We have thus examined, step by step, the alleged evidences of Christianity, both external and internal; we have found it impossible to rely on its external witnesses, while the internal testimony is fatal to its claims; it is, at once, unauthenticated without, and incredible within. After earnest study, and a careful balancing of proofs, we find ourselves forced to assert that THE EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY ARE UNRELIABLE.

APPROXIMATE DATES CLAIMED FOR THE CHIEF CHRISTIAN AND HERETICAL AUTHORITIES.

A.D.

Between 92 and 125         Clement of Rome         Very doubtful
Between 90 and 138         Barnabas                  "     "
Said to be martyred 107    Ignatius                  "     "
Between 117 and 138        Quadratus                 "     "
Possibly 138               Hermas                    "     "
About 150-170              Papias                    "     "
About 135-145              Basilides and             "     "
                           Valentinus
About 140-160              Marcion
Said to be martyred 166    Polycarp                 Very doubtful
Said to be martyred 166    Justin Martyr
After 166                  Hegesippus
About 177                  Epistle of Lyons
                           and Vienne
Between 150 and 290        Clementines              Real date quite unknown
Between 166 and 176        Dionysius of Corinth
About 176                  Athenagoras
Between 170 and 175        Tatian
177 to about 200           Irenæus
About 193                  Tertullian
About 200                  Celsus                   Very doubtful
205                        Clement of Alexandria
                           succeeded as head of
                           School.
About 205                  Porphyry
205-249                    Origen

THE SO-CALLED TEN PERSECUTIONS.

A.D.
61 under Nero
81    "  Domitian
107   "  Trajan
166   "  Marcus Aurelius
193   "  Severus
235 under Maximin
249   "   Decius
254   "   Valerian
272   "   Aurelian
303   "   Diocletian

DATES OF ROMAN EMPERORS AT ALLEGED BIRTH OF CHRIST.

Augustus Cæsar

A.D.

14 Tiberius
33 Caligula
41 Claudius
54 Nero
68 Galba
   Otho
69 Vitellius
69 Vespasian
79 Titus
81 Domitian
96 Nerva
98 Trajan associated
117 Hadrian
138 Antoninus Pius
161 Marcus Aurelius
180 Commodus
192 Pertinax
193 Julian
    Severus
211 Caracalla and Geta
217 Macrinus
218 Heliogabalus
222 Alexander Severus
235 Maximin
237 The Gordians
    Maximus and Galbinus
238 Maximus, Galbinus, and Gordian
238 Gordian alone
244 Philip
249 Decius
251 Gallus
253 Valerian
260 Gallienus
268 Claudius
270 Aurelian
275 Tacitus
276 Florianus
276 Probus
282 Carus
283 Carinus and Numerian
285 Diocletian
286 Maximian associated
305 Galerius and Constantius
305 Severus and Maximin
306 Constantine
    Licinius
    Maxentius
324 Constantine alone

INDEX TO SECTION I. OF PART II.

INDEX OF BOOKS USED.

Adrian...206
  quoted by Meredith...225Agbarus, letter of, in Eusebius...243Akiba, quoted in Keim...315Alford, Greek Testament...288Apostolic Fathers...215, 216, 217, 218, 220, 221, 230Athenagoras, Apology...226Augustine, Syntagma, quoted in Diegesis...234
Barnabas, Epistle of...233, 302Besant, According to St. John...337Butler, Lives of the Fathers, etc...324
Caecilius, quoted in Diegesis...348Celsus, quoted by Norton...233Clement, First Epistle...233, 299, 300, 301Clementine, Homilies...310  quoted in Supernatural Religion...301Corpus Ignatianum, quoted in Apostolic Fathers...218
Davidson, Introduction to New Testament...286, 294, 295, 296, 298
Ellicott, quoted in Cowper's Apocryphal Gospels...250Epictetus...206Epiphanius, quoted by Norton...297Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History...216, 230, 231, 234, 243, 246, 248  250, 257, 260, 277, 279, 284, 290  291, 292, 294, 321, 323  quoted in Apostolic Fathers...217
Faustus, quoted in Diegesis...284
Gibbon, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire...195, 206, 209  213, 227, 322Giles, Christian Records...197, 207, 230, 259, 261, 263, 265  267, 276, 288, 293, 297, 313, 328  335, 336
Hegesippus, quoted in Supernatural Religion...302Home, Introduction to New Testament...197, 203
Ignatius, Epistle to the Smyrnaeans...220           "             Ephesians...233           "             Philippians...302Inman, Ancient Faiths...344Irenæus, Against Heresies...258, 291, 323, 336   "   quoted in Keim...234   "   quoted in Eusebius...258
Jones, The Canon of the New Testament...240, 245, 257Jones, Sir W., Asiatic Researches...345
Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews         195, 198, 315   "      Wars of the Jews...317   "      Discourse on Hades...198Justin Martyr, First Apology...231, 253, 302, 347   "           Second Apology...226, 323   "           Dialogue with Trypho...231, 275, 302, 310Juvenal...203
Keim, Jesus of Nazara...197, 202, 315
Lardner, Answer to Dr. Chandler, quoted from Diegesis...196   "     Credibility of the
         Gospels...209, 210, 211, 216, 218  230, 263, 269Livy...222
Marcus Aurelius...206Marsh, quoted in Norton...267   "   quoted in Giles...287Meredith, Prophet of Nazareth...223Mosheim, Ecclesiastical
    History...214, 216, 217, 235, 237, 238, 239Muratori, Canon of...282
Nicodemus, Gospel of...253Norton, Genuineness of the Gospels...215, 216, 219, 247,
  263, 269, 295
Origen, quoted in Gibbon...213   "       "      Diegesis...234   "       "      Supernatural Religion...323
Paley, Evidences of Christianity...198, 202, 203, 205  208, 209, 210, 212, 228, 229, 231  235, 236, 243, 244, 247, 248, 260  262, 269, 273, 281, 290, 309, 317  319.
Papias, quoted by Eusebius...291                  Irenæus...291Parkhurst, Hebrew Lexicon...346Pliny, Epistles...203Pilate, Acts of...253
Quadratus, quoted by Eusebius...230
Renan, Vie de Jésus...197Row, The Supernatural in the New Testament...325, 327
Sanday, Gospels in the Second Century...248, 269, 270  279, 287, 298, 300, 302, 305, 311Scott, English Life of Jesus...334Sharpe, Egyptian Mythology...347Smyrna, Circular Epistle of the Church of...221Strange, Portraiture and Mission of Jesus...198, 201, 210  321, 348Strauss, Life of Jesus...289, 312, 320, 330, 331, 332Suetonius...201, 202, 225Supernatural Religion...215, 216, 219, 229, 246, 247, 248  249, 260, 261, 266, 268, 269, 271  276, 278, 279, 280, 281, 282, 283  290, 292, 293, 295, 301, 302, 303  304, 322, 325
Tacitus, Annals...199, 222, 225Taylor, Diegesis...196, 200, 201, 205, 206, 208, 212, 346Tertullian, Apology...226            De Spectaculis...323            quoted in Gibbon...213               "      Meredith...225Thomas, Gospel of...251Tischendorf, When were our Gospels Written?...248, 270
Westcott, On the Canon of the New Testament...216, 229, 247, 249  256, 268, 270, 274  275, 278, 286

INDEX OF SUBJECTS.

Analogies of Christian doctrines...347Apocryphal Gospels, specimens of...250   "       Books, recognised...245Authenticity of Apology of Quadratus...230   "            Epistle of Barnabas...229   "                "      Clement...214   "                "      Ignatius...217   "                "      Polycarp...216   "                "      Smyrna...220   "            Vision of Hermas...216
Books read in churches...248   "  in volume of Scriptures...249
Christian Agapae...223Christianity advantageous to tyrants...237
Date of birth of Christ...333Dates of Fathers, etc...349Dates of Roman Emperors...350Diatessaron of Tatian...259
Evidence of Adrian...206   "        Apostolic Fathers...263, 267   "        Barnabas...268   "        Basilides and Valentinus...280   "        Canon of Muratori...282   "        Clement ...269   "        Clementines...279   "        Hegesippus...277   "        Hermas...269   "        Ignatius...270   "        Josephus...195   "        Justin Martyr...271   "        Marcion...281   "        Marcus Aurelius...206   "        Papias...271   "        Pliny...203   "        Polycarp...270   "        Suetonius...201   "        Tacitus...199
Forgeries in Early Church...238            List of...240Four Gospels: when recognised...257   "          why only four...258
Gospels, changes made in...283   "     contradictions in...328   "     contradictions between synoptical and fourth...337   "     growth of...285, 289   "     identity of modern and ancient unproven...262   "     many current...266   "     of later origin...311   "     of Matthew and Mark not those of Papias...290   "     original, different from canonical...298   "     similarity of canonical and uncanonical...245   "     synoptical...286   "     time of selection unknown...256Genealogies of Jesus...328Greek not commonly known by Jews...314
Ignorance of Early Fathers...232
Krishna, meaning of...345
Length of Jesus' Ministry..336Life of Christ from Justin Martyr...306
Martyrs, small number of...212Massacre of infants unlikely...333Matthew, written in Hebrew...394Miracles...316Morality of Early Christians...221Mythical Theory of Jesus...340
Passages in Fathers, not in canonical Gospels...301Persecution, absence of...209Phrase "it is written"...247Positions laid down as to Gospels...236Position A...238   "     B...245   "     C...256   "     D...257   "     E...261   "     F...262   "     G...290   "     H...298   "     I...311   "     J...314   "     K...316Prophecies, Messianic...342
Silence of Jewish writers...198, 201, 259   "      Pagan     " ...193, 206Story of Christ pre-Christian...340Son-worship and Christ...343
Temptation of Christ...334Ten Persecutions...350Types of Christ...345