Frauds and Follies of the Fathers: A Review of the Worth of Their Testimony to the Four GospelsWheeler, J. M. (Joseph Mazzini)
Religion
Frauds and Follies of the Fathers: A Review of the Worth of Their Testimony to the Four Gospels
Wheeler, J. M. (Joseph Mazzini)
Christianity -- Controversial literature; Fathers of the church
Except in one or two instances, parallels with our Gospels are only made
by patching together passages from different Gospels. By this process
the connexion is broken, while the quotations in Justin have for the
most part a consecutive order, and, as is shown by the context, had such
an order in the "Memoirs" from which they were taken. While quoting
them nearly 200 times he makes hardly a single allusion to those
circumstances of time and place which are found in our Gospels. He also
gives particulars not to be found in the Canonical books. Thus he says
(Dial., chap, lxxviii,) that Jesus was born in a cave, and cites Isaiah
xxxiii., 16, as prophecying this. This contradicts Luke but is found in
the Gospel of James, the Gospel of the Infancy, and the Gospel according
to the Hebrews. Matthew and Luke give discrepant accounts of the
genealogy of Jesus. Justin differs from both. He traces the Davidian
descent of the Christ through Mary, which again agrees with James. He
nine times mentions the Magi coming from Arabia, not from the East. His
quotation of the angel's message to Mary (Apol. i., 33) agrees better
with the Gospel of James than with Luke or Matthew. Speaking of the
journey of Joseph and Mary to Bethlelem, Justin says: "On the occasion of
the first census which was taken in Judaea, under Cyrenius, he (Joseph)
went up from Nazareth, where he lived, to Bethlehem, to which he
belonged, to be enrolled." The differences between the account of Justin
and that in Luke are manifest.
He states that Jesus made ploughs and yokes as a carpenter, which is
found in the Gospel of the Infancy. Thrice he speaks of John as "sitting
by Jordan" (Dial. 49, 51, and 88), and he even narrates that when Jesus
stepped into the water a fire was kindled in the Jordan. This also was
from the Gospel according to the Hebrews. Epiphanius gives it from a
version found among the Ebionites. It was also mentioned in another
early Christian publication the "Preaching of Paul." Justin has the Holy
Ghost say to Jesus at his baptism: "This is my beloved son; to-day have
I begotten thee." The same form of expression was used in the Gospel of
the Hebrews, and was so quoted by others of the Fathers.
He says (Dial., ciii.) that when the Jews went out to the Mount of
Olives to take Jesus there was not a single man to help him. This is
in contradiction to all our Gospels. He says that when Herod succeeded
Archelaus, Pilate, by way of compliment, sent to him Jesus bound (chap,
ciii). He tells how they sat Jesus on the judgment seat, and said "Judge
us" (Apol., chap, xxxv.) He also relates that Jesus said: "In whatsoever
things I apprehend you, in those also will I judge you." Grotius and
others think this taken from the Gospel according to the Hebrews. Upon
two occasions Justin says that the Jews sent persons about the world to
spread calumnies.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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