Christ did immediately after His baptism; for the first three
Evangelists state, that He was transported immediately by the Spirit
into the desert, where He fasted forty days and forty nights, and where
He was several times tempted by the Devil; and, according to what John
says, He departed two days after His baptism to go into Galilee, where
He performed His first miracle by changing water into wine at the
wedding of Cana, where He found Himself three days after His arrival in
Galilee, more than thirty leagues from the place in which He had been.
In regard to the place of His first retreat after His departure from the
desert, Matthew says that He returned to Galilee, and that leaving the
city of Nazareth, He went to live at Capernaum, a maritime city; and
Luke says, that He came at first to Nazareth, and afterward went to
Capernaum.
They contradict each other in regard to the time and manner in which the
apostles followed Him; for the first three say that Jesus, passing on
the shore of the Sea of Galilee, saw Simon and Andrew his brother, and
that He saw at a little distance James and his brother John with their
father, Zebedee. John, on the contrary, says that it was Andrew, brother
of Simon Peter, who first followed Jesus with another disciple of John
the Baptist, having seen Him pass before them, when they were with their
Master on the shores of the Jordan.
In regard to the Lord's Supper, the first three Evangelists note that
Jesus Christ instituted the Sacrament of His body and His blood, in the
form of bread and wine, the same as our Roman Christ-worshipers say; and
John does not mention this mysterious sacrament. John says that after
this supper, Jesus washed His apostles' feet, and commanded them to do
the same thing to each other, and relates a long discourse which He
delivered then. But the other Evangelists do not speak of the washing of
the feet, nor of the long discourse He gave them then. On the contrary,
they testify that immediately after this supper, He went with His
apostles upon the Mount of Olives, where He gave up His Spirit to
sadness, and was in anguish while His apostles slept, at a short
distance. They contradict each other upon the day on which they say the
Lord's Supper took place; because on one side, they note that it took
place Easter-eve, that is, the evening of the first day of Azymes, or of
the feast of unleavened bread; as it is noted (1) in Exodus, (2) in
Leviticus, and (3) in Numbers; and, on the other hand, they say that He
was crucified the day following the Lord's Supper, about midday after
the Jews had His trial during the whole night and morning. Now,
according to what they say, the day after this supper took place, ought
not to be Easter-eve. Therefore, if He died on the eve of Easter, toward
midday, it was not on the eve of this feast that this supper took place.
There is consequently a manifest error.
They contradict each other, also, in regard to the women who followed
Jesus from Galilee, for the first three Evangelists say that these
women, and those who knew Him, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary,
mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee's children, were
looking on at a distance when He was hanged and nailed upon the cross.
John says, on the contrary, that the mother of Jesus and His mother's
sister, and Mary Magdalene were standing near His cross with John, His
apostle. The contradiction is manifest, for, if these women and this
disciple were near Him, they were not at a distance, as the others say
they were.
They contradict each other upon the pretended apparitions which they
relate that Jesus made after His pretended resurrection; for Matthew
speaks of but two apparitions: the one when He appeared to Mary
Magdalene and to another woman, also named Mary, and when He appeared to
His eleven disciples who had returned to Galilee upon the mountain where
He had appointed to meet them. Mark speaks of three apparitions: The
first, when He appeared to Mary Magdalene; the second, when He appeared
to His two disciples, who went to Emmaus; and the third, when He
appeared to His eleven disciples, whom He reproaches for their
incredulity. Luke speaks of but two apparitions the same as Matthew; and
John the Evangelist speaks of four apparitions, and adds to Mark's
three, the one which He made to seven or eight of His disciples who were
fishing upon the shores of the Tiberian Sea.
They contradict each other, also, in regard to the place of these
apparitions; for Matthew says that it was in Galilee, upon a mountain;
Mark says that it was when they were at table; Luke says that He brought
them out of Jerusalem as far as Bethany, where He left them by rising to
Heaven; and John says that it was in the city of Jerusalem, in a house
of which they had closed the doors, and another time upon the borders of
the Tiberian Sea.
Thus is much contradiction in the report of these pretended apparitions.
They contradict each other in regard to His pretended ascension to
heaven; for Luke and Mark say positively that He went to heaven in
presence of the eleven apostles, but neither Matthew nor John mentions
at all this pretended ascension. More than this, Matthew testifies
sufficiently that He did not ascend to heaven; for he said positively
that Jesus Christ assured His apostles that He would be and remain
always with them until the end of the world. "Go ye," He said to them,
in this pretended apparition, "and teach all nations, and be assured
that I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." Luke
contradicts himself upon the subject; for in his Gospel he says that it
was in Bethany where He ascended to heaven in the presence of His
apostles, and in his Acts of the Apostles (supposing him to have been
the author) he says that it was upon the Mount of Olives. He contradicts
himself again about this ascension; for he notes in his Gospel that it
was the very day of His resurrection, or the first night following, that
He ascended to heaven; and in the Acts of the Apostles he says that it
was forty days after His resurrection; this certainly does not
correspond. If all the apostles had really seen their Master gloriously
rise to heaven, how could it be possible that Matthew and John, who
would have seen it as well as the others, passed in silence such a
glorious mystery, and which was so advantageous to their Master,
considering that they relate many other circumstances of His life and of
His actions which are much less important than this one? How is it that
Matthew does not mention this ascension? And why does Christ not explain
clearly how He would live with them always, although He left them
visibly to ascend to heaven? It is not easy to comprehend by what secret
He could live with those whom He left.
I pass in silence many other contradictions; what I have said is
sufficient to show that these books are not of Divine Inspiration, nor
even of human wisdom, and, consequently, do not deserve that we should
put any faith in them.