Page:An analysis of religious belief (1877).djvu/277

 the purely spiritual vision granted to Paul, which was not even seen by his traveling companions, is placed by him exactly on a level with all the other reappearances of Christ, the physical reality of which so much trouble has been taken to prove?

Comparing now the several narratives of the resurrection with one another, we find this general result. In Mark, Jesus is said to have appeared three times:—

1. To Mary Magdalene. 2. To two disciples. 3. To the disciples at meat.

Two such appearances only are recorded in Matthew:—

1. To the women. 2. To the eleven in Galilee.

In Luke he appears:—

1. To Cleopas and his companion. 2. To Peter. 3. To the eleven and others.

In the two last chapters of John the appearances amount to four:—

1. To Mary Magdalene. 2. To the disciples without Thomas. 3. To the disciples with Thomas. 4. To several disciples on the Tiberias lake.

Paul extends them to six:—

1. To Peter. 2. To the twelve. 3. To more than 500. 4. To James. 5. To all the apostles. 6. To Paul.

Upon this most momentous question, then, every one of the Christian writers is at variance with every other. Nor is this all, for two of the number bring the earthly career of Jesus to its final close in a manner so extraordinary that we cannot even imagine the occurrence of such an event, of necessity so notorious and so impressive, to have been believed by the other