Page:The Archko Volume (1896).djvu/45

Rh some court. I know that Pilate was a Roman officer, and his actions were watched closely and all his public acts had to be recorded upon the Roman dockets.

I do not see why these records should have been destroyed. I am convinced the Jews at that day were looking for a Redeemer, and when the great excitement was reported at Bethlehem it would be not unreasonable that the Jews should make an investigation of the matter; and, again, I know if the Scriptures are true Mary was subject to the death-penalty unless she could satisfactorily prove her innocence. I was convinced the Jews must have looked into this matter, and that it would be found recorded somewhere. I knew that if there were such a man as they represented Jesus to be, he could not be tried in the high priest's court and condemned to death, and executed by the Roman authorities, unless there were some record made of it by both the Jews and Romans. Here we have the whole of these records, and why are they not true? They comport with the Bible; they are just the records we should expect from the Scriptures; they were made or dated at the right time; they came from the place where these records were made; they were written in the same language that was used at that time. Now, if all this is so, why are they not true?

I offer this book to the public feeling assured it can do no harm to anyone or to any church, but that it will be read by thousands with great interest, and will convince the infidel of the truth of the