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The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 25

IV

IV.

Other proofs of the early existence of the Gospels are found,—

1. That Tatian, about A.D. 170, wrote a book in which he endeavors to harmonise the various accounts of the Lord's actions given in the Gospels. This work is called a Diatessaron; literally a work concerning the Four. But clearly such a work would not have been attempted had not the Four Gospels been generally received and valued by Christians. It is again certain that Tatian used our Gospels, for a Greek manuscript in the British Museum has a note in which a different reading is supported by the authority of Tatian.

2. The same argument applies to the Syrian version of the Scriptures, called The Peshito, that is The Literal Version, which in the opinion of learned men was made very early in the second century. A version implies, of very necessity, that the books translated have already become famous. The difficulty for an objector would be to shew how books, arising as he would have it the Gospels have arisen, could in about twenty years have won such acceptance as to require that a version should be made of them into another language from that in which they were originally written.

3. Another curious proof has been lately disovered, that of the Numatorian Canon, or List of the Books of Scripture, found by Numatori at Milan, in the Ambrosian Library. It had been brought thither from a convent in Pavia by Columbanus, an Irish monk. The compiler of the Canon has fixed its date when he thus speaks of another book as page 19 written "just lately in our times, when Pius was "Bishop of Rome." This was A.D. 150, and thus the Canon cannot be later than that date. That such a list should have been made shews, as did The Peshito, that the books thus catalogued had been long held in highest esteem. The beginning of the Canon is imperfect. It commences, "In the "third place St. Luke." Then St. John, the Acts, and all the other books of the New Testament are named except the Hebrews and one of St. John's Epistles.

4. From the early adversaries of the Faith, as witnesses for its truth, I would select Celsus, an Epicurean Philosopher, who wrote against Christianity at the middle of the second century. He mentions that the Gospels existed in three forms. He accepts all the prominent facts of the Gospel History, but endeavors from the facts themselves to overthrow the Christian Faith. In no one instance does he cast any discredit upon the narrative. But if, as it is said, the Gospels were but of recent date, so learned and acute a writer would at once have seized upon the late date as the very proof that the professed history could not be true.

It never seems, indeed, to have been imagined in the early days of Christianity that the Gospels were of late origin, when the truth of the case could have been so readily discovered. It has remained for modern criticism, in the face of all evidence against the supposition, to make this assertion. The objectors believe that they have discovered this or that insuperable difficulty—that this Gospel cannot be reconciled with that—this statement with that statement. I read but a short while ago an elaborate magazine article on the Gospel of St. John, in which the writer thus persuaded himself of its late date. page 20 But as I read the thought again and again occurred to me, "How very easily St. John would have cleared up this matter." In truth, most of the objections against the Gospels would be readily removed could we but ask the writers how these things were so; or if we were in possession of every possible detail, of all the surroundings, in each case, v.

Other arguments are to be found,—

1. From the numerous sects which arose very early in the Christian Church. David, in the 76th Psalm, writes—" Surely the wrath of man shall "praise thee." And many an illustration of this truth is to be found in the history of the Christian Church. Justyn Martyr tells how he and many others were won to embrace the Faith by noticing the holiness of life of the Christians, and their patient endurance of persecution. Again, men began soon to tamper with God's truth, and to add to it their own fancies. Jesus had said that the enemy would quickly sow tares amongst the wheat, And quickly thus appeared the Gnostic heresy. These Gnostics were many in number, and multiform in tenets. They agreed only in hating the truth. But the truth has gained largely by their error. Except for these heresies we should not have had the clear, distinct, unanswerable testimony of Irenæus in favor of the Gospels. Again, these heresies prove the incorruptness of the Gospels. All, whether Christian or Heretic, appeal to them to establish their own views; and so we are sure that the Gospels could not have been altered in any way. Had any wished to alter a Gospel to suit then peculiar views, the alteration would have been at once detected and refused by the rest.

2. The manuscripts of the Gospels were very page 21 rapidly multiplied. It would very soon have been manifestly impossible for any one to have altered every one of the manuscripts in existence. All the manuscripts are the same, wherever they are found. They still give the same truths without any change. There are variations in the readings of these manuscripts, but these variations are chiefly in unimportant matters. The Faith is never in any way injured by any variation. From any manuscript, let it be one that is most corrupt, could be learnt the way of Salvation.

3. But after all the argument that seems to be the most weighty is from a common-sense view of the matter. The Gospels exist. We have the very same Four Gospels as had the Christian Church of the time of Irenæus. No one has yet dared to dispute that. Even if it be said that they first appeared in the middle of the second century, they have remained unchanged from that time. But why should they have been written at that particular time? It would be an utter absurdity for any one seriously to assert that Jesus Christ did not live during the Governorship of Pontius Pilate. Christian apologists appeal to the accounts of his Governorship kept at Rome. We are as certain of His life and death, at that time, as we are of the life and death, say, of Julius Cæsar at a certain period of Roman history. Had not, then, our Gospels been written at the time when we say that they were written, what possible motive would there have been for any one afterwards to have written such Books? Good men, loving the Lord Jesus, would not have penned such falsehoods. Evil men would not have cared to do it. Or even if such a thing had been done from some strange, undiscoverable motive, how could they, bad men as they must have been on page 22 this supposition, and writing falsely, have gained for their falsehood, so quickly, so universal an acceptance? How, if they had been written, say, about A.D. 120, could the writers have persuaded Justyn Martyr, Irenæus, Celsus, Tatian, to have believed as they did concerning them? I often judge that this common-sense view of the question is but too much lost sight of. Christian defenders of the Faith have laboriously followed objectors into every detail of their objections, without sufficiently attending to this broad view of the whole question;—a method of reply which has this especial advantage, that it needs nothing but common sense to understand it. The youngest child can at once see how utterly impossible it would have been for a late writer to have persuaded the whole Christian Church that his writings, utterly unknown before to the Church, had yet been written by St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke, or St. John. The Christian, the heathen objector to Christianity, would at once have exposed the cheat. Any one can understand that no one would have dreamt of so manifest an impossibility. The instant reply would have been, "If Jesus, as you say in these writings, did such wonders, how is it that no one has heard of these things till now?" So great a marvel could not have been so strangely hidden. Such a thing could not have been done in a corner. Such a thing could not have been hidden in a corner until now.