  PAGE INTRODUCTION
Miracles the vital point in the investigation—Their modification to suit scientific theologians—Antecedent credibility—Miracles not super-Satanic—Profane oaths—Counterfeits—Christianity misrepresented—J. S. Mill—Appeal to reason—The Fourth Gospel ignored—Intellectual condition of the age when miracles occurred—Royal College of Physicians—French Academy—Priests ordained to forgive sins—Paul the only educated man of his generation—Perfection and invariability of the order of Nature in contrast with the wickedness of mankind—Abstract question as to the credibility of miracles—Matthew Arnold and J. S. Mill reject Hume's argument—Recent German criticisms in favour of Christianity—Dr. Christlieb's "Modern Doubt and Christian Belief"—Baur and the TÜbingen School CHAPTER II. THE SYNOPTIC GOSPELS. The argument from the silence of early writers—Limits of the inquiry—Quotations from unknown sources and tradition—The summary of what the author of "Supernatural Religion" alleges his investigation produces—His plausibility, special pleading, and boldness of assertion—His line across history—Verbal testimony in the first two generations—Inscription over the cross—Clement of Rome—Verbatim quotations—Tischendorf and early translations of the New Testament into Latin and Syriac—Pretensions on behalf of the Synoptics—RÉnan's views of the Gospels—Uniform plenary and verbal inspiration—Perversion of Scripture—Epistle of Barnabas—The ninth chapter of Matthew dissected and the miraculous eliminated—Tischendorf's opinion ridiculed—Quoting unfairly—The Pauline and Petrine contention—The Second Epistle of Peter—The Pastor of Hermas
THE SYNOPTIC GOSPELS—continued. The Epistles of Ignatius—One version allowed to be genuine—The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians: its acceptance as genuine by IrenÆus—Hegesippus—Fragments only preserved of his writings—The impossibility of knowing what was in the portions not extant—Papias—His evidence respecting Mark's Gospel—His assertion that Matthew wrote in Hebrew, and Tischendorf's opinion that he wrote in Greek—Justin Martyr—His reference to the Memoirs called Gospels—The Clementine Homilies—Important quotation from Matthew—Paul's Epistle to the Church at Laodicea—Construction of Matthew's Gospel—The Epistle to Diognetus
THE SYNOPTIC GOSPELS—continued. Basilides—The Gospel to the Hebrews—Special pleading in regard to Hippolytus and the pronouns HE and THEY—Coincidence resorted to—Events HAPPEN to occur as predicted—Valentinus—Marcion, a critic of the modern sceptical sort—J. S. Mill—Tatian: his harmony of the four Gospels—Dionysius of Corinth—The word Scripture applied to the New Testament writings—The Gospel of Peter—Serapion's explanation why it was read at Rhossus—Melito of Sardis—The word old applied to the Old Testament implying the existence of a New Testament—Claudius Apollinaris and his reference to the four Gospels—Athenagoras—Opposite opinions as to his quotation from Matthew—The Epistle of Vienne and Lyons—PtolemÆus and Heracleon—Celsus—The Canon of Muratori
THE FOURTH GOSPEL. The evidence of IrenÆus—Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians genuine—"The Refutation of all Heresies" by Hippolytus—Justin Martyr—The internal evidence—Philo's philosophy—The doctrine of the triune nature of Jehovah—The Divinity of Christ—The Holy Spirit—The nameless, unknown author—RÉnan's views in favour of the Johannine authorship—Linguistic difficulties—William Penn—The raising of Lazarus from the dead—John's memory—The Duke of Wellington—Mode of authorship—Men separated from their writings, and books without authors—The second century non-classical compared with the first—Facts make history, not history facts—The living voice rather than books the instrument for proclaiming the Gospel in the first century—The folly of ignoring Divine Revelation
CONTEMPORARY EVIDENCE. The Apostle John the author of the Apocalypse—Importance of the admission—The precise date of its composition—Its allegorical character—"Pilgrim's Progress" and "Paradise Lost and Regained"—The doctrines indicated in the Apocalypse—Rome the mystical Babylon—Nero CÆsar—The number of the beast—The Lord's day—Prominence of the allusion to the Lamb slain to take away sin—Paul's epistles identical in doctrine with the Apocalypse—Professor Owen—Quotation from "The Merchant of Venice"
CONCLUSION. An eloquent sentence analysed—Henry Rogers—John Stuart Mill—Priestley—Paul's admonition to Timothy—The death of apostles not recorded in writings alleged to have been written long after their decease—Verdict pronounced before the case is complete—Authority of Church Councils—The religion of the Bible a spiritual matter, requiring spiritual discernment—Summary—Peroration |
|
