-L t / * "
Iffe
8 Conservative.
A KEPLY TO MRS. EVANS' THE CHHIST
MYTH.
To THE EDITOII OF THE CONSEKVATIVE :
Noticing nu article in a recent issue of
THE CONSEKVATIVE on Christ and the
Gospels by Elizabeth E. Evans , I would
like to make a bill of exceptions.
The article in question aims to dis
prove the historic reality of such a per
son as Jesus Christ.
Her first dipproof is because theolo
gians differ as to the nature of Christ ,
that "the prevalence of so many and so
contradictory conceptions of the same
character proves the lack of authentic
knowledge in the premises. " A most
extraordinary statement when we con
sider that all these "contradictory con
ceptions" are confessedly derived from
the same source , viz. the Holy Scrip
tures. The nature of Christ is one
thing , a matter of theology ; his reality
quite another , n matter of history.
As well say , for example , that because
historians , studying the same sources ,
disagree as to the character of Napoleon ,
therefore Napoleon is a myth.
Again , "Recent discoveries have tended
to negative the authority of Jesus as a
spiritual leader , through the unavoidable
suspicion fast growing into a certainty ,
that no such being ever existed. "
V + l
"When anyone is engaged in overturn
H ing the historical beliefs of nineteen
centuries , they should be more explicit.
"Recent discoveries" sounds well , but
may mean anything or nothing. It
lacks definition ; but here the authoress
qualifies :
"This argument is founded upon the
undeniable fact that there is no mention of
Jesus in contemporary literature , cither
Jewish or Pagan. Authentic history is
absolutely silent as to such a personality. "
Let me see , Jesus died A. D. 28 ; Rome
was burned by Nero A. D 55 ; Tacitus
wrote about A. D. 85 ; Pliny wrote about
A. D. 95.
Contemporary Writings.
Now will Mrs. Evans , first of all , sug
gest what particular Roman or other
pagan writers wrote between the years
28 and 05 , whose subject matter was
such as would be at all called upon to
touch upon the existence of Jesus
Christ.
Virgil , Ovid , Horace and Livy had
passed away. From the crucifixion to
Tacitus we have the following literary
remains from which to find a mention
of Christ :
The Satires of Persius.
The fragments of a Prose Novel by
Petronius.
The Pharsalia of Lucan.
The Philosophy of Seneca.
The works of certain Rhetoricians
and Grammarians.
It would scarcely be fair to expect any
mention of a despised sect or its founder ,
starting in the obscure Province of
Jndea and quietly leavening Roman
society from the bottom , amongst such
a collection of authors.
In the next generation we find several
great writers , two of whom living less
ihan fifty years after the crucifixion ,
make a distinct mention of Christ and
Christianity.
Tacitus , the greatest Latin historian ,
mentions Christ ( Annals Bk. XV. ) and
Christianity. Referring to the burning
of Rome , by Nero , twenty-seven years
after the crucifixion , Tacitus says : "He
seized an immense multitude of men
whom the common people called Chris-
iians. They.derived their name and
origin from Christ , who in the reign of
Tiberius had suffered death by the
sentence of procurator , Pontius Pilate. "
[ n twenty-seven years after the death of
Christ , under Pontius Pilate , Christian
ity could be spoken of by Tacitus as an
'immense multitude. " Pliny , the
younger , Proconsul of Bithynia , writ
ing , in 95 A. D. , to the Emperor Trajan
regarding the arrest of certain persons
for professing Christianity , says : "That
a great number of persons of every age ,
rank and sex were compromised and
others would be ; that not only the cities
but the towns and villages were overrun
with that contagious superstition that
in fine the deserted temples and the
sacred ceremonies , which had for a long
time been interrupted , began to revive
in consequence of the measures taken
against the Christians. "
Evidently Christianity , founded by
Christ , who suffered under Pontius
Pilate , had gained some headway in the
first century if it could be spoken of as
comprising an enormous multitude in
Rome and of depopulating the heathen
temples in Bithynia. "
Authentic History.
"Authentic history is absolutely silent
as to such a personality.1'
Mrs. Evans is kind enough to allow
that a record may be found in the
Gospel ; the Epistles of St. Paul ; in the
statements of the Christian Fathers ; in
certain legends of the enemies of
Christianity ( the Jews ) ; and in a very
few Pagan writers. Now what does
our fair authoress expect. Here , ac
cording to the confession of Tacitus and
Pliny , to be proved a Christian was to
be put to death ; to be found with Chris
tian documents on your person was to
court.torture ; strange that a history of
Christ was not easily obtainable by
heathen historians at a time when there
were no heathen historians.
"But not one of these sources is con
temporary with the career of Jesus. * * *
The Gospels were not composed until the
latter part of the second century. * * *
Christians are taught that the four Gospels
were written by the four disciples
Matthew , Mark , Luke and John , whereas
those compositions were not knoiun to the
early Christians until nearly two hundrei
\ 111
jears after the supposed events which they ' *
'ccord. " i
Mrs. Evans speaks as one having
authority as to what the Christians did
not know during the first two centuries.
As the first two centuries , according to
Mrs. Evans , are barren of authentic
records of any description regarding
Christ and Christianity , how does she
enow what the early Christians did not
mow ?
Traditional History.
She acknowledges that there was a
tradition that "Matthew wrote a book
entitled , 'Oracles of our Lord , ' but if such
a work ever existed it was not the Gospel
callcd.by his name. " . Of course not as
Mrs. Evans has just told us authorita
tively that the aforesaid Gospel was not
written until 228 A. D. Now Mrs. Evans
does not mention that this tradition was
; he record of a Christian father named
Papias , who lived ( A. D. 70-155) ) in
Sierapolis , a city of Phiygia , and he
wrote as follows : ' 'Mark having become
She interpreter of Peter wrote down
accurately whatsoever he remembered.
It was not , however , in exact order that
he related the sayings and deeds of
Christ. * * * Matthew put together
the oracles of the Lord in the Hebrew
Language and each one interpreted them
as best he could. " Of course the Oracles
of the Lord were not the Gospels of
St. Matthew nor the writings of St.
Mark ; those of St. Mark merely similar
writings of a similar name.
And Irenaeus who lived ( A. D. 120-
202) ) in Lyons , a city of Gaul , after
quoting copiously from the four gospels
in order says : "So firm is the ground
upon which the Gospels rest that the
very heretics themselves bear witness to
them ; each one of them endeavors to
establish his own peculiar doctrine. "
As for example Marcian , whom Mrs.
Evans herself quotes , "accepted the
Gospel of St. Luke , " which was not
written , mind you , until after 200 A. D. ,
although Marciau lived before 140 A. D.
Strange that he should have based his
heresy on a book that was not to be
written for over sixty years.
It is very strange to one accustomed
to read Irenaens , Ignatius and Justin
Martyn , the Fathers referred to , to
know that "they do not allude to the
Gospels but do quote from works in lan
guage similar and in substance sometimes
agreeing with , sometimes differing from
the Canonical Gospels. "
Why does Mrs. Evans switch from
her original purpose to disprove the
hidtoric reality of Jesus Christ. What
matter whether these fathers quote
similar or the same works as long as
they testify unanimously to the main
fact at issue the reality of Christ as a
person. Of course Papias only referred
to similar works when he speaks of
Matthew and Mark ; and Irenaeus is
only prophesying when he refers to
Matthew , Mark , Luke and John as hav-
