The Newtown bee., 1893-08-04

are they unworthy of serious credenceF Was Christ born in Bethlehem2 Was he by nationality Jew? Was his mother named Mary? Did
 HE SPEND MOST OF HIS LIFE at Nazareth, and afterward pubIcly teach, as is said of Him? Was he con- victed and crucifled under Pilate, the procurator ofJudea? These questions are all legitimate, and we may press them; but is it not singular that among all the phases which infdelity has assumed, the life of Christ, the one supreme fact of the Scriptures, has never been seriously deniedH
 Were the Bibles claim to inspiration ignored, and the book regarded solely as of human authority, it would still have right to be heard upon matters of his tory. But if it's testimony be set aside, we are not left without abundant wit ness. We need not refer to Origen, Jus tin Martyr, Ambrose and the early fath- CTS, whose testimony might be consider ed coored by their interest; but we can I turn to disinterested witnesses and even 1 to the very enemies of Christ and the per secutors of His church, and find ample ! evidence to establish the fact of Christ's | birth and life and general character. Josephus Antiquity of the Jews, Book | IS, Chapter 3, Page 3 says: "Now, there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if 1 it be lawful to call him a man, for he was | doer of wonderful works, teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleas ure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He | was Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared unto them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thous- and other wonderful things concerning him. And
 THE TRIBE OF CHRISTIANS,
 so named from him, are not extinct to this day"
 Tacitus, q Roman historian of high re- pute, who lived in the first century of the Christian era, speaking of the burning of Rome by Nero, says: gro suppress this rumor, therefore, Nero caused others to be accused, on whom he inflicted exquis- ite torments, who were hated by the peo- pie and were vulgarly denom- mated Christians. This name they de rived from Christ their leader, who, in the reign of Tiberius was put to death as a criminal, while Pontius Pilate was pro- curator.'
 Sentonius, whose life cntended into the second century, speaking of Claudius CGsar, says; "IIe banished the Jews from Rome who were continually raising dis turbances, Christ being their leader" In his life of Nero, he says: ''The Chris tians were punished, a sort of men of q new and magical religion"
 Pliny, the younger, in his well known letter to the emperor TrHjan, has a long communication
 CONCERNING THE CHRISTIANS, and how they should deal with them, ,and incidentally refers to Christ as their lead CT whom they worshipped.
 It is important to notice that the writ ings of the early skeptics and infidels, the commentary of Basilides, the reviews of Marcion and the works of Tiberius, Celsius, Porphyry, Julian, Mercedes and Gvypn oh,o Src ha Chr;, call in question the matters of fact re- corded in the Gospels.
 Celsius, of the third century, refers to the Gospels of Matthew, Luke and John, by name, and makes nearly a hundred all lusions to or quotations from the New Testament. He mentions the birth of Christ, the slaughter of the infants by Herod, the flight into Egypt and the re, turn. He recounts the leading events ot his life, mentions many miracles by name, and believes that Christ, when in Egypt, learned of the magicians the art of performing them.
 The Emperor Julian, of the fourth cen- tury, not only refers to Christ, but speaks of many of his miracles, such as
 THE HEALING OF THE LAME
 and the blind, and the walking on the sea.
 Hierocles, of the fifth century, at Al exandria, admits that Christ raised from the dead certain persons and healed many who were sick.
 These quotations might be extended at length, bringing the witnesses down to the present century, and confining the testimony to those who are at least in- different to the claims of Christianity, if not positively antagonistic. The quota tions thus far made are from the enemies of the church. But why go on multiply ing testimony! Any man who can seri- ously deny the leading facts of Christs birth and life, may we'll have his sanity called into question. The foremost inf del of this generation, who ridicules the Christian church and believes the whole system of religion an imposition, dares not deny the spotless character and matchless life of Jesus of Nazareth. Do you know what Rosseau, the great French infidel of the last century said sIt would
 I BE MORE INCREDIBLE
 for number of men to oricate such a