The investigation to which this statement has been subjected, shows,
1. That no such question as, Hast thou kept the Lord’s day? is upon
record as proposed to the martyrs in the time of Pliny. 2. That no such
question was asked to any martyr prior to the commencement of the fourth
century. 3. That a single instance of martyrdom in which any question
of the kind was asked, is all that can be claimed. 4. That in this one
case, which is all that has even the slightest appearance of sustaining
the story under examination, a correct translation of the original Latin
shows that the question had no relation whatever to the observance of
Sunday! All this has been upon the assumption that the _Acta Martyrum_,
in which this story is found, is an authentic work. Let Mosheim testify
relative to the character of this work for veracity:—
“As to those accounts which have come down to us under the
title of _Acta Martyrum_, or, the Acts of the Martyrs, their
authority is certainly for the most part of a very questionable
nature; indeed, speaking generally, it might be coming nearer
to the truth, perhaps, were we to say that they are entitled to
no sort of credit whatever.”[511]
Such is the authority of the work from which this story is taken. It is
not strange that first-day historians should leave the repetition of it
to theologians.
Such are the facts respecting this extraordinary falsehood. They
constitute so complete an exposure of this famous historical argument for
Sunday as to consign it to the just contempt of all honest men. But this
is too valuable an argument to be lightly surrendered, and moreover it is
as truthful as are certain other of the historical arguments for Sunday.
It will not do to give up this argument because of its dishonesty; for
others will have to go with it for possessing the same character.
Since the publication of Domville’s elaborate work, James Gilfillan
of Scotland has written a large volume entitled, “The Sabbath,” which
has been extensively circulated both in Europe and in America, and is
esteemed a standard work by the American Tract Society and by first-day
denominations in general. Gilfillan had read Domville as appears from his
statements on pages 10, 142, 143, 616, of his volume. He was therefore
acquainted with Domville’s exposure of the fraud respecting “_Dominicum
servasti?_” But though he was acquainted with this exposure, he offers
not one word in reply. On the contrary, he repeats the story with as much
assurance as though it had not been proved a falsehood. But as Domville
had shown up the matter from the _Acta Martyrum_, it was necessary for
Gilfillan to trace it to some other authority, and so he assigns it to
Cardinal Baronius. Here are Gilfillan’s words:—
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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