,,the ,,christ ,,of ,,paul2  ,,or1 ,,the
 ,,enigmas ,,of ,,christianity  ,,st4   
,,john ,,never ,,in ,,asia ,,minor4     
,,irenaeus ,,the ,,author ,,of ,,the    
,,fourth ,,gospel4 ,,the ,,frauds ,,of  
,,the ,,churchmen ,,of ,,the ,,second   
,,century ,,exposed4  ,by ,george ,reber
  #ahgf4     ,,chapter ,i4       ,death 
of ,stephen4--,conversion of            
,paul4--,his retirement to      ,arabia 
and return to ,damascus and ,jerusalem4 
,let the reader imagine that he is in   
,jerusalem1 in ,judea1 about the year   
,a4,d4 #cd4 ,there is unusual tumult in 
the vicinity of the ,temple4 ,a large   
crowd has gathered1 and1 stirred up by  
some strong provocation1 is swayed like 
the billows in a storm4 ,as we approach1
 we see a young man1 who is trying to   
raise his voice above the din4 ,there is
 something very striking in his looks4  
,he is pale1 but firm4 ,his eyes gleam  
with an unearthly light4 ,as the crowd  
surges and threatens1 he is calm4 ,his  
thoughts and looks are directed more to 

,heaven than ,earth4  ,but in this crowd
 there is a young man of an entirely    
different stamp4 ,he is excited and     
angry4 ,his eyes are red with rage1 and 
he is seen moving among the crowd like  
an incendiary4 ,the crisis came1 and    
poor ,stephen stood first on the list of
 ,christian martyrs4 ,this little       
bleared-eyed1 angry man is not yet      
satisfied4 ,like the tiger that has     
tasted blood1 he thirsts for more4 ,he  
goes about ,jerusalem like a madman4 ,he
 fills the prisons with men and women   
who believed with ,stephen4 ,when he had
 done all the injury he could in        
,jerusalem1 he asked and received       
permission to go to ,damascus on a like 
mission4 ,on his way1 while he is       
breathing out threatenings and          
slaughter1 he is struck down in his mad 
career4 ,he saw in it the hand of ,god4 
,everything is changed in a moment4 ,the
 fiery stream of burning lava1 which    
rushed in one direction1 now turned and 
ran with equal violence the other way4  

,philosophers may differ as to what     
befell ,paul on his way to ,damascus2   
but as for himself1 he never doubted4   
,the ,christ that he persecuted had     
spoken to him4 ,his faith in what he saw
 in his vision he bore in his bosom1 as 
he did his heart2 and in a life of toil1
 suffering1 and sorrow1 he clung to it  
to the end4  ,we can hardly tell what   
were the feelings of ,paul when he awoke
 to consciousness1 because we cannot    
judge him as we would other men4 ,he had
 raised his hand against the ,son of    
,god1 and now1 after a severe reproof1  
he was appointed by him to be his       
special minister on earth4 ,paul did    
just what we might suppose he would4 ,he
 withdrew from the world1 avoided       
,jerusalem1 and1 as he says1 went into  
,arabia4 ,there1 alone1 he meditated    
over the wonderful scenes through which 
he had passed4 ,the more he thought1 the
 more he believed he had talked with    
,christ1 the ,son of ,god1 and the more 
he believed he had been selected to     

spread his ,gospel throughout the earth4
  ,once convinced that his vision was a 
reality1 it was natural for him to make 
himself believe that these visions were 
repeated2 and through life1 in all his  
acts and movements1 he believed he was  
under the guidance of the same hand that
 smote him on the plains of ,damascus4  
,he goes from place to place as a       
,spirit from above directs him1 and when
 he speaks he speaks not for himself1   
but for ,him who sent him1 ,positive and
 overbearing by nature1 he imagines     
himself to be the minister of the ,son  
of ,god1 and becomes intolerant1 vain   
and exacting4 ,all his ideas are        
crystallized1 and will not bend or      
yield4  ,as he was specially selected to
 preach1 he believed in the doctrine of 
election4 ,when he believed at all1 he  
believed too much2 for it was his nature
 to overrun4 ,he had witnessed          
,christ--others had not2 but1 in the    
absence of proof1 they must substitute  
faith4 ,works are nothing--faith        

everything4 ,what he saw and believed1  
others must believe without seeing4     
,his theology1 from his natural         
temperament and the circumstances of his
 conversion1 took an austere cast1 which
 made the relation between man and the  
,creator that of guardian and ward4 ,god
 himself1 in the mind of ,paul1 is      
almost hideous4 ,some are given over to 
damnation before they are born2 while   
others are destined to be saved before  
they have had a chance to sin4  ,it is  
difficult to tell whether the religious 
faith of ,paul was fully fixed and      
determined before he left his retreat in
 ,arabia and returned to ,damascus1 or  
whether it was the growth of after      
experience and reflection4 ,at some     
period of his life1 and early too1 he   
had settled in his mind the true        
relation which ,christ bore to humanity4
 ,he had the best of reasons for his    
belief on that subject4 ,he was in      
,jerusalem at a time when it was not    
impossible that ,mary herself was       

living2 and if not1 he saw ,peter and   
was with him fifteen days1 when he had  
every opportunity to inform himself     
about the early history of ,christ4     
,will any one say that ,paul1 with a    
mind awake to everything that related to
 ,christ1 would not inquire and find out
 all that was known about ,him who had  
spoken to him from the clouds1 when he  
was in ,jerusalem1 and could question   
those who had been his companions on    
this earth8 ,if there was anything      
remarkable about his birth or death1    
,peter would have told it1 and ,paul    
would have repeated it all along the    
shores of the ,archipelago1 or wherever 
he went4  ,but ,paul1 from first to     
last1 preached that ,christ was born of 
woman1 and was of the seed of ,abraham  
according to the flesh4 ,upon this point
 he yielded nothing1 and stood to it to 
the death4 ,paul was a man of learning1 
and wrote with great power4 ,longinus   
classed him among the great men of      
,greece4 ,but in action and in deeds is 

where he went beyond all other men4     
,upon his shoulders1 as he believed1 was
 left the conversion of the world2 and  
he had a will and energy equal to the   
task4 ,believing that the ,son of ,god  
stood at his side1 as he performed the  
mission which had been assigned him1 he 
neither feared nor trembled1 but stood  
up with a bold front in the presence of 
,festus and ,king ,agrippa4 ,the        
unsparing cruelty of ,nero had no       
terrors for him4  ,after ,paul had      
remained in ,arabia long enough to      
collect his thoughts1 and determine the 
course he should pursue1 he went back to
 ,damascus4 ,at last he made up his mind
 to go to ,jerusalem and see ,peter4    
,what must have been his feelings as he 
approached the holy city1 and passed    
along the place where he assisted1 three
 years before1 in the death of ,stephen6
 ,paul never forgave himself for the    
part he took in this murder4  ,can we   
imagine with what feelings he approached
 ,peter1 or why he approached him at    

all8 ,if he felt sad and grieved at the 
part he took in the death of ,stephen1  
he did not feel as if he met ,peter as  
his superior1 for he conceded nothing to
 any of the ,apostles4 ,there was no    
point upon which he was more sensitive4 
,paul did not visit ,peter to be taught 
and instructed as to his duties1 nor to 
learn from him the great truths of      
,christianity2 for he had learned all   
this from a higher source1 and felt     
himself more able to give instruction   
than to receive it from others4         
,speaking of his doctrines1 he says3    
,for ,i neither received it of man1     
neither was ,i taught it1 but by the    
revelation of ,jesus ,christ 7,galatians
 i4 #ab74 ,doubtless he came to learn   
from ,peter everything he knew of the   
personal history of ,christ4 ,he had    
many questions to ask about his         
habits--mode of life--his               
employments--about ,mary1 ,joseph1 and  
the whole family of ,jesus4 ,the        
smallest incident in his early life     

would be dear to ,paul1 and he would    
lock the remembrance of it in his bosom1
 as a sacred treasure4  ,in this way    
fifteen days passed over1 when ,paul    
again left ,jerusalem1 and afterwards   
went into ,syria and ,cilicia1 where he 
was followed by divine visions and      
revelations4 ,he spent the year ,a4,d4  
#db in ,antioch1 where he taught1       
assisted by ,barnabas4 ,here he took up 
a collection for the brethren of ,judea1
 who were suffering from the effects of 
a famine which took place during the    
reign of ,claudius ,caesar1 and returned
 with it to ,jerusalem4 ,having         
discharged his trust1 he went back to   
,antioch1 accompanied by ,barnabas and  
,mark4 ,all we know with certainty about
 ,paul1 from this time forward1 we must 
gather1 for the most part1 from his     
,epistles to the churches2 for all other
 sources of information are suspicious  
and doubtful4 ,an act1 especially one of
 importance connected with his labors as
 an ,apostle1 attributed to him by      

others1 and not spoken of at all by     
himself1 should be excluded from the    
pages of authentic history4             
,,chapter ,,ii4       ,paul and         
,barnabas start west to preach the      
,gospel4--,the      prevailing ideas on 
religion in ,asia ,minor4--,theology of 
,plato and ,philo4--,the effect produced
 by the preaching of      ,paul4  ,paul1
 in the year ,a4,d4 #de1 with ,barnabas 
and ,mark as his companions1 set his    
face west in the direction of ,asia     
,minor4 ,the people who inhabited the   
country from ,antioch in ,syria along   
the north coast of the ,mediterranean   
and the ,a,egean1 or the ,archipelago1  
to ,thessalonica in ,macedonia1 were for
 the most part descendants of the early 
colonists from ,greece4 ,a large number 
of cities were scattered along the      
shores1 which had been enriched by      
commerce1 and were the seats of learning
 and luxury4 ,the ,greek of ,asia       
,minor1 in the latter part of the first 
century1 was not the ,greek of the time 

of ,pericles and ,epaminondas4  ,his    
levity and cunning had outlived his     
courage1 his love of country and stern  
endurance4 ,the college at ,alexandria  
was the source of all light and         
learning1 and the doctrines of that     
celebrated school1 like a subtle fluid1 
pervaded all classes of men4 ,it was    
here that ,plato took lessons which led 
him to explore the mysterious nature of 
the ,deity1 and expose to the eyes of   
mortals the nature of the divine persons
 who regulated the affairs of the       
universe4 ,in his imagination he        
populated ,heaven1 and divided among the
 different deities the share of each in 
the government of the world4 ,according 
to ,plato there was one ,god who was    
superessential1 and in him was blended  
or united all that was powerful and     
good4 ,this he called the ,one1 or the  
first principle of things4 ,proculus1 of
 the same school1 says the ,one is the  
,god of all gods1 the ,unity of the     
unities1 the ,holy among the holies4    

,plato compares him with the sun4 ,for  
as the sun by his light not only confers
 the power of being seen on visible     
objects1 but is likewise the cause of   
their generation1 nutriment1 and        
increase1 so the good of the ,one1      
through superessential light1 imparts   
being and power4 ,as a consequence1 both
 ,plato and ,pythagoras conclude that   
the immediate issue of this ineffable   
,cause must be gods1 and each must      
partake of the same nature and have a   
superessential existence4 ,that         
everything in nature which is the result
 of progression exists in a mysterious  
unity and similitude with its first     
cause4 ,they are superessential1 and    
differ in no respect from the highest   
good4 ,from the supereminent ,cause1 as 
from an exalted place of survey1 we may 
contemplate the divine unities1 that is1
 the gods1 flowing in admirable and     
ineffable order1 and at the same time   
abiding in profound union with each     
other1 and with their ,cause4  ,the     

first procession1 from the first ,one1  
or intelligible ,cause1 is the          
intelligible ,triad1 consisting of      
,being1 ,life1 and ,intellect1 which are
 the three highest things after the     
first ,god4 ,plato1 in his ,parmenides1 
calls the ,author of the ,universe      
,intellect and ,father1 and represents  
him commanding the junior gods to       
imitate the power which he employed in  
their generation4 ,it follows1 that that
 which generated from the ,father is    
offspring1 ,son or ,logos1 second in the
 ,triad4 ,the third power or principle  
in the ,triad is ,intellect1 or ,spirit 
of the ,universe4 ,here we have the     
,father1 the ,logos1 and the ,soul of   
the ,universe in a mysterious union2 and
 as they all proceed from the ,one1 are 
one in unity4 ,the author of ,decline   
and ,fall thus defines the theology of  
,plato3 ,the vain hope of extricating   
himself from these difficulties which   
must forever oppress the feeble powers  
of the human mind1 might induce ,plato  

to consider the divine nature under the 
threefold modification of the ,first    
,cause1 the ,reason or ,logos and the   
,soul or ,spirit of the ,universe4 ,his 
poetical imagination sometimes fixed and
 animated these metaphysical            
abstractions2 the three archial or      
original principles were represented in 
the ,platonic system as three gods1     
united with each other by a mysterious  
and ineffable generation2 and the ,logos
 was particularly considered1 under the 
more accessible character of the ,son of
 an ,eternal ,father1 and the ,creator  
and ,governor of the world4 7,vol4 ,i41 
page #dch47  ,such is an outline of the 
theology of ,plato1 as we learn it from 
the ,explanatory translation of ,taylor 
to the ,cratylus and other works of the 
great light of ,greece4 ,the ideas of   
,plato1 under the teachings of the      
,alexandrian school1 underwent changes  
and modifications1 but were the source  
of all subsequent systems of theology1  
and we can readily detect in each the   

genius of the ,athenian4 ,through the   
invitation of the ,ptolemies1 large     
numbers of ,jews settled in the new     
capital of ,egypt1 who carried with them
 the laws and institutions of ,moses4   
,it was not many years before the       
religious ideas of the descendants of   
the colonists were tinctured and in some
 degree moulded after the doctrines     
taught at the school of ,alexandria4    
,under the lead of ,philo a new school  
arose1 which was formed from a union of 
,mosaic faith and ,grecian philosophy1  
in which the distinctive features of    
each are clearly preserved4  ,philo     
,judaeus was an ,alexandrian ,jew1      
descended from a noble and sacerdotal   
family1 and was distinguished in his day
 for his wisdom and eloquence4 ,he was  
born before ,christ1 and survived him4  
,he was the author of numerous works1   
and esteemed one of the most learned men
 of his day4 ,a tumult arose in         
,alexandria between the ,jews and the   
,greeks1 and out of each party three    

were chosen as embassadors to go to     
,rome and lay the case before ,caligula1
 who was then emperor4 ,philo was chosen
 as one to represent his countrymen1 and
 undertook to act as chief spokesman in 
the imperial presence4 ,he was treated  
with insolence--ordered to be           
silent--and the emperor was so carried  
away by his passions that personal      
violence seemed imminent4 ,the          
equanimity of the philosopher was not   
disturbed1 and having discharged his    
duty1 he quitted the palace filled with 
the contempt for the tyrant which has   
loaded his memory in all subsequent     
ages4 7,josephus1 ,antiq41 lib4 xviii4  
ch4 #h1 sec4 ,i47  ,the system taught by
 ,philo dispensed with the third person 
in the ,godhead1 which was composed of  
the ,father and the ,logos1 a divine    
,duad1 which did not exist in unity1    
like the trinity of ,plato3 but the     
,logos with him1 like the ,mediator of  
the ,hebrews1 was possessed of          
mediatorial powers1 and was an          

intercessor in behalf of the fallen race
 of ,adam4 ,it is difficult to define   
the relation of the ,logos of ,philo    
with the ,creator of the ,universe1     
whether he is an attribute which is made
 manifest in creative power1 or whether 
he has a separate existence4 ,he is the 
,son of ,god1 and was with the ,father  
before the world was created4 ,his      
powers embrace the mediatorial1 and he  
stands between ,god and man1 and        
represents the ,father in his           
providences to our race4 ,he is not an  
hypostasis1 and yet he was begotten4    
,such are some of the ideas which       
prevailed in ,asia ,minor1 and other    
countries along the shores of the       
,mediterranean1 when ,paul and ,barnabas
 entered the country1 bringing with them
 a new religion4 ,it is as difficult to 
define what ,paul's real belief was of  
the relations which ,christ bore to the 
,creator1 as it is to determine the real
 belief of ,philo on the same subject4  
,with ,paul1 ,christ was the ,son of    

,god1 but what was the exact relation he
 did not pretend to say4 ,he says he is 
less than the angels--superior to ,moses
 7,hebrews ii4 and iii472 but he nowhere
 says he is equal to ,god4 ,paul seems  
to have been less concerned about the   
nature of ,christ1 and the place        
occupied by him in the ,godhead1 than he
 was about his mediatorial powers4      
,through the fall of ,adam1 all men were
 under condemnation1 and it was the     
office of ,christ1 through his blood1 to
 make atonement1 and once more restore  
man to the favor of the ,creator4 ,with 
him ,christ was not the ,creator1 like  
the ,logos of ,philo1 but was the       
,saviour of the world4 ,he did not exist
 from the beginning1 but1 like all      
flesh1 from his natural birth4 ,but     
still he was1 as was the ,logos of      
,philo1 the ,son of ,god4  ,with such   
ideas1 ,paul made his way among the     
,greeks4 ,the ,jews were the first to   
make war upon him4 ,but he stood his    
ground and gained more4 ,the small      

churches which he established were like 
so many fortresses in an enemy's        
country4 ,wherever he went he started   
discussion4 ,the friction between the   
new and the old ideas produced heat3 and
 with heat came light4  ,but1 after all1
 ,paul's converts1 for the most part1   
were from the less informed and the     
middle classes4 ,the learned turned away
 from him1 because he had no tangible   
proof to satisfy them that what he      
preached was true4 ,the story of his    
conversion was improbable1 and could be 
ascribed to the effects of natural      
causes4  ,the time for miracles had not 
yet come1 and ,paul did not claim       
anything from them499       99 ,had it  
been true that an apron which came in   
contact with      ,paul's person could  
cure diseases1 all ,asia would have been
      converted while he was making a   
few hundred believers4  ,tacitus speaks 
of ,christians as a race of men detested
 for their evil practices1 and classes  
their doctrines among the pernicious    

things which flowed into ,rome as into a
 common sewer4 7,annals1 lib4 xv4 sec   
#ed47 ,still the churches established by
 ,paul grew slowly1 but seemed to       
require the influence of his presence   
and personal efforts to keep them alive4
 ,as long as the fight went on between  
,paul and the ,jews1 and unconverted    
,gentiles1 his lofty courage and iron   
will were enough to hold him up4 ,but he
 soon had troubles of a different kind4 
,he found them in the churches          
themselves4 ,it is not difficult to tell
 what would be the effect of ,paul's    
ideas when brought face to face with    
doctrines of the ,alexandrian school4   
,it was like the meeting of the acid and
 the alkali4 ,the first sign of the     
effervescence appears at ,corinth1 and  
two hundred years passed before it      
ceased1 if it ceased at all4 ,from the  
time the quarrel commenced at ,corinth1 
between the followers of ,paul1 until   
the time when the questions disappear   
altogether1 mental phenomena are        

exhibited unlike any other in the       
history of man4 ,even the quarrels and  
disputes of the ,realists and           
,nominalists of the thirteenth century  
bear no comparison4 ,the contest between
 the different sects had all the        
earnestness of a struggle between       
gladiators4 ,from being warm disputants1
 men became dishonest4 ,books were      
forged entire1 others were mutilated1   
and some suppressed and put out of      
sight4 ,it was an age of downright      
dishonesty on all sides4 ,but from these
 dark and discordant elements arose the 
true ,church4     ,,chapter ,,iii4      
,therapeutae of ,philo--and ,essenes of 
,josephus4--,an account of              
them4--,their disappearance from        
history1 and what became of      them4  
,in the beginning of the first century  
there existed a sect or society which   
exercised great influence over the      
fortune and affairs of the world2 but1  
before the second had elapsed1 was      
insensibly lost in the commingling of   

creeds and sects which sprang up in the 
mean time4 ,like a billow on the sea1 it
 rose high and spread far2 but at last  
disappears1 or is lost in the great     
ocean4 ,we refer to the ,therapeutae of 
,philo and the ,essenes of ,josephus4   
,their origin is lost in the distant    
past2 nor is it proven who was the      
founder of the sect4 ,although the      
,therapeutae were found in every part of
 the ,roman empire1 ,alexandria was the 
centre of their operations4 ,their      
learning and knowledge were derived from
 the schools of ,alexandria2 and to the 
climate of ,egypt1 which1 by some       
immutable law of nature1 disposed men to
 embrace a gloomy asceticism1 they are  
indebted for their morose and cruel     
discipline4 ,from this society were     
furnished all the monks which populated 
the deserts of ,africa before the       
,christian era began4  ,the ,essenes    
were one of the three leading sects     
among the ,jews2 the ,sadducees and     
,pharisees forming the other two4       

,josephus1 who fully describes them1 in 
early life was a member1 and for three  
years took up his abode in the desert1  
and suffered all the pains1 and endured 
all the hardships of monastic life4     
,they were confined to no locality1 but 
were found in every city in ,europe and 
,asia4 ,when travelling from place to   
place1 they were received and provided  
for by members of their sect without    
charge1 so that when one of them made   
his appearance in a strange city1 he    
found there one already appointed for   
the special purpose of taking care of   
strangers and providing for their wants4
 ,they neither bought from nor sold to  
each other1 but each took what his wants
 required1 as if it were his own4  ,and 
as for their piety towards ,god1 says   
,josephus1 it is very extraordinary2 for
 before sun-rising they speak not a word
 about profane matters1 but put up      
certain prayers which they have received
 from their forefathers1 as if they made
 a supplication for its rising4 ,after  

this1 every one of them is sent away by 
their curators1 to exercise some of     
those arts wherein they are skilled1 in 
which they labor with great diligence   
till the fifth hour1 after which they   
assemble themselves together in one     
place1 and when they have clothed       
themselves in white veils1 they then    
bathe their bodies in cold water1 and1  
after their purification is over1 they  
every one meet together in an apartment 
of their own1 into which it is not      
permitted to any of another sect to     
enter2 while they go after a pure manner
 into the dining-room1 as into a certain
 holy temple1 and quietly sit themselves
 down2 upon which the baker lays their  
loaves in order2 the cook also brings a 
single plate of one sort of food and    
sets it before every one of them2 but a 
priest says grace before meat2 and it is
 unlawful for any one to taste of the   
food before grace be said4 ,the same    
priest1 when he has dined1 says grace   
again after meat2 and when they begin1  

and when they end1 they praise ,god1 as 
he that bestows their food upon them2   
after which they lay aside their white  
garments1 and betake themselves to their
 labors again until the evening2 then   
they return home to supper1 after the   
same manner4 7,josephus1 ,wars1 lib4 ii4
 chap4 #h1 sec4 #e47  ,the time allowed 
for probation1 before admission to the  
fraternity1 was three years1 and in the 
meantime the temper and disposition of  
the neophyte were put to the severest   
test1 and not until he had given ample  
proof of his sincerity or ability to    
submit to the laws and ordinances of the
 sect was he deemed fit for admission2  
but before he is allowed to do so1 he is
 required to swear1 that1 in the first  
place1 he will exercise piety towards   
,god2 and then that he will observe     
justice towards men2 and that he will do
 no harm to any one1 either of his own  
accord1 or by the command of others2    
that he will always hate the wicked1 and
 be assistant to the righteous2 that he 

will ever show fidelity to all men1 and 
especially to those in authority1       
because no one obtains the government   
without ,god's assistance2 and that if  
he be in authority1 he will at no time  
whatever abuse his authority1 nor       
endeavor to outshine his subjects1      
either in his garments1 or any other    
finery2 that he will be perpetually a   
lover of truth1 and propose to himself  
to reprove those that tell lies2 and    
that he will keep his hands clear from  
theft1 and his soul from unlawful gains2
 and that he will neither conceal       
anything from those of his own sect1 nor
 discover any of their doctrines to     
others--no1 not though any one should   
compel him so to do1 at the hazard of   
his life4 ,moreover1 he swears to       
communicate their doctrines to no one   
any otherwise than as he received them  
himself2 that he will abstain from      
robbery1 and will equally preserve their
 books belonging to their sect1 and the 
names of the angels or messengers4      

,these are the oaths by which they      
secure their proselytes to themselves4  
7,jos41 ,wars1 lib4 ii4 ch4 #h1 sec4    
#f47  ,the following is the account     
given by ,philo of this sect1 preserved 
in the pages of ,eusebius3--  ',this    
kind of men is everywhere scattered over
 the world1 for the ,greeks and         
barbarians should share in so permanent 
a benefit4 ,they abound1 however1 in    
,egypt1 in each of its districts1 and   
particularly ,alexandria4 ,but the      
principal men among them from every     
quarter emigrate to a place situated on 
a moderate elevation of land beyond the 
,lake ,maria1 very advantageously       
located both for safety and temperature 
of the air1 as if it were the native    
country of the ,therapeutae4'  ,after   
describing what kind of habitations they
 have1 he says of the churches3 ',in    
every house there is a sacred apartment 
which they call the ,semneion or        
,monasterium1 where1 retired from men1  
they perform the mysteries of a pious   

life4 ,hither they bring nothing with   
them1 neither drink nor food1 nor       
anything else requisite to the          
necessities of the body2 they only bring
 the law and the inspired declarations  
of the prophets1 and hymns1 and such    
things by which knowledge and piety may 
be augmented and perfected4' ,after     
other matters he adds3 ',the whole time 
between the morning and the evening is a
 constant exercise2 for as they are     
engaged with the sacred ,scriptures1    
they reason and comment upon them1      
explaining the philosophy of their      
country in an allegorical manner4 ,for  
they consider the verbal interpretation 
as signs indicative of a sacred sense   
communicated in obscure intimations4    
,they have also commentaries of ancient 
men1 who1 as founders of the sect1 have 
left many monuments of their doctrine in
 allegorical representations which they 
use as certain models1 imitating the    
manner of the original institution4'    
,these facts appear to have been stated 

by a man who at least has paid attention
 to those that have expounded the sacred
 writings4 ,but it is highly probable   
that the ancient commentaries which he  
says they have are the very ,gospels and
 writings of the ,apostles1 and probably
 some expositions of the ancient        
prophets1 such as are contained in the  
,epistle to the ,hebrews1 and many      
others of ,st4 ,paul's epistles4        
,afterwards again1 concerning the new   
psalms which they composed1 he thus     
writes3 ',thus they not only pass their 
time in meditation1 but compose songs   
and hymns unto ,god1 noting them of     
necessity with measure uncommonly       
serious through every variety of metres 
and tunes4' ,many other things          
concerning these persons1 he writes in  
the same book4444  ,why need we add to  
these an account of their meetings1 and 
the separate abodes of the men and the  
women in these meetings1 and the        
exercises performed by them1 which are  
still in vogue among us at the present  

day1 and which1 especially at the       
festival of our ,saviour's passion1 we  
are accustomed to use in our fastings   
and watchings1 and in the study of the  
divine word4 ,all these the             
above-mentioned author has accurately   
described and stated in his writings1   
and they are the same customs that are  
observed by us alone at the present day1
 particularly the vigils of the great   
festival1 and the exercises in them1 and
 the hymns that are commonly recited    
among us4 ,he states that whilst one    
sings gracefully with a certain measure1
 the others1 listening in silence1 join 
in singing the final clauses of the     
hymns2 also1 that on the above-mentioned
 days they lie on straw spread on the   
ground1 and to use his own words1 ',they
 abstain altogether from wine1 and taste
 no flesh4 ,water is their only drink1  
and the relish of their bread1 salt and 
hyssop4' ,besides this1 he describes the
 grades of dignity among those who      
administer the ecclesiastical services  

committed to them1 those of the ,deacons
 and the ,presidencies of the           
,episcopate as the highest4 ,but1       
whosoever desires to have a more        
accurate knowledge of these things1 may 
learn them from the history already     
cited2 but that ,philo1 when he wrote   
these statements1 had in view the first 
heralds of the gospel1 and the original 
practices handed down from the          
,apostles1 must be obvious to all4      
7,euseb4 ,ecc4 ,hist41 lib4 ii4 ch4     
#ag47  ,they had their churches1 their  
,bishops 7called ,presidencies of the   
,episcopate71 ,deacons and monasteries4 
,they used sacred writings1 which they  
read in their churches with comments1   
and which they believed were divinely   
inspired4 ,commentaries were written on 
these writings1 as they are on the      
present ,gospels4 ,their mode of worship
 was much the same as in our own day2   
and they had missionaries all over      
,asia1 and in many parts of ,europe4    
,the day observed by ,christians        

afterwards as the festival of our       
,saviour's passion was observed by them 
as sacred1 and which they passed in     
fasting1 watching1 and the study of the 
sacred writings4 ,all this we are       
assured is true1 by the authority of    
,josephus1 ,philo1 and ,eusebius4 ,so   
strong is the resemblance in doctrines1 
and form of church government1 between  
these ancient ,therapeutae1 that        
,eusebius1 because he could not deny the
 similitude1 undertook the task of      
proving that the ,essenes were          
,christians1 and that their sacred      
writings were the four ,gospels4 ,he    
says3 ,but it is highly probable that   
the ancient writings which he 7,philo7  
says they have1 are the very ,gospels   
and writings of the ,apostles1 and      
probably some expositions of the ancient
 prophets1 such as are contained in the 
,epistle to the ,hebrews1 and many      
others of ,st4 ,paul's epistles4 7,eus41
 ,ecc4 ,hist41 lib4 ii4 ch4 #ag47       
,eusebius has not deceived himself--he  

only hoped to deceive others4 ,if the   
,essenes were not ,christians1 then it  
is evident that much which is claimed as
 original in ,christianity was copied   
from them4 ,basnage has examined with   
the most critical accuracy the curious  
treatise of ,philo1 which describes the 
,therapeutae4 ,by proving that it was   
composed as early as the time of        
,augustus1 he has demonstrated1 in spite
 of ,eusebius and a crowd of modern     
,catholics1 that the ,therapeutae were  
neither ,christians nor monks4 7,decline
 and ,fall1 ,vol4 ,i4 page #bhc1 chapter
 xv41 note #afb47  ,much dispute has    
arisen among the learned concerning this
 sect4 ,some have imagined them to be   
,judaizing ,gentiles2 but ,philo        
supposes them to be ,jews1 by speaking  
of them as a branch of the sect of the  
,essenes1 and especially classes them   
among the followers of ,moses4 ,others  
have maintained that the ,therapeutae   
were an ,alexandrian sect of ,jewish    
converts to the ,christian faith1 who   

devoted themselves to monastic 'life4   
,but this is impossible1 for ,philo1 who
 wrote before ,christianity appeared in 
,egypt1 speaks of this as an established
 fact 7,buck's ,theological             
,dictionary4'7  ,and now1 what has      
become of the ,therapeutae8--of their   
sacred writings8 ,where are their       
,elders1 their ,deacons and the         
,presidency of the ,episcopate1 or      
,bishops8 ,all writers agree that they  
soon disappeared after the introduction 
of ,christianity4 ,how long1 continues  
,buck1 this sect continued1 is          
uncertain1 but it is not improbable that
 after the appearance of ,christianity  
in ,egypt1 it soon became extinct4      
,gibbon1 in speaking of the             
disappearance of this sect from history1
 says3 ,it still remains probable that  
they changed their names1 preserved     
their manners1 and adopted some new     
article of faith4 7,vol4 ,i4 page #bhc1 
n4 #afb47  ,this sect did not mingle and
 lose itself in the huge mass of        

,pagans1 for between the two there was  
no neutral ground on which they might   
meet and agree4 ,the antagonism between 
them had continued too long1 and there  
was traditional hatred on both sides4   
,paul threw the doors of the church wide
 open1 and1 as we shall see1 the        
,therapeutae soon entered1 and by their 
numbers took possession1 and barred them
 against the founder and all his        
followers4 ,what did the ,therapeutae do
 with their sacred writings1 which1     
,eusebius claims1 were nothing more than
 our present ,gospels8 ,to suppose that 
they abandoned and destroyed them       
altogether is not possible1 considering 
their antiquity1 and the veneration in  
which they were held for generations4   
,,chapter ,,iv4  ,,the ,,origin ,,of    
,,the ,,church4  ,it is a question of   
great interest in history1 if nothing   
more1 when and where it was that the    
,christian ,church1 in the form in which
 it has come down to us1 had its origin4
  ,to be sure1 there are many who are   

satisfied with an orthodox belief on the
 subject1 because they have never       
questioned their sources of information4
 ,but the world has grown to that age   
when traditional dogmas1 or whatever    
they may be called1 must be subject to  
the test which advancing knowledge      
imposes4 ,tried by this test1 what is   
true will appear brighter2 what is false
 will be thrown off2 and man1 relieved  
of a burden which only weighed him down1
 will move on to an improved and better 
life4 ,man is not doomed by the         
condition of his nature to be eternally 
tugging at the stone of ,sisyphus--nor  
is it consistent with the laws of a wise
 and beneficent ,creator that mankind1  
in order to be prosperous and happy1    
should be compelled to live under a     
perpetual delusion4 ,like the source of 
some river1 often traced to a mountain  
rill or the oozing waters of a morass1  
so the beginning of the church or       
churches of our own day is to be looked 
for in some obscure corner of history1  

covered by the debris of ages4  ,located
 on a narrow isthmus between the        
,a,egean and ,ionian seas stood         
,corinth1 one of the principal cities of
 ,greece4 ,situated where the commerce  
from the ,east and the ,west meet in    
transitu1 it grew in opulence and       
wealth1 and was distinguished for the   
arts1 and for the luxury and            
licentiousness of its inhabitants4 ,here
 ,venus had a temple1 presided over by a
 thousand priestesses1 whose attractions
 increased the numbers who came from all
 parts of ,greece to assist in          
celebrating the ,isthmian games4 ,it was
 at this place ,paul planted a church1  
between the years ,a4,d4 #ea and ,a4,d4 
#ec1 and where he remained eighteen     
months1 working as no one but himself   
could work to build up and strengthen   
it4  ,paul left ,corinth for a time for 
other fields of labor1 because he       
belonged to no one place1 but his       
mission embraced the world4 ,the        
commerce of ,corinth attracted to the   

place people from every part of the     
empire1 east and west1 and with others a
 large number of ,alexandrian ,jews4    
,among them were many of the            
,thera-peutae1 who brought with them    
into ,greece the doctrines of ,philo4   
,during ,paul's absence there came to   
,corinth ,apollos of ,alexandria4 ,he   
was an eloquent man and learned in the  
,scriptures4 ,it is a subject of regret 
that we do not know more of his history 
than we find in the ,acts1 and in the   
,epistles of ,paul4 ,what were the      
doctrines he taught when he first       
appeared in ,ephesus1 where he spent    
some time before he went to ,corinth1 we
 cannot tell1 but he was fervent in     
spirit1 and taught diligently the things
 of the ,lord4 ,he had heard of ,john   
the ,baptist1 for he was a historic     
character1 and ,josephus tells how he   
baptized multitudes in the waters of the
 ,jordan2 but he seems to have known    
nothing about ,christ or the doctrines  
he taught4 ,he spoke in the synagogue1  

which proves that what he taught did not
 give offence1 to the ,jews4 ,in        
,ephesus he attracted the notice of     
,aquila and ,priscilla1 ,jewish         
,christians1 who had been expelled from 
,rome by the ,emperor ,claudius on      
account of some disturbance growing out 
of quarrels between ,jews and           
,christians499 ,under their instructions
 ,apollos was made a convert to         
,christianity4       99 ,see ,appendix  
,a4  ,the ,jews1 as has been shown1 were
 divided into three sects--,pharisees1  
,sadducees1 and the ,essenes4 ,every    
,jew belonged to or connected himself   
with the one or the other4 ,those who   
went to ,alexandria1 in time took the   
name of ,therapeutae1 which1 it is      
claimed1 was the same as the ,essenes4  
,however this may be1 ,philo describes  
them as a ,jewish sect4 ,that ,apollos  
was one of them may be claimed with     
great reason4 ,a ,jew1 born in          
,alexandria1 he could scarcely escape   
being one4 ,raised under the shadow of  

the college of ,alexandria1 of a fervent
 spirit and a man of thought1 he could  
not fail to be impressed by the         
doctrines taught by that celebrated     
school4 ,they were the prevailing and   
fashionable doctrines of the day4 ,that 
he brought with him to ,ephesus the     
,logos idea of ,philo is clearly proven 
by what took place after his arrival4   
,it seems his conversion to the         
,christian faith under the instruction  
of ,aquila and ,priscilla was easy1     
which proves that the difference which  
separated them in the first place was   
not great4 ,like all ,jews1 he was      
looking for some kind of ,saviour or    
,deliverer1 and they convinced him that 
,christ was the one4 ,he now undertook  
to convince others4 ,for he mightily    
convinced the ,jews1 and that publicly1 
shewing by the ,scriptures that ,jesus  
was ,christ4 7,acts xviii4 #bh47 ,but   
the ,alexandrian notions of the ,logos  
or ,son of ,god soon began to show out  
in his discourses and make trouble4     

,some began to cry1 ,i am for ,paul2 and
 others1 ,i am for ,apollos 7#a ,cor4   
iii4 #d74  ,paul's ideas on some points 
did not suit the ,alexandrian school4   
,the birth of ,christ from human        
parents1 in the speculative minds of    
this people1 stripped him of all        
mystery2 and with them1 on subjects like
 this1 where there is no mystery there  
is nothing real4 ,there could be no     
other difference between the followers  
of ,paul and ,apollos1 except as to the 
origin and nature of ,christ1 and his   
relations to the ,creator2 and there was
 none4 ,the strife grew to such         
dimensions that ,paul is constrained to 
write an epistle to the church1 in which
 we can see what was at the bottom of   
the trouble4 ,in his ,first ,epistle1 to
 the ,corinthians1 ,paul names four     
parties whose quarrels disturbed the    
peace of the ,church3 the ,paul party1  
who maintained the doctrines of ,paul as
 to the human origin of ,christ2 the    
party of ,apollos1 who1 without doubt1  

taught the doctrines of ,philo2 the     
party of ,cephas1 which held to the     
doctrines of circumcision2 and the      
,christ party4 ,we infer that the last  
was composed of negative men1 or those  
who occupied neutral ground--the fence  
men of our day4 ,it could not have been 
of much importance1 for we never hear of
 it again4  ,it was neither the first1  
third1 or fourth of these parties that  
called out the letter to the            
,corinthians4 ,it was the wisdom of the 
,greek school and ,apollos' excellency  
of speech that disturbed ,paul1 and     
continued to do so to the end of his    
life4 ,but see with what force he       
opposes to the wisdom of the ,greeks the
 revelations which came to him from ,god
 ,this letter displays all the          
characteristics of ,paul4 ,and my speech
 and my preaching was not with enticing 
words of man's wisdom1 but in           
demonstration of the ,spirit1 and of    
power3 that your faith should not stand 
in the wisdom of men1 but in the power  

of ,god4 ,but ,god hath revealed them   
unto us by ,his ,spirit2 for the ,spirit
 searcheth all things1 yea1 the deep    
things of ,god4 ,now we have received1  
not the spirit of the world1 but the    
,spirit which is of ,god2 that we might 
know the things that are freely given to
 us of ,god4 ,which things also we      
speak1 not in the words which man's     
wisdom teacheth1 but which the ,holy    
,ghost teacheth2 comparing spiritual    
things with spiritual4 ,but the natural 
man receiveth not the things of the     
,spirit of ,god3 for they are           
foolishness unto him3 neither can he    
know them1 because they are spiritually 
discerned4 ,but he that is spiritual    
judgeth all things1 yet he himself is   
judged of no man4 ,for who hath known   
the mind of the ,lord1 that he may      
instruct him8 ,but we have the mind of  
,christ 7#a ,cor4 ch4 ii47 ,here it is  
not ,paul that denounces the wisdom of  
the ,greek school1 but it is ,god       
himself4 ,such is ,paul4  ,it is not    

difficult to tell to which of the four  
parties at ,corinth this epistle was    
addressed4 ,that the difference between 
,paul and ,apollos grew out of opposing 
opinions as to the nature of ,christ    
admits of little doubt1 and is rendered 
certain by the first1 second1 and third 
chapters of his ,first ,epistle to the  
,corinthians4 ,he says3 ,for other      
foundation can no man lay than that is  
laid1 which is ,jesus ,christ4 ,that is1
 ,i have taught to you ,christ as he is1
 and it is not for any other man to     
teach anything different4 ,he declares  
that according to the grace of ,god     
which is given unto me1 as a wise       
master-builder1 ,i have laid the        
foundation44444 let every man take heed 
how he buildeth thereon4 ,here is a     
plain intimation that the ,christ of    
,paul rested upon a different foundation
 from that of ,apollos--the one divine1 
the other human4 ,i have planted1       
,apollos watered4 ,that is1 ,i have     
planted the seed that will produce the  

true fruit1 and it is for others only to
 cultivate and nourish what ,i have     
planted4  ,he tells the ,corinthians    
that they were born unto a knowledge of 
,christ through his gospel--that is1    
through his preaching2 and that if they 
had ten thousand instructors1 of these  
there would not be many who1 as         
spiritual fathers1 could reveal to them 
the truth as he had4 ,wherefore1 ,i     
beseech you1 be ye followers of me4 ,for
 this cause have ,i sent unto you       
,timotheus1 who is my beloved son1 and  
faithful in the ,lord1 who shall bring  
you into remembrance of my ways which be
 in ,christ1 as ,i teach everywhere in  
every church4 7#a ,cor4 iv4 #af1 #ag47  
,what more conclusive evidence could be 
asked that ,apollos was preaching       
doctrines different from those of ,paul 
as to the nature of ,christ1 than that  
the latter sent ,timothy to counteract  
them8 and what other doctrines was the  
former teaching than those of the       
,alexandrian school8 ,when ,paul says   

all ,asia had turned against him1 it    
could only be on the questions which had
 sprung up between himself and ,apollos4
 ,it could not be on account of         
circumcision1 because on this point the 
,greeks would agree with ,paul4 ,it was 
not on account of different views on the
 subject of the resurrection1 because   
that was retained and became the        
foundation of the ,christian faith4     
,there was but a single point upon which
 those who professed ,christianity at   
that day could turn upon ,paul1 and that
 is his ways which be in ,christ as he  
taught them in all the churches4 ,the   
quarrels of ,paul with the ,jews on the 
subject of circumcision died away in the
 church not long after his death1       
drowned out by the ,greek and           
,therapeutae element2 but the cause of  
the strife between the followers of     
,paul and ,apollos has continued down1  
in some form1 even to our own times4    
,it could not be long after his letter  
to the ,corinthians that the doctrines  

preached by ,apollos spread through all 
the churches of ,asia ,minor and became 
the established orthodox faith4 ,paul1  
in the ,second ,epistle to ,timothy1    
says3 ,all ,asia has turned against me4 
,a mere change of name--,therapeutae to 
,christian--and the revolution was      
complete4 ,it was made so rapidly that  
the world scarcely noticed it4 ,the     
,therapeutae1 who were spread over      
,europe1 ,asia1 and portions of ,africa1
 disappeared so suddenly that it has    
always been a problem in history what   
became of them4 ,but we can find here   
and there1 in the history of the times1 
evidences that the few friends of ,paul 
did not give up the contest with their  
powerful foe without a struggle4 ,these 
struggles come to the surface of history
 like the bubbles from the mouth of a   
drowning man4  ,but little change in    
doctrines was required to justify the   
,therapeutae in taking upon themselves  
the name of ,christians4 ,christ1 with  
,paul1 was a ,mediator1 and so was the  

,logos of ,philo4 ,what intelligent     
person1 says the latter1 who views      
mankind engaged in unworthy and wicked  
pursuits1 but must be grieved to the    
heart1 and call upon that ,saviour ,god1
 that these crimes may be exterminated1 
and that by a ransom and price of       
redemption being given for his soul1 it 
may again obtain its freedom4 ,it       
pleased ,god1 therefore1 to appoint his 
,logos to be a ,mediator4 ,to his ,word1
 the chief and most ancient of all in   
heaven1 the great ,author of the world  
gave this especial gift3 that he should 
stand as a medium 7or intercessor7      
between the ,creator and the created2   
and he is accordingly the ,advocate of  
all mortals4 7,jacob ,bryant1 quoted in 
,clarke's ,commentaries on ,st4 ,john's 
,gospel47 ,as the ,therapeutae of ,philo
 were the descendants of a ,jewish      
colony who had settled in ,egypt1 and   
still retained in some degree their     
,mosaic ideas and belief in the ,old    
,testament1 under the light of the      

school of ,alexandria1 where the        
doctrines of ,philo were taught1 they   
readily adopted the ,alexandrian ideas  
of the ,logos4 ,the belief in some      
intermediate or mediatorial power       
between ,god and man was common to the  
,jews as well as most other people4     
,adam1 by his disobedience1 had broken  
the law1 and if he or his descendants   
are ever to be restored to the favor of 
the ,creator1 it is to be done through  
the office of a ,mediator4 ,the notions 
of ,philo on the nature of the ,logos   
suited the ,therapeutae much better than
 did those of ,paul1 and after a short  
struggle we will discover the           
,alexandrian dogmas to be the creed of  
the orthodox4 ,christ's appearance on   
earth1 his death and resurrection1 are  
what ,paul preached1 and what the       
,therapeutae1 who were converted by him1
 believed4 ,these features were retained
 in the church after the ,philo ideas of
 the ,logos had displaced the ,christ of
 ,paul4 ,it was only ,paul's doctrine of

 the descent of ,jesus from ,mary and   
,joseph after the flesh that was thrown 
aside by them4 ,the intervention of the 
,virgin1 at a later period in the       
history of the church1 was the means by 
which the ,christ of ,paul was made the 
,son of ,god in the sense of the        
,alexandrian school4  ,the transition of
 the ,therapeutae to ,christianity was  
easy4 ,little or no change was made in  
the form of the services in the church4 
,according to ,eusebius1 they sang      
hymns4 ,they read sacred books and made 
comments on them as well after as before
 the change4 ,like the first ,christian 
community1 they held all their property 
in common4 ,they said grace at table    
both before and after meals1 according  
to ,josephus1 which they continued to do
 after they took the name of            
,christians4 ,they made no change in    
their fasts and festivals1 and retained 
the monasteries4 ,the transfer of the   
form of the ,therapeutae church         
government to the new church was the    

work of time1 and was not fully effected
 until the second century4 ,the         
influence of ,paul's name1 with other   
causes1 was too strong during the first 
to permit the change4  ,a ,bishop in a  
,christian church is the work of the    
second century4 ,like every other new   
feature in its history1 we find the     
first ,bishop at ,alexandria4 ,gibbon   
says3 ,the extensive commerce of        
,alexandria1 and its proximity to       
,palestine1 gave an easy entrance to the
 new religion4 ,it was at first embraced
 by great numbers of the ,therapeutae1  
or ,essenians of the lake ,mareotis1 a  
,jewish sect which had abated much of   
its reverence for the ,mosaic           
ceremonies4 ,the austere life of the    
,essenians1 their fasts and             
excommunications1 the community of      
goods1 the love of celibacy1 their zeal 
for martyrdom1 and the warmth though not
 the purity of their faith1 already     
offered a very lively image of the      
primitive discipline4 ,it was in the    

school of ,alexandria that the          
,christian theology appears to have     
assumed a regular and scientific form2  
and when ,hadrian visited ,egypt he     
found a church1 composed of ,jews and of
 ,greeks1 sufficiently important to     
attract the notice of that inquisitive  
prince4 7,ch4 xv4 7#afb7 7#afc71 vol4   
,i4 p4 #bhc4799       99 ,after the     
author had written out his views as     
above1 he      met with the following   
passages from the writings of           
,michaelis1 the great ,german critic1   
quoted in ,taylor's      ,diegesis4 ,of 
the ,therapeutae1 he says they are a    
,jewish      sect1 which began to spread
 itself at ,ephesus1 and to             
threaten great mischief to ,christianity
 in the time 7or      indeed previous to
 the time7 of ,st4 ,paul1 on which      
account1      in his epistles to the    
,ephesians1 to the ,colossians1 and to  
,timothy1 he declares himself openly    
against them4      7,diegesisy #eh47    
,again3 ,it is evident from the         

above-mentioned epistles of      ,paul1 
that1 to the great mortification of the 
apostle1 they      insinuated themselves
 very early into the church4 7#fj47 ,the
      writer does not wish to be        
understood that the disturbances        
created in the church were confined to  
,corinth1 and that      ,apollos was the
 only one who taught during the life of 
,paul      the doctrines of the         
,alexandrian school4 ,wherever ,paul had
      founded a church1 there the       
,therapeutae element was at work4       
,apollos1 by his superior eloquence and 
learning1 was      distinguished from a 
host of agitators1 and called forth the 
special notice of ,paul4 element was at 
work4 ,apollos1 by his      superior    
eloquence and learning1 was             
distinguished from a      host of       
agitators1 and called forth the special 
notice of      ,paul4  ,it is safe to   
say that it was the ,therapeutae who    
caused the troubles in the churches in  
,paul's time and afterwards1 because no 

other sect or society was so extended1  
and had the power to make the           
disturbance so universal4 ,paul could   
complain of no other1 and it was this   
sect that turned all ,asia against him4 
,there is no way to account for the     
sudden and wonderful increase of        
,christians in a few years before       
,paul's death1 unless we can refer the  
cause to the sudden conversion of the   
,therapeutae to the new religion4 ,when 
they are suddenly lost to sight1 the    
small churches of ,paul have grown great
 in numbers1 and spread over ,europe and
 ,asia in an incredibly short space of  
time4  ,before going to press1 the      
writer came into the possession of the  
works of ,michaelis1 where we find the  
following passage3 ,but even before     
,apollos had received the instructions  
of ,aquila and ,priscilla1 he taught    
publicly in the synagogue at ,ephesus   
concerning the ,messiah4 ,hence it is   
not improbable that the ,essenes        
introduced themselves into the church at

 ,ephesus by means of ,apollos1 who came
 from ,alexandria1 in the neighborhood  
of which city1 according to ,philo1 the 
,essenes were not only numerous but were
 held in high estimation4 7,vol4 iv4 p4 
#he47 ,it would seem from this that     
,apollos only continued to do at        
,corinth what he first began at         
,ephesus4  ,no man of any age suffered  
so much abuse1 nor was there ever one   
whose memory labored under such a weight
 of obloquy as that of ,paul--first from
 the followers of ,apollos2 and         
afterwards from the ,catholics of the   
second century1 when the mother of ,god 
rose like a new star in the heavens4    
,the first half of the ,acts was        
written1 as will be shown1 expressly to 
exalt ,peter over him and degrade him   
from the rank of an ,apostle4 ,the      
,revelation ascribed to ,st4 ,john is   
nothing but a bitter tirade of          
denunciation against ,paul and his      
followers4 ,he is called a liar1 the    
false prophet1 who with the beast was   

cast alive into a lake of burning fire4 
,he is the great red dragon who stood   
before the woman ready to devour the    
child ,jesus as soon as he was born1 and
 who warred with ,michael and the       
angels4 ,paul is not only denounced1 but
 ,christ himself is made to declare his 
status in the ,godhead4 ,i ,jesus have  
sent mine angel to testify unto you     
these things in the churches4 7xxii4    
#af47 ,what the things were to which the
 angel was to bear testimony1           
sufficiently appears in every portion of
 the book of ,revelation4 ,why was ,paul
 the subject of so much abuse8 ,there   
can be but one answer4 ,it was because  
of the way in which he taught ,christ in
 all the churches1 which he had learned 
from the ,apostles in his interviews    
with them at ,jerusalem1 and probably   
from ,joseph and ,mary themselves1 for  
they occurred about the year ,a4,d4 #dj4
     ,,chapter ,v4       ,review of the 
past4--,what follows in the future4     
,let us assume a stand at the beginning 

of ,adrian's reign1 ,a4,d4 #aag1 and    
make a survey of the ,christian world as
 it presents itself at that day4 ,a     
half-century has passed since the death 
of ,paul4 ,since then1 ,rome has been   
without a ,christian population4 ,driven
 from the city through the cruel        
butcheries of the tyrant1 they took     
refuge in the provinces1 especially     
,asia ,minor1 where they remained until 
the reign of ,adrian and his successor1 
the tolerant ,antoninus ,pius4 ,in the  
mean time1 the ,therapeutan element of  
,christianity had been steadily on the  
increase1 while that of ,paul had       
correspondingly declined4 ,the          
proclamation of ,adrian1 or rather his  
letter to ,fundanus1 a governor of one  
of the provinces1 prohibiting the       
punishment of ,christians on account of 
their religion1 was the first intimation
 from the capital of the empire that    
they could return in safety4 ,from this 
time ,christians began to return to     
,rome in a steady stream1 so that within

 the next twenty years they had so      
increased in numbers that they once more
 take a place in history1 and are found 
mixed up in the history of the imperial 
city4  ,but at this time ,christians1 in
 their contest with the ,pagans1 found  
the evidence of ,christianity1 as it    
then stood1 not sufficient to contend   
with the infidelity of the age4 ,the old
 religion of ,rome was hallowed by time1
 supported by the learned men of that   
day1 and upheld by the power of the     
,state4 ,the ,gospels had not yet       
appeared2 the world was without a       
miracle2 ,mary1 the bride of ,heaven1   
afterwards the central figure in the    
,hierarchy of the orthodox1 had no place
 in history4 ,peter had not been in     
,rome1 or ,john in ,asia4 ,the personal 
influence of ,paul and his immediate    
followers had kept alive the spirit of  
,christianity in ,asia2 but now ,paul is
 no more1 and the influence of his name 
has nearly passed away4 ,the proof that 
there ever were such persons as ,christ 

and his disciples had become faint4 ,the
 dim light of tradition1 and what ,paul1
 and his companion ,barnabas1 said of   
him in their epistles1 comprised about  
all the evidence at that day to sustain 
the claims of ,christianity4 ,but ,paul 
himself had not seen ,christ1 except    
under such circumstances as might excite
 suspicion of either delusion or fraud4 
,he had seen ,peter1 and remained with  
him1 in the first place fifteen days2   
and afterwards went to ,jerusalem1 where
 he saw all of the disciples who were   
then living4 ,what ,paul learned from   
the disciples1 with his vision near     
,damascus1 was sufficient to convince   
him of the reality of ,christ and the   
truth of the religion he taught4 ,but   
the proof all lay within himself4 ,the  
genuine epistles of ,peter1 as we will  
show1 were so corrupted by the men of   
the second century1 that we have no     
means of knowing how much of the        
original remains or how much has been   
added4 ,the epistle of ,james1 which is 

the only writing by an ,apostle1 or any 
one else1 that has come down to us from 
the ,apostolic age without some evidence
 of fraud and corruption1 only speaks of
 ,christ as a just man1 and makes no    
mention of the prodigies and wonders    
claimed to have taken place at the time 
of his birth and death2 nor does he take
 notice of the miracles and wonderful   
things spoken of in the ,gospels4 ,the  
proof1 whatever it may have been1 that  
,christ ever existed1 was too weak to   
overcome or even contend against the    
skepticism of the age4  ,so far we have 
said nothing of the ,hebrew ,gospel of  
,matthew1 because it was cast to one    
side1 for the reason that it was a      
standing argument against the           
,alexandrian ideas of the ,logos--and   
was regarded as of no authority in the  
church until it had been improved by    
important additions made afterwards1 and
 passed into the present ,greek version4
 ,with such proof as existed at the time
 we write of1 ,christianity could not   

hold its ground against the great       
pressure brought to bear it down--much  
less make headway against such powerful 
opposition4 ,the time to supply new     
proof of the reality of ,christ was     
favorable4 ,all the scenes in his life  
lay within the boundaries of ,galilee1  
,samaria1 and ,judea--the greater part  
in and about ,jerusalem4 ,since his     
death the ,legions of ,rome had been    
there1 and left nothing standing except 
a few towers1 reserved for military     
defence4 ,the silence of death1 for     
almost a half century1 had reigned in   
the streets of ,jerusalem4 ,the greater 
part of the ,jewish people had been put 
to death by the sword1 or carried away  
into captivity4 ,all who lived during   
the time of ,christ1 by age and the     
calamities of war had gone to their     
graves4 ,we shall soon see the          
,synoptics appear in intervals such as  
circumstances demanded1 each bearing the
 name of an ,apostle1 or the name of    
some one who wrote at their dictation4  

,a little further down in the century we
 will find men engaged in laying the    
foundation of a church1 whose claims to 
infallibility and supremacy are based on
 apostolic succession4 ,when we come to 
this period we will find all            
ecclesiastical history to consist of    
traditions1 and a time in the world's   
life which is populated by ,bishops and 
high-church dignitaries1 who pass before
 us without speech or action1 like      
shadows on a wall4 ,we shall find ,peter
 has been in ,rome2 ,john at ,ephesus2  
,paul in ,gaul1 ,spain1 and ,britain4   
,we will find parties engaged in        
exalting ,peter above all the other     
,apostles--and the same influence at    
work to put down ,paul4 ,again we will  
see ,paul restored to favor1 but his    
writings defaced by forgeries1 to       
conform to the doctrines of the day4 ,we
 shall also see ,christians enter into  
quarrels among themselves1 which        
continue through centuries4  ,books are 
forged1 traditions manufactured1 and the

 works of the ,fathers shamefully       
altered and corrupted4 ,later in the    
century1 brought out by a pressure which
 made it necessary1 the fourth ,gospel  
will appear1 and ,christianity pass from
 the ,alexandrian ,logos to the         
,incarnate ,god4 ,by casting our eyes   
still further down the centuries1 we    
will see ,christianity and the          
philosophy of ,plato strangely allied1  
which brings us to the era of the       
,trinity4 ,let us first inquire into the
 origin of the first three ,gospels4    
,,chapter ,,vi4       ,how the ,four    
,gospels ,originated  ,the origin of the
 ,gospels has proved a ,serbonian bog1  
in which many writers who have attempted
 an explanation have floundered without 
finding solid ground4 ,scarcely two     
writers agree4 ,why should there be any 
doubt in a matter of so much importance1
 where the evidence could so readily be 
obtained at the time they were written1 
and so safely guarded and preserved8    
,truth1 in a historic period like that  

in which it is claimed the ,gospels were
 written1 need not be left in the dark4 
,the true difficulty has grown out of   
the fact1 that writers who have         
undertaken to give the origin of the    
,gospels have looked1 as men do in most 
other cases1 to outside sources for     
information2 whereas the explanation of 
the origin is to be found within the    
,gospels themselves1 and nowhere else4  
,by looking for light where none is to  
be found1 writers on this subject have  
had their attention withdrawn from the  
direction where the truth is to be      
discovered4 ,if we bear in mind that men
 eighteen hundred years ago were much   
like men of to-day1 that the emotion or 
effect a given event or occurrence      
produces in the minds of men of our own 
time would be the same as upon those who
 lived in the first part of the second  
century1 we have a compass1 such as it  
is1 to guide us through this ,cimmerian 
darkness4 ,what would excite ridicule1  
or appear false and improbable to       

intelligent minds of our own times1     
would appear equally so to such minds as
 ,pliny and ,tacitus at their ages of   
the world4  ,in imagination let us take 
a stand at the beginning of the second  
century1 and make ourselves citizens of 
the ,roman empire under the reign of    
,adrian4 ,we can well imagine how the   
minds of thinking and intelligent people
 were affected on the first appearance  
of the present ,greek version of        
,matthew's ,gospel4 ,it set forth some  
of the most astounding events in the    
history of the world1 and which the     
world heard of for the first time4 ,when
 ,christ was put to death1 all the land1
 from the sixth to the ninth hour1 was  
covered with darkness2 the veil of the  
temple was rent in twain from the top to
 the bottom2 the earth did quake1 and   
the rocks were rent asunder2 the graves 
were opened1 and many bodies of saints  
which slept arose and came out of their 
graves1 and went into the holy city and 
appeared unto many4 ,suppose that some  

morning we should pick up our daily     
paper1 and find under the telegraph head
 an announcement of like events as      
having occurred in ,london or ,paris4   
,at first we might be fearfully         
startled1 but would soon feel satisfied 
that it was all a hoax1 after the style 
of ,professor ,locke's story of the     
,moon4 ,if the authors of the story     
expected to accomplish anything by such 
startling announcements1 they failed by 
attempting too much4 ,whether the earth 
was covered with darkness1 or was shaken
 by an earthquake1 or the dead got out  
of their graves and went down into the  
city1 were facts easily inquired into1  
in that age of the world4  ,matthew     
further states that a star went before  
the wise men of the ,east1 till it came 
and stood over where the young child    
was4 ,how could a star a million of     
miles off lead any one on this earth1   
and how could it at that distance be in 
a position to indicate a spot on the    
earth where the child was8 ,he also     

states1 that when ,herod found he was   
mocked he was wroth1 and sent forth and 
slew all the children that were in      
,bethlehem and all the coast thereof1   
from two years old and under4 ,we can   
readily imagine the ,pagans1 who        
composed the learned and intelligent men
 of their day1 at work in exposing the  
story of ,herod's cruelty1 by showing   
that1 considering the extent of         
territory embraced in the order1 and the
 population within it1 the assumed      
destruction of life stamped the story   
false and ridiculous4 ,a ,governor of a 
,roman province who dared make such an  
order would be so speedily overtaken by 
the vengeance of the ,roman people1 that
 his head would fall from his body      
before the blood of his victims had time
 to dry4 ,archelaus1 his son1 was       
deposed for offences not to be spoken of
 when compared with this massacre of the
 infants4  ,but that part of the first  
,gospel which related to the dream of   
,joseph and the conception of ,mary was 

what most excited the criticism and     
ridicule of the people of that day4 ,the
 whole and sole foundation of the new   
religion was a dream4 ,the simplicity of
 ,joseph1 too1 provoked a smile1 if     
nothing more4 ,the story at the         
sepulchre was overdrawn1 and threw      
discredit over all4 ,and behold1 there  
was a great earthquake3 for the angel of
 the ,lord descended from heaven1 and   
came and rolled back the stone from the 
door1 and sat upon it4 ,his countenance 
was like lightning1 and his raiment     
white as snow4 7,matthew xxviii4 #b1    
#c47 ,such aerial bodies are not given  
to the employments assigned to the angel
 in this case4 ,rolling stones1 say the 
wise men1 by spiritual essences is      
ridiculous and absurd4 ,besides1 who    
knows anything of the great earthquake8 
,we find no account of it1 nor is it    
even mentioned anywhere else4  ,so men  
reasoned eighteen hundred years ago--and
 so they would to-day4 ,it is evident   
that the author of the first ,gospel had

 overdone his part1 and injured the     
cause he meant to advance4 ,the blunders
 and mistakes of the first ,gospel made 
it necessary that there should be a     
second4 ,this gave rise to a second     
,gospel1 not by the same hand1 but by   
some other1 who felt the pressure that  
had been brought to bear on ,matthew4   
,as this second ,gospel was written with
 a special purpose1 we must expect a    
great resemblance in it to the first1   
except where the former makes statements
 which were the occasion of so much     
criticism on the part of the            
philosophers2 and in such cases1 the    
best course to pursue would be to say   
nothing4 ,naked contradiction would not 
answer4 ,mark has not a word to say     
about the story of ,joseph and the      
angel4 ,he omits the earthquake at the  
crucifixion1 and the resurrection of the
 dead1 for these things were susceptible
 of disproof2 but tells of the darkness1
 and the rent in the temple1 because the
 former was comparative1 and may have   

been a dark cloud in the heavens2 and as
 to the case of the temple1 no one could
 disprove the story1 for it was         
destroyed4 ,the story of the angel and  
stone is entirely omitted1 but the stone
 is removed from the mouth of the       
sepulchre when the women appear1 and a  
young man is found in the inside1 who is
 presumed to have done it4 ,matthew says
 that ,joseph of ,arimathea deposited   
the body of ,christ in the sepulchre1   
and then rolled a great stone to the    
door4 ,afterwards the priest and        
,pharisees caused the entrance to be    
made secure1 for fear that the body     
would be stolen1 and the disciples then 
claim that he had risen from the dead4  
,if so1 say the philosophers1 the work  
was not so poorly done that one young   
man could roll the stone from the door1 
as stated by ,mark4 ,it would be beyond 
his strength4  ,luke removes the        
objection2 when the women come to the   
sepulchre in the morning they found the 
stone removed1 and the body of ,christ  

was missing4 ,there was no young man    
inside1 but two men were found standing 
on the outside1 who1 no doubt1 were     
competent to do the work4 ,the story of 
the star which led the wise men1 and the
 murder of the infants at ,bethlehem1 is
 also omitted4 ,we are justified in     
saying that those who were engaged in   
getting up the first ,gospel1 or those  
who succeeded them1 were driven to      
abandon some false and impossible and   
improbable things stated in that        
,gospel1 by proof1 in some cases1 of    
their falsehood1 and in others by the   
force of argument and ridicule4         
,matthew had related the story of       
,joseph and the angel1 and that admitted
 of no change or modification4 ,mark    
says nothing about it1 but silence will 
not answer2 for the philosophers still  
claim that all depends upon a dream1 and
 the dreams of ,joseph are no better    
than the dreams of any other man4 ,if   
the story could not be modified1 it     
might be corroborated4 ,so1 when it came

 to ,luke's turn to speak he adds the   
story of ,zacharias1 and the interview  
between ,mary and the angel ,gabriel4   
,all now occurs in daylight1 and dreams 
which had been the subject of so much   
ridicule are dispensed with4  ,when     
,zacharias went to the temple to burn   
incense1 he found on the outside a great
 multitude of people4 ,the crowd has no 
connection with the story1 except as    
these people are wanted for witness as  
to what happened in the sanctuary4      
,while ,zacharias was offering incense  
within1 there appeared to him an angel  
standing on the right side of the altar4
 ,the position of the angel is defined  
with precision1 that it might not be    
claimed that what appeared to him was a 
phantom4 ,zacharias saw him and was     
afraid4  ,as further evidence that the  
angel was not some optical illusion1    
,gabriel spoke1 and gave ,zacharias such
 information about the future birth of a
 son to him that he was disposed to     
doubt the truth of it4 ,as a punishment 

for his reasonable doubts1 he is struck 
dumb4 ,the interview continued so long  
that the crowd on the outside began to  
be uneasy1 and when ,zacharias did come 
out he had lost the power of speech4    
,this convinced the multitude 7but how1 
is not stated7 that he had seen a vision
 in the temple4 ,after this1 ,gabriel   
made a visit to ,mary in open day1 and  
held a conversation1 in which he        
announced to her the birth of a son     
through the overshadowing influence of  
the ,holy ,ghost1 who would reign over  
the house of ,jacob forever4 ,then      
follows the scene between ,mary and her 
cousin ,elisabeth4  ,in ,luke's account 
of the announcement of the birth of     
,christ by divine agency1 the story of  
,joseph is entirely omitted1 and new    
witnesses are introduced4 ,his story was
 well studied2 every precaution was     
taken to silence cavil and make such a  
case as would remove doubts4 ,the       
blunders of ,matthew were not to be     
repeated4 ,the birth of ,christ and     

,john1 who was afterwards called the    
,baptist1 are ingeniously associated in 
the announcement of the angel1 to give  
color to what is said of them in the    
,gospels afterwards4  ,what objections  
were made by the philosophers to the    
story of ,luke at the time1 we have no  
means of knowing2 but if any were made1 
there is no subsequent effort to improve
 it1 and so it remains to this day4     
,the question interests us to know when 
and from whom did ,luke get his         
information4 ,if he had it from any one 
who had the means of knowing what he    
tells us1 it must have been from ,paul1 
for we have no knowledge that he had any
 acquaintance1 or relations of any kind1
 with either of the disciples4 ,he was  
,paul's companion3 we find him with     
,paul at ,troas1 ,a4,d4 #ej2 thence he  
attended him to ,jerusalem1 continued   
with him during his troubles in ,judea1 
and sailed in the same ship with him    
when he was sent a prisoner to ,rome1   
where he stayed with him during his two 

years' confinement4 ,he was with him    
during his second imprisonment1 and1 as 
we will show in the proper place1 he    
died with ,paul in ,rome1 and was one of
 the victims of ,nero's reign4 ,if ,paul
 knew what ,luke states as to the divine
 emanation of ,christ1 why does he not  
make some allusion to it in his numerous
 epistles8--and how can we understand   
that he could1 with such knowledge1 deny
 this divine creation1 and preach to the
 last that ,christ was born according to
 natural law8  ,luke1 too1 made         
mistakes1 which ,john afterwards        
corrected in the fourth ,gospel4  ,we   
can best illustrate the claim that the  
three last ,gospels were written in the 
order they appeared1 as a necessity to  
meet the objections and cavils of the   
philosophers1 by taking some leading    
subject which is mentioned by all4 ,take
 the case of the resurrection4 ,matthew 
says3 ,and when they saw him1 they      
worshipped him3 but some doubted4       
7,matt1 xxviii4 #ag47 ,to leave the     

question where ,matthew leaves it would 
be fatal4 ,in such a case there must be 
no doubt4 ,mark makes ,christ appear    
three times under such circumstances as 
to render a mistake next to impossible1 
and to silence the most obstinate       
skepticism4 ,he first appears to ,mary  
,magdalene1 who was convinced that it   
was ,christ1 because she went and told  
the disciples that he had risen1 and    
that she had seen him4 ,they            
disbelieved1 nor could they be convinced
 until he appeared to them4 ,they in    
turn told it to the other disciples1 who
 were also skeptical2 and1 that they    
might be convinced1 ,christ also        
appeared to them as they sat at meat1   
when he upbraided them for their        
unbelief4  ,this story is much improved 
in the hands of ,mark1 but1 in the      
anxiety to make a clear case1 it is     
overdone1 as often happens when the     
object is to remedy or correct an       
oversight or mistake previously made4   
,there was a large amount of skepticism 

to be overcome1 but the proof offered   
was sufficient to do it1 and remove all 
doubts from the minds of the disciples4 
,considering ,christ had told the       
disciples he would rise1 why did they   
doubt at all8 ,owing to some strange    
oversight1 neither ,matthew nor ,mark   
says in what way ,christ made his       
appearance--whether it was in the body  
or only in the spirit4 ,if in the       
latter1 it would be fatal to the whole  
theory of the resurrection4 ,we conclude
 from what followed1 that the           
philosophers of that day1 who would     
concede nothing to the claims of        
,christianity1 took advantage of this   
oversight1 and denied the resurrection  
of ,christ in the body4 ,it was the     
business of ,luke to put this disputed  
question in its true light1 and silence 
the objection4 ,he says that when       
,christ appeared and spoke to the       
disciples they were afraid4 ,but they   
were terrified and affrighted1 and      
supposed that they had seen a spirit4   

7,luke xxiv4 #cg47 ,christ then showed  
the wounds in his hands and feet4 ,and  
they gave him a piece of a broiled fish1
 and of a honeycomb3 ,and he took it1   
and did eat before them4 7,luke xxiv4   
#db1 #dc47 ,now who dare doubt8 ,why    
some doubted1 as ,matthew says they did1
 is hard to explain4 ,the account of    
,luke should have satisfied the         
philosophers that it was a body and not 
a spirit that appeared to the disciples4
 ,but we can believe they were not1 from
 what is afterwards said on this        
subject4 ,the story of the fish and     
honeycomb was incredible and absurd4 ,it
 was a fish-story4 ,if true1 why did    
,matthew and ,mark fail to mention it8  
,luke had overdone the matter1 and      
instead of convincing the ,pagans1 he   
only excited their ridicule4  ,now comes
 ,john's turn4 ,he does not omit        
entirely the story of ,christ eating    
fish1 for that would not do1 after there
 had been so much said about it4 ,he    
might leave it to be inferred that ,luke

 made a mistake1 so he modifies the     
story and omits the ridiculous part of  
it4 ,the scene is laid on the shores of 
the ,sea of ,tiberias4 ,under the       
direction of ,christ1 ,peter drew his   
net to land full of fish4 ,jesus saith  
unto them1 ,come and dine4 ,and none of 
the disciples durst ask him1 ,who art   
thou8 knowing that it was the ,lord4    
,jesus then cometh1 and taketh bread1   
and giveth them1 and fish like wise4    
7,john xxi4 #ab1 #ac47 ,it does not     
appear from this account that ,christ   
ate of the fish at all4 ,he took the    
fish and gave to the disciples2 the     
inference is1 that they were the ones   
that ate4 ,in ,luke the statement is    
reversed3--the disciples gave the fish  
to ,christ1 and he ate4 ,john has taken 
out of the story that which was absurd1 
but he leaves us to infer that ,luke was
 nearsighted or careless in his account 
of what took place4 ,if you leave out of
 ,luke's account the part that relates  
to the fish and honeycomb1 he fails to  

prove what it really was which appeared 
to the disciples4  ,christ1 he says1    
said1 ,behold my hands and my feet1 that
 it is ,i myself4 7,ch4 xxiv4 #ci47 ,and
 while they yet believed not for joy1   
and wondered1 he said unto them1 ,have  
ye here any meat8 7,ch4 xxiv4 #da47 ,it 
seems from this that the disciples could
 not be convinced until ,christ had     
actually eaten something4 ,now if you   
strike out the eating part1 which ,john 
does1 and which no doubt the ridicule   
cast upon it drove him to do1 ,luke     
leaves the question open just where he  
found it4 ,it was the business of ,john 
to leave it clean1 and put an end to all
 cavil4  ,jesus appeared to the         
disciples when they assembled at        
,jerusalem4 ,and when he had so said1 he
 shewed unto them his hands and his     
side4 7,john xx4 #bj47 ,they were       
satisfied1 and no doubts were expressed4
 ,but ,thomas was not present1 and when 
he was told that ,jesus had appeared to 
the disciples1 he refused to believe1   

nor would he1 ,except ,i shall see in   
his hands the print of the nails1 and   
put my finger into the print of the     
nails1 and thrust my hand into his side1
 ,i will not believe4 7,john xx4 #be47  
,now if ,thomas can be convinced with   
all his doubts1 it would be foolish     
after that to deny that ,christ was not 
in the body when he appeared to his     
disciples4  ,after eight days ,christ   
again appears1 without any object that  
we can discover but to convince ,thomas4
 ,then said he to ,thomas1 ,reach hither
 thy finger1 and behold my hands2 and   
reach hither thy hand1 and thrust it    
into my side2 and be not faithless1 but 
believing4 7,john xx4 #bg47 ,it is not  
stated whether he did as he was         
directed2 but he was convinced1 and     
exclaimed1 ,my ,lord and my ,god4  ,what
 fault the ,pagans found with this      
account we have not the means of        
knowing2 but if they still disbelieved1 
they were more skeptical than ,thomas   
himself4 ,we should be at a loss to     

understand why the writers of the first 
three ,gospels entirely omitted the     
story of ,thomas1 if we were not aware  
that when ,john wrote the state of the  
public mind was such1 that proof of the 
most unquestionable character was       
demanded that ,christ had risen in the  
body4 ,john selected a person who       
claimed he was hard to convince1 and if 
the evidence was such as to satisfy him1
 it ought to satisfy the balance of the 
world4  ,john's services are again      
required to repair the blunders and     
oversights of the writers of the first  
three ,gospels in relation to the body  
of ,christ after the crucifixion4       
,matthew states that ,mary ,magdalene   
and the other ,mary went on the first   
day of the week to see the sepulchre4   
,no other purpose is expressed4 ,mark   
says that early in the morning of the   
first day of the week1 ,mary ,magdalene 
and ,mary the mother of ,james and      
,salome brought spices to anoint the    
body4 ,according to ,luke1 after the    

women who had followed ,christ from     
,galilee had seen the body deposited in 
the tomb1 they returned and prepared    
spices and ointments1 and rested the    
,sabbath day4 ,the body was deposited in
 the tomb some time on ,friday1 and     
remained until ,sunday morning1 on the  
first day of the ,jewish week4          
,doubtless1 in the climate of ,syria1   
the body in the mean time must have     
undergone such a change as to make it   
difficult to either embalm or even      
anoint it4 ,the ,pagans at that day     
could hardly fail to take advantage of  
this mistake or blunder4 ,but ,john     
again comes to the rescue and sets the  
matter right4 ,according to him1 ,joseph
 of ,arimathea had permission to take   
the body1 which he did1 and carried it  
away4 ,and there came also ,nicodemus   
7which at the first came to ,jesus by   
night7 and brought a mixture of myrrh   
and aloes1 about a hundred pounds       
weight4 ,then took they the body of     
,jesus1 and wound it in linen clothes   

with the spices1 as the manner of the   
,jews is to bury4 7,john xix4 #ci1 #dj47
  ,john now fully silenced the cavils of
 the enemy and taken the proper steps to
 preserve the body until the morning of 
the third day4  ,the subject might be   
further pursued1 but enough has been    
said to furnish a key to the origin of  
the ,gospels4 ,christians in their      
contests with the ,pagans resemble the  
course of a retreating army1 which falls
 back to take a stronger position4 ,each
 time the position is improved1 until   
one at last is found which is           
impregnable4 ,we can readily see how it 
is that the first three ,gospels so     
closely resemble each other1 the exact  
language for whole passages being alike 
in all4 ,mark copies ,matthew1 and ,luke
 uses the words of both4 ,it is only    
when the last undertakes to improve or  
modify something written by those who   
wrote previously1 that the difference   
becomes obvious4 ,that the ,christians  
in the beginning of the second century  

had books of some kind before the three 
first ,gospels appeared in the present  
shape is beyond all dispute4 ,the sacred
 writings of the ,therapeutae1 as we    
have shown1 were full of the most sound 
morality1 and contained all the         
essential principles of ,christianity4  
,these writings were ancient--had been  
regarded as sacred for generations among
 them1 and were so much like the present
 ,gospels that ,eusebius claimed them to
 be the same1 and that the ,therapeutae 
were ,christians4 ,no doubt the ,hebrew 
,gospel of ,matthew was extant1 and if  
it was rejected by the ,christians of   
that day1 because it did not contain the
 two first chapters of the ,greek       
version1 there was no reason why they   
should reject the ,sermon on the ,mount1
 and all the sublime and pure religion  
taught by ,christ4 ,the sacred writings 
of the ,therapeutae--the ,hebrew version
 of ,matthew1 the ,epistle of ,james and
 the first of ,peter--furnished the     
principles and doctrines which now form 

the life of ,christianity2 and the great
 want of the day--that is1 some proof of
 the actual existence of the person of  
,christ1 by those who had seen him and  
were familiar with him before his       
death--was supplied in the first three  
,gospels1 by the testimony of those who 
claimed to be his disciples1 or by those
 who1 it is said1 wrote at their        
dictation4  ,in what quarter of the     
globe were the ,synoptics written1 and  
by whom8 ,all that can be said on this  
subject with certainty is1 that the     
,greek version of ,matthew1 the source  
of all1 was not written in ,judea1 or by
 one who knew anything of the geography 
of the country1 or the history of the   
,jews4 ,he was ignorant of both4 ,what  
excuse was there but ignorance for      
making the order for the massacre of the
 infants to include ,bethlehem1 and all 
the coast thereof1 which would take in  
at least the one-half of all ,judea1 and
 involve in one common slaughter1       
according to the calculations of learned

 men1 several thousand innocent         
children8 ,the ,greek writer of ,matthew
 evidently believed that ,bethlehem was 
an insignificant hamlet1 situated on the
 coast of the ,mediterranean1 whereas it
 is as far in the interior as           
,jerusalem2 and not far from the centre 
of ,judea4 ,the writer's ignorance of   
,jewish history will appear still more  
conspicuous1 when we speak of the       
application which he makes of prophecy  
to the person of ,jesus4 ,whoever the   
writer may have been1 it is evident that
 he received his education at the       
college at ,alexandria1 where ,medicine 
and ,divinity were taught1 and regarded 
as inseparable4 ,from the union of the  
two1 recovery from diseases was ascribed
 to supernatural powers4 ,a fever was a 
demon1 which was not to be expelled by  
virtue of any material remedy1 but by   
incantations1 spells1 and magic4 ,it was
 by such power ,christ cleansed the     
leper--healed the centurion's           
servant--touched the hand of ,peter's   

wife's mother and drove away the        
fever--expelled the devils from two men 
into swine1 and performed many other    
cures4 ,the whole of the first ,gospel  
has an ,alexandrian look not easily to  
be mistaken--if we except the miracle of
 the loaves and fishes1 walk of ,christ 
on the water1 and other wonders of a    
like nature1 which is the work of some  
one later in the century4 ,the deserts  
in the neighborhood of ,alexandria      
abounded with monasteries from the      
earliest accounts of the ,therapeutae to
 the conquest of ,egypt by the          
,mahometan power1 which were filled with
 monks who were celebrated for their    
piety1 their miracles1 their power to   
expel devils and heal diseases4 ,the    
pages of ,sozomen and ,socrates abound  
with the names of monks who cured the   
palsy1 expelled demons1 and cured the   
sick4 7,sozomen1 ,ecc4 ,hist41 lib4 vi41
 ch4 #bh47     ,,chapter ,,vii4         
,john the son of ,zebedee never in ,asia
 ,minor4--,john the      ,presbyter     

substituted4--,the work of ,irenaeus and
 ,eusebius4--      ,john the disciple   
has served to create an enigma in       
history4--,john of ,ephesus a myth4     
,was ,john the son of ,zebedee ever in  
,asia8 ,to ask a question which implies 
a doubt on a subject that has been      
agreed on for almost twenty centuries1  
will probably startle many even in this 
age of inquiry and progress4 ,it may be 
a question whether he who makes a       
discovery in science or the arts which  
facilitates the advance of mankind1 or  
he who contributes by his labors to     
remove a delusion which has stood in the
 way of progress1 is most entitled to   
the gratitude of his fellow-men4 ,a     
falsehood1 as long as it stands         
unquestioned1 may and does receive the  
respect which is due to the truth2 but  
there is a time when1 no matter how     
hoary with age1 it must pass away and   
give place to the latter4  ,john the son
 of ,zebedee the fisherman1 upon careful
 inquiry1 can never be successfully     

confounded with him of ,ephesus4 ,his   
character1 as developed in the          
,synoptics1 is composed of negative     
qualities4 ,we find him in ,jerusalem   
when he had got to be fifty years old1  
without any evidence1 up to that time1  
that he had been out of sight of the    
walls of the city1 and no proof that he 
said or did anything worthy of notice4  
,his name is mentioned in connection    
with some of the great scenes in the    
life of ,christ1 but he takes no part1  
and1 like the supernumeraries on the    
stage1 his presence is only needed to   
fill up a required number4 ,to be sure1 
,paul speaks of him in connection with  
,james and ,peter as pillars of the     
church--which has no significance1 as   
the nine other disciples were all       
moderate men1 and the church at the time
 few in number and easily managed4 ,john
 of the ,synoptics is not only lymphatic
 and of negative qualities1 but1 from   
his condition in life and pursuits1 must
 have had but little learning of any    

kind4 ,john of the ,greeks is a man of  
learning1 and a scholar4 ,he was master 
of the ,greek1 and was familiar with the
 abstruse and subtle philosophy of that 
speculative people4 ,he was at home in  
all the different and various doctrines 
of the ,gnostics1 and proved himself the
 most able man of the age in his        
contests with those numerous sects which
 embraced the most learned men of the   
second century4 ,in fine1 this ,john of 
,galilee1 whose name is seldom          
mentioned1 or if so1 not for anything he
 said or did1 who lives to be more than 
fifty without the least notice being    
taken of him1 or allusion made--this    
phlegmatic ,john1 after he has passed   
the meridian of life1 and his powers are
 on the decline1 has all at once become 
a teacher1 and the great light of       
,grecian theology1 and wields a pen with
 the fire and spirit of ,demosthenes6 ,a
 change and complete transformation like
 this is nowhere else to be found in the
 history of the world4 ,the truth is1   

the ,john of ,galilee is not the ,john  
of ,ephesus4 ,the latter is a phantom of
 some ,greek's brain1 which has served  
to mislead men for ages4  ,if ,john the 
disciple had ever passed out of ,syria  
into ,asia ,minor1 so important a fact  
would find a place in some authentic    
history2 and from the time he put his   
foot in the country1 his meanderings1   
like those of ,paul1 would be well known
 and preserved4 ,we leave him in        
,jerusalem in ,a4,d4 #ej1 and the next  
time we hear of him he is in ,ephesus4  
,when he left ,judea1 and when he       
arrived in ,asia ,minor1 no one pretends
 to know4 ,from the year forty-eight1   
and perhaps much sooner1 to the spring  
of sixty-five1 ,paul spent nine-tenths  
of his time travelling up and down the  
,archipelago1 establishing and visiting 
the churches4 ,he made the circuit three
 times1 and it was his uniform practice1
 in closing his epistles to the         
different churches1 to mention those of 
the brethren who were with him1 even if 

they were not of much importance2 and   
yet in none of them does he mention the 
name of ,john4 ,considering that ,john  
was an ,apostle1 this silence of ,paul  
can be accounted for only by the fact   
that he did not hear of or see him in   
,asia ,minor1 and was in ,ephesus as    
late as the year sixty-four1 and still  
later1 sixty-five1 and up to that time  
,john had not been there1 for ,paul     
makes no mention of him4  ,what         
historical proof is there that is worthy
 of credit1 that ,john was ever in ,asia
 ,minor8 ,the whole story rests on the  
shoulders of ,irenaeus4  ,here is what  
he says3 ,then1 again1 the church in    
,ephesus1 founded by ,paul1 and having  
,john remaining among them permanently  
until the times of ,trajan1 is a true   
witness of the traditions4 7,book ,,iii4
 sec4 #c47 ,irenaeus cites no authority1
 and we have a right1 in a matter of so 
much importance1 to demand of him some  
evidence that what he states is true4   
,in this absence of any reference to    

written testimony we have a right to    
infer that there was none1 and that     
there was no ground for the assertion   
but tradition4 ,this ,irenaeus is forced
 to admit4 ,the book on heresies was    
written1 as we shall show1 about ,a4,d4 
#aha4 ,according to authentic history1  
,paul was in ,ephesus in sixty-five1 the
 last time4 ,if the statement of        
,irenaeus is founded on tradition1 and  
there is no other1 then the tradition   
that ,paul left ,john in ,ephesus is one
 hundred and sixteen years old4 ,we will
 see what a tradition so old1 handed    
down to future ages1 is worth1 coming   
from ,irenaeus4 ,a tradition over one   
hundred years old1 when first inserted  
into the pages of history by one of the 
most dishonest historians of any age1 is
 the authority we have in our day for   
believing a most important fact in the  
history of the ,christian church4 ,the  
caption to the section from which the   
above passage was taken will explain the
 reason why ,irenaeus undertook to      

misrepresent the truth of history3 ,a   
refutation of the heretics1 from the    
fact that1 in the various churches1 a   
perpetual succession of ,bishops was    
kept up4 ,he was engaged in furnishing  
an apostle to the churches in ,asia     
,minor and some parts of ,greece1 for an
 apostolic succession4 ,we will find him
 engaged in doing a great deal of this  
kind of business before we are done with
 him4 ,the proof that ,john was not in  
,ephesus is conclusive4 ,the language of
 ,irenaeus implies that ,paul placed    
,john in charge of the church when he   
left for ,rome for he says ,john        
remained4 ,this is not so4 ,when ,paul  
left ,ephesus1 in the year ,a4 ,d4 #fd  
or #fe1 he left ,timothy there in charge
 of the church1 and he remained until   
,paul got into trouble in ,rome1 in the 
fall of ,a4 ,d4 #fe1 when the latter    
sent for him4 ,would ,paul leave the    
church in the charge of ,timothy when   
one of the ,apostles was there1         
especially as he was so young that some 

objected to him on account of his age8  
,in writing to ,timothy to meet him in  
,rome1 would ,paul fail to make some    
mention of the ,apostle1 if he had been 
in ,ephesus when he left8--,not one word
 to an ,apostle who would naturally take
 charge of the church1 in the absence of
 himself and ,timothy8  ,it is clear1   
then1 that ,john had not been in        
,ephesus up to the fall or summer of ,a4
 ,d4 #fe1 when ,timothy left to go to   
,rome2 and the question is1 was he there
 after this8 and if so1 when8 ,polycarp 
presided over the church at ,smyrna1    
which was not far from ,ephesus1 and    
between the two points there was        
constant intercourse by land and water2 
and if ,john had succeeded ,timothy at  
the latter place1 would not he1         
,polycarp1 take some notice of so       
important a fact8 ,he speaks of ,paul in
 his letter to the ,philippians1 and why
 not mention ,john1 who was one of the  
twelve ,apostles8 ,polycarp lived to the
 end of the century1 and it is claimed  

,john also lived to about that time1 and
 as they both lived so long in such     
close proximity1 how natural it would be
 that the intercourse between them      
should be most intimate1 and that the   
former should mention those relations   
with an ,apostle in writing to the      
churches he addressed1 ,irenaeus felt   
the force of this1 and undertakes to    
show that ,polycarp was the hearer and  
disciple of ,john4 ,he says3 ,these     
things are attested by ,papias1 who was 
,john's hearer and the associate of     
,polycarp1 an ancient writer1 who       
mentions them in the fourth book of his 
works4 7,quoted in ,eusebius1 ,ecc4     
,hist41 book iii41 chap4 #ci47 ,it is   
meant that it should be understood from 
this passage that both ,papias and      
,polycarp had seen and heard ,john the  
,apostle4 ,now ,papias never conversed  
with ,john1 the son of ,zebedee the     
fisherman1 and he says so1 in a fragment
 preserved in the writings of ,eusebius4
 ,after quoting the passage just cited  

from ,irenaeus1 ,eusebius says3 ,but    
,papias himself1 in the preface to his  
discourses1 by no means asserts that he 
was a hearer and an eye-witness of the  
holy ,apostles1 but informs us that he  
received the doctrines of faith from    
their intimate friends1 which he states 
in the following words3 ',but ,i shall  
not regret to subjoin to my             
interpretations1 also for your benefit1 
whatsoever ,i have at any time          
accurately ascertained and treasured up 
in my memory1 as ,i have received it    
from the elders1 and have recorded it in
 order to give additional confirmation  
to the truth by my testimony4 ,for ,i   
never1 like many1 delighted to hear     
those that tell many things1 but those  
that teach the truth2 neither those that
 record foreign precepts1 but those that
 are given from the ,lord to our faith1 
and that came from the truth itself4    
,but if ,i met with any one who had been
 a follower of the elders anywhere1 ,i  
made it a point to inquire what were the

 declarations of the elders1--what was  
said by ,andrew1 ,peter1 or ,philip2    
what by ,thomas1 ,james1 ,john1         
,matthew1 or any other of the disciples 
of our ,lord2 what was said by          
,aristion1 and the ,presbyter ,john1    
disciples of the ,lord2 for ,i do not   
think that ,i derived so much benefit   
from books as from the living voice of  
those that are still surviving4' ,and   
the same ,papias of whom we now speak   
professes to have received the          
declarations of the ,apostles from those
 that were in company with them1 and    
says also that he was a hearer of       
,aristion and the ,presbyter ,john4     
,for1 as he has often mentioned them by 
name1 he also gives their statements in 
his own works4 7,eusebius1 ,ecc4 ,hist41
 book iii4 chap4 #ci47  ,he says he     
never conversed with ,john1 but with the
 elders1 and that he was a hearer of    
,presbyter ,john1 and so was ,polycarp4 
,when ,irenaeus says that ,papias       
conversed with ,john1 without telling   

which ,john1 he knew that no one would  
be thought of but the disciple2 and such
 would have been the case1 had not      
,eusebius preserved this fragment from  
the writings of ,papias4 ,polycarp and  
,papias both conversed with the same    
,john1 who was ,john the ,presbyter4 ,in
 another place ,irenaeus says3 ,but     
,polycarp also was only instructed by   
this ,apostle1 and had conversed with   
many who had seen ,christ4 7,book iii4  
chap4 #c1 sec4 #c47 ,this is a palpable 
falsehood1 and so appears from the      
passage just cited4 ,he cites no        
authority1 but lets facts of so much    
importance in history depend on his     
simple word4 ,if what is stated be true1
 why does not ,polycarp himself say     
something about the sources from which  
he derived his doctrines8 ,nothing would
 give so great weight to his preaching  
as that he derived what he taught from  
those who had listened to ,christ and   
his ,apostles4 ,why speak of ,paul1 and 
what he taught1 and not of ,jesus and   

his disciples1 and what they taught8    
,the world is indebted to ,irenaeus for 
the story of what took place between    
,john and ,cerinthus at the bath-house  
in ,ephesus4 ,speaking of ,polycarp1 and
 how in all respects he was superior to 
,valentinianus and ,marcion1 he says3   
,there are also those who heard from him
 7,polycarp7 that ,john1 the disciple of
 the ,lord1 going to bathe at ,ephesus1 
and perceiving ,cerinthus within1 rushed
 out of the bath-house without bathing1 
exclaiming1 ',let us fly1 lest even the 
bath-house fall down1 because ,cerinthus
 is within4 ' 7,book iii4 chap4 #c47    
,now it has been shown that ,john the   
disciple of the ,lord never saw         
,polycarp1 and if anything of the kind  
ever did take place1 it was between     
,polycarp and ,john the ,presbyter4 ,the
 latter is a historic character1 spoken 
of by ,polycarp1 who lived about this   
time1 and was a ,presbyter in the       
church2 and it is evident that ,irenaeus
 seeks to confound the ,apostle with    

him4 ,it is for this reason he describes
 him in the above passage as the        
disciple of the ,lord1 for which there  
was no reason1 unless he meant to       
deceive4 ,we have proved that he tried  
it once1 and when the first falsehood is
 uttered it is easy to fabricate a      
second4 ,this is the first blow that was
 directed by ,irenaeus against          
,cerinthus1 a leader among the          
,gnostics2 but it is only initiatory to 
still heavier ones which are to follow4 
,marcion was a distinguished character  
among the ,gnostics1 and he too must    
receive some damaging blows at the hands
 of ,polycarp1 the disciple of ,john4   
,and ,polycarp himself replied to       
,marcion1 who met him on one occasion1  
and said1 ,dost thou know me8--,i do    
know thee--the first-born of            
,satan4--,such1 continues the writer1   
was the horror which the ,apostles and  
the disciples had against holding even a
 verbal communication with any of the   
corrupters of the truth4 7,book iii4    

chap4 #c47  ,the ,apostle in this case  
was ,john the ,presbyter1 if any one1   
and the disciple ,polycarp the martyr1  
who had1 in fact1 never seen any of the 
,apostles4 ,it is to be noted that no   
authority is given by ,irenaeus for     
these stories1 though they are          
introduced as some things which somebody
 had said4 ,such is history4  ,the value
 of tradition from the authority of     
,irenaeus may be judged of by the       
following statement he makes1 evidently 
intended to strengthen the assertion he 
made about the presence of ,st4 ,john in
 ,asia ,minor4 ,in all cases where he   
wants it to appear that the ,apostle was
 there1 he connects the principal       
subject with other statements in a way  
as if the main fact was incidentally    
mentioned4 ,now ,jesus was1 as it were1 
beginning to be thirty years old when he
 came to receive baptism1 and according 
to those men he preached only one year1 
reckoning from his baptism4 ,on         
completing his thirtieth year he        

suffered1 being still a young man1 and  
who had by no means attained to advanced
 age4 ,now1 that the first stage of     
early life embraces thirty years1 and   
that extends onwards to the fortieth    
year1 every one will admit2 but from the
 fortieth and fiftieth year a man begins
 to decline towards old age1 which our  
,lord possessed1 while he still         
fulfilled the office of teacher1 even as
 the gospel and all the elders testify4 
,those who were conversant in ,asia with
 ,john1 the disciple of the ,lord       
7affirming7 that ,john gave to them that
 information4 ,and he remained among    
them up to the time of ,trajan4 ,some of
 them1 moreover1 saw not only ,john1 but
 the other ,apostles1 and heard the same
 account from them1 and bear testimony  
as to the validity of the statement4    
,which1 then1 should we rather          
believe8--whether such as these1 or     
,ptolemaeus1 who never saw the          
,apostles1 and who never in his dreams  
attained to the slightest trace of an   

,apostle8 7,book ii4 chap4 #bb1 sec4    
#e47  ,it seems that ,irenaeus had got  
into a dispute with ,ptolemaeus1 and    
attempts to silence him1 as he does all 
opponents1 by the authority of the      
disciples1 and especially of ,john1 who 
is the only one he names4 ,john1 too1   
was in ,asia at the time4 ,it is not    
said where the other ,apostles were4    
,ptolemaeus claimed1 as appears in the  
first part of the same section1 that    
,christ preached for one year only1 and 
then suffered in the twelfth month4 ,the
 argument with ,ptolemaeus was1 that    
,christ was too young1 and preached too 
short a time1 to be regarded as a       
teacher of much authority2 and in this  
way1 as ,irenaeus says1 destroying his  
whole work1 and robbing him of that age 
which is both necessary and more        
honorable than any other2 that more     
advanced age1 ,i mean1 during which     
also1 as a teacher1 he excelled all     
others4 ,the objection is put down in a 
summary way1 claiming that the time of  

,christ's preaching extended over a     
period of ten years4 ,this is what the  
,apostles stated1 and what ,john said   
while he was in ,asia1 and who remained 
there to the time of the death of       
,trajan4  ,ecclesiastical history claims
 three years only as the period of      
,christ's ministry1 but it can be proven
 that the truth lies on the side of     
,ptolemaeus4 ,did ,john1 while he was in
 ,asia1 and the other ,apostles1 no     
matter where1 give rise to such absurd  
and false traditions8 ,if ,john was in  
,ephesus at the time ,paul went to      
,rome1 in the year ,a4 ,d4 #fe1 and     
remained to the time of ,trajan1 as     
stated by ,irenaeus1 he was in ,asia    
thirty-five years4 ,during this time his
 history must have been so interwoven   
with the affairs of the church1 holding 
the rank of an ,apostle1 that nothing   
could be more easy than to prove his    
presence in the country4 ,there is no   
difficulty in following the footsteps of
 ,paul for each year after he set out to

 preach the gospel1 whether in ,europe  
or ,asia2 and so with any real character
 who has been conspicuous for his       
talents1 or from the position he held in
 his day4 ,but neither ,irenaeus nor    
,eusebius have been able to furnish the 
world with the least evidence of a      
substantial character of the presence of
 ,john in ,asia1 although they have     
undertaken it1 and exhausted their      
ingenuity in trying to do so4 ,if no    
better proof can be given of the        
presence of ,john in ,asia1 after a     
residence of thirty-five years1 than a  
grave1 which may as well be claimed to  
be that of ,hannibal as that of ,john1  
the world will be satisfied he never was
 there4 ,eusebius has displayed his     
characteristic ingenuity1 and shown his 
usual disregard for truth in an effort  
to prove that the grave of ,john was in 
,ephesus1 and that it was identified as 
late as the latter part of the second or
 beginning of the third century4 ,he    
travels out of his way to do            

it--manifests from the way he does it   
that he is engaged in a fraud1 and1     
between the fear of detection and       
anxiety for success1 he makes poor work 
of it4 ,he causes ,polycrates1 who was  
,bishop of ,ephesus1 to write a letter  
to ,victor1 ,bishop of ,rome1 with the  
apparent purpose of informing him that  
some mighty luminaries had fallen asleep
 in ,asia1 but1 in fact1 to give an     
opportunity to make mention of the grave
 of ,john as being there in ,ephesus4   
,who these luminaries were who had      
fallen asleep1 he does not name2 but    
dismisses this part of the subject and  
proceeds to say3 ,moreover1 ,john1 that 
rested on the bosom of our ,lord1 he    
also rests at ,ephesus4 ,some other     
matters are introduced into the letter1 
which related to the burial of ,philip  
and his two daughters at ,hierapolis2   
but this was only intended to conceal   
the real purpose and design of the      
writer4  ,victor was ,bishop of ,rome in
 the beginning of the third century1    

after ,john1 if we admit he was in      
,asia1 had been dead one hundred years4 
,in writing to ,victor about persons who
 had lately died1 and without saying who
 they were1 why should ,polycrates make 
mention of the grave of ,john as located
 in ,ephesus1 which1 if true1 would have
 been as well known to all ,asia as the 
tomb of ,washington is known to the     
enlightened world to be at ,mount       
,vernon8  ,that intelligent men of the  
second and third centuries denied and   
disproved the presence of ,john in      
,asia1 is rendered certain by the       
struggles and desperate efforts of their
 adversaries to establish the           
affirmative4 ,the indications are1 that 
the philosophers proved that the person 
whom the ,christians claimed to be the  
,apostle ,john was some other ,john2 in 
all probability1 ,john the ,presbyter4  
,upon this point the proof seems to have
 been so conclusive that the ,christians
 were driven to the necessity of proving
 that there were two ,johns--one besides

 the presbyter4 ,eusebius takes this    
task upon himself4 ,we quote from the   
above letter of ,polycrates to ,victor3 
,for in ,asia also mighty luminaries    
have fallen asleep1 which will rise     
again at the last day at the appearance 
of the ,lord1 when he shall come with   
glory from heaven1 and shall gather     
again all the saints4 ,philip1 one of   
the twelve ,apostles1 sleeps in         
,hierapolis1 and his two aged virgin    
daughters4 ,another of his daughters1   
who lived in the ,holy ,spirit1 rests at
 ,ephesus4 ,moreover1 ,john1 that rested
 on the bosom of the ,lord1 who was a   
priest that bore the sacerdotal plate1  
and martyr1 and teacher1 he also rests  
at ,ephesus4 7,eusebius1 ,ecc4 ,hist41  
book iii4 ch4 #ca47 ,owing either to a  
bad translation1 or design on the part  
of the writer1 two distinct characters  
are so run together in the same         
sentence1 that we would suppose them to 
be one person if we did not know that   
the person who leaned on the bosom of   

the ,lord could not be the one who bore 
the sacerdotal plate1 and was a martyr4 
,it would seem from this effort to make 
it appear that there were two ,johns    
buried at ,ephesus1 that the            
philosophers proved that the ,john who  
bore the sacerdotal plate was the one   
the ,christians were attempting to      
impose on the world as the real ,john1  
and that the proof was such that they   
had to yield the point1 and claim that  
there were two graves--one the martyr's1
 and the other the ,apostle's4 ,eusebius
 felt conscious that it was not safe to 
rest his case here1 and we find him     
reaching out in every direction for     
further proof1 satisfied with anything  
that will give color to the fact he     
labors to establish4  ,in another place 
he states3 ,where it is also proper to  
observe the name of ,john is twice      
mentioned4 ,the former of which he      
7,papias7 mentions with ,peter and      
,james and ,matthew1 and the other      
apostles2 evidently meaning the         

evangelist4 ,but in a separate point of 
his discourse he ranks the other ,john  
with the rest not included in the number
 of apostles1 placing ,aristion before  
him4 ,he distinguishes him plainly by   
the name of ,presbyter4 ,so that it is  
here proved that the statement of those 
is true who assert there were two of the
 same name in ,asia1 that there were    
also two tombs in ,ephesus1 and that    
both are called ,john's even to this    
day2 which it is particularly necessary 
to observe 7,eusebius1 ,ecc4 ,hist41    
book iii4 chap1 xxxix47 ,as much as to  
say to the objecting philosophers1 ,if  
you have proved that one ,john in ,asia 
was the ,presbyter ,john1 we prove by   
,papias that there were two1 and that   
one of them was the ,apostle4 ,if this  
is so1 it is only by inference4 ,but it 
spoils the argument when it is shown    
that when ,papias speaks of the two     
,johns1 he does not say they were in    
,asia1 or where they were4 ,he speaks at
 the same time of all the ,apostles1 or 

nearly so1 by name1 but does not mention
 them1 or any of them1 in connection    
with any place4 ,to subserve a          
particular purpose1 ,irenaeus had       
asserted that ,john had been in         
,ephesus1 where he remained a long time1
 without the least authority to sustain 
him4 ,it was a bare1 naked assertion    
without proof4  ,in the third and fourth
 centuries1 during the time of          
,eusebius1 this assertion had grown to  
great importance1 by reason that1 on the
 fact that it was so1 was founded the   
,apostolic succession of nearly all the 
churches in ,europe1 and most of ,asia4 
,to maintain the presence of ,john in   
,asia was as important as it was to     
prove that ,peter had been in ,rome4    
,understanding the importance of this   
fact1 the philosophers directed their   
attacks upon it1 showing that the man   
the ,christians called the ,apostle was 
somebody else4 ,it devolved upon        
,eusebius1 the most learned man of his  
day1 to defend the position4 ,the task  

exceeded his ability1 but not his       
inclination to deceive4 ,if we except   
,irenaeus1 no writer has so studiously  
put himself to work to impose falsehoods
 on the world as ,eusebius1 ,bishop of  
,caesarea4 ,his genius was employed in  
various ways1 and especially in         
perverting chronology4 ,speaking of a   
class of men who gave themselves up to  
such employments1 the author of the     
,intellectual ,development of ,europe1  
page #adg1 says3 ,among those who have  
been guilty of this literary offence1   
the name of the celebrated ,eusebius1   
the ,bishop of ,caesarea in the time of 
,constantine1 should be designated1     
since in his chronography and           
,synchronal tables he purposely         
'perverted chronology for the sake of   
making synchronisms4' 7,bunsen47 ,it is 
true1 as ,niebuhr asserts1 ',he is a    
very dishonest writer4' ,to a great     
extent1 the superseding of the ,egyptian
 annals was brought about by his        
influence4 ,it was forgotten1 however1  

that of all things chronology is the    
least suited to be an object of         
inspiration1 and that1 though men may be
 wholly indifferent to truth for its own
 sake1 and consider it not improper to  
wrest it unscrupulously to what they may
 suppose a just purpose1 yet that it    
will vindicate itself at last ,his      
character for truth stood no better     
among writers of the fifth century1 for 
,socrates fairly charges that in his    
life of ,constantine he had more regard 
for his own advancement than he had for 
the truth of history4 7,book i4 ch4 #a47
 ,a whole volume is devoted to display  
the virtues and exalt the character of a
 man who had murdered his son           
,crispus--his nephew                    
,licinius--suffocated his wife ,fausta  
in a steam bath1 and who1 to revenge a  
pasquinade1 was with difficulty         
restrained from the massacre of the     
entire population of ,rome4  ,in another
 part of this volume we will have       
occasion to detect and expose the genius

 of this ,father1 in his attempt to     
create a chronology so as to give       
semblance to a list of men who never    
existed1 but who were required to fill  
an important gap in the life of the     
church4 ,no fitter instrument could be  
found to help consummate the fraud      
conceived by ,irenaeus to impose a      
spurious ,john on the world than        
,eusebius of ,caesarea4     ,,chapter   
,,viii4       ,the ,gnostics4--,irenaeus
 makes war on them4--,his mode of       
warfare4--,the ,apostolic succession and
 the object4--,no      church in ,rome  
to the time of ,adrian4--,peter never in
 ,rome--      nor ,paul in ,britain1    
,gaul1 or ,spain4--,forgeries of        
,irenaeus4  ,before we approach the     
principal subject treated of in this    
section1 it will be proper to say       
something of a sect or society which in 
its day took a leading part in the      
affairs of the world1 but which has long
 since disappeared from history1 and    
whose former existence is now only known

 to the careful reader4 ,we refer to the
 ,gnostics1 who for the most part       
flourished in the second century4 ,they 
were divided among themselves into more 
than fifty different sects4 ,the        
principal among them were known under   
the names of ,basilidians1              
,valentinians1 and ,marcionites4 ,they  
abounded in ,egypt1 ,asia1 ,rome1 and   
were found in considerable numbers in   
the provinces of the ,west4 ,each of    
these sects could boast of its ,bishops 
and congregations1 of its doctors and   
martyrs1 and instead of the four        
,gospels adopted by the church1 they    
produced a multitude of histories1 in   
which the actions and discourses of     
,christ and his apostles were adapted to
 their respective tenets4-- 7,decline   
and ,fall1 chap4 xv4 vol4 ,i4 p4 #beg47 
,they supported their opinions by       
various fictitious and apocryphal       
writings of ,adam1 ,abraham1 ,zoroaster1
 ,christ1 and the ,apostles4 ,they were 
for the most part composed of ,gentiles 

who denied the divine authority of the  
,old ,testament1 and rejected the       
,mosaic account of the creation1 of the 
origin and fall of man1 and claimed that
 a ,god was unworthy of adoration1 who  
for a trivial offence of ,adam and ,eve 
pronounced sentence of condemnation on  
all their descendants4 ,they adored     
,christ as an ,a,eon1 or divine         
emanation1 who appeared on the earth to 
reclaim man from the paths of error and 
point out to him the ways of truth2 but 
with these opinions they mingled many   
sublime and obscure tenets derived from 
oriental philosophy4 ,this divine ,a,eon
 or emanation they considered was the   
,son of ,god1 but was inferior to the   
,father1 and they rejected his humanity 
on the principle that everything        
corporeal is essentially and            
intrinsically evil4 ,they agreed with   
the ,christians in their abhorrence of  
polytheism and idolatry1 and both       
regarded the former as a composition of 
human fraud and error1 and demons as the

 authors and patrons of the latter4  ,as
 we have stated1 the ,gnostics for the  
most part sprang up in the second       
century and disappeared in the fourth   
and fifth1 suppressed by a law of the   
,emperor ,constantine4 ,the ,emperor    
enacted a law by which they were        
forbidden to assemble in their own      
houses of prayer1 in private houses1 or 
in1 public places1 but were compelled to
 enter the ,catholic church4444 ,hence  
the greater number of these sectarians  
were led by fear of consequences to join
 themselves to the church4 ,those who   
adhered to their original sentiments did
 not at their death leave any disciples 
to propagate their heresies1 for1 owing 
to the restrictions to which they were  
subjected1 they were prevented from     
preaching their doctrines4-- 7,sozomen1 
,ecc4 ,hist41 book ii ch4 #cb47  ,thus  
passed from history the ,gnostics1 the  
most polite1 the most learned and most  
wealthy of the ,christian name4         
7,decline and ,fall1 chap4 xv4 vol4 ,i4 

p4 #bef47 ,such was the character of the
 men who1 brought into collision with   
the orthodox ,christians in the second  
century1 became involved in the most    
violent and bitter struggles in which   
men were ever engaged4 ,it was to defeat
 and destroy these men that ,irenaeus   
devoted the labor of a lifetime1 that on
 their ruin he might erect the ,catholic
 church4 ,the undertaking was           
,herculean1 but the means employed were 
well chosen1 vigorously and tenaciously 
pursued1 and its success is one of the  
most remarkable and exceptional cases in
 history of the triumph of cunning1     
falsehood1 and fraud4 ,the grand idea   
was1 that ,christ1 the ,son of ,god1 was
 the founder of the church on earth1 and
 that1 at his death1 the power to       
establish others after him he conferred 
on the ,apostles1 and upon no one else4 
,as they might confer this power on     
others as they had received it from     
,christ1 so these last could in turn do 
the same to those who followed them1 and

 in this way continue the church through
 all time4 ,this is what ,irenaeus calls
 the ,apostolic succession4 ,a church   
which could not prove its connection    
with ,christ through this ,apostolic    
chain was no church at all1 and it      
amounted to impiety and vile heresy for 
such a pretended church to undertake to 
explain or understand his gospel4 ,such 
a church has no relation to ,christ1 but
 with demons and evil spirits4          
,irenaeus found it much less difficult  
to show that there was no such          
succession in the ,gnostic churches than
 he did in proving that it existed in   
his own4 ,to do this1 as we will show in
 another place1 he was forced to        
introduce on to the stage the names of  
at least nine persons who1 he claimed1  
had been ,bishops of ,rome1 most of whom
 were mere myths and never had an       
existence1 and those who had were never 
in ,rome at all4  ,christ1 at his death1
 he further maintains1 not only         
conferred on the ,apostles the sole     

right to establish churches1 but also   
imparted to them some divine knowledge  
or gifts which they on their death      
intrusted to the church as a special    
deposit for the benefit of all who      
yielded obedience to her authority4     
,these precious gifts left with the     
church ,irenaeus compares to money or   
riches deposited in a bank by a rich    
man4 ,but we will let him speak for     
himself3 ,since1 therefore1 we have such
 proof1 it is not necessary to seek the 
truth among others1 which is easy to    
obtain from the church2 since the       
,apostles1 like a rich man depositing   
his money in a bank1 lodged in her hands
 most copiously all things pertaining to
 the truth2 so that every man1          
whosoever1 can draw from her the water  
of eternal life4 ,for she is the        
entrance to life1 and all others are    
thieves and robbers4 7,book iii4 chap4  
#d1 sec4 ,i47 ,having established the   
principal proposition by his mere       
assertion 7which is his way of making   

history of all kinds71 ,irenaeus next   
proceeds to show that the ,gnostics     
could not trace any connection with a   
church founded by the ,apostles4 ,for   
prior to ,valentinianus 7he says71 those
 who follow ,valentinianus had no       
existence3 nor did those from ,marcion  
exist before ,marcion2 nor1 in short1   
had any of those malignant-minded       
people1 whom ,i have above enumerated1  
any being previous to the initiators and
 inventors of their perversity4 7,book  
iii4 chap4 #d1 sec4 #c47  ,the ancient  
,father has1 so far1 established two of 
his main propositions3 first1 that a    
church must derive its origin through   
the ,apostles1 or some one of them1 to  
be genuine2 and second1 that there was  
no such connection in the churches of   
the ,gnostics2 and it only remains to   
show that the church claiming to be     
orthodox had4 ,he declines to point out 
the order of succession in all the      
churches1 but consents to do it in the  
case of ,rome1 which1 he says1 according

 to tradition1 derived from the         
,apostles1 was founded and organized at 
,rome by the two glorious ,apostles1    
,peter and ,paul4 7,book iii4 chap4 #c1 
sec4 #b47 ,the church at ,rome1 founded 
by such great lights as ,peter and      
,paul1 ,irenaeus continues1 should be   
regarded of the highest authority in the
 church1 for1 he says1 it is a matter of
 necessity that every church should     
agree with this church1 on account of   
its pre-eminent authority1 that is1 the 
faithful everywhere1 inasmuch as the    
apostolical tradition has been preserved
 continuously by those faithful men who 
exist everywhere4 7,sec4 #b47  ,as      
,peter was selected to be head of the   
church1 and ,rome the capital of the    
,christian world1 the scheme to         
establish a church on the ground of an  
,apostolic succession must fail1 unless 
it can appear that ,peter had not only  
been there at some time1 but that he was
 also the founder of a church at the    
holy city4 ,a letter said to have been  

written by ,clement1 the third ,bishop  
of ,rome1 is selected as the medium by  
which it is made to appear that ,peter  
had been in ,rome2 and ,irenaeus took   
upon himself to show what he was engaged
 in while there4 ,at the proper place we
 will show that this ,clement is a      
fiction1 brought on the stage as a link 
in the ,apostolic chain forged by the   
great criminal of the second century4   
,now follows a forgery so apparent on   
its face1 that it does not require the  
skill of an expert to detect it4  ,but  
not to dwell upon ancient examples1 let 
us come to those who1 in these last     
days1 have wrestled manfully for the    
faith2 let us take the noble examples of
 our own age4 ,through envy1 the        
faithful and most righteous pillars of  
the church have been persecuted even to 
the most dreadful deaths4 ,let us place 
before your eyes the good ,apostles4    
,peter1 by unjust envy1 underwent not   
one or two1 but many labors3 and thus   
having borne testimony unto death1 he   

went into the place of glory1 which was 
due to him4 ,through envy1 ,paul        
obtained the reward of patience4 ,seven 
times he was in bonds2 he was scourged2 
was stoned4 ,he preached both in the    
,east and in the ,west1 leaving behind  
him the glorious report of his faith4   
,and thus having taught the whole world 
of righteousness1 and reached the       
fullest extremity of the ,west1 he      
suffered martyrdom by the command of the
 governors1 and departed out of this    
world1 and went to the holy place1      
having become a most exemplary pattern  
of patience4 7,epistle ,i4 of ,clement  
to ,corinthians1 sec4 #e47 ,by the side 
of this extract we will lay a passage of
 ,irenaeus4 ,speaking of the writers of 
the ,gospels1 he says3 ,matthew also    
issued a written ,gospel among the      
,hebrews1 in their own dialect1 while   
,peter and ,paul were preaching at      
,rome1 and laying the foundations of the
 church4 7,book iii4 chap4 #a47 ,now1 we
 assert with confidence1 that the hand  

which penned the first passage wrote    
them both4 ,it is not said in so many   
words1 in ,clement's letter1 that ,peter
 was in ,rome1 but it is to be inferred1
 as in the case of ,john at ,eph-esus4  
,irenaeus seldom states anything which  
is positively untrue in direct language1
 but makes falsehood inferential4 ,the  
passage we have quoted does not contain 
a single truth1 except as it relates to 
,paul4 ,paul and ,peter were never      
engaged together in laying the          
foundation of a church4 ,they quarrelled
 in ,damascus and could never agree4    
,the doctrine of circumcision formed an 
impassable wall between them1 and1 as we
 will show1 was never given up by       
,peter4 ,besides1 it is not true that   
,peter had anything to do in laying the 
foundation of the church at ,rome4      
,christians1 during the reign of        
,claudius in ,rome1 were too few in     
number and too poor to form a church1   
especially such an one as would require 
the office of a ,bishop4 ,renan1 in     

speaking of the church in the time of   
,claudius1 says it was composed of a    
little group--every one smelt of garlic4
 ,these ancestors of ,roman prelates    
were poor proletaries1 dirty1 alike     
clownish1 clothed in filthy gabardines1 
having the bad breath of people who live
 badly4 ,their retreats breathed that   
odor of wretchedness exhaled by persons 
meanly clothed and fed1 and collected in
 a small room4 7,life of ,paul1 #if47   
,we have no reason to believe that at   
any time during the life of ,peter was  
the church of ,rome1 if there was any   
church there at all1 composed of        
different materials or greater in       
numbers than at the time referred to4   
,what was there for a ,bishop to do in  
such a crowd1 or what was there to keep 
him from starvation8 ,christians engaged
 in riots growing out of the hostility  
between them and the ,jews1 were driven 
from ,rome by an edict of the ,emperor  
,claudius1 and did not return during his
 reign1 which ceased in ,a4,d4 #ed1 when

 that of ,nero commenced4 ,in ,a4,d4 #eh
 they had not rallied1 and at that time 
,rome was without a church4 ,it was the 
practice in all cases with ,paul to     
address ,christians through the         
churches1 where churches were           
established2 but his ,epistle1 in ,a4,d4
 #eh1 to the ,romans1 is addressed not  
to a church1 but to all that be in ,rome
 ,in his three years' imprisonment in   
that city1 commencing in the spring of  
,a4,d4 #fa1 he makes no mention of a    
church1 nor does he during the second1  
which lasted from the summer or fall of 
,a4,d4 #fe to the spring of ,a4,d4 #ff4 
,there is no proof that the historian   
can discover1 worthy of his notice1 that
 there was a church in ,rome of any     
kind1 even down to the time of ,adrian1 
,a4,d4 #aag1 and even later4 ,we are    
overrun with traditions on this subject1
 the creations of the second century1 to
 which the attention of the reader will 
be called when we treat of the twelve   
traditional ,bishops named by ,irenaeus4

 ,adrian1 in the seventeenth year of his
 reign1 knew so little about a          
,christian church1 that he supposed the 
office of a ,bishop belonged to the     
worship of the god ,serapis4 ,in a      
letter written by him from ,alexandria1 
,a4,d4 #acd1 to his brother-in-law      
,servianus1 he says3 ,the worshippers of
 ,serapis are ,christians1 and those are
 devoted to the god ,serapis1 who1 ,i   
find1 call themselves ,bishop of        
,christ4  ,we will dismiss this part of 
the subject for the present1 with the   
promise to return to it in a subsequent 
chapter1 when it will be demonstrated   
that there was no ,christian church in  
,rome until after the reign of          
,antoninus ,pius499       99 ,see       
,appendix ,c  ,were ,peter and ,paul    
together in ,rome at all8 ,paul went    
there in the spring of ,a4,d4 #fa1 for  
the first time1 and remained until the  
spring or summer of ,a4,d4 #fc4 ,during 
this time he wrote four epistles1 as    
follows3--to the ,ephesians1            

,philippians1 ,colossians1 and to       
,philemon1 and1 if we except the first1 
he closes them by naming the persons who
 are with him4 ,he says nothing about   
,peter1 nor does he mention his name1 so
 far as we know1 during the three years 
he was confined in ,rome4 ,that ,paul   
should omit to mention ,peter1 one of   
the ,apostles1 in some of his letters1  
is the very best proof that he was not  
in ,rome at all4 ,after his release in  
the spring of ,a4,d4 #fc1 after making a
 visit to the churches in ,europe and   
,asia1 he returned to ,rome again in the
 fall of ,a4,d4 #fe4 ,he had with him a 
few friends who stood by him to the     
last4 ,they were ,luke1 ,mark1 ,pudens1 
,linus1 and ,claudia4 ,there could not  
have been many other ,christians in     
,rome at the time besides those named1  
because ,paul1 after naming the above   
who sent salutations to ,timothy1 adds1 
and all the other brethren1 which       
implies that there were not many of     
them4 ,paul does not mention ,peter1    

because he was not there4 ,timothy1 no  
doubt1 was with ,paul in the winter of  
,a4,d4 #fe and ,a4,d4 #ff1 and was put  
to death in the spring of the latter    
year1 with his friend and               
fellow-laborer4 ,we never hear of him   
again4 ,in the spring of ,a4,d4 #ff1 the
 labors and sorrows of the great        
,apostle of the ,gentiles ceased4 ,he   
had fought the good fight--he had       
finished his work--he had kept the      
faith2 and now1 by his death1 bore      
testimony to the doctrines he preached4 
,he was among the last of ,nero's       
victims4 ,nothing that belongs to       
history is surer than that ,peter and   
,paul never were in ,rome together1     
laying the foundation of a church1 or   
anything else4  ,having proved that     
one-half of what is stated by ,irenaeus 
in the passage which we have quoted is  
false1 according to the usual rule for  
testing the truth of any statement1 we  
might claim that the remaining half is  
also untrue4 ,but we ask no such        

advantage in disproving any of the      
statements made by this father4  ,when  
was ,peter in ,rome8 ,no writer in the  
first or second century pretends to give
 the time when he was in ,rome1 or when 
he died4  ,irenaeus gives the names of  
twelve ,bishops who succeeded each      
other1 commencing with ,linus1 but does 
not give a single date1 so that we can  
tell when or how long any one of them   
held the office4 ,this want of dates1   
where it was easy to give them--if what 
was stated was true--was urged with so  
much force against what ,irenaeus said1 
that ,eusebius1 in the fourth century1  
undertook to fix the time when these    
traditional ,bishops succeeded to1 and  
how long each held the office4 ,he fails
 to say when ,peter first became        
,bishop1 or when he ceased to be the    
head of the church1 but commences giving
 dates from the time of ,linus1 his     
successor4 ,without intending1 he has   
furnished the data to determine when    
,peter died1 if his dates are correct1  

which is not even probable4 ,he says3   
,after ,vespasian had reigned about ten 
years1 he was succeeded by his son      
,titus2 in the second year of whose     
reign1 ,linus1 ,bishop of the church of 
,rome1 who held the office about twelve 
years1 transferred it to ,anacletus4    
7,eusebius1 ,ecc4 ,hist41 book iii4 ch4 
#ac47 ,as ,linus succeeded ,peter1 the  
latter must have died just before his   
successor took the office4 ,titus became
 emperor ,june #bdth1 ,a4 ,d4 #gi1 and  
as ,linus died two years after this1    
after holding the office twelve years1  
he became ,bishop in ,a4 ,d4 #fi2 which 
must have been the year of ,peter's     
death4 ,nero died in ,june ,a4 ,d4 #fh1 
and at his death the persecution against
 ,christians ceased altogether4 ,it is  
not claimed that ,galba1 ,otho1         
,vitellius1 ,vespasian1 or ,titus ever  
inflicted persecution of any kind on    
,christians during the time they held   
the government of the empire4 ,eusebius1
 in attempting to fix a date when the   

second ,bishop took office1 answers the 
objections made to the vagueness of     
,irenaeus1 but robs ,peter of the       
laurels of a martyr4  ,but it is claimed
 that ,linus was installed ,bishop      
before the death of ,peter1 and         
,irenaeus pretends to give the time4 ,he
 says3 ,the blessed ,apostles then      
having founded and built up the church1 
committed unto the hands of ,linus the  
office of the ,episcopate4 7,book iii4  
ch4 #b1 sec4 #c47 ,the blessed ,apostles
 are ,peter and ,paul4 ,now we have just
 shown that these ,apostles were never  
in ,rome together1 and that there was no
 church to be committed to the charge of
 ,linus or anybody else4 ,as it is an   
important part of the story that ,peter 
died a martyr at ,rome1 this could only 
happen to him between ,a4 ,d4 #fd and   
,a4 ,d4 #fh1 for the persecution under  
,nero commenced during the former year1 
and ended with his death in ,a4 ,d4 #fh4
 ,we have the most conclusive proof that
 ,peter was not in ,rome in ,a4 ,d4 #fd1

 when the persecutions under ,nero      
commenced1 nor afterwards4 ,he was in   
,babylon--whether ,babylon in ,assyria1 
,babylon in ,mesopotamia or ,egypt--he  
was in ,babylon more than two thousand  
miles away4 ,peter was born about the   
time of ,christ1 and was sixty-four     
years of age when the persecutions under
 ,nero began4 ,he was married1 and when 
he wrote his first ,epistle he was in   
,babylon and had his family with him1   
for he mentions the name of ,marcus1 and
 calls him his son4 ,the church that is 
at ,babylon1 elected together with you1 
saluteth you2 and so doth ,marcus1 my   
son4 7#a ,peter v4 #ac47  ,the date of  
this epistle is fixed by ,dr4 ,lard-ner 
and other critics at ,a4 ,d4 #fd4 ,did  
,peter1 at the age of sixty-four1 when  
he heard that ,nero was feeding the wild
 beasts of the ,amphitheatre with the   
flesh and bones of ,christians1 lured by
 the smell of blood1 start for ,rome8   
,if ,peter was in ,babylon in ,a4 ,d4   
#fd1 an ,apostolic succession1 so far as

 it depends on him1 must fail1 and ,rome
 must surrender the authority by which  
she has held the religious world in     
subjection for the last seventeen       
centuries4  ,but this she will never do1
 as long as her audacity and cunning are
 left to hatch schemes to escape from   
the dilemma4 ,inspired by despair1 she  
now claims that ,peter means ,rome when 
he says ,babylon1 and that the ,marcus  
spoken of was not the son of ,peter1 but
 the nephew of ,barnabas and companion  
of ,paul6 ,just as well claim anything  
else1 and say ,babylon means            
,alexandria1 and that ,marcus was the   
stepson of ,nero4 ,here two impressions 
are made3 one that the letter was       
written at ,babylon1 and the other that 
,peter was attended by his son4 ,are    
both false8 ,what did ,peter1 or anybody
 else1 expect to gain by giving false   
impressions8 ,by an agreement between   
,peter and ,paul1 made early and        
observed strictly1 the labors of the    
former were limited to the circumcised1 

and he found them in large numbers in   
cities watered by the ,euphrates4 ,there
 and in ,judea1 among the ,jewish       
people1 was the scene of ,peter's       
labors1 and there he died4 ,he had no   
business in ,rome4 ,as there was no     
church in ,rome in ,a4 ,d4 #fd1 it is   
impossible1 if ,peter was there at the  
time1 for him to make the salutation he 
does in his address to his countrymen4  
,he could say1 the church that is at    
,babylon1 but not the church that is at 
,rome1 for there was none499       99   
,see ,appendix ,b4  ,mark the son of    
,peter1 and ,mark the nephew of         
,barnabas1 are two different persons1   
whom the genius of ,irenaeus seeks to   
confound4 ,the epistle to ,philemon was 
written in the latter part of ,a4 ,d4   
#fc1 which shows that ,paul1 ,timothy1  
and ,mark were then in ,rome4 ,they left
 in the following spring4 ,during the   
winter of ,a4 ,d4 #fc1 ,paul wrote the  
,colossians that they might expect ,mark
 to visit them1 and it would seem that  

he had made arrangements with them of   
some kind in regard to him1 when he     
arrived among them4 ,marcus1 sister's   
son to ,barnabas 7touching whom ye      
received commandments3 if he come unto  
you1 receive him47 ,col4 iv4 #aj4       
,unless ,mark changed his mind          
afterwards1 he went from ,rome to       
,colosse in ,phrygia4 ,the next reliable
 information we have of ,paul after the 
spring of ,a4 ,d4 #fc1 except at        
,nicopolis in ,a4 ,d4 #fd1 he is back in
 ,rome in the fall of ,a4 ,d4 #fe1 and  
in prison2 and the first knowledge we   
have of ,mark1 he is in some part of    
,asia ,minor4 ,timothy and ,mark were   
together1 and ,paul writes to the former
 from his prison1 to come to ,rome and  
to bring the latter with him1 and to get
 there before the winter sets in2 which 
request was complied with4 ,to suppose  
that ,mark had been to ,rome in the mean
 time would be most unreasonable1 and   
against all the probabilities in the    
case4 ,there was nothing to take him    

there until ,paul called him back4 ,if  
,peter was in ,rome when he wrote his   
first epistle1 in ,a4 ,d4 #fd1 ,mark the
 nephew of ,barnabas was not with him4  
,if ,mark saw ,peter at all in ,a4 ,d4  
#fd1 it was not in ,rome4 ,nor did he   
see him that year in ,babylon in ,egypt1
 or ,babylon in ,mesopotamia or         
,chaldea4  ,the latter ,babylon was long
 known for its vices and wickedness1 and
 was called a sink of iniquity2 and as  
,rome had become corrupt and steeped in 
crime of all kinds1 it is claimed that  
,peter uses the word ,babylon in a      
typical sense when he was writing from  
,rome6 ,if this is so1 he did not write 
from ,babylon in ,egypt or ,mesopotamia1
 as some have contended1 for they were  
each small and inconsiderable places of 
no importance1 and there could be no    
object in using either as a type to     
represent the corruptions of ,rome4 ,if 
,mark saw ,peter in ,babylon1 it was in 
,chaldea4 ,measured by degrees of       
longitude1 ,rome and this ,babylon are  

more than two thousand miles apart4 ,why
 would ,mark make a visit to ,peter     
involving a journey of four thousand    
miles1 br half that distance8 ,he never 
did4 ,he could not4 ,he went among the  
,colossians under some arrangement made 
by ,paul1 and no doubt remained with    
them until he was wanted at ,rome4 ,when
 ,peter calls ,mark his son1 he means   
just what he says4 ,mark the companion  
of ,paul1 and ,mark the son of ,peter1  
are two different men4  ,what should    
take ,peter to ,rome or keep him there  
when burning and torturing ,christians  
was one of the amusements of ,nero8 ,had
 ,peter's character for courage so much 
improved that he went there when all the
 ,christians had gone1 to defy ,nero1   
and invite his destruction8 ,there is   
something in the character of ,peter    
that makes it improbable1 if not        
impossible1 that he should be in ,rome  
in a time of danger4 ,he was a man of   
strong impulses1 but a constitutional   
coward4 ,he followed ,christ to the     

scene of the crucifixion1 but he        
followed him afar off4 7,matt4 xxvi4    
#eh47 ,he had pride1 and a proper sense 
of manliness1 and when he was betrayed  
through a want of courage into the      
commission of a mean act1 he had spirit 
and sense enough to be ashamed of it4   
,he denied ,christ1 but it cost him     
bitter tears of repentance4 ,either his 
cowardice or his jealousy stood in the  
way of his coming to the aid of ,paul1  
whenever ,paul was in danger of his     
life4 ,when the ,jews were about to tear
 him to pieces in ,jerusalem1 and he had
 to be rescued by the ,roman soldiers1  
,peter was nowhere about1 and we do not 
even hear of him1 ,in his trials before 
the ,roman ,governors1 when he had no   
one to stand by him but a few faithful  
companions1 the presence of ,peter1 at  
such a time1 would have done much to aid
 and console the great champion of a    
common cause4 ,but in all these places  
there was danger1 and where danger was  
was no place for ,peter4  ,he lacked    

moral1 as he did physical courage4 ,at  
,damascus he did not hesitate to sit at 
the same table with the uncircumcised1  
when there was no one present to object2
 but when those came from ,jerusalem who
 could not tolerate the liberal ideas of
 ,paul on circumcision1 he cowardly     
sneaked away4 ,paul took fire at the    
appearance of so much meanness1 and     
boldly reproved him4 ,is this the kind  
of man who would enter the lion's den1  
and brave the wrath of ,nero at a time  
when the tyrant was flooding the streets
 of ,rome with the blood of ,christians8
  ,justin ,martyr was born about the    
year ,a4 ,d4 #ajj1 and was a native of  
,neapolis in ,syria4 7,apology1 sec4    
,i47 ,at the beginning of the reign of  
,antoninus ,pius he fixed his abode in  
,rome1 and afterwards wrote numerous    
works1 principally devoted to the       
defence of ,christians4 7,cave's ,life  
of ,martyr1 vol4 #b1 chap4 #f47 ,no one 
had better opportunities of knowing     
about ,peter1 and the church at ,rome1  

than he had1 and no one who wrote as    
much as he did which concerned          
,christianity1 would have been more     
likely to mention him1 if what ,irenaeus
 says of him had been true4 ,he is so   
oblivious of ,peter that he seems to    
have been unconscious of his existence4 
,no writer in the first years of the    
second century1 who is entitled to      
credit1 speaks of him1 and he first     
begins to figure in the pages of        
,irenaeus when the disputes with the    
,gnostics were at their height4 ,the    
,clementines were composed later in the 
century1 when ,pauline ,christianity was
 giving way to the new school1 and the  
dogma of an ,apostolic succession had   
taken possession of the church4         
,dionysius1 ,bishop of ,corinth1 who    
lived and wrote during the reign of     
,marcus ,antoninus and his son          
,commodus1 about ,a4 ,d4 #ahj1 according
 to ,eusebius1 also states that ,paul   
and ,peter were at ,rome together       
engaged in laying the foundation of a   

church4 7,eusebius1 ,ecc4 ,hist41 lib4  
ii4 ch4 #be47 ,but this writer has got  
out of the ,pauline period1 and even    
goes beyond ,irenaeus1 for he states1   
according to the same authority1 that   
,peter and ,paul laid the foundation of 
the church at ,corinth4  ,theophilus of 
,antioch1 ,melito of ,sardis1           
,apollinarius of ,hierapolis1 all       
writers about the same time1 ,a4 ,d4    
#ahj1 like ,irenaeus1 take sides against
 the ,gnostics1 and show that they were 
committed to the new school4 ,from this 
time ,irenaeus is quoted as the         
authority for the fact that ,peter and  
,paul had founded the church at ,rome1  
and we are asked to give special weight 
to what he says1 as he was the companion
 of ,polycarp1 who had seen and         
conversed with ,john4  ,speaking of     
,paul1 ,clement is made to say1 ,he     
preached both in the ,east and in the   
,west--taught the whole world           
righteousness1 and reached the farthest 
extremity of the ,west1 and suffered    

martyrdom1 by the command of the        
,governors4 ,this passage has long been 
a stumbling-block among learned critics4
 ,it is the only authority on which is  
founded the story1 that after ,paul was 
discharged from prison in ,a4 ,d4 #fc1  
he went into ,spain1 ,gaul1 and         
,britain4 ,caius1 the ,presbyter1 in the
 beginning of the third century1 says3  
,writings not included in the canon of  
,scripture expressly mention the journey
 from ,rome into ,spain4 ,hippolytus1 in
 the same century1 says that ,paul went 
as far as ,illyricum1 preaching the     
gospel4 ,athanasius1 in the fourth      
century1 says that ,st4 ,paul did not   
hesitate to go to ,rome and ,spain4     
,jerome1 in the same century1 says that 
,st4 ,paul1 after his release from his  
trial before ,nero1 preached the        
,gospels in the ,western parts4 7,quoted
 from ,chevallier's ,apostolical        
,epistles1 note1 p4 #dhg47  ,these is no
 authority for ,paul's travels in the   
,western provinces1 except the passage  

from ,clement1 and as ,irenaeus is the  
founder of the story1 it is not improved
 by the repetition of subsequent        
writers4 ,the whole is a transparent    
falsehood4 ,from the time of ,paul's    
career1 commencing with his adventure   
near ,damascus to the time of his       
imprisonment in ,rome1 in the spring of 
,a4 ,d4 #fa1 we have an account of his  
travels1 and know where he was each year
 during this time4 ,he never in this    
time went west of ,rome4 ,in the spring 
of ,a4 ,d4 #fc1 in company with ,mark1  
,titus1 ,timothy and others1 he left    
,rome and went in all probability to    
,colosse1 where1 in pursuance of some   
agreement he made with the people of    
that place1 he left ,mark4 ,how long he 
remained is uncertain1 but the next time
 we hear of him he is in ,crete1 where  
no doubt he spent the winter of ,a4 ,d4 
#fc and ,a4 ,d4 #fd1 ,in the mean time  
he made some converts1 whom he left in  
charge of ,titus1 and in the spring went
 west into ,macedonia4 ,some time in the

 summer or fall of ,a4 ,d4 #fd we find  
him in ,nicopolis1 where he informed    
,titus he meant to spend the winter4    
,the following spring or summer he went 
to ,rome and was soon imprisoned4 ,if he
 was at ,colosse or ,crete in ,a4 ,d4   
#fc1 and ,nicopolis in ,a4 ,d4 #fd1 he  
could not have gone to ,britain1 ,gaul1 
and ,spain between the spring of ,a4 ,d4
 #fc and the summer of ,a4 ,d4 #fe1 for 
it would not be possible4  ,but it is   
conclusive that ,paul did not go into   
the provinces of the ,west after his    
release from prison2 that there is no   
mention of his travels in the ,west1    
except what is said in this passage from
 the letter of ,clement--a thing        
impossible1 when we consider that he    
never went anywhere but he made his     
mark1 and left his footprints behind    
him4 ,even ,paul himself1 in his        
subsequent letters1 makes no allusion to
 any such travels1 which is accountable 
upon no other hypothesis than that he   
never made them4 ,but what was gained in

 fabricating this passage8  ,the idea of
 ,irenaeus1 that there could be no      
church unless its origin could be traced
 to some one of the ,apostles1 who were 
special bankers of divine favors1 never 
left him4 ,he furnished ,rome with      
,peter1 and ,asia with ,john1 and now he
 is required to furnish one for the     
churches in ,gaul1 ,spain1 and ,britain4
 ,here were churches in these countries 
in his day1 and who had authority to    
establish them8 ,it would not do to     
claim that either of the ,twelve had    
been in the ,west1 for even falsehood   
has its' boundaries4 ,paul will do4 ,he 
is the great ,apostle of the ,gentiles4 
,besides1 according to the ,acts1 he had
 submitted to ordination at the hands of
 the ,apostles4 ,the explanation of the 
reasons which dictated this spurious    
passage in ,clement's letter is         
consistent with the acts of ,irenaeus1  
and the whole current of his thoughts   
throughout his life4 ,but this story1   
invented by him1 has been repeated by   

others1 until it settled down--as       
history6 ,it is clear from the proof    
here shown1 that ,irenaeus has no claim 
to our belief as a writer1 and that the 
statements he makes in regard to ,peter 
in ,rome and ,paul in the ,west are mere
 inventions of his own to assist him in 
his disputes with the ,gnostics1 in     
which he was engaged for the best part  
of his life4     ,,chapter ,,ix4        
,the claim of ,irenaeus that ,mark was  
the interpreter of ,peter1      and     
,luke the author of the third ,gospel1  
considered4--,luke      and ,mark both  
put to death with ,paul in ,rome4       
,irenaeus1 after stating that ,peter and
 ,paul preached in ,rome and laid the   
foundation of a church at that place1   
continues3 ,after their departure1      
,mark1 the disciple and interpreter of  
,peter1 did also hand down to us in     
writing what had been preached by       
,peter4 ,luke also1 the companion of    
,paul1 recorded in a book the gospel    
preached by him4 7,book iii4 sec4 #a47  

,again no time is given4 ,the last time 
we know anything of ,mark and ,luke that
 is certain1 or at all reliable1 they   
were both with ,paul in ,rome4 ,in his  
second letter to ,timothy he says3 ,only
 ,luke is with me4 ,take ,mark1 and     
bring him with thee3 for he is          
profitable to me for the ministry4 7#b  
,timothy iv4 #aa47 ,that ,timothy obeyed
 this request and took ,mark with him1  
does not admit of doubt4 ,paul and      
,timothy were inseparable1 and ,mark was
 ,paul's near friend and companion4     
,this must have been in the fall of ,a4 
,d4 #fe1 when ,paul was in prison1 with 
little or no hope to escape the second  
time from the fangs of ,nero4  ,at the  
time ,timothy and ,mark entered ,rome1  
the fury of ,nero raged with all its    
sanguinary cruelty4 ,it was just about  
the time the conspiracy of ,piso was    
brought to light4 ,made mad by his      
fears1 he struck in all directions4 ,not
 content with the destruction of the    
conspirators1 he put to death all who   

offended his vanity or moved his        
jealousy4 ,seneca1 a man whose many     
virtues added lustre to the ,roman      
people1 and who was an honor to any age1
 was not suffered to live4 ,his very    
virtues gave offence to the tyrant4     
,lu-can and others1 distinguished for   
genius and learning1 were put to death4 
,tacitus says that at this time the city
 presented a scene of blood1 and        
funerals darkened all the streets4      
7,annals1 book ,,xv4 sec4 #ba47         
,speaking of the events of the year #ff1
 when ,paul was put to death1 the same  
writer says3 ,we have nothing before us 
but tame servility1 and a deluge of     
blood spilt by a tyrant in the hour of  
peace4 ,the heart recoils from the      
dismal story4 ,but let it be remembered 
by those who may hereafter think these  
events worthy of their notice1 that ,i  
have discharged the duty of an          
historian1 and if in relating the fate  
of so many eminent citizens1 who        
resigned their lives to the will of one 

man1 ,i mingle tears with indignation1  
let me be allowed to feel for the       
unhappy4 ,the truth is1 the wrath of    
,heaven was bent against the ,roman     
,state4 ,the calamities that followed   
cannot1 like the slaughter of an army or
 the sacking of a city1 be painted forth
 in one general draught4 ,repeated      
murders must be given in succession4    
7,annals1 ,b4 ,,xvi4 sec4 ,,xvi47 ,the  
author then proceeds to give a long list
 of victims4 ,at the time ,paul was in  
prison1 and ,mark and ,luke his         
companions were with him1 the ,roman    
legions1 under the command of           
,vespasian1 were marching to make war   
upon the ,jews1 if they had not done so 
already4 ,they had rebelled and defied  
the power of ,rome4 ,at this time1 no   
,jew could be in ,rome and live4 ,not   
only was the anger of ,nero aroused     
against them1 but that of the entire    
people of ,rome--and this feeling did   
not abate until after almost the entire 
nation was destroyed4 ,no doubt         

,timothy1 ,luke1 ,linus1 ,paul1 and all 
others who were with them1 perished in  
the general calamity4 ,why put to death 
,paul1 and not his fellow-laborers8     
,nero waged war not against ,christians1
 but against ,christianity4 ,we trace   
all these parties inside the gates of   
,rome1 and then we lose their trail     
forever4 ,there is not one single item  
of reliable proof that any one of them  
ever left the doomed city4 ,the         
footprints of ,christians going into    
,rome at this time were like the tracks 
going into the cave of ,polyphemus--many
 were seen going in1 but none coming    
out4  ,we learn from ,eusebius and      
,jerome1 that ,mark went to ,egypt and  
founded a church at ,alexandria1 and the
 latter states that he died and was     
buried there in the eighth year of the  
reign of ,nero4 ,this is impossible4 ,as
 ,nero commenced his reign ,a4,d4 #ed1  
this would made him die in ,a4,d4 #fb4  
,now we find him alive with ,paul in    
,a4,d4 #fe4 ,eusebius1 in his loose way1

 says3 ,the same ,mark1 they say also1  
being the first that was sent to ,egypt1
 proclaimed the gospel there which he   
had written1 and first established      
churches in ,alexandria4 7,book ,i4 ch4 
#af47 ,this father had special reasons  
why he wanted to get ,mark to           
,alexandria4 ,the close resemblance     
between ,christians and ,therapeutae1 as
 we have shown1 was a reason with him   
why he should insist that the latter    
were in fact believers in ,christ by a  
different name4 ,mark is sent to be     
their teacher1 and was claimed to be the
 founder of this new sect of            
,christians4 ,nothing is wider from the 
truth4 ,if ever ,mark or ,luke left     
,rome1 there is no reason why we should 
not hear something of them4 ,situated as
 they were in their relations with the  
founders of ,christianity1 had they     
survived the slaughter at ,rome1 one or 
both would have left behind them        
evidence1 of some kind1 of their escape4
 ,what remained of ,paul1 ,timothy1     

,mark1 ,luke1 ,linus and others after   
they entered ,rome in the winter of     
,a4,d4 #fe and ,a4,d4 #ff1 could only be
 found after that time among the graves 
of ,nero's victims4 ,whatever ,mark and 
,luke wrote1 in the nature of ,gospels1 
was written before they entered the     
gates for the last time4  ,as this was  
in ,a4 ,d4 #fe or ,a4 ,d4 #ff1 and the  
gospels ascribed to them were neither   
extant nor known before the beginning of
 the second century1 we are forced to   
look to some other quarter for those who
 wrote them4  ,but what proof is there  
that ,mark and ,peter were on such      
intimate terms as is claimed by         
,irenaeus8 ,none1 except that which is  
afforded in the first ,epistle of ,peter
 7#a ,peter v4 #ac71 wherein ,mark is   
spoken of by ,peter as his son4 ,what   
better evidence can we have of the      
studied dishonesty of ,irenaeus1 than   
his attempt to have it appear or        
believed that the ,mark referred to in  
the first of ,peter1 was the companion  

of ,paul and interpreter of ,peter8 ,we 
have just shown he was not--but an      
entirely different person1 and it sweeps
 away the whole foundation upon which   
rests the claim that the ,gospel of     
,mark was written at the dictation of   
,peter4 ,while ,mark was with ,paul1    
either in ,rome or ,asia ,minor1 ,peter1
 with his son ,mark1 is preaching among 
the ,jews of ,chaldea4  ,what ,presbyter
 ,john says on this subject is here     
worthy of notice4 ,eusebius1 speaking of
 the writings of ,papias1 says3 ,he also
 inserted into his work other accounts  
of the above-mentioned ,aristion        
respecting our ,lord1 as also the       
traditions of the ,presbyter ,john1 to  
which referring those that are desirous 
of learning them1 we shall now subjoin  
to the extracts from him already given a
 tradition which he1 sets forth         
concerning ,mark1 who wrote the ,gospel1
 in the following words3 ',and ,john the
 ,presbyter also said this3 ,mark being 
the interpreter of ,peter1 whatsoever he

 recorded he wrote with great accuracy1 
but not in the order in which it was    
spoken or done by our ,lord1 for he     
neither heard nor followed our ,lord1   
but1 as before said1 he was in company  
with ,peter1 who gave him such          
instruction as was necessary1 but not to
 give a history of our ,lord's          
discourses4' 7,eusebius1 ,ecc4 ,hist41  
book iii4 chap4 #ci47 ,papias here gives
 a tradition derived through ,presbyter 
,john4 ,slender proof that ,peter       
dictated the ,gospel of ,mark6 ,to rank 
among canonical ,gospels1 and as a      
corner-stone of ,christianity1 with the 
authority of an inspired book1 the proof
 falls far below what we have a right to
 expect and demand4 ,on such a subject  
it is no proof at all4 ,it is difficult 
to tell what ,mark did write1 according 
to ,papias4 ,what he did write was not  
in the order in which the events in the 
life of ,christ occurred--nor in the    
order in which he spoke or taught4      
,peter would not allow him to give the  

history of our ,lord's discourses4 ,if  
that is so1 then the ,gospel to which   
,papias refers is not our present       
,gospel of ,mark4 ,this relates the acts
 of ,christ in the order of time1 and   
gives his discourses in full4 ,in this  
respect the second ,gospel does not     
differ from the first and third4 ,it is 
quite probable that ,mark1 in his       
intercourse with the ,apostles1 may have
 learned many things in relation to     
,christ which he wrote out1 but which1  
like the ,hebrew ,gospel of ,matthew1   
was condemned or cast one side1 as it   
did not help to strengthen the new ideas
 in relation to ,christ1 which sprang up
 some time before the death of ,paul4   
,but we can never know what ,mark wrote1
 as ,papias does not claim he ever saw  
it1 nor do we know of any one who did4  
,what is said by ,clement of ,alexandria
 and all other writers on the origin of 
the second ,gospel is derived from the  
extract taken from the works of ,papias1
 and from what is said by ,irenaeus3    

their statements do not better the case1
 any more than a superstructure will    
give strength to the base on which it   
rests4 ,if ,mark ever wrote anything1 it
 would contain nothing that did not     
accord with ,paul1 for he was not only  
his fellow-traveller1 but he was his    
fellow-laborer in the spread of the     
doctrines of ,christianity2 and so near 
and dear were the relations between     
them1 that when ,paul saw his end       
approach1 he wrote to ,timothy to bring 
,mark with him1 as brother would for    
brother1 for a parting inter view4 ,what
 ,paul taught1 ,mark believed--and ,paul
 dead or ,paul in life would have made  
no difference with ,mark4  ,after       
reading the ,gospel of ,mark1 who would 
suppose that he had been the companion  
of ,paul and the interpreter of ,peter8 
,we would expect to find some thought or
 expression that had in it the soul of  
,paul1 as his very spirit penetrated all
 his followers and made them a reflex of
 himself4 ,paul drew from the depths of 

his own consciousness1 which he took for
 revelations1 the ideas which formed the
 basis of his religion and made ,christ 
what he believed him to be4 ,it was a   
holy faith with him1 disconnected from  
all material laws4 ,the second ,gospel  
is founded on works1 and the divinity of
 ,christ proven by his power over the   
laws of the universe4 ,all nature bows  
down before him2 even demons and evil   
spirits fly before his presence4 ,mark  
the interpreter of ,peter66 ,where do we
 see ,peter in the ,gospel of ,mark8    
,what1 all at once1 has become of       
circumcision8 ,did he1 after his quarrel
 with ,paul1 shake off his ,jewish      
prejudice and bigotry and rise to a     
higher plane8 ,the proof is he did not4 
,paul1 ,luke1 and ,mark were as         
companions inseparable--they were       
fellow-laborers1 held the same          
doctrines1 died for the same cause and  
at the same time4  ,in another chapter  
we inquired from what source ,luke got  
his knowledge of the wonderful statement

 he makes in relation to the visitation 
of the angel to ,mary and ,zacharias1   
for he did not get it from ,paul1 who   
never mentions the name of ,mary4 ,we   
now ask1 from whom did ,mark learn the  
story of ,john the ,baptist8 ,paul knew 
nothing about him4 ,who had a better    
opportunity than he to know everything  
which related to him1 if he had been the
 person described by ,mark8 ,what better
 proof can be offered to show that      
neither ,luke nor ,mark wrote the       
,gospels ascribed to them1 than that    
they are made to state matters which lay
 at the bottom of ,christianity in      
after-ages1 of which ,paul1 their       
teacher and co-laborer1 knew nothing8   
,to find the authors of these ,gospels  
we must look to the second century4     
,,chapter ,x4       ,acts of the        
,apostles4--,schemes to exalt ,peter at 
the expense      of ,paul4  ,the ,acts  
of the ,apostles dates between ,a4 ,d4  
#adj or #aej and ,a4 ,d4 #agj4 ,the     
book1 as we now find it1 was not in     

existence before ,justin's ,apology1    
because before his time there were no   
miracles1 as will be shown2 while the   
,acts abounds in those of the most      
extravagant character4 ,between ,a4 ,d4 
#adj or #aej1 and ,a4 ,d4 #ahj1 is the  
time when the war among the different   
sects raged with the greatest violence1 
and frauds and forgeries were practised 
by all parties without remorse or shame4
 ,it was during this time that ,lazarus 
was made to rise superior to death1 and 
assume his place among men1 after his   
body had become putrid and began to     
decay4 ,there was nothing too false or  
extravagant for parties to assert at    
this period of the world1 and the only  
wonder is1 that the absurd stories of   
the age have passed down to subsequent  
generations as truths of a revealed     
religion4  ,the book of the ,acts1 in   
its present form1 came to light soon    
after the doctrine of the ,apostolic    
succession was conceived1 for it is very
 evident that the first half is devoted 

to give prominence to ,peter among the  
,apostles1 who was to be made the       
corner-stone of the ,church4 ,as all    
other churches are made to bow to the   
supremacy of ,rome1 so all the ,apostles
 must be subordinate to ,peter4 ,this is
 so obvious that the work is overdone4  
,on the day of ,pentecost he is put     
forward to explain the miracle of the   
cloven tongue1 and show that it was in  
accordance with what the prophet ,joel  
had foretold--which if ,peter did say   
what he is made to say1 only proved his 
ignorance of what the prophet meant4    
,his miraculous powers are wonderful4   
,he cured a man forty years old1 who had
 been lame from his birth1 so that he   
leaped and walked4 ,his power extends   
over death1 and he raises ,dorcas from  
the grave4 ,he is now chief speaker4    
,ananias and his wife ,sapphira fall    
down dead before him4 ,so extraordinary 
is his power over diseases1 that they   
brought forth the sick into the streets1
 and laid them on beds and couches1 that

 at the least the shadow of ,peter      
passing by might overshadow some of     
them4 7,acts v4 #ae47  ,it is surprising
 that the incredulity of the ,jews did  
not give way before such wonderful      
works2 but it seems it did not1 and the 
only effect produced on their minds was 
to send ,peter to prison4 ,peter is     
twice committed to prison for doing     
good1 and the sole object in sending him
 there is to give an opportunity to the 
,lord to deliver him1 and show that he  
is under the special protection and     
guardianship of ,god4 ,and behold1 the  
angel of the ,lord came upon him1 and a 
light shined in the prison2 and he smote
 ,peter on the side1 and raised him up1 
saying1 ,arise up quickly4 ,and his     
chains fell off from his hands4 ,and the
 angel said unto him1 ,gird thyself1 and
 bind on thy sandals3 and so he did4    
,and he saith unto him1 ,cast thy       
garment about thee1 and follow me4      
7,acts xii4 #g1 #h47 ,and when ,peter   
was come to himself1 he said1 ,now ,i   

know of a surety that the ,lord hath    
sent his angel1 and hath delivered me   
out of the hand of ,herod1 and from all 
the expectation of the people of the    
,jews 7verse #aa74  ,the person over    
whom the ,lord had manifested so much   
care1 must certainly have been set apart
 to act some great part in his          
providences towards our race4 ,at the   
time we are writing about1 the struggle 
between the followers of ,peter and     
,paul was raging2 the latter claiming   
that the ,apostle of the ,gentiles was  
of equal authority as to doctrine with  
,peter or any of the ,apostles2 while   
the former insisted that ,paul had a    
special commission--to convert the      
,gentiles--and as he had performed his  
work1 his mission ceased1 and he was no 
longer to be regarded as an authority in
 the church4 ,no less a person than ,god
 himself can settle the dispute1 and the
 cunningly devised stories of           
,cornelius1 and ,paul's conversion1 are 
introduced into the ,acts in order to   

give the ,lord an opportunity to decide 
between the two parties4  ,cornelius1 a 
devout man1 is laboring under what is   
called religious conviction1 and is in  
doubt what to do4 ,he stands in need of 
a spiritual adviser1 and when in this   
condition of mind1 ,he saw in a vision  
evidently about the ninth hour of the   
day1 an angel of ,god coming in to him1 
and saying unto him1 ,cornelius4 ,and   
when he looked on him he was afraid1 and
 said1 ,what is it1 ,lord8 ,and he said 
unto him1 ,thy prayers and thy alms are 
come up for a memorial before ,god4 ,and
 now send men to ,joppa1 and call for   
one ,simon1 whose surname is ,peter4    
7,acts x4 #c1 #d1 #e47 ,the centurion   
was sent to ,peter1 because he was the  
depositary of divine light1 and the     
dispenser of spiritual gifts--an        
intimation from ,god to all the world1  
for all ages1 where men must look to1 to
 find the true interpreter and expounder
 of religious faith4 ,cornelius did as  
he was commanded4  ,but it was not      

enough that this was true of ,peter2 but
 it must be shown that ,paul was but a  
simple missionary1 whose powers ended   
with his death4 ,to do this1 the story  
of his conversion in the ,acts is told1 
notwithstanding it is in direct conflict
 with what ,paul says himself on the    
subject4 ,when ,ananias was requested by
 the ,lord to call on ,paul while he was
 still prostrate from the effects of the
 blow he received near ,damascus1 he    
declined to do so--apparently in fear of
 ,paul1 on account of his previous      
treatment of ,christians4 ,this gave the
 ,lord an opportunity to tell ,ananias1 
why he is anxious to do as he was       
requested4 ,but the ,lord said unto him1
 ,go thy way3 for he is a chosen vessel 
unto me1 to bear my name before the     
,gentiles1 and kings1 and the children  
of ,israel3 for ,i will shew him how    
great things he must suffer for my      
name's sake4 7,acts ix4 #ae1 #af47  ,the
 ,lord has now settled all disputes     
between the followers of ,peter and     

,paul1 and the office of each is settled
 and defined4 ,under such a judgment1   
pronounced by ,god himself1 no wonder   
the influence of ,paul ceased to be felt
 in the latter part of the second       
century1 and ,peter proportionally      
increased in weight and authority4 ,this
 attempt to put up ,peter and put down  
,paul1 determines the date of the ,acts1
 and fixes it somewhere between ,a4,d4  
#aej and ,a4,d4 #agj1 a period in the   
century prolific of spurious writings4  
,it may be called the ,petrine age of   
,christianity4  ,when ,paul made his    
defence before the ,jews at ,jerusalem1 
and explained to them the mode of his   
conversion1 it would be dangerous1 or at
 least suspicious1 to leave out the     
story of ,cornelius2 but as it differed 
so much from the one he gives in second 
,corinthians1 it was necessary to omit  
the one given in the epistle entirely4  
,but the fraud is easily detected4 ,the 
account as given in the ,acts1 to the   
sixth verse inclusive1 is as it was     

doubtless delivered by ,paul2 but from  
this point the story diverges from the  
one given by himself1 and is a sheer    
fabrication4 ,and it came to pass1 that1
 as ,i made my journey1 and was come    
nigh unto ,damascus about noon1 suddenly
 there shone from heaven a great4 light 
round about me4 7,acts xxii4 #f47 ,then 
according to ,paul's account1 given in  
his letter to the ,corinthians1 he was  
caught up to the third heaven1 and there
 heard unspeakable words which it was   
not lawful for man to utter4 ,what      
transpired between ,god and ,paul1 all  
took place in heaven1 where no man could
 bear witness4 ,the account in the      
,acts1 which commences in the seventh   
verse1 says that after the light shone  
from heaven1 ,paul fell to the ground1  
and did not ascend to heaven1 but was   
led by the same light to ,damascus4     
,this version is to let in the story of 
,ananias4 ,he could not bear witness to 
what passed between the ,lord and ,paul 
in the third heaven1 but he might if the

 scene was laid on the earth4 ,besides1 
what passed between the ,lord and ,paul 
the latter does not pretend to state1   
for the words he heard were unspeakable 
and not lawful for man to utter4 ,there 
is nothing in the story in the ,acts    
that is unspeakable or unlawful to be   
repeated1 unless it is to be regarded as
 a piece of blasphemy4  ,had ,paul told 
the story as given in the ,acts in his  
defence1 there was nothing in it to     
arouse the ,jews to such a pitch of     
madness as to cause them to insist that 
he should be put to death4 ,there was   
more in it to provoke a sneer than to   
excite anger4 ,the scene in ,jerusalem1 
when ,paul was compelled to make his    
defence1 was in ,a4,d4 #eh1 and he could
 have appealed to ,ananias1 who in the  
course of nature might still be living1 
and others1 if the story was true4 ,it  
was not the story in the ,acts that     
incensed the ,jews4 ,when ,paul claimed 
he was taken up to heaven1 and there met
 the ,lord and talked to him face to    

face1 he had reached1 in the minds of   
his hearers1 a point in blasphemy that  
drove them to frenzy1 so that they      
exclaimed3 ,away with such a fellow from
 the earth3 for it is not fit that he   
should live4 ,the ,jews listened to     
,stephen with patience until he         
exclaimed1 ,behold1 ,i see the heavens  
opened1 and the ,son of man standing at 
the right hand of ,god1 when they could 
stand it no longer1 and ran upon him    
with one accord and stoned him to death4
 ,it is clear that ,paul's defence1 made
 before the ,jews1 of his conversion1 is
 omitted1 and the story of ,ananias     
substituted1 to aid the enemies of ,paul
 in placing ,peter over him4  ,when we  
find the same story variously stated by 
,paul1 and in the ,acts1 there should be
 no hesitation in choosing between the  
two4 ,the ,acts1 like the works of the  
early fathers1 bears so many marks of   
forgeries1 to suit the emergencies and  
wants of the day1 that very little      
contained in either is of any historic  

value4 ,the epistles of ,paul had       
obtained a large circulation before the 
time when the men of the second century 
inaugurated an era of forgeries1 and    
long before the ,acts were in existence2
 so that the forgers were compelled to  
exercise great caution when they came to
 deal with the epistles1 and only       
ventured to insert passages into the    
genuine writings to give the sanction of
 his name to the doctrines of the       
,alexandrian or ,johannean school1 or   
some dogma of the day4 ,such passages   
are scattered all through the epistles1 
but we can easily point them out1 for   
they are doctrinal and exceedingly      
pointed4  ,peter disappears at the end  
of the twelfth chapter2 but enough has  
been done to make him chief among the   
,apostles1 and claim for him a spiritual
 supremacy in all matters which relate  
to the church4 ,john1 afterwards the    
great light of ,asia1 only plays the    
part of an esquire to ,peter1 his lord  
and superior4 ,they are often together1 

but ,john is not suffered to speak4 ,it 
was designed that ,john1 who was to take
 ,asia in charge1 should stand next to  
,peter2 but the writer1 by imposing     
silence on him on all occasions1 took   
care that the supremacy of ,peter was   
not put in jeopardy4 ,the preaching of  
,philip in ,samaria was a device to show
 that ,peter and ,john were superior to 
the rest of the ,apostles in their power
 to confer the ,holy ,ghost4 ,philip    
made many converts1 both men and women1 
and he baptized them--but his baptism   
was not sufficient4 ,now when the       
,apostles which were at ,jerusalem heard
 that ,samaria had received the word of 
,god1 they sent unto them ,peter and    
,john4 ,they laid their hands on them1  
and they received the ,holy             
,ghost4--,acts viii4 #ad1 #ag4          
,according to ,paul1 and this is made   
clear by the quarrels between him and   
,peter1 as related in the epistles1 the 
latter was tenacious to the last for the
 ,jewish rite of circumcision1 and we   

have no evidence1 and no reason to      
believe1 that he ever gave it up4 ,a    
sectarian ,jew would never answer to be 
the head and founder of a ,catholic     
church4 ,the sectarian character of     
,peter must be got rid of1 and we see   
studied efforts in the ,acts to do so4  
,we have seen that ,peter1 in the first 
words he addressed to ,cornelius1 took  
the opportunity to declare that he      
believed in the doctrine that ,god was  
no respecter of persons4 ,but this was  
not enough1 in the opinion of the writer
 of the ,acts1 or at least the first    
half1 and to make ,peter's emancipation 
from his old ,jewish opinions more      
conspicuous1 and enable him to explain  
how it happened that the change was     
brought about1 the vision of ,peter on  
the house-top is produced4 ,he went up  
upon the house-top to pray1 about the   
sixth hour1 and became very hungry2 but 
while they were preparing something for 
him to eat1 he had a trance1 ,and saw   
heaven opened1 and a certain vessel     

descending unto him1 as it had been a   
great sheet knit at the four corners1   
and let down to the earth3 wherein were 
all manner of four-footed beasts of the 
earth1 and wild beasts1 and creeping    
things1 and fowls of the air4 ,and there
 came a voice to him1 ,rise1 ,peter1    
kill and eat4 ,but ,peter said1 ,not so1
 ,lord2 for ,i have never eaten anything
 that is common or unclean4 ,and the    
voice spake unto him again the second   
time1 ,what ,god hath cleansed1 that    
call not thou common4 ,this was done    
thrice3 and the vessel was received up  
again into heaven4  ,the command of the 
,lord to ,peter to eat1 was a command to
 give up his ,jewish views and notions2 
for that all flesh was alike1 and       
equally proper to be taken on an empty  
stomach4 ,peter was at a loss to        
understand the vision1 and while he was 
revolving the subject in his mind1      
,cornelius and his party came to be     
instructed by him1 in accordance with   
the directions of the ,lord4 ,when      

,cornelius1 who was of the ,gentiles1   
made at known the object of his visit1  
,peter at once understood the import of 
the vision1 and exclaimed1 ,of a truth  
,i perceive that ,god is no respecter of
 persons1 and that the gospel of ,christ
 is to supply the spiritual wants of all
 nations1 as the beasts and fowls are to
 furnish food for the hungry4  ,the     
conversion of ,peter receives further   
importance and prominence from the      
defence he is compelled to make before  
the brethren1 for his disregard of the  
rite of circumcision in the baptism of  
,cornelius4 ,peter makes a speech1 in   
which he declares that he was commanded 
by ,god1 not less than three times1 to  
give up his old ,jewish notions2 and no 
sooner was the command given than       
,cornelius1 a ,gentile1 who was sent to 
him by ,god1 made his appearance4 ,the  
command from ,god to ,peter1 and the    
arrival of the centurion1 who was       
instructed by the ,lord to come to him1 
left him no choice in the matter1 and   

that he baptized the ,gentile1 in       
obedience to the commands of the ,lord4 
,the reason was sufficient4 ,when they  
heard these things1 they held their     
peace1 and glorified ,god1 saying1 ,then
 hath ,god also to the ,gentiles granted
 repentance unto life4 7,acts4 xi4 #ah47
 ,the wall between ,jew and ,gentile is 
now broken down1 and ,peter a fit       
subject for the head of a universal or  
catholic church4  ,it seems that the    
person who put the speech into the mouth
 of ,peter1 renouncing circumcision1 was
 not satisfied with what he said at the 
time4 ,something had been omitted or    
overlooked4 ,peter had shed his ,jewish 
skin1 but the ,lord had not given him a 
commission to preach the gospel to all  
nations1 and this he must have to be the
 head of a universal church4 ,at the    
council held at ,jerusalem by the       
,apostles to settle the question of     
circumcision1 ,peter1 according to the  
,acts1 seizes the opportunity to supply 
the omission3 ,and when there had been  

much disputing1 ,peter rose up and said 
unto them1 ,men and brethren1 ye know   
how that a good while ago1 ,god made    
choice among us1 that the ,gentiles1 by 
my mouth1 should hear the word of the   
gospel1 and believe4 7,acts xv4 #g47    
,now there was no occasion for ,peter to
 make this claim or assertion1 for it   
had nothing to do with the subject      
before the council1 and was not true4   
,the account which ,paul gives of what  
took place at the council is quite      
different1 contradictory1 and no doubt  
true4 ,he says1 when he stated before   
the council the trouble and vexations   
which were occasioned by this rite1 and 
reasons why it should not be forced on  
the ,gentiles1 that ,peter1 ,james1 and 
,john agreed with him--gave him the     
right hand of fellowship1 and then      
entered into a compact that he should go
 to the ,gentiles1 and they to the      
circumcised4 7,gal4 ii47  ,this         
agreement was never departed from2 but  
not so with regard to circumcision4     

,that ,peter1 ,james1 and all the       
disciples disregarded the order of the  
,council in regard to that subject1 is  
rendered clear by their subsequent      
conduct4 ,after that1 as much as two    
years1 for the ,council was held in     
,a4,d4 #di or ,a4,d4 #ej1 and the       
epistle to the ,galatians was written in
 ,a4 ,d4 #eb1 ,peter went to ,antioch1  
where he found ,paul4 ,he ate with the  
uncircumcised until some ,jewish        
converts came from ,jerusalem at the    
instance of ,james1 who found fault with
 his course4 ,peter1 it seems1 then     
changed front and stood up for          
circumcision4 ,i withstood him to the   
face1 says ,paul1 for he was wrong4 ,a  
discussion springs up4 ,paul claimed    
that men were not to be saved through   
old rites and ceremonies1 nor by-works1 
but by faith4 ,at this time1 neither    
,james nor ,peter had given up their    
contracted notions on the ,jewish rite4 
,nor had ,peter as late as ,a4 ,d4 #eg1 
twenty-four years after the death of    

,christ4 ,of the four parties which     
disturbed the peace of the church at    
,corinth at the time of ,paul's first   
epistle to the ,corinthians1 which was  
written in ,a4 ,d4 #eg1 the party of    
,cephas was one4 ,peter was at the head 
of a party which held out for           
circumcision1 seven years after the     
council at ,jerusalem2 and if he had not
 given it up then1 when he was          
fifty-seven years old1 there is no      
reason to believe he did after that4    
,nothing gave the men in the second     
century who undertook to put ,peter at  
the head of a universal church so much  
trouble as this thing of circumcision1  
which we can readily detect by the pains
 and labors they have taken to free him 
from it4 ,but the stain will not wash   
out4  ,the story told in the ,acts about
 the way in which ,peter was            
disenthralled from his narrow ,jewish   
notions1 is wholly inconsistent with the
 subsequent history of the church at    
,jerusalem4 ,after the ,lord had taken  

so much pains to prove to the disciples 
that a new dispensation had commenced1  
and the wall between the ,jews and      
,gentiles was broken down1 there was no 
reason why they should not all dispense 
with the practice of circumcision4 ,but 
they never did4 ,the fifteen first      
,bishops of ,jerusalem1 commencing with 
,james and including ,judas1 were all   
circumcised ,jews4 7,eus41 ,ex4 #gg41   
,b41 iv4 ch4 v4 ,sulpicius ,severus1    
vol4 #aa-ca47 ,with the twelve          
disciples1 jealousy of ,paul1 who fought
 this ,jewish practice to the last1     
seemed to be the most active feeling of 
their natures1 and we seldom hear of    
them unless they were dogging his       
footsteps1 and stirring up the ,jews    
against him4 ,it was through their      
intrigues that the doors of the         
synagogue were slammed in his face      
wherever he went4  ,the doctrine of     
ordination1 through which that deposit  
of divine riches which ,irenaeus says   
,christ left with the ,apostles is made 

to flow in an uninterrupted current     
through all time1 is conspicuously      
presented in the ,acts4 ,when ,paul and 
,barnabas were at ,antioch1 and about to
 start for the ,west1 on a mission to   
preach to the ,gentiles1 the ,lord said1
 ,separate me ,barnabas and ,saul for   
the work whereunto ,i have called them4 
,and when they had fasted and prayed1   
and laid their hands on them1 they sent 
them away4 7,acts xiii4 #b1 #c47        
,nothing could impose so great a        
humiliation as this upon ,paul4 ,the    
,lord again interferes and assigns him  
to a special duty1 and to make this     
humiliation complete1 he is ordered to  
receive his commission at the hands of  
the ,apostles4 ,who laid their hands on 
,barnabas and ,paul1 is not stated1 nor 
is it of any importance1 as the object  
of the statement is to make it apparent 
that the latter1 the great light of the 
,gentiles1 submitted to the rite of     
ordination by the imposition of hands1  
administered by some one of the         

,apostles4 ,will any one believe this   
story to be true8 ,if he does1 he does  
not understand the character of ,paul4  
,there is nothing he would resent with  
so much feeling1 as he would such an    
admission on his part that he was less  
than an ,apostle4 ,when it was claimed  
he was not1 his soul took fire1 and in  
his address to the ,galatians1 in the   
first chapter1 he delivers himself in   
this defiant strain3 ,paul1 an ,apostle1
 7not of men1 neither by man1 but by    
,jesus ,christ1 and ,god the ,father1   
who raised him from the dead47 ,but when
 it pleased ,god1 who separated me from 
my mother's womb1 and called me by his  
grace1 to reveal his ,son in me1 that ,i
 might preach him among the heathen2    
immediately ,i conferred not with flesh 
and blood3 ,neither went ,i up to       
,jerusalem to them which were ,apostles 
before me4 7,gal4 i4 ,i1 #ae1 #af1 #ag47
 ,is this the ,paul who patiently       
submits to receive his commission from  
an ,apostle to preach the doctrines of  

,christ to the nations of the earth at  
,antioch1 when he is about to commence  
his labors8  ,it is not enough that     
,paul should submit to receive the ,holy
 ,ghost at the hands of the ,apostle1   
and in this way be authorized to preach 
the gospel2 but he gives the ordinance  
his full sanction by conferring         
ordination on others4 ,and it came to   
pass1 that1 while ,apollos was at       
,corinth1 ,paul having passed through   
the upper coasts1 came to ,ephesus2 and 
finding certain disciples1 he said unto 
them1 ,have ye received the ,holy ,ghost
 since ye believed8 ,and they said unto 
him1 ,we have not so much as heard      
whether there be any ,holy ,ghost4 ,and 
when ,paul had laid his hands upon them1
 the ,holy ,ghost came on them2 and they
 spake with tongues1 and prophesied4    
7,acts xix4 #a1 #b1 #f47 ,no stronger   
proof could be given that the followers 
of ,paul were opposed to the ,episcopacy
 and the doctrine of succession and     
ordination1 and contended against a     

government by ,bishops with zeal to the 
last1 than the labored and frequent     
efforts that are made to show that he   
himself gave his sanction to the order4 
,for ,paul's persistence in claiming a  
human origin for ,christ1 there was a   
studied effort in the second century to 
destroy his claims as an ,apostle2 but  
after his epistles had undergone        
alterations so as to make ,christ the   
,son of ,god in the sense of the        
,catholics of the second century1 he was
 restored to favor1 and his powers      
wonderfully magnified4 ,he is now able  
to work miracles1 and his power to heal 
diseases is such1 that whatever comes in
 contact with his person1 is so filled  
or imbued with holy energy1 that its    
curative properties are sufficient to   
put death at defiance4  ,it is clear    
that the ,acts of the ,apostles is not  
the work of one century1 but of two4    
,the real itinerary of ,paul commences  
in the thirteenth chapter1 and from this
 to the end of the ,acts1 we can trace  

his footsteps in his various journeys   
among the churches1 until he finally    
enters the gates of ,rome1 in the spring
 of ,a4,d4 #fa4     ,,chapter ,,xi4     
,matthew the author of the only genuine 
,gospel4--,rejected1      because it did
 not contain the first two chapters of  
the      present ,greek version4        
,matthew1 surnamed ,levi1 was a native  
of ,galilee4 ,before his conversion to  
,christianity he was a publican1 or     
tax-gatherer1 under the ,romans1 and    
collected the customs of all goods      
exported or imported at ,capernaum1 a   
maritime town on the ,sea of ,galilee1  
and received tribute paid by passengers 
who went by water4 ,from the position of
 ,matthew1 he must have been a man of   
some learning and judgment1 and from    
what we know of the early lives of the  
other ,apostles1 the only one among     
them1 except perhaps ,peter and ,james1 
that was capable of writing out a       
correct account of what was said and    
done by ,christ4  ,as the first church  

at ,jerusalem increased in number1 and  
new converts were added to it1 there was
 a necessity that there should be some  
written history given of what was said  
and taught by ,christ before his death2 
and as ,matthew was in every way        
qualified1 the task was imposed on him4 
,matthew wrote this book about ,a4,d4   
#dj1 not much1 if any1 more than seven  
years after the death of ,christ4       
,everything was fresh in his memory1 and
 no doubt he was particular to give to  
the new converts a full and correct     
knowledge of all the doctrines taught by
 ,christ1 and especially to place before
 them his sermon on the mount1 so full  
of divine morality1 which was to form   
the soul of the new religion4  ,from all
 we know with certainty1 this ,gospel of
 ,matthew was the only account of       
,christ in use among the members of the 
first ,christian church1 and their only 
means of information1 except what they  
learned direct from the other ,apostles4
 ,everything1 then1 was just as it fell 

from the lips of ,christ1 and had the   
odor of fresh-gathered flowers4 ,how the
 ,christians at ,jerusalem clung to this
 ,gospel of ,matthew1 their sufferings  
and persecutions through a period of    
more than two centuries will bear       
witness4 ,these ,christians1 afterwards 
called by way of aversion ,ebionites1   
were charged with the alteration of the 
,scriptures4 ,this alteration1 according
 to ,epiphanius1 consisted in the       
omission of the first two chapters of   
,matthew1 which contain the account of  
the miraculous conception of ,christ4   
,the statements of ,epiphanius are      
verified by the fact1 that at the time  
these two chapters were added1 by the   
men of the second century1 we can trace 
through the pages of ,ignatius1 and     
other early fathers1 numerous forgeries 
and interpolations which are            
unmistakable1 and were intended to      
sustain the new aspect which            
,christianity took on in the early part 
of the second century4 ,the addition of 

the two chapters1 and the forgeries1    
belong to the period when the religion  
of ,paul had passed off into the        
,philo-,alexandrian period of           
,christianity4 ,eusebius informs us what
 were the crimes of the ,ebionites3     
,they are properly called ,ebionites by 
the ancients1 as those who cherished a  
low and mean opinion of ,christ4 ,for   
they consider him a plain and common    
man1 and justified in his advances in   
virtue1 and that he was born of the     
,virgin ,mary by natural generation4    
7,eusebius1 ,ecc4 ,hist41 book iii4     
chap4 #bg47  ,the views held by the     
,ebionites of ,christ were derived from 
the ,gospel of ,matthew1 and what they  
learned direct from the ,apostles4      
,matthew had been a hearer of ,christ--a
 companion of the ,apostles1 and had    
seen and no doubt conversed with ,mary4 
,when he wrote his ,gospel everything   
was fresh in his mind1 and there could  
be no object on his part1 in writing the
 life of ,jesus1 to state falsehoods or 

omit important truths in order to       
deceive his countrymen4 ,if what is     
stated in the two first chapters in     
regard to ,christ is true1 ,matthew     
would have known of them2 and1 knowing  
them1 why should he omit them in giving 
an account of his life8 ,it was         
impossible to pass from the first to the
 second stage of ,christianity1 as long 
as the ,gospel of ,matthew was          
recognized as authority in the church4  
,it stood as a mountain in the way1 and 
had to be torn down and made way with4  
,the history of the ,ebionites1 from the
 time they are charged with altering the
 ,scriptures1 to the time when they     
disappear from history1 is one of       
tyranny and bloody persecution4 ,in the 
reign of ,adrian1 what was left of them 
settled in the little town of ,pilla1   
beyond the ,jordan1 from whence they    
spread themselves into villages adjacent
 to ,damascus4 ,some traces of them can 
be discovered as late as the fourth     
century1 when they insensibly melted    

away2 either into the church or         
synagogue4 7,gibbon1 ch4 xv4 vol4 ,i4 p4
 #bee47 ,with them perished the genuine 
,gospel of ,matthew1 the only ,gospel   
written by an ,apostle4  ,much useless  
labor has been bestowed on the question1
 whether the genuine ,gospel was written
 in the ,hebrew or ,greek language4 ,how
 this may be is of little consequence1  
since the genuine writing is no longer  
in existence4 ,it is just as certain    
that the present version of ,matthew was
 written in ,greek1 as that the genuine 
one was published in the ,hebrew tongue4
 ,to the church of ,rome the world is   
indebted for the destruction of the only
 genuine ,gospel1 and with it the only  
authentic account of ,christ4 ,no       
greater loss could befall the world4 ,it
 was written in the dawn of             
,christianity1 before corrupt and       
ambitious men sought to make religion a 
way to power and distinction4 ,the      
truths contained in this ,gospel stood  
in the way of a gigantic scheme1        

conceived by corrupt and arrogant men1  
who saw in a church established by the  
authority of ,god1 the road to the      
highest point of human power and        
grandeur4 ,they succeeded1 but their    
success1--       ,brought death into the
 world and all our woe4  ,it was not    
necessary to reject all of ,matthew's   
,gospel1 and it is very evident that    
much was retained--such as the          
discourses of ,christ and some portions 
of history4     ,,chapter ,,xii4        
,the character of ,irenaeus and probable
 time of his birth4--      ,his         
partiality for traditions4--,the claim  
of the ,gnostics1      that ,christ did 
not suffer1 the origin of the fourth    
,gospel4--,irenaeus the writer4  ,the   
time when ,irenaeus was born is         
variously stated4 ,in the introduction  
to his works against heresies1          
translated by ,alexander ,roberts1      
,d4,d41 and the ,rev4 ,w4 ,h4 ,rambaut1 
,a4 ,b41 is the following passage on    
this subject3 ,we possess a very scanty 

account of the personal history of      
,irenaeus4 ,it has been generally       
supposed he was a native of ,smyrna1 or 
some neighboring city in ,asia ,minor4  
,harvey1 however1 thinks that he was    
probably born in ,syria1 and removed in 
boyhood to ,smyrna4 ,he himself tells us
 7lib4 iii4 sec4 #c1 #d7 that he was in 
early youth acquainted with ,polycarp1  
the illustrious ,bishop of that city4 ,a
 sort of clue is thus furnished as to   
the date of his birth4 ,dodwell supposes
 that he was born as early as ,a4,d4    
#ig1 but this is clearly a mistake1 and 
the general date of his birth is        
somewhere between ,a4,d4 #abj and ,a4,d4
 #adj 7page #ah74  ,among the many      
strong and representative men who have  
impressed their genius on the ,catholic 
,church1 and given to it its distinctive
 features1 none have equalled ,irenaeus1
 the ,bishop of ,lyons4 ,it may in truth
 be said he was the father of the       
church4 ,he assisted at its birth2 took 
charge of its infancy2 planted within   

its bosom seeds which sprouted and bore 
fruit which has been the source of its  
nourishment and strength for seventeen  
hundred years and more4 ,it is enough to
 say of him1 that he placed in the heart
 of the church the seed which bore the  
fruit of the ,inquisition4  ,from the   
adoption of ,trajan1 in ,a4,d4 #ih to   
the death of the ,antonines1 in #ahj1 a 
period of eighty-two years1 has been    
selected by the learned author of the   
,decline and ,fall as the most happy and
 prosperous period in the annals of the 
human race4 7,vol4 ,i4 page #dg47 ,had  
he omitted the last of the ,antonines1  
under whose reign ,justin ,martyr and   
other good men were put to death1 the   
learned author would have come nearer   
the truth of history4  ,it was the      
prospect of peace and protection held   
out under this state of things that     
influenced the ,christians who had      
survived the cruelties of other reigns  
to once more return to the imperial     
city4 ,as soon as they were sufficiently

 numerous it was natural to adopt some  
form of government2 but what that form  
was1 we have no means of knowing1 except
 by the dangerous light of tradition4   
,it must be always fatal to tradition1  
where it claims to be important1 that   
contemporaneous history says nothing    
about it4 ,it is certain that the       
uninterrupted repose of the church to   
the time of ,antoninus ,verrus1 ,a4,d4  
#afa1 gave rise to disputes among       
,christians2 for when they were relieved
 from the fears of an outward enemy1    
they soon found cause for quarrel among 
themselves4 ,on the introduction of the 
first three ,gospels1 which happened    
during this time1 as we shall prove1 the
 character of ,christ1 or rather his    
mysterious birth from the ,virgin1 gave 
rise to numberless controversies4       
,irenaeus was born at the right time to 
be thrust into the midst of them1 and as
 soon as he was able to comprehend      
anything1 his ears were filled with the 
disputes of the various contending      

parties4 ,he was born with a love of    
contention planted in him1 and had the  
best school ever de-vised to cultivate  
and strengthen it4 ,the character of his
 mind was bold and daring1 and in       
support of the cause he espoused1 he had
 no scruples or shame in resorting to   
falsehood and forgery4 ,if the end was  
good1 in his sight1 it was all the same 
to him1 whether it was reached by truth 
or its opposite4 ,such1 indeed1 was the 
prevailing morality of the age4 ,towards
 his adversaries he was bitter and      
vindictive1 applying to them low and    
vile language1 such as thieves and      
robbers4 ,he claimed to look with       
contempt upon those who differed from   
him1 and took pleasure in the repeated  
use of the word heretic4 ,whether he    
ever saw ,polycarp or not1 and it is no 
proof he did because he says so1 he     
claimed great advantage from it1        
because1 as he declares again and again1
 ,polycarp was the disciple of the      
,apostle ,john4 ,he is only one remove  

from an ,apostle1 and for what he states
 he claimed the weight of ,apostolic    
authority4  ,we say again1 it is very   
doubtful whether he ever saw ,polycarp2 
and it is very certain the latter never 
saw ,john4 ,the studied dishonesty of   
,irenaeus1 in attempting to palm off the
 ,presbyter ,john for the ,apostle1 is  
as dark a piece of knavery as is to be  
found in the history of a church which  
has encouraged such practices from the  
time it claimed to be the depository of 
all the divine wealth left by the       
,apostles4  ,driven to the wall by the  
sharp logic and superior wisdom of that 
class of ,christians who were           
distinguished by the name of ,gnostics1 
his devious and ingenious mind undertook
 to cut them off from all claims as     
members of a ,christian church1 by      
interposing the doctrine of the         
,apostolic succession4 ,this step once  
taken involved the necessity of repeated
 forgeries and frauds4 ,cowardly ,peter 
is to be changed into a hero1--sent to  

,rome1 where death is certain1 and there
 die a ,christian martyr4 ,john1 who had
 not life and force enough in him to    
rise above the masses1 and no more      
knowledge than is wanted to dip a net   
into the sea1 is to be converted into a 
fiery spirit1 and put forth a book which
 is to fall like a thunderbolt on the   
heads of the heretics4 ,if anything     
arises in the course of the debates1    
which1 to ordinary men1 would present   
difficulties1 with ,irenaeus they were  
easily disposed of by tradition4 ,he had
 traditions for all emergencies1 and    
when his adversaries dared dispute him1 
he stands ready to silence them by      
abuse4 ,he says3 ,but1 again1 when we   
refer them to that tradition which      
originates from the ,apostles1 7and7    
which is preserved by means of the      
successions of ,presbyters in the       
churches1 they object to tradition1     
saying that they themselves are wiser   
not merely than the ,presbyters1 but    
even than the ,apostles1 because they   

have discovered the unadulterated truth4
 ,it comes to this1 therefore1 that     
these men do now consent neither to     
,scripture nor to tradition4 ,such are  
the adversaries with whom we have to    
deal1 my very dear friend1 endeavoring  
like slippery serpents to escape at all 
points4 7,irenaeus1 ,vol4 ,i4 book iii4 
page #bfj47  ,he brings often and       
repeated charges against his enemies for
 forgeries1 and at the same time makes  
more himself than all of them put       
together4 ,in the disputes about the    
twofold nature of ,christ as he appears 
in the ,synoptics1 and as will be fully 
explained hereafter1 the ,gnostics had  
the advantage in the argument4 ,if      
,christ the ,god descended upon the man 
,christ at the baptism in the ,jordan1  
it left him at the crucifixion4 ,then1  
say the ,gnostics1 there is no          
atonement1 for the ,son of ,god did not 
shed his blood4 ,no other man1 in that  
or any other age1 could meet the crisis 
but ,irenaeus2 and the result is the    

fourth ,gospel4  ,the time when this    
,gospel first appeared as a historical  
fact1 has been so thoroughly sifted by  
late writers on that subject1 that it   
will only be necessary here to notice   
some of the prominent reasons why its   
date is fixed after the middle of the   
second century4 ,all allusions1 or      
pretended allusions1 found in the       
writings of the fathers1 on inspection  
will be found to be the work of those   
who have attempted to poison the        
fountains of history4 ,papias lived near
 the age of ,john1 and if ,john had     
written he must have known and spoken   
about it1 as he speaks of ,matthew and  
,mark2 but he says nothing about ,john  
or ,luke4 ,he was ,bishop of ,heliopolis
 ,a4 ,d4 #afe1 and informs us that it   
was his habit to inquire of those who   
were the followers of the elders1 what  
was said by them3 what was said by      
,andrew and ,peter or ,philip2 what by  
,thomas1 ,james1 ,john1 ,matthew1 or any
 other of the disciples of the ,lord4   

7,eusebius1 ,ecc4 ,hist41 book iii4     
chap4 #ci47  ,the ,apology of ,justin to
 the emperor was written some time      
between the years ,a4 ,d4 #acj and ,a4  
,d4 #afj4 ,the precise time is not      
known1 and there is some uncertainty    
about it4 ,in his ,apology1 ,justin     
makes thirty-five distinct allusions to 
,matthew1 eighteen to ,luke1 and five to
 ,mark1 and if he says anything which   
points to ,john at all1 on examination  
it will appear that the allusions are   
found elsewhere1 in writings anterior to
 ,justin4 ,for ,christ said1 ',except ye
 be born again1 ye shall not enter into 
the ,kingdom of ,heaven4' ,this1 it is  
claimed1 is taken from the fourth       
,gospel1 which must have been in        
existence when ,justin wrote4 ,the      
language in the ,gospel is1 ,jesus      
answered and said unto them1 ,except a  
man be born again1 he cannot see the    
kingdom of ,god4 7,john iii4 #c47 ,this 
language1 imputed to ,christ1 was drawn 
from a common source--from the ,gospel  

according to the ,hebrews1 as has been  
fully proven1 and so in every other     
instance where the writer seems to      
allude to the ,gospel of ,john4  ,the   
new ideas concerning ,christ found in   
this ,gospel had not yet dawned upon the
 world when ,justin wrote1 for on that  
subject he had not got beyond what was  
contained in the ,synoptics2 or1 to     
speak with greater accuracy1 his ,logos 
idea was that of ,philo1 which differed 
from that of ,john4  ,an examination of 
this subject by the most learned and    
careful writers1 proves that there is no
 reliable evidence that the fourth      
,gospel was in existence before ,a4 ,d4 
#age1 when a direct reference is made to
 it in the ,clementine homilies1 a      
production written in praise of ,peter  
against ,marcion4 ,the language quoted  
is unmistakably the language of ,john4  
,tatian1 who wrote between ,a4 ,d4 #afj 
and ,a4 ,d4 #ahe1 quotes from the fourth
 ,gospel3 ,and this is what was said1   
,darkness does not comprehend the light2

 the ,logos is the light of ,god4 ,in   
the nineteenth chapter we read3 ,all    
things were made by him1 and without him
 not a thing was made4 ,these were      
quotations from ,john without his being 
named as the author2 but ,theophilus of 
,antioch1 who wrote about ,a4 ,d4 #agf1 
especially ascribes the ,gospel to him4 
,in the second book of this treatise    
addressed to ,antolycus1 he says3       
',whence the holy ,scriptures teach us1 
and all who carried in them a holy      
spirit1 of whom ,john says1 ,in the     
beginning was the ,word1 and the ,word  
was ,god4' ,it may be claimed as an     
historic fact1 that the fourth ,gospel  
was extant in ,a4 ,d4 #age1 and that all
 efforts to give it an early date spring
 from uncertain data3 obscure allusions 
and doubtful inferences altogether too  
vague and unreliable to satisfy the mind
 in pursuit of truth4     ,,chapter     
,,xiii4       ,why ,irenaeus wrote the  
fourth ,gospel in the name of ,john4--  
,he shows that the ,gospels could not be

 less than four1 and      proves the    
doctrine of the incarnation by the ,old 
,testament      and the                 
,synoptics4--,the author of the epistles
 attributed to      ,st4 ,john4  ,the   
zeal of ,irenaeus against his           
adversaries had carried him so far in   
support of the doctrine of the          
incarnation that he ventured upon a new 
,gospel1 under the name and authority of
 an ,apostle4 ,without the authority of 
some one of the ,apostles to sustain    
him1 of what consequence would the      
opinion of one man be1 on a question    
which involved the substance and essence
 of ,christianity8 ,nothing would be    
easier than to publish a fourth ,gospel 
in the name of-some one among the       
disciples4 ,they were all dead a hundred
 years or more1 and the time and place  
of their death no one knew4  ,but why   
did ,irenaeus select the name of ,john8 
,it was his policy to select from among 
the twelve the one who had been the     
least conspicuous during his life1 so   

that what was said or done by him in    
,judea at one time should not conflict  
with something else claimed to have been
 done at the same time somewhere else4  
,the one that said and did nothing in   
his own country might be claimed to have
 said and done a great deal in another4 
,if the proof adduced to prove that     
,john1 the son of ,zebedee1 was not the 
,john of ,ephesus1 and that ,irenaeus   
was engaged in making a false           
substitute1 we have gone a great way to 
show that he himself was the author of  
the fourth ,gospel4 ,to be sure1 ,john's
 presence in ,asia was required for the 
,apostolic succession2 but the man who  
brought him there for that purpose would
 be most likely to use his name in all  
other cases when it might prove useful4 
,the book against ,heresies was written 
between ,a4 ,d4 #ahb and ,a4 ,d4 #ahh1  
so that about eight years elapsed       
between the appearance of the ,gospel   
and the one against the heretics4 ,in   
the mean time1 no doubt the ,gospel had 

been attacked from more quarters than   
one1 so that it became necessary that   
the writer should come to its defence4  
,the book against ,heresies is nothing  
more than a supplement to the ,gospel1  
and the writer had in view its defence  
as much1 if not more1 than he had the   
heresies of the ,gnostics4  ,no better  
evidence could be given of the violence 
with which the fourth ,gospel was       
attacked1 when it first appeared1 than  
the character of the defence made to    
sustain it4 ,that it was something new  
in the time of ,irenaeus is evident from
 the fact that he is called upon and    
employed his genius to defend it4 ,he is
 not called upon to defend either of the
 other ,gospels1 because whatever doubts
 there may have been as to them1 the    
time for discussion had long passed     
away4 ,but the fourth ,gospel was       
something new2 it had not gone through  
that fermentation in the minds of men   
which always follows the introduction of
 some new idea or principle1 but was    

undergoing that process at the time     
,irenaeus wrote in its defence4 ,if this
 ,gospel had been written by ,john1 it  
would have been1 at the time ,irenaeus  
wrote1 nearly one hundred years old1 and
 its claims settled years before he was 
born4 ,the very arguments he brings to  
its support are proofs that it is a     
fraud4 ,he proves that it is genuine    
because it is a necessity--just as      
pillars are necessary to the support of 
a portico4 ,in his mode of argument he  
proves that a falsehood may be exposed  
by the poverty and weakness of the      
arguments which are relied upon for its 
support4  ,irenaeus proves not only that
 the appearance of the fourth ,gospel   
was something new1 but that the         
doctrines it contained were unheard of  
before4 ,he says3 ,it is not possible   
that the ,gospels can be either more or 
fewer in number than they are2 for since
 there are four zones of the world in   
which we live1 and four principal winds1
 while the church is scattered          

throughout all the world1 and the pillar
 and ground of the church is the ,gospel
 and the ,spirit of life1 it is fitting 
that she should have four pillars1      
breathing out immortality on every side1
 and vivifying men afresh4 7,book ,,iii4
 chap4 #b1 sec4 #h47 ,on this subject1  
after drawing many illustrations from   
the ,gospels in proof of his position1  
he concludes as follows3 ,these things  
being so1 all who destroy the form of   
the ,gospel are vain1 unlearned1 and    
also audacious3 those 7,i mean7 who     
represent the aspects of the ,gospel as 
being more in number than as aforesaid1 
or1 on the other hand1 fewer4 7,book    
,,iii4 chap4 #b1 sec4 #i47  ,the fourth 
,gospel was written with no other       
purpose than to prove the incarnation1  
and that purpose is so persistently kept
 up in every line and verse1 from the   
beginning to the end1 that if we strike 
out this1 and the miracles which are    
mere supports of the main idea1 there is
 nothing left4 ,and so with the third   

book against ,heresies--it has but one  
theme4 ,the writer sets out with the    
,logos idea of this ,gospel1 which is   
never lost sight of4 ,he finds proof in 
the traditions of the church--in every  
page of the ,old ,testament--in the     
,synoptics1 as well as in the fourth    
,gospel2 and as we read his             
misapplication of words and sentences1  
we would conclude that he was a lunatic 
if we did not know he was something     
else4 ,he has no quarrel with the first 
three ,gospels1 because he can see      
nothing in them that does not furnish   
proof of what is taught in the fourth2  
and in the language which makes most    
against his dogmas1 he sees the clearest
 proof of their truth4  ,as an example  
of his mode of interpretation1 and      
turning the plain sense of words from   
their proper meaning to proofs that     
,christ was ,god in the flesh1 we will  
give his explanation of the prophecy of 
,isaiah1 which relates to his birth from
 a virgin3 ,therefore1 the ,lord himself

 shall give you a sign3 ,behold1 a      
virgin shall conceive and bear a son2   
and ye shall call his name ,emmanuel4   
,butter and honey shall he eat3 before  
he knows or chooses out things that are 
evil1 ,he shall exchange them for what  
is good2 for before the child knows good
 or evil1 ,he shall not consent to evil1
 that he may choose that which is good4 
,here follow the comments3 ,carefully1  
then1 has the holy ,ghost pointed out1  
by what has been said--,his birth from a
 virgin and ,his essence1 for he is ,god
 7for the name of ,emmanuel indicates   
this74 ,and he shows that he is a man   
when he says1 ',butter and honey shall  
he eat2' and in that he terms him a     
child also1 in saying1 'before he knows 
good from evil2' for these are all      
tokens of a human infant4 ,but that he  
'will not consent to evil that he may   
choose what is good1' this is proper to 
,god2 that by the fact1 that ,he shall  
eat butter and honey1 we would          
understand that ,he is a mere man       

only--nor on the other hand from the    
name ,emmanuel1 should suspect him to be
 ,christ without flesh4 7,book ill4 ch4 
#ba1 sec4 #d47 ,that is1 ,christ is in  
the flesh1 because he is to eat butter  
and honey2 and he is ,god1 because he   
knows how to distinguish between good   
and evil2 and as a consequence1 the     
divine and human nature are united in   
his person1 and he is the incarnate     
,god4 ,we have shown in another part of 
this work that the prophecy of ,isaiah  
had nothing to do with a future ,christ1
 but was meant as a measure of time1    
governed by the period of gestation4    
,again3 ',the ,lord said unto my ,lord1 
,sit ,thou at my right hand1 until ,i   
make thine enemies ,thy footstool4'     
,here 7the ,scripture7 represents to us 
the ,father addressing the ,son2 ,he who
 gave ,him the inheritance of the       
heathen1 and subjected to ,him all his  
enemies4 ,since1 therefore1 the ,father 
is truly ,lord1 and the ,son truly      
,lord1 the ,holy ,spirit has fitly      

designated them by the title of ,lord4  
,and again1 referring to the destruction
 of the ,sodomites1 the ,scripture says1
 ',then the ,lord rained upon ,sodom and
 upon ,gomorrah fire and brimstone from 
the ,lord out of heaven4' ,for it here  
points out that the ,son1 who had also  
been talking with ,abraham1 had received
 power to judge the ,sodomites for their
 wickedness4 ,and this 7text following7 
does declare the same truth3 ',thy      
throne1 ,o ,god1 is forever and ever2   
the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right   
sceptre4 ,thou hast loved righteousness1
 and hated iniquity3 therefore ,god1 thy
 ,god1 hath anointed thee4' ,for the    
,spirit designates both of them by the  
name of ,god--both ,him who is anointed 
as ,son1 and ,him who does anoint1 that 
is1 the ,father4 ,and again3 ',god stood
 in the congregation of the gods1 ,he   
judges among the gods4' ,he 7here7      
refers to the ,father and the ,son1 and 
those who have received the adoption2   
but these are the church4 ,for she is   

the synagogue of ,god1 which ,god--that 
is1 the ,son ,himself--has gathered by  
,himself4 ,of whom ,he again speaks3    
',the ,god of gods1 the ,lord hath      
spoken1 and hath called the earth4' ,who
 is meant by ,god8 ,he of whom ,he has  
said1 ',god shall come openly1 our ,god1
 and shall not keep silence2' that is1  
the ,son1 who came manifested to men1   
who said1 ',i have openly appeared to   
those who seek me not4' 7,book ill4     
chap4 #f1 sec4 #a47  ,and again1 when   
the ,son speaks to ,moses1 ,he says1 ',i
 am come down to deliver this people4'  
,for it is ,he who descended and        
ascended for the salvatipn of men4      
,therefore ,god has been declared       
through the ,son1 who is in the ,father1
 and has the ,father in ,himself--,he   
who is1 the ,father bearing witness to  
the ,son1 and the ,son announcing the   
,father4 7,book ,,iii4 chap4 #f1 sec4   
#b47  ,he quotes many passages from the 
,gospel of ,matthew to prove his        
doctrine4 ,but ,matthew says1 that the  

,magi1 coming from the ,east1 exclaimed1
 ',for we have seen his star in the     
east1 and are come to worship ,him2' and
 that1 having been led by the star into 
the house of ,jacob to ,emmanuel1 they  
showed1 by those gifts which they       
offered1 who it was that was worshipped3
 myrrh1 because it was ,he who should   
die and be buried for the mortal human  
race2 gold1 because ,he was a king1 'of 
whose kingdom is no end2' and           
frankincense1 because ,he was ,god1 who 
also 'was made known in ,judea1' and was
 'declared to those who sought ,him     
not4' 7,book ,,iii4 chap4 #i1 sec4 #b47 
,and then1 7speaking of ,his7 baptism1  
,matthew says3 ',the heavens were       
opened1 and ,he saw the ,spirit of ,god1
 as a dove1 coming upon ,him3 and lo a  
voice from heaven1 saying1 ,this is my  
beloved ,son1 in whom ,i am well        
pleased4' ,for ,christ did not at that  
descend upon ,jesus1 neither was ,christ
 one and ,jesus another3 but the ,word  
of ,god--who is the ,saviour of all1 and

 the ruler of heaven and earth1 who is  
,jesus1 as ,i have already pointed out1 
who did also take upon ,him flesh1 and  
was anointed by the ,spirit from the    
,father--was made ,jesus ,christ4 7,book
 ,,iii4 chap4 #i1 sec4 #c47  ,the       
following is proof derived from ,luke4  
,as ,zacharias1 also1 recovering from   
the state of dumbness which he had      
suffered on account of unbelief1 having 
been filled with a new spirit1 did bless
 ,god in a new manner4 ,for all things  
had entered upon a new phase1 the ,word 
arranging after a new manner the advent 
in the flesh1 that ,he might win back to
 ,god that human nature 7hominem7 which 
had departed from ,god4 7,book ,,iii4   
chap4 #aj1 sec4 #b47  ,many citations of
 a like nature are taken from ,luke and 
,mark to prove the ,logos doctrine of   
,john's ,gospel4 ,irenaeus even brings  
,john upon the stand to prove the       
doctrine of an incarnate ,christ6 which 
,john himself was the first to          
communicate4 ,john1 the disciple of the 

,lord1 preaches this faith1 and seeks1  
by the proclamation of the ,gospel1 to  
remove that error which by ,cerinthus   
had been disseminated among men1 and a  
long time previously by those termed    
,nicolaitans1 who are an offset of that 
'knowledge' falsely so called1 that he  
might confound them1 and persuade them  
that there is but one ,god1 who made all
 things by ,his ,word2 and not1 as they 
allege1 that the ,creator was one1 but  
the ,father of the ,lord another2 and   
that the ,son of the ,creator was1      
forsooth1 one1 but the ,christ from     
above another4444 ,the disciple of the  
,lord1 therefore1 desiring to put an end
 to all such doctrines1 and to establish
 the rule of truth in the church1 that  
there is one ,almighty ,god1 who made   
all things by ,his ,word1 both visible  
and invisible2 showing at the same time1
 that by the ,word1 through whom ,god   
made the creation1 ,he also bestowed    
salvation on the men included in the    
creation3 thus commenced ,his teaching  

in the ,gospel3 ',in the beginning was  
the ,word1 and the ,word was with ,god1 
and the ,word was ,god4' 7,bopkm4 chap4 
#aa1 sec4 #a47  ,he makes many          
references to ,john1 and sums up his    
complaints against the ,gnostics in the 
following words3 ,but according to the  
opinion of no one of the heretics was   
the ,word of ,god made flesh4 ,for if   
any one carefully examines the systems  
of them all1 he will find that the ,word
 of ,god is brought in by all of them as
 not having become incarnate 7sine      
carne7 and impassible1 as is also the   
,christ from above4 7,book ,,iii4 chap1 
in1 sec4 #c47 ,the writer cites many    
passages from the epistle of ,peter1 all
 confirming the ,logos doctrines of     
,john4  ,the following is the heading of
 chap4 xxii4 book ,,iii43 ,christ       
assumed actual flesh1 conceived and born
 of the ,virgin4 ,in this chapter the   
doctrine of the incarnation is          
elaborately argued1 and proof supplied  
from many quarters2 but as there is a   

great sameness in the argument          
throughout1 it would only tire the      
reader to pursue the subject any        
further4  ,the third book against       
,heresies contains twenty-five chapters1
 which are extended through one hundred 
and seventeen pages1 and throughout     
there is but one idea presented1 and the
 proof offered in its support2 and from 
the first to the last1 there is a       
studied effort to turn the plain import 
of biblical passages from their true    
meaning into the support of the         
doctrines in the fourth ,gospel4 ,thus  
this father of the church1 in about     
seven years after this ,gospel appeared1
 came to its defence1 and for that      
purpose wrote a book1 which must have   
cost him much time and study1 for in its
 way it is a work of great research1 and
 required an intimate acquaintance with 
the ,old and ,new ,testaments1 and the  
writings of the ,gnostics1 which were   
numerous in his day4 ,from the zeal     
which is shown throughout1 it is evident

 that the writer had some personal      
interest in the subject1 and that he was
 defending his own doctrines1 and not   
those of ,st4 ,john or any one else4    
,we do not detect in the work against   
,heresies the lofty and sublime tone of 
the ,gospel1 and1 from the nature of the
 subject1 it could not be expected4 ,he 
is engaged in an attempt to impose on   
the world1 and as what he declares to be
 the work of an ,apostle has no         
foundation in truth1 nor the doctrines  
it teaches1 he struggles like a man in a
 morass1 who is compelled to seize upon 
anything to keep him from sinking4 ,no  
doubt he was pressed hard by his        
adversaries1 and he seems in his defence
 of the fourth ,gospel like a gored bull
 with a pack at his front and heels4 ,we
 can detect the keen lance of his       
adversary1 piercing him to the quick1 in
 the repeated cry of ,antichrist1 which 
is the favorite weapon when hard pressed
 by his enemies4  ,as he fights all his 
battles in the name of ,st4 ,john1 hear 

him exclaim1 in the first and second    
epistles1 which he falsely ascribes to  
the ,apostle3 ,little children1 it is   
the last time3 and as ye have heard that
 ,antichrist shall come1 even now are   
there many ,antichrists2 whereby we know
 that it is the last time4 ,who is a    
liar but he that denieth that ,jesus is 
the ,christ8 ,he is ,antichrist that    
denieth the ,father and the ,son4 7#a   
,john ii4 #ah1 #bb47 ,hereby know ye the
 ,spirit of ,god3 ,every spirit that    
confesseth that' ,jesus ,christ is come 
in the flesh1 is of ,god3 and every     
spirit that confesseth not that ,jesus  
,christ is come in the flesh1 is not of 
,god4 ,and this is that spirit of       
,antichrist1 whereof ye have heard that 
it should come2 and even now already is 
it in the world4 7#a ,john iv4 #b1 #c47 
,for many deceivers are entered into the
 world1 who confess not that ,jesus     
,christ is come in the flesh4 ,this is a
 deceiver1 and an ,antichrist4 ,look to 
yourselves1 that we lose not those      

things which we have wrought1 but that  
we receive a full reward4 ,whosoever    
transgresseth1 and abideth not in the   
doctrine of ,christ1 hath not ,god4 ,he 
that abideth in the doctrine of ,christ1
 he hath both the ,father and the ,son4 
,if there come any unto you1 and bring  
not this doctrine1 receive him not into 
your house1 neither bid him ,god speed3 
for he that biddeth him ,god speed is   
partaker of his evil deeds4 7#b ,john   
#g1 #h1 #i1 #aj1 #aa47  ,the spirit that
 dictated the foregoing denunciations of
 those who disbelieved the dogma of     
,christ incarnate1 also gave birth to   
what follows3 ,but again1 those who     
assert that he was simply a mere man1   
begotten by ,joseph1 remaining in the   
bondage of the old disobedience1 are in 
a state of death2 having been not as yet
 joined to the ,word of ,god the        
,father1 nor receiving liberty through  
the ,son1 as ,he does himself declare3  
',if the ,son shall make you free1 ye   
shall be free indeed4' ,but1 being      

ignorant of ,him who from the ,virgin is
 ,emmanuel1 they are deprived of ,his   
gift1 which is eternal life2 and not    
receiving the incorruptible ,word1 they 
remain in mortal flesh1 and are debtors 
to death1 not obtaining the antidote of 
life4 ,to whom the ,word says1          
mentioning ,his own gift of grace3 ',i  
said1 ye are all the sons of the        
,highest1 and gods2 but ye shall die    
like men4' ,he speaks undoubtedly these 
words to those who have not received the
 gift of adoption1 but who despise the  
incarnation of the pure generation of   
the ,word of ,god1 defraud human nature 
of promotion into ,god1 and prove       
themselves ungrateful to the ,word of   
,god1 who became flesh for them4 7,book 
iii4 chap4 #ai1 sec4 ,i47     ,,chapter 
,,xiv4       ,four distinct eras in     
,christianity from ,paul to the ,council
      of ,nice4--,the epistles of ,paul 
and the works of the fathers            
changed to suit each era4--,the         
dishonesty of the times4  ,from the time

 ,paul commenced his labors1 to the     
latter part of the second century1 we   
can trace three eras or periods in the  
state and character of ,christianity1 as
 marked and distinct as the various     
strata of the earth which indicate the  
different ages of their formation4      
,first1 the ,pauline2 second1 the       
,philo-,alexandrian1 which includes the 
time of the first three ,gospels2 third1
 the ,incarnation1 which includes the   
fourth ,gospel4 ,as we approach the end 
of the third century1 we may include a  
fourth period--that of the ,trinity4    
,we have stated elsewhere1 that the     
distinguishing feature between the      
,logos of ,philo and the ,christ of     
,paul was1 that the former was          
coexistent in point of time with the    
,creator or ,father1 while in case of   
the latter1 there was a time he did not 
exist4 ,there was still another         
difference3 the ,logos was begotten in  
heaven1 but ,christ was born on the     
earth1 of earthly parents4 ,through the 

influence of the ,alexandrian ,jews1 who
 had been converted to ,christianity by 
the preaching of ,paul1 the ,christ of  
,paul was made to give way1 in time1 to 
the ,logos of ,philo4 ,this change can  
be traced in the forgeries which are    
found interlarded through the epistles  
of ,paul1 and the writings of the early 
fathers4 ,we trace the gradual and      
stealthy departure from the first to the
 second stages of ,christianity in the  
use of terms in ,paul's epistles which  
were employed among the ,gnostics and   
others in the early part of the second  
century4 ,the epistles to the ,ephesians
 and ,colossians have been pronounced by
 able critics to be spurious1 because of
 some verse which have an ,alexandrian  
look2 when it is easy to discover that  
these verses are mere insertions into   
the original text4 ,the term pleroma1 or
 fulness1 was a favorite phrase among   
the ,gnostics1 and now we find it       
scattered here and there through the    
epistles3 ,for it pleased the ,father1  

that in him should all fulness dwell4   
7,col4 i4 #ai47 ,for in him dwelleth all
 the fulness of the ,godhead bodily4    
7,col4 ii4 #i47 ,and hath put all things
 under his feet1 and gave him to be the 
head of all things to the church1 which 
is his body1 the fulness of him that    
filleth all in all4 7,eph4 i4 #bb1 #bc47
 ,and to know the love of ,christ1 which
 passeth all knowledge1 that ye might be
 filled with all the fulness of ,god4   
7,eph4 iii4 #ai47 ,the preexistence of  
,christ1 and his rank as ,god1 is now   
openly avowed4 ,for by him were all     
things created1 that are in heaven1 and 
that are in earth1 visible and          
invisible1 whether they be thrones1 or  
dominions1 or principalities1 or powers3
 all things were created by him1 and for
 him4 ,and he is before all things1 and 
by him all things consist4 7,col4 i4    
#af1 #ag47 ,here the ,christ of ,paul   
disappears1 like the great ,apostle     
himself4 ,the works of the fathers are  
now mutilated by the same ruthless hand1

 to maintain the new phase which        
,christianity is forced to assume4      
,ignatius1 who is called ,theophorus to 
the church which is at ,ephesus in      
,asia1 deservedly happy1 being blessed  
through the greatness and fulness of    
,god the ,father1 and predestinated     
before the world began1 that it should  
be always unto an enduring and          
unchangeable glory2 being united and    
chosen1 through actual suffering1       
according to the will of the ,father and
 ,jesus ,christ our ,god1 all happiness 
by ,jesus ,christ and his undefiled     
grace4 7,epistle to ,eptsiceris1 sec4   
#a4 #ag47 ,the balance of this section1 
which will be cited in a subsequent     
page1 was added in the third or fourth  
century1 when ,christianity put on its  
fourth phase4 ,for this cause they were 
persecuted also1 being inspired by his  
grace1 fully to convince the unbelievers
 that there is one ,god1 who hath       
manifested himself by ,jesus ,christ his
 ,son1 who is his eternal ,word1 not    

coming forth from silence1 who in all   
things was well pleased in him that sent
 him4 99 7,sec4 #h47       99 ,the word 
silence is a word which grew in use     
among the      ,gnostics long after the 
time of ,ignatius1 and affords          
unmistakable proof of the fraudulent    
interpolation4      ,valentinianus1 a   
,gnostic of the second century1 held    
that      there is a certain ,dyad      
7twofold being71 who is                 
inexpressible by name1 of whom one part 
should be called      ,anhetus1         
unspeakable1 and the other ,silence4    
,the word1 in      the connection in    
which it is found in the passage from   
,ignatius1 speaking about what related  
to a later age1 has      been the       
occasion of much discussion3 some       
contending that      it has reference to
 the ,silence of ,valentinianus1 which  
proves the passage spurious2 others1    
that it relates to the      erroneous   
opinions of heretics anterior to        
,valentinianus4      ,what heretics6    

7,see ,chevalier's ,apostolical         
,gospels1 note      #f47  ,such passages
 as we have cited1 and others of a like 
nature which might be cited1 have led   
critics to the conclusion that the      
writings which contain them are         
forgeries2 but if examined in connection
 with the texts1 it will be found that  
they are interpolations1 forced into the
 places they fill4 ,as the writings of  
,paul now stand1 they present ,christ in
 two distinct characters or aspects3 his
 own as the ,son of ,man1 from which he 
never wavered2 and the other that of    
,philo4 ,all through his epistles we    
find passages which inculcate doctrines 
with which he combated during his whole 
life4 ,all that is essential to1 or that
 is embraced in1 the writings of ,philo1
 as to the nature of the ,logos1 may be 
found in the epistles of ,paul4 ,we will
 give a few examples which we gather    
from the work of ,jacob ,bryant1 and    
found among the notes of ,adam ,clarke  
in his ,commentaries on ,st4 ,john4     

,philo4 ,first begotten of ,god4        
,,colossians i4 #ae4 ,who is the image  
of the invisible ,god1 the first-born of
 every creature4  ,,hebrews i4 #f4 ,and 
again1 when he bringeth in the first    
begotten into the world1 he saith1 ,and 
let all the angels of ,god worship him4 
,,philo4 ,by whom the world was created4
 ,hebrews i4 #b4 ,hath in these last    
days spoken unto us by his ,son1 whom he
 hath appointed heir of all things1 by  
whom also he made the worlds4  #a       
,corinthians viii4 #f4 ,but to us there 
is but one ,god1 the ,father1 of whom   
are all things1 and we in him2 and one  
,lord ,jesus ,christ1 by whom are all   
things1 and we by him4  ,philo4 ,the    
most ancient of ,god's works1 and before
 all things4  #b ,timothy i4 #i4 ,who   
hath saved us1 and called us with an    
holy calling1 not according to our      
works1 but according to his own purpose 
and grace1 which was given us in ,christ
 ,jesus before the world began4  ,philo4
 ,esteemed the same as ,god4            

,,philippians ii4 #f4 ,who1 being in the
 form of ,god1 thought it not robbery to
 be equal with ,god4 ,philo4 ,he unites1
 supports1 preserves1 and perfects the  
world4  ,,coloss4 i4 #ag4 ,and he is    
before all things1 and by him all things
 consist4  ,philo4 ,free from all taint 
of sin1 voluntary and involuntary4      
,hebrews vii4 #bf4 ,for such an high    
priest became us1 who is holy1 harmless1
 undefiled1 separate from sinners1 and  
made higher than the heavens4  ,philo4  
,the ,logos the foundation of wisdom4   
#a ,corinthians i4 #bd4 ,but unto them  
which are called1 both ,jews and        
,greeks1 ,christ the power of ,god1 and 
the wisdom of ,god4  ,,coloss4 ii4 #c4  
,in whom are hid all the treasures of   
wisdom and knowledge4  ,philo4 ,men     
being freed by the ,logos from all      
corruption1 shall be entitled to        
immortality  #a ,corinthians xv4 #eb1   
#ec4 ,in a moment1 in the twinkling of  
an eye1 at the last trump3 for the      
trumpet shall sound1 and the dead shall 

be raised incorruptible1 and we shall be
 changed4 ,for this corruptible must put
 on in-corruption1 and this mortal must 
put on immortality4  ,inconsistency     
cannot be claimed to be one of the      
faults of ,paul2 but if we place these  
passages by the side of those in which  
he declares1 in unmistakable language1  
his belief in the nature of ,christ1 we 
must either admit inconsistency or      
fraud4 ,the influence of ,paul had lost 
much of its force before his death in   
,a4,d4 #ff2 and when ,hadrian assumed   
the government of the empire1 ,a4,d4    
#aag1 the ,pauline era had nearly       
ceased4 ,speaking of the great ,apostle1
 ,renan says3 ,after his disappearance  
from the scene of his apostolic         
struggles1 we shall find him soon       
forgotten4 ,his death was probably      
regarded as the death of an agitator4   
,the second century scarcely speaks of  
him1 and apparently endeavors to        
systematically blot out his memory4 ,his
 epistles are then slightly read1 and   

only regarded as authority by rather a  
slender group4 7,life of ,paul4 page    
#cbg47  ,but the same author tells us1  
on the same page1 what history confirms1
 that ,paul1 in the third century1      
wonderfully rises in the estimation of  
the church1 and resumes the place from  
which he had been deposed4 ,there is a  
good and obvious reason for the change4 
,during this interval between the fall  
and rise of his influence1 his epistles 
had been subjected to the most glaring  
forgeries1 in order to make them conform
 to the ,philo-,alexandrian ideas which 
in the mean time prevailed4  ,it is to  
be remarked at this place1 that the     
,logos idea of ,philo encountered       
difficulties1 when applied to the person
 of ,jesus4 ,it could not be denied that
 he was the son of ,mary2 but it might  
be1 that he was not the son of ,joseph4 
,he is therefore born not of man4 ,the  
influence of a divine energy is         
substituted4 ,no sooner is this new     
feature introduced into the second stage

 of ,christianity1 than new ideas       
prevail1 and are found scattered through
 the works of the fathers4 ,and the     
princes of the world know not the       
virginity of ,mary1 and him who was born
 of her1 and the death of the ,lord3    
three mysteries noised abroad1 yet done 
by ,god in silence4 ,where is the wise  
and where is the disputer8 ,where is the
 boasting of those who are called men of
 understanding8 ,for our ,god1 ,jesus   
,christ1 was born in the womb of ,mary1 
according to the dispensation of ,god4  
7,ignatius to ,eph4 sees4 #ah1 #ai47    
,the foregoing are mere specimens4      
,christ is now the ,son of ,god2 but for
 a time he is all humanity4 ,he grows   
from infancy to manhood1 and manifests  
in himself the appetites and infirmities
 which belong to the flesh4 ,his mind   
develops early2 but1 as with other      
mortals1 it grew and expanded as he     
advanced in years4 ,but the time came   
when the heavens were opened unto him1  
and he saw the ,spirit of ,god          

descending like a dove1 and lighting    
upon him4 7,matt4 iii4 #af47 ,he was    
there proclaimed by a voice from heaven1
 to be the ,son of ,god4 ,here is       
something ,paul never heard of4 ,the new
 ,logos of the gospel1 like the ,logos  
of ,philo1 was without beginning1 from  
everlasting2 but from this point they   
diverge4  ,the ,logos of the            
,alexandrian was not an hypostasis1 or a
 person1 but a divine emanation or      
spirit2 of a nature unconceivable1 which
 hovered over the earth1 but never      
touched it4 ,the new ,christ descended  
from heaven as a spirit1 took up its    
mysterious abode in the human form1     
where it dwelt until its ministry was   
complete1 when1 with the body which     
contained it1 it encountered death--went
 down into the grave--but on the third  
day broke the chains of death1 and      
triumphantly ascended into heaven1 from 
whence it came4  ,the tendency of the   
minds of men at that day towards the    
discussions of metaphysical and         

unintelligible subjects1 soon led to    
endless disputes1 growing out of this   
new feature of the ,christian faith4    
,how this mysterious union of ,god and  
man could and did exist1 and when and   
how it was dissolved1 were questions    
which caused much angry feeling and     
acrimonious discussion among            
,christians1 which continued through the
 second1 and even to the fourth century1
 when1 according to the learned author  
of the ,decline and ,fall1 they died out
 by the prevalence of more fashionable  
controversies1 and by the superior      
ascendant of the reigning power4        
7,gib-bon1 vol4 ,i4 p4 #beg47  ,the idle
 and profitless disputes of the second  
era of ,christianity were forced1 at a  
later day1 to give way to those of the  
third4 ,cerinthus1 and other ,gnostics1 
maintained that the ,son of ,god        
descended on the day of baptism in the  
form of a dove1 and remained in its     
human receptacle until the time of the  
crucifixion1 when it took its flight1   

leaving to the human form all the       
agonies and sufferings of death4 ,if    
this were so1 there is no atonement3 the
 ,son of ,god has not offered himself as
 a sacrifice4 ,the ,gnostics had the    
advantage of consistency4 ,if ,christ   
was a creature1 like other men1 when the
 ,spirit descended upon him1 and existed
 apart from the flesh1 then death could 
only reach the body1 and when that was  
put to death1 or about to be1 and the   
,spirit lost its tabernacle or          
abiding-place1 it must again return to  
the celestial abode4  ,the perplexities 
and interminable disputes1 caused by    
such unintelligible subjects1 at last   
led to the third period in the          
,christian religion3 the doctrine of the
 incarnation4 ,the ,word was made flesh 
and dwelt among us1 who was not born of 
blood1 nor of the will of man1 but of   
,god4 7,john i4 #ac1 #ad47 ,god took    
upon himself the form of man1 and was   
,god in man4 ,the ,logos of ,philo has  
become an hypostasis1 and walks upon the

 earth4 ,the war with the ,gnostics has 
changed ground4 ,the ,son of ,god did   
not come down and take up his abode in  
the mortal form of ,christ1 but was     
,jesus himself1 and when he came to     
suffer death there was no separation of 
divine and human natures1 but the real  
,son of ,god shed his blood1 suffered1  
and died on the cross as a sacrifice for
 the sins of our race4  ,the paternal   
solicitude of ,irenaeus in support of   
this new phase of ,christianity is      
conspicuously displayed in the third    
book of his work against ,heresies4     
,but1 according to these men1 neither   
was the ,word made flesh1 nor ,christ1  
nor the ,saviour 7,soter71 who was      
produced from the joint contributions of
 all the ,a,eons4 ,for they will have it
 that the ,word and ,christ never came  
into this world2 that the ,saviour1 too1
 never became incarnate1 nor suffered1  
but that he descended like a dove upon  
the dispensational ,jesus2 and that1 as 
soon as ,he had declared the unknown    

,father1 ,he did again ascend into the  
,pleroma4444 ,therefore the ,lord's     
disciple1 pointing them all out as false
 witnesses1 says3 ',and the ,word was   
made flesh1 and dwelt among us4' 7,chap4
 xi4 sec4 #c47 ,as it has been clearly  
demonstrated that the ,word1 who existed
 in the beginning with ,god1 by whom all
 things were made1 who was also always  
present with mankind1 was in these last 
days1 according to the time appointed by
 the ,father1 united to ,his own        
workmanship1 inasmuch as ,he became a   
man liable to suffering1 it follows that
 every objection is set aside of those  
who say1 ',if our ,lord was born at that
 time1 ,christ had therefore no previous
 existence4' ,for ,i have shown that the
 ,son of ,god did not then begin to     
exist1 being with the ,father from the  
beginning2 but when ,he became          
incarnate1 and was made man1 ,he        
commenced afresh the long line of human 
beings1 and furnished us1 in a brief1   
comprehensive manner1 with salvation2 so

 that what we had lost in ,adam--namely1
 to be according to the image and       
likeness of ,god--that we might recover 
in ,christ ,jesus4 7,chap1 xviii4 sec4  
#a47 ,the forgers are again at their    
work4 ,the ancient fathers must be made 
to subscribe to the new creed4 ,for some
 there are who are wont to carry about  
the name of ,christ in deceitful-ness1  
but do things unworthy of ,god1 whom you
 must avoid as ye would wild beasts4    
,for they are raving dogs1 which bite   
secretly1 of whom you must be aware1 as 
men hardly to be cured4 ,there is one   
physician1 both carnal and spiritual1   
create and increate1 ,god manifest in   
the flesh2 both of ,mary and of ,god2   
first capable of suffering--then liable 
to suffer no more4 7,ignatius to ,eph4  
sec4 #g47 ,for whosoever confesseth not 
that ,jesus ,christ is come in the flesh
 is ,antichrist2 and whosoever          
confesseth not his sufferings upon the  
cross is from the devil4 ,and whosoever 
perverts the oracles of ,god1 he is the 

first-born of ,satan4 7,polycarp to     
,philippians1 sec4 #g47  ,the above     
citations are a few of many others of a 
like character scattered through the    
works of the fathers1 inserted long     
after their death1 and evidently        
intended to combat the idea of          
,cerinthus and others1 that ,christ did 
not suffer on the cross1 and so it could
 not be claimed that by his death he    
made an atonement for the sins of man4  
,both of these fathers lived near the   
time of ,paul1 and believed the         
doctrines he preached3 ,ye are the      
passage of those that are killed for    
,god2 who have been instructed in the   
mysteries of the gospel with ,paul1 who 
was sanctified and bore testimony even  
unto death1 and is deservedly most      
happy2 at whose feet ,i would that ,i   
might be found when ,i shall have       
attained unto ,god1 who through all his 
epistles makes mention of you in        
,christ4 7,ignatius to the ,ephesians1  
sec4 #ab47 ,for neither can ,i1 nor any 

other such as ,i am1 come up to the     
wisdom of the blessed and renowned      
,paul1 who being amongst you1 in the    
presence of those who then lived1 taught
 with exactness and soundness the word  
of truth2 who in his absence also wrote 
an epistle to you1 unto which1 if you   
diligently look1 you may be able to be  
edified in the faith delivered unto you1
 which is the mother of us all4         
7,polycarp to the ,philippians1 sec4    
#c47  ,paul taught that ,christ was born
 of woman1 under the law2 and ,ignatius1
 that he was truly of the race of       
,david1 according to the flesh4 7,letter
 to the ,eph41 sec4 #a47  ,the letters  
of ,polycarp and ,ignatius seemed a kind
 of a free commons where forgeries might
 be committed by all2 and they have been
 so often used for this purpose1 in     
order to secure the authority of their  
names to the doctrines of the day1 that 
there is very little of the originals   
left4 ,all parties were engaged in the  
practice2 and each charged his adversary

 with doing the very thing that he was  
doing himself4  ,as we read whole pages 
in ,irenaeus1 charging his adversaries  
with forgeries and false interpolations1
 we smile at the impudence and audacity 
of the man1 who has done more to pollute
 the pages of history than any other1   
and whose foot-prints we can follow     
through the whole century1 like the     
slime of a serpent4  ,speaking of the   
forgeries of this century1 ,casaubon    
says3 ,and in the last place1 it        
mightily affects me to see how many     
there were in the earliest times of the 
church1 who considered it a capital     
exploit to lend to heavenly truth the   
help of their own inventions1 in order  
that the new doctrine might be more     
readily allowed by the wise among the   
,gentiles4 ,these officious lies1 they  
were wont to say1 were devised for a    
good end2 from which source1 beyond     
question1 sprang nearly innumerable     
books1 which that and the following age 
saw published by those who were far from

 being bad men 7for we are not speaking 
of the books of the heretics71 under the
 name of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ and of
 the ,apostles1 and of other saints4    
7,casaubon1 quoted by ,lardner47        
,lardner is forced to admit that        
,christians of or the ,enigmas of       
,christianity1 all sorts were guilty of 
this fraud--indeed1 we may say it was   
one great fault of the times4 7,vol4 iv4
 page #ed47  ,in an age where falsehood 
was esteemed a merit1 the truth cannot  
be expected4 ,before we close what we   
have to say on the third period of      
,christianity1 we cannot fail to notice 
what a wide gulf has grown up between   
the religious faith of ,paul and his    
followers1 and those who gave their     
assent to the doctrines of the fourth   
,gospel4 ,but1 wide as is the gulf1     
those who call themselves ,christians   
can stand on the opposite banks and     
clasp hands as believers in a common    
faith4 ,why is this8 ,skilful artisans1 
in the second century and subsequent    

ages1 have been busy in bridging over   
this vast abyss1 by adding to and taking
 away from what ,paul taught1 until to  
cross over is neither difficult nor     
dangerous4     ,,chapter ,,xv4          
,the ,trinity1 or fourth period of      
,christianity4  ,if we may judge of the 
opposition made to the doctrines of the 
fourth ,gospel by the vehemence and bad 
feeling with which they were defended1  
we conclude that if they were not       
successfully refuted1 they did not      
escape just and severe criticism4 ,the  
sudden change from the ,logos of ,philo 
to the hypostasis of ,john--from ,christ
 a spirit who had descended from ,heaven
 and taken up a temporary abode in the  
human form1 and a ,christ who was born a
 ,god1 lived and remained such through  
death and the resurrection--was too     
great a change to be suddenly taken1    
without provoking the sneers and        
animadversions of the enemies of the new
 faith1 who were on the lookout to      
expose its weaknesses1 and ridicule its 

inconsistencies4 ,what gave force and   
point to their attacks was1 that the    
change from the ,logos of the ,synoptics
 to that of the fourth ,gospel was one  
of necessity1 forced upon ,christians by
 the tactics of the ,gnostics1 in order 
to maintain a principle which lay at the
 foundation of their religion3 that is1 
the atonement4  ,in the war waged       
between them and their enemies1         
,christians found it a source of great  
relief and satisfaction1 to learn that  
the doctrines of ,john's ,gospel1 which 
were announced in the first verses of   
the first chapter1 were in harmony with 
the theology of ,plato4 ,whatever       
inconsistencies might be imputed to them
 on account of the change of their ideas
 as to the nature of ,christ1 their     
present views were the same as those    
held by the great philosopher of        
,greece1 whose wisdom had entitled him  
to be called ,plato the ,divine4 ,the   
study of the works of the ,athenian by  
,christians of this period was the      

natural result of this feeling1 and we  
discover a constant increase of this    
admiration until his ascendency is      
complete1 and the nature of the ,godhead
 determined by his genius4 ,the         
followers of ,plato were no less        
gratified to find that the doctrines of 
the fourth ,gospel were in harmony with 
the school of their great teacher2 so   
much so that it removed1 the prejudice1 
and reduced the distance which formerly 
separated them from the ,christians499  
99 ,some proofs of the respect which the
 ,christians      entertained for the   
person and doctrines of ,plato1 may be  
found in ,de la ,mothe le ,vager1 torn4 
v4 p4 #ace1 and ,basnage1      tom4     
,,iv4 p4 #bi-gi4    ,decline and ,fall1 
vol4 ,i4 p4 #ddj1 note      #bi4        
,according to ,john1 the ,word existed  
with the ,father from the beginning--was
 equal to the ,father1 and was the      
,creator of all things4 ,the ,father1   
the ,son1 and the ,holy ,ghost were     
co-equal and co-eternal4 ,with ,plato1  

the ,father1 or ,first ,cause1 the      
,logos1 and ,spirit of the ,universe1   
existed from the beginning1 and were    
endowed with co-ordinate powers2 but1   
according to him1 all divine natures    
flow from the ,one1 or ,first ,cause1 as
 light flows from the sun1 and are bound
 in unity1 and are one2 so the three    
persons in the ,godhead of ,plato are   
one1 and constitute a triad in unity4   
,the theology of the fourth ,gospel     
approached so near to that of ,plato1   
that it was natural that one should     
insensibly run into the other1 and was  
what might have been expected4 ,the     
,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost are     
equal1 as the ,first ,cause1 the ,logos1
 and the ,spirit of the ,universe are   
equal4 ,as the two proceed from the     
,one1 or ,first ,cause1 with ,plato1 and
 are united1 so the two proceed from the
 ,father1 and are one1 and in both cases
 form a trinity in unity4  ,the circle  
is now complete4 ,paul was dethroned by 
the ,alexandrian ,philo1 and his        

,christology in turn is overthrown by   
the mixed theology of ,john and ,plato4 
,we can readily detect the violence done
 the works of the fathers1 in order to  
give the authority of their names to    
this new phase of ,christianity4        
,wherefore come all ye together as to   
one temple of ,god--as to one altar--as 
to one ,jesus ,christ--who proceeds from
 ,one ,father1 and exists in one and is 
returned to ,one 7,ignatius to          
,magnesians1 sec4 #g47 ,this language   
expresses the ,platonic idea in all its 
completeness4 ,it could hardly be       
expected that ,christianity could take  
upon itself this new phase without      
opening the door for new causes for     
dispute1 as will always be the case when
 men presume to reason on spiritual     
generation1 and from negative ideas     
attempt to draw positive conclusions4   
,sabellius1 of ,egypt1 undertook to find
 a middle ground1 and while he admitted 
the triad in unity1 he claimed that     
there was but one person in the         

,godhead1 and that the ,word and ,spirit
 are only virtues or emanations of the  
,deity4 ,but his doctrine conceded too  
much to the theology of the ,greek to   
suit the followers of ,arius1 and not   
enough to satisfy the orthodox2 and so1 
after a vain struggle1 ,sabellius and   
his doctrine8 were swallowed up and lost
 sight of in the strife created by the  
opposing views which suddenly sprang up 
in the church at ,alexandria4 ,we give  
the origin of the dispute in the words  
of ,socrates1 a writer of the fifth     
century4  ,after ,peter1 ,bishop of     
,alexandria1 had suffered martyrdom     
under ,diocletian1 ,achilles was        
installed in the ,episcopal office1 whom
 ,alexander succeeded1 during the period
 of peace above referred to4 ,he1 in the
 fearless exercise of his functions for 
the instruction and government of the   
church1 attempted one day1 in the       
presence of the presbytery and the rest 
of his clergy1 to explain1 with perhaps 
too philosophical minuteness1 that great

 theological mystery1 the ,unity of the 
,holy ,trinity4 ,a certain one of the   
,presbyters under his jurisdiction1     
whose name was ,arius1 possessed of no  
inconsiderable logical acumen1 imagining
 that the ,bishop entertained the same  
view of this subject as ,sabellius the  
,libyan1 controverted his statements    
with excessive pertinacity1 advancing   
another error which was directly opposed
 indeed to that which he supposed       
himself called upon to refute4 ',if1'   
said he1 'the ,father begat the ,son1 he
 that was begotten had a beginning of   
existence3 and from this it is evident1 
that there was a time when the ,son was 
not in being4 ,it therefore necessarily 
follows1 that he had his existence from 
nothing4' 7,ecclesiastical ,history1    
book i4 chap4 #e47  ,from a little      
spark1 continues the writer1 a large    
fire was kindled1 which ran throughout  
all ,egypt1 ,libya1 the upper ,thebes1  
and finally through ,asia and ,europe4  
,after disturbing the peace of the world

 for fourteen hundred years1 the dispute
 which commenced at ,alexandria remains 
unsettled to this day4  ,we now approach
 a new era4 ,up to this time the        
religion of a people had no connection  
with the powers of the ,state4          
,constantine is the first to set an     
example4 ,indebted to the ,christians   
for their assistance in the civil war   
between himself and ,licinius1 under the
 pretext of preserving the peace of the 
church1 he wrote an epistle to          
,alexander and ,arius1 admonishing them 
to forbear and cease to quarrel about   
things they can neither explain or      
comprehend4 ,thus commenced a connection
 between church and ,state which has    
proved so ruinous to the cause of true  
religion1 and the peace of the church   
ever since4 ,this interference was      
continued by ,constantine throughout his
 reign1 and at the time of his death the
 affairs of the church and ,state were  
so interwoven that it became difficult1 
at times1 to distinguish between the    

office of a ,bishop and the powers of   
the ,emperor4 ,the spirit of faction in 
the church proved superior to the       
authority of ,constantine1 and in order 
to restore peace1 he was forced to call 
an assembly of ,bishops1 ,presbyters1   
and ,deacons from every part of the     
,christian world4 ,what was meant to    
restore harmony1 only furnished fresh   
subjects for dispute1 so that the       
progress of mankind has rather been     
retarded than assisted by the piety and 
wisdom of the ,nicene fathers4 ,the     
attempt to fix a standard of faith by   
the decrees of councils has proven to be
 the greatest folly in which men were   
ever engaged1 as it has been the source 
of the greatest misery and suffering2   
and proves1 by the evils which flow from
 it1 that all such efforts are vain and 
presumptuous4 ,as well undertake to fix 
a standard for the fine arts1 and       
determine by a decree the combination of
 colors1 and how the lights and shades  
shall be mingled in making a picture to 

please the eye1 and satisfy the taste of
 all4  ,that which followed what was    
done at the ,council of ,nice1 shows of 
what little value are the decrees of    
such bodies in establishing or in       
assisting the cause of truth4 ,council  
followed council1 without arriving any  
nearer to the settlement of the dispute4
 ,in the fourth century alone1 there    
were forty-five councils2 of these1     
thirteen decided against ,arius1 fifteen
 in his favor1 and seventeen for the    
,semiarians4 7,draper's ,intellectual   
,development1 page #bbb47 ,the divisions
 and quarrels among ,christians sapped  
the strength1 and finally led to the    
disruption of the ,roman empire1 and    
prepared the way for the armies of      
,persia1 and the conquest of ,mahomet4  
,,chapter ,,xvi4       ,the ,catholic   
,epistles4  ,the ,catholic ,epistles1 as
 they are called1 if genuine1 should be 
regarded as of the highest authority in 
everything which relates to the early   
age of ,christianity4 ,that some are the

 real productions of an ,apostle1 some  
so in part1 and others wholly spurious1 
is susceptible of the most satisfactory 
proof4 ,the epistle of ,james1 and the  
first of ,peter1 if we except certain   
parts of the latter1 have strong claims 
to be treated as the works of the       
writers whose names they bear2 while the
 second of ,peter1 the first1 second1   
and third of ,john1 and the one ascribed
 to ,jude1 carry on their face          
unmistakable marks of forgery4  ,the    
writer of the first epistle of ,peter   
was a ,jew1 not a ,greek1 and it was    
addressed to ,jewish converts4 ,his mind
 dwells on events in ,jewish history1   
for he speaks of ,sarah1 ,abraham1 and  
,moses1 and refers to the traditions of 
the ,jewish rabbins and elders4 7#a     
,pet4 i4 #ah47 ,although addressed to   
strangers1 the epistle was meant for    
,jews1 who1 through persecution in      
,judea1 fled into foreign countries2 for
 to ,peter was committed the ministry of
 the circumcision4 7,gal4 ii4 #i47      

,besides1 the persons to whom ,peter    
writes are styled a chosen generation1 a
 royal priesthood1 a holy nation1 a     
peculiar people 7#a ,peter ii4 #i71     
which can only apply to the ,jewish     
nation4 ,and ye shall be unto me a      
kingdom of priests1 and a holy nation4  
7,exodus xix4 #f47  ,the letter shows   
that ,peter was still a ,jew1 and       
altogether proves that he had not       
changed his views on circumcision4 ,the 
vision on the house-top had not yet     
taken place4 ,but there is a spirit of  
pure morality running through the       
greater part of the epistle1 which      
brings it near the time of ,christ1 and 
makes it out of place in a later period 
of ,christianity4 ,it is conclusive     
proof of its canonical authority1 that  
it is inserted in the ,syriac version of
 the ,new ,testament1 executed at the   
close of the first or early in the      
second century2 and it is equally       
conclusive against the second of ,peter1
 that it is not included in the same    

work4 ,hermas has not fewer than seven  
allusions to the first epistle1 which is
 sufficient to prove its antiquity4     
,this epistle was also written before   
the order of ,bishops was recognized in 
the church1 and ,christians had not     
departed from their first simple ideas  
of ecclesiastical government4 ,peter    
himself claimed to be nothing more than 
elder4 ,the elders which are among you  
,i exhort1 who am also an elder 7i      
,peter v4 ,i47  ,the place where the    
letter bears date corresponds with our  
ideas of the movements of ,peter1 for   
his labors1 whatever they may have been1
 were confined to ,asia1 not far beyond 
the confines of ,judea4  ,but if the    
first of ,peter is in the main genuine1 
it did not escape corruption at the     
hands of the poisoners of truth in the  
second century4 ,who verily was         
fore-ordained before the foundation of  
the world1 but was manifest in these    
last times for you4 7i ,peter i4 #bj47  
,forasmuch then as ,christ hath suffered

 for us in the flesh1 arm yourselves    
likewise with the same mind3 for he that
 hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased 
from sin4 7#a ,peter iv4 ,i47 ,when     
these verses were written1 ,christianity
 had passed into its third period1 for  
here is announced a ,christ who was     
co-eternal with the ,father1 and was    
incarnate4  ,most of the first chapter1 
if not all1 is undoubtedly spurious4    
,the boastful spirit with which it      
commences2 the doctrinal announcements1 
and the tone in which they are delivered
 are entirely different from that shown 
in the following chapters4 ,it is       
written as something to be used against 
an adversary1 and1 like all forgeries   
inserted into genuine writings for such 
purposes1 much is crowded into a small  
space4  ,in this chapter is declared the
 preexistence of ,christ1 or the        
,alexandrian ,logos2 the resurrection2  
foreknowledge and election1 and         
sanctification--all disputed points in  
theology1 which required the authority  

of an ,apostle to settle3 but neither of
 which had anything to do with ,christ  
or the religion he taught4 ,it will be  
noticed1 that the crucifixion is        
mentioned twice3 once in connection with
 the twentieth verse1 which asserts the 
eternity of the ,logos1 and the other in
 close connection with the second verse1
 which holds to the doctrine of         
election4 ,as the preexistence of       
,christ was no part of ,christianity    
when ,peter wrote1 which was1 according 
to ,lardner and others1 in ,a4,d4 #fd1  
but belongs to a later period2 and as   
the subject mentioned in the twentieth  
and twenty-first verses is the same1 and
 cannot be separated1 it follows that   
both are spurious4  ,so we would say of 
the mention of the resurrection in the  
third verse4 ,it is connected with a    
doctrinal point which had no existence  
in ,peter's time1 and1 if it had1 was in
 dispute1 and was inserted into this    
chapter to give it ,apostolic authority4
 ,the mention of the resurrection in the

 twenty-first verse of the third        
chapter1 holds also a suspicious        
connection with the doctrine of baptism4
  ,the true commencement of this epistle
 will be found in the first verse of the
 second chapter4 ,here we discover quite
 a different spirit4 ,here commence the 
plain1 simple and pure doctrines of the 
,christian faith1 which in the end will 
secure the victory4 ,peter and ,james   
are each examples to prove that a mind  
wedded to a single idea1 which had for  
ages entered into the religion of a     
people1 may be contracted and fettered  
by it1 and yet be free to expand under  
the influence of the true genius of     
,christianity1 and become liberal on    
other subjects4 ,neither ,peter nor     
,james could shake off the ,jewish      
notion of circumcision1 for it began    
with the father of that people by the   
command of ,god1 and was to be binding  
on his descendants to the end of time4  
,with them1 like all the laws of ,god1  
the law of circumcision was             

unchangeable4 ,but notwithstanding all  
this1 they each had heart enough to take
 in the great truths of ,christianity as
 declared by the lips of its founder4   
,these men1 who were slaves to one idea1
 who dogged the footsteps of ,paul      
because he taught the doctrine of the   
uncircumcision1 could yet teach men the 
duty to love thy neighbor as thyself4   
7,james ii4 #h47  ,no two writings can  
be more unlike than the two epistles    
ascribed to ,peter4 ,the second is      
filled with the boasting and            
controversial bitterness of the times of
 the ,gnostics4 ,in the primitive       
churches the authenticity of this       
epistle was a subject of doubt4 ,it was 
not1 as stated1 included in the ,syriac 
version of the ,new ,testament1 which   
cannot be accounted for1 except that it 
was not in existence when it was        
compiled1 at the beginning of the second
 century4 ,but the internal evidence    
furnished by the epistle itself is      
sufficient to prove that it never was   

written by ,peter4  ,the following      
contains the spirit of ,irenaeus when he
 speaks of his intimacy with ,polycarp3 
,and this voice which came from heaven  
we heard1 when we were with him in the  
holy mount4 7#b ,peter i4 #ah47 ,but    
there were false prophets also among the
 people1 even as there shall be false   
teachers among you1 who privily shall   
bring in damnable heresies1 even denying
 the ,lord that bought them1 and bring  
upon themselves swift destruction4 7#b  
,peter ii4 #a47 ,and through            
covetousness shall they with feigned    
words make merchandise of you3 whose    
judgment now of a long time lingereth   
not1 and their damnation slumbereth not4
 7,chap4 ii4 #c47 ,but these1 as natural
 brute beasts1 made to be taken and     
destroyed1 speak evil of the things that
 they understand not2 and shall utterly 
perish in their own corruption4444      
,spots they are and blemishes1 sporting 
themselves with their own deceivings    
while they feast with you4 7,chap4 ii4  

#ab1 #ac47 ,for it had been better for  
them not to have known the way of       
righteousness1 than1 after they have    
known it1 to turn from the holy         
commandment delivered unto them4 ,but it
 is happened unto them according to the 
true proverb1 ,the dog is turned to his 
own vomit again2 and1 ,the sow that was 
washed to her wallowing in the mire4    
7,chap4 ii4 #ba1 #bb47 ,the letter is   
filled with all the venom and bitterness
 of the ,gnostic quarrels4  ,we have    
already said enough to prove the two    
epistles of ,john spurious1 and who it  
was that wrote them4 ,that which was    
from the beginning1 which we have heard 
which we have seen with our eyes1 which 
we have looked upon1 and our hands have 
handled1 of the ,word of life2 for the  
life was manifested1 and we have seen   
it1 and shew unto you that eternal life 
which was with the ,father1 and was     
manifested unto us4 7#a ,john i4 #a1    
#b47 ,iraeneus1 in a letter to          
,florinus1 says1 in speaking of         

,polycarp3 ,well1 therefore1 could ,i   
describe the very place in which the    
blessed ,polycarp sat and taught2 his   
going out and coming in2 the whole tenor
 of his life2 his personal appearance2  
the discourses which he made to the     
people4 ,how would he speak of the      
conversations which he had held with    
,john and others who had seen the ,lord4
 ,how did he make mention of their      
words1 and whatsoever he had heard from 
them respecting the ,lord4 ,all this he 
can say without a blush2 although       
,polycarp never saw ,john1 and in all   
his letters1 which are numerous1 he     
never claims he did4 ,he saw ,paul1 but 
not ,john4 ,the manner in which ,john is
 made to speak of ,christ is much the   
same as ,irenaeus makes mention of      
,polycarp4 ,effect is meant to be given 
to what was stated in both cases1 by    
dwelling on details4  ,after having     
qualified himself as witness in this    
boastful spirit1 he proceeds to deal out
 blows on the heads of his adversaries3 

,he that saith1 ,i know him1 and keepeth
 not his commandments1 is a liar1 and   
the truth is not in him4 7i ,john ii4   
#d47 ,who is a liar but he that denieth 
that ,jesus is the ,christ8 ,he is      
,antichrist1 that denieth the ,father   
and the ,son4 7,chap4 ii4 #bb47 ,every  
spirit that confesseth that ,jesus      
,christ is come in the flesh1 is of     
,god3 and every spirit that confesseth  
not that ,jesus ,christ is come in the  
flesh1 is not of ,god4 7,chap4 iv4 #b1  
#c47 ,such is the spirit throughout the 
two epistles ascribed to ,john4 ,the    
,apostle is forced on the stage to make 
war on the ,gnostics1 and maintain the  
dogma of the incarnation in the language
 of a blackguard4  ,the epistle of ,jude
 is nothing but a bolt hurled at the    
head of ,paul1 from the hand of one who 
assumed the name of an apostle4  ,what  
is said of the first epistle of ,peter  
may be said of that which is attributed 
to ,james4 ,it was written by a ,jew1   
for he says3 ,was not ,abraham our      

father justified by works1 when he had  
offered ,isaac his son upon the altar8  
7,james ii4 #ba47 ,the text shows it was
 written during the ,pauline period of  
,christianity1 and was the work of      
,james1 or some one else1 in reply to   
,paul1 who claimed that faith without   
works were sufficient for salvation4 ,it
 makes no allusion to the disputed      
dogmas of the second century1 and like  
the first of ,peter1 breathes a spirit  
of ,christianity which approached near  
the time of ,christ4 ,the frequent      
allusions to it by ,hermas are in favor 
of an early date3 it is included in the 
,syriac version1 which leaves its       
antiquity without question4  ,we cannot 
fail to be struck with the fact1 that   
,peter and ,james1 both ,jews1 who were 
the disciples and companions of ,christ1
 are free from doctrinal dogmas1 and    
preach doctrines like those of their    
,great ,teacher1 full of charity1       
kindness1 and love4 ,it is only when we 
come to the writings and forgeries of   

the ,greek that we encounter subtle and 
unintelligible dogmas1 which involved   
men in endless disputes1 excited the    
most violent passions1 and terminated in
 wars and disturbances of all kind4     
,what is remarkable1 too1 neither of    
these ,jewish writers makes any         
reference to the ,gospels1 nor to the   
miracles or prodigies spoken of in them2
 nor does either make mention of the    
miraculous conception and birth of      
,christ4 ,all these things sprang from  
the ,greeks4 ,to be sure1 ,paul preached
 the resurrection2 but he believed      
because he saw ,christ after the        
crucifixion1 in a vision1 ,james is     
silent on the greatest event since the  
creation1 of which1 if true1 he was a   
witness4 ,the hand of the spoiler failed
 to leave his mark on the pages of      
,james the son of ,alpheus4 ,addressed  
to the ,twelve tribes which are         
scattered abroad1 the epistle which     
bears his name had obtained too wide a  
circulation1 and was in the hands of too

 many1 before the age of forgery        
commenced1 to be an easy subject for    
mutilation4 ,it was written in ,judea1  
and addressed to the whole ,jewish      
people4 ,it was for them alone1 and in  
their special custody1 and if it comes  
down to us without a spot or stain1 as  
it came from the pen of the writer1 it  
is because it was too well guarded and  
protected by its friends to admit of    
corruption4 ,why did ,james withhold    
from the twelve tribes the great fact   
that ,christ had risen from the dead8   
,he speaks of his cruel death2 why not  
mention the still more important fact1  
that he rose superior to the grave1 and 
put death under his feet8 ,ye have      
condemned and killed the just2 and he   
doth not resist you4 7,james v4 #f47    
,,chapter ,,xvii4       ,no ,christians 
in ,rome from ,a4 ,d4 #ff to ,a4 ,d4    
#aag4  ,from the death of ,paul in ,a4  
,d4 #ff1 as we have before stated1 to   
the reign of ,adrian in ,a4 ,d4 #aag1   
,rome was without a ,christian          

population4 ,such is history when       
properly rendered4 ,the course of ,nero 
filled them with horror1 and at the time
 of his death ,rome was deserted by     
them4 ,after he ceased to reign there   
followed the civil wars1 the most       
fearful in the annals of ,rome4 ,galba1 
after all obstacles in his way to power 
had been removed by the sword1 entered  
the city through a scene of blood1 and  
men expected nothing less than the      
renewal of all the cruelties of ,nero's 
reign4 7,annals of ,tacitus1 ,appendix  
to book xvi47 ,then commenced the civil 
war between ,vespasian and ,vitellius1  
which was the cause of untold misery to 
the ,roman people4 ,the city of ,rome   
was burned to the ground4 ,from the     
foundation of the city to that hour1 the
 ,roman people had felt no calamity so  
deplorable1 no disgrace so humiliating4 
7,tacitus1 book iii4 sec4 #bb47  ,the   
condition of the times is truly depicted
 in the concise and eloquent language of
 the author of the ,decline and ,fall3  

,during fourscore years 7excepting only 
the short and doubtful respite by       
,vespasian's reign7 ,rome groaned       
beneath an unrelenting tyranny which    
exterminated the ancient families of the
 ,republic1 and was fatal to almost     
every virtue and every talent that arose
 during that unhappy period4 7,vol4 ,i4 
page #dg7  ,obscene rites alleged to be 
practised by ,christians2 their         
indifference towards all who differed   
from them in their ideas on religion2   
their isolation from the rest of        
mankind1 had excited the hatred of the  
,pagan world2 so that in large cities1  
where the population was lawless and    
difficult to restrain1 they were liable 
to be attacked and torn to pieces       
without notice and without provocation4 
,all the evils which befell the empire  
were referred to the ,christians1 and   
were regarded as proof that the ,roman  
people had1 by tolerating them1 incurred
 the anger of heaven4 ,their presence   
was considered a curse upon the earth4  

,tertullian exclaims3 ,if the ,tiber    
rises against the walls of the city1 or 
the ,nile does not overflow its banks2  
if there is a drought1 or earthquake1 or
 famine1 or pestilence1 the cry at once 
is1 ,take the ,christians to the ,lion4 
7,apology1 chap1 xl47  ,it was this     
state of feeling that made it dangerous1
 especially during the civil war1 for   
,christians to remain in ,rome4         
,domitian1 the son of ,vespasian1       
commenced his reign in ,a4 ,d4 #ha1 and 
was assassinated in ,a4 ,d4 #if4 ,that  
we have no account of any ,christians   
being put to death under his reign is   
proof that they had not returned from   
the provinces4 ,it is the fashion with  
historians to allege great cruelty      
towards ,christians during this reign4  
,we have searched for the evidence1 but 
have failed to find it4 ,suetonius lived
 during his reign2 had personal         
knowledge of many things he describes2  
gives the names of numerous victims and 
their offences2 mentions the cruelties  

inflicted on the ,jews2 but does not    
even make use of the word ,christian1 or
 give the name of any one who suffered  
on account of his religion4 ,the cruelty
 of ,domitian spent itself on those who 
were guilty of political offences2 but  
the interested and partisan traditions  
of the second century delight to make   
him a monster who took pleasure in      
shedding ,christian blood4 ,he did not  
fail to persecute ,christians because he
 had no inclination to do so--for he    
punished what he called impiety to the  
gods with severity--but because there   
was none in ,rome during his reign to   
persecute499       99 ,see ,appendix ,d4
  ,trajan succeeded to the empire in ,a4
 ,d4 #ih4 ,during his reign1 which      
continued to ,a4 ,d4 #aag1 what proof   
there is on the subject tends to show   
that ,christians had not yet returned to
 the capital4 ,so little did ,trajan    
know about them1 that ,pliny1 in writing
 to him for advice as to how he should  
deal with them1 is compelled to describe

 to him their doctrines1 practices and  
forms of worship4 ,had there been any in
 ,rome at the time1 there would have    
been no necessity for this2 and besides1
 had there been any there1 the mode of  
treatment of them by the emperor would  
afford a precedent for ,pliny without   
calling for special instructions4 ,but  
we can affirm with confidence that no   
,christian dared live in ,rome during   
this reign1 which continued for nineteen
 years1 for the reason that to be one   
during this time was a crime punishable 
by death4  ,in answer to ,pliny's       
letter1 in speaking of ,christians1     
,trajan writes3 ,if they be brought     
before you1 and are convicted1 let them 
be capitally punished1 yet with this    
restriction1 that if any one will       
renounce ,christianity and evince his   
sincerity by supplicating our gods1     
however suspected he may be in the past1
 he shall obtain pardon for the future  
on his repentance4  ,it is not at all   
astonishing that ,pliny1 in writing     

,trajan about his mode of treating      
,christians1 had to tell him who they   
were1 and describe the way in which they
 conducted themselves4 ,from ,a4,d4 #fd1
 when ,tacitus speaks of them in        
connection with the great fire1 and     
their sufferings at the time1 no        
historian makes any mention of them1 as 
dwellers in ,rome1 to the end of the    
century4 ,the obscure allusion to them  
by ,juvenal and ,martial1 in a satirical
 vein1 relates solely to their conduct  
under torture1 inflicted by ,nero at the
 time ,rome was burned4  ,suetonius1 who
 was secretary to the ,emperor ,adrian1 
wrote the life and times of the         
,emperors from ,augustus to ,domitian2  
and if we except the doubtful allusion  
to them in the reign of ,claudius1 he   
does not even make use of the word      
,christian1 or speak of anything in     
connection with them4 ,during the time  
of which we have been speaking1 lived   
and wrote ,quintilian1 ,juvenal1        
,statius1 and ,martial4     ,,chapter   

,,xviii4       ,the office of ,bishop   
foreign to churches established by      
,paul1 which were too poor and too few  
in number to support      the           
order4--,third chapter of the second    
,epistle to ,timothy1      and the one  
to ,titus1 forgeries4--,the writings of 
the      ,fathers corrupted4  ,elders or
 ,seniors1 in ancient ,jewish polity1   
were persons who were selected on       
account of their age and experience to  
administer justice among the            
people1--who also held the first rank in
 the synagogue as presidents4 ,the      
office of the ,elder1 with the ,jews1   
commenced with ,moses1 and was continued
 until after the days of the ,apostles4 
,they were selected with reference to   
age and knowledge1 without regard to    
anything else4 ,it is evident that the  
,apostles did not depart from the       
,jewish form of church government1 but  
adopted and continued it du ring their  
lives4 ,the epistle of ,james was       
written in ,a4,d4 #fa4 ,at that time the

 church was governed by ,elders4  ,is   
any sick among you8 let him call for the
 ,elders of the church2 and let them    
pray over him1 anointing him with oil in
 the name of the ,lord4 7,james v4 #ad47
 ,in ,a4,d4 #fd1 ,peter was an ,elder1  
for that is the date of the first       
epistle which bears his name4 ,the      
,elders which are among you ,i exhort1  
who am also an ,elder4 7#a ,peter vi4   
#a47  ,we hear nothing of the office of 
,bishop until we enter the second age of
 ,christianity1 when the ,therapeutae   
had taken possession of the church1 got 
the upper-hand of ,paul and his         
followers1 and introduced their         
government of the ,episcopacy4 ,did     
,paul institute a government for the    
churches established by him1 different  
from that of ,peter and ,james8  ,paul  
had no place for the office of ,bishop  
in the churches which he founded and    
organized4 ,in all cases except one he  
addresses his epistles to the church1   
and those that are sanctified in        

,christ4 ,the letter to the ,romans is  
addressed1 ,to all that be in ,rome1    
beloved of ,god4 ,the first to the      
,corinthians1 ,unto the church of ,god  
which is at ,corinth2 second            
,corinthians1 ,unto the church of ,god  
which is at ,corinth1 with all the      
saints which are in all ,achaia2        
,galatians1 ,and all the brethren which 
are with me1 unto the churches of       
,galatia2 ,ephesians1 ,to the saints    
which are at ,ephesus1 and to the       
faithful in ,christ ,jesus2             
,thessalonians1 ,unto the church of the 
,thessalonians1 which is in ,god4 ,only 
in one instance does ,paul make any     
other or different address4 ,his epistle
 to the ,philippians is addressed1 ,to  
all the saints in ,christ ,jesus which  
are at ,philippi1 with the ,bishops and 
,deacons3 a simple spurious addition to 
the forms of address in all other cases4
  ,the letter to the ,philippians was   
written in ,a4 ,d4 #fb or ,a4 ,d4 #fc1  
when ,paul was in ,rome4 ,the epistle to

 the ,thessalonians was written in ,a4  
,d4 #eb1 while he was in ,corinth4 ,for 
ten years ,paul had been writing letters
 to the different churches1 and in his  
epistle to the ,philippians he uses the 
word ,bishop for the first time4 ,in    
this epistle the name of the ,bishop is 
not given1 which is significant4 ,the   
contents of this letter show that there 
was no ,bishop at ,philippi at the time 
it was written4  ,when ,paul was a      
prisoner in ,rome the first time1 the   
church at that place sent ,epaphroditus 
to visit him1 with means to supply his  
wants4  ,thankful for the remembrance in
 which he was held1 he sent the letter  
spoken of1 and as some return for their 
kindness1 he promised to send to them   
,timothy4 ,but ,i trust in the ,lord    
,jesus to send ,timotheus shortly unto  
you1 that ,i also may be of good        
comfort1 when ,i know your state4       
7,phil4 ii4 #ai47 ,him therefore ,i hope
 to send presently1 so soon as ,i shall 
see how it will go with me1 7,chap4 ii4 

#bc47 ,if there was a ,bishop in the    
church at ,philippi1 why not mention his
 name8 or why send ,timothy to them at  
all to supply their spiritual wants8    
,how many members composed the church at
 ,philippi to require the services of a 
,bishop and deacons8 ,paul had been     
there once1 and perhaps the second time4
 ,he was called there for the first time
 by a vision2 but he soon got into      
trouble1 and even into prison1 and      
remained but a short time4 ,the author  
of the life of ,paul 7,renan7 claims    
that he went into ,macedonia the second 
time1 and remained about six months1    
from ,june to ,november 7page #bfa74    
,the same writer says3 ,a country was   
reputed evangelized when the name of    
,jesus was pronounced there and half a  
score of persons had been converted4 ,a 
church frequently contained no more than
 twelve or fifteen members4 ,probably   
all the converts of ,st4 ,paul in ,asia 
,minor1 ,macedonia1 and ,greece did not 
exceed one thousand4 ,of this number1 in

 a note to the twenty-second chapter1 he
 assigns two hundred to the churches in 
,macedonia4 ,as ,paul had numerous      
churches in ,macedonia1 we are safe to  
assign to the church at ,philippi the   
one-half of the whole number of his     
followers in that country4 ,the first   
converts to ,christianity were from the 
poorer class of people1 and were not    
able to even support ,paul1 so that he  
had to maintain himself by manual labor 
as a tent-maker4 ,the question may well 
be asked1 what necessity was there for a
 ,bishop and deacons at ,philippi1 and  
how were they to be supported8 ,lucian1 
in his dialogue entitled ,philopatris1  
while he no doubt exaggerates the       
poverty and mean appearance of ,paul's  
followers1 he at the same time throws   
much light on their true condition4 ,he 
speaks of them as a set of              
tatterdemalions1 almost naked1 with     
fierce looks4 7,taylor's ,diegesis1     
#cgf47 ,the truth is1 all the churches  
which owe their origin to ,paul were so 

small and so poor1 that their government
 was of the most simple and economical  
kind4 ,the first epistle of ,paul to    
,timothy is intended to settle the      
position and claims of a ,bishop in the 
church1 and give the authority of ,paul 
to the order4 ,it is by such obvious    
forgeries as this1 and others we will   
produce1 that we are able to form any   
idea of the violence of the quarrels    
among the early ,christians1 as to the  
rights or standing of a ,bishop in the  
church4  ,what arouses suspicion1 and at
 last convinces us1 that the third      
chapter of the first epistle to ,timothy
 is a forgery1 is that there is too much
 on the subject of ,bishops from ,paul  
all at once4 ,if the episcopate form of 
government underlaid or was at the      
bottom of ,paul's mode of government1 it
 surely would have come to the surface  
or made itself known before it suddenly 
starts up in the first to ,timothy2 for 
he had been engaged in building up      
churches for at least fifteen years     

before that4  ,it is characteristic of  
the forgeries of the second century1    
when they are inserted into genuine     
writings1 to make their appearance in   
the form of boulders1 very much         
condensed1 but out of place4 ,there is  
nothing diffusible about them1 and we   
never suspect their presence until we   
stumble upon or over them4 ,the way the 
subject of ,bishops is introduced1 at   
once creates suspicion4 ,this is a true 
saying4 ,if a man desire the office of a
 bishop1 he desires a good thing4 ,it is
 intended to convey the idea in the     
start1 that the office had been long in 
existence1 and that the profits were    
such as to excite the cupidity of men4  
,the office of ,bishop1 in the time of  
,paul1 even if such an office had any   
existence1 was not1 as we have shown1 a 
good thing1 but the opposite2 but in the
 second century1 when the forgery was   
perpetrated1 it was4 ,good critics have 
pronounced the whole of the first of    
,timothy a forgery4 ,the weight of the  

evidence is in favor of this belief4 ,as
 to the third chapter1 there can be no  
question4  ,the effort to make it appear
 that ,paul recognized the episcopate   
form of church government is repeated in
 the epistle to ,titus4 ,it is to be    
remarked that this effort is only made  
in the last epistles written by him4    
,the first of ,timothy was written in   
,a4 ,d4 #fd2 that to ,titus in ,a4 ,d4  
#fe4 ,all the epistles between ,a4 ,d4  
#eb and ,a4 ,d4 #fb1 have nothing to say
 on the subject of ,bishops4 ,those     
written between these two periods1 at   
,paul's death had obtained a wide       
circulation among all the churches of   
,asia and ,europe1 which made it        
impossible for those who were engaged in
 corrupting his writings to make changes
 that could be easily detected and      
exposed4 ,as long as he lived it could  
not be done4 ,but the reverse is true of
 those which were written just before   
his death4 ,besides1 the ,therapeutae   
element did not begin to work until ,a4 

,d4 #eg1 and had not grown bold and     
strong enough to venture on the         
corruptions of ,paul's writings until   
some time after his death4  ,the        
inference that is meant to be drawn from
 parts of his epistle is that ,titus was
 a ,bishop when ,paul left him in       
,crete4 ,compared with other countries  
where ,paul had churches1 ,crete was    
comparatively insignificant1 and if     
,paul's converts in ,europe and ,asia   
did not exceed one thousand1 and we have
 no reason to think they did1 what      
portion of this number can we assign to 
the church at ,crete1 if there was one  
there at all8 ,renan says1 ,a church    
frequently contained no more than twelve
 or fifteen members4 7,life of ,christ1 
page #cbf47 ,twelve or fifteen          
,christians and not more1 if that many1 
composed the church at ,crete4 ,did that
 number require the presence of a       
,bishop and elders8  ,the real truth of 
the matter is easily discovered4 ,paul1 
in ,a4 ,d4 #fd1 made a visit to all the 

churches in company with ,titus and     
others1 and stopped at ,crete1 which was
 the first time he was ever on the      
island1 so far as we have any proof on  
the subject4 ,after making some few     
converts1 he left ,titus to continue the
 work 7,titus i4 #e71 while he proceeded
 west in the direction of ,macedonia4   
,the epistle to ,titus was written from 
,nicopolis in the summer or fall of ,a4 
,d4 #fd1 and says3 ,for this cause left 
,i thee in ,crete1 that thou shouldest  
set in order the things that are        
wanting1 and ordain elders in every     
city1 as ,i had appointed thee4 7,chap4 
i4 #e47 ,that is1 to organize churches  
and appoint the elders4  ,had this      
subject about church organization ceased
 at this point1 there would not be much 
to complain of1 although the word ordain
 had no place in the vocabulary of      
,paul4 ,he ordained no one1 after any   
form or ceremony1 nor did he pretend to 
impart to his followers any but his own 
spirit and power4  ,in the seventh verse

 he proceeds to address ,titus as       
,bishop1 and to give him advice4 ,titus 
was no ,bishop when ,paul left him in   
,crete1 nor did he hold any office1 but 
was simply a fellow-laborer1 like ,luke1
 ,mark1 and ,timothy4 ,the men of the   
second century would have it understood 
that ,paul was surrounded by a galaxy of
 ,bishops4 ,for a bishop must be        
blameless1 as the steward of ,god2 not  
self-willed1 not soon angry1 not given  
to wine1 no striker1 not given to filthy
 lucre4 7,titus i4 #g47 ,was it         
necessary to give such advice to ,titus1
 mine own son after the common faith8   
,the forgery is a clumsy one because it 
is out of place1 and evidently inserted 
for a purpose4 ,titus was directed by   
,paul to leave ,crete and meet him in   
,nicopolis1 where he meant to spend the 
winter4  ,as has been stated1 the only  
means we have of judging of the         
resistance made to the claims of the    
,bishop is from the extravagance of     
these demands1 and the violence with    

which they are asserted4 ,wherefore it  
becomes you to run together1 according  
to the will of your ,bishop1 even as    
also ye do4 ,for your renowned          
,presbyter1 worthy of ,god1 is fitted as
 exactly to the ,bishop as the strings  
are to the harp4 7,ignatius to the      
,eph41 sec4 #d47 ,let no man deceive    
himself3 ,except a man be within the    
altar he is deprived of the bread of    
life4 7,ib41 sec4 #e47 ,i exhort you1   
that you study to do all things in a    
divine concord1 your ,bishop presiding  
in the place of ,god1 7,ignatius to     
,magnesians1 sec4 #f47 ,it is therefore 
necessary that you do nothing without   
your ,bishop1 even as ye are wont4 ,in  
like manner1 let all reverence the      
,deacons as ,jesus ,christ1 and the     
,bishops as the ,father2 without these  
there is no church4 ,wherefore guard    
yourselves against such persons3 ,and   
that ye will do1 if ye are not puffed   
up1 but continue inseparable from ,jesus
 ,christ our ,god2 and from your ,bishop

 and from the commands of the ,apostles4
 ,he that is within the altar is pure4  
,but he that is without1 is not pure4   
,that is1 he that doeth anything without
 the ,bishop and the ,presbyters and    
,deacons is not pure in conscience4     
7,ignatius to ,trallians1 secs4 #b1 #c1 
#g47 ,but the ,spirit spake1 saying in  
this wise3 ,do nothing without the      
,bishop2 ,but ,god forgives all that    
repent1 if they return to the unity of  
,god and to the council of the bishop   
7,ignatius to ,phil41 sec4 #h47 ,see    
that ye all follow your ,bishop as      
,jesus ,christ the ,father4 7,ignatius  
to ,smyrnaeus1 sec4 #h47 ,it is good to 
have due regard both to ,god and to the 
,bishop4 7,ib41 sec4 #i47  ,these       
passages prove1 that there was a party  
in the church that was opposed to the   
order of ,bishops1 introduced by the    
,therapeutae1 and that party no doubt   
were the followers of ,paul4 ,to silence
 them1 the ,epistles of ,paul and the   
writings of the fathers were filled with

 forgeries and alterations so           
extravagant and obvious that they have  
defeated the object in view4  ,it is    
hardly necessary to ask the question1   
where it was the ,therapeutae form of   
government1 by ,bishops1 was first      
organized4 ,alexandria seems to have    
been the common mother of all that is   
new in religion4 ,it is here where have 
sprung up1 in all ages1 those subtle    
questions which have led the minds of   
men from sense and reason to pursue     
mischievous phantoms4 ,we infer from the
 writings of ,eusebius1 and from other  
sources1 that the ,therapeutae          
,christians in ,alexandria were numerous
 at an early date4 ,the letter of       
,adrian from ,alexandria1 in ,a4 ,d4    
#acd1 is the first notice we have of a  
church with a ,bishop at its head4 ,it  
was this letter that led the author of  
the ,decline and ,fall1 after a careful 
survey of the subject1 with a           
penetration that nothing escaped1 and an
 industry which left no ground          

unexplored1 to conclude that the first  
regular ,christian church government was
 instituted at ,alexandria4 ,if         
,christian churches are not indebted to 
the ,therapeutae for their form of      
church government1 from what source do  
they derive it8 ,not ,from the ,jews2   
not from ,paul2 not from the ,apostles4 
,,chapter ,,xix4       ,linus never     
,bishop of ,rome4--,clement1 third      
,bishop1 and his      successors to the 
time of ,anicetus1 myths4--,chronology  
of      ,eusebius exposed1 also that of 
,irenaeus4  ,at what time was ,linus1   
said to be the successor of ,peter1 made
 ,bishop of ,rome8 ,the last trace we   
have of him1 he was with ,paul1 in      
,rome1 in the fall of ,a4 ,d4 #fe4      
,after this we know nothing of him1     
except from vague and more than doubtful
 tradition4 ,according to ,irenaeus1 it 
was when ,peter and ,paul were in ,rome 
together1 after they had laid the       
foundation of the church at that place4 
,paul went to ,rome for the first time  

in ,a4 ,d4 #fa1 where he remained to the
 spring of ,a4 ,d4 #fc4 ,we have shown  
that during this time ,peter was not    
there4 ,paul remained absent until the  
summer or fall of ,a4 ,d4 #fe1 and soon 
after his return was committed to       
prison4 ,in ,a4 ,d4 #fd1 ,peter was in  
,babylon1 two thousand miles away4 ,as  
,irenaeus is the founder of the story1  
and the only authority in subsequent    
ages1 when it was that ,linus was       
appointed over the church of ,rome as   
the successor of ,peter1 it devolves on 
those who pretend to believe him to show
 when it was that ,peter and ,paul were 
together in ,rome1 laying the foundation
 of a church1 or anything else4 ,this   
can never be done2 and if not1 it       
destroys the first link in the          
,apostolic chain1 and what is left is   
worthless4  ,the importance attached to 
,clement as the third ,bishop of ,rome  
will be a sufficient excuse for a       
critical examination1 as to who he was1 
when he lived1 and the position he      

occupied4 ,the authority that ,clement  
was ,bishop of ,rome is the same we have
 in any other case for links to keep up 
the ,apostolic succession2 for ,irenaeus
 not only supplies an ,apostle from whom
 to start1 but also the intermediate    
links in the chain1 to the time of      
authentic history4 ,in this he finds    
great assistance in his ready invention 
of traditions1 which we are required to 
believe without question1 for fear of   
incurring the sin of unbelief1 and      
subject ourselves to being called       
slippery eels1 trying to evade the      
truth4 ,the x following is his language3
 ,the blessed ,apostles1 then1 having   
founded and built up the church1        
committed into the hands of ,linus the  
office of the episcopate4 ,of this      
,linus1 ,paul makes mention in the      
epistles to ,timothy4 ,to him succeeded 
,anacletus2 and after him1 in the third 
place from the ,apostles1 ,clement was  
allotted the bishopric4 ,this man1 as he
 had seen the blessed ,apostles1 and had

 been conversant with them1 might be    
said to have the preaching of the       
,apostles still echoing 7in his ears71  
and their traditions before his eyes4   
7,irenaeus1 book iii4 chap4 #c1 sec4    
#c47  ,it may be affirmed with          
confidence1 that we know nothing of the 
person who is called ,clement1 and made 
third ,bishop in the ,church of ,rome4  
,if he had held the office at the time  
it is claimed he did--the latter part of
 the first century--it would have been  
in the power of ,irenaeus to give us a  
full account of him3 when he took the   
office1 and when he died2 for if he had 
been a real character1 there must have  
been persons living1 at the time        
,irenaeus flourished1 who had seen and  
known him1 so that the historian had    
ample material to inform posterity of   
everything which related to the life of 
the third ,bishop4 ,but he gives no     
information--does not give a date--or   
the source from which he derives his    
authority1 but has left the world to    

grope in darkness ever since4 ,we have  
his word1 and that is all4  ,it is      
impossible that a person should fill an 
office of importance in the church in   
,rome1 at the end of the first century1 
without leaving some tangible evidence  
that he had once an existence2 but      
,clement1 like a shadow1 passes over the
 earth1 without a single mark of any    
kind to prove he ever lived4 ,there is a
 dispute1 as to when and how he died4   
,some say he was banished into the      
,crimea by ,trajan1 and there suffered  
martyrdom by drowning4 ,others that he  
died a peaceful death1 ,a4,d4 #ajj4     
,there is nothing known about him1 and  
for that reason1 everything which       
concerns him is variously stated4 ,this 
could not be1 had he been a real        
character in history4 ,it is only       
fictions of the brain that elude you1   
when you attempt to grasp them4  ,we are
 not told when he first filled the      
office which it is claimed he did4      
,eusebius states1 that he succeeded     

,anacletus in the twelfth year of       
,domitian's reign1 ,a4 ,d4 #ic4 ,cave1  
in his life of ,clement1 from the best  
light he could get1 adopted the         
conclusion of ,dodwell1 that he became  
bishop about ,a4 ,d4 #fd or ,a4 ,d4 #fe4
 ,the reason of this confusion is       
readily explained4 ,the ,clement        
referred to by ,paul has been made to   
fill the place of an imaginary ,clement 
at the end of the century--a person who 
only existed in the brain of ,irenaeus2 
and in trying to fix time and dates1 the
 real and imaginary ,clement create     
confusion4 ,irenaeus has purposely left 
the subject in darkness1 as he does the 
time when ,peter went to ,rome1 and     
,john to ,asia4 ,dates are always fatal 
to falsehood and misrepresentations4    
,the real ,clement is referred to by    
,paul in the fourth chapter and third   
verse of the epistle to the             
,philip-pians1 which was written from   
,rome in ,a4 ,d4 #fc4 ,this is the only 
notice that is taken of him1 and he is  

made the third ,bishop of ,rome by      
,irenaeus1 simply because his name is   
found among others in one of ,paul's    
epistles1 as it was in the case of      
,linus1 who was made first4 ,who was it 
that wrote the letter to the            
,corinthians ascribed to ,clement8 ,we  
cannot tell who wrote all1 but we can   
who did write a part4 ,the address of   
this letter by a person who1 it is      
claimed1 was at the time a ,bishop1 to a
 church outside the city1 which1 it was 
said1 appealed to him for advice1 is the
 first bold attempt1 on the part of the 
,see of ,rome1 to enforce an            
acknowledgment of the supremacy of the  
,papal authority4 ,can any reason be    
given why the church at ,corinth1 during
 the first century1 should appeal to    
,rome for advice on any subject8 ,the   
church at ,corinth was the oldest1 and  
after ,paul's death knew of no higher   
authority than itself4 ,there are no    
signs of a church to which an appeal    
could be made to the end of the century1

 except those manufactured by the aid of
 tradition1 which do not deserve to be  
mentioned when men mean to be serious4  
,this letter1 like everything else      
suspicious1 has no date4 ,we can fix the
 date with almost entire certainty to   
every letter written by ,paul1 and there
 is no reason why a date should not be  
given to the one to the ,corinthians1   
except that there is something wrong    
about it1 and a date would expose the   
fraud4 ,archbishop ,wake supposes it to 
have been written soon after the        
termination of the persecution under    
,nero1 between the years ,a4 ,d4 #fd and
 ,a4 ,d4 #gj1 ,lard-ner refers it to the
 year ,a4 ,d4 #if4 7,chevallier ,h4 ,e4 
,introduction47 ,the writer of this     
epistle was careful to leave no internal
 evidence by which its date could be    
determined1 and what there is of that   
character is inserted apparently to     
mislead or afford grounds for dispute4  
,we have a right to demand the letter of
 the ,corinthians to ,clement1 to which 

his is the answer2 for it is more       
probable that a letter received at ,rome
 of so much importance would be         
preserved1 than one sent away into a    
distant country4 ,we not only have not  
the letter1 but we cannot learn what it 
was about4 ,there can be no doubt of the
 early date of the letter1 for it makes 
no allusion to the ,gospels1 and was    
written during the lives of the first   
fathers of the church1 such as ,polycarp
 and ,ignatius4 ,it has but little of   
the odor of the second century about it4
  ,from all the light we can collect on 
this perplexing question1 we would say  
that the letter itself was written by   
some of the early fathers1 and made     
afterwards1 with some alterations1 to   
conform to the purposes for which it was
 wanted--that is1 the entering wedge of 
,papal supremacy4 ,it is evident that   
,irenaeus is attempting to make the     
,clement of ,paul take the place of a   
creature of his own creation1 and thus  
impose upon the world1 as he did in the 

case of ,john and ,mark4  ,in           
manipulating the letter he provided for 
,peter in ,rome and ,paul in the        
,occident4 ,in naming the successors to 
,clement1 ,irenaeus says3 ,to this      
,clement there succeeded ,evaristus4    
,alexander followed ,evaristus2 then1   
sixth from the ,apostles1 ,sixtus was   
appointed2 after him ,telesphorus1 who  
was gloriously martyred2 then ,hyginus2 
after him1 ,pius2 then after him1       
,anicetus4 ,soter having succeeded      
,anicetus1 ,eleutherus does now1 in the 
twelfth place from the ,apostles1 hold  
the inheritance of the episcopate4 ,in  
this order1 and by this succession1 the 
ecclesiastical tradition from the       
,apostles1 and the preaching of the     
truth1 have come down to us4 ,and this  
is most abundant proof that there is one
 and the same vivifying faith1 which has
 been preserved in the church from the  
,apostles until now1 and handed down in 
truth4  ,including ,linus and           
,anacletus1 here are twelve traditional 

bishops in succession4 ,why traditional8
  ,for the reason that most of them1 and
 all1 except the three last1 are not    
real or historical characters4          
,commencing with ,nero1 about the time  
when the tradition commences1 and coming
 down to1 and including ,commodus1      
cotemporary with ,eleutherus1 there are 
thirteen emperors1 one more than the    
number of ,bishops in the same time1 and
 history gives the time when each was   
born1 when each became a ruler1 when    
each ceased to reign1 the manner of his 
death1 and the qualities for which each 
was distinguished4 ,it was an age of    
chronology1 when dates of important     
events were as carefully preserved as in
 our own day2 and yet ,irenaeus has     
failed to give a single date in         
connection with his twelve traditional  
,bishops4 ,we do not even know there was
 such a tradition1 except that he says  
so1 and we are very certain that there  
was no church in ,rome to preserve it1  
if there was4  ,this vagueness and      

uncertainty--where certainty1 if the    
statements were true1 could be easily   
attained1 but easily exposed1 if        
false--must have been used with great   
effect1 by the philosophers of the third
 century1 against ,christians1 for it   
forced ,eusebius to fix up dates for    
each of these traditional bishops4 ,he  
makes each appear in order1 like so many
 shadows1 and he reminds us1 as he goes 
through the roll1 of the showman in a   
panorama1 who explains each figure as it
 takes its place on the canvas4 ,what   
,irenaeus dared not do in the second1   
,eusebius dared do in the fourth        
century4 ,on such subjects1 his whole   
history proves1 he had no scruples2 and 
he admits1 indirectly1 that he has      
related whatever might redound to the   
glory1 and suppressed all that could    
tend to the disgrace of religion4  ,it  
will be noticed that he gives no        
authority for his dates1 for the reason 
that he has none4 ,irenaeus could find  
none in the second century4 ,it is not  

probable ,eusebius would be any better  
supplied in the fourth4 ,it is evident  
he went to work and divided the whole   
time in which it is claimed the twelve  
,bishops lived1 between them1 so as to  
make each appear at a given time1 marked
 by the accession of the emperors who   
reigned during the traditional era4 ,we 
will give his statements as he makes    
them himself3--  ,after ,vespasian had  
reigned about ten years1 he was         
succeeded by his son ,titus2 in the     
second year of whose reign1 ,linus1     
,bishop of the church at ,rome1 who had 
held the office about twelve years1     
transferred it to ,anacletus4 7,ecc4    
,hist41 book iii4 chap4 #ac47 ,in the   
twelfth year of the same reign1 after   
,anacletus had been ,bishop of ,rome    
twelve years1 he was succeeded by       
,clement4 7,ib41 book iii4 chap4 #d47   
,in the third year of the               
above-mentioned reign 7,trajan's71      
,clement1 ,bishop of ,rome1 committed   
the episcopal charge to ,euaristus1 and 

departed this life1 after superintending
 of the divine word nine years4 7,ib41  
book iii4 chap4 #cd47 ,about the twelfth
 year of the reign of ,trajan1          
,euaristus had completed the eighth year
 as ,bishop of ,rome1 and was succeeded 
in his episcopal office by ,alexander4  
7,ib41 book iv4 chap4 #a47 ,in the third
 year of the same reign 7,adrian's71    
,alexander1 ,bishop of ,rome1 died1     
having completed the tenth year of his  
ministration4 ,xystus was his successor4
 7,ib41 book iv4 chap4 #d47 ,and ,adrian
 being now in the twelfth year of his   
reign1 ,xystus1 who had now completed   
the tenth year of his episcopate1 was   
succeeded by ,telesphorus4 7,id41 book  
iv4 chap4 #e47 ,the ,emperor ,adrian1   
having finished his mortal career after 
the twenty-first year of his reign1 is  
succeeded by ,antoninus1 called ,pius1  
in the government of the ,romans4 ,in   
the first year of this reign1 and in the
 eleventh year of his episcopate1       
,telesphorus departed this life1 and was

 succeeded in charge of the ,roman      
church by ,hyginus4 7,ib41 book iv4     
chap4 #aj47 ,hyginus dying after the    
fourth year of his office1 ,pius        
received the episcopate4 7,ib41 book iv4
 chap4 #aa47 ,pius dying at ,rome in the
 fifteenth year of his episcopate1 the  
church was governed by ,anicetus4 7,ib41
 book iv4 chap4 #aa47 ,it was in the    
eighth year of the above-mentioned      
reign1 to wit1 that of ,verus1 that     
,anicetus1 who held the episcopate of   
,rome for eleven years1 was succeeded by
 ,soter4 7#c41 book iv4 chap4 #ai47     
,soter1 ,bishop of ,rome1 died after    
having held the episcopate eight years4 
,he was succeeded by ,eleutherus4 7,ib41
 book v4 ,introduction47 ,in the tenth  
year of the reign of ,commodus1         
,eleutherus1 who had held the episcopate
 thirteen years1 was succeeded by       
,victor4 7,ib41 book v4 chap4 #bb47  ,we
 give a list of the emperors1 and the   
time of accession of each to the        
government of the ,empire1 commencing   

with ,vespasian1 coming down to the time
 of ,commodus3  ,illustration3 ,table of
 ,emperors #bgh  ,the following tabular 
statement shows the year in which each  
,bishop took the office1 according to   
the statement of ,eusebius1 and the     
number of years which each held it3--   
,illustration3 ,table of ,traditional   
,roman ,bishops #bgi;a  ,illustration3  
,table of ,traditional ,roman ,bishops  
#bgi;a  ,from ,a4,d4 #fi1 when ,linus   
became ,bishop1 to the tenth year of    
,commodus1 when ,victor succeeded       
,eleutherus1 the true time is one       
hundred and twenty-one years4 ,the time1
 taking the period assigned to each     
traditional ,bishop1 is one hundred and 
twenty-three years4 ,in making a dead   
calculation under the circumstances1    
while we would not expect to find any   
gross mistakes1 we would expect to      
discover enough to detect the true      
character of the work1 for truth can    
never be so skilfully counterfeited1 but
 that we can readily distinguish it from

 that which is false and spurious4 ,the 
difference between the skilful          
counterfeit and the genuine bill is     
often slight1 so much so that none but  
experts can detect it2 but it is this   
difference which termines its character4
  ,if the time occupied by the ,bishops 
had fallen short two years1 we might    
account for it on the principle of an   
interregnum2 but where the time is in   
excess1 it is proof of a blunder or     
mistake1 on the part of some one who is 
engaged in a dishonest employment4      
,clement became ,bishop in ,a4,d4 #ia1  
and filled the office for nine years4   
,this leaves his successor to take his  
place in ,a4,d4 #ajj1 whereas he took it
 in ,a4,d4 #aja1 one year after the     
office was vacant4 ,euaristus took the  
office in ,a4,d4 #aja1 held it eight    
years1 to ,a4,d4 #aji2 his successor    
took his place in ,a4,d4 no1 leaving a  
gap of one year4 ,telesphorus became    
,bishop in ,a4,d4 #abi1 and served      
eleven years1 which would leave the     

office vacant in ,a4,d4 #adj2 but his   
successor takes it in ,a4,d4 #ach1 two  
years before the death of his           
predecessor4 ,anicetus took the office  
in ,a4,d4 #aeg1 and served eleven years1
 to ,a4,d4 #afh4 ,his successor1 ,soter1
 took the office in the eighth year of  
,verus1 which would be ,a4,d4 #afi4     
,here is a clear gap of one year4  ,it  
was intended that the time assigned to  
the ,bishops should correspond with the 
true historic period1 and be #aba       
instead of #abc years4 ,there are three 
years of vacancies1 and a lap of two    
years in the case of ,telesphorus and   
,hyginus4 ,if we deduct this lap1 it    
will stand one hundred and twenty-one1  
the true time4  ,eusebius meant well and
 intended no offence to chronology1 but 
blundered1 and in fixing twelve dates   
only makes four mistakes4 ,during a time
 when accuracy of dates is more         
important than at any other1 there seems
 to have been less care exercised than  
in the same space of time in any period 

of history2 and indeed1 since the       
foundation of ,rome1 over seven hundred 
years before ,christ1 to the end of the 
empire1 there have not been so many     
mistakes and contradictions as to dates 
which relate to successive rulers1 as   
during this period of one hundred and   
twenty-one years4 ,but such is the      
difference between true and genuine1 and
 false and spurious history4  ,of the   
twelve traditional ,bishops of          
,irenaeus1 ,telesphorus is selected for 
the honors of martyrdom4 ,no period in  
,roman history could have been selected 
more unlikely and improbable for the    
death of a ,christian ,bishop at ,rome  
on account of his religion1 than the    
reign of ,antoninus ,pius4 ,not one drop
 of ,christian blood was spilt in ,rome 
during his reign of twenty-three years4 
,not only was there no blood spilt in   
,rome1 but he forbade the persecution of
 ,christians in the provinces by an     
express edict4 ,a modern writer1        
speaking of him1 says3 ,open to         

conviction1 uncorrupted by the vain and 
chimerical philosophy of the times1 he  
was desirous of doing justice to all    
mankind4 ,asia propria was still the    
scene of vital ,christianity and cruel  
persecution4 ,these ,christians applied 
to ,antoninus1 and complained of the    
many injuries they sustained from the   
people of the country4 ,earthquakes1 it 
seems1 had lately happened1 and the     
pagans were much terrified1 and ascribed
 them to the vengeance of ,heaven       
against ,christians4 7,milner1 ,c4 ,h41 
vol4 ,i41 page #ajj47  ,here follows the
 edict of the pious ,emperor1 addressed 
to the enemies of the ,christians3 ,as  
to the earthquakes which have happened  
in past times1 or lately1 is it not     
proper to remind you of your own        
despondency when they happened1 and to  
desire you to compare your spirit with  
theirs1 and observe how serenely they   
confide in ,god8 ,you live in practical 
ignorance of the ,supreme ,god          
himself--you harass and persecute to    

death those who worship him1 ,concerning
 these same men1 some others of the     
provincials wrote to our divine         
,hadrian1 to whom he returned answer1   
that they should not be molested unless 
they appeared to attempt something      
against the ,roman government4 ,many    
also have signified to me concerning    
these men1 to whom ,i have returned an  
answer agreeable to the maxims of my    
fathers4 ,but if any person will still  
persist in accusing the ,christians     
merely as such1 let the accused be      
acquitted1 though he appear to be a     
,christian1 and let the accusor be      
punished4 ,set up at ,ephesus in the    
common assembly of ,asia4  ,is it       
possible that ,telesphorus was put to   
death in ,rome under the mild and gentle
 reign of such a man8  ,if the persons  
who are named by ,irenaeus as ,bishops  
were real and not fictitious1 how is it 
that there was not something done or    
said by some or all of them1 so as to   
connect them with the events which      

transpired during their lives8 ,they    
lived1 if they lived at all1 during the 
most eventful period of ,roman history4 
,it was during the period of the civil  
war1 when ,rome was reduced to          
ashes--when the ,jewish nation was      
almost destroyed by the legions of      
,titus1 ,jerusalem rendered a desert    
place1 and the victorious armies of     
,trajan added ,armenia1 ,mesopotamia1   
and ,assyria to the ,empire4 ,during a  
period of seventy years1 filled with the
 most exciting scenes and mighty events 
the world has ever known1 we have at    
least nine ,bishops in ,rome1 whose     
presence is no more felt in the history 
of the times1 than so many men who were 
dead and quietly resting in their       
graves4 ,they do not even cast their    
shadows on the earth4  ,the first person
 on the list of these traditional       
,bishops who steps forth into the light1
 so that we see something real and      
tangible1 is ,anicetus4 ,hegisippus     
says1 ,after coming to ,rome1 ,i made my

 stay with ,anicetus1 whose deacon was  
,eleutherus4 ,taking the foregoing data 
as correct1 ,anicetus held the office of
 ,bishop about ,a4 ,d4 #aeg4 ,if the    
statement of ,hegisippus is true1 which 
we are inclined to believe1 not because 
he says so1 but because it is probable1 
he is the first person who had ever seen
 and talked with any of the traditional 
,bishops of ,irenaeus1 and he is tenth  
in order of succession4 ,but it is not  
until we come to ,eleutherus that we    
have a historic character1 whose acts   
can be traced and found in the history  
of the times4 ,here we part company with
 spectres and deal with real life2 but  
as we leave an age populated by         
phantoms1 we enter into another stained 
with forgeries and fraud4     ,,chapter 
,,xx4       ,the prophetic period4--,the
 fourteenth verse of the seventh        
chapter of ,isaiah explained4  ,the     
claims of ,christ to be the ,logos or   
,son of ,god1 in the ,alexandrian sense1
 are made manifest by prophecy and      

miracles4 ,the ,jews1 influenced by the 
prophets of their nation1 believed that 
a deliverer would some day appear1 who  
would deliver them out of the hands of  
all their enemies1 and establish a      
temporal kingdom on the earth4 ,but up  
to the time when ,christ appeared1 and  
even to the present day1 no one had     
shown himself who realized their idea of
 this divine mission4 ,the ,christians  
at the time of ,christ believed that he 
was the one spoken of by the old        
prophets1 and that a spiritual          
deliverer1 one who was to deliver men   
from the power of ,satan1 had been      
mistaken for one who with temporal power
 would rescue the ,jewish people from   
the hands of their foes4  ,barnabas1 the
 companion of ,paul1 firmly believed    
this to be so1 and took pains to cite   
many texts from the ,old ,testament to  
prove it4 ,he cites numerous passages   
from ,daniel1 and all the prophets1 and 
especially searched the pages of        
,isaiah1 where he claims to have found  

at least sixteen different references   
made to ,christ as the coming ,saviour4 
,but in all his references to the       
prophecies he makes none to the         
celebrated passage in the seventh       
chapter of ,isaiah1 on which is founded 
the doctrine of the divine conception of
 ,christ from a ,virgin4 ,he makes no   
allusion to the fourteenth verse of the 
chapter at all1 so that he was ignorant 
of the very foundation on which the     
,christianity of the second century was 
reared4 ,nor does ,polycarp or          
,ignatius1 except where their writings  
have been clearly defaced by the        
forgeries of men1 who wished to         
establish the new ideas of the day by   
the authority of the fathers4  ,but when
 we come down to the second century1 as 
far as the times of ,justin ,martyr1 we 
find pages in the writings of the day   
filled with a new class of citations    
from the ,old ,testament1 all of which  
foreshadow the appearance of ,christ1   
his birth from a virgin1 and point him  

out as the one foretold by the prophets4
 ,in his ,apology to the emperor1       
,justin ,martyr quotes numerous passages
 from the ,old and ,new ,testaments to  
prove the divine mission of ,christ1 and
 speaks of his miraculous conception    
from the ,virgin4 7,apology1 sec4 #dc7  
,we now enter a new era1 filled with new
 ideas1 and passages of ,scripture which
 before had been overlooked1 but which  
all at once were discovered to contain a
 meaning which concerned the eternal    
interests of mankind4 ,the ,synoptics   
are now spread out before the world1 and
 ,christianity1 armed by the voice of   
the prophets of ,god1 is prepared to    
make a new start4 ,one fact will appear 
clear as we approach the end of this    
subject1 that all the men who undertook 
to strengthen the cause of ,christianity
 by the application of prophecy to the  
person of ,christ were ignorant of      
,jewish history1 and either wofully     
misunderstood the language of the       
prophets1 or foolishly attempted to     

pervert it4  ,there are four prophecies 
cited in the ,gospel of ,matthew from   
the ,old ,testament1 which it is claimed
 point out ,christ as the one foretold  
by the old ,jewish prophets4 #ast4      
,behold1 a virgin shall be with child1  
and shall bring forth a son1 and they   
shall call his name ,emmanuel1 which    
being interpreted is1 ,god with us4     
7,matt4 i4 #bc47 ,it must be borne in   
mind1 as has been before stated1 that   
when the new idea of the ,logos was     
started1 it was found necessary in some 
way to make ,christ more than mortal4   
,to be the ,son of ,god in the          
,alexandrian sense he must have ,god for
 his father1 and this could be only     
brought about through a virgin          
overshadowed by his divine presence4 ,in
 the zeal of these men1 who undertook to
 prove it1 they selected a passage from 
,isaiah which had no application to     
anything outside of the ,jewish history 
of the day4  ,rezin1 king of ,syria1 and
 ,pekah1 king of ,israel1 united and    

made war on ,ahaz1 king of ,ju-dah1 and 
marched upon ,jerusalem4 ,ahaz became   
alarmed at the combination1 and feared  
the capture of the holy city and the    
destruction of his kingdom4 ,the ,lord  
took compassion on him and his people1  
and sent ,isaiah to him with an order to
 meet him at the end of the conduit of  
the upper pool1 where he would inform   
him what would be the fate of ,judah and
 her enemies4  ,then said the ,lord unto
 ,isaiah1 ,go forth now to meet ,ahaz1  
thou1 and ,shearjashub thy son1 at the  
end of the conduit of the upper pool in 
the highway of the fuller's field2 and  
say unto him1 ,take heed1 and be quiet2 
fear not1 neither be faint-hearted for  
the two tails of these smoking          
firebrands1 for the fierce anger of     
,rezin with ,syria1 and of the son of   
,remaliah4 ,because ,syria1 ,ephraim1   
and the son of ,remaliah1 have taken    
evil counsel against thee1 saying1 ,let 
us go up against ,judah1 and vex it1 and
 let us make a breach therein for us1   

and set a king in the midst of it1 even 
the son of ,tabeal4 ,thus saith the     
,lord ,god1 ,it shall not stand1 neither
 shall it come to pass4 ,for the head of
 ,syria is ,damascus1 and the head of   
,damascus is ,rezin3 and within         
threescore and five years shall ,ephraim
 be broken1 that it be not a people4    
,and the head of ,ephraim is ,samaria1  
and the head of ,samaria is ,remaliah's 
son4 ,if ye will not believe1 surely ye 
shall not be established4 ,moreover1 the
 ,lord spake again unto ,ahaz1 saying1  
,ask thee a sign of the ,lord thy ,god2 
ask it either in the depth1 or in the   
height above4 ,but ,ahaz said1 ,i will  
not ask1 neither will ,i tempt the      
,lord4 ,and he said1 ,hear ye now1 ,o   
house of ,david2 ,is it a small thing   
for you to weary men1 but will ye weary 
my ,god also8 ,therefore the ,lord      
himself shall give you a sign3 behold1 a
 virgin shall conceive1 and bear a son1 
and shall call his name ,immanuel4      
,butter and honey shall he eat1 that he 

may know to refuse the evil1 and choose 
the good4 ,for before the child shall   
know to refuse the evil1 and choose the 
good1 the land that thou abhorrest shall
 be forsaken of both her kings4 ,the    
,lord shall bring upon thee1 and upon   
thy people1 and upon thy father's house1
 days that have not come1 from the day  
that ,ephraim departed from ,judah2 even
 the king of ,assyria4 7,isaiah vii4    
#c-ag47  ,the ,lord told ,ahaz not to   
fear or be fainthearted1 and he         
undertook to tell him how long it would 
be before ,rezin and ,pekah would be    
defeated and driven away4 ,in fixing the
 time1 ,isaiah indulges in a poetic     
license1 and purposely rendered it      
obscure4 ,the language used expresses   
this meaning3 ,if a virgin should       
conceive from that time1 the day when   
the ,lord spoke to ,ahaz1 the child     
would be born before his enemies would  
be subdued or driven away2 but not a    
great while before1 for when they were  
driven away1 the child would still be so

 young as not to know how to refuse the 
evil and choose the good4 ,if the ,lord 
did not tell ,ahaz in some way when his 
enemies would be subdued1 then the      
object of the interview entirely failed2
 for that was just what ,ahaz wanted to 
know1 and which the ,lord promised to   
disclose to him4 ,be not faint-hearted1 
neither be afraid1 for in such a time   
your deliverance shall come4 ,if the    
,lord wished to inform him that he would
 be delivered from ,rezin and ,pekah1   
after the ,messiah spoken of in the     
,scriptures should come1 which happened 
seven hundred years later1 he would know
 no more after1 than he did before he   
conversed with the ,lord4 ,the ,lord did
 not tell him the precise day1 but      
furnished ,ahaz the data by which he    
might make his own calculations4  ,a    
very simple answer is purposely obscured
 by connecting some things with it which
 have a remote bearing on the subject1  
and others which have no connection with
 it at all4 ,butter and honey shall he  

eat1 that he may know to refuse the evil
 and choose the good1 is an obscure     
allusion to the age of the child3 and   
his name shall be called ,immanuel1 is  
of no significance1 for he might as well
 be called by any other name4 ,when we  
first read the passage1 we see nothing  
distinct3 all is in a kind of penumbra2 
but after looking for a short time1 as  
in a curiously shaded picture1 an image1
 an idea1 shows or appears on the       
ground-work1 well marked and defined4   
,the explanation we have given of the   
passage from ,isaiah is justified and   
made apparent by the language used in   
the first1 second1 and third verses of  
the eighth chapter of this prophet4 ,it 
seems the ,lord wished to prove to      
,ahaz1 by actual demonstration1 that    
what he promised should be fulfilled to 
the letter4 ,the prophet says1 he took  
with him two faithful witnesses and went
 in to the prophetess 7who was the      
virgin7 and she conceived and bare a    
son4 ,then when the son was born1 the   

,lord said to the prophet1 that before  
the child could pronounce the name of   
father or mother1 the riches of         
,damascus and the spoil of ,samaria     
shall be taken away before the king of  
,assyria4 ,tiglath ,pileser1 king of the
 ,assyrians1 did come to the aid of     
,ahaz1 and made war on the              
,syrians--laid their country waste--took
 ,damascus1 and slew ,rezin4 ,he        
afflicted the land of ,israel1 and      
carried the people away captives4       
7,josephus1 ,antiq41 book ix4 chap4 #ab1
 sec4 #c47 ,all this too within the time
 promised ,ahaz1 according to ,isaiah4  
,the mystical language used by ,isaiah  
in the fourteenth verse of the seventh  
chapter1 which has been the cause of so 
much speculation and false              
interpretation1 springs from the poetic 
element of the ,hebrew mind4 ,had       
,isaiah lived in our day1 his sublime   
genius would have produced a ,paradise  
,lost2 but in his own country1 and in   
his own times1 his imagination dwelt    

upon ideas and thoughts which had their 
root in the hearts of the ,jewish       
people4 ,the ,hebrew poets found        
subjects within the history of their own
 nation best suited to arouse their     
genius1 and move the hearts of the      
people4 ,the sorrows and afflictions    
brought on the nation by her enemies1   
and her final deliverance by the hand of
 the ,lord1 are favorite themes1 and    
inspire her poets with thoughts full of 
tenderness1 and with denunciations which
 are sublime and often terrific4 ,the   
harp of ,zion in the hands of the       
daughters of ,judah1 as they weep by the
 waters of ,babylon1 gives forth no     
sounds but those of sorrow2 but the     
genius of her prophets1 inspired by a   
consciousness that a time of deliverance
 will come1 deals out thunderbolts on   
the heads of their oppressors4  ,what   
are called the prophecies of ,isaiah are
 nothing more1 many of them1 than so    
many epic poems1 like the ,iliad of     
,homer1 to celebrate scenes and real    

occurrences in ,jewish history4 ,the war
 upon ,ahaz1 king of ,judah1 by ,rezin  
and ,pekah1 kings of ,israel and ,syria1
 took place during the life of ,isaiah3 
and the poet undertakes to commemorate  
the history of the times1 in the form of
 a ,jewish epic4 ,he speaks of the past1
 and not of things to come4 ,the ,jews  
were taught to believe that their nation
 was the favorite people of ,god1 and   
from the time of ,moses to the last of  
her prophets1 her poets did not hesitate
 to introduce the ,lord1 and cause him  
to take part in a ,jewish epic1 any more
 than ,homer hesitated to introduce     
,jupiter and all the heathen gods into  
the story of the ,iliad4 ,the meeting of
 the ,lord and ,ahaz at the end of      
conduit of the upper field1 and what    
afterwards takes place1 is the poetic   
license of the poet1 as he undertakes to
 narrate a portion of the history of his
 own time4     ,,chapter ,,xxi4         
,bethlehem the birthplace of ,christ1 as
 foretold by the      prophets4--,cyrus1

 the deliverer and ruler referred to by 
,micah the prophet4--,the ,lamentations 
of ,jeremiah spoken of      by ,matthew 
7,chap4 ii4 #ah71 refers to the ,jews1  
and not to      the massacre of the     
infants by ,herod4  ,when ,herod        
inquired of the wise men where ,christ  
should be born1 they said unto him1 ,in 
,bethlehem of ,judea3 for thus it is    
written by the prophet1 ,and thou       
,bethlehem1 in the land of ,juda1 art   
not the least among the princes of      
,juda3 for out of thee shall come a     
,governor1 that shall rule my people    
,israel4 7,matt4 ii4 #e1 #f47  ,the     
passage is taken from the prophet       
,micah1 who was a cotemporary with      
,jeremiah1 and prophesied under the     
reigns of ,jotham1 ,ahaz1 and ,hezekiah1
 kings of ,judah4 ,he lived during the  
time of ,nebuchadnezzar1 the great enemy
 of the ,jewish nation1 and witnessed a 
large share of the miseries he inflicted
 upon that people4 ,we would infer from 
the first verse of the fifth chapter1   

that his book was written at a time when
 the armies of the king of ,babylon were
 encamped around the walls of           
,jerusalem4  ,now gather thyself in     
troops1 ,o daughter of troops3 he hath  
laid siege against us2 they shall smite 
the judge of ,israel with a rod upon the
 cheek4 ,looking forward to the time    
when the ,jewish people will be         
delivered from the power of             
,nebuchadnezzar and the ,assyrian       
nation1 and of their conquest by some   
other power1 the prophet1 aroused by a  
prophetic spirit1 announces that the    
time is coming when ,israel shall again 
be free3 ,but thou1 ,bethlehem          
,ephratah1 though thou be little among  
the thousands of ,judah1 yet opt of thee
 shall he come forth unto me that is to 
be ruler in ,israel2 whose goings forth 
have been from of old1 from everlasting4
 ,therefore will he give them up1 until 
the time that she which travaileth hath 
brought forth3 then the remnant of his  
brethren shall return unto the children 

of ,israel4 ,and he shall stand and feed
 in the strength of the ,lord1 in the   
majesty of the name of the ,lord his    
,god2 and they shall abide2 for now     
shall he be great unto the ends of the  
earth4 7,micah v4 #b1 #c1 #d47  ,in the 
tenth verse of the fourth chapter1 the  
captivity of the ,jews1 and their       
transportation to ,babylon1 is          
distinctly announced1 and they are told 
that while in the hands of the          
,assyrians1 they shall be as a woman in 
travail2 but that1 like her1 they should
 in time be delivered from suffering4   
,the third verse of the fifth chapter   
declares that ,god will not interfere in
 the mean time1 and that they must wait 
for deliverance1 and submit to their    
sufferings1 as unavoidable as in the    
case of the woman2 that at the appointed
 time a deliverer would come1 who would 
save and bring back a remnant of the    
people1 who shall grow powerful and be  
great to the ends of the earth4  ,now it
 is deliverance from ,assyrian captivity

 that is referred to1 and it is to      
violate the fitness of time1 place1     
history1 and the state of the ,jews to  
apply it to anything else4 ,amidst the  
awful fate impending over the ,jewish   
people1 they wanted something to        
encourage and sustain them2 and the     
prophet undertook to do so1 by a        
promise1 that in time their captivity   
should cease1 and they be allowed to    
return to their own country4  ,but      
deliverance is to come from ,bethlehem  
,ephratah--words which sufficiently     
indicate from what quarter the deliverer
 was to come2 and to give a false       
direction the word ,ephratah is omitted 
in the text in ,matthew4 ,bethlehem in  
,judea is surely not intended1 but the  
country watered by the river ,euphrates4
 ,a little poetic license to create     
obscurity--a peculiarity of the ,jewish 
prophets--does not at all render the    
meaning doubtful4 ,cyrus was king of all
 the country watered by the ,euphrates2 
and the ,assyrian empire ceased to exist

 when he restored the ,jews to their own
 country4 ,cyrus was a ruler in ,israel4
 ,he took the direction of their        
affairs1 ordered the temple to be       
rebuilt1 and directed how the means were
 to be provided to pay the expense4     
7,letter of ,cyrus to ,sisinnes and     
,sathrabouzanes4 ,josephus1 ,antiq41    
book xi4 chap4 #a1 sec4 #c47 ,cyrus is  
the ruler alluded to1 and not ,christ4  
,the deliverer was to be at the head of 
a very ancient people--the ,medes and   
,persians--who have been from old--from 
everlasting4 ,when did ,christ rule over
 ,israel8 ,never4  ,that ,jesus lived at
 ,nazareth until he grew to be a young  
man could not be disputed1 and no doubt 
the fact was stated in the ,hebrew      
,gospel of ,matthew4 ,he might live     
there1 but he must be born in           
,bethlehem1 and some excuse must be had 
to get ,mary there at the precise time  
when his birth took place4 ,the device  
of the tax to take her there at the time
 is weak and puerile1 and proves that   

those who got it up were neither wise   
nor learned4 ,matthew barely alludes to 
,bethlehem as the place of ,christ's    
birth4 ,now when ,jesus was born in     
,bethlehem of ,judea1 in the days of    
,herod the king1 behold1 there came wise
 men from the east to ,jerusalem4 ,luke 
is more specific4 ,and it came to pass  
in those days that there went out a     
decree from ,caesar ,augustus1 that all 
the world should be taxed4 7,luke ii4   
#a47 ,and all went to be taxed1 every   
one into his own city4 ,and ,joseph also
 went up from ,galilee1 out of the city 
of ,nazareth1 into ,judea1 into the city
 of ,david1 which is called ,bethlehem  
7because he was of the house and lineage
 of ,david71 to be taxed with ,mary his 
espoused wife1 being great with child4  
7,luke ii4 #c1 #d1 #e47  ,the ,jews were
 taxed at the place where their         
property1 real or personal1 was at the  
time of taxing1 and not where their     
ancestors happened to be born4 ,a law or
 decree of the kind mentioned would     

involve a movement of almost the entire 
population of ,judea1 and for no reason1
 unless it was to give the people a     
chance to defraud the tax-gatherer by   
concealing their effects4  ,the         
,cyrenius mentioned was sent out by     
,caesar to be a judge of that nation    
7the ,jews7 and take an account of their
 substance4 7,josephus1 ,antiq41 book   
xviii4 chap4 #a1 sec4 ,i47 ,it would not
 be necessary for ,joseph to go to      
,bethlehem1 seventy-five miles away1    
where he had nothing1 to give an account
 of his substance1 when all he had was  
in ,nazareth4 ,besides1 ,judea was at   
this time under the government of ,rome1
 and if there ever had been a law among 
the ,jews requiring each one of them to 
go to his native city to be taxed1 the  
,romans could not have any object in    
enforcing it4 ,admit that ,joseph was   
required to go to ,bethlehem because    
,david was born there several hundred   
years before1 to be taxed3 why was it   
necessary for ,mary to go with him8 ,he 

was to give to the ,roman officer an    
account of his substance3 and did this  
require the presence of ,mary8  ,the    
writer of ,luke fixes the time when this
 tax was to be levied4 ,it was when     
,cyrenius was ,governor of ,syria4 ,now 
this ,cyrenius1 according to ,josephus1 
was a ,roman senator1 who was sent to   
,judea to take an account of the        
substance of the people1 as a basis of  
taxation4 ,this was after ,archelaus1   
the son of ,herod1 had been deposed1 and
 ten years after the death of ,herod4   
,christ was ten years old when ,cyrenius
 was made ,governor1 so that the journey
 of ,joseph and ,mary to ,bethlehem was 
ten years before the decree to tax was  
made4 ,the following are the words of   
,josephus3 ,now ,cyrenius1 a ,roman     
senator1 and one who had gone through   
other magistracies and had passed       
through them till he had been ,consul1  
and one who1 on other accounts1 was of  
great dignity1 came at this time into   
,syria1 with a few others sent by       

,caesar1 to be a judge of that nation1  
and to take an account of their         
substance4 7,josephus1 ,antiq41 book    
xviii4 chap4 ,i1 sec4 ,i47  ,had the    
writer of ,matthew known anything of    
,jewish history1 he never would have    
made so gross a blunder1 and saved the  
immense amount of labor that it has     
taken to explain away the effects of his
 ignorance4 ,one explanation of this    
mistake is1 that there were two         
assessments--one about the time ,jesus  
was born1 and the other ten years after4
 ,the first has been proven to be a     
forgery1 and was never made4 7,renan's  
,life of ,christ1 chap4 ,i4 ,see note47 
,in ,ramah was there a voice of         
lamentation and weeping and great       
mourning4 ,rachel weeping for her       
children and would not be comforted4    
,this1 it is claimed1 referred to the   
cruelties of ,herod1 to escape from     
which ,joseph and ,christ were forced to
 fly into ,egypt2 so that his subsequent
 return to ,nazareth would answer to the

 prophecy1 which says1 ,behold1 from    
,egypt ,i have called my ,son4 ,in the  
first place1 the story of ,herod's      
cruelties in the case of the infants is 
an invention1 without the least claim to
 truth1 and was a lame excuse1 as we    
have just stated1 to get ,christ into   
,egypt4 ,then ,herod1 when he saw he was
 mocked of the wise men1 was exceeding  
wroth1 and sent forth and slew all the  
children that were in ,bethlehem and in 
all the coasts thereof1 from two years  
old and under1 according to the time    
which he had diligently inquired of the 
wise men4 ,a very short time1 not more  
than two or three days1 elapsed after   
the birth of ,christ1 when ,herod1 not  
hearing from the wise men1 gave the     
command for the wholesale murder of the 
infants4 ,it was certainly giving ,herod
 more credit for cruelty than was       
necessary1 even on that occasion1 for as
 ,christ was only a few days old when   
the order was given1 it was useless     
murder to include all under two years3  

ninety-five per cent1 of the infants    
might as well have been spared as not4  
,it is a matter of surprise that        
,josephus1 the ,jewish historian1 who   
suffers nothing deserving notice to     
escape his pen1 has made no mention of a
 fact which1 if true1 would have filled 
,bethlehem and the country round about  
it with mourning4 ,he could afford to   
make mention of the quarrels in ,herod's
 family2 but not one word to say about  
the wholesale slaughter of the infants4 
,the story is so absurd1 so easily      
exposed1 and of no possible use1 that it
 is omitted in ,mark1 ,luke1 and ,john4 
,but if the story is true1 what has it  
to do with the troubles of ,rachel8 ,the
 passage from ,jeremiah refers to a time
 in the history of the ,jews when       
,jerusalem was taken and held by the    
,assyrians1 and a great number of that  
people had taken refuge in ,egypt4 ,the 
,jews were undergoing great afflictions1
 and ,god1 through ,jeremiah1 undertakes
 to console and comfort them4 ,the      

,lord1 in plain language1 says3 ,i know 
that there is great suffering in        
,ramah--much lamentation and bitter     
weeping4 ,israel has lost many of her   
children1 and she suffers great sorrow  
and grief4 ,thus saith the ,lord3       
,refrain thy voice from weeping1 for thy
 work shall be rewarded1 saith the      
,lord2 and they shall come again from   
the land of the enemy4 7,jeremiah xxxi4 
#ae1 #af47 ,what has this to do with the
 cruelty of ,herod8  ,we have stated    
that the massacre of the infants was an 
invention to form an excuse to get      
,jesus into ,egypt2 for his return from 
that country would serve to prove that  
he was the one referred to when the     
,lord is made to say1 ,out of ,egypt ,i 
have called my son4 ,here1 we confess1  
we are at a loss to express our         
astonishment4 ,in the eleventh chapter  
of ,hosea1 the ,lord complains of the   
ingratitude of the ,jewish nation1 and  
reminds them what he had done for them  
in times past4 ,he expresses the love he

 had for them when the nation was young1
 and required the power of his arm to   
protect them4 ,when ,israel was a child1
 then ,i loved him1 and called my son   
out of ,egypt 7,hosea4 #a47 ,it need not
 be said1 that this refers to the       
deliverance of the ,jews from the hands 
of ,pharaoh4 ,israel is the son spoken  
of who had already passed out of ,egypt4
 ,and he came and dwelt in a city called
 ,nazareth1 that it might be fulfilled  
which was spoken by the prophets1 ,he   
shall be called a ,nazarene4 7,matthew  
ii4 #bc47 ,there is no such prophecy to 
be found in the ,old ,testament4        
,,chapter ,,xxii4       ,christ and     
,john the ,baptist  ,,the beginning of  
the gospel of ,jesus ,christ1 the ,son  
of ,god2 ,as it is written in the       
prophets1 ,behold1 ,i send my messenger 
before thy face1 which shall prepare thy
 way before thee4 ,the voice of one     
crying in the wilderness1 ,prepare ye   
the way of the ,lord1 make his paths    
straight4 7,mark i4 #a1b1 #c47 ,as in   

,matthew1 at the very outset1 the second
 ,gospel starts out to show that ,christ
 is the one foretold by the prophets1   
and that a direct reference is made to  
him by ,isaiah1 as one who was to be    
preceded by another who was to prepare  
the way for his advent4 ,cotemporaneous 
history1 and a critical examination of  
the words of the prophet1 will dispel   
the delusion4  ,hezekiah1 king of       
,judea1 was improvident enough to show  
to the son of the king of ,babylon1 then
 on a visit to him1 all his treasures1  
and riches of every description2 and    
there was nothing in his house1 nor in  
all his dominion1 that ,hezekiah shewed 
him not4 ,when ,isaiah was told by the  
king himself what he had done1 the      
prophet spoke and said3 ,hear the word  
of the ,lord of hosts3 ,behold1 the days
 come1 that all that is in thine house1 
and that which thy fathers have laid up 
in store until this day1 shall be       
carried to ,babylon3 nothing shall be   
left1 saith the ,lord4 ,and of thy sons 

that shall issue from thee1 which thou  
shalt beget1 shall they take away2 and  
they shall be eunuchs in the palace of  
the king of ,babylon4 ,then said        
,hezekiah to ,isaiah1 ,good is the word 
of the ,lord which thou hast spoken4 ,he
 said moreover1 ,for there shall be     
peace and truth in my days4 7,isaiah    
xxxix4 ,s1 #f1 #g1 #h47 ,the ,babylonian
 captivity-is here referred to4  ,isaiah
 then proceeds to declare that after    
great suffering1 in their servitude     
under the ,assyrians1 the ,lord would   
deliver the ,jewish people1 and that    
they should again be a great and        
prosperous nation4 ,comfort ye1 comfort 
ye my people1 saith your ,god4 ,speak ye
 comfortably to ,jerusalem1 and cry unto
 her1 that her warfare is accomplished1 
that her iniquity is pardoned3 for she  
hath received of the ,lord's hand double
 for all her sins4 ,the voice of him    
that crieth in the wilderness1 ,prepare 
ye the way of the ,lord1 make straight  
in the desert a highway for our ,god4   

,every valley shall be exalted1 and     
every mountain and hill shall be made   
low3 and the crooked shall be made      
straight1 and the rough places plain4   
7,isaiah xl4 #a1b1 #c1 #d47  ,with what 
tenderness the prophet speaks to his    
countrymen1 to assure them that their   
captivity will not last forever6        
,divested of poetical language and      
figures1 the ,lord says3 ,in your lost  
condition in slavery 7wilderness7 you   
shall hear the voice of the ,lord to    
comfort you4 ,be prepared1 for he will  
provide the means 7highway7 for your    
deliverance from captivity4 ,the words  
wilderness1 desert1 and highway are     
symbolical terms1 representing the lost 
condition of the ,jews and the promise  
made by the ,lord1 that he would provide
 means for their deliverance from their 
enemies4 ,what follows1 holds forth to  
the ,jews a glorious future4 ,every     
valley shall be exalted1 and every      
mountain and hill shall be made low4    
,that is1 the down-trodden and oppressed

 children of ,israel shall once more    
take the stand of an independent nation2
 and the proud and lofty ,assyrian shall
 in his turn be humbled1 and come under 
the yoke of the conqueror4 ,the idea    
which underlies the language of the     
prophet is1 that the ,jews will be      
ultimately restored to their own        
country1 and again become a prosperous  
people2 and as is characteristic of all 
these ,jewish prophecies1 the           
expressions1 and the crooked shall be   
made straight1 and the rough places     
plain1 are mere expletives1 to obscure  
the sense1 and increase the ambiguity4  
,like the oracles of ,greece1 a simple  
idea is concealed beneath figures and   
metaphors1 and the mind distracted by   
the introduction of thoughts that have  
no meaning1 and no connection with the  
subject4  ,josephus1 after giving a full
 account of this prophecy from ,isaiah  
says1 it was subsequently fulfilled in  
the captivity and restoration of the    
,jews1 and that when he wrote1 the words

 of the prophet had passed into history4
 7,antiq41 book x4 chap4 #b1 sec4 #b47  
,the ,lord1 by the prophet1 is          
addressing the ,jews of that day about  
matters which directly concerned them1  
and what was said had no more to do with
 ,john the ,baptist preaching on the    
,jordan1 in the neighborhood of the     
,arabian desert1 than it had with the   
travels of ,livingstone over the sands  
of ,africa4 ,the ,john referred to in   
,mark is a historic character1 and all  
we know about him we learn through      
,josephus4  ,in his day he was a        
reformer4 ,shocked at the low condition 
of the ,jews1 who had reached the lowest
 deep in crimes and vices of all kinds1 
through the corruption of the           
priesthood1 and tyranny of their civil  
,governors1 he undertook to reform      
abuses1 and elevate the moral standard  
of the nation4 ,standing on the banks of
 the ,jordan1 crowds from the           
surrounding country came to hear him    
denounce the sins of the people1 and be 

baptized4 ,he preached repentance1 and  
those who did repent he purified with   
the mystic waters of the ,jordan4  ,in  
the time of ,john1 the ,jewish people   
had become restive1 and chafed under the
 government of ,rome4 ,the elements of  
rebellion were then at work1 which1 a   
few years later1 led to open revolt1 and
 the total ruin of the nation4 ,while   
the ,jews overran with discontent1 the  
,roman ,governors were filled with      
suspicion4 ,herod took alarm at the     
course of ,john1 and caused him to be   
seized and confined in the castle of    
,macherus1 situated on the borders of   
the desert1 where he was afterwards put 
to death4 ,all that is known of him is  
found in the following extract from     
,josephus3  ,now1 some of the ,jews     
thought that the destruction of ,herod's
 army came from ,god1 and that very     
justly1 as a punishment of what he did  
against ,john1 that was called the      
,baptist2 for ,herod slew him1 who was a
 good man1 and commanded the ,jews to   

exercise virtue1 both as to             
righteousness towards one another1 and  
piety towards ,god1 and so to come to   
baptism2 for that washing with water    
would be acceptable to him if they made 
use of it1 not in order to the putting  
away or remission of some sins only1 but
 for the purification of the body2      
supposing still that the soul was       
thoroughly purified beforehand by       
righteousness4 ,now1 when many others   
came in crowds about him1 for they were 
greatly moved or pleased by hearing his 
words1 ,herod1 who feared lest the great
 influence ,john had over the people    
might put it into his power and         
inclination to raise a rebellion 7for   
they seemed ready to do anything he     
should advise71 thought it best1 by     
putting him to death1 to prevent any    
mischief he might cause1 and not bring  
himself into difficulties1 by sparing a 
man who might make him repent of it when
 it should be too late4 ,accordingly he 
was sent a prisoner1 out of ,herod's    

suspicious temper1 to ,macherus1 the    
castle ,i before mentioned1 and was     
there put to death4 ,now the ,jews had  
an opinion that the destruction of this 
army was sent as a punishment upon      
,herod1 and a mark of ,god's displeasure
 against him4 7,josephus1 ,antiq41 book 
xviii4 chap4 #e1 sec4 #b47  ,it was this
 passage1 and the one from ,isaiah1 ,the
 voice of him that crieth in the        
wilderness1 ,prepare ye the way of the  
,lord1 that suggested the story of      
,christ coming from ,galilee to the     
,jordan to be baptized by ,john1 and the
 scenes that followed4 ,as ,josephus1 in
 the passage just quoted1 speaks of what
 ,john was doing on the ,jordan1 and    
what occurred there1 it is strange he   
takes no notice of the wonderful things 
which took place at the time ,christ was
 baptized1 as described in ,matthew4    
,but1 as we have shown1 the prophecy of 
,isaiah has nothing to do with ,john the
 ,baptist4  ,the story that the life of 
,john was the price paid for a jig      

danced before ,herod1 is not only false 
and absurd1 but in one sense impossible4
 ,herod was a ,roman officer1 and       
received his appointment from ,rome4 ,as
 the ,governor of a province1 he acted  
under1 and was governed by law4 ,to take
 life without sufficient cause1 from    
mere wantonness or caprice1 subjected   
him to punishment and removal from      
office4 ,herod might put ,john to death 
as a promoter of sedition1 but not to   
gratify the spite of a woman who had    
been accused of incest4 ,pilate dared   
not deliver over ,christ to be          
crucified1 until after he was charged by
 the ,jews with conspiring against the  
government of ,caesar4 ,his claim to be 
king of the ,jews1 which was made a     
charge against him1 was the warrant     
which ,pilate had to surrender him to a 
merciless mob1 which would not be       
satisfied with anything less than his   
blood4 ,the author of ,matthew1 it is   
clear1 was ignorant of the topography of
 ,judea1 the history of the ,jews1 and  

knew nothing of the fundamental         
principles of the ,roman law4           
,,chapter ,,xxiii4       ,the miracle of
 the cloven tongues4--,misapplication of
 a      prophecy of ,joel4  ,in the     
,acts of the ,apostles1 a passage from  
,joel the prophet is spoken of by       
,peter1 as foretelling what is called   
the miracle of tongues3 ,at the end of  
forty days ,christ appeared to his      
disciples at ,jerusalem1 and being      
assembled together with them1 they were 
commanded not to depart from ,jerusalem 
until certain things should take place4 
,now the writer of the ,acts forgot what
 he said in his ,gospel1 if he wrote    
both1 for he there tells us that ,christ
 ascended the day of his resurrection1  
or at most1 the day after4 ,taking what 
we can glean from the four ,gospels1 and
 taking the probabilities of the case   
into the account1 the disciples1 a very 
short time after the death of ,jesus1   
returned to ,galilee4 ,the public mind  
was greatly moved against ,jesus1 which 

was more or less directed against his   
followers1 and as none of them were     
remarkable for courage1 it is hardly    
probable that they would tarry in       
,jerusalem1 especially as there was     
nothing to keep them4 ,but according to 
the writer in ,luke1 at the end of the  
forty days they were still in the city1 
and were commanded not to leave until   
certain things took place4  ,he next    
says1 ,and when the day of ,pentecost   
was fully come1 they were all with one  
accord in one place4 ,and suddenly there
 came a sound from heaven1 as of a      
rushing mighty wind1 and it filled all  
the house where they were sitting4 ,and 
there appeared unto them cloven tongues 
like as of fire1 and it sat upon each of
 them4 ,and they were filled with the   
,holy ,ghost1 and began to speak with   
other tongues1 as the ,spirit gave them 
utterance4 7,acts ii4 #a1 #b1 #c1 #d47  
,this is something truly wonderful1 and 
we are astonished that so strange and   
important an event has found no place in

 history--especially as a report of it  
must have been circulated far and wide1 
for the writer says1 that there were    
dwelling at ,jerusalem1 ,jews out of    
every nation under heaven1 who came to  
see for themselves4 ,the writer includes
 other people besides ,jews from every  
nation1 and says3 ,now when this was    
noised abroad1 the multitude came       
together1 and were confounded2 and among
 these were ,parthians1 ,medes1         
,elamites1 and the dwellers in          
,mesopotamia1 and in ,judea1 and        
,cappadocia--people from ,phrygia1      
,pamphylia1 ,cretans and ,arabians--and 
all heard spoken the language of their  
native countries4  ,josephus lived not  
long after this time1 and if he did not 
reside in ,jerusalem1 he must have been 
often in the ,jewish capital1 and if    
anything so wonderful as this had taken 
place1 he certainly must have heard of  
it1 and it was not possible for him to  
forget it when he came to write his     
history1 especially as things of no     

comparative importance are fully noted  
by him4  ,these things are so wonderful1
 that it is necessary to explain them by
 the direct action of the ,deity1 in    
fulfilment of prophecy4 ,the writer has 
,peter make a speech1 and ,peter tells  
the crowd that they need not be         
surprised1 for what had just happened   
had all been foretold1 and was nothing  
more than the fulfilment of a prophecy  
of ,joel1 who said3 ,and it shall come  
to pass in the last days1 saith ,god1 ,i
 will pour put my ,spirit upon all      
flesh3 and your sons and your daughters 
shall prophesy1 and your young men shall
 see visions1 and your old men shall    
dream dreams4 ,and on my servants and on
 my handmaids ,i will pour out in those 
days of my ,spirit2 and they shall      
prophesy3 and ,i will shew wonders in   
heaven above1 and signs in the earth    
beneath2 blood1 and fire1 and vapor of  
smoke3 the sun shall be turned into     
darkness1 and the moon into blood1      
before that great and notable day of the

 ,lord come4 7,acts ii4 #ag1 #ah1 #ai1  
#bj47  ,all this has nothing more to do 
with1 or has no more reference to1 the  
miracle of the cloven tongues than it   
has to the assassination of ,julius     
,caesar in the ,roman ,senate4 ,the     
,jews1 at the time referred to by ,joel1
 were suffering under great afflictions4
 ,there had been a most severe drought1 
and the land had been devoured by the   
locust1 the canker-worms and            
caterpillar4 ,as all calamities which   
befell the ,jewish people were referred 
by them to the displeasure of ,god on   
account of their sins1 ,joel exhorts    
them to repent1 and promises1 if they   
do1 the ,lord will come to the rescue4  
,then will the ,lord be zealous for his 
land and pity the people4 ,he will send 
down rain1 and the floors shall be full 
of wheat1 and the vats shall overflow   
with wine and oil4 ,and ,i will restore 
to you the years that the locust had    
eaten1 the cancer-worm and caterpillar  
and palmer-worm1 my great army which ,i 

sent among you4 ,and you shall eat in   
plenty and be satisfied1 and praise the 
name of the ,lord your ,god1 that hath  
dealt wondrously with you4 ,and ye shall
 know that ,i am in the midst of        
,israel1 and that ,i am the ,lord your  
,god1 and none else3 and my people shall
 never be ashamed4  ,now follows what   
,peter was made to say was the prophecy 
which foretold the miracle of the cloven
 tongues4 ,and it shall come to pass    
afterwards that ,i will pour out my     
,spirit on all flesh2 and your sons and 
your daughters shall prophesy1 your old 
men shall dream dreams1 and your young  
men shall see visions4 ,which means1 ,i 
will pour out my blessings 7,spirit7 on 
all flesh1 including the servants and   
handmaids--they shall be universal1 and 
not confined to any class4 ,then all the
 young and the old shall rejoice and be 
happy4 ,their happiness shall be of the 
most exalted kind1 unalloyed with care1 
like delightful dreams and visions4 ,as 
the prophet had said in the beginning of

 this chapter3 ,blow ye the trumpet in  
,zion1 and sound an alarm in my holy    
mountain3 let all the inhabitants of the
 land tremble3 for the day of the ,lord 
cometh1 for it is nigh at hand2 a day of
 darkness and of gloominess1 a day of   
clouds and of thick darkness1 as the    
morning spread upon the mountains3 a    
great people and a strong2 there hath   
not been ever the like1 neither shall be
 any more after it1 even to the years of
 many generations4 7,joel ii4 #a1 #b47  
,referring to this terrible calamity    
which was to come1 that the fear of it  
might not interrupt this general state  
of happiness which is spoken of1 the    
,lord tells the people that he will give
 them timely notice1 that they may be   
prepared3 ,and ,i will shew wonders in  
the heavens and in the earth1 blood1 and
 fire1 and pillars of smoke4 ,the sun   
shall be turned into darkness1 and the  
moon into blood1 before the great and   
the terrible day of the ,lord come4     
7,joel ii4 #cj1 #ca47 ,there could not  

be a state of universal joy among the   
people1 such as is described1 as long as
 the great and terrible day of the ,lord
 might overtake them any moment4 ,there 
could be no happiness where there was   
constant fear4 ,the ,lord promised that 
a timely warning should be given4 ,now  
what has this beautiful and sublime poem
 to do with the miracle of the cloven   
tongues8     ,,chapter ,,xxiv4          
,miracles4  ,it is in vain to deny the  
truth of a miracle on the ground that it
 is impossible1 and contravenes the     
well-established laws of the universe4  
,the power to create1 implies the power 
to suspend2 and as the performance of a 
miracle is the exercise of creative     
energy1 it is just as easy to exercise  
it in one case as another4 ,all efforts 
to demonstrate the impossibility of     
miracles have failed even in the hands  
of such men as ,hume1 because men reason
 on such subjects in a circle4 ,still it
 would be strange if there was no way to
 expose a false miracle1 especially     

where the results claimed from it are   
calculated to lead men into error4 ,when
 some unusual and extraordinary event   
which amounts to a miracle is said to   
have occurred one hundred years ago1 at 
a time when intelligent and inquisitive 
minds were around1 and no notice is     
taken of it by them in giving an account
 of their own times1 nor by any one     
else1 it is safe to conclude that it    
never did take place1 and that those who
 assert it for the first time at the end
 of the hundred years are engaged in an 
attempt to impose some fraud on their   
fellow-men4  ,from the death of ,christ1
 ,a4,d4 #cc1 to some time near ,a4,d4   
#adj1 we claim that no writer of profane
 or church history makes mention or     
speaks of the miracles described in the 
first three ,gospels1 and not those of  
the fourth until long afterwards4 ,it is
 by negative testimony alone that we can
 arrive at the truth4 ,in the first     
place1 did the great ,apostle of the    
,gentiles perform the miracles that are 

ascribed to him in the ,acts8 ,it is    
stated that at ,lystra he cured a man   
who had been crippled from his birth by 
his simple word2 he exorcised the evil  
spirit that was in ,lydia2 he raised    
,eutychus1 who had fallen from a window2
 cast from his hand1 unhurt1 the deadly 
viper2 and such miraculous powers did he
 possess1 that from his body were       
brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or  
aprons1 and the diseases departed from  
them1 and the evil spirits went out of  
them4 7,acts xix4 #ab47  ,paul1 in his  
epistles1 does not mention or refer to  
any of these wonderful things1 and does 
any man suppose1 if true1 he would fail 
to make some allusion to them8 ,he      
neither mentions the miracles ascribed  
to himself1 nor those described in the  
four ,gospels4 ,perhaps he did not      
disbelieve in the possibility of        
miracles1 for such belief was common to 
the age2 but to believe them possible1  
and believe that one has been performed1
 is another thing4 ,truly the signs of  

an ,apostle were wrought among you in   
all patience1 in signs and wonders1 and 
mighty deeds4 7#b ,cor4 xii4 #ab47 ,the 
signs and wonders here spoken of were   
made to appear to the ,corinthians      
alone1 and have no reference to miracles
 described in the ,new ,testament1 nor  
do we know what they were1 for no notice
 of them is taken in the ,acts4 ,in the 
#ahth chapter and #ith verse1 he says   
that he had a vision which told him not 
to be afraid to speak1 and not hold his 
peace4 ,the mighty deeds refers to his  
works as an ,apostle1 and the signs and 
wonders rather to the fruits of his     
preaching than to any display of        
miraculous power4  ,had ,paul possessed 
the power attributed to him in the      
,acts1 it would have been easier for him
 to have converted the world than to    
make the few converts he made after the 
labor of a life4 ,there were those      
living who in the course of nature might
 have seen ,lazarus1 or heard of his    
resurrection1 and had it been in the    

power of ,paul to have cited his case1  
or any of the miraculous cures claimed  
for ,christ or any of his disciples1 the
 conversion of mankind would have been  
as rapid as the movements of the earth4 
,every pagan temple and altar would have
 been deserted1 and their priests have  
fallen prostrate at the feet of ,paul4  
,a few pretended miracles and           
revelations on the part of ,mahomet     
established his claim to be the prophet 
of ,god1 and were the means1 backed by  
the scimitar1 of fixing the faith of    
millions4 ,paul is silent on the subject
 of the miracles4 ,barnabas was a       
companion and fellow-preacher with      
,paul4  ,no document extant to-day which
 relates to the ,apostolic age is       
entitled to more1 if as much confidence 
and credit1 as the epistle which bears  
his name4 ,for some reason1 it bears    
less evidence on its face of fraudulent 
manipulation than any other writing of  
that time1 and it is this evidence of   
its purity which excludes it from the   

list of canonical ,gospels this day4 ,it
 has been referred to by a long list of 
fathers1 commencing with ,origen1 and   
coming down to writers of our day1 as   
the genuine production of the companion 
of the great ,apostle4 ,no one1 not even
 the ,apostles themselves1 had more     
faith in ,christ than he1 and it seems  
to be the burden of his epistle to prove
 that he was the ,saviour who had been  
foretold by the prophets1 and whom the  
,jews were anxiously expecting4 ,had    
,christ1 in his ministry among men1 done
 or performed any act out of the course 
of nature which proved him superior to  
other men in his power over the laws of 
nature--anything like command over      
diseases1 sickness1 to say nothing of   
death--,barnabas would not have failed  
to dwell upon everything of the kind    
with energy and zeal1 because such      
powers would establish what he aimed to 
prove3 that is1 that ,christ was the one
 spoken of by the prophets4 ,but1 while 
he makes the most labored application of

 the prophecies to ,christ1 he makes no 
allusion to any wonderful work he       
performed while he was on the earth4 ,he
 has not one word to say on the subject 
of the miracles ascribed to ,christ in  
the ,gospels4  ,much may be inferred    
from the silence of ,apollos on the     
subject of miracles4 ,the intercourse   
between the ,jews at ,alexandria and    
,judea was constant4 ,nothing of        
importance could occur in ,jerusalem    
without its being known in a short time 
on the banks of the ,nile4 ,the history 
of ,john the ,baptist1 the works he did 
at the ,jordan1 and the manner of his   
death1 were all known to ,apollos from  
some source1 before ,josephus wrote his 
history of the ,jews2 but it seems he   
had never heard of ,christ or any of his
 wonderful works4 7,acts xviii47 ,after 
his conversion he taught that ,christ   
was the one expected by the ,jews1 and  
he undertook to prove it by the         
prophecies in the ,old ,testament4 ,it  
would have been far easier to establish 

this by the mention of the one-half the 
miracles ascribed to ,christ in the     
,gospels than by arguments drawn from   
prophecy1 which were vague1 obscure1 and
 doubtful4 ,but he had never heard of   
the resurrection of ,lazarus1 nor of the
 miracles of the loaves and fishes1 nor 
of the wonderful things that happened to
 the swine in the country of the        
,gadarenes4  ,there are now extant1     
writings which learned men refer to the 
,apostolic age1 which have no value     
except as they may throw some light on  
the age in which they were written4 ,we 
may mention the epistle of ,paul to the 
,laodiceans2 the epistles of ,paul to   
,seneca1 with ,seneca's to ,paul1 and   
the ,acts ,paul and ,thecla4 ,in none of
 these writings is any mention made of  
the miracles of ,paul1 or those of the  
,new ,testament1 and the silence of such
 works is only of consequence as it     
shows the universal ignorance of        
antiquity1 or the ,apostolic age1 on the
 subject2 for it is not to be supposed  

that those things which were standing   
themes for discourses and books in the  
second century1 would be unnoticed in   
the first1 if they did exist1 as well at
 one time as the other4 ,how can we     
account for the silence of the fathers  
of the church on this subject8 ,ignatius
 and ,polycarp were so near to the time 
of ,paul and the disciples1 and even    
,christ1 that nothing which concerned   
any one of them was unknown1 and if the 
miracles ascribed to them had been real 
occurrences1 nothing could be more      
effective in the hands of these fathers 
for the spread of the religion of       
,christianity4  ,but there is not only  
no mention by any one of them of the    
miracles1 but the ,gospels have not yet 
appeared4 ,up to the beginning of the   
first century1 there is no mention or   
reference made in any writing1 either to
 the ,gospels1 or the miracles they     
describe4 ,allusions are made in some   
cases to the ,scriptures1 in the most   
general terms2 and as the ,old          

,testament writings were called         
,scriptures1 and there was the ,hebrew  
,gospel of ,matthew1 and the epistles of
 ,barnabas1 ,james1 ,peter1 and ,paul1  
to which the term ,scripture might      
apply1 the reference is of no value in  
fixing the date of the ,gospels4 ,the   
first distinct and unequivocal notice of
 the first three ,gospels is found in   
,justin ,martyrs ,apology2 and he1 who  
speaks of them for the first time1      
dilates on their contents1 and refers to
 ,matthew1 ,mark1 and ,luke each by     
name3 to ,matthew nineteen1 to ,mark    
four1 and to ,luke fourteen times4 ,from
 this time to the present hour1 every   
book abounds in references to these     
,gospels4  ,as yet the ,gospel of ,john 
had not appeared4 ,what is remarkable in
 the ,gospels1 referred to by ,justin1  
who makes a most elaborate disquisition 
on the prophecies1 citing many passages 
to prove that ,christ was a divine      
person1 whose advent had been predicted1
 he does not make mention of any of his 

miracles1 or of those of any of his     
disciples4 ,he speaks of ,christ's birth
 from the ,virgin ,mary1 his miraculous 
conception1 and all the leading acts of 
his life1 as described in ,matthew and  
others1 but seems to have had no        
knowledge of the miraculous works he    
performed4  ,the silence of ,justin on  
the subject of miracles1 and his        
extended notice of the prophecies1 can  
only be explained by the fact that there
 was nothing said about them in the     
,gospels1 and that they were inserted at
 a later day4 ,as the quarrels among    
,christians in the second century       
intensified1 and as the authority of the
 church grew to be paramount as we      
approach the dark ages1 no doubt the    
,gospels underwent a revision1 and the  
miracles were added as a means to excite
 the awe and command the belief of the  
,pagan world4 ,the spirit for the       
creation of miracles commenced in the   
church before the end of the second     
century--was encouraged by it1 and has  

been continued down to our own times1   
and formed the most effective weapon for
 the conversion of the hordes of the    
,north1 and for the final overthrow of  
the followers of ,arius4 ,each age had  
its own miracles1 in each of which was  
apportioned the amount of divine energy 
required to subdue the obstinacy and    
unbelief to be overcome4  ,the silence  
of what are called profane writers on   
the subject of the miracles is equally  
unaccountable--if they are to be        
regarded as real occurrences in         
history--and none as much so as that of 
the ,jewish historian1 ,josephus4 ,of   
sacerdotal extraction1 and of royal     
descent1 ,flavius ,josephus was born    
,a4,d4 #cg4 ,he was alive in ,a4,d4 #if1
 but the time and manner of his death is
 unknown4 ,his works comprise a complete
 history of the ,jews1 and omit nothing 
that was worthy of notice4 ,he was a    
youth of great ability and promise1 and 
says of himself1 ,when ,i was a child1  
and about fourteen years of age1 ,i was 

commended by all for the love ,i had for
 learning1 on which account the high    
priest and principal men of the city    
came frequently to me together1 in order
 to know my opinion about the accurate  
understanding of points of law4 7,life  
of ,josephus1 sec4 ,i47  ,here we have a
 historian of the right kind1 living so 
near the time that he must have seen and
 conversed with those who had seen and  
known ,christ and his disciples4 ,how   
are we to regard his silence8 ,had      
,christ been the character which many   
suppose he was1 a teacher endowed beyond
 all other men1 with a divine genius to 
declare the doctrines which are to      
govern man in his relations towards the 
,creator and towards each other1 we can 
well understand why1 in ,a4,d4 #ic1 when
 ,josephus wrote the history of the     
,jews1 he failed to notice him4 ,his    
ministry extended through a period of   
only one year1 at a time when the       
,jewish people were chafing under the   
yoke of the ,romans1 and were preparing 

for a final struggle with the           
conquerors4 ,at such a time1 the        
presence of such a person as ,christ1   
who taught men to forgive their enemies1
 to love their neighbors as themselves1 
and to cultivate feelings which dispose 
mankind to peace and charity1 would most
 likely pass unnoticed4 ,if ,christ was 
more than a great teacher--if he were   
the second person in the ,godhead1 who  
condescended to visit the earth to      
instruct mankind1 and while here        
performed the wonderful works spoken of 
in the ,gospels1 then there is no way in
 which we can account for the silence of
 the ,jewish historian4 ,we are forced  
to admit that the ,son of ,god1 who took
 up his abode among men to convince and 
instruct them1 failed to make his       
presence known and felt so as to attract
 the notice of him who undertook to give
 a minute account of what happened at   
the time1 and in the country where he   
preached and taught4  ,the attempt in   
the fourth century to force into        

history1 between the regular course of  
events1 a passage intended to break the 
force of total unconsciousness on the   
part of ,josephus that there was such a 
person as ,christ1 to the eye of the    
critic is infinitely more damaging than 
complete silence4 ,a quarrel1 which led 
to a sedition1 sprang up in ,jerusalem1 
about the use made by ,pilate of sacred 
money1 to bring water into the city4    
,about the same time1 also1 another sad 
calamity happened1 which put the ,jews  
into disorder4 ,a ,roman woman called   
,paulina1 through the connivance of some
 of the gods of ,isis1 was seduced by a 
person of the name of ,mundus4 7,antiq41
 book xviii4 chap4 #c47 ,between these  
two events1 is wedged1 or forced in1 a  
paragraph which contains all the great  
historian has to say of ,christ1 and the
 events of his life4 ,twenty-nine lines 
are taken to tell about the troubles    
growing out of the misapplication of the
 sacred money2 one hundred and          
thirty-one about ,paulina and her       

misfortunes1 and sixteen are all that   
the historian requires to inform us of  
all he knows about ,christ4 ,much better
 had he said nothing4  ,if ,josephus    
makes no mention of ,christ and his     
miracles1 where must we look8 ,it is in 
vain to search among the writers of     
,greece and ,rome4 ,out of the nine     
reasons given by ,dr4 ,lardner for      
believing the passage from ,josephus in 
relation to ,christ spurious1 the first 
is sufficient3 it was never quoted1 or  
referred to1 by any writer previous to  
,eusebius1 who wrote in the fourth      
century4     ,,chapter ,,xxv4           
,epistle of ,paul to the ,hebrews4      
,,this epistle has been the source of   
more controversy than any other book of 
the ,new ,testament4 ,it has been the   
cause of much useless labor and         
unprofitable research4 ,in the first    
place1 was ,paul the author8 ,tertullian
 ascribes it to ,barnabas2 ,grotius to  
,st4 ,luke1 and ,luther the reformer    
thought it was written by ,apollos1     

mentioned in the ,acts2 but the         
testimony of ecclesiastical antiquity is
 all in favor of ,paul as the author4   
,allusions are made to it in the        
epistles of ,ignatius about ,a4 ,d4     
#ajg4 ,it is also referred to by        
,polycarp1 ,bishop of ,smyrna in the    
year ,a4 ,d4 #ajh4  ,internal evidence1 
supplied by the epistle itself1 is      
conclusive that ,paul was the writer4   
,no one better than he understood the   
veneration in which the ,levitical law  
was held by the ,jewish people1 and the 
tenacity with which they adhered to it4 
,as he believed that this law had passed
 away1 and that the ,lord had made a new
 covenant with the ,jewish nation1 it   
was natural for him to labor to open the
 eyes of his countrymen1 and bring them 
under the light of the new dispensation4
 ,it was for this reason1 when he       
entered into a place for the first time1
 that he always began to teach in the   
synagogue4 ,if ,paul wrote to the       
,hebrews at all1 it would be just such  

an epistle as the one ascribed to him1  
except certain portions1 which were     
clearly written after the ,pauline      
period of ,christianity had passed away4
  ,again1 it has been a question as to  
the language in which this epistle was  
first written4 ,at the time of ,paul1   
the original ,hebrew was understood by  
few1 and had ceased to be the language  
of the ,jews4 ,the original ,hebrew was 
broken in upon by several dialects--such
 as the ,east ,aramaean1 or ,chaldee1   
and the ,west ,aramaean1 or ,syriac4    
,the universal language of the day was  
,greek1 and no doubt ,paul adopted it in
 writing to the ,hebrews1 who were      
dispersed over ,europe1 ,asia1 and parts
 of ,africa4  ,as the initiatory formula
 usual in the epistles of ,paul is      
wanting in this1 it has been questioned 
whether it was really an epistle1 or    
only a discourse intended for the       
general reader4 ,the want of the usual  
formula can be easily accounted for1    
when the mind becomes convinced that the

 first chapter is not the production of 
,paul4 ,that it was written as it now   
stands by the forgers of the second     
century admits of no doubt4 ,the design 
of the writer is exposed in the very    
first and second verses of the first    
chapter4 ,god1 who at sundry times and  
in divers manners spake in time past    
unto the fathers by the prophets1 hath  
in these last days spoken unto us by his
 ,son1 whom he hath appointed heir of   
all things1 by whom also he made the    
worlds4  ,here ,christ is made the      
,creator by whom the worlds were made4  
,again3 ,who being the brightness of his
 glory1 and the express image of his    
person1 and upholding all things by the 
word of his power1 when he had by       
himself purged our sins1 sat down on the
 right hand of the ,majesty on high2    
being made so much better than the      
angels1 as he hath by inheritance       
obtained a more excellent name than     
they4 ,for unto which of the angels said
 he at any time1 ,thou art my ,son1 this

 day have ,i begotten thee8 ,and again1 
,i will be to him a ,father1 and he     
shall be to me a ,son8 ,and again1 when 
he bringeth in the first-begotten into  
the world1 he saith1 ,and let all the   
angels of ,god worship him4 7,heb4 i4   
#c-f47  ,here we find condensed into a  
few verses1 and declared in the most    
pointed language1 the ,godship of       
,christ1 first proclaimed by the men of 
the second century1 and which is in     
direct conflict with the remainder of   
the ,epistle1 and with what ,paul taught
 during his whole life4  ,commencing at 
the ninth verse of the second chapter1  
,paul says3 ,but we see ,jesus1 who was 
made a little lower than the angels for 
the suffering of death1 crowned with    
glory and honor2 that he by the grace of
 ,god should taste death for every man4 
,for verily he took not on him the      
nature of angels2 but he took on him the
 seed of ,abraham4 7,chap4 ii4 #af47    
,wherefore1 holy brethren1 partakers of 
the heavenly calling1 consider the      

,apostle and ,high ,priest of our       
profession1 ,christ ,jesus2 who was     
faithful to him who appointed him1 as   
also ,moses was faithful in all his     
house4 ,for this man was accounted      
worthy of more glory than ,moses1       
inasmuch as he who hath builded the     
house hath more honor than the house4   
,for every house is builded by some man2
 but he that built all things is ,god4  
7,chap4 iii4 #a-e47  ,on the fifth1     
sixth1 seventh and eighth verses of the 
second chapter1 ,paul declares that to  
angels is given the government of the   
world to come2 and to man1 who was made 
but little lower than the angels1 was   
consigned the government of the earth4  
,all men1 according to ,paul1 like      
,jesus1 were born but little lower than 
the angels--and ,christ by him is put on
 a level with all humanity4 ,it is      
evident that the first chapter1 as      
written by ,paul1 has been suppressed1  
and the one which has descended to us is
 made to take its place4 ,it is not     

possible that ,paul wrote the first and 
second chapters as they now stand4 ,in  
the one case ,christ is made more than  
the angels2 and in the other case he is 
made less4 ,in the one case he is the   
,creator of the world1 upholding all    
things by the word of his power2 in the 
other he is a ,high ,priest of the order
 of ,melchisedec1 and one of the        
descendants of ,abraham4 ,in the first  
chapter he formed the world1 and in the 
third chapter it is said1 ,he who built 
all things is ,god4 ,the doctrines here 
declared are unreconcilable1 but it is  
not difficult to distinguish between    
those of ,paul and those of the men of  
the second century4  ,paul speaks of    
three orders of the priesthood3 that of 
,melchisedec1 that under the ,levitical 
law1 and that under the new covenant1   
with ,christ at the head4 ,what was the 
character of the priesthood of the order
 of ,melchisedec1 ,paul does not        
say--nor do we know where to look for   
information on the subject4 ,he was     

without father1 without mother1 without 
descent1 having neither beginning of    
days1 nor end of life2 but made like    
unto the ,son of ,god3 abideth a priest 
continually4 7,chap4 vii4 #c47 ,when we 
are informed in the same chapter that   
,christ is a priest after the order of  
,melchisedec1 who is made1 not after the
 law of a carnal commandment1 but after 
the power of an endless life 7ver4 #af71
 we detect the insidious and subtle     
poison of the ,johannian school4  ,here 
we have a ,logos1 who was in the        
beginning1 and who would continue       
through all time1 which could never be  
true of any of the descendants of       
,abraham4 ,the priesthood under the     
,levitical law1 ,paul claimed1 had      
passed away1 and was succeeded by a much
 better one with ,christ as its head4   
,the last was superior to the old       
because it would continue forever1 an   
unchangeable priesthood4 7,chap4 vii4   
#bd47 ,in this new and better           
dispensation1 ,christ is as superior to 

,moses and ,aaron1 as the new covenant  
is superior to the old4 ,christ is      
called a ,high ,priest1 a minister of   
the sanctuary1 and of the true          
tabernacle1 which the ,lord pitched1 and
 not man4 7,chap4 viii4 #b47  ,if       
,christ was the ,son of ,god1 born of a 
virgin1 when ,paul was instructing his  
countrymen in the mysteries of the new  
covenant1 and was pointing out to them  
the relation which ,christ bore to the  
same1 as compared with ,moses under the 
old1 how happened it that he fails to   
make mention of this important fact     
altogether8 ,how can we account for the 
silence of ,paul at such a time on a    
subject of such vital importance8 ,he   
was a man of learning1 and well versed  
in all that was written by the ,hebrew  
prophets2 and if the fourteenth verse of
 the seventh chapter of ,isaiah had any 
application to ,christ1 or any other    
prophecy in the ,old ,testament1 why did
 he not point them out to his           
countrymen1 and in this way prove that  

,christ was not only superior to ,moses1
 but to the angels8 ,why call him a     
,high ,priest1 and admit his ,jewish    
descent1 from the father of the ,hebrew 
nation8 ,who so well as ,paul could     
define the status of ,christ under the  
new covenant8 ,his numerous visits to   
,jerusalem1 not long after ,christ's    
death1 his intimacy with all the        
disciples1 gave him every and ample     
means for information2 and the deep     
interest he took in every particular    
which related to ,christ stimulated     
inquiry2 and whatever he found that was 
important to be known as a part of the  
new faith1 he would not fail to proclaim
 in tones of thunder1 from the          
,euphrates to the ,tiber4  ,we can well 
imagine his astonishment when the       
doctrines of the ,greek school first    
began to make headway in his little     
churches4 ,we can form some idea of his 
feelings by reading the eleventh and    
twelfth chapters in the second epistle  
to the ,corinthians3 ,would to ,god ye  

could bear with me a little in my folly3
 and indeed bear with me4 ,for ,i am    
jealous over you with godly jealousy3   
for ,i have espoused you to one husband1
 that ,i may present you as a chaste    
virgin to ,christ4 ,but ,i fear1 lest by
 any means1 as the serpent beguiled ,eve
 through his subtilty1 so your minds    
should be corrupted from the simplicity 
that is in ,christ4 ,for if he that     
cometh preacheth another ,jesus whom we 
have not preached1 or if ye received    
another spirit1 which ye have not       
received1 or another gospel1 which ye   
have not accepted1 ye might well bear   
with him4 7#b ,cor4 xi4 #a-d47 ,rendered
 into plain language1 he says3 ,would to
 ,god you would pardon my zeal and      
anxiety on your account4 ,having        
instructed you in the religion of       
,christ1 ,i am jealous and over-anxious 
that you should stand as examples of    
pure ,christianity1 and not surrender   
your pure and virgin faith in ,christ1  
carried away by the subtle doctrines of 

cunning men4 ,if any one speaks of      
,christ1 and claims that he is anything 
different from what ,i have taught      
you--or if any one has preached to you a
 different religion or a different      
gospel1 from that which you learned of  
me1 you show your forbearance if you do 
not visit your anger upon them1 who thus
 labor to mislead and deceive you4      
,throughout these two chapters ,paul    
shows deep sorrow on account of the     
progress of the new faith1 and with his 
expressions of regret1 he mingles words 
of reproof4 ,the troubles growing out of
 it followed him through life4 ,they    
harassed him in his prison4 ,he lived to
 see all ,asia turned away from him4    
,with an aching heart he makes one last 
request of ,timothy3 ,and the things    
that thou hast heard of me among many   
witnesses1 the same commit thou to      
faithful men1 who shall be able to teach
 others also4 7#b ,tim4 ii4 #b47        
,,chapter ,,xxvi4       ,the controversy
 between ,ptolemaeus and ,irenaeus as to

 the      length of ,christ's           
ministry4--,christ was in ,jerusalem but
      once after he began to preach1    
according to the first three            
,gospels1 but three times according to  
,john4--,if the      statements made in 
the first three are true1 everything    
stated in the fourth could only happen  
after the death of      ,christ4  ,it   
will be remembered that ,ptolemaeus     
asserted that the time of ,christ's     
ministry did not exceed the period of   
one year4 ,this drove ,irenaeus to claim
 that it continued for the space of ten 
years1 on the authority of a tradition  
derived from ,john4 ,the precise time   
when1 and what1 ,ptolemaeus wrote1 we   
have no means in our day of finding out2
 for his writings1 like all those of the
 ,gnostics1 doubtless perished under the
 destructive edict of the ,emperor      
,constantine4 ,we are at liberty to     
conclude that he wrote before the fourth
 ,gospel appeared1 as he limits the time
 to one year1 which agrees in that      

respect with the ,synoptics4 ,had he had
 any knowledge of the fourth ,gospel1 he
 might1 by adopting the mode of         
reasoning on this subject used by the   
orthodox1 have made the time three years
 instead of one4 ,it will be noted that 
,irenaeus1 in his controversy with      
,ptolemaeus1 makes no mention of the    
fourth ,gospel1 but falls back on a     
tradition4 ,in a dispute with a         
sharp-witted adversary1 he found it     
safer to rely on a tradition1 as evasive
 as the mirage of the desert1 than the  
authority of the fourth book of ,john4  
,the reason for this preference will be 
readily seen when the subject is        
understood4 ,according to ,matthew1     
after the temptation in the wilderness1 
,christ returned to ,nazareth1 in       
,galilee4 ,he left ,nazareth and came   
and dwelt in ,capernaum1 in the borders 
of ,zabulon and ,nephthalim1 as spoken  
by ,esaias3 ,the land of ,zabulon and   
the land of ,nephthalim1 by the way of  
the sea1 beyond ,jordan1 ,galilee of the

 ,gentiles4 ,the people which sat in    
darkness saw great light2 and to them   
which sat in the region and shadow of   
death light is sprung up4 ,from that    
time ,jesus began to preach1 and to say1
 ,repent3 for the kingdom of heaven is  
at hand4 7,chapter iv4 #ae1 #af1 #ag47  
,here the place where ,christ commenced 
to preach is clearly defined2 and as the
 spot had been pointed out by ,isaiah   
seven hundred years before1 there could 
be no mistake1 unless the inspiration of
 the great ,hebrew prophet was at fault4
 ,mark and ,luke substantially agree    
with ,matthew2 so1 according to all     
three1 ,christ began his labors at      
,capernaum4 ,the precise time in the    
year we cannot tell1 but it must have   
been shortly after the fourteenth of    
,march 7,nisan71 when the celebration of
 the ,passover commenced4 ,at the       
following festival1 as we will show1    
,christ was put to death4 ,in the       
meantime he had performed the greater   
part of his work1 which would require   

not much less than a year4 ,that ,christ
 should go to ,jerusalem to celebrate   
the first ,passover after he began to   
preach is not only probable but almost  
certain4 ,everything shows that he did4 
,the laws of ,moses commanded every ,jew
 to observe this feast2 and although no 
place is specified1 all deemed it the   
highest religious duty to go to         
,jerusalem for that purpose4 ,on such   
occasions an innumerable multitude came 
hither out of the country--many beyond  
its limits1 according to ,josephus4     
,hence the great destruction of the     
,jewish people1 who had come up to the  
holy city to celebrate1 when it was     
destroyed by ,titus4 ,christ could      
hardly fail to be present at the first  
celebration after he began to preach1   
especially as he was accustomed to go   
every year from childhood with his      
parents1 according to ,luke4 ,if ,christ
 attended the first festival after he   
began his work1 his ministry continued  
for less than one year1 for he went     

there but once after he began to preach4
 ,the early part of his career was      
solely passed in ,galilee1 according to 
,matthew1 ,mark and ,luke4 ,his labors  
were confined to his own country1 mostly
 in the neighborhood of the sea of      
,tiberias4 ,at length1 as the time for  
the celebration of the ,passover        
approached1 his thoughts were directed  
toward the city of ,david4 ,at ,caesarea
 ,philippi he concluded at last to go to
 ,jerusalem4 ,from that time forth began
 ,jesus to shew unto his disciples how  
that he must go unto ,jerusalem1 and    
suffer many things of the elders and    
chief priests and scribes1 and be       
killed1 and be raised again the third   
day4 7,matt4 xvi4 #ba47 ,at length he   
departed from ,galilee and came into the
 coasts of ,judea beyond ,jordan4       
7,chap4 xix4 ,i47 ,and when he was come 
into ,jerusalem all the city was moved1 
saying1 ,who is this8 7,chap4 xxi4 #aj47
 ,would that question have been asked if
 he had been there the year before8     

,that this was ,christ's first visit to 
,jerusalem1 according to the first three
 ,gospels1 will not admit of a doubt4   
,here he taught and preached until he   
was handed over bound into the hands of 
,pilate4 ,he never after this left the  
city until his immortal spirit took its 
flight from ,calvary4 ,the itinary of   
,christ1 as we have it in the first     
three ,gospels1 renders it impossible   
that he made any visit to ,jerusalem    
except the one above mentioned4 ,we can 
trace him1 step by step1 from the       
beginning to the end of his career4 ,he 
began to preach at ,capernaum1 and from 
there he traveled all over ,galilee4 ,in
 the meantime he delivered his divine   
,sermon on the ,mount4 ,from the ,mount 
he returned to ,capernaum4 ,from here he
 entered a ship and rebuked the sea4 ,he
 next crossed over to the country of the
 ,gadarines4 ,from there he recrossed   
the sea and went into his own city4     
,once more he travels over ,galilee1    
preaching1 and healing diseases4 ,on the

 shores of ,tiberias he delivered the   
parable of the sower1 and again went    
back to his own country4 ,while there he
 heard of the death of ,john the        
,baptist2 when he crossed over the sea  
of ,tiberias1 and on the east shore fed 
the multitude4 ,after events which are  
fully declared1 he and his disciples    
crossed the sea and went to the land of 
,gennesaret4 ,from there he departed    
unto the coast of ,tyre and ,sidon4 ,he 
returned unto the sea of ,galilee1 and  
went up into a mountain and again fed   
the multitude4 ,from here he went unto  
the coast of ,magdala1 and from there to
 ,caesarea ,philippi1 when he made up   
his mind at last to go to ,jerusalem4   
,in the meantime it was not possible for
 him to have made a visit to the ,holy  
,city4 ,he had not even been in ,judea4 
,according to ,john1 ,christ did not    
manifest his divine power at ,capernaum1
 but at ,cana4 ,this was not a great    
while before the feast of the ,passover1
 for he went from ,cana to ,capernaum1  

where he remained not many days but went
 to ,jerusalem to celebrate4 ,as ,john  
and the writers of the first three      
,gospels have ,christ attend the first  
festival after he began his ministry1 it
 follows1 according to ,john1 that      
,christ at that time had just begun to  
teach2 while1 if we believe the other   
three writers1 he had nearly performed  
his work1 and came to ,jerusalem to meet
 his death4 ,the ,gospel of ,john causes
 ,christ to make three distinct visits  
to ,jerusalem3 first1 soon after the    
miracle at ,cana1 the same mentioned by 
,matthew1 ,mark and ,luke2 the second1  
when he attended a feast of the ,jews1  
which ,dr4 ,robertson and other learned 
writers claim was the ,passover2 and a  
third1 when he went to witness the feast
 of the ,tabernacle4 ,now1 if the first 
three ,gospels are true1 then everything
 stated in the fourth as the works of   
,christ must have been performed after  
his death6 ,every day1 from the time he 
set out from ,capernaum to teach1 to his

 first and last entrance into           
,jerusalem1 is accounted for in the     
first three ,gospels4 ,this second visit
 was not without a special significance4
  ,so strong was the proof in the last  
half of the second century that ,john   
had never been to the western coast of  
the ,mediterranean1 that ,irenaeus and  
others of that century dare not assert  
that the fourth ,gospel was written by  
him in ,asia ,minor4 ,on this point the 
great criminal is silent4 ,but1 in the  
,gospel itself1 there is an evident     
effort made to have it appear that it   
was written before the fall of          
,jerusalem4 ,even the learned ,basnage  
and ,lampe were betrayed into this      
belief1 and so were others4 ,lardner    
fixes the date in the year #fh1 ,owen   
#fi1 and the learned ,michaelis in #gj4 
,that such men should have fallen into  
this belief is truly wonderful1 for its 
fallacy is apparent at first view4 ,this
 ,gospel1 as none dispute1 was written  
in reply to the ,gnostics1 and as none  

of that sect1 as will be shown1 was     
known to be in existence until the      
second century1 it at once disposes of  
the question4 ,chrysostom1 ,epiphanius1 
,mills1 ,fabricius and ,bishop ,tomline1
 with others1 saw the dilemma1 and fixed
 the date of the ,gospel at a later     
period--some at #ig1 and others at #ih4 
,that part of this ,gospel by which ,dr4
 ,lardner and others were misled is as  
follows3 ,now there is at ,jerusalem1 by
 the sheep-market1 a pool which is      
called in the ,hebrew tongue ,bethesda1 
having five porches4 ,from the language 
here used1 they conclude that ,jerusalem
 was standing when the ,gospel was      
written1 as the present is used instead 
of the past tense4 ,few things troubled 
the ,catholics of the second century    
more than to find a convenient date for 
,john's ,gospel4 ,if it was written     
before the fall of ,jerusalem1 where    
there was a sheep market having five    
porches still standing1 it was too      
early1 by many years1 for ,corinthus and

 other leading ,gnostics4 ,if its date  
were fixed at the end of the century    
when ,john was in ,asia ,minor1         
,catholics were met with proof that     
,john never was there4 ,the story of the
 angel1 and the man who had an infirmity
 for eight-and-thirty years1 was a      
clumsy invention to make way for the    
deception as to the early date of the   
,gospel4 ,if there was in fact such a   
pool as represented1 whose medical      
properties were dependent upon the      
visitation of an angel1 and which had   
properties to cure all diseases1 it was 
the only one of the kind1 or anything   
like it1 ever known to man2 its fame    
would have spread far and wide1 and     
,jewish historians1 who delight to dwell
 upon anything which belongs to their   
country1 would have emphasized a        
phenomenon like the pool of ,bethesda1  
as proof of divine favor shown to their 
nation4 ,it excites the anger of        
commentators1 and ,doddridge among the  
rest1 that ,josephus has failed to      

notice it2 and among the extraordinary  
motives assigned for his silence is a   
fear that he would disgust his pagan    
readers6 ,the same commentator says3 ,it
 is probable that the miracle was not   
wrought for any length of time1 and     
perhaps ceased on this occasion4 ,this  
may account for the surprising silence  
of ,josephus in a story which made so   
much for the honor of his nation4 ,he   
himself was not born when it happened1  
and1 though he might have heard the     
report of it1 he would1 perhaps 7in the 
modern way71 oppose speculation and     
hypothesis to fact4 ,jenks1 another     
commentator1 says3 ,it is true the      
,jewish historians1 who are not sparing 
in praise of ,jerusalem1 do none of them
 mention this pool1 for which1 perhaps1 
this is the reason3 that it was taken as
 a presage of the approach of the       
,messiah1 and1 therefore1 they who      
denied him to be come industriously     
concealed such an indication of his     
coming4 ,no one has ever pretended to   

have found this pool1 although pious    
travelers have found every other spot   
consecrated by the life and death of    
,christ4 ,helena1 the mother of         
,constantine1 as early as ,a4 ,d4 #cbf1 
made a pilgrimage to the ,holy ,city to 
discover the places made sacred by      
scenes in the life of the ,saviour2 and 
when human energy and skill failed1 she 
called to her assistance the aid of the 
miraculous4 ,but the powers that enabled
 her to find the true cross1 after a    
waste in the earth of over three hundred
 years1 and detect the place of the     
,lord's sepulcher1 and other sacred     
spots which ,infidel hatred vainly      
attempted to obliterate1 failed to      
discover the place where the angel of   
mercy found ground to rest her feet when
 she descended from heaven1 loaded with 
blessings for the blind1 halt and       
withered4  ,it is admitted by all       
writers1 and especially ,michaelis 7vol4
 iii4 part ,i1 p4 #bhj71 that the       
,gospel of ,john was written in answer  

to the ,gnostics1 and especially        
,corinthus1 who lived in the last years 
of the first century4 ,it was possible  
to spin out the life of ,john to the end
 of the century1 and thus bring him near
 the time when ,corinthus flourished2   
but it is fatal to the claim1 set up by 
,irenaeus and others1 that ,john was the
 author of the fourth ,gospel1 that the 
quarrels which grew out of the writings 
of ,corinthus failed to attract notice  
until some time about the middle of the 
second century4 ,you may look in vain   
among all the writings of the ,fathers  
and others of the first century to find 
the name of ,corinthus or any of his    
writings1 although we can trace         
,gnosticism1 in its primitive stages1 as
 early as the first years in the second4
 ,still1 it assumed but little          
importance in its contests with         
,christianity until some time after the 
year ,a4 ,d4 #aag4 ,buck says that ,many
 persons were infected with the ,gnostic
 heresy in the first century2 though the

 sect did not render itself conspicuous1
 either for numbers or reputation1      
before the reign of ,adrian1 when some  
writers erroneously date its rise8      
,there was no call or demand for the    
fourth ,gospel until ,christians and    
,gnostics commenced their quarrels1     
which was long after ,john's death1 even
 admitting that he lived to be a hundred
 years old4 ,there was no help in the   
emergency which then arose1 but to      
antedate the fourth ,gospel1 to confound
 the time when ,cerinthus wrote with the
 time when the spread of his doctrines  
created discussion among ,christians4   
,,chapter ,,xxvii4       ,the phase     
assumed by ,christianity in the fourth  
,gospel      demanded a new class of    
miracles from those given in the        
first three4--,a labored effort in this 
,gospel to sink the      humanity of    
,christ4--,his address to ,mary4--,the  
temptation in      the wilderness       
ignored1 and the last supper between him
 and      his disciples                 

suppressed4--,interview between ,christ 
and the      women and men of           
,samaria4--,a labored effort to connect 
,christ with ,moses exposed4  ,when the 
incarnation became a leading feature of 
,christianity1 its whole spirit         
underwent a change from what it was in  
the first three ,gospels4 ,the miracles 
which they describe are too tame for the
 new phase which ,christ is made to     
assume4 ,none of the five1 except one1  
in the ,gospel of ,john1 are mentioned  
in the first three1 for the apparent    
reason that those in the ,synoptics all 
fall short of upholding the claims set  
up for ,christ in the fourth4 ,the      
subsidence of the sea at ,tiberias1 at  
his command1 was some proof that he held
 control of the wind and waves1 but a   
lucky coincidence might account for     
part1 and ocular deception for the rest4
 ,but1 in that case1 the constituents of
 the water were not changed4 ,not so    
with the water at the feast at ,cana4   
,the restoration of the widow's son at  

,nain1 and of the daughter of ,jairus1  
might admit of doubt1 for the first had 
not shown signs of decided death1 and   
the latter may have been a case of      
coma--,for the maid is not dead1 but    
sleepeth4 7,matt4 ix4 #bd47 ,but in the 
case of ,lazarus there could be no      
mistake4 ,for four days the seal of     
death sat upon his brow1 and flesh and  
blood were fast returning to their      
native dust4 ,christ1 in the first three
 ,gospels1 heals diseases and cures the 
blind2 but how much was to be referred  
to his power as a god1 and how much to  
the skill of a ,thera-peutae1 might     
invite discussion4 ,but in the cases of 
the man who had an infirmity for        
eight-and-thirty years1 and the one born
 blind1 there could be no ground for    
dispute4 ,the miracles selected proved  
all that was claimed for ,christ in the 
first part of the ,gospel4 ,he was      
master of the elements1 death heard and 
obeyed his voice1 and he held the       
avenues which led from fife to the      

grave4 ,the miracle of the loaves and   
fishes is the only one in the first     
three ,gospels repeated by ,john1       
because it proved his power over nature2
 for if he did not change the elements1 
as he did at ,cana1 he multiplied them4 
,we see in this ,gospel a studied effort
 to avoid anything like a human         
parentage for ,christ1 as stated in the 
first three ,gospels4 ,the trip to      
,bethlehem1 the birth in the manger1 the
 journey of the wise men from the ,east1
 are all omitted4 ,the name of ,mary in 
this ,gospel is studiously kept in the  
background4 ,she is barely mentioned    
twice1 once at the feast of ,cana3 ,and 
when they wanted wine1 the mother of    
,jesus saith unto him1 ,they have no    
wine2 ,jesus saith unto her1 ,woman1    
what have ,i to do with thee8 ,the true 
answer intended by the question         
was--nothing4 ,christ could not be      
entirely oblivious of earthly ties4 ,he 
had lived under the same roof with      
,mary4 ,he had received from her many   

acts of kindness2 and if nature was     
allowed her empire over the heart2 he   
must have felt for her the affection of 
a son4 ,for him she had all the feelings
 of a mother4 ,she followed and stood by
 him at the cross4 ,as she stood and    
wept in his sight1 the only words of    
consolation and endearment he could give
 her were as cold and heartless as a    
,lapland wind3 ,woman1 behold thy son6  
,the word woman was ever on his lips4   
,when he recommends her1 at the last    
scene1 to the care of the disciples1 he 
is studied and guarded in his language3 
,then saith he to the disciple1 ,behold 
thy mother4 ,the scenes at the cross    
were too solemn to permit the studied   
purpose of an artful bigot to muzzle the
 voice of nature4 ,truth turns away from
 the story4  ,the design of this ,gospel
 to keep out of view the carnal nature  
of ,christ1 as it appears in the first  
three ,gospels1 is marked with          
,jesuitical cunning4 ,he who was born1  
not of blood1 nor of the will of the    

flesh1 but of ,god1 must be so          
constituted as to be above the          
weaknesses and frailties of those who   
are born of earth4 ,the temptations in  
the wilderness1 which supply the most   
remarkable scenes in the life of        
,christ1 and1 as given in the first     
three ,gospels1 proved the power of the 
,son of ,god over the ,powers of        
,darkness1 are wholly unnoticed in the  
,gospel of ,john4 ,he who was all ,god1 
without a link to connect him with      
humanity1 must be so superior to ,satan 
as to be above his arts of seduction4   
,john will not allow ,christ to be      
tempted1 because he was above it2 but1  
in sinking his humanity to favor a      
dogma1 he keeps out of sight the most   
sublime and god-like portion of his     
character--the power to rise above the  
allurements of wealth1 power1 and       
dominion4 ,it was by such things he     
proved himself a god4 ,the design of the
 fourth ,gospel is overdone4 ,in making 
,christ all ,god1 no chord of sympathy  

is left between him and man4 ,even in   
the last supper1 dwelt upon with so much
 tenderness by ,matthew1 ,mark and      
,luke1 we detect1 by the silence of     
,john1 the spirit of the ,jesuit4 ,he   
makes no mention of it4 ,who can mistake
 the reason of this silence8 ,the tender
 scenes of this last interview between  
,christ and his disciples are sacrificed
 to make way for a senseless and        
heartless dogma4 ,in the last supper1   
given in the ,synoptics1 the bread and  
wine are mere symbols of the death and  
sufferings of ,christ4 ,it was this     
symbolic character of the sacrament that
 the writer of ,john wished to avoid4   
,as the ,lord's supper is with ,john a  
real sacrifice1 each repetition is a    
fresh atonement1 and the bread and wine1
 by a miraculous conversion1 are made   
flesh and blood4 ,there could be no     
sacrifice of the body of ,christ until  
death1 and1 for that reason1 the last   
supper between him and his disciples    
before the crucifixion is omitted4 ,this

 miraculous conversion of the elements  
has been one of the holy mysteries of   
the ,church for ages past4 ,it has been 
the bigot's wand4 ,millions have fallen 
down before the ,host4 ,it led the      
crusades4 ,the fair fields of ,europe   
and ,asia have been whitened by the     
bones of its victims4 ,in fine1 it has  
been the armory in which fanaticism has 
forged her most fatal and dangerous     
weapons4 ,with ,john1 the body of       
,christ is never dead--the grave cannot 
hold it2 but it exists in a mysterious  
union with the ,church1 so that every   
time the devout believer eats of the    
bread1 or touches the sacred cup to his 
lips1 he partakes of the flesh and      
drinks the blood of the ,son of ,god4   
,such is the dogma which took its rise  
in the last half of the second century1 
the offspring of a bitter1 heated       
controversy which demands that reason be
 strangled to make room for faith4 ,it  
is the fate of this dogma1 as it is of  
all like it1 to be associated with      

others equally false and absurd4 ,it can
 have no fellowship with truth4         
,speaking of ,christ1 ,john says3 ,the  
same was in the beginning with ,god4    
,all things were made by him1 and       
without him was not anything made that  
was made4 7,chap4 i4 #b1 #c47 ,christ   
says of himself3 ,for ,i came down from 
heaven1 not to do mine own will1 but the
 will of him that sent me4 7,chap4 vi4  
#ch47 ,he was on earth thirty-three     
years4 ,in what business was this       
creator of worlds engaged for thirty    
years of this time8 ,if anything1 so far
 as we can know1 it was the business of 
a carpenter4 ,did he do his ,heavenly   
,father's business all this time8 ,this 
is what he says himself he was sent to  
do4 ,the first proof he gave of the     
power of a god1 while here1 was at      
,cana4 ,it was here that he first       
manifested forth his glory1 and inspired
 his disciples with faith4 ,the first   
three ,gospels leave ,christ to his     
humanity to the time the angels took    

charge of him1 and subject him1 like    
other mortals1 to human employments4 ,in
 ,john1 a god with power to create      
worlds is bound up in the fate of       
mortals for thirty years1 and only      
escapes thralldom when the spell is     
broken at the marriage feast4 ,would he1
 who was with ,god in the beginning1    
whose word was sufficient to create     
worlds1 submit to a fate like this8     
,the interview between ,christ and the  
woman of ,samaria affords abundant      
evidence of the spurious character of   
the fourth ,gospel1 and that the writer 
was some ,greek who was ignorant of the 
religion of ,moses and the ,jews4  ,the 
temple of ,jerusalem being destroyed by 
,nebuchadnezzar1 the ,samaritans        
proposed to join the ,jews after their  
captivity in rebuilding it2 but the     
,jews refused the coalition4 7,ezra iv4 
#a-c47 ,this gave rise to other causes  
of dispute1 until the most inveterate   
hatred grew up between the two peoples4 
,at length1 by permission of ,alexander 

the ,great1 the ,samaritans erected a   
temple at ,mount ,gerizim1 in opposition
 to the one at ,jerusalem4 ,the same    
worship was observed in both cities1 and
 both people avoided the idolatry of    
surrounding nations4 ,all the followers 
of ,moses in ,judea shared alike in the 
calamities which befell the ,jewish     
people2 so all shared a common belief   
that ,god would at some time1 by the    
hand of a deliverer1 restore to them all
 they had lost4 ,if by the hand of      
,cyrus the power of the ,assyrian empire
 had been torn down1 the ,temple        
rebuilt1 and the ,jews and ,samaritans  
placed back in their homes in ,judea2   
so1 if some like calamity should befall 
them1 the same hand would again restore 
them to liberty and the land of their   
inheritance4 ,the ,jews and ,samaritans1
 though divided on some things1 were    
alike the chosen people of ,god1 and the
 promises made to one were made to both4
 ,at the time ,christ made his          
appearance in ,samaria1 the people of   

that country had settled convictions as 
to what they might expect from the      
promises made to them by ,jehovah       
through ,moses1 their great lawgiver and
 prophet4 ,these convictions1 like the  
concretion of ages1 had solidified1 and 
made up the ,jewish and ,samaritan      
character4 ,whatever might befall them1 
they had no expectations of a spiritual 
deliverer of any kind4 ,they recognized 
no spiritual bondage growing out of the 
sins of the first parents1 like the     
believers in ,christianity1 for ,moses  
taught nothing of the kind4 ,a personal 
sacrifice1 like that of ,christ1 to save
 men from the condemnation of a broken  
law1 never entered into the mind of     
either ,jew or ,samaritan4 ,neither was 
cosmopolitan1 and with them a deliverer 
was a deliverer to the ,jews and not the
 ,gentiles4 ,after ,christ had convinced
 the woman at the well that he was a    
prophet1 by telling her past life1 she  
is made to say3 ,i know that ,messiah   
cometh which is called ,christ2 when he 

is come he will tell us all things4     
,jesus saith unto her1 ,i that speak    
unto thee am he4 ,it is said that the   
woman believed2 if so1 did she          
understand him8 ,with ,christ1 he was   
the ,son of ,god1 equal with the        
,father2 was with him in the beginning1 
and by him the universe was made--he was
 the ,creator4 ,we ask again1 did the   
woman believe in such a ,messiah1 and   
did she believe that he who spoke to    
her1 and told her how many husbands she 
had had1 was that august ,being8 ,if    
there is room in the breast of any      
people for a hope or expectation of such
 a person as ,christ claimed to be1 not 
a shade of either could be found in the 
hearts of the followers of ,moses4 ,let 
a belief in such a ,being have made its 
way into the ,jewish mind1 and the whole
 structure1 as it was reared by their   
great leader1 would fall like a baseless
 tower4 ,strike out the ,semitic idea   
which was thundered from ,sinai1 and    
that very thing which cost the ,jews    

ages of persecution would with it be    
thrown away4  ,the woman was convinced  
by the arts of a fortune-teller1 some of
 the ,samaritans by what befell the     
woman1 and others1 because of what they 
saw and heard themselves1 believed that 
,christ was the ,saviour of the world6  
,here we reach a climax3 did the        
,samaritans1 in so short a time1        
renounce ,moses and the institutions of 
their fathers8 ,christ claimed before   
the ,jews that he lived before ,abraham4
 ,this they could not stand1 but took up
 stones and cast them at him1 and1      
because he preached the end of the      
,mosaic law1 they crucified and put him 
to death4  ,there are still some of the 
descendants of the ,samaritans at       
,naplosa 7the ancient ,shech-em71 at    
,gaza1 ,damascus and ,cairo1 who still  
retain the faith held by their fathers  
in the time of ,christ--a living protest
 against the truth of the story of the  
women and men of ,samaria4 ,let him who 
wishes to be convinced go among the     

remnant of this persecuted race1 witness
 their poverty1 their sad and careworn  
faces1 the work of centuries of         
injustice and oppression1 and ask them  
if they believe the story of the woman  
at the well4 ,they will point you to two
 thousand years of suffering for their  
,mosaic faith1 enough to bring tears    
down ,pluto's wan cheeks1 and ask you1  
with a look of scorn1 if the ancestors  
of such a people could ever be apostles4
  ,in talking to the ,jews1 ,christ is  
made to say3 ,for had ye believed       
,moses1 ye would have believed me3 for  
he wrote of me4 ,but if ye believe not  
his writings1 how shall ye believe my   
words8 7,john v4 #df1dg47 ,christ here  
undertakes to make the ,jews believe    
that he was the one who had been        
foreseen and spoken of in ages past1 and
 especially by the great prophet of the 
,hebrew people4 ,had any ,jew in the    
time of ,moses set up the claim that at 
some future day there would arise one   
among his people who would be equal with

 ,god1 but who would suffer death at    
their hands1 as a ransom for the        
salvation not only of the ,jews but of  
the ,gentiles1 he would have ordered    
that such a prophet be stoned to death4 
,by him and  the ,jews no such ,saviour 
was expected or required4 ,adam and ,eve
 were the first to break the law1 but   
,god pronounced judgment upon them      
before they left the ,garden4 ,the earth
 was cursed with thorns and thistles1   
for ,adam's sake4 ,by the sweat of his  
brow he was bound to eat of its fruits  
in sorrow all his days4 ,upon ,eve were 
imposed the pains and sufferings of     
childbirth1 and the duty of obedience4  
,all this endured1 both were to return  
to the dust from whence they came4 ,this
 was all the punishment and all the     
atonement ,god demanded4 ,he asked no   
more4 ,with ,moses1 death was the end of
 punishment4 ,those who committed the   
first sin made their own atonement1 and 
so have all their descendants1 in the   
eyes of ,moses and the ,jews4 ,had ye   

believed in ,moses1 ye would have       
believed in me4 ,reverse this1 and we   
have the exact truth3 ,if ye believe in 
,moses1 it is impossible to believe in  
me4 ,how could they8 ,moses wrote of me4
 ,what did he write8 ,to connect ,christ
 with prophecy1 language of the most    
indefinite character is selected from   
all parts of the ,hebrew scriptures4    
,the seed of the woman shall bruise the 
serpent's head4 ,christ of the fourth   
,gospel is not of the seed of the woman4
 ,the ,word was made flesh8 and was not 
born of blood1 nor the will of the      
flesh1 nor the will of man1 but of ,god4
 ,the scepter shall not depart from     
,judah1 nor a lawgiver from between his 
feet1 until ,shiloh come4 7,gen1 xlix4  
#aj74 ,the ,jews ceased to be an        
independent people1 and the scepter     
departed from ,judah at the time ,pompey
 invaded the country1 seized upon the   
,temple1 deposed ,aristobulus1 the high 
priest1 and put ,hyrcanus in his place4 
7,josephus1 ,wars1 ,book ,i4 chap4 vii4 

sec4 #f47 ,he deprived the ,jews of all 
their conquests1 restored the conquered1
 and placed ,syria1 together with ,judea
 and the country as far as ,egypt and   
,euphrates1 under the command of        
,scaurus4 7,ibid1 sec4 #g47  ,in view of
 these events1 ,josephus bitterly       
laments the results1 and says3 ,we lost 
our liberty'1 and became subject to the 
,romans1 and were deprived of that      
country which we had gained by our arms 
from the ,syrians1 and were compelled to
 restore it to the ,syrians4 ,moreover1 
the ,romans exacted of us1 in a little  
time1 above ten thousand talents4       
7,josephus1 ,antiquities1 ,book ,,xiv4  
ch4 iv4 sec4 v47 ,when did the ,jews1   
after the conquest of ,pompey1 shake off
 the yoke of the ,romans8 ,between his  
conquest and the birth of ,christ at    
least sixty-seven years had intervened4 
,in the meantime ,caesar crossed the    
,rubicon1 was assassinated in the       
senate2 the empire was distracted by    
civil wars2 ,mark ,antony and ,augustus 

tried the fortune of battle with ,brutus
 and ,cassius1 on the field at          
,philippi1 and the first of the ,roman  
emperors had nearly completed a long    
reign of four-and-forty years4 ,when    
,christ was born1 the scepter had       
departed from ,judea1 and the ,jews were
 a nation of slaves4  ,space will not   
allow us to pursue this subject farther4
 ,throughout the ,gospel of ,john we    
discover the most studied and labored   
effort to connect ,christ with the      
religion of ,moses1 so that it may      
appear that in himself he is only the   
response to the many prophesies         
contained in the ,hebrew scriptures4    
,this ,gospel is full of instances where
 the ,jews1 upon ,christ's bare         
word--and sometimes not even that--gave 
up everything1 and followed him1 even to
 the cross4 ,the day following the      
baptism1 as ,john stood by the side of  
the disciples1 ,jesus walked by1 when   
the ,baptist exclaimed3 ,behold the     
,lamb of ,god6 ,this was sufficient to  

induce two of the disciples to follow   
,christ1 and one of them was so carried 
away that he hunted up his brother1 who 
was ,peter1 and told him they had found 
the ,messiah1 who was the ,christ4 ,on  
the next day1 ,christ went to ,galilee1 
and found ,philip1 whom he directed to  
follow him2 and soon ,philip found      
,nathaniel1 and told him1 ,we have found
 him of whom ,moses1 in the law1 and the
 prophets1 did write4 ,they had found no
 such thing4 ,the conversion of ,paul   
formed a new era in religious history4  
,we may well say1 that when he left     
,judaism1 he left the twelve disciples  
behind him1 for they could neither climb
 over or break down the wall of         
circumcision which separated the ,jews  
from the ,gentiles4 ,paul quarreled with
 and then left them1 but took along with
 him enough of the ,mosaic faith to keep
 up a connection between the old and new
 religion1 so that we can trace the     
features of the child in those of the   
parent4 ,he carried with him            

,monotheism1 but it was qualified in the
 glare of his vision at ,damascus so    
that1 in some sense1 ,christ was the    
,son of ,god4 ,here was a clear         
departure from ,moses1 for which the    
,jews always despised him4 ,then        
followed ,paul's tug with the ,greeks4  
,in spite of him1 they established a    
dual government in ,heaven4 ,the ,son   
was equal with the ,father1 ,at this    
point there should have been an eternal 
separation between ,jewry and           
,christianity4 ,for nearly two thousand 
years1 the ,jews have protested against 
an alliance1 while1 on the other side1  
,christians have striven to maintain it4
 ,the two parties1 in the meantime1 were
 kept separate by an ocean of blood     
which flowed between4 ,no bridge could  
ever span it--no bridge ever can4 ,in   
conclusion of this branch of the        
subject1 we repeat1 that great efforts  
are made to have it appear in this      
,gospel that ,christ is in harmony with 
,moses and the prophets1 whereas there  

is scarce a word in it which declares   
his equality with the ,father 7and it   
teaches little else7 not met with a     
denial from ,sinai1 amid thunders and   
lightnings and the voice of the trumpet3
 ,thou shalt have no other gods before  
me8 ,moses is sublime in threats and    
denunciations against those who depart  
from the true and only ,god4 ,the men of
 the second century knew nothing of the 
spirit of the ,mosaic faith1 or they    
never would have stultified themselves  
by such a work as the fourth ,gospel4   
,,chapter ,,xxviii4       ,the first two
 chapters of ,matthew not in existence  
during      the time of ,paul and       
,apollos4--,a compromise was made       
between      their followers at the     
council at ,smyrna1 ,a4 ,d4 #ajg4--,the 
creed of the ,church as it existed at   
that day determined1      and how       
,christ was made manifest4--,catholics  
of the second      century repudiate    
this creed and abuse ,paul4--,further   
proof      that ,irenaeus never saw     

,polycarp4--,injuries inflicted upon    
the world by the fourth ,gospel4  ,we   
have shown in another place that not    
long after ,apollos arrived at ,corinth 
he came in collision with ,paul on some 
question which related to ,christ4 ,just
 what that difference was1 it is hard in
 this age of the world to determine2 but
 it will be sufficient for our purpose  
at this time to show what it was not4   
,had it been claimed by ,apollos and his
 followers that ,christ was born in the 
way in which it is stated in ,matthew's 
,gospel1 ,paul1 instead of wasting a    
whole lifetime in fighting his enemies1 
would have gone straight to ,jerusalem1 
and proved by living witnesses that     
there was not a word of truth in this   
,gospel which related to the            
supernatural birth of ,christ4 ,paul's  
troubles with ,apollos and his school   
commenced as early as #eg4 ,at that time
 there were thousands upon thousands who
 were born about the time ,christ was1  
and were comparatively young men when he

 was put to death4 ,it was before the   
fall of ,jerusalem1 and before any great
 calamity had befallen the ,jewish      
people4 ,many of the disciples may have 
been still living4 ,peter we know was1  
for in #fd we find him preaching in     
,chaldea4 ,doubtless there were still   
living1 in ,nazareth1 women who grew up 
with ,mary1 and were acquainted with her
 entire history4 ,the ,greeks did not   
contend1 as long as ,paul lived1 for    
anything stated in the first two        
chapters of ,matthew on the subject of  
the birth of ,christ2 for that reason   
there is no mention of ,mary by ,paul in
 any of his epistles4 ,what1 then1 was  
the trouble8 ,with ,philo1 the ,logos   
was born in ,heaven1 and from thence he 
descended to earth4 ,with ,paul1 ,christ
 was born on the earth1 and in this     
respect did not differ from other       
mortals4 ,if the ,logos was the ,son of 
,god1 and came down from heaven1 by what
 instrumentalities did he reach the     
earth8 ,it was for ,apollos to show how 

this was brought about4 ,nothing is more
 difficult in the history of            
,christianity than to find out what was 
,apollos belief as to the way by which  
the ,logos is connected or identified   
with the man ,christ4 ,the story of the 
descent of the ,spirit in the form of a 
dove1 at the ,jordan1 was not known     
until a long time after ,paul's death4  
,paul could not disprove it1 for during 
his life no one asserted it4 ,to        
establish this connection1 we gather    
from ,paul that the school of ,apollos  
had some subtle mode of reasoning1 the  
distillation of ,greek wisdom and       
cunning4 ,he never says what it was1 but
 compares it to the subtle sophistry    
with which the serpent deceived ,eve4   
,to the wisdom of the ,greeks ,paul has 
nothing to oppose but direct revelations
 from ,god4 ,he sits in opposition to   
,hellenic sophistry1 his power and      
wisdom derived from above4 ,when he     
talks to the ,jews1 before they will    
believe what he tells them1 they demand 

that a sign shall be given unto         
them--something tangible to the senses4 
,but the ,greeks required no proof of   
this kind4 ,conviction with them as to  
,christ was wholly dependent upon some  
device1 doubtless an outgrowth of       
,platonic philosophy4 ,from what is said
 hereafter1 we can venture the belief   
that with ,apollos the ,logos was made  
,christ simply by the providence of     
,god4 ,how this providence was exerted  
to bring about this result1 was a proper
 subject to employ the cunning1 the     
wisdom and sophistry of the ,greek      
school4 ,after ,paul's death1 and after 
the fall of ,jerusalem1 the change from 
the ,logos from on high to the ,christ  
of the earth1 simply by the providence  
of ,god and the theory of ,apollos1 was 
too indefinite1 and the reasoning of the
 ,greeks too weak1 to satisfy the minds 
of men4 ,in the second century1         
,christianity had worked west1 and the  
,latin element began to make itself felt
 in the ,church1 and we shall soon see  

the means employed by ,providence to    
bring the ,logos into the world4 ,we can
 readily see why1 in the disputes       
between ,paul and the ,greeks1 as they  
stood in his day1 the name of ,mary is  
nowhere mentioned4 ,there was no        
necessity for it4 ,ignatius1 one of the 
oldest ,fathers of the ,church1 was     
,bishop of ,antioch in the year #gj4    
,when ,trajan set out on his expedition 
against the ,parthians1 he stopped for a
 short time in this city4 ,as he had    
refused to sacrifice to the gods for the
 safety of the ,emperor1 and was        
outspoken against the pagans1 even in   
the royal presence1 ,ignatius was       
condemned1 and ordered to be sent to    
,rome to be devoured by the wild beasts 
of the amphitheatre4 ,this1 as some say1
 was in ,a4,d4 #ajg2 but some writers1  
with greater plausibility1 fix the time 
as late as #aae4 ,we will err on the    
right side1 and adopt the former period4
 ,on his way to ,rome he stayed some    
time at ,smyrna1 where he wrote letters 

to the churches in ,asia1 as a kind of  
legacy1 in which he imparts to them a   
knowledge of the doctrines of the       
,church1 and the foundation on which    
they were based4 ,no man of his day was 
better informed on such subjects than   
,ignatius1 and the cruel fate that      
awaited him on his arrival in ,rome was 
an earnest that in what he said he was  
sincere4 ,in his letter to the          
,ephesians he tells how1 in the first   
place1 ,christ came into the world4 ,he 
was born in the womb of ,mary according 
to the dispensation of ,providence1 of  
the seed of ,david1 yet by the ,holy    
,ghost4 ,here is a platform to which    
,paul himself could hardly object4 ,that
 that which ,ignatius declares to be the
 way in which ,christ came into the     
world was the doctrine of the ,church in
 his day1 and for some time after1      
cannot be questioned4 ,on his way to    
,rome he stopped at ,smyrna1 where      
,polycarp1 who was then ,bishop at that 
place1 lived1 and it was there that     

,ignatius wrote his letter to the       
,ephesians4 ,polycarp stood at his side 
when the letter was written1 and knew   
its contents1 and probably took charge  
of it1 for he himself says3 ,the        
,epistles of ,ignatius which he wrote   
unto us and others1 as many as we have  
with us1 we have sent unto you according
 to your order1 which are subjoined to  
thy epistle1 from which ye may be       
greatly profited2 for they treat of     
faith and patience1 and of all things   
which portend to edification in our     
,lord4 7,epistle to ,philippians74 ,on  
his way to ,rome1 ,ignatius stopped at  
different places1 and everywhere the    
churches sent their bishops and other   
messengers to visit and console the     
venerable ,father on his way to the wild
 beasts2 and everywhere he taught       
,christ as we find it at this day in his
 letter to the ,ephesians4 ,here we have
 the doctrines or creed of the ,church  
in the beginning of the second century  
as to the status of ,christ1 as it was  

declared by ,polycarp1 ,ignatius1 and   
all the churches of ,asia4 ,that ,paul1 
at this time1 was held in great         
estimation is evident from what         
,polycarp and others say of him in      
writing to the churches4 ,polycarp alone
 refers to his epistles twenty-six      
times1 and in speaking of him says3 ,for
 neither can ,i1 nor any other such as  
,i am1 come up to the wisdom of the     
blessed and renowned ,paul1 who1 being  
amongst you in the presence of those who
 then lived1 taught with exactness and  
soundness the word of truth2 who in his 
absence also wrote an epistle to you1   
unto which1 if you diligently look1 you 
may be able to be edified in the faith  
delivered unto you1 which is the mother 
of us all4 7,polycarp to the            
,philippians1 sec4 #c74 ,indeed1        
,polycarp's letter to the ,philippians  
is made up of quotations from the letter
 of the great apostle4 ,the bitter      
feeling which existed between the       
followers of ,paul and ,apollos had in a

 great measure died away at the close of
 the first century4 ,whatever difference
 of opinion there may have been between 
these two great leaders1 it seemed to be
 merged in the creed of the ,church in  
the days of ,polycarp and other teachers
 of his time4 ,with ,paul and these men1
 ,christ was born of woman and of the   
seed of ,david2 but1 with the latter1 it
 was by the ,holy ,ghost1 through the   
providence of ,god4 ,as ,paul has       
nowhere declared how and in what way    
,christ was the son of ,god1 but        
believed him to be such from what he    
learned in his vision at ,damascus and  
other places1 his followers might       
readily accept the belief declared by   
,ignatius and all the ,fathers in his   
day4 ,mutual concessions seem to have   
been made in the latter part of the     
first century2 and while the followers  
of ,apollos conceded the descent of     
,christ from ,david1 the friends of     
,paul could readily admit that he was   
the ,son of ,god through the ,holy      

,ghost by the dispensation of ,god4 ,the
 violent animosity against ,paul which  
sprang up afterward in the ,church was  
an outgrowth of the second century4 ,in 
this century1 ,paul becomes a liar and a
 heretic4 ,to make ,christ what the men 
of this century wished to have him      
appear in their quarrels with the       
,gnostics and others1 it was necessary  
to assail the great apostle4 ,to admit  
that ,christ was born in the womb of    
,mary1 of the seed of ,david1 would not 
admit the claim that he was conceived in
 the womb of ,mary by the ,holy ,ghost  
alone4 ,it was upon this point that     
,paul had thrown obstructions in the way
 of men who were engaged in building up 
a ,church controlling exclusively the   
highway to heaven1 and which in time was
 to govern the world4 ,here let me ask  
if the most acute intellect can detect  
in the doctrines of the ,church1 as     
declared by ,polycarp and others at the 
beginning of the second century1 the    
faintest trace of the incarnation of the

 fourth ,gospel1 or the ,trinity1 ,both 
of these dogmas1 which have convulsed   
the world for eighteen hundred years1   
were unborn when the ,fathers of all the
 churches of ,asia1 at ,smyrna1 declared
 what was the faith of the ,church4  ,we
 have selected this place to settle a   
question of veracity between the writer 
and ,iraeneus4 ,he says he saw          
,polycarp4 ,we say he never did4 ,since 
the introduction of the ,gospels1       
especially the fourth1 great importance 
has been attached to the fact that      
,polycarp was a disciple of ,john1 and  
that ,irenaeus had been instructed by   
the former4 ,speaking of ,irenaeus1     
,horn1 in his introduction1 says3 ,his  
testimony to the genuineness and        
authenticity of the ,new ,testament is  
the most important and valuable1 because
 he was a disciple of ,polycarp1 who was
 a disciple of ,john4 7,vol4 ,i4 #hc47  
,now ,polycarp never mentions ,john1 but
 speaks of ,paul4 ,if he did see ,john1 
,john never taught him the doctrine of  

the incarnation as declared in the      
fourth ,gospel4 ,polycarp never heard of
 the incarnation1 and it follows as a   
matter of course he never taught        
,irenaeus anything of the kind4 ,had he 
taught the incarnation1 he never would  
have indorsed ,paul4 ,this attempt1 on  
the part of the so-called ,bishop of    
,lyons1 to trace the doctrines conceived
 and written by himself to a disciple1  
is a stupendous fraud1 which has cost   
the world more misery than all causes of
 suffering since his day combined4 ,this
 ,gospel has been the means of defeating
 the mission of ,christ on earth--peace 
and good-will to all men4 ,there is not 
one word in it to encourage virtue or   
reprove vice--not one for those who     
sorrow or are afflicted2 no charity for 
any except the woman caught in adultery4
 ,love for one another he entreated of  
his disciples1 but none for the world4  
,the boundless love1 the universal      
charity1 which shine forth in the       
,sermon on the ,mount1 and warm the     

heart1 so that there flows from it all  
that is good in our natures--as the     
beautiful flowers of the earth are made 
to spring and bloom under the genial    
heat of the sun--finds no place in the  
,gospel of ,john4 ,what is said and     
taught in this ,gospel1 when compared   
with the teachings on the ,mount1 are as
 hollow groans from the cavern of       
,avernus compared with sweet sounds from
 the lyre of ,orpheus4 ,it is belief--or
 damnation4 ,he that believeth on ,him  
is not condemned1 but he that believeth 
not is condemned already1 because he    
hath not believed in the name of the    
only begotten ,son of ,god4 ,it was this
 ,gospel which gave birth to that       
bigotry and fanaticism which has brought
 on the world all the sufferings and    
misery caused by the ,inquisition4 ,it  
destroyed in the fourth century all the 
grand and beautiful temples and works of
 architecture of ,asia and ,europe4 ,the
 ,pantheon barely escaped4 ,it applied  
the torch to the library at ,alexandria4

 ,it kindled the fires of persecution in
 every age2 and as it came down the     
centuries1 like a blazing comet1 it     
carried with it pestilence and war4 ,it 
makes ,christ cold and selfish4 ,he     
cures diseases to exalt himself4 ,a man 
was deprived of his sight from his      
birth1 without any sin on his part1 that
 he may have an opportunity to make     
known his power4 ,he thanks ,god for    
answering his prayer for the death of   
,lazarus1 that he might show the world  
that he was master of the grave4 ,this  
,gospel makes ,christ vain and boastful4
 ,again and again he asserts that he is 
the ,son of the ,father2 that the       
,father had sent him2 that he came to   
save the world1 and that the world was  
to be judged by him3 and yet1 with all  
these pretensions1 he could find but few
 that believed him4 ,all important      
events told of in this ,gospel1 are     
unnatural4 ,some who stood by and saw   
,lazarus come forth from the tomb with  
the habiliments of the grave still upon 

him1 as if some great crime had been    
committed1 ran for the police--for to   
inform the ,pharisees was about the same
 thing4 ,when the ,pharisees heard of   
it1 they called together the priests1   
and held a council1 to devise some plan 
to stop that kind of proceeding4 ,what  
was the objection to raising a dead man 
to life8 ,it would give offense to the  
,romans4 ,can anyone give a reason why8 
,for this act1 which1 if true1 would    
fill the heavens and the earth with awe1
 ,christ was compelled to fly to the    
wilderness4 ,if the scene at the grave  
of ,lazarus1 as related1 was true1 how  
different would have been the conduct of
 those who witnessed it4 ,all would have
 been struck dumb and fallen prostrate  
at the feet of him who held the keys of 
life and death4 ,the ,pharisees would   
shake and cower1 for fear that at any   
moment they might be struck dead by a   
bolt from heaven4 ,there would not have 
been a dry eye in all ,jerusalem4 ,what 
intelligence did ,lazarus bring us from 

the spirit land8 ,one word from the     
other world would be worth all this     
world of ours2 but the world has gained 
nothing from the resurrection of        
,lazarus4 ,this ,gospel takes from ,god 
his omnipotence4 ,when the ,lord of the 
universe conceived a plan to prove to   
mankind that ,christ was his ,son and   
their ,saviour1 we must believe that he 
who made the heavens and the earth1 who 
regulates the stars in their courses1   
and who said1 ,let there be light1 and  
there was light1 could not fail in his  
purpose4 ,but the resurrection of       
,lazarus was a failure4 ,it accomplished
 nothing4 ,the tomb of ,lazarus at      
,bethany was in sight from the cross on 
,calvary4  ,we have stated that at      
,smyrna were declared the doctrines of  
the ,christian ,church in the year #ajg1
 as they were understood and taught by  
,polycarp1 ,ignatius1 and all the great 
lights of ,asia4 ,and now we shall show 
what assurances these ,fathers gave to  
the world--why they knew that ,christ   

was truly the ,son of ,god4 ,this is    
made manifest by signs in the heavens4  
,ignatius first declares the belief of  
the ,church on this subject1 and        
proceeds to ask this question3 ,how was 
he made manifest to the world8 ,a star  
shone in heaven above all other stars2  
and its light was inexpressible1 and its
 novelty struck terror4 ,all the rest of
 the stars1 with the sun and moon1 were 
the chorus to this star1 that sent forth
 its light above all4 ,and there was    
trouble1 whence this novelty came so    
unlike all the others4 ,hence all the   
power of magic was dissolved2 and every 
bond of wickedness was destroyed2       
ignorance was taken away and the old    
kingdom was abolished3 ,god made        
manifest in the form of man1 for the    
renewal of eternal life4 ,thence began  
what ,god prepared4 ,from thenceforth   
all things were disturbed1 forasmuch as 
he designed to abolish death4 7,epistle 
to ,ephesians1 sec4 #ai47 ,this was the 
way in which ,christ made himself       

manifest to the world1 as taught in all 
the churches in ,a4,d4 #ajg4 ,the story 
of the star which led the wise men to   
,bethlehem was an afterthought4 ,at the 
time ,ignatius declared the doctrine of 
the ,church1 as to the way by which     
,christ was brought into the world and  
how he was made manifest1 the ,gospel of
 ,matthew had not yet appeared2 for1 if 
it had1 he would have given the story of
 the star1 and the wise men of the      
,east1 rather than that of the sun1     
moon1 and all the stars1 for the former 
was the most probable and most sensible 
of the two4 ,why should he give one     
story which was false and impossible on 
its face1 if he could give another      
which1 if false1 was not manifestly     
absurd4 ,it is quite easy to tell why   
the story of the stars and moon leaving 
their orbits to dance attendance to a   
bright particular star was abandoned4   
,such a commotion of the heavenly bodies
 would have put the universe out of     
joint2 and as the star projected its    

light above all the other stars1 and all
 the other stars and the moon and sun   
sang chorus to it1 the display would    
have been apparent to all the world4 ,in
 the year ,a4,d4 #ajg1 some few might   
have been alive who were living at the  
time the phenomenon is said to have     
occurred2 and if not1 then the children 
of those who lived at the time would    
have preserved the tradition fresh in   
their minds1 to say nothing of history4 
,but as no one living witnessed the     
scene enacted in the heavens1 and none  
of their descendants had heard of it1   
and no historian had recorded it1 the   
men of the day laughed it down4 ,one    
single star might have been seen by the 
wise men of the ,east1 and no one else2 
and if the story was invented1 as the   
wise men were dead before it was told1  
there was no danger of contradiction4   
,if the ,gospel of ,matthew was not     
extant ,a4,d4 #ajg1 it is fatal to all  
the prophecy in the ,new ,testament as  
to the fall of ,jerusalem4 ,in the year 

,a4,d4 #gj1 ,jerusalem fell4 ,the ,roman
 standards waved over its ruins4 ,the   
daughters of ,israel wept over the ashes
 of their homes4 ,the holy city was no  
more1 and he who wrote the ,gospel of   
,matthew as it now stands wrote history4
 ,how much is the ,christianity of the  
,gospels indebted to the prophecies     
which foretold the fall of the ,jewish  
capital8 ,in every age and in every     
country where ,christianity found a     
foothold1 they were the corner-stone of 
the ,christian faith4 ,in the hour of   
doubt and despair1 when the heavens     
looked black and the earth seemed to be 
a house of mourning1 the ,christian     
could draw consolation from the tears   
shed by ,christ as he wept over the fall
 of the holy city4 ,but ,truth is       
inexorable4 ,her triumphant car moves   
on1 though she leaves in her wake the   
wreck of the brightest hopes1 the most  
cherished creeds1 and the most ambitious
 schemes4 ,so she has done for ages4    
,and her pathway is marked by the       

overthrow of dogmas by which man vainly 
undertook to enslave the mind4 ,to-day  
she is as mighty and powerful as ever4  
,,appendix4  7,a47  ,few passages from  
history have given rise to more         
discussion than the following from      
,suetonius3 ,he1 meaning the ,emperor   
,claudius1 banished all the ,jews1 who  
were continually making disturbance1 at 
the instigation of one ,crestus4 7,life 
of ,claudius1 sec4 #be47 ,the original  
is as follows3 ,judaeos1 impulsore      
,chresto1 assidue tumultuantes1 ,roma   
expulit4 ,does this order of banishment 
refer to the ,christians8 ,dr4 ,lardner 
and others think not4 ,all difficulties 
vanish when we bear in mind1 that the   
,christians then at ,rome were ,jewish  
converts from ,judea4 ,the writer knew  
little about ,christians1 and knowing   
them to be ,jews1 he says all ,jews were
 banished1 which included the ,jewish   
converts as well as those who opposed   
,christianity4 ,all engaged in the riot 
were included1 and none but ,jews were4 

,these ,jews were constantly making     
disturbance at the instigation of one   
,crestus3 that is1 they were quarrelling
 about ,crestus1 which was a continual  
subject of quarrel among the converted  
and unconverted ,jews everywhere4 ,the  
writer knew so little about ,christ that
 he failed to get the name correct1 or  
there may have been a mistake on the    
part of the transcribers4   7,b47  ,as a
 proof that the most learned scholars   
and correct thinkers1 when under the    
influence of an early bias1 are liable  
to the most gross mistakes and          
delusions1 the following writers have   
given the authority of their names to   
the belief1 that ,peter uses the name   
,babylon in a figurative sense3         
,grotius1 ,macknight1 ,hale1 ,bishop    
,tomline1 ,whitby1 and ,lardner4 ,but a 
large majority of writers hold to the   
literal meaning4 ,bishop ,pearson1 ,le  
,clerk1 and ,mills think that ,peter    
speaks of ,babylon in ,egypt4 ,beza1    
,erasmus1 ,drusius1 ,dr4 ,cave1         

,lightfoot1 ,basnage1 ,beausobre1 ,dr4  
,benson1 ,a4 ,clarke think that ,peter  
intended ,babylon in ,assyria2          
,michaelis1 that ,babylon in            
,mesopotamia was meant4 ,the frequent   
use of the word ,babylon in the         
,revelation attributed to ,st4 ,john1   
which there stands for ,rome1 is the    
principal argument used by those who    
contend for a figurative sense4 ,this   
book is the most impious and malignant  
production among all the forgeries of   
the second century1 and its design can  
be readily exposed1 if it was worth the 
time to do it4 ,christ1 whose last words
 were used in prayer for the forgiveness
 of his enemies1 is made through ,st4   
,john to pour forth feelings full of    
hatred against those who disagreed with 
the writer on matters of doctrine1      
especially the followers of ,paul4 ,he  
hurls his envenomed shaft at the heart  
of the great ,apostle4 ,it was at       
,ephesus where the war was warmest      
between ,paul's friends and the         

followers of the ,alexandrian school4   
,to the church at that place1 ,christ is
 made to say3 ,i know thy works1 and thy
 labor1 and thy patience1 and how thou  
canst not bear them which are evil3 and 
thou hast tried them which say they are 
,apostles1 and are not1 and hast found  
them liars4 7,revelation ii4 #b47 ,who  
could use such language but a malignant 
partisan8 ,christ1 the ,son of ,god1 is 
made to use the language of a bar-room  
bully4 ,when will those who profess to  
be ,christians1 learn that ,christ was  
all kindness1 gentleness1 and love4     
,they admit the authenticity and divine 
origin of writings that prove the ,son  
of ,god was not even a gentleman4       
7,c47  ,the writings ascribed to the    
,fathers1 especially ,polycarp and      
,ignatius1 are entitled to little       
consideration2 for nothing is clearer   
than that their names were used by the  
men of the second century to supply     
proof when disputes sprang up1 or give  
authority to doctrines when divisions   

arose4 ,the introduction to the epistle 
of ,ignatius1 addressed to the church at
 ,rome1 is a bare-faced attempt to prove
 that there was a church at ,rome during
 the reign of ,trajan1 at the beginning 
of the second century4 ,it was written  
not only to prove that there was a      
church at ,rome at that time1 but that  
it was the bank or depository of divine 
riches1 wholly filled with the grace of 
,god1 and entirely cleansed from any    
other doctrine4 ,but we submit the whole
 passage to the judgment of the reader4 
,ignatius1 who is also called           
,theophorus1 to the ,church which hath  
obtained mercy in the majesty of the    
,most ,high ,father1 and his only ,son  
,jesus ,christ1 beloved and illuminated 
through the will of him who willeth all 
things1 which are according to the love 
of ,jesus ,christ1 our ,god2 7to the    
church7 which presides also in the place
 of the region of the ,romans1 worthy of
 ,god1 and of all honor and blessing and
 praise2 worthy to receive that which   

she wishes1 chaste1 and pre-eminent in  
charity1 bearing the name of ,christ and
 of the ,father1 which ,i salute in the 
name of ,jesus ,christ1 the ,son of the 
,father3 to those who are united both in
 flesh and spirit to all his commands1  
and wholly filled with the grace of     
,god1 and entirely cleansed from the    
stain of any other doctrine1 be all     
undefiled joy in ,jesus ,christ our     
,god4  ,the forger overdid the work in  
which he was engaged4 ,this language1   
addressed to a church illuminated with  
all things according to the will of     
,christ and ,god1 and worthy to receive 
all blessings and praise1 proves that   
the passage was written at a time when  
the dogma of the ,apostolic succession  
was in vogue1 and ,rome was putting     
forth claims to spiritual supremacy499  
,no time was more unpropitious to prove 
that there was such a church at ,rome1  
than that ,goog embraced in the reign of
 ,trajan1 when ,christianity was a      
crime1 which subjected the believer to  

the penalty of death4 ,there being no   
,christians in ,rome from the death of  
,paul to the time of ,hadrian1 it leaves
 the time to be taken up by traditions1 
which was gladly seized upon by         
,irenaeus1 who populated it with        
,bishops and others1 the offspring of   
his own imagination4       99 ,the      
strong probability is1 that the letter  
of ,ignatius is      a forgery          
throughout1 and was gotten up for the   
sake of the      introduction4          
,condemned by ,trajan1 and ordered to be
 carried      to ,rome to be devoured by
 wild beasts1 for the amusement of      
the people1 it is claimed the letter was
 written on his way      to that city4  
,why he should write to the church at   
,rome      while on his way there1 is   
something remarkable1 since there       
is nothing in the letter that was       
important to be known to      the       
,christians1 if there were any there1   
before his arrival4      ,the epistle   
breathes a spirit which is unnatural and

      repugnant to every feeling of     
humanity4 ,the following is a           
specimen of the whole4 ,may ,i enjoy the
 wild beasts which      are prepared for
 me2 and pray that they may be found    
ready      for me3 which ,i will even   
encourage to devour me all at      once1
 and not fear to touch me1 as they have 
some others ,and      if they refuse1   
and will not1 ,i will compel them4      
7,sec4 #e47      ,why would ,ignatius   
write an epistle of this character to   
the      ,romans while he was on the way
 to ,rome himself8 especially      as he
 was pressed by the soldiers to arrive  
at the great      city before the public
 spectacle1 that he might be delivered  
to the wild beasts4 ,why import a       
,christian ,bishop from      ,antioch   
for the wild beasts of the              
,amphitheatre1 if there      was one to 
be found in the mean time in ,rome8     
,where was      ,clement1 the third     
,bishop8 ,our confidence is not         
increased      in the genuineness of    

this letter1 that the first distinct    
reference is made to it by ,irenaeus4   
7,d47  ,,writers in the third and fourth
 centuries1 for reasons sufficiently    
obvious1 take pleasure in scandalizing  
the name of ,domitian as the persecutor 
of ,christians1 and the great enemy of  
the ,christian cause4 ,it is claimed he 
put to death many persons accused of    
,atheism1 the common charge against     
,christians1 on account of their refusal
 to offer incense or to worship the     
ancient gods of ,rome4 ,flavius         
,clemens1 his cousin1 is given as an    
instance4 ,now hear what a co-temporary 
historian has to say on the subject3    
,flavius ,clemens1 his cousin-german1 a 
man contemptible for his indolence1     
whose sons1 then of tender age1 he had  
avowedly destined for his successor1 and
 taking from them his former names1 had 
ordered one to be called ,vespasian1 and
 the other ,domitian1 he suddenly put to
 death upon some slight suspicion1      
almost before the father was put out of 

his consulship1 7,suet1 ,life of        
,domitian1 sec4 #ae47 ,as the tyrant    
affected great reverence for the gods1  
he would not fail to visit the most     
severe punishment on those whom he      
judged guilty of irreverence1 and as the
 ,christians of that day were bold in   
the face of the most imminent danger1   
they could not escape the vengeance of  
the tyrant1 had there been any in ,rome 
upon whom he could lay his hands4 ,with 
a disposition that was willing to       
furnish any number of victims1 ,eusebius
 has succeeded in giving the name of a  
single one4 ,he says1 ,at the same time1
 for professing ,christ1 ,flavius       
,domitilla1 the niece of ,flavius       
,clemens1 one of the consuls of ,rome at
 that time1 was transported1 with many  
others1 to the ,isle of ,pontia4 7,eus41
 ,e4 ,h41 book iii4 chap4 #ah47 ,the    
truthful father has succeeded in giving 
the name of one ,christian who had      
suffered under the reign of ,domitian1  
and that was a case of banishment4  ,as 

to the expression1 and many others1 it  
is only an easy way of conveying a      
falsehood without incurring the risk of 
detection4 ,the story of ,john's        
banishment to the ,isle of ,pat-mos1    
like everything else which relates to   
this ,apostle1 is founded on a tradition
 of the third century1 and is unworthy  
of serious notice4 ,the story told by   
,hegesippus1 of the treatment received  
by the grandchildren of ,jude1 called   
the brother of ,jesus1 at the hands of  
,domitian1 if entitled to any credit at 
all1 only goes to refute the charges    
made against him4 ,as the story runs1   
these children were brought before him  
on the charge of being ,christians4     
,after hearing what they had to say1    
,domitian dismissed them--made no       
reply--but treating them with contempt  
as simpletons1 commanded them to be     
dismissed1 and1 by a decree1 ordered the
 persecution to cease4 ,thus delivered1 
they ruled the churches1 both as        
witnesses and relations of the ,lord4   

,such is the statement of ,hegesippus1  
says ,eusebius 7book iii4 chap4 #bj74   
,here is a clear case for persecution2  
but proceedings are dismissed1 and those
 who were the objects of it treated with
 contempt4  ,suetonius makes special    
mention of the persecution of the ,jews 
under the reign of ,domitian1 who was   
governed1 in their case1 by his love of 
money rather than his regard for the    
cause of religion4 ,the vast amount of  
money expended by him in the erection of
 palaces and public edifices had ruined 
his finances1 which he undertook to     
relieve by the confiscation of the large
 estates and wealth in the hands of this
 people4 ,to his rapacity there was no  
limit in such cases1 short of the ruin  
of his victims4 ,it is in vain to       
attempt to relieve the memory of the son
 of ,vespasian and brother of ,titus    
from the ignominy of the most odious and
 detestable crimes4 ,from ,augustus to  
,trajan1 no one who bore the name of    
emperor is more justly entitled to the  

name of monster4 ,he put to death his   
own cousin1 ,flavius ,sabinus1 because1 
upon his being chosen at the consular   
election to that office1 the public     
crier had1 by a blunder1 declared him to
 the people--not consul1 but emperor4   
,virtue as well as vice stood in awe in 
his presence4  ,the genius and learning 
of ,tacitus and ,pliny made it unsafe   
for them to remain in ,rome1 and both   
avoided danger by seeking obscurity4    
,but to his other crimes are not to be  
added the murder of ,christians1 who    
were wise and cautious enough to avoid  
his presence4  ,the following dates are 
assigned to the epistles of ,paul by    
,dr4 ,lardner and others3--             
,illustration3 ,table #djf