Mattathias, the father of Josephus, must have been a witness to the miracles which are said to have been performed by Jesus, and Josephus was born within two years after the crucifixion, yet in all his works he says nothing whatever about the life or death of Jesus Christ; as for the interpolated passage it is now universally acknowledged to be a forgery. The arguments of the "Christian Ajax,"* even Lardner himself, against it are these:--"It was never quoted by any of our Christian ancestors _before Eusebius_. It disturbs the narrative. The language is quite Christian. It is not quoted by Chrysostom, though he often refers to Josephus, and could not have omitted quoting it _had it been then in the text_. It is not quoted by Photius, though he has three articles concerning Josephus; and this: author expressly states that this historian has not taken the least notice of Christ.** Neither Justin Martyr, in his dialogue with Trypho the Jew; nor Clemens Alexandrinus, who made so many extracts from ancient authors; nor Origen against Celsus, have ever mentioned this testimony. But, on the contrary, in chap. 35th of the first book of that work, Origen openly affirms that Josephus, who had mentioned John the Baptist, _did not acknowledge Christ_. That this passage is a false fabrication, is admitted also by Ittigius, Blondel, Le Clerc, Vandale, Bishop Warburton, and Tanaquil Faber."*** Josephus was not friendly towards Herod, but rather at enmity with him; he conceals none of his faults or cruelties, which makes it appear surpassing strange that he should silently pass over that most horrible of all butcheries ever perpetrated by-man--the general massacre of the infants, to the amount, it has been said, of fourteen thousand. * See Taylor's "Diegesis." ** How could Photius, in the 9th century, find that in Josephus which Origen, in the 3rd century, had declared was not in him? *** Is it probable, is it even possible that Josephus, a Jew extremely zealous and obstinate in his own religion, would confess that to be true which every Jew most positively and religiously denies; that is, acknowledge that Jesus was the Christ? This is making Josephus talk like a Christian in four or five lines only.