ostles in the epistle, and
the source from which the writers obtained their information about
Stephen, is, of course, not stated. If there really was a martyr of
the name of Stephen, and if these words were actually spoken by him,
the tradition of the fact, and the memory of his noble saying, may
well have remained in the Church, or have been recorded in writings
then current, from one of which, indeed, eminent critics (as Bleek,
Ewald, Meyer, Neander, De Wette) conjecture that the author of Acts
derived his materials, and in this case the passage obviously does
not prove the use of the Acts. If, on the other hand, there never
was such a martyr by whom the words were spoken, and the whole story
must be considered an original invention by the author of Acts,
then, in that case, and in that case only, the passage does show the
use of the Acts. Supposing that the use of Acts be held to be thus
indicated, what does this prove? Merely that the 'Acts of the
Apostles' were in existence in the year 177-178, when the epistle of
Vienne and Lyons was written. No light whatever would thus be thrown
upon the question of its authorship; and neither its credibility nor
its sufficiency to prove the reality of a cycle of miracles would be
in the slightest degree established." [143:2]

Apart from the question of the sufficiency of evidence actually under
examination, however, I have never suggested, much less asserted, that
the "Acts of the Apostles" was not in existence at this date. The only
interest attachable to the question is, as I have before said, the
paucity of the testimony regarding the book, to demonstrate which it has
been necessary to discuss all such supposed allusions. But the
apologetic argument characteristically ignores the fact that "many took
in hand" at an early date to set forth the Christian story, and that the
books of our New Testament did not constitute the whole of Christian
literature in circulation in the early days of the Church.

I need not go with any minuteness into the alleged quotation from the
fourth Gospel. "There shall come a time in which whosoever killeth you
will think that he doeth God service." The Gospel has: "There cometh an
hour when," &c., and, as no source is named, it is useless to maintain
that the use of this Gospel, and the impossibility of the use of any
other, is proved. If even this were conceded, the passag