ganism?-Query. What justice is it that makes that to be right in the one, which would have been wrong in the other?

Oakham Castle, Sept. 6, 1828.

Your's truly,

ROBERT TAYLOR.

"In the name of God, One in his Essence, and Three in his

Persons."

THE GOSPEL OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR
JESUS CHRIST,

As preached by himself. Now first rendered into English from a Version of an Arabian Manuscript, preserved in the Royal Library at Paris. By ROBERT TAYLOR, A.B. Respectfully and gratefully presented to RICHARD CARLILE.

20th Luke, v. 1.—“ And it came to pass, that on one of those days, as he taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel."—What gospel! Behold it here!

Oakham, 1828.

PROLEGOMENA.

1. It is as impossible that the four received Gospels can contain all that Jesus Christ ever said or did, as it is that anything which such a personage ever did or said, should be unworthy of being recorded.

2. It is as impossible that the gospel which Christ himself is said to have preached, could have been anything like the gospels which were preached after his death and resurrection, as it is, that those events should have been related before they had happened.

3. It is as impossible that the Gospel which was preached by Christ himself, should be of less consequence to our salvation, than the Gospels preached by his Disciples, as it is that the servant should be greater than his lord.

It is as impossible that this Gospel should be the contrivance of an enemy of the Christian faith, as it is that an enemy of the Christian faith should have laboured to confer all possible honour upon it.

It is as impossible that this Gospel should not have been earlier in time than the received Gospels, as it is that a work should be quoted before it had been written.

It is as impossible that this Gospel, being demonstrably the work of a Christian, should not have acknowledged the paramount authority of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, had those Gospels been the basis of the Christian religion, when this was written, as that its writer should have been a Christian and not a Christian at the same time.

It is as impossible that this Gospel should not have been written before the received Gospels, as it is that it should have had a chance of succeeding, had it been written after them.

The general moral of this Gospel is unexceptionably pure and good.

The style is strikingly simple and unaffected.

The doctrine entirely orthodox.

Its exhibition of the character of Christ highly honourable to him.

The account of the immaculate conception, as resting on the declaration of Joseph, who alone was to be satisfied in that respect, is assumed both by Matthew and Luke, it could not possibly have been derived from any other authority than this.

The express assurance of the Apostolic Constitutions—a work early enough to be ascribed to Clemens Romanus-the companion of St. Paul-" that Simon and Cleobius had composed books, and given them general circulation among Christians, under the name of Christ, and that this Simon and Cleobius were hæretici antiquissimi-the most ancient heretics-constitutes a cumulative presumption in favour of the claims of this holy gospel."-See Syntagma of the Evidences, p. 74.

In a word, there is not so much as a single plausible argument for the authenticity of the received Gospels, that will not hold with equal effect for this, nor a single objection that can be adduced against it, but what will tell in parity of argument equally against them.

Oakham Gaol,
May 23, 1828.

THE TRANSLATOR.

The Preface of GEORGE WALLIN to this Apocryphal History, as first edited by him in Arabic and Latin, with notes, at Leipsic, 1722-4.

The codex from whence we took this, is the four hundred and thirty-second among the Arabic manuscripts, (in the Royal Library at Paris,) containing five different treatises. 1. The Disputation of a Monk and a celebrated Philosopher, with a certain Vizier of Africa. 2. The sayings of the Fathers concerning the doctrines of Christ, especially of John Chrysostom. 3. The Twelve Miracles of the Virgin Mary, in a certain place called Banhal Asali, (perhaps in Egypt.) 4. The History of Joseph. 5. Prayers and Hymns.

If we consider its internal characters, the subject, the doctrines, the manner of writing, the all-but every thing, it seems to accord more with the ancient manners and doctrine of the eastern nations, than with those of the present day. The style throughout is humble, and most simple, far removed from the little flowers and metaphors, especially the far-fetched ones of

the more modern Arabian, it is mostly in the same style as the pseudo-Gospel of the Infancy, with which it is written together.

We hardly think it was written at first in Arabic; for thus conjecturing, the impurity of the Arabic language, gave us the first handle, for it abounds with defects and solecisms, which perhaps, not unjustly we consider, should be attributed rather to some less accurate translator, than to an author certainly acquainted with the style and genius of his own tongue.

We have also the opinion of Henry Sike, who believed that even the Gospel of the Infancy was translated out of the Greek, the Syriac, or some other eastern language, into the Arabic idiom. If we were minded here to mention other apocryphal · books, not a few of them are said to have been written in Hebrew, as the Gospel of Nicodemus, the Gospel according to the Hebrews, which has been rashly confounded by some who have followed the authority of Papias, with the genuine Gospel of St. · Matthew; also the Apostolic History of Abdias. And why do we delay thee with many words, benevolent reader, accept every thing in a few.

The History of Joseph the Carpenter, was composed in the Hebrew language, of which Isidore of Isolane formerly read a Latin version, made in the year 1340.

In the Acts of the Saints, vol. 3, March 19, page 7, the Coptic Kalendars mark the festival of Joseph on the 20th July, and in the book of the Synedria of the Hebrews, preserved by Selden, at the bottom, is expressly added, (this festival) of the carpenter. And Isidore of Isolane testifies, that the Catholics of the east were used to keep this day with great veneration, and that they read in their churches, a certain life of the holy Joseph, of which he having found a Latin version, rendered from the Hebrew in the year 1340, preserved an epitome, omitting many things, which by the devout of the holy Roman church, whose truth, under the grace of Christ, cannot be deficient, should by no means be received. In this (epitome) however, Christ himself, to whom the whole narration is ascribed, is represented as concluding it at the end of the 29th chapter. La Croze takes the whole history to be the offspring of some eastern Nestorian.

The original Preface, from the Arabic.

In the name of God, One in his Essence, and Trine in his Person.

The history of the death of our Father, the Holy Old Man Joseph the Carpenter; may his blessings and prayers preserve us all, O brethren. Amen.

His whole life was a hundred and eleven years, and his migration out of this world was on the twenty-sixth (day) of the

month Abib,* which answers to the month Ab. May his prayer

save us.

Amen.

And truly our Lord Jesus Christ himself it was, who related this history to his pure disciples in Mount Olivet, and all his labour and the consummation of his days.

And the holy apostles preserved this his discourse, and having committed it to writing, (literis consignatum) they deposited it in the library at Jerusalem. May their prayers save us.

NOTES BY THE TRANSLATOR.

66

Amen.

As orthodox Christians cannot doubt that the doctrine of the Trinity is strictly primitive, the explicit form of its avowal at the beginning of this holy book, is indicative of its high antiquity. The formulary, may their prayers save us,' is found at the end of all the ancient manuscripts of inspired writings. At the end of the Syriac MS. of the four Gospels, the most ancient in existence, the form is, "whom we entreat to pray for us:" the persons so honoured being Mar Maris, and Mar-Mar Adæus, who are called Apostles. Even in the book of Job, we trace the antiquity of a belief in the intercession of the Saints; and as Christians are exhorted to pray for us on earth, nothing can be more consequential than they should be believed to continue that charity in heaven.

THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST.

CHAPTER I.

1. It came to pass that on a day when our Redeemer, Master, God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, sat together with his disciples, and they were all assembled at the Mount of Olives, he said unto them,

2. O brethren and my friends, sons of my father, who hath chosen you before all men, you know that I have very often told you, that it behoveth me to be crucified, and to die for the sin of Adam, and of his posterity, and that I shall rise from the dead."

3. But I will commit to you the doctrine of the holy gospel announced, to preach it through all the world.

4. And I will endue you with power from on high, and I will fill you with the Holy Ghost.

5. And ye shall announce repentance and remission of sins to all nations.

6. For if a man shall find a single cup of water in the life to come, it shall be better than all the riches of this whole world.b

7. And so much room as but a foot can stand on in my father's house, is more excellent than all the wealth of the earth.

Which answers to our July and August.

Here is language, from which the language of the Gospels is evidently taken; that Christ died for the sin of Adam is no where hinted in the four Gospels. Paul, in his Epistle 1, to Corinth. 15, "Christ died for our says, sins, according to the scriptures;" here he might have found that doctrineit is not in the received gospels.

24 Luke, 49.

8. Yea, one hour in the gladsome habitation of the godly, is happier and more precious than a thousand years among sinners.< 9. For their weeping and wailing shall not end, and their tears shall not cease, neither shall they find comfort or ease ever at any time.

10. And now, O my honoured members, go ye, preach to all nations, announce and say to them,

11. Surely the Saviour diligently inquireth after his rightfal inheritance, and administereth justice.

12. And the (angels) shall disperse (his enemies) and shall fight for them (the righteous) in the day of conflict.

13. And He (God) shall weigh every foolish and idle word which men speak, and they shall give an account to him."

14. For like as no one shall be excepted from death, so shall the works of every particular man be tried in the day of judgment, whether they be good or whether they be evil.

15. Proclaim ye also this word, which I have spoken unto you this day.

16. Let not the strong man glory in his strength, nor the rich man in his riches.

17. But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

CHAPTER II.

1. There was a man whose name was JOSEPH, sprung from the Bethlehemitic nation, of the town of Juda, and of the city of King David.

2. The same was well instructed in learning and the sciences, and constituted a priest in the temple of the Lord.

3. He understood moreover the art of carpentry, and after the manner of other men, he took unto himself a wife.

4. And he begat sons and daughters, even four sons and two daughters, and these are their names.

5. Judas, Justus, James, and Simon, and the names of his two daughters were Assia and Lydia.

6. At length the wife of the righteous Joseph, who in all her works had sought the glory of God-died.

7. But Joseph, that just man, my father, according to the flesh, and the husband of Mary, my mother, went his way together with his sons, to his profession, exercising the art of a carpenter.

CHAPTER III.

1. And now that the righteous Joseph was a widower, Mary, my blessed holy and pure mother, was just twelve years of age. 16 Luke, 24.

But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.-12 Math. 36.

e

That according as it is written: he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.-1 Corinth. 1. 31.

f Latin-Gente oriundus Bethlehemitca.