At　first；　no　doubt；　the　LEGENDARY　theory　seems　a　little　TOO　far…fetched。　There　is　a　fashion　in　all　these　things；　and　it　MAY　be　that　there　is　a　fashion　even　here。　But　when　you　reflect　how　rapidly　legends　grow　up　even　in　these　days　of　exact　Science　and　an　omniscient　Press；　how　the　figure　of　Shakespeare；　dead　only　300　years；　is　almost　completely　lost　in　the　mist　of　Time；　and　even　the　authenticity　of　his　works　has　become　a　subject　of　controversy；　when　you　find　that　William　Tell；　supposed　to　have　lived　some　300　years　again　before　Shakespeare；　and　whose　deeds　in　minutest　detail　have　been　recited　and　honored　all　over　Europe；　is　almost　certainly　a　pure　invention；　and　never　existed；　when　you　rememberas　mentioned　earlier　in　this　book＇1＇that　it　was　more　than　five　hundred　years　after　the　supposed　birth　of　Jesus　before　any　serious　effort　was　made　to　establish　the　date　of　that　birthand　that　then　a　purely　mythical　date　was　chosen：　the　25th　December；　the　day　of　the　SUN'S　new　birth　after　the　winter　solstice；　and　the　time　of　the　supposed　birth　of　Apollo；　Bacchus；　and　the　other　Sungods；　when；　moreover；　you　think　for　a　moment　what　the　state　of　historical　criticism　must　have　been；　and　the　general　standard　of　credibility；　1；900　years　ago；　in　a　country　like　Syria；　and　among　an　ignorant　population；　where　any　story　circulating　from　lip　to　lip　was　assured　of　credence　if　sufficiently　marvelous　or　imaginative；why；　then　the　legendary　theory　does　not　seem　so　improbable。　There　is　no　doubt　that　after　the　destruction　of　Jerusalem　（in　A。D。　70）；　little　groups　of　believers　in　a　redeeming　'Christ'　were　formed　there　and　in　other　places；　just　as　there　had　certainly　existed；　in　the　first　century　B。C。；　groups　of　Gnostics；　Therapeutae；　Essenes　and　others　whose　teachings　were　very　SIMILAR　to　the　Christian；　and　there　was　now　a　demand　from　many　of　these　groups　for　'writings'　and　'histories'　which　should　hearten　and　confirm　the　young　and　growing　Churches。　The　Gospels　and　Epistles；　of　which　there　are　still　extant　a　great　abundance；　both　apocryphal　and　canonical；　met　this　demand；　but　how　far　their　records　of　the　person　of　Jesus　of　Nazareth　are　reliable　history；　or　how　far　they　are　merely　imaginative　pictures　of　the　kind　of　man　the　Saviour　might　be　expected　to　be；＇2＇　is　a　question　which；　as　I　have　already　said；　is　a　difficult　one　for　skilled　critics　to　answer；　and　one　on　which　I　certainly　have　no　intention　of　giving　a　positive　verdict。　Personally　I　must　say　I　think　the　'legendary'　solution　quite　likely；　and　in　some　ways　more　satisfactory　than　the　opposite　onefor　the　simple　reason　that　it　seems　much　more　encouraging　to　suppose　that　the　story　of　Jesus；　（gracious　and　beautiful　as　it　is）　is　a　myth　which　gradually　formed　itself　in　the　conscience　of　mankind；　and　thus　points　the　way　of　humanity's　future　evolution；　than　to　suppose　it　to　be　the　mere　record　of　an　unique　and　miraculous　interposition　of　Providence；　which　depended　entirely　on　the　powers　above；　and　could　hardly　be　expected　to　occur　again。
  ＇1＇　Ch。　II。
  ＇2＇　One　of　Celsus'　accusations　against　the　Christians　was　that　their　Gospels　had　been　written　〃several　times　over〃　（see　Origen；　Contra　Celsum；　ii。　26；　27）。
  However；　the　question　is　not　what　we　desire；　but　what　we　can　prove　to　be　the　actual　fact。　And　certainly　the　difficulties　in　the　way　of　regarding　the　Gospel　story　（or　stories；　for　there　is　not　one　consistent　story）　as　TRUE　are　enormous。　If　anyone　will　read；　for　instance；　in　the　four　Gospels；　the　events　of　the　night　preceding　the　crucifixion　and　reckon　the　time　which　they　would　necessarily　have　taken　to　enact　the　Last　Supper；　the　agony　in　the　Garden；　the　betrayal　by　Judas；　the　haling　before　Caiaphas　and　the　Sanhedrin；　and　then　before　Pilate　in　the　Hall　of　judgment　（though　courts　for　the　trial　of　malefactors　do　not　GENERALLY　sit　in　the　middle　of　the　night）；　thenin　Lukethe　interposed　visit　to　Herod；　and　the　RETURN　to　Pilate；　Pilate's　speeches　and　washing　of　hands　before　the　crowd；　then　the　scourging　and　the　mocking　and　the　arraying　of　Jesus　in　purple　robe　as　a　king；　then　the　preparation　of　a　Cross　and　the　long　and　painful　journey　to　Golgotha；　and　finally　the　Crucifixion　at　sunrise；he　will　seeas　has　often　been　pointed　out　that　the　whole　story　is　physically　impossible。　As　a　record　of　actual　events　the　story　is　impossible；　but　as　a　record　or　series　of　notes　derived　from　the　witnessing　of　a　〃mystery…　play〃and　such　plays　with　VERY　SIMILAR　incidents　were　common　enough　in　antiquity　in　connection　with　cults　of　a　dying　Savior；　it　very　likely　IS　true　（one　can　see　the　very　dramatic　character　of　the　incidents：　the　washing　of　hands；　the　threefold　denial　by　Peter；　the　purple　robe　and　crown　of　thorns；　and　so　forth）；　and　as　such　it　is　now　accepted　by　many　well…qualified　authorities。＇1＇
  ＇1＇　Dr。　Frazer　in　The　Golden　Bough　（vol。　ix；　〃The　Scapegoat；〃　p。　400）　speaks　of　the　frequency　in　antiquity　of　a　Mystery…play　relating　to　a　God…man　who　gives　his　life　and　blood　for　the　people；　and　he　puts　forward　tentatively　and　by　no　means　dogmatically　the　following　note：〃Such　a　drama；　if　we　are　right；　was　the　original　story　of　Esther　and　Mordecai；　or　（to　give　their　older　names）　Ishtar　and　Marduk。　It　was　played　in　Babylonia；　and　from　Babylonia　the　returning　Captives　brought　it　to　Judaea；　where　it　was　acted；　rather　as　an　historical　than　a　mythical　piece；　by　players　who；　having　to　die　in　grim　earnest　on　a　cross　or　gallows；　were　naturally　drawn　from　the　gaol　rather　than　the　green…room。　A　chain　of　causes；　which　because　we　cannot　follow　them　mightin　the　loose　language　of　common　lifebe　called　an　accident；　determined　that　the　part　of　the　dying　god　in　this　annual　play　should　be　thrust　upon　Jesus　of　Nazareth；　whom　the　enemies　he　had　made　in　high　places　by　his　outspoken　strictures　were　resolved　to　put　out　of　the　way。〃　See　also　vol。　iv；　〃The　Dying　God；〃　in　the　same　book。
  There　are　many　other　difficulties。　The　raising　of　Lazarus；　already　dead　three　days；　the　turning　of　water　into　wine　（a　miracle　attributed　to　Bacchus；　of　old）；　the　feeding　of　the　five　thousand；　and　others　of　the　marvels　are；　to　say　the　least；　not　easy　of　digestion。　The　〃Sermon　on　the　Mount〃　which；　with　the　〃Lord's　Prayer〃　embedded　in　it；　forms　the　great　and　accepted　repository　of　'Christian'　teaching　and　piety；　is　well　known　to　be　a　collection　of　sayings　from　pre…christian　writings；　including　the　Psalms；　Isaiah；　Ecclesiasticus；　the　Secrets　of　Enoch；　the　Shemonehesreh　（a　book　of　Hebrew　prayers）；　and　others；　and　the　fact　that　this　collection　was　really　made　AFTER　the　time　of　Jesus；　and　could　not　have　originated　from　him；　is　clear　from　the　stress　which　it　lays　on　〃persecutions〃　and　〃false　prophets〃things　which　were　certainly　not　a　source　of　trouble　at　the　time　Jesus　is　supposed　to　be　speaking；　though　they　were　at　a　later　timeas　well　as　from　the　occurrence　of　the　word　〃Gentiles；〃　which　being　here　used　apparently　in　contra…　distinction　to　〃Christians〃　could　not　well　be　appropriate　at　a　time　when　no　recognized　Christian　bodies　as　yet　existed。
  But　the　most　remarkable　point　in　this　connection　is　the　absolute　silence　of　the　Gospel　of　Mark　on　the　subject　of　the　Resurrection　and　Ascensionthat　is；　of　the　ORIGINAL　Gospel；　for　it　is　now　allowed　on　all　hands　that　the　twelve　verses　Mark　xvi。　9　to　the　end；　are　a　later　insertion。　Considering　the　nature　of　this　event；　astounding　indeed；　if　physically　true；　and　unique　in　the　history　of　the　world；　it　is　strange　that　this　Gospelthe　earliest　written　of　the　four　Gospels；　and　nearest　in　time　to　the　actual　evidence　makes　no　mention　of　it。　The　next　Gospel　in　point　of　time　that　of　Matthewmentions　the　matter　rather　briefly　and　timidly；　and　reports　the　story　that　the　body　had　been　STOLEN　from　the　sepulchre。　Luke　enlarges　considerably　and　gives　a　whole　long　chapter　to　the　resurrection　and　ascension；　while　the　Fourth　Gospel；　written　fully　twenty　years　later　stillsay　about　A。　D。　120gives　two　chapters　and　a　GREAT　VARIETY　OF　DETAILS！
  This　increase　of　detail；　however；　as　one　gets　farther　and　farther　from　the　actual　event　is　just　what　one　always　finds；　as　I　have　said　before；　in　legendary　traditions。　A　very　interesting　example　of　this　has　lately　come　to　light　in　the　case　of　the　traditions　concerning　the　life　and　death　of　the　Persian　Bab。　The　Bab；　as　most　of　my　readers　will　know；　was　the　Founder　of　a　great　religious　movement　which　now　numbers　（or　numbered　before　the　Great　War）　some　millions　of　adherents；　chiefly　Mahommedans；　Christians；　Jews　and　Parsees。　The　period　of　his　missionary　activity　was　from　1845　to　1850。　His　Gospel　was　singularly　like　that　of　Jesusa　gospel　of　love　to　mankindonly　（as　might　be　expected　from　the　difference　of　date）　with　an　even　wider　and　more　deliberate　inclusion　of　all　classes；　creeds　and　races；　sinners　and　saints；　and　the　incidents　and　entourage　of　his　ministry　were　also　singularly　similar。　He　was　born　at　Shiraz　in　1820；　and　growing　up　a　promising　boy　and　youth；　fell　at　the　age　Of　21　under　the　influence　of　a　certain　Seyyid　Kazim；　leader　of　a　heterodox　sect；　and　a　kind　of　fore…runner　or　John　the　Baptist　to　the　Bab。　The　result　was　a　period　of　mental　trouble　（like　the　〃temptation　in　the　wilderness〃）；　after　which　the　youth　returned　to　Shiraz　and　at　the　age　of　twenty…five　began　his　own　mission。　His　real　name　was　Mirza　Ali　Muhammad；　but　he　called　himself　then