Blue-Grass Blade, 1910-08-21

JESUS CHRIST OF THE FOUR GOSPEL No Evidence That He or the Twelve Apostles Ever Lived By Ernest Pack Whether Jesus Christ of the Fou Gospels ever existed is the question we propose briefly to examine and space being limited we have 110110 to waste by wayof preamble We seel to save the readers time and trust wo shall not be considered abrupt because we are direct Wo even ex expect - pect expect a little credit for our considera tionFirst First then by Jesus Christ of the Four Gospels we mean not some fa nutical man Christ or crafty iuipos tor who may have claimed for him himself - self himself divine honors but the saidtob immaculately born Son of the Virgin Mary and miracleworking Godmar this and no other It is necessarj to bo very particular upon this point for there have been many Saviours both before His reputed time and since Saviours to right of us Sav ours to left of us Saviours all round us as one might say And although the same claims are made for there all Christians would huve us believe that their Jesus only is genuine and the others are spurious Well in our mustardandcress days we were wont to hold the samo opinion and it will be our duty to give a few reasons why we renounced it We found 1 we had been bam bamboozled - boozled bamboozled into believing by faith in instead - stead instead of by facts 2 That contem porary history had nothing to say about this mythical personage 3 The Christians had done their best tc rectify this misfortune by forg forge - e forge missing testimony 4 That no evidence was forthcoming that any such persons as the twelve Apostles ever lived 5 That no trace of our four Gospels could be found prior tc about 150 A D and 0 we thought that had the miracles ever taken place during the active life of Jesus ISlto 33 ADs tlieic oui have ex isted ample records of them in the historical accounts of that period and we looked upon this solemn si silence - lence silence on the part of every contem porary writer as conclusive testi testimony - mony testimony in confutation of the Christian legendWe We reflected also that one little grain of evidence traceable to the ilrst half of tho first century would have been of greater value than whole granaries of assertions mode in the latter half of the second cen ury Then there was presented to us the fact recorded by Gibbon that in Rome Christianity was reject rejects - s rejects an idle and extravagant opin opinion - ion opinion by every man of a liberal educa education - tion education and understanding Decline md Fall chap xv Wo observed likewise that H both parties Christian Ian and pagan seemed to ac knowledge the truth of those miracles which were claimed by their adversaries saries and while they were con contented - tented contented to ascribing them to the arts of magic and to the powers of dem demons - ons demons they mutually concurred in restoring storing and establishing the reign of superstition Ibid chap xvi And the same great scholar sagely re remarks - marks remarks in a footnote that It is ser seriously - iously seriously to be lamented that the Christ Christian - ian Christian Fathers by acknowledging tho upermitiiralor as they deem it the nfernnl part of Paganism destroy nth their own hands the great sd vantage which we might otherwise lerive from the liberal concessions or our adversaries Ibid Fur Further - ther Further we noted in the pages of this loted writer that those among the omans who condescended to men mention - tion mention the Christians considered them nly as obstinate and perverse enthusiasts husiasts who exacted an implicit submission to their mysterious doe does - s does without being able to produce a single argument that could engage the attention of men of sense and earning Chap xv These truths wo read and many others and they burst upon us like a revelation while the belief of ou our - r our was shaken mightily yea even to its very foundations and after that the earthquake1 Down fell the then - n then edifice of our faith and thero wo stood looking on with mixed feel feelings - ings feelings of annoyance disappointment and regret for we received in our outh a very pious training and were ill prepared for such disquieting discoveries overies But the facts were too strong and forced upon us the conclusion lusion that we have been grossly de eived There can be no doubt that all Christian teaching has been an ticipat t1 by other masters long prior N l

to tho time that Christ is said to havo lived as a study of compara comparative - tive comparative religions amply proves and re religious - ligious religious parallels everywhere abound Here for instance is a list of cruel fled Saviours who were all good enough to die for us before Jesus thought of doing so Chrishna of India 1200 B C Sakia of Hinduston COO B C Thammuz of Syria 1100 B C Wittoba tho Telingonese 522 B C CIao - Iao CIao of Nepaul 622 B C Hesus of Great Britain 834 B C Quexalcote of Mexico 587 B C Quirinus of Rome 506 B C Prometheus of Greece 547 B C Thumbs of Egypt 1700 B C Indra of Thibet 725 B C Alcestis of Greece 600 B C Atys of Phrygia 1170 B C Crite of Clmldea 1200 B C Bali of Orissa 725 B C Mithra of Persia 600 B C Salvahna of Bermuda j Osiris of Egypt Horns of Egypt Odin of Scandinavia Zoroaster of Persia Bnal of Phoenicia Bali > f Afghan Afghanistan - istan Afghanistan Xamolxis of Thrace Zoar of the Bonzes Adad of Assyria Deva Tat of Siam Alaides of Thebes Mikado of the Sintoos Beddin of Ja pan Thor of the Gauls Cadmus of Greece Hil and Feta of the Mandi ites Gentaut of Mexico etc etc We should think that after know ing of all these human sacrifices Christians will feel more important than ever They may find the various histories of these obliging gentle gentlemen - men gentlemen in a work by one Kersey Graves entitled Sixteen Crucified Saviors consult The Hind Also they may Pantheon Mexican Antiquities 1 Anacalepsis and the Pro Higgins gress of Religious Ideas all strong strongly - ly strongly recommended by tho clergy Tho present following of the prin these Saviours is For cipal among Chrishna 400000000 for Christ 200000000 for Mahomet 150000 and 000 for Confucius 120000000 for Mithra 50000000 So that there still remains much missionary work to be done History repeats itself especially religious history Take for example the accounts of Chrishna and Christ wtncli unmhcs aBtriking iiluBtroai iq tion It is said of Chrishna that his birth was foretold that he was an incarnate god that his mother was ii virgin that he had an adoptedI that father who was a carpenter there was rejoicing on earth and in lieaven on his birth that his moth mothers - ers mothers name was Main that he was born on Dec 25th was visited by bye - e bye men and shepherds who were warned bynn led bya star was angel of danger that all children were irdered to be destroped in order to include him that his parents fled to Mathura that he had a forerunner that ho was wise in his childhood vas lost and searched for by his par pars - s pars had other brothers retired to solitude fasted preached a noteworthy Savior was entitled worthy sermon his i to md Redeemer existed prior birth and on earth and in heaven at t the same time was both human and livine worked miracles read i thoughts ejected devils had apos tics reformed the existing religiont conspired against vas poor was 1 meek nn lenounred riches was married and chaste merciful asso iated with sinners and was rebuked for it befriended a widow met a submitted to in yonmn at a well suIts and injuries was a philanthro > 5st had a lust supper was cruci led between two thieves darkness iiipervened he descended to hell vas resurrected and after three days icEii by many people I And all this f i200 B CI With regard to propheccy we have the coming to earth foretold of oth irs besides Chrishna and Christ as for example ChnngTi Osiris Cad and Mahomet milS Quirinus Quexalcote lomet and Messianic prophecies ore to be found in the Vedas the Chi Chinese - nese Chinese sacred books and in those of Egypt Greece Rome Mexico Arab Arabia - ia Arabia and Persia There are also many > her odious comparisons Osiris is spoken of ns having bruised the serpents head after it had bitten his heel Hercules is represented with his Chrishna is heel on a serpents head I pictured and sculptured in the same vay and Persia has the same old egend Miraculous conceptions are ecorded of Plato who was said to bo n son of Apollo of Zoroaster of Hars and Vulcan of Quexalcoto of Suchiquelqiml of Yu of Appolonius of Buddha of Mahamaya of Chrish na of Yasuva and incidentally of Icsus I IcsusOf virgin mothers wo have Yaso dOl the motlur of Chrishna Main of Sakia Celestino of Zulis Clumalcon of Quexalcote Sernele of Bacchus + Continued on fourth page r 1 m

fished churchorganization with col colonies - onies colonies or branch churches in Rome Ephcseus Corinth Philippi and i all places mentioned by St Paul in his Epistles to the Churches This writer also states as qnoted by Eusebius that they also had mon asterics monks and nuns bishops priests and elders etc In fact thoy had an old and well established church organization in all its pleni plenitude - tude plenitude and power Philo Judaeus or Philo the historyImows knows was contemporary with the great Augustus Caesar tho first Ho man Emperor Ho was about 20 years of age at the time Jesus Christ is reputed to have been born Mor over tho immortal Gibbon in his Decline and Fall of tho Roman Em Empire - pire Empire says It has been proven that Philo s treatise on the Ther peuts was written during the reign of Augustus And as tho great Augustus deceased A D 14 these cluirches to whom St Paul wrote his Epistles and this old and wellfount ed church organization oft which Philo wrote and so minutely de scribed as having a University at Alexandria and bishops priest priestsI 1 bscn fully established when Christ ChristI - I ChristI was not more than ten or twelve years of age at most And all bused and founded on the sacred writing of the Therapeuts called The Gos Gospel - pel Gospel of the Egyptians All this from the great Eusebius based on the testimony of Philo Judaeus Higher ur better authority no man can I quote Yet strange as it may seen I Philo in his treatise has never once mentioned the name of Jesus Chris nor has he intimated that he had over overheard - heard overheard of such a man The above statements are all ad admitted - mitted admitted by Mosheim 16041755 tho cry foremost of modern scclesiasti eal historians He saysI The Thei ipeutan Church and University of Alexandria were nourishing when Christ was on earth and long beforo i that date i The eminent English ecclesiastic Dr Nathaniel Lardner 1C8417C8 lur in his Credibility < K the Scrip ires quofeJTargtlyTfrOiu EuseUIui lures commenting on same says It I is peculiar that Eusebius at so early a date should call the Egyptian Ther ipeuts Christians though they aught the same doctrine To show how the modern lesser lights of the Christian Church hove iewed this most important ques question - tion question we submit the following In 444 Caxton published the first book ivor printed in England In 1474 in a convocation of tho clergy the Bishop of London said If we do not destroy this dangerous invention it will one day destroy us Compare this with Pope Leo Xs avowal in the College of Cardinals 1515 It is well known how profitable this fa fable - ble fable of Christ has been to us See also the frank statement of Rev Yin Paley D D Archdeacon of Carlisle 1782 We cannot afford to iave a conscience in church affairs We must support the gospel because the gospel supported us Vol 1 chap 2 Gibbons Declim ontl Fall of Rome says All religions igions in the Roman world wen elieved as equally true by tin people as equally false by the philosophers sophers and as equally useful and profitable by the priests and magistrates rates Having presented abundant testi lony to prove that the original oi The Gospel of the our gospels was l Igyptians we must now in ordei to more fully demonstrate the proposition sition examine critically some of Testament tho passages of our New gospels and epistles as to the time addressed when written to whom aUll to what scripture these passages refer Ecclesiastical writers mostly gree that no one really knows the uthor of any one of our canonical ospels nor when they were written Bishop Faustus A D 384 says the undoubted fact that It is an New Testament gospels were not b of the Apostles but ritten by any a long while after by some unknown Brsons BrsonsRev Moses Hulls Biblical Ency opedia and Dr Chadwicks Bible of Today both present arguments showing that neither Matthew Mark to Luke nor John were written prior the last halfof tho 2nd century 5eo also the New International En Enc - c Enc clopedia However wishing to be absolutely fair in our statements we waive the aboo arguments and append the tnblo of dates as compiled by Dr nthanicl Lardner in his famous eatiso on the Credibility of tho Scriptures thus showing from the higllCst ecclesiastical authority when

Without Eusebiiis says the learned Tillemontj we should scan havo any knldge of tho history of the first gpy > f Christianity or of the authors wlivrote in that time All of tO Grdek authors of tt fourth cenlury > n pd since have begun where Eusbius ended Our flrifc witness shall be Bishop Melito ofSurdis Lydia supposed by many to be the angel of the church of Sardfs mentioned in tho Book of Revelation In his over memorable letter of apology deliv delivered - ered delivered A D SLTStb the Emperor Mar Marcus - cus Marcus Antoninus he saysII For this philosaphy or religion which we teach truly nourished aforetime among tho barbarous nations but having blossomed again or been transplanttfdun TIme reign of thy great ancestor greati the EmperqiVf patronage II on ac count of it great antiquityas hav mig been impprteit from country Iy ing Ijeyond ho limits of the Roma Ernnire inithe reign of Augustus who bad found its importation omii ous of goo fortune to his goverr rent g010t rentIn Hi A JJJ Justin Martyr in his letter of apology addressed to II Em Emperor - peror Emperor Antomis Pius most noble Caesar and trt philosopher says I If then we hold some of tho opin opinions - ions opinions near of kin to the poets and philosophers greatest repute among you why are wo thus unjustly hat ed 1 When wo sayi all things wen made in this beautiful order by God what do we siy more than Plato By opposing Jjfthe worship of the mocks of rnerVfT handswe only con Yt l 1ddr ldb declaring ItieftSTgos tho first begotten oif God than what you say we sly no more of the sons of Jove And these comparisons arc continued for sev several - eral several pages to demonstrate that the Christian philosophy or religion was NEW ONLY IN NAME and identical with the truo that it was teachings of the Pagan religion The beginning of the third century Origen born 185 introduced ury the most learned and deceased 254 distinguished personage in the en entire - tire entire drama of Christian evidence Origen was born and brought up ir educated in the University and was Egypt the under Alexandria versity of instruction of the learned and justly celebrated Ammonius Sacchus from whose teachings Origen formulated views of morals and religion his own his is set forth in his apology in mly to Celsus viII Christianity reply when rightly under 1 Paganism md essential points stood differ in no and were mt have a common origin and the same thing Nothing me trickery of fanatical but tho schismatical mtical adventurers has introduced a listinction where in reality there was no In difference reply to the charge of Celsus religion had no that the Christian which to base nore foundation upon its truth than had any of the Pagan not by attempting beliefs Origen replies but by I tempting to offer any proof who that we mugI answer advantage the com the I sce plainly non people do reap therefrom I say we the clergy who aro so well ad teach men ised of these things do examination as to believe without faith foundation of the to the o Our next witness is the most important in state most positive lortnnt the introduced nent that we have yet antl one who himself presents unI concerning the deniable testimony inquiry as to the origin of our gos I pels It is Eusebius Pamphilus 260 and tho of Cacsarca 340 Bishop o most distinguished of all ecclesiasti ecclesiastical - cal ecclesiastical historians Let all the other witnesses hide their diminished beds In second volume chapter 17 of Eu ebius Ecclesiastical History may hi hid - d hid this passage The ancient heranouts were Christians and their sacred writings were our gos gosIpels pels In vol 2nd chap 16 proves tho assertion true by testi mony which cannot bo invalidated viz By quoting many pages from tht writings of Philo Judaeus who whoa - wrotc a whoa trcatiso on the beliefs habits 1 llIl customs of the Therapeuts in 0 loxandria Egypt showing that they I hall sacred writings called Gospels of tho Egyptians and a well estab I < 0

each book is supposed to have been written writtenMatthew A D Matthew 6t 1st and 2nd Tliessalonlaiis 52 1st and 2nd Corinthinns5J and 57 1st and 2uJ5fimotliy u56 and 61 Ephesians uu 61 Philemon 62 Hebrews 6643 1st ant 2nd Peter 1st SL Johnu 80 The 1oelationsu 05 or 06 Mark 64 John 68 Galatians 52 Titus IIIIIIIIIII 50 Romans 58 Collossians uu 62 CollossiansPtmiti Philippians C CSt - St CSt JItne8uu C CSt - St CSt l deuuu64 or 65 2nd and ant St John80 or 90 The Acts 63 or 61 Luke uuu63 or 64 Luke03From From this table of dates when com compared - pared compared with Gibbons statement that Philo s treatise was written during the life pf the great Augustus it fol follows - lows follows that it must have been written more than fifty years before any of our canonical gospels We quote again from chapter 1C Book nof Eusebius Ecclesiastical History concerning the Therapetit whose Gospel of the Egyptians was our gospels Also observe a few of our New Testament passages as com compared - pared compared with the Therapeutic doctrine viz So at the same time they de declare - clare declare their renunciation of all thei property and divest themselves ofall revenues of their estates Having laid aside all anxieties of life their prop property - erty property was sold and divided among all so that there was not one among t tat - at tat had want Compare this with Acts 4th 34th Neither was there any among t tat - at tat laced for as many as were pos possessors - sessors possessors of houses or lands sold them and brought the price of the thing distribution wa that were sold and was made unto every man according to his need Again Eusebius says As he Phi Iq has written in so many words Nm e ottr vould they eat any thing 1 that Had blood nTTftliatwal6dnV was their drink See Acts 15th thThat ye abstain from meat thing from and from blood and strangled Again Philo says For this race jf men are found in all parts of the themselves betake world and the best men selves to these colonies of the Thera they have sacred peuts in each of which and monasteries in whicl sred edifices the mysteries ol the monks perform the sublime life For those who pre preside - side preside over their scriptures philosophize expounding their literal net them upon the also They have sense by allegory vritings of the first leaders of thcii sect and records of the meanings con cone - e cone ell by those allegories this with the universally Compare in Col set forth as jreached gospel which ossians 1st 23d The gospel e have heard and which was preach which is under etl to every creaturo icaven v hereof I Paul am made a minister or deacon the very lowest Therapeutic officials est order among md with Galatians 4th 24th which Again He things are an allegory Philo describes the orders of pref to ecclesiastical erment among those who aspire ministrations The office lesiastical humblest rank and the of deacon the upreme authority of the bishops Compare this with 1st Timothy 3d 13th For they that have used the to ifllee of deacon well purchase degree Also Phil themselves a good ppians 1st 1stI Paul and Timothe to all of Jesus Christ us the servants o the saints with the bishops and dea deacons - cons deacons Also Hebrews 13th 7th Remember them that have rule over on who have spoken unto you the God Also Hebrews 13th wOlIl of 17th Obey them that have tho rule nd submit yourselves for ovel you > hey watch for your souls as one that must give an account Continued Next Week BOONE 00 PAIR Florence Erlanger Ky KyI Round trip tickets via tho Queen Crescent Route will be sold Sept I 2 and 3 goadreturning until Sept 4 1010 Round trip rate from Lexington to Erlanger Ky for this ewision is 240 Many a heartreaching sermon reached on Sunday in fashionable lurches has been manufactured on aturday evening in some op optic - per tic optic under the influence of a pot of ale the remains of a ham bone and a short black H clay

Copyright 1910 by II Si Hills I At Batavia N Y April 17 1006 Rev Algernon S Crapsey for 26 years rector of St Andrews Episci pal church at Rochester N Y was tried for heresy because ho denit the divinity of Christ Yet Snint Augustine Bishop of Hippo Rcgiu states Sermons 37 chap 12 that From tho first some believed Christ to be God and not man Others be Moved him to bo only a man and de vied his divinity The former was tho opinion of the Munichees to which belief St Aug Augustine - ustine Augustine himself adhered Cotelerii in answer to Ignatius Epistle to the Trallians assures us that tho doctrine that Christs body was a phantom only and that no such per son as Jesus Christ ever had any corporeal existence was held in the time of the Apostles themselves And from the Apostolic ago down through all the centuries has the existence of Christ as a man been denied not by enemies or unbeliev unbelievers - ers unbelievers but by tho most learned the most sincere and the most moral of I Christian I those who profess the I name In Johns Epistles 1st 4tl 3rd also 2nd 1st 7th admitted by modern authors to have bcen many before anyof written many years mention is our canonical gospels made of persons professing tho I Christian faith who taught that a belief that such a man as Christ ever of that lived in the flesh was no part faith Such deniers of the humanity ot Christ taught that ho was only an I itfettl cuanieiti = per8ouiflecl Jyl f yarded tho wholo gospel story 0i sublime allegory In this class the very first in point of time and always first in numberwas found the most intelligent of professing Christians In the second and less important class was found those win denied the divinity of Christ and de clarod him only human Taylors Syntagma The Nicene Council A the two beliefs and n 325 joined gave to the world our modern ortho lox creed The first three New Testameni books Matthew Mark and Luke Gospels and an are called Synoptic very much alike In many chapter there is such a close verbal agree ment that the texts of Matthew and for one and tin Mark might pass Bibli same Rev Moses Hull says 278 Then cal Encyclopedia page that can in Mark are only 24 verses not be found in much the same language in one of these other gos gospels - pels gospels In view of this undisputed fact the most eminent critics of the past been agreed in the century have opinion that one of two suppositions J must be true viz Either these three 4gospel writers copied from each other 4 tho each copied from some that they or I previously written narrative The in the com notion of independence three gospels is position of these o tenable No scholarly longer no these Christian would admit that gospels were copies of each other hence the second supposition must Admitting this bo absolutely true to ho correct as do the most learned and profound of the literati the reader will naturally ask From whence came this previously written narrative from which the gospel Evangelists drew their inspiration copied The answer and so copiously shall be From Egypt as the follow following - ing following quotations from the most emi eminent - nent eminent ecclesiastical writers will testi testify - fy testify It is conceded by all modern theologians that the base of all our information regarding the origin ot the gospels is found in tho writings of Orison 3rd centuryand Euse bius Pam phil us 4th century sup plemented by writings of the Apos tolic Fathers and of tho Christian apologists whom these two above abovementioned - mentioned abovementioned prolific writers largely quote Moreover it should never bo forgotten that for 1500 years no ec clesiastical historian has pretended have other information than to any is found in tho writings of tho above mentioned authors infinitely tho ablest Christianity has ever produced Therefore without exception all be begin - gin begin where Eusebius leaves off r