Ever yours very faithfully,

T.H.  Huxley.

[Shortly afterwards, he received a long and rambling letter in connection with this subject.  Referring to the passage in the first article, “the apostolic injunction to ‘suffer fools gladly’ should be the rule of life of a true agnostic,” the writer began by begging him “to ‘suffer gladly’ one fool more,” and after several pages wound up with a variation of the same phrase.  It being impossible to give any valid answer to his hypothetical inquiries, Huxley could not resist the temptation to take the opening thus offered him, and replied:—­]

Sir,

I beg leave to acknowledge your letter.  I have complied with the request preferred in its opening paragraph.

Faithfully yours,

T.H.  Huxley.

[The following letter also arises out of this controversy:—­

Its occasion (writes Mr. Taylor) was one which I had written on seeing an article in which he referred to the Persian sect of the Babis.  I had read with much interest the account of it in Count Gobineau’s book, and was much struck with the points of likeness to the foundation of Christianity, and the contrast between the subsequent history of the two; I asked myself how, given the points of similarity, to account for the contrast; is it due to the Divine within the one, or the human surroundings?  This question I put to Professor Huxley, with many apologies for intruding on his leisure, and a special request that he would not suffer himself to be further troubled by any reply.]

To Mr. Robert Taylor.

4 Marlborough Place, N.W., June 8, 1889.

Sir,

In looking through a mass of papers, before I leave England for some months among the mountains in search of health, I have come upon your letter of 7th March.  As a rule I find that out of the innumerable letters addressed to me, the only ones I wish to answer are those the writers of which are considerate enough to ask that they may receive no reply, and yours is no exception.

The question you put is very much to the purpose:  a proper and full answer would take up many pages; but it will suffice to furnish the heads to be filled up by your own knowledge.

1.  The Church founded by Jesus has not made its way; has not permeated the world—­but did become extinct in the country of its birth—­as Nazarenism and Ebionism.

2.  The Church that did make its way and coalesced with the State in the 4th century had no more to do with the Church founded by Jesus than Ultramontanism has with Quakerism.  It is Alexandrian Judaism and Neoplatonistic mystagogy, and as much of the old idolatry and demonology as could be got in under new or old names.

3.  Paul has said that the Law was schoolmaster to Christ with more truth than he knew.  Throughout the Empire the synagogues had their cloud of Gentile hangers-on—­those who “feared God”—­and who were fully prepared to accept a Christianity which was merely an expurgated Judaism and the belief in Jesus as the Messiah.