Theophilus, (Lardner, Cred. part ii. vol. i. p. 429.) bishop of
Antioch, the sixth in succession from the apostles, and who flourished
little more than a century after the books of the New Testament were
written, having occasion to quote one of our Gospels, writes thus:
"These things the Holy Scriptures teach us, and all who were moved by
the Holy Spirit, among whom John says, In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God." Again: "Concerning the righteousness which
the law teaches, the like things are to be found in the prophets and the
Gospels, because that all, being inspired, spoke by one and the same
Spirit of God." (Lardner, Cred. part ii. vol. i. p. 448.) No words can
testify more strongly than these do, the high and peculiar respect in
which these books were holden.
II. A writer against Artemon, (Lardner, Cred. part ii. vol. iii. p. 40.)
who may be supposed to come about one hundred and fifty-eight years
after the publication of the Scripture, in a passage quoted by
Eusebius, uses these expressions: "Possibly what they (our adversaries)
say, might have been credited, if first of all the Divine Scriptures did
not contradict them; and then the writings of certain brethren more
ancient than the times of Victor.
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