Freethought Archives > Walter R. Cassels > Supernatural Religion
 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION


AN INQUIRY

INTO THE

REALITY OF DIVINE REVELATION


POPULAR EDITION
CAREFULLY REVISED

[ISSUED FOR THE RATIONALIST PRESS ASSOCIATION, LIMITED]
 
 
 LONDON:
WATTS & CO.
1902
[The right of translation is reserved]
 
 


"Credulity is as real, if not so great, a sin as unbelief."
Archbishop Trench, Notes on the Miracles of our Lord, 8th ed., p. 27.

"The abnegation of reason is not the evidence of faith, but the confession of despair."
Dr. Lightfoot, St. Paul's Epistle to the Galatians, 4th ed., p. ix.



 
  CONTENTS

    [PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION (1874)]

    PREFACE TO THE 1902 EDITION

    INTRODUCTION. xii

PART 1 - MIRACLES

CHAPTER ONE.  [Footnotes]
    MIRACLES IN RELATION TO CHRISTIANITY. 1

CHAPTER TWO.  [Footnotes]
    MIRACLES IN RELATION TO THE ORDER OF NATURE. 18

CHAPTER THREE.  [Footnotes]
    REASON IN RELATION TO THE ORDER OF NATURE. 33

CHAPTER FOUR.  [Footnotes]
    THE AGE OF MIRACLES. 55

CHAPTER FIVE.  [Footnotes]
    THE PERMANENT STREAM OF MIRACULOUS PRETENSION. 83

CHAPTER SIX.  [Footnotes]
    MIRACLES IN RELATION TO IGNORANCE AND SUPERSTITION. 109

PART 2 - THE SYNOPTIC GOSPELS

INTRODUCTION.  [Footnotes]
    NATURE OF THE EXAMINATION TO BE UNDERTAKEN, AND CANONS OF CRITICISM. 121

CHAPTER ONE.  [Footnotes]
    CLEMENT OF ROME. 128  
    THE EPISTLE OF BARNABAS. 137  
    THE PASTOR OF HERMAS. 148  
    THE TEACHING OF THE TWELVE APOSTLES. 149

CHAPTER TWO.  [Footnotes]
    THE EPISTLES OF IGNATIUS. 158  
    THE EPISTLE OF POLYCARP. 175

CHAPTER THREE.  
    JUSTIN MARTYR. 181   [Footnotes]
    JUSTIN MARTYR (CONT'D). 211
  [Footnotes]
    JUSTIN MARTYR (CONCL'D). 255
  [Footnotes]
CHAPTER FOUR.  [Footnotes]
    HEGESIPPUS. 268  
    PAPIAS OF HIERAPOLIS. 276

CHAPTER FIVE.  [Footnotes]
   THE CLEMENTINES. 299  
   THE EPISTLE TO DIOGNETUS. 320

CHAPTER SIX.   [Footnotes]
   BASILIDES. 322  
   VALENTINUS. 330

CHAPTER SEVEN.  [Footnotes]
   MARCION. 344

CHAPTER EIGHT.  [Footnotes]
   TATIAN. 366  
   DIONYSIUS OF CORINTH. 381

CHAPTER NINE.  [Footnotes]
   MELITO OF SARDIS. 387  
   CLAUDIUS APOLLINARIS. 395  
   ATHENAGORAS. 398  
   EPISTLE OF VIENNE AND LYONS. 404

CHAPTER TEN.  [Footnotes]
   PTOLOMAEUS AND HERACLEON. 408  
   CELSUS. 422  
   THE CANON OF MURATORI. 427

  RESULTS. 433

PART 3 - THE FOURTH GOSPEL

CHAPTER ONE.  
   THE EXTERNAL EVIDENCE. 435   [Footnotes]   
   THE EXTERNAL EVIDENCE (CONT'D). 459
  [Footnotes]
   THE EXTERNAL EVIDENCE (CONCL'D). 486
  [Footnotes]
CHAPTER TWO.  
   THE AUTHORSHIP AND CHARACTER OF THE FOURTH GOSPEL. 510   [Footnotes]
   THE AUTHORSHIP AND CHARACTER OF THE FOURTH GOSPEL (CONCL'D). 538
  [Footnotes]

PART 4 - THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

CHAPTER ONE.  [Footnotes]
   THE EXTERNAL EVIDENCE. 567

CHAPTER TWO.  [Footnotes]
   EVIDENCE REGARDING THE AUTHORSHIP. 585

CHAPTER THREE.  [Footnotes]
   HISTORICAL VALUE OF THE WORK. DESIGN AND COMPOSITION. 613

CHAPTER FOUR.  [Footnotes]
   HISTORICAL VALUE OF THE WORK, CONTINUED. PRIMITIVE CHRISTIANITY. 638

CHAPTER FIVE.  [Footnotes]
   VALUE OF THE WORK, CONTINUED. STEPHEN THE MARTYR. 659

CHAPTER SIX.  [Footnotes]
   HISTORICAL VALUE OF THE WORK, CONTINUED. PHILIP IN SAMARIA. PETER AND CORNELIUS. 673

CHAPTER SEVEN.  
   HISTORICAL VALUE OF THE WORK, CONTINUED. PAUL THE APOSTLE OF THE GENTILES. 686   [Footnotes]   
   HISTORICAL VALUE OF THE WORK (CONCL'D). 719
  [Footnotes]

PART 5 - THE DIRECT EVIDENCE FOR MIRACLES

CHAPTER ONE.
   THE EPISTLES AND THE APOCALYPSE. 753
CHAPTER TWO.  
   THE EVIDENCE OF PAUL. 756   [Footnotes]
   THE EVIDENCE OF PAUL (CONCL'D). 779
  [Footnotes]

PART 6 - THE RESURRECTION AND ASCENSION

CHAPTER ONE.  [Footnotes]
   THE RELATION OF EVIDENCE TO ITS SUBJECT. 801

CHAPTER TWO.  
   THE EVIDENCE OF THE GOSPELS. 808   [Footnotes]
   THE EVIDENCE OF THE GOSPELS (CONCL'D). 829
  [Footnotes]
CHAPTER THREE.  
   THE EVIDENCE OF PAUL. 851   [Footnotes]
   THE EVIDENCE OF PAUL (CONCL'D). 873
  [Footnotes]
  

CONCLUSIONS. 902


Index


[Notes on this HTML version of Supernatural Religion]