The external evidence provides two radically divergent answers to the question concerning the authorship of the collection, the first answer that it is a Christian collection, the second that it is purely of pagan inspiration without trace of Christianity in it. The internal evidence shows that both views are exaggerations of the truth, which is simply that a Christian compiler has edited, carefully revised and modified a previous pagan collection (or perhaps collections). His Christian beliefs have thoroughly determined his selection from and subtle modifications of the pagan material which he used. He was discriminating, and what he omitted is as significant as what he included. Jerome comments upon the absence of the name of Christ and of the apostles. In 1–451 there is likewise a striking absence of anything spectacularly pagan (though this is no longer true of the appendices, cf. 461–4). There are no maxims offensively redolent of their ethnic origin. To many, as will appear, he has made minor but always significant adjustments, where they were capable of being adapted for his purpose. In a number of cases the compiler coins maxims entirely of his own minting, and many of these are strongly marked with the characteristic stamp of traditional Christian terminology. But it is a striking fact that even where the Christian inspiration is most obvious the vocabulary and form are carefully touched up so as to bring it more into line with the style of the pagan maxims, mainly of Pythagorean origin.