Ignatius (of whose death I heard, but of which I wish particulars) and those who were with him.’  But even the Greek could not be forced into such a meaning as this; and, moreover, there is no reason to impugn the Latin translation, except the peculiar difficulty presented by a comparison with the ninth chapter.” [21:2] Dr. Lightfoot, however, does impugn it.  It is apparently his habit to impugn translations.  He accuses the ancient Latin translator of freely handling the tenses of a Greek text which the critic himself has never seen.  Here it is Dr. Lightfoot’s argument which is “wrecked upon this rock of grammar.”

The next example of the “weightier facts and lines of reasoning” of apologists which I have ignored is as follows:—­

“Again, when he devotes more than forty pages to the discussion of Papias, why does he not even mention the view maintained by Dr. Westcott and others (and certainly suggested by a strict interpretation of Papias’ own words), that this father’s object, in his ‘Exposition,’ was not to construct a new evangelical narrative, but to interpret and to illustrate by oral tradition one already lying before him in written documents?  This view, if correct, entirely alters the relation of Papias to the written Gospels; and its discussion was a matter of essential importance to the main question at issue.” [22:1]

I reply that the object of my work was not to discuss views advanced without a shadow of evidence, contradicted by the words of Papias himself, and absolutely incapable of proof.  My object was the much more practical and direct one of ascertaining whether Papias affords any evidence with regard to our Gospels which could warrant our believing in the occurrence of miraculous events for which they are the principal testimony.  Even if it could be proved, which it cannot be, that Papias actually had “written documents” before him, the cause of our Gospels would not be one jot advanced, inasmuch as it could not be shown that these documents were our Gospels; and the avowed preference of Papias for tradition over books, so clearly expressed, implies anything but respect for any written documents with which he was acquainted.  However important such a discussion may appear to Dr. Lightfoot in the absence of other evidence, it is absolutely devoid of value in an enquiry into the reality of Divine Revelation.

The next “sample” of these ignored “weightier facts and lines of reasoning” given by Dr. Lightfoot is the following: 

“Again, when he reproduces the Tuebingen fallacy respecting ’the strong prejudice’ of Hegesippus against St. Paul, and quotes the often-quoted passage from Stephanus Gobarus, in which this writer refers to the language of Hegesippus condemning the use of the words, ‘Eye hath not seen,’ &c., why does he not state that these words were employed by heretical teachers to justify their rites of initiation, and consequently ‘apologetic’ writers contend