Since no genealogy of Jesus, "exact or inexact," is found in any of the
world's records save those entitled the Gospels of SS. Mathew (I--1-17),
and Luke (iii. 23--38); and, since these radically disagree--although
this personage is the most conspicuous in Western history, and the
nicest accuracy might have been expected in his case; therefore,
agreeably with Professor Max Muller's sarcastic logic, if Jesus "was a
true prophet," he must have descended from David through Joseph
(Matthew's Gospel); and "if he was a true prophet," again, then the
Christians "argue quite rightly that he must have" descended from David
through Mary (Luke's Gospel). Furthermore, since the two genealogies
are obviously discrepant and prophecies were, in this instance, truly
"invented" by the post-apostolic theologians [or, if preferred, old
prophecies of Isaiah and other Old Testament prophets, irrelevant to
Jesus, were adapted to suit his case--as recent English commentators (in
Holy Orders), the Bible revisers, now concede]; and since, moreover--
always following the Professor's argument, in the cases of Buddhist and
Brahmanical chronologies--Biblical chronology and genealogy are found to
be "traditional and full of absurdities .... every attempt to bring them
into harmony having proved a failure." (p. 266): have we or have we not
a certain right to retort, that if Gautama Buddha is shown on these
lines a false prophet, then Jesus must be likewise "a false prophet?"
And if Jesus was a true prophet despite existing confusion of
authorities, why on the same lines may not Buddha have been one?
Discredit the Buddhist prophecies and the Christian ones must go along
with them.
The utterances of the ancient pythoness now but provoke the scientific
smile: but no tripod ever mounted by the prophetess of old was so shaky
as the chronological trinity of points upon which this Orientalist
stands to deliver his oracles. Moreover, his arguments are
double-edged, as shown. If the citadel of Buddhism can be undermined
by Professor Max Muller's critical engineering, then pari passu that of
Christianity must crumble in the same ruins. Or have the Christians
alone the monopoly of absurd religious "inventions" and the right of
being jealous of any infringement of their patent rights?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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