begun to dawn ; in John, it was early, while 
 it was yet dark ; in Mark, it was at sunrise. 
 
 According to Matthew, after the women had 
 arrived at the sepulcher, there was another earth- 
 quake, and an angel descended from heaven, rolled 
 back the stone, and then addressed the women. 
 According to the other historians, the women, upon 
 arriving at the sepulcher, found the stone rolled 
 away. 
 
378 FIFTH PEEIOD A. D. 170 TO A. D. 185. 
 
 According to Mark, entering into the sepulcher, 
 they saw a young man, clothed in a long white 
 garment. According to Luke, there were two men, 
 in shining garments. According to John, there 
 being but one woman, when she saw the stone 
 rolled away, she ran and told Peter, who, with 
 another, came to the sepulcher. The other disci- 
 ple, outrunning Peter, came and looked in. Then 
 Peter came, and going in, saw the linen clothes, 
 and the napkin only. The other disciple went in, 
 and saw the same. They returned home, after 
 which, Mary, who remained, saw two angels. 
 Turning round, she saw Jesus, whom she did not 
 know, even after he had spoken to her, she sup- 
 posing him to be the gardener. 
 
 Paul had known no rolling away of the stone 
 from the door of the sepulcher. The spiritual body 
 in which he believed would require no such assist- 
 ance. But the Petrine and material element in the 
 church prevailed ; the spiritual resurrection was 
 set aside, and Christ was made to rise in the very 
 body in which he had been crucified and buried. 
 
CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 The Gospel according to Luke. 
 
 There is good reason to believe that Luke was 
 the first of the canonical gospels. This is rendered 
 probable, partly by internal evidence, (it is com- 
 piled from the oldest manuscripts), and partly by 
 the necessity that would exist, of having the first 
 gospel one which would counteract the influence of 
 Marcion. This could best be done through a gos- 
 pel which, while differing from his, would not vary 
 from it so much as to be repulsive to his followers. 
 
 Besides, Marcion, who was a man of learning, 
 had, with much care, compiled the most ancient 
 gospel manuscripts which he could obtain, and the 
 church authorities were under the necessity of 
 using, to a considerable extent, the same ma- 
 terials. 
 
 According to Schleiermacher, Luke consists of a 
 compilation of at least 33 different manuscripts ; as 
 follows : 
 
380 FIFTH PERIOD A. D. 170 TO A. D. 185. 
 
 MANUSCRIPTS IN LUKE 
 
 1. Introduction. 
 
 2. Chapter I. 
 
 3. Ch. II, vv. 1 to 20 inclusive. 
 
 4. " " v. 21. 
 
 5. " " 22 to 40. 
 
 6. " " 41 to 52. 
 
 7. " III, T. 1, to ch. IV, v. 15. 
 
 8. " IV, vv. 16 to 30. 
 
 9. " " " 31 to 44. 
 
 10. " V, " 1 to 11. 
 11. ' 12 to 16. 
 
 12. " " " 17 to 26. 
 
 13. " " " 27 to 39. 
 
 14. " VI, " 1 to 11. 
 
 15. " " v. 12, to ch. VII, v. 10. 
 
 16. " VII, vv. 11 to 50. 
 
 17. "VIII," lto21. 
 
 18. " " " 22 to 56. 
 
 19. " IX, " 1 to 45. 
 
 No 32, consisting, also, of two oi 
 
 20. Ch. IX, vv. 46 to 50. 
 
 21. " " v. 51 to ch. X, v. 24. 
 
 22. " X, vv. 25 to 37. 
 
 23. " " " 38 to 42. 
 
 24. " XI, " 1 to 13. 
 
 25. " " 14, to ch. XIII, v. 9. 
 
 26. " XIII,vv. 10 to 22. 
 
 27. " " 23, to ch. XIV, V. 24. 
 
 28. "XIV, vv. 25 to 35. 
 
 29. " XV, 1, to ch. XVII, 19. 
 
 30. " XVII, 20, to XIX, 48, 
 Consisting of three others; 
 
 XVII 20 to XVIII 14, XVIII 
 15 to XIX 28, and XIX 29 to 
 XIX 48. 
 
 31. Chapters XX and XXI. 
 
 32. Ch. XXII v. 1, to XXIII 49. 
 
 33. " XXIII v. 50, to the end 
 of the gospel. 
 
 more, blended. 
 
 Some of these divisions may be too artificial, and 
 may have been established to maintain some sup- 
 posed unity of purpose in the gospel historian ; but 
 the analysis itself appears to be founded in fact, 
 and is, in the main, pursued in a scientific man- 
 ner. 
 
 If, now, the same process be applied to the Gos- 
 pel of Marcion, it will be found to consist of a 
 compilation of 26 manuscripts. 
 
 An analysis of the two gospels develops the fact 
 that every manuscript, after the first eight of Luke, 
 appears in both gospels. 
 
 This circumstance favors the theory, that one of 
 these gospels was used in the construction of the 
 Other. Which was probably the model? 
 
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 381 
 
 Not only is Marcion much the shorter, but its 
 narratives are simpler and more natural than those 
 of Luke. 
 
 The subject may be illustrated by reference to 
 some of the more important and extensive differ- 
 ences between the two gospels. 
 
 The first three chapters of Luke were not in 
 Marcion. The first part of the fourth chapter of 
 Luke which appears in Marcion, is that commenc- 
 ing at verse 16. "And he came to Nazareth." 
 This, in Marcion, comes in its regular order, after 
 the ministry at Capernaum ; while in Luke, Jesus 
 here refers to his doings at Capernaum , though his 
 visit there is not stated until afterward. 
 
 We find the whole of the fourth chapter of 
 Luke in Marcion, substantially, except the first 
 15 verses. But these 15 verses, together with the 
 preceding chapter, none of which was in Marcion, 
 constitute altogether, according to Schleiermacher, 
 a single manuscript. The German critic was wri- 
 ting without any reference to Marcion. This co- 
 incidence may therefore be considered confirma- 
 tory, at the same time, of the theory of Schleier- 
 macher, and of the priority of Marcion. 
 
 In closing the fourth chapter, the author of 
 Luke having arranged sufficient preliminary matter, 
 we may suppose that he now took up the Gospel of 
 Marcion, which he found to be a compilation of 
 manuscripts carefully collected, and made it from 
 this point onward, the basis of the Gospel accord- 
 ing to Luke. 
 
382 FIFTH PERIOD — A. D. 170 TO A. D. 185. 
 
 Let us see how, upon this supposition, he pro- 
 ceeded with his work. 
 
 The style is much the same in the additional 
 matter, as in that which is common to both gospels. 
 Changes and additions are found here and there, 
 some having been made for dogmatic reasons ; 
 others apparently for no other purpose than to 
 compose a new gospel. 
 
 The first addition of muoh importance, is Luke, ch. 7, vv. 29 to 35. 
 This contains a saying of Christ, in which is a reference to John the 
 Baptist. V. 34; "The Son of Man is come, eating and drinking," etc. 
 This Hahn supposed was omitted by Marcion, because the representa- 
 tion of Jesus eating and drinking, etc., was opposed to Marcion's 
 view of the spiritual and ethereal nature of Christ's person, i But in 
 the very next verse of Marcion's Gospel, Jesus is represented as going 
 into a Pharisee's house, and sitting down to meat. Whatever reason 
 existed for adding these verses in Luke, we can see no reason for 
 omitting them in Marcion. 
 
 2. The next place where there is a difference of several verses 
 entire, is Luke, 11, w. 6, 7 and 8. This is a mere amplification of v. 
 5, which, in a condensed form, is in Marcion. 
 
 3. Luke, 11. 30, 31 and 32. — These verses relate to Jonas, whose 
 name had been inserted in the 29th verse. In Marcion the reading 
 is, "This is an evil generation; they seek a sign, no sign shall be 
 given it." In Luke, "no sign shall be given it, but the sign of Jonas 
 the prophet." The following three verses explain in what manner 
 the preaching of Jonas might be regarded as a sign. It is a continu- 
 ation of the idea, and the whole passage must stand or fall together. 
 
 4. Luke, 11. 49, 50, 51. — This consists of a quotation from an 
 apocryphal book, called "The Wisdom of God." The quotation is of 
 a suspicious character. It contains the statement concerning Zach- 
 arias, who perished between the altar and the temple; a statement 
 which, as repeated in Matthew, (23. 35), with the addition of the 
 words "Son of 'Barachias," has caused commentators so much 
 trouble. 2 
 
 (l.) Das Evangel. Mar. p. 147. 
 
 (2.) See Chapter on The Gospel according to Matthew. 
 
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 383 
 
 Marcion has no allusion to Zacharias, and contains, no doubt, the 
 more ancient form of this passage. Much of the trouble comes from 
 interpolations. 
 
 The interpolation in Luke, led to the worse interpolation in Mat- 
 thew. 
 
 5. Luke, 13. 1 to 10, contains the legend concerning Pilate ming- 
 ling the blood of the Galileans with their sacrifices; also reference to 
 those slain by the falling of the town of Siloam; also the parable of 
 the unfruitful fig-tree. None of it in Marcion. 
 
 6. Luke, 13. 29 to 35. This passage is doubtless an interpolation. 
 The portions of it are much disconnected, and the words "Go ye and 
 tell that fox," referring to Herod, can scarcely be accepted as the 
 language of Jesus. 
 
 7. One of the most extensive differences is in the parable of the 
 prodigal son, Luke 15. 11 to 32; no part of which is in Marcion. It 
 is essentially Pauline in spirit, as has been well remarked.3 
 
 There is no reason why so beautiful an illustration of his own 
 views, should have been omitted by Marcion. 
 
 8. Luke, 18. 31 to 34. — Jesus predicts to the twelve, his suffering, 
 his death and resurrection. The prediction had already been re- 
 corded, (Marcion 6. 22; Luke, 9. 22), and there is no reason why it 
 should be repeated. This entire passage in the 18th chapter, is prob- 
 ably an interpolation. 
 
 9. The last twenty verses of the 19th Luke, are entirely wanting in 
 Marcion. The riding upon an ass's colt, is an awkward episode, and 
 was probably inserted to set forth the fulfillment of the prophecy in 
 Zech. 9. 9. Then follows the prediction concerning the destruction of 
 Jerusalem. The other reference, in less explicit language, to the 
 same event, (Luke 13. 34, 35), is also wanting in Marcion. There is 
 no certainty that the prediction was ever uttered by Christ himself. 
 Justin Martyr, who would have found this prophecy so pertinent to 
 enforce his argument, made no allusion to it. The remainder of this 
 passage appears to have been written to illustrate the fulfillment of 
 the prophecy in Jeremiah 7. 11. 
 
 10. Luke, 20. 9 to 18. The parable of the vineyard. 
 
 This is essentially Pauline in spirit, and has a manifest application 
 to the preaching of the gospel to the Gentiles, after ii had been re- 
 jected by the Jews. There is no reason why Marcion should have 
 omitted it. 
 
 <30 Hahn, Das Evang. Mar. p. 182; Olshausen, Can, Ev. p. 208. 
 
384 FIFTH PERIOD A. D. 170 to A. D. 185. 
 
 11. Luke, 22. 16 to 18. The paschal supper has been the cause of 
 much controversy in all ages of the church, and was the occasion of 
 the first exercise of a general jurisdiction by the church of Borne. 
 Without entering into the controversy, suffice it to say, if, as there is 
 reason to believe, this passage in 22d Luke is an interpolation upon 
 Marcion, the question becomes much simplified. The supper de- 
 scribed in that chapter appears to have been an ordinary meal, having 
 been eaten the evening before the crucifixion; and yet, in verses 16 to- 
 18, it is referred to as the passover. 
 
 12. Luke, 22. 28 to 30. This is a literal application of certain 
 prophecies to Jesus; an application such as the Jews were constantly 
 making, but such as he himself would scarcely have made, in the 
 form here presented. 
 
 13. Luke, 22. 35 to 38. Here for the first time, Jesus is made to 
 allude to his coming end. And when his disciples told him there 
 were two swords, he said, "It is enough." 
 
 14. Luke, 22. 49 to 51. 
 
 These are all of the more extended passages in 
 Luke, which are not in Marcion 's Gospel. This 
 analysis, equally with the one in a former chapter, 
 affords strong evidence that Marcion was first writ- 
 ten. 
 
 There are other considerations, indicating a late 
 origin to this gospel. 
 
 1. It is expressly stated, in the introduction, 
 that many gospels had been written before this 
 one : 
 
 "Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order, a 
 declaration of those things which are most surely believed among 
 us, even as they who from the beginning were eye-witnesses and 
 ministers of the word, delivered unto us; it seemed good to me, 
 also," etc., [Translated by the author.] 
 
 It is the universal conclusion, that the author of 
 
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 385 
 
 Luke does not here refer to any of the canonical 
 gospels. 1 
 
 The fact that the other three of those gospels are 
 impliedly excluded by the language used in Luke, 
 raises a strong implication, that they were not then 
 written. Why would the author refer to many un- 
 authorized gospels, and make no allusion to three 
 which were received as authority? It is an opinion 
 quite generally entertained, that several gospels 
 are referred to in Luke, which are known to have 
 been written in the second century. 
 
 Origen considered that the gospel of the Egyp- 
 tians and the Gospel of the Twelve Apostles, (of 
 the Hebrews) were among the number. 2 
 
 Jerome extends the list as follows : 
 
 "The evangelist Luke declares that there were many who wrote 
 gospels, when he says, 'forasmuch as many,' etc. (c. 1, v. 1), which 
 being published by various authors, gave rise to several heresies. 
 They were such as that according to the Egyptians, and Thomas, 
 and Matthias, and Bartholomew, that of the Twelve Apostles, 
 and Basilides, and Apelles, and others which it would be tedious 
 to enumerate." — [Hieron, Praef. in Comm. in Matth. 
 
 The Gospel of Basilides was written about A. 
 D. 125, and that of Apelles, about 160. Of 
 course, then, according to Jerome, Luke was 
 after 160. 
 
 Epiphanius says, in expounding Luke, 1.1, 
 
 (i.) Origen, Homil. in Luc. 1. 1; Ambrose, Com. on Luke, i; Augustine, de Cons. 
 Ev. i. 4, c. 8; Eusebius, Ecc. Hist, 3, 24; Erasmus in Luc. 1. 1; Bellarm. de Mat. Sacr. 
 1. 1, c. 16; Grotius, in Luc. 1. 1; Father Simon, Crit. Hist, of N. T. par. 1, ch. 3; Jones 
 vol. 1, p. 25; Stowe's Hist, of the Bible, p. 142. 
 
 (2.) Homily in Luc. 1. 1. 
 
386 FIFTH PERIOD A. D. 170 TO A. D. 185. 
 
 "Saying: 'Forasmuch as many have taken in hand,' by which he 
 would intimate that there have been many undertakers of the like 
 work. Among them, I suppose, were Cerinthus, Merinthus, and 
 others." (See also Epi. Haer. 51. 7.) 
 
 Cerinthus flourished and wrote about A. D. 145, 
 which Epiphanius thinks was before Luke. 
 
 Venerable Bede (A. D. 734) agrees with Jerome, 
 that the Gospels of Basilides and Apelles were 
 among those referred to in Luke. 1 
 
 Erasmus thought the Acts of Pilate, or Gospel 
 of Nicodemus, was among the number. 2 
 
 Jones includes the Gospel of Marcion. 3 
 
 All these writers, in thus dating the Gospel 
 of Luke subsequent to those here named, im- 
 pliedly renounce the theory of its apostolic 
 origin. 
 
 2. The discrepancies betweeen this gospel and 
 that according to Matthew, have already been 
 pointed out. These differences indicate a late ori- 
 gin for one or both of these gospels, and involve in 
 confusion every thing connected with the early 
 history of Christ. 
 
 It is impossible, in the present state of the 
 inquiry, to name the author of this gospel. 
 
 Westcott thinks it circulated mostly about Alex- 
 andria and Antioch, 4 when first published. 
 
 (i.) Bede's Works. London, 1844, vol. 10, p. 273. 
 
 (2.) Annot. in Luc. 1. 1. 
 
 (3.) Jones, vol. 3, Vindication, p. 26. 
 
 <4.) Canon, p. 68. Note. 
 
GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 387 
 
 It may have been written at or near Antioch . In 
 that case, the person to whom it was addressed, 
 was probably none other than Theophilus, the 
 writer, who afterward, about A. D. 180, became 
 Bishop of Antioch. 
 
 Basnage thinks Luke was the first of the canoni- 
 cal gospels, 1 and there are many reasons for believ- 
 ing he was correct in that opinion. 
 
 Michaelis did not consider it inspired f nor does 
 the author of this, or of either of the canonical 
 gospels, lay any claim to inspiration. 
 
 (i.) Ann. 60, num. 31. 
 (2.) Vol. i, p. 95. 
 
CHAPTER XXIX 
 
 The Gospel according to Mark. 
 
 Mark is the shortest of the four gospels. Its 
 brevity is due partly to the omission of the biogra- 
 phy of Christ, which is contained in Luke and 
 Matthew. 
 
 It was probably constructed from the Gospel of 
 Peter, as a basis, with many changes, and the in- 
 corporation of new material. 
 
 If the analysis of Luke be applied to Mark, the 
 following will be the result : 
 
 The first seven manuscripts are wanting. 
 
 MS. No. 8, Luke, 4. 16 to 30, is omitted in Mark entirely, in place 
 of which is inserted the calling of the apostles; Mark, 1. 16 to 20. 
 
 The previous account of the preaching of John, Mark, 1. 1 to 8, is 
 so much different from that in Luke, that it is plain it was not from 
 the same manuscript. 
 
 No. 9, Luke, 4. 31 to 44, is closely followed in Mark, (1. 21 to 39.) 
 There is just sufficient expansion of language to justify the presump- 
 tion that the same manuscript was used; or possibly here, as well as 
 in a few other places, the Gospel of Luke itself. 
 
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK. 389 
 
 In point of correctness, it has been already 
 noticed that Sanday places this gospel below Luke. 
 The same view is taken by Schleiermacher. Speak- 
 ing of the synoptics, he says, that in comparing 
 Luke with Matthew and Mark he sees evidence that 
 the corresponding narratives in the latter gospels , 
 were originally more hastily taken down, or were 
 obscured by passing through many hands. 1 
 
 Pursuing the analysis, 
 
 MS. No. 10, Luke, 5. 1 to 11, is not in Mark, though there is a 
 shorter account of a similar transaction. 
 
 No. 11, Luke, 5. 12 to 16, is contained in Mark, (1. 40 to 45), but with 
 such an important change at the close, as to draw from Schleier- 
 macher the following remark: 
 
 "By this alteration, the history assumes almost an apocryphal 
 character; and if, on the one hand, we acknowledge the instruction 
 we receive by this very circumstance of Mark's narrative, it ia no less 
 true, on the other hand, that the comparison is the more unfavorable 
 to him, as his additions frequently tend to this sort of exaggeration." 
 — [Essay on Luke, p. 78. 
 
 No. 12, Luke, 5. 17 to 26, all but the first verse, is found substan- 
 tially the same in Mark, 2. 2 to 12. 
 
 No. 13, also, Luke, 5^ 27 to 39, is closely followed in Mark, 2. 14 
 to 22. 
 
 So also No. 14, Luke, 6. 1 to 11, in Mark, 2. 23 to 3. 5. 
 
 In No. 15, Luke, 6. 12 to 7. 10, we first find a break in a manuscript; 
 hitherto, such as were used being inserted entire, though with 
 alterations. 
 
 Mark contains the first and last portion of this, while the middle 
 part, containing portions of the sermon on the mount, is omitted. 
 
 The circumstances connected with the choosing 
 of the twelve, Schleiermacher thinks, were misun- 
 derstood by Mark. "He had hitherto," he says, 
 
 (i.) Essay on Luke, p. 77. 
 
390 FIFTH PERIOD A. D. 170 TO A. D. 185. 
 
 "followed Luke. Not that I would assert, with 
 Griesbach, that he had before him the whole of the 
 present Gospel of Luke, but this collection he most 
 probably had." 1 
 
 After showing that the matter was not properly 
 understood by Mark, he says : 
 
 "Under these circumstances, I do not at all see why one should 
 take pains, trying all possible explanations, some of them in the 
 highest degree improbable, to show how Jude, the son of James, and 
 Lebbeus who was named Thaddeus, may be one person." — [p. 93. 
 
 No. 16, Luke, 7. 11 to 50, not in Mark. 
 
 Schleiermacher is perplexed at not finding the mir- 
 acle of Nain related by any evangelist but Luke ; 
 especially "considering the scanty number of 
 instances of restoration to life." He thinks the 
 event was recorded by some one who had heard of 
 it at Capernaum, or Jerusalem, and who did not 
 wish to trouble the apostles by applying to them 
 for confirmation of the account. 2 
 
 No. 17, Luke, 8. 1 to 21, is, again, broken up, being found neither 
 entire, nor in the same order, in Mark. The most of it finds a 
 parallel, with much amplification, in Mark, 4. 1 to 25, and 3. 31 to 35. 
 
 Commenting upon the contents of this manu- 
 script, Schleiermacher says : 
 
 "This addition belongs, undoubtedly, to the number of accumula- 
 tions and exaggerations which are so very common with Mark, both 
 in the introductions to the several incidents in his gospel, and in the 
 general statements which he occasionally inserts, to fill up a chasm. " 
 —[Essay; p. 128. 
 
 No. 18, Luke, 8. 22 to 56, finds a close parallel in Mark, 4. 36 to 5. 43. 
 
 (i.) Essay, p. 91. 
 (2.) Essay, p. 169. 
 
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK. 391 
 
 The manuscript was inserted entire; not, however, without the usual 
 amplification in the different narratives. 
 
 No. 19, Luke, 9. 1 to 45. This manuscript, with many variations, 
 and the insertion of much new matter, may be traced as follows: 
 Mark, 6. 7 to 16; same ch. vv. 30 to 44; ch. 8. 27 to 31; same, 34 to 38; 
 ch. 9, w. 1 to 11; same, 17 to 29, and verses 31 and 32. 
 
 No. 20, Luke, 9. 46 to 50. Paralleled in Mark, 9. 33 to 40, to which 
 is subjoined much not in Luke, but parallels to which may be found 
 in Matthew. 
 
 MSS. Nos. 21 to 25 inclusive, comprising Luke, 9. 51 to 13. 9, not in 
 Mark, except a few verses, Mark, 3. 22 to 27, parallel with part of 
 No. 25. 
 
 Nos. 26 to 29 inclusive, Luke, 13. 10 to 17. 19, not in Mark, 
 
 No. 30, Luke, 17. 20 to 19. 48. First division, 17. 20 to 18. 14, not in 
 Mark. The first part of the second division, Luke, 18. 15 to 43, finds 
 parallel in Mark 10. 13 to 34, and vv. 46 to 52. The balance of the 2d 
 division, Luke, 19. 1 to 28, has no parallel in Mark; while, again, the 
 third division, Luke, 19. 29 to 48, will be found followed more or less 
 closely, in Mark, 11. 1 to 18. 
 
 No. 31. Luke, chs. 20 and 21. Parallel, Mark, 11. 27 to 31, and chs. 
 12 and 13. 
 
 No. 32. Luke, 22. 1 to 23. 49. Parallels, Mark, 14. 1, 2; same ch. 
 vv. 10 to 17; vv. 22 to 24; v. 26; v. 32; vv. 35 to 38; vv. 43 to 49; vv. 
 53, 54, and 61 to 72. Also, ch. 15, vv. 1 to 15, 21 to 33, and 37 to 41. 
 
 In all this we discover parallels, by no means complete, to only 
 a portion of No. 32. It is impossible to believe that the authors of 
 Luke and Mark here used a common manuscript. The author of 
 Mark, we may suppose, drew somewhat from manuscripts, something 
 from tradition, and much from his imagination. 
 
 No. 33. Luke, 23. 50, to the end. Whatever parallel to this there 
 may be in Mark, is in the last part of the gospel. But Mark here di- 
 verges much from the others. The last twelve verses are generally 
 by scholars considered spurious, i 
 
 (i.) Canon Farrar, in his "Messages ef the Books," (London and N. Y., 1887), thus 
 sums up the evidence against the authenticity of the last twelve verses of Mark: 
 
 1. There are many remarkable peculiarities of style and expression in the Greek 
 text which are specified, and which do not accord with the balance of the gospel. 
 
 2. These verses are wanting in the Sinaitic and Vatican MSS., and are omitted in 
 
392 FIFTH PERIOD — A. D. 170 to A. D. 185. 
 
 As the result of the foregoing analysis, it will be 
 seen, that of the 33 manuscripts in Luke, the first 
 8 are wanting in Mark, being the same, except No. 
 8, which were wanting also in Marcion. Of the 
 other 25, 10 are omitted entirely, and 8 are inserted 
 entire, while the others are more or less broken 
 and disjointed ; some of them so much so, as to 
 lose their identity completely. 
 
 This result, while it confirms the theory of 
 Schleiermacher, recognizing, as it does, the identity 
 and completeness of most of the manuscripts, at 
 the same time would indicate that the German 
 theologian had, in some instances, carried his divi- 
 sion too far; and had specified, as distinct manu- 
 scripts, some portions of Luke, which were founded 
 upon tradition, and composed by the author him- 
 self. 
 
 The Gospel according to Mark is supposed to 
 have been written at Rome. 
 
 It was not quoted by Tertullian, in Africa. 
 
 At Rome, where the gospel was probably com- 
 posed, the stories in Luke, concerning the infancy 
 of Jesus, so manifestly of Eastern original, had 
 not yet obtained much credence. They were 
 accordingly omitted. In this respect, the Gospel 
 of Marcion was, in that portion of Christendom, 
 
 many ancient copies of other MSS. 
 
 3. Eusebius, Jerome and Gregory of Nyssa say that in their day they were wanting 
 in almost all the Greek copies of the gospels. 
 
 4, They must have been unknown to Cyril of Jerusalem, Tertullian and Cyprian, and 
 were not mentioned by Clement of Rome or Clement of Alexandria, 
 
 This passage in Mark corresponds with a portion of the 14th chapter of the Acts of 
 Pilate; the usual allowance being made for interpolations, in copying from the Acts. 
 
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK. 393 
 
 considered the most reliable, and was looked upon 
 as evidence that the early biography of Jesus was 
 unknown. 
 
 The Gospel of Peter is supposed to have con- 
 tained the substance of the Oracles of Matthew ; 
 and as the former was at the basis of Mark, and 
 the latter, of Matthew, that would account for 
 much of the similarity between Mark and Matthew, 
 without assuming that any portion of either was 
 copied directly from the other. Mark has almost 
 a complete parallel in Luke and Matthew taken 
 together. There are but 24 verses which have no 
 parallel in either of the other synoptics. 
 
 As to the order in which these gospels were writ- 
 ten, much has been said, but the subject is in the 
 utmost confusion and uncertainty. 
 
 "That St. Mark wrote later than St. Luke," says Michaelis, "I have 
 no doubt."— [Vol. 3, p. 96. Note. 
 
 Baronius, Bellarmine and some others, think 
 this gospel was first written in Latin. This is not 
 improbable, if it was composed at Rome, late in 
 the second century. 
 
 That the gospel in its present form was not the 
 work of Mark, the companion of the apostles, is 
 the opinion of Credner, 1 and several other evangel- 
 ical writers, among whom Mr. Sanday may be in- 
 cluded. 
 
 (i.) Einleit. Sec. 0. 
 
CHAPTER XXX 
 
 The Gospel according to John. 
 
 But little light ean be thrown upon the Gospel of 
 John, by any comparison with the manuscripts of 
 Luke. 
 
 The first manuscript to which any similarity can 
 be found, is No. 19 ; the account of the feeding of 
 the multitude, by a miracle. But the differences 
 in the narratives are very great. According to all 
 the synoptics, Jesus had retired to a desert place ; 
 in Luke it is stated that it belonged to the city of 
 Bethsaida. According to John, he had gone up 
 into a mountain. According to this historian, it 
 was on the eve of a Jewish passover. This the syn- 
 optics say nothing about ; nor do they connect Jesus 
 with any passover, except the one at which he 
 suffered. According to Mark and Matthew, who 
 continue the narrative, Jesus sent away the multi- 
 tudes, and retired into a mountain to pray; 
 according to John, he departed into a moun- 
 
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. 395 
 
 tain, (though he was already in a mountain), to 
 avoid the multitude who wished to take him by 
 force, and make him a king. It will be remem- 
 bered that this manuscript could not be fully 
 identified in Mark. These were probably different 
 versions of a common tradition. 
 
 The essential features of the tradition were, that 
 a multitude consisting of 5000 men, besides the 
 women and children, had been fed by Christ, upon 
 five loaves and two fishes. 
 
 The next parallel is No. 30. Of the contents of 
 this long manuscript, there is but the circumstance 
 of Jesus riding on a colt, the foal of an ass, 
 which is briefly noticed, as the fulfillment of a 
 prophecy. This manuscript, also, could not be 
 recognized distinctly in Mark, and there is no 
 reason to believe it was used in John. 
 
 No. 32. Luke 22. 1 to 23. 49. Portions of this 
 MS. have partial parallels, in John, 13. 1 to 30 ; 
 vv. 36 to 38 ; ch. 18, vv. 1 to 18 ; 24 to 28 ; 33 to 
 40 ; ch. 19, vv. 15 to 25 ; 28 to 30. 
 
 No. 33. Luke, 23. 50, to the end. 
 
 The first part of this manuscript, narrating the 
 begging of the body of Jesus, and his burial, by 
 Joseph of Arimathea, has a closer parallel in John 
 than any of the previous ones ; (John, 19. 38 to 
 42.) The balance of it, however, after the coming 
 of Mary Magdalene to the sepulcher, cannot be 
 recognized. 
 
 Thus, it will be seen, that not a single manu- 
 
396 FIFTH PERIOD A. D. 170 TO A D. 185. 
 
 script in Luke can be completely traced in John. , 
 In some instances, the writer may have used Luke 
 or Mark. 
 
 The inference is, that Luke and John were not 
 composed from common sources. 
 
 The same result will follow, upon comparing 
 John with Mark and Matthew. 
 
 The Gospel of John stands alone. It has every 
 mark of being an original gospel, while the synop- 
 tics are compilations made, for the most part for 
 the purpose of preserving the early traditions of 
 the disciples, concerning the life and teachings, the 
 sufferings, the death and the resurrection of Jesus. 
 
 The Gospel of John is a theological document, 
 written for theological purposes. 
 
 The first express testimony to the existence of 
 this gospel, is that of Theophilus, Bishop of Anti- 
 och, A. D. 180, who speaks of it thus : 
 
 "And hence the holy writings teach us, and all the spirit-bearing 
 (inspired) men, one of whom, John, says, 'In the beginning was the 
 Word, and the Word was with God,' " etc.— [Ad Autolycum, 2. 22. 
 
 Here John is not spoken of as an apostle, but as 
 a spirit-bearing, or inspired man. Such the writer 
 may have considered John the Presbyter, of the 
 second century, who is by many thought to be the 
 author of the gospel. 
 
 The internal character of this gospel, is quite in- 
 consistent with the theory of its having been writ- 
 ten by the unlettered fisherman, the son of Zebe- 
 dee. It is hardly possible that such a person could 
 
THE GOSPEL ACCOKDING TO JOHN. 397 
 
 have become the educated and philosophical theo- 
 logian, whose pen is to be traced in the Gospel of 
 John. 
 
 It is written in purer, and less Hebraistic Greek, 
 than the other gospels, and its style is elegant and 
 graceful. 
 
 John the apostle, son of Zebedee, was a Jew. 
 But the author of the Gospel of John, refers to the 
 Jews in the third person. He speaks of the feasts 
 "of the Jews," "the passover of the Jews," "the 
 manner of the purifying of the Jews," etc. The 
 law of Moses is spoken of as "your law," and 
 ' ' their law . " Furthermore , the Jews are denounced 
 as the children of the devil. 
 
 The fact that in this gospel, the full and absolute 
 divinity of Christ is first distinctly taught, is evi- 
 dence, also, that it was not written by a Jew. The 
 divinity of Jesus was not a doctrine of the Jewish 
 Christians. It originated with Gentiles, formerly 
 idolaters. To the Jew, it meant polytheism. The 
 early Jewish Christians held Christ to be a man 
 only. 
 
 There are also many errors in reference to the 
 geography of the country. The author speaks of 
 iEnon, near to Salim, in Judea ; also of Bethany, 
 beyond Jordan, and of ' 'a city of Samaria, called 
 Sychar. ' ' If there were any such places, they were 
 strangely unknown to other writers. The learned 
 Dr. Bretschneider points out such mistakes and 
 errors of the geography, chronology, history and 
 statistics of Judea, as no person who had ever re- 
 
398 FIFTH PEEIOD A. D. 170 TO A. D. 185. 
 
 sided in that country, or had been by birth a Jew, 
 could possibly have committed. 
 
 Even the birthplace of John himself, Bethsaida, 
 or Julias, is assigned to Galilee, when it was situ- 
 ated in another country. This mistake alone, is 
 fatal to the authority of the gospel. This is con- 
 ceded by Hug, 1 provided it cannot be explained. 
 An attempt has been made to explain it by showing 
 that it was the custom of the people to speak of the 
 Gaulonite country as Galilee. Josephus is cited, 
 'as calling Judas, the Galilean, a Gaulonite. Jo- 
 sephus four times refers to Judas as a Galilean. 2 
 The only place where he is spoken of otherwise, 3 is 
 manifestly a mistake on the part of some tran- 
 scriber, and arose from the fact, that there were 
 two cities by the name of Gamala, one in Gauloni- 
 tis, the other in Galilee. No doubt the passage in 
 Josephus, "a Gaulonite, of a city whose name was 
 Gamala, " should read, "a Galilean, of a city whose 
 name was Gamala. " It would then correspond 
 with the other passages in Josephus, and with the 
 Acts of the Apostles, [5. 37] ; in all of which he 
 was called Judas of Galilee. 
 
 Galilee was a well known district of country, 
 with well denned boundaries ; and it is absurd to 
 suppose that another country, entirely disconnected 
 with it, was called Galilee, without further evi- 
 dence than this passage of Josephus. 
 
 (i.) Introduction to N. T. p. 24. 
 
 (2) Antiquities, bk. 18 1. 6; bk. 20, 5. 2; Jewish War, bk. 2, 8. 1 and bk. 2, 17. 
 
 8. 
 
 (3-) Antiquities, bk. 18, 1. 1, 
 
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. 399 
 
 The conclusion is, that the author of the Gospel 
 of John, was ignorant of the birthplace of John 
 the apostle. 
 
 This gospel differs from all three of the synop- 
 tics, in relating several events which occurred when 
 John the apostle was not present ; while, strangely 
 enough, other transactions in which, according to 
 the synoptics, the apostle John was present, are 
 not related in the Gospel of John at all ; particu- 
 larly the transfiguration, which, according to all 
 the synoptics, took place in the presence of Peter, 
 James and John. 
 
 That John had neglected to testify, where his 
 testimony would naturally be expected, was noticed, 
 very anciently, by Faustus, the Manichsean, in his 
 controversy with Augustine. Speaking of the pas- 
 sage, "Think not that I am come," etc. (Matt. 5. 
 17), he says: 
 
 "Who testifies [that Jesus said this? Matthew. Where did he say 
 it? On the mountain. Who were present? Peter, Andrew, James 
 and John. Others, but not Matthew himself. He had not as yet 
 chosen Matthew. But one of these four, John, wrote a gospel. Well, 
 then, he relates this somewhere? No, not at all. How is it, then, 
 that John, who was on the mountain, does not testify? And that 
 this was written by Matthew, who became a follower of Jesus some 
 time after he descended from the mountain ? It is therefore very 
 doubtful whether Jesus said this; because a proper witness is silent, 
 while an improper witness testifies."— [Augustinus contra Faustum, 
 lib. 17, ch. 1. 
 
 The writer of this gospel quotes the Old Testa- 
 ment prophecies, almost as loosely, and with as 
 little regard to their applicability, as the author 
 of Matthew. Psalms, 41. 9, quoted in John 13. 
 
400 FIFTH PERIOD A. D. 170 TO A. D. 185. 
 
 18, did not refer to Christ, nor to Judas. So of 
 John 17. 12. 
 
 So strong is the evidence of a late date to this 
 gospel, that its apostolic origin is being abandoned 
 by the ablest evangelical writers. Westcott says, 
 "The earliest account of the origin of the gospel, 
 is already legendary." ' 
 
 Dr. Davidson, author of the article on the canon 
 in the new edition of the Encyclopedia Britan- 
 nica, says, its Johannine authorship must be 
 abandoned, and its existence prior to A. D. 140, 
 cannot be maintained. 2 Both Irenseus and Jerome 
 assert that John wrote against Cerinthus. Cerin- 
 thus flourished about A. D. 145. 
 
 Again, there is evidence that in the construc- 
 tion of this gospel, as in that of Matthew, the 
 author had in view the building up of the Roman 
 hierarchy, the foundations of which were then 
 (about A. D. 177—8,) being laid. In the 21st 
 chapter is a detailed account of an appearance of 
 Jesus, after his resurrection, to seven of his disci- 
 ples, at the Sea of Tiberias, something not heard 
 of in the synoptic gospels, and which bears the 
 impress of an original narrative, suggested by 
 scenes in Christ's ministry. After they had 
 dined, Jesus is made to say to Peter, "Feed my 
 sheep ; " an injunction which was afterward re- 
 peated. 
 
 In Matthew only, is Peter made the rock on 
 
 (i.) Introduction, p. 255. 
 
 (2.) Davidson on the Canon, p. 99. In bis Int. to N. T., the limit is 150. 
 
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. 401 
 
 which the Church was to be built, and in John 
 only, is he enjoined to feed the sheep of Christ. 
 There is reason to believe that both gospels were 
 written in the interest of the supremacy of the 
 Church of Borne. 
 
CHAPTER XXXI 
 
 The Gospel according to Matthew. 
 
 The Gospel of Matthew presents at once phenom- 
 ena of the most varied and inexplicable character. 
 While many of its narratives and of its records 
 of the sayings of Christ, from their brevity and 
 simplicity, are recognized as among the oldest tra- 
 ditions, and as having been taken from near the 
 fountain head, the gospel itself bears, in other 
 places, internal evidence of a comparatively late 
 
 origin. 
 
 The persistent statements of Jerome, supported 
 by Epiphanius, that the Gospel of the Hebrews was 
 the Hebrew form of the Gospel of Matthew, state- 
 ments not at all borne out by the fragments of the 
 Gospel of the Hebrews, which they have given, 
 .still further complicate a question, in other respects 
 sufficiently difficult. 
 
 Many writers, not willing to discard altogether 
 
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. 403 
 
 the assertions of Jerome and Epiphanius, have 
 supposed our Matthew to be a translation from a 
 more correct version of the Hebrew gospel, than 
 that quoted by those fathers ; and that the differ- 
 ences between those quotations and the Greek 
 Matthew, are to be accounted for, partly by the 
 difference in the Hebrew versions, and partly by 
 the freedom of translation. Among these, Bishop 
 Marsh is one of the most eminent. 
 
 Others, giving but little credit to these fathers, 
 whom in other matters, they have found so unre- 
 liable, and resting the case upon internal evidence, 
 have pronounced the Gospel of Matthew an ori- 
 ginal Greek production. This view is strongly 
 maintained by Jones and other modern critics. 
 
 THE MANUSCRIPTS OF LUKE COMPARED WITH \ 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 There is a partial parallel, in the third chapter of Matthew, to the 
 first part of manuscript No. 7; [Luke 3,1 to 22.] Omitting the gen- 
 ealogies, which are entirely different, the parallel is resumed, and 
 more closely followed, in the history of the temptation; [Luke, 4. 1 to 
 13; Matthew, 4. 1 to 11.] 
 
 MS. No. 8, Luke, 4. 16 to 30, has no parallel in Matthew. 
 
 No. 9, Luke, 4. 31 to 44, which had a complete parallel in Mark, finds 
 only a partial parallel in Matthew, commencing with verse 38, of 
 Luke, [Matt. 8. 14], and giving an account of the healing of Simon's 
 wife's mother, and other sick people. 
 
 We early find evidence of that tendency to ampli- 
 fication and exaggeration which is characteristic of 
 the author of this gospel. Although, in accord- 
 ance with the accounts in the other synoptics, he 
 states, in verse 16, that "when the even was come, 
 they brought unto him many that were possessed 
 
404 FIFTH PERIOD A. D. 170 TO A. D. 185. 
 
 of devils, and he cast out the spirits with his word, 
 and healed all that were sick ;" adding, according 
 to his custom, a reference to the fulfillment of 
 prophecy ; and though he had also stated, in ch. 4, 
 v. 23, that Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching, 
 etc., and healing all manner of sickness, and all 
 manner of disease, among the people; he there 
 adds, after the narrative has been closed by the 
 other historians, the following : 
 
 v. 24. "And his fame went throughout all Syria, and they brought 
 unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and 
 torments, and those who were possessed with devils, and those who 
 were lunatic, and those who had the palsy; and he healed them." 
 
 MS. No. 10, Luke, 5. 1 to 11, cannot be traced in Matthew, though 
 there is a shorter account of the calling of the four disciples, corres- 
 ponding to that in Mark. 
 
 No. 11. Luke, 5. 12 to 16. The parallel account in Matthew is 
 shorter than in Luke or Mark. This is one of the places which indi-( 
 cate Matthew as containing the earlier narrative. The account of this 
 miracle, as related in the Acts of Pilate, is shorter than either of these. 
 
 No. 12. Luke, 5. 17 to 26. Parallel, Matthew, 9. 1 to 8. 
 
 No. 13. Luke, 5. 27 to 39. See Matthew, 9. 9 to 17, which has a close 
 resemblance. 
 
 So also No. 14, Luke, 6. 1 to 11; Matthew, 12. 1 to 13. 
 
 No. 15. Luke, 6. 12 to 7. 10. The last ten verses of this manuscript, 
 describing the healing of the centurion's servant, are paralleled in 
 Matthew, 8. 5 to 13. The other portion, which commences with the 
 choosing of the twelve, and consists, principally, of sayings of Jesus, 
 can hardly be considered paralleled by the sermon on the mount, 
 which is much more extensive. 
 
 No. 16. Luke, 7. 11 to 50, which has no parallel in Mark, has a partial 
 parallel in Matthew. See Luke, 7. 18 to 35, and Matthew, 11. 2 to 19. 
 
 No. 17. Luke, 8. 1 to 21. See Matthew, 13. 1 to 25, and 12. 46 to 50, 
 where the parallel is nearly complete. 
 
 No. 18. Luke, 8. 22 to 56. Parallel, Matt. 8. 18; vv. 23 to 34; ch. 9, 18 to 
 25. 
 
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. 405 
 
 19. Luke, 9. 1 to 45. Matt. 10. 1 to 15; 14. 1, 2; vv. 13 to 21; ch. 16 
 13 to 16, 20; vv. 21 to 28, and ch. 17, 1 to 23. This manuscript, if used 
 at all, is completely broken up. 
 
 20. Luke, 9. 46 to 50; Matthew, 18. 1 to 6.' 
 
 21. Luke, 9. 51 to 10. 24. Partial parallel in Matt. 8. 19 to 22. 
 MSS. 22, 23 and 24, Luke, 10. 25 to 11. 13. No parallel in Matthew. 
 No. 25. Luke, 11. 14 to 13. 9. Partial parallel, Matthew 12. 22 to 30 
 
 and vv. 38 to 45. 
 
 26 to 29. Luke, 13. 10 to 17. 19. No parallel. 
 
 No. 30. Luke, 17. 20, to 19. 48. The first division, 17. 20 to 18. 14, has 
 no parallel. First part of second division, 18. 15 to 30, has as parallel, 
 Matt. 19. 13 to 30. Luke, 18. 31 to 43, has Matt. 20. 17 to 19, and 20. 29 
 to 34. Luke, 19. 29 to 38, has Matthew, 21. 1 to 9, and Luke, 19. 45, 46, 
 has Matt. 21. 12, 13. These partial parallels do not, however, identify 
 the manuscript. 
 
 No. 31. Luke, chs. 20 and 21. Partial parallels, Matt. 21. 23 to 27; 
 33 to 45; ch. 22, vv. 15, 32; vv. 41 to 46; ch. 23, vv. 5 to 7; v. 14; and ch. 
 24, vv. 1 to 44; following which, are lengthy sayings of Christ, found 
 in Matthew alone. 
 
 No. 32. Luke, 22. 1 to 23. 49. Matt. 26. 3 to 5; 14 to 25. The parallel 
 considerably broken. Matt. 27. 1, 2; 11 to 66. 
 
 No. 33. Luke, 23. 50, to the end. Some partial parallels, in Matt. 27. 
 57, to the end. 
 
 Recapitulation. — Five of the manuscripts are 
 complete in Matthew, though with the customary 
 changes and accumulations. Some dozen of the 
 others have parallels more or less extensive. There 
 is indicated a common use of manuscripts, though 
 not to so great an extent as by the authors of Luke 
 and Mark. 
 
 We will now proceed to consider some of the 
 indications of a late date for the construction of 
 the Gospel of Matthew. 
 
 1. That Matthew was written for theological 
 purposes, and for the use of the church, after it 
 
406 FIFTH PERIOD A. D. 170 TO A. D. 185. 
 
 had become pretty well established, is shown by 
 the frequent reference to the prophecies, and the 
 manifest anxiety to show that the events related, 
 were in fulfillment of the predictions referred to. 
 True, the author is quite uniformly unfortunate, 
 in his selection of prophecies, scarcely one of which 
 has any reference to the subject matter to which it 
 is applied. 1 But the object of the writer is never- 
 theless apparent. 
 
 2. The comparatively late composition of this 
 work may be inferred from the many additions of 
 incidents of a striking and marvelous character, 
 not contained in the other gospels. Notably 
 among these, are the earthquakes at the crucifixion 
 and the resurrection , both of which were known 
 to this historian only. Also, the opening of the 
 graves, and the rising of the saints. 
 
 Schleiermacher, in comparing Luke with Mark 
 and Matthew, sees evidence that the corresponding 
 narratives in the latter gospels, were originally 
 more hastily taken down, or were obscured by pass- 
 ing through a great number of hands. 2 
 
 Speaking of the account of casting out the devils, 
 (Matt. 8. 28 to 33), he says : 
 
 "The alteration made here, by introducing two demoniacs, in itself 
 improbable, as it is not usual for madmen to contract a close friend- 
 ship and intimacy with each other, might, indeed, admit of a different 
 explanation, as other instances of a similar duplication are found in 
 Matthew."— [Essay, p. 137. 
 
 (i.) For some instances, see the comparisons between Matthew and the Infancy 
 gospels. 
 
 (2.) Essay on Luke, p. 77. 
 
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. 407 
 
 In regard to the feeding of the multitudes, not- 
 withstanding the statement in Matthew 16, Schlei- 
 ermacher thinks there was but one feeding, and 
 that Matthew was misled, by having two different 
 accounts of the same transaction. 1 
 
 Speaking of Matt. 16. 13 to 28, he says : 
 
 "No one will readily believe, that Christ, in the same breath, as it 
 were, would deliver to Peter the key of the kingdom of heaven, and 
 then call him a Satan, who did not favor the things which be of 
 God."— [Page 153. 
 
 He thinks the manner in which Matthew repre- 
 sents the transfiguration, shows that the account 
 had passed through several hands. 
 
 "In this narrative," he says, "one perceives the exclusive direction 
 of the reporter's imagination toward the marvelous. On this account, 
 the assertion that the two figures were Moses and Elias, appears far 
 more confident than in Luke, in whose narrative every attentive 
 reader easily sees that it is founded merely on the expression of Peter, 
 in a state between sleeping and waking." — [Page 156. 
 
 "In the same way, we may remark, likewise, in the healing of the 
 epileptic in Matthew, a distortion into extravagance."— [Essay, p. 157. 
 
 After commenting at length upon the circum- 
 stance, he says : 
 
 "Matthew, therefore, either has had a less authentic reporter here, 
 or perhaps only obscured the state of the case, by his habit of annex- 
 ing analogous matter."— [Ibid. p. 159. 
 
 In the account in Matthew, corresponding to 
 Luke 9. 46 to 50, Schleiermacher thinks much is 
 annexed which was not spoken on the occasion. 2 
 
 (i.) Essay on Luke, p. 144. 
 (2.) Essay, p. 162. 
 
408 FIFTH PERIOD A. D. 170 to A. D. 185. 
 
 He comments on the incoherence in the narra- 
 tives of Matthew. 1 
 
 Referring to the duplication of the blind men at 
 Jericho, he says, Matthew "had before done some- 
 thing of the same sort, in the case of the demoniac 
 at Gadara." How the mistake happened, he does 
 not undertake to determine. 2 
 
 Speaking of Matt. 21. 1 to 17, he says : 
 
 "As to what is said in Matthew, somewhat strangely indeed, of two 
 animals, I can only explain it by the attempt to make the application 
 of the fact to the passage in Zechariah, as close as possible. Any other 
 explanation appears to be lost labor. For if Matthew is to be reconciled 
 with the rest, it must have been properly the polos which Christ be- 
 spoke for himself; but when the polos is able to bear the weight of a 
 man, though it has never been ridden, the she ass no longer runs by 
 its side, but has long left it to itself."— [Essay on Luke, p. 258. 
 
 He thinks the rending of the vail poetical. So, 
 also, the opening of the graves, and the rising of 
 the saints from the dead, as related by Matthew. 3 
 
 3. One circumstance indicating a late date for 
 this gospel, is the passage, Matt. 23. 35 : 
 
 "That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the 
 earth, from the blood of righteous Abel, unto the blood of Zacharias, 
 son of Barachias, whom ye slew, between the temple and the altar." 
 
 In Luke, this is quoted from an apocryphal book, 
 called the "Wisdom of God;" and is applied to 
 Zacharias who perished between the altar and the 
 temple." (Luke, 11. 49 to 51.) 
 
 The passage was not in Marcion. In Luke, 
 
 (i.) Essay on Luke, pp. 190 to 199. 
 (2.) Ibid. p. 249. 
 (3.) Ibid. p. 305. 
 
THE GOSPEL AOCOEDING TO MATTHEW. 409 
 
 though the place of the death of Zachariah is not 
 described with entire correctness, the reference 
 is in all probability to Zechariah, the son of 
 Jehoida. [See 2d Chron. 24. 20, 21.] But this 
 was ending, a long way back, the list of prophets 
 whose blood had been shed unjustly. The author 
 of Matthew, wishing to bring it down to a later 
 date, adds, "son of Barachias. " This changes the 
 personage at once, and brings the scene down to a 
 date subsequent to the time of Christ. Zacharias, 
 son of Barouchos, was massacred by the zealots, 
 inside the temple, shortly before the siege of Jeru- 
 salem; about A. D. 69. ' [See Appendix, Note II.] 
 
 It is evident that this portion of the Gospel of 
 Matthew was written, not only after the destruction 
 of Jerusalem, but a long time after. It will be no- 
 ticed that these words are not here, as in Luke, 
 quoted from the Wisdom of God. They are put 
 into the mouth of Jesus himself, who is made to 
 allude to an event as in the past, which took place 
 more than thirty years after. No one, writing im- 
 mediately after the destruction of Jerusalem, could 
 have made such a mistake. But a writer living 
 more than a hundred years afterward, might do so. 
 Suppose, a thousand years hence, a history should 
 be under examination, which should represent An- 
 drew Jackson as speaking of something as then 
 past, which had occurred near our own time ; say 
 the death of Senator Chandler. Would not that be 
 evidence that the history was written, not only after 
 the death of Chandler, but a long time after? 
 
 (i.) Josephus, Jewish War, bk. 4, ch. 5, 4. 
 
410 FIFTH PEEIOD — A. D. 170 TO A. D. 185. 
 
 4. In Matt. 27. 8, after stating that the chief 
 priests took the silver pieces which Judas had thrown 
 away, and bought with them the potter's field, to 
 bury strangers in, it is added, 
 
 "Wherefore, that field was called the field of blood, unto this day." 
 
 The phrase, "unto this day," implies a very long 
 time between the transaction and the time of relat- 
 ing it. 
 
 So again, Matt. 28. 15. In relating the bribing 
 of the soldiers by the chief priests, there is the 
 following : 
 
 "So they took the money, and did as they were taught, and this 
 saying is commonly reported among the Jews, until this day." 
 
 5. Evidence of the late construction of Matthew, 
 is to be found in the attempt, in the 16th chapter, 
 to specially connect Peter with the foundation of 
 the Christian church. The narrative of the con- 
 versation between Jesus and Peter, as given in 
 Luke and Mark, contains nothing of the kind. 
 
 That this was a later interpolation in the gospel 
 history, made in the interest of the Roman Catholic 
 hierarchy, then being .established, will become 
 more manifest by comparing the accounts in the 
 synoptic gospels, as follows : 
 
 Luke, ch. 9. 
 
 18. His disciples 
 were with him; and 
 he asked them, say- 
 ing: Whom say the 
 people that I am ? 
 
 19. They answering 
 said, John the Bap- 
 
 Maek, ch. 8. 
 
 27. And by the way, 
 he asked his disci- 
 ples, saying unto 
 them: Whom do 
 men say that I am ? 
 
 28. And they an- 
 swered, John the 
 
 Matthew, ch. 16. 
 
 13. He asked his dis- 
 ciples, saying: Whom 
 do men say that I, 
 the Son of Man, am ? 
 
 14. And they said, 
 Some (say) John the 
 Baptist; some, Elias; 
 
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. 411 
 
 Luke, ch. 9. 
 
 tist; but some (say), 
 Elias ; and others (say) 
 that one of the old 
 prophets is risen 
 again. 
 
 20. He said unto 
 them, But whom say 
 ye that I am ? Peter 
 answering, said, The 
 
 Christ of God. 
 
 21. And he straitly 
 charged them, and 
 commanded (them), 
 to tell no man that 
 thing. 
 
 Mare, ch. 8. 
 
 Baptist; but some 
 (say), Elias; and oth- 
 ers, one of the proph- 
 ets. 
 
 29. And he saith 
 unto them, But whom 
 say ye that I am? 
 And Peter answereth 
 and saith unto him, 
 
 Thou art the Christ. 
 
 30. And he charged 
 them, that they should 
 tell no man of him. 
 
 Matthew, ch. 16. 
 
 and others, Jeremias, 
 or one of the proph- 
 ets. 
 
 15. He saith unto 
 them, But whom say 
 ye that I am? 
 
 16. And Simon Pe- 
 ter answered and 
 said, Thou art the 
 Christ, the Son of the 
 living God. 
 
 17. And Jesus an- 
 swered and said unto 
 him, Blessed art thou, 
 Simon Bar-jona; for 
 flesh and blood hath 
 not revealed (it) unto 
 thee, but my Father 
 who is in heaven. 
 
 18. And I say also 
 unto thee, that thou 
 art Peter, and upon 
 this rock I will build 
 my church; and the 
 gates of hell shall not 
 prevail against it. 
 
 19. And I will give 
 unto thee the keys of 
 the kingdom of heav- 
 en; and whatsoever 
 thou shalt bind on 
 earth, shall be bound 
 in heaven; and what- 
 soever thou shalt 
 loose on earth, shall 
 be loosed in heaven. 
 
 20. Then charged 
 he his disciples, that 
 they should tell no 
 man, that he was Je- 
 sus the Christ. 
 
 From the closeness of the parallel it is obvious, 
 that the account was taken from a common manu- 
 script, or from a common tradition. 
 
 The saying of Christ to Peter, "Blessed art thou," 
 etc., if it had ever been uttered, was too important 
 
412 FIFTH PERIOD A. D. 170 TO A D. 185. 
 
 to be omitted by the other historians. It is a man- 
 ifest interpolation, made to give gospel sanction to 
 the hierarchy said to have been established by 
 Peter. 
 
 About this time, A. D. 180 to 190, a violent dis- 
 pute had arisen, concerning the celebration of 
 Easter. The church at Rome was endeavoring to 
 control the question, and to make it the occasion 
 for the establishment of a supreme power. The 
 Asiatic churches had rebelled against its preten- 
 sions. It was very important to conciliate them. 
 Let us suppose that at this juncture this gospel had 
 appeared at Alexandria, whose bishop supported 
 Rome. It would at once be adopted in the 
 churches of Africa, Gaul and Italy, all of which 
 were favorable to the papal claims. It would then 
 be circulated in Asia Minor, among the churches 
 imbued with Jewish traditions, and among whom 
 the name of Peter was all powerful , and would 
 have an immense influence in favor of consolida- 
 tion. 
 
 The epistle of Clement of Rome to James, was, 
 it is to be presumed, already in circulation. In 
 that it was stated that Peter had, at Rome, given 
 to Clement, in the presence of the congregation, 
 the keys of the Kingdom, and had used almost the 
 very words here attributed to Jesus. Peter had 
 said of Clement, to the church, 
 
 Wherefore, I communicate to him the power of binding and loos- 
 ing, so that with respect to everything which he shall ordain in the 
 earth, it shall be decreed in the heavens. He shall bind what ought 
 to be bound, and loose what ought to be loosed, as knowing the rule 
 of the church. 
 
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. 413 
 
 It only needed a gospel , showing that Christ had 
 conferred this power upon Peter, and the chain of 
 title of the Roman pontiff was complete. 
 
 When, wheee and by whom written. — No writer 
 of the first centuries ever assigned a date to the 
 Gospel of Matthew, except Irenaeus, whose testi- 
 mony is generally discarded. He states that it was 
 written for the Jews while Peter and Paul were 
 founding the church at Rome. 1 
 
 "If," says Bishop Marsh, "the arguments in favor of a late date for 
 the composition of St. Matthew's Gospel, be compared with those in 
 favor of an early date, it will be found that the former greatly out- 
 weigh the latter."— [Notes to Michaelis, vol. 3, pt. 2, p. 98. 
 
 According to the law of accretion, Matthew would 
 stand next to Luke, in point of antiquity. 
 
 On the other hand, it has been seen, that several 
 considerations point forcibly to a late date for its 
 composition. 
 
 It remains to be considered, whether there is any 
 theory which will explain these seemingly contra- 
 dictory phenomena. We venture to make a sugges- 
 tion, which, if not entirely correct, may lead to 
 such inquiries as will result in a correct solution. 
 
 About A. D. 180, Pantsenus was sent from Alex- 
 andria, as a missionary to India. It is said that he 
 there found a Gospel of Matthew, which had been 
 left in India many years before, by Bartholomew, 
 who had preached in that country. There has been 
 much discussion, as to what this Gospel of Matthew, 
 sometimes called the Gospel of Bartholomew, was. 
 
 (i.) Irenaeus, adv. Haer. 3. 1. 
 
414 FIFTH PERIOD A. D. 170 TO A. D. 185. 
 
 Let us suppose it was a copy of the Oracles of 
 Matthew, to which had been attached some brief 
 narrative of the ministry of Christ. It would be, 
 in that case, one of the oldest copies in existence. 
 
 Suppose this copy was brought back to Alexan- 
 dria, accompanied with some old manuscripts of 
 genealogies ; that some zealous Christian in that 
 city, wishing to aid in the consolidation of the 
 church then going on, undertook, from these and 
 other materials, to write a new gospel ; that it was 
 published in Alexandria. 
 
 Such a work would fulfill all the conditions, and 
 would exhibit the complex character now found in 
 the Gospel of Matthew. The Oracles and accom- 
 panying narrative would furnish, in some cases, 
 the most authentic records, and in the shortest and 
 simplest form of any yet published ; and this 
 would of itself justify an addition to the gospels 
 then in circulation. 
 
 The author would have before him the gospels of 
 the Infancy and the Gospels of Mark and Luke. 
 
 That Pantsenus was a Jew, we learn from Clem- 
 ent of Alexandria, who speaks of him as a Hebrew 
 of Palestine, whom he found concealed in Egypt, 
 and who "was the true Sicilian bee, gathering the 
 spoil of the flowers of the prophetic and apostolic 
 meadow." — [Stromata, bk. 1, ch. 1. 
 
CHAPTER XXXII 
 
 Acts of the Apostles. 
 
 The book entitled the "Acts of the Apostles" 
 does not much differ, in its general character, from 
 other writings of the kind which were in* circula- 
 tion among the Christians of the second century. 
 There were Acts of the Apostles supposed to have 
 been written by Leucius ; there were The Acts of 
 the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, The Acts of 
 Peter and Andrew, The Acts of Philip, The Acts of 
 Paul and Thecla, etc. 
 
 The same bold appeal to the love of the marvel- 
 ous — the same disregard of historical facts and geo- 
 graphical and chronological accuracy, which are to 
 be seen in those writings, characterize also, the 
 Acts of the Apostles. 
 
 Gaza is spoken of as a deserted place, though at 
 that time it was a nourishing city. 
 
 In Acts, 5. 34 to 36, Gamaliel is represented as 
 referring, in a speech, to Theudas, and to acts of 
 
416 FIFTH PERIOD — A. D. 170 TO A. D. 185. 
 
 his, which were not performed until some forty- 
 years after the time referred to, and more than ten 
 years after the time when Gamaliel was delivering 
 his address. Again, the reference in the 21st chap- 
 ter, to the Egyptian impostor, does not at all agree 
 with the historical account of the same transaction 
 as given by Josephus. 
 
 There is the same loose reference to the prophe- 
 cies, as in John and Matthew. 
 
 This work had but an indifferent standing among 
 the fathers. As late as at the commencement of 
 the fifth century, Chrysostom said, 
 
 "This book is not so much as known to many, They know neither 
 the book, nor by whom it was written." — [Prolegomena to Acts. See 
 also Mill, Prcef . in Act. p. 254. 
 
 The text has always been very uncertain. 1 The 
 Cambridge MS., (Codex Bezse), has six hundred 
 interpolations. 2 
 
 The author is supposed to have been the same as 
 the compiler of the Gospel of Luke ; a theory based 
 upon the preface to each, and which finds some 
 confirmation in linguistic peculiarities, and similar- 
 ity of style. 
 
 That it was written late in the second century, 
 may be safely assumed. 
 
 The following passage is from the writings of Aris- 
 tides, the sophist, who flourished about A. D. 176. 
 
 The similarity in style and incidents to the 27th 
 
 (i.) Westcott, Canon, p, 215. 
 
 (2.) McClintock & Strong, Article "Cambridge MS." 
 
ACTS OP THE APOSTLES. 417 
 
 chapter of Acts, will be at once apparent. 
 
 "We were going to Cephalenia, and again we had a high sea, and a 
 contrary wind, and we were tossed up and down, to the great detri- 
 ment of my health, and beyond what my constitution could bear. 
 Afterward, the like happened in the straits of Achaia, when truly the 
 good mariners would put out from Patrae, at the very time of the 
 equinox, against my will, and very much to my prejudice, under my 
 indispositions. The like things happened again, in the iEgean Sea, 
 through the obstinacy of the master of the ship, and of the mariners; 
 when they would sail, though the winds were contrary; nor would 
 they hearken to me. So we were carried about by the tempest, over 
 that whole sea, for fourteen days and nights, and were oftentimes with- 
 out food, and at length, with difficulty, got to Miletus." — [Sacrorum 
 Sermon. 2, torn. 1, p. 306. 
 
 There is no reason to believe that Aristides had 
 ever seen the Acts, or any other book of the New 
 Testament. 
 
 That the Acts of the Apostles, also, was written 
 in the interest of the Roman Catholic hierarchy, 
 must be obvious to any one who will give the mat- 
 ter careful consideration. 
 
 In the Acts, a prominence is given to Peter, not 
 to be found elsewhere in the New Testament, if we 
 except the two passages already spoken of. It was 
 Peter who made a speech showing the necessity of 
 selecting another apostle in place of Judas, (the 
 Catholic historians add, that he presided over the 
 election of Matthias) — it was Peter who made the 
 great speech on the day of Pentecost, and who first 
 preached to the Jews — it was he who first announced 
 that the gospel was to go to the Gentiles — it was Peter 
 whom Paul came to Jerusalem to see, and as 
 Bossuet says, to "study" — it was Peter who was a 
 prominent actor at (and, as the Catholic historians 
 have it, presided over) the council of Jerusalem. 
 
418 FIFTH PERIOD— A. D. 170 to A. D. 185. 
 
 Peter is everywhere prominent ; everywhere making 
 speeches, and directing the affairs of the church. 
 He is the "pillar apostle," of both Jews and Gen- 
 tiles. 
 
 Several of these accounts, giving such prom- 
 inence to Peter, are in direct conflict with the writ- 
 ings of Paul. It was the policy of the author of the 
 Acts, writing in the interest of the Catholic Church, 
 and aiming at unity of doctrine, to ignore the well- 
 known differences that existed all through the early 
 age of the church, between Peter and James, and 
 their Judaistic followers, on the one hand, and 
 Paul and the Gentile Christians on the other. 
 Accordingly, in the Acts, Paul is represented as 
 preaching to the Jews at Samaria and Jerusalem, 
 immediately after his conversion ; although he 
 himself distinctly informs us, in the epistle to the 
 Galatians, that he preached to the Gentiles seven- 
 teen years before preaching to the Jews at all. 
 Three years after his conversion, he went up to 
 Jerusalem, but saw only Peter and James. Four- 
 teen years afterward, he went up by revelation, and 
 communicated to the Jews, even then privately at 
 first, the gospel which he had been preaching among 
 the Gentiles. [Galatians, ch. 2.] 
 
 In the Acts, not only does Paul preach at once to 
 the Jews, but Peter becomes an apostle to the Gen- 
 tiles. He is made to say, 
 
 "Ye know how that a good while ago, God made choice among us, 
 that the Gentiles, by my mouth, should hear the word of the gospel, 
 and believe."— [Acts, 15. 7. 
 
 Thus the distinction so much dwelt upon by Paul, 
 
ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. 419 
 
 between himself as the apostle of the Gentiles — of 
 the uncircumcision, and Peter, as the apostle of the 
 Jews — the circumcision, is entirely broken down. 
 Peter preaches to Gentiles and Jews, and Paul to 
 Jews and Gentiles. This is contrary to what is 
 known of the history of the Christian church in the 
 first century, and inconsistent with the declaration 
 of Paul : 
 
 "The gospel of the uncircumcision was committed to me, as the 
 gospel of the circumcision was to Peter. For he that wrought effect- 
 ually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was 
 mighty in me toward the Gentiles." — [Galatians, 2. 7, 8. 
 
 Even after the conference at Jerusalem, Paul was 
 obliged to withstand Peter face to face, at Antioch. 
 [Galatians, 2. 11.] 
 
 It is plain that the Acts of the Apostles was 
 written in the interest of the Roman Catholic 
 Church, and in support of the tradition that the 
 Church of Rome was founded by the joint labors 
 of Peter and Paul. 
 
 This tradition has no foundation except in the 
 writings of one or two fathers of the latter part of 
 the second century ; fathers who had in view the 
 same general object as the author of the Acts of 
 the Apostles. 
 
CHAPTER XXXIII 
 
 Origin and History of Christian Doctrines. 
 
 A complete history of Christian doctrines would 
 require volumes. It is obvious, that within the 
 limits of a single chapter, but a meager outline can 
 be given. The completeness of our work requires 
 at least a brief sketch of the doctrines prevailing in 
 the first two centuries. 
 
 The Immaculate Conception. 
 
 The first allusion to the immaculate conception 
 of Jesus is in the Epistles of Ignatius ; A. D. 115. 
 The belief in the miracles of Jesus, a belief which 
 became common early in the second century, was 
 naturally connected with his deification, and his 
 assignment to a supernatural origin. A being who 
 can disregard and overthrow the laws of nature, 
 must needs be a god, and a god must be begotten 
 by a god. Thus the three doctrines may be said to 
 postulate and prove each other. 
 
ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES. 421 
 
 The doctrine of the immaculate conception of 
 Jesus, when once announced, rapidly grew into 
 favor, and was firmly established as a doctrine of 
 the church, before the close of the second cen- 
 tury. 
 
 The Miracles op Jesus. 
 
 The first mention of these was in the Epistle of 
 Barnabas, A. D. 130, and in the Acts of Pilate and 
 other apocryphal gospels, which are supposed to 
 have been written about the same time. 
 
 A hundred years of silence by Christian writers, 
 is at least wonderful, if such miracles were then 
 believed. And equally wonderful is the fact, that 
 no Jewish or heathen historian, during that period , 
 has recorded that such events were reported of 
 Jesus, and believed by his followers. 
 
 It is not probable that Christ ever claimed or 
 pretended to work miracles. Such pretensions 
 would have detracted from his exalted character, 
 and would have placed him upon a level with 
 Simon Magus, Apollonius, and other miracle 
 workers of that age. 
 
 Miracles in the Church. * 
 
 Beyond what is contained in the epistles of Paul , 
 it does not appear that any claim was made to the 
 power of working miracles in the church, until 
 about the middle of the second century. 
 
 The Material Resurrection. 
 The doctrine of the resurrection of the material 
 
422 FIFTH PERIOD A. D. 170 TO A. D. 185. 
 
 body of Christ, must be placed in the same cate- 
 gory. 
 
 Nothing is heard of it earlier than in the Gospel 
 of the Hebrews, which is generally thought to have 
 been written early in the second century. In the 
 writings of the fathers, the doctrine first appeared 
 in the middle of the second century. 
 
 According to the opinion of many in the first cen- 
 tury, the soul or spirit of Jesus had gone below, to 
 a place understood as hades, under or beneath the 
 earth, and the resurrection was the calling back of 
 the soul to earth, and its ascension to heaven. To 
 this doctrine Paul may have alluded, when he asked 
 "Who shall descend into the deep? That is, to 
 bring up Christ again from the dead?" [Romans, 
 10. 7.] 
 
 The prevailing view of the resurrection, however, 
 as taught by the earlier fathers, is well explained by 
 Neander, the celebrated church historian. He 
 quotes from Origen, who distinguished "from the 
 mutable phenomenal form, the proper essence lying 
 at the foundation of the body, which remains the 
 same through all the changes of earthly life, and 
 which, moreover, is not destroyed at death. This 
 proper essence, lying at the foundation of the body, 
 would, by the operation of the divine power, be 
 awakened to a nobler form, corresponding to the 
 ennobled character of the soul ; so that as the soul 
 had communicated its own peculiar stamp to the 
 body, it would then communicate the same to the 
 transfigured body." J 
 
 (i.) Neander's Christian Hist. vol. 2, p. 436. 
 
ORIGIN AND HISTORY OP CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES. 423 
 
 The spiritualism of the first century was des- 
 tined to be obscured, after the death of its most 
 illustrious advocates, Paul and Clement. The 
 Christians of the second century required a grosser 
 form of doctrine. 
 
 Justin Martyr argued for a resurrection of the 
 flesh. 1 
 
 So Athenagoras, in his Treatise on the Resur- 
 rection, maintained that every particle of matter 
 which constitutes the human body, would be 
 brought back to its proper place, and thought it a 
 reflection on the power of God, to object that the 
 same particles of matter enter into the composition 
 of different bodies. 
 
 Tertullian thought the dead would be raised with 
 a material body, and afterward, the bodies would 
 be changed. A. real fleshly body was to be repro- 
 duced, and when Christ should appear, it was to be 
 caught up into the air, and then the material body 
 would be changed into a spiritual body.' 
 
 Irenseus maintains the identity of the future with 
 the present body. 
 
 In the midst of all this materialism, however, 
 Clement of Alexandria and Origen maintained the 
 spiritualistic views of Paul and Clement of Rome. 
 
 In the construction of the canonical gospels, the 
 materialistic side prevailed. We there find the 
 resurrection of a material body, which required the 
 
 (i.) Works of Justin, Ante-Nicene, vol. z, p. 345. 
 (2.) Tertul. adv. Marcion, bk. 5, ch. 20. 
 
424 FIFTH PERIOD A. D. 170 TO A D. 185. 
 
 Stone to be rolled away from before the sepulcher. 
 
 Divinity of Christ. 
 
 Paul, though drawing a broad distinction be- 
 tween God and Jesus Christ through all his epis- 
 tles, repeatedly designating the latter as a man, "of 
 the seed of David," at the same time, in other pas- 
 sages, [Philippians, 2. 5, 6; 2d Cor. 5. 19, etc.], 
 used language capable of another construction ; and 
 from which was drawn a doctrine, which, by suc- 
 cessive steps, ended in the complete deification of 
 Christ, as an essential part of a Triune God. 
 
 The Jewish Christians and many of the Gen- 
 tiles, steadily maintained that Jesus was a man 
 only, born in the ordinary course of generation. 
 To which the Gnostics added, that Christ, as an 
 aeon or divine spirit, entered into him at the time 
 of his baptism ; from which time he was divinely 
 inspired. 
 
 Among the mass of Gentile Christians, however, 
 the tendency to deify their great teacher and exem- 
 plar was early manifested, and rapidly gained in 
 strength and power. 
 
 This tendency can be traced among all the ortho- 
 dox fathers. Ignatius speaks of him as "Jesus 
 Christ, our God;" and similar expressions are to 
 be found in other early Christian writers. 
 
 The testimony of Pliny is, that the Christians 
 were accustomed to meet before daybreak, and sing 
 a responsive hymn, ("carmen dicere secum in- 
 
ORIGIN AND HISTORY OP CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES. 425 
 
 vicem"), to Christ as to God. ("Christo quasi 
 Deo.") 1 
 
 Whether, in so doing, they were not giving coun- 
 tenance to polytheism, the Christians of that day 
 did not stop to inquire. They were too enthusiastic 
 in the new religion to formulate scientific creeds, 
 or to take time to establish consistency of doc- 
 trine. 
 
 Justin Martyr was the first who undertook to give a definite shape 
 to the doctrine. He maintained that the God of Abraham, Isaac and 
 Jacob, who appeared to Moses in the flaming bush, was the Word, or 
 Christ, who, he says, was also called angel and apostle. While he was 
 God, he was entirely distinct from God the Father, in every respect, 
 except that he was begotten or produced from him, by emanation, as 
 a ray of light proceeds from the sun.2 
 
 He is very emphatic in maintaining that Christ is really different 
 from the Father. 
 
 "This rational power," he says, "is not, like the light of the sun, 
 merely nominally different [from the Father], but really another, 
 numerically." (Alia kai arithmo heteron ti esti.) — [Dialogue with 
 Trypho, chs. 128, 129. 
 
 This he illustrates by fire kindled from a fire; "which," says he, "we 
 see to be distinct from it." 3 
 
 He repeatedly speaks of Christ as God, but so far from asserting his 
 identity with the Father, either in person or essence, he says: 
 
 "They who affirm that the Son is the Father, are proved neither to 
 have become acquainted with the Father, nor to know that the 
 Father of the Universe has a Son."— [1st Apology, ch. 63. 
 
 In the same passage, he asserts the divinity of Christ, and says he 
 was the first-begotten Word of God. 
 
 Not only does Justin deny the identity of the Son with the Father, 
 but he is equally explicit in excluding the idea of equality between 
 them. Speaking of the Son, he says: 
 
 "We esteem him in the second place, (chora.)" "For they pro- 
 
 (i.) Ep. io. 97- 
 
 (2.) ist Apology, chs. 13,63; Dialogue with Trypho, chs, 113, 128, 129, etc. 
 
 (3.) Dialogue, ch. 128. 
 
426 FIFTH PERIOD A. D. 170 TO A D. 185. 
 
 claim," says he, "our madness to consist in this; that we give to a 
 crucified man, a place second to the unchangeable and eternal God, 
 the Creator of all."— [1st Apology, ch. 13. 
 
 The tendency to polytheism, which naturally resulted from an at- 
 tempt to deify Christ, had thus culminated in Justin Martyr. Here 
 were two Gods, the one entirely distinct from, and subordinate to the 
 other. A reaction followed, which resulted in the doctrine of the 
 Trinity. The divinity of Christ could not be abandoned. It had 
 taken too firm a hold upon the hearts of the multitude of his disci- 
 ples. It must now be reconciled with monotheism. This required 
 that the Son should, in some way, be identified with the Father. The 
 object was accomplished through the growth and development of the 
 doctrine of the Logos. In the writings of Philo, in the first century, 
 the doctrine of the Word, as the only begotten Son of the Father, 
 existing with Him, as the creative power, was fully taught and elab- 
 orated. But Philo, a Jew, knew nothing of Jesus Christ, as the 
 Word. 
 
 Justin Martyr applied this doctrine to Christ, who then became, to 
 the Christian, the Logos so much dwelt upon by Philo. But Justin 
 did not, as we have seen, identify the Son, or the Word, with the 
 Father. It was for the author of the Gospel of John, a quarter of a 
 century later, boldly to announce, without qualification, that "In the 
 beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word 
 was God." 
 
 This was the culmination of the doctrine of the Logos, and at the 
 same time, the foundation of the Trinity. The disposition to deify 
 Christ, had been gaining ground for nearly a century, and had finally 
 prevailed, without overthrowing monotheism, which was an essential 
 part of the Christian system. 
 
 No wonder that a gospel which thus so distinctly struck, for the first 
 time, the key note of that grand anthem which was already in the 
 hearts of multitudes, waiting only for expression, should at once be- 
 come popular— should be received as canonical— should take its place 
 among the gospels which had already been selected— that it should he 
 ascribed to an apostle,- and should maintain its ground, without any 
 examination as to its authenticity, as an apostolic production. 
 
 The Trinity. 
 
 A solid foundation for the doctrine of the Trinity 
 having thus been laid, the completion of the 
 structure was the work of the next century and a 
 
ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES. 427 
 
 Half. The doctrine was scientifically formulated at 
 the Council of Nice, A. D. 325. 
 
 From what has been said, it will be seen that it 
 was not a belief of the first two centuries. Those 
 who would trace the doctrine to that age, refer to 
 the formula of baptism, in the name of the Father, 
 Son and Holy Spirit. Those who used this formula, 
 however, did so without any adequate conception 
 of the doctrine of the Trinity, so far as we have any 
 evidence from the writings of the Ante-Nicene 
 fathers. Dr. Shedd, speaking of the formulas em- 
 ployed in the so-called Apostles' Creed, says : 
 
 "This is as definite a statement of the doctrine of the Trinity as 
 was made in any public document, previous to those Sabellian and 
 Arian controversies which resulted in the more exhaustive and tech- 
 nical definitions of the Nicene symbols." — [History of Christian Doc- 
 trine, by William G. T. Shedd, D. D., Prof, of Bib. Lit. in Union 
 Theological Seminary, N. Y., 1871, vol. 1, p. 262. 
 
 Again : 
 
 "Those of the primitive fathers who speculated at all upon the 
 Trinity, confined their reflections mostly to the relations of the 
 first and second persons."— [Ibid, vol. 1, p. 268. 
 
 Origen speaks of the Trinity, in de Principiis, 
 bk. 4, 1. 30, according to the Latin of Kufinus, 
 which is not very reliable. 
 
 Nature op the Soul. 
 
 Tertullian held that both body and soul are 
 propagated. 
 
 . "The soul of a man," he says, "like the root of a tree, is drawn out, 
 (deducta) into a physical progeny, from Adam, the parent stock." 
 [De Anima, ch. 19. 
 
 And again, "Both substances, (body and soul), are conceived, fin- 
 ished, and perfected together."— [De Anima, ch. 27. 
 
428 FIFTH PERIOD A. D. 170 to A. D. 185. 
 
 In the third century, Origen advocated pre- 
 existence. 1 
 
 Immortality of the Soul. 
 
 The doctrine of the immortality of the soul does 
 not appear to have been generally held at that 
 time. 
 
 "The soul is not in itself immortal, O Greeks," says Tatian, "but 
 mortal. If, indeed, it knows not the truth, it dies, and is dissolved 
 with the body, but rises again at last, at the end of the world, with 
 the body, receiving death by punishment in immortality."— [Address 
 to the Greeks, bk. 1, ch. 13. 
 
 Similar views were held by Theophilus of 
 Antioch, who says : 
 
 "Neither immortal, nor yet mortal did he make him, but capable of 
 both."— [Ad Autolycum, bk. 2, ch. 27. 
 
 The nature of the soul , as explained by Tertullian, 
 has been seen to be entirely inconsistent with its 
 immortality. 
 
 Free Will and Predestination. 
 
 Justin Martyr argued in favor of the freedom of 
 the will, and against predestination. 2 
 
 The Alexandrian fathers, while they conceded the 
 apostacy, held that the human will has a plenary 
 power of good action, and is able to turn by its own 
 inherent power. 3 
 
 Clement of Alexandria asserts that to believe or 
 disbelieve, is as much at the command of the will, 
 
 (i.) De Princip. 4. 1. 16; Ibid. 2. 9, 3. 5; Contra Celsum, 4. 39. 
 (2.) 1st Apology, 43, 10. 
 (3.) "autexousion." 
 
ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES. 429 
 
 as to philosophize or not to philosophize ; that the 
 first act in regeneration proceeds from man. 
 
 The Atonement. 
 
 Dr. Priestley, in his work on the corruptions of 
 Christianity, claims that the atonement is not 
 taught in the New Testament. The statement, as 
 applied to the doctrine in its theological sense, may 
 be technically correct. But we do not see how it 
 can be denied, that Paul preached, in general terms, 
 a doctrine of atonement. 
 
 The earlier fathers generally followed the language 
 of Paul, without attempting any definite statement 
 of the doctrine. They do not appear to connect it 
 with original pin or total depravity. 
 
 1 For our sins," says Polycarp, "he has even taken death upon him- 
 self." — [Epist. to the Philippians. 
 
 Basilides maintains that penal suffering, or suf- 
 fering for the purposes of justice, of necessity im- 
 plies personal criminality in the sufferer, and there- 
 fore cannot be endured by an innocent person like 
 Christ. 
 
 According to Marcion, the suffering was not real ; 
 it was only apparent. 
 
 Clement of Rome speaks of the blood of Christ, 
 shed for our salvation, and of being justified by 
 faith. 1 
 
 "There was," says Dr. Shedd, "no scientific construction of the doc- 
 trine of the atonement, in the writings of the apostolic fathers." — 
 [History of Doct. vol. 2, p. 208. 
 
 (i.) Epistle to the Corinthians, J. 32. 
 
430 FIFTH PERIOD A. D. 170 TO A. D. 185. 
 
 Clement of Alexandria and Origen held qualified 
 views in regard to the atonement. 
 
 It was a favorite view with Ignatius, that the 
 death of Christ brings the human soul into com- 
 munion with him. 
 
 Original Sin. 
 
 Wiggers says : 
 
 "All or at least the greater part, of the fathers of the Greek Church 
 before Augustine, denied any real, original sin." — [Augustinism and 
 Pelagianism, p. 43, Emerson's Translation. 
 
 This doctrine had a gradual growth, and was 
 fully developed by Augustine, A. D. 420. 
 
 The maxim of Tertullian was, "Tradux animae, 
 tradux peccati." "The propagation of the soul is 
 the propagation of sin." 
 
 Dr. Shedd says, no controversy arose respecting 
 original sin and regenerating grace, until the fifth 
 century. 
 
 Inherited guilt was first distinctly announced by 
 Augustine. 
 
 Eternal Punishment, 
 
 "Was taught by Justin Martyr, and some others of 
 the second century. 
 
 "We believe," says Justin, "that those who live 
 wickedly, and do not repent, are punished in ever- 
 lasting fire." 2 
 
 (i.) History of Doctrines, vol. z, "Anthropology." 
 (2.) 1st Apology, ch. 21. 
 
ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES. 431 
 
 The eternal duration of future punishment was 
 denied by Origen and Clement of Alexandria. 
 
 "The good God," says Clement, "corrects for these three causes: 
 First, that he who is corrected may become better than his former 
 self; then, that those who are capable of being saved by examples, 
 may be driven back, being admonished: and thirdly, that he who is 
 injured, may not readily be despised, and be apt to receive injury." — 
 [Stromata, bk. 4, ch. 24. 
 
 Origen believed in the final restoration of the 
 whole human race. 
 
 The Intermediate State. 
 
 Justin Martyr represents the souls of the right- 
 eous as taking up a temporary abode in a happy, 
 and those of the wicked, in a wretched place ; and 
 stigmatizes as heretical the doctrine that souls are 
 immediately received into heaven at death. 1 
 
 Tertullian held that martyrs went at once to the 
 abode of the blessed, but that this was a privilege 
 peculiar to them, and not granted to other Christ- 
 ians. 2 
 
 Providence. 
 
 Neander considers that the doctrine of provi- 
 dence, as now held throughout Christendom, is 
 peculiarly new. 3 
 
 We look in vain for any distinct statement of 
 the doctrine, in the words of the Ante-Nicene 
 fathers. 
 
 (i.; Dialogue with Trypho, 5. 8o. 
 (2.) De Anima, 55; De Resur. 43. 
 (3.) Hist, of Doct. vol. i, p. 123. 
 
432 fifth period a. d. 170 to a. d. 185. 
 
 Creation out of Nothing. 
 
 This was held by some of the fathers. It is dis- 
 tinctly announced in the Shepherd of Hermas ; the 
 author of which speaks of God, ' 'who brought all 
 things into being out of nothing." ' 
 
 Inspiration. 
 
 There was at this time, says Neander, "no coher- 
 ent and systematic doctrine of inspiration." * 
 
 The Old Testament was held to be inspired, and 
 inspired men were spoken of, under the new dis- 
 pensation. 
 
 Hagenbach.says, that Irenseus first taught the 
 doctrine of inspiration, as connected with New 
 Testament books ; and cites Irenseus against Her- 
 esies, 3. 16. 2. 
 
 MlLLENARIANISM. 
 
 Barnabas, Hermas and Papias were millenarians. 
 So also were Justin Martyr, Irenseus, and Tertul- 
 lian. 3 
 
 Justin not only held to the doctrine, but he de- 
 clared it the belief of all but the Gnostics. 4 
 
 The Sabbath. 
 
 The Jewish Christians insisted upon maintain- 
 ing the Jewish institutions, particularly, circumcis- 
 ion and the sabbath. 
 
 (i.) Commandment, l. 
 (2.) Hist, of Doctrines, vol. i, p. go. 
 
 (3.) Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho; Irenseus, adv. Haer. 5. 25. 36; Tert. adv. 
 Mar. 3. 24. 
 
 (4.) Dialogue with Trypho, 
 
ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES. 433 
 
 Paul protested against it, and urged that the 
 Christians were freed from those observances. He 
 cautioned them against permitting any man to 
 judge them in respect of the sabbath. — [Colossians, 
 2. 16.] 
 
 There is no scriptural evidence of the transfer of 
 the Jewish sabbath to the first day of the week. 
 
 On that day, Christians met, to commemorate 
 the resurrection of Christ. 
 
 Baptism. 
 
 Peculiar efficacy was attached to this rite, by the 
 early Christians. 
 
 That the form of baptism was by immersion, or 
 at least by a washing of the whole body, must be 
 the conclusion from an impartial examination of 
 the writings of the Ante-Nicene fathers. 
 
 The constitution of the church of Alexandria, 
 which is thought to have been established about 
 the year 200, required the applicant for baptism to 
 be divested of clothing, and after the ordinance 
 had been administered, to be anointed with oil. 
 (See ch. 2 of this work.) 
 
 Justin Martyr speaks of the laver, and of baptism 
 as a washing. 1 
 
 When the mother of Clement was converted, she 
 was baptized in the sea. 2 
 
 Nothing is heard of infant baptism before Ire- 
 
 (i,) ist Apology, ch. 65. He speaks of the ceremony "in the water."— Ch. 61. 
 (2.) Recognitions, bk. 7, ch. 38. 
 
434 FIFTH PERIOD — A. D. 170 TO A. D. 185. 
 
 nseus. He is supposed to refer to it in the chapter 
 on the ministry of Christ, which is quoted at length, 
 in another part of this volume. 
 
 Transubstantiation . 
 
 This doctrine is expressly sanctioned by Justin 
 Martyr, who says : 
 
 "So likewise have we been taught that the food which is blessed by 
 the prayer of his word, and from which our flesh and blood by trans- 
 mutation are nourished, is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was 
 made flesh."— [1st Apology, ch. 66. 
 
 The doctrine is apparently sanctioned, also, in 
 the Epistle to the Smyrnseans, incorrectly attrib- 
 uted to Ignatius, and in other early writings of the 
 church. 
 
 Religious Intolerance. 
 
 Tertullian did not admit the right of the heretics 
 to use the scriptures : 
 
 "We oppose to them," he says, "this step above all others, of not ad- 
 mitting them to any discussion of the scriptures. If in these lie their 
 resources, it ought to be clearly seen to whom belongs possession of 
 the scriptures, that none may be admitted to the use thereof, who has 
 no title at all to the privilege."— [Prescription against Heretics, ch.15. 
 
 Secret Doctrines and Ceremonies. 
 
 There were exoteric and esoteric doctrines. The 
 esoteric were taught only to members of the church. 
 The instruction in these may have been what is 
 meant by the initiatory proceedings occasionally 
 spoken of in the writings of the early Christians. 
 
 In the 38th chapter of the 7th book of the Rec- 
 
ORIGIN AND HISTORY OP CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES. 435 
 
 ognitions, a work written in the second or third 
 century, it is stated of the mother of Clement, who 
 had been converted, 
 
 "She was then baptized in the sea, and returning to the lodging, was 
 initiated in all the mysteries of religion in their order." — [ Ante-Nicene 
 Ch. Lib. vol. 3, p. 358. 
 
 The secret character of some of the proceedings 
 among the early Christians, is alluded to by Dr. 
 Doellinger in the following terms : 
 
 "The vail of mystery in which the Christians shrouded their assem- 
 blies for divine service from the beginning, fostered the suspicion 
 of indulging in a criminal secret worship."— [First Age of the Church, 
 p. 100. 
 
 The mysteries of the church must be disting- 
 uished from the mere secrecy of their meetings, 
 which was a necessity in times of persecution. 
 
 The esoteric and exoteric doctrines are alluded to 
 by Origen, who says : 
 
 "To the carnal they taught the gospel in a literal way; preaching 
 Jesus Christ, and him crucified. But to persons farther advanced, 
 and burning with love for divine, celestial wisdom, they communi- 
 cated the Logos."— [Origen, Pref. to Comm. on John, Opera, vol. 
 2, p. 255. 
 
 Whether there were other secrecies than those of 
 doctrine, is uncertain. 
 
 Doctrine of the Messiah. 
 
 That Christ was the Messiah whose advent had 
 been predicted by the prophets, was believed by all 
 the fathers, and is a doctrine too well understood 
 to require further comment. 
 
436 fifth period — a. d. 170 to a. d. 185. 
 Antiquity of Christian Doctrines. 
 
 Many of the more prominent doctrines of the 
 Christian religion prevailed among nations of an- 
 tiquity, hundreds, and, in some instances, thou- 
 sands of years before Christ. 
 
 The doctrine of a miraculous Conception was common in ancient 
 times. The story of Chrishna has already been given. Zoroaster 
 also was believed to have been immaculately conceived by a ray 
 from the Divine Reason. Mars was conceived by Juno touching 
 a flower, and she conceived Vulcan by being overshadowed by the 
 wind. An ancient work entitled Codex Vaticanus, gives an account 
 of the immaculate conception of Quexalcote, the Mexican Savior. 
 One of the sects in China worshiped a savior named Xaca, who was 
 conceived by his mother, in her sleep, seeing a white elephant.' Ya, 
 the first Chinese monarch, was conceived by his mother being struck 
 with a star while travelings Another legend is that Yu, (probably 
 the same as Ya), was conceived from a water-lily. Many cases might 
 be mentioned of mortals who had an immaculate conception. Plato, 
 Pythagoras, Tamerlane, Gengis Khan, Apollonius of Tyana and 
 Augustus Caesar, were all supposed to have been the product of im- 
 maculate conceptions. 
 
 Stars also presaged the birth of several of them. 
 
 At the birth of Confucius, five wise men from a distance came to 
 the house, celestial music filled the air, and angels attended the 
 scene. 3 
 
 The title of Son of God was very common among the ancients, 
 and at the commencement of the Christian era. St. Basil says, 
 "Every uncommonly good man was called the Son of God." 
 When Apollonius, standing before Domitian, was asked, why men 
 called him a god, his reply was, "Every good man is entitled to that 
 appellation." An answer which Dr. Albert Reville, a theologian of 
 Rotterdam, thought-might throw a bright light upon the divinity of 
 Christ. 4 
 
 Miracles. — The belief in miracles has been common in all ages of 
 the world. From the time of Uranus, father of the gods, down 
 
 (i.) History of China, by Alvarez Semedo, p. 89. 
 
 (2.) History of the Rajahs, by Col. Tod, p. 57. 
 
 (3.) See the Five Volumes. 
 
 (4.) See chapter of this work entitled "Apollonius." 
 
ORIGIN AND HISTORY OP CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES. 437 
 
 through all the ages, the world has been filled with wonders. Escu- 
 lapius raised Hippolytus from the dead— Hercules rescued Alcestis 
 from the very hand of death— Actseon was changed to a stag— the 
 walls of Thebes builded themselves to the music of the flute, while 
 those of Jericho fell before the blasts of the priests of Israel. The 
 daughters of Anius the high priest, changed everything they chose 
 into corn, oil and wine, and the hair of Berenice was changed to a 
 constellation of stars. Meanwhile, Prometheus lay bound on Mt. 
 Caucasus, the vultures devouring his vitals, which grew as fast as 
 eaten. 
 
 The heavens were full of gods, and earth, air and sea swarmed 
 with myriads of angels, spirits and demons. 
 
 Resurrection. — Many cases of resurrection from the dead, are 
 banded down in the ancient mythologies. Mithras, the "Mediator" of 
 Persia, is said to have risen after three days, i So also, Quexalcote, 
 of Mexico, Osiris of Egypt, and others. 
 
 Some of these, after their resurrection, ascended into heaven. 
 Chrishna, after rising from the dead, and appearing to his disciples, 
 ascended to Brahma, in heaven. 
 
 The Atonement. — This doctrine has in some form pervaded the 
 religion of all countries. Offerings of propitiation, to appease the 
 wrath of an offended God, or to satisfy the demands of justice, have 
 > been common in every period of the world. Sometimes they have 
 consisted of fruits of the earth ; at other times, of animals and men. 
 As nations have advanced in civilization, the offerings have become 
 less bloody in their character. In the Sandwich Islands, anciently, 
 human beings were thrown as a sacrifice into the crater of Kileaua, 
 the great volcano. Afterward animals were substituted, and finally 
 products of the earth. The propitiary system of the Jews is well 
 known. This is considered by Paul as a type of the higher Christian 
 system. 
 
 The Trinity was an essential feature in the religion of many 
 oriental nations. The Holy Ghost was the third member, under vari- 
 ous appellations. In the Hindu trinity, it was Siva ; the other members 
 of the trinity being Brahma and Vishnu. 
 
 Mr. Maurice says, this notion of a third person in the deity, was 
 diffused among all the nations of the earth. 2 Mr. Worsley considers 
 the doctrine one "of very great antiquity, and generally received -by 
 
 (1.) Pitrat, p. 105. 
 
 (2.) Ind. Antiq. vol. 4, p. 247. 
 
438 FIFTH PERIOD — A. D. 170 TO A. D. 185. 
 
 the Gothic and Celtic Nations." i In the Hindu system, this third 
 person was the Holy Breath, by which living creatures were made. 2 
 The Holy Ghost became visible in the form of a dove, a tongue of 
 fire, etc. 
 
 The Holy Ghost was sometimes the agent in immaculate concep- 
 tions. In the Mexican trinity, Y" Zona was the Father, Bascal the 
 "Word, and Echvah the Holy Ghost, by the last of whom Chimalman 
 conceived and brought forth Quexalcote. 3 When Sesostris invoked 
 the oracle, to know who, before him, could subjugate all things, the 
 answer was, " First God, then the Word, and with them the Spirit." 4 
 Plutarch, in his 'Life of Numa', shows that the incarnation of the 
 Holy Spirit was known to the ancient Egyptians. 
 
 The doctrine of the Word, as the creative power, is also very 
 ancient. The Chinese Bible states that "God pronounced the prime- 
 val Word, and his own eternal and glorious abode sprang into exis- 
 tence." According to the Zend-Avesta, it was by the Word, more 
 ancient than the world, that Ormuzd created the universe. The 
 ancient Greek writer, Amelias, speaking of the god Mercury, says, 
 "And this plainly was the Logos, by whom all things were made." 
 
 Plato taught a trinity of the soul, in which it is easy to see analo- 
 gies, pointing to a higher form of the doctrine. 
 
 It is said there was an ancient Greek inscription on the great obelisk 
 at Rome; thus: 1. The Mighty God; 2. The Begotten of God; and 3. 
 Apollo the Spirit. 
 
 Confession and Remission of Sins.— These doctrines prevailed 
 anciently in India; also among the ancient Persians, and Parsees. 5 
 In China, the invocation of Omito was held to remit the punishment 
 of the greatest crimes. 6 
 
 The doctrines of Original Sin, Fall of Man, and Endless 
 Punishment, are all found in the religious systems of several ancient 
 nations. 
 
 Sprinkling with water was a religious ceremony of much anti- 
 quity. 7 This may in some degree account for the change of the form 
 
 (1.) Enquiry, p. 42. 
 
 (2.) M. Dubois, p. 293. 
 
 (3.) Mexican Antiq. vol. 6, p. 1650. 
 
 (4.) Nimrod, vol. 1, p. 119. 
 
 (5.) Volney, p, 211. 
 
 (6.) Rev. Mr. Pitrat, p. 232. 
 
 (7.J See Potter's Antiquities, and Herbert's Travels. 
 
ORIGIN AND HISTORY OP CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES. 439 
 
 of Christian baptism from immersion to sprinkling. The practice 
 prevailed among the ancient Romans, i 
 
 The Sacrament or Eucharist has also an ancient original. 
 It was practiced by the Brahmins of India, and was introduced into 
 the mysteries of Mithras. It prevailed, also, among the ancient 
 Mexicans. 2 
 
 The Golden Rule was taught hundreds of years before Christ, 
 by Confucius, Aristotle, and many others. 3 
 
 (1.) Consult the writings of Virgil, Cicero and others. 
 
 (2.) Travels of Father Acosta; Memoirs of Mr. Marolles, p. 215. 
 
 (3.) Those who may wish to pursue this subject further, will find a mass of useful 
 facts in the " Anacalypsis" of Godfrey Higgins; a rare work, in the preparation of which 
 he was employed for twenty years; and from which some of the foregoing references, 
 concerning the antiquity of prominent features of the Christian system, have been 
 taken. Consult also, "The Worid's Sixteen Crucified Saviors, or Christianity before 
 Christ;" by Kersey Graves, of Richmond, Indiana: an able and interesting work, con- 
 taining a fund of very valuable information. 
 
CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 Christian Writers of the fifth Period. 
 
 Maecus — Abisto op Pella — Dionysius of Corinth— 
 Miltiades — Maximus — Pinytus — Modest as — Musanus — 
 Chubch of Vienne and Lyons — Flobinus — Blastus — Mel- 
 ito op Saedis — Athenagoeas — Claudius Apollinaeis — 
 Theophilus op Antiooh — Baedesanes — Hebmogenes — Bao- 
 CHYLUS OF COEINTH — PaNTjENUS — Maecia — Hegesippus. 
 
 Marcus. — About A. D. 170. 
 
 Marcus was a native of Palestine, and a disciple of 
 Valentinus. "Valentinianism," says Baring-Gould, 
 "assumed two forms; broke into two sects ; the 
 Marcosians and the Ophites." 1 
 
 Marcus was considered a heretic. The most that 
 has been preserved concerning him, comes through 
 Irenseus, who treats of him and his followers, in 
 the work on Heresies, as follows : 
 
 "But there is another among these heretics, Marcus by name, who 
 boasts of himself as having improved upon his master. [Valentinus.] 
 
 (i.) Lost and Hostile Gospels, p. 287. 
 
MARCUS. 441 
 
 He is a perfect adept in magical impostures, and by this means draw- 
 ing away a great number of men, and not a few women, be has in- 
 duced them to join themselves to him, as to one who is possessed 
 of the greatest knowledge and perfection, and who has received the 
 highest power from the invisible and ineffable regions above. Thus 
 it appears as if he were really the precursor of Anti-Christ." 
 
 After describing some of the magical proceedings 
 of Marcus, he continues : 
 
 "Again, handing mixed cups to the women, he bids them consecrate 
 these in his presence." 
 
 Stating that, after the consecration of the cups, 
 Marcus would fill larger cups from the smaller ones, 
 Irenseus proceeds as follows : 
 
 "It appears probable enough, that this man possesses a demon as 
 his familiar spirit, by means of which he seems able to prophesy, and 
 also enables as many as he counts worthy to be partakers of his Charis, 
 themselves to prophesy. 
 
 "He devotes himself especially to women, and those such as are 
 well bred, and elegantly attired, and of great wealth; whom he fre- 
 quently seeks to draw after him, by addressing them in such seductive 
 words as these : " [Here giving what purports to be an address of Mar- 
 cus to the women, exhorting them to receive Charis, or the spirit of 
 prophecy.] The effect of this speech, he says, is, that the woman, 
 "vainly puffed up and elated by these words, and greatly excited in 
 soul by the expectation that it is herself who is to prophesy, her heart 
 beating violently, [from emotion], reaches the requisite pitch of 
 audacity, and idly as well as impudently utters some nonsense as it 
 happens to occur to her, such as might be expected from one heated 
 by an empty spirit." 
 
 Our author does not hesitate to add, that the wo- 
 man, deeming herself a prophetess, out of gratitude 
 to Marcus, rewards him, not only by large posses- 
 sions, but by yielding up to him her person. 1 
 
 (i.) IrenEEns, adv. Haer. bk. 1, 13. 
 
442 FIFTH PERIOD A. D. 170 TO A. D. 185. 
 
 Aristo of Pella. — A. D. 175. 
 
 The Dialogue between Jason and Papiscus, has 
 been attributed to Aristo. "Westcott thinks it un- 
 certain whether he was the author. The same 
 writer adds that the words of the Dialogue do not 
 prove anything as to the existence of a New Testa- 
 ment canon. 1 
 
 Of the Apology which Aristo is said to have de- 
 livered to Hadrian, 2 nothing is known. 
 
 In the 22d volume of the Ante-Nicene Collection, 
 are five small fragments attributed to Aristo. Four 
 of these are from the Dispute between Jason and 
 Papiscus, cited by Jerome and others. The other 
 is from Eusebius. 
 
 Dionysius of Corinth. — A. D. 175. 
 
 Some fragments from this writer are supposed to 
 have been preserved by Eusebius, who, in his Eccle- 
 siastical History, gives what purport to be extracts 
 from his writings. 
 
 There has been some controversy over certain 
 passages which Canon Westcott supposes to refer to 
 the New Testament ; his conclusions being strongly 
 attacked by the author of Supernatural Religion. 
 It is not necessary to notice the discussion further ; 
 since any fragments which appear only in Eusebius, 
 are absolutely unreliable. 
 
 This is the writer whom Eusebius cites in refer- 
 ence to the teaching and martyrdom of Paul and 
 
 (i.) Canon, pp. 84, 85. 
 
 (2.) Chron. Pasc. 477, of Routh, p. 104. 
 
MODESTAS — MUSANUS. 443 
 
 Peter. After giving an alleged quotation from 
 Caius, a writer whose works are lost, Eusebius says 
 he "superadds" the testimony of Dionysius, in or- 
 der that the truth of his history may be still more 
 confirmed. ' 
 
 Miltiades — Maximus — Pinytus.-- About A. D. 175. 
 
 But little is known of these writers. Maximus 
 was Bishop of Jerusalem. He is probably the one 
 referred to by Eusebius, 2 who says he wrote on the 
 origin of evil, and on the creation of matter. 
 
 The same writer refers thus to Pinytus : 
 
 Referring to the writings of Dionysius of Corinth, he speaks of an 
 epistle to the Gnossians, in which Dionysius "admonishes Pinytus, 
 not to impose upon the brethren without necessity, a burden in re- 
 gard to purity, too great to be borne; 'but to pay regard to the infirm- 
 ity of the great mass.' Pinytus, in reply, admires and applauds Dion- 
 ysius, but exhorts him, at the same time, to impart, some time or 
 other, stronger food, and to feed the people under him with writings 
 abounding in more perfect doctrine, when he wrote again," etc.— 
 [Ecclesiastical History, 4. 23. 
 
 MODESTAS — Musanus. — A. D. 176. 
 
 These writers are mentioned by Dr. Lardner, 3 as 
 writers of the second century, whose works are lost. 
 
 Churches op Vienne and Lyons. — A. D. 177. 
 
 An epistle is said to have been written by these, 
 to certain eastern churches, and the extracts from 
 it occupy a prominent place in ecclesiastical history. 
 The information comes through Eusebius. The 
 
 (i.) Ecclesiastical Hist. 2. 25. 
 
 {2.) Ibid. 5. 27. 
 
 (3.) Lard. Works, vol. i, p. 436. 
 
444 FIFTH PERIOD — A. D. 170 to A. D. 185. 
 
 epistle is supposed to contain references to the 
 Protevangelion Gospel. 
 
 Florinus — Blastus. — A. D. 177. 
 
 Florinus was a presbyter of the Roman Church. 
 Was ejected for heresy. He maintained that God 
 was the author of evil. Blastus was of the same 
 school. 
 
 Melito of Sardis. — A. D. 177. 
 
 It is supposed that some fragments of the lost 
 writings of Melito, have been preserved in the 
 Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius. 1 In these, some 
 have found, as they have supposed, allusions to 
 the New Testament writings. The inference is by 
 others denied. Michaelis was inclined to the opin- 
 ion, also, that Melito had testified to the existence 
 of a Syriac version. But Bishop Marsh shows that 
 the inference of Michaelis was illogical and unau- 
 thorized. 2 The fact is, we have not sufficient 
 evidence as to what Melito wrote. 
 
 Some Syriac writings have appeared under the 
 name of Melito, but they are not considered genu- 
 ine. His Discourse, or Apology, and some other 
 supposed fragments, are given in the 22d volume 
 of Ante-Nicene. 
 
 Athenagoras. — A. D. 177. 
 
 But little is known of Athenagoras, beyond the 
 fact that he was an Athenian philosopher, became 
 
 (i.) Ecc. History, 4. 26. 
 
 (2.) Marsh's Michaelis, vol. 2, p. 552. 
 
ATHENAGORAS. 445 
 
 a Christian, and about the date above mentioned, 
 is reputed to have presented to the Emperors 
 Marcus Aurelius and Commodus an apology for 
 Christians, which is still extant. A Treatise on 
 the Resurrection is also attributed to him. 
 
 In his Apology, Athenagoras has been supposed 
 to refer to some of the canonical gospels ; but 
 nothing definite can be determined in regard to it. 
 
 We may safely accept the conclusion of Dr. 
 Donaldson, expressed as follows : 
 
 "Athenagoras makes no allusion to the inspiration of the New 
 Testament writers. He does not mention one of them by name, and 
 one cannot be sure that he quotes from any except Paul. All the 
 passages taken from the gospels, are part of our Lord's discourses, 
 and may have come down to Athenagoras by tradition."— [Hist. Ch. 
 Lit. and Doct. 3. p. 172. 
 
 The passages referred to differ also from those in 
 the canonical gospels, and may have exactly 
 corresponded with older gospels then extant. 
 
 The fact that Athenagoras nowhere mentions 
 either of the four gospels by name, becomes the 
 more remarkable when it is considered that he 
 cites by name, Moses, Jeremiah, Jonah, Thales, 
 Plato, Homer, Hesiod, Orpheus, Herodotus, 
 Pythagoras, Euripides, Aristotle, and others. 
 
 Though the Gospels of Luke and Mark, and 
 possibly John, may then have been written, it is 
 not probable that they were much known, or that 
 any names of reputed authors were attached to them. 
 
 Claudius Apollinaris, — A. D. 178, 
 Was Bishop of Hierapolis. He is said to have 
 
446 FIFTH PERIOD — A. D. 170 TO A. D. 185. 
 
 participated in the great paschal controversy. In 
 an extract purporting to be from a work written 
 by him on the passover, there is a reference to 
 what Matthew had said, and, by implication, to 
 the Gospel of Matthew. The extract is found in 
 the preface to the Paschal Chronicle, a work of the 
 seventh century. Its genuineness is, however, 
 generally discredited. r Three fragments are given 
 in Ante-Nicene, vol. 22. 
 
 Theophilus of Antioch. — A. D. 180. 
 
 This writer occupies a prominent place in all the 
 works on the canon. He was Bishop of Antioch. 
 Of his writings three letters to Autolycus are pre- 
 served, in one of which the Gospel of John is ex- 
 pressly mentioned by name ; 2 though it is not 
 stated it was written by an apostle. 
 
 Theophilus is reputed to have written a Com- 
 mentary on the gospels, which is lost. 
 
 Bardesanes— Hermogenes— Bacchylus of Corinth 
 — Paiolenus. — A. D. 180. 
 
 The works of these writers are lost except a few 
 fragments. "The Discourse on Fate, " of Barde- 
 sanes, is given in Ante-Nicene, vol. 22, pt. 2, p. 85. 
 
 Bardesanes was a native of Mesopotamia, and 
 lived at Edessa. He was a man of learning. 3 
 
 Some have attributed to Bardesanes the author- 
 
 (i.) Donaldson, Hist. Ch. Lit. and Doct. 3. 247; Lardner, Credibility, etc., vol. 2, 
 p. 296. 
 
 (2.) Ad Autolycum, 2. 22. 
 
 (3.) Jerome, in Or. c. 10, p. 301; Augustine, de Civitate Dei, liber 22, c. 24. 
 
MARCIA. 447 
 
 ship of the Recognitions. Eusebius mentions him 
 in his ecclesiastical History, 20. 30. 
 
 Hermogenes ascribed matter to an irregular mo- 
 tion. ' 
 
 Bacchylus of Corinth was zealous in defending 
 the faith against heretics. He was one of the 
 bishops who convened local councils, at the request 
 of Victor of Rome, to settle the paschal contro- 
 versy. 
 
 Pantsenus has been spoken of in connection with 
 the Gospel of Matthew. 2 
 
 Alexandria was the scene of his labors. He pre- 
 ceded Clement of Alexandria in the presidency of 
 the catechetic school, or seminary, in that city. 
 Soon after, he went as missionary to India. He 
 is said to have been the author of commentaries on 
 the scriptures. 
 
 Marcia.— A. D. 183. 
 
 Marcia was a concubine of the Emperor Corn- 
 modus. Dion Cassius says of her : 
 
 "She is related to have had a great affection for the Christians, and 
 to have done them many good offices; she having a great ascendency 
 over Commodus."— [Hist. 1. 72, p. 819. 
 
 Hegesipptjs. — A. D. 185. 
 
 Hegesippus was a Jewish Christian of Jerusalem. 
 He traveled extensively in order to become ac- 
 quainted with the condition of the church, and 
 
 (i.) Lardner, vol. 4, p. 266. 
 (2.) See chapter XXXI. 
 
448 FIFTH PERIOD — A. D. 170 TO A. D. 185. 
 
 came to Rome during the bishopric of Anicetus, 
 sometime between the years 160 and 170. 
 
 Afterward, about 185, he wrote, it is stated, a 
 historical work, called "Memoirs," in five books. 
 It is said to have been a complete history of Christ- 
 ianity, down to his own time. It is now lost, ex- 
 cept a few short fragments, most of them being 
 only such as Eusebius has thought proper to pre- 
 serve. 
 
 Hegesippus was an Ebionite, and, like the others of that sect, was 
 violently opposed to Paul. The virulence of these Christians against 
 the great apostle of the Gentiles, is well illustrated by a fragment of 
 Hegesippus, preserved by Gobarus, of the sixth century. Referring 
 to the words of Paul, in 1 Cor. 2. 9, "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, 
 neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God 
 hath prepared for them that love him," Hegesippus says: 
 
 "These words are vainly spoken, and those who say these things 
 give the lie to the divine writings, and to the Lord, saying, 'Blessed 
 are your eyes that see, and your ears that hear.' " — [Photius, Bib. Cod. 
 232, col. 893. 
 
 This passage, cited by Hegesippus, is supposed to be taken from 
 the Gospel of the Hebrews, which Eusebius says, Hegesippus used, i 
 It will be noticed that the passage agrees in sense, while differing in 
 phraseology, from Matthew. 
 
 Hegesippus, though he traveled extensively over the Christian 
 world, makes no mention of the canonical gospels. Some supposed 
 quotations from them have given rise to the usual discussion. 
 
 (i.) Ecc. Hist. 4. 22. 
 
CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 REVIEW OF THE FIFTH PERIOD. 
 
 Intboduction op the Foub Gospels and Acts op the 
 Apostles, prepabatobt to the Establishment op the 
 Papacy — The Subject involved in Mtstebt — Soubces op 
 Inpobmation gone — Slaughter of the Innocents. 
 
 Though we find no mention of the four gospels 
 during the fifth period, with the single exception of 
 the Gospel of John, there is reason to believe they 
 were all written during this time, as a part of the 
 structure upon which Roman Catholic dominion 
 was to rest. This relation to Roman Catholicism, 
 is more particularly to be noticed in the Gospels of 
 John and Matthew, and the Acts of the Apostles. 
 The Gospels of Luke and Mark may have been 
 composed without any special reference to the hie- 
 rarchy ; the one to counteract the influence of 
 Marcion and his Gospel, and the other, to preserve, 
 in a complete and comprehensive form, some of 
 the older traditions of the church, which had been 
 in circulation in various forms, particularly in the 
 Gospel of Peter. 
 
450 FIFTH PERIOD — A. D. 170 TO A. D. 185. 
 
 The Gospel of John was adopted, as settling in 
 beautiful language, and in an acceptable form, the 
 doctrine of the divinity of Jesus, and as indicating 
 the unity of the church under Peter. The Gospel 
 of Matthew, in still more explicit language, laid 
 the foundations broad and deep, for the establish- 
 ment of the supremacy of the papal power, on the 
 authority of Christ as delegated to Peter ; while the 
 Acts of the Apostles bridged over the differences 
 which had so long existed between the followers of 
 Peter and Paul. 
 
 While thus much is apparent upon the surface, 
 if we attempt to go deeper into the subject, we find 
 everything involved in mystery. 
 
 All the most reliable sources of information are 
 closed to the researches of the historian. Those 
 writings of the second century to which he would 
 naturally turn for information, commentaries and 
 works written especially concerning the gospels 
 then in circulation, are lost or destroyed, without a 
 single exception. 
 
 Not one remains to give its testimony on one 
 side or the other of any controverted question. 
 Also many books written on the same subject, 
 during the next two or three hundred years ; while 
 it is notorious that others, which have been pre- 
 served, have been tampered with and extensively 
 interpolated. 
 
 Loss or Destruction of Evidence concerning 
 the Four Gospels. 
 
 The following is some of the evidence of the 
 
LOSS OR DESTRUCTION OP EVIDENCE. 451 
 
 second century, which has disappeared. 
 
 1. The Commentaries op Basilides. — A. D. 125. 
 
 Basilides is said to have written a Commentary 
 on "the Gospel," in 24 books. A gospel is also 
 attributed to him. But the better opinion appears 
 to be that the Commentaries and the Gospel were 
 one and the same. 
 
 These commentaries must have thrown a flood 
 oflight upon the history of the gospels then in 
 existence. They would at least disclose the number 
 and character of the principal ones then in circu- 
 lation. 
 
 2. Agrippa Castor, — A. D. 130, 
 
 Wrote in refutation of the heresies of Basilides. 
 This has perished with the commentaries of his 
 adversary. 
 
 3. The Works of Prodicus. — A. D. 120. 
 
 The followers of Prodicus boasted of having the 
 secret books of Zoroaster. His writings would 
 probably have disclosed the connection between 
 Persian mythology and the Gospels of the Infancy. 
 
 4. Apologies op Quadratus and Aristides. 
 A. D. 126. 
 
 If these had been preserved, we could test the 
 correctness of the assertion of Eusebius that the 
 Apology of Quadratus referred to the miracles of 
 Christ; which, in that case, would be, so far as 
 known, the first reference to them in history. We 
 
452 FIFTH PEROD A. D. 170 TO A D. 185. 
 
 would know also what is meant by the statement 
 of the same historian, if there be any truth in it at 
 all, that Quadratus and others, at that time, de- 
 livered to those who had not heard the faith, the 
 books of the holy gospels. We would probably 
 learn from their writings what gospels were extant 
 in their day. 
 
 5. Aristion, — A. D. 130, 
 
 According to Papias, as coming through Euse- 
 bius, preserved traditions concerning Christ. These 
 traditions would have thrown much light upon the 
 gospel history, and upon the earlier gospels. 
 
 6. John the Presbyter. — A. D. 130. 
 
 John, like Aristion, appears in Eusebius as one 
 of the informants of Papias, particularly concern- 
 ing certain writings composed by Mark and Mat- 
 thew ; information which was long supposed to re- 
 late to the gospels bearing those names. It is now 
 thought they cannot be regarded as referring to any 
 of the canonical gospels. Had we the original tra- 
 ditions, or statements, in full, they would at once 
 settle the question. 
 
 7. Cerinthus, — A. D. 145, 
 
 Was the reputed author of a gospel. His gospel 
 and writings are lost or destroyed. 
 
 8. Valentinus. — A. D. 150. 
 
 Valentinus had a gospel, called "The Gospel of 
 Truth." Irenseus places it sharply in antagonism 
 
LOSS OR DESTRUCTION OP EVIDENCE. 453 
 
 with the four gospels ; says they are false, if that 
 of Valentinus was the Gospel of Truth ; that if they 
 are true, Valentinus' was false. As the work of 
 Irenseus is preserved, and the four gospels, it is 
 much to be regretted, and must be considered 
 calamitous to the cause of impartial investigation, 
 that we have not the Gospel of Valentinus, and his 
 writings in support of it. 
 
 9. Papias — A. D. 125, 
 
 Is said to have written five books, entitled "Ex- 
 position of the Oracles of the Lord." This must 
 have been a Commentary on the Oracles, or collec- 
 tions of the sayings of Christ; and would have 
 been invaluable ; giving those sayings, as they 
 stood early in the second century. 
 
 10. The Writings of Marcion. 
 
 Pure Christianity has suffered no greater loss 
 than that of the writings of Marcion, the great 
 theological thinker of the second century — the 
 compiler of the first complete gospel — the collector 
 of the epistles of Paul — the editor and publisher of 
 the first New Testament. 
 
 While the elaborate work against him, written 
 by Tertullian, who called him a "hound," has been 
 preserved, and the work of Epiphanius, who be- 
 stowed upon him the euphonious appellation of 
 "beast," the writings of Marcion have perished, 
 except such as are found in the references and cita- 
 tions of his adversaries. His works have shared 
 the common fate of the writings of the heretics of 
 
454 FIFTH PERIOD — A. D. 170 TO A. D. 185. 
 
 the second century, none of which, in their original 
 form, have been permitted to come down to us. 
 
 Marcion was an educated man, and a profound 
 thinker, and no relic of Christian antiquity, next 
 to the Epistles of Paul, would to-day be more val- 
 uable than his writings. Being himself a collector 
 of gospel and New Testament manuscripts, his 
 writings upon those subjects would forever set at 
 rest the question as to what gospels were then in 
 circulation. 
 
 11. The Work of Justin Martyr against Her- 
 esies. 
 
 As his Dialogue with Trypho contains an exposi- 
 tion of the Old Testament, his work against here- 
 sies would probably have thrown light upon the 
 gospels in circulation in his day. It would at least 
 have determined the much controverted question 
 as to the gospels used by Justin himself. 
 
 12. The Writings of Apelles. — A. D. 160. 
 
 Apelles was a Gnostic leader who had a gospel 
 of his own, and whose writings must have referred 
 to other gospels. His works are lost or destroyed. 
 
 13. Peregrinus, — A. D. about 160, 
 
 An erratic but talented Christian philosopher, 
 held, for a time, a commanding position among 
 the Christians of Palestine. "Some books" says 
 Lucian, "he interpreted and explained , others he 
 wrote." His writings would constitute an import- 
 ant chapter in the history of the times. We have 
 
LOSS OR DESTRUCTION OP EVIDENCE. 455 
 
 sketches of the man from Lucian, Ammianus, 
 Aulus Gellius and others, but his writings have all 
 perished. 
 
 14. Marcellina. — A. D. 160. 
 
 It would scarcely be expected that the heretical 
 writings of a woman would be preserved, amid 
 such wholesale slaughter of the obnoxious works 
 of the opposite sex. The writings of Marcellina 
 have perished. 
 
 15. Montanus. — A. D. 170. 
 
 Much has been said about Montanism, but we 
 have only such extracts from the works of its 
 founder as his adversaries have chosen to preserve. 
 
 16. The Writings of Tatian. — A. D. 170. 
 
 Tatian wrote, it is said, a Harmony of the gos- 
 pels. Though it is quite evident that he made use 
 of the Gospel of the Hebrews, and his work was 
 even known by some under that name, an attempt 
 has been made to connect his Harmony with the 
 four gospels, on the unsupported and suspicious 
 testimony of Eusebius. He says it was called the 
 Diatessaron, which he explains as meaning of or 
 from the four. If we had the writings of Tatian 
 himself or his Harmony, the question could 
 speedily be determined. 
 
 17. Marcus, — about A. D. 170, 
 
 Had, according to Irenseus, an innumerable mul- 
 titude of apocryphal writings. He probably wrote 
 
456 FIFTH PERIOD A. D. 170 to A. D. 185. 
 
 in explanation of these books, and of their origin. 
 Both the books themselves, with a few exceptions, 
 and whatever he may have written concerning 
 them, have perished. 
 
 18. Pant^enus.— A. D. 180. 
 
 While it could not be expected that Pantsenus, if 
 he wrote the Gospel of Matthew, would admit the 
 fact, yet if we had the account of his travels in 
 India, and of his discovery there, as claimed, of an 
 original Gospel of Matthew, we might have at 
 least some light thrown upon the origin of that 
 gospel. 
 
 19. The Chronicles of Hegesippus. — A. D. 185. 
 
 Hegesippus was the first church historian. He 
 traveled over nearly all Christendom, for the 
 express purpose of obtaining information, and 
 then wrote the history of the church, from the be- 
 ginning to his own time. This work is lost or 
 destroyed. The extent of the loss cannot be over- 
 estimated. 
 
 Eusebius was the next historian, writing 140 
 years afterward. 
 
 He had the history of Hegesippus before him. 
 
 After referring to the death of James, and the 
 statement of Clement, that James was thrown from 
 a wing of the temple, and beaten to death with a 
 club , he says : 
 
 Hegesippus, also, who flourished nearest the days of the apostles, 
 in the fifth book of his Commentaries gives the most accurate account 
 of him, thus: 
 
LOSS OR DESTRUCTION OP EVIDENCE. 457 
 
 Here follows a lengthy account of the death of 
 James. Eusebius then adds : 
 
 "Such is the more ample testimony of Hegesippus, in which he 
 fully coincides with Clement."— [Ecc. Hist. bk. 2, 23. 
 
 Again, Eusebius gives an account of the grand- 
 children of Judas, called the Lord's brother, who 
 were examined before the Emperor Domitian. He 
 concludes as follows: "Such is the statement of 
 Hegesippus." 1 
 
 Again, speaking of the martyrdom of Simeon, 
 second Bishop of Jerusalem, he says : 
 
 "To this the same Hegesippus bears testimony, whose words we 
 have already so often quoted." — [Ecc. H. 3. 32. 
 
 He then quotes several passages, further, from 
 the same author. Subsequently, referring to eccle- 
 siastical writers, he says : 
 
 "Among these Hegesippus holds a distinguished rank, many of 
 whose writings we have already quoted, where we have given some 
 things as he has delivered them from apostolic tradition. This author 
 compiled, in five books, the plain tradition of the apostolic doctrine, 
 in a most simple style of composition, and clearly shows the time in 
 which he lived, where he writes respecting those who began to erect 
 idols, etc." Here follows a quotation from Hegesippus, concerning 
 the erection of cenotaphs, temples, etc.— [Ecc. Hist. 4. 8. 
 
 Again in the same book he says : 
 
 "Hegesippus, indeed, in the five books of Commentaries that have 
 eome down to us, has left a most complete record of his own views. 
 In these he states that he conversed with most of the bishops, when 
 he traveled to Rome, and that he received the same doctrine from 
 all. We may also add what he says after some observations on the 
 Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians." 
 
 (i.) Ecc. Hist. 3. 20. 
 
458 FIFTH PERIOD A. D. 170 TO A. D. 185. 
 
 He then quotes Hegesippus concerning the 
 Church of Corinth. l 
 
 Continuing, Eusebius speaks of Hegesippus 
 coming to Rome, and of the Roman Bishops, Ani- 
 cetus, Soter and Eleutherus. 
 
 " 'In every succession-, however,' says Hegesippus, 'and in every 
 city, the doctrine prevails, according to what is declared by the law 
 and the prophets, and the Lord.' " 
 
 He then quotes what Hegesippus says concerning 
 the beginning of heresies, and the ancient heresies 
 prevalent among the Jews. 2 
 
 "He also speaks of many other matters,'' says Eusebius, "which we 
 have in part already quoted, and introduced in their appropriate 
 places. He also states some particulars from the Gospel of the He- 
 brews, and from the Syriac, and particularly from the Hebrew lan- 
 guage, showing that he himself was a convert from the Hebrews. 
 Other matters he also records, as taken from the unwritten tradition 
 of the Jews. And not only he, but Irenseus also, and the whole body 
 of the ancients called the Proverbs of Solomon, 'Wisdom,' compre- 
 hending every virtue. Also in discoursing on the books called apoc- 
 ryphal, he relates that some of them were forged in his day, by some 
 of the heretics."— [Ecc. History, 4. 22. 
 
 From the foregoing it will be seen how much of 
 the history of Hegesippus is incorporated into that 
 of Eusebius. A few meager items, of compara- 
 tively no historical value ; — the manner of the 
 death of James — an examination of a few individ- 
 uals before Domitian — the martyrdom of Simeon 
 — the worshiping of idols — the journey to Rome, 
 and a few words concerning the commencement of 
 heresies. 
 
 (I.) Ecc. Hist. 4. 22. 
 (2.) Ibid. 
 
LOSS OR DESTRUCTION OP EVIDENCE. 459 
 
 Not a word of what was important to be known ; 
 —of the history of the progress of the church, and 
 of the doctrines which had prevailed — of the con- 
 troversies between the Jewish and Gentile Chris- 
 tians — of the history of Paul and Peter, and of the 
 founding of the Church of Rome ; and above all, 
 of the history of the gospels and New Testament 
 books which Hegesippus found in circulation, 
 showing by whom they were written, and how they 
 had been preserved. 
 
 So far as can be learned, Hegesippus was pro- 
 foundly silent concerning the four gospels, and 
 spoke only of the Gospel of the Hebrews. 
 
 The History of Hegesippus must have been writ- 
 ten after the accession of Eleutherus, Bishop of 
 Rome ; and probably about A. D. 185. This was, 
 if we have read history aright, in the infancy of 
 the four gospels. Whether Hegesippus met with 
 them, and if so, what estimate he formed of them, 
 in comparison with the Gospel of the Hebrews, is 
 a question of the utmost importance, but one upon 
 which Eusebius is silent. 
 
 Since Eusebius had the history of Hegesippus in 
 his possession, why did he not take measures'to 
 have it preserved, or else incorporate into his own 
 history, the most important portions of it, and 
 particularly the evidence, if any, in favor of the 
 four gospels? 
 
 According to Eusebius, Hegesippus said, that in 
 every city, the doctrine prevailed, according to the 
 law and the prophets, and the Lord, and that he 
 
460 FIFTH PERIOD A. D. 170 TO A. D. 185. 
 
 received the same doctrine from all. Eusebius 
 would have his readers believe, that the doctrine of 
 a Jewish Christian of the second century, was pre- 
 cisely the same as that which prevailed in every 
 city. Again, Eusebius says that Hegesippus de- 
 rived his information concerning apostolic doctrine 
 from tradition. Is that consistent with the exist- 
 ence of gospels, which were everywhere received 
 in the church as authoritative? Such gospels 
 would have been superior to, and would have taken 
 the place of all tradition concerning apostolic doc- 
 trine. 
 
 20. Commentaries of Heracleon. — A. D. 190. 
 
 It is claimed that Heracleon wrote Commenta- 
 ries on Luke and John. Clement of Alexandria 
 quotes Heracleon in such a way as to indicate that 
 he had commented on Luke or Marcion, or on 
 some other gospel containing the sayings of Christ. 
 The commentaries on John are inferred from some 
 passages in Origen. 
 
 If these commentaries existed, their loss is irre- 
 parable. 
 
 21. The Writings of Serapion. — A. D. 190. 
 
 These, of which we have but a brief extract in 
 Eusebius, would have enlightened us further in 
 regard to the transaction at Rhossus. From Se- 
 rapion, we could have learned something of the 
 four gospels which he was substituting in place of 
 the Gospel of Peter. He could inform us how long 
 the four gospels had been in circulation — where he 
 
LOSS OR DESTRUCTION OP EVIDENCE. 461 
 
 obtained them — what other gospels he had been 
 obliged to suppress to make way for them, and 
 whether he was acting under the direction of the 
 Church of Rome. His writings have perished. 
 
 22. Clement of Alexandria, 
 
 Is said to have composed a work, specially upon 
 the scriptures which were considered authoritative. 
 
 Eusebius says, that in the work called Hypoty- 
 poses, Clement gave abridged accounts of all the 
 canonical scriptures. x 
 
 This work has perished, while most of the other 
 more important writings of Clement have been 
 preserved. z 
 
 This ends the list of works of the second century, 
 either written expressly concerning the gospels and 
 New Testament books in circulation at that time, 
 or which would have thrown more or less light 
 upon the subject ; — more than fifty books, by more 
 than twenty authors. 
 
 Nearly every thing written concerning the gos- 
 pels to the year 325, and all the copies of the gos- 
 pels themselves to the same period, are lost or 
 destroyed. 
 
 (i.) Ecclesiastical Hist. 6. 14. 
 
 (2.) Besides the Hypotyposes, (Hupotuposeis), consisting of eight books of expo- 
 sition of scripture, Clement wrote an Ecclesiastical Canon; (Kanon Ekkleesiastikos.) 
 This also has perished. 
 
SIXTH PEEIOD. A. D. 185 TO A. D. 200. 
 
 CLOSE OP THE SECOND CENTURY. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 
 Asteeius Uebanus— Cassianus— Heracleon— Mubator- 
 ian Fragment — Ptolem^eus — Maximilla — Victor — Sera- 
 pion, Bishop op Antiooh — Theodotus of Byzantium — 
 Narcissus, Bishop of Jerusalem — Khodon — Palmas — 
 
 PoLYCKATES, BlSHOP OF EpHESUS — MAXIMUS, BlSHOP OF 
 
 Jerusalem — Noetus — Praxeas — Symmachus — Heemas — 
 Seleucas — Pistis Sophia — Artemon — Second Epistle of 
 Clement — Julius Afeicanus. 
 
 Asterius Uebanus. — A. D. 188. 
 
 Of this writer, but little is known. According 
 to Cave, he flourished about the year 188. 
 
 Cassianus. — A. D. 190. 
 
 Julius Cassianus was a writer of the second cen- 
 tury, who was quoted by Clemens Alexandrinus, 
 thus : 
 
 Wherefore Cassianus saith, that when Salome asked (Christ), when 
 the things should be known, concerning which she enquired, our 
 Lord answered, "When you shall despise," etc. 
 
MURAT0RIAN FRAGMENT. 463 
 
 Which, Clement adds, was to be found in the 
 Gospel according to the Egyptians. From which 
 it is to be inferred that Cassianus made use of that 
 gospel. 
 
 Ptolem^eus — Heracleon. — A. D. 190. 
 
 These were prominent Gnostics. 
 
 Ptolemseus wrote a letter to Flora, which occu- 
 pies a distinguished place in the literary history of 
 the times. * 
 
 In this letter, Ptolemy, having commented upon 
 the ceremonial and typical laws of the Pentateuch, 
 as having been annulled by the appearing of the 
 truth, adds : 
 
 "These things the other disciples of Christ taught, and also the 
 apostle Paul." After which he tells Flora, that "he will explain to 
 her the particulars of that doctrine he had just been mentioning, by 
 the help of tradition received from the apostles, and handed down to 
 them." But he adds, "All must be tried by, and made to square with, 
 the doctrine of the Savior himself, which was to be the rule." — [Ap- 
 pend, ad Iren. pp. 360, 361. Grabe, Spi. Pat. vol. 2, p. 77. 
 
 Heracleon is quoted by Clement and Origen, and 
 is said to have written Commentaries on Luke and 
 John. This, again, is denied by some critics. Ori- 
 gen shows that Heracleon made use of the Gospel 
 of Peter. 
 
 The Muratorian Fragment. — About A. D. 190. 
 
 Nothing could better illustrate the paucity of ma- 
 terials from which to make up a correct judgment 
 concerning the New Testament writings of the 
 
 (i.) See Epiphanius, Haer. 30. 3-7. 
 
464 SIXTH PERIOD A. D. 185 TO A. D. 200 
 
 second century than the prominence which has been 
 given to an anonymous manuscript, discovered in 
 the last century, by the Italian scholar, Muratori. 
 
 This celebrated manuscript was found in the 
 Ambrosian library at Milan, in a manuscript con- 
 taining other writings of little importance. 
 
 - It speaks of "the third book of the Gospel accor- 
 ding to Luke, " of "the fourth of the gospels of 
 John, one of the disciples;" — of the Acts of the 
 Apostles ; 13 Epistles of Paul, an Epistle to the 
 Laodiceans, and another to the Alexandrians, (sup- 
 posed to be the Epistle to the Hebrews), "forged 
 in the name of Paul, after the heresy of Marcion ;" 
 and ' 'many others which cannot be received by the 
 Catholic Church, as gall must not be mixed with 
 vinegar. ' ' 
 
 The Epistle of Jude, and the 2d and 3d Epistles 
 of John, are spoken of doubtfully, as among the 
 received books. So also the Book of "Wisdom. The 
 Apocalypses of John and Peter were received, but 
 some objected to reading in the church the Apoca- 
 lypse of Peter. Special reference is made to the 
 Pastor of Hermas, the writer thinking it should be 
 read privately, but not publicly in the church. 
 
 It will be seen that the document exhibits a very 
 confused condition of the canon. 
 
 The manuscript was estimated by Muratori him- 
 self, to be about a thousand years old. It bears 
 internal evidence of being a transcript of an older 
 document. How often it has been copied, cannot 
 
MURATORIAN FRAGMENT. 465 
 
 be known, nor even in what language it was origin- 
 ally written. It appears in Latin, and the text is 
 very corrupt. 
 
 It is supposed by some to have been written in 
 the latter part of the second century ; the supposi- 
 tion being based, principally, upon the reference to 
 the Pastor of Hermas. This, it states, "was com- 
 posed very recently, in our own times, in the City 
 of Rome, the Bishop Pius, his brother, sitting in 
 the chair of the Church of the City of Rome." 
 Pius was bishop about the middle of the second 
 century. 
 
 There are eminent critics, however, who hold, 
 that the original was not written earlier than the 
 third century. * Their opinion is based upon inter- 
 nal evidence ; particularly the expression, "sitting 
 in the chair of the church." 2 
 
 The document itself, a production of about the 
 eighth century, cannot be looked upon as very sat- 
 isfactory evidence of the condition of the canon in 
 the second century. 
 
 Victor — Serapion, Bishop op Antioch — Maxi- 
 milla. A. D. 190. 
 
 We are not aware that any of the writings of 
 these are extant, except a fragment or two of Se- 
 rapion. They are given by Eusebius, and relate 
 to the interdict of the Gospel of Peter, and the 
 
 (i.) Donaldson, Hug, Tayler, Eicbhorn and others. 
 (2.) Donaldson, Ch. Lit. and Doct. 3. p. 212. 
 
466 SIXTH PERIOD A. D. 185 TO A. D. 200. 
 
 substitution of the canonical gospels, in its stead. 
 
 Theodotus of Byzantium. — A. D. 192. 
 
 A considerable fragment from this writer, is 
 given by Clement of Alexandria. Theodotus 
 taught that Christ was a man only. He used and 
 cited the Preaching of Peter. He was excommuni- 
 cated by Victor, Bishop of Rome. ' 
 
 Rhodon — Narcissus, Bishop of Jerusalem. — 
 A. D. 195. 
 
 There is a fragment in Eusebius, attributed to 
 Rhodon, in which he vindicates the character of 
 Apelles. 2 
 
 The same historian relates of Narcissus, Bishop 
 of Jerusalem, that when the oil failed, at the vigils 
 of the great watch of Easter, Narcissus commanded 
 that water from a neighboring well should be 
 poured into the lamps. Whereupon, Narcissus 
 having prayed over it, the water was changed into 
 oil ; of which, Eusebius says, a specimen had been 
 preserved until that time. 3 
 
 The same writer relates, that three men having 
 slandered Narcissus, and sworn to their falsehoods, 
 with imprecations of death upon themselves, by a 
 miserable disease, by fire, and blindness, respect- 
 ively, if their statements were not true, in each 
 case the curse which had been invoked, was in- 
 
 (i.) Darras, Hist. Cath. Church, vol. i, p. 163. 
 (s.) . Euseb. Ecc. Hist. 5. 13. 
 (3.) Ecc. Hist. 6. 9. 
 
POLYCRATES, 467 
 
 flicted upon them by an omnipotent Providence. ' 
 
 PALMAS POLYCRATES, BlSHOP OP EPHESUS. — A. D. 
 
 196. 
 
 These bishops were deputed by Victor, Bishop of 
 Rome, to convene councils, to consider the question 
 of the celebration of Easter. 
 
 Palmas convened the bishops of Pontus, and 
 Polycrates those of pro-consular Asia. The latter 
 refused to endorse the decree of the Italian Council, 
 which provided that Easter should be celebrated on 
 Sunday. Thereupon the Asiatic Churches were 
 excommunicated. 2 
 
 Eusebius says, Polycrates wrote a letter to Victor, 
 and gives extracts from it. 3 
 
 Maximus, Bishop of Jerusalem. — A. D. 200. 
 
 According to Eusebius, Maximus wrote on the 
 origin of evil, and on the creation of matter. 4 A 
 lengthy extract is given by Eusebius. 5 
 
 Noetus.— A. D. 200. 
 
 About this time, the controversy concerning the 
 nature of Christ, was carried on with much spirit, 
 by Theodotus, Hermogenes, Noetus, Vero, Beryllus, 
 and Sabellius on the one side, and Artemon, and 
 Paul of Samosata, on the other. 
 
 (i.) Ecc. Hist. 6. 9. 
 
 (2.) See next chapter. 
 
 (3.) Ecc. Hist. 3. 31, and 5. 24. 
 
 (4.) Ecc. Hist. 5. 27. 
 
 (5.) Evangelical Preparation, 7. 22. 
 
468 SIXTH PERIOD— A. D. 185 to A. D. 200. 
 
 Noetus was a native of Asia Minor. He main- 
 tained that Christ was the one God, both Father 
 and Son. He was excommunicated. 
 
 The views of Noetus led to much discussion, 
 which resulted in the Arian controversy, and the 
 establishment of the doctrine of the Trinity. 
 
 Pbaxbas — Symmachus — Heemas — Seleucas. — 
 A. D. 200. 
 
 These writers flourished near the close of the 
 second century. But little is known concerning 
 them. Seleucas is reputed to have written a num- 
 ber of the books in circulation in the second cen- 
 tury, which were afterward pronounced apocryphal. 
 
 There is a strange confusion among the fathers 
 in regard to his name. He is called Seleucas, 
 Lucianus, Lucanus, Leucius, Lucian, Leuthon, 
 Lentitius, and Leontius. Also Leucius Charinus. 
 It was Seleucas who had published a version of the 
 Gospel of the Infancy, which rendered it ne- 
 cessary for Jerome to give the bishops a better 
 version. 1 
 
 Pistis SoPHiiE— A. D. 200. 
 
 This is a religious work, of the close of the sec- 
 ond century, the author of which is unknown. 
 
 Second Epistle op Clement. — A. D. 200. 
 
 It is supposed to have been written about this 
 time. The divinity of Jesus, which was not dis- 
 ci.) See Supposed Gospel of the Birth of Mary. 
 
ARTEMON. 469 
 
 tinctly taught in the earlier Clementines, (but ra- 
 ther the contrary doctrine), now more clearly 
 appears. 
 
 Artemon — Julius Africanus. — A. D. 200. 
 
 But little is known of Artemon, beyond the fact 
 that he was prominent in the Noetian controversy. 
 
 Africanus was the writer cited by Eusebius, in 
 his forgery upon Thallus. 
 
 These names close the list of the more important 
 Christian writers of the first two centuries, except 
 the three great fathers, who will be briefly noticed 
 in the next chapter. 
 
CHAPTER XXXVII 
 
 Iren^us — Clement of Alexandria — Tertullian. 
 
 Irenseus in Gaul, Clement in Egypt, and Tertul- 
 lian in Northern Africa, were the three fathers, by 
 whose influence the four gospels were introduced 
 into general circulation, and who laid, broad and 
 deep, the foundations of Roman Catholic suprem- 
 acy. 
 
 It is not easy to form a just estimate of these 
 men. That they were so far above the masses in 
 general intelligence, as to give them an immense 
 and controlling influence in the church , is certain ; 
 while, judged by the standard of more enlight- 
 ened times, they themselves appear at a disadvan- 
 tage. 
 
 The Rev. Dr. Davidson says of them : 
 
 "Irenseus was credulous and blundering; Tertullian, passionate 
 and one-sided; and Clement of Alexandria, imbued with the treasures 
 of Greek wisdom, was mainly occupied with ecclesiastical ethics." — 
 [Davidson, Canon, p. 121. 
 
THE THREE FATHERS. 471 
 
 Again, "Irenseus argues that the gospels should be four in number, 
 neither more nor less, because there are four universal winds, and 
 four quarters of the world. 
 
 "Matthew wrote his gospel while Peter and Paul were preaching in 
 Rome, and founding the church. [Citing Iren. adv. Haer. 3. 1. 1.] 
 Such assertions show both ignorance and exaggeration. 
 
 "Tertullian affirms, that the tradition of the apostolic churches, 
 guarantees the four gospels, [citing adv. Marc. 4. 5.], and refers his 
 readers to the churches of Corinth, Philippi, Ephesus, etc., for the 
 authentic epistles of Paul. [Citing de Praes. Ilaer. 36.] What is this 
 but the rhetoric of an enthusiast ? 
 
 "Clement contradicts himself in making Peter authorize Mark's 
 Gospel to be read in the churches; while in another place, he says the 
 apostle 'neither forbade nor encouraged it.' [Citing Clement accord- 
 ing to Eusebius, Ecc. Hist. 2. 15, and 6. 14.]"— Ibid. 
 
 The same writer continues thus: 
 
 "The three fachers of whom we are speaking had neither the abil- 
 ity nor the inclination to examine the genesis of documents sur- 
 rounded with an apostolic halo. No analysis of their authenticity 
 and genuineness was seriously attempted. In its absence, custom, 
 accident, taste, practical needs directed the tendency of tradition. 
 All the rhetoric employed to throw the value of their testimony as 
 far back as possible, even up to or very near the apostle John, is of 
 the vaguest sort. Appeals to the continuity of tradition and of 
 church doctrine, to the exceptional veneration of these fathers for 
 the gospels, to their opinions being formed earlier than the composi- 
 tion of the works in which they are expressed, possess no force. 
 
 "The ends which the fathers in question had in view, their polemic 
 motives, their uncritical, inconsistent assertions, their want of sure 
 data, detract from their testimony. Their decisions were much more 
 the result of pious feeling, biased by the theological speculations of 
 the times, than the conclusions of a sound judgment. The very 
 arguments they use to establish certain conclusions, show weakness 
 of perception. What are the manifestations of spiritual feeling, 
 compared with the results of logical reasoning?"— [Davidson on the 
 Canon, pp. 123, 124. 
 
 One great work of these fathers was the estab- 
 lishment of the four gospels, which had now ap- 
 peared, and were being introduced into the churches. 
 
 Immediately connected with this was the estab- 
 
472 SIXTH PERIOD A. D. 185 TO A. D. 200. 
 
 lishment of the papal power on a definite basis. 
 
 Irenseus, in the third book against Heresies, 
 written about A. D. 190, gave the opinion, that 
 every church should agree with the Church of 
 Rome on account of its pre-eminent authority. (See 
 next chapter. ) About five years afterward, he was 
 called upon by the Roman Bishop, Victor, to as- 
 semble a council of the Bishops of Gaul, to consid- 
 er the subject of the celebration of Easter ; the 
 question having already been passed upon by a 
 council of Italian bishops. Irenseus presided in 
 the council, and the result of its deliberations was, 
 the approval of the decree of the Italian council. 
 Other councils were in like manner held through- 
 out the Christian world, and the result, with a 
 single exception, was everywhere the same. The 
 movement was to furnish a precedent for the juris- 
 diction of the Church of Rome over all questions 
 of the kind. 
 
 It will be seen in the next chapter, that the views 
 of Tertullian concerning the pre-eminence of the 
 Roman Church, were, notwithstanding his differ- 
 ence with some of the Roman bishops, scarcely less 
 decided than those of Irenseus. 
 
 As to Clement, he is less explicit in the assertion 
 of any supremacy of the Roman Church ; but there 
 is little room to doubt that there existed an under- 
 standing among these fathers, and a concert of ac- 
 tion, in upholding and establishing at the same 
 time, the four gospels and the authority of the 
 Roman Bishop. 
 
THE THREE FATHERS. 473 
 
 Iren^us was Bishop of Lyons. He was bom, according to Dod- 
 well, in the year 97. According to Dr. Grabe, A. D. 108; Tillemont, 
 about 120. Dupin, about 140. The last is probably the nearest cor- 
 rect. 
 
 About the year 178, he was sent by the Church of Lyons, to Eleu- 
 therus, Bishop of Borne, with an epistle, describing their sufferings 
 during the persecution under Marcus Aurelius. On his return, he 
 was elected Bishop of Lyons, in the year 180. He is supposed to 
 have been martyred about A. D. 202. His martyrdom is denied by 
 some critics. 
 
 Clement of Alexandria was born either at Athens or Alexan- 
 dria, about the year 160. From 190 to 202, he presided over the cat- 
 echetic school at Alexandria. In the latter year, he was compelled 
 to leave that city, by the persecution under Severus. It is supposed 
 by some, that he returned A. D. 211. His return is doubted by others. 
 He died about the year 220. 
 
 Tertullian was the first Latin father whose works have been 
 preserved. He was born at Carthage, about the middle of the second 
 century, and lived to a very advanced age. 
 
 He was converted about the year 185, and was married the year 
 afterward. "Was admitted to the priesthood in 192; became a Mon- 
 tanist in 199, and died about 220. 
 
 He was a vigorous, and, at times, powerful writer. But his works 
 abound in looseness of argument, and in whimsical applications of 
 scripture, such as were common in that day. 
 
CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
 
 The Roman Catholic Hierarchy. 
 
 It was during the sixth period, that the founda- 
 tions were laid, of that great ecclesiastical power, 
 which dominated the Christian world for thirteen 
 hundred years, and whose supremacy is still ac- 
 knowledged throughout a large part of Christen- 
 dom. 
 
 For more than a hundred years after the founda- 
 tion of the Church of Rome, there is no trace of 
 its jurisdiction over other churches, outside of the 
 Italian provinces. 
 
 In the latter part of the second century, a dis- 
 pute existed concerning the celebration of Easter. 
 The Latin churches claimed it should be on Sun- 
 day. The Eastern churches had been celebrating 
 it on the 14th day of the month Nisan. The con- 
 troversy had lasted nearly half a century. About 
 A. D. 150, Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, visited 
 Rome, and explained the views of the Eastern 
 churches. He was treated by Anicetus, who was 
 
THE ROMAN CATHOLIC HIERARCHY. 475 
 
 then bishop, as an equal ; no attempt was then 
 made to impose a different day upon the Asiatic 
 churches. On the contrary, Polycarp and others 
 celebrated Easter, according to their own views, in 
 *'the City of Rome. 
 
 But in the time of Victor, the controversy be- 
 coming more heated, an attempt was made to settle 
 it. A council was first called by Victor, of all the 
 churches of Italy. At this council it was de- 
 creed that Easter should be celebrated on Sunday. 
 Victor then issued a general letter, requesting local 
 councils to be assembled by the following bishops : 
 Theophilus of Csesarea, Irenseus of Lyons, Bac- 
 chylus of Corinth, Demetrius of Alexandria, Pal- 
 mas of Pontus, and Polycrates of Ephesus. 1 
 
 The local councils were held. One consisted of 
 the bishops in Gaul ; another, of those in Palestine, 
 another in Egypt, etc. All these approved the 
 decree of the Italian Council, except the churches 
 of pro-consular Asia, presided over by Polycrates. 
 These refused to conform. 
 
 Thereupon Victor, encouraged and strengthened 
 by all the other councils, proceeded to excommuni- 
 cate the non-conforming Asiatic churches. (About 
 A. D. 195.) 
 
 This appears to be the first assumption of su- 
 
 (i.) The Catholic Historian Darras, [Genl. History of the Catholic Church, vol. I, 
 p. 160], calls this letter an "order." According to Eusebius, it was a request. He 
 quotes Polycrates, as writing to Victor, thus: "I could also mention the bishops that 
 were present, whom you requested to be summoned by me, and whom I did call." — 
 £Euseb. Ecc. Hist. 5.24.] It is more probable the letter was in the form of a request. 
 The council called by Victor himself, consisted of all the bishops of Italy; which may 
 be looked upon as indicating the extent of his jurisdiction at that time. 
 
476 SIXTH PERIOD — A. D. 185 TO A. D. 200. 
 
 preme power by any Roman bishop. From this 
 time, the supremacy of the Church of Rome rapidly 
 culminated, both in theory and practice. It is 
 true, that for a long time some churches remained 
 rebellious, but they were considered by the great 
 body of Christians as without the pale of the 
 church universal, as it had been established by 
 Christ, and had been represented by a regular suc- 
 cession of supreme pontiffs, commencing with 
 Peter. For, as soon as the supremacy of the 
 Roman Church was once admitted, the Christians 
 of that day found no difficulty in believing that 
 such supremacy had continued from the times of 
 the apostles. They were no more disposed to trace 
 back the title of a power which they found estab- 
 lished , than they were to investigate the origin of 
 books which they found in circulation. 
 
 Protestant writers have claimed that the power 
 of the papacy was not established, nor its claims 
 admitted in the writings of the fathers, until sev- 
 eral hundred years after Christ. Even the fair- 
 minded Neander does not see in the writings of 
 Irenseus or Tertullian, any acknowledgment that 
 "the Roman Church held a prominence as the 
 Cathedra Petri, over all the other apostolic 
 churches." I Whether as Cathedra Petri, or as the 
 Church of Peter and Paul, not only the promi- 
 nence, but the supremacy of the Church of Rome, 
 would seem to be pretty clearly acknowledged, in 
 the following passage from Irenseus : 
 
 (i.) Church Hist. vol. i, p. 290. 
 
THE ROMAN CATHOLIC HIERARCHY. 477 
 
 "Since, however, it would be very tedious, in such a volume as this, 
 to reckon up the successions of all the churches, we do put to con- 
 fusion all those who, in whatever manner, whether by an evil self - 
 pleasing, by vain-glory, or by blindness and perverse opinion, assem- 
 ble in unauthorized meetings; (we do this) by indicating that tradi- 
 tion derived from the apostles, of the very great, the very ancient, 
 and universally known church, founded and organized at Eome, by 
 the two most glorious apostles, Peter and Paul; as also (by pointing 
 out) the faith preached to men, which comes down to our times by 
 means of the successions of the bishops. 
 
 "For it is a matter of necessity that every church should agree with 
 this church, on account of its pre-eminent authority ; that is, the 
 faithful everywhere, inasmuch as the apostolic tradition has been 
 preserved continually by those who exist everywhere. 
 
 "The blessed apostles, then, having founded and built up the 
 Church, committed into the hands of Linus, the office of the episco- 
 pate. Of this Linus, Paul makes mention in the Epistles to Timothy. 
 To him succeeded Anacletus, and after him, in the third place, from 
 the apostles, Clement was allotted the bishopric." 
 
 He then gives the names of nine bishops, follow- 
 ing Clement, and proceeds as follows : 
 
 "In this order, and by this succession, the ecclesiastical tradition 
 from the apostles, and the preaching of the truth, have come down to 
 us. And this is most abundant proof, that there is one and the same 
 vivifying faith, which has been preserved in the church, from the 
 apostles until now, and handed down in truth." — [Irenseus adv. Hser. 
 3.3. 
 
 In the time of Tertullian, some twenty years 
 later, the Roman bishops issued peremptory edicts, 
 and appealed to the authority of their predecessors. ' 
 They called themselves bishops of bishops ; epis- 
 copi episcoporum. 2 
 
 Tertullian himself was scarcely less explicit than 
 Irenseus : 
 
 "Since, moreover," he says, "you are close to Italy, you have Home, 
 
 (i,) Tert. De Virg. Velandis. (2.) Ibid. De Pudicitia, ch. l. 
 
478 SIXTH PERIOD A. IX 185 to A. D. 200. 
 
 from which there comes, even into our hands, the very authority. 
 How happy is its church, in which apostles poured forth all their doc- 
 trine, along with their blood! Where Peter endures a passion like 
 his Lord's! Where Paul wins his crown in a death like John's! 
 Where the apostle John was first plunged, unhurt, into boiling oil, 
 and thence remitted to his island-exile! See what she has learned, 
 what she has taught, what fellowship she has had, even with churches 
 in Africa! One Lord God does she acknowledge, the Creator of the 
 Universe, and the Christ Jesus of the Virgin Mary, the Son of God, 
 the Creator, and the resurrection of the flesh. The law and the 
 prophets she unites in one volume, with the writings of the evangel- 
 ists and apostles, from which she drinks her faith; this she seals with 
 the water, arrays with the Holy Ghost, feeds with the eucharist, 
 cheers with martyrdom; and against such a discipline thus she ad- 
 mits no gainsayer."— [Tertullian, Prescription against Heretics, ch. 36. 
 
 This passage is evidence, not only of the suprem- 
 acy of the Roman Church, but that the New Testa- 
 ment then in circulation had been compiled under 
 the same authority. The New Testament of Mar- 
 cion, consisting of the Gospel and the Apostolicon, 
 had been superseded by a larger collection contain- 
 ing the Acts of the Apostles, the Revelation of 
 John, a larger number of Epistles of Paul, and in 
 place of the one gospel of Marcion, four gospels, 
 which were to stand as four pillars, to support the 
 authority of the Church of Rome. 
 
 Irenaeus, while he clearly concedes the supremacy 
 of that church, at the same time shows the weak- 
 ness of the foundation upon which the supremacy 
 rested. He declares that the church had been 
 founded by Peter and Paul, and that the episcopacy 
 had been by them committed into the hands of 
 Linus. From Linus it had gone to Anacletus, and 
 "after him, in the third place from the apostles, 
 Clement was allotted the bishopric." The tradi- 
 
THE ROMAN CATHOLIC HIERARCHY. 479 
 
 tion of the Catholic church has been, that Peter 
 was the first Bishop of Rome, and that the keys of 
 the kingdom, as well as the bishopric, were deliv- 
 ered immediately by Peter to Clement. This tradi- 
 tion is in accordance with the letter from Clement 
 to James, which was in circulation at an early day, 
 but it is not sustained by Irenseus. 
 
 This discrepancy has been the occasion of much 
 discussion. The most ingenious explanation is 
 given by Rufinus, the Latin translator of the Re- 
 cognitions. He conjectures that Linus and Ana- 
 cletus merely assisted Peter in the management of 
 the church, which was still, at the death of Peter, 
 delivered over to Clement. But then what be- 
 comes of the continuous "succession," dwelt upon 
 by Irenseus, in the chain of which two of the links 
 consisted of Linus and Anacletus? 
 
 The difficulty does not end here. According to 
 Irenseus, the next bishop to Clement was Evaris- 
 tus. But this succession, though accepted by some 
 Catholic writers, is found by others not to accord 
 with the traditions of the church. Accordingly, 
 the Roman Almanac, entitled Gerarchia Cattol- 
 ica, interposes Anacletus between Clement and 
 Evaristus. The third bishop, the second, exclusive 
 of Peter, according to this authority, was Cletus, 
 instead of Anacletus, while Anacletus came after 
 Clement, and ruled over the church twelve years ; 
 from A. D. 100 to 112. Darras, the Catholic his- 
 torian, whose work received the indorsement of 
 Pope Pius IX, has followed the succession as given 
 
480 SIXTH PERIOD A. D. 185 TO A. D. 200. 
 
 by Irenssus ; stating that his chronology is that of 
 the Chronologie de 1'HistoireEcclesiastique, on the 
 model of the great work of President Henault, on 
 the History of France. 
 
 But this author does not agree with other Cath- 
 olic authorities. He has the bishopric of Peter 
 commence in the year 33 , fixing the very day ; the 
 29th of June. This is nine years earlier than the 
 time given in the Almanac, which on this point is 
 supported by Alzog's Handbuch der Kirchenge- 
 schichte, a book very extensively used heretofore 
 among Catholics, as a text book of church history. 
 
 Cletus, whose bishopric, according to the Roman 
 Almanac, ends in 90, rules a year longer, accord- 
 ing to Darras, his bishopric ending A. D. 91. 
 Then comes Clement, his office terminating, ac- 
 cording to both, in the year 100. After him, 
 Evaristus, until 109, according to Darras, but ac- 
 cording to the Almanac, until 121. Then Alex- 
 ander, his bishopric, according to Alzog and Darras, 
 ending in the year 119, but according to the Alma- 
 nac, in the year 132. 
 
 After Alexander, the succession of the pontifi- 
 cates was as follows, according to these three au- 
 thorities : 
 
 Sixtus, 
 
 according to 
 
 the Almanac, 
 
 A.D. 
 
 132 to 142. 
 
 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 Alzog, 
 
 it 
 
 119 to 127. 
 
 U 
 
 k 
 
 Darras, 
 
 (( 
 
 119 to 128. 
 
 Telesphorus, 
 
 u 
 
 Almanac, 
 
 (( 
 
 142 to 154. 
 
 a 
 
 (t 
 
 Alzog, 
 
 a 
 
 127 to 139. 
 
 t( 
 
 (( 
 
 Darras, 
 
 (i 
 
 128 to 138. 
 
THE ROMAN CATHOLIC HIERARCHY. 
 
 481 
 
 Hyginus, 
 
 according to the Almanac, A. 
 
 D. 154 to 158. 
 
 u 
 
 
 a 
 
 Alzog, 
 
 • 139 to 142. 
 
 It 
 
 
 u 
 
 Darras, 
 
 ' 138 to 142. 
 
 Pius I, 
 
 
 tt 
 
 Almanac, 
 
 ' 158 to 167. 
 
 ** 
 
 
 «( 
 
 Alzog, 
 
 ' 142 to 157. 
 
 41 
 
 
 a 
 
 Darras, ' 
 
 ' 142 to 150. 
 
 Anicetus, 
 
 
 tt 
 
 Almanac, 
 
 ' 167 to 175. 
 
 it 
 
 
 K 
 
 Alzog, 
 
 ' 157 to 168. 
 
 a 
 
 
 a 
 
 Darras, 
 
 ' 150 to 161. 
 
 Soter or Soterus, 
 
 (t 
 
 Almanac, ' 
 
 ' 175 to 182. 
 
 (< 
 
 
 « 
 
 Alzog, ' 
 
 ' 168 to 177. 
 
 u 
 
 
 u 
 
 Darras, ' 
 
 ' 162 to 174. 
 
 Eleutherus, 
 
 
 K 
 
 Almanac, ■ 
 
 ' 182 to 193. 
 
 u 
 
 
 K 
 
 Alzog, ' 
 
 ' 177 to 192. 
 
 It 
 
 
 d 
 
 Darras, ' 
 
 ' 174 to 186. 
 
 Victor I, 
 
 
 tt 
 
 Almanac, ' 
 
 ' 193 to 203. 
 
 (i 
 
 
 tt 
 
 Alzog, ' 
 
 ' 192 to 202. 
 
 it 
 
 
 it 
 
 Darras, ' 
 
 186 to 200. 
 
 Thus, in these eight pontificates, there are but 
 two points in which any two of the three authors 
 agree ; the commencement of the bishoprics of 
 Sixtus and Pius. In these particulars, Darras 
 agrees with the Handbuch. But the Handbuch 
 and Almanac do not agree in a single date ; neither 
 does Darras agree with the Almanac in a single 
 date. 
 
 Darras and the Handbuch give the names of 
 fourteen bishops previous to the year 200 ; the 
 Almanac gives fifteen. 
 
 If Irenseus be brought into the comparison, 
 while he does not give the dates of the pontificates 
 he differs from all these authorities, in neglecting 
 to say that Peter was bishop of Rome at all. On 
 the contrary, he states that the church was founded 
 
482 SIXTH PERIOD A. D. 185 TO A. D. 200. 
 
 by Peter and Paul, and by them handed over to 
 Linus. 
 
 If, during all this time, the bishops of Rome 
 had exercised supreme jurisdiction, can it be possi- 
 ble that nowhere throughout the Christian world 
 there would have been kept a record of so much 
 importance as the succession of the supreme bish- 
 ops? Would it not have been possible to arrive at 
 a more harmonious result than this? 
 
 It will have been observed, that the Roman 
 Catholic Church was established about the same 
 time that the four gospels and the Acts of the 
 Apostles were brought into general circulation. 
 When Serapion, Bishop of Antioch, in the year 
 190, put aside the Gospel of Peter, and substituted 
 in its stead the four gospels, he was engaged in the 
 unification of the church. 
 
 And it is a significant fact, that Irenseus, the 
 first writer who mentions the four gospels, was the 
 first who acknowledged the supremacy of the 
 Church of Rome. 
 
CHAPTER XXXIX 
 
 Keview op the Sixth Period — Testimony of Heathen 
 Writers — General Keview — Conclusion. 
 
 Review op Sixth Period. — 1. The termination 
 of the sixth period, which closes the century, finds 
 the four gospels and the Acts of the Apostles com- 
 ing into general circulation, with most of the other 
 New Testament writings. 
 
 The condition of the church in reference to the 
 New Testament books at the time, is well summed 
 up by Rev. Dr. Davidson, in the closing paragraphs 
 of his two volumes of Introduction to the New 
 Testament : 
 
 "The following propositions," says he, "are deducible from an im- 
 partial survey of the history of the first two centuries:" 
 
 The propositions condensed are as follows: 
 
 1. Before A. D. 170, no book of the New Testament was termed 
 "scripture." 
 
 2. No certain trace of the existence of the fourth gospel till after 
 Justin Martyr. [This proposition might with equal truth be applied 
 to the synoptic gospels, in their present form.] 
 
484 SIXTH PEEIOD A. D. 185 TO A. D. 200. 
 
 3. The gospels of Matthew and Mark cannot be identified with the 
 "logia" of Matthew, and the things "said and done" by Jesus, which 
 Mark wrote, mentioned by Papias. 
 
 4. The writings of Paul were either not used, or little regarded, by 
 the prominent ecclesiastical writers of the first half of the second 
 century. After A. D. 150, they began to be valued. 
 
 5. The present gospels did not assume a canonical position till the 
 latter half of the second century. 
 
 6. No canon of the New Testament, i. e., no collection of New 
 Testament literature like the present one, supposed to possess divine 
 authority, existed before A. D. 200. 
 
 [Davidson's Introduction to the New Testament, vol. 2, p. 520. The 
 last proposition cannot be accepted without some hesitation. The 
 reader will remember the words of Tertullian, written about the year 
 200: 
 
 "The law and the prophets she (the Church of Rome) unites in one 
 volume, with the writings of evangelists and apostles," etc. 
 
 There is reason to believe, that very soon after the four gospels 
 appeared, somewhere between the years 180 and 200, they were pub- 
 lished under the authority and by the direction of the Church of 
 Rome, in a volume with the Old Testament, and with the other New 
 Testament books then in circulation.] 
 
 2. Closely following the introduction into gen- 
 eral circulation of the books mentioned, was the 
 establishment of the supremacy of the Bishop of 
 Rome over the entire Catholic Church ; the 
 Gospels of John and Matthew being used as power- 
 ful agencies in the consummation of that object. 
 Not that the gospels were considered of higher au- 
 thority than the traditions of the church, but those 
 traditions themselves were established upon the 
 firmest foundation , by the sanction of gospels bear- 
 ing the names of two of the apostles of Jesus. 
 
 And here it is worthy of remark, that while in 
 the earlier gospels, attributed to Luke and Mark, 
 neither of whom was an apostle, had been recorded 
 
REVIEW OP SIXTH PERIOD. 485 
 
 the older legends and traditions of the churches, 
 when, to aid the Bishop of Rome in assuming 
 authority over the entire Christian world, it was 
 thought necessary to have still other gospels, they 
 were both attributed to apostles of Christ. 
 
 Heathen Writers. — Something is said in almost 
 every complete work on the canon concerning the , 
 evidence of heathen writers. Such evidence is ab- 
 solutely of no value in reference to the canon, 
 because no mention is found in any heathen writer 
 of any of the Christian writings before they are 
 referred to by the Christians themselves. 
 
 Celsus, who, as quoted by Origen, is perhaps 
 most relied upon as referring to the New Testa- 
 ment books, does not appear to have written the 
 work cited by Origen, "The True Word," until 
 early in the third century. 
 
 There is, however, important evidence concern- 
 ing the life and death of Jesus at the time claimed 
 by the Christians ; facts which have been disputed 
 by some learned writers . ' 
 
 General Review — Conclusion. — In taking a 
 general review of the first hundred and seventy 
 years of the Christian religion, the first thing that 
 strikes the mind, is the dearth of material from 
 which to construct a reliable history. It is seen at 
 jonce, how much must rest upon probability in its 
 different degrees — how much must be relegated to 
 the province of speculation. The works of the 
 
 (l.) See Appendix, i. 
 
486 SIXTH PERIOD A. D. 185 tO A. D. 200. 
 
 only church historian who wrote during that 
 period, lost or destroyed — the few fragments that 
 are left being of comparatively little value — the 
 writings of Porphyry and others who wrote against 
 Christianity, and those of the heretic Christians, 
 all destroyed — there remain only the works of some 
 of the orthodox fathers, and the text of those in a 
 mutilated and corrupted condition. 
 
 As from a few bones the scientist can reconstruct 
 the entire anatomy, so from these fragments can 
 the historian arrive at the frame- work of the ortho- 
 dox religion of the second century. But the com- 
 plete and living form of Christianity is wanting. 
 
 With the exception of the epistle of Clement of 
 Rome, written near the close of the first century, 
 and a few scattering writings afterward, there is 
 but little in the fathers of that day, to remind one 
 of the teachings of Jesus, or the fervid utterances 
 of the apostle to the Gentiles. The fathers of the 
 second century were, with united energies, engaged 
 in the work of suppressing heresy. Justin Martyr 
 was writing against' the Jews, Tertullian against 
 Marcion, and Irenasus against all the heretics. 
 This raid against those who differed from the 
 established faith, left but little time to cultivate 
 the more kindly Christian graces, and finally cul- 
 minated in the establishment of a power which 
 should be competent for the suppression of heresy 
 by force. The teachings of Paul concerning heresy 
 and his bitter denunciation of heretics, contributed 
 largely to this result. 
 
GENERAL REVIEW — CONCLUSION. 487 
 
 Another thing that strikes the attention, in a 
 comprehensive review of the period, is the ignor- 
 ance and superstition, even of the most enlight- 
 ened and best educated of the fathers. Their 
 bigotry has been noticed — their ignorance and su- 
 perstition were no less . 
 
 With rare exceptions, they were men who utterly 
 despised that learning of the heathen which con- 
 sisted in attempts to ascertain the laws of the ma- 
 terial universe. Construing in the narrowest and 
 strictest sense, the maxim, that the wisdom of this 
 world is foolishness with God, they confined them- 
 selves, almost exclusively, to an exposition of the 
 Jewish scriptures, and of the sayings of Christ, 
 construed in the light of those scriptures ; drawing 
 oftentimes, in the application of the prophecies, 
 the most fanciful and whimsical analogies. 
 
 Their credulity was unbounded. They had a sub- 
 lime disregard for truth ; not so much from per- 
 versity, as from carelessness, and indifference to 
 its sacred character. Their unscrupulousness when 
 seeking for arguments to enforce their positions, is 
 notorious ; as well as the prevalence among them 
 of what are known as pious frauds. Jones, him- 
 self a zealous Christian writer, says that Justin 
 Martyr, Clemens Alexandrinus and Lactantius 
 made use of testimonies out of forgeries and spuri- 
 ous books, to prove the very foundation of the 
 Christian Revelation ; T and it is believed, on good 
 grounds, that Irenseus was no better. This father, 
 
 (i.) Jones, vol I, p. 364. 
 
488 SIXTH PEKIOD A. D. 185 TO A. D. 200. 
 
 while engaged in the introduction of gospels which 
 show that the ministry of Christ lasted from one 
 to three years, not longer than three and a half, 
 himself declares that it lasted about twenty years, 
 and that he had the tradition from the elders of 
 Asia, who had obtained it from John and the other 
 apostles. 
 
 Such is the material at the hands of the his- 
 torian. Of course he cannot rely implicitly upon 
 the unsupported assertion of any such writer, for 
 the truth of any historical fact whatever. In every 
 instance, he is obliged to scrutinize carefully, and 
 endeavor to ascertain whether any ulterior motives 
 may have prompted whatever statement may be 
 under consideration. If he can find none, and the 
 fact stands uncontradicted by other writers, it is 
 cautiously accepted. Under such circumstances, 
 progress is slow and uncertain. The most that any 
 writer can hope to accomplish, is to place in proper 
 shape what is already known, and to establish here 
 and there a landmark for the benefit of subsequent 
 historians. 
 
 In conclusion, as the result of this investigation, 
 it may be repeated, that no evidence is found of 
 the existence, in the first century, of either of the 
 following doctrines : the immaculate conception — 
 the miracles of Christ — his material resurrection. 
 No one of these doctrines is to be found in the 
 epistles of the New Testament, nor have we been 
 able to find them in any other writings of the first 
 century. 
 
GENERAL REVIEW CONCLUSION. 489 
 
 As to the four gospels, in coming to the conclu- 
 sion that they were not written in the first century, 
 we have but recorded the conviction of the more 
 advanced scholars of the present day, irrespective 
 of their religious views in other respects ; with 
 whom the question as now presented is, how early 
 in the second century were they composed? * 
 
 Discarding, as inventions of the second century, 
 having no historical foundation, the three doctrines 
 above named, and much else which must necessa- 
 rily stand or fall with them, what remains of the 
 Christian religion? 
 
 All that is of any value — all that is in harmony 
 with the immutable laws of the universe — all that 
 is in accord with the eternal principles of right and 
 justice, still remains. All else is fast passing 
 away, and is destined to pass away forever. 
 
 (i.) Dr. Davidson does not think either of the four gospels, in its present form, 
 written before the year ioo. The Gospel of John not before 150. See his Introduction 
 to the New Testament. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 I. 
 
 Jesus Christ as a Historical Personage. 
 
 Some able writers, observing the confusion and uncertainty exist- 
 ing in the chronology of nearly all the events connected with the 
 early history of Christianity, have doubted whether such a person 
 as Jesus Christ lived at the time alleged. These doubts have, in some 
 instances, been expressed by writers of much learning, and cannot 
 well be disregarded. 
 
 There are three good and reliable witnesses of the first century; 
 one a Christian, one a Jew, and the other a heathen: 
 
 1. Paul.— The Epistles of Paul stand out as a fact, utterly unex- 
 plainable, and incomprehensible, except upon the hypothesis of the 
 .life and suffering of the central figure of them all. 
 
 That Paul wrote his Epistles in the first century, is attested by 
 Clement of Rome, A. D. 97, who refers to one of them expressly, and 
 by the fathers and writers of the first half of the second century, par- 
 ticularly Marcion, who, about 145, made a compilation of those then 
 in circulation, ten in number. 
 
 2. Josepitus; who gives an account of the death of James, the 
 brother of Jesus, in the 9th chapter of the 20th book of the An- 
 
492 APPENDIX. 
 
 tiquities. While narrating the particulars of the death of James, he 
 speaks of him as "the brother of Jesus who was called Christ." W& 
 know of no good reason for doubting the authenticity of this pas- 
 sage. 
 
 3. Tacitus; who, in the 44th chapter of the 15th book of the 
 Annals, speaks of Christus, "who, in the reign of Tiberius, was put to 
 death as a criminal, by the procurator, Fontius Pilate." 
 
 II. 
 
 Zacharias. 
 
 There were four persons by that name, who have been referred to* 
 in the apocryphal and canonical gospels, and in the writings of the 
 fathers, in such an indiscriminate manner as to create great con- 
 fusion. 
 
 1. Zacharias, or Zechariah, the son of Jehoida. He was stoned to 
 death in the court of the temple. — [2 Chron. 24. 20, 21. 
 
 2. Zacharias or Zechariah, the prophet, who was the son of Bere- 
 chiah. — [Zech. 1. 1.] We have no account of his death. 
 
 3. Zacharias, father of John the Baptist. 
 
 In the Protevangelion, it is stated that because he would not dis- 
 close the hiding place of his son John, who had been concealed from 
 Herod, he was murdered "in the entrance of the temple." 
 
 This account is referred to and accredited by the earlier fathers, 
 including Tertullian and Origen. It does not appear who was the 
 father of this Zacharias. 
 
 4. Zacharias, the son of Barouchos, who was murdered inside the 
 temple, about A. D. 69.— [Josephus, Jewish War, bk. 4, ch. 5, 4. 
 
 Thus it will be seen, that three of the persons by that name were 
 put to death in or near the temple. Of these, the first was the son of 
 Jehoida; the father of the second not named; and the third was the 
 son of Barouchos. This comes the nearest to the description of the 
 Zacharias mentioned in Matt. 23. 35. We have therefore adopted the 
 opinion of able writers, who consider the last the one referred to by 
 the author of Matthew. 
 
APPENDIX. 493 
 
 III. 
 Tatian and his Supposed Gospel. 
 
 It is claimed by Dr. George Moesinger, in a work published at Yen- 
 ice in 1876, that the Commentary of Ephraem the Syrian, of the 
 fourth century, was based upon the Gospel of Tatian. We do not 
 think such a theory can be sustained. On the contrary, since writing 
 this History, and after reading the dissertation of Dr. Moesinger and 
 his edition of Ephraem, and giving the subject a more thorough 
 examination, we have come to the conclusion that it is extremely 
 doubtful whether Tatian the Syrian ever wrote a gospel. It is not 
 mentioned until Eusebius, who is entirely unreliable. Besides, it 
 appears from some of the Syrian writers that Ammonius of Alex- 
 andria was also called Tatian; and it is more than probable that 
 other writers have been misled by their references to the Gospel Har- 
 mony of Ammonius Tatianus, or, in the words of the Latin transla- 
 tor of one of the Syrian authors, "Ammonius, qui est Tatianus," 
 supposing they referred to Tatian the Syrian. 
 
 IV. 
 
 The Philosophy of Oracles. 
 
 Attributed to Porphyry. 
 
 Gustavus Wolff, who has written two works upon Oracles, in the 
 Latin tongue, published at Berlin, one in 1854, the other in 1856, 
 treats the Philosophy of Oracles as the work of Porphyry. As Mr. 
 Wolff gives all the references to it by ancient writers, scholars will 
 here find the full strength of the case in favor of the genuineness of 
 the work. But we do not think this author, with all his learning, has 
 established its authenticity. The awkward fact still remains that all 
 the references, with one exception, are to be traced directly or indi- 
 rectly to Eusebius. What additional matter is furnished by Augus- 
 tine, may fairly be looked upon as mere amplifications, such as were 
 common among the early fathers of the Church. To the names of 
 Fontenelle and Van Dale, given in the text, may be added that of the 
 learned and celebrated Dr. Lardner against the authenticity. 
 
494 APPENDIX. 
 
 V. 
 
 The Annals of Tacitus. 
 
 In a work put forth by Mr. Eoss, in London, an elaborate attempt 
 is made to prove that the Annals were forged in the 15th century by 
 Bracciolini. The ingenious author comes as near to maintaining his 
 position as can be expected, in face of the facts that the Annals were 
 referred to by various writers, in the 3d, 4th, 5th, 6th, 9th and 12th 
 centuries, and that several of the books were not discovered until 
 after the death of Bracciolini. 
 
 VI. 
 Date of the Gospels. 
 
 THE ARGUMENT IN FAVOR OF AN EARLY DATE. 
 
 We say "The argument," because there is but one. There is no 
 pretense that there is any direct evidence, carrying the gospels back 
 to the first century, or even any definite tradition to that effect. 
 
 The argument, and it applies only to the synoptic gospels, is, that 
 inasmuch as those gospels contain the prophecy of Jesus concerning 
 the destruction of Jerusalem, if these books had been written after 
 that event, they would certainly have referred to it. Since they do 
 not do so, they must have been written before the destruction of 
 Jerusalem; that is, before A. D. 70. 
 
 1. This argument, if it proves anything, proves too much, and is 
 self-destructive. For, by the same process of reasoning, it could be 
 proved that the Gospel of Marcion was written before A. D. 70; since 
 that also contains the prophecy that not one stone of the temple 
 should be left upon another, and contains no reference to the destruc- 
 tion of Jerusalem. But we know, with reasonable certainty, that 
 this gospel was written about A. D. 145. 
 
 2. The Gospel of John is admitted by Canon Farrar himself, who 
 lays great stress upon this argument, not to have been written until 
 A. D. 90. Why does that gospel make no allusion to the destruction 
 of Jerusalem ? 
 
 If it be said that this gospel makes no mention of the prophecy of 
 
APPENDIX. 495 
 
 Jesus concerning that event, then the question arises, why does it 
 not, if it be true that such a prophecy was made ? The author of 
 that gospel had just as good an opportunity to emphasize the fact 
 that the event had verified the prophecy as either of the synoptic 
 gospel writers had, when writing after A. D. 70. 
 
 3. None of the apocrypal gospels make any mention of the 
 destruction of Jerusalem. Yet it is not claimed that they were writ- 
 ten before that event. Their silence concerning the prophecy is 
 strong presumptive evidence that no such prophecy was made. On 
 no other hypothesis can such silence be fully accounted for, whether 
 they were written before or after A. D. 70. 
 
 Such is the argument in favor of dating the three gospels before 
 A. D. 70; and when that conclusion is reached there is found but 
 little difficulty in attributing them to Matthew, Mark and Luke. 
 
 But the objections to this authorship are such as make it simply 
 absurd. 
 
 In the first place, neither of these men ever claimed or pretended to 
 have written a gospel. Is it not wonderful, if such claim has any 
 just foundation, that it was not made by them or by some one else 
 for them in their life-time ? 
 
 Again, why is the first person never used in these gospels ? Why 
 do not the writers say, "I," occasionally? Why does not Matthew 
 say, "I was chosen V" On the contrary, the writer says: 
 
 "As Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man named Mat- 
 thew sitting at the receipt of custom. And he saith unto him, Fol- 
 low me. And he arose and followed him." 
 
 Is this the language a man would use, writing about himself ? 
 
 The theory that these books were written by those men at that time 
 or soon after, lays too heavy a tax upon the credulity of any thought- 
 ful person. 
 
 It should be stated that even orthodox writers are not unanimous 
 in dating all the synoptics before A. D. 70. Thus Reuss, speaking of 
 the books of Luke and the Acts, says: "The date of the composition 
 of this twofold historical work should not be put back too far. 
 Even the first part of it, the Gospel, is later than the destruction of 
 Jerusalem."— [Hist, of the N. T. by Eduard (W. E.) Reuss, Professor 
 
496 APPENDIX. 
 
 in Emp. William's University in Strassburg: translated by Edw. L. 
 Houghton, from 5th German Ed., and published in Boston by 
 Houghton, Mifflin & Co., in 1884, p. 211. 
 
 YIELDING TO THE EVIDENCE. 
 
 The evidence of a late date for the four gospels, which has been 
 given to the public in this and other works during the last twenty 
 years, is having its effect in overthrowing the traditional theory that 
 those gospels were composed by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, in 
 the first century. The more candid of religious writers are already 
 wavering, while some of them have actually abandoned the church 
 theory altogether. 
 
 A notable instance of this may be seen in the work entitled, "The 
 First Three Gospels;" written by J. Estlin Carpenter, M. A., Oxford, 
 and published in London in 1890, by the Sunday School Association. 
 
 This author, though careful and guarded in his language, con- 
 cedes, with sufficient clearness, that the gospels had an uncertain 
 origin sometime in the second century. 
 
 Under the title of "The Foue Selected," he says: 
 
 "It is clear that in the last generation of the second century, the 
 four gospels, as we have them, were known and received from east to 
 west."— [The First Three Gospels, p. 4. 
 
 Again: "The four gospels, which come clearly into view in the 
 second half of the second century, had attained a unique position by 
 its close."— [Ibid. p. 26. 
 
 And speaking of the Gospel according to Matthew, he says: 
 
 "Certain it is that the work in its present form is not apostolic." — 
 [Ibid. p. 380.] He thinks the first decisive evidence of the existence 
 of this gospel was after A. D. 140. 
 
 This writer agrees also with the author of the History of the Chris- 
 tian Religion in the opinion that Matthew was the latest of the three 
 synoptic gospels. 
 
 Another instance, showing the tendency of modern thought on the 
 theological side, may be seen in a work entitled, "The Kingdom of 
 God; or Christ's Teaching According to the Synoptical Gospels;" 
 written by Alexander Balmain Bruce, D. D., Professor of N. T. 
 
APPENDIX.' 497 
 
 Exegesis at Glasgow, and published in New York by Scribner and 
 Welford, in 1889. 
 
 This writer says: 
 
 "It would inspire great confidence in the synoptical records to be 
 assured that they were compiled by certain of the men who 'had 
 been with Jesus.' These men were eye and ear witnesses of Christ's 
 ministry; they knew much, if not all, that He said and did, and they 
 could be trusted to tell honestly and with substantial accuracy what 
 they knew. 
 
 "But there is no sufficient evidence that any one of the first three 
 gospels, in the form in which we have them, proceeded from the 
 hand of an apostle. The most that can be said is, that their reports 
 are based on apostolic traditions, preserved either orally or in written 
 form."— [The Kingdom of God, etc., p. 2. 
 
 Again: 
 
 Washington Gladden, in his work entitled "Burning Questions, 
 etc.," speaking of the objection that is made to the authenticity of 
 the gospels, that they are mere compilations; — that the writers gath- 
 ered and compiled oral tales and traditions about the Christ, — 
 says: 
 
 "And there is, doubtless, some truth in this theory of the origin of 
 the gospels. That is to say, the writers of the Gospel did compile 
 narratives that were partly oral and partly written."— [Burning 
 Questions, etc., by Washington Gladden, the Century Co., N. Y., 1890, 
 p. 215. 
 
 This theory, which is now the prevailing one even among theolo- 
 gians themselves, that the gospels were composed partly from oral 
 and partly from written tradition, is an entire abandonment of the 
 other theory, so long and so tenaciously adhered to, that they were 
 composed by eyewitnesses of the events related in them. The writ- 
 ten statement of an eyewitness is neither oral nor written tradition. 
 In fact, written tradition is nothing more nor less than oral tradition 
 gathered up and committed to writing. To say, therefore, that the 
 gospels were compiled partly from oral and partly from written tra- 
 dition, is equivalent to saying that they were compiled, partly from 
 oral traditions which had previously been committed to writing, and 
 partly from oral traditions which were then, for the first time, re- 
 
498 APPENDIX. 
 
 duced to writing. Thus, oral tradition constitutes the entire founda- 
 tion. 
 
 VII. 
 
 Fulfillment of Prophecy. 
 
 CITATIONS FKOM THE OLD TESTAMENT, 
 By the Author of the Gospel of Matthew. 
 
 In confirmation of the view taken by the author of this work, as to 
 the inapplicability of the citations made from the Old Testament by 
 the author of Matthew, the reader is referred to an able work by 
 Professor Crawford Howell Toy, of Harvard University; published 
 later than the earlier editions of the History of the Christian Ke- 
 ligion. 
 
 Id that work, which is entitled "Quotations in the New Testa- 
 ment," Professor Toy, writing with remarkable fairness, from a 
 Christian standpoint, takes nearly the same view with the author of 
 the History, though expressing himself in a somewhat more guarded 
 manner. 
 
 Commenting on the passage in Isaiah, (vii. 14), cited by Matthew 
 thus: "Behold a virgin shall be with child," etc. Professor Toy 
 says: 
 
 "The rendering 'virgin' is inadmissible. The Hebrew has a separ- 
 ate word for 'virgin; 7 and the Greek versions, other than the Septu- 
 agint, here translate by 'young woman.' " 
 
 Again: "The article here shows that she was some well-known 
 person, probably not the wife of the prophet (for she is elsewhere, 
 Isa. viii. 3, called 'the prophetess'); possibly a wife of the King. But 
 she is mentioned here only, and is of no importance in the prophecy 
 for its prediction or its fulfillment. The child's birth is not repre- 
 sented as miraculous or in any way extraordinary, and there is noth- 
 ing to prevent our supposing that the mother was a married woman." 
 —[Quotations in the New Testament by Crawford Howell Toy, N. 
 Y., Chas. Scribner's Sons, p. 1 and note to p. 3. 
 
 Again: "The Jews seem never to have understood the passage 
 Messianically. The name Immanuel occurs nowhere else in the New 
 Testament (Luke has the birth from a virgin, but not this name), 
 
APPENDIX. 499 
 
 and was apparently never given to Jesus." — [Ibid. p. 3. and Note. 
 
 The Professor had previously explained that the name Immanuel 
 given to the child, meaning "God with us," signified "that this same 
 result (that is, that men should carry the riches of Damascus and the 
 spoil of Samaria before the King of Assyria), should take place be- 
 fore the child in question had numbered more than a few years." "In 
 this respect," the author continues, "Immanuel plays exactly the 
 same part as Mahershalal-hash-baz and Shear-yashub, differing from 
 them only in the fact that his mother's name is not given. He is 
 merely the sign of a fact, not the instrument of its accomplishment. 
 His person is to be the sign of the overthrow of Syria and Israel, and 
 his name is to embody the great and consoling idea of God's presence 
 with his people. He himself is passive, so far as the record goes; 
 having fulfilled his function of acting as unconscious sign (for the 
 fulfillment of the prediction is to take place while he is yet a child), 
 he vanishes out of the history." — [Ibid. p. 3. 
 
 The Professor concludes by saying that the prophetic passage is 
 understood by Matthew as a definite prediction of the historical fact 
 of the birth of Jesus. To what extent the author thinks Matthew 
 justified in thus understanding the prediction, may be gathered from 
 the foregoing. 
 
 Again: In reference to the quotation from Jeremiah: 
 
 "In Kama was there a voice heard, lamentation and weeping, and 
 great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be 
 comforted because they are not;" which the author of Matthew 
 says was fulfilled when Herod slew the children of Bethlehem, 
 Professor Toy says: 
 
 "The country had been overrun by the Chaldeans, and many of the 
 people slain, and carried into captivity; and the prophet represents. 
 the nation, in the person of the ancestress Rachel (the best-beloved 
 wife of Jacob), weeping over the loss of its sons. A repetition of this 
 scene, and the fulfillment of a prediction, the evangelist sees in the 
 mourning of the mothers of Bethlehem over their children, slain by 
 order of Herod. The situations are in a measure alike, though the 
 later is insignificant in extent in comparison with the earlier. Ne- 
 buchadnezzar inflicted a crushing blow on the nation; Herod may 
 have slain ten or fifteen infants."— [Ibid. p. 11. 
 
500 APPENDIX THE ESSENES. 
 
 The author thinks the citation of a parallel event from Jeremiah 
 natural and justifiable, but adds this significant statement: 
 
 "The prophet's words contain no prediction, Messianic or other; 
 the context shows that he is thinking only of the present national 
 calamity."— [Ibid. 
 
 Speaking, in his comments upon another passage, of the latitude 
 allowed in those days, Professor Toy says: 
 
 "The principles of Scripture application of the day allowed the 
 evangelist to take the words out of their connection, and use them as 
 seemed to him best."— [Ibid. p. 9. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 Was Jesus an Essene? 
 
 By most writers the Essenes of Palestine and the Therapeutse of 
 Egypt have been confusedly treated as the same people; or if not the 
 same, it has been supposed that one was a branch or colony of the 
 other. Later scholarship has shown, however, that neither of these 
 theories is correct. 
 
 THE THERAPEUTSE. 
 
 All we know of these people can be traced back to a treatise en- 
 titled "Concerning a Contemplative Life;" attributed to Philo Ju- 
 daeus, a Jewish writer of the first century. Attempts have been 
 made by Professor Lucius, of Strassburg, and others, to prove that 
 this was not a genuine work of Philo. But it cannot be said that 
 these attempts have been successful. 
 
 Philo does not say that the Essenes and Therapeutse were the same 
 people. On the contrary it is manifest from the treatise itself that 
 he did not consider them the same. 
 
 The Therapeutse were a body of hermits living in Egypt. Philo's 
 account of them is quite interesting, but as it is not of them we are 
 now to speak, let us proceed to the consideration of 
 
 THE ESSENES. 
 
 What we know of the Essenes is derived from the writings of 
 Pliny, of Philo Judseus, and of Josephus. 
 
APPENDIX — THE ESSENES. 501 
 
 Philo was the earliest of the three. His writings must be placed 
 in the first half of the first century. 
 
 Josephus is believed to have completed the Antiquities in the 
 year 94, A. D. He had written The Jewish War some twenty years 
 previous, about the time when Pliny was finishing his Natural His- 
 tory. 
 
 We will commence with Philo. His testimony is substantially as 
 follows: 
 
 That there were living in Palestine and Syria, people called "Es- 
 senes;" that they numbered something more than 4,000; that they 
 derived their name from their piety; that they did not sacrifice living 
 animals. That they lived in villages, avoiding the cities. 
 
 "Among them," says Philo, "there are none attending to any em- 
 ployment whatever connected with war. * * They are utterly 
 ignorant of all traffic, and of all commercial dealings, and of all nav- 
 igation. * * There is not a single slave among them. 
 
 "Further, that the seventh day was accounted sacred; that in the 
 synagogue one would take up the holy volume and read it while some 
 man of the greatest experience would make explanations." 
 
 And still further, that "there is no one who has a house so abso- 
 lutely his own private property, that it does not in some sense also 
 belong to every one; for besides that they all dwell together in com- 
 panies, the house is open to all of those of the same notions, who 
 come to them from other quarters; then there is one magazine 
 among them all; their expenses are all in common; their garments 
 belong to them all in common; their food is common, since they all 
 eat in messes." 
 
 That whatever they received for their wages was brought into a 
 common stock; that they cherished respect for their elders, who 
 were honored and cared for as parents by their children. 
 
 The next writer is Josephus. The most important account of 
 the Essenes given by this writer is to be found in the 8th chapter 
 of the 2d book of "The Jewish War," and is in substance as fol- 
 lows: 
 
 They were Jews by birth. They rejected pleasures as an evil, 
 and esteemed continence and conquest over the passions to be vir- 
 tuous. They neglected wedlock, and adopted children. 
 
 They were despisers of riches; had all things in common; were 
 very communicative; thought oil a defilement; clothed themselves 
 
502 APPENDIX — THE ESSENES. 
 
 at stated times in white garments; had stewards appointed to take 
 care of their common affairs. , . . . 
 
 "Whatsoever they say, also, is firmer than an oath. But swearing 
 is avoided by them ; and they esteem it worse than perjury. For 
 they say, that he who cannot be believed without [swearing by] God,, 
 is already condemned. . . . 
 
 "They also take great pains in studying the writings of the 
 ancients." 
 
 He who joins them must take an oath that "he will neither conceal 
 anything from those of his own sect, nor discover any of their doc- 
 trines to others; no, not though anyone should compel him to do so 
 at the hazard of his life." 
 
 Moreover, he must swear to abstain from robbery, "and to preserve 
 the hooks belonging to their sect, and the names of the angels,'' [or 
 messengers.] 
 
 Those caught in any heinous sin were cast out. The outcast, not 
 being at liberty to partake of food elsewhere, often died in a misera- 
 ble manner. Sometimes, when on the eve of starvation, he was taken 
 back. 
 
 "They honor their legislator (Moses), and obey their elders and the 
 majority. If any one blaspheme Moses, he is punished capitally. 
 They are stricter than other Jews in the observance of the Sab- 
 bath." 
 
 "They are long lived also, insomuch that many of them live above 
 a hundred years, by means of the simplicity of their diet; nay, as I 
 think, by means of the regular course of life which they observe 
 also. And as for death, if it will be for their glory, they esteem it 
 better than living always." (Their fortitude in enduring sufferings 
 in the Jewish war with the Romans, is here extolled and commented 
 upon.) 
 
 "There are also those among them who undertake to foretell things 
 to come by reading the holy books, and using several sorts of puri- 
 fications, and being perpetually conversant in the discourses of the 
 prophets; and it is but seldom that they miss in their predictions." 
 — [Jewish War, B. II, ch. viii. 
 
 OTHER NOTICES BY JOSEPHUS. 
 Josephus has various other notices of the Essenes; some twenty 
 altogether. The following are the most important: 
 
 From the Antiquities of the Jews. 
 1. "The sect of the Essenes affirm that fate governs all things, and 
 
APPENDIX THE ESSENES. 503 
 
 that nothing befalls men but what is according to its determina- 
 tion."— [A. J. Bk. XIII, ch. V, 9. 
 
 2. "But here one may take occasion to wonder at one Judas, who 
 was of the sect of the Essenes, and who never missed the truth in his 
 predictions. This man, when he saw Antigonus passing by the tem- 
 ple, cried out to his companions and friends, who abode with him as 
 his scholars, in order to learn the art of foretelling things to come, 
 'That it was good of him to die now, since he had spoken falsely 
 about Antigonus, who is still alive, and I see him passing by;' 
 although he had foretold that he should die at the place called 
 Strato's Tower, that very day, while yet the place is six hundred fur- 
 longs off, where he had foretold that he should be slain ; and still this 
 day is a great part of it already past, so that he was in danger of 
 proving a false prophet. 
 
 "As he was saying this, and that in a melancholy mood, the news 
 came that Antigonus was slain, in a place under ground, which itself 
 was also called 'Strato's Tower.' "—[A. J. Bk. XIII, ch. XI, 2. 
 
 Substantially the same account is given in "The Jewish War," 
 Bk. I, ch. Ill, 5. 
 
 3. "The Essenes, also, as we call a sect of ours, were excused by 
 Herod from this imposition [taking the oath of fidelity.] These men 
 live the same kind of life as do those whom the Greeks called Pytha- 
 goreans." 
 
 Josephus here relates how an Essene by the name of Manahem, 
 once saw Herod, when he (Herod) was yet a child and going to school; 
 and saluted him as King of the Jews. That he prophesied that he 
 would excel all men in happiness, and would obtain an everlasting 
 reputation, but would forget piety and righteousness. 
 
 That when Herod became king, he sent for Manahem, and asked 
 him how long he should reign ? Manahem was silent. Herod asked 
 him whether he should reign ten years or not. "Yes, twenty, nay, 
 thirty years;" but did not say how long. 
 
 "Many of the Essenes," adds Josephus, "have by their excellent 
 virtue, been thought worthy of the knowledge of divine revelations." 
 — [A. J. Bk. XV, ch. X,4. 5. 
 
 4. "The doctrine of the Essenes is, that all things are best ascribed 
 to God. They teach the immortality of souls, and esteem that the 
 rewards of righteousness are to be earnestly striven for. When they 
 send what they have dedicated to God, into the temple, they do not 
 offer sacrifices, because they have more pure lustrations of their own; 
 on which account, they are excluded from the common court of the 
 
504 APPENDIX — THE ESSENES. 
 
 temple, and offer their sacrifices themselves; yet is their course of 
 life better than that of other men. 
 
 "This is demonstrated by that institution of theirs which will not 
 suffer anything to hinder them from having all things in common; 
 so that a rich man enjoys no more of his own wealth than he who 
 hath nothing at all. 
 
 "There are about four thousand men who live in this way. They 
 neither marry wives, nor are desirous to keep servants; as thinking 
 the latter tempts men to be unjust, and the former gives the handle 
 to domestic quarrels. But as they live by themselves, they minister 
 one to another. They also appoint certain stewards to receive the 
 income from their revenues, and of the fruits of the ground; such as 
 are good men and priests, who are to get their corn and their food 
 ready for them."— [Antiq. of che Jews, Bk. XVIII, ch. I, 5. 
 
 To which, in Whiston's Josephus, is the following note: 
 
 "It seems by what Josephus says here, and Philo himself elsewhere, 
 Op. p. 676, that these Essenes did not use to go up to the Jewish fes- 
 tivals at Jerusalem, or to offer sacrifices there, which may be one 
 great occasion why they are never mentioned in the ordinary books 
 of the New Testament." 
 
 But Josephus does not say that the Essenes "did not use to go up 
 to the Jewish festivals at Jerusalem." He says that they were "ex- 
 cluded from the common court of the temple;" that they sent into 
 the temple what they had dedicated to God, but did not offer sacri- 
 fices [with the other Jews], because they had purer lustrations of 
 their own. "They offer their sacrifices themselves." 
 
 When this is taken in connection with the fact that one gate of 
 the city was called the gate of the Essenes (B. J. V. 4, 2), the inference 
 is at least but a fair one, that either in another part of the temple or 
 in a part of the city outside the temple, they had their own peculiar 
 ceremonies, which, if not accompanied by actual sacrifices, were sup- 
 posed to have a similar effect in the fulfillment of the law. 
 
 Testimony of Pliny (A. D. 77). 
 
 "Lying on the West of Asphaltites (the Lake of Sodom, or the 
 Dead Sea, called by Pliny Asphaltites, from the Greek asphaltos, on 
 account of the asphaltum floating on its surface), and sufficiently dis- 
 tant to escape its noxious exhalations, are the Esseni, a people who 
 live apart from the world, and marvelous beyond all others through- 
 out the whole earth; for they have no women among them. To sex- 
 <ual desire they are strangers; money they have none; the palm-trees 
 are their only companions. 
 
APPENDIX THE ESSENES. 505 
 
 "Day after day, however, their numbers are fully recruited by 
 multitudes of strangers who resort to them, driven thither to adopt 
 their usages by the tempests of fortune, and wearied with the miser- 
 ies of life. Thus it is that through thousands of ages, incredible to 
 relate, this people eternally prolongs its existence, without a single 
 birth taking place there; so fruitful a source of population to it is 
 that weariness of life which is felt by others."— [Nat. Hist. bk. v. 
 ch. 17. 
 
 What have we now from Philo, from Josephus, and from Pliny ? 
 
 1. There was in Palestine, in the first century, a Jewish sect of a 
 peculiar character, of great antiquity. The date when they first 
 appeared, by the name of Essenes, so far as can be gathered from 
 Josephus, was about the middle of the second century before Christ. 
 Pliny says that they had existed for thousands of ages. 
 
 He must have had other authority as to the antiquity of this sect 
 than that of Philo or Josephus, since there is nothing in the works of 
 either of those writers to justify the strong language used by Pliny. 
 
 2. The doctrines as well as the manners and customs of these peo- 
 ple, bore a striking resemblance, in many respects, to those of the fol- 
 lowers of Jesus the Galilean. 
 
 The resemblances may be epitomized as follows: 
 
 The Essenes were especially devoted to the service of God — lived 
 principally in villages and in smaller settlements — were engaged in 
 rural occupations— had scanty worldly possessions, which they threw 
 into a common stock — were employed in daily labor, but had little, if 
 any, commercial intercourse or business relations with those about 
 them — lived on terms of social equality, aiding both each other and 
 other like communities — inculcating obedience to law, and to the 
 requirements of the lawful magistrate— observed the seventh day as 
 the Sabbath— refused to sacrifice in accordance with the Mosaic law 
 — had stated meetings for worship and for instruction— made use of 
 ancient sacred scriptures— were abstemious in their habits— provided 
 for the poor and the sick from a common stock— cherished respect 
 for their elders— endured unflinchingly any hardship or cruelty rather 
 than renounce their principles— had more love for one another than 
 is customary among sects— looked upon pleasure as an evil, but 
 thought continence and conquest of the passions a great virtue — 
 neglected wedlock— guarded the virtue of women— clothed them- 
 
506 APPENDIX — THE ESSENES. 
 
 selves at stated times in white garments — had stewards appointed to 
 manage their common affairs— carried nothing with them when they 
 traveled— had a person appointed to take care of strangers— said 
 grace at their meals— abstained from oaths on ordinary occasions, 
 but had their secret oaths of fidelity, etc.— were subject to trial and 
 to expulsion for misconduct — were addicted to prophecy — believed in 
 the immortality of the soul, and in the decrees of fate. 
 
 It has often been asked why neither Philo nor Josephus makes any 
 mention of the Christians ? There is no sufficient evidence that there 
 were any people known by that name before the destruction of Jeru- 
 salem. According to the New Testament the disciples were first 
 called Christians at Antioch, some thirty years before that event. — 
 [Acts, 11.26. 
 
 It may be asked further, why, then, does not Josephus give an 
 account of these people by some other name ? Is it clear that he has 
 not done so? What is lacking in his description of the Essenes, 
 except the doctrine of the expected Messiah ? His omission of that 
 is no more wonderful of the Essenes, than of the other Jewish sects. 
 Where has Josephus mentioned that doctrine at all ? 
 
 Is it clear that the followers of Jesus were not alluded to in the 
 following passage of Josephus ? 
 
 "And now these imposters and deceivers persuaded the multitude 
 to follow them into the wilderness, and pretended that they would 
 exhibit manifest wonders and signs which should be performed by 
 the Providence of God."— [Antiq. bk. xx, ch. 8, 6. 
 
 Again, Josephus says: 
 
 "These were such men as deceived and deluded the people under 
 pretense of divine inspiration; but were for procuring innovations 
 and changes of the government. These prevailed with the multi- 
 tude to act like mad men; and went before them into the wilderness, 
 as pretending that God would there show them the signal of liberty." 
 [Jewish War, bk. ii, ch. 13, 4. 
 
 Again: Why has Josephus made no mention of Jesus, called 
 Christ? Or, if he has mentioned him, why has he made no further 
 mention ? It is true that Josephus was not contemporary with Jesus 
 if the latter was crucified at the time commonly supposed. But 
 during the administration of Josephus in Galilee, the country must 
 have been full of traditions of the crucified Galilean. But a single 
 
APPENDIX THE ESSENES. 507 
 
 generation had passed, and the fame of Jesus being now spread 
 abroad in other lands, could it have been any less in Galilee? Paul 
 was contemporary with Josephus, and in his travels, if the accounts 
 in the Acts of the Apostles can be at all relied upon, he must, more 
 than once, have crossed the track of the Jewish priest and magis- 
 trate. 
 
 But is it clear that Josephus made no mention of Christ, or none 
 other than those in the disputed passages '? 
 
 Josephus knew of many persons in Galilee by the name of Jesus. 
 Could any of these have been Jesus, called Christ? 
 
 Could he have been any one of the high priests by that name ? 
 
 Could he have been Jesus, the son of Sapphias, "the leader of a 
 seditious tumult of mariners and poor people?" — [Life of Josephus, 
 sec. 12. 
 
 "Was he Jesus, the brother-in-law of Justus, who [Jesus] had been 
 "wisely put to death?"— [Ibid. sec. 35, 37. 
 
 Was he Jesus, the son of Ananus, "a plebeian and a husbandman," 
 who came to the feast of the tabernacles, and began suddenly to cry 
 aloud: 
 
 "A voice from the east and a voice from the west, a voice from the 
 four winds, a voice against Jerusalem and the holy house, a voice 
 against the bridegrooms and the brides, and a voice against the whole 
 people;" and who, for seven years and five months, continued to cry, 
 even though cruelly scourged, 'Woe, woe to Jerusalem!'"— [B. J. 
 vi. 5, 3. 
 
 Or could he have been that unnamed person who "came out of 
 Egypt;" who "said that he was a prophet, and advised the multitude 
 of the common people to go along with him to the Mount of Olives;" 
 and who "said further that he would show them from hence how, at 
 his command, the walls of Jerusalem would fall down."— [A. J., bk. 
 xx., ch. 8, 6.] The same Egyptian prophet led his followers into the 
 wilderness.— [B. J., ii. 13. A. J., xx. 8. 6. See Acts,21. 38. 
 
 Or, by a strange anachronism, could he have been connected with 
 Judas of Galilee, who was "the author of the fourth sect of Jewish 
 philosophy, who had inviolable attachment to liberty, and said that 
 God was their only ruler and Lord; who did not value any kind of 
 death, nor could any such fear make them call any man Lord;"— [A. 
 J., xviii. 1, 6]; who "was a teacher of a peculiar sect of his own, and 
 
508 APPENDIX — THE ESSENES. 
 
 was not at all like the rest" of the leaders of the Jews ?— [B. J., ii. 8. 1.. 
 
 Again: Why is the New Testament silent concerning the Essenes ? 
 We have seen that the statement that they were not accustomed to 
 go up to Jerusalem to sacrifice, is not a sufficient explanation, simply 
 because it is untrue. 
 
 On the contrary, the fact that they did go up to Jerusalem and per- 
 form sacrifices or purifications of their own, would make them spe- 
 cially prominent. It was an important sect, and the oldest of any. 
 Why is it not mentioned in the New Testament ? 
 
 JESUS THE NAZARENE. 
 Fifteen times in the New Testament the Galilean is spoken of as 
 "Jesous ho Nazoraios," in the original; which, in King James' trans- 
 lation, is, in every instance but two, translated "Jesus of Nazareth;" 
 but which, in every instance, should have been rendered, "Jesus the 
 Nazarite," or, which would also be unobjectionable, "Jesus the Naza- 
 rene." This (the latter rendering) is conceded in McClintock and 
 Strong's Biblical Cyclopedia to be the better one. Under the title of 
 "Jesus" it has the following: 
 
 "To distinguish our Lord from others bearing the name, he was 
 termed Jesus of Nazareth (John 18. 7, etc.), strictly, Jesus the Naza- 
 rene, Jesous ho Nazoraios.'' 
 
 Now, why did King James' translators so pertinaciously insist 
 upon a rendering which is admitted by the highest Biblical (orthodox) 
 authority, not to be strictly correct ? 
 
 That Jesus the Nazarene had lived in Galilee, is reasonably certain. 
 And it is very possible that he lived in a place which was afterward 
 named Nazareth. That the word Nazaret was derived from Nazo- 
 raios or Nazareenos is manifestly more probable than that these 
 words were derived from Nazaret. The words Nazareenos and Naz- 
 oraios have a plain, etymological history; while taking Nazaret as an 
 original word, commentators are all at sea as to its origin. Besides, 
 we look in vain for any such place as Nazareth in the life-time of 
 Jesus. 
 
 There is no sufficient evidence that there was any place known by 
 the name of Nazareth before the destruction of Jerusalem. The 
 word does not occur in the Old Testament, nor in Josephus. In the 
 
APPENDIX THE ESSENES. 509 
 
 New Testament it is to be found once in the Acts of the Apostles, a 
 book written late in the second century. It occurs also several times 
 in the Gospels, which were composed long after the destruction of 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 It is said in Matthew that Joseph, the father of Jesus, dwelt in a 
 city called Nazareth. But if there was any city by that name, it was 
 near Tiberias; and how is it that no mention is made of it by Jose- 
 phus? In his administration of the affairs of Galilee, he had his 
 headquarters much of the time at or near Tiberias. He was per- 
 fectly familiar with all of that region, and made frequent mention of 
 the principal places. Not only does he not speak of any such city, 
 but he says expressly that there was no Jewish city near Tiberias.— 
 [Life of Josephus, sec. 65; Whiston, vol. 2, p. 155. 
 
 It is certainly remarkable that while Paul, besides mentioning 
 Christ by the name of Christ more than two hundred times, refers to 
 him as Jesus, either alone or in connection with other names, more 
 than two hundred times also, he does not once designate him as 
 "Jesus of Nazareth." Had he known any such place, that he should 
 have referred to Christ as "Jesus of Nazareth," would have been 
 most natural. 
 
 We can now see why King James' translators insisted upon mak- 
 ing, and why the translators of the revised version insist upon main- 
 taining in most instances, the translation "Jesus of Nazareth." 
 
 It is because, for the purpose of giving credence to the legendary 
 stories in Luke and in Matthew, concerning the birth and the child- 
 hood of Jesus, they wish it understood that the Bible is full of refer- 
 ences to "Jesus of Nazareth;'' whereas that phrase in the English 
 version has its equivalent in Greek but three times in the entire New 
 Testament; although Jesus is referred to by the name of Jesus only 
 nearly six hundred times in the Gospels alone. 
 
 But while there is no sufficient evidence that there was any "Jesus 
 of Nazareth" before the destruction of Jerusalem, and especially 
 during the life-time of Christ, with "Jesus the Nazarene," the case is 
 far different. The phrase occurs too many times not to believe that 
 it was in the original manuscripts from which the New Testament 
 Gospels were composed. It is more than probable that the place 
 
510 APPENDIX — THE ESSENES. 
 
 where Jesus had resided was afterward called Nazareth, from having 
 been the residence of Jesus the Nazarene. 
 
 THE DISCIPLES OF JESUS WERE ESSENES— 
 THE EVIDENCE. 
 It may be asked: 
 
 ""What evidence have you that the followers of Jesus were Es- 
 senes ?" 
 We reply, the testimony of Epiphanius: 
 
 "We should give the reason why those who gave to Christ his name 
 were, before they took the name of Christians, called Jessenes; 
 (Greek, lessaioi.) 
 
 "I will remind you, it was because Jesse was the father of David, 
 and they were therefore named from Jesse, or they obtained the 
 name of Jessenes [lessaioi] from Jesus Christ our Lord, being per- 
 fected in doctrine by Jesus, whose disciples they were; or else, finally, 
 from the signification of the name by which our Lord was called. 
 
 "Jesus, in the Hebrew, signifies a healer, or physician. However 
 that may be, this is the name by which they were known before they 
 were called Christians." — [Epiph. Hseres. xxix. 4. 
 
 The word here used, Iessaios, is slightly different from that used by 
 Philo, which is Essaios (Essene). Josephus, writing of the Essenes, 
 has sometimes Essaios and sometimes Essenos. 
 
 Dr. Lightfoot says of this passage in Epiphanius, "From the con- 
 nection the same sect seems to be meant." There is no doubt of it 
 whatever; since in the same connection Epiphanius refers to what 
 Philo had said about the same people. 
 
 THE NAZAEITES. 
 
 As to what constituted a Nazarite, see the sixth chapter of Num- 
 bers. 
 
 To leave the locks unshorn while undertaking any difficult task in 
 which divine aid was invoked, and to cut the hair and consecrate 
 it after success, was practiced among various ancient nations. 
 
 Cyril of Alexandria considered that letting the hair grow "was 
 taken from the Egyptians." 
 
 The Nazarite custom was continued down to the Christian era. 
 
 Josephus tells us of a vow of Bernice, the sister of Agrippa, who 
 
APPENDIX — THE ESSENES. 511 
 
 was staying at Jerusalem in order to perform her vow. — [B. J. ii. 15. 1. 
 In the fourth book of his Antiquities, Josephus alludes to the 
 Nazarites in the following language. 
 
 "Moreover, those that have made a sacred vow, I mean those that 
 are called Nazarites [Nazaraioi], that suffer their hair to grow long, 
 and use no wine, when they consecrate their hair and offer it for a 
 sacrifice, they are to allot what is shorn off to the priests."— [A. J., 
 iv. 4. 4. 
 
 The ancient custom of the Nazarites prevailed among the Jewish 
 disciples- of Jesus, and Paul was required to conform to it in order to 
 satisfy the Jews of his fidelity to their institutions. See Acts xxi. 23 
 to 26, where Paul was asked by Jewish believers to take four men who 
 had a vow on them, and to purify himself with them, and be at 
 charges with them, that they might shave their heads (cut their hair), 
 thus satisfying the Jews that he did not look with contempt or in- 
 difference upon the ordinances of Moses. This Paul did accordingly. 
 
 Some were Nazarites for life. Such were Samson and Samuel. 
 
 JOHN THE NAZARITE, CALLED JOHN THE BAPTIST. 
 
 Nazarite was "Naziraios," or "Nazaraios," which were equivalent. 
 The Greek word applied to the followers of Jesus was "Nazoraios," 
 and this is a term by which they were known during the life-time of 
 Jesus; since, even taking the statement in the Acts of the Apostles 
 as it stands, it was not until after the death of the Galilean that his 
 followers took the name of Christians. Before, it was Essenes and 
 Nazarenes. 
 
 "Nazarene'" is the English word which has been substituted for 
 "Nazoraios," and to carry the reader away from the true signification, 
 "Nazarene" is rendered "of Nazareth." But "Nazoraios" was but 
 another form for "Nazaraios" and "Naziraios." "Naziraios" and 
 "Nazaraios" meant a Nazarite, one under a vow, and subjected to 
 the ceremonial law prescribed in the sixth chapter of Numbers. 
 Such was John the Baptist, who, like Samson and Samuel, was a 
 Nazarite for life. 
 
 Appearing as such, and inviting Jesus to his baptism, he estab- 
 lished a sect called "the Nazarites." Jesus attached himself to this 
 sect, and, after the death of John, became its leader. 
 
 Jesus himself, although he fiercely denounced the Pharisees and 
 
512 APPENDIX THE ESSENES. 
 
 the Sadducees, had nothing to say against the Essenes. Neither had 
 John the Baptist. When he saw Pharisees and Sadducees coming to 
 his baptism, he cried out: "O, generation oi vipers, who hath warned 
 you to flee from the wrath to come ?" 
 
 If the Jews were divided into three sects, and John and Jesus were 
 denouncing two of those sects, to which of them did John and Jesus 
 themselves belong ? 
 
 The brilliant De Quincey thought that Josephus, in describing the 
 Essenes, was describing the disciples of Jesus and no other people 
 whatever. But such a theory at once takes away all history of the 
 Essenes as a previously existing sect. 
 
 JESUS THE NAZARITE. 
 
 That Jesus was a Nazarite, under the Mosaic law, is in the highest 
 degree probable. 
 
 That he wore long hair is in accord with all the traditions in regard 
 to his personal appearance. He was "separated" and devoted to the 
 service of the Lord from his infancy. The author of the Epistle to 
 the Hebrews speaks of Jesus as a high priest, "holy, harmless, unde- 
 flled, separate from sinners."— [Heb. 7. 26. 
 
 Jesus was a Jew, and observed the Jewish customs. He worshiped 
 in the synagogues on the Sabbath— he participated in the national 
 festivals — and there is no reason to doubt that he observed all the 
 rites and ceremonies which were peculiarly incumbent upon those 
 who, like himself, had been separated and consecrated to divine 
 service, even from the mother's womb. 
 
 Again, the very name attached to Jesus, and by which he was dis- 
 tinguished from others of the name, indicates that he was a Nazarite. 
 He was sometimes called the Galilean, and some thought him the 
 Christ. But he was more usually called "Jesus the Nazarite" (lesous 
 ho Nazoraios); sometimes translated, properly enough, "Jesus the 
 Nazarene.' 7 It is a fair inference that Jesus, as well as John, was a 
 Nazarite from birth, and that his participation in John's baptism had 
 much to do with the naming of the sect. Here was John the Nazar- 
 ite baptizing, and Jesus the Nazarite coming to his baptism. What 
 more natural than that the sect then formed should be called the 
 Nazarites, or the Nazarenes ? 
 
JESUS THE NAZARITE. 51$ 
 
 There is every reason to believe that Luke, 7. 33. 34, is an interpola- 
 tion. It is not in Marcion, the older Gospel, from which Luke was 
 composed. The entire passage, from vv. 29 to 35 inclusive, is wanting 
 in the Gospel of Marcion. 
 
 One historical book of the Hebrews, called "Juchasin," asserts that 
 the Essenes were Nazarites. The author, who was Abraham Zac- 
 huth, calls the Essene, in Latin, translated from Hebrew, "Nazi- 
 raeos" or "Nazaraeos," both forms meaning the same, Nazarite. The- 
 Hebrew word signifies "separated;" also "holy;" translated into the 
 Greek (Septuagint) by the word "heegiasmenos." In the title of the- 
 work he writes: 
 
 "Nazarites, who are called Essenes." 
 
 Those who are curious to continue these investigations may con- 
 sult the very learned work, edited by Ugolinus, entitled: 
 
 "Thesaurus Antiquitatum Sacrarum," etc., published at Venice in 
 1759. In the 22d volume of this work will be found much abstruse 
 learning upon this interesting subject. 
 
 That Jesus was well known as "the Nazarite," is manifest from 
 the Gospels, both the apocryphal and the canonical. 
 
 The exact relation subsisting between the Essenes and the Naza- 
 renes, it is difficult to determine. For eighteen hundred years the 
 efforts of those most interested have been directed to covering up 
 and destroying what would have thrown light upon the subject. 
 
 How far these classes were involved in the war between the Jews 
 and the Eomans, is a question involved in mystery. We learn from 
 Josephus that some of the Jewish leaders in the war were Essenes, 
 and from the Gospels themselves that Jesus had armed followers. 
 Beyond that, much is left to conjecture. 
 
 Scarcely any allusion is made in any of the New Testament writ- 
 ings to the insurrectionary war being carried on by the Jews against 
 the Romans, though, according to Bible chronology, the history in 
 the Acts of the Apostles is brought down to within a few years of 
 the destruction of Jerusalem. 
 
 If the disciples and the followers of Jesus and the Jewish converts 
 of Peter and Paul took no part in these transactions, why is there 
 such a profound silence in regard to them in the New Testament 
 writings ? 
 
514 JESUS THE NAZARITE. 
 
 The commencement of the Jewish war is generally dated at the 
 time when Vespasian was sent into Judea with an army, A. D. 66. 
 But if any reliance at all can be placed upon the accounts given 
 by Josephus, Judea had been, for seventy years previous, the scene 
 of constant tumults, revolts and insurrections against the Roman 
 power. These resulted sometimes in the slaughter of thousands and 
 «ven tens of thousands of people in Jerusalem, or in the immediate 
 neighborhood. Yet of all this the New Testament authors are pro- 
 foundly ignorant; and concerning such important and exciting events 
 the books themselves are profoundly silent. 
 
 The Acts of the Apostles, which professes to give a history of the 
 disciples for thirty years, A. D. 33 to A. D. 63, making Jerusalem and 
 Judea the scene of much of the narrative, has not a word to say 
 about the attempt made by Caius Caligula to set up his statue in 
 Jerusalem, an attempt which created such a tumult that it came 
 near ending in open war— [Jos. A. J. xviii. 8; B. J. ii. 10];— not a 
 word about the difficulties under Cumanus, and the tumult in which 
 ten thousand people were trampled to death— [B. J. ii. 12, 1]; — no 
 account of the insurrection of the Sicarii and of the magicians, and 
 the attempt made by the Egyptian false prophet, who had a large 
 force at his command which he led round about from the wilderness 
 to the Mount of Olives and with whom Felix had a battle, though all 
 these events took place within that thirty years. The curtain is 
 raised sufficiently for Paul to be asked if he was not that Egyptian 
 who, before those days, made an uproar, etc., when it suddenly falls 
 again, as if it were an unintentional reference to scenes relegated to 
 the darkness of oblivion. 
 
 Reference is made to one Theudas, Acts 5. 36, who had headed an 
 insurrection about the time of the birth of Christ or soon after, but 
 there is no reference to the Theudas who long afterward was at the 
 head of a formidable insurrection [Josephus A. J. xx. 5, 1], although 
 it occurred during the very time covered by the history of the Acts 
 of the Apostles. Josephus knew nothing of the Theudas of the Acts, 
 and the author of the Acts knew nothing or pretended to know noth- 
 ing of the Theudas of Josephus. 
 
 When we consider this profound and mysterious silence of the 
 Hew Testament books, we are prepared to accept the statement of 
 
APPENDIX — THE ZEALOTS. 515 
 
 Epiphanius in regard to the connection of the followers of Jesus with 
 the Essenes, Their participation in the Jewish war would naturally 
 follow. 
 
 "The- Essenes,'' says Thomas Goodwin in his Dissertation on the 
 Theocracy of the Israelites, "adored Christ with unanimous con- 
 sent." 
 
 IX. 
 
 The Zealots. 
 
 "In the progress of time," says Origen, "they (the Essenes) became- 
 separated; and not adhering to the same order of discipline, they 
 were divided into four parties. Some of them are exceedingly re- 
 ligious." After giving illustrations of their religious zeal, which 
 sometimes led to acts of violence, he adds: 
 
 "Wherefore, by chance they drew upon themselves the name 
 Zealots. And by some they were called Sicarii." — [Origen against 
 Heresies, ix. 26. 
 
 To the same effect is the testimony of Chrysostom, one of the 
 earliest and most eminent of the Greek fathers. After saying that 
 there were three sects among the Jews, viz: Pharisees, Sadducees 
 and Essenes, speaking of the Essenes he says : 
 
 "The same are also Sicarii, because of their being Zealots." ( Hoi 
 autoi de kai Sikarioi, dia to einai Zelotai.) — [Homil. in Act. Apost. 
 46; on Acts 21. 18-38. 
 
 For a long time there had been a party among the Jews who had 
 been called Zealots; but it was not until about the year 54 A. D.,. 
 after the appointment of Felix as procurator, that they were called 
 Sicarii. Afterward the words were used interchangeably. 
 
 Ugolinus speaks of these Jewish sects. After referring to the 
 statement of Drusius, cap. xxi. in Scholia Graeca, in which he called 
 the Essenes Sicarii, that is, Zealots, and after saying that Theophil- 
 actus writes the same, Ugolinus continues as follows: 
 
 "Not all of the Essenes were Sicarii; but those who transferred 
 themselves to the sect of Judas, the Galilean. These, urged by a 
 peculiar zeal for God, were called Zealots." (Latin, Zelotes; Greek, 
 
516 APPENDIX THE ZEALOTS. 
 
 Zelotai.)— [Ugolinus, Dissertation concerning the three sects of the 
 Jews, cap. xiv., sec. 4; in his Thesau. Antiq., vol. 22, p. 162. 
 
 Concerning these people, sometimes called Sicarii and sometimes 
 Zealots, Josephus gives us full information.— [Jewish War, bk. ii. 13, 
 3; ii. 17, 6; iv. 3, 9-14; ch. 4; ch. 5; ch. 6; ch. 7, 2; vii. 8-11. 
 
 The Sicarii, he says, derived their name from sica, the Latin word 
 for dagger or dirk-knife. This weapon, called by Josephus in one 
 place dagger, and in another place sword, was carried under the 
 besom [B. J., ii. 17. 6], and was suddenly thrust into the victim with- 
 out the slightest warning. 
 
 From those of the Essenes who had joined the sect established by 
 Judas the Galilean — "the fourth sect" spoken of by Josephus — came 
 the disciples and followers of Jesus. They were "Zealots for the 
 law." Though the Scribes and the Pharisees were constantly watch- 
 ing to entrap Jesus for non-observance of the law, they could never 
 succeed; he was zealous for its observance as he construed it; and 
 "his disciples were more zealous for the law than were the Scribes and 
 the Pharisees themselves. 
 
 In the first place, one of the Apostles was Simon Zelotes (Luke 6. 
 15: Acts 1. 13), or Simon the Zealot. In Matthew 10. 4, and Mark 3. 
 18, he is called Simon the Canaanite; but this is conceded to be a 
 mistranslation. The word rendered "Canaanite" is the Syriac word 
 Eananites, and means the same as the Greek word Zelotes, or the 
 "English word "Zealot." 
 
 The Douay version reads, "Simon the Cananean," both in Matthew 
 and in Mark. 
 
 In the translation of the Diatessaron of Tatian, by Eev. J. Hamlin 
 Hill, B. D., Edinburgh, 1894, the rendering of Luke 6. 15, is, instead of 
 "Simon, called Zelotes," "Simon, which is called the Zealot." 
 
 In the translation by Agnes Smith Lewis, M. R. A. S., London and 
 New York, 1894, of the ancient Syriac MS. discovered by Tischen- 
 •dorf, called the Sinaitic, and which is considered the oldest manu- 
 script of the Gospels in existence, the reading is, both in Matt. 10. 4, 
 and in Mark 3. 18, instead of "Simon the Canaanite," "Simon the 
 Zealot." 
 
 McClintock and Strong, in their Biblical Cyclopedia, after giving 
 the different names of this apostle, say: "Each of these equally 
 
APPENDIX THE ZEALOTS. 517 
 
 points out Simon as belonging to the faction of the Zealots, who 
 were conspicuous for their fierce advocacy of the Mosaic ritual." — 
 [Art. "Simon." 
 
 Again: It appears from the Gospels themselves that Jesus was 
 surrounded by armed Zealots as his followers when he was appre- 
 hended. He was told that there were two swords (machairai); and 
 he said it was sufficient. — Luke 22. 38. The "machaira" was a dirk- 
 knife; the same kind of a weapon as that which was called in Latin 
 sica, and which gave their name to the Sicarii. 
 
 Afterward, one of those who were with Jesus drew his dirk-knife 
 (macJiairan) and struck a servant of the high priest, cutting off his 
 ear— Matt. 26. 51; Mark 14. 47; Luke 22. 49, 50; John 18. 10. John 
 gives the servant's name, and says that it was Simon Peter who 
 struck the blow. 
 
 Again: The Gospels make frequent mention of the fact that those 
 seeking to take Jesus feared the people. — Matt. 21. 46; Mark 11. 32; 
 12. 12; Luke 20. 19; 22. 2. Why should they stand so much in fear of 
 an unorganized multitude, unless they knew that some of them, at 
 least, were secretly armed? 
 
 Not only was Jesus surrounded by Zealots, but he was himself a 
 Zealot. It was in execution of a Jewish law, called "the law of the 
 Zealots," that, with a whip made of small cords, he scourged the 
 money-changers and drove them from the temple. 
 
 Such is the opinion of Selden, than whom, perhaps, a man never 
 lived more learned in the law. In his work, Be Jure Natur. et Gent. 
 bk. iv., c. iv., he goes into a thorough examination of the law of the 
 Zealots. The chapter is entitled: 
 
 "Concerning the singular Law of the Zealots among the Hebrews; 
 according to which those caught in various crimes were, by private 
 persons, beaten with impunity, or put to death on the spot." 
 
 He gives, in this chapter, a full explication of the law, citing San- 
 hedrin, cap. 9, sec. ult.; Gemar Babylon, ib. fol. 81; b. & c. Hierosoly- 
 mit. cod. tit. fol. 27, col. 2. These private avengers are denominated 
 "pious men who are fired with zeal for God." "Homines pii," says 
 Selden, "qui zelo Nutrients acoenderentur." 
 
 The next chapter he devotes to a consideration of the question, 
 whether Christ was acting under this law in driving the money- 
 
518 APPENDIX — THE ZEALOTS. 
 
 changers out of the temple. After a very learned disquisition, in 
 which he examines the various offenses which might be thus sum- 
 marily punished, among which was desecrating the temple or the 
 sacred utensils, he comes to the pious conclusion that Jesus, wishing 
 to present himself as a perfect exemplar of absolute justice, was 
 willing that all should see that what he was doing was according to 
 law. Hence he scourged the money-changers in accordance with 
 a law of the Hebrews, called "the Law of the Zealots;" a law author- 
 izing private punishment for religious offenses. 
 
 This law is referred to by Philo, also, in one of his treatises. After 
 speaking of the punishments of God, he says: 
 
 "But the punishments which are inflicted by men, are of various 
 characters, being death or scourging, those men who are more excel- 
 lent and more strict in their piety, inflicting death on such offenders, 
 but those who are of milder dispositions, scourging them with rods 
 publicly in the sight of all men."— [De. Spec. leg. 6. 7; Works, III, 
 p. 261. 
 
 The influence of the Zealots, after the death of Jesus, is well illus- 
 trated by the following account from the Acts of the Apostles: 
 
 "And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us 
 gladly. 
 
 "And the (day) following Paul went in with us unto James; and all 
 the elders were present. 
 
 "And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what 
 things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry. 
 
 "And when they heard (it), they glorified the Lord, and said unto 
 him : Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are 
 who believe; and they are all zealous of the law [zelotai tou noinou, 
 correctly translated in the Douay version, 'Zealots for the law;'] 
 
 "And they are informed of thee that thou teachest all the Jews 
 who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought 
 not to circumcise (their) children, neither to walk after the customs. 
 
 "What is it, therefore? the multitude must needs come together; 
 for they will hear that thou art come. 
 
 "Do, therefore, this that we say to thee: We have four men who 
 have a vow on them; 
 
 "Them take and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with 
 them, that they may shave (their) heads; and all may know that 
 those things whereof they were informed concerning thee are noth- 
 ing; but (that) thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the 
 
 Iqw t t- sf 
 
APPENDIX THE ZEALOTS. 519 
 
 "Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself 
 with them, entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of 
 the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for 
 every one of them."— [Acts, ch. 21, vv. 17 to 26. 
 
 In order to understand fully this account, it is necessary to have 
 recourse to a passage in the untranslated works of Origen. 
 Speaking of the Essenes, he says: 
 
 "Some there are who, when one of them hears some one discoursing 
 concerning God and his laws, if he is not circumcised, when he 
 catches such a man somewhere by himself, he threatens him with 
 death, unless he becomes circumcised; and unless he is willing to 
 comply, he does not spare him, but cuts him to pieces."— [Contra 
 Haereses, ix. 26. Series Graeca, vol. 16, pt. 3, p. 3404. 
 
 From what Origen here says it is plain that Paul was in imminent 
 danger of his life. No one knew this better than did Paul, who was 
 himself a Zealot, and had been one of the fiercest Zealots for the law. 
 He lost no time, therefore, in complying with the suggestion of his 
 Jewish brethren. That he acted none too soon in this matter, is 
 manifest from the statement in Acts, ch. 23, vv. 12 to 21, where it 
 appears that more than forty of the Zealots had bound themselves 
 by an oath, that they would neither eat nor drink till they had put 
 Paul to death. 
 
 At a later day the spirit and zeal of the Jewish Zealots were trans- 
 ferred to the Christian converts. When these became consolidated 
 into a compact ecclesiastical body, that spirit and zeal found a suit- 
 able field for activity. 
 
 X. 
 The Inquisition. 
 
 PETER AND PAUL. 
 
 Peter, according to the account in the Acts of the Apostles, struck 
 dead Ananias and Sapphira because they had lied and kept back part 
 of the price of land they had sold. 
 
 Dr. Doellinger, an eminent Catholic theologian, commenting on 
 this transaction, says: 
 
 "When Ananias and Sapphira, through their hypocrisy and avar- 
 icious attempt at deception, had made the first assault on the author- 
 ity of the apostles and the holy ghost ruling in the church, St. Peter 
 
520 APPENDIX — THE INQUISITION. „ 
 
 inflicted a terrible punishment upon them."— [First Age of the 
 Church, by John Ignatius Doellinger, D. D., 2d London Edition, 
 1867, p. 44. 
 
 Paul, before his conversion, persecuted the disciples, making havoc 
 among them, entering into every house, haling men and women and 
 committing them to prison. He continued to breathe out threaten- 
 ing^ and slaughter against the disciples until his conversion, and 
 after his conversion his persecution was transferred to the heretics 
 within the church. 
 
 DOCTRINES OF PAUL. 
 
 Blood Atonement.— It is difficult to understand how any one 
 can deny that Paul taught the doctrine of the atonement. His views 
 are set forth in language sufficiently explicit in the following pass- 
 ages, all taken from the epistles which are, by the German critics, 
 admitted to be genuine: 
 
 "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation, through faith in 
 his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that 
 are past, through the forbearance of God." — [Eomans iii. 25. 
 
 "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died 
 for the ungodly. 
 
 "For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet peradventure 
 for a good man some would even dare to die. 
 
 "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were 
 yet sinners, Christ died for us. 
 
 "Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be 
 saved from wrath through him. 
 
 "For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the 
 death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by 
 his life. 
 
 "And not only (so), but we also joy in God through our Lord 
 Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement." — 
 [Rom. v. 6-11. 
 
 "He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, 
 how shall he not with him also freely give us all things ?— [Rom. 
 viii. 32. 
 
 "For I delivered unto you first of all, that which I also received, 
 how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures." — 
 [1 Cor. xv. 3. 
 
 "Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this 
 present evil world." — [Galatians i. 4. See also Gal. iii. 13. 
 
APPENDIX THE INQUISITION. 521 
 
 Justification by Faith.— Paul was equally plain in announcing 
 this doctrine. See Romans i. 16; iii. 22-24; iii. 30; iv. 5; iv. 16; v. 1; 
 Gal. ii. 16. 
 
 Election and Predestination.— These doctrines were promul- 
 gated by Paul in language, if possible still more explicit. See Eom. 
 via. 28, 30; ix. 11-24; xi. 5-7. 
 
 ORIGIN OF THESE DOCTRINES. 
 
 Sacrifice as an atonement for sin, was a doctrine with which the 
 Jews were familiar. It had prevailed among all the nations of 
 antiquity. The practice had its origin, as is well known, in the 
 supposed necessity of placating an angry God. To appease the divine 
 wrath offerings were made, at first of the fruits of the earth, then of 
 animals. Among the Jews the prevailing doctrine is stated in the 
 Epistle to the Hebrews: "Without shedding of blood is no remis- 
 sion."— [Heb. ix. 22. 
 
 If the blood of lambs and goats could so far appease the angry 
 Deity as to induce him to remit the sins of a people, how natural the 
 transition to the idea, that the death of a person of extraordinary 
 merit, and especially one reputed to be the Son of God himself, 
 should work the remission of the sins of the whole world. The 
 greater the sacrifice, the more extensive the propitiation. 
 
 The ancients were familiar, also, with the idea of sacrifice in the 
 form of crucifixion. Of these some of the more important were: 
 Chrishna, of India, B. C. about 1200; the Hindu, Buddha Sakia, B. 
 C. 600; Thulis, of Egypt, B. C. 1700; and Mithra, of Persia, B. C. 600. 
 
 Is it possible that Paul had heard nothing of these ancient saviors ? 
 And yet he was none the less sincere in believing that the true savior 
 had now appeared. It is true that Jesus himself, at no time during 
 his preliminary examination, either before the council or before 
 Pilate, or on his way to execution, or at the crucifixion, gave any 
 intimation that he was about to die for the sins of the world. 
 
 Nevertheless Paul, who had not participated in the Messianic 
 dreams of the other apostles, and of Jesus himself, was logically 
 impelled to look upon the suffering at the crucifixion as a sacrifice. 
 If he was abandoning one religion of atonement, he must take hold 
 of another, involving an atonement of a still higher character. 
 
522 APPENDIX THE INQUISITION. 
 
 This idea of a vicarious atonement, to which Paul was naturally 
 and logically led, in his transition from the Jewish to the Christian 
 faith, became with him the absorbing thought, the animating princi- 
 ple of his subsequent life. Henceforth he was to know only Jesus 
 and him crucified for the sins of the world. 
 
 To the atonement, justification by faith was but a corollary. The 
 sacrifice must be accepted by him for whom it was made. If his 
 faith should be sufficient, he would be washed and purified by the 
 blood of Jesus. 
 
 Predestination was but another form of the fatalistic doctrine of 
 the Essenes. Though educated as a Pharisee, Paul had adopted 
 many of the views of the Essenes, and was thoroughly imbued with 
 the fatalism of that sect. 
 
 There are other doctrines of the Apostle which have hitherto been 
 kept in the background, but which are of great importance in refer- 
 ence to the subsequent development of the Christian religion. These 
 must now be considered. 
 
 INQUISITION DOCTRINES. 
 
 Destruction of the Flesh foe the Salvation of the Spirit ; 
 or, Killing the Body to Save the Soul. 
 
 "Ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath 
 done this deed might be taken away from among you. 
 
 "For I verily, as absent in body but present in spirit, have judged 
 already, as though I were present, (concerning) him that hath so done 
 this deed 
 
 "To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, 
 that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus 
 
 "Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person." 
 —[1 Cor. v. 2, 3, 5, 13. 
 
 What is Paul's meaning here ? It is claimed that nothing more was 
 meant than excommunication from the church. 
 
 Such, however, was not the language used by the apostle, to direct 
 exclusion from the church. The brethren were to "withdraw" them- 
 selves from such (1 Tim. vi. 5; 2 Thess. iii. 6); or "from such" they 
 were to "turn away" (2 Tim. iii. 5) ; or they were to "avoid them" 
 (Rom. xvi. 17); or to "note" or notify them, and to "have no company" 
 with them (2 Thess. iii. 14). 
 
APPENDIX — THE INQUISITION. 523 
 
 Paul commanded the church at Corinth to "put away" from among 
 themselves that wicked person. The word here used is exareite 
 from exairo; or, according to the better reading, areite, from 
 airo. 
 
 Now, what is the meaning of airo and exairo t 
 
 The following is one of the definitions given by Liddell and Scott: 
 "To lift and take away, to take away, put an end to: later, to 
 kill." 
 
 So, one of the definitions of exaireo, of which exairo is a contracted 
 form, is, "to make away with." 
 
 This use of the phrase "take away," is recognized by us; as when 
 we say of a friend, "He has been taken away." In fact, this has been 
 a common use of the phrase and of its equivalents in other languages 
 for more than two thousand years. 
 
 In the New Testament there are frequent examples of the use of 
 the verb airo in this sense. 
 
 For instance: 
 
 Matt. xxiv. 39: "And knew not until the flood came, and took them 
 all away;" — Jcai eeren (from airo) Jiapantas. 
 
 Luke xxiii. 18: " And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with 
 this man (aire touton, take away this man), and release unto us 
 Barabbas." See also John xix. 15, and Acts xxi. 36. 
 
 John xvii. 15: "I pray not that thou shouldest take them (arees, 
 from airo) out of the world." 
 
 John xv. 2: "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh 
 away;" (airei from airo). 
 
 John xi. 48-50: "If we let him thus alone, all will believe on him; 
 and the Komans will come and take away (arousin from airo) both 
 our place and nation." 
 
 Acts viii. 33: "In his humiliation his judgment was taken away 
 (eertTj.ee, from airo); and who shall declare his generation? For his 
 life is taken (airetai) from the earth. 
 
 Acts xxii. 22: "And they gave him audience unto this word, and 
 (then) lifted up their voices, and said: Away with such a (fellow) 
 (aire ton toiouton, take away such a one) from the earth; for it is not 
 fit that he should live." 
 
 Thus the philological evidence is overwhelming. 
 But if there were any doubt remaining as to the meaning of this 
 ehapter, and the intent of the apostle, it should be removed by a 
 
524 APPENDIX — THE INQUISITION. 
 
 perusal of his subsequent letter to the same church, in which he 
 alludes to the same transaction. In that subsequent letter he 
 says: 
 
 "Though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I 
 did repent; for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, 
 though (it were) but for a season. 
 
 "Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed 
 to repentance; for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye 
 might receive damage by us in nothing. 
 
 "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be re- 
 pented of; but the sorrow of the world worketh death. 
 
 "For behold this self-same thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly 
 sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, (what) clearing of your- 
 selves, yea, (what) indignation, yea, (what) fear, yea, (what) vehement 
 desire, yea, what zeal, yea, (what) revenge! In all things ye have 
 approved yourselves to be clear in this matter. 
 
 "Wherefore, though I wrote unto you (I did it) not for his cause 
 that had done the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered wrong, but 
 that our care for you in the sight of God might appear unto you." — [2 
 Cor. vii. 8-12. 
 
 The apostle cared nothing for the accused party. Neither did he 
 care anything for him who had been wronged. His only care was for 
 the church. And now that the church had aroused itself, and in its 
 indignation and zeal had taken vengeance on the offender, he, Paul, 
 was satisfied. 
 
 He had already condemned the offender, and had pronounced sen- 
 tence, and he made it sufficiently clear that he desired the sentence to 
 be executed. That this had been done, clearly appears also from the 
 language of the second epistle. 
 
 The conclusion drawn from this chapter by Tertullian, Ambrose, 
 and other fathers of the church, was, "that the individual may be de- 
 stroyed in order that the church may be saved." 
 
 Nor do modern commentators find it easy to come to any other 
 conclusion. 
 
 In Scott's Henry's Comm., Phil., 1855, it is suggested that Paul was 
 to strike the offender with a dreadful disease in the midst of them, 
 while assembled together, so that they would be obliged on account 
 of this disease to carry him forth from their assembly.— [Page 272, 
 citing Bloomfield and Itosenmueller. 
 
 Olshausen admits that the phrase airein ek meso, "to put away 
 
APPENDIX THE INQUISITION. 525 
 
 from the midst," really means "to remove, i. e., to kill; " but he thinks 
 the exclusion from the church is to be understood as a spiritual 
 death.— [Comm. on 1 and 2 Cor. in 20th vol. Clarke's Theo. Lib. Ed. 
 1855, p. 88. 
 
 Dean Stanley frankly admits that Paul probably intended the 
 death of the offender.— [On the Epistles to the Corinthians, 5th edi- 
 tion, London, 1882, pp. 77, 78. 
 
 FURTHER FOUNDATIONS OF THE INQUISITION. 
 
 "I would they were even cut off who trouble you."— [Galatians 
 V. 12. 
 
 This also we are kindly asked to understand as merely an expres- 
 sion of the apostle's wish that certain persons might be excluded from 
 the church. But he claimed and exercised the right to direct the 
 exclusion of members from the church. Such directions had repeat- 
 edly been given.— [1 Tim. vi. 5; 2 Tim. iii. 5; 2 Thess. iii. 6, 14. 
 
 In this case he "would" that something might be done which he 
 had not the power absolutely to order. 
 
 Again: "I would they were even cut off." Is exclusion from the 
 church such an extreme punishment as to justify the use of the word 
 "even"? 
 
 "I would they were even cut off (apokopsontai) who trouble you." 
 
 Apokopsontai from apokopto. What is the meaning of this verb ? 
 
 The first definitions of the verb kopto, given by Liddell and Scott, 
 are as follows: 
 
 1. To strike, smite, cut. 
 
 2. To knock down, fell, slay. 
 
 3. To cut off, chop off. 
 
 The Greek preposition apo meaning from, the verb apokopto is de- 
 fined by the same authority, "to out off, hew off, knock off." 
 
 Let us look at the other places in the New Testament where it is 
 used: 
 
 1. Mark ix. 43: "And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off; (apokop- 
 son auteen.)" 
 
 2. Mark ix. 45: "And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off; (apokop- 
 son auton.)" 
 
 3. John xviii. 10: "Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, 
 and smote the high priest's servant, and cut off (apekopsen) his right 
 ear." 
 
526 APPENDIX THE INQUISITION. 
 
 4. John xviii. 26: "One of the servants of the high priest (being 
 his kinsman whose ear Peter cut off)" (apekopse) etc. 
 
 5. Actsxxvii. 32: "Then the soldiers cut off (apekopsan) the ropes 
 of the boat, and let her fall off." 
 
 Can there be any doubt about the meaning of this word ? Paul 
 wished these churches to do what he desired the Church at Corinth to 
 do. He wished the offenders cut off from the face of the earth. 
 
 In Adam Clarke's Commentaries we And the following comment 
 on this passage: 
 
 "At first sight it seems as if the apostles were praying for the de- 
 struction of the false teachers who had perverted the churches of 
 Galatia." 
 
 The learned commentator does not inform us how the first im- 
 pression made by reading the passage is to be removed. 
 
 Olshausen says: " An imprecation of punishment against his oppo- 
 nents." 
 
 The Pulpit Commentary of Spence and Extell favors the theory of 
 self -mutilation — a wish that they would mutilate themselves; and it 
 expressly disavows the construction which makes the apostle refer 
 merely to excommunication.— [Commentary on Galatians, p. 248. 
 
 The self -mutilation theory is simply absurd. According to that 
 view, Paul says: "I would they who trouble you would even mutilate 
 themselves." How would that relieve the church ? 
 
 No; Paul wanted these heretics to be put to death. 
 
 He had already pronounced them accursed: 
 
 "There be some that trouble you (the same expression), and would 
 pervert the Gospel of Christ. 
 
 "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel 
 unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be ac- 
 cursed."— [Gal. i. 7, 8. 
 
 And again: 
 
 "As we said before, so say I now again, if any (man) preach any other 
 gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." — 
 [Verse 9. 
 
 Now, what is the significance of being accursed ? 
 In Joshua vi. 17, we read as follows: 
 
 "And the city shall be accursed, (even) it and all that "(are) therein, 
 to the Lord: only Rahab the harlot shall live," etc. 
 
APPENDIX THE INQUISITION. 527 
 
 Again, in chapter vii. verse 12 : 
 
 "Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their ene- 
 mies, (but) turned (their) backs before their enemies, because they 
 were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy 
 the accursed from among you." 
 
 Among the Jews, to be accursed was to be subject to condign pun- 
 ishment. "He that is hanged (is) accursed of God."— [Deut. xxi. 23.] 
 Any one who stood accursed might be lawfully put to death. 
 
 Paul had been a persecutor before his conversion — he was a perse- 
 cutor still. The spirit of persecution pervades his writings. 
 
 "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema 
 maran-atha." — [1 Cor. xvi. 22. 
 
 In 2 Thess. i. 8, the Lord Jesus is spoken of as "taking vengeance" 
 on those who obey not his Gospel. 
 
 In 1. Tim. i. 20, Hymeneus and Alexander, who had departed from 
 the faith, he had "delivered unto Satan ." 
 
 In 2 Tim. iv. 14, "Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil; the 
 Lord reward him according to his works." 
 
 In Titus i. 11, referring to those in the church who were unruly, 
 and vain talkers and deceivers, it is said: 
 
 "Whose mouths must be stopped." 
 
 In Acts xiii. 8-11, he is represented as punishing with blindness 
 Elymas, that "child of the devil," who had withstood Barnabas and 
 Paul, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. 
 
 Thus was Paul strengthening the foundations of the Inquisition. 
 Those foundations had already been laid by his own doctrines and by 
 the teachings and example of Peter; and these apostles found en- 
 couragement in the denunciations of Jesus himself against unbe- 
 lievers. Those who founded the Inquisition also found encourage- 
 ment in his sanction of punishment by torture. (According to Matt, 
 xviii. 34, 35.) 
 
 We shall have occasion, as we proceed, to notice how these founda- 
 tions were gradually strengthened as time progressed. But one ad- 
 ditional circumstance need here be mentioned. There was a docu- 
 ment in general circulation in the early ages of the church, and at 
 that time considered of high authority. It was entitled, "The Epistle 
 
528 APPENDIX THE INQUISITION. 
 
 of Clement to James." It is translated in the 17th volume of the 
 Ante-Nicene Christian Library. 
 
 In this epistle, Clement describes his ordination. He says that when 
 Peter was about to die, the brethren being assembled (at Borne), he 
 laid his hands on Clement, as the Bishop, and communicated to him 
 the power of binding and loosing, etc., and as to him who should 
 grieve the President of the Truth, after declaring that such a one 
 sins against Christ and offends the Father of all, Peter proceeded as 
 follows: 
 
 "Wherefore, he shall not live; and therefore it becomes him who 
 presides to hold the place of a physician; and not to cherish the rage 
 of an irrational beast." 
 
 JEROME AND AUGUSTINE. 
 
 These are the most eminent of the Church Fathers. They were the 
 expounders of the Nicene Creed, and the highest authorities on faith 
 and doctrine. 
 
 Since these fathers stand as the great landmarks of Christian piety 
 and learning, and the great exponents of Christian doctrine, their 
 views on the subject of persecution, and especially concerning the 
 persecution of heretics, become of the highest importance. 
 
 JEROME. 
 
 Under Constantino and his sons, commissions had been issued 
 against heretics, especially against the Donatists, who were visited 
 with the most rigorous punishment. In 382, under Theodosius I., an 
 edict was published against the Manichseans and other sects. A law 
 of Honorius, in 398, threatened the professors of certain heresies, in 
 particular the priests of the Montanists and the Eunomians, with 
 banishment and death if they persisted in bringing people together. 
 The decrees for the extirpation of heathenism were even more severe. 
 Jerome and Leo the Great were in favor of the death penalty. 
 
 Let us look at the teachings of Jerome: 
 
 "We may ask," says he, "whether God is good, who has given the 
 law and the prophets, seeing the life of the wicked is prospered, and 
 they do not suffer anything from him, according to their deserts. 
 They have abounded indeed, all those who have separated themselves' 
 in contumely — those who with rabid jaws bark against their maker — 
 who reproach him with blasphemous speeches. 
 
APPENDIX THE INQUISITION. 529 
 
 "These have abounded — they have been planted, and have sent 
 forth roots. They have begotten sons, and have brought forth fruits. 
 What fruits has Marcion brought forth, begetting sons of Infidelity? 
 What Basilides? What Valentinus ? Concerning whom, indeed, it 
 is prophesied, saying: 'They have begotten sons, and have brought 
 forth fruit. Near art thou to their mouth, but far from their heart.' 
 'They call upon Jesus; but they have him not, neither do they confess 
 him as Christ. And thou, Lord, hast known me, and hast tried me 
 in thy sight. Sanctify them in the day of their killing.' (Jer. xii. 3.) 
 In what way would I expound this ? He calls the torments of those 
 who are tortured, sanctification. (Tormenta sanctiflcationem vocat 
 eorum qui torquentur.) 'Sanctify them,' he says, 'in the day of their 
 killing.' That is, 'by that thou killest them, sanctify them.'" (Id 
 est, per hoc quod interficis eos, sanctifica eos.) — [Works of Jerome, 
 Vol. v, 818. 
 
 Here is the doctrine of Paul — the destruction of the flesh that the 
 spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. But Jerome has 
 improved upon the Apostle, and has explained that the flesh may be 
 destroyed by torture, and that the torments will result in sanctifica- 
 tion. 
 
 AUGUSTINE. 
 
 In his earlier days, Augustine taught religious liberty. But these 
 were the generous impulses of youth. As he advanced in years, he 
 saw his error. In his "Retractations," he retracted his previous teach- 
 ing on this subject: 
 
 "There are two books of mine," he says, "the title of which is, 
 'Against the Party of Donatus.' In the first of these books I said 
 that I did not favor violently bringing into the communion schis- 
 matics by the force of any secular power. Indeed, I did not then 
 favor it, because I had not yet found out by experience, either to how 
 much evil impunity would embolden them, or to how much better 
 conditions the diligence of discipline might bring them."— [Eetracta- 
 tiones, Liber II, Caput V. 
 
 Having learned by experience the good results of "the diligence of 
 discipline," he was, from this on, outspoken in his advocacy of perse- 
 cution. 
 
 In his letter to Vincentius, A. D. 408, he says: 
 
 "We are precluded from rest by the Donatists; the repression and 
 correction of whom, by the powers which are ordained of God, ap- 
 pears to me to be labor not in vain. . . . 
 
530 APPENDIX THE INQUISITION. 
 
 "You are of opinion that no one should be compelled to follow 
 righteousness; and yet you read that the householder said to his serv- 
 ants, 'Whomsoever ye shall find, compel them to come in.' . . 
 
 "Paul was given up to be imprisoned and bound; but Satan is un- 
 questionably worse than any jailor; yet to him Paul himself gave up 
 one man for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit might be saved 
 in the day of the Lord Jesus. . . . 
 
 "Whatever, therefore, the true and rightful mother does, even 
 where something severe and bitter is felt by her children at her 
 hands, she is not rendering evil for evil, but is applying discip- 
 line to counteract the evil of sin, not with the hatred which seeks to 
 harm, but with the love which seeks to heal. If to inflict persecution 
 were in all cases blameworthy, it would not have been written in the 
 sacred books: 'Whoso privily slandereth his neighbor, him will I per- 
 secute' (cut off). In some cases, therefore, he who suffers persecution, 
 is in the wrong; and he who inflicts it, is in the right. . . . 
 
 "Truly, if past events recorded in the prophetic books were figures 
 of the future, there was given, under King Nebuchadnezzar, a figure 
 both of the time which the Church had under the apostles, and of 
 that which she now has. In the age of the apostles and the martyrs, 
 that was fulfilled which was prefigured when the aforesaid king com- 
 pelled pious and just men to bow down to his image, and cast into 
 the flames all who refused. Now, however, is fulfilled that which 
 was prefigured soon after in the same king, when, being con- 
 verted to the worship of the true God, he made a decree through- 
 out his empire, that whosoever should speak against the God of 
 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, should suffer the penalty 
 which their crime deserved. The earlier time of that king repre- 
 sented the former age of emperors who did not believe in Christ, at 
 whose hands the Christians suffered because of the wicked. But the 
 later time of that king represented the age of the successors to the 
 imperial throne, now believing in Christ, at whose hands the wicked 
 suffer because of the Christians."— [Letters of Augustine, p. 395, et 
 seq. 
 
 Again, speaking of heretics, he says : 
 
 "Let death seize upon them, and let them "go down quick into hell; 
 like Dathan and Abiram, the authors of an impious schism." — [Let- 
 ters of Augustine, pp. 395-420. 
 
 These were the teachings in accordance with which the burning of 
 heretics was soon after commenced, and was continued at intervals 
 until the twelfth century, when it was reduced to a system, and car- 
 
APPENDIX THE INQUISITION. 531 
 
 ried on extensively over the Christian world for nearly five hundred 
 years. 
 
 JESUS AND PAUL. 
 
 Jesus, according to the Gospel, taught the doctrine of punishment 
 in hell-fire; using Gehenna, or the valley of Hinnom, where the 
 corpses of the worst malefactors were burnt, as a symbol of the place 
 where evil doers would be punished in the future. And according to 
 the author of the Gospel of Matthew, he expressly sanctioned pun- 
 ishment by torture. 
 
 "And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till 
 he should pay all that was due unto him. 
 
 "So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from 
 your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses." — 
 [Matt, xviii. 34, 35. 
 
 The punishment in hell-fire was to be everlasting.— [Matt, xviii. 8; 
 xxv. 41, 46. 
 
 Paul, with the view of relieving the offender from this terrible 
 doom, and at the same time meting out to him punishment in this life, 
 taught that the body may be destroyed, in order that the spirit may 
 be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. 
 
 If Jesus said what he is reported to have said in the Gospel accord- 
 ding to Matthew, there must have been traditions of those sayings in 
 circulation in the time of Paul, and known to him; in which case it is 
 possible that Paul took this idea from the sayings of Jesus, as reported 
 in the fifth chapter of Matthew: 
 
 "And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast (it) from 
 thee; for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should 
 perish, and not (that) thy whole body should be cast into hell. 
 
 "And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast (it) from 
 thee; for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should per- 
 ish, and not (that) thy whole body should be cast into hell."— [Matt. v. 
 29,30. 
 
 A logical extension of the doctrine would require that if the of- 
 fense extend to the whole body, the whole body should perish rather 
 than be cast into hell. 
 
 The doctrine of substitution, and of expiatory suffering with 
 which Paul, with whom the atonement was a favorite doctrine, was 
 so familiar, naturally favored also his idea of the destruction of the 
 
532 APPENDIX THE INQUISITION. 
 
 body for the salvation of the soul. It was but another form of expi- 
 atory suffering. Instead of one person suffering in place of another, 
 it was the same person suffering in this life, in place of suffering in 
 the life to come. It was suffering for a short time here instead of 
 suffering throughout endless ages hereafter. 
 
 In that view, the infliction of the necessary pain here was an act of 
 mercy. 
 
 The merciful and compassionate character of the proceedings, as 
 seen from an orthodox Christian standpoint, will account for some of 
 the phrases in use by inquisitors — phrases which, it has been supposed 
 by some, were used in derision. 
 
 The heretic was admitted to an "audience"; he was "put to the 
 question" (by torture) ; he had preparatory "instruction" and "moni- 
 tion" — if he was to suffer everything but death, he was "reconciled"; 
 if he was to be burnt alive, he was to be "relaxed." The motto of the 
 Inquisition was, "mercy and justice."' 
 
 UNDER CONSTANTINE. 
 
 "Not a moment was lost," says Gibbon, "in excluding the ministers 
 and the teachers of the separated congregations from any share of 
 the rewards and the immunities which the emperor had so liberally 
 bestowed on the orthodox clergy. But as the sectaries might still 
 exist, under the cloud of royal disgrace, the conquest of the East was 
 immediately followed by an edict which announced their total de- 
 struction." — [Citing the Life of Constantino by Eusebius, vol. iii, ch. 
 63-66. 
 
 Under Constantino and his sons commissions were issued against 
 the Donatists, who were visited with the most rigorous punishment. 
 Under Theodosius I, in 382, heretics were searched out and pun- 
 ished; and from this time the terms "inquisition" and "inquisitors" 
 came into general use. In 385, Priscillian, the Gnostic and Mani- 
 chsean, was tried by Maximus, at Treves, by the use of torture, and 
 was put to death, with six of his disciples. 
 
 FIFTH CENTURY. 
 
 Having thus been brought into existence in the fourth century, the 
 Inquisition was in full blast early in the fifth century, during the 
 time of Jerome and of Augustine, who were well acquainted witn 
 the workings of the same. This is sufficiently manifest from the 
 Letters of Augustine himself. 
 
APPENDIX — THE INQUISITION. 533 
 
 In Letter civ, directed to Nestorius, he says: 
 
 "Have you perchance heard some report, which is as yet unknown 
 to us, that my brother Passidius had obtained authority for proceed- 
 ings of greater severity against your citizens, whom— you must ex- 
 cuse me for saying this — he loves in a way more likely to promote 
 their welfare than you do yourself ? For your letter shows that you 
 apprehend something of this kind, when you charge me to set before 
 my eyes 'the appearance presented by a town from which men doom- 
 ed to torture are dragged forth,' and to 'think of the lamentations of 
 mothers and of wives, of sons and of fathers, of the shame felt by 
 those who may return, set at liberty, indeed, but having undergone 
 the torture, and of the sorrow and groaning which the sight of their 
 wounds and scars must renew.' " — [Letters of Augustine, vol. 2, p. 64. 
 
 Again: In Letter cxxxiii, (A. D. 412,) to Marcellinus, he says: 
 
 "Fulfill, Christian judge, the duty of an affectionate father. Let 
 your indignation against their crimes be tempered by considerations 
 of humanity. Be not provoked by the atrocity of their sinful deeds, 
 to gratify the passion of revenge, but rather be moved by the wounds 
 which those deeds have inflicted on their own souls, to exercise a de- 
 sire to heal them. Do not lose now that fatherly care which you 
 maintained when prosecuting the examination, in doing which you 
 extracted the confession of such horrid crimes, not by stretching them 
 on the rack, not by furrowing their flesh with iron claws, not by 
 scorching them with flames, but by beating them with rods — a mode 
 of correction used by schoolmasters, and by parents themselves in 
 chastising children, and often also by bishops, in the sentences award- 
 ed by them. 
 
 "It is generally necessary to use more vigor in malting inquisition, 
 so that when the crime has been brought to light, there may be scope 
 lor displaying clemency."— [lb. p. 170. . . . 
 
 "Do not call for the executioner now, when the crime has been 
 found out, after having forborne from calling in the tormentor when 
 you were finding it out." — [Ibid. 
 
 Augustine was here urging clemency in a particular case. If in 
 this case the party addressed had refrained from "calling in the tor- 
 mentor," was there not a tormentor at hand ready to be called in 
 when it should be thought the exigencies of the case required it ? 
 
 When the wrath of Jerome was excited by Vigilantius forbidding 
 the adoration of relics, he expressed his wonder that the bishop of 
 the hardy heretic had not destroyed him in the flesh for the benefit of 
 his soul; and argued that piety and zeal for God could not be cruelty. 
 
534 APPENDIX THE INQUISITION. 
 
 Kigor, in fact, he argues, in another place, is the most genuine 
 mercy, since temporal punishment may avert eternal perdition. — 
 [Epist. 109, ad Rip. Comment, in Naum, 1, 9. 
 
 SIXTH CENTURY. 
 
 Not only was the Inquisition nourishing in the days of Jerome and 
 of Augustine, but it was expressly provided for in the Code of Jus- 
 tinian. 
 
 "The inquisition may be extended, also, to death." (In mortem 
 quoque inquisitio tendatur.) 
 
 The Eleventh Section is entitled, "Manicha^ans, wherever found, 
 are to be visited with capital punishment." (Manichaei ubicunque 
 reperti capitali poena plectuntur.) 
 
 FROM THE SIXTH TO THE TWELFTH CENTURIES. 
 
 After the time of Jerome and Augustine, it soon became the 
 general doctrine of the church, as expressed by St. Isidor of Seville 
 (A. D. 620), that princes are bound, not only to be orthodox them- 
 selves, but to preserve the purity of the faith, by the fullest exercise 
 of their power against heretics. 
 
 Under the Patriarch, Michael Oxista, the penalty of burning alive 
 was introduced as the punishment of the Bogomili. This was in 
 1119. 
 
 If the fires of the Inquisition were slumbering from the sixth to 
 the twelfth century, it was because heretics, during that time, were 
 neither so numerous nor so aggressive as to cause much trouble to 
 the church. 
 
 But it is a great mistake to suppose that the institution was first 
 established in the twelfth century in any other sense than that it was 
 then more completely organized, and made more effective than ever 
 before. 
 
 In 1163, the Cathari, detected in Cologne, were sentenced to be 
 burned by judges appointed for that purpose. 
 
 In 1212 eighty heretics were burned in Strassburg. 
 
 In England, the writ of de heretico comburendo, "concerning the 
 burning of heretics," was created by statute in 1401.— [Lea's Hist. 
 Inq., vol. 1, p. 221. 
 
APPENDIX THE INQUISITION. 535 
 
 FROM THE TWELFTH TO THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 
 
 In Prance, something was done in the latter part of the twelfth 
 century. But early in the thirteenth century, Pope Innocent III de- 
 termined, in order to efface forever the last vestige of heresy, to make 
 the Inquisition a permanent institution. In accordance with the de- 
 cisions and the directions of the Lateran Council of 1215, heretics 
 were hunted out and punished. 
 
 In 1232, it was placed under control of the Dominicans. 
 
 The institution prevailed in France until about the middle of the 
 sixteenth century. 
 
 In Germany, the first inquisitor was Conrad of Marburg, who or- 
 ganized the "holy office," and exercised its functions with terrible 
 severity in 1231-33. The institution lasted in Germany in a modified 
 form until the Reformation. 
 
 In Italy the Inquisition had a chequered history for nearly six 
 hundred years, until Napoleon, as King of Italy, put an end to it in 
 1808. It was re-established afterward, and continued in Sardinia 
 until 1848, and in Tuscany until 1859. 
 
 In England all attempts of Rome to introduce its Inquisition 
 failed; but the Protestant Inquisition took its place, and proved to 
 be no mean rival, whether we consider the extent of its operations 
 or the ferocity with which they were carried on. 
 
 The Netherlands.— For more than three hundred years the 
 horrors of the Inquisition were practiced in the Netherlands. Par- 
 ticularly was this the case under the bloody Duke of Alva, during 
 the reign and by the command of Philip II, of Spain. 
 
 On the 16th of February, 1568, by a sentence of the Holy Office, all 
 the inhabitants of the Netherlands were condemned to death as 
 heretics. From this universal doom only a few persons, specially 
 named, were excepted. "Three millions of people," says Motley, 
 "men, women and children, were sentenced to the scaffold in three 
 lines."— (Rise of the Dutch Republic, ii, 155.) Nothing but the want 
 of the requisite power prevented this bloody sentence from being 
 carried into execution. 
 
536 APPENDIX THE INQUISITION: 
 
 SPANISH INQUISITION. 
 
 The Holy Office was established in Aragon, by the Dominicans, in 
 1242. 
 
 Toward the close of the fifteenth century the Inquisition was re- 
 organized in Spain and carried on its work with thoroughness and 
 completeness. 
 
 Much has been said concerning the position occupied by Isabella of 
 Castile, in reference to the Inquisition, and much abuse and denun- 
 ciation of that great queen has been indulged in on account of her 
 connection with it. But the Inquisition had been a cherished insti- 
 tution there for two hundred and fifty years. Isabella was not re- 
 sponsible for it. She was in the hands of the priests; and to their 
 bloody projects she was obliged to yield, though she did so not with- 
 out a struggle. 
 
 Even McClintock and Strong exonerate Isabella.— [Article, "In- 
 quisition." 
 
 The power of Isabella was limited by the Cortes. Had she failed 
 to sanction the Inquisition, her reign would have been of very brief 
 duration. 
 
 Torquemada and his successors organized the work and carried it 
 on with great success for more than three hundred years. In 1808, 
 the Inquisition was abolished in Madrid by an edict of Joseph Bona- 
 parte. In 1814, it was re-established by Ferdinand VII. In 1820, the 
 palace of the Inquisition was destroyed by the people. In 1826, the 
 old tribunal was restored. It was suspended in 1834, and made nuga- 
 tory by the Constitution of 1855. Notwithstanding which, we find it 
 in force as late as 1857. Such has been the difficulty in putting an 
 end to this institution, which has hung on to life with desperate ten- 
 acity, claiming for its existence the same sanction which perpetuates 
 the most sacred and the most ancient ordinances and institutions of 
 the church. 
 
 No Auto da Fe, or public burning of heretics, has taken place in 
 Spain for nearly a hundred and fifty years. But for a long time after 
 these spectacles ceased, the sentences were carried into execution 
 privately in the buildings of the Inquisition. Executions were con- 
 tinued for another hundred years. 
 
APPENDIX THE INQUISITION. 537 
 
 Thus did the Inquisition do its bloody work for ages. 
 »^A.ll the inquisitors in all these countries, and during all these cen- 
 turies, were engaged in the same great work. They were giving 
 their victims an opportunity to expiate endless ages of torture and 
 of burnings in the life to come, by a brief season of torture or burn- 
 ing in this present life. 
 
 They were all following the teachings of Paul, of Jerome and of 
 Augustine. 
 
 They were engaged in the destruction of an immense number of 
 bodies, in order that a great multitude of souls might be saved in 
 the day of the Lord Jesus. -^/ 
 
 XI. 
 
 When Was the Bible Completed? 
 
 "Each individual book of Scripture is an integral part of the or- 
 ganic whole of Scripture. . . . 
 
 "The vision is shut up and the book is sealed. No hope has been 
 given us that the seals will be broken, or a new page added." — [The 
 New Testament Scriptures, by A. H. Cbarteris, D. D., Professor of 
 Biblical Criticism, etc., in the University of Edinburgh; N. Y., Robt. 
 Carter & Bro.; 1882, pp. 218, 222. 
 
 Such being the nature and condition of the Bible, it becomes im- 
 portant to know when it was completed; when the vision was shut 
 up, and the book sealed. 
 
 We will let Professor Charteris himself answer this question: 
 
 "There is not in the whole history of the Church of Christ down to 
 the Council of Trent in 1546, any decree or formal utterance of the 
 Church fixing the Canon."— [The New Testament Scriptures, p. 188. 
 
 Again: 
 
 "The Eastern Church was as completely without a fixed Canon as 
 the Western at the Reformation."— [Ibid. p. 199. 
 
 Now, since all the books composing the New Testament were 
 written, as is claimed, either in the first or second century, how is it 
 that for fourteen hundred years it could not be determined which of 
 those books were entitled to a place and had a right to be considered 
 Scripture, to the exclusion of others for which the same claim was 
 made? 
 
538 APPENDIX. 
 
 Is it not plain that there was not sufficient evidence to determine 
 which were genuine and which were not, and that there was no sat- 
 isfactory rule by which to settle the question ? And if the relative 
 validity and merit of the books as between each other could not be 
 determined during all that time, how can we know whether the 
 bishops of the second century decided correctly, when they selected 
 the four gospels now in the New Testament to the exclusion of 
 others which were afterward called apocryphal ? 
 
CD 
 
 O) 
 
 CO 
 
 Q_ 
 
 CO 
 
GENERAL INDEX. 
 
 (The figures in parenthesis indicate the year when the person lived or flourished.) 
 
 Aaron, the High Priest, John the Baptist 
 
 of the family of, 66. 
 Abbot, Prof., doubtful passages, 213. 
 Abgarus, king of Edessa, first picture 
 of Christ sent to, 223; correspondence 
 with Christ, 327; same probably a 
 forgery, 336. 
 Abraham, worshiped by heathen em- 
 perors, 64, 65, 112, 282, 283, 297, 369, 370, 
 425. 
 Abulpharagius (1256), 192. 
 "Accommodation," a mode of construing 
 
 scripture, 165. 
 Acosta, Father (1640), 439. 
 Actaeon. 437. 
 
 Acts of Andrew and Matthias, 140. 
 Acts of the Apostles, 61, 118, 119, 140, 2121 
 241, 245, 329, 331: when brought into 
 general circulation, 483; not historical, 
 25, 415, 419; not referred to by the apos- 
 tolic fathers, 39, 61; Cambridge MS. 
 contains 600 interpolations, 212; not in 
 Marcion's N. T., 274; critically consid- 
 ered, 415, 419; referred to in Murato- 
 rian fragment, 464; reference to pas- 
 sages in,n8, 328, 329, 398; its relation 
 to Roman Catholicism, 449, 450, 478, 
 482. 
 Acts of the Apostles, by Lucius, 415. 
 " of Barnabas, 140. 
 " of the Holy Apostle Thomas, 140. 
 " of John, 100. 
 " of St. Mary, 100. 
 " and Martyrdom of Andrew, abstract 
 
 of, 140. 
 " and Martyrdom of St. Matthew, 140. 
 •' of Paul and Thecla, 25, 140, 415. 
 " of Peter, 100. 
 
 " of Feter and Andrew, 33, 100, 140, 415. 
 " of Peter and Paul, 125, 140, 415; con- 
 taining letter of Fontius Pilate, 247; 
 
 also account of Peter and Simon 
 Magus before Nero, 125-127. 
 Acts of Philip, 415; abstract of, 140. 
 " of Pilate, 142, 144, 202-210, 211-241, 
 243, 247, 297, ,313. 314. 374-376, 
 404, 421; one of the three most an- 
 cient gospels of the 2d century ex- 
 tant, 144; abstract of the gospel 
 and its standing with the fathers, 
 202-210; compared with the canon- 
 ical gospels, 211-241; mentioned by 
 lustyn Martyr, 308, 313, 314; written 
 before any of the canonical gospels, 
 339; contains the most reliable ac- 
 count of the crucifixion, 373; Eras- 
 mus thought it was written before 
 Luke, 386; contains the shortest 
 and probably the oldest accounts 
 of the miracles attributed to Christ, 
 214-224; newly discovered Acts of 
 Pilate, 249, 250. 
 
 iEons, 251, 367, 424. 
 
 Africanus, see Julius. 
 
 Agrippa Castor (130), 232, 254; sketch of, 
 
 257; wrote against Basilides, his writ- 
 
 ings lost or destroyed, 257, 451. 
 Agrippa the Great, was brother of Hero- 
 
 dias, 19. 
 Ahaz, king of Judah, 161. 
 Albinus, procurator of Judea, 38. 
 Alcestis, rescued from death by Hercules, 
 
 437. 
 Alexander Abonotichus [2d century] 113; 
 
 sketch of him by Lucian, 128, 129, 321. 
 Alexander, bishop of Rome, 480. 
 Alexander, Dr., on ante-Hieronymian 
 
 versions of N. T„ 347. 
 Alexander, era of, 175. 
 Alexander, statue of, 321. 
 Alexandrians, Epistle to (supposed to be 
 
 Epistle to the Heb.), 464. 
 Alfonso Sousa, 199. 
 
Missing Page 
 
Missing Page 
 
Missing Page 
 
544 
 
 GENERAL INDEX. 
 
 Alford, Greek Testament, 38. 
 
 Alvarez, Semedo, 436. 
 
 Alzog, 479-481. 
 
 Amasis, king of Egypt, 107. 
 
 Ambrose. Latin father of 4th century, 11, 
 92. 148, 385. 
 
 Amelias, an ancient Greek writer, 438. 
 
 Ammianus Marcellinus, a writer, 3d cen- 
 tury, 322, 454. 
 
 Amuphis. an Egyptian magician, 138. 
 
 Anacletus, bishop of Rome, 477-499- 
 
 Ananias and Sapphira, 30. 
 
 Ananus, high priest, 38. 
 
 Andrew, the Apostle, 66, 140, 399. 
 
 Angels in the Jewish system, 131, 132. 
 
 Anicetus, bishop of Rome, 448, 458, 474, 481. 
 
 Anius, the high priest, 437. 
 
 Anna, grandmother of Jesus, 144, 145. 
 
 Anna, the prophetess, see Hannah. 
 
 Annas and Caiaphas, high priests, 16, 17, 
 204, 208, 210, 237. 
 
 Announcement to Mary, 145, 152, 153, 184, 
 309,363. 
 
 Anonymous writings, 259, 260. 
 
 Ante-Hieronymian versions, 347. 
 
 Antinous, the favorite of Hadrian, wor- 
 shiped as a god, 131 . 
 
 Antiquity of Christian doctrines, 436-439. 
 
 Antonine column, sculpture on, 138. 
 
 Antonius, an ascetic [3d century], 84. 
 
 Antonius, father of Simon Magus, 119. 
 
 Antoninus Pius, emp. (138-161), 138, 305, 
 336. 
 
 Apelles (160), a Gnostic leader, sketch of, 
 91. 319, 320, 385, 386, 466; his writings 
 lost, 454. 
 
 Apocalypse ot Bartholomew, 100. 
 " of Cerinthus, 36. 
 
 " of Esdras, 140. 
 
 Apocalypse of John, in N. T., 36, 100, 140, 
 307, 464, 478; not generally received by 
 the ancients, 36; omitted from the 
 canon by the Asiatic churches, 36, 39: 
 references to passages in, 97; supposed 
 to have been written by John the Pres- 
 byter, 258; not in Marcion's N. T., 
 274. 
 
 Apocalypse of John (another), 100, 140. 
 " of Moses, 140. 
 
 " of Paul, 100, 140. 
 
 " of Peter, 100, 464. 
 
 Apocryphal acts, epistles, revelations, etc., 
 ioo, 140. 
 
 Apocryphal gospels and writings, 88-100, 
 139, 169, 257, 352. 455- 
 
 Apollo, 129, 438. 
 
 Apollonius, Christian writer [3d cen- 
 tury], 323. 
 
 Apollonius of Tyana [1st century], 101- 
 116 128, 130, 321, 322, 421, 436: biog- 
 raphy of, by Pnilostratus, ioi-m; esti- 
 mate of his character by different 
 writers, 112-116; extracts from his 
 epistles, 114-116. 
 
 Apostles of Christ, 21-39, 47o, 487. 
 
 Apostolic fathers, 40-61, 263. 
 
 Apuleius, Pagan philosopher of the 2d 
 century, 130. 
 
 Aquila, brother of Clement of Rome, 44, 
 119-121. 
 
 Archelaus, king of Judea, 169, 184, 331, 332, 
 364. 
 
 Aretas, king of Petrasa, 19. 
 
 Arian controversy, 427, 468. 
 
 Aristeas of Proconnesus, 131. 
 
 Aristides (126), author of an Apology, 451; 
 sketch of, 255; epistle to Diognetus at- 
 tributed to, 270. 
 
 Aristides the sophist (176), 416, 417. 
 
 Aristion (130), 257,258, 269, 452. 
 
 Aristo of Pella (175), 442. 
 
 Aristotle, 103, 189, 343, 439, 445. 
 
 Arnobius. Christian writer early in the 4th 
 century, 136. 
 
 Artemon (200), 467, 469. 
 
 Ascension of Jesus, 236, 238, 376. 
 
 Asceticism, 81-84. 
 
 Astarte, 189. 
 
 Asterius Urbanus (188), 462. 
 
 Asterius, writer [4th century], 222. 
 
 Athanasius (373), 173. 
 
 Athenagoras (i77), Athenian philosopher 
 and Christian writer, 305, 321; sketch 
 of, 444, 445; held to a material resurrec- 
 tion, 423. 
 
 Atonement, the, 429, 430, 437. 
 
 Augustine (420), 89, 136, 272, 385, 399, 446; re- 
 lates astonishing miracles, 137; discus- 
 sion with Faustus the Manichaean,34o- 
 345; his explanation of the genealogy 
 of Christ. 362; developed the doctrine 
 of originalsin and inherited guilt, 430. 
 
 Augustus Caesar, 139, 157, 175, 203, 436. 
 
 Aulus Gellius, early in 2d century, 322, 455. 
 
 Aurelian (emp. 270-275), 112. 
 
 Aurelius, Lucius Commodus, 305. 
 
 Aurelius, Marcus (emp. 161-180), 50, 137, 
 305, 445. 473- 
 
 Austin (600), Christian writer, 149, 320. 
 
 Avenging of the Savior, 248. 
 
 Bacchylus of Corinth (180), sketch of, 447, 
 475- 
 
 Baldaeus, 194-196. 
 
 Baptism, 433-435; form of was immersion, 
 433; change from immersion to sprink- 
 ling, 439- 
 
 Baptism of Jesus, 16, 66, 68, 172, I73i 181, 
 312. 319. 357- 
 
GENERAL INDEX. 
 
 545 
 
 Baptizing women, 25. 
 
 Baptizing by women, 25; taught and per- 
 mitted by Marcion, 274; also by a sect 
 of Montanists, 324. 
 
 Barabbas, 70, 227, 354, 373. 
 
 Barachiab (Baracbias), 70. 
 
 Bardanes, 104. 
 
 Bardesanes (180), sketch of, 446, 447. 
 
 Baring-Gould, Rev. S., 7, 12, 13, 64, 84, 88, 
 91, 92, 94, 96, 98, 254, 274, 277, 278, 319, 440; 
 exonerates Marcion from having cor- 
 rupted the gospel of Luke, 287, 288. 
 
 Barnabas [1st century], 95, 96, 255; 
 preaches at Rome, 43. 
 
 Barnabas, Epistle of (130), 58, 59,94.95, 
 256,257, 263, 264; no evidence for the 
 N. T., 58; attributed by the fathers to 
 the companion of Paul, 256; such au- 
 thorship rejected by modern scholars, 
 ib.; one of the first books mentioning 
 the miracles of Christ, 421; the author 
 a millenarian, 432. 
 
 Baronius (1588), 72, m, 138, I49> 2 &°. 393- 
 
 Barsabas, 269. 
 
 Bartholomew, 39, 91, 140, 413, 
 
 Basil (375), 436. 
 
 Basilides (125), a famous Gnostic, 89, 91, 
 251-254, 257, 266, 451; Irenaeus' account 
 of his doctrines, 254; sketch of, 253, 
 254; is said to have written a comment- 
 ary on "The Gospel," in 24 books, 252, 
 451; not a reliable witness for the four 
 
 gospels, 253; maintained that Christ, 
 eing innocent, could not endure 
 
 penal suffering, 429, 
 Basnage, thought Luke the first of the 
 
 canonical gospels, 387. 
 Bauer, 50, 88, 277. 
 Bayle, M., 112, 
 Beausobre (1734). 72. 
 Bede, Venerable (734), 89, 93, 320, 386. 
 Bellarmine (1600), 385, 393. 
 Berenice, 437. 
 
 Berwick, Rev. Edward (1809), 102. 
 Beryllus (200-244), 467. 
 Bhagavat Purana, 194-198; antiquity of, 
 
 198, 199- 
 Bible revision, 213. 
 Birney, Wm., iv. 
 
 Bishops of Rome to the year 200, 480-482. 
 Blastus (i77), notice of, 444- 
 Bleek, a German writer, 51. 
 Blount, Charles (1680), a celebrated deist, 
 102. 
 
 Bolingbroke (1740), 58. ■ 
 Book of Enoch, 131. 
 " of the Helkesaites, 97. 
 " of James, see Protevangelion. 
 " of John, concerning the falling asfeep 
 of Mary, 140. 
 of Joseph the High Priest, 167. 
 
 Book of Tobit, 131. 
 
 " of Wisdom, 464. 
 Bopadeva [12th century], 200, 201. 
 Bossuet (1688) , 417. 
 
 Brahma, first person Hindu trinity, 437. 
 Brahmins, 104, 105, 107, 197, 198, 439. 
 Bretschneider (1830), 397. 
 Buddha, 190. 
 Bunsen (1850), 25, 270. 
 Burton (1833), 306. 
 Byzantius, 259. 
 
 Caiaphas, High Priest, 16, 17, 167, 204, 243. 
 
 Cainites, 94. 
 
 Caius (210), 32, 443. 
 
 Cambridge Manuscript (MS. Bezae), 212, 
 416. 
 
 Camerarius, 89. 
 
 Canon of the N. T., 86. 
 
 Canonical Gospels, the four, see Gospels 
 Canonical. 
 
 Canticles, Book of, 69. 
 
 Capuanus' Catena (455), 60. 
 
 Caracalla, emp. (211-217), no, 112. 
 
 Carpocrates (135), 66, 261, 262, 265, 323; no- 
 tice of, and his doctrines, 261, 262. 
 
 Cassianus, Julius (190), 79, 462, 463. 
 
 Cassiodorus (550), historian, 222. 
 
 Casting out demons, 131, 134, 135, 141. 
 
 Catholic Church, 419, 461, 464, 484. 
 
 Cave (1700), a writer, 462. 
 
 Ceillier, 306. 
 
 Celibacy taught in the Gospel of the 
 Egyptians, 86; also by Saturninus, 252. 
 
 Celsus (210), 113, 128, 131, 485. 
 
 Centurio, 207, 219-221. 
 
 Cephas, 32, 376. 
 
 Cerdo, or Cerdon, a Gnostic (140), notice 
 of, 98, 263. 
 
 Cerinthians used the Gospel of the He- 
 brews, 66. 
 
 Cerinthus (1451, a celebrated Gnostic 35, 
 36; believed that Jesus was the real 
 son of Joseph, 67,266; sketch of, 265, 
 266; had. a gospel and a revelation, 266; 
 Toland says to him was attributed 
 the Gospel of John, 266; Irenseus and 
 
 ierome assert that John wrote against 
 im, 266, 400; his works lost or de-, 
 stroyed, 452. 
 Cerinthus used the Gospel of the He- 
 brews, 67, 96. 
 Charinus, 208, 209, 265, 266. 
 Chimalman,' mother of Quexalcote, 438. 
 
 Chrishna (B.C. 1156), viii , ix , 194-199, 436, 
 437; parallel aetween Chrishna and 
 Christ, 194; antiquity of the legends 
 concerning, 199-200. 
 
546 
 
 GENERAL INDEX. 
 
 Christ, see Jesus Christ. 
 Christ and Abgarus, alleged correspond- 
 ence between, 327, 336. 
 Christian era, date of, when and by whom 
 
 established, 372. 
 Christian women, 24, 25. 
 Christus, 372. 
 
 Chromatius (400), a bishop, 244-246. 
 Chronicles of Hegesippus, 456, 459. 
 Chrysippus (B. C. 230), a Greek philos- 
 opher, 103. 
 Chrysostom (407), n, 50, 148; his testi- 
 mony concerning the Acts of the 
 Apostles, 416. 
 Church of Corinth, 4, 471. 
 " of Ephesus, 471. 
 " of Lyons, 478. 
 " Philippi, 471. 
 " Rhossus, 7. 
 " Rome, 459, 461, 472, 485; founded 
 
 by Peter and Paul, 471. 
 " at Sinope, 4. 
 " of Thyatira,37. 
 Churches of Vienne and Lyons, Epistle 
 
 from (177), 443. 
 Cicero (B. C. 50), 343, 439- 
 Circumcision, insisted upon by Jewish 
 
 Christians, 432. 
 Circumcision of Jesus, see Jesus Christ. 
 Claudius Apollinaris (178), a Christian 
 
 writer, 137, 138; notice of, 445. 
 Claudius, emp. (41-54), 35, 118, 210, 247. 
 
 Clement of Alexandria (200), n, 26, 32, 74, 
 78, 81, 94, 135, 254, 25b, 259, 264, 266, 430, 
 431. 447, 456, 460, 462, 463, 466, 470-473. 
 487; references to and quotations from 
 his writings, 11, 26, 63, 78, 79, 85, 86, 94, 
 135. 193. 256, 259, 262, 263, 361, 392, 414 
 428, 431, 462, 463, 466; some of his lost 
 works, 461, held to the spiritual view 
 of the resurrection, 423; denied the 
 eternal duration of future punishment, 
 43i. 
 
 Clement of Rome (97)', sketch of, 29, 30, 54, 
 79, 119; when bishop of Rome, 392,477, 
 478, 480; his views concerning the res- 
 urrection, 25, 26, 61, 423; says nothing 
 of the immaculate conception, or of 
 the miracles of Christ, 30; not a wit- 
 ness to the four Gospels, 40-42, 57, 58; 
 his treatment of heretics, 45, 46; the 
 keys of the kingdom given to.him by 
 Peter, at Rome, 31, 412, 479. 
 
 Clement of Rome, Epistle to the Corinthi- 
 ans (called the First Epistle of Clem- 
 ent), 2, 25, 40-46, 57, 59, 94, 429, 456, 
 457, 486; 2d Epistle to the Corinthians, 
 attributed to Clement [150-200], 42, 79, 
 468; Clement to James, epistle, 30,42, 
 412, 479; the foundation 01 the inquisi- 
 tion, 31; Epistle of Clement in praise 
 of virginity, 42; the Canons attributed 
 to him, 42; also the Apostolic Consti- 
 tutions, 42. General Epistle of, 59. 
 
 Clement, mother of, 433, 435. 
 
 Clementine Gospel, probably the Gospel 
 of the Hebrews, 96. 
 
 Clementines, or Clementine writings, 34, 
 42, 74, 96, 271, 469; attributed to Clem- 
 ent, consisting of Epitome, 42, 271; 
 Homilies, 34, 42, 118,271; and Recogni- 
 tions, see "Recognitions;" Gospel of 
 the Hebrews used in the Clementines, 
 96, 271. 
 
 Cleomedes of Astypalaea, a miracle-work- 
 er, 131. 
 
 Cletus, Bishop of Rome, 479, 480. 
 Codex Bezae, see Cambridge. 
 Colebrook, H. T., ix. 
 Commodus, emp. [180-192], 305, 445, 447. 
 Confession and remission of sins, 438. 
 Confucius [B. C. 598], magi attended his 
 
 birth from a distance, 436; golden rule 
 
 taught by, 439. 
 Constantine, emp. [306-337], 36, 67; by bis 
 
 edict the works of Porphyry were 
 
 burned, 336. 
 Constantius Porphyrogenitus, 223. 
 Council, Italian, called by Victor, 472, 
 
 475- 
 Council of Laodicea [365], forbade the 
 
 ordination of women, 24, 36; excluded 
 
 the Apocalypse from the canon, 36. 
 Council of Nice [325], doctrine of tne 
 
 Trinity established, 427. 
 Councils, local, 472, 475. 
 Creation out of nothing, taught by Her- 
 nias [145], 432. 
 Credner [1836], 9, 12, 14, 270-308, 317, 393. 
 Crucifixion of Jesus, see Jesus Christ, 
 Cureton, Prof. [1845], 47, 48, 260. 
 Cureton Epistles, 48-52, 54, 59. 
 Cyprian [250], 136, 312, 392. 
 Cyrenius and the taxing, 157, 175, 305, 310, 
 
 3«, 331, 332, 364, 365. 
 Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem [375], 11, 36, 
 
 148, 173, 392. 
 
 Daille, 91. 
 
 Damascene [725], 148. 
 
 Damasus [366], 349. 
 
 Damis [1st century], 103. 104, 108, 109, in. 
 
 Dardanus, 189. 
 
 Darius Hystaspes [B. C. 500], 190. 
 
 Darras [1855], 466, 475, 479-481. 
 
 Davidson, Dr., 7, 27, 34, 36, 37, 38, 48-51, 84, 
 253, 256, 267, 270, 306, 314, 317, 345. 350, 
 400, 470, 471, 483, 484, 489. 
 
 Death of Pilate, 248. 
 
 Demas, 228, 230, 231. 
 
 Demetrius, Bishop of Alexandria [195],' 
 475- 
 
 Demetrius, a philosopher of the first cen- 
 tury, J09. 
 
GENERAL INDEX. 
 
 547 
 
 Demi-Ourgos, 118, 273. 
 
 Descent from the Cross, by John, 97. 
 
 Descent into hell, 209. 
 
 Desposyni, see Genealogies. 
 
 De Wette (1825), 277, 317. 
 
 Dialogue between Jason and Papiscus, 442. 
 
 Diapente, 325, 326. 
 
 Diatessaron, 324-326, 339, 455. 
 
 Diocletian, emp. (284-305), 350. 
 
 Diognetus, Epistle to (140), notice of, 270. 
 
 Dion Cassius (229), 101, no, 137, 138; what 
 he says of Apollonius, no; of Marcia, 
 447- 
 
 Dionysius, Bishop of Corinth (175), 32,36; 
 notice of, 442, 443. 
 
 Dionysius Exiguus (525), 372. 
 
 Discussion between Peter and Simon 
 Magus, 121-124. 
 
 Divinity of Christ, xi , xij , 21, 317, 397, 436; 
 450, 468; origin and history of the doc- 
 trine, 424-426. 
 
 Docetse, a sect of Gnostics, who believed 
 that Jesus and Christ were different, 
 12, 319. 
 
 Doctrine of Peter, see Peter. 
 
 Doctrines, Christian, 14, 29, 34, 44, 53, 61, 
 77, 86, 118, 253, 317; origin and history 
 of, 420-435; antiquity of, 43&"439- 
 
 Dodwell, Dr. (1700), 139, 336, 473. 
 
 Doellinger, Dr. (1867), 26, 28, 30, 31, 435; 
 what be says as to the punishment in- 
 flicted by Peter, 30. 
 
 Domitian, emp. (81-96), 35, 108-110, 130, 
 436, 457, 458; his assassination at Rome 
 told at the same time at Ephesus, 
 by Apollonius of Tyana, no. 
 
 Domna, Julia, wife of Septimius Severus 
 (210), 101. 
 
 Donaldson, Dr. (i860), 446, 4°5- 
 
 Dositheus, "The Standing One," 120. 
 
 Dubois, M. (1800), 438. 
 
 Dumachus and Titus, 168, 169. 
 
 Du Perron, translation of the Zend-Avesta 
 [published in 1771], 188, 191, 192. 
 
 Dupin (1688), 33, 72, 9ii "3. 473- 
 
 Durant [published in 1606], 223. 
 
 Easter. 412, 466, 467, 472, 474. 475- 
 Ebionites [2d centuryj, 27, 65-67, 7o, 74, 
 
 76, gi, 448. 
 Egyptian imposter, 416. 
 Eichhorn (1794). 73. 355, 359. 3&°. 4°5. 
 Eisenmenger, 132. 
 Elders quoted by Irenaeus, 268. 
 Electra, mother of Dardanus, 189. 
 Eleutherus, Bishop of Rome, 458, 459. 473. 
 
 481. 
 Elijah, 84. 
 Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist, 66, 
 
 145, 146, 151-154, 184. 
 
 Elliott, Prof., x. 
 
 Ellicott, Bishop (1856), 169, 225, 226, 240. 
 
 Enoch and Elias, 243. 
 
 Ephraim the Syrian (378), 350. 
 
 Epiphanes (140), sketch of, 262. 
 
 Epiphanius (385), iv ,11,65,67,71,81,83,88- 
 94, 97, 98, 146-149, 172, 173, 222, 265, 266, 
 272, 274, 275, 287, 288, 294, 300, 323, 386, 
 402, 453; references to his writings, 65- 
 67, 80, 83, 90-94, 97, 98, 146-148, 173, 
 246, 265, 266, 274,276, 294, 300, 312, 320, 
 323-325. 385, 402, 403, 463; he thought 
 the Gospel of Cermthus [A. D. 145], 
 written before that of Luke, 385, 386. 
 
 Epistles of New Testament, 40, 41. 
 
 Erasmus (1520), 80, 87. 92, 385; thought the 
 Acts of Pilate written before the Gos- 
 pel of Luke, 386. 
 
 Esculapius, 129, 131, 437. 
 
 Esoteric and exoteric doctrines, 434, 435. 
 
 Essenes, 81-84. 
 
 Eternal Gospel, 97. 
 
 Eternal punishment, 430. 431, 438. 
 
 Eucharist, 478; of ancient origin, 439. 
 
 Eudocia, in. 
 
 Eunapius (400), 113. 
 
 Euodius (410), 148, 
 
 Euripides, 445. 
 
 Eusebius (325), 7, 8, 11, 14, 26, 32, 36, 38,62, 
 65,81,82,96, 97, 112, 116,125,136,147, 
 204, 249, 252. 254, 255, 257-259, 268-270, 
 324-326, 392, 442-444. 448, 45i. 452. 455- 
 461, 471; references to and quotations 
 from his works, 7, 11, 13, 26, 32, 38, 65, 
 81, 96, 116, 137-139. 148, 173. 221, 222,249, 
 254, 259, 264, 268-270, 311, 312, 324, 325, 
 327-334.339,385.442, 447, 448, 45i,455- 
 461, 466, 467. 469, 471, 475; value of his 
 testimony as a witness, 327-337; his 
 falsehoods and forgeries, 328; forgeries 
 
 on Josephus, 328-332; forgery on TPhle- 
 gon, 332-335; forgery on Thallus, " 
 335; forgery on Porphyry, 335, 336; . 
 forgeries, 336. 
 
 JS, 334 
 6; othe 
 
 Euthymius (1120), 148. 
 
 Evagrius (594), 50. 
 
 Evaristus, Bishop of Rome, 479, 480. 
 
 Ewald (1800), 3, 6, 55, 258, 317, 357. 
 
 Faber [1840], 188-190, 193. 
 
 Fabricius (1703), 3, 89, 96, 100, 118, 140, 204, 
 
 325. 
 Fall of man, an ancient doctrine, 438. 
 False Gospels of Hesychius, 97, 99. 
 False Gospels of Lucianus, see Gospel of 
 
 Lucius. 
 Farrar, 232, 391. 
 Faustus, a celebrated Manichaean bishop 
 
 (400), 340-345. 399- 
 Festus, governor of Judea (62), 38. 
 Feuardentius, 60. 
 
548 
 
 GENEKAL INDEX. 
 
 Final restoration, believed in by Origen, 
 
 431- 
 Fire in the Jordan, 260, 312. 
 Fire worshipers, 168, 182. 
 Fleury, 306. 
 Flora (190), 352, 463. 
 Florinus (177), 444. 
 Fontenelle (1700), 336. 
 Forbes' Oriental Memoirs (1800), 199. 
 Freedom of the will, 428. 
 Froude, the historian, 113, 128. 
 
 Galba, emp. (68-69), 107. 
 
 Gamaliel, 415, 416. 
 
 Gelasius, decree of (494), 12, 71, 85, 87, 89, 
 
 97-100, 149, 264. 
 Gelasius, Pope (494), 71, 90, 92, 99, 100. 
 Genealogies of the Desposyni, 96. 
 Genealogy of Jesus, see Jesus Christ. 
 Genesis, 121. 
 Gengis Khan (1220) 436. 
 George, Bishop of Nicomedia, 149. 
 Gerarchia Cattolica, the Roman Almanac, 
 
 479- 
 Germanus, Bishop of Constantinople 
 
 (715), 148. 
 Gestas, 228, 230, 231. 
 Gfroerer (1850), 131. 
 Gibbon (1780), 112. 
 Gnostics and Gnosticism, 54, 88, 89, 90, 92, 
 
 118, 252, 262, 263, 267, 319, 322, 324, 424, 
 
 432. 463- 
 Gobarus [6th century], 448. 
 Golden Rule before Christ, 439. 
 Gospel of Andrew, 89; written before 
 
 Luke, ib. 
 Gospel of Apelles, 80, 94, 320, 385, 386; 
 
 written before Luke, 80, 320. 
 
 Gospel of Barnabas, 94-96. 
 
 Gospel of Bartholomew, 80, 8g, 90, 385, 413; 
 written before Luke, 80, 385. 
 
 Gospel of Basilides, 80, 96, 253, 385, 386; 
 written before Luke, 80, 386. 
 
 Gospel of the Birth of Mary (a supposed 
 
 fospel), nothing but a translation by 
 erome of a portion of the Gospel of 
 the Infancy, 244-246, 365, 468; this gos- 
 pel was asserted by Jerome to be in 
 the handwriting of Matthew, 72, 244, 
 351- 
 
 Gospels, Canonical, the four, vii ,viii , 6, 10, 
 29, 40-42, 54, 57-61, 72, 80 81. 87, 142, 169, 
 174, 196, 210-241, 253. 256, 264, 267, 273, 
 307-309, 314, 315, 324, 326, 337-340, 344,, 
 373, 377, 379, 385, 423, 445, 448, 449. 452, 
 453. 459, 460, 47o, 47i, 478, 82, 489; when 
 written, 359; selected for the use of 
 the churches from a large number 
 of gospels, 10. 352; a support to 
 Roman Catholic supremacy, 478, 482. 
 
 Gospel of Cerinthus, 96, 99. 265, 266, 386, 
 452; written before the Gospel of John, 
 266; before Luke, 386. 
 
 Gospel of the Ebionites, a version of the 
 Gospel of the Nazarenes, 72. 
 
 Gospel of the Egyptians, 78-88, 463; fre- 
 quently cited by Clement of Alexan- 
 dria, 81; written before Luke, 80, 81, 
 385. 
 
 Gospel of the Encratites, referred to by 
 Epiphanius, 96. 
 
 Gospel of Eve, a doubtful gospel, referred 
 
 to by Epiphanius, 88, 91, 92. 
 Gospels, the four Canonical, see Gospels, 
 
 Canonical. 
 Gospel of the Gnostics, properly no such 
 
 gospel, though the term sometimes 
 
 used; 97. 
 
 Gospel or Harmony of Tatian. 12, 96, 
 100, 339, 405; history of, 324, 326; not 
 a harmony of the four Gospels, 339; 
 based on the Gospel of the Hebrews, 
 325, 455- 
 
 Gospel of the Hebrews, 12, 15, 62-77, 81 
 84, 85, 90, 91, 96, 98, 118, 185, 259, 269, 
 303, 312. 3*3. 3i7, 422; claimed by Je- 
 rome and Epiphanius to be the Hebrew 
 Gospel of Matthew, 62-69, 402, 403; 
 written before the Canonical Gospels, 
 80, 81, 385; used by Justin Martyr, 271; 
 supposed to have been used by 
 Tatian, 324, 325, 455; used by Hegesip- 
 pus according to Eusebius, 448, 458, 
 459- 
 
 Gospel of the Infancy, attributed to 
 Thomas, 54, 72, 88, 89, 144, 158, 163, 165, 
 167, 169, 172, 174, 176, 178-188, 196, 197, 213, 
 244-240, 3", 312. 339. 35i. 363. 365. 406, 
 414, 451; written before Luke and Mat- 
 thew, 80, 338: synopsis of its contents, 
 167-172; testimony of the fathers, 172- 
 174; compared with the first two chap- 
 ters of Luke and Matthew, 175-187; 
 origin and history of, 188-201. 
 
 Gospel of James, same as the Protevan- 
 gelion, 98, which see. 
 
 Gospel according to John, 37, 39, 57, 142, 
 193, 213, 214, 229, 240, 258, 271, 307, 315, 
 318, 324, 338, 351, 353, 358, 359, 367. 368, 
 37o, 371, 373-375, 377, 378, 416, 445, 446, 
 449, 450, 460, 463, 484, 489; references to 
 and specific passages in, 213-219; 230, 
 233, 302; written subsequent to Cerin- 
 thus, 266; not known to Justin Martyr, 
 307, 315; when written, 359: the first Can- 
 onical Gospel mentioned in Christian 
 history, 344, 489; radically different 
 from the synoptics, 353, 354; critically 
 examined, 394-40L 
 
 Gospel of Judas Iscariot, 93, 98; mentioned 
 by Irenseus, 93. 
 
 Gospel of Jude; same as Gospel of Judas 
 Iscariot. 
 
 Gospel of Justin, sometimes employed to 
 designate the gospel principally used 
 by Justin Martyr, 98; this supposed to 
 have been the Gospei of theHebrews, 
 ib. 
 
GENERAL OTDEX. 
 
 549 
 
 Gospel of Life; a gospel of the Man- 
 
 lchaeans, 99. 
 Gospel of Longinus, 99. 
 
 Gospel of the Lord! same as the Gospel of 
 Marcion , 98. 
 
 Gospel of Lucius, one of the false gospels 
 of Lucianus, so called; these pro- 
 nounced apocryphal by the decree of 
 Gelasius, 99. 
 
 Gospel according to Luke, 4-7, 9, 15, 16, 17, 
 20, 41, 42, 57, 79, 80, 82, 87, 89, 142, 145, 
 150-166, 173. 175-187, 193, 194, 196, 214, 
 217-221, 228-233, 238, 239, 241, 253, 263, 
 275-303, 300-312. 320, 332, 338, 339, 354" 
 
 . 6, 373-375, 377-396, 403-408, 410, 4", 
 414, 41b, 445, 449, 460, 464, 484; first two 
 chapters compared with the Protevan- 
 gelion, 150-159; with, the Gospel of the 
 Infancy, 175-187; references to specific 
 passages in, 18, 41, 55, 65, 80, 89, 150- 
 158, 173, 175-187, 217-221, 228-233, 277- 
 303, 309, 320, 380-385. 388-393. 394-396. 
 403-407, 410, 411, 413, 414, 416; subse- 
 quent to Apelles, 320; founded on the 
 Gospels of Paul and Marcion, 6-14; 
 written subsequent to Marcion, 287- 
 303: when written, 360; critically exam- 
 ined, 379-387- 
 Gospel of Manes [3d century], same as 
 the Manichee gospel, 99. 
 
 ,5, 15,20,41,42, 
 286, 363, 379-384. 
 78; founded on 
 
 Gospel of Marcion, iv, 3, 4 
 98, 99, 185, 253, 275, 276, : 
 386, 392, 408, 449, 460, 478; 
 the Gospel of Paul, 3, 4, written before 
 the Gospel of Luke, 20, 287-303, 338, 
 357. 384, 386; contained no history of 
 the infancy and childhood of Christ, 
 185, 382; the gospel reproduced, 276- 
 286; the question of priority as be- 
 tween Marcion and Luke, 287-303; 
 Marcion's gospel interpolated by the 
 author of Luke, 289-300, 363, 382-384. 
 
 Gospel according to Mark, 4, 9, 12, 15, 19, 
 42, 57, 65, 84, 85, 87, 213, 217, 218, 226, 
 229, 239, 269, 270, 294, 302, 303, 308, 351, 
 354-359. 373-375. 378. 388-396, 406, 414, 
 445, 449. 452, 471, 484; references to 
 specific passages in, 4, 18, 86, 212, 228- 
 233, 236, 237, 374, 410, 411; founded on 
 the Gospel of Peter, 9; when written, 
 359; critically examined, 388-393. 
 
 Gospel according to Matthew, 4, 13, 15, 19, 
 32. 33, 41. 42, 55, 57, 62-76, 79. 85, 90, 95, 
 96, 146, 150, 159, 165, 166, 184, 186, 187, 
 
 192-197, 214, 217-219, 224, 226, 220, 239, 
 256, 268-270, 200, 291, 309, 332, 346, 351, 
 
 354-359, 361-364, 372. 374. 375, 382, 3»7- 
 389, 391, 402-414, 416, 446-450, 452, 450, 
 471, 484; references to specific pas- 
 sages in, 4, 13, 18, 19. 55. 57, 63-65, 67, 
 85, 146, 159-166, 181-187, 227-236, 302, 374, 
 375,377, 382, 394, 396. 400; first two chap- 
 ters compared with Protevangelion, 
 150-166; with the Gospel of the In- 
 fancy, 175-187; an original Greek gos- 
 pel, 30, 75, 346, 357; when written, 359. 
 critically examined, 402-414. 
 Gospel of Matthias, 80 , 92, 385; written be- 
 fore Luke, ibid. 
 
 Gospel of Merinthus, same as Gospel of 
 Cerinthus, 99; referred to by Epi- 
 
 phanius,386. 
 
 Gospel of the Nazarenes, the same as the 
 Gospel of the Twelve Apostles, 72, 
 90,91. 
 
 Gospel of Nicodemus, see Acts of Pilate. 
 
 Gospel of Paul, one of the lost gospels of 
 the first century, 3-7, 9, 13, 15, 85; the 
 foundation of the Gospel of Marcion, 
 3; also of the Gospel of Luke, 15. 
 
 Gospel of Perfection, 88, 89, 91, 92, 169; 
 mentioned in the Gospel of the In- 
 fancy, 88, 169. 
 
 Gospel of Peter, another lost gospel of 
 the first century, 3, 7-15, 76, 85, 98, 147, 
 259, 308, 313, 328, 449, 463, 482; was part 
 of the material entering into the Gos- 
 pel of the Hebrews, 76; supposed to be 
 very similar to it, 12, 98; cited by Jus- 
 tin Martyr, 8, 9, 308, 313; the basis of 
 the Gospel of Mark, 10, 15, 388, 393; 
 suppressed by the bishops in the sec- 
 ond century to make place for the 
 Canonical Gospels, 8, 460, 465. 482, 
 
 Gospel of Philip, 89-91, 254. 
 
 Gospel of Scythianus, 100. 
 
 Gospel of Simonides, or of the Simoniaos 
 (followers of Simon Magus), 100, 127. 
 
 Gospel of Simon Magus, the same, 100. 
 
 Gospels, the Synoptic, 353, 355"36o, 366, 
 37i, 373, 375. 389, 396, 410. 
 
 Gospel of the Syrians, or the Syriac Gos- 
 pel, probably same as the Gospel ac- 
 ording to the Hebrews, 62, 91. 
 
 Gospel of Tbaddaeus, 100, 324. 
 
 Gospel of Thomas', same as Gospel of the 
 Infancy, 79, 167, 172, 173, 198, 385. 
 
 Gospel of Truth, 100, 267, 452; referred to 
 by Irenaeus, 452, 453. 
 
 Gospel of the Twelve Apostles, another 
 name for the Gospel of the Hebrews, 
 66, 68, 79, 80, 317, 385; and the same as 
 the Gospel of the Nazarenes, 72, 90, 91, 
 
 Gospel of Valentine, the same, 267. 
 
 (For other Gospels, see Clementine, Acts, 
 Eternal, etc.) 
 
 Grabe, Dr. (1710), 80, 87, 93-95, 259. 260, 
 306, 352, 463, 473. 
 
 Graves, Kersey (1876), 439. 
 
 Gregory Nazianzen (380), 36, 259. 
 
 Gregory Nyssen (380) , 36, 148, 149, 246, 312, 
 392. 
 
 Griesbach (1800), 213, 270, 288, 303, 390. 
 
 Grotius (1640), 80, 87, 204, 385. 
 
 Grynaeus (1600), 60, 152, 154, 313. 
 
 Guericke (1833), 51,270. 
 
 Gymnosophists, 107. 
 
 Hades, 422. 
 
 Hadrian, emp. (117-138), 83, 130, 255, 442; 
 letter to Servianus, 83. 
 
550 
 
 GENERAL INDEX. 
 
 Hagenbach (1840), 432. 
 Hahn (1830), 275, 277, 288, 382, 383. 
 Hannah, the prophetess, 168. 179. 
 Heathen writers, 485. 
 
 Hegesippus (185), 62, 74, 91, 271, 447, 448, 
 456-460; the first Jewish historian, 456, 
 457; sketch of 447, 448. 
 
 Heliodorus (400), a Catholic bishop, 244- 
 
 246. 
 Helkesaites, 97. 
 Henault (1744), 480. 
 
 Heracleon (190), n, 259, 460, 463; used the 
 Gospel of Peter, 463; notice of, 463. 
 
 Herbert (1634), 438. 
 
 Hercules, 112, 437. 
 
 Heresies and heretics, 251-254. 
 
 Heresy defined by Dr. Lardner, 251. 
 
 Hermas, companion of Paul, 264. 
 
 Hermas, 2d (145), 263-265, 432 ; sketch of, 
 263, 264; the Shepherd or Pastor of 
 Hermas, a celebrated book in the early 
 age of the church, 59, 264, 265, 432, 464, 
 465. 
 
 Hermas, 3d (200), 468. 
 
 Hermippus (B. C. 270), 189. 
 
 Hermbdorus (B. C. 450), 189. 
 
 Hermogenes (180), 447, 467, notice of, 447. 
 
 Herod Agrippa, 328, 329. 
 
 Herod the Great, xiii, 18, 19. 146, 162, 163, 
 165, 168, 174, 181-184, 195, 33i, 363, 364, 
 373, 383- 
 
 Herod the Tetrarch, 16, 18-20, 66, 67, 210, 
 238, 239. 
 
 Herod, half-brother of Herod the Tetrarch, 
 18, 19. 
 
 Herodias, 18-21. 
 
 Herodotus (B. C. 450), 445. 
 
 Hesiod (B. C. 800), 445. 
 
 Hierocles (305), 102, 116, 130. 
 
 Higgins, Godfrey (1830), 439. 
 
 Hilary (390), 148, 349. 
 
 Hilgenfeld, 50, 277, 308. 
 
 Hindus and Hindu religion, viii, 190, 191, 
 194-201. 
 
 Hippocrates (B. C. 400), 342, 343. 
 
 Hippolytus, restored by Esculapius, 437. 
 
 Hippolytus (3d cent.), 252, 253, 266. 
 
 Historical evidence, its proper place, 345. 
 
 History of Joseph the carpenter, 242, 243. 
 
 Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost, 21, 29-31, 63, 
 66, 69, 80, 95, 153, 154, 159, 178, 181, 237, 
 280, 296, 309, 312, 437, 438, 478; the 
 Holy Ghost of the feminine gender, 
 63, 69, 98. 
 
 Homer, ix, 105, 109, 114, 370, 445. 
 
 Hug (1808), 398, 465. 
 
 Hyde (1700), 191, 192. 
 
 Hyginus, Bishop of Rome, 263, 481. 
 
 Ignatius (115), 47-5°. 53. 60, 6i, 71, 74, 424, 
 430; his epistles, 47-51, 76, 212, 420; 
 swollen from 12 to 100 pages, 213; their 
 genuineness considered, 48-52; refer- 
 ences to and quotations from, 53-55. 
 Epistle to the Ephesians, 47, 53, 59. 
 Epistle to Polycarp, 47, 55-57. 
 Epistle to the Romans, 47, 48, 52. 
 Cureton or Syriac epistles, 48-52, 54, 212; 
 
 these the genuine epistles, 212. 
 Vossian Epistles, 47, 51, 59. 
 Epistles ascribed to Ignatius: 
 Epistle to the Magnesians, 47. 
 Epistle to the Philadelphians, 47. 
 Epistle to the Smyrnasans, 47, 71, 76, 
 
 434. 
 Epistle to the Trallians, 47. 
 Eight others formerly attributed to 
 him, 47. 
 Martyrdom of Ignatius, 48-51, 55. 
 Ignatius, Patriarch of Antioch (1562), 35. 
 Immaculate or miraculous conception, 14, 
 21, 3o, 34, 44, 53. 61, 86, 145, 147, 192, 193, 
 273, 309. 3io, 301. 421, 483. 489; first al- 
 lusion to, extant, 53, 54, 420; immacu- 
 late conceptions, 192, 436. 
 Immersion as baptism, 433, 439. 
 Immortality of the soul, 428. 
 Imperfect commentary on Matthew, 198. 
 Infant baptism, 433. 
 Inherited guilt, 430. 
 Inspiration, 432. 
 Intermediate state, 431. 
 Internal criticism, its proper place, 345. 
 Intolerance, 434. 
 
 Irenaeus (190,) 6, 7, 9. 13. 33. 35. 51. 57, 60 
 93, 94, 118, 134. 172, 252-254, 269, 400, 413, 
 423, 432. 452, 453, 455, 458, 463, 470-473, 
 475-482, 486, 487; references to and quo- 
 tations from his writings, 6, 33, 53,93.118, 
 134, 172, 252-254, 261-264, 266- 268, 351, 
 352, 367-370, 37i, 413. 432, 440, 441. 475, 
 476; the first writer who mentioned the 
 four Gospels, 344, 367, 368, 434; the first 
 who acknowledged the supremacy of 
 the Church of Rome, 482. 
 
 Isaiah, 69, 209. 
 
 Isidorus (150), notice of, 266. 
 
 Jairus' daughter, 141. 
 
 James, Epistle of, 38, 39. 
 
 James the son of Alpheus, called James 
 the Less and James the Just, 31, 37, 38, 
 144, 146, 205, 274, 376, 418; whether ne 
 was brother to Jesus, uncertain; 37. 
 
 James, the brother of the Lord, 37, 38, 68, 
 147, 170, 242; death of, 37, 38, 456-458. 
 
 James, surnamed Panther, 147.5 
 
 James the* son of Zebedee, brother to 
 John, called also James the Elder, 8, 9, 
 37, 38, 66, 85. 
 
GENERAL INDEX. 
 
 551 
 
 Jerome (400), 4, 25, 28, 63, 64, 67-73, 76, 80- 
 82, 84, 87, 89, 90. 92, 97, 173, 204, 244- 
 246,259, 264, 266, 273, 349, 351, 365, 392, 
 400, 402, 403, 442, 468; special refer- 
 ences to and quotations from his writ- 
 ings, 25, 63, 67-72, 79-84, 92, 97, 244-246, 
 257, 264, 272, 312, 320, 385, 386, 442. 
 
 Jesus Christ, Ascension of, 27, 236, 238, 
 
 376. 
 Baptism of, 16, 66, 68, 172, 173, 181, 312, 
 
 319. 357, 369. 
 Birth of, 21, 53, 146, 148, 151, 157, 162, 166, 
 
 175, 176, 185, 194, 305, 332, 362-366, 372. 
 Born in a cave, 146, 149, 157, 159, 165, 175, 
 
 176, 195, 3«. 312- 
 Brothers and sisters of, 13, 147. 
 Canonical history of, 361-378, 
 Circumcision of, 177, 185. 
 Conception of, see miraculous or immac- 
 ulate conception. 
 Crucifixion of, 22, 70, 130, 202-236, 238, 
 
 241,247-251,254, 285, 299, 313, 314,332- 
 
 335, 354. 357, 372-375. 396. 
 Divinity of, 21, 203, 217, 397, 424. 
 Genealogy of, 65, 309, 361, 362. 
 Infancy and childhood of, 158, 163, 167 
 
 201, 244, 362-366. 
 Ministry of, 7,13, 22, 276-285,353, 366,373, 
 
 400, 414, 434, 488. 
 Miracles of, see miracles. 
 Relatives of, 96. 
 Resurrection of, 15, 29, 44, 61. 68, 71, 77, 
 
 86, 87, 208, 234-240, 247, 248, 259, 286, 300, 
 
 354, 376-378, 396, 421-423, 433-488. 
 
 Jewish Christians, 27, 74, 76. 77, 397, 424, 
 432, 447, 459, 460. 
 
 Jewish Institutions, 432. 
 
 Jewish Superstitions, 131, 132. 
 
 Joachim, father of Mary, 144, 145. 
 
 John the Apostle, 9, 35, 37, 66, 84, 85, 97, 
 100, 255, 266, 269, 274. 3o7, 35t, 368, 369, 
 396-400, 471, 478, 488; his writings, 35, 
 265, 266; the gospel attributed to him, 
 see Gospel of John; 1st Epistle of 
 John, 35; 2d and 3d Epistles of John, 
 35. 36. 39, 258, 464; Apocalypse or Rev- 
 elation of John, see Apocalypse. 
 
 John the Baptist, 15-21, 66-68, 146, 195, 209, 
 382, 388, 410. 
 
 John the Presbyter (130), 36, 258, 265, 269, 
 270, 396, 452; notice of, 258; supposed 
 to have written the Revelation, 36; 
 also believed to have been the author 
 of the Epistles of John, especially the 
 2d and 3d, 258. 
 
 John of Parma [13th century], 97. 
 
 Jones, Rev. Jeremiah (1726), 9, 12, 14, 36, 
 
 75, 86, 89, 93, 149. 173. 174. 204, 326, 385. 
 
 386, 403, 4»7- 
 Jones, Sir Wm. (1790), ", 190. 
 Jortin, Dr. (1750), 139, 336. 
 Jose, brother of Christ, 148, 170. 
 
 Joseph of Arimathea, 207-209, 226, 234, 243, 
 299, 377, 395- 
 
 Joseph, the father of Jesus, 10, n, 14, 67, 
 87, 145-147. 152, 155-157, 159-162, 168-170, 
 i73-'75, 179, 180-186, 204, 205, 207-210, 
 
 242, 244, 261, 266, 309-311, 361-363, 366. 
 
 Joseph the Carpenter, history of, 242, 243. 
 
 Joseph, who found the Gospel of Mat- 
 thew, 67. 
 
 Josephus (70), xiii, 16-20, 37, 38, 82, 132, 
 
 183, 328-332, 364, 365, 398, 409, 416. 
 Judas Iscariot, 31, 39, 66, 93, 169, 170, 205, 
 
 243, 268, 371, 400, 410, 417. 
 
 Judas Thaddaeus, called aiso Lebbsus, 31, 
 39. 39o; whether he was Judas, the 
 Lord's brother, uncertain, 39. 
 
 Judas of Galilee, 398. 
 
 Judas, the Lord's brother, 147, 457. 
 
 Jude, Epistle of, 36, 39, 464. 
 
 Jude, the son of James, probably not the 
 same as Judas Thaddaeus, 390. 
 
 Julia Domna, 101. 
 
 Julian, Emperor (361), 222. 
 
 Julius Africanus (200), 335, 469. 
 
 Julius Capitolinus [3d century], 138. 
 
 Julius Cassianus, see Cassianus. 
 
 Juno, miraculous conception by, 436. 
 
 Jupiter Pluvius, 138. 
 
 Justification by faith, 429. 
 
 Justin Martyr (150-160), 12, 14, 30, 73, 74,98, 
 118, 131, 133, 134, 149, 159, 172, 202-204, 
 225, 249, 250, 252, 259, 270, 271, 304-318, 
 334, 335, 339, 3=3, 423, 425, 426, 454, 483, 
 486, 487; references to and quotations 
 from his writings, 8, 9, 118, 131, 249,252, 
 304-376, 423, 425, 426, 428, 430-434; did 
 not mention the canonical gospels, 307; 
 was acquainted with and used other 
 gospels, 309-317. 
 
 Kennedy, Col. Vans, 200, 201. 
 Kitto (1850), 347. 
 
 Lactantius (310), n, 130, 136,259,260,335, 
 
 487. 
 Lampridius (310), 112. 
 Landon's Manual of Councils, 24, 37. 
 Lardner, Dr. (1727), 7, 17, 21, 29, 78, 93, 
 
 102, 118, 140, 251, 259, 262, 267, 272, 284, 
 
 320, 321, 323, 329, 330, 332, 364, 443, 
 
 446, 447. 
 Lassen, Christian, viii, ix. 
 Latin versions, 346-349- 
 Leclerc (1716), 204. 
 Legal priesthood of Christ, 99. 
 Less, Dr. (1768), 58, 59, 256, 265. 
 Letter of Pontius Pilate, 247. 
 Lightfoot, Dr. (1875), 48, 49, 51, 52, 132. 
 Linus, Bishop of Rome, 477-479: 482. 
 
552 
 
 GENERAL INDEX. 
 
 Lipsius, 52. 
 
 Literary accretion, 212-224, 227. 229, 231, 
 
 290-303, 358-360; rule stated, 357. 
 Loeffler (1800), 288, 347, 348, 425, 426. 
 Logos, 168, 193, 317, 435, 438. 
 Loss of evidence, 450-461. 
 Lost gospels, 1-15, 62-100, 185. 
 Luebke, 222. 
 Lucian, author of the Dialogues (165}, 97, 
 
 113, 128, 129, 320-322, 454, 455. 
 Lucius Charinus, Lucianus, Lucanus, 
 
 Leucius, Lucian, etc., see Seleucas. 
 Luke, 79, 351; see Gospel of Luke. 
 Luna, wife of Simon Magus, 120. 
 Luther (1530), 39- 
 Lysanias, Tetrarch of Abilene, 16. 
 
 Maffei (1588), 198. 
 
 Magi, 146, 157, 162, 163, 168, 181, 182, 185, 
 188, 191-193, 197, 198, 363, 436. 
 
 Mahabad, same as Menu, or Buddha, 190. 
 
 Maim berg, 328. 
 
 Malalas (600), 50. 
 
 Malcolm (1839), 190. 
 
 Manichseans, 99, 340. 
 
 Manichaeus, or Manes [3d century], 91, 342. 
 
 Manuscripts of the Gospels, 350, 351. 
 
 Manuscripts in Luke, 380. 
 
 Manuscripts of the New Testament, 213, 
 454- 
 
 Marcellians, 322, 
 
 Marcellina (160), notice of, 322; her writ- 
 ings lost, 455. 
 
 Marcellinus (300), 112. 
 
 Marcia (183), notice of, 447. 
 
 Marcion (145), iv, x, 3-5, 13, 98, 270, 272-305, 
 306, 317, 319, 324, 348, 349, 360, 429, 449, 
 453t 454, 464, 486; New Testament of, 
 see New Testament; Gospel of, see 
 Gospel; his writings and doctrines, 
 273; did not corrupt the Gospel of 
 Luke, 287, 288; knew nothing of it, 275, 
 303- 
 
 Marcosians, 172, 440. 
 
 Marcus (170), sketch of, 440,441; his writ- 
 ings have perished, 45s. 
 
 Marcus Aurelius, see Aurelius. 
 
 Mariamne, daughter of Simon the High 
 Priest, 18. 
 
 Mariamne, who was changed to a glass 
 
 chest, 140. 
 Mark, the Evangelist, 9, 10, 81-85, 269, 270, 
 
 35o, 452. 
 Marolles (1650), 439. 
 Mars, conception of, 436. 
 Marsh, Bishop (1802), 58, 73, 74, 287, 350, 
 
 356, 403, 413, 444- 
 
 Mary, the mother of Jesus, 10, 54, 67, 87, 
 145-148, 151-163, 168-184, 195, 205, 214, 
 242, 244, 266, 309, 310, 361-363, 478; some- 
 times called the mother of James, 242. 
 
 Mary, the sister of Jesus, 148. 
 
 Mary Magdalene, 239, 354, 362, 378, 395. 
 
 Matarea or Mathura, 169, 195. 
 
 Maurice (1795-1800), 194-197, 199, 437. 
 
 Matthew, 66, 67, 71, 72, 75, 76, 244, 245, 446, 
 452. 
 
 Matthias, 417. 
 
 Maximilla, a prophetess (190), 465. 
 
 Maximus, the Mgezn [1st century], 103. 
 
 Maximus, Bishop of Jerusalem (200), 443, 
 467. 
 
 Maximus, emp. (235-238), 222. 
 
 Mayerhoff, 51, 308. 
 
 Melitine Legion, 138. 
 
 Melito, Bishop of Sardis (177), 444. 
 
 Memoirs of the Apostles, alluded to by 
 Justin Martyr, 99, 308, 317. 
 
 Menander (120), sketch of, 251, 252, 
 
 Menu, same as Buddha, 190. 
 
 Meragenes, 103. 
 
 Mercury, the Logos, 438. 
 
 Messiah, doctrine of the, 16, 166, 435. 
 
 Methodius, Bishop of Tyre (300), 223. 
 
 Michaelis (1777), 39, 58, 59, 72, 73, 74, 212, 
 232, 266, 287, 356, 387, 393, 444, 
 
 Middleton (1752), 133. 
 
 Midwife of our Savior, Book of, 99. 
 
 Mill, Dr. (1707), 12, 14, 72, 81, 87, 93, 259, 416. 
 
 Millenarianism, 268, 432. 
 
 Miller (1840), 253. 
 
 Milman (1850), 232. 
 
 Miltiades (157), 443. 
 
 Minucius, Felix [3d century], 136, 335. 
 
 Minucius, Rescript to, 255. 
 
 Miracles and miracle-workers, 30, 42, 101- 
 127, 146, 191, 248, 249, 436. 
 
 Miracles of Apollonius [1st century], 104- 
 111, 115, 116. 
 
 " of Simon Magus, 120-127. 
 
 " of the Fathers, 133, 134, 137. 
 
 " of Paul, 30. 
 
 " of Peter, 33. 
 
 " in the church, 133-142, 421. 
 
 " of the New Testament, 140-142. 
 
 " of Christ, 15, 30, 43, 44, 61, 70, 77, 
 86, 87, 102, 141, 142, 143, 173, 206, 
 207, 214-224, 240, 247, 248, 266, 
 276-298, 314, 315, 451, 488; first 
 reference to, according to 
 Eusebius, 255; first reference 
 to, extant, 257, 421; not prob- 
 able that Christ claimed to 
 perform miracles, 421. 
 
 " of Jesus in his infancy and boy- 
 hood, 89, 168-172, 183. 
 
GENEBAL INDEX. 
 
 553 
 
 Miraculous or immaculate conception, x, 
 
 21, 195. 
 Mitbras, a god of Persia, 437. 
 Modestas (176), 443. 
 Mohammed (620), 9;. 
 Montanists and Montanism, 323, 455, 473; 
 
 Tertullian a Montanist, 473. 
 Montanus (170), 323, 455- 
 Moor, Major, ix. 
 Moses [B. C. 1500I 122, 178, 189, 206, 278, 
 
 279, 283, 294, 297, 310, 396, 397, 407, 425, 
 
 445- 
 Mosbeim (1726), 42, 117, 118, 266. 
 Moyle (1720), 138, 321. 
 Mozley, 143. 
 
 Muratori (1672), 464, 465. 
 M uratorian Fragment, 34, 263, 463-465, 
 Musanus (176), 443. 
 
 Narcissus, Bishop of Jerusalem (195), 139, 
 466. 
 
 Narrative of Joseph of Arimathea, 243. 
 
 Nathan's embassy, 248. 
 
 Nathaniel, apostle, 39. 
 
 Nazarenes, 7, 11, 14, 63, 65, 67-70, 72-74, 76. 
 
 Neander (1840), 37, 270, 304, 320, 422, 431, 
 432. 476. 
 
 Nero, emp. (54-68), 106, 125-127, 247. 
 
 Nerva, emp. (96-98), 108, in. 
 
 Newman, Cardinal (1840), 138, 139. 
 
 New Testament, 36, 39, 58, 80, 85, 102, 265, 
 267-269, 316, 341, 343. 346. 349. 350, 352, 
 417, 429. 442-445. 459, 403. ,483, 488, pub- 
 lished by the Roman Catholic church; 
 478. 484. 
 
 New Testament of Eusebius, 36. 
 
 New Testament of Marcion (145), 28, 478; 
 the first ever published, 274, 453; what 
 it contained, 274. 
 
 Nicephorus, the historian (800), 90, 95, 
 222. 
 
 Niceta, a brother of Clement of Rome, 44. 
 119, 124. 
 
 Nicodemus, 119, 206-210, 225, 226, 234. 
 
 Niemeyer, Dr. (1790). 72. 
 
 Nimrod, 438. 
 
 Noetian Controversy, 469. 
 
 Noetus (200), notice of, 467, 468. 
 
 Norton (1846), 12, 34, 39, 74. 84, 88, 91, 306. 
 
 CEcumenius (950), 11, 268. 
 
 Old Testament, citations from: Genesis, 
 121; Exodus, 121; Deuteronomy, 341; 
 Psalms, 28, 94, 399; Proverbs, 458; 
 Isaiah, 141, 174, 3". #7; Jeremiah, 163, 
 164, 383; Hosea, 183; Micah, 165, 177, 
 183; Zechariah, 383. 
 
 Olshausen (1830), 383. 
 
 Omito, a Chinese god, 438. 
 
 Onisephorus, 33. 
 
 Ophites, 88, 91, 440. 
 
 Oracles of Christ, by Matthew, 3, 13-15, 41, 
 
 75, 76, 85, 253, 269, 270, 357, 393, 414. 
 Ordination of Clement of Rome, 31, 42. 
 
 Origen (230). 1°. 11, 14, 43. 5'. 63, 64, 68, 79, 
 80, 84, 87, 92, 93, 135, 140, 144, 146, 117; 
 149. 259, 3oi, 385, 422, 423, 430, 431, 460, 
 4°3i 485; references to and quotations 
 from his writings, 10, 79, 92, 131, 135, 147, 
 172, 173, 256, 259, 264, 311, 312, 332, 333, 
 352,385,428,435. 
 
 Original Acts of Pilate, 250. 
 
 Original sin, 430, 438. 
 
 Ormuzd, a Persian god, 438. 
 
 Orpheus [B. C. 1200], 112, 445. 
 
 Oschedermah and Oschederbami, 191, 192. 
 
 Osiris, of Egypt [B. C. 2000], 437- 
 
 Otho, emp. (69), 107. 
 
 Otto (1150), 304. 
 
 Page (1650), 304. 
 
 Palmas (196), 467, 475. 
 
 Famphilius (300), 67. 
 
 Pandava, ix. 
 
 PantEenus (180), 90, 413, 414, 447, 456. 
 
 Papias, Bishop of Hierapolis (125), 13, 14, 
 
 65, 74, 258, 267-270, 351, 432, 452, 453, 484; 
 
 sketch of, 268-270. 
 Paschal Chronicle [7th century], 446. 
 Paschal Controversy, 384, 446, 447. 
 Paschal Supper, 384. 
 Paul the Apostle, 3-6, 13, 14, 21-30, 32, 33, 
 
 45. 59. 9 1 . 95. I2 7. 2 5°. 260, 262, 264, 273- 
 
 275, 287, 316-318, 357, 376, 413, 417-419, 
 
 424, 433, 437, 445, 448, 450, 453, 454, 459, 
 
 464, 471, 476-478, 482, 484, 486; Paul a spir- 
 itualist, 29, 45, 140, 376, 422, 423,429, 442. 
 Epistles of Paul: 
 
 Epistle to the Colossians, 274, 433. 
 
 1st Epistle to the Corinthians, 4, 27, 
 44, 59, 68, 274, 448. 
 
 2d Epistle to the Corinthians, 27, 30, 
 274, 424, 448. 
 
 Epistle to the Ephesians, 28, 59, 274. 
 
 Epistle to the Galatians, 5, 23, 27, 418, 
 419. 
 
 Epistle to the Hebrews, 28, 39, 464. 
 
 Epistle to Philemon, 274. 
 
 Epistle to the Philippians, 59, 274, 424. 
 
 Epistle to the Romans, 4, 27, 30, 264, 
 274, 422. 
 
 1st Epistle to the Thessalonians, 274. 
 
 2d Epistle to the Thessalonians. 4, 241, 
 274. 
 
 Epistle to Timothy I, 28, 477. 
 
 Epistle to Timothy II, 28, 477. 
 
 Epistle to Titus, 28. 
 Paul of Samosata (200-260), 467. 
 
554 
 
 GENEKAL INDEX. 
 
 Paul of Thebais, an Egyptian, the first 
 
 Christian monk, 84. 
 Paulina, sister of Hadrian, 83. 
 Pauline Gospels, 88, 91, 92, 94. 
 Paulus and Papinian (210), 101. 
 Pearson, Bishop (1672), 148, 204. 
 Pehlvian and Parsian Books of the Per- 
 sians, 191. 
 Pepuzians, a sect who permitted women 
 
 to baptize, 324. 
 Peregrinus (150-169), sketch of 320-322; his 
 
 writings have perished, 454. 
 Perpetua, story of, 26, 140, 
 Persian history of Christ, 100. 
 Persians, and Persian religion and mythol- 
 ogy, 188-194, '99. 45i. 
 Peshito version, 34-36, 39, 346, 349, 350. 
 Peter, 7-15, 23, 27, 30-34, 42, 43, 44, 66, 71, 83, 
 119-127, 191, 238, 247, 259, 262, 269, 274, 
 277, 279. 284, 293. 294, 317, 354, 378, 393, 
 399, 400, 403, 407, 410-413, 417-419, 443, 
 450, 459, 471, 476-482; the first bishop of 
 Rome, according to Catholic author- 
 ities, 479-481; but not so stated by 
 Irenseus, 481; his discussion with 
 Simon Magus, 121-124; dispute with 
 Simon before Nero, 125-127; did Peter 
 go to Rome I 32, 33; Epistles of Peter, 
 34- 
 1st Epistle of Peter, 34. 
 2d Epistle of Peter, 34, 36, 39. 
 Epistle of Peter to James, 259. 
 Peter, book of the doctrine of, 76, 259, 260. 
 Peter, book of the preaching of, 11, 76, 83, 
 259, 260, 270, 466; written by Mark, 83, 
 Petrine Gospels, 84. 
 Philip, apostle and evangelist, 3, 90, 91, 
 
 140, 269, 357. 
 Philip, Tetrarch of Trachonitis, xiii, 16, 18. 
 Philip, a writer (170), 323. 
 Philo Judseus [1st century], 81-83, 3*8, 426. 
 Philostratus (210), 101-111, 322. 
 Pbilumene [2d century], 320. 
 Phlegon {150), 83, 332-335. 
 Photius (877), 99, 222, 448. 
 Pilate, death of, 248. 
 
 Pilate, Pontius, 16, 20, 33, 202-210, 214, 224, 
 226-228, 230, 233, 234, 247. 248, 299, 305, 
 313, 314. 354, 372-374; 383; Letter of, 
 247; giving up of, 248; newly discov- 
 ered Acts of 249, 250. 
 Pinytus (i75),443- 
 
 Pious frauds, prevalent among the fath- 
 ers, 487. 
 Pistis Sophia (200), 468. 
 Pitrat, 437, 438. 
 
 Pius 1, Bishop of Rome, 263, 465, 481. 
 Pius IX, Pope (1846), 479. 
 Plato [B. C. 375), 103, 343, 436, 438, 445- 
 Pliny the Elder (75), 189. 
 Pliny the Younger (105), 424. 
 
 Plutarch (100), 189, 438. 
 
 Polycarp (116), 48, 52, 55, 57, 61, 268, 371, 
 
 474; Epistle to the Philippians, 51, 55t 
 
 56, 59, 429, 474; 475- 
 Polycrates, Bishop of Ephesus (196), 467, 
 
 475- 
 Polytheism, 121, 425. 
 Pontius Pilate, see Pilate, Pontius. 
 Popes, or Bishops of Rome, to A. D. 200, 
 
 477-482. 
 Porphyry (300), 335, 336, 486; wrote against 
 
 the Christian religion, 335; his works, 
 
 destroyed by order of the Emperor 
 
 Constantine, 335, 336. 
 Potter's Antiquities (1700), 438. 
 Praxeas (200), 468. 
 Preaching of Paul, 11, 259, 312, 466. 
 Predestination, doctrine of, 429. 
 Prideaux, Dr. (1700), 190. 
 Priestley, Dr. (1793), 317,323. 
 Procla, wife of Pilate, 247. 
 Proclus, 32. 
 Prodicians, followers of Prodicus, 91; a 
 
 Christian sect who had the secret 
 
 books of Zoroaster, 193, 254. 
 Prodicus (120), 193, 254, 451. 
 Prometheus, 104, 437. 
 Protevangelion, or Book of James, 10, it, 
 
 98, 144-166, 168, 175, 176, 181-188, 303, 331, 
 
 361, 444; Justin Martyr acquainted 
 
 with it, 309-311; written before Luke 
 
 and Matthew, 150-166, 339. 
 Proverbs of Xystas, 258. 
 Providence, doctrine of, 431. 
 Pseudo-Matthew, 243. 
 Ptolemaeus (190), 369; letter to Flora, 352, 
 
 463. 
 Punishment, endless, see Eternal. 
 Punishment, nature and object of, 431. 
 Furanas, sacred books of the Hindus, 199- 
 
 201. 
 Pythagoras [B. C. 530], 103, 104, 254, 436, 
 
 445- 
 
 Quadratus (126), Apology of, 255, 451, 452; 
 Epistle of Diognetus attributed to, 270. 
 Quexalcote, 436, 437, 438. 
 
 Rachel, mother of Simon Magus, 119, 123. 
 Recognitions, 27, 42, 43, 44, 119- 127, 190,271, 
 
 272, 433, 434, 479; attributed to Barde- 
 
 sanes, 447. 
 
 Regenerating grace, 430. 
 
 Renan, 98. 
 
 Report of Pilate, 204, 247. 
 
 Resurrection of Christ, see Jesus Christ. 
 
 Resurrection of Saviors, 437, 
 
 Revelation, 97, 274, 478. 
 
 Revelations of Adam, 97. 
 
GENERAL INDEX. 
 
 555 
 
 Revelations of Antichrist, 260. For other 
 Revelations, see Apocalypse. 
 
 Reville, Albert, 112, 116, 436. 
 
 Rhodon (19;), 466. 
 
 Ritschl (1850), 277. 
 
 Roman Catholic Hierarchy, 400, 410, 412, 
 417-419. 449. 4to, 474-482. 
 
 Rosenmneller (1800), 74. 
 
 Routh (1814), 441. 
 
 Rufinus (410), 43, 427, 479- 
 
 Sabbath, the, 432, 433. 
 
 Sabellians and Sabellianism, 80, 86, 427. 
 
 Sabellius (200-250). 467. 
 
 Salome, 78, 79, 85, 87, 146, 462; a daughter of 
 
 Joseph, 148, 
 Sanday.Rev. Mr. (1876), 49, 54, 57, 359.389, 
 
 393- 
 Sapphira, 30. 
 Saturninus (125), 251, 252. 
 Sayings of Christ, 54-57, 121, 253, 258, 308, 
 
 315, 316, 402, 445, 453, 460. 
 Scaliger (1600), 138, 328, 335. 
 
 Schleiermacher (1820), 150-152, 154. 156-159. 
 
 177, 187, 224, 288, 303, 356, 300, 364, 366, 
 
 379, 38i. 389, 390. 392, 400-408. 
 Schmidt, J. Alexander, 288. 
 Scholten, 50. 
 Scripture, when the term applied to New 
 
 Testament books, 488. 
 Secrecy of the Christians, 434, 435- 
 Secret books of Zoroaster, 193, 254. 
 Seleucas, otherwise Leucius, etc. (200), 
 
 244-246,415, 468. 
 Semedo, Alvarez, 436. 
 Semisch, 3°4- 
 Semler (1783), 288, 346. 
 Serapion, Bishop of Antioch (190), sup- 
 pressed the Gospel of Peter, 7, 460, 465, 
 
 482. 
 Serapis, 83, 136, 173- 
 Serarius (1600), 84. 
 Servianus, 83. 
 Sesostris [B. C. 1400], 438. 
 Severus, Alexander, emp. (222-235), 112, 
 
 222. 
 Severus, Septimius, emp. (193-211), 100, 473. 
 Shedd, Dr. (1871), 427, 429, 43o. 
 Shepherd of Hermas, see Hermas. 
 Shepherds, the, 176, i77, 185. 363- 
 Sibylline Oracles, 259, 260. 
 Sidonius Apollinaris (475). "3- 
 Sike (1700), 167. 
 Simeon, 168, 178, 179, 208, 209. 
 Simeon, second Bishop of Jerusalem, 457, 
 
 458. 
 Simeon, brother of Jesus, 148, 157. 
 
 Simon the Cyrenian, 254, 373. 
 
 Simon, Father (1689), 72, 385. 
 
 Simon, the high priest, 18. 
 
 Simon Magus, 43, 117-127, 247, 251, 252, 421; 
 
 discussion with Peter, 121-124; before 
 
 Nero, 125-127; his death, 127. 
 Simon Peter, see Peter. 
 Simon Zelotes, 31, 66. 
 Siva, third member of the Hindu trinity, 
 
 437. 
 Sixtus I, Bishop of Rome, 480, 481. 
 Sixtus Senensis (1560), 260. 
 Slaughter of the children, 146, 163, 183, 185, 
 
 198, 205, 363. 
 Socrates, historian (440), 3". 
 Son of God, common among the ancients, 
 
 436. 
 Sosiosh, a prophetic son of Zoroaster, 
 
 192. 
 Soter, Bishop of Rome, 323, 458, 481. 
 Soterichus Oasites, 112. 
 Soul, nature of the, views of Tertullian 
 
 and Origen, 428. 
 Sousa, Alfonso, 199. 
 
 Sozomen, historian (439), 84, 174. "2, 3i«- 
 Spanheim (1680), 84, 204. 
 Spiritualism, 45, 135, 376. 
 Sprinkling, 438. 
 
 Stars, 54, 188-193, 436; the Jews believe 
 them to be animated beings, 131; so 
 also Origen, 136; the star in the east, 
 162, 163, 168, 182, 188. 
 
 Statue of Christ, 222. 
 
 Stephanus, who assassinated Domitian 
 
 no. 
 Stowe, Prof. (1867), 337, 3»5- 
 Strauss, (1865), 89; 
 Stroth (1780), 73, 74- 
 Suetonius (125), 125, 127. 
 Suidas [10th century], 95. "i- 
 Sunderland, Rev. Dr., 32. 
 Sunderland, J. T. (1878), 27, 357- 
 Supernatural Religion, 30, 49, I3 1 . *77, 308. 
 
 442. 
 Symmachus (200), 468. 
 Syriac documents, 260, 444. 
 Syriac epistles, see Ignatius. 
 Syriac New Testament in 1562, 35, 36. 
 Syriac Version, 36, 38, 39, 51, 62, 444. 
 
 Tacitus [Annals, 117], 372. 
 
 Tamerlane (1400), 436. 
 
 Tanaquil Faber (1665), 330. 
 
 Tatian (170), vii, 7, 12, 324; sketch of, 324- 
 326; used the Gospel of the Hebrews, 
 74, 271, 324; his writings lost, 455; did 
 not believe in the immortality of the 
 soul, 428. 
 
556 
 
 GENERAL INDEX. 
 
 Targums, 131. 
 
 Tattam, Archdeacon (1842), 47. 
 
 Taxing under Cyrenius, 157, 175,185,331, 
 332, 364, 365. 
 
 Tayler.Rev. J.J.,465. 
 
 Telesphorus, Bishop of Rome, 480. 
 
 Tertullian (200-210) and his writings, 5, 6, 
 14, 25, 28, 34, 35, 135-138, 142, 146, 147, 
 149, 203, 204, 225, 226, 249, 272-276, 287- 
 289, 295, 320, 321, 323, 335, 346-349. 392, 
 427, 428, 430-432, 434, 453, 470-473, 476, 
 477, 484, 486. 
 
 Tertullian v. Marcion, 5, 6, 9, 142, 272, 295, 
 
 301, 348, 349. 423, 432. 
 Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, 59. 
 Thaddeus, the apostle, 66. 
 Thales [B. C. 575], 445. 
 Thales Milesius, 104. 
 Thallus (226), 334, 335, 469. 
 Thecla, 25. 
 Themistius (380), 138. 
 Theodore of Mopsuestia (394-429), 32. 
 Theodoret (430), vii, viii, 7, 94, 118, 325, 
 
 326. 
 
 Theodorus Lector [6th century], 95. 
 
 Theodosius the Great (390), 210. 
 
 Theodotus (192), 259, 466; used and cited 
 the Preaching of Peter, and taught 
 that Christ was a man only, 466, 467. 
 
 Theophilus of Antioch (180), 136, 335, 344, 
 387, 428, 446; first writer who men- 
 tioned any of the four Gospels, 344, 
 396. 
 
 Theophilus, Bishop of C:esarea [3d cen- 
 tury], 475. 
 
 Theophylact (1075), n, 80, 87, 147, 148, 222. 
 
 Therapeuta;, 81-84, 86. 
 
 Theudas, 331, 415. 
 
 Thilo (1850), 275, 276. 
 
 Thirlby (1750), 336. 
 
 Thomas, apostle and evangelist, 167, 197- 
 199, 240. 
 
 Tiberius Caesar, emp. (14-37), 16, 17, 20, 
 22, 202, 203, 210, 247, 248, 289, 313, 314, 
 332, 333, 372- 
 
 Tillemont (1690), 113, 116, 306, 473. 
 
 Timotheus, 91, 99. 
 
 Tischendorf (1850), 29, 41, 74, 95, 242, 267, 
 271, 310-312, 314, 317, 324. 
 
 Titus, emp. (79-81), 107, 115, 248. 
 
 Tod, Col. (1825), ix, 194, 436. 
 
 Toland (1700), 28, 34, 74, 93, 95, 259, 266. 
 
 Total depravity, 429. 
 
 Tradition as evidence of the Gospels, 343 
 344, 349. 
 
 Traditions of Matthias, 92, 253. 
 
 Trajan, emp. (98-117), 49-51, 369. 
 , Transubstantiation, 434. 
 
 Trench, Archbishop (1863), 142. 
 
 Ulpian (210), 101. 
 
 Valens, 6o» 
 
 Valentinus (150), 440; sketcn »f, 267; had 11 
 
 gospel; his gospels and writings |u»t. 
 
 452, 453- 
 Valesius (1660), 138, 328. 
 Vallancey (1800), 193. 
 Van Dale (1700), 336. 
 Varro [B. C. 50], 343. 
 Vero (200), 467. 
 
 Veronica, 207, 221, 223, 248, 249. 
 Vespasian, emp. (60-79) , 107, 132, 249. 
 Victor, Bishop of Rome, 447, 465-467, 472, 
 
 475,48i. 
 Victor of Capua, 325. 
 Vishnu, 194, 437. 
 Vitellius, emp. (69), 107. 
 Volkmar, 50, 277, 278, 279, 283, 330, 301. 
 Volney (1791), 438. 
 Vopiscus (300-310), 83, 112. 
 Vossius (1650), 47. 
 Vossian Epistles, 47, 48, 51, 52, 59. 
 Vulcan, conception of, 436. 
 Vulgate, 346, 348, 349. 
 
 Weiss, 27. 
 
 Westcott (1870), 3, 9, 11, 28, 34, 36, 48, 49, 
 60, 117,251, 253, 255,256,258, 265-267,27.0, 
 288, 307, 308, 3*2, 327, 338, 345, 386, '400. 
 416, 442. 
 
 Whiston (1710), 12, 14, 81, 259. 
 Wiggers, 430. 
 Wilford, Col., ix. 
 
 Wilson, Prof. H. H. (1864), 200, 201. 
 Wisdom of God, 382, 408, 409. 
 Woman in the Trinity, 118. 
 Word, the, 69, 193, 438, see Logos. 
 Worman, Prof., 306. 
 
 Xaverius, L. Hieronymus (1600), 100. 
 
 Zaccheus, 119, 121. 
 
 Zacharias, son of Barouchos, slain be- 
 tween the temple and the altar, 408, 
 409, 435- 
 
 Zacharias, son of Barachias, 382, 383, 408 
 409. 
 
 Zacharias, the High Priest, father of John 
 the Baptist, 66, 145-148, 151-153, 436. 
 
 Zacharias or Zachariah, son of Jehoida, 
 
 409, 436. 
 Zend-Avesta, 188-192, 438. 
 Zeno, emp. (474-490, 95- 
 Zoroaster (B. C. 500), 53, 54, 168, 182, 188- 
 
 193, 197, 199, 254, 436, 451- 
 Zumpt, (1854), 3&-