and the mysteries, which he spoke in the world, and by what power he did these things: and concerning his new doctrine, and the mysteries, which he spoke in the world and about the meanness and despicableness of his outward appearance, and how he humbled himself, and died, and lessened his Deity: how many things be suffered from the Jews, and how he was crucified and descended into hell, and rent asunder the enclosure never before separated, and arose, and raised up the dead, who had been buried many ages: and how he descended alone, but ascended to his Father with a great multitude: and how he is set down on the right hand of the Father with glory in the heavens and how he will come again with glory and great power to judge the living and the dead.

"Abgarus therefore issued out orders that all the citizens should come together early the next morning to hear the preaching of Thaddeus. And after that he

commanded, that gold and silver should be given to him. But he did not receive it, saying: When we have left our own things, how should we receive those things which belong to others?

"This was done in the four hundred and thirtieth year. These things translated from the Syriac language word for word, we have placed here, as we think, not improperly

Thus have I laid before your lordship, the whole of this history. Eusebius, as I stated before, is the first writer that relates this tale, and he does so in his Ecclesiastical History, just as I have transcribed it; but since his time, several additions have been made to it by other ecclesiastical writers. One writer informs us, that Abgarus wishing to possess the portrait of Jesus, employed a painter for the purpose of taking it, but the painter found the face of Jesus so bright and dazzling, that he was wholly unable to do it. Jesus then, seeing the condition of the painter, took a handkerchief, and placing it to his face, his exact likeness was impressed upon it.

This, and such like tales, are related by Christian writers, but as very little credit is given to them, I beg to decline noticing them any further.

I shall now insert, from the work of Dr. Lardner before mentioned, some of his remarks relative to the preceding history. Of course I know nothing as to whether this tale is true or false. I have no evidence to warrant a decision, either on the one side or the other. I shall leave it therefore entirely to Dr. Lardner to decide the question. And I suppose Dr. Lardner is an authority sufficiently high to have some weight with Christians. Dr. Lardner it was, or rather from his book it was (the same which I am now using) that Dr. Paley compiled his Evidences of Christianity. His decision therefore, is the decision of a man who stands the very highest in the scale of Christian authorities. I leave it, therefore, for him to determine, whether the history which I have transcribed in this Letter, concerning Jesus Christ and King Abgarus, is true or false. Towards the conclusion of his remarks upon this history, he says:

"The observations, which have already been made, are sufficient to show, that the Letter of Abgarus to Jesus Christ, and our Lord's Rescript, cannot be reckoned genuine. THE WHOLE HISTORY IS

THE FICTION OF SOME CHRISTIAN [meaning of course a priest] AT EDESSA, in the time of Eusebius, or not long before. The people of Edessa were then, generally, Christians, and they valued themselves upon it. And they were willing to do themselves the honour of a very early conversion to the Christian faith. By some one, or more of them united together, this history was formed, [that is to say, manufactured] and was so far received by Eusebius, as to be thought by him not improper to be inserted in his Ecclesiastical History. Nor could I omit to take notice of it, as great regard has been shown to it by some. But all my readers may perceive, that I

bring not in this thing as a testimony, of the first antiquity: though it may afford good proof of the Christianity of the people of Edessa, at the beginning of the fourth century, or before.

Thus have we the testimony of Dr. Lardner, that the whole history is a fiction; that it was forged by priests for the purpose of convincing people, that Christ was the Son of God. On every occasion when the divinity of Christ was disputed, this history, together with other things not more creditable, was put forth as convincing evidence that he was the Son of God. Christianity has flourished at the expense of lying and forging. I have more observations to make upon this accomplished tale, but I will reserve them until my next Letter. In the mean time,

I am, my Lord, respectfully,

Hulme, September 5th 1840.

NOTICE.

C. J. HASLAM.

Having learned, from letters which I have received from various parts of the country, that considerable difficulty exists in obtaining these Letters, I beg to suggest the following means by which parties may obtain them with facility, and that too, immediately upon their publication. Let an individual enclose in a letter post-office stamps to an amount sufficient to clear the postage, and also the price of the Letters which he may want, and I pledge myself to forward the same immediately upon the recept of his letter. Three Letters for instance, weigh less than an ounce, so that they can be obtained in any part of the country for two pence. Of course those only will adopt this plan, who cannot obtain the Letters by any other means, and whose desire to possess them is sufficient to reduce the consideration of postage, to a matter of no-consideration. Communications will reach me addressed to the Hall of Science, Manchester. C. J. H.

PRINTED BY C. J. HASLAM, HULME

PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR, HULME, MANCHESTER.

Price one Penny.

MY LORD,

"The whole history (says Dr. Lardner) is the fiction of some Christian at Edessa, in the time of Eusebius, or not long before." That is to say, the history which I transcribed in my last Letter, concerning Jesus Christ and King Abgarus, is the forgery of some Christian. Dr. Lardner does not tell us who or what the Christian was, whether he was a priest or not. Perhaps he did not know. But from the fact that priests have an interest in forging, and also from the fact attested by Simon, (as quoted in a former Letter) that a Bishop in the Isle of Cyprus was guilty of a most impious forgery, viz. the forging of St. Matthew's Gospel, and placing it upon the breast of a corpse, and declaring that that corpse was

the remains of St. Barnabas, and the Gospel the original of St. Matthew written with his own hand, and that St. Barnabas visited him in a dream and told him this; from these facts we may easily guess, who it was that forged this history concerning Jesus Christ and King Abgarus.

It is a principle acknowleged by all, that we can have no confidence in men guilty of lying. I have shown, I have adduced the testimony of Christian authorities themselves, that the early Christians were men guilty of lying, that the advocates of the Bible, those who declare that that book is the word of God, these men I have shown to have been guilty of lying; it follows therefore that in these men we can have no confidence.

The case, my Lord, stands thus: we can have no confidence in men guilty of lying; the originators and promoters of Christianity were men guilty of lying; therefore we can have no confidence in the originators and promoters of Christianity.

It is a practice I believe in courts of law, that if a witness is detected in a lie, the whole of his evidence is invalidated, that is to say, it is rejected. Would it not be reasonable, my Lord, to do the same with respect to the originators and promoters of Christianity? Or is the principle confined to courts of law?

I have a few more observations to make upon the above mentioned history, and then I shall proceed to lay before your lordship more instances of the lying and forging of priests. I have many instances yet in store. In the above mentioned history we are told, (page 66 of my last Letter) that "the fame of Jesus was much celebrated, and his wonderful works attested by the unanimous testimony of all men. Of course the priest that could forge the whole history, was quite capable of introducing into that history palpable and glaring falsehoods, and this I take to be an exceeding palpable and

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