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Page 66
There is really an immense number of discrepancies and
contradiction in the New Testament which the acumen of learned
Christians has of late discovered, and pointed out to the world.
And Mr. Evanson, in his work on �the Dissonance of the four
Evangelists,� has collected a mass enough, I should think, to terrify
the most determined Reconciliator that ever lived. It is a little
remarkable, that Mr. Evanson has asserted, and has proved, the
spuriosness of the Gospel ascribed to John, which Semler spared,
in the general wreck which he made of the authenticity of the
other books of the New Testament. Mr. Evanson says, in his
examination of it, what has been said before, that the speeches
ascribed to Jesus in it, are most incoherent, contradictory, and
falsified by well known facts. And indeed the author of the book
itself, sterns to be sensible of this; for he very naturally represents
the Jews repeatedly accusing Jesus of being mad. �He hath a
devil, and is mad, (say they to the multitude) why hear ye him?�
and so in other places. Mr. Evanson considers this work as the
composition of a converted Platonist or of a� Platonizing Jew; the
latter we think to be the most correct opinion; since it is evident
that the author of that gospel had the works of Philo at his fingers�
ends, which is more than can be supposed of John. As Semler
excepted the Gospel of John only, so Mr. Evanson excepts the
Gospel of Luke only from the charge of spuriousness: though he
says that it is grossly corrupted, and interpolated. From these
corruptions and interpolations, he endeavours to purify it; in which
attempt wo think he has had very indifferent success. In short, his
work has proved, (what he did not himself contemplate) that the
providence of the God of truth has taken care, that so many
absurdities and contradictions, should be contained in these books
of the New Testament which were written to establish a mistake, as
must I conceive, satisfy any man, who has them once pointed out
to him, that the doctrine of those books is not, and cannot be from
God.
But it may be still asked, �how did this notion of the resurrection
of Jesus become current?� �How can you account for the apostles
believing such a thing?� We answer sincerely--we cannot
absolutely ascertain. The Jews of that age have left no documents
upon this business. The origin of the Christian religion is so
extremely obscure, that Josephus takes no notice of it at all, (for
the passage relating to Christian affairs now found in Josephus are
notorious interpolations.) And it is evident from the Chronological,
and other mistakes about Jesus, in the Talmud, that the curiosity of
the learned Jews had never been interested by Christianity, till so
long after Jesus, that the memory of him, and his, was almost
entirely lost among that nation. And it appears from the last
chapter of the Acts, that when Paul was received by the Jews at
Rome, he had not been considered by the Jews of Jerusalem as of
sufficient importance, as to cause them to warn their brethren of
the Dispersion concerning him; for these Jews tell Paul, on his
enquiring, that they had not received any letters concerning him
from Jerusalem. So that we can offer nothing but conjecture, to
solve the difficulty.
It has been said by some, (and it is by no means an hypothesis
destitute of plausibility) that Jesus was indeed crucified, but did
not actually die on the cross. It is evident that Pilate was extremely
desirous to save his life; and is it impossible that the Roman
soldiers, who crucified him, had secret orders? Consider the
ciscumstances. He was crucified at our nine in the morning, and
was taken from the cross at about three in the afternoon. Now,
crucifixion is not a death which kills men in six hours, and men
have been known to have lived fastened to the cross for more than
two days. Consider, besides, that when the soldiers gave the coup
de grace to the two robbers, that they did not break the legs of
Jews. This, the author of the Gospel according to John says, they
did, in order to fulfill a prophecy; but I leave it to my reader,
whether it is not more likely that they did so in order to fulfill
secret orders? But to make up for that omission, the author adds,
that they pierced Jesus with a spear. Now, besides that this is not
mentioned by the other Evangelists, the very manner in which this
circumstance is mentioned, and eagerly affirmed by him, looks as
if the author was aware of the likelihood of a suspicion of the fact
we are trying to prove probable, and that he wrote this in order to
obviate it. And after all, the gospel according to John was certainly
not written by him, and, therefore, what the author of it observes,
may be true, or not. You will observe also, reader, that the body of
Jesus was given by Pilate to his friends immediately; a favour
never vouchsafed by the Romans in such a case, except �speciali
gratia.� You will observe also, that the body was taken down by
his friends, no doubt with great care; probably was washed from
the blood, and rubbed perfectly dry; and was deposited in the cave
or sepulchre, with a large quantity of spices, and aromatics. Now
suppose that Jesus only swooned on the cross, and that his naked
body, after being cleansed as aforesaid, was laid in the new
sepulchre where the air was cool and fresh, wrapped in a
considerable quantity of dry linen, together with many spices, and
aromatics, what could be more opportune, or proper, to stimulate
his drowsed senses, and recall the unfortunate sufferer to life?
Suppose then, that on awaking from his trance, he disengaged
himself, and took himself away as secretly as possible, might not
all this have happened? Is it impossible? And does it not look
plausible? It is not improbable that he might after this have
shewed himself privately to his particular disciples; for you will
recollect, reader, that the appearances of Jesus to his disciples after
his crucifixion were to them, only, and for the most part in the
night. And it is by no means impossible, that the twelve apostles,
who were, I doubt not, well meaning men, though extremely
simple and credulous; I say it is thus by no means impossible, that
they might have believed sincerely, that their master had risen
from the dead. This hypothesis must not be considered only as the
brain work of an unbelieving sceptic; for it has been (in its main
principle) advanced, and elaborately defended by Dr. Paulus the
professor of divinity in the principal University in Bavaria.
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