CHAPTER III.

THE IGNATIAN EPISTLES AND THEIR CLAIMS--THE INTERNAL EVIDENCE.

The history of these Epistles like the story of the Sibylline books, 413
The three Curetonian Letters as objectionable as those formerly
published, 414
The style suspicious, challenged by Ussher, 415
The Word of God strangely ignored in these letters, ib.
Their chronological blunders betray their forgery, 417
Various words in them have a meaning which they did not acquire
until after the time of Ignatius, 419
Their puerilities, vapouring, and mysticism betray their
spuriousness, 422
The anxiety for martyrdom displayed in them attests their forgery, 423
The internal evidence confirms the view already taken of the date
of their fabrication, 425
Strange attachment of Episcopalians to these letters, 426
The sagacity of Calvin, 427


CHAPTER IV.

THE GNOSTICS, THE MONTANISTS, AND THE MANICHAEANS.
The early heresies numerous, 429
The systems with which Christianity had to struggle, 430
The leading peculiarities of Gnosticism, ib.
The Aeons, the Demiurge, and the Saviour, 431
Saturninus, Basilides, and Valentine, 433
Marcion and Carpocrates, ib.