Part 149 (2/2)

[562:6] Squire: Serpent Symbol, p. 33.

[562:7] Aryan Mytho., vol. ii. p. 33.

[562:8] Williams' Hinduism, p. 88.

[563:1] Muller's Chips, vol. ii. p. 260.

APPENDIX D.

We maintain that not so much as one single pa.s.sage purporting to be written, _as history_, within the first hundred years of the Christian era, can be produced to show the existence _at_ or before that time of such a person as Jesus of Nazareth, called the Christ, or of such a set of men as could be accounted his disciples or followers. Those who would be likely to refer to Jesus or his disciples, but who have not done so, wrote about:

A. D. 40 Philo.[564:1]

40 Josephus.

79 C. Plinius Second, the Elder.[564:2] } 69 L. Ann. Seneca. } Philosophers.

79 Diogenes Laertius. } 79 Pausanias. } Geographers.

79 Pompon Mela. } 79 Q. Curtius Ruf. } 79 Luc. Flor. } 110 Cornel Tacitus. } Historians.

123 Appia.n.u.s. } 140 Justinus. } 141 aelia.n.u.s. }

Out of this number it has been claimed that one (Josephus) spoke of Jesus, and another (Tacitus) of the Christians. Of the former it is almost needless to speak, as that has been given up by Christian divines many years ago. However, for the sake of those who still cling to it we shall state the following:

Dr. Lardner, who wrote about A. D. 1760, says:

1. It was never quoted by any of our Christian ancestors before _Eusebius_.

2. Josephus has nowhere else mentioned the name or word _Christ_, in any of his works, except the testimony above mentioned,[564:3] and the pa.s.sage concerning James, the Lord's brother.[564:4]

3. It interrupts the narrative.

4. The language is quite Christian.

5. It is _not_ quoted by Chrysostom,[564:5] though he often refers to Josephus, and could not have omitted quoting it, had it been _then_, in the text.

6. It is _not_ quoted by Photius, though he has three articles concerning Josephus.

7. Under the article _Justus of Tiberius_, this author (Photius) expressly states that this historian (Josephus), being a Jew, _has not taken the least notice of Christ_.

8. Neither Justin, in his dialogue with Typho the Jew, nor Clemens Alexandrinus, who made so many extracts from ancient authors, nor Origen against Celsus, _have even mentioned this testimony_.

9. But, on the contrary, Origen openly affirms (ch. x.x.xv., bk.

i., against Celsus), that Josephus, who had mentioned John the Baptist, _did not acknowledge Christ_.[565:1]

In the ”Bible for Learners,” we read as follows:

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