Page:TheYoungMansGuide.djvu/48

 2. In the  first  place,  there  is  no  disputing  the fact that  the  authorship  of  the  Gospels  has  not only been  ascribed  to  these  four  men,  Matthew, Mark, Luke,  and  John,  but  that  they,  and  they alone, did  write  them  in  very  deed. And to  this fact the  Fathers  of  the  Church  who  lived  and wrote in  the  time  immediately  succeeding  the apostolic ages,  and  numerous  Christian  theologians who  shed  their  blood  for  the  Faith,  bear unhesitating witness;  heretics,  moreover,  do  the same, inasmuch  as  they  endeavor  to  prove  their false religious  opinions  by  quotations  from  the Gospel; the  Talmud  also,  the  modern  legal  code of the  Jews,  acknowledges  the  gospel  miracles  as facts;  finally.,  the  heathen  sages,  Celsus  and Porphyrius, and  even  the  apostate  emperor, Julian, who  poured  scorn  and  contempt  upon  the religion he  had  so  basely  abandoned,  did  not attempt to  deny  that  the  life  of  Christ  was written by  the  four  evangelists.

3. Furthermore,  these  writers  of  the  Gospel, these witnesses  for  the  truth  of  it,  are  entirely trustworthy; their  testimony  is  absolutely  reliable. In the  first  place,  they  were  in  a  position to tell  the  truth,  since  they  were  well  acquainted with the  facts. Who indeed  could  better  know the truth  than  St. Matthew and  St.  John,  who received their  vocation  as  apostles  from  the divine Redeemer  Himself,  and  who  were  privileged to  be  His  constant  companions,  to  hear His words  and  behold  His  wonderful  works? And the  two  other  evangelists,  St. Mark and  St. Luke,  were  fully  acquainted  with  the  life  of Christ,  because  they  wrote  their  gospels  at  the suggestion and  under  the  direction  of  two  apostles, St. Peter and  St. Paul.

4. No  reasonable  man  can  doubt  that  the  holy