Page:Apocryphal Gospels and Other Documents Relating to the History of Christ.djvu/48

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Dr. Tischendorf's Essay, "on the Origin and Use of the Apocryphal Gospels," may now be mentioned. The author, among other things, shows the use made of them in supporting various doctrines and opinions concerning Christ, Mary, Joseph, the parents of Mary, the descent of Christ into the Underworld, and so forth. But inasmuch as they were written for such uses, I say no more of them here. He next proceeds to indicate the many evidences of their general and special influence in the Catholic Church, which condemned and yet adopted them. He then mentions the well known fact that Mohammed and other Arabic writers drew largely from the Christian Apocrypha. After this he resumes his illustrations from Church writers, who have accepted as facts what they have taken from the Apocryphal Gospels. His examples demonstrate that the fabric of ecclesiastical tradition is built up very much of fictions