Portland gazette and Maine advertiser. (Portland, Me.) 1805-1818, 1817-09-23
FROM THE c.aYE.


90 sHIRLET. Sept. 1911 1917.
Having recently returned rem pilgrimage Of
many years, beg leave TO introduce myself one
Of your Correspondents III the productions cfmy
pen, er the selections l may occasionally make
from my budget, should add any value TO your pa
per. or increase its interest, shall be grsthed.
shall not confne my remarks selections 10 any
single subject. for as by profession Pilgrim
IL i material should indulge my propensities.
Feeling at present in serious mode. beg
leave 20 thru the attention OF your readers 10 .
subject Important TO all. vet seldom enqaired iuto
by any. mean the
ANCIENT TESTIMONIES concerning JE-
SUS OF NAZARETH. JOHN THE BAP
fist and James fhs Just, brother Of j esns.
OF all ancient authors whose productions
have been handed down 10 the present day,
none can claim 50 high rank, for fidelity and
a strict regard to truth, as Joseptw the ! es0isl
Historian. On this account the testimonies
he has given. concerning the three great Per-
sonages above mentioned, is invaluable. But
as several Of these testimonies have been
questioned by some, and rejected as spurious
by others, shall endeavour TO produce orig
inal evidences, for their confirmation. BE-
fore enter on the principal design, permit
me to quote the opinion Of Joseph Scaliger, a
modern writer, who is acknowledged 10 be
the most competent Judge that has ever APP
peared, as 10 the authority OF Josephus.
Scaliger descended from the princes of We.
roma. was born there in the year A. b. 1910
lie writes thus, g Josephus is the most dill
/" gent, and the greatest lover OF truth OF all
" writers. We can confidently affirm Of him,
g that it is more safe 10 believe him, not only
" as 10 the affairs OF the Jews, but also as to
" those that are foreign to them, than all the
" Greek and Latin writers and this, because
/" his fidelity, and his compass oflearnlng are
/" are every where most conspicuous"
TACIrUS.
Coius Cornell Tacitus, an eminent Roman
historian hourished in A. d. Sc. ln his an
nails he asserts that, 9. Nero in order to stiae
- The rumour Though be himself set Rome on
!" hre,) ascribed it to those people who were
/" hated for there strange practices, and called
1" by the vulgar, Christians. These he pun
" ished exquisitely. The author OF this name
" was Christ, who in the reign of ..Tiberius,
I" was put 10 death by Ponlius Plate the
!" pEocurator"
As Josephus gives US his testimony, and
since almost every thing else that is true OF
the Jews in Tacitus, was taken by him from
Josephus, there can be no doubt, but that this
passage was taken from him also. lie could
not have taken this account from Justus of Ii
berias, another Jewish hstorian--for Photius
who perused his history, says that Justus
makes no mention of Jesus Christ in his
writings. The true writing OF the names
Chrea and Chrestians, as in Josephus, is anoth-
er argument, that Tacitus took this account
from him otherwise they would have been
written Christ and Christians as they are in
Suetonius and other Roman Authors. The
words of Tacitus are SO similar 10 those of Jo-
sephus, that we may reasonably conclude,
they were taken FROM him, and no other au-
thor.
JUSTIN MARTYR.
This eminent man, was born in Samaria,
and from heather Philosopher, became
jealous supporter Of Christianity, During the
persecution OF Antonius, be appeared before
theEmperor & pleaded the cause ofthe injured
Christians with success. He suffered martyr
dom in the year A d i66. Hear what be
says to the Jews" YOU (Jews) knew that
Jesus was risen from the dead, and ascended
into heaven, as the prophecies did foretel was
10 happen" To be continued
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