,,the ,,two ,,tests3  ,,the             
,,supernatural ,,claims ,,of            
,,christianity ,,tried ,,by ,,two ,,of  
,,its ,,own ,,rules4  ,by ,lionel ,lisle
  ,the axe is laid unto the root of the 
tree4  #ahgg  ,,williams ,,and          
,,norgate1  #ad ,,henrietta ,,street1   
,,covent ,,garden1 ,,london2  ,,and  #bj
 ,,south ,,frederick ,,street1          
,,edinburgh4  ,,to ,,the ,,reader4  ,the
 following treatise was not originally  
written for publication2 but as it      
faithfully represents the process by    
which the minds of some1 brought up in  
reverence and affection for the         
,christian faith1 were relieved from the
 vague state of doubt that resulted on  
their cherished beliefs being overthrown
 or shaken by the course of modern      
thought1 it has been suggested that it  
may1 perhaps1 be useful to others in the
 same position4 ,although their hold on 
the reason and intellect may have been  
lost or weakened1 still the supernatural
 authority1 the hopes1 and the terrors  

of the gospel continue to cling to the  
heart and conscience1 until they are    
effectually dislodged by considerations 
of mightier mastery over the heart and  
conscience4 ',the strong man armed      
keepeth his palace' until the stronger  
appears4 ,then the whole faculties1     
mental and moral1 are set free1 and     
brought into accord in the cause of     
,truth4--,preface to the ,first ,issue4 
,some of the principles of inquiry into 
the truth or falsehood of the ,christian
 evidences laid down by the ablest      
divines of the last generation are      
wholly admirable in themselves1 viewed  
apart from the application of them by   
these divines4 ,dr4 ,chalmers1 for      
instance1 whose single-mindedness in    
devotion to truth and right was on a    
level with his mighty intellect and     
strong and clear perceptions1 held3     
,there is a class of men who may feel   
disposed to overrate its evidences1     
because they are anxious to give every  
support and stability to a system which 

they conceive to be most intimately     
connected with the dearest hopes and    
wishes of humanity2 because their       
imagination is carried away by the      
sublimity of its doctrines1 or their    
heart engaged by that amiable morality  
which is so much calculated to improve  
and adorn the face of society4 ,now1 we 
are ready to admit1 that as the object  
of the inquiry is not the character but 
the truth of ,christianity1 the         
philosopher should be careful to protect
 his mind from the delusion of its      
charms4 ,he should separate the         
exercises of the understanding from the 
tendencies of the fancy or of the heart4
 ,he should be prepared to follow the   
light of evidence1 though it may lead   
him to conclusions the most painful and 
melancholy4 ,he should train his mind to
 all the hardihood of abstract and      
unfeeling intelligence4 ,he should give 
up everything to the supremacy of       
argument1 and be able to renounce1      
without a sigh1 all the tenderest       

prepossessions of infancy1 the moment   
that truth demands of him the sacrifice4
 ,dr4 ,chalmers would evidently see no  
beauty in moral precepts apart from the 
truth of the testimony to the authority 
on which they rest4  ,again he wrote3   
,with them 7his own class of            
,christians7 the argument is adduced to 
a narrower compass4 ,is the testimony of
 the apostles and first ,christians     
sufficient to establish the credibility 
of the facts which are recorded in the  
,new ,testament8 ,the question is made  
to rest exclusively on the character of 
this testimony1 and the circumstances   
attending it1 and no antecedent theory  
of their own is suffered to mingle with 
the investigation4 ,if the historical   
evidence of ,christianity is found to be
 conclusive they conceive the           
investigation to be at an end1 and that 
nothing remains on their part but an act
 of unconditional submission to all its 
doctrines4444 ,we profess ourselves to  
belong to the latter description of     

,christians4 ,we hold by the            
insufficiency of ,nature to pronounce   
upon the intrinsic merits of any        
revelation1 and think that the authority
 of every revelation rests mainly upon  
its historical and experimental         
evidences1 and upon such marks of       
honesty in the composition itself as    
would apply to any human performance4   
,and in another portion of the same     
work3 ,we are not competent to judge of 
the conduct of the ,almighty in given   
circumstances4 ,here we are precluded by
 the nature of the subject from the     
benefit of observation4 ,there is no    
antecedent experience to guide or to    
enlighten us4 ,it is not for man to     
assume what is right or proper or       
natural for the ,almighty to do4 ,it is 
not in the mere spirit of piety that we 
say so3 it is in the spirit of the      
soundest experimental philosophy4       
,elsewhere he prefers the atheist1 or   
what would now be called the agnostic1  
to the deist1 who1 rejecting revelation1

 professes belief in a ,god fashioned   
according to the constitution of his own
 mind4  ,the question may1 with         
clearness perhaps1 be thus stated3      
,religion1 in its true and highest      
sense1 is the endeavour of man to place 
himself in a right position to the      
,power and to the laws of the ,universe4
 ,if that ,power has spoken audibly to  
man1 in man's language1 and revealed    
what that right position is1 we must    
take the message as it has been given1  
and implicitly submit to and be guided  
by it4 ,dr4 ,chalmers1 on the soundest  
truth-seeking principles1 but1 as ,i    
venture to think1 with imperfect        
knowledge1 and contrary to what his     
conclusions would have been had he lived
 now1 decided that there was evidence   
that the ,power of the ,universe had    
spoken audibly to man1 by a special     
messenger from on high--the very ,son of
 ,god4 ,the effect1 therefore1 on him   
was1 as he states1 unconditional        
submission4 ,but if the ,power of the   

,universe has not spoken audibly to man1
 in man's language1 then1 on the same   
principles1 there is no other position  
towards that ,power1 possible to man1   
than simply one of ,agnosticism4 ,what  
that ,power is no one can tell4 ,the    
theological method--that of authority   
resting on revelation and supernatural  
power--is gone2 but the laws of the     
,universe remain1--the laws of ,god1    
whatever ,god may be4 ,man's knowledge  
of and right position towards these laws
 will then depend solely on political1  
social1 and scientific methods of       
research4 ,in this case the truly       
religious man will be he who rejects    
authority and theological methods and   
doctrine1 and follows with unconditional
 submission the teachings of the widest 
experience4  ,in marked1 and in my view 
unfavourable1 contrast with the         
principles of ,dr4 ,chalmers1 the recent
 address of ,dean ,stanley to the       
students of ,st4 ,andrews urges3 ,there 
is a well-known saying of ,st4          

,augustine1 in one of his happiest      
moods1 which expressed this sense of    
proportion long ago3 ',we believe the   
miracles for the sake of the ,gospels1  
not the ,gospels for the sake of the    
miracles' ,fill your minds with this    
saying1 view it in all its consequences1
 observe how many maxims both of the    
,bible and of philosophy conform to it1 
and you will find yourselves in a       
position which will enable you to treat 
with equanimity half the perplexities of
 this subject4 ,here equanimity1 quite  
apart from their truth or falsehood1 is 
commended towards marvels1 vouched as   
eye-witnessed facts1 for the sake of the
 ,gospels4 7,see my remarks1 pp4 #hf1   
#hg1 par4 commencing ,paul #a47         
,another instance1 in a quite different 
profession1 of a mind guided by a       
principle similar to that of ,dr4       
,chalmers is presented by the           
illustrious philosopher1 ,mr4 ,faraday4 
,one of a small body of ,christians knit
 together in bands of love and peace1   

and himself the very embodiment of that 
high morality and love of kind1 so much 
preached about however practised1 no    
question appears to have crossed his    
mind as to the validity of the evidences
 on which the gospel claims rest2 but1  
hating pretence and ever loyal to truth1
 he saw1 with habitual clearness of     
judgment1 that a revelation1 dealing    
with what man cannot himself discover1  
must be taken1 if true1 implicitly as   
delivered4 ,in his lecture on ,mental   
,education before ,prince ,albert1 in   
the year #ahed1 he said3 ,high as man is
 placed above the creatures around him1 
there is a higher and far more exalted  
position within his view2 and the ways  
are infinite in which he occupies his   
thoughts about the fears1 or hopes1 or  
expectations of a future life4 ,i       
believe that the truth of that future   
cannot be brought to his knowledge by   
any exertion of his mental powers1      
however exalted they may be2 that it is 
made known to him by other teaching than

 his own1 and is received through simple
 belief of the testimony given4 ,let no 
one suppose for a moment that the       
self-education ,i am about to commend in
 respect of the things of this life1    
extends to any considerations of the    
hope set before us1 as if man by        
reasoning could find out ,god4 ,it would
 be improper here to enter into this    
subject further than to claim an        
absolute distinction between religious  
and ordinary belief4 ,i shall be        
reproached with the weakness of refusing
 to apply those mental operations1 which
 ,i think good in respect of high       
things1 to the very highest4 ,i am      
content to bear the reproach4 ,yet1 even
 in earthly matters1 ,i believe that the
 invisible things of ,him from the      
creation of the world are clearly seen1 
being understood by the things that are 
made1 even his eternal ,power and       
,godhead2 and ,i have never seen        
anything incompatible between those     
things of man which can be known by the 

spirit of man which is within him1 and  
those higher things concerning his      
future which he cannot know by that     
spirit4  ,so that of himself1 apart from
 revelation1 ,mr4 ,faraday's position   
was agnostic4 ,had he seen reason to    
reject revelation he would not have been
 a deist1 any more than  ,dr4 ,chalmers4
 ,there is an ,eternal ,power1 but what 
it is man cannot divine4 ,of ,god or of 
a future state man himself can tell     
nothing4 ,and the reproach from the     
votaries of most popular religions1     
which ,mr4 ,faraday refers to1 will     
apply equally to the agnostic who       
submits to revelation with his simple   
belief1 and to the agnostic who sees    
reason to reject it4 ,nothing would have
 been more utterly abhorrent to ,mr4    
,faraday than to have his name paraded  
and referred to1 as a ,christian1 in the
 sense in which it is alluded to in such
 books as the ,unseen ,universe1 or1    
since his death1 by many of the clergy  
in their sermons4  ,any communications1 

from those interested in the subject of 
this treatise1 addressed to me1 care of 
the ,publishers1 will be gladly received
 and attended to4  ,l4 ,l4  #ast ,july1 
#ahgg4     ,,introduction4  #a4 ,the    
belief1 concerning the position of      
mankind in this world and the next1 held
 by the various ,christians1 who cling  
to the ,old and ,new ,testaments as the 
one inspired and infallible revelation  
of the mind and purpose of an ,almighty1
 may be briefly summed up thus3--,that  
the whole human race1 because of the    
disobedience of ,adam1 is fallen from   
its original righteousness1 and is under
 condemnation for transgression of the  
law or will of ,god2 whether as ,jews1  
to whom the law was given in certain    
forms of words or as ,gentiles1 who have
 the law1 the knowledge of right and    
wrong1 written on their consciences3    
that the eternal justice of ,god        
requires the eternal punishment of sin3 
that thus no escape being possible from 
the consequences of guilt1 the result of

 ,adam's disobedience and their own     
depravity1 the whole human race must    
have perished1 had it not been that ,god
 in love1 and in order that he might    
place himself in a position to pardon   
sin in a way that would be consistent   
with eternal justice1 sent his ,son--the
 sole-begotten--into the world1 who     
became incarnate in the person of ,jesus
 of ,nazareth3 that ,jesus fulfilled the
 will of ,god in his life3 that his     
death by crucifixion has been accounted 
by ,god a full atonement for the sins of
 all who believe on him and his         
fulfilment of the law as if it had been 
their fulfilment3 that by his atonement 
and righteousness they are thus restored
 to the divine favour3 that ,jesus rose 
from the dead on the third day3 that he 
ascended into heaven3 that he is now    
there waiting until all who are ordained
 unto eternal life shall1 in course of  
time1 be born1 when he will return to   
earth in the glory and power of heaven3 
that then those who have believed in him

 will be raised from the dead1 or1 if   
not dead1 will receive an incorruptible 
body and a purified mind3 that the new  
heavens and the new earth1 wherein      
dwelleth righteousness1 shall then be   
inaugurated3 that risen mankind1 who    
have believed on ,jesus1 will           
thenceforth enjoy eternal bliss in      
direct communion with ,god3 that those  
of mankind who have not believed in     
,jesus will also be raised from the     
dead1 but1 their sins being unatoned    
for1 they will be punished with         
everlasting banishment from the presence
 of ,god3 that the doom in each case    
will be irrevocable1 everlasting4  #b4  
,the conception of the ,almighty1 in    
relation to fallen man1 formed in the   
minds of many believers1 is that of a   
king dealing with rebel subjects who are
 equally guilty1 and whose lives are    
equally forfeit4 ,he shows mercy to whom
 he will--those who are thus favoured   
having no right to this grace2 and whom 
he will he leaves to deserved           

death--those thus left having no right  
to complain of the pardon of the others1
 as their own doom would have been the  
same whether the others were spared or  
not4  ,other believers1 again1 rather   
conceive the ,almighty to be in the     
position of a gracious benefactor1      
offering pardon through the merits of   
,jesus to any one who chooses to accept 
of it1 the pardon not to take effect    
unless the sinner accepts it by         
acquiescing in the divine plan of       
salvation4 ,and among the numerous sects
 into which believers are divided       
through opposing interpretations of     
various passages of the ,bible1 other   
conceptions of the ,almighty and        
modifications of the foregoing statement
 of belief will be found4 ,but all1 or  
almost all1 agree in dividing mankind   
into the believing and the unbelieving1 
the elect and the non-elect1 the sheep  
and the goats1 the saved and the lost4  
,many ,christians maintain that the     
atonement was universal2 but it is      

doubtful if any maintain that the       
salvation will be universal1 as belief  
is held to be a necessary condition or a
 sign of salvation4  ,beyond such ideas 
as these there are two momentous        
considerations3--7#a47 ,whether an      
,almighty ,maker of the universe could  
be such an one as1 were he to carry out 
a scheme of salvation for a condemned   
race of his creatures1 would do so in a 
way to have but a partial effect1 or to 
be dependent on the belief or unbelief  
of those for whom it was devised4 7#b47 
,whether vicarious sacrifice can in any 
way satisfy justice1 divine or human4   
,for what is vicarious sacrifice8--the  
substitution of the innocent for the    
guilty1 whether an innocent lamb or an  
innocent child1 or the innocent ,son of 
the ,eternal made flesh4 ,however       
exalted the victim the principle is the 
same1--that of satisfying justice by    
committing so gross an injustice as     
enjoining or permitting the innocent to 
take the place of the guilty4 ,would any

 earthly tribunal be accounted righteous
 which allowed a self-sacrificing mother
 to substitute herself for a son1 a son 
for a father8 ,and does not the         
,christian doctrine represent its deity 
as the author of a proceeding so utterly
 unjust8  #c4 ,christian believers1     
however1 consider themselves as1 or as  
having been1 sinners under divine       
condemnation1 but maintain that ,god    
can1 consistently with justice1 on      
account of the merits and death of      
,jesus1 freely pardon their sin2 and1 in
 the hope that saving faith has been    
given them1 they rest content in this   
belief1 seek to live in this world in   
subjection to ,christ's commandments1   
and await1 after death1 an entrance into
 bliss unspeakable1 and1 on ,christ's   
,second coming1 a joyful resurrection4  
,such1 at least1 is the profession2 the 
practice does not always correspond4    
,christians are not unknown to history1 
nor possibly to the present age1 whose  
conduct is widely at variance with their

 profession4 ,but this is true of others
 besides believers in ,christianity4    
,they who rest content in the belief and
 hope just mentioned1 are seldom        
disturbed by misgivings as to the       
soundness of the foundations of the     
,christian faith4 ,they have no more    
doubt that the miraculous birth1 the    
miracles1 and the resurrection of ,jesus
 were actual witnessed events1 than they
 have of the assassination of ,julius   
,caesar1 or of the landing of ,william  
the ,conqueror in ,england4 ,and this   
belief seems to them to account for     
much4 ,that stumbling-block to many in  
the way of owning that a wise and       
beneficent deity could be the author of 
such a world as this1 of a whole        
creation groaning and travailing in     
pain1 disappears1 in their minds1 in    
view of the curse of ,god against sin1  
under which the earth and all it        
contains is1 as they believe1 labouring1
 and of the love of ,god in providing a 
way by which he could be just and yet   

pardon sin4 ,it gives them1 moreover1 a 
definite1 settling belief1 and a hope   
for the future1 that there is something 
better and different in store than life 
in this world4 ,regarding the earth and 
all upon it as under a curse1 they      
profess to set their hearts on their    
home in heaven1 on the glorious future  
revealed4 ,alas1 then1 if the grounds on
 which the prospect of this glorious    
future rests are worthless2 if the hope 
is delusive2 if its evil effect is1 and 
has continually been1 to divert men from
 applying themselves strenuously to make
 the best of this earth on which they   
live1 and from heartily co-operating    
with their fellows to do the same2 to   
build up brazen barriers of spiritual   
pride and self-complacency that sunder  
man from man2 to foster vain-glory1     
strife1 acrimony1 and intolerance       
through pretence1 as between opposing   
sects and schools1 of a superior1 or a  
more accurate1 or a better defined      
knowledge of the mind of ,god4  #d4 ,the

 foundations of the ,christian faith are
 the supernatural testimonies1 as       
recorded in the ,new ,testament1 given  
from on high to the supernatural        
attributes claimed for ,jesus4 ,many    
there are who profess1 or by their mode 
of teaching imply1 disbelief in these   
supernatural testimonies or attributes1 
or ignore them altogether1 yet who for  
the sake of their position1 clerical or 
otherwise1 or to be in unison with      
prevailing fashion1 extol ,christianity 
as a system of high moral government and
 elevating tendency4 ,all such1 however1
 will appear to the honest and          
truth-loving mind but deserving of      
unmeasured scorn4 ,excepting the ,jesus 
of the ,new ,testament1 is there any    
other ,jesus8 ,if the supernatural      
attributes there claimed for him are a  
pretence1 he was either self-deluded or 
he was an impostor1 or the compilers of 
the four gospels have borne false       
witness1 or are recorders of inflated   
hearsay1 or the inventors of fiction1   

all the while asserting that they were  
eye-witnesses1 or narrators of the      
testimony of eye-witnesses4 ,and what is
 to be said of a system founded either  
on self-delusion or imposition8 ,are not
 noble and pure doctrines put to the    
basest use when they are made supports  
of pretence and falsehood1 and should   
they not be rescued from such           
contamination8 ,besides1 ,jesus scarcely
 claims to be the originator of new     
laws4 ,his claim is far more4 ,he is    
held to be the same person who gave the 
commandments to ,moses on ,sinai2 and   
his spiritual application and extension 
of these laws are to be found also in   
the books of the ,psalms and the        
,prophets1 alleged to have been written 
under his own inspiration4 ,whether or  
not they are to be found elsewhere1 in  
so-called heathen writings1 is a        
consideration beyond the scope of this  
inquiry4 ,the exhortation to take heed  
and beware of covetousness1 for a man's 
life consisteth not in the abundance of 

the things he possesseth1 might probably
 be found taught and practised under    
other than ,christian sanction1--might  
perhaps be discovered not to have been  
the guiding principle of all ,christian 
professors4 ,as a system1 then1 of moral
 government1 or of high spiritual life1 
the ,christianity of the ,new ,testament
 professes no more than to confirm and  
verify1 explain1 fulfil1 and develop the
 ,jewish ,scriptures4 ,but its          
supernatural claims on behalf of ,christ
 himself1 by which it pretends to lay   
bare the truth as to the position of    
mankind in this world and the next1 and 
to give them the hope of a new life     
beyond the grave1 rest on the           
supernatural occurrences recorded4 ,if  
these are true1 ,jesus is all he claimed
 to be4 ,he is now alive1 he has the    
destinies of the whole human race in his
 hands1 and is to be worshipped as ,god4
 ,if they are not true1 he was either a 
mere man1 deluding or self-deluded1 or  
the history of his life is a myth1      

however originated or developed4 ,truth 
and sincerity demand that there be no   
compromise between these two positions4 
,the time has surely gone by when sound 
morality and brotherly kindness require 
the support of supernatural pretence2   
when religion1 in the words of an       
ancient writer1 is to be praised as an  
imposture devised by wise men for       
restraining the evil passions of the    
multitude4 ,let every true man repudiate
 the libel on his race implied by the   
most unworthy1 most pernicious and      
despairing idea1 which has for so long  
influenced human thought1 that for the  
support of high morality and love of    
kind it is necessary to disregard or to 
trifle with the highest of all          
morality--,truth4  #e4 ,ordinary        
scientific research is of little avail  
here4 ,science of itself is unable      
either to affirm or to deny if any power
 beyond and supreme over ,nature exists4
 ,whether ,nature works spontaneously1  
and there is nothing besides matter and 

its inherent organising powers2 or      
whether her various operations are      
carried on in fixed modes1 and by       
determinate forces1 created and         
sustained by an ,omnipotent and         
,omniscient ,being1 the observation of  
cause and effect1 and the induction of  
general laws from ascertained facts is  
the same4 ,but in the latter case1 the  
,almighty ,one1 if he willed1 might     
suspend or break through1 or alter the  
regular course of ,nature's working2 and
 the question here is1 whether there is 
any valid evidence to show that the     
manifestations1 as recorded in the ,new 
,testament1 of a nature-controlling     
power actually happened4 ,if such an    
one1 almighty1 all-seeing1 all-knowing1 
all-just1 all-loving1 all-merciful 7such
 as ,exodus xxxiv4 #f1 #g7 exists1 a    
special revelation from him to men1     
different from his working in the       
visible universe1 is not a thing        
impossible3 moreover1 assuming the      
,christian doctrine to be true1 that by 

sending his son ,jesus into the world he
 meant to save only a portion of the    
human race1 the revelation might take   
place in a mode suited to the knowledge 
and capacities of those for whom it was 
intended2 and merely because the mode   
may appear absurd and unworthy of a     
deity 7though this consideration may not
 be lost sight of71 or because it did   
not take place in the way which the     
learned and philosophers--hitherto a    
small minority of mankind--might have   
selected1 it is not to be disbelieved if
 the evidence is good4 ,and it may      
fairly be argued that there would be no 
simpler way by which an ,almighty could 
reveal his own existence1 or attest the 
divine mission of his chosen messenger1 
than by instances of nature-controlling 
power4 ,again and again1 then1 this one 
consideration presses1 ,is there any    
good evidence to show that these        
occurrences did really happen1 that this
 man ,jesus1 claiming to be the ,son of 
,god1 received certain credentials from 

a ,power beyond and supreme over        
,nature8  #f4 ,the supernatural         
attributes of ,jesus1 claimed by        
himself1 or by his disciples for him1   
and held to constitute saving faith1    
are--  a4 ,that he was alive from all   
eternity1 the sole-begotten ,son of     
,god1 before he appeared in this world4 
b4 ,that his birth was the result of the
 overshadowing of his virgin-mother by  
the power of the ,highest4  c4 ,that    
while he sojourned on earth he was a    
union of ,god and man1 a mortal human   
body with the mind and power of the     
,eternal4  d4 ,that his career on earth 
and its results were the fulfilment of  
the ,jewish law and prophets4  e4 ,that 
he rose from the dead on the third day  
from his crucifixion1 ascended from     
earth to heaven1 and is now there1      
ever-living ,god and man united1 with   
all power in heaven and in earth4  f4   
,that he is to return in the power of   
the ,almighty to raise the dead1 and to 
inaugurate with his chosen an           

everlasting kingdom1 and to banish his  
enemies for ever from his presence4     
,the supernatural events recorded in the
 gospels as testimonies to these        
supernatural attributes are--  7#a47    
,those connected with his birth1        
viz43--,the appearance of the angel     
,gabriel to ,zacharias to announce the  
birth of the forerunner ,john1 and to   
,mary to announce her conception of     
,jesus2 the three appearances of the    
angel of the ,lord to ,joseph in dreams2
 the visit of the wise men of the ,east2
 and the appearance of the angels and of
 the heavenly host to the shepherds on  
the plains of ,bethlehem4 7#b47 ,the    
heavenly testimonies1 viz43--,the voice 
at the baptism4 ,the transfiguration and
 the voice thereat4 ,the voice from     
heaven 7,john xii4 #bh-ca74 ,to which   
may be added--  ,the testimony of the   
devils4  ,the temptation by ,satan1 and 
the subsequent ministration of angels4  
,the earthquake and rending of the veil 
of the temple at the crucifixion4 7#c47 

,the miracles performed1 which1 if true1
 proved that ,jesus and the first       
apostles had power over diseases and the
 course of nature4  7#d47 ,the          
fulfilment of prophecy4  7#e47 ,the     
resurrection from the dead1 the         
appearances after that event1 the       
ascension to heaven1 the gifts of the   
apostles1 and the subsequent            
manifestations to ,paul on his way to   
,damascus4  #g4 ,for the purposes of    
this inquiry there are two simple1 and  
what appear to be conclusive1 tests     
ready to hand2 one1 a rule of evidence  
held sacred by ,jews and ,christians    
alike1 and the other arising out of the 
nature of the claims made for ,jesus4   
7a47 ,moses1 or1 as ,christians affirm1 
the deity speaking by ,moses1 has laid  
down this rule of evidence in cases of  
guilt3 ,one witness shall not rise up   
against a man for any iniquity1 or for  
any sin1 in any sin that he sinneth3 at 
the mouth of two witnesses or at the    
mouth of three witnesses shall the      

matter be established4 ,this rule is    
commended in the ,new ,testament in the 
case of offences 7,matt1 xviii4 #af74   
,what then can be more fair to          
,christianity than to examine its claims
 by a rule of evidence held righteous by
 itself8 ,for1 to put it on the very    
lowest grounds1 the evidence necessary  
to establish events otherwise incredible
 must surely be at least equally        
conclusive with that necessary to       
convict a criminal4 ,these are not      
ordinary historical statements1 to be   
credited or not as reasonable           
probability1 fair conjecture1 or        
prejudice may determine1 without any    
penal consequences-whatever1 either in  
this world or the world to come4 ,if a  
man disbelieves that ,king ,arthur1 or  
,romulus1 or even ,alexander the ,great1
 or ,julius ,caesar ever existed1 does  
it affect his welfare now or hereafter8 
,but the gospels set forth extraordinary
 occurrences1 disbelief of which by any 
one is said to render him liable to be  

left to perish in his sins1 to endure   
the torments of hell evermore2 and will 
it for a moment be asserted that a deity
 would expect belief involving so dire a
 consequence1 on evidence he is said to 
consider insufficient for the punishment
 of common guilt8 ,if1 then1 judged by  
this ,mosaic rule of evidence1 disbelief
 of the alleged supernatural testimonies
 to the claims of ,jesus should be the  
righteous1 and belief the unrighteous   
result1 on whose side would a ,god of   
truth be8 ,would he be on the side of   
those who are swayed by emotion and not 
evidence--who imagine that their        
feelings are in unison with facts they  
have taken no pains to verify--who      
profess to believe because it is        
fashionable1 or because they have been  
so taught from youth--who credit        
statements which they assert affect     
their relation to the ,almighty and     
their eternal interests1 on grounds on  
which they would not credit statements  
affecting their most trifling temporal  

interest8 ,would a ,god of truth be on  
their side8 ,surely not4  7b47 ,the ,new
 ,testament record and doctrine are said
 to be a development and fulfilment of  
the ,old4 ,the deity of the one is the  
deity of the other1 under a different   
dispensation4 ,the law was given by     
,moses1 but grace and truth came by     
,jesus ,christ4 ,if1 then1 the ,new     
,testament is shown conclusively to be a
 development and fulfilment of the ,old1
 this claim will be sustained4 ,if1 on  
the other hand1 there are twisted and   
untenable interpretations of ,old       
,testament texts1 to make them fit in   
with ,new ,testament facts2 or if there 
are practices or doctrines or aught else
 upheld in the ,new ,testament1 as of   
,god1 which are hateful or foreign to   
the deity of the ,old1 such would argue 
deception 7whether intentional or not7  
in the writers of the ,new ,testament1  
and show that1 if the deity of the ,old 
,testament is the true ,god1 the deity  
of the ,new is not4 ,christianity thus  

maintaining that the ,god of the ,jewish
 ,scriptures is the ,eternal1 would fall
 by its own supports4  #h4 ,christian   
authorities1 for the most part1 hold    
that the books of the ,old ,testament   
were composed by the different writers  
from ,moses to ,malachi1 during the     
#aajj years from ,b4,c4 #adij to ,b4,c4 
#cij1 and the books of the ,new         
,testament1 during the first century1   
a4d41 by the companions of ,jesus1 or by
 those who received their information   
from his companions4 ,much learning and 
critical research have been expended on 
the one hand in maintaining this        
position1 and on the other hand in      
impugning it1 by stigmatising the whole 
of some books1 and portions of others1  
as interpolations or compositions of    
later times4 ,into so nice a question as
 this1 it is not proposed to enter here4
 ,a conscience-satisfying belief for    
earnest men can in no wise rest on the  
doubtful and disputed conclusions and   
arguments of verbal critics4 ,the object

 of this inquiry1 then1 is to consider  
the evidence of the alleged supernatural
 credentials to the claims of ,jesus1 so
 far as possible in the most favourable 
light in which they can be presented1   
and therefore it will be assumed that   
the books of the ,old and ,new          
,testaments were written at the time    
generally understood1 and by the persons
 whose names they bear2 and as by most  
believers in ,christianity these books  
are held to be the one infallible       
authority1 the endeavour will be not to 
travel beyond them4 ,the alleged        
fulfilment of ,old ,testament prophecy  
by ,new ,testament events will be fully 
considered under its own head2 and on   
the divine inspiration claimed for the  
writers of the ,new ,testament          
narratives1 one word will suffice4 ,to  
relate facts seen1 or facts told to the 
narrator by others1 requires no         
inspiration4 ,if any one holds that the 
gospels record1 either in whole or in   
part1 facts which the writers did not   

see1 or were not told of1 but which were
 specially revealed to their spirit by a
 ,god of truth1 as having occurred1 he  
claims more for them than they do for   
themselves4 ,see ,luke i4 #a-d2 xxiv4   
#dh2 ,john i4 #ad2 xx4 #cj1 #ca2 xxi4   
#bd1 #be2 ,acts i4 #a1 #c2 #a ,cor4 xv4 
#a-i2 #b ,peter i4 #af-ah2 #a ,john i4  
#a-c4 ,the burden of these passages is  
summed up in the last one--,that which  
we have seen and heard declare we unto  
you4 ,the truth or otherwise of the     
supernatural events recorded professes  
thus to rest on the testimony of human  
eyes and human ears1 however divinely   
guided and enlightened4  #i4 ,assuming1 
then1 that the books of the ,new        
,testament were written by those whose  
names they bear1 what is known of the   
narrators8 ,their character for honesty 
and trustworthiness among their         
neighbours and contemporaries there is  
no voucher for4 ,yet1 while no one who  
knew them has left aught on record to   
their credit1 there is nothing to the   

contrary4 ,true1 they themselves confess
 that neither the miraculous pretensions
 of ,jesus himself1 nor their own       
testimony with reference to the         
supernatural events of his life1 met    
with any credit from by far the greater 
part of those living at the time1 who   
had the means of satisfying themselves  
of their truth or falsehood--means which
 no one at the present day possesses4   
,the people of ,capernaum1 consigned by 
,jesus to hell for unbelief1 or his own 
brothers and sisters1 may1 for all that 
any one now can tell1 have been as      
competent and truthful1 in every        
respect1 as the publican ,matthew1 or   
the fishermen ,peter and ,john4 ,the    
,roman governors1 the ,jewish           
high-priests1 ,gamaliel and the other   
rabbis1 why are they to be accounted    
less trustworthy1 less able to discern  
truth from pretence1 than ,paul and     
,luke8 ,the following particulars1 with 
reference to its writers1 are to be     
gleaned from the ,new ,testament3--     

7#a47 ,matthew1 whose name the first    
,gospel bears1 was a tax-gatherer1      
sitting at the receipt of custom 7,matt4
 ix4 #i71 in the thirty-first year of   
,jesus' life1 when he became a follower 
of ,jesus4 ,whether they knew each other
 previously is not mentioned4 ,he was   
alive after the crucifixion1 but no     
separate mention is made of him         
subsequent to ,acts i4 #ac4  7#b47      
,mark1 the writer of the second ,gospel1
 is not mentioned before ,acts xii4 #ab 
7ordinary chronology1 a4d4 #dc to #dg71 
and then it is as the son of one ,mary1 
to whose house ,peter went after his    
miraculous liberation from prison4 ,he  
accompanied ,paul and ,barnabas on their
 first mission to the ,gentiles1 but    
soon left them4 ,a quarrel afterwards   
occurred between the two apostles on his
 account4 ,paul was hurt at the way in  
which he had turned back at the outset1 
and objected to take him on their second
 mission4 ,barnabas insisted that he    
should go4 ,but if he is the same ,mark 

mentioned in ,colossians iv4 #aj1 #b    
,tim4 iv4 #aa1 and ,philemon #bd1 a     
reconciliation with ,paul had taken     
place1 and he was alive and in ,rome in 
a4d4 #ff4 ,again1 ,peter in his first   
epistle thus refers to him1 ,the church 
that is at ,babylon1 elected together   
with you1 saluteth you1 and so doth     
,marcus my son4 ,it cannot be gathered  
from the ,new ,testament that ,mark     
7even if he had been the young man with 
the linen garment about his naked body  
,mark xiv4 #ea1 #eb1 as some fondly     
conjecture7 knew anything of ,jesus     
personally2 but his own and his mother's
 connection with ,peter is shown to have
 been an intimate one4 ,from the passage
 in ,philemon1 also1 it appears that he 
was at ,rome1 along with ,luke1 in      
attendance on ,paul4  7#c47 ,of ,luke1  
the writer of the third ,gospel and of  
the ,acts1 the first mention is in ,acts
 xvi4 #aj 7ordinary chronology1 ,a4,d4  
#ec71 where the we first appears in the 
narrative4 ,thereafter he was the almost

 constant companion of ,paul in his     
journeys4 ,he is also mentioned 7#b     
,tim4 iv4 #aa7 as being alive in a4d4   
#ff1 in attendance on ,paul in ,rome4   
,although he claims 7,luke i4 #a-d7 a   
perfect understanding of all things from
 the very first1 he places himself among
 those who received their information   
from the eye-witnesses and ministers of 
the word2 so that he himself knew       
nothing of ,jesus or of the events of   
his life4 ,he opens his ,gospel thus3   
,forasmuch as many have taken in hand to
 set forth in order a declaration of    
those things which are most surely      
believed among us4 ,in his time1 then1  
there were many different narratives of 
the life of ,jesus4 ,it is not clear    
whether ,luke considered these          
erroneous1 and requiring correction by  
the perfect understanding possessed by  
himself1 or whether he was merely       
following the example of others in      
setting forth in order the events as he 
himself understood them4  7#d47 ,john1  

whose name the fourth ,gospel bears1 and
 who is held to be the author also of   
three epistles and the ,revelation1     
became a follower of ,jesus in the      
thirty-first year of ,jesus' life       
7,matt1 iv4 #ah1 #bb2 ,mark i4 #af-bj2  
,luke v4 #a-aa74 ,he does not claim1 nor
 is there any mention1 that they were   
acquainted before1 unless he was one of 
the two mentioned in ,john i4 #cg4 ,he  
is said to have lived till a4d4 #if4    
,jesus at the crucifixion 7,john xix4   
#be-bg7 left his mother ,mary in charge 
of ,john1 who had thus the very best    
opportunity of informing himself of all 
the circumstances within her knowledge4 
7#e47 ,peter1 if the first three        
,gospels are to be followed1 became a   
follower of ,jesus at the ,sea of       
,galilee1 at the same time as the       
apostle ,john1 that is1 after the       
imprisonment of ,john the ,baptist      
7,matt4 iv4 #ah-bb2 ,mark i4 #af-bj2    
,luke v4 #a-aa74 ,but in the fourth     
,gospel 7,john i4 #dj-db7 both ,jesus   

and ,peter are mentioned together as    
following the preaching of ,john the    
,baptist4 ,peter is said to have died   
about a4d4 #ff4  7#f47 ,paul's first    
connection with ,christianity was after 
his persecuting journey to ,damascus    
7,acts ix42 ordinary chronology1 a4d4   
#ce71 and it is believed that he        
suffered death at ,rome1 a4d4 #fh4 ,with
 the exception of the miraculous        
appearance of ,jesus while ,paul was on 
the way to execute his persecuting      
mission at ,damascus1 and it may be the 
trance referred to in #b ,cor4 xii4     
#a-d1 it is not claimed for him that he 
possessed any knowledge of the events in
 the life of ,jesus beyond what he      
learned from others4  ,of the six       
writers in the ,new ,testament1 then1   
who record facts in connection with the 
life of ,jesus1 three--,matthew1 ,john1 
and ,peter--claim to have been his      
companions1 and three--,mark1 ,luke1 and
 ,paul--with the exception just         
mentioned in the case of the last1      

received their information from others4 
#aj4 ,the foregoing considerations will 
serve to show that this inquiry into the
 evidence on which rest the supernatural
 credentials said to have been given to 
the claims of ,jesus to the worship of  
mankind1 will be proceeded with on the  
most favourable view possible for these 
claims--  7#a47 ,by adopting what is    
held by ,christians to be a divine and  
righteous rule of evidence1--,that at   
the mouth of two witnesses1 or at the   
mouth of three witnesses1 shall the     
matter be established4  7#b47 ,by       
examining the claim of the ,new         
,testament to be a development and      
fulfilment of the ,old4  7#c47 ,by      
assuming that the books of the ,old and 
,new ,testaments were written by those  
whose names they bear1 and at the times 
generally believed by ,christians4      
7#d47 ,by examining these books one with
 another1 and travelling beyond them    
only so far as the strict requirements  
of the subject necessitate4     ,,the   

,,two ,,tests4     ,,chapter ,i4 ,,the  
,,birth ,,of ,,jesus1 ,,and ,,the       
,,supernatural ,,events ,,connected     
,,therewith  ,luke i41 ii42 ,matt i41   
ii4  a4 ,the appearances of the angel   
,gabriel to ,zacharias and ,mary4 b4    
,the appearances of the angel of the    
,lord to ,joseph in dreams4  c4 ,the    
visit of the wise men of the ,east4  d4 
,the appearance of the angel and the    
heavenly host to the shepherds on the   
plains of ,bethlehem4  ,,first          
,,test4--,in the mouth of two or three  
witnesses shall every word be           
established4  ,mark and ,john pass by   
the birth and upbringing of ,jesus in   
silence4 ,john1 who knew ,mary1 and to  
whose care ,mary was consigned by the   
expiring ,jesus1 would have been the    
most competent of all to record her     
version of the wondrous experiences of  
her cousin1 herself1 and her husband1 in
 connection with the births of ,john the
 ,baptist and of ,jesus1 yet he has not 
one word concerning them4 ,matthew1 who 

may have known ,mary and ,joseph1 has   
only meagre statements1 very unlike what
 would be derived directly from either  
of the parents4 ,but there is nothing to
 show from whom ,matthew obtained his   
information4 ,the detailed narration of 
the angelic appearances is made by      
,luke1 who1 so far as is known1 was     
never at ,jerusalem at all1 far less    
ever came into contact with ,mary4      
,what1 then1 have we here8  ,john1 the  
companion and best loved disciple of    
,jesus1 the custodian of ,mary1 the most
 competent of all to narrate occurrences
 within her knowledge1--,silent4  ,mark1
 the son of a woman known to ,peter and 
the other companions of ,jesus1 and     
himself a companion of ,peter1 who would
 have been aware of these occurrences1  
if they had been believed among the very
 earliest ,christian circle1--,silent4  
,matthew1 the companion of ,jesus1 who  
may have known ,mary and                
,joseph1--,records three angel-visits to
 ,joseph in dreams1 and the visit of the

 wise men of the ,east1 but is silent as
 to-all the marvels of ,luke4--,is      
silent as to ,matthew's marvels1 but    
sets forth1 in detail1 angel-visits to  
,zacharias and ,mary1 and the appearance
 to the shepherds at ,bethlehem4  ,luke1
 who narrates the testimony of others1  
and does not name his informants1 merely
 stating that they were eyewitnesses and
 ministers of the word1 and who writes  
at least fifty years after the events   
referred to4  ,in the mouth of two1 or  
in the mouth of three witnesses1 nay1   
even in the mouth of one witness1 is any
 one of these incidents established8    
',but let them be examined separately in
 detail3---  7a47 ,luke states that     
while the ,jewish priest ,zacharias1 in 
the order of his course1 was burning    
incense in the temple1 the angel of the 
,lord appeared1 standing on the right   
side of the altar4 ,the old priest was  
startled4 ,the angel told him that his  
wife ,elizabeth should bear a son1 who  
should be great in the sight of the     

,lord1 who should turn many of the      
children of ,israel to the ,lord their  
,god1 and make ready a people prepared  
for the ,lord4 ,zacharias had a         
misgiving that the event predicted could
 not well happen1 as he himself was an  
old man1 and his wife well stricken in  
years4 ,whereupon the angel announced   
himself to be ,gabriel1 who stands in   
the presence of ,god1 and forthwith he  
inflicted dumbness on ,zacharias1 to    
last until the child was born1 as a     
punishment for his very reasonable      
doubt4 ,hark6 the clanking clog of      
priestcraft the harsh ring of           
intolerance6 ,punishment because of     
reasonable doubt of a supernatural event
 not verified6 ,are the angels1 then1 on
 the side of the persecutors8 ,are they 
so sensitive of their ipse dixit8       
,thomas the disciple1 it is mentioned1  
dis-believed in the risen ,jesus1 but   
,jesus appeared again to satisfy his    
doubts4 ,sarah1 the wife of ,abraham1   
laughed heartily when she heard the     

,lord announcing to her husband that she
 should bear a son when her             
child-bearing condition was past1 and   
was kindly rebuked4 ,jesus in ,john1 and
 the ,lord in ,genesis1 had a tenderness
 to human doubt of a reasonable         
character2 but ,luke's peremptory angel 
was not for one moment to be gainsaid4  
,is this disposition angelic or earthly8
 ,has such a temper of mind never been  
known among men8 ,but to return to the  
narrative4 ,zacharias himself was the   
only one who saw the angel4 ,aged at the
 date of ,john's birth1 neither he nor  
his wife could have been alive when     
,luke wrote4 ,who1 then1 came between   
,zacharias and ,luke8 ,whose report has 
,luke credited8 ,this is not a question 
of the credibility of ,zacharias or the 
credibility of ,luke1 but of some       
unknown go-between1 one or more4 ,and   
can such unknown go-between be credited 
in view of the silence of ,john and     
,matthew2 in view of the silence of     
,mark1 the companion of ,peter1 who was 

7,john i #da7 a follower of ,john the   
,baptist8 ,surely the hesitating        
,zachariases1 the doubting ,thomases1   
and the mocking ,sarahs of modern times 
are to be dealt with tenderly4  ,luke   
goes on to narrate that1 in the sixth   
month afterwards1 the same angel        
,gabriel appeared to a virgin named     
,mary1 betrothed to ,joseph1 a          
descendant of ,king ,david4 ,the angel  
hailed her as the divinely favoured     
among women4 ,she was very startled1    
wondering what he could mean by this    
style of address4 ,he proceeded to tell 
her that she was to be the mother of a  
son1 to be called the ,son of the       
,highest1 who was to reign for ever4    
,she 7naturally enough1 were it not that
 she was about to be married7 asked how 
that could be1 in view of her virgin    
condition4 ,more gracious to the        
hesitation of the timid maiden than to  
that of the aged priest1 he replied1    
,the ,holy ,ghost shall come upon thee1 
and the power of the ,highest shall     

overshadow thee2 therefore1 also1 that  
holy thing which shall be born of thee  
shall be called the ,son of ,god4 ,he   
then told her that her ,cousin          
,elizabeth1 hitherto barren1 was in her 
sixth month1 and asserted that with ,god
 nothing shall be impossible4 ,she made 
a sweetly-submissive speech in reply1   
and the angel went away4 ,here1 again1  
is the same lack of connecting evidence4
 ,mary alone saw the angel4 ,who were   
the go-betweens1 the transmitters of the
 tale to ,luke8 ,why the silence of     
,matthew1 ,mark1 and ,john1 especially  
,john1 ,mary's custodian8 ,matthew      
mentions that ,mary was found with child
 by the ,holy ,ghost2 that this was     
revealed to ,joseph in a dream2 but he  
has not one word of the angel-visit to  
,mary4 ,moreover1 in the next chapter1  
,luke relates a circumstance quite      
inconsistent with this angel-visit4 ,the
 aged ,simeon made some striking        
statements with reference to the destiny
 of the child1 whom he met in the       

temple2 and ,luke adds1 ,joseph and his 
mother marvelled at those things which  
were spoken of him4 ,but ,simeon's      
statements were far less strong than the
 angel's4 ,can ,mary1 then1 have        
forgotten the angel's visit8 ,did she   
not tell ,joseph of it8 ,can she have   
forgotten her memorable visit to ,cousin
 ,elizabeth1 when they congratulated    
each other on their respective          
conditions1 and when even ,john the     
,baptist1 before he saw the light1      
leaped for joy at ,mary's salutation of 
his mother8 ,if not1 where was there    
room for marvel at ,simeon's            
vaticination8  7#f47 ,matthew's account 
commences with ,joseph's discovery of   
the condition of his betrothed4 ,before 
they came together she was found with   
child of the ,holy ,ghost1 ,he does not 
mention how this discovery was made2 if 
it was when ,mary's condition could be  
no longer hid1 or if ,mary informed him 
as soon as she found herself pregnant1  
and then mentioned whatever grounds she 

had for asserting that this was the     
result of a supernatural overshadowing4 
,in any case1 ,matthew's account implies
 that at first ,joseph doubted her1 and 
thought that she had been unfaithful to 
him2 but as he was a quiet man1 averse  
to unnecessary scandal1 he resolved to  
conceal her in some way4 ,yet1 if       
,luke's angel-visit to ,mary ever       
occurred1 why was not ,joseph informed  
of it at the time1 for then there would 
have been no doubt on his mind that her 
conception was supernatural8 ,why was he
 not informed of the congratulatory     
visit to ,cousin ,elizabeth1 of her     
speech and ,john the ,baptist's joyous  
bound8 ,cousin ,elizabeth1 according to 
,luke1 had no doubt that ,mary was the  
mother of my ,lord4 ,joseph1 her        
betrothed1 according to ,matthew1       
thought something quite different4      
,while ,joseph was considering the best 
mode of concealing ,mary1 the angel of  
the ,lord appeared to him in a dream1   
and directed him not to fear to take    

,mary to wife1 for that which is        
conceived in her is of the ,holy ,ghost 
,and he obeyed2 but he knew her not till
 she had brought forth her first-born4  
,luke's angel appeared to ,zacharias and
 ,mary in some visible shape1 in broad  
day1 or1 at all events1 when they were  
fully awake2 but ,matthew's angel made  
himself known to ,joseph in dreams--why 
the difference6--the object being to    
induce ,joseph to become the reputed    
father of a child not his own1 and thus 
to conceal from the ,jewish nation what 
is alleged to be the fulfilment of the  
prophecy that a virgin shall be with    
child1 and bring forth a son1 and they  
shall call his name ,emmanuel1 c4 ,are  
mystery and misrepresentation1 then1 of 
divine authority8 ,are unbelieving ,jews
 and ,gentiles to be eternally reprobate
 for not allowing that a man was other  
than the son of his reputed parents8 ,an
 ,almighty maker of the universe is here
 represented as begetting a child by a  
virgin untouched by man1 and so far from

 disposing that this should be done in a
 way that would be clearly verified and 
apparent1 either to the world at large  
or to any select portion of it1         
he--eternal ,god--is said to have       
proceeded in the clandestine way of     
directing1 by means of an angel who     
manifested himself in dreams1 that      
,joseph should take this virgin to wife1
 and pass off the divine offspring as   
his own son1 that thus the wondrous     
birth on which so much depended might be
 concealed4  ,matthew further mentions  
two subsequent appearances of the angel 
of the ,lord to ,joseph in dreams1 the  
first directing him to take the child to
 ,egypt to be out of the way of ,herod's
 massacre1 and then1 when ,herod was    
dead1 directing him to return to ,judea4
 ,luke1 on the other hand1 practically  
ignores ,joseph in the whole transaction
 of the birth of ,jesus4 ,he makes no   
mention of the way in which ,mary       
informed her lover2 of the condition she
 was in1 and merely brings him in when  

the birth is about to take place1 as    
proceeding from ,nazareth to ,bethlehem1
 along with ,mary1 to be taxed4 ,while  
,matthew avers that he was desirous of  
saving ,mary's good name1 there is      
nothing in ,luke to show that ,joseph   
ever knew of ,mary being with child     
before he married her2 and for all that 
is there stated1 he may have believed   
that ,jesus was his own son2 ,luke's    
only later reference to ,joseph in      
connection with ,jesus1 is in his       
account of the visit to the temple1 when
 the boy was twelve years old4          
,discovering that he was not among the  
homeward-bound company1 ,joseph and     
,mary returned to ,jerusalem1 and found 
him in the temple posing the doctors1   
when his mother said1 ,son1 why hast    
thou thus dealt with us8 ,behold1 thy   
father and ,i have sought thee          
sorrowing4 ,the reply was1 ,how is it ye
 sought me8 ,wist ye not that ,i must be
 about my ,father's business8 and ,luke 
adds1 ,they understood not the saying   

which he spake unto them4 ,how1 then1   
can the angel-visit to ,mary be true1 or
 the three angel-visits to the          
slumbering ,joseph8 ,for if these be not
 false1 ,joseph and ,mary were the two  
human beings at the time who did        
understand fully who this wondrous child
 was4  7c and d47 ,the two further      
supernatural incidents in connection    
with the birth of ,jesus 7the wise men  
of the ,east and the appearance to the  
,bethlehem shepherds7 remain to be      
considered4 ,the details of the one are 
quite irreconcilable with those of the  
other4  7c7 ,matthew states that on the 
birth of ,jesus at ,bethlehem1 in the   
reign of ,king ,herod1 certain wise men 
from the ,east came to ,jerusalem4 ,they
 announced that the object of their     
visit was to worship the new-born ,king 
of the ,jews1 whose natal star they had 
seen in the ,east4 ,on hearing this     
,herod was much troubled1 and all       
,jerusalem with him4 ,herod sent for the
 priests to inquire of them where       

,christ1 the anointed one1 was to be    
born4 ,on the authority of the prophecy1
 ,micah v4 #b1 they informed him that   
the ,ruler of ,israel was to come out of
 ,bethlehem4 ,herod then had a private  
conference with the wise men1 eagerly   
asked when the star appeared1 charged   
them to proceed to ,bethlehem and search
 for the child1 and when they had found 
him to bring him word again that he     
himself might go and worship him4 ,on   
leaving ,herod1 the very star they had  
seen in the ,east made its appearance   
again1 and went3 before them until it   
became stationary above the house where 
,jesus was4 ,they entered the house1    
found ,mary and her infant boy1 fell    
down and worshipped him1 and offered him
 gifts1 gold1 frankincense1 and myrrh4  
,then being warned of ,god in a dream   
that they should not return to ,herod1  
they went back by another route to their
 own country4 ,after this1 and again in 
a dream1 ,joseph was warned to take     
,jesus to ,egypt1 to avoid a massacre   

which ,herod ordered1 when he saw that  
he was mocked of the wise men1 of all   
the children in ,bethlehem two years old
 and under1 according to the time which 
he had diligently inquired of the wise  
men4 ,after ,herod's death1 ,joseph was 
directed1 in another dream1 to return to
 ,judea2 but when he learned that       
,herod's son was reigning there he      
settled in ,nazareth of ,galilee4       
,luke's account is that ,joseph and     
,mary dwelt in ,nazareth before the     
angel-visit to ,mary2 that he and ,mary 
went up from there to ,bethlehem to be  
taxed2 that ,jesus was born while they  
were at4 ,bethlehem2 that he was        
circumcised on the eighth day2 that when
 ,mary's purification--thirty-three     
days--was at an end they took the babe  
to ,jerusalem to present him to the     
,lord in the temple2 and that when they 
had performed all things according to   
the law of the ,lord1 they returned to  
,galilee1 to their own city ,nazareth4  
,the glaring contradiction here between 

,luke and ,matthew need scarce be dwelt 
on4 ,luke states that ,joseph and ,mary 
came to ,bethlehem from ,nazareth3      
,matthew's account implies that they    
were not in ,nazareth until the return  
from ,egypt1 and that going to ,nazareth
 at all was because of a warning from   
,god in a dream4 ,matthew states that   
they fled from ,bethlehem to ,egypt to  
avoid the wrath of ,herod3 ,luke1 that  
they brought the child to ,jerusalem1   
where ,herod1 according to ,matthew1    
was1 and that he was openly acknowledged
 in the temple by ,simeon and ,anna4    
,matthew states that1 at ,herod's death1
 they went from ,egypt to ,nazareth1    
avoiding ,judea2 ,luke1 that they went  
straight from ,jerusalem to ,nazareth in
 a very short time after the birth of   
,jesus4  ,matthew places the birth of   
,jesus in the reign of ,king ,herod2    
,luke1 during the taxing made when      
,cyrenius was governor of ,syria1 which1
 following ,josephus1 was not till after
 the death of ,archelaus1 ,herod's      

successor4 ,this discrepancy has given  
much anxious concern to the reconcilers 
and critics1 the latest solution being a
 conjecture1 stated to rest on good     
grounds1 that ,cyrenius was twice       
governor of ,syria1 first towards the   
close of ,herod's life1 afterwards on   
the death of ,archelaus4 ,for the       
present purpose1 it is assumed that     
,matthew and ,luke refer to the same    
period4  ,the tale of the wise men      
suggests many questions4 ,what came of  
them afterwards8 ,how many were there8  
,where did they come from8 ,how1 when   
they saw the star in the ,east1 did they
 know that it indicated the birth of a  
,king of the ,jews8 ,what special       
,jewish appearance did it present8 and  
what end was their heaven-directed visit
 to serve8 ,not to proclaim ,jesus to   
the ,jews as their king and ruler2 not  
to accredit them as witnesses to        
proclaim his divinity far and wide2 not1
 so far as is stated1 to bring their own
 minds to the saving belief that he was 

the ,saviour of the world2 not even to  
confirm ,mary and ,joseph's faith--for  
if the angel-visits are true that would 
have been unnecessary2 but to offer to  
him1 the professed ,lord of heaven and  
earth1 such trumpery gifts as were laid 
upon the altars of the old gods1 or     
presented to baby princes of this world4
  7d47 ,luke narrates that1 at the birth
 of ,jesus1 a company of shepherds--how 
many is not mentioned--were watching    
their flocks at night in the fields1    
when lo1 the angel of the ,lord came    
upon them1 and the glory of the ,lord   
shone round about them1 and they were   
sore afraid4 ,and the angel said unto   
them1 ,fear not1 for behold ,i bring you
 good tidings of great joy which shall  
be to all people4 ,for unto you is born 
this day in the city of ,david a        
,saviour who is ,christ the ,lord4 ,and 
this shall be a sign unto you3 ye shall 
find the babe wrapped in swaddling      
clothes lying in a manger4 ,and suddenly
 there was with the angel a multitude of

 the heavenly host1 praising ,god and   
saying1 ,glory to ,god in the highest1  
and on earth peace1 goodwill towards    
men4 ,the shepherds forthwith hastened  
to ,bethlehem1 and discovered ,mary1    
,joseph1 and the infant boy lying in a  
manger4 ,finding the vision they had    
seen thus exactly realised1 they spread 
abroad1 among their wondering           
countrymen1 the saying that was told    
them concerning this child4 ,but ,mary  
kept all these things1 and pondered them
 in her heart4  ,the question here again
 arises3 between the shepherds1 the     
eye-witnesses of this event1 and ,luke1 
who wrote at least fifty years after1   
who were the go-betweens8 ,or if the    
information came from ,mary1 why are    
,matthew1 ,mark1 and1 above all1 ,john  
silent8 ,and what became of the         
shepherds8 ,when ,jesus began his public
 ministry1 where were they8 ,where those
 they informed8 ,joseph and ,mary1 by   
,luke's account1 had come from ,nazareth
 to ,bethlehem to be taxed1 and         

returned4 ,thus they would have been    
known in ,bethlehem as belonging to     
,nazareth1 and of the house and lineage 
of ,david4 ,there would not then have   
been difficulty in keeping them in view4
 ,and would men who had seen so         
remarkable an appearance1 to whom the   
angel of the ,lord had spoken1 who had  
heard the heavenly host singing1        
manifestations more glorious than before
 or since have been vouchsafed to any   
one1 have lost sight of the wondrous    
child1 or would those whom they informed
 have lost sight of him8 ,yet1 during   
the three years' public appearance of   
,jesus1 not one of them1 so far as can  
be gathered1 is to be found among his   
followers4  7e and d47 ,that the visit  
of the wise men of the ,east1 and the   
appearance to the shepherds1 can both be
 true1 is impossible4 ,luke is very     
precise as to the length of the stay of 
,joseph and ,mary in ,bethlehem after   
the birth of ,jesus4 ,it extended to the
 eighth day for circumcision1 and to the

 thirty-third day after this for ,mary's
 purification4 ,then they left          
,bethlehem for ,jerusalem1 there        
performed all things according to the   
law of the ,lord1 and returned straight 
to ,galilee4 ,during the forty or       
forty-one days of the stay at           
,bethlehem--five miles from             
,jerusalem--the shepherds were spreading
 abroad the saying that was told them   
concerning this child4 ,that he was a   
,saviour1 born in the city of ,david1   
,christ the ,lord4 ,the visit of the    
wise men must have occurred in the      
course of these forty-one days4 ,their  
inquiry put all ,jerusalem in a ferment1
 roused ,herod's jealousy1 set him      
inquiring where ,christ should be born1 
induced the most eager desire to find   
the new-born babe1 that he might remove 
such an obstacle from his path1 all the 
while that the shepherds in the         
neighboring district were publishing the
 glad tidings of his birth4 ,the wise   
men were guided by a star to the house  

where ,joseph and ,mary stayed1 saw and 
worshipped the wondrous child1 and were 
warned of ,god in a dream to depart to  
their own country privately2 but no such
 admonition to keep silence restrained  
the outspoken shepherds in the close    
vicinity of ,herod4 ,to avoid ,herod's  
wrath1 ,joseph took the young child and 
his mother by night and departed into   
,egypt1 just at the time when the days  
of her purification1 according to the   
law of ,moses1 were accomplished1 they  
brought him to ,jerusalem to present him
 to the ,lord1 ,herod being at          
,jerusalem1 and having had his jealousy 
roused by the tale of the wise men4 ,can
 aught more utterly irreconcilable be   
imagined8 ,as1 then1 the falsehood of   
the accusers of ,susanna in the         
,apocrypha was detected1 when they were 
examined apart by ,daniel1 on the one   
affirming that her crime was committed  
under a mastic tree and the other under 
a holm tree1 so such contradiction as   
that between ,matthew and ,luke wholly  

destroys the credit of both narratives4 
,what is there for a                    
conscience-satisfying belief to rest    
upon8  ,,second ,,test4--,the claim of  
the ,new ,testament to represent the    
,jewish ,jehovah4  #a44 ,the deity      
begetting a mortal child by a mortal    
woman1 was this a ,jewish or a ,gentile 
idea8 ,that it was not a ,jewish idea   
will be shown when the alleged          
fulfilment of ,isaiah vii4              
#ad1--;,behold a virgin shall conceive  
c41 is considered4 ,that it was a common
 ,gentile idea is most manifest4 ,a     
glowing account of ,jupiter's commerce  
with the fair ones of the earth is to be
 found in his amorous address to his    
sister-wife ,juno 7,iliad1 ,book xiv4   
#bhj-cec74 ,the other gods and goddesses
 in like manner bestowed their favours  
on mortals1 and begat mortal children4  
,plato was said to be the child of a    
virgin by ,apollo4 ,apollo appeared to  
her betrothed in a dream1 and told him  
his bride was with child1 on which he   

delayed his marriage4 ,what is this but 
the tale of ,mary and ,joseph in another
 form8 ,which is the original8 ,plutarch
 also mentions that a similar notion was
 held by the ,egyptians1 but of male    
gods only4 ,the ,egyptians1 indeed1 make
 a distinction in this case1 which they 
think not an absurd one1 that it is not 
impossible for a woman to be impregnated
 by the approach of some divine spirit1 
but that a man can have no corporeal    
intercourse with a goddess4 ,this is an 
exactly similar notion to ,luke's       
overshadowing of ,mary4 ,out of ,egypt  
have ,i called my son1 is perfectly true
 in a sense4 ,confucius also1 in one of 
the sacred books of the ,chinese1 refers
 to the great ,holy ,one1 who would     
appear in the latter days1 born of a    
virgin1 whose name shall be the ,prince 
of ,peace4  ,similar1 too1 are the      
legends of the fabled founders of some1 
to whom so many of the civil and        
religious institutions of the city were 
ascribed4 ,romulus and ,remus were sons 

of the war-god ,mars4 ,their mother     
,rhea took refuge in a cave3 the meeting
 of the god and the mortal was attended 
by prodigies3 the heaven was darkened1  
the sun eclipsed3 her celestial lover   
announced to ,rhea that she should bear 
twin-sons1 to be renowned in arms1 and  
then ascended in a cloud from the earth4
 ,servius ,tullius1 also1 had a like    
origin4 ,his mother1 a slave in the     
household of ,tarquin1 beheld a divine  
appearance on the hearth1 and afterwards
 was found with child by the god4 ,the  
child1 when born1 was named ,servius1   
from his mother's condition4 ,during its
 sleep she saw its head surrounded by   
flames1 which were extinguished when she
 awakened it4 ,the founder1 likewise1 of
 the ,sabine town of ,cures was a son of
 ,mars4 ,his mother1 a virgin of noble  
family1 seized with divine favour1 while
 dancing in the temple1 entered the     
shrine1 and became pregnant by the god4 
,her son1 she is told1 would be of      
superhuman beauty1 matchless in deeds of

 arms4 ,so that a ,roman on his         
conversion had merely to transfer to    
,jesus a like belief to those in which  
he had been nurtured with reference to  
the births of the fabled founders and   
ancient kings of his own city1 up to    
whom the political and religious        
practices which he had been taught to   
regard as sacred were traced4 ,to him   
there would have been nothing incredible
 in the story of ,mary's conception4    
,the claim of the church of ,rome to be 
the true church of ,christ may thus1 in 
a certain sense1 be cordially acquiesced
 in4  #b4 ,the ,son of ,god1 by a mortal
 woman1 brought up as the child of that 
woman and her husband1--,is that a      
proceeding proper to the deity of the   
,old ,testament8 ,the writings and the  
spirit of ,moses and the prophets       
emphatically answer1 ,no4  ,but it      
exactly corresponds with the ,grecian   
legends of the father of gods and men4  
,the suffering hero ,hercules1 son of   
,jupiter and ,alcmena1 brought up by her

 and her husband ,amphitryon1 is a      
memorable pagan tale of a kindred       
character4  #c4 ,the birth of an        
illustrious personage made manifest by a
 star1--,is that consistent with the    
attributes of the ,jewish ,jehovah8 ,the
 stars in the ,old ,testament are ever  
referred to as witnesses to the might of
 the ,eternal1 and those who sought to  
divine earthly events by their courses1 
conjunctions1 or appearances1 were      
treated with derision4 ,let now the     
astrologers1 the stargazers1 the monthly
 prognosticators stand up and save thee 
from these things that shall come upon  
thee4 ,this is addressed by ,isaiah1    
xlvii4 #ac1 to the daughter of the      
,chaldeans1 ,babylon4 ,matthew's        
stargazing wise men would thus have been
 spued out of the mouth of the ,jewish  
,jehovah4     ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the     
,,supernatural ,,testimonies ,,during   
,,the ,,lifetime ,,of ,,jesus  7a47 ,the
 descent of the ,holy ,spirit1 like a   
dove1 and the voice from heaven1 at his 

baptism4 7b47 ,the transfiguration1 and 
the voice then heard2 also the voice    
from heaven1 mentioned in ,john xii     
#bh-ca4 7c47 ,the testimony of the      
devils4 7d47 ,the forty days' fast1 the 
temptation by ,satan1 and the subsequent
 ministration of angels4 7e7 ,the       
earthquake and rending of the veil of   
the temple at the crucifixion4  7a47    
,the occurrences at the baptism 7,matt4 
iii42 ,mark i4 #a-aa2 ,luke iii4 #ba1   
#bb2 ,john i4 #bi-cd74  ,,first         
,,test4--,in the mouth of two or three  
witnesses shall every word be           
established4  ,in the fourth gospel the 
account given is expressly stated to be 
the record of ,john the ,baptist4 ,it   
does not appear from whom the           
particulars in the other three gospels  
were derived4  ,with the exception of   
the angel-visit to ,zacharias1 at his   
birth1 and the dove and voice at the    
baptism of ,jesus1 there is nothing     
supernatural in connection with ,john4  
,he is represented as a plain-spoken1   

downright enthusiast1 held in esteem by 
king and people1 and as appropriating to
 himself the prophecy of ,isaiah--,a    
voice of one crying in the wilderness1  
preparing the way of the ,lord1 making  
straight in the desert a highway for our
 ,god4 ,he lived a rude life in the     
desert1 practised fasting and purifying1
 and baptized his followers4 ,by his    
outspokenness he incurred the enmity of 
,herodias1 the wife of ,herod1 who      
obtained his head as a reward for the   
pleasure given to her husband by her    
daughter's dancing4 ,in comparing then  
his record1 as found in ,john1 with the 
statements of ,matthew1 ,mark1 and      
,luke1 one most marked divergence       
appears4 ,the latter assert that1 on    
,jesus coming to be baptized1 the       
,baptist objected1 saying1 ,i have need 
to be baptized of thee1 comest thou to  
me3 thus implying a knowledge on ,john's
 part that ,jesus was the ,christ4      
,whereas the former pointedly states1 on
 ,john's own authority that he did not  

know ,jesus as the ,messiah until the   
supernatural appearance of the dove     
occurred4 ,i knew him not1 but he that  
sent me to baptize with water1 the same 
said unto me1 c44 ,if the account in the
 fourth gospel then is true1 ,matthew's 
account on this point must be false1 and
 the angel-appearance to ,zacharias1 and
 ,john's gladsome leap in his mother's  
womb on ,mary's salutation of           
,elizabeth1 are discredited4 ,cousin    
,elizabeth addressed ,mary as the mother
 of my ,lord2 and had this been so1     
would not ,john have been brought up in 
the belief that ,jesus was the ,lord1   
whose advent he was to prepare8 ,again1 
the record of ,john the ,baptist in the 
fourth gospel does not confirm or       
corroborate the voice from heaven1 ,this
 is my beloved ,son1 in whom ,i am well 
pleased1 at the baptism1 mentioned in   
the other gospels4 ,john would surely   
have heard these wondrous words1 and    
could not well have forgotten them4     
,,second ,,test4---,the claim of the    

,new ,testament to represent the ,jewish
 ,jehovah4  #a4 ,a point to be specially
 noticed is ,john's declaration1 that he
 who sent him to baptize with water had 
charged him that the ,messiah would be  
made manifest by the spirit of ,god     
descending from heaven like a dove1 and 
alighting and remaining on him4 ,john   
affirms that he bare record that ,jesus 
was the ,son of ,god1 because in his    
case this condition was fulfilled4 ,now1
 who sent ,john to baptize with water8  
,is there anything in the ,old          
,testament scriptures to give baptism   
with water place as an ordinance of the 
being therein upheld as divine1 and whom
 both ,john the ,baptist and ,jesus     
claimed to represent8 ,not one word6    
,who1 then1 sent ,john to baptize with  
water8 ,did he receive his directions   
from angels in dreams or otherwise8     
,some of the lustrations in connection  
with the heathen temples were1 however1 
very similar to the ordinance of baptism
 since practised among ,christians4  #b4

 ,the spirit of the ,eternal in a bodily
 shape like a dove6 is that an ,old     
,testament prediction1 an ,old          
,testament belief8 ,let the following   
passages reply3--,isaiah xl4 #be1 ,to   
whom then will ye liken me1 or shall ,i 
be equal8 saith the ,holy ,one4 ,lift up
 your eyes on high1 and behold who hath 
created these things1 that bringeth out 
their host by number1 c4 ,deut4 iv4     
#ae-ag1--,take ye therefore good heed   
unto yourselves2 for ye saw no manner of
 similitude on the day that the ,lord   
spake unto you in ,horeb out of the     
midst of the fire3 lest ye corrupt      
yourselves1 and make you a graven image1
 the similitude of any figure1 the      
likeness of male or female1 the likeness
 of any beast that is on the earth1 the 
likeness of any winged fowl that flieth 
in the air1 c4 ,here then1 at the very  
outset1 are ,john the ,baptist and      
,jesus represented as connected with a  
marvellous event1 utterly abhorrent to  
the ,old ,testament deity1 whose will   

and purpose they claimed to be          
fulfilling6  ,but though the conception 
of the deity appearing in the shape of  
any bird or beast was wholly foreign to 
the ,old ,testament writers1 it was one 
quite familiar to the heathen world4 ,in
 the ,iliad1 for instance1 the god      
,sleep1 like the shrill bird of night1  
alighting1 perched on the loftiest fir  
on ,mount ,ida1 to aid the amorous      
design of ,juno on mightiest ,jove2     
,apollo and ,pallas were seated on a    
lofty beech1 like two vultures1 to watch
 the duel between ,ajax and ,hector4    
,the ,egyptian deities had each their   
appropriate symbol-beast1 bird1 or      
reptile4 ,a dove1 as an emblem of       
meekness and peace1 was no doubt deemed 
by the gospel compilers the most fitting
 of what they wished to convey as the   
mission of ,jesus2 but the conception   
being heathen1 and not ,jewish1 it      
discredits the claim of ,christianity1  
that the ,new ,testament is a           
continuation and fulfilment of the ,old4

  7h7 ,the transfiguration1 c4 7,matt4  
xvii4 #a-ac2 ,mark ix1 #bdc2 ,luke ix4  
#bh-cf74 ,jesus took ,peter and ,james  
and ,john along with him into a high    
mountain apart to pray4 ,while praying  
he was transfigured before them2 his    
face shone as the sun2 his raiment      
glistened2 ,moses and ,elias appeared in
 glory talking with him1 and spoke of   
the decease which he should accomplish  
at ,jerusalem2 ,peter and the others    
were heavy with sleep1 but when awake   
they saw his glory and the two that were
 with him2 ,peter1 in bewilderment1     
suggested that three tabernacles be     
made1 one for ,jesus1 one for ,moses1   
and one for ,elias2 a bright cloud      
overshadowed them1 and a voice out of   
the cloud said1 ,this is my beloved     
,son1 in whom ,i am well pleased4 ,on   
this the disciples fell on their faces  
in fear1 and when they revived they saw 
no one except ,jesus himself4 ,he       
charged them to conceal what they had   
seen until after his resurrection4      

,john makes no mention of the           
transfiguration2 but in chapter xii     
#bh-cj1 when ,jesus is at ,jerusalem    
exhorting the people1 and praying1      
,father1 glorify thy name2 then came    
there a voice from heaven1 saying1 ,i   
have both glorified it1 and will glorify
 it again4 ,the people1 there-tore1 that
 stood by and heard it said that it     
thundered1 others said1 ,an angel spake 
to him4 ,jesus answered and said1 ,this 
voice came not because of me1 but for   
your sakes4  ,peter1 #bnd epistle i4    
#ag1--;,for he received from ,god the   
,father honour and glory1 when there    
came such a voice to him from the       
excellent glory1 ,this is my beloved    
,son1 in whom ,i am well pleased4 ,and  
this voice1 which came from heaven1 we  
heard when we were with him in the holy 
mount4  ,the idea is an old one that    
because light of intense brilliancy     
dazzles the human eye it is therefore   
the dwelling-place and the raiment of   
the inhabitants of heaven1 pictured thus

 as a refulgent abode with refulgent    
beings4 ,who coverest thyself with light
 as with a garment 7,psalm civ4 #b72 ,at
 length do thou come1 we pray1 with a   
cloud thy shining shoulders veiled1 ,o  
,augur ,apollo6 7,horace i4 #b1 #ca17   
are instances4 ,glory and dazzling light
 meant the same thing4 ,now1 light is   
known to be one of the forms in which   
force manifests itself1 convertible into
 the other force-forms1 and the other   
force-forms1 convertible into it4       
,still1 the account of the              
transfiguration1 if the evidence on     
which it rests were at all trustworthy1 
would be a very important credential to 
the supernatural pretensions of ,jesus1 
under the claim that such special       
manifestations of a ,power beyond and   
supreme over ,nature were made so as    
best to suit the comprehension of those 
for whom they were intended1 and as     
showing that ,jesus could so command the
 force-forms of ,nature as to irradiate 
his person at will4 ,what1 then1 is the 

evidence8 ,the persons who witnessed the
 occurrence were ,peter1 ,james1 and    
,john1 and while it lasted they were in 
a state of bewilderment1 and part of the
 time asleep4 ,jesus commanded them to  
conceal what they had seen until after  
his resurrection4 ,matthew1 therefore1  
could not have heard of it at the time  
it happened1 and he does not state from 
whom he received the particulars he     
narrates4 ,perhaps from the forward     
,peter1 who1 in his epistle quoted      
above1 confirms the account4 ,for1      
strange to say1 ,john1 the other        
eye-witness1 has not one word in support
 of the supernatural appearance on the  
mount of transfiguration4 ,of three     
eyewitnesses there is only the testimony
 of one1 ,peter2 and although ,john1 one
 of the others1 has written an account  
of the life of ,jesus1 he passes by this
 striking event in silence4 ,so the     
evidence fails4 ,can it1 then1 have been
 a dream of ,peter1 when with ,jesus1   
,james1 and ,john in some lonely        

mountain in ,galilee8  ,but though ,john
 does not mention the marvellous        
transfiguration1 and the voice from     
heaven then heard1 he does narrate a    
somewhat similar occurrence1 in broad   
day1 at ,jerusalem4 ,but ,matthew1 who  
would have been present1 does not       
confirm ,john's statement4 ,what1 then1 
is to be said8 ,what faith can          
righteously rest on such testimony8     
7c47 ,the testimonies of the devils     
7,matt4 viii4 #bi2 xxxi4 #cb2 ,mark i4  
#bd2 i4 #cd2 iii #aa1 #ab2 v4 #g2 ,luke 
iv4 #cd2 iv4 #da2 viii4 #bh74  7#a47    
,devils1 who came out of many1 cried out
 that ,jesus was ,christ1 the ,son of   
,god2 but he rebuked them and suffered  
them not to speak1 because they knew    
him4 7#b47 ,some expressed fear of his  
power thus1 ,let us alone1 what have we 
to do with thee1 ,jesus of ,nazareth8   
,art thou come to destroy us8 to torment
 us before the time8 ,i know thee who   
thou art1 the ,holy ,one of ,god4 7#c47 
,the following remarkable event is      

recorded3 ,a man with an unclean spirit1
 untamable1 who had burst asunder his   
chains and fetters1 and was always1     
night and day1 in the mountains and     
among the tombs1 crying and cutting     
himself with stones1 saw ,jesus afar    
off1 ran and worshipped him1 exclaiming1
 ,what have ,i to do with thee1 ,jesus1 
the ,son of the most high ,god8 ,i      
adjure thee by ,god that thou torment me
 not4 ,jesus asked him1 ,what is thy    
name8 and he replied1 ,my name is       
,legion1 for we are many4 ,jesus cast   
out the legion1 and1 at their own       
request1 gave c them permission to enter
 a herd of two thousand swine feeding   
close by1 with the result that they all 
ran violently down a steep place into   
the sea1 and were choked4 ,what became  
of the devils is not mentioned4  ,paul  
7#a ,cor4 x4 #bj7 states1 ,the things   
which the ,gentiles sacrifice1 they     
sacrifice to devils1 and not to ,god1   
devils here being synonymous with the   
idols or gods of the ,gentiles4 ,in the 

following four passages in which devils 
are mentioned in the ,old ,testament    
7,lev4 xvii4 #g2 ,deut4 xxxii4 #ag2 #b  
,chron4 xi4 #ae2 ,psalm cvi4 #cg71 the  
word is used in exactly the same sense  
as by ,paul4 ,devils1 then1 as          
indwelling unclean spirits1 madly       
swaying their victims1 or producing     
lunacy1 blindness1 dumbness1 or other   
infirmities1 are beings or influences   
quite unknown to the ,old ,testament    
writers4 ,moreover1 in the ,old         
,testament the heathen gods1 though     
called devils1 are derided as powerless4
 7,see ,elijah's mockery of ,baal1 and  
such passages as ,psalm cxxxv4 #ae1     
#ah47 ,in the fourth ,gospel1 too1 there
 is scarcely any confirmation of the    
unclean spirits4 ,the ,jews1 indeed1    
tell ,jesus that he hath a devil1 and is
 mad1 showing a belief on their part of 
possession in some form2 but ,john does 
not corroborate one single instance of  
the devil-manifestations and exorcisms  
so prominently set forth in the other   

,gospels4 ,if1 then1 in ,jesus' time    
there was a notion current among the    
,jews that madness and natural diseases 
and defects were manifestations of the  
so-called evil principle1 or were evil  
spirits or influences1 whence was this  
most erroneous doctrine derived8        
,certainly not from their own ,old      
,testament writings4 ,so far1 therefore1
 the ,old ,testament discredits the     
accounts in ,matthew1 ,mark1 and ,luke  
of the devils and their influences4 ,it 
does not recognise beings or powers     
acting in the way described4 ,and       
,john's silence constitutes a fatal     
defect in the evidence in support of    
these manifestations4  ,in the ,old     
,testament 7in such passages as ,lev4   
xix4 #ca2 xx4 #bg2 ,deut4 xviii4 #i1    
#ab2 ,isa4 viii4 #ai7 reference is made 
to wizards1 witches1 and familiar       
spirits4 ,although the more ignorant and
 idol-affecting ,israelites1 and the    
,godforsaken ,saul were attracted by    
such pretences1 it does not appear that 

,moses or the prophets believed that    
they were real powers4 ,isaiah viii4 #ai
 implies the contrary4 ,moses calls them
 the abominations of those nations whom 
the ,lord was to drive out of ,palestine
 from before the children of ,israel4   
,the gift they assumed was blasphemy    
against ,jehovah1 usurpation of the     
prerogative of him who alone doeth      
wondrous things2 and this being so1 they
 were to be cut off from among his      
people4 ,but the possession of a        
familiar spirit with a gift of          
divination1 or the power of witchcraft1 
or the evil spirit which put dissension 
between ,abimelech and the ,shechemites1
 or the evil spirit from the ,lord      
manifested in ,saul's jealousy of       
,david1 and occasionally succumbing to  
the charm of ,david's harp1 or the lying
 spirit put by the ,lord in the mouths  
of the prophets of ,ahab1 differ greatly
 from such evil spirits1--personal1     
separate from their victims1 entering   
in1 and coming out of them1 as the      

legion mentioned above1 or the          
demon-torn youth 7,luke ix4 #cg1 #db71  
or the devil that was dumb 7,luke xi4   
#ad7499       99 ,the ,assyrians and    
,babylonians1 however1 among whom the   
captive ,jews were afterwards placed1   
believed that the world      teemed with
 malignant spirits1 who were the authors
 of the      various diseases to which  
mankind are subject4 ,the ,jews of      
the ,talmud were imbued with the same   
idea4  ,in the ,apocryphal book of      
,tobit1 also1 the evil spirit ,asmodeus1
 who killed the seven husbands of       
,raguel's daughter as they approached   
her1 and who was at last driven forth by
 the smoke of the ashes of the perfumes 
and of the heart and liver of a fish1 so
 that he fled into the utmost parts of  
,egypt1 and the angel bound him1 differs
 from the ,new ,testament evil spirits  
in that he is represented rather as     
attendant on the maiden1 than as        
indwelling1 but has this similarity to  
them that he is mentioned as a distinct 

person1 exercising a malignant          
influence4  ,in a stela found at ,thebes
 it is recorded that ,barneses ,,xii41  
while on his way through ,mesopotamia to
 collect tribute1 was so enraptured with
 the charms of a chieftain's daughter   
that he married her4 ,her father        
afterwards came to ,thebes1 to beg of   
the king the services of a physician to 
effect the cure of a younger daughter   
possessed by an evil spirit4 ,the       
physician sent1 like ,jesus' disciples  
7,luke ix4 #dj71 could not cast him out1
 and eleven years later the father went 
again to ,thebes to sue the gods of     
,egypt for more effectual aid4 ,the king
 then gave him the use of the ark of the
 god ,chons1 which on arriving in       
,mesopotamia1 after a journey of        
eighteen months1 immediately drove forth
 the evil spirit from out his victim4   
,on this the ,mesopotamian chieftain was
 unwilling to part with the ark2 but    
after retaining it three years and nine 
months1 being warned in a dream in which

 he saw the deity fly back to ,egypt in 
the shape of a golden hawk1 he returned 
the ark to ,egypt1 in the thirty-third  
year of ,rameses4  ,the ,zoroastrian    
conception of the prince of the devils1 
,ahriman1 and his attendant powers1     
reminds forcibly of the taunt of the    
,jews to ,jesus1 ,he casteth out devils 
through ,beelzebub1 the chief of the    
devils4 ,but how unlike this conception 
is to that of the impotent god of ,ekron
 ,beelzebub1 referred to in #b ,kings i4
  ,these instances abundantly suffice to
 show that the belief held by the ,jews 
in the time of ,jesus1 as to possession 
by evil or unclean spirits1 or demons1  
or devils1 was a belief gathered from   
the nations among whom they were        
scattered after the first captivity1 and
 that it would have been held by ,moses 
as an abomination of those nations4     
,what1 then1 becomes of the testimony of
 the devils to the claim of ,jesus8     
,moses and the prophets would have held 
it in derision4  7d47 ,the temptation in

 the wilderness 7,matt4 iv4 #a-aa2 ,mark
 i4 #ab1 #ac2 ,luke iv4 #a1 #ac74       
,jesus1 after his baptism1 was led by   
the spirit into the wilderness to be    
tempted of the devil4 7#a47 ,he fasted  
forty days and nights1 and was then     
hungered1 when the tempter came to him  
requiring that1 if he were the son of   
,god1 he would turn the stones into     
bread4 ,jesus replied by a verse from   
,deuteronomy1--,man shall not live by   
bread alone1 but by every word that     
proceedeth out of the mouth of ,god4    
7#b1 ,luke makes this #c47 ,then the    
devil took him to ,jerusalem1 and       
setting him on a pinnacle of the temple1
 said ,if thou be the ,son of ,god1 cast
 thyself down1 for it is written1 he    
shall give his angels charge concerning 
thee and1 in their hands they shall bear
 thee up1 lest at any time thou dash thy
 foot against a stone4 ,jesus again     
replied by a verse from ,deuteronomy1   
,thou shalt not tempt the ,lord thy     
,god4 7#c1 ,luke makes this #b47 ,the   

devil then took him up to the summit of 
a very high mountain1 showed him all the
 kingdoms of the world and their glory1 
and said1 ,all these things will ,i give
 thee if thou wilt fall down and worship
 me1 ,jesus the third time1 after a ,get
 thee hence ,satan1 replied by a verse  
from ,deuteronomy1 ,thou shalt worship  
the ,lord thy ,god1 and him only shalt  
thou serve4 ,on this the devil left him1
 and angels came and ministered to him4 
,the two persons here concerned were    
,jesus and ,satan4 ,the testimony of the
 latter illustrious personage is out of 
the question1 partly because he is not  
famed as a truthteller1 partly because  
any intercourse between him and the     
writers of the ,new ,testament is not to
 be thought of4 ,if1 then1 ,jesus gave  
the particulars to ,matthew1 why did the
 best-loved disciple ,john not know of  
them8 ,the details of the earlier life  
of ,jesus1 prior to the ,baptist's      
imprisonment1 are more ample in his     
,gospel than in the others2 but so far  

from there being any mention of the     
temptation1 it would require much       
ingenuity to find a place for it in the 
series of events he relates4  ,the most 
admirable lesson1 however1 which the    
tale conveys1 or which may be gathered  
from it1 that neither for daily bread   
nor for vain-glory1 nor for the sake of 
power and riches is truth in aught to be
 compromised or swerved from1 may help  
to sustain those who go along with the  
present inquiry to persevere with it to 
the uttermost1 whatever the consequences
 or whatever the conclusions it may lead
 to1 think as they may of the forty     
days' fast1 the wilderness and the wild 
beasts1 ,satan and the angels4  ,it will
 be proper here to contrast the         
conception of ,satan in the ,new        
,testament with that in the ,old4  ,the 
,satan of the temptation was a being    
capable of transporting ,jesus from the 
wilderness to the pinnacle of the temple
 in ,jerusalem1 and again to a mountain 
summit1 where1 in a moment of time1 he  

showed him all the kingdoms of the world
 and their glory1 the disposal of whose 
dominion he arrogated to himself4       
,again--,matt4 xii4 #bb1 #cj--;,jesus   
refers to ,satan as the king of a demon 
kingdom opposed to the kingdom of ,god2 
,mark iv4 #ae1 as preventing the words  
of life from taking root in men's       
hearts2 ,luke x4 #ah1 as one he himself 
had seen fall from heaven like          
lightning2 ,luke xiii4 #af1 as one who  
had bound a woman with infirmity        
eighteen years2 ,luke xxii4 #ca1 as     
desirous to sift ,simon ,peter as wheat2
 ,matt4 xiii4 #ci1 as the enemy who     
sowed the tares among the wheat2 ,matt  
xxv4 #da1 as the being for whom and for 
whose angels everlasting fire has been  
prepared2 ,john viii4 #dd1 as the parent
 of the unbelieving ,jews1 a murderer1  
and the father of lies4 ,in ,luke xxii4 
#c1 ,john xiii4 #bg1 ,satan is referred 
to as entering into ,judas ,iscariot to 
tempt him to betray ,jesus4  ,in the    
apostolic writings he is                

mentioned--,acts v4 #c--;as filling the 
heart of ,ananias to lie to the ,holy   
,ghost2 ,acts xxvi4 #ah1 as a power over
 men's minds opposed to the power of    
,god2 #a ,tim4 i4 #bj1 and #a ,cor4 v4  
#e1 as one to whom backsliders were to  
be delivered over2 #b ,cor4 ii4 #aa1    
,eph4 vi4 #aa1 #a ,tim4 iii4 #g1 as a   
wily adversary2 #b ,cor4 xi4 #ad1 as    
transformed into an angel of light2 #a  
,thess4 ii4 #ah1 as thwarting ,paul's   
intentions2 #b ,thess4 ii #i1 as one    
whose working is with all power1 and    
signs1 and lying wonders2 #a ,tim4 v4   
#ae1 as one to whom backsliders turn    
aside2 #b ,tim4 ii4 #bf1 as an ensnarer 
of men2 ,heb4 ii4 #ad1 as him that hath 
the power of death2 #a ,peter v4 #h1 as 
your adversary the devil1 who1 as a     
roaring lion1 goeth about seeking whom  
he may devour2 #a ,john iii #h1 as him  
who sinneth from the beginning2 ,rev4   
ii4 #i1 #aj1 #ac-bd1 iii4 #i1 as        
possessing a seat1 a synagogue1 and     
casting the true professors into prison2

 ,rev4 xii4 #i1 as the great dragon who 
was cast out 7from heaven71 that old    
serpent called the devil and ,satan1 who
 deceiveth the whole world3 he was cast 
out into the earth1 and his angels were 
cast out with him2 ,rev4 xii4 #aj1 as   
the constant accuser of the brethren2   
,rev4 xx4 #b1 as being bound a thousand 
years4  ,of this mighty and malignant   
being1 is there any trace in the ,old   
,testament8 ,is the existence of such a 
person1 such a power1 continuously and  
successfully working against ,god1      
consonant with ,old ,testament belief8  
,isaiah 7xlv4 #e-g7 boldly and          
decisively replies in the negative3 ,i  
am the ,lord1 and there is none else1   
there is no ,god beside me4444 ,i form  
the light and create darkness1 ,i make  
peace and create evil2 ,i the ,lord do  
all these things4 ,who or what1 then1 is
 the ,satan of the ,old ,testament8     
,the translation of the ,authorised     
,version1 as it renders the same ,hebrew
 word ,satan in one place and adversary 

in others1 tends to mislead4 ,but the   
following portions of ,psalm cix4 will  
show how the word was employed3--       
,verse #f--,set thou a wicked man over  
him1 and let ,satan 7an adversary7 stand
 at his right hand4 ,verse #bj--,let    
this be the reward of my adversaries 7my
 ,satans74 ,verse #bi--,let mine        
adversaries 7my ,satans7 be clothed with
 shame4  ,the ,old ,testament ,satan1   
therefore1 is not a particular person at
 all1 but a character which would apply 
to any one acting in opposition to      
another4 ,let this view be tested by the
 following instances3--  ,numbers xxii4 
#bb--;,and ,god's anger was kindled     
because he 7,balaam7 went1 and the angel
 of the ,lord stood in the way for an   
adversary 7a ,satan7 against him4 ,here 
the ,satan is the angel of the ,lord4 #b
 ,sam4 xxiv4 #a--;,and again the anger  
of the ,lord was kindled against        
,israel1 and he provoked ,david to      
number ,israel4 #a ,chron4 xxi4         
#a--;,and ,satan 7an adversary7 stood up

 against ,israel1 and provoked ,david to
 number ,israel4  ,these two passages1  
on comparison1 show that ,jehovah       
himself was the ,satan of ,david in this
 instance4  ,job i4 #f-ab2 ii4          
#a-h4--,on the day when the sons of ,god
 came to present themselves before the  
,lord1 ,satan 7the adversary7 came also 
among them4 ,the ,lord asked whence he  
came4 ,satan 7the adversary7 replied1   
,from going to and fro on the earth4    
,then followed a discussion with        
reference to ,job's piety4 ,satan 7the  
adversary7 suggested that ,job's service
 of ,god was not for nought2 that if the
 ,lord took away his wealth he would    
curse4 ,the ,lord replied1 ,behold1 all 
that he hath is in thy power2 only on   
himself put not forth thine hand4 ,soon 
,job lost his cattle1 his servants1 his 
children4 ,he resignedly said1 ,the     
,lord gave and the ,lord taketh away1   
blessed be the name of the ,lord4 ,on a 
second similar occasion ,satan 7the     
adversary7 suggested that if ,job's     

person were touched he would curse thee 
7the ,lord7 to thy face4 ,the ,lord     
said1 ,behold1 he is in thy hand1 but   
spare his life4 ,satan 7the adversary7  
smote ,job with sore boils from head to 
foot4 ,but he said1 ,shall we receive   
good at the hand of ,god1 and shall we  
not receive evil8  ,here ,job's         
adversary came into the presence of the 
,lord1 among the sons of ,god1 and      
discussed ,job's case with ,jehovah     
himself4 ,is the conception1 then1 that 
he was a messenger of the ,lord1 walking
 up and down through the earth1         
contemplating its inhabitants2 that his 
observation had shown him--if men then  
were like what they are now--that       
calamities were not borne with patience1
 that penury and complaints1 losses and 
curses1 went together2 so that1 when    
asked his opinion about the well-to-do  
,job1 he would not give him credit for  
being different to his fellows8 ,in this
 way he became his ,satan or adversary4 
,this appears to be what the writer     

would convey4 ,but how unlike the       
roaring lion of the ,new ,testament4    
,it will be noticed how strictly the    
power of ,job's adversary is limited to 
what ,jehovah specifically permitted4   
,so much so1 that when the calamities   
actually fell on ,job he described them 
as from the ,lord4 ,in no way whatever  
does the ,satan here mentioned act in   
opposition to ,jehovah4  ,zech4 iii4 #a1
 #b--;,and he showed me ,joshua the high
 priest standing before the angel of the
 ,lord1 and ,satan 7the adversary7      
standing at his right hand to resist    
him4 ,and the ,lord said unto ,satan    
7the adversary71 ,the ,lord rebuke thee1
 ,o ,satan1 even the ,lord that hath    
chosen ,jerusalem1 rebuke thee3 is not  
this a brand plucked out of the fire8   
,now ,joshua was clothed with filthy    
garments1 and stood before the angel4   
,the conception here may be this3       
,joshua1 with the filthy garments       
7figurative of the sins of ,judah borne 
by the high priest1 their               

representative71 standing before the    
angel of the ,lord1 was resisted by the 
adversary1 or angel of divine justice4  
,but the latter had to give way before  
the restoration of the divine favour4   
,or1 more probably1 the adversary may   
have been one of those who opposed the  
work of rebuilding ,jerusalem1 as       
mentioned in the ,book of ,ezra4  ,all  
these considerations show conclusively  
that in the ,old ,testament conception  
of the ,almighty there is no room for   
such a being as the arch-fiend of the   
,new4  7e7 ,the supernatural appearances
 at the crucifixion 7,matt1 xxvii4      
#ea-ec2 ,mark xv4 #ch2 ,luke xxiii4 #dd1
 #de74  7#a47 ,the veil of the temple   
rent in twain from the top to the       
bottom4  7#b47 ,the earthquake and      
rending of the rocks4  7#c47 ,darkness  
from the sixth to the ninth hour4 7#d47 
,the opening of the graves and the      
rising of the bodies of the saints after
 his resurrection1 who went into the    
holy city1 and appeared to many4  ,john 

makes no mention of these marvels1 but  
7xix4 #be-bg7states that he himself was 
present at the crucifixion of ,jesus1   
along with ,mary1 ,jesus' mother1 and   
three other women1 close to the cross   
7not afar off1 as ,matthew1 ,mark1 and  
,luke assert of the women71 and yet he  
fails to confirm the other ,gospels as  
to the earthquake and darkening of the  
sun4 ,the rending of the veil of the    
temple1 the opening of the graves1 and  
the appearance of the risen saints would
 all have been known to him also1 if    
they had occurred4  ,such prodigies as  
these are not confined to the           
,gospels1--,in the most high and palmy  
state of ,rome1 ,a little ere the       
mightiest ,julius fell1 ,the graves     
stood tenantless1 and the sheeted dead  
,did squeak and gibber in the ,roman    
streets1 c4     ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,the  
,,miracles  #a4 ,the miracles ascribed  
to ,jesus are1--  ,illustration3 table  
#jee  ,illustration3 table #jef  ,the   
healing power claimed for ,jesus in the 

passages marked 7a7 embraces all manner 
of sickness1 disease1 and derangement4  
,cures were effected by his word or his 
touch1 or upon the patient laying hold  
even of the hem of his garment4 ,the    
contemporaneous unbelief 7,matt4 xi4    
#bj-bd47 of his pretensions1 with such  
instances of superhuman power openly    
manifested far and wide 7,matt4 iv4     
#bc-be1 and ix4 #ce7 among the cities   
and villages of ,galilee1 is the        
crowning marvel of all4  ,the special   
instances of his wonder-working and     
disease-curing power1 marked 7#f71 7c71 
7d71 and 7e71 comprise all that are     
recorded in the four ,gospels4 ,the     
agreement between ,matthew1 ,mark1 and  
,luke1 both as to the incidents and the 
manner of narration1 is most marked4    
,the raising of the son of the widow of 
,nain1 the miraculous draught of fishes 
at the calling of ,peter1 ,james1 and   
,john1 a cure of dropsy and one of      
infirmity are given by ,luke alone4 ,on 
the other hand1 ,luke has not the       

walking on the sea1 the feeding of the  
four thousand1 the cursing of the       
fig-tree1 or the curing of the          
,canaanite's demon-possessed daughter1  
found in ,matthew and ,mark4 ,and       
,matthew alone narrates the catching of 
the fish with the tribute money4 ,but in
 the other instances the agreement      
between them is almost complete--so     
complete as to suggest many questions as
 to the real truth with reference to the
 compilation of the first three         
,gospels1 questions which probably will 
never be solved4 ,what1 however1        
concerns the present purpose is that of 
the three the only eye-witness is       
,matthew1 ,the source from which ,mark  
and ,luke derived their information is  
unknown1 and ever will remain so4 ,if   
not from ,matthew 7always assuming him  
to be the writer of the first ,gospel71 
or from the same source as ,matthew1 it 
would be remarkable that their mode of  
narrating these details was so similar  
to his4 ,how far then1 does ,john1 the  

other eye-witness1 bear out ,matthew1   
,mark1 and ,luke8 ,strange to relate1 he
 has not one word of the casting out of 
devils1 or of the cures of bodily       
distresses mentioned by the other three4
 ,nor does he confirm the raising of    
,jairus' daughter1 although he himself  
and ,james and ,peter were the only     
three said to have been admitted by     
,jesus to witness this event1 nor the   
resuscitation of the son of the widow of
 ,nain1 nor the calming of the storm1   
nor the feeding of the four thousand1   
nor the cursing of the fig-tree1 nor the
 fish with the tribute money1 nor the   
miraculous haul of fishes at his own    
calling to be a disciple4 ,the miracles 
he does mention are seven in all1 and of
 these five are net in the other        
gospels1 although of the most striking  
character4 ,they are1  #a4 ,the raising 
of ,lazarus1 four days dead4  #b4       
,turning water into wine4  #c4 ,curing a
 nobleman's son1 at a distance1 of      
fever4  #d4 ,curing a man blind from his

 birth4  #e4 ,curing a man1 at the pool 
of ,bethesda1 with an infirmity of      
thirty-eight years' standing4  ,of the  
twenty-four miracles recorded by        
,matthew1 ,mark1 and ,luke1 ,john1 said 
to have been the eye-witness of all1    
confirms only two--viz41 the feeding of 
the five thousand1 and the walking on   
the sea4  ,these two miracles are thus a
 chronological break1 in all the ,gospel
 narratives1 of the movements of ,jesus1
 by which a clear comparison can be     
made1 thus3--  ,illustration3 table #jeh
  ,illustration3 table #jei  ,as to the 
subsequent events1 from the entrance    
into ,jerusalem to the crucifixion1 the 
four gospels agree in the main1 though  
they differ in several important        
particulars4 ,but from the entrance into
 ,jerusalem back to the feeding of the  
five thousand1 how utter the divergence6
 ,and1 again1 from the feeding of the   
five thousand back to ,john's baptism1  
how irreconcilable the accounts of the  
two professed eyewitnesses represented  

as fellow-travellers over the greater   
part of the journeyings mentioned6 ,the 
first three gospels place all ,jesus'   
ministry and miracles1 and the calling  
of his disciples1 as to time1 after     
,john's imprisonment1 as to place1 in   
,galilee and its neighbourhood1 until he
 went up once for all to ,jerusalem1    
from which he never returned4 ,john1 on 
the contrary1 makes his ministry        
commence before the ,baptist's          
imprisonment1 places the calling of two 
of the same disciples1 ,andrew and      
,peter1 while ,jesus was a follower of  
the ,baptist1 and mentions three or four
 visits to ,jerusalem before the final  
entry on the back of an ass4 ,moreover1 
the discourses recorded in ,john are    
very unlike the discourses in the other 
three narratives1 and1 what strikes as  
very remarkable1 there are no parables  
in the fourth ,gospel4  ,here1 then1 are
 two witnesses1 followers of ,jesus1    
giving different and irreconcilable     
accounts of his ministry1 his           

wanderings1 his public utterances1 his  
miracles2 agreeing1 indeed1 thus far1   
that they both record two of the last1  
but even with these two 7see the two    
paragraphs marked #i and i above7 at    
variance with each other in several     
details4 ,of two ordinarily intelligent 
eye-witnesses can it be that one would  
represent ,jesus as sending the         
multitude away1 and the other as        
departing from them1 and the multitude  
next day being in the same place8 or    
would one assert that he constrained his
 disciples to take ship and the other   
that he left his disciples1 and that    
they took ship afterwards of their own  
accord8 ,and yet this is what two1 not  
ordinarily intelligent--for as to that  
nothing is known--but divinely inspired 
and divinely guided eye-witnesses       
affirm4  ,the miracles recorded in the  
four gospels are all of a benevolent    
character1 except the cursing of the    
fig-tree and the permission given to the
 devils to go into the herd of swine4   

,but notwithstanding the good-will to   
men thus displayed1 the ,gospels avow   
that ,jesus' wonder-working failed to   
convince or to captivate by far the     
greater part of his contemporaries4     
,chorazin1 ,bethsaida1 ,tyre1 ,sidon1   
and ,capernaum are all denounced1 and   
assigned a doom more terrible than that 
of ,sodom and ,gomorrah1 because of     
their unbelief4 ,and against this       
general contemporaneous unbelief what is
 there to place8 ,the single testimony  
of ,matthew the publican for a score of 
miracles which he is said to have       
witnessed1 confirmed by the hearsay     
testimony of ,mark and ,luke1 but quite 
unsupported by the testimony of ,john   
the ,galilean fisherman1 who is also    
said to have witnessed them4 ,again1 the
 single testimony of ,john1 unsupported 
by ,matthew1 ,mark1 and ,luke1 for five 
most marvellous events1 including the   
raising from the dead of a man who had  
been some time buried4 ,the united      
testimony1 weakened by divergence in    

detail1 of ,matthew and ,john1 for only 
two of the alleged miracles1 and the    
hearsay account of ,luke for the raising
 from the dead of the son of the widow  
of ,nain1 quite unsupported by either   
,matthew or ,john4 ,and then recurs the 
question3 ,would an ,almighty maker of  
the universe1 wishing to show compassion
 to his creatures1 and to accredit1 not 
only to the men living at the time of   
his appearance1 but to all subsequent   
ages1 by undoubted testimonies1 a       
messenger from himself 7the son of his  
own right hand71 and to accredit him1   
moreover1 by such testimonies as were   
most suited to the comprehension of men1
 have allowed the record of these       
credentials1 on belief or unbelief on   
which the eternal doom of each          
individual man henceforth would depend1 
to rest on evidence so worthless--taken 
at its very best--as this8  #b4 ,the    
following miraculous events are ascribed
 to the apostles3--    ,acts ii4 #a-ac4 
,the gift of tongues4      ii4 #dc4     

,wonders and signs generally4      iii4 
#a-aa4 ,cure of lame man by ,peter and  
,john4      v4 #a-aa4 ,the yielding up  
the ghost by ,ananias and ,sapphira     
at the word of ,peter4      v4 #ae1 #af4
 ,cures at the least shadow of ,peter4  
v4 #ag-bj4 ,opening of the prison for   
,peter and ,john by the angel           
of the ,lord4      vi4 #h4 ,stephen's   
wonders and miracles4      viii4 #e-h4  
,cures by ,philip of unclean spirits1   
and of the palsied                   and
 lame4      ix4 #ac-bb4 ,ananias cures  
,saul of blindness4      ix4 #cb-ce4    
,cure by ,peter of one sick of the      
palsy4      ix4 #cf-dc4 ,peter restores 
,dorcas to life4   ,acts x4 #a-dh4      
,angel-appearance to ,cornelius2 trance 
of ,peter4      xii4 #g-aj4  ,opening of
 the prison for ,peter by an angel of   
the ,lord4      xiii4 #h-aa4 ,blinding  
of ,elymas by ,paul4      xiv4 #c4      
,signs and wonders generally by ,paul   
and ,barnabas4      xiv4 #h-aj4 ,cure of
 a cripple by ,paul4      xvi4 #af-ah4  

,curing a damsel possessed by a spirit  
of divination4      xvi4 #be-bg4        
,earthquake while ,paul and ,silas were 
singing praises                    to   
,god in the stocks at ,philippi4        
xix4 #f4 ,disciples at ,ephesus speaking
 with tongues when ,paul                
laid his hands on them4      xix4 #aa1  
#ab4  ,diseases and evil spirits        
expelled  by aprons and                 
handkerchiefs taken from  ,paul's body4 
xix4 #ae4 ,testimony of the evil spirit 
to ,jesus and ,paul4     xx4 #i-ab4     
,restoration of ,eutychus by ,paul4     
xxviii4 #d4   ,viper   shaken off       
,paul's hand without hurting him4       
xxviii4 #h4 ,bloody flux and other      
diseases cured4  ,these wondrous        
occurrences rest on the record of ,luke 
alone4 ,the earlier portion1 if not the 
whole of them1 had taken place before   
the ,gospels were written4 ,the gift of 
tongues would have been vividly present 
to the minds of ,matthew and ,john1 who 
were among the recipients of this       

marvellous endowment4 ,mark 7,acts xii4 
#ab7 would certainly have been aware of 
the grave events connected with the     
death-dooming1 life-restoring1          
prison-opening ,peter4 ,a single chapter
 at the end of the gospel of either     
,matthew1 ,john1 or ,mark would have    
been sufficient to contain the          
confirmation of the more important of   
these wonders1 and surely so much might 
have been expected from the             
divinely-chosen witnesses1 those whose  
mission it was to declare the whole     
counsel of ,god1 to testify to each     
divine confirmation within their        
knowledge of the truth of the ,gospel4  
,what1 then1 can be said of their       
silence8 ,who was ,luke that they should
 have left so important a duty to him8  
,previous to ,acts xvi4 #aj 7where the  
we in the narrative commences71 ,luke   
was not1 so far as can be gathered1 an  
eye-witness of any of the events he     
relates1 and his informant is unknown4  
,nor does he profess to have been an    

eye-witness of the ,ephesian disciples  
speaking with tongues1 the cures1 and   
the testimony of the evil spirit        
mentioned in ,acts xix4 #f1 #ae4 ,he was
 present at the restoration of          
,eutychus1 but it is not altogether     
clear whether he means to describe this 
as a miracle4 ,the only others of which 
he was an eye-witness are the casting   
out of the spirit of divination 7,acts  
xvi4 #af-ah71 and what are mentioned in 
chap1 xxviii4 ,his reference to the     
spirit of divination as a real power    
shows that he was imbued with the common
 superstition1 that he recognised the   
abominations of those nations denounced 
by ,moses4 ,in chap1 xxviii4 the        
innocuous viper can scarcely be regarded
 as a miracle1 and possibly the bloody  
flux and other diseases may have given  
way to other treatment over and above   
the praying and laying on of ,paul's    
hands4 ,the general contradiction       
between ,luke in the ,acts and ,paul in 
his ,epistles with reference to ,paul's 

movements1 will be fully detailed in    
considering the testimonies to the      
resurrection of ,jesus4  ,at the very   
best1 therefore1 scarcely any one of the
 apostolic miracles can be said to rest 
on the testimony of a single            
eye-witness4 ,they are discredited by   
the silence of the actual eye-witnesses1
 ,matthew and ,john1 whose records1 it  
is here assumed1 exist2 and ,luke's     
credibility is1 moreover1 greatly       
affected by the serious conflict of     
testimony between himself and ,paul4    
7,see ,chap4 ,v47  ,the healing power   
claimed for the apostles quite rivals   
that of ,jesus4 ,cures were effected by 
the least shadow of ,peter1 and by      
handkerchiefs and aprons from ,paul's   
body4 ,two of the miracles1 however1    
differ from those of ,jesus in that they
 are of a vindictive nature4 ,these are 
the doom of ,ananias and ,sapphira1 and 
the blinding of ,elymas4 ,a more        
effective weapon for priestly domination
 and exaction than the sudden death of  

,ananias and ,sapphira--no time for     
repentance allowed--because they        
deceived the apostles as to the price   
their property fetched1 could not have  
been devised4 ,peter's question1 ,sold  
ye the land for so much1 shows the      
inquisitorial tendency1 so wonderfully  
developed under the ,christian name     
among all sects and creeds in later     
times4 ,so far as can be gathered from  
the ,gospels1 the fare on which ,jesus  
and his disciples lived was a poor one4 
,bread and fish are mentioned2 wine only
 once1 at the last supper2 but this is  
not confirmed by ,john4 ,and how their  
food was come by is left doubtful4 ,luke
 states that certain women followed     
,jesus1 who ministered to him of their  
substance4 ,and ,john relates that as   
soon as the raising of ,lazarus from the
 dead became known1 the chief priests   
sought to arrest ,jesus1 when he went   
away to the city ,ephraim1 near to the  
wilderness1 and there continued with his
 disciples4 ,here was a remarkable      

shrinking from the chief priests of one 
who had power to restore life to the    
dead4 ,six days before the ,passover he 
came again to ,bethany1 where he had    
supper with the raised ,lazarus and his 
sisters1 ,martha and ,mary4 ,martha     
served2 ,mary anointed his feet with    
costly ointment1 and wiped his feet with
 her hair4 ,judas ,iscariot grumbled at 
the waste3 ,why1 he said1 was not this  
ointment sold for three hundred pence   
and given to the poor8 ,jesus replied   
that she had done it against the day of 
his burying4 ,the narrator--,john1 as we
 assume1 a companion of ,jesus--adds1   
,this he said not that he cared for the 
poor1 but because he was a thief1 and   
had the bag1 and bare what was put      
therein4 ,most marvellous6 for what do  
such expressions as to the vocation of  
,judas imply8 ,was he but a type of     
those who1 under the authority of the   
name and supernatural pretensions of his
 master1 under various lofty titles1    
from holy to reverend1 with intensifying

 adjectives prefixed1 have since imposed
 upon mankind1 controlled rulers and    
deluded nations1 opposed freedom and    
denounced enlightenment1 for the sake of
 their order1 their influence1 their    
position1 their emoluments8  ,but1 in   
whatever way they maintained themselves1
 their life was a poor one4 ,the ,son of
 man had not where to lay his head4     
,when1 therefore1 the apostles found    
that their testimony to the resurrection
 of ,jesus brought about such a result  
as is described ,acts iv4 #cb-ce1 the   
change must have been a most agreeable  
one to them4 ,and the multitude of them 
that believed were of one heart and of  
one soul2 neither said any of them that 
ought of the things which he possessed  
was his own2 and they had all things    
common4 ,and with great power gave the  
apostles witness of the resurrection of 
the ,lord ,jesus2 and great grace was   
upon them all4 ,neither was there any   
among them that lacked2 for as many as  
were possessors of lands or houses sold 

them1 and brought the prices of the     
things that were sold1 and laid them    
down at the apostles' feet2 and         
distribution was made unto every man    
according as he had need4  ,here were   
they 7assuming ,luke's account to be    
true7 leaders of a communistic society1 
where all were well cared for1 instead  
of earning a hard livelihood as         
fishermen1 or wandering about ,galilee  
and ,judea as mendicants or otherwise2  
and even with the persecution it is said
 to have brought from the ,jewish       
rulers1 the change must have been in    
every way preferable4 ,what more        
favourable opportunity than this could  
have been found1 while they were giving 
themselves continually to prayer and the
 ministry of the word1 too busy even to 
attend to the distribution of charity1  
to settle the accounts they were to     
propagate of ,jesus' life and teaching1 
his miraculous deeds1 his resurrection  
and ascension1 and to mould them1 so far
 as possible1 in accordance with the    

,jewish prophecies of the ,messiah8 ,but
 whether the wonders of the four gospels
 originated thus or otherwise1 ,truth1  
ever triumphant in the end1 confounds   
the devices of designing1 as well as the
 illusions of weak-minded men1 and      
reveals to her worshippers the flaws and
 the hollowness that invariably         
characterise evidence in support of     
superhuman pretence1 intended to        
exercise sway over the consciences of   
men4     ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,the          
,,fulfilment ,,of ,,prophecy  ,if it be 
assumed that the canonical books of the 
,old and ,new ,testaments were written  
by those whose names they bear1 and that
 they have been handed down intact1     
prophecies uttered from ,moses to       
,malachi1 b4c4 #aejj to ,b4,c4 #djj1    
fulfilled in the person of ,jesus in so 
complete a manner as to show that they  
could refer in their entirety to no one 
else1 would be not only a most          
trustworthy credential to ,jesus        
himself1 but also a conclusive proof of 

the divine inspiration of those who     
uttered them1 the power of foretelling  
the remote future--all the more of      
foretelling the supernatural--being     
clearly an attribute of an ,almighty    
alone4 ,peter refers to the more sure   
word of prophecy1 whereunto ye do well  
to take heed1 as unto a light that      
shineth in a dark place1 and he states  
that holy men of ,god spake as they were
 moved by the ,holy ,ghost4 ,if1 on the 
other hand1 the prophecies arrogated to 
,jesus are properly applicable to events
 altogether unconnected with his life   
and alleged mission1 and if there are   
strained and untenable appropriations of
 ,old ,testament passages by the writers
 of the ,new ,testament1 the claim of   
the ,new ,testament to be a development 
and fulfilment of the ,old will be      
altogether destroyed1 and the candour of
 its writers discredited4 ,this portion 
of the inquiry1 therefore1 is of very   
great importance4  ,in the writings of  
the ,christian clergy1 almost every     

incident recorded in the ,old ,testament
 is explained by some method1 more or   
less ingenious1 as typical of the       
,messiah as represented by ,jesus4 ,but 
the present inquiry1 with two or three  
exceptions1 will be confined to the     
instances claimed by the writers of the 
,new ,testament as fulfilments of       
,jewish prophecy4 ,it is clear that if  
these cannot' be maintained1 neither can
 any subsequent interpretations4  7a47  
,prophecies claimed for ,john the       
,baptist  ,first4--,malachi iii4 #a2    
,luke vii4 #bg4  ,in the passage in     
,malachi there are three designations3--
  #a4 ,my messenger1 i4e41 the angel of 
the ,lord4  #b4 ,the ,lord whom ye seek4
  #c4 ,the messenger 7angel7 of the     
covenant whom ye de-light in4  ,and the 
words ,he shall come indicate that all  
these titles are meant for the same     
person4  ,now1 in ,exodus there are     
various allusions to the angel of the   
,lord preceding his people ,israel4     
,chap4 xiv4 #ai1--;,and the angel of    

,god1 which went before the camp of     
,israel1 removed and went behind them4  
,chap1 xxiii4 #bj1--;,behold1 ,i send an
 angel before thee1 to keep thee in the 
way1 and to bring thee into the place   
which ,i have prepared4 ,beware of      
him444 for my name is in him4 ,similar  
passages are ,exodus xxxii4 #cd2 xxxiii4
 #b-ad2 ,numbers xx4 #af4  ,the         
manifestation1 therefore1 expected by   
,malachi was of the dread angel of the  
covenant so revered in the ,mosaic      
writings4 ,most ,christians believe that
 this angel was ,jesus the ,messiah     
himself4 ,but ,luke1 altering the       
quotation from me to thee1 affirms that 
,jesus himself applied it to ,john the  
,baptist4 ,if the quotation in ,luke is 
not from ,malachi1 but part of ,exodus  
xxiii4 #bj just referred to1 thee is    
correct1 but it still implies that ,john
 the ,baptist and the angel of the      
,exodus were one4 ,who has made the     
mistake8 ,jesus in ascribing this       
quotation to ,john1 or ,luke in making  

,jesus so ascribe it8                   
,second4--,malachi iv4 #e2 ,luke i4 #af1
 #ag2 ,matthew xi4 #ad2 xvii4 #aa-ac2   
,mark ix4 #aa-ac4  ,the ,elijah of      
,malachi was to come to you 7,israel71  
7#a47 ,before the great and terrible day
 of the ,lord2 7#b47 to turn the heart  
of the fathers to the children1 and the 
heart of the children to their fathers2 
7#c47 lest ,i 7the ,lord7 come and smite
 the earth with a curse4  ,luke's       
authoritative angel predicted that ,john
 was1 7#a47 ,to go before him 7,jesus7  
in the spirit and power of ,elias2 7#b47
 to turn the hearts of the fathers to   
the children1 and the disobedient to the
 wisdom of the just2 7#c47 to make ready
 a people prepared-for the ,lord4       
,jesus states of ,john1 7#a47 ,if ye    
will receive it1 this is ,elias which   
was for to come2 7#b47 ,elias truly     
shall first come and restore all things4
 ,but ,i say unto you1 that ,elias is   
come already1 and they knew him not1 but
 have done unto him whatsoever they     

listed1 ,mark adds1 as it is written of 
him4  ,it is certainly nowhere written  
7in the ,old ,testament7 that the people
 ,elijah is to be sent among are to do  
to him whatsoever they list4 ,the       
,elijah of ,malachi is to turn them1 and
 this1 by the account of the ,new       
,testament writers1 ,john the ,baptist  
did not accomplish4  ,third4--,isa4mh4  
xl4 #c2 ,matt4 iii4 #c2 ,mark i4 #b1 #c2
 ,luke iii4 #d-f2 ,john i4 #bc4  ,if    
,isaiah's doctrine implies that before  
the majesty of the eternal1 the         
infinite1 universe1 the distinctions of 
brief-lived mortals disappear1 and that 
its glory and its operations are open to
 all flesh alike to behold and to       
investigate2 that though we shall       
perish1 it1 in one or other of its      
various forms1 will evermore            
endure1--then the voice of one crying in
 the wilderness may still refresh and   
cheer the human heart1 whether it be the
 voice of ,isaiah1 ,john the ,baptist1  
or any other seer or man4 ,what it      

proclaims is the heritage of all4  7b47 
,claim of ,jesus to be the seed of the  
woman who bruised the serpent's head4   
,genesis iii4 #ae2 ,matt4 iii4 #ag2     
xiii4 #ch2 xxiii4 #cc2 ,john viii4 #dd2 
#a ,john iii4 #h2 ,heb4 ii4 #ad1 #ae2   
,kev4 xii4 #i2 xx4 #b4 ,by believers    
that ,jesus is the ,christ the passage  
in ,genesis is held to be a prophecy    
that received its fulfilment in him4 ,he
 was the seed of the woman who bruised  
the head of the serpent1 by restoring   
that portion of the human race who      
believe in him to the divine favour lost
 through the wiles of the serpent4 ,the 
serpent is ,satan1 his seed mankind in  
their natural state2 they bruised the   
heel 7not a deadly part7 of the seed of 
the woman by crucifying ,christ4 ,jesus1
 who merely laid down his life that he  
might take it again1 and thus expiated  
the sins of his people1 in turn bruised 
the head 7a deadly part7 of the serpent4
 ,such is the meaning of ,genesis iii4  
#ae1 indicated by the writers of the    

,new ,testament four thousand years     
after the words are said to have been   
uttered by ,god4  ,will the passage then
 bear any such interpretation8  ,the    
serpent tempted ,eve to eat of the fruit
 of the tree of the knowledge of good   
and evil2 she induced her husband to do 
the same4 ,for this the three were      
sentenced thus3--  #a4 ,the man1 that he
 should eat bread by the sweat of his   
brow through culture of the ground1     
cursed for his sake1 until his return to
 the dust from whence he came4  ,this is
 perfectly clear3 it admits of no double
 interpretation4  #b4 ,the woman1 that  
she should bring forth in pain1 and be  
in subjection to her husband4  ,this is 
also quite plain1 and in accordance with
 natural fact1 whether the cause be the 
eating of the forbidden fruit or not4   
#c4 ,the serpent1 that he should go upon
 his belly1 that he should eat dust1    
that he should hate mankind1 that       
mankind should hate him1 that men should
 bruise his head1 that he should bruise 

men's heel4  ,is there anything here    
beyond natural fact more than in the    
case of the man or woman8 ,men trample  
on serpents1 serpents bite men from heel
 to knee2 they cannot as a rule strike  
higher4  ,what else1 then1 can be said  
of all these passages1 than that they   
are exact descriptions of the lot on    
earth of men1 women1 and serpents1      
whether or not caused by eating the     
forbidden fruit8  ,what is certain1     
however1 is that this lot has not been  
reversed1 or even alleviated by the     
coming of ,jesus4 ,men live on the      
fruits of the ground brought forth by   
culture1 until they decay and die2 women
 bear children in pain2 serpents crawl  
along the ground as before4 ,if these   
are the works of the devil1 why has     
,jesus not destroyed them8 ,why since   
his advent do they exist as before8 ,he 
has expiated guilt1 he has ascended into
 heaven1 all power is his in heaven and 
in earth4 ,why then does the devil still
 triumph on earth8 ,why do the so-called

 curses1 which the serpent's temptation 
of ,eve brought1 continue4  ,jesus1 it  
is said1 is to destroy the works of the 
devil1 but only in those who believe in 
him1 and even in their case not in this 
world4 ,when he comes again in glory he 
is to raise their bodies1 he is to give 
them a new heaven and a new earth1 those
 now existing being destroyed4 ,the     
bodies of those who do not believe are  
also to be raised1 but are to be given  
over to everlasting fire4  ,the devil1  
then1 so far as death1 toil1 and        
suffering are concerned1 is to triumph  
on earth over all mankind till the end  
of time2 and to all eternity he is to   
triumph over the greater part1 or a very
 great part of the human race1 who      
through his means are to suffer the     
anguish of the bottomless pit4 ,how then
 can it be said that ,christ was        
manifested that he might destroy the    
works of the eternally triumphant devil4
 ,how has the seed of the woman bruised 
the head of the serpent1 if ,jesus was  

the seed and the devil the serpent8 ,it 
is clear1 if ,christian doctrine be     
true1 that the devil1 by the curses he  
has brought on men--death1 toil1        
child-bearing pangs--is to reign        
victorious on earth over the whole human
 race1 and is also in eternity to reign 
victorious over a great part of the     
human race doomed to everlasting        
anguish4 ,so the dominion of the evil   
,one is to be eternal1 ,jesus and what  
he has done notwithstanding4  ,it may   
here1 perhaps1 without impropriety1 be  
pointed out that probably there is no   
more striking illustration of what has  
been regarded as the perfection of the  
art of fiction-framing than the ,mosaic 
account of the fall of man4 ,aristotle  
7,poet1 chap1 xiv47 ascribes this art to
 ,homer in the highest degree1--that he 
taught others how to feign in a proper  
manner1 by making a true consequent     
follow a false antecedent2 so that the  
mind1 knowing the consequent to be true1
 is led to believe that the antecedent  

is true as well4 ,in the present case1  
see how the natural facts of decay and  
death1 necessary labour1 child-bearing  
pain1 and serpent-crawling and          
venomousness1 are made to follow as     
results of the forbidden fruit1 the     
serpent's vindictiveness1 and ,eve and  
,adam's surrender2 so that men1 knowing 
the natural facts to be true1 have been 
captivated into believing that the      
assigned causes are also true4  7c47    
,claim of ,jesus to be the seed of      
,abraham1 in whom all nations should be 
blessed 7,genesis xii4 #c2 xviii4 #ah2  
xxii4 #ah2 ,acts iii4 #be2 ,galatians   
iii4 #h74  ,the promise said to have    
been made by ,god to ,abraham1 that in  
his seed all nations of the earth should
 be blessed1 is claimed for ,jesus and  
for those who believe in him4 ,his      
redeemed are to come out of every       
nation1 kindred1 people1 and tongue1 and
 through his mercy and merits they are  
to inherit the mansions of bliss        
evermore4 ,he is thus the seed in whom  

all nations 7i4e41 the believing portion
 of all nations7 of the earth 7i4e41 not
 on the earth but in heaven7 shall be   
blessed4  ,by myself have ,i sworn1     
saith the ,lord1 for because thou hast  
done this thing1 and hast not withheld  
thy son1 thine only son2 that in        
blessing ,i will bless thee1 and in     
multiplying ,i will multiply thy seed as
 the stars of heaven1 and as the sand   
which is upon the sea-shore1 and thy    
seed shall possess the gate of his      
enemies2 and in thy seed shall all      
nations of the earth be blessed1 because
 thou hast obeyed my voice4  ,these     
lofty phrases were the expression of the
 high aspiration and fond belief of the 
,jewish people1 either under the sway of
 their lawgiver ,moses 7always on the   
assumption that he was the writer of    
,genesis71 leading them triumphantly on 
to the conquest of ,canaan1 the home of 
their traditional ancestor1 or when they
 were settled as a nation in ,palestine4
 ,in thy seed all nations of the earth  

shall be blessed is1 further1 an        
expectation of the coming subjection of 
the human race to the law and revelation
 of ,moses4 ,the ,gibeons presented     
themselves thus3 ,from a very far       
country thy servants are come because of
 the name of the ,lord thy ,god2 and the
 following passage is brimful of the    
same hope3 ,and it shall come to pass in
 the last days that the mountain of the 
,lord's house shall be established on   
the top of the mountains1 and shall be  
established above the hills1 and all    
nations shall flow into it4 ,and many   
people shall go and say1 ,come ye1 and  
let us go up to the mountain of the     
,lord1 to the house of the ,god of      
,jacob1 and he will teach us of his     
ways1 and we will walk in his paths2 for
 out of ,zion shall go forth the law1   
and the word of the ,lord from          
,jerusalem4  ,the expectation that      
,palestine will again be restored to the
 ,jews1 that their temple service at    
,jerusalem will be re-established in all

 its glory1 and that the other nations  
of the earth will flock thither for     
enlightenment1 and be guided by the     
precepts of the ,jewish lawgivers1 has  
certainly so far not been realised on   
earth4 ,the ,jewish race1 to the present
 day1 live in hope of its fulfilment4   
,christians explain its fulfilment      
figuratively by the power and attributes
 they ascribe to ,jesus4 ,but sober fact
 shows that it is a fond and1 as it has 
proved1 futile patriotic aspiration4    
,are the qualities of the ,jewish race  
such as to warrant their high claim to  
be leaders of men--the nation which1    
first in divine favour and knowledge1   
should stand1 as it were1 between the   
,almighty and the other nations of the  
earth8 ,the utmost tenacity of purpose1 
unfailing faith in their destiny1       
triumphant endurance of reverses1 skill 
and aptitude1 not only for ordinary     
worldly intercourse and dealing1 but for
 the arts which charm the soul and      
elevate life2 exalted conception of the 

omnipotence of the deity1 in so far as  
to view with intense abhorrence that he 
should be likened to any visible        
creature1 and1 although tainted by      
giving a mind to the ,almighty like     
their own 7for the deity of the         
,pentateuch1 in many respects1 is but an
 almighty ,israelite1 bloodthirsty and  
unsparing to aliens in race and creed71 
still an exalted conception as compared 
to the gods of other nations1--all these
 qualities are theirs4 ,wherein do they 
fail8 ,what is their defect8 ,the defect
 of the coward--want of moral courage4  
,deceit and stratagem rather than open  
conduct are their characteristics4      
,abraham1 for fear of his life 7,genesis
 x4 #ab-bj71 lied and risked his wife's 
dishonour4 ,isaac 7xxvi4 #f-aa7 did the 
same4 ,jacob by vile deceit obtained his
 father's blessing 7xxvii4 #a-bi71 and  
supplanted his brother4 ,jacob's sons   
7xxxvii4 #ah-bf71 to rid themselves of  
their brother ,joseph1 of whom they were
 jealous1 sold him as a slave1 and by a 

stratagem led their father to think that
 he was killed by a wild beast4 ,joseph 
xliv4 #a-ac detained his brothers by a  
trick4 ,in the ,exodus xi #a-c2 xii4    
#ce1 #cf the ,israelites1 by direction  
of the ,lord to ,moses1 under pretence  
of borrowing1 spoiled the ,egyptians of 
their jewels of gold and silver4 ,the   
warrior ,joab 7#b ,sam4 iii4 #bg7       
treacherously slew the valiant ,abner4  
,david 7#b ,sam4 xi4 #b-ag7 directed    
that ,uriah the ,hittite1 a self-denying
 soldier1 should be placed in the       
forefront of the battle1 where death was
 certain1 in order that1 the husband    
being removed1 the king might marry the 
wife he had already seduced4 ,david too1
 on his deathbed 7#a ,kings ii4 #a-aj71 
charged his son ,solomon to violate the 
oath he himself had sworn by the ,lord  
to spare ,shimei the ,benjamite2 and    
also charged him not to let the hoar    
head of his own general1 ,joab1 go down 
to the grave in peace2 and ,solomon1    
finding specious pretexts1 sent his     

butcher1 ,benaiah 7#a ,kings ii4        
#ab-df71 to fall on these two old men1  
and on his own brother ,adonijah4 ,the  
subsequent history of the ,jews1 whether
 as a nation or as a dispersed people1  
exhibits the same striking qualities1   
with the same fatal defect4 ,far be it  
from the nations of the earth ever to   
submit to such leadership4 ,may not this
 remarkable people rather serve as a    
warning of what the highest qualities1  
unaccompanied with courage and open     
conduct1 produce4  7d47 ,claim of ,jesus
 to be the ,shiloh of ,genesis 7,genesis
 xlix4 #aj74  ,the sceptre shall not    
depart from ,judah1 nor a lawgiver from 
between his feet1 until ,shiloh come2   
and unto him shall the gathering of the 
people be4  ,this prophecy1 put by      
,moses into the mouth of the dying      
,jacob in the year b4c4 #afhi1 is not   
claimed for ,jesus by the writers of the
 ,new ,testament1 but is usually        
referred to by ,christians of the       
present day1 as one of the most         

conclusive instances of the fulfilment  
of prophecy by the advent of ,jesus4    
,jacob's vaticination is1--  #a4 ,that  
neither the sceptre nor a lawgiver shall
 depart from ,judah4  ,this implies that
 at the time of the prophecy ,judah had 
a sceptre and a lawgiver1 which was not 
the case4 ,but it will be affirmed that 
,jacob's assertion was prophetical1 that
 he foresaw the time when ,judah would  
have the kingly power among his         
brethren1 which did not occur till the  
time of ,david4  #b4 ,until ,shiloh 7he 
whose it is7 come4  #c4 ,and unto him   
shall the gathering of the people be1   
i4e41 at the coming of ,shiloh1 the     
kingship1 and lawgiving1 and the        
people's allegiance shall be transferred
 from ,judah to him4  ,jereboam1 under  
whom all ,israel1 excepting ,judah and  
,benjamin1 revolted from the house of   
,david1 has probably the best claim to  
be the ,shiloh of ,genesis2 but the     
consideration of this point1 involving1 
as it does1 inquiry into the actual date

 of the augury and the purpose for which
 it was promulgated1 is quite outside   
the present purpose4  ,christians1 in   
maintaining that ,jesus is the ,shiloh1 
explain that the tribe of ,judah did not
 lose self-government until ,archelaus  
was banished by ,augustus in a4d4 #f1   
and ,judea then annexed to the province 
of ,syria4 ,the sceptre and the lawgiver
 then departed from ,judah3 it was      
transferred to the wondrous child1 and  
the people gathered unto him refers not 
to the ,jewish nation1 but to believers 
in ,jesus throughout the world4  ,let1  
then1 the assertion that the sceptre and
 a lawgiver did not depart from ,judah  
until the time of ,jesus be compared    
with the utterances of the prophet      
,jeremiah on the ,babylonish captivity  
7,lam4 i4 #f2 il #i2 v4 #aa-af7--;,her  
king and her princes are among the      
,gentiles3 the law is no more is the    
burden of these passages4 ,it must      
surely be admitted that ,jeremiah was a 
more competent authority for determining

 when the sceptre and a lawgiver        
departed from ,judah1 than ,christians  
of the present day4 ,clearly1 then1 the 
,shiloh of ,jacob 7whomever or whatever 
,shiloh may refer to7 must have come    
before the ,babylonish captivity1 or    
,jacob's prophecy has been falsified4   
,as ,genesis xlix4 #aj1 however1 is not 
claimed by the ,new ,testament writers  
for ,jesus1 the discrepancy in this     
instance between ,jeremiah's views and  
those of modern ,christians does not    
affect their position4  7e47 ,claim of  
,jesus to be the successor of ,moses    
7,deut4 xviii4 #ae-bb2 ,acts iii4 #bb1  
#bc74  ,i will raise them up a prophet  
from among their brethren1 like unto    
thee1 c4  ,moses in this passage so     
clearly refers to ,joshua 7see ,joshua  
i4 #a-i71 who was to take his place as  
leader of the ,israelites1 that any     
other construction is entirely shut out4
 ,the assertion that ,jesus of          
,nazareth1 despised by his countrymen1  
homeless1 and poor 7even if he had been 

the son of the ,eternal in disguise71 in
 any way resembled ,moses the successful
 warrior and lawgiver1 was well put into
 the mouth of the rash-spoken ,peter4   
7f#a47 ,claim of ,jesus to be the ,son  
of ,david ,to establish the descent of  
,jesus from ,david1 two different       
detailed genealogies are given by       
,matthew and ,luke4  #a4 ,matthew 7i4   
#a-ag7 traces the descent of ,joseph1   
the reputed father of ,jesus1 from      
,abraham1 through ,david and ,solomon1  
down to ,salathiel and ,zorobabel1 and  
from them to ,joseph1 and states that   
there were fourteen generations from    
,abraham to ,david1 the same number from
 ,david to the captivity1 and the same  
number from the captivity to ,jesus4    
,the fourteen names given1 from ,abraham
 to ,david inclusive1 agree with the    
,hebrew ,chronicles2 but to reduce to   
fourteen the names from ,solomon to     
,jechonias1 king of the first captivity1
 inclusive1 no fewer than four persons1 
to wit1 ,ahaziah2 ,joash1 and ,amaziah1 

the sixth1 seventh1 and eighth from     
,solomon1 and ,jehoiakim1 the father of 
,jechonias1 are omitted1 7#a ,chron4    
iii47 ,see1 for the utterly puerile     
fancy of breaking up ,christ's descent  
into three equal periods of fourteen    
generations1 how the compiler scruples  
not to mutilate a genealogy1 the whole  
of which must have been before him2 for 
it cannot be supposed that he was       
unacquainted with the books of ,kings   
and ,chronicles in the ,old ,testament6 
,the fourteen names from ,jechonias to  
,jesus there is no means of ascertaining
 from whom ,matthew received4 ,joseph1  
being of the house and lineage of       
,david1 may have had a record of his    
descent1 and ,matthew may have received 
it either from ,joseph or from one of   
the brothers of ,jesus1 or the mutilator
 of the second set of fourteen may      
readily have found the third4  #b4 ,the 
genealogy given by ,luke 7iii4 #bc-ch7  
contains so striking a divergence from  
that of ,matthew1 that many professed   

believers in the plenary inspiration and
 word-infallibility of the ,new         
,testament scriptures have endeavoured  
to explain it away by various           
considerations1 none of which1 however1 
to any truth-loving mind would appear   
satisfactory4 ,luke traces the descent  
from ,joseph backwards to ,zorobabel and
 ,salathiel through eighteen persons1   
not one of whose names agrees with any  
of the nine in ,matthew who cover the   
same period1 unless it be that of the   
grandfather of ,joseph1 who is called in
 the one list ,matthan and in the other 
,matthat4 ,it has been suggested that   
the one list contains ,joseph's own     
ancestors1 the other his ancestors in   
right of his wife--i4e41 ,mary's        
ancestors4 ,but this explanation fails  
in view of the further divergence of    
tracing ,salathiel's descent back1 not  
to ,solomon through the kingly line1 as 
,matthew does1 but to ,nathan1 another  
son of ,david4 ,luke or ,luke's1        
informant is here also at variance with 

the ,old ,testament ,chronicles1 which  
trace ,salathiel's descent to ,solomon1 
and the names he inserts between        
,salathiel and ,nathan are not found in 
any other record4  ,on the question of  
,jesus' genealogy there remains this    
further consideration3 ,if ,joseph was  
not his real father1 ,joseph's descent  
would not make ,jesus of the seed of    
,david according to the flesh4 ,whence  
then sprung his mother ,mary8 ,the      
gospels are silent ,cousin ,elizabeth   
was of the daughters of ,aaron1 but was 
,mary of the daughters of ,aaron or of  
the daughters of ,david8  7f#b47 ,claim 
of ,jesus to be the ,son of ,david      
7,psalm ex4 #a2 ,matt4 xxii4 #da-df74   
,the ,lord said unto my lord1 c4 ,jesus 
asked the ,pharisees4 ,if then ,david in
 spirit called ,christ ,lord1 how is he 
his son8 ,and no man was able to answer 
him a word1 c4  ,the ,pharisees must    
have been very ignorant of their own    
scriptures1 if they were unable to      
answer the question of ,jesus4 ,my lord1

 in the ,old ,testament1 is frequently  
applied to superiors4 ,hannah called the
 high priest ,eli my lord4 ,the same    
designation was given by ,david to      
,saul1 by ,abigail to ,david1 by ,abner 
to ,david4 ,sarah1 the wife of ,abraham1
 is specially commended in the ,new     
,testament for the respect she showed to
 her husband in calling him lord4       
,joseph applied the same title to       
himself1 ,god hath made me lord of all  
,egypt4 ,and ,potiphar is called        
,joseph's master1 the same word         
translated elsewhere lord4 ,psalm ex4 is
 thus a flattering effusion to ,david1  
whom the singer designates my lord1     
describing his favour with the ,lord    
7,jehovah71 his ruling in the midst of  
his enemies1 his similarity to the      
priest-king ,melchisedek1 and his       
success in war4  7g47 ,claim of ,jesus  
to be ,immanuel 7,isaiah vii4 #aj-af2   
viii4 #a-h2 ,matt4 i4 #ba-bc74  ,the    
prophecy in ,isaiah refers to a sign to 
be given to ,ahaz1 ,king of ,judea1 to  

encourage him under the invasion1 or    
threatened invasion1 of his country by  
the kings of ,syria and ,israel4 ,the   
sign was to be1--#a4 ,the conception by 
a virgin of a son2 #b4 that she should  
call his name ,immanuel1 translated ,god
 with us2 #c4 the removal of the kings  
of ,syria and ,israel before the child  
emerged from infancy4  ,following on    
this1 and in continuation of the same   
subject1 ,isaiah narrates1--#a4 ,that he
 went unto the prophetess1 the result   
being that she bore a son2 #b4 that the 
,lord told him to call his name         
,maber-shalal-hash-baz1 translated      
making speed to the spoil he hasteneth  
the prey2 #c4 the removal by the        
superior force of the ,assyrian monarch 
of the riches of ,damascus and the      
spoils of ,samaria1 before the child    
could cry father or mother4  ,the plain 
meaning1 then1 of all this is that the  
sign was to be given to ,ahaz1--if      
realised1 it must necessarily have been 
realised in his lifetime2 also that the 

overthrow of ,syria and ,israel was to  
take place during the infancy of the    
child4 ,to affirm1 as ,matthew does1    
that it is a prophecy fulfilled by a    
birth that occurred seven centuries     
after the events it refers to1 surely   
requires an unbounded credulity4  ,does 
the prophet refer to two children1      
,immanuel and ,maher-shalal-hash-baz8   
,or was the prophetess the virgin1 and  
these two names bestowed on her child8  
,the condition applying equally to both 
names1 that ,syria and ,israel were to  
be overrun during the infancy of the    
child1 is almost conclusive in favour of
 the latter construction4 ,isaiah had   
thus taken immediate steps to ensure the
 fulfilment of his prophecy4 ,the word  
translated virgin is not the same as is 
used in such passages as ,gen4 xxiv4    
#af1 ,lev4xxi4 #c1 and may have been    
applicable to any modest and chaste     
married woman4  ,the mother in calling  
the child ,immanual1 followed the common
 ,hebrew custom of forming names by     

combining an appropriate phrase with the
 word ,el1 ,god4 ,thus ,hagar was       
directed by the angel in the wilderness 
to call her son ,ishmael1 ,god who      
hears4 ,hannah too named the son she had
 longed and prayed for ,samuel1 asked of
 ,god4 ,the sign to ,ahaz was thus1 in  
the extremity he was relieved from1 most
 appropriately named ,immanuel1 ,god    
with us1 or ,god on our side2 and the   
same name in the next chapter 7,isaiah  
viii4 #h7 is applied to the deity       
himself1 the breadth of thy land1 ,o    
,immanuel1 i4e41 ,god on our side4  ,in 
any reading of ,isaiah's prophecy it    
cannot be inferred that the conception  
of the virgin was to be by supernatural 
power4 ,nor from one end of the ,jewish 
scriptures to the other is there the    
slightest support to such a notion as   
the deity begetting a mortal child by a 
mortal woman4  7h47 ,claim of ,jesus to 
be the ,great ,light seen by the        
dwellers in ,zebidon and ,naphtali1 and 
the ,wonderful1 the ,counsellor1 the    

,establisher of the throne of ,david c4 
7,isaiah ix4 #a-g2 ,matt4 iv4 #ab-af2   
,luke i4 #cb1 #cc2 ,psalm xvi4 #aj2     
,acts ii4 #bi-ca2 xiii4 #ce-cg47        
,zebulon and ,naphtali were the two most
 northerly tribes of ,israel4 ,their    
territories extended from the borders of
 the kingdom of ,syria southwards1 on   
the west of ,jordan1 to rather below the
 point where that river issues from the 
,lake of ,galilee4 ,in warlike          
expeditions they were generally         
associated3 ,zebulon and ,naphtali were 
a people that jeoparded their lives unto
 the death in the high places of the    
field 7,judges v4 #ah74 ,thus situated1 
their country was always the first to be
 overrun in an invasion from the north4 
,isaiah ix4 #a refers to two such       
invasions1 the second more severe than  
the first4 ,then 7ix4 #b-e7 he glorifies
 ,jehovah 7thou will be held to apply to
 ,jehovah7 for a deliverance from an    
oppression of ,judah in some degree     
similar1 though not so severe as the    

second affliction of ,zebulon and       
,naphtali4 ,this deliverance refers     
either to the retreat of the kings of   
,syria and ,israel from before          
,jerusalem 7,isaiah vii4 #a71 or more   
probably relief from the overflowing of 
the king of ,assyria 7,isaiah viii4 #g1 
#h74 ,the entire prophecy of ,isaiah1 it
 must be kept in view1 had reference to 
,judah and ,jerusalem 7,isaiah i4 #a74  
,it will be noticed that ,isaiah in all 
this is referring to past events4  ,then
 7chap4 ix4 #g1 #h7 he refers to the    
birth of a child which had already taken
 place1 who is to be called ,wonderful1 
,counsellor1 the ,mighty ,god1 the      
,everlasting ,father1 the ,prince of    
,peace1 c4 ,in two of these expressions 
he follows the ,hebrew custom already   
mentioned1 of forming names by combining
 an adjective or other phrase with the  
designation of the ,almighty4  ,he goes 
on to affirm that this child shall rule 
in ,judah on the throne of ,david2 that 
there shall be no end of his government 

and peace2 that he will order and       
establish the kingdom with judgment and 
justice for evermore4  ,what child is   
the prophet referring to8--,immanuel of 
the seventh chapter1 or                 
,maher-shalal-hash-baz of the eighth    
chapter8 ,clearly not2 for if they are  
two names of the same child1 he was the 
son of ,isaiah and the prophetess1      
whereas the child of the ninth chapter  
is to sit on the throne of ,david4  ,was
 the reference then to ,hezekiah1       
written in his youth1 when indications  
of the zeal for the law and ritual of   
,moses1 which distinguished his reign1  
may have appeared8 ,most likely2 but    
whether or not1 it is clear that the    
child referred to was born when ,isaiah 
wrote1 and had not yet begun to reign4  
,the phrases no end and henceforth even 
for ever1 may be compared with ,psalm   
lxxxix4 #c1 #d1--;,i have made a        
covenant with my chosen1 ,i have sworn  
unto ,david my servant1 thy seed will ,i
 establish for ever1 and build up thy   

throne to all generations4 ,these lofty 
anticipations have not been realised4   
,where is the throne of ,david8  ,the   
two first verses of the ninth chapter of
 ,isaiah are claimed for ,jesus by      
,matthew4 ,in quoting them he leaves out
 the portion referring to the invasion  
of ,zebulon and ,naphtali4 ,galilee of  
the nations1 or populous ,galilee1 is   
called ,galilee of the ,gentiles1 and is
 referred to as the same as ,zebulon and
 ,naphtali2 whereas ,isaiah makes a     
distinction1 ,galilee in his view       
probably being the southern part of     
,zebulon westward to the sea1 including 
,asher4  ,matthew1 however1 boldly      
affirms that the visit of ,jesus to     
,capernaum was the fulfilment of ,isaiah
 ix4 #a1 #b1--the fulfilment1 that is1  
of what ,isaiah1 when he wrote1         
considered already past4 ,but if the    
citizens of ,capernaum in ,jesus' time  
were the people that walked in darkness1
 and ,jesus was the great light which   
they saw shining upon them in the land  

of the shadow of death 7the contrast    
between the passage in ,isaiah and this 
puerile so-called fulfilment of it is   
too absurd to be discussed seriously71  
they nowise appreciated their good      
fortune4 ,shortly ,jesus denounced the  
city thus1--,and thou1 ,capernaum1 which
 art exalted unto heaven1 shalt be      
brought down to hell3 for if the mighty 
works1 which have been done in thee1 had
 been done in ,sodom1 it would have     
remained unto this day4 ,certainly there
 had been no deliverance for ,capernaum4
  ,the passage in ,luke i4 #cb1 #cc1    
implies1 and it is held by ,christians  
generally1 that the promises of ,jehovah
 by the mouth of his prophets to ,david1
 with reference to the stability of his 
kingdom1 were fulfilled in ,jesus4      
,these promises occur in the ,old       
,testament in many forms1 thus3--  #a4  
,that after ,david's death his seed     
should succeed to his throne1 generation
 after generation1 without end 7#b ,sam4
 vii4 #ab-af2 ,psalm lxxxix4 #bj-cg74   

,he was ,god's holy one1 who should not 
see corruption2 his soul would not be   
left in hell 7the grave74 ,to ,david's  
line would be applicable evermore what  
is said of the king of our own country1 
who never dies1 ,the king is dead3 long 
live the king4  #b4 ,that if his        
descendants should break the divine     
laws1 they would be chastened1 but not  
put away from the kingdom1 as in the    
case of ,saul 7#b ,sam4 vii4 #ad1 #de2  
,psalm lxxxix4 #cj-cg74  ,now1 as       
undoubted matter of fact1 the           
,babylonish captivity was the           
falsification of all such vaticinations1
 more particularly of that which        
affirmed that the descendants of ,david 
should not be treated as ,saul was4 ,if 
they sinned they were to be chastened1  
not deposed4 ,in the return from        
,babylon1 ,zerubbabel is the only       
descendant of ,david mentioned as in    
authority1 and after him there is       
nothing to show that even one of the    
royal line1 far less any succession of  

the royal line1 exercised sway over the 
,jews4 ,the government passed to the    
high priests4 ,jehovah had not sworn in 
truth unto ,david4  ,but leaping over   
the indubitable falsification of the    
prediction by the overthrow of the      
throne of ,david in ,nebuchadnezzar's   
invasion1 and the fact that from the    
time of ,zerubbabel the line of ,david  
had sunk into obscurity1 it is claimed  
for ,jesus that he was the real son of  
,david referred to1 that he has risen   
from the dead and has ascended into     
heaven4 ,he saw no corruption2 he reigns
 now in the hearts of his people4 ,he   
will be their king for evermore1 when he
 returns to earth to take to him his    
great power and reign4  ,is this grand  
hope of the ,christian1 then1 to prove  
as misleading as the ,jewish            
anticipation of the everlasting throne  
of ,david8 or has ,jesus actually risen 
from the dead8 ,the consideration of the
 evidence of the resurrection will form 
,chap4 ,v4 of this inquiry4  7i47       

,prophecies claimed in connection with  
the birth of ,jesus1 #a4 ,micah v4 #b2  
,matt4 ii4 #d-f4 ,compare ,micah with   
,psalm cxxxii41 where ,david vows1 ,i   
will not give sleep to my eyes1 or      
slumber to my eyelids1 until ,i find out
 a place for the ,lord1 an habitation   
for the mighty ,god of ,jacob4 ,lo1 we  
heard of it at ,ephratah1 we found it in
 the fields of the wood4444 ,arise1 ,o  
,lord1 into thy rest1 thou1 and the ark 
of thy strength4 ,the mighty ,god of    
,jacob corresponds to the ruler of      
,israel1 whose goings forth have been of
 old from everlasting4 ,micah may be    
referring to the deity in some          
connection1 not now at all clear1 with  
his habitation heard of at ,ephratah1   
whence his laws1 or other manifestations
 of his power1 were to proceed4  ,the   
passage in ,matthew is in connection    
with the incredible story of the wise   
men of the ,east2 and it represents the 
,jewish priests assuring ,herod that the
 ,ruler of ,israel1 whose goings forth  

were of old from everlasting1 was to be 
born in ,bethlehem1 not1 as the prophecy
 states1 that he was to come forth from 
there to be ruler4 ,the twisting of the 
passage is very disingenuous4  #b4      
,hosea ii4 #ae2 xi4 #a2 ,matt4 ii4 #ad4 
,hosea clearly refers to the exodus     
under ,moses3 his expressions are in the
 past tense4 ,matthew's application of  
them to ,jesus requires no comment4  #c4
 ,jeremiah xxxi4 #ae2 ,matt4 ii4 #ag1   
#ah4 ,ramah was in the country of       
,benjamin1 whose descendants are called 
the children of ,rachel1 his mother4    
,jeremiah's prophecy clearly refers to  
their captivity in ,babylon and their   
expected return4 ,what can be said of   
,matthew's application of it to an      
alleged massacre at ,bethlehem in the   
country of ,judah1 six centuries after  
the captivity8 ,in no sense were the    
descendants of ,judah the children of   
,rachel4 ,rachel died1 and was buried at
 or near ,bethlehem2 but surely no one1 
not even the most credulous ,christian1 

will assert that this makes her the     
mother of the line of ,judah1 afterwards
 settled there4 ,moreover1 ,jeremiah's  
reference is to ,ramah1 and cannot apply
 to ,bethlehem4  #d4 ,matt4 ii4 #bc4    
,because ,jesus was taken as a child to 
,nazareth1 and brought up there1 it is  
asserted that he fulfilled what was     
spoken by the prophets1 ,he shall be    
called a ,nazarene4 ,nowhere in the ,old
 ,testament can this be found4 ,if a    
,nazarite is meant--one unshaven1 and an
 abstainer from wine and strong         
drink--the character does not apply to  
,jesus1 who came eating and drinking4   
,but a ,nazarite was the designation of 
an order1 not a name for the dweller in 
any particular locality4 ,nazarene was  
the earlier designation of the disciples
 of ,jesus4 ,they were called           
,christians first at ,antioch 7,acts xi4
 #bf74  7j47 ,the temple-purging 7,psalm
 lxix4 #i2 ,john ii4 #ag74  ,the        
circumstance referred to in the passage 
from ,john is that ,jesus at            

passover-time1 before the ,baptist's    
imprisonment1 went up to ,jerusalem1    
entered into the temple1 and let loose  
his indignation by driving out the      
money-changers1 the cattle-dealers1 and 
dove-sellers with a scourge of small    
cords1 upsetting their tables1 and      
pouring out their money4 ,take these    
things hence1 he said1 make not my      
,father's house a house of merchandise4 
,matthew xxi4 #ab1 #ac2 ,mark xi4       
#ae-ag2 and ,luke xix4 #de1 #df1 differ 
from ,john1 in so far that they place   
this temple-purging at the time of      
,jesus' final entry into ,jerusalem4    
,could such an extraordinary breach of  
the peace have occurred in any country  
under a ,roman governor1 without summary
 justice on the offender8 ,upsetting    
money-dealers' tables1 pouring out their
 money1 overturning the seats of the    
sellers of doves1 and driving them from 
their stands1 for which most probably   
they paid custom1 if not to the state1  
to the temple-priests1 and the disturber

 allowed to go away scot-free in any    
orderly community6 ,utterly incredible4 
,and such conduct ascribed to one for   
whom the power and attributes of the    
,almighty are claimed6  7k47,the        
entrance into ,jerusalem on the back of 
an ass 7,zech4 ix4 #i2 ,matt4 xxi4      
#d-f74 ,the meekness of ,jesus on this  
occasion is scarcely borne out by the   
scene referred to in last paragraph 7j47
 which1 according to ,matthew1 followed 
immediately on his entrance into the    
city4  ,the prophecy of ,zechariah was  
during the building of the second       
temple1 and most probably referred to   
the lowly appearance made by            
,zerubbabel1 the prince of ,judah1 as   
compared to that of his royal ancestors4
  7#a47 ,the scene in the synagogue of  
,nazareth 7,isaiah lxi2 #a2 ,luke iv4   
#af-ba74 ,isaiah's high-sounding        
prophecy is said to have been fulfilled 
thus--  #a4 ,jesus went to ,nazareth1   
where he had been brought tip1 and as   
his custom was he entered the synagogue 

on the sabbath day1 and stood up to     
read4 ,the book of the prophet ,esaias  
being delivered to him1 he read part of 
this passage4 ,then he closed the book1 
gave it again to the minister1 and sat  
down4  #b4 ,the eyes of all in the      
synagogue were fastened on him1 and he  
began to declare1 ,this day is this     
scripture fulfilled in your ears4       
,wondering at these gracious words1 they
 inquired1 ,is not this ,joseph's son8  
#c4 ,he retorted that no prophet is     
accepted in his own country1 and cited  
cases from the ,old ,testament where1 in
 times of extremity1 no more than one   
favoured individual was relieved by the 
timely arrival of a prophet sent from   
,god4 7,contrast this with the prophecy1
 to comfort all that mourn47  #d4       
,roused to wrath by this intimation1    
they sought to cast him headlong from   
the rock on which their city was built2 
but he passing through the midst of     
them1 went his way4  ,words have no     
meaning1 if such a scene as this can be 

called the fulfilment of ,isaiah's      
prophecy4  7m47 ,the bruised reed and   
the smoking flax 7,isaiah xlii4 #a2     
,matt4 xii4 #ad-ba74 ,how could the     
servant upheld by ,jehovah fulfil the   
prophecy by shrinking from the          
,pharisees in the way ,jesus is reported
 by ,matthew to have done8  7n47 ,eyes  
to see1 and see not2 ears to hear1 and  
hear not 7,isa4 vi4 #i-ab2 xxix4 #aj2   
,jer4 v4 #ba2 ,ezek4 xii4 #b2 ,matt4    
xiii4 #aj-ag2 ,john xii4 #ci-da2 ,acts  
xxviii4 #bd-bh2 ,rom4 xi4 #h-aj74 ,the  
prophets prophesied to a heedless       
people4 ,jesus and his followers are    
reported to have done the same4 ,so have
 many others at various times4 ,the     
appropriation to ,jesus of the language 
in which the ,jewish prophets expressed 
their disappointment is no proof that   
that language was meant to apply to him 
rather than to themselves4  ,hab4 i4 #e1
 #f2 ,acts xiii4 #dj1 #da4 ,habakkuk and
 the bitter and hasty ,chaldeans        
contrast strangely with ,paul and his   

warning to the ,jews not to disbelieve  
his assertions with reference to ,jesus4
  7o47 ,i will open my mouth in parables
 7,psalm lxxviii4 #b2 ,matt4 xiii4 #cd1 
#ce74 ,this is a very flagrant instance 
of misquotation and misapplication4 ,the
 ,psalmist says that he will utter dark 
sayings of old1 which we have heard and 
known1 and our fathers have told us4    
,jesus is described by ,matthew as      
fulfilling a prophecy to the effect that
 he would utter things which have been  
kept secret from the foundation of the  
world4  7p47 ,the stone rejected by the 
builders 7,psalm cxviii42#bb2 ,matt4    
xxi4 #db1 #dc2 ,mark xii4 #aj2 ,luke xx4
 #ag2 ,acts iv4 #aa74 ,psalm cxviii4 is 
written by one who was praising the     
,lord for some triumph he had obtained  
over danger and difficulty2 who had     
secured his end against his enemies1 who
 had attained the head of the corner1   
though rejected by the builders4 ,the   
application in ,matthew is that ,jesus1 
rejected by the ,jews1 should be        

accepted by the ,gentiles1 or by another
 nation than the ,jews4 ,this has come  
to pass4 ,his own countrymen1 even his  
own brethren1 who were in a position to 
judge of the truth of his supernatural  
claims1 rejected him4 ,the nations of   
,europe1 who were not in a position so  
to judge1 have1 under various forms1    
called themselves by his name1 and      
adored him as their ,god4 ,but this in  
no way shows that ,psalm cxviii4 was    
written with reference to any other than
 the person who composed it4  7q47 ,the 
betrayal by ,judas ,iscariot 7,zech4 xi4
 #aa-ac2 ,psalm lxix4 #be2 cix4 #h2     
,matt1 xxvii4 #i1 #aj2 ,acts i4 #af-bj74
 ,peter thus narrates the fate of       
,judas3 ,now this man purchased a field 
with the reward of his iniquity 7the    
thirty pieces of silver71 and falling   
headlong he burst asunder in the midst1 
and all his bowels gushed out4 ,and it  
was known to all the dwellers in        
,jerusalem1 insomuch as that field is   
called in their proper tongue1          

,aceldama1 that is to say1 the field of 
blood4  ,compare this with ,matthew1 who
 states that ,judas1 repenting of his   
conduct1 took back the thirty pieces of 
silver to the chief priests2 said he had
 betrayed innocent blood2 they answered1
 ,what is that to us8 see thou to that4 
,on this he cast down the money in the  
temple1 and went and hanged himself4    
,the chief priests would not put the    
money in the treasury1 because it was   
the price of blood1 but laid it out in  
purchasing the potter's field to bury   
strangers in4  ,matthew and ,peter are  
thus quite irreconcilable4 ,both were   
companions of ,jesus and ,judas2 both   
were present at and cognisant of the    
whole circumstances of the betrayal2    
,matthew was present during ,peter's    
speech recorded in the ,acts2 and yet   
the discrepancy between them is such as 
entirely to discredit both their        
statements4  ,the circumstances alluded 
to in ,zechariah are unknown4 ,the      
passages from the ,psalms are applicable

 to ,saul1 or some other of ,david's    
enemies2 indeed1 they may be used by any
 one against a traitor or enemy4  7r47  
,the passion 7,zech4 xiii4 #g2 ,matt4   
xxvi4 #ca74 ,zechariah is writing during
 the troubled times1 when ,jerusalem was
 rebuilt4 ,the particular event he      
alluded to is unknown4 ,no construction 
of the passage can make it applicable to
 the desertion of the disciples when    
,jesus was arrested4  ,deut4 xxi4 #bc2  
,gal4 iii4 #ac4 ,hanging on a tree is   
not crucifixion1 which was a ,roman1 not
 a ,jewish practice4  ,exodus xii4 #df2 
,psalms xxxiv4 #bj2 ,john xix4 #cf4 ,the
 passage in ,exodus certainly refers to 
the ,paschal lamb2 the passage in the   
,psalms to the care the ,almighty is    
said to take of the righteous1 so that  
preserving his bones whole is equivalent
 to the other expression1 ,there shall  
no evil befall thee4 ,the incident      
recorded by ,john is not confirmed by   
,matthew1 ,mark1 and ,luke1 who make no 
mention of the disciples at the         

crucifixion1 and say that the women     
beheld afar off4 ,john1 on the contrary1
 says that he1 along with the women1 was
 by the cross1 so near that ,jesus spoke
 to himself and ,mary4 ,this incident1  
so pointedly given as an eye-witnessed  
fact1 seems to have been devised to give
 the crucifixion some resemblance to the
 lamb of the ,passover4 ,but the modes  
of death surely were very different4 ,if
 any such resemblance was necessary1    
should it not have been complete8       
,zech4 xii4 #i2 ,john xix4 #cg4 ,the    
spirit of grace and supplication poured 
out on the inhabitants of ,jerusalem    
during the crucifixion of ,jesus1 when  
they cried1 ,not this man1 but the      
robber ,barabbas1 is a wondrous         
contradiction4  ,psalm xxij4 #ah2 ,matt1
 xxvii4 #ce2 ,mark xv4 #bd2 ,luke xxiii4
 #cd2 ,john xix4 #bc4 ,the practice of  
casting lots for the clothes of the     
crucified may have been a common one    
among the ,roman soldiers at the time1  
and it corresponds admirably to one of  

,david's expressions when he was in     
adversity and trouble4  7s47 ,daniel's  
seventy weeks 7,daniel ix4 #ba-bg74 ,the
 only allusion in the ,new ,testament to
 this prophecy is in ,matt4 xxiv4 #ad1  
#ae2 ,mark xv4 #ac1 #ad1 where ,jesus   
directs his disciples to flee to the    
mountains when they see the abomination 
of desolation1 spoken of by ,daniel the 
prophet1 stand on the holy place4       
,between ,nebuchadnezzar and ,titus1    
however1 there were two1 if not more1   
abominations of desolation1 equally     
answering to ,daniel's description4  ,so
 far as it relates to the ,messiah1 the 
,prince1 or the ,anointed ,prince1 it is
 not claimed for ,jesus by any of the   
,new ,testament writers4 ,but by modern 
,christians it is held to be a prophecy 
of the exact time that elapsed between  
the edict to restore ,jerusalem and the 
death of ,christ4 ,each week is said to 
be a week of years3 thus seventy weeks  
are #dij years1 and from the letter of  
,artaxerxes granted to ,ezra 7,ezra     

vii471 b4c4 #deg1 to the death of       
,jesus1 a4d4 #cc1 there are exactly #dij
 years4 ,what is this but a mere        
reckoning back of #dij years from a4d4  
#cc1 so that the chronology has been    
fixed by the prophecy1 not the truth of 
the prophecy proved by the chronology8  
,but the letter of ,artaxerxes to ,ezra 
was not a commandment to rebuild        
,jerusalem3 it was given to him to      
further him on his way from ,babylon to 
,jerusalem1 already rebuilt4 ,the       
commandment to restore and rebuild      
,jerusalem was that of the first of     
,cyrus alone 7ordinary ,christian       
chronology1 b4c4 #ecf72 the prophecy    
asserts that it went forth at the       
beginning of ,daniel's supplication1 and
 the subsequent decrees were only       
confirmations of the original one1      
7,ezra vi47  ,the statement of ,gabriel 
is in answer to ,daniel's supplication  
for mercy and favour to be shown to     
,jerusalem1 and1 commencing with a      
commandment to rebuild1 ends in doleful 

desolation4 ,but as the ,messiah1 the   
anointed one referred to1 is not        
asserted by ,new ,testament writers to  
be ,jesus1 it is sufficient here to     
point out the untenable ground on which 
modern ,christians make this claim on   
his behalf4  7t47 ,the fifty-third      
chapter of ,isaiah4 ,this chapter may   
most fairly be interpreted as having    
reference to ,hezekiah in the various   
troubles of his reign and life1         
described #b ,kings xix4 and xx42 #b    
,chron4 xxx4 and xxxii41 and ,isaiah    
xxxvi41 xxxvii41 and xxxviii4 ,isaiah   
was the seer of the time4 ,hezekiah cut 
off out of the land of the living refers
 to the sentence of death1 afterwards   
postponed1 against him for his people's 
backsliding1 though he himself wrought  
that which was good1 and right1 and     
truth before the ,lord his ,god4 ,his   
pouring out his soul unto death agrees  
with the expression1 ,in those days     
,hezekiah was sick unto death4 ,and he  
was numbered with the transgressors1 and

 bare the sin of many1 and made         
intercession for the transgressors1 also
 agree with1 ,and the ,lord hearkened to
 ,hezekiah1 and healed the people2 and  
with1 ,notwithstanding ,hezekiah humbled
 himself for the pride of his heart1    
both he and the inhabitants of          
,jerusalem1 so that the wrath of the    
,lord came not upon them in the days of 
,hezekiah4 ,if the exact circumstances  
in which ,isaiah liii4 was written were 
fully known1 all the seer's allusions   
would be very intelligible2 as it is1   
their application to ,hezekiah and his  
times--always assuming that ,isaiah was 
the writer--is the most probable4  ,the 
portions of this chapter claimed for    
,jesus in the ,new ,testament are the   
following3--  ,matthew viii4 #af1 #ag4  
,here his bearing our griefs is applied 
by ,matthew to ,jesus' disease-curing   
wonders4 ,but this differs from the view
 of modern ,christians4 ,they hold that 
it applies to his death on the cross as 
an expiation for sin4  ,john xii4 #cg1  

#ch4 ,who hath believed our report may  
be used by any one whose pretensions are
 treated with incredulity4 ,what reason 
is there for imagining that ,esaias     
meant any other than his own report8    
,mark xv4 #bg1 #bh2 ,luke xxii4 #cg4    
,the numbering among the transgressors  
is equally true of any one who suffers  
penally for his belief1 or who1 innocent
 or little to blame himself1 shares the 
fate of an offending community4 ,the    
applicability of the passage to         
,hezekiah in the latter sense has just  
been noticed4  7u47 ,the gospel message 
7,luke xxiv4 #dd-dh74 ,here a statement1
 utterly untrue1 is put by ,luke into   
the mouth of the risen ,jesus4 ,nowhere 
in ,moses1 the prophets1 or the ,psalms 
is it written that the anointed one is  
to suffer and to rise from the dead on  
the third day4  7v47 ,the gift of       
tongues 7,joel ii4 #bh-cj2 ,acts ii4    
#a-d74 ,joel's prophecy is said to have 
been fulfilled on the day of ,pentecost 
following the resurrection1 when the    

apostles were all with one accord in one
 place4  #a4 ,a sound came from heaven  
as of a mighty rushing wind1 and filled 
the house where they were sitting4  #b4 
,cloven tongues1 like tongues of fire1  
sat on each of them4  #c4 ,they were all
 filled with the ,holy ,ghost1 and began
 to speak with tongues as the ,spirit   
gave them utterance4  ,joel1 the son of 
,pethuel1 would probably be surprised at
 ,peter's appropriation of his prophecy4
 ,no doubt it is applicable to any      
general religious awakening or          
excitement in any land or at any time4  
,but ,joel is referring to some         
invasion1 or threatened invasion1 of    
,judea1 and to a deliverance accompanied
 with a religious revival and           
thanksgiving4 ,the exact circumstances  
in which he wrote1 if known1 would make 
his obscure allusions clear4 ,the       
incidents1 however1 of the mighty       
rushing wind and the cloven fiery       
tongues receive no support from his     
prophecy4  7w47 ,the calling of the     

,gentiles 7,amos ix4 #aa1 #ab2 ,acts xv4
 #ac-af74 ,amos' prophecy has been      
falsified by the event4 ,the ,jews1 who 
were no more to be pulled out of the    
land the ,lord had given them1 were     
pulled out of it eighteen centuries ago1
 and so remain4 ,the disingenuous way in
 which ,james applies to the conversion 
of the ,gentiles what is clearly a      
reference to a return from captivity is 
very striking4     ,,chapter ,v4 ,,the  
,,resurrection ,,and ,,ascension ,,of   
,,jesus  #a4 ,the resurrection of ,jesus
 is the keystone of ,christian faith1   
the central stay on which the structure 
rests4 ,if thou shalt confess with thy  
mouth the ,lord ,jesus1 and believe in  
thine heart that ,god raised him from   
the dead1 thou shalt be saved4 ,what a  
glorious hope for all mankind would lie 
in such a fact as that one1 a           
fellow-man1 had been killed because of  
his supernatural claims2 had lain for a 
time in the grave1 and on the third day1
 as predicted by himself1 had risen from

 the dead6 ,so marvellous an instance of
 nature-controlling power might well be 
held to establish1 in the most          
conclusive manner1 the validity of the  
claims of the person resuscitated2 it   
would show that ,god was with him in an 
especial manner1 that his words were    
true1 that his promises would not fail4 
#b4 ,what1 then1 are the evidences of   
this so glorious an event8  7a47 ,the   
four gospels agree in narrating that1   
while ,jesus hung lifeless on the cross1
 a rich man1 ,joseph of ,arimathea1     
himself a disciple of ,jesus1 went to   
,pilate and obtained permission to take 
charge of the body2 that he laid it in  
his own new tomb1 hewn out of a rock2   
that certain women saw where the body   
was laid1 and that a great stone was    
rolled to the door of the tomb4  7b47   
,matthew alone avers that1 with         
,pilate's consent1 the chief priests and
 ,pharisees had the stone sealed1 and a 
watch 7of ,roman soldiers7 set4  7c47   
,thus the tomb remained from the evening

 of the day of the crucifixion over the 
next day1 the ,jewish sabbath4  7d47    
,but early on the morning of the        
following day1 the first day of the     
week1 ,jesus arose from the dead4 ,of   
this event--so entirely the reverse of  
all human experience1 but of the last   
importance to each mortal man if it     
happened--the witnesses1 of whose       
personal character among their          
neighbours for veracity and general     
trustworthiness nothing is known1 thus  
present themselves3--  ,matthew and     
,john1 eye-witnesses of the risen       
,jesus3  ,mark1 companion of ,peter1 an 
eye-witness3  ,luke1 companion of ,paul1
 who had intercourse with eyewitnesses1 
and who himself professes to narrate the
 testimony of eye-witnesses 7,luke i4   
#b73  ,and what they aver is analysed   
and compared in the following           
paragraphs3--  #c4 ,the empty           
tomb4--,all four agree that in the      
morning 7at dawn1 at sun rising1 very   
early1 when it was yet dark7 of the     

first day of the week the tomb was found
 empty by those who went to visit it4   
#d4 ,visitors to the tomb4--,matthew    
mentions ,mary ,magdalene and the other 
,mary2 ,mark1 ,mary ,magdalene1 ,mary   
the mother of ,james1 and ,salome2      
,luke1 ,mary ,magdalene1 ,joanna1 ,mary 
the mother of ,james1 and other         
,galilean women1 and afterwards1 on the 
report of the women1 ,peter2 ,john1     
,mary ,magdalene only1 and afterwards1  
on her report1 himself 7,john7 and      
,simon ,peter1 ,mary ,magdalene         
returning after them4  #e4 ,appearances 
at the tomb4--7a47 ,the great earthquake
 and the awful appearance of the angel  
to the watch--countenance like          
lightning1 raiment white as snow2 and   
the effect on the startled soldiers1 who
 swooned away as dead men1 as also the  
subsequent report of the watch and their
 acceptance of a bribe 7large money7    
from the chief priests to publish a     
falsehood and confess that they--,roman 
soldiers--had slept at their post1 are  

mentioned by ,matthew alone4 ,matthew   
does not name his informant1 whether it 
was a chief priest or one of the        
soldiers who betrayed his own and his   
comrades' infamy4  7b47 ,the stone      
securing the tomb was rolled away4 ,so  
all four affirm4 ,this was one object of
 the angel's visit4 ,jesus rose from the
 dead1 but the angel's assistance was   
necessary to open the tomb4  7c47       
,matthew asserts that the angel sat on  
the stone1 outside the tomb4 ,mark1 that
 he appeared as a young man sitting     
within the tomb1 on the right side1     
clothed in a long1 white garment4 ,luke 
has two men in glittering garments1 who 
made themselves manifest as the         
perplexed women were gazing at the empty
 tomb4 ,john states that ,mary          
,magdalene1 on her second visit1 saw two
 angels1 one sitting at the head the    
other at the feet1 where the body of    
,jesus had lain4 ,when1 according to    
,luke1 ,peter visited the tomb1 or      
according to ,john1 when ,mary          

,magdalene in the first instance1 and   
then ,peter and ,john1 on hearing her   
report1 went there1 no such marvellous  
angelic being was manifest4 ,the        
appearance was to perplexed and timid   
women4 ,wherein did they differ from    
other weak women1 that their testimony  
received at second hand should be held  
trustworthy8 ,supposing1 for instance1  
that it had been the young man with the 
linen garment about his naked body      
7,mark xiv4 #ea1 #eb71 seated within the
 tomb1 would not their excited          
imaginations have transformed him into a
 messenger from heaven8  #f4            
,announcements of the angels at the     
tomb4--7a47 ,matthew's dread angel      
announced to the women that ,jesus had  
risen from the dead1 directed them to go
 at once and inform his disciples that  
he goeth before you into ,galilee1 there
 shall ye see him4 ,trembling and joyful
 they ran away at once to bring his     
disciples word4  7#f47 ,mark's          
white-clad young man made the same      

announcement of ,jesus preceding his    
disciples to ,galilee2 but instead of   
obeying the angel's direction as to     
informing the disciples1 they went out  
quickly and fled from the sepulchre1 for
 they trembled and were amazed1 neither 
said they anything to any man1 for they 
were afraid4  7c47 ,luke's two          
bright-clad men announced that ,jesus   
was risen1 as he had told them while yet
 in ,galilee4 ,they remembered his      
words1 and returned from the sepulchre1 
and told all these things to the eleven 
and to all the rest4 ,there is no       
mention here of ,jesus going before his 
disciples into ,galilee4  7d47 ,john's  
two angels asked ,mary ,magdalene1      
,woman1 why weepest thou8 ,she replied1 
,because they have taken away my lord1  
and ,i know not where they have laid    
him4 ,here1 wholly ignorant that he was 
alive1 stood beside the tomb one of the 
very women to whom ,matthew1 ,mark1 and 
,luke's angels announced that ,jesus was
 risen from the dead4 ,if ,matthew's    

account be true1 both he and ,john were 
present when the women told the         
disciples that ,jesus was risen1 and    
gave them the direction to go to        
,galilee2 and yet ,john narrates this   
circumstance1 one quite at variance with
 ,matthew's angel's announcement to the 
women4  #g4 ,effect on the disciples of 
the first announcement of the           
resurrection4--7a47 ,matthew states that
 then 7on the report of the women7 the  
eleven disciples went away into         
,galilee1 into a mountain where ,jesus  
had appointed them4  7b47 ,mark xvi4    
#a-h1 and xvi4 #i-bj1 seem to contain   
two different accounts of the           
resurrection4 ,it is difficult to       
reconcile them4 ,verses #i-bj1 not being
 found in the most ancient manuscripts1 
are held by many to be spurious4 ,but   
their general agreement with ,luke's    
narrative is in favour of these verses  
being of the same age1 or emanating from
 the same set of believers4 ,let verses 
#a-h1 then1 for the present purpose1 be 

distinguished as ,mark's first          
narrative1 and verses #i-bj as ,mark's  
second narrative4  ,mark's first        
narrative1 as already shown1 agrees with
 ,matthew as to the terms of the angel's
 announcement1 but seems to imply that  
the terror-struck women did not deliver 
the angel's message to the disciples4   
,mark's second narrative states that    
,jesus first appeared to ,mary          
,magdalene1 who went and told the       
disciples2 and they1 when they had heard
 that he was alive1 and had been seen of
 her1 believed not4 ,no departure for   
,galilee is mentioned4  7c47 ,luke      
affirms that the announcement to the    
disciples was by the whole of the women2
 and their words seemed to them as idle 
tales1 and they believed them not4      
,peter alone was moved to run to the    
sepulchre1 where he found the empty tomb
 and the cast-off grave-clothes1 and    
departed1 wondering in himself at that  
which was come to pass4 ,the whole of   
,luke's statement is quite inconsistent 

with ,matthew's assertion that the      
disciples went away to ,galilee to find 
,jesus there4  7d47 ,john states that   
when ,mary ,magdalene first reported    
that the tomb was empty1 ,peter and     
himself ran to the sepulchre1 that he   
outran ,peter1 that he looked in and saw
 the linen clothes lying1 that ,peter   
when he came up went in1 that then he   
7,john7 went in also1 and that when he  
saw the cast-off grave-clothes he saw   
and believed3 for as yet they knew not  
the ,scripture that he must rise from   
the dead4 ,if so then ,matthew xvi4 #ba2
 xvii4 #bb1 #bc2 ,mark viii4 #ca2 ix4   
#ca2 ,luke ix4 #bb1 must all be         
erroneous4 ,the burden of these passages
 is1 that while in ,galilee ,jesus      
informed his disciples that he would be 
killed1 and rise again on the third day4
 ,the very chief priests1 too1 in       
setting the watch 7,matthew xxvii4 #fc71
 did so because of this well-known      
assertion of ,jesus4  ,when1 on her     
second visit to the tomb1 ,mary         

,magdalene saw and conversed with ,jesus
 himself1 she came and told the         
disciples that she had seen the ,lord1  
and that he had spoken these things unto
 her4 ,the effect is not mentioned4 ,but
 the whole of ,john's statement is      
inconsistent with ,matthew's departure  
of the eleven for ,galilee1 and this    
departure again as inconsistent with    
,john's statement4  #h4 ,appearances of 
the risen ,jesus4--7a47 ,matthew xxviii4
 #i1 #aj4 ,while ,mary ,magdalene and   
the other ,mary were running to deliver 
the angel's message to the disciples1   
they were met by ,jesus himself1 who    
greeted them with an all hail4 ,they    
held him by the feet and worshipped him4
 ,he confirmed the angel's message to   
his disciples1 and directed them to go  
to ,galilee3 there shall they see me4   
,mark xvi4 #i-aa4 ,jesus1 when he had   
risen early the first day of the week1  
appeared first to ,mary ,magdalene1 out 
of whom he had cast seven devils4 ,she  
informed his mourning disciples1 who did

 not believe her4 ,luke has no incident 
at all corresponding to this4  ,john xx4
 #ad-ah4 ,mary ,magdalene remained      
weeping at the tomb1 after ,peter and   
,john had left1 when ,jesus made himself
 known to her4 ,recognising him1 she    
turned and called him1 ,master4 ,he     
said1 ,touch me not1 for ,i am not yet  
ascended to my ,father2 but go to my    
brethren1 and say unto them1 ,i ascend  
unto my ,father and your ,father1 and to
 my ,god and your ,god4 ,mary ,magdalene
 came and told the disciples that she   
had seen the ,lord1 and that he had     
spoken these things unto her4  ,here    
there are several grave contradictions  
between ,matthew and ,john4  #a4        
,matthew makes the first appearance of  
,jesus to the two ,maries1 while they   
are hastening from the tomb to carry to 
his disciples the glad news of his      
resurrection1 which they had learned    
from the angel2 ,john1 while ,mary      
,magdalene is by herself at the tomb and
 is unaware of his resurrection4  #b4   

,matthew mentions that the two ,maries  
held him by the feet and worshipped him2
 ,john1 that ,mary ,magdalene was       
commanded by ,jesus not to touch him4   
#c4 ,matthew states that ,jesus directed
 his disciples to go to  ,galilee1 where
 they would find him2 ,john1 that he    
announced to ,mary1 ,i ascend to my     
,father1 c4 ,not one word of a journey  
to ,galilee4  7#f47 ,matthew xxviii4    
#af-bj4 ,then the eleven disciples went 
away into ,galilee into a mountain where
 ,jesus had appointed them4 ,and when   
they saw him1 they worshipped him1 but  
some doubted4 ,and ,jesus came and spake
 unto them1 saying1 ,all power is given 
unto me in heaven and in earth1 c4      
,matthew here narrates that on receiving
 the direction of the women1 the eleven 
went away to a mountain in ,galilee     
fixed on before ,jesus' death4 7,matthew
 xxvi4 #cb1 he had said1 ,after ,i am   
risen again1 ,i will go before you into 
,galilee47 ,how or in what form they saw
 him there is left untold4 ,most of them

 adored1 but some doubted4 ,the         
appearance1 therefore1 could not have   
been a close one1 such as was vouchsafed
 to ,thomas 7,john xx4 #bg71 for then no
 one could have doubted4 ,belief in such
 cases is not matter of choice4 ,how    
,jesus vanished after his appearance on 
the ,galilean mount is not mentioned4   
,matthew was a witness of the ascension 
of ,jesus1 if ,mark and ,luke's accounts
 be true1 but he passes by this most    
striking event in silence4 ,mark's      
second narrative1 too1 in no way        
confirms the journey to ,galilee4 ,on   
the contrary1 it states that the parting
 charge of ,jesus and his ascension took
 place after he had appeared and spoken 
to the eleven as they sat at meat4      
,where this occurred1 and on what day1  
is somewhat ambiguous2 but the inference
 is that it was at ,jerusalem1 and on   
the day of the resurrection4 ,luke1     
however1 is quite explicit on this      
point4 ,according to him on the very day
 7,luke xxiv4 #ac1 #cc1 #cf1 #ej1 #ea7  

of the resurrection ,jesus appeared to  
the eleven at ,jerusalem1 gave them his 
parting charge1 led them out to         
,bethany1 and was there parted from them
 and carried into heaven4 ,so far from  
there being any journey to ,galilee1    
they were expressly commanded 7chap4    
xxiv4 #di7 to tarry at ,jerusalem4 ,here
 ,luke1 the recorder of the reports of  
eye-witnesses1 states that the disciples
 were ordered to tarry in ,jerusalem on 
the very day when1 according to         
,matthew1 an eye-witness1 they were     
ordered to proceed to ,galilee4 ,and    
,john1 the other eyewitness1 one of the 
eleven1 makes no mention of a journey to
 ,galilee immediately following the     
first announcement of the resurrection1 
or of the appearance of ,jesus on the   
mountain there1 but1 on the contrary1   
affirms that ,jesus appeared to his     
disciples at ,jerusalem on the evening  
of the day of the resurrection1 and also
 on that day week4  7c47 ,mark xvi4 #ab1
 #ac4 ,he appeared in another form to   

two of them in a country walk3 they told
 the rest1 who were still incredulous4  
,luke xxiv4 #ac-ce4 ,jesus that same    
day1 i4e41 the day of the resurrection1 
joined two of them on their way to the  
village of ,emmaus1 near ,jerusalem2 at 
first they did not know him1 but on     
breaking bread they recognised him4 ,on 
this he vanished4  ,john does not       
confirm these appearances1 and they are 
inconsistent with ,matthew's journey of 
the eleven to ,galilee4  7d47 ,mark xvi4
 #ad-bj4 ,then he appeared to the eleven
 as they sat at meat1 reproached them   
with their unbelief1 gave them the      
charge to preach the gospel2 and then1  
after he had spoken1 he was received    
into heaven1 and sat on the right hand  
of ,god4  ,luke xxiv4 #cf-ec4 ,the same 
hour in which the two1 who had          
recognised ,jesus in breaking of bread  
at ,emmaus1 returned to ,jerusalem1 and 
while they were informing the eleven and
 the rest of what had happened1 ,jesus  
himself stood in the midst of them1 and 

said1 ,peace be unto you4 ,they were    
terrified at his appearance4 ,he showed 
them his hands and his feet1 told them  
to handle him1 and ate before them2     
directed them to tarry at ,jerusalem    
till they were endued with power from on
 high4 ,and he led them out as far as   
,bethany1 and he lifted up his hands and
 blessed them4 ,and it came to pass     
while he blessed them1 he was parted    
from them1 and carried up into heaven4  
,john xx4 #ai-bc4 ,the same day 7i4e41  
the resurrection day71 at even1 when the
 doors were shut where the disciples    
were assembled for fear of the ,jews1   
,jesus appeared1 saying1 ,peace be unto 
you4 ,he showed them his hands and his  
side4 ,they were glad of his appearance4
  ,here there is a certain amount of    
agreement between ,mark1 ,luke1 and     
,john1 as to an appearance to the eleven
 at ,jerusalem on the day of the        
resurrection4 ,but this occurrence      
conflicts with ,matthew4 ,if1 as he     
states1 ,jesus went before his disciples

 to ,galilee1 or if they set out for    
,galilee on the direction delivered by  
the women1 neither the one nor the      
others could have been in ,jerusalem4   
,the most remarkable point here1        
however1 is that neither ,matthew nor   
,john confirm1 in any form1 the         
ascension mentioned by ,mark and ,luke4 
,eye-witnesses as they were1 special    
missionaries to testify to men that     
,jesus was alive1 so wondrous an event  
they pass by in silence4  7e47 ,john xx4
 #bd-bi4 ,on the eighth day after the   
previous occurrence1 he appeared among  
his disciples1 the doors being shut as  
before1 and was acknowledged by ,thomas1
 who was not present on the first       
occasion1 as his ,lord and his ,god4    
,this is quite at variance with ,mark   
and ,luke's statement that ,jesus       
ascended to heaven on the day of the    
resurrection1 and it is unnecessary     
again to allude to its inconsistency    
with ,matthew's account4  7f47 ,john    
xxi4 #a-be4 ,jesus' third appearance to 

his disciples was at the sea of         
,tiberias while they were fishing4      
,peter1 ,thomas1 ,nathanael1 ,james and 
,john1 and two other disciples were     
present4 ,he directed ,peter how to cast
 his net1 and ensured a large haul3 he  
then dined with them1 and afterwards    
gave ,peter a charge to feed his lambs  
and his sheep1 and returned a dubious   
answer about the length of ,john's life4
  ,this also rests merely on ,john's    
narrative4 ,mark1 even1 the companion of
 ,peter1 who was specially conspicuous  
on this occasion1 in no way confirms it4
 ,on the contrary1 his second narrative 
implies that ,jesus ascended to heaven  
on the day of the resurrection4  7g47   
,luke in ,acts i4 #a-aa4 ,jesus showed  
himself alive after his passion by many 
infallible proofs3 was seen by his      
disciples forty days1 and spoke to them 
of things pertaining to the kingdom of  
,god4 ,he commanded them not to depart  
from ,jerusalem1 but to await there the 
gift of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,then1 on     

,mount ,olivet1 when he had given the   
last charge1 while they beheld1 he was  
taken up1 and a cloud received him out  
of their sight4 ,as they were gazing    
upwards1 two men in white apparel       
appeared1 who said1 ,ye men of ,galilee1
 why stand ye gazing up into heaven8    
,this same ,jesus who is taken up from  
you into heaven shall so come in like   
manner as ye have seen him go into      
heaven4  ,matthew and ,john1 the two    
eye-witnesses1 are silent as to the     
ascension to heaven4 ,they1 whose       
special1 divinely-conferred mission it  
was to testify to the resurrection of   
,jesus and the following glory1 to      
maintain that he was alive for evermore1
 to declare the whole counsel of ,god1  
make no mention of this crowning wonder4
 ,such comparatively trifling matters as
 the women holding him by the feet      
7,matt1 xxviii4 #i71 or ,simon's naked  
condition 7,john xxi4 #g71 or the fire  
of coals1 and fish laid thereon and     
bread 7,john xxi4 #i71 were deemed      

worthy of record1 but the ascension to  
heaven they altogether ignore4  ,mark   
and ,luke1 who write what they heard    
from others1 mention the ascension in   
their ,gospels1 and their narrative most
 clearly implies that it took place on  
the day of the resurrection4 ,mark      
expressly states that he was received   
into heaven1 then after he had spoken to
 the eleven as they sat at meat4 ,and   
could any one imagine that between ,luke
 xxiv4 #di and xxi v4 #ej there was an  
interval of forty days1 as asserted by  
the same writer in the ,acts8 ,would the
 omission of all mention of such an     
interval be consistent with the perfect 
understanding of all things from the    
very first professed by ,luke8 ,clearly 
there had been an amplification of      
detail during the time that elapsed     
between the compilation of the gospel by
 ,luke and the compilation of the ,acts4
  ,jesus1 the writer in the ,acts       
affirms1 was seen by his disciples forty
 days1 and spoke to them of things      

pertaining to the kingdom of ,god4 ,why1
 then1 are none of his sayings          
preserved1 if the short announcements   
7one of which--,luke xxiv4 #dd-dh--;has 
already been shown to be false7 at the  
end of the gospels be excepted8 ,were   
the discourses of the risen ,jesus not  
more important1 were they less          
impressive than those uttered in his    
lifetime8  7h47 ,acts ix4 #a-i4 ,as     
,paul was on the way to ,damascus1 with 
authority from the high priests to the  
synagogues there1 to arrest and to bring
 to ,jerusalem all who professed to     
believe on ,jesus1 a brilliant light    
shone around him1 whereupon he fell to  
the earth1 and heard a voice saying1    
,saul1 ,saul1 why persecutest thou me8  
,paul replied1 ,who art thou1 ,lord8    
,the voice answered1 ,i am ,jesus1 whom 
thou persecutest3 it is hard for thee to
 kick against the pricks4 ,and he1      
trembling and astonished1 said1 ,lord1  
what wilt thou have me to do8 ,and the  
,lord said unto him1 ,arise1 and go into

 the city1 and it shall be told thee    
what thou must do4 ,on getting up he    
found himself blind1 and was led by the 
hand to ,damascus4 ,the men who were    
with him stood speechless4 ,they heard a
 voice1 but they saw no man4  ,acts     
xxii4 #f-ba4 ,this passage contains an  
address said to have been delivered by  
,paul himself1 in which the foregoing   
wondrous event is related1 but with one 
important contradiction1--,they that    
were with me saw indeed the light1 and  
were afraid1 but they heard not the     
voice of him that spake to me4  ,acts   
xxvi4 #ae-ah4 ,paul here asserted that  
the voice from heaven uttered the       
following3--,i am ,jesus1 whom thou     
persecutest4 ,but rise and stand upon   
thy feet1 for ,i have appeared to thee  
for this purpose1 to make thee a        
minister and a witness1 c4 ,this is very
 different from ,acts ix41 where he is  
directed to go into the city1 and that  
there it would be told him what he      
should do4 ,paul 7,acts xxvi4 #ai-bj7   

added1 ,whereupon1 ,o king ,agrippa1 ,i 
was not disobedient unto the heavenly   
vision2 but showed first unto them at   
,damascus1 and at ,jerusalem1 and       
throughout all the coasts of ,judea1 and
 then to the ,gentiles1 c4  ,these are  
,luke's statements1 in the ,acts1 with  
reference to the appearance of ,jesus to
 ,paul4 ,the subsequent movements of the
 apostle1 on the same authority1 were1--
  7,luke1 #a47 ,after being cured of his
 blindness by the laying on of the hands
 of ,ananias1 he preached in ,damascus  
that ,jesus was ,christ4  7,luke1 #b47  
,the ,jews being desirous of killing    
him1 he fled to ,jerusalem4 ,the        
disciples at first were chary of their  
quondam persecutor1 but1 assured by     
,barnabas1 who took-him and brought him 
to the apostles1 they received him into 
their fellowship4  7,luke1 #c47 ,he     
disputed against the ,grecians          
7,hellenised ,jews871 who went about    
to-slay him4 ,on this he was taken by   
the brethren to ,caesarea1 and thence   

sent on to ,tarsus4  7,luke1 #d47       
,persecution forced many ,christian     
,jews to leave ,judea and to settle at  
,antioch4 ,barnabas was sent by the     
,church at ,jerusalem to visit them4 ,he
 rejoiced at their liveliness in the    
faith1 and then went to ,tarsus to find 
,paul1 whom he brought back to ,antioch4
 ,they were there together a whole year4
 ,the disciples were called ,christians 
first in ,antioch4  7,luke1 #e47 ,paul  
and ,barnabas conveyed a contribution   
from the brethren at ,antioch to those  
at ,jerusalem4 ,returning from          
,jerusalem they took with them ,john1   
whose surname was ,mark4  7,luke1 #f47  
,during their ministry at ,antioch the  
,holy ,ghost said1 ,separate me         
,barnabas and ,saul for the work        
whereunto ,i have called them4 ,they    
then started on their mission to the    
,gentiles4  ,now1 ,luke was ,paul's     
companion1 his attendant on his travels1
 his faithful friend in trouble 7#b     
,tim4 iv4 #aa71 surely1 then1 his       

statements with reference to ,paul will 
be found to tally exactly with this     
apostle's allusions to his own life and 
ministry2 it cannot be but that the     
,acts and the ,epistles of ,paul are in 
perfect harmony4 ,not so1 however2 they 
are quite irreconcilable4  7,paul1 #a47 
,in #b ,cor4 xi4 and xii4 ,paul brings  
forward the various claims he possessed 
to be regarded as no whit behind the    
very chiefest apostles4 ,he alludes to  
his arduous labours1 journeys1 and      
sufferings for the gospel's sake4 ,and  
then he comes to visions and revelations
 of the ,lord4 ,does he mention the     
wondrous incident on the way to         
,damascus8 ,no6 not one word1 either    
here or elsewhere4 ,what he does mention
 is a man in ,christ 7evidently         
himself71 who1 about fourteen years     
previously1 was caught up into the third
 heaven--whether in the body or out of  
the body1 ,god only knew--caught up into
 paradise1 and there heard unspeakable  
words1 unutterable by man4 ,now1 here1  

in discoursing of his very claim to     
apostleship1 he is silent on what in the
 ,acts is so strongly put forth as his  
miraculous calling to that office4 ,the 
incident in which the risen ,jesus      
announced1 ,i have appeared to thee for 
this purpose to make thee a minister and
 witness1 c41 is quite ignored by ,paul 
himself in particularising his claims to
 be that minister and witness4 ,the     
necessary conclusion is1 that when the  
,second ,epistle to the ,corinthians was
 written1 the marvel related in ,acts   
ix41 xxii41 and xxvi4 had not been      
thought of4 ,by comparison with ,paul's 
epistles this undoubted instance of     
invention or appropriation can be       
brought home to the writer of the ,acts4
 ,it shows what the compilers of the    
,new ,testament were capable of1 when a 
supernatural event was required to give 
sanction and support to any doctrine1 or
 practice1 or claim which they          
advocated4 ,the object1 in the present  
instance1 was to place ,paul1 as an     

apostle1 on an equal footing in every   
respect with the apostles who were      
companions of ,jesus himself1 and who   
had seen him alive after his            
resurrection4 ,if the ,new ,testament is
 read in the light which this incident  
affords1 its various narratives become  
abundantly clear4 ,it is seen that its  
authoritative claims and its doctrines1 
with reference to the destiny of man1 so
 far from being based on the            
supernatural events recorded1 are merely
 what these events were devised to      
establish and enforce4  7,paul1 #b47 ,in
 ,galatians he states that1 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              
,gentiles--7,this style of writing seems
 quite inconsistent with such an        
appearance of ,jesus himself as is      
mentioned in the ,acts3 ,paul here uses 
language descriptive of ordinary        
conversion1 radically different from the

 effect of a vision of the risen ,son of
 ,god with power-conferring             
commands71--immediately ,i conferred not
 with flesh and blood1 neither went ,i  
up to ,jerusalem to them who were       
apostles before me 7,luke1 par4 #b      
above1 expressly affirms that he did go 
to ,jerusalem71 but ,i went into        
,arabia1 and returned again to ,damascus
 7quite irreconcilable with ,luke1 pars4
 #a1 #b1 #c1 and #d1 above74 ,then1     
after three years1 ,i went up to        
,jerusalem to see ,peter1 and abode with
 him fifteen days4 ,but other of the    
apostles saw ,i none1 save ,james1 the  
,lord's brother4 ,now1 the things which 
,i write unto you1 behold1 before ,god  
,i lie not4 7,if he does not lie1 what  
can be said of ,barnabas ,luke1 par4 #b 
above taking and bringing him to the    
apostles1 or of the journey ,luke1 par4 
#e above of ,paul and ,barnabas to      
convey relief to the famine-threatened  
brethren who dwelt in ,judea47          
,afterwards ,i went into the regions of 

,syria and ,cilicia1 and was unknown by 
face unto the churches of ,judea which  
were in ,christ2 but they had heard only
 that he who persecuted us in times past
 now preacheth the faith which once he  
destroyed4 ,and they glorified ,god in  
me4 ,compare this with ,acts ix4        
#bh--,luke1 par4 #b above--,and he was  
with them coming in and going out at    
,jerusalem2 with the famine-relief      
embassy of himself and ,barnabas2 and1  
more startling still1 with the          
declaration in the ,acts before king    
,agrippa1--,o king ,agrippa1 ,i was not 
disobedient unto the heavenly vision1   
but showed first to them at ,damascus1  
and at ,jerusalem1 and throughout all   
the coasts of ,judea1 and then to the   
,gentiles c4  ,it is quite beyond the   
scope of this inquiry to enter into     
conjectures as to the cause of such     
serious discrepancies between the two   
fellow-travellers1 the apostle and his  
faithful follower4 ,and1 indeed1 all    
such conjectures would be vain and      

unprofitable1 for there are no means now
 of determining the question4 ,what     
stands forth clear1 however1 is1 that no
 conscience-satisfying belief1 or even  
ordinary historical probability1 can    
rest where such conflict of testimony   
appears4  7i47 ,in #a ,cor4 xv4 #d-h1   
,paul thus gives in detail the          
appearances of ,jesus after his         
resurrection as these had been reported 
to him3--  7#a47 ,that he was seen of   
,cephas4 ,where8 ,luke mentions an      
appearance to ,peter 7chap4 xxiv4 #cd71 
but gives no particulars4 ,mark and     
,john agree that the first appearance   
was to ,mary ,magdalene4 ,no separate   
appearance to ,peter is mentioned by    
them or by ,matthew4  7#b4 7 ,then of   
the twelve4 ,where8 ,in1 the ,galilean  
mount1 according to ,matthew1 or at     
,jerusalem1 according to ,luke and      
,john8  7#c47 ,after that he was seen of
 above five hundred brethren at once2 of
 whom the greater part remain unto this 
present1 but some are fallen asleep4    

,it is most remarkable that ,matthew and
 ,john make no mention of this4 ,nor    
,mark nor ,luke either4  7#d47 ,after   
that he was seen of ,james4 ,no one but 
,paul says so4 ,doubtless1 however1 as  
,peter claimed a special visit of the   
risen ,jesus for himself1 so did ,james1
 and ,paul followed their example2 for1 
7#e47 ,after mentioning that ,jesus was 
next seen of all the apostles1--he does 
not mention where or when--he states1   
7#f47 ,last of all he was seen of me    
also1 as of one born out of due time4   
,also #a ,cor4 ix4 #a1 ,have ,i not seen
 ,jesus ,christ our ,lord8 ,how or where
 he saw him he leaves untold4 ,comparing
 this1 however1 with #b ,cor4 xii1 it is
 probable that he refers to the time    
when he was caught up into paradise and 
heard unspeakable words1 unutterable by 
man4 ,it has already been shown that the
 appearance on the way to ,damascus had 
not been thought of when the second     
epistle was written1 and during this    
appearance ,paul did not see ,jesus4 ,he

 heard a voice1 and saw a brilliant     
light4 ,but there is nothing in ,paul's 
writings to indicate that he ever laid  
claim to so dread an event in connection
 with himself4  #i4 ,can the mind1 then1
 eagerly straining to find in these     
accounts of the resurrection of ,jesus  
grounds for a sincere belief that one   
has risen from the dead2 raising no     
question as to the authenticity of the  
gospels1 but taking them as they are1   
and putting the fairest construction on 
the words and narrative2 most desirous  
not to abandon a hope cherished from the
 lessons of youth1 a hope twined with   
the fondest reflections of manhood1--can
 the mind once aroused to doubt and     
inquiry1 so straining1 descry aught on  
which to rest8 ,far otherwise2 for how  
rapidly these tales of the resurrection1
 and the other supernatural occurrences 
claimed for ,jesus1 crumble away1 like a
 long-buried corpse exposed to light1   
before the touch of the simplest tests  
of evidence6  #aj4 ,it remains to       

consider the resurrection of ,jesus in  
connection with ,old ,testament ideas1  
and with those of the surrounding       
,gentile nations4  #aa4 ,in ,genesis    
,adam was doomed to return unto the     
ground1 for out of it wast thou taken3  
for dust thou art1 and unto dust shalt  
thou return4 ,he died when he had lived 
so many years1 is the brief record of   
his death1 and of that of all the other 
primeval patriarchs1 with the single    
exception of ,enoch1 who walked with    
,god1 and he was not1 for ,god took him4
 ,the writer of the ,hebrews states that
 he was translated that he should not   
see death4 ,he is thus represented as   
escaping the curse of ,adam1 and as made
 immortal1 contrary to the common doom4 
,the statement in ,genesis is so loose1 
however1 that the exact meaning of the  
writer will ever remain uncertain4 ,the 
deaths of ,abraham1 ,isaac and ,jacob   
are referred to thus3 that they gave up 
the ghost1 full of years1 and were      
gathered unto their people4 ,they       

returned to the dust from whence they   
came1 as their fathers before them4 ,and
 when ,joseph died1 being #aaj years    
old1 he is not gathered unto his people1
 but embalmed and put in a coffin in    
,egypt4  #ab4 ,in ,exodus1 ,leviticus1  
,numbers1 and ,deuteronomy1 the books   
that immediately concern ,moses1 there  
is no mention of any future state of    
existence4 ,the precepts1 the ritual1   
the rewards1 and the punishments all    
have reference to the present life4     
,beyond the grave is nothingness3 no    
hope1 no fear4 ,what a startling fact   
this is1 and how intimately it concerns 
the subject now under consideration1    
appears when contrasted with the        
prevailing contemporary ,egyptian       
belief4 ,moses led the ,israelites out  
of ,egypt4 ,they had been there upwards 
of two centuries4 ,he himself was       
learned in all the wisdom of the        
,egyptians4 ,he had been brought up as  
the son of ,pharaoh's daughter4 ,now1   
the most prominent belief of the        

,egyptian religion1 as shown by the     
monuments and ritual1 was the           
immortality of the soul and a state of  
existence beyond the grave1 and it must 
have been vividly before the ,israelites
 during their sojourn in ,egypt4 ,the   
god ,osiris became incarnate on earth1  
worked all manner of good for mankind2  
was slain through the malignity of the  
evil one1 the serpent ,typhon1 but rose 
again from the dead1 and was made the   
'judge of souls2 the disembodied spirits
 were weighed in his balances2 the just1
 after expiating their venial sins by   
many severe trials1 in which they were  
accompanied and sustained by ,osiris1   
who had himself passed through the same 
ordeal--been tempted in all points like 
as they were--shared the bliss of the   
god2 the reprobate were condemned to    
lengthened torments1 came back to earth 
as evil spirits1 dwelt in the bodies of 
unclean animals1 and were ultimately to 
be annihilated4 ,in addition1 also1 to  
the symbolic idolatrous religion1 by    

which the deity was represented to the  
people in numerous phases1 all probably 
conceptions of natural phenomena1       
however incongruous most of the         
manifestations now appear1 there was the
 hidden religion of the priests and of  
the initiated2 and the main conception  
of this hidden religion was of the one  
living1 independent1 uncreated god--,nuk
 pu ,nuk1 ,i am that ,i am4 ,a          
hereditary priesthood1 animal           
sacrifices1 circumcision1 and abstinence
 from swine's flesh1 were likewise      
,egyptian institutions4 ,so was the     
seventh-day rest4 ,these and minor      
practices were continued among the      
,israelites1 and the ,egyptian ,nuk pa  
,nuk became the ,jewish ,jehovah2 but   
the symbolical idolatrous worship1      
likening the ,creator to the creature1  
and the belief in the immortality of the
 soul1 were rejected by ,moses4 ,they   
have no place in his system4 ,the former
 he denounced1 the latter he ignored4   
,his conception of the unity and        

omnipotence of ,god was intense1 and he 
indelibly stamped this belief on the    
mind of his nation1 shunning the example
 of the priests of ,egypt1 who          
encouraged the people in idolatrous     
polytheistic rites1 while the purer     
faith remained concealed among          
themselves4 ,contrary to the practice of
 all priestcraft1 ancient and modern1 he
 did not keep his followers in          
ignorance1 that he himself might1 by a  
superior understanding1 retain an       
exalted position in their sight1 but he 
sought to bring them up to the level of 
his own knowledge and belief4 ,how far  
many of the ,egyptian practices retained
 by the ,israelites1 and some of the    
more unworthy conceptions of the        
deity--such1 for instance1 as the       
ever-living omnipotent ,god working six 
days in creating the world1 and resting 
the seventh2 or his ordering the enemies
 of ,israel to be massacred1 man1 woman1
 and child2 or his exacting animal      
sacrifices1 as if he1 the source of     

life1 could be appeased by the          
destruction of the very life he had     
brought into being--were forced by the  
nation upon ,moses1 rather than by      
,moses upon the nation1 cannot now be   
ascertained4 ,jer4 vii4 #bb1 #bc1 seem  
to indicate that the animal sacrifices1 
at least1 were not of ,mosaic origin4   
,but his stern prohibition of idolatry1 
and his ignoring a future life1         
constituted the principal differences   
between the ,mosaic and the ,egyptian   
systems4 ,they were1 indeed1 radical    
differences4 ,had not ,moses seen in    
,egypt how the pretended immortality of 
the soul1 and the several connected     
doctrines and practices1 in the hands of
 a polished priesthood1 had been used so
 as to keep that very soul in this world
 in a state of vague fear and abject    
superstition3 how the terrors or        
expectation of the life to come had led 
to misery and misdirection of the life  
on earth3 how the dead had been cared   
for to the neglect of the living8 ,and  

was there any good ground for this      
expectation of a future life8 ,on the   
contrary1 was not man1 in his view1     
doomed to return to the dust whence he  
came8 ,was not the pretence of the soul 
being immortal an assumption of an      
attribute of the eternal ,jehovah8 ,and 
so he taught that the ,lord he is ,god1 
in heaven above1 and in the earth       
beneath2 there is none else4 ,thou shalt
 therefore keep his statutes and his    
commandments1 which ,i command thee this
 day1 that it may go well with thee1 and
 with thy children after thee1 and that 
thou mayest prolong thy days upon the   
earth which the ,lord thy ,god giveth   
thee1 for ever 7,deut4 iv4 #ci1 #dj74   
,the rules of conduct were those which1 
in the judgment of ,moses1 led to long  
life and earthly prosperity2 their      
neglect would inevitably bring disaster 
and woe2 there was no other reward1 no  
other dread4 ,and in ,psalm xc1         
described as a prayer of ,moses1 the man
 of ,god1 when he mentions that the days

 of our years are threescore and ten1 or
 if1 perchance1 by reason of strength1  
fourscore1 yet that strength labour and 
sorrow1 so far is he from arriving at   
,paul's conclusion--,what advantageth it
 me if the dead rise not8 ,let us eat   
and drink1 for to-morrow we die--that he
 makes the brevity of man's life the    
ground of the petition1 ,so-teach us to 
number our days1 that we may apply our  
hearts unto wisdom4 ,let us be up and   
doing1 for our own and our brethren's   
sakes2 there is no time to be lost2 let 
us strive and ponder how to pass our    
brief life on earth wisely and well4    
,the dead1 moreover1 were buried out of 
sight1 and any bodily disfigurement     
7,lev4 xix4 #bh2 ,deut4 xiv4 #a7 or     
offerings 7,deut4 xxvi4 #ad7 for them   
were prohibited4  #ac4 ,now1 if the     
,jewish ,jehovah thus represented by    
,moses be one and the same being with   
the ,god of ,peace1 that brought again  
from the dead our ,lord ,jesus1 whose   
kingdom was not of this world1 whose    

reward was eternal life1 whose followers
 were of all men the most miserable if  
in this life only they had hope in      
,christ1 then the ,almighty in one      
dispensation left his chosen people to  
ignore the possession of an immortal    
soul and the hope of eternal            
life--doctrines fully known and         
recognised by the ,egyptians and other  
nations surrounding them--but in the    
other revealed1 little modified1 as his 
own1 these prevailing beliefs of the    
heathen nations1 thus making            
,christianity practically little else   
than the ,mosaic religion without the   
sacrifices1 joined to the ,egyptian     
belief in the soul's immortality and a  
state of future rewards and punishments1
 which ,moses rejected2 in one          
dispensation he placed his service in   
the following of those rules of life    
which lead to making the best of the    
good earth on which men live1 without   
any other reward2 in the other1 he that 
hateth his life in this world shall keep

 it unto life eternal1 and those are    
denounced who mind earthly things1 for  
our conversation is in heaven1 from     
whence also we look for our ,saviour1   
the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,a wondrous   
contradictory ,almighty6  #ad4 ,in the  
historical books of the ,old ,testament1
 from ,joshua to ,esther1 there is      
nothing to indicate that a belief in a  
future life was held by any of the      
representatives of ,jehovah1 whether    
judge1 king1 prophet1 or priest1 7a47   
,the aged ,joshua 7,josh4 xxiii4 #ad7   
and the dying ,david 7#a ,kings ii4 #b7 
affirm that they are about to go the way
 of all the earth4 ,they express neither
 hope of heaven nor fear of hell4 ,the  
writer in ,judges 7ii #aj7 states1 all  
that generation was gathered unto their 
fathers4 ,the kings of ,israel and      
,judah all slept with their fathers4    
7b47 ,the ,godforsaken ,saul 7#a ,sam4  
xxviii4 #g-be7 went to inquire of the   
witch of ,endor1 and asked her to bring 
up ,samuel1 who appeared 7visible1 as   

the narrative implies1 only to the      
witch7 as an old man covered with a     
mantle--that is to say1 his shade had   
the appearance of himself in old age1   
dress and all--and said1 ,why hast thou 
disquieted me to bring me up4 ,saul told
 his extremity4 ,samuel's wraith        
affirmed that the kingdom was           
transferred to ,david1 that ,saul's army
 would be defeated by the ,philistines1 
and that to-morrow shalt thou and thy   
sons be with me4 ,the ,god-favoured     
,samuel and the ,god-forsaken ,saul     
would be together4 ,here is certainly a 
belief in a future life1 and in the     
power of a witch to bring up to earth a 
soul at rest--not in bliss or in misery1
 if ,samuel's why hast thou thus        
disquieted me may be so construed2 but  
that it was not an orthodox ,jewish     
belief is made clear by #a ,chron4 x4   
#ac3 ,so ,saul died for his             
transgression which he committed against
 the ,lord1 even against the word of the
 ,lord1 which he kept not1 and also for 

asking counsel of one that had a        
familiar spirit1 to inquire of it1 and  
inquired not of the ,lord3 therefore he 
slew him1 and turned the kingdom to     
,david1 the son of ,jesse4 7c47 ,the    
wise woman of ,tekoah1 whom ,joab sent  
disguised to king ,david1 expressed the 
recognised belief when she said1 for we 
must needs die1 and are as water spilled
 on the ground1 which cannot be gathered
 up again4 7d47 ,elijah 7#a ,kings xvii4
 #ba1 #bb7 raised from the dead the son 
of the widow of ,zarephath1 and ,elisha 
7#b ,kings iv4 #cb-ce7 the son of the   
,shunammite4 ,elisha went up and lay    
upon the child1 and put his mouth upon  
his mouth1 and his eyes upon his eyes1  
and his hands upon his hands1 and he    
stretched himself upon the child1 and   
the flesh of the child waxed warm4      
,elijah1 too1 stretched himself on the  
child three times1 and he prayed1 ,o    
,lord my ,god1 let this child's soul 7or
 life1 same word as ,genesis i4 #cj7    
come into him again2 and the ,lord heard

 the voice of ,elijah1 and the soul 7or 
life7 of the child came into him again1 
and he revived4 ,it would be hard from  
these statements to determine whether   
,elijah and ,elisha considered the      
child's soul or life as merely the      
action of an organism1 or as so much    
vital force existing only as force      
outside the body1 or as a separate      
conscious soul sent back to earth at    
their request4 ,most probably neither   
they nor the narrator of their          
wonder-working had any definite opinion 
on the subject4 ,elisha's bones1 also1  
had such virtue that when a dead man let
 down into his sepulchre 7#b ,kings     
xiii4 #ba7 had touched them1 he revived 
and stood up on his feet4 ,it is strange
 that the bones could not do so much for
 themselves4 ,neither this man1 however1
 nor the resuscitated children1 appear  
to have been made immortal on earth1 any
 more than the son of the widow of      
,nain1 or the raised ,lazarus of the    
,new ,testament4 ,so1 wretched ones1    

they had to suffer death twice2 and when
 they were brought back to life1 what   
did they tell their wondering friends of
 the condition of the disembodied soul8 
,the world has been none the wiser of   
their revisit1 7e47 ,the marvellous     
departure of ,elijah 7#b ,kings ii4 #aa7
 was probably told to prevent any sort  
of worship at his tomb1 concealed1 in   
all likelihood1 as that of ,moses1      
doubtless at his own desire1 was4  #ae4 
,the authorised version gives rise to   
considerable misapprehension by         
translating the ,hebrew word sheol as   
hell in some places1 and the grave in   
others1 7a47 ,the passage 7,genesis     
xxxvii4 #ce7 before referred to1 where  
,jacob says1 ,i will go down into the   
grave 7sheol7 unto my son mourning1 if  
translated1 ,i will go down into hell1  
c1 would have conveyed to the mind of a 
modern ,christian that ,joseph was in   
the place of torment4 ,it was quite     
necessary here1 therefore1 to render the
 word the grave4 ,genesis xlii4 #ch is1 

similarly treated1 7b7 ,proverbs xxiii4 
#ac1 #ad1 is an example of the other    
rendering of the same word3 ,withhold   
not correction from the child3 for if   
thou beatest him with the rod1 he shall 
not die4 ,thou shalt beat him with the  
rod1 and shalt deliver his soul from    
hell 7from sheol74 ,here nothing more is
 meant than that by coercing a youth to 
follow the lessons of experience1 he    
would be saved from an early grave2 but 
by translating sheol hell1 the notion   
that eternal woe is to be averted by the
 unsparing use of the rod is erroneously
 implied1 7c47 ,the ,hebrew word kibr is
 usually employed to designate a        
specific burying-place 7a grave1 as     
distinguished from the grave71 as in    
,genesis xxiii4 #db2 xxxv4 #bj1 but is  
sometimes also used in the same sense as
 sheol1 as ,psalm vi4 #e1 ,in the grave 
7sheol7 who shall give thee thanks3     
,psalm lxxxviii4 #aj1 ,shall thy        
loving-kindness be declared in the grave
 7kibr78 ,sheol1 however1 almost        

invariably means more than a mere burial
 place3 sometimes it is used in the     
sense of the power of death 7,isaiah    
xiv4 #i71 sometimes of the unfathomable 
abyss of darkness1 erroneously believed 
in those days to be under the earth     
7,psalm cxxxix4 #h2 ,amos ix4 #b72 but  
usually it implies the state that       
follows death2 and that this state was  
held to be one of ended existence1      
non-existence1 or nothingness1 is as    
clear a conclusion as words can convey4 
,the reprieved ,hezekiah 7,isaiah       
xxxviii4 #ah7 says1 ,for the grave      
7sheol7 cannot praise thee1 death cannot
 celebrate thee3 they that go down to   
the pit cannot hope for thy truth4 ,the 
living1 the living1 he shall praise     
thee1 as ,i do this day4 ,so ,psalm cxv4
 #ag1 ,the dead praise not the ,lord1   
neither any that go down into silence2  
and ,eccles4 ix4 #e1 ,for the living    
know that they shall die1 but the dead  
know not anything2 also ix4 #aj1 for    
there is no work1 nor device1 nor       

knowledge1 nor wisdom in the grave      
7sheol71 whither thou goest4 ,job1 too  
7vii4 #i71 ,as the cloud is consumed and
 vanisheth away1 so he that goeth down  
to the grave 7sheol7 shall come up no   
more4 ,psalm xlix4 #ab1 ,nevertheless1  
man being in honour abideth not3 he is  
like the beasts that perish4 ,thus also 
,eccles4 iii4 #ai1 ,for that which      
befalleth the sons of men befalleth     
beasts2 even one thing befalleth them3  
as the one dieth1 so dieth the other3   
yea1 they have all one breath 7i4e1 same
 word as translated spirit in verse #ba1
 and chap4 xii4 #g72 so that a man hath 
no pre-eminence above a beast3 for all  
is vanity4 7#bj7 ,all go unto one place2
 all are of the dust1 and all turn to   
dust again4 7#ba7 ,who knoweth the      
spirit 7or breath7 of man that goeth    
upward1 and the spirit 7or breath7 of   
the beast that goeth downward to the    
earth8 ,is this last verse an answer to 
any objection taken to what is stated in
 verse #ai1 that man and beast have all 

one spirit 7breath78 ,again1 ,eccles4   
xii #g1 ,then shall the dust return to  
the earth as it was1 and the spirit     
shall return to ,god who gave it4 ,this 
passage is quite conclusive against a   
separate conscious existence of the soul
 in any one place set apart for its     
reception1 or of one soul going to one  
place and another to another4 ,man is   
dissolved into dust and spirit3 the dust
 mingles again with the earth2 the      
spirit in like manner1 as spirit1       
returns to ,god3 in other words1 the    
life as life returns to its source4     
,such seems the idea4 ,again1 the mercy 
of ,jehovah is shown in consideration of
 the brief span of man's life1 as ,psalm
 lxxviii4 #ci1 ,for he remembered that  
they were but flesh2 a wind that passeth
 away and cometh not again3 ciii4 #ad1  
,he knoweth our frame1 he remembereth   
that we are dust2 and ,psalm lxxxvii4 #e
 mentions the slain that lie in the     
grave 7kibr71 whom thou 7,jehovah7      
rememberest no more4 ,how utterly       

opposed are all these clear statements  
to the paradise of unspeakable bliss1   
and the hell of unutterable woe1 and the
 immortal soul and the bodily           
resurrection of the ,new ,testament4    
#af4 ,yet there are a few verses of the 
,old ,testament1 the principal ,job xix4
 #be-bg2 ,isaiah xxvi4 #ai2 ,ezek4      
xxxvii4 #ab1 #ac2 ,daniel xii4 #b1 that1
 as translated in the authorised        
version1 seem to express the hope of a  
bodily resurrection4 ,all these passages
 are of a highly poetical character     
7that of ,daniel is in connection with  
the great ,jewish prince ,michael71 and 
if read in the light of the explicit    
declarations just quoted1 it will be    
felt that they must be open to other    
constructions1 and probably to other    
renderings than those in the present    
translation4 ,but it is no part of the  
present purpose to reconcile            
discrepancies1 apparent or real2 and in 
any case1 it is clear that even these   
last-named passages do not countenance  

such conceptions as the heaven and hell 
of the ,new ,testament4 ,the ,christian 
clergy1 fully alive to the importance1  
for upholding the divine origin which   
they claim for their creed1 of making   
,new ,testament ideas a development and 
fulfilment of the ,old1 and of showing  
that the deities1 ,mosaic and           
,christian1 are the same1 and not       
contradictory1 have displayed much      
ingenuity in reconciling incongruities  
and in discovering resemblances in ways 
and by reasonings that would not have   
occurred to ordinary truth-seeking men2 
but no unbiassed inquirer can fail to   
perceive the utter divergence between   
the ,old and ,new ,testament doctrine   
and practice1 as regards a future life1 
and how impossible it is that both sets 
of ideas can have emanated from the same
 mind or spirit1 mortal or immortal4    
,there are thus only three possible     
conclusions3 7#a47 ,the ,mosaic deity is
 the true ,god1 not the ,christian2     
7#b47 the ,christian deity is the true  

,god1 not the ,mosaic2 but this         
contradicts the ,christian deity        
himself1 who says the ,mosaic deity was 
himself2 or1 7#c47 neither is ,god1 in  
which case there has been no revelation1
 and all that is left for men is either 
to assume the existence and attributes  
of a ,god who has never revealed        
himself1 or to disbelieve in such       
existence2 or to acknowledge that the   
question of the existence of a ,god is  
one beyond the reach of the human       
faculties to determine4  #ag4 ,if then  
the resurrection of ,jesus and the ,new 
,testament declarations as to a future  
life1 are thus wholly opposed to ,old   
,testament ideas1 do they present any   
resemblance to the belief of heathendom8
  7a47 ,the faith and practice of the   
,egyptians1 in connection with their god
 ,osiris1 have already been referred to 
in preceding paragraph #ab4 ,it has been
 well said that the ancient ,egyptians1 
in their vivid anticipations of the life
 to come1 lived rather in the next world

 than on the banks of the ,nile4 ,the   
bodily resurrection also had a place in 
their system4 ,the belief in the        
deathlessness of souls has been a marked
 characteristic of all the ,turanian    
races1 whether represented1 as many     
hold1 by the ,egyptians1 ,etruscans1 and
 ,lydians of aid1 or by the ,chinese1   
,mongols1 and ,finns of the present day4
 ,the ,etruscan sepulchral paintings    
represent the disembodied souls on their
 way to the land of spirits4 ,some are  
calm and resigned1 with rods in their   
hands3 some full of horror and dismay3  
attendant spirits1 good and evil1       
contend for their possession2 the good  
spirits are coloured red1 the evil      
spirits black2 the heads of the latter  
are wreathed with serpents1 and they    
bear in their hands a hammer or mallet1 
which is sometimes raised as in the act 
of striking the woe-begone soul on the  
knee vainly imploring mercy1 7b47 ,in   
the ,zend-a-,vesta1--the ancient        
,persian ,scriptures1--a narrow passage1

 called the bridge of the gatherer1 is  
said to be extended over the middle of  
hell1 where the souls of the dead are   
assembled on the day after the third    
night from their decease4 ,the wicked   
fall into the gulf beneath1 the gloomy  
kingdom of ,ahriman1 and are doomed to  
feed upon poisoned food4 ,the good1     
sustained by benign angels and spirits  
and the prayers of surviving friends1   
cross over in safety1 and are greeted on
 the other side by the archangel1 as    
having passed from mortality to         
immortality4 ,thence they rise to       
paradise1 where ,ormuzd and his six holy
 ones sit on golden thrones1 and at once
 join in the conflict against ,ahriman  
and the powers of darkness4 ,at the last
 day they will share the glory of the   
triumph of ,ormuzd1 when ,ahriman and   
his angels1 finally routed and overcome1
 will be driven into their native       
darkness1 and virtue1 harmony1 and bliss
 will evermore prevail in the universe4 
,the resurrection of the body is also   

contained in the ,zend-a-,vesta1 and it 
likewise forms part of the creed of the 
,magi4 7c47 ,of the sects into which the
 ,jews were divided after the return    
from the captivity in ,babylon1 the     
writer of the ,acts states3 ,for the    
,sadducees say that there is no         
resurrection1 neither angel1 nor spirit2
 but the ,pharisees confess both3 and   
,josephus writes concerning the latter1 
,they believe that souls have an        
immortal vigour in them1 and that under 
the earth there will be rewards or      
punishments1 according as they have     
lived virtuously or viciously in this   
life2 and the latter are to be detained 
in an everlasting prison1 but that the  
former shall have power to revive1 and  
live again4 ,elsewhere he shows that    
these beliefs were traditional merely3  
,what ,i would now explain is this1 that
 the ,pharisees have delivered to the   
people a great many observances by      
succession from their fathers1 which are
 not written in the law of ,moses2 and  

for that reason it is that the          
,sadducees reject them1 and say that we 
are to esteem those observances to be   
obligatory1 which are in the written    
word1 but are not to observe what are   
derived from the traditions of our      
fore-fathers4  #ah4 ,the belief of      
classical antiquity as to the condition 
of souls after death1 is beautifully    
summed up by ,horace in the ,ode 7i4    
#aj7 to ,mercury1 date about b4c4 #bd2  
,grateful alike to the gods supernal and
 infernal1 it is thine to place pious   
souls in blissful abodes1 and to coerce 
the airy crowd with thy golden wand4    
,homer1 indeed1 whose poems are         
certainly prior to the eighth century   
b4c41 has no ,elysian fields in the land
 of spirits2 all is indeterminate1      
gloomy1 uncomfortable4 ,the shade of    
,achilles says3       ,talk not of      
ruling in this dolorous gloom1      ,nor
 think vain words 7he cried7 can ease my
 doom2      ,rather ,i'd choose         
laboriously to bear      ,a weight of   

woes and breathe the vital air1      ,a 
slave to some poor hind that toils for  
bread1      ,than reign the sceptred    
monarch of the dead4  ,but1 whether from
 contact with the ,east and ,egypt or   
otherwise1 more definite conceptions of 
the abode of disembodied spirits were   
afterwards formed1 which have found best
 expression in ,virgil's ,a,eneid1      
written about ,b4,c4 #bj4 ,there        
,the gates of hell are open night and   
day1      ,smooth the descent1 and easy 
is the way2  just as in the sermon on   
the mount1--,wide is the gate1 and broad
 is the way that leadeth to destruction1
 and many there be which go in thereat4 
,at a certain point hell is thus        
divided3       ,the right to ,pluto's   
golden palace guides2      ,the left to 
that unhappy region tends      ,which to
 the depths of ,tartarus descends4  ,so 
in the ,new ,testament1 the sheep 7the  
saved7 are on the right1 the goats 7the 
lost7 on the left hand of the ,son of   
man sitting on the throne of his glory4 

,the region to the left is thus         
described3       ,these are the realms  
of unrelenting fate1      ,and awful    
,rhadamanthus rules the state2      ,he 
hears and judges each committed crime1  
,inquires into the manner1 place1 and   
time3      ,the conscious wretch must   
all his acts reveal      7,loth to      
confess1 unable to conceal7      ,from  
the first moment of his vital breath    
,to his last hour of unrepenting death4 
,straight o'er the guilty wretch the    
,fury shakes      ,the sounding whip1   
and brandishes her snakes1      ,and the
 pale sinner1 with her sisters1 takes4  
,all these within the dungeon's depth   
remain1      ,despairing pardon1 and    
expecting pain4  ,far other the region  
to the right3       ,these holy rites   
performed1 they took their way          
,where long-extended fields of pleasure 
lay2      ,the verdant fields with those
 of heaven may vie1      ,with ether    
vested and a purple sky1      ,the      
blissful seats of happy souls below1    

,stars of their own1 and their own suns 
they know4  #ai4 ,plutarch 7about a4d4  
#ij71 referring to the tradition of the 
mysterious disappearance of ,romulus and
 the suspicions of regicide aroused     
against the patricians1 wrote1--,while  
things were in this disorder1 a senator1
 we are told1 of great distinction1 and 
famed for sanctity of manners1 ,julius  
,proculus by name1 who came from ,alba  
with ,romulus1 and had been his faithful
 friend1 went into the ,forum1 and      
declared1 upon the most solemn oaths1   
before all the people1 that as he was   
travelling on the road1 ,romulus met him
 in a form more noble and august than   
ever1 and clad in bright and dazzling   
armour4 ,astonished at the sight1 he    
said to him1 ',for what misbehaviour of 
ours1 ,o king1 or by what accident1 have
 you so untimely left us to labour under
 the heaviest calumnies1 and the whole  
city to sink under inexpressible        
sorrow8' ,to which he answered1 ',it    
pleased the gods1 my good ,proculus1    

that we should dwell with men for a     
time2 and after having founded a city   
which will be the most powerful and     
glorious in the world1 return to heaven1
 from whence we came4 ,farewell1 then1  
and go1 tell the ,romans that by the    
exercise of temperance and fortitude    
they shall attain the highest pitch of  
human greatness2 and ,i1 the god        
,quirinus1 will ever be propitious to   
you4' ,this1 by the character and oath  
of the relater1 gained credit with the  
,romans1 who were caught with the       
enthusiasm1 as if they had been actually
 inspired2 and far from contradicting   
what they had heard1 bade adieu to all  
their suspicions of the nobility1 united
 in the deifying of ,quirinus1 and      
addressed their devotions to him4 ,this 
is very like the ,grecian fables        
concerning ,aristeas1 the ,proconnesian1
 and ,cleoraedes1 the ,astypalesian4    
,for ,aristeas1 as they tell us1 expired
 in a fuller's shop2 and when his       
friends came to take away the body1 it  

could not be found4 ,soon after1 some   
persons coming in from a journey1 said  
they met ,aristeas travelling towards   
,croton4 ,as for ,cleomedes1 their      
account of him is that he was a man of  
gigantic size and strength2 but behaving
 in a foolish and frantic manner1 he was
 guilty of many acts of violence4 ,at   
last he went into a school1 where he    
struck the pillar that supported the    
roof with his fist1 and broke it        
asunder1 so that the roof fell in and   
destroyed the children4 ,pursued for    
this1 he took refuge in a great chest1  
and having shut the lid upon him1 he    
held it down so fast that many men      
together could not force it open2 when  
they had cut the chest in pieces1 they  
could not find him either dead or alive4
 ,struck with this strange affair1 they 
sent to consult the oracle at ,delphi1  
and had from the priestess this         
answer3--  ',the race of heroes ends in 
,cleomedes4' ,it is likewise said1 that 
the body of ,alcmena was lost as they   

were carrying it to the grave1 and a    
stone was seen lying on the bier in its 
stead4 ,many such improbable tales are  
told by writers who wanted to deify     
beings naturally mortal4  #bj4 ,dio     
,cassius relates that ,livia1 about a4d4
 #ad1 gave a large reward to ,numericus 
,atticus1 a senator1 who affirmed that  
he had seen her husband1 the ,emperor   
,augustus1 ascending to heaven in the   
same manner as ,romulus had been seen by
 ,proeulus4  #ba4 ,it is thus clearly   
manifest that the beliefs of the        
,gentile nations of antiquity with      
reference to a future life1 are similar 
to the ,new ,testament ideas2 in fact1  
the same beliefs under different guises4
 ,so1 also1 the resurrection of ,jesus  
from the dead1 his subsequent           
appearances1 and his ascension to       
heaven1 are not without parallels in    
preceding and contemporary fame4 ,the   
alleged appearances of ,jesus to ,mary  
,magdalene1 ,peter1 ,james1 ,paul1 and  
the others1 rest on no evidence         

intrinsically stronger than the         
appearance of ,romulus to ,julius       
,proeulus1 or of ,augustus to ,numericus
 ,atticus4 ,the fact of ,livia paying   
money to one who reported that he had   
seen ,augustus ascend to heaven shows   
how deeply this idea was rooted in      
,roman belief4 ,all1 therefore1 who were
 swayed by the current ,roman traditions
 would have seen nothing incredible in  
,jesus and his claims4 ,these exactly   
corresponded to what they had been      
taught from childhood4 ,they had merely 
to transfer to ,jesus marvels similar to
 those which had formed their early     
faith4 ,the rise of ,christianity to be 
the dominant-religion of the ,roman     
empire is often referred to as a proof  
of its divine origin and guidance2 but  
uniting1 as it did1 the discipline1     
organisation1 earnestness1 moral        
authoritative-ness1 and exclusive claim 
to the favour of ,god 7transferring to  
believers of every race1 but to         
believers alone1 that divine favour     

which was previously the peculiar       
possession of the seed of               
,abraham71--all derived from the        
synagogue1--uniting these with the      
ancient fundamental beliefs1 under      
another name1 of the various ,gentile   
nations1 it is not difficult to discern 
the causes of its triumph1 in an age    
unaccustomed to weigh evidence1 and at a
 time when ancient forms were losing    
their hold on the faith and allegiance  
of the masses4 ,even in modern religious
 revivals1 the most common              
manifestations are of convictions which 
had lost their hold on the mind1 or     
which had become practically powerless  
to stir under regular ministrations1    
springing up into renewed vigour and    
intensity in some novel guise1 or       
through a description of preaching or   
service out of the common4  #bb4 ,and   
this belief in a life beyond the grave1 
and pretended knowledge of its          
conditions--under one form or other one 
of the most ancient and widespread      

conceptions of the human race--what has 
it led to8 ,inhumanity in time past1    
inhumanity now2 bloodshed and misery1   
dark delusion1 degrading superstition1  
priestly pretence1 persecution and      
intolerance1 creed exclusiveness and    
bigoted zeal1 misdirected fervour and   
visionary hopes--all the offspring of   
this conviction--fill the records of    
mankind4  #bc4 ,among barbarous races   
the vivid realisation of the spiritual  
world has led to such sad misguidance of
 the life on earth as the               
following2--7a47 ,the custom1 prevalent 
both in ancient and modern times1 of    
sacrificing wives1 friends1 and slaves  
at funerals to supply the wants of the  
deceased in the land of spirits1 or to  
accompany him thither1 7b47 ,men killing
 their relations out of love1 as soon as
 they showed signs of decrepitude1 under
 the belief that in the next world the  
spirits will be vigorous or otherwise1  
corresponding to the state of the body  
at time of death1 7c47 ,incitement to   

bloodshed and war by the belief that the
 enemies a man killed in this world1 or 
those of whose skulls or scalps he      
obtained possession1 would serve him as 
slaves in the next2 or by the more manly
 conviction that a warring life on earth
 and a glorious death in battle were the
 best preparations for the future state1
 7d47 ,the practice1 still carried on to
 a frightful extent among some of the   
,african races1 of killing men to serve 
as messengers to their departed kindred 
in the other world1 7e47 ,the various   
gloomy and degrading delusions through  
the arts of spirit-mediums1 sorcerers1  
witches1 or other pretenders to         
intercourse with or control over the    
spirit-world4  #bd4 ,among nations more 
advanced1 the union of assurance of a   
blissful or woeful immortality1 with    
adherence or non-adherence to any       
particular banner1 sect1 or creed1 has  
led--7a47 ,to bloody religious wars1    
such as those waged for the spread of   
,islam1 the ,mohammedan believing that  

if he fell in battle he would           
immediately possess a paradise of every 
sensual delight2 or such as the         
,crusades1 where the red cross was held 
to be the symbol of sure salvation4     
7#f47 ,to those inhuman persecutions    
where men1 in the name of religion and  
in the interest of their own souls1     
condemned their fellow-men to the       
dungeon1 the stake1 the gibbet1 and the 
sword1 butchers and butchered both      
believing that they were doing ,god     
service4 ,where the sufferers in such   
cases were sacrificed solely to the     
intolerance of their adversaries1 and   
themselves wished for no more than      
freedom of thought--sad their lot6 ,but 
impartial inquiry reveals that1 in most 
instances1 the persecuted would have    
dealt the same measure to their         
persecutors1 if the conditions of power 
had been reversed1 all alike holding    
that those whose belief was1 in their   
eyes heretical had no right to share    
either the chequered happiness of this  

life or the bliss of the world to come4 
,heirs of salvation on one side1 heirs  
of damnation on the other4  #be4 ,the   
belief that the immortal soul1 while on 
earth1 is enchained or imprisoned in a  
corrupt body1 and that the more the body
 is attenuated and exhausted the purer1 
the soul will be1 and the more fitted   
for the contemplation of divine things1 
has led men and women to separate       
themselves from their kind1 to pass     
unnatural lives in penitential exercises
 and mortifications1 either in solitude 
or among communities apart from the     
world4 ,abstinence from marriage has    
been a condition common to almost all   
these devotees1 so that for the sake of 
the soul1 fondly believed to be         
immortal1 they forbear the enjoyment of 
the only means for the continuance of   
human life--viz41 that of living over   
again in children and descendants4      
,myriads of lives have been utterly     
wasted and perverted by this form of the
 delusion1 their folly receiving1 for   

the most part1 the countenance1 support1
 and reverence of blinded               
contemporaries4  #bf4 ,the ideas handed 
down from past ages1 and still widely   
prevalent1 that there are certain orders
 of men who have the keys of heaven and 
hell1 who possess such favour or        
influence with the invisible powers as  
to be able to ensure a happy or a       
wretched immortality1 or even to alter  
the condition of the soul after death2  
or1 in other quarters1 that certain     
orders of men are the divinely appointed
 teachers of that doctrine or belief1 on
 the correct acceptance or appreciation 
of which the state of the future life   
depends2 or1 among others1 that apart   
from any particular clerical order there
 is a saving doctrine or belief1 and    
that on its correct reception or        
understanding1 or otherwise1 eternal    
bliss or woe will result2--to what do   
such ideas tend8 ,they are not new or   
peculiar to ,christianity4 ,the         
worshippers under the ancient ,persian  

religion are thus exhorted3--,to obtain 
the acceptation of this guide to        
salvation 7the priest71 you must        
faithfully pay him tithes of all you    
possess1 of your goods1 of your lands1  
and of your money4 ,if the priest be    
satisfied your soul will escape hell    
tortures2 you will secure praise in this
 world and happiness in the next4 ,for  
the priests are the teachers of         
religion2 they know all things and      
deliver all men4 ,this is explicit and  
straightforward1 and contrasts          
favourably with the more guarded phrase 
in which modern clergy advocate similar 
claims1 or claims founded on the same   
idea1 that their ministration1 in one   
way or other1 is connected with the     
future lot of their hearers4 ,the remedy
 of the soul under one form of          
,christianity1 the advancement of the   
cause of ,christ1 who will repay deeds  
done in his service with the riches of  
grace and glory1 under another1 are and 
have been the two ruling motives by     

which the offerings of the faithful flow
 into the coffers of the clergy1 for the
 establishment1 whether by states or    
individuals1 of orders of men claiming  
titles of reverence from1 moral control 
over1 and direction and limitation of   
the knowledge and professed belief of   
their fellows1 all under the prevailing 
idea of a life to come1 to happiness in 
which their ministrations and counsel   
are believed to be safe guides4 ,thus1  
unsparing generosity1 steadfast         
devotion1 self-sacrificing enthusiasm1  
intellectual power1 love of kind1 and   
others of the highest and best human    
traits1 instead of being turned towards 
remedying the evils and inequalities of 
the life on earth1 and of improving it  
to the utmost1 have been utterly        
perverted and wasted on orders of men   
and ecclesiastical establishments1 and  
observances and doctrines1 all more or  
less connected with a future state1 the 
fond hope of misguided mortals4  #bg4   
,such and so great1 then1 in brief1 are 

among the more prominent evils that have
 arisen out of the ancient and          
widespread belief in a life to come1 of 
which the resurrection of ,jesus1 and   
the connected doctrines and practices1  
constitute one important development2 to
 which the religion of ,moses was       
antagonistic1 not1 as ,christians claim1
 antecedent1 but which1 under one form  
or other1 has exercised a powerful sway 
under almost all1 if not all1 the other 
ancient religions4     ,,chapter ,,vi4  
,,conclusion  #a4 ,the results1 then1 of
 this inquiry are3--  7a47 ,it has been 
shown that none of the supernatural     
occurrences mentioned in the ,new       
,testament1 as testimonies to the       
supernatural claims of ,jesus1 rest on  
the accordant testimony of two or three 
witnesses2 that there is also the most  
serious variance between the accounts of
 the different writers1--not that       
variance resulting in substantial       
agreement which often characterises the 
statements of two independent           

eye-witnesses relating different        
impressions of the same event1 but that 
variance which characterises illusion   
and man-deifying fable4 ,thus1 a        
condition of ordinary proof1 required by
 the deity of the ,mosaic as well as by 
the deity of the ,christian system1 is  
not fulfilled4 ,far less does the       
evidence satisfy that most righteous    
demand ever put forward by each earnest 
man1 for proof of the highest and       
strictest kind1 before he yields a      
conscience-approved assent to           
occurrences and to claims professing to 
be specially representative of a being  
held to be beyond and supreme over      
,nature4 ,how else but by the demand for
 strictest proof could special          
manifestations of a true ,god 7if any   
such had occurred or were to occur7 be  
distinguished from pretence and         
imposture8 ,each religious system judges
 the pretensions of all others by severe
 tests of evidence and rightful         
incredulity1 but refuses to apply these 

to its own4 ,and what sort of being can 
they conceive an ,almighty to be who    
affirm that he not only commands and    
approves belief in supernatural events1 
on such evidence and on such grounds as 
are put forth by the ,new ,testament    
compilers1 or on the impassioned        
utterances of preachers or other        
emotional influences1 but also that he  
has left those to perish in their sins  
who do not so believe4 ,he1 an ,almighty
 maker of the universe1 approve         
credulity1 disapprove rightful          
incredulity and keen inquiry1 ordain    
belief without conscience-satisfying    
evidence1 less regardful of truth1 less 
righteous than man6  7b7 ,it has also   
been made clear that the ,new ,testament
 deity is altogether different from the 
,mosaic1 and that the various           
conceptions with reference to the       
supernatural claims of ,jesus are of    
heathen 7i4e41 non-,mosaic7 origin4 ,a  
woman conceiving a child through direct 
intercourse with the deity1 that child  

brought up as the reputed son of her    
husband1 the tale of the star-gazing    
wise men of the ,east1 the spirit of the
 ,eternal appearing in a bodily shape   
like a dove1 the ordinance of baptism1  
the arch-fiend ,satan and his subject   
demons1 the heaven and hell of the ,new 
,testament1 the resurrection of ,jesus1 
his subsequent appearances1 his         
ascension1 the doctrine of a future     
life1 all1 it has been found1           
corresponded to the prominent religious 
beliefs of the various ,gentile nations1
 and were wholly opposed to or ignored  
by ,mosaic teaching4 ,the claim of      
,christianity1 therefore1 to be the     
representative of the ,mosaic deity is  
thus destroyed1 and the alleged         
fulfilment of ,jewish prophecy in the   
events of the life of ,jesus is also    
seen1 on careful examination of the     
details1 to be altogether without       
foundation4 ,there is thus no ground for
 that conscience-satisfying belief which
 might otherwise have rested on valid   

evidence of the power1 and              
wonder-working1 and special revelations1
 and faithfully fulfilled predictions of
 one and the same being continued down  
through many generations of men4  #b4   
,what1 then1 is left to those who had   
cherished these beliefs1 and rested on  
them1 when their fond faith and hope are
 overthrown by fairly prosecuted        
inquiry8 ,what1 rather1 is not left8    
,their own life on earth2 their         
fellow-men in their various relations2  
the good earth on which man holds the   
highest position and subdues to his own 
use2 the knowledge and understanding of 
the material and moral laws of the      
universe and its harmony and order2 the 
application of these laws1 so far as    
they affect the well-being of man1 to   
the alleviation of misery1 to the       
diffusion of comfort1 and to general    
progress1 physical1 moral1 and          
intellectual1--all these                
remain1--sources of rejoicing and       
thankfulness1 objects of affection1 of  

solicitude1 of admiration--ample scope  
for the exercise of every useful and    
loving and noble quality of the race4   
,so1 then1 may we be taught to number   
the days of our brief life that we may  
apply our hearts unto wisdom4