THE MEMOIRS OF THE YEAR ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY.
There is undoubted proof that within forty years from the time Justin
wrote his First Apology, our Four Gospels (and no others) with the Book
of Acts, were universally received in the church, as we now receive
them. It comes from the writings of Agrippa Castor, Apollinaris, Bishop
of Hierapolis, Apelles, Athenagoras, Basilides, Celsus, Clement of
Alexandria, Eusebius, Heracleon, Irenæus, Jerome, Marcion, Melito, Bishop
of Sardis, Origen, Pantænus, Polycarp, Serapion, Tatian, Theophilus,
Tertullian, Valentine, The Letter of the Church of Vienne and Lyons,
and the unknown authors of the Clementine Homilies, and the Muratori
Canon—Christians, Gnostics, Heretics, and Heathen, all concurring to
prove universal reception, beyond a reasonable doubt. So strong is
this proof that even Strauss does not deny such reception by the _end_
of the second century, and he admits that there is evidence of an
_earlier_ date. He says: “We learn from the works of Irenæus, of Clement
Alexandrinus, and of Tertullian, that, at the end of the second century
after Christ, our Four Gospels were recognized by the orthodox church
as the writings of the Apostles and the disciples [companions] of the
Apostles, and were separated from many other similar productions, as
authentic records of the life of Jesus. The first Gospel, according to
our Canon, is attributed [i. e. by the authors named] to Matthew, who is
enumerated among the twelve Apostles; the fourth to John, the beloved
disciple of our Lord; the second to Mark, the interpreter of Peter;[1]
and the third to Luke, the companion of Paul. We have, besides, the
authority of earlier authors, both in their own works, and in quotations
cited by others.” As a false witness sometimes admits a part, the better
to conceal what is more important, so Strauss _admits_ a state of things
as existing at the _end_ of the century, that, beyond dispute, should
be carried back to a time at least twenty years earlier. Thus Professor
Fisher, in his exhaustive work, says of John’s Gospel (which is conceded
to have been the last): “We choose to begin[2] with the unquestioned
fact of the universal reception of the Fourth Gospel as genuine in the
last quarter of the second century. At that time we find that it was
held in every part of Christendom to be the work of the Apostle John.
The prominent witnesses are Tertullian in North Africa, Clement in
Alexandria, and Irenæus in Gaul.” And Professor Abbot[3] says: “I begin
with the statement, which cannot be questioned, that our present Gospels,
and no others, were received by the great body of Christians as genuine
and sacred books during the last quarter of the second century.”
Theophilus of Antioch, _as early_ as A.D. 180, not only quotes from the
Fourth Gospel, as Scripture, but names John as its author, as follows:[4]
“As the Holy Scriptures, and all who have the Spirit, teach us, among
whom John says, ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God;’ signifying that God alone was in the beginning, and that the Word
was in him. And then he says, the Word was God, and all things were made
by Him, and without him there was not anything made.” Theophilus also
wrote a Commentary upon the Gospels. Before this time, also, our Gospels
and Acts had been included in a list[5] of canonical books received in
the churches. They were in their present order, and, as far as their
authorship is stated, are attributed to the persons whose names are
now assigned to them. And before[6] this date, Celsus (who anticipated
Strauss by seventeen hundred years) had cited alleged contradictions in
the Gospels, and particularly as to there being one or two angels at
the sepulchre. He attempted to ridicule the idea that blood and water
came from Jesus’ side—a fact that is stated only in John. He refers
to the fact that Christ “after his death arose, and showed the marks
of his punishment, and how his hands had been pierced.” Although he
does not _name_ the authors of the books, yet his numerous quotations
correspond with them, including Luke and John. And in respect to all of
the discrepancies, etc., he says: “All these things I have taken out of
your own books,” i. e. Scriptures. “We need,” says he, “no after witness,
for you fall upon your own swords.” His work has not come down to us
except as contained in Origen’s writings, which, however, quote so fully
from it, that it is nearly reproduced. And ten years[7] before this time,
Tatian, who had been a disciple of Justin (but after Justin’s death
became heretical), wrote a Commentary or Harmony upon the Gospels. He
called it Diatesseron, which means the Gospel of the Four. The celebrated
Syrian, Father Ephræm, who died A.D. 373, wrote a commentary on it.
Bar-Salibi, who flourished in the last part of the twelfth century, was
also well acquainted with Tatian’s work; and says that it began with John
i. 1: “_In the beginning was the Word_.”
Before this date, Heracleon, a disciple of the Gnostic Valentine, wrote
a commentary upon the Fourth Gospel. The work is known[8] to us through
many fragments, which Origen has woven into his own commentary on the
same Gospel.
Quotations from the canonical Gospels _between_ the periods mentioned
are very numerous. It is unnecessary to cite them, or to give other
specific proof of a state of things existing _as early_ as 180, as shown
by most incontrovertible evidence, whatever doubt may be had as to some
items of this evidence. Indeed an earlier date might properly be assumed
than that taken as the basis of our argument. Thus Dr. Charteris, in his
recent work, says, in view of all the circumstances: “When we pass the
_middle_ of the century, and come to the works of Tatian, Athenagoras,
and Theophilus (with a quotation by name) we are out of the region of
controversy.” (Canonicity, lxxxi.) There were a few persons called the
Alogi, a nickname having the double meaning of “deniers of the doctrine
of the Logos,” and “men without reason,” who denied John’s authorship of
the Fourth Gospel. They were probably a few[9] eccentric individuals, who
attracted no attention, and none of whose names are preserved. The fact
that they appealed to no tradition in favor of their views, denied John’s
authorship of the Apocalypse likewise, and absurdly ascribed both to
Cerinthus, whom no one supposes could have been their author, shows that
they were persons of no critical judgment. They were _outside_ of the
churches of which Justin wrote. The reception of the canonical Gospels,
to the exclusion of all others, was _universal_ in those churches.
[1] Not the interpreter of “_Peter’s Gospel!_” (Page 49-50, Vol. 1, of
“The Life of Jesus,” etc., 1860).
[2] P. 39 of “The Supernatural Origin of Christianity,” (1870), by Prof.
Fisher.
[3] P. 13 of “The Authorship of the Fourth Gospel” (1880).
[4] P. 177 of Prof. Stowe’s “Origin and History of the Books of the New
Testament” (1867); Strauss’ Life of Christ, p. 52; Waite’s History, pp.
302, 354; p. 130 of Fisher’s “Supernatural Origin,” etc.
[5] A fragment of this writing was discovered by the Italian scholar
Muratori, and from him is called the Muratori Canon. It is written in
Latin, but is supposed to have been first written in Greek. The first
part of the writing is wanting, so that it begins with Luke, which it
calls the “Third book of the Gospel according to Luke.” It was found in
the Ambrosian Library, at Milan, in a manuscript containing extracts from
writings of Ambrose, Chrysostom, and others. It professes to give a list
of the writings that are recognized in the Christian Church. Judge Waite
(p. 412) assigns A.D. 190 as its date. Prof. Curtiss says of it: “_The
most eminent New Testament scholars_ in America, England and Germany,
with a few exceptions, hold that it was written in the last quarter of
the second century (the most setting the date at about 170-180 A.D.) Some
of them are: Prof. Ezra Abbot, of Harvard College; Drs. E. A. Abbott,
Canon Wescott, W. A. Sanday, Credner, Weiseler, Bleek, Reuss, Hilgenfeld,
and many others” (_Inter-Ocean_, February 12, 1881). The Fragment
contains internal evidence of the time when it was written. In reference
to the “Pastor” it says: This “did Hermas write, _very recently, in our
times_, in the city of Rome, while his brother Bishop Pius sat in the
chair in the church of Rome.” Now Pius was Bishop from A.D. 142 to 157.
Waite’s History, p. 232.
[6] In reply to Judge Waite, who assigned A.D. 210 to Celsus, Professor
Curtiss says that “Dr. Keim, who belongs to the most liberal German
school, and who made a very careful investigation of the subject (Celsus
Wahres Wort, Zurich, 1873), sets the date in the year 177 or 178, A.D.”
See also Smith and Wace’s Dictionary of Christian Biography, London,
1877, vol. 1, p. 436; Fisher, p. 42; “Heart of Christ,” by Edmund H.
Sears, 1873, p. 148; Abbott’s Fourth Gospel, etc., p. 58. See also
Sanday, p. 262, and Canonicity, by Dr. Charteris, 1880, p. 369. Origen,
in one place, in answering his objections, speaks of him as “a man long
since dead.”
[7] Pp. 52-53 of Abbot’s Fourth Gospel.
[8] “Tischendorf’s Origin of the Four Gospels,” p. 89.
[9] Abbott’s Fourth Gospel, pp. 18, 20; Fisher, p. 69.