in the foundation or
adaptation of the Christian religion. But I am bound to point out the
probability that the Gospels have been tampered with by unscrupulous or
over-zealous men. That probability is very strong, and very important.

In the first place, it is too well known to make denial possible
that many Gospels have been rejected by the Church as doubtful or as
spurious. In the second place, some of the books in the accepted canon
are regarded as of doubtful origin. In the third place, certain passages
of the Gospels have been relegated to the margin by the translators of
the Revised Version of the New Testament. In the fourth place, certain
historic Christian evidence--as the famous interpolation in Josephus,
for instance--has been branded as forgeries by eminent Christian
scholars.

Many of the Christian fathers were holy men; many priests have been, and
are, honourable and sincere; but it is notorious that in every Church
the world has ever known there has been a great deal of fraud and
forgery and deceit. I do not say this with any bitterness, I do not wish
to emphasise it; but I must go so far as to show that the conduct
of some of the early Christians was of a character to justify us in
believing that the Scriptures have been seriously tampered with.

Mosheim, writing on this subject, says:

A pernicious maxim which was current in the schools, not only
of the Egyptians, the Platonists, and the Pythagoreans, but
also of the Jews, was very early recognised by the Christians,
and soon found among them numerous patrons--namely, that those
who made it their business to deceive, with a view of promoting
the cause of truth, were deserving rather of commendation than
of censure.

And if we seek internal evidence in support of this charge we need go no
further than St. Paul, who is reported (Rom. iii. 7) as saying: "For if
the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto His Glory, why
yet am I also judged as a sinner?" I do not for a moment suppose that
Paul ever wrote those words. But they are given as his in the Epistle
bearing his name. I daresay they may be interpreted in more than one
way: my point is that they were interpreted in an evil way by many
primitive Christians, who took them as a warranty that it was right to
lie for the glory of God.

Mosheim, writing of the Church of the fifth century, alludes to the

Base audacity of those who did not blush to