Page:History of the First Council of Nice.djvu/16

6 had heard from one of the fathers that the book of Judith was approved at Nicæa. But no other early writer mentions it. Historians often remark that the fathers had a way of interpreting Scripture different from ours, in these days. Constantine, in his "Oration to the Saints," speaks of the Garden of Eden as being located in some other world; and this was the belief of Tertullian and several other Christian writers, as Tatian, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Jerome, &c. We can't help mistrusting the sincerity of some of the early Greek converts, who, immediately upon espousing the new religion, began to write books and sign the names of celebrated apostles or martyrs to their devout productions. The Epistle to the Hebrews, ascribed to Paul, is one of these. But it was so well done that many were willing to accept it as inspired. All the best critics say it cannot be Paul's writing, although it seems to contain his ideas, expressed by some other author.

The Apocalypse is another doubtful book. Modern criticism even rejects portions of the four evangelists. It would be remarkable that an unlettered Galilean, should have introduced into his book the Platonic "Logos," that is, "Word," just as the great philosopher used it, and laid the very bottom foundation of the Nicene creed. Does any one nowadays undertake to prove that John, the disciple of Jesus, wrote that book, or even dictated it?

Then there was a work called the Shepherd of Hermas, that many early Christians took to be inspired; but they couldn't tell who was the author. It was made to sell to the faithful, simple souls, who looked only at the surface of such works. The story pleased them, being in saintly style, although a rather low style.