Book contents
- Frontmatter
- PREFACE
- Contents
- ERRATA
- CHAPTER I Historical sketch, from the Babylonish captivity to the death of Jesus
- CHAPTER II Historical sketch, continued to the end of the first century
- CHAPTER III On the date and credibility of the Gospel of Matthew
- CHAPTER IV On the date and credibility of the Gospel of Mark
- CHAPTER V On the date and credibility of the Gospel of Luke
- CHAPTER VI On the date and credibility of the Gospel of John
- CHAPTER VII Examination of the accounts of the Resurrection and Ascension
- CHAPTER VIII Remarks on the other miracles in the four Gospels
- CHAPTER IX General objections to the miracles of Jesus
- CHAPTER X Remarks on the miracles in the Acts of the Apostles
- CHAPTER XI On the evidence afforded to the miracles by the apostolic writings
- CHAPTER XII On the prophecies
- CHAPTER XIII On the parts of Isaiah supposed to relate to Christ
- CHAPTER XIV On the book of Daniel
- CHAPTER XV Whether Jesus foretold his own death and resurrection
- CHAPTER XVI On the character, views, and doctrine of Jesus
- CHAPTER XVII Comparison of the precepts of Jesus with the Jewish writings
- CHAPTER XVIII Concluding reflections
- APPENDIX
- Frontmatter
- PREFACE
- Contents
- ERRATA
- CHAPTER I Historical sketch, from the Babylonish captivity to the death of Jesus
- CHAPTER II Historical sketch, continued to the end of the first century
- CHAPTER III On the date and credibility of the Gospel of Matthew
- CHAPTER IV On the date and credibility of the Gospel of Mark
- CHAPTER V On the date and credibility of the Gospel of Luke
- CHAPTER VI On the date and credibility of the Gospel of John
- CHAPTER VII Examination of the accounts of the Resurrection and Ascension
- CHAPTER VIII Remarks on the other miracles in the four Gospels
- CHAPTER IX General objections to the miracles of Jesus
- CHAPTER X Remarks on the miracles in the Acts of the Apostles
- CHAPTER XI On the evidence afforded to the miracles by the apostolic writings
- CHAPTER XII On the prophecies
- CHAPTER XIII On the parts of Isaiah supposed to relate to Christ
- CHAPTER XIV On the book of Daniel
- CHAPTER XV Whether Jesus foretold his own death and resurrection
- CHAPTER XVI On the character, views, and doctrine of Jesus
- CHAPTER XVII Comparison of the precepts of Jesus with the Jewish writings
- CHAPTER XVIII Concluding reflections
- APPENDIX
Summary
To those whose interest is already so much awakened upon the subject of the divine origin of Christianity, that they feel the necessity of arriving at some certain conclusion, more than they fear any possible results to which such inquiries may lead, this attempt to contribute to the solution of this difficult question is offered.
The hypothesis, that there is a mixture of truth and fable in the four Gospels, has been admitted, in different degrees, by many critics bearing the Christian name. The same method of free investigation which led Priestley and Belsham to throw doubt upon the truth of the opening chapters of Matthew and Luke, may allow other inquirers to make further excisions from the Gospel history. The reasons given by those eminent critics for proceeding so far may appear more valid than any which can be urged for stopping where they did. The right of private judgment in the separation of truth from fiction being once accorded, the precise limits which ought to be assigned to the credible portion of the miraculous narratives are far from being obvious ; and the ascertaining of these limits becomes a matter of interesting research to all who wish to know what they are to believe or disbelieve on the subject of the Christian religion.
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- An Inquiry Concerning the Origin of Christianity , pp. iii - viiiPublisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2010First published in: 1838