Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-12-21
Colonel Inrersoll on the Gospels.

To the Editor of the Dispatch:
In the report given Tuesday morning
In your paper Of Colonel Ingersolfs lee
ture, 1t is said that. 'He commenced
his lecture by advocating freedom OF
thought, which. he declared, was tram
melted by religion. Passing on to re-
view Of the New Testament. he declared
that since all the extant MSS. or the
Gospels of Saints Matthew, Mark, Luke,
and John were written in Greek, II was
impossible for those disciples to have
written them, as they knew only the,
Hebrew language. He said that as,
matter of fact, the Gospels were not
written for many years after the death
Of those to whom they are attributed
This statement is based upon the as
sumption that the Greek language was
foreign to the Jews in the days OF CHRIST
foreign in some such sense as the Ger
man or Italian language would now De
to those living In Palestine.
Now, II Is a well-known historical fact
that from the time OF the conquest OF
Palestine by Alexander the Great, 333
years b. c., the Greek language had been
introduced into that country, and That IN
the days of Christ and his Apostles 1t was
In common use among the Jews. Inc
ancient Hebrew was still known to The
rabbits and the better-educated, but soon
after the return from the Babylonian
exile 4 had almost ceased to be spoken
by the body Of the people. A corrupted
dialect--the Aramaean-was largely IN
use, but IL was not the chief language
of the Jewish literature of the period.
a nd
before the birth of Christ. in the reign OF
Ptolemy Philadelphus, the Old Testament
Scriptures lad been translated, at Alex
andria, from the Hebrew into the Greek
This version was In use among the jews
in Palestine, as well as in other countries.
The apochrypkal books, including FIRST
and Second Maccabees, and others, writ
ten by Jews, come down TO US only IN
the Greek language. Josephus. the great
historian of the Jews, who was born at
Jerusalem soon after the cruclilxon or
Christ, and was contemporary In part
OF his life with some of the apostles, wrote
In the Greek language. lie was Jew Ok
sacerdatal lineage.
The evangelists and apostles were un-
doubtedly acquainted with Greek, and 1t
was the only language they could employ
I'm their writings so as to reach the great
body Of Christian converts In Palestine,
and especially In the other countries Dor.
dering on the Mediterranean sea. Paul
wrote his epistles In the Greek language,
and showed his familiarity with Greek
literature. Luke, his travelling compan-
ion, who wrote the Acts Of the Apostles
and the third Gospel. was Hellenistic
Jew-more Greciap than jew. Mark also
travelled with Paul and Barnabas, and
preached In Asia Minor and Cyprus He
Enthusiastically spoke Greek. John dwelt
at Ephesus and Smyrna. and was GER
tainly acquainted with Greek philosophy.
II is admitted that Matthew probably
wrote his Gospel In Hebrew or Aramaic
as we'll as in Greek. But, II 50. this In
nowise disparages the Greek version
which has been perpetuated In the Church
He was a tax-collector In Galilee under
the Roman Government before he was
chosen Is an apostle. and had occasion
for the use Of Greek In his official ca
pacity.
II Is therefore In every way contrary
TO historical truth TO say that the evan
gelists knew only the Hebrew language"
The Greek tongue was spoken all over
Syria. Asia Minor. Egypt and In other
places where the Gospel was first preach
ed and the Church planted. 30 far from
its being impossible" 10 Mr., Jngersoll
says. that ths evanselists could have writ
ten the New Testament In Greek, II 10
almost impossible that they could have
used any other language
This misstatement o< facts, or ignorance
Of facts. a. Il may Be. on the part Of Mr.
inrersoii, discredifs al that he has said
In hsa critioisna AZ thA Naw Tssfamant--