SONNET, ON DANNECKER'S STATUE OF THE REDEEMER. "THANKS to Mrs. Jameson's Sketches in Germany,' which made us acquainted with it, we had at Stuttgard the pleasure of seeing a fine statue, representing our Saviour, by Dannecker. It has under it this inscription only, in German: Through me to the Father.' I can best describe the effect it produced on us, by transcribing for you a Sonnet, which my young friends think expresses their feelings, as well as my own. Dannecker believed himself inspired for the work by a celestial vision, but prepared himself for it by the diligent study of the Record of our Lord's ministry.”—Letter from an English Lady. "THROUGH ME UNTO THE FATHER!" "Tis thy voice Breathes from the stone, my Saviour! I would bend In reverence before thee, and attend To all thy words, and make thy way my choice. Bent 'neath the cross, but yet a godlike grace Is with thee, and from forth that hallowed face That gave the marble moulding so divine? THE EARLY LITERARY HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY. NO. I. THE FIRST NOTICES OF CHRISTIANITY BY ITS ENEMIES. THE early literary history of Christianity presents several points of great interest, in relation to its records and its evidences. We propose to discuss them as briefly as their importance will admit. We anticipate the common objection, that the Christian records and evidences are involved in darkness and obscurity, by first denying the fact, that is to the extent to which its assertion is often carried; and then by accounting for the fact, as far as it is a fact, on the simplest principles of good reason and common sense. Random assertions on such subjects are easily made, and do the same harm to general interests that slander does to private character. They are to be guarded against by exceeding caution, or by just censure, as the case may require. There is no insurmountable objection presented by history in the way of the admission of the divine origin of Christianity. The faith, which has been so splendidly adorned, and so thoroughly illustrated in the literature of eighteen centuries, does not fail, nor is it feeble in its early literature. Times without number has the whole ground been critically surveyed by honest and learned men, with the most entire satisfaction. Yet it has often been urged that there should have been no difficulty, which it requires learning and skill to remove, put in the way of the simple or the doubting. It is assumed by some that a revelation from God should not require the exercise of human ingenuity and skill. This assumption would justify us in expecting the fruits of the earth without labor, or a knowledge or regard of natural laws. If we have intelligence, skill, and reason, with which to resolve difficulties, we may attain in the use of them the same clear faith, which we should have had, had there been no difficulties in our way, while the very process of surmounting difficulties invigorates and exercises our minds. We have said thus much in deference to a common opinion, too often allowed to be reasonable, that Christian antiquity is perplexed with insolvable enigmas, with dark secrets, and that the utmost ingenuity is baffled in its exercise. This opinion is a mere bug-bear, a scare-crow, which men are frightened at after having made it themselves. Difficulties, which tax our patience and teaze our curiosity, undoubtedly there are. But there are infinitely fewer difficulties concerning the origin of our faith, than concerning any other subject which comes near to it in antiquity. Who can tell us anything satisfactory concerning the history of Egypt, the Hindoo religion, the ancient chronology, the birth-place of Homer, the tomb of Scipio Africanus, what route Hannibal took in crossing the Alps, — or concerning the thousand vexed questions of antiquity, which might be named? They all have their difficulties. Christian history has its difficulties, but they are all of little importance, of very little importance, compared with those transcendant facts which are stamped ineffaceably upon the annals of the world. One more remark may be made in relation to the difficulties of an historical character, in the way of verifying the contents of the New Testament. An objector says, it requires a knowledge of books to explain the questions and uncertainties which arise. Very true. But whence come these questions, uncertainties, and objections? They come from books too. The large majority of unbelievers offer their objections at second hand. They know nothing about the matter from their own inquiries. Those unbelievers, who originally move the objections, obtain them by reading and study. Now if books create the objections, it is perfectly, completely, and thoroughly fair that books should settle the objections. For the old maxim is a true one, that that is a poor rule which will not work both ways. Show us an objection to the truth of Christianity which does not come from books, and without books we will answer it; but if you search books for your objections, we must use books for our reply. We wish to know how Christianity first presented itself to those, who were out of the reach of oral instruction from the lips of its inspired teachers. The methods by which it first became known were by hearsay reports, and by the circulation of written documents. We look then to the Christian era, and after allowing sufficient time for the religion to become known in a narrow, and then in a wider sphere, we look for notices of it, at first indistinct, vague, and superficial, and then more at large and exact in the writings of subsequent times. Now it is certainly supposable, that our religion might have come down to us without any records at all. We could not declare beforehand that, if God should make a revelation to men, those who were his commissioned servants, after preaching the religion and planting its roots firmly in the world, would likewise write several memoirs and letters concerning it. This they might do, or they might leave undone, without at all affecting the truth of their religion, or putting it out of the power of subsequent generations to know of it, or to believe in it. It is certainly supposable, that Christianity might have been transmitted to our day by oral tradition, without any records whatever; or it might have had records written by those who had received it through one or more generations, not by its original witnesses. All this is supposable, and therefore, if we found any disposed to complain of scanty Christian records, we would ask him, what should hinder but that the religion might have been transmitted with no records at all, just as the knowledge of many of the most important arts, sciences, and customs is transmitted with no records at all? The art of building, - of managing children, of tilling the earth, of weaving, and various other subjects of human ingenuity and knowledge, are perpetuated by word of mouth, from father to son, from mother to child. Why might not the same process have perpetuated our religion? Some one may say that there are books on all the subjects which have been specified. Very true, there are;- but very few people read them. And there have been multitudes of good Christians; indeed, we may say, there have been many good Christian ministers, in the church of the early times and of the middle ages, who never owned or perused a copy of the Scriptures. Probably not more than one tenth part of the Christians now living have ever read the whole of the New Testament. Therefore we might say to any, who should complain of the scantiness of Christian records, be thankful for what you have, for you have more than you had any right to expect, more, indeed, than is absolutely necessary. And if any one is anxious to inquire for some proofs of the especial care of Providence for the interests of Christianity in this respect of its records, we may adduce some of these proofs; first, as regards the number; second, as regards the preservation of early writings, or notices of the Christians. There are four Gospels, one apostolical history, twenty-one epistles addressed to the first Christian churches, or ministers, and one book of Christian visions. There is no reason to suppose that a single line written by the hand of an apostle has been lost, and there is the most wonderful and sufficient proof, that we read their works as they left them behind them. We shall, by and bye, read the remarkable passage in the historian Tacitus, bearing the most unquestionable testimony to the numbers, the savage persecution, and fortitude of the Christians, in the lifetime of St. Paul, and the beautiful passage in Pliny's Letters upon their faith, their worship, and their sufferings. Now if we can ever detect special providences, we may in these instances. How should it happen that, when the annals and history of Tacitus, the Roman writer, are preserved to us only in a mutilated state, we should read, incorrupt and in its proper place, the invaluable testimony to Christianity? Again, a large part of Pliny's writings are lost, but the passage in which he refers to Christianity is found in the letters which remain. errors. He, who, familiar with the transmission of intelligence nowa-days by printing, by daily journals and books, and a taste for reading, should reason back upon these premises to ancient times and records, would soon find himself involved in many We must remember that records, in ancient times, were comparatively very few, very costly, and but little read. They were subject to all sorts of dangers, from which printed books are safe. More than all, we must remember that if a book or record is lost, the next best substitute we can have for it, is a well authenticated extract made from it, by one who wrote before it was lost, who had known of it, and used it. - We are thus led to ask for the earliest literary records of the appearance of Christianity, the first mention of it on the part of friends or foes. These records do come both from friends and foes; that is, from those who wrote in favor of Christianity, and from those who notice it without being its disciples. For the sake of methodical and distinct treatment, this whole subject may be parcelled out into the five following divisions, which we shall consider in succession. 1. The indistinct and superficial notices of Christianity which we might expect from its first chance observers. 2. The date, authorship, and preservation of its own records. |