ears of Controversy, Is the
- -- DIVINE or HUMAN’
Read the Incontrovertible Answer - - - by Carlyle B. Haynes
of Nicaea. For example, it was twenty:
two years before this council. that is.
in 303. that Diocletian. emperor ol
Rome, issued his infamous decree to
burn all Christian writings, including
the New Testament, and to destroy
all Christian churches. Strange, in-
deed, that the Roman emperor should
he so concerned about a book which
had no existence until twenty-two
vears later,
The New Testament, and the whole
Bible, was well known, ancient, and
of undoubted authority among all
Christians long before the Council of
Nicaea. This is an established fact
It is not alone by examination of
the early manuscripts and the refu-
tation of the claims ol its modem
enemies that we learn something of
the age ot the Bible. We learn much
irom the enemies of the Bible in those
carly centuries. Indeed, we are under
great obligation to them, for their de-
nunciation of the Bible makes 1
easy for us to prove that they had a
3ible at that time, which 1t would
not be so easy to do without their
fulminations against iL.
Known in the Second Century
At the close ol the second century
alter Christ an Epicurean philosopher
named Celsus wrote a book against
Christianity, and called it “The Word
of Truth.” No copy of this work re-
mains to-day, but Origen, a celebrated
Christian philosopher, replied to Cel-
sus’ book, and in his reply quoted
long extracts from it. In these quo-
tations from Celsus there are more
than eighty quotations from the New
Testament itself, so many, in fact. and
ol such great length, that we can
vather [rom them all the principal
facts of the New Testament story.
Now it is plain that il a mun takes
the pains to quote the New Testa
ment in order to prove that it is not
true, no matter what else he succeeds
in proving, he certainly does prove
that there was a New Testament in
his time. It he writes a book to over
throw it, it is obvious and self-evident
that the hook he tries to confute 1s at
least in existence, mn circulation, and
possessed of influence. Celsus did not
FPCBRUMARY, 1950
claim there was no New Testament.
He tried to show that the New Tes:
tament, which he freely admitted ex-
sted then, was not true. He did not
succeed; but his attempt makes it
casy for us to prove that the New
Testament existed in his dav.
But we go back bevond the time
ol Celsus. There lived. earlv in the
second century, the celebrated heretic,
Marcion. He had been excommuni-
cated trom the church, and therefore
had every reason to say the worst of
it. No one ever had a better oppor-
tunity of discovering anv forgeries
which might have existed mm the al-
leged writings ol the apostles. He
travelled all the way from the centre
ol Asta to Rome, through all the
countries and cities where the apos-
tles had preached, and where the
churches were located to which ther
epistles had been sent, and he never
found one single dividual to suggest
to him that the writings of the New
Testament were not genume. He
claimed that the Gospel of Matthew,
The Epistle to the Hebrews, and
those of James and Peter, were for
Jews only, but he never thought of
claiming that the New Testament did
not exist.
Not Frauds and Forgeries
Thus the books ol the New Testa-
ment can be traced right back to the
times of the men who wrote them.
All the cavils of unbelievers are not
sulhcient to overthrow the auth of
history. The records of the past are
clear and pla. The Sacred Writings
are not frauds and forgeries. They
were written by the men who claimed
to have written them.
Indeed. a little consideration would
make it plan to anvone how m-
possible it is that these writings could
he forgeries, or written by anvone
besides those whose names were at-
tached to them, and by whom they
were sent to the churches.
The manuscripts of the New Testa-
ment were directed to be publicly
read in the Christian churches to
which many of them were addressed.
They were so read publicly in the
davs when their authors were still
living. II an epistle written hy Paul
was publicly read durmy Pauls 1ife-
time, there would be no difhculty in
determing whether or not Paul
wrote it. IH a forged epistle were
read with the chum that Paul wrote
it, and Paul was sull alive, there
would be no trouble in learning ol
its Iraudulent character. Tt 1s al
together unlikely that an impostor
would direct his forgery to be pub-
hicly read. He would certainly know
this would mean exposure.
In the churches to which the Paul
ine Epistles were addressed there
were those who knew Paul personally,
who were acquainted with his man-
ner and his teachings. They had been
brought into the faith by him. Thev
would be easily able to prove or dis.
prove the genuineness of cach epistle
which was claimed to be his. Thus
it 1s plain that the primitive churches
to which these writings of the New
Testament were first sent had the
most conclusive proot of the genu-
imeness ol these writings of the apos-
tles and evangelists who produced
the New Testament,
Preserved By Divine Providence
It is certain, therefore, that we have
to-day genuine copies ol the writings
ol the New Testwment. They have
come from various parts of the world.
FPhev are in different lunguages. "They
have been  dosely  sorutinized lor
many vears. ‘The most critical scholars
have enumerated and listed ther dif-
ferent and various readings. even such
variations as would be equivalent to
the dotting ol an “17 or the crossing
ol 2 "t" in English. And the total re-
sult ot all this scrutiny and criticism
and tabulation has finally resolved
itsell mto a hist of about twenty un-
important changes in the received
text of the 7,959 verses ol the New
Testament.
By the special providence of Gud,
then, we are in actual possession ol
true copies ob the Gospels and Epis
tles first written by the companions
of Jesus. "This we can rely upon, while
we thank God lor it. When we hold
our Bible in our hands, we may be
altogether certain that it 1s our Fa-
ther's revealed will, the Word of the
cternal God.
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