The Secret Vault presents: The Christian and Pagan Creeds Collated. Rev. Robert Taylor, A. B. & M. R. C. S.
The Whole of the External Evidence of the
Christian Religion.
By the Rev. Robert Taylor, A. B. & M. R. C. S.
[LN. Lucian of Samosata lived in the times Roman Emperors Antoninus Pius, M. Aurelius and Lucius Verus, Commodus, and perhaps Pertinax. He was a Syrian, born at Samosata on the Euphrates, he was given a basic education and then set to become sculptor, but lasted only one day, after receiving a beating from his uncle for ruining a piece of marble; he then ran away to extend his education in Ionia, and later settled in Athens where he produced many of his works. See SV under his name for more information.]
Content. Lucianus, AD. 176, (Lucian of Samosata) around 125 to 180? Satirist and Rhetorician. Summary and Final Words.
Lucianus, 176AD.
[LN., Lucian of Samosta, around 125 to 180AD. He was a Hellenized Syrian satirist and rhetorician.]
A pagan satirist, is by far the most explicit and diffuse of all pagan writers, who at any time within the two first centuries, have taken notice of the existence of the Christian sect, and of their doctrines as distinguishable in those early times, from any or all the other modes of piety - His testimony, though so much later than that of Pliny, is entirely corroborated by it, and of the utmost consequence to the establishing of the historical fact of the real state of things in his time. The only reason I can conceive, why our Christian evidence writers have made so little account of this heathen testimony, is, that Christian evidence writers have in general been tinctured with Unitarianism, and therefore, rather willing that the cause of Christianity should lose one of its main pillars, than that it should receive support from one, which, at the same time, demonstrates, that the doctrine of the Trinity was really the earliest and purest form of Christianity; and consequently, whether Christianity be true or false, the Unitarian scheme is as unauthorised in history, as it is beyond all absurdities that even were in the world, the most disgustingly and insolently absurd. Lucian introduces a character as conversing with St. Paul, and learning from him what his doctrine was - and even gives us a description of his person, as well as of the manners and character of the Christian sect; which after all the deduction, that we can reasonably be required to make from his testimony, as being that of an enemy, retains the corroborating countenance of every other document on the subject of which we are in possession, not excepting that of the New Testament itself. In his dialogue, entitled Philopatris, under the character of Triephon, he describes their form of oath, as being "by the high reigning, great, immortal, heavenly father, the son of the father, and the spirit proceeding from the father; one in three, and three in one."
The same diologist continues, "I shall teach you who the true Pan is; [Compare the testimony of Plutarch in this Diegesis.] and who was before all things - for I formerly underwent the same things as you, when that Galilean, [Paul the Apostle [This Parenthesis is actually found in the Latin version of Kortholt]) met me, that bald-headed, hook-nosed fellow, who went up through the air into the third heaven, and was there taught the best things; [2 Corinth. 12. 2.] and who hath regenerated us by water, and hath made us to walk in the steps of the blessed and redeemed us from the realms of the wicked; and I will make you if you will hear me, - a man indeed." The description of the apostolic chief of sinners, here drawn indeed by an unfriendly hand, is singularly supported by all the bas relievos, sculptures, and celebrated paintings of his person, in which, in addition to the short squabby figure, bald-head, beetle brows, and prodigiously large and hook nose, he is invariably represented as pot-bellied and bandy-legged. He indeed describes himself as having a particularly mean and dirty look, and a stammering voice; that he could hardly stand on his feet; that he was subject to fits, and severely afflicted with a disease! which cannot be spoken of but in periphrases.
In his dialogue concerning the death of Perigrinus, Lucian speaks of the object of the Christians worship - as a crucified sophist! Little stress is laid however, by Christians on this admission, though its authenticity is far less questionable than that of Tacitus. It is seen at once that this testimony does not pledge Lucian to an avowal of the fact of the crucifixion but is his report of the report which Christians had given of themselves; as that of Tacitus is no more, even if it were genuine. Neither Lucian nor Tacitus were believers.
Lucian has however, in the same dialogue, a far more explicit testimony to the then character of Christians; he tells us, that "whenever any crafty juggler, expert in his trade, and who knew how to make a right use of things, went over to the Christians, he was sure to grow rich immediately, by making a prey of their simplicity."
Summary and Final Words.
In apology for this tremendous deficiency of evidence Dr Lardner pleads in mitigation of judgment, the following instance of a similar deficiency of historical evidence, in cases where the fact is nevertheless held to be unquestionable.
1. Velleius Paterculus is mentioned by no ancient writer except Priscian, though that historian certainly lived and wrote at the time of Tiberius.
2. M. Annaeus Seneca, the father of the philosopher is almost unknown.
3. Lucianus has never mentioned Cicero in his encomium on Demosthenes.
4. Maximus Tyrius (who wrote in the time of Antoninus Pius,) has no reference to the Roman History. - To this we may add: - That Herodotus and Thucydides have never mentioned the Romans.
Here is distress indeed! To pursue the evidences of the Christian religion, after we have seen its incomparably most learned and able advocates thus striking on the shoals of reckless sophistry: after we have driven the strugglers for a grasp on historical fact, to the last trick of gathering together such thousand miles off maybe's of mere possible allusion, - and then showing us the lettered backs of their huge collections as " Volumes of Evidence;" - would be driving the drift.
If the evidences of the Christian religion, are presumed to be, its divine effects upon the dispositions and conduct of its professors; the peculiar generosity and liberality of Christians towards the enemies and opposers of their faith; their willingness to have its foundations thoroughly sifted and examined; their readiness at all times to acquaint themselves with all the objections that can be brought against it, by whomsoever, or in what manner so ever, those objections may be urged; their abhorrence of all acts of slander and defamation, for the sake of excusing themselves from the trouble of enquiry; their immaculate innocence, not only of persecution direct and overt - but of the dispositions that could possibly lead to persecution; their more rational piety, their more exalted virtue, their more diffusive benevolence. Alas! where are those evidences?
We have looked for historical evidences which might justify a rational man to himself, in believing the Christian religion to be of God. And there are none - absolutely none. We enquired for the moral effects which the prevalence of this religion through so many ages and countries of the world, has produced on men's minds, and we find more horrors, crimes, and miseries, occasioned by this religion and its bad influence on the human heart, more sanguinary wars among nations, more bitter feuds and implacable heart burnings in families; more desolation of moral principle; more of everyhing that is evil and wicked, than the prevalence of any vice, or of all vices put together, could have caused: so that the evidence which should make it seem probable that God had designed this religion to prevail among men, would only go to show that he had designed to plague and curse them.
But not so; Christian, hold first! and ask thine own heart if thou hast not charged God foolishly. Ask thine own convictions, whether, if a religion were the wickedest that ever was upon earth, and as false as it was wicked, God himself could give thee any more likely or fairer and sufficient means to emancipate thy mind from it, than the means thou hast here (if thou wilt use them) to discover the real origin, character, and evidences of Christianity.
If thou believes there is any God at all, at any rate, thou should also believe that he is a God of truth, and so sure as he is so, so sure it is, that the pertinacious belief of anything as true, which we might by the free exercise of our rational faculties, come to discover to be false, is the greatest sin that man can commit against him; implicit faith is the greatest of crimes; and the implicit believer is the most wicked of mankind.
-o0o-
Rev Taylors work ends [LN, note I have left out the list of extant works by authors between 35 and 200 AD. From this last section, after the last verse it goes to the appendix, which I have not endeavoured to include. See SV for books and information on more of Robert Taylors works and characters mentioned in this work.]