The Pentateuch was not written by Moses, nor the Four Gospels by
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The authenticity of the chief books of
the New Testament, like that of the chief books of the Old, must be
given up. The results of our review of them may be summed up in the
words of the great German, Ferdinand Christian Baur: "These Gospels
are spurious, and were written in the second century."
CHAPTER X.
ACTS, CATHOLIC EPISTLES, REVELATION.
In this chapter will be reviewed the so-called historical book of
Acts, the Catholic Epistles, and Revelation. In some versions of the
New Testament the Catholic Epistles come immediately after Acts.
Acts of the Apostles.
The Acts of the Apostles is one of many books bearing this name which
appeared during the early centuries of the church. Concerning the
origin of our canonical Acts, Dr. Hitchcock says: "It was written
by Luke, in considerable part from his own observations of the facts
narrated, and about A.D. 63, and at Rome, during Paul's stay there."
The Gospel of Luke is addressed to Theophilus; the book of Acts is
addressed to the same person, and as the author states that he has
addressed a former work to him, it is inferred that both works were
written by the same person. It has been shown that Theophilus lived
in the latter part of the second century, and that the Gospel of Luke
was written at this time. If Luke and Acts, then, were written by
the same person, and Acts was written after Luke, it also must have
been written late in the second century, and consequently could not
have been written by Luke, the companion of Paul.
It is asserted that Luke was the associate of Paul, and that he was
in Rome with Paul when his book was written. This implies Paul's
sanction of the book. But if the Epistles of Paul are genuine, and
it is generally agreed that those bearing upon this question are,
this can not be true; for the Paul of these epistles and the Paul of
Acts are two entirely different characters.
The book is entitled the Acts of the Apostles; and yet the acts of
Peter and Paul are almost the only apostolic acts recorded. Besides
the narrative of the author, the book consists largely of discourses
attributed to Peter and Paul. But the style of the "unlearned and
ignorant" (iv, 13) Peter is so similar to that of Paul with his "much
learning" (xxvi, 24), and both so closely resemble the style of the
author, that one not strongly imbued with faith must conclude that
the whole is the product of one mind.
The author cites a speech made by Gamaliel before the Jewish council,
in which he uses the following language: "For before these days rose
up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men,
almost four hundred, joined themselves, who were slain," etc. (v, 36).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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