THE SPIRIT LETTERS

[Continuing Rev. W. D. Mahan’s enlightening book, drawn from ancient records, entitled HISTORICAL RECORDS CONCERNING JESUS THE CHRIST MESSIAH] Chapter Five:

 

Continuing Gamaliel’s interview with Joseph and Mary and others, Concerning Jesus

Massalian says that Jesus uses the law of nature as a great law book of illustrations showing that every bush is a flame of sorts, every rock a fountain of water, every star a pillar of fire, and among the clouds there is one that leads to GOD. * He envisions all nature as preaching the doctrine of trust in the Divine Fatherhood. He speaks of the lilies as pledges of GOD’s care, and points to the fowls as evidence of HIS watchfulness over human affairs. Who can measure the distance between GOD and the the flowers of the field? He would ask. What connection is there between man and the lily? (Cf. Mt. 6:28-34)

By such illustrations He creates a solicitude in man that seems to awe him into reverence, and he becomes attracted toward heavenly thought, and feels that he is in the presence of one that is infinitely superior. In His talk He brings one to feel he is very near to the Presence of GOD. He says, ‘How much more your Father!’ The plane is one, though the intermediate points are immeasurably distant. Thus by beginning with a flower, He reasons upward to the Absolute, and then descends and teaches lessons about a loving Father.

The lessons of trust in GOD reassure the anxious listener and create an appetite that makes him long for more; and it often seems that when He has brought His hearers to the highest point of anxiety, He suddenly breaks off and leaves His company as if He cared nothing for them. Jesus in His talk brings out illustrations that make a man feel His nearness to his kindred, man, teaching also their relation to, and dependence upon, GOD. Although His method is pleasant – even happy – it does not seem to me that it is the most successful.

He teaches that man and the flowers and birds drink from the same fountain and are fed from the same table; yet at the same time He seems to do things that excite suspicion and prejudice. To those of us who are watching to see His Divine Mission commence He is continually tantalizing our expectations, as well as mocking our natural reasons and desires.

When a man separates from all other men, both in point of doctrine as well as discipline, he takes a great deal of risk on his part – especially when he confines GOD to one channel – and that one of his own dictation. A man who assumes these responsible positions must have vast resources from which to draw, or he will sink in the whirlpool which his own impertinence has created. Through Jesus – in His teachings and talks [his words sound so much like those of Hillel or Shammai that I feel disposed to call it “teaching,” though he has no special scholars – we learn that GOD is a Spirit (Cf. Jn. 4:24), and that GOD the Father and He are the only two things that are essential for man to know! Then He illustrates this to parents, and asks them what they would do for their children. One day He was telling some mothers a circumstance in which a mother was starving herself to feed her child, and then He applied it to GOD as our Father; and they commenced shouting from being so happy. Jesus arose and left the house in seeming disgust.

Mammalian says that he is tempted at times to be impatient with Jesus because He devotes too much time to details. It seems almost a waste of time for a man who came to save the world to be lingering over a special case of disease. Mammalian thinks he could hasten Jesus’ physical deportment. For example, why not speak one word and remove every sick patient from his sick-bed at the same hour? What a triumph THAT would be.

I asked him if Jesus had healed anyone to his knowledge? and He said not that he knew of as yet, but that if He is to be King of the Jews, whose Divine Mission is to heal all nations, Why not do it all at once? If he would do that, there would be nothing more required to establish His kingship. I said to him, “Is it not equally so with GOD’s creative power? Consider the time and labor takes to bring forth a single grain of corn. Why, then, had not GOD caused the earth to “bring forth” every month, instead of every year? Christ was one day talking in defense of GOD the Father, saying that people must learn to love and obey their heavenly Father before they would reverence the Son. “Yes,” He said, “The GOD that Jesus represented was one that the people might love and venerate! That HE was a GOD of love, and had no bloody designs to execute on even a bad man, provided that man ceased his evil ways” (Cf. Ezek. 18:21-24).

Mammmalian says that it is noteworthy that in Jesus’ talks there are manifest references to the future. Many of His statements were like a sealed letter, not to be opened but by time. A grain of mustard seed was to result in a large tree. All of His ideas refer to the future; like the parent helping the child with his burden of today, by telling him of the blessings to come tomorrow; and by making the morrow the day of judgment. (Cf. Mal. 4:5-6). He further states that Jesus was a young man who was the best judge of human character he had ever seen; that he thought that at times Jesus could tell men their thoughts, and even expose their bad principles; yet though he had remarkable spiritual advantages he did not abuse them at all. That rather, he seemed to like all men alike, and has a peculiar temperament, not seeming to care for one any more than for another.

He says that Jesus seemed fond of Mary and Martha, two girls who lived in Bethany, and told me I might find Him there. This Mammalian is a man of very deep thought and most profound judgment. All of his life he has studied the Scriptures. He is an excellent judge of human nature, and he is satisfied that Jesus is the Christ. He says that Jesus seemed to understand the prophecy by intuition. I asked him where Jesus had been taught to read the prophecy, and he told me that Jesus’ mother had told him that Jesus could read it from the beginning; that nobody had ever taught it to Him. He said that sometimes his own memory would fail him about a particular part, and he would think that Jesus was mistaken, but he never in a single instance knew Him to be wrong.

* Cf. Mt. 24:39; Mk. 13:26; Rev. 14:14.

Series to be Continued in Message 19 of Rev. W. D. Mahan’s HISTORICAL RECORDS

To Be Continued….

 

Message Seventeen - Book Four SOMEWHERE BEYOND BELIEF[Continuing Rev. W. D. Mahan’s enlightening book, drawn from ancient records, entitled [HISTORICAL RECORDS CONCERNING JESUS THE CHRIST MESSIAH] Chapter Five:

[As previously noted, the main spiritual thrust of our Holy Bible is to regulate man’s human experiences during his testing flesh incarnations on the earth. It serves as a reliable guide-post to show us The Way to heaven made passable by Jesus Christ’s Saving Sacrifice on the Cross. A previous message set forth the important principle discovered in ancient records by Rev. Mahan: that GOD’s regulation of human life commences in the inner life, and then works outward until the outward is like the inward; and this process continues from individuals until entire nations are changed from being "natural men" as described by Apostle Paul at 1 Cor. 2:9-14. This continues until they are "spiritualized," or "quickened" by GOD’s Holy Spirit Energy flowing from HIS Son Jesus Christ’s Holy Spirit into those who believe in Him and follow Him. An example is seen in the benefits of keeping the Sabbath as a Holy Day, during which a faithful believer’s activities are spiritual – different from the average day, which is devoted to carnal activities. In time, the activities and attitudes of the Sabbath tend to infuse themselves into the practicing Christian’s daily life. Step by step, the change from carnal to spiritual takes place in individuals and eventually in nations.]

At this point, we pick up with Gamaliel’s interview with Joseph and Mary and others, as ostensibly discovered by Rev. W. D. Mahan in ancient records:

I asked Mary if she knew anything about John the Baptist. She said that he lived in the mountains of Judea the last she knew of him. When I asked her if he and Jesus were acquainted, or visited one another, she relied that she did not think they knew about each other. I asked her if at the time the Angel visited her,she was “almah” that is, virgin. She did not seem shocked, and replied that she had never showed to any man, nor was known by any man. I asked if her pain was great when she bore Jesus, and she replied that it was what she had expected. She added that Jesus was perfectly healthy, and did not complain of pain or dissatisfaction; that his food always agreed with him, and that he would eat anything set before him.

She said that Joseph was a little hard to please, but that as Jesus had grown more into maturity he had been able to answer him with mild and suitable responses, and in fact, had a knack of resolving questions so easily that nobody often contended against him. She said that his words were always unpretending and spoken as though they were not intended as a rebuke but merely as a decision. I asked if she had often seen him angry or out of humor, to which she replied that he was sometimes vexed and grieved at the disputes and follies of others, but that she had never seen him really angry. I asked if he had shown any worldly aspirations after money, wealth or a great name, but she said that it sometimes tried her patience that he did not take better care of his person; it did not seem to disturb him if he was not properly dressed; any more than he was upset if the family had disagreements, it was all the same to him.

I reminded Mary that the Jewish doctors contended that an amorous disposition is especially peculiar to the male, and she replied that she had never seen anything at all like that in him; that he had no particular fondness for female company; that to the contrary the young “bethau,” (Hebrew for a young woman] showed a fondness for him and sought his company, but he was not impressed by it. That, if anything, he treated them with an abruptness almost suggesting scorn. That sometimes he will simply get up and leave them and wander away somewhere to spend his time in meditation and prayer. His is a perfect ascetic in his life.

Mary ventured: ‘They say that there is a young woman in Bethany whom he intends to marry, but unless he changes his present course it is hard to see how he will ever be qualified to raise a family. He never seems to care anything about girls when he is with me.’

Thus it seems that Joseph and Mary have both lost confidence in Jesus’ becoming of any estate. It appears that they think the Sanhedrin should do something for him, to get him out where the people can see him. I tried to console them by advising them that it is my understanding of prophesy that their son had to first come to the high priesthood, and there work in the spiritual dominion of the heart until he had managed to bring about a unity of heart and a one-ness of aim. That then it would be easier to establish himself with the sword of Joshua or Gideon, to bring the people under his control. But he sees these things in a different way.

As I see it, his parents care nothing about the Jewish government, nor the Roman oppression, but more about their own future estates. I told them that this was a mistaken view; that the building-up of the kingdom of heaven was not to be done by might nor by power, but by the spirit of the Lord; [reflecting a biblical comment found in Zech. 4:6, directed toward Zaubbabel (cf. Haggai 2:22-23). I advised Joseph and Mary that it would not do for us to use carnal weapons, nor to expect carnal pleasures to be derived therefrom; that it was not my understanding of the prophecy that this king predestined to appear was to use such weapons, either for himself or for the benefit of any particular party, but power of the Spirit for the good of all mankind. His universal Law is not to be of a carnal character; that he was being sent to those who were spiritually lost, not the found (Mt. 10:6, but cf. Jn. 10:16).

Jesus and Mary spoke of an old man who lived on the road to Bethany who had once been a priest; a man of great learning and well skilled in the laws and prophets. They said that Jesus was often there with this man, reading the law and the works of the prophets. This man’s name was Massalian, and they told me I might find Jesus there. It turned out that he was not there, but Massalian told said that he was often at Bethany with a young family, and that he thought there might be an attachment of some kind to one of the girls, though he had not seen anything like a courtship deverloping.

I did ask about the character of Jesus,and he advised me that Jesus was the most concise and apt in his answers and solutions of any man nearly his age he had ever known or met: that even the oldest of the philophers would not dispute with him, or join issue with him, or ask a second time.

Baffled, I asked Massalian who had taught Jesus to read and to interpret the law and the prophets. He said that his mother said that he had always known how to read the law; that his mind seemed to have in some way mastered it from the beginning – that it appeared to be in some mysterious way inborn. He understood the laws of nature and the relations of man to his fellows, and that in his talks he gave deeper insights that inspired mutual love and a strengthening of the common trust of society.

Series to be Continued in Message 18, Rev. W. D. Mahan’s HISTORICAL RECORDS

Message Sixteen - Book Four - SOMEWHERE BEYOND BELIEF[Continuing Rev. W. D. Mahan’s enlightening book written in the 1800's from ancient records, entitled: HISTORICAL RECORDS CONCERNING JESUS THE CHRIST MESSIAH]:

 [READERS PLEASE NOTE: TO SOME THIS MAY BE A REPEAT OF mESSAGE 15; PLEASE IGNORE IF SO]

CHAPTER FOUR

 

Jonathan’s Interview With The Bethlehem

Shepherds – Letters of Melker, Priest Of The

Synagogue At Bethlehem

 

Sanhedrin, 88 B By R. Jose Order No. 2

 

[Continuing from Message 15: a letter from Jewish High Priest Melker, in Jesus’ time, that he submitted to the Jewish Higher Sanhedrin in Jerusalem. This is taken from Rev. Mahan’s book, HISTORICAL RECORDS, in which it is noted that the Messianic prophecy has no other justification than the idea that GOD regulates human life by HIS commands: that HE works by commencing in the inner life of humans and working outward until the outward is like the inward, in that way advancing human spirituality from individuals to nations.]

The principle purpose of Jesus Christ’s New Covenant was to ESTABLISH LOVE IN PLACE OF THE LAW OF MOSES, because it was time for that fundamental change to take place. Under His New Covenant, fundamental principles that had sustained Moses’ Law were to be retained: Jesus declared that He did not come to abolish the Law, but to preserve it: that hearts should throb high with love to heart under His New Law, which was intended to bring about universal peace. As he taught, a man cannot hate another for long if a universal love exists between them of a kind that engenders propitious good feelings. Wherever a man should meet another they should automatically be friends, for how can peace be gained if there is hatred between men holding different views?

What else can the prophet mean? where, in section nine, he shows that this coming King of the world is to eventually destroy all carnal weapons and convert them to a helpful purpose – “to turn swords into plowshares” – in that way becoming the active facilitator for doing good to all men, universally teaching them to do good to one another.

By reading the scrolls of GOD we find that the unity and totality of all the prophet go to bear out this idea, and, as well, refer to this newborn babe of Bethlehem. If we consult them as to the time, taking into consideration the revolutions of the wheels of Ezekiel’s prophecy, they show clearly that the revolutions of the different governments of the world fix this as the time. Next, consult them in regard to the individuals connected with this great event. These are pointed-to by Zacharias as the virgin wife; next, the place has been pointed out and named by Micah at 5:1-3; then the heavenly Light and the appearance of angels have all been set forth, and also the opposition of the Romans has been declared.

Now, I ask the High Court of the living GOD to look well upon these matters, and reveal to us how men who lived during different parts of the country and in different ages of the world – men who never knew one another, and who were not prophesying for some particular party, cause, or individual, and who had no personal interest in the subject, but who placed themselves in personal jeopardy and in some cases lost their lives because of having uttered these prophecies – HOW COULD THEY ALL HAVE POINTED OUT THE EVENT, TIME AND NAMES OF THE PARTIES SO CLEARLY, HAD IT NOT BEEN REVEALED TO THEM, AND ORDAINED BY GOD HIMSELF?!

I understand that the Romans and some of the priests have been saying that Zacharias was a hypocrite, and that Mary was not a good woman. I suppose that such might be the case, as far as man is able to judge. But, who I ask, can conjure up such accurate prophecies as these written by the prophets long before they took place, and make them come to pass? Or, who can use GOD’s Light to descend from the heavens, and the angels descend and make the profound declaration that this was the Son of GOD, born on earth in a flesh body as King of the Jews?!

Noble Master of the Sanhedrim, I was not alone. I am not the only witness of these things. The principle people of Bethlehem saw and heard what I did. I say to you: if this is not the Jews’ King, then we need to look no further; for every line of prophecy has been completely fulfilled in him. If there is another and he does not manifest on earth to save his own people I shall despair of ever being released from this earth, and I shall have to believe that we have, in some way, for some unknown reason, misinterpreted all the meaning of what the prophets have so sincerely foretold. I feel so certain that this is the one referred-to by the prophets that I shall from this time on wait in expectation with great anxiety, not knowing what to expect. I frankly have no fears of any harm befalling this newborn babe; and although Herod may rage, and may destroy all the infants in the world, I am convinced that the same angels that attended this child’s birth will watch over him throughout his life, and that the Romans will have to contend with the same god that Pharaoh did in the Red Sea during the Great Exodus, and will meet with similar defeat.

Series to be Continued in Message 17 of Rev. W. D. Mahan’s HISTORICAL RECORDS.

Message Sixteen - Book Four - SOMEWHERE BEYOND BELIEF[Continuing Rev. W. D. Mahan’s enlightening book written in the 1800's from ancient records, entitled: HISTORICAL RECORDS CONCERNING JESUS THE CHRIST MESSIAH]:

CHAPTER FOUR

 

Jonathan’s Interview With The Bethlehem

Shepherds – Letters of Melker, Priest Of The

Synagogue At Bethlehem

 

Sanhedrin, 88 B By R. Jose Order No. 2

 

[Continuing from Message 15: a letter from Jewish High Priest Melker, in Jesus’ time, that he submitted to the Jewish Higher Sanhedrin in Jerusalem. This is taken from Rev. Mahan’s book, HISTORICAL RECORDS, in which it is noted that the Messianic prophecy has no other justification than the idea that GOD regulates human life by HIS commands: that HE works by commencing in the inner life of humans and working outward until the outward is like the inward, in that way advancing human spirituality from individuals to nations.]

The principle purpose of Jesus Christ’s New Covenant was to ESTABLISH LOVE IN PLACE OF THE LAW OF MOSES, because it was time for that fundamental change to take place. Under His New Covenant, fundamental principles that had sustained Moses’ Law were to be retained: Jesus declared that He did not come to abolish the Law, but to preserve it: that hearts should throb high with love to heart under His New Law, which was intended to bring about universal peace. As he taught, a man cannot hate another for long if a universal love exists between them of a kind that engenders propitious good feelings. Wherever a man should meet another they should automatically be friends, for how can peace be gained if there is hatred between men holding different views?

What else can the prophet mean? where, in section nine, he shows that this coming King of the world is to eventually destroy all carnal weapons and convert them to a helpful purpose – “to turn swords into plowshares” – in that way becoming the active facilitator for doing good to all men, universally teaching them to do good to one another.

By reading the scrolls of GOD we find that the unity and totality of all the prophet go to bear out this idea, and, as well, refer to this newborn babe of Bethlehem. If we consult them as to the time, taking into consideration the revolutions of the wheels of Ezekiel’s prophecy, they show clearly that the revolutions of the different governments of the world fix this as the time. Next, consult them in regard to the individuals connected with this great event. These are pointed-to by Zacharias as the virgin wife; next, the place has been pointed out and named by Micah at 5:1-3; then the heavenly Light and the appearance of angels have all been set forth, and also the opposition of the Romans has been declared.

Now, I ask the High Court of the living GOD to look well upon these matters, and reveal to us how men who lived during different parts of the country and in different ages of the world – men who never knew one another, and who were not prophesying for some particular party, cause, or individual, and who had no personal interest in the subject, but who placed themselves in personal jeopardy and in some cases lost their lives because of having uttered these prophecies – HOW COULD THEY ALL HAVE POINTED OUT THE EVENT, TIME AND NAMES OF THE PARTIES SO CLEARLY, HAD IT NOT BEEN REVEALED TO THEM, AND ORDAINED BY GOD HIMSELF?!

I understand that the Romans and some of the priests have been saying that Zacharias was a hypocrite, and that Mary was not a good woman. I suppose that such might be the case, as far as man is able to judge. But, who I ask, can conjure up such accurate prophecies as these written by the prophets long before they took place, and make them come to pass? Or, who can use GOD’s Light to descend from the heavens, and the angels descend and make the profound declaration that this was the Son of GOD, born on earth in a flesh body as King of the Jews?!

Noble Master of the Sanhedrim, I was not alone. I am not the only witness of these things. The principle people of Bethlehem saw and heard what I did. I say to you: if this is not the Jews’ King, then we need to look no further; for every line of prophecy has been completely fulfilled in him. If there is another and he does not manifest on earth to save his own people I shall despair of ever being released from this earth, and I shall have to believe that we have, in some way, for some unknown reason, misinterpreted all the meaning of what the prophets have so sincerely foretold. I feel so certain that this is the one referred-to by the prophets that I shall from this time on wait in expectation with great anxiety, not knowing what to expect. I frankly have no fears of any harm befalling this newborn babe; and although Herod may rage, and may destroy all the infants in the world, I am convinced that the same angels that attended this child’s birth will watch over him throughout his life, and that the Romans will have to contend with the same god that Pharaoh did in the Red Sea during the Great Exodus, and will meet with similar defeat.

Series to be Continued in Message 17 of Rev. W. D. Mahan’s HISTORICAL RECORDS.

Message Fifteen - Book Four - SOMEWHERE BEYOND BELIEF

[Continuing Rev. W. D. Mahan’s enlightening book written in the 1800's from ancient records, entitled: HISTORICAL RECORDS CONCERNING JESUS THE CHRIST MESSIAH]:

CHAPTER FOUR

 

Jonathan’s Interview With The Bethlehem

Shepherds – Letters of Melker, Priest Of The

Synagogue At Bethlehem

 

Sanhedrin, 88 B By R. Jose Order No. 2

 

[Continuing from Message 14: a letter from Jewish High Priest Melker, in Jesus’ time, that he submitted to the Jewish Higher Sanhedrin in Jerusalem. This is taken from Rev. Mahan’s book, HISTORICAL RECORDS, in which it is noted that the Messianic prophecy has no other justification than the idea that GOD regulates human life by HIS commands: that HE works by commencing in the inner life of humans and working outward until the outward is like the inward, in that way advancing human spirituality from individuals to nations.]

The whole chain of prophecy is fulfilled in this babe, Jesus; but the development of it is only commencing. He is prophesied to abolish the old cultus forever, but with man it will develop commensurate with time itself. There are many types in the shadow, in the plants and in the animals. Every time the Romans celebrated a triumph on the Tiber, it foreshadowed a coming Caesar; so every suffering of David, or lamentation of Job, or glory of Solomon – yet every wail of human sorrow, every throe of human grief, every dying sigh, every falling bitter tear – represented a type, a prophecy, of the coming King of the Jews and the Savior of the world.

Israel stands as a common factor at every great epoch of history. The shading of the colors of the prophetic painting does not obliterate the prediction of the literal Israel’s more glorious future in the Kingdom of GOD. Her historic calling to mediate salvation to the nations is not ended with this newcomer, Jesus, on the stage of earthly life. The prophecy is eschatological, refining the inner life as well as shaping the outer life in conformity to good laws. Looking also to the end of time and its great importance to us, it has something to teach; and we accordingly have something to learn. Along the ages past, all the great, good and happy souls have first learned their duties, and then performed them; and thus for thousands of years Israel has stood up, hope never dying in the Hebrew heart; and has been the only appointed source of preserved knowledge of the true GOD. And this day she stands as the great factor and the center around which all nations on the earth must dome for instruction to help them, that they may become better and happier.

These sacred scrolls, which we Jews received from GOD by the hand of Moses are the only hope of the world. If they were lost to mankind, it would be worse than putting our the sun, moon, and all the stars of night, for this would be a loss of sacred Light to the souls of men. When we consider the surroundings, there never has been a better time more propitious than the present for establishing the true religion, and it seems, by reviewing our history for hundreds of years past, that this is the time for ushering in the true Kingdom of GOD. The nations of the earth that have been given to idolatry are growing tired of placing confidence in, and depending upon, gods that do not help them in their hour of danger, and they are now beginning to seek a GOD that can and will answer their calls.

King Herod sent for me not long ago, and after I related to him of the GOD of the Jews and HIS works, of the many mighty deeds HE had performed for our fathers and for us as a nation, he appeared to be of the opinion that if there was such a GOD as we professed, it would be better to depend upon HIM than the gods the Romans made from timber, stone, and iron – that even the gods of gold were powerless. He remarked that if he knew for certain that this babe that had been declared by the angels was such a powerful GOD as HE that had saved the Israelites in the Red Sea, and had saved Daniel, and those three with him from the fearful heat of fire, he would pursue quite a different course toward HIM. He was under the impression that this Christ had come to drive the Romans from their possessions, and to reign as a monarch instead of a Caesar.

And, I find this to be the general feeling throughout the world, so far as I can hear; that the people want, and are ready to receive, a GOD able to demonstrate that HE is such a GOD that the race of men can depend on HIM in time of trouble; and that if HE can show such power to HIS friends HE will be feared by HIS enemies, and thus become universally obeyed by all nations of the earth. And this, I fear, is going to bring grave trouble to our nation. Our people will certainly look to him as a temporal deliverer, and will aim to circumscribe him to the Jews alone. Then, when his actions begin to flow out to all the inhabitants of the world in the kind of love and charity as is being attributed to him – as is shown forth in the ninth section of the holy prophet, then I fear the Jews will reject him – as we are warned in the third section of Jeremiah’s prophecies. To avoid such a disaster, Israel must be taught that the prophecy of Isaiah does not stop with the Babylonian captivity, and return to the kingdom of heaven. And further, that Ezekiel’s “wheels” do not whirl politically or spiritually in heaven, but upon faith, and have reference to earth revolutions, or changes; that they actually show the bringing to pass of the great events of which this of Bethlehem may well be the grandest of all.

Neither is the outlooks of Daniel to be confined to the shade of the Maccabeean wall of Jewish conquest. Nor are these great questions to be decided by our unsuccessful attempts to discover what the prophet meant, or what he might have understood himself to mean; but, rather, from the unity, totality, and organic connection of the whole body of prophecy as referring to the kingdom of this world ultimately becoming subject to the Kingdom of the Savior of all men.

We, as Jews, are the only people that GOD has entrusted with the great questions, and, of course, the world will look to us, expecting us to give interpretations to these questions; and because we have been entrusted with them, GOD will hold us responsible if we fail to give the true light on this subject. Up until this particular time I am fearful that Jews as a nation are as much divided – and as mistaken as to the nature of HIS works – as any other people. I find by conversing with the Romans, Greeks, and others, that all their knowledge of these things of the Jewish expectation of a Redeemer has been obtained from the Jews, either directly or indirectly. It was through them that Herod got the idea of this Jesus being a temporal king, who would reign by the might of carnal weapons; whereas, if we consult the spiritual import of the prophets, they tell us that his office was to to blend all nations into one common brotherhood of love, truth and righteousness.

Series to be Continued in Message 16. of Rev. W. D. Mahan’s HISTORICAL RECORDS

Message Fourteen - Book Four - SOMEWHERE BEYOND BELIEF [Continuing Rev. W. D. Mahan’s enlightening book written in the 1800's from ancient records, entitled: HISTORICAL RECORDS CONCERNING JESUS THE CHRIST MESSIAH:

CHAPTER FOUR

 

Jonathan’s Interview With The Bethlehem

Shepherds – Letters of Melker, Priest Of The

Synagogue At Bethlehem

 

Sanhedrin, 88 B By R. Jose Order No. 2

 

[Following is a letter from High Priest Melker, in Jesus’ time, submitted to the Jewish Higher Sanhedrin in Jerusalem:]

Holy Masters of Israel:

I, your servant, call to your attention the words of the prophet in regard to the forerunner, and the rise as well as the conductor of a great and mighty nation, wherein should dwell the true principles of righteousness and the conductor of the outward formation of a national domain of GOD upon earth. As evidence of the fact, the vision and affliction that has befallen Zacharias of late is enough satisfy all men of the coming of some great event: and his babe of Elizabeth’s is a sign of the beginning of better times.

What has occurred here in the last few days, as Jonathan will inform you, forever settles the question that the day of our redemption is drawing nigh. The sections of these divisions are three: First, the general survey; the original foundation and destiny of full development of mankind; the promises to the fathers of the covenant people; Judah, the leader tribe; second section, the Mosaic Law and the Mosaic outlook; the prophecy of Balaam; third section, the anointed one; and the prophets of the past exile; Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi; Malachi’s prophecy of the forerunner of the Lord. *

Noble Masters of Israel, if you will refer to the several sections of the Divine Word, you will not fail to see that all that has been spoken by the prophets, in regard to the words of GOD upon earth, has been fulfill in the last few days in the two events, the birth of the child of Elizabeth, and that of Mary of Bethlehem.

The unlimited freedom which some men take with these holy writings of GOD, as to the above prophecy, subjects us to the severest criticism. It is, however, most satisfactory to see and hear that the divine grandeur and authority of the sacred oracles are in no way dependent on the solution of carnal critics, but rest on an inward light shining everywhere out of the bosom of a profound organic unity and an inter-connected teleology; overleaping all the time, the historical present as well as the past, and all the past that has brought light in these two events that have just transpired. Indeed, all past time blending with the present horizon, and the works of GOD in ages past, are just beginning to develop themselves at this particular time, and the present scenes are bringing us close to the way of GOD upon earth. While we reverence these men of GOD, we should not misquote their language. Take, for example, the third section of Isaiah, where he prophecies the captive Israelites, instead of his consolation to the captive. While one of his words refer to the future condition and the reason therefore, the other is sweet in consolation of the Israelites while in this state of captivity, and full of blessed promises of the future.

But let the spirit of prophecy bear us on with the prophet into the future time, far beyond kingdoms of this world, into a glorious future, regardless of Romans, Babylonians, even the Maccabeean rule or rulers; but never forgetting that the prophet is one who is commissioned, and qualified to declare the wil,l as well as the knowledge, of GOD.

Yes, he is a seer. His prophecy is of the nature of a vision, involving and enveloping all the faculties of the soul, and placing the prophet in the attitude of GOD; being outside of the body and independent of it. Yes, far better without the body than with it, for the further the soul gets from the body, the more active it becomes. This fact is demonstrated by our dreams more than at any other time; the perception is clearer, and the sensitive faculties are much more active asleep than when awake. We see this illustrated in the dying man. His eyes are usually brighter, his mind clearer, and his soul more free and less selfish as he passes on and nears the eternal state.

So with the prophet. He becomes so personal with GOD that he uses the personalities with seeming presumption; while it is the indwelling power of GOD’s Spirit inflating the soul and setting the tongue on fire. So was the moving language of the words to which you have been referred. It seems to me that those men of GOD saw distinctly the gathering of the Light; they saw the travailing of the virgin, they saw the helpless infant in the sheep trough; they heard the mighty chanting of the heavenly host; they saw the ambition of the human nature in its fallen and helpless condition; and it appears as if they saw the advance of that infant into perfect manhood. As he becomes the theme of the world, his advancing nature will inevitably triumph over all; as he escapes the Roman authority this day, so he will finally triumph over all the world – and even death itself shall be destroyed.

We, as Jews, place too much confidence in the outward appearance, while the idea we have formed of the kingdom of heaven is all of a carnal nature, consisting of form and ceremonies. The prophecies referred-to – and in many other passages that I might mention, all go to show that the kingdom of GOD is to begin with us, in the inner life, and rule there, and from the inner nature all outward actions are to flow in conformity with the revealed and written teachings and commands of GOD. So is the Spirit of prophecy.

While it uses the natural organs of speech, it at the same time controls all the faculties of life, producing sometimes a real ecstacy, not mechanical or loss of consciousness, though cut off for a while from external relations. The prophet is thus circumscribed to speak as did Balaam, the word of GOD with human life. This is to be held by us Jews of the first and greatest importance; and we are to remember that his prophecy has the same reference to the future as it does to the past; and has respect to the whole empire of man. While it specifies individuals and nations, it often has reference to doctrines and principles. Considered in this light, Israel is the result of prophecy: a nation with her own religious teachings. Considered in the same light, the babe born to the virgin Mary is predestined to be ruler of all nations of the earth. The Torah itself enunciates the prophecy upon which this empowerment is based, and on the Torah rests all prophecy pronouncing condemnation on the disobedient, and blessing the faithful. It was on this principle that the covenant of inheritance was made with David. Thus all the promises, political, ethical, judicial and ritual, rest on the Torah. In short, the whole administration finds its authority in the prophetic vision, as set forth by the commands of GOD to regulate human life – working outward until the outward becomes like the inward; in that way advancing from individuals to nations.

 * Mal. 2:3; 3:1; 4-5; and cf. Mal. 11:9-15; Mk. 9:11-13; Lk. 1:15-17).

Series to be Continued in Message Fifteen of Rev. W. D. Mahan’s HISTORICAL RECORDS

Message Thirteen - Book Four - SOMEWHERE BEYOND BELIEF

[Continuing Rev. W. D. Mahan’s enlightening book written in the 1800's from ancient records, entitled: HISTORICAL RECORDS CONCERNING JESUS THE CHRIST MESSIAH]:

CHAPTER FOUR

 

Jonathan’s Interview With The Bethlehem

Shepherds – Letters of Melker, Priest Of The

Synagogue At Bethlehem

 

Sanhedrin, 88 B By R. Jose Order No. 2

 

JONATHAN, Son of Heziel, questions the shepherds and others at Bethlehem in regard to the strange events reported to have occurred there, and reports to this Court:

Jonathan to the Masters of Israel, Servants of the True GOD:

“In obedience to your order, I met with two men who related that they were watching their flocks near Bethlehem on the night when unusual occurrences took place. They told me that while attending to their sheep, the night being cold and damp, some of them had built fires to warm themselves, and that some of them had been awakened by those who were standing watch, with an unusual question: ‘What does this mean?! Behold how light it is!’ They said that when they were aroused it was as light as day, but that they knew it could not be daylight because it was only the third watch.

“All at once the air seemed to be filled with human voices, as if echoing off the hills, saying, ‘Glory! Glory! Glory to the Most High God’, and, ‘Happy art thou, Bethlehem, for GOD has fulfilled HIS promise to the fathers; for in thy chambers is born the king that shall rule in righteousness.’ Their shouts would rise up in the heavens, then sink down again in mellow strains, and roll along the foot of the mountains, only to fade away in te most soft and musical manner they had ever heard. Then it would begin again high up in the heavens, in the very vaults of the sky, and descend in sweet melodious strains all over again, so that those within earshot could not refrain from shouting and weeping at the same time. The light would seem to burst forth high up in the heavens, then to descend in softer rays and light up the hills and valleys, making everything more visible than the light of the sun; but it was not so brilliant, although in some ethereal way clearer, like the brightest moon in a clear sky.

“I asked how they felt when these things happened – ‘were they not afraid?’ They admitted that at first they were fearful, but that after while it seemed to calm their spirits, and to fill their hearts with love and tranquility: that they felt more like giving thanks than anything else. They said the light was around the whole city, and that some of the people at the outset had indeed been scared almost out of their wits. Some exclaimed that the world was on fire, while others said in hushed tones that the gods were coming down to destroy them, whereas others thought a star had fallen. Then Welker the high priest came out shouting and clapping his hands, seeming to be frantic with joy. People came out and crowded around him. He told them that it was a sign that GOD was coming to fulfill HIS promises made to their father Abraham. He told us that fourteen hundred years before, GOD had appeared to Abraham and told him to put all Israel under bonds – sacred bonds of obedience – and that if they would be faithful, HE would give them a Savior to redeem them from sin and give them a way to eternal life, so that they should hunger for salvation no more.. Further, that a time would come when their suffering would forever cease; and that the sign of his coming would be that a light would shine from on high – that the angels would announce his coming by their voices to be heard in the whole city, and that the people should rejoice. He had foreseen that a virgin who was pure would travail in pain and bring forth her firstborn, and that he was to rule over all flesh by sanctifying it, and making it obedient to GOD. After Melker had addressed the people in a loud voice, he and all the Jews entered into the synagogue and remained there, praising GOD and giving thanks.

“I went to see Melker, who related to me much the same as the shepherds had reported. He told me that he had lived in India, and that his father had been a priest at Antioch; that he had studied the sacred scrolls of GOD all of his life, and was certain that the time had come, from signs given, for GOD to visit and save the Jews from oppression and from their sins. As evidence of it, he showed me many quotations “on the tripod” respecting the matter.

“He related that the next day three strangers from a great distance called on him, and they went in search of this child; and that they found him and his mother in the mouth of a cave, where there was a shed projecting out for the sheltering of sheep. He disclosed that his mother was married to a man named Joseph, and that she related to them the history of her child, saying that an angel had visited her and told her that she should bear a son whom she should call Jesus, because he was to redeem his people from their sins; and he should call her blessed forever more.

“Whether this is true or not remains to be proved in the future. There have been so many mistaken prophets and imposters in the world – so many babes born under presumed miracles – that this one may be false. I could be that this woman Mary is only trying to hide her shame, or to court favor.

“I am informed that she will be tried in court under our law, and if she can give no better evidence of her virtue than she has given to Melker, she will have to suffer death by stoning under our law. But he concedes that there has never to his knowledge been a case come before with such apparent Divine manifestations as seen on this occasion. In the past, when virgins have declared that they were with child in the Holy Ghost, at the time of their delivery there was no light in the heavens, nor angels heard talking among themselves in the clouds, declaring a child to be king of the Jews. All the people of Bethlehem have testified to having seen these things; and the Roman guard came out and asked the meaning of what was taking place, and showed by their actions that they were alarmed. Melker says that these things are all declared in the Scriptures to be the sign of the Lord’s coming. Melker is a man of great learning, well versed in the prophesies, and he sends you this following letter, referring you to the prophesies of which he is aware.

Series to be Continued in Message 14, HISTORICAL RECORDS by Rev. W. D. Mahan

 

Message Twelve - Book Four - SOMEWHERE BEYOND BELIEF

[Continuing Rev. W. D. Mahan’s enlightening book written in the 1800's from ancient records, entitled: HISTORICAL RECORDS CONCERNING JESUS THE CHRIST MESSIAH]:

CHAPTER THREE

 

Constantine’s Letter In Regard To Having Fifty

Copies Of The Scriptures Printed And Bound

 

It is known that the Roman Emperor, Constantine – who converted to the Christian Religion – ordered fifty copies of the Scriptures made and placed in the public library for preservation. One historian has recorded that they were so large it took two men to open one of them. While in Constantinople I found one of these volumes nicely cased, marked with the Emperor’s name and date upon it. To me it was a great curiosity. I obtained permission – with the help of a little “bachsach” – as they call money – to look through it It was written on “hiotike,” which is the finest of parchment, inscribed in large bold Latin characters, quite easy to read. As far as I read, it had many abbreviations of our present-day Scriptures, but the facts, sense and sentences are as full – and if anything more complete – than our English version.

I estimate it to be about two and a half by four feet square, and two feet thick. It is well bound, with a gold plate, twelve by sixteen inches on the front, with a cross bearing the figure of a man hanging on a cross, and bearing the inscription, “Jesus the Son of GOD, Crucified for the Sins of the World.” If the Revision Committee had examined and published this work, they might have said they were giving to the world something new; but so far as we examined it we saw nothing

essentially different from our present-day Bible.

Constantine’s letter is on the first page, which is transcribed. The historian will recall that in the “Life Of Contantine” – written by Eusebius Pamphili, Bishop of Caesarea, who served only a few years – Eusebius writes as follows: “Ever mindful of the welfare of those churches of GOD, the Emperor addressed me personally in a letter on the means of proving copies of the inspired oracles, the reading of which produces such a profound spiritual insight.” His letter, which related to providing copies of the Scriptures for reading in the churches, was to the following purpose:

“Victor Constanine Maximus Augustus to Eusebius:

“It happens through the favoring of GOD our Beloved Savior, that great numbers have united themselves to the most holy church in this city, which is called by my name. It seems, therefore, highly requisite – since the city is rapidly advancing in prosperity in all other respects, that the number of churches should also be increased. Do you, therefore, receive with all readiness my determination on this behalf. I have thought it expedient to instruct your Prudence to order fifty copies of the sacred Scriptures, the provisions and use of which you know to be most useful for the instruction of the churches, to be written on parchment, in a legible manner, and in a commodious and portable form, by transcribers thoroughly practiced in their art. The Procurator of the diocese has also receive instructions by letter from our Clemency to be careful to furnish all things necessary for the preparation of such copies, and it will be for you to take special care that they may be completed with as little delay as possible. You have authority, also, in virtue of this letter,, to use two of the public carriages for their conveyance, by which arrangement the copies, when fairly written, will most easily be forwarded for my personal inspection, and one of the deacons of your church may be intrusted with this service; who, on his arrival here, shall experience my liberality, GOD preserve you, beloved brother.”

Now, this was done about three hundred and twenty-seven years after the great questions started, and only about two hundred and seventy years after the last Apostle had passed away. Suppose that someone should in our time write a book denying that such a man as, say, George Washington ever lived: that there never really was a revolution of the United States against the King of England! What would people think and say of him? The children of this country would rise up and show him to be false. Then, suppose there never was a man as Jesus Christ; that he never was born at Bethlehem; that he never had any disciples; that they never organized a Christian Church; and suppose someone should say that there was no persecution of the Christian Church for two hundred years! What would people think of a king doing such a thing as making the above-described Bibles?

Keep in mind, too, that nothing was written in those days but the most important affairs of life, because only a comparatively few were able to write, and the means of writing were sharply limited. Now, the existence of these writings was never denied for twelve to fourteen hundred years afterward. Their intent and spirituality may have been denied by un-spiritualized men, but the facts never were.

Now what ought we to think of a man who would deny events that occurred two thousand years ago, that were recorded in the records of kings and historical writers, when that man had not one single record to prove his claim? And if the biblical records available to him were false, is it not reasonable and convincing that they would have long ago lost their foothold in mankind’s belief patterns? Such a thing would be a gross underestimate of the power of GOD’s Holy Spirit!

Series to be Continued in Message 13 of Rev. W. D. Mahan’s HISTORICAL RECORDS

Message Eleven - Book Four - SOMEWHERE BEYOND BELIEF

[Continuing Rev. W. D. Mahan’s enlightening book written in the 1800's from ancient records, entitled: HISTORICAL RECORDS CONCERNING JESUS THE CHRIST MESSIAH]

CHAPTER TWO

 

A SHORT SKETCH OF THE TALMUDS, Continued

 

The reader should keep in mind that the soldiers who brought Jesus from the court of the high priest were Jewish soldiers. They were acquainted with the Jewish custom of washing the hands to condemn. Hence, when they saw Pilate wash his hands they took it for granted that Jesus was to die. One might say that this would relieve the actors of responsibility in these matters. But if a man seeks to injure me, and I by my sagacity avert the injury he intended, and change it into a blessing, would that change the guilty intention of the first party?

We also learn from the “Mechilta” that the Jewish commonwealth was divided into districts, such as Palestine, Galilee, Judea, and so on. Each of these states had its courts and legislatures, presided over by a high priest. This is the reason we have so many high priests spoken of in the New Testament history. If anyone will read the “Mechilta,” he will clearly see the government of the United States of North America; and as the laws of the Jewish nation were all dictated by the GOD of heaven, we should appreciate them the more.

The “Saphra” means, in Hebrew, “cornerstone,” or, “foundation rock,” which goes to show that all these laws were founded upon GOD’s Word, or Authority. * This is quite an extended work, and is full of quotations from the various works of the ancient world. I would like to read this carefully for a year, and then give an extract to as many people as possible. I am sure that this little volume at hand will so stir American scholars that these things will be brought before the reading world. But, I advise whoever does it not to trust to the printed copies of the Jewish rabbis, but go, as I did, to the printed copies of the original manuscript at Byzantium and get it as it was written by its author.

One more book I must call attention-to, is the “Siphri.” This is more of a chronological and biographical work than anything else, and it is by far the most valuable work of them all. It gives the history of the great events of all of them, and mentions the names of all the actors of those event, giving a detailed account of the birth, lineage, deaths, as well as all the wise sayings of such men as Abraham, Joshua, Moses, David, Solomon, and many others. I would like to give the many extracts from this work: they would be of deep interest to the American people, as well as of great benefit to the young and rising generation. There is one extract I must give because it will be read with great interest by members of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in America:

 

“Jacob fathered twelve sons, and when he saw that strife and dissatisfaction arose among them, he went and got him twelve sticks and bound them all together into a bundle. He then handed them to his eldest son and asked him to try to break them. He could not do so, so Jacob then gave them to his next son, and so on, down to the youngest son, but none could break the bundle. Then he untied the bundle and gave one of the sticks to his eldest son and told him to break it; and he proceeded so on down until all the sticks had been broken. Then Jacob sagely advised them that they should learn two principal lessons from what he had shown them: first, that what none of could accomplish individually to the whole bundle of sticks, they were able to accomplish when they took them one at a time. And the second lesson was that as long as they bound themselves together it would be difficult for anyone to break them apart!”

 

In addition to the above-mentioned works, there are the “Pesikta” and “Miderasham.” These works are full of interesting sermons and extracts of sermons that provide a wellspring of quotations of the great men of all ages, the decisions of the great Sanhedrin on points of law and doctrine, and many other questions of great importance, which would prove to be of great importance to people of this era.

The reader should bear in mind that these several books made note of here are all taken from the Talmud of the Sanhedrim that was made in Jerusalem. They were compiled by Hillel the Second, soon after the destruction of the holy city, and were made so that if the scrolls should be destroyed some way, they would be preserved in these records.

These translations were made to relieve the necessity of the Jews in their dispersed condition; such as the “Nagad, Kikhil, Midrash, and so forth. But it should be remembered that all of these works were compiled from the original Talmuds by the Jewish priests, who naturally would be inclined to leave out whatever had a tendency to favor the Christian Religion. In all such writings we should not expect to find anything about Jesus of Nazareth. But this by no means proves that such records are not to be found. We must go to the original scrolls to find them, and there we may expect to find the truth, as the following work shows. Each reader should judge it for himself.

* The Lord of the hosts of Israel was identified as the “Rock of Israel” by Prophetess Hannah, daughter of Samuel the Prophet (1 Sam. 2:2); by Moses (Deut. 32:3-4; and by David (2 Sam. 22:32; 23:1-3). Jacob hinted that Joseph son of Jacob was an earth incarnation of that “stone” (Gen. 49:24); and the New Testament repeatedly asserts that Jesus was “the Rock,” the “cornerstone” of the Christian Religion (Mt. 21:42-44; Lk. 20:17-18; Eph. 2:20; 1 Peter 2:4-8). Esp. note 1 Cor. 10:1-5!.

Series to be Continued in Message 12, HISTORICAL RECORDS CONCERNING JESUS THE CHRIST MESSIAH, Chapter Three.

Message Ten - Book Four - SOMEWHERE BEYOND BELIEF

[Continuing Rev. W. D. Mahan’s enlightening book written in the 1800's from ancient records, entitled: HISTORICAL RECORDS CONCERNING JESUS THE CHRIST MESSIAH]

CHAPTER TWO

 

A SHORT SKETCH OF THE TALMUDS

 

The Hebrew word “lamod” signifies “to teach,” and to “teach by example.” The word “example” is always understood. “To teach” is what is meant by tradition. It means that the child learns from his father. From this is derived the word “talmud.”

We also have the word “shanoh,” which means “to learn,” and “gamor”, which means “having learned,” or “having ceased to learn.” The Talmuds are written on parchment or papyrus. The scroll is about twenty inches wide, and wound around a roller. From these Talmuds there have been many books written by the Jewish rabbis.

The most important of these is the “Mishna.” Its name indicates what it is – the Law. It contains the laws of all nations, or a part of the laws of the various nations of the earth: such as the Jewish Sanhedrim considered compatible with the laws of GOD. Its principal teachings are what we would call the moral law of GOD – that is to say, anything is right if GOD says it is right, and this is the only reason why it is right. This work has been the great reference book for the Jewish rabbis in all ages. It was translated and compiled by Hillel, and is a very useful book for scholars.

The next point in value is the “Tosephta.” This work in the Hebrew means “treatment”, and contains mainly the ritual rule of the temple service. It is an exhaustive work, actually a regulator of human life, containing the dealings of life with such thoughtfulness and in such a beautiful style that it would be exceedingly interesting to the young. It certainly contains the finest system of morals in the world.

Then comes the “Mechilta,” which means “government” in Hebrew. This book tells of the organization of the Sanhedrim and its powers – both the greater and the less, the greater to be composed of seventy, and the less of twenty-four. These two legislative bodies had jurisdiction over the whole of the Jewish Commonwealth. Although they possessed great power, it was not absolute. There was another court that exercised the highest authority of the nation; the court of elders and priests. This court consisted of twelve men, and its chairman was the high priest. It decided all appeals, and could not be appealed-from. This is the court that tried Jesus of Nazareth; and although it was a Court of Appeals, it had exclusive jurisdiction over capital crimes.

I will give the form of a trial of an accused in this court, as it is given in “Mechilta.” At the time that Jesus was tried by this court, the Jewish government had been deprived of executive power. This was one of the concessions in the capitulation to Augustus Caesar. At this time, the Roman Emperor’s consent had to be be obtained, though he had to use the Jewish soldiers because the Romans had only one hundred soldiers stationed at Jerusalem. Rome was continually engaged in war, and needed all their soldiers at home.

When an accused person was brought before this court of high priests, they held a preliminary trial, in order, if possible, to force a plea. If they could not do so, the accused was sentenced and then sent to the Roman authority, or governor, for his approval. The accused was then remanded to the high priest, and from him to the Sanhedrim, with the charges written out and the names of the witnesses by which they had been established. If they approved the decision of the high priest, the prisoner was sent back to the high priest for his final trial. Court of twelve men was required by Jewish Law to fast and pray for one whole day before the trial commenced; they were then required to bring the Urim and Thummim out of the holy place where they were keps, and to place them before the high priest. The high priest was closely veiled, so that no one could see him, thus representing GOD doing HIS work.

Then there was what was called the “lactees,” consisting of two men, one of whom stood at the door of the court with a red flag in his hand, and the other sat on a white horse some distance on the road that led to the place of execution. Both of these men continually cried out the name of the criminal, his crime, and who were the witnesses, and called upon any person who knew anything in favor of the accused to come forward and testify.

After the testimony had been taken, eleven men cast their lots, or voted, and their decision was shown to the high priest. As he was too holy to act by himself, but only as “the mouthpiece of GOD,” he went to a basin, or ewer, as it is called, by them, and washed his hands in token of the innocence of the court; thereby testifying that the criminal’s own action had brought condemnation on himself. As soon as the soldiers saw this, they took the convicted man to the place of execution, and there stoned him until he was dead. Not one of them was allowed to speak, not even to whisper, while the execution was going on. Nothing was heard but the pelting of stones and the shrieks of the criminal. To my mind, this would be a most awful mode of death, and one that would be most likely to deter others from committing crime.

There waa a law in the criminal code of the Romans, enacted by Meeleeson – a philosopher by nature – who taught that if a man was accused of a crime and was tried and found not guilty he should be publicly chastised anyway. His reasons were that the man had sufficiently acted with sufficient impropriety to have created sound grounds for suspicion. This would seem to give license to an enemy to work mischief upon another innocent person, but the same philosopher had devised a remedy to counteract such a deceitful act. Any man who accused another and then failed to prove it by two witnesses was required to suffer the punishment that the accused person would have suffered had he been proven guilty.

After the whipping was over, the Roman officer washed his hands, thereby declaring that the actions of the man found guilty had produced his own chastisement. It was for that reason that after Pilate had Jesus scourged he washed his hands, forever clearing the Roman government of the blood of Christ.

Series to be Continued in Message Eleven of W. D. Mahan’s HISTORICAL RECORDS. CONCERNING JESUS THE CHRIST MESSIAH, written and published by him in the 1800’s.

Message Nine - Book Four - SOMEWHERE BEYOND BELIEF

[Continuing Rev. W. D. Mahan’s enlightening book written in the 1800's from ancient records, entitled: HISTORICAL RECORDS CONCERNING JESUS THE CHRIST MESSIAH]

Rev. Mahan wrote a letter to his wife, who had remained in the United States during his trip to the Vatican in Rome, which read:

“It seems long since I left home, but as we both know, GOD is here as well as in America; and it is my chief delight to report to you and the children to HIS throne of Mercy daily! After departing from home, I landed in Marseilles, France after twelve days out from New York. We had a splendid trip, all factors considered, except for the first two days. We left New York in a gale, and I must confess that I was very much alarmed. It seemed to me that at times the water was much higher all around us than where the ship was! That made it even more frightful, for it looked as if she was sinking, or had even sunk, for the first few days. She was sometimes on her end, or her prow or stern, and then over on her side, when she would seem to turn almost over! Every tilt she made, I prayed St. Peter’s Prayer. I think I did more praying that first two days than I had done in the past two years! I have to admit that on the second day of that rough going I began to ‘cast up my accounts’ – not with my Maker or with my creditors, but with my stomach! I was awfully sick.

“Captain Stikes said the storm in starting out made it much worse on us than had it been clear and calm, but the third day the seas began to calm, and so did my stomach. I was able to go out on deck in the evening, but we were still ‘going uphill’. We had no further trouble all the way, but after three or four days it looked as if I would never get enough to eat. Our fare was poor – much more so than the English line; or so I was told by passengers who had traveled both lines – and I have made up my mind to return by another route.

“I met Dr. McIntosh at St. Elgin, he was waiting there for me. He is one of the nicest older men I have ever met. I feel almost ashamed in his presence because of his apparent eminence; but he is so grand and noble that he can hide my defects from me better than I can myself. He was very much surprised when I showed him my ‘notes of reference.” He did not see how I could get hold of these things while residing so far away.

“We found Mr. Twyman and his associates when we arrived at the Vatican, and we have since all been working fastideously. The very first item the guard brought to us was Acta Pilati, and the Doctor was delighted when he laid eyes on it. We have two guards posted with us; one of whom brings the articles as we request them, while the other sits and watches closely to see that no harm comes to the books and parchments.

“Today was the day affixed for the Pope’s Holy Auditory. We were taken in by the guard, and I must confess that I have never been so impressed by such feelings in all my life. The room is, I would estimate, some three hundred or more feet long, and square, and it seemed to me that there were ten or twelve hundred attendees in the congregation present. They were all men, most of them priests and officers.

“The Pope is a venerable old man. I could not detect any difference in his attire from any other priest. There was nothing gaudy about him. He sang the Mass in pure old Latin language, and his voice was clear and sweet. After he finished, quite a number of priests came and knelt at his feet. He laid his hands gently on each of their heads and pronounced a blessing, but they did not kiss his big toe. I never saw as solemn a congregation in my life.

“The dome of this room surpasses all the sights my eyes have ever beheld. It contains hundreds of windows in the form of eyes with golden lids and lashes emitting rays of light in various colors. They seemed so natural I imagined that I could almost see them wink! They are intended to represent the all-seeing eye. They afford the light of the entire room: it is all quite beyond adequate description.

“We now have acquired all the textbooks we need: Buxtorf, Gesenius, Laportees, and others. We expect to finish our work in the Vatican in a few days, and will leave Dr. Twyman and three clerks here to continue the search, as we have found the important Hillelite Letters, and the Shemiate and Abtalian Laws here in book form. They will translate such parts of those works as we wish to keep, and forward them on to me. They will be sent in a roll.

“Dear Wife, should these arrive there before I do, please take special care of them. Dr. McIntosh and I, with one clerk, will proceed on to Constantinople within a day or two. The Doctor has been there, and he believes he will find all that I want in the St. Sophia Library. He is certain that the twenty cartloads of Talmuds that history records were burned by Gregory IX were the Talmuds of the Jerusalem Sanhedrim, which were carried there by Constantine. If so, that is all I want. The Doctor says that the book that I plan to write from these documents will preserve indefinitely an account of what took place at the time when these ancient records were inscribed.

“If have, of course, much more to tell you, but it is now after 1 o’clock A.M. As to home affairs, I am too far off to comment further: I have full confidence in your judgment. It now appears that I will arrive home b the 10^th or 15^th of December, so I will not write further unless something unexpected happens to delay me. God bless you, and farewell for now.”

Signed: W. D. Mahan

After completing this letter, Rev. Mahan attached several sworn and notarized statements made by well-known individuals who at that time resided in Cooper County, Mo., who testified to his reliability and character; two of these being attorneys practicing law there: R. E. Whitlow and P. G. Pendleton, whose statements were sworn and subscribed before – notarized by – Charles A. Houk, Clerk of the Circuit Court of that County.

Next following chapters of Rev. Mahan’s book contain the fascinating and imprtant information he was able to extract from the ancient documents he describes having found in the Vatican Library at Rome, and in the Library at Constantinople.

Series to be Continued with Message 10, Book Four, HISTORICAL RECORDS

 

Message Eight, Chapter One - CONTINUING HISTORICAL RECORDS

FOUND BY REV. W. D. MAHAN IN THE VATICAN AND CONSTANTINOPLE IN THE 1800′S

First: Rabbi Akiba, a reformed Jewish priest, in Vol. I, pg. 22, quotes from Celsus, and enemy of the Church. He says there was a dreadful earthquake at the time Jesus was crucified, and that the mist that arose from it covered the earth for three hours. On page 28 he notes that Jesus was the son of Mary; that he was the founder of the sect called Christians. On page 48 he writes that Jesus was crucified on the eve of the Passover. He gives extracts from the apostles, and never denies in a single instance, but admits their genuineness. He quotes the books, and makes extracts from the names they bear. He makes particular mention of his incarnation, of his being born of a virgin, of his being wordhipped by the Magi; of his flight into Egypt; of the massacre of the infants of Bethlehim.

On page 52 he writes of his baptism by John the Baptist, and the descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, and of the voice that was heard from out of heaven. He speaks of the miracles done by Jesus, and never doubts the facts in a single instance, but attributes them to the art of necoromancy he had learned in Egypt. But I ask the reader, did any ever hear of the thaumaturgist producing a descent of the Holy Spirit, or causing voices to be heard from the heavens? Such absurdities are only spoken of when they are urged against the Christian religion.

Aretas, one of the kings of Arabia, who was a philosopher as well as a king, in speaking of the laws of nature [Vol. VII, pg. 14] says that Jesus of Judea was a philosopher above the laws of nature; that he controlled all the elements of nature with a mighty power; that the wind, thunder and lightning obeyed him; and he speaks of these facts as being so common that it would be folly to dispute them.

Justin says, in Vol. II, pg. 42, that the several governors in their respective provinces made reports of the important events that occurred in their jurisdiction, and they were spread on the senatorial dockets at Rome. We find in this same work, page 128, that he appealed to Antoninus and the Senate for clemency for the Christians, and after referring to their many virtues, and to Christ as their leader, adding: “And that these things are so, I refer you to the records of the Senate made by Pilate and others in his day.”

The learned Tertullian, in his Apology For Christianity, about the year 200, after speaking of our Savior’s Crucifixion and Resurrection, and his appearance to the disciples afterward, and the Ascension into heaven in the sight of the same disciples, who were ordained by him to spread the gospel over all the world, thus proceeds: “Of all these things relating to Christ, Pilate himself – in his conscience already a Christian – sent an account to Tiberius, then Emperor.” The same writer in the same apology thus relates the proceedings of Tiberius on receiving his information: “There was an ancient decree that no one should be received for a deity unless he was first honored by the Senate.”

Tiberius, in whose time the Christian name, or religion, had its rise, having received from Palestine, in Syria, and account of such things as confirmed the truth of Christ’s Divinity, proposed to the Senate that he should be enrolled among the Roman gods, gave his own prerogative vote in favor of the motion; but the Senate, without whose consent no deification could take place, rejected it because the Emperor himself had declined the same honor. Nevertheless, the Emperor persisted in his opinion, and threatened punishment to the accusers of the Christians. Search whatever commentaries and public writings that may be found, and it becomes clear that Nero was the first who raged with the imperial sword against this Christian sect then rising most at Rome; as is stated in Horn’s Introduction, Vol. I, pg. 82.

Now, I ask: if there were no such records there, would these men have made such appeals? And if they were there, could such things be forged and palmed off on the Roman Senate? It seems to me that to ask the question is enough. Now, if any man will trace out these things, he will find that I have as much reason for believing the genuineness of this book as I have to believe the genuineness of the scriptures, looking at the question from a human standpoint. First, you must know that the manuscript from which this book was taken has gone through so man translations, not been put in so many different languages, from the fact that it is not to be found in another language; and secondly, there was no necessity for it, and as to this being forged there was no occasion for that, from the fact that it favors no religious denomination, and advocates the tenets of no religious sect. I am convinced there was such a man as Herod Antipiter, and that he could not kill all the male children in a whole city without giving reasons for it, and there must have been more or less record made of it. I am convinced there was such a man as Herod Atnipas, and that he would not dare to behead such a man as John the Baptist is represented to be without a trial, and without being required to account to some court. I know that Pilate was a Roman official, and his actions had to be recorded upon the Roman dockets.

I do not see why these records should have been destroyed. I am convinced that Jews at that day were looking for a Redeemer, and when the great excitement was reported at Bethlehem it would not be unreasonable that the Jews should make an investigation into the matter; and again, I know that if the Scriptures are true, May was subject to the death penalty unless she could satisfactorily prove her innocence. I was convinced that Jews must have looked into this matter, and that it would be recorded somewhere. I knew that if there was 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 was some record made of it by both the Jews and Romans. Here we have the whole of these records. Why are they not true?! They comport with the Bible; they are precisely the records we would expect from the Scriptures; they were made and dated at the right time; they were written in the same language used at that time. Now, these things all being so, why are they not true?

To be Continued in Message Nine, Chapter One - HISTORICAL RECORDS

FOUND BY REV. W. D. MAHAN IN THE VATICAN AND CONSTANTINOPLE IN THE 1800′S

Message Eight, Chapter One - CONTINUING HISTORICAL RECORDS

FOUND BY REV. W. D. MAHAN IN THE VATICAN AND CONSTANTINOPLE IN THE 1800′S

First: Rabbi Akiba, a reformed Jewish priest, in Vol. I, pg. 22, quotes from Celsus, and enemy of the Church. He says there was a dreadful earthquake at the time Jesus was crucified, and that the mist that arose from it covered the earth for three hours. On page 28 he notes that Jesus was the son of Mary; that he was the founder of the sect called Christians. On page 48 he writes that Jesus was crucified on the eve of the Passover. He gives extracts from the apostles, and never denies in a single instance, but admits their genuineness. He quotes the books, and makes extracts from the names they bear. He makes particular mention of his incarnation, of his being born of a virgin, of his being wordhipped by the Magi; of his flight into Egypt; of the massacre of the infants of Bethlehim.

On page 52 he writes of his baptism by John the Baptist, and the descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, and of the voice that was heard from out of heaven. He speaks of the miracles done by Jesus, and never doubts the facts in a single instance, but attributes them to the art of necoromancy he had learned in Egypt. But I ask the reader, did any ever hear of the thaumaturgist producing a descent of the Holy Spirit, or causing voices to be heard from the heavens? Such absurdities are only spoken of when they are urged against the Christian religion.

Aretas, one of the kings of Arabia, who was a philosopher as well as a king, in speaking of the laws of nature [Vol. VII, pg. 14] says that Jesus of Judea was a philosopher above the laws of nature; that he controlled all the elements of nature with a mighty power; that the wind, thunder and lightning obeyed him; and he speaks of these facts as being so common that it would be folly to dispute them.

Justin says, in Vol. II, pg. 42, that the several governors in their respective provinces made reports of the important events that occurred in their jurisdiction, and they were spread on the senatorial dockets at Rome. We find in this same work, page 128, that he appealed to Antoninus and the Senate for clemency for the Christians, and after referring to their many virtues, and to Christ as their leader, adding: “And that these things are so, I refer you to the records of the Senate made by Pilate and others in his day.”

The learned Tertullian, in his Apology For Christianity, about the year 200, after speaking of our Savior’s Crucifixion and Resurrection, and his appearance to the disciples afterward, and the Ascension into heaven in the sight of the same disciples, who were ordained by him to spread the gospel over all the world, thus proceeds: “Of all these things relating to Christ, Pilate himself – in his conscience already a Christian – sent an account to Tiberius, then Emperor.” The same writer in the same apology thus relates the proceedings of Tiberius on receiving his information: “There was an ancient decree that no one should be received for a deity unless he was first honored by the Senate.”

Tiberius, in whose time the Christian name, or religion, had its rise, having received from Palestine, in Syria, and account of such things as confirmed the truth of Christ’s Divinity, proposed to the Senate that he should be enrolled among the Roman gods, gave his own prerogative vote in favor of the motion; but the Senate, without whose consent no deification could take place, rejected it because the Emperor himself had declined the same honor. Nevertheless, the Emperor persisted in his opinion, and threatened punishment to the accusers of the Christians. Search whatever commentaries and public writings that may be found, and it becomes clear that Nero was the first who raged with the imperial sword against this Christian sect then rising most at Rome; as is stated in Horn’s Introduction, Vol. I, pg. 82.

Now, I ask: if there were no such records there, would these men have made such appeals? And if they were there, could such things be forged and palmed off on the Roman Senate? It seems to me that to ask the question is enough. Now, if any man will trace out these things, he will find that I have as much reason for believing the genuineness of this book as I have to believe the genuineness of the scriptures, looking at the question from a human standpoint. First, you must know that the manuscript from which this book was taken has gone through so man translations, not been put in so many different languages, from the fact that it is not to be found in another language; and secondly, there was no necessity for it, and as to this being forged there was no occasion for that, from the fact that it favors no religious denomination, and advocates the tenets of no religious sect. I am convinced there was such a man as Herod Antipiter, and that he could not kill all the male children in a whole city without giving reasons for it, and there must have been more or less record made of it. I am convinced there was such a man as Herod Atnipas, and that he would not dare to behead such a man as John the Baptist is represented to be without a trial, and without being required to account to some court. I know that Pilate was a Roman official, and his actions had to be recorded upon the Roman dockets.

I do not see why these records should have been destroyed. I am convinced that Jews at that day were looking for a Redeemer, and when the great excitement was reported at Bethlehem it would not be unreasonable that the Jews should make an investigation into the matter; and again, I know that if the Scriptures are true, May was subject to the death penalty unless she could satisfactorily prove her innocence. I was convinced that Jews must have looked into this matter, and that it would be recorded somewhere. I knew that if there was 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 was some record made of it by both the Jews and Romans. Here we have the whole of these records. Why are they not true?! They comport with the Bible; they are precisely the records we would expect from the Scriptures; they were made and dated at the right time; they were written in the same language used at that time. Now, these things all being so, why are they not true?

To be Continued in Message Nine, Chapter One - HISTORICAL RECORDS

FOUND BY REV. W. D. MAHAN IN THE VATICAN AND CONSTANTINOPLE IN THE 1800′S

Message Seven, Chapter One - CONTINUING HISTORICAL RECORDS

FOUND BY REV. W. D. MAHAN IN THE VATICAN AND CONSTANTINOPLE IN THE 1800′S

The manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible were compiled in the second century, but they were not translated until A. D. 607, by Bishop Adhelm, under the direction of King Alfred. There were a number of parts of these Hebrew manuscripts translated in the second century in the Arabic language. It was printed for the Propaganda at Rome in 1671, in three volumes. The Armenian version was made in the fourth century of the Christian era by Miesrob and Issac, and printed in Amsterdam by Urskin. An Armenian Bishop, who was charged by his enemies with following the Vulgate. It was printed at Constantinople in1705; and at Venice in 1805. The Coptic New Testament was published by Wilkins at Oxford,, in 1716.

The Vulgate is an ancient manuscript taken from the Hebrew and translated into the Latin in the second century; also one of the Greek, and one of the Syriac. These are all of the same date. This Vulgate in the Latin was used in Africa. The Church at Rome was under Greek control a this time, and rejected the the Latin Vulgate, and used what was called at that time the Vedus Latina, or old Latin. This is the history of Tertullian, Vol. I, page 202.

In the fourth century, Jerome tells us there was another translation of the Vulgate, under the instruction of St. Augustine, and St. Jerome recommends this in the highest terms. About the fifth dentury there was another translation made, which is called the Codex, in the Latin language. There was this one at Alexandria, one in the Vatican, and one at Sinai. Parts of these are preserved in the British Museum. They were presented to King Charles by Cyril Lucar, who was patriarch at Contstantinople and had been patriarch at Alexandria, and brought these books with him. The Codex of Sinai is in one Greek, and is the same that Dr. Tischendorf found as was declared by the scholars at Leipsic to have been written in the fourth century.

In the year 748 of the Roman Empire, and 330 of the Christian era, Constantine the Great removed his seat of empire from Rome to Byzantium, taking with him all the records of the Christians to that city, as will be shown in a letter from him in this book in regard to having the Holy Scriptures in manuscript, and having fifty volumes bound and kept on deposit. When Mohammed took possession of Constantinople, he had too much respect for these sacred scrolls to let them be destroyed, but had them nicely cased and deposited in the St. Sophia Mosque. History informs us of the dreadful struggle that took place between the Greeks and the Romans over the sacred parchments in the days of the Crusades; and it seems to us that Divine Providence had something to do with the preservation of these sacred writings. These scrolls look more like rolls of narrow carpet wound round a windlass, than anything else. But, as I have described them elsewhere I will not attempt a further description of them here.

Another question arises in the mind of the reader, and that is: How was it possible for these writings to be preserved for so long? I answer that there are many works much older than these in existence. Homer is 900 years older! Why not these? Another reason why these writings have not been brought before the world is that no man has searched for these chronicles as I have done. After getting hold of Acti Pilati as I did, accidentally, I made the investigation of these questions my special business for ten years, corresponding with many historians and scholars, sending for all the books that could instruct me on these great questions, engaging two expert scholars, Drs. McIntosh, of Scotland, and Twyman, of England; and going to the city of Rome, paying our way through the Vatican, and then to Constantinople, where we examined those ancient records, sparing neither time nor expense to acquire knowledge of them.

Then it may be asked again: may I not be deceived? May not these men have imposed upon me? To this I would say: that is impossible. Then it might be argued: might not these writings have been manufactured to make money out of them? If so, it was a poor business for this is the first and only book ever produced from them. It certainly was a bad speculation on their part. But someone says: did not Gregory IX burn twenty cartloads of these Talmuds? Who says so but a Jewish rabbit? If he did, they were the Talmuds of Babylon, not those of Jerusalem.

No man could enter the Vatican Library without a guard over him, who watches him closely, so that he cannot move a leaf, or change a word of letter of anything that is there. If they will not consent to even the slightest change, it is not probable that they would burn their works! Men from all over the world are there. Often when we cross the Tiber, before it was even fairly light, there were a thousand strangers between us and St. Peter’s Gate, waiting to be admitted at the opening of the gate that leads into the Vatican.

One more evidence to the reader: There are at least five hundred quotations made from the Sanhedrim and Talmuds of the Jews, by men who have denied their existence. Now, I call attention to history, and I will give the name and the page so all can read it for themselves.

Series to be Continued in Message 8 Chapter One, HISTORICAL RECORDS, by Rev. W. D. Mahan, written in the 1800’s under the title: HISTORICAL RECORDS CONCERNING JESUS THE CHRIST, MESSIAH.

Message Six, Chapter One - CONTINUING HISTORICAL RECORDS

FOUND BY REV. W. D. MAHAN IN THE VATICAN AND CONSTANTINOPLE IN THE 1800′S

We should not be opposed to any evidence that may lend strength and credence to any subject, and thereby redound to good in a general way; especially if such evidence does not have a tendency to weaken our faith. It is so with this book: it cannot weaken the faith of Christians who have believed without foreign testimony, but brings strong corroborative testimony to enable others who are less credulous than we to believe. Hence is the examination of the various versions of the Bible and of the manner in which they were dug out of the old manuscripts, from the rubbish of the ancient world, difficulties are encountered, and others may not believe as readily as we do.

Duranzo, a Greek historian, who wrote thirty-six volumes in Constantinople at the close of the seventh cenury, and the beginning of the eighth, in referring to the prosperity of the city and nation, says in Vol. XIII, at page 54, that Constantinople enjoyed educational advantages over all other cities, and that this was due to some extent, to the fact that the Christians, under the instructions of their Emperor, had gathered and brought there literature from all parts of the world. On page 128, he refers to a war that was carried on about the great library that had been brought there by the Roman Emperor when he embraced Christianity. Again, he says that when Mohammed locked up the great library he excluded the learned, and with them the wealth of the city. In Vol. XIV, page 17, in speaking of the battle of Tanze, he says it was fought over the sacred book that had been deposited there by the ancient Christians. From there indirect references, I discovered that there must be great deposits of sacred literature in these old libraries. These histories are in the Paris Library for the inspection of anyone. [Ed. Note: these volumes were apparently destroyed or removed during the WWII occupation of Paris by the Germans.]

Notwithstanding the are of printing has a tendency to do away with and supercede the written scriptures, yet there are many valuable manuscripts in existence, some of which are of immense value in the interpretation of the Scriptures.

First, the Hebrew manuscripts. These are either rolls designed for the use of synagogues, or square manuscripts, designed for private use. The former are all on parchment and written with the greatest care and accuracy. The others are written on vellum, or paper.

Dr. Kennecott says all that are now to be had were written between the tenth and fourteenth centuries. Of course, these were written form the originals; how often they have been rewritten in fourteen hundred years we cannot say, but we know there are many opportunities for change. These manuscripts have been collated by Dr. Kennicott and Dr. Rossi, and amount to 1,135; but it is more probable that as the Jewish rabbis did this work, they may have left out many things that appeared to them to be contrary.

The next are the Greek. Of these manuscripts immense numbers still exist. Dr. Holmes has collected 135. Some of these are preserved from the fourth century. Of course, these are not the records that were made when the events they record took place.

Now, our present Bible comes from these manuscripts. The first English Bible was published by J. Wickliffe in 1360, just ninety years before printing was invented. The first Bible printed in our language was by William Tyndale, assisted by Miles Cloverleaf, in 1526. When Tyndale was executed for heresy by the Catholics, his works were continued by Cloverleaf and John Rogers. This book was suppressed time and again, and reprinted by different parties until it went through twenty-two different editions. The last was that which proceeded from the Hampton Court Conference in 1603. There were so many errors in the Bishop’s Bible that King James’ Bible was put on foot and printed in 1611.

Now, suppose as we consider that many Bibles, published by different sects, nations, and individuals, all came from the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin manuscripts. The reader must be aware that the manuscripts have gone through many hands. This we know from the fact that we find Bible manuscripts still in existence, and among these we find Greek manuscripts, Samaritan manuscripts, and many others. The reader is referred to the Bodleian Library in the British Museum, and to the libraries of the Quakers at Leyden, Paris and Rome. We also have some in America, at Philadelphia, in the libraries of the Quakers, and in the Library of the Antiquarian Society. This we know from the fact that we find Bible manuscripts still in existence, and among those we find Greek manuscripts, Samaritan manuscripts, the Italian manuscripts, and many other. The reader is referred to the Bodlein Library in the British Museum, and to the Libraries at Leyden, Paris, and Rome. We also have some in America, at Philadelphia, in the libraries of the Quakers, and in the Library of the Antiquarian Society.

Series to be Continued with Message Seven, Historical Records by Rev. W. D. Mahan

HISTORICAL RECORDS: Message 5

Let the reader refer to the first centuries and mark what a disputation there was in the ancient church about pictures. May we now flow back into it? As this subject of picture-worship caused tos much dissatisfaction in the first centuries, it may do so again. While investigating this question, I found that Aradius, the eldest son of Theodosius the Great, succeeded his father to the throne in A. D. 395, and divided the Roman Empire into what was known in that day as the Eastern and Western Empires.

Arcadius chose the Eastern sector, and fixed his seat of government at Constantinople, and made his brother, Honoris, Emperor of the Western part, fixing his seat of government at Rome. It was not long until their jealousy was kindled, which resulted in hatred and terminated in a war which finally proved their overthrow. In the Ante-Nicene Father, published in Edinburgh in twenty-four octavo volumes, in Vol. XII, page 114, it is said that the beginning of this war was on account of Honoris’ wish to have his young princes educated at Constantinople free of charge, giving as his reason that the great library there had once belonged to Rome. When his brother Arcadius refused, he tried to get the library divided between them, but Arcadius rejected this also. They went to war, and while the two brothers were thus engaged, Alaricus engaged the Western Empire and overthrew it.

In hunting through this vast library of books, I found what was called The Homilies of Clementine [Vol. XIII, pg. 194] and there also were the Apocryphal Gospels, Acts and revelations, with all the writings of the Apostolic Fathers, including the laws of the high priests, the laws of the Temple Service, the Records of the Sanhedrin, giving the Jewish laws and customs for hundreds of years, with all the treaties and records of the courts.

My idea was that if these records were found in the Library at the Vatican at Rome, and in the Seraglio and Atmedan Libraries at Constantinople and Alexandria, so these men could get them nearly three hundred years ago, why would they not be there now?

Dr. Isaac Wise, President of the Hebrew School at Cincinnati; and by the way, one of the best Hebrew scholars in America, in his History of the Commonwealth of Israel, frequently quotes from the Talmuds and Sanhedrim, giving reference to the various circumstances, and often gives the name of the scribe who did the writing. So, I found that these records have always been in the hands of Jewish rabbis, and you need not try to convince me that these things have only been produced by the later Jewish nation, for we find quotations made at the time and by the men who lived in the days of Jesus Christ. Those quotations correspond with other history recorded about the same events, the only difference being that the Jewish rabbis put a different construction on the events recounted, from what the Christians see in them.

This is the great difficulty, after all; like celebrated lawyer, after reading this book, told a friend, it convinced him of the truth of the facts in the Scriptures, but it did not convince him of its spiritual definition. This is the final point of importance when the soul is lost or saved – that is, to take the facts of the Scriptures and yield to them as spiritual truths.

Colens The First, an Epicurean philosopher, wrote a treatise against Christianity which was answered by Origen. This work is in eight volumes. It was published in Paris, by Vallart, in1746. In this work, the disputants appealed alternately to these writings, to the reports made by the Romans, showing clearly that the schools of the Jewish doctrines, records and all, were then in the possession of the Romans.

Nero refused to believe in these things, which he might have done had he taken the pains to look into these sacred treasures of learning that were so on file in the Senate chamber; but Origen says Nero was only moved by ambition, with love of destruction before his eyes; that he never stopped to consider, nor consult, the opinions or wishes of others. Here again I found an unintentional reference to these matters at hand. Keeping in mind that the records were there at that time, as nobody disputes: in proving the unnecessary hostilities of Nero, Origen makes mention of these other facts, showing the records to be in the City of Rome, how they came to be there, and what they taught. That is, a part of these records were brought there from Jerusalem and were the writings of the Jews and the Romans who had been officers in the Jewish kingdom by Roman authority; and these were Roman officers, which made them a part of it, and responsible to the Roman government.

Can any intelligent person believe that these men would have been allowed to transact the business of the Romans and no records be made of it and placed in the archives of the government? Such a thought is almost absurd on its face. The reader will bear in mind that government among Jews, Greeks and Romans was much more strictly administered then in this country, and all such records that referred to the actions of the courts and the government officers had to be preserved. I now ask the attention of the reader to the investigation of the preservation of the sacred parchments from which came our Bible.

First, to the works of Benjamin Kennicot, D.D., entitled Venus Testamentum, published in England in 1780. This is only a little more than one hundred years old. We find that he got from the Codex of Hillel, six hundred manuscripts. When did this Hillel live? The author of the Codex lived about one hundred years after the Christian era!

Dr. Kennicott also got sixteen manuscripts from the Samaritan Pentateuch. Then, I call attention to John G. Rosenmuller, of 1736, at Leipsic, to his Librarium, five volumes, also his Scholia Testament, all from manuscript. Then to Brian Walton, D.D., born at Yorkshire in 1600, who published his polyglot Bible from manuscript, in the Hebrew. Because these are given to us by great men, and they suit our notions, they are never doubted; and, as is too apt to be the case in our ad captandum, we are not likely to investigate as closely as we perhaps should. And again, we are apt to be more inclined to investigate those things that are suited to our tastes and interests; but while certain things are not interesting to us, we should not forget that there are other matters equally interesting to others. While we may be interested only in sacred histories that make for our peace, and although testimony of our enemies may not be very pleasant to hear, we should keep in mind that the salvation of others may depend upon such testimony.

Series to be Continued in HISTORICAL RECORDS, Message 6

HISTORICAL RECORDS: Message 4

[Continuing Rev. W. D. Mahan’s enligtening book written in the mid-1800's: HISTORICAL RECORDS CONCERNING JESUS THE CHRIST MESSIAH]

Rev. Mahan complemented the material he asserted he had found in the Vatican Library by adding the following notation relating to other ancient manuscripts which had been discovered in approximately the same time-frame:

Ancient Manuscripts The sifting and arrangement of the papyrus collection bought by Archduke Rainer have led to the further interesting discoveries. Of the hieroglyphic, hieratic, demotic and Coptic papyri, about twenty date from the pre-Christian period. Among these is on nearly three thousand years old, in the hieratic letter, containing the representation of a funeral, with a well-preserved sketch of the deceased, some hieroglhic legends, and a demotic papyrus on the subject of mathematics. Much more numerous are the Coptic documents, about one thousand in all, mostly letters and legal documents of the period from the sixth to the tenth century of our era. There are some important papyri containing translations of the Bible in the central Egyptian dialect, of which there have only been hitherto been found but few specimens; and a leaf parchment from an old octavo edition of the Book of Ruth, in the Sahidi dialect.”Among the Greek papyri is a hitherto unknown speech of Socrates, one of the finest specimens of the Alexandrian caligraphy. Another fragment has been found in the book of the Thucydides manuscript, previously mentioned. Portions, also, have been discovered of the Iliad, and a paraphrase of the Fourth Book. Then a metanvia has been found dating from the fourth century, being thus one of the oldest Christian manuscripts. The collection contains many well-preserved documents in an almost continuous series of Roman and Byzanine emperors, beginning with Trajan and ending with Heraclius.

Ancient Manuscripts The sifting and arrangement of the papyrus collection bought by Archduke Rainer have led to the further interesting discoveries. Of the hieroglyphic, hieratic, demotic and Coptic papyri, about twenty date from the pre-Christian period. Among these is on nearly three thousand years old, in the hieratic letter, containing the representation of a funeral, with a well-preserved sketch of the deceased, some hieroglhic legends, and a demotic papyrus on the subject of mathematics. Much more numerous are the Coptic documents, about one thousand in all, mostly letters and legal documents of the period from the sixth to the tenth century of our era. There are some important papyri containing translations of the Bible in the central Egyptian dialect, of which there have only been hitherto been found but few specimens; and a leaf parchment from an old octavo edition of the Book of Ruth, in the Sahidi dialect.”Among the Greek papyri is a hitherto unknown speech of Socrates, one of the finest specimens of the Alexandrian caligraphy. Another fragment has been found in the book of the Thucydides manuscript, previously mentioned. Portions, also, have been discovered of the Iliad, and a paraphrase of the Fourth Book. Then a metanvia has been found dating from the fourth century, being thus one of the oldest Christian manuscripts. The collection contains many well-preserved documents in an almost continuous series of Roman and Byzanine emperors, beginning with Trajan and ending with Heraclius.”There are also documents in the Iranic and Semitic languages. The former are written on papyrus, parchment and skins; and among them are two fragments which, it is believed, will furnish the key to the Pehlewi language. Among the Arab papyri twenty-five documents have been found with the original leaden seals attached. They begin with a fragment of the fifty-fourth year of Hegira. Another is an official document of the nineteenth year of of Hegira, appointing a revenue collector. Perhaps the most valuable part of the collection is one hundred and fifty-five Arabian documents, on cotton paper, of the invention of this material by the Arabs, to the year 953. Many thousands of manuscripts still to be deciphered.”

Rev. Mahan continues:

In the early centuries there was a good deal of what is known as the “Apologetic Writings.” I made it my business to examine these writings, and found them to be a defense of Christianity. The first of this form of writing was presented to the Emperor Adrian by Quadratus, in the year 126 A.D.. A portion of this we find in the Eusebius, at page 93. There was another by Aristides, at about the same time. These two authors are found only in fragments, preserved by other historians, and their writings are mainly pleas for clemency for those who professed Christianity and were being persecuted.

Justin Martyr also wrote twice on this subject – once to the Roman Senate and once to Antonius. These were published in English by R. W. Reaves, in 1709 at Leipsic.

Tertullian wrote two volumes, and Vendentius wrote a commentary on them. These are found at Paris. They are valuable works – perhaps the most valuable of the ancient writings -= from the fact, recorded in them, that the Christians, in giving reasons for asking favors, refer to the records made by the Jews and Jewish writers as well as in the reports of the Roman officers who were the governors of Judea at that time; and of course their straightforward references to these records confirms and underscores the fact that the records were there.

In Tertullian, Vol. II, page 29, Vincentius says the Christians’ argument was based on the doctrine of the Bible, showing that the GOD of the Christians could Save human souls, and referred the pagans to the many instances where He had interposed on behalf of souls when none but a God with the power of GOD Himself could have brought about redemption. For, they asked, “What can a God made of wood or brass do in time of danger? having no power to put forth and exert themselves to save anyone or anything?” Vincentius says the pagan would answer that these images were only representations of their Gods: that these gods of wood and iron had invisible spirits in them that exerted as much power as the God of the Christians. Vincentius says he did not see much difference in their doctrines when they got to understand each other! But this left unanswered the all-important question of what was the character of those gods that were of such low and slow-vibrational spirit energy they able to “incarnate” in material objects?!

Rev. Mahan disclosed in his book that he had undergone an experience during his voyage to Italy to seek information in the Vatican Library at Rome, writing: “I remember that while on the ship we had an Irish priest on board, and in conversation one day while asking him many things about the Catholic Church, I inquired why he had a crucifix hanging in his room. Said I, ‘You do not think there is any virtue in that image of brass?’ “No, he replied, ‘no more than there was in the serpent of brass that Moses made and place it on a pole.* There were no healing virtues in that brass, but the bitten Israelites believed in the command, which belief or faith controlled his action, and produced the state of obedience by which he was healed.’ And so the priest conceded that he no more believed that there were any “Saving” qualities in the brass image than I would believe that my mother’s picture could be to me a real mother.’”

To Be Continued in HISTORICAL RECORDS, Message 5

HISTORICAL RECORDS: Message 3

[Continuing Rev. W. D. Mahan’s account of his experience during the mid-1800’s when he was able to extract from Vatican files in Rome the information he wrote in his book, HISTORICAL RECORDS CONCERNING JESUS THE CHRIST MESSIAH.

Now, the reader needs to keep in mind that there never was anything that created so much excitement in the land of Judea as the preaching of John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth. This will be readily understood if we take into consideration the structure of the Jewish Commonwealth. The great Sanhedrin legislated for the souls and bodies of man: that is, their religion and their politics were one and the same. In the capitulation made with Augustus Caesar, it was understood and agreed that the Jews were to pay a tax to the Romans, but the Romans were not to interfere with the Jewish Religion. This took the executive power out of the hands of Jews and put it into the hands of the Romans. This is the reason why Jesus was sent to Pilate to be executed. The Romans had to execute the decisions of the Jewish courts on all Jewish questions. This explains why Herod Antipas was tried by the Roman Senate: he had executed John the Baptist without a trial. Thus we see why the Jews and Romans worked together on all questions of law; hence the great excitement in both nations. And we understand the reason why Pilate composed his report to Caesar.

Now, I say that no event creating so much clamor could take place without more or less record being made of it; for if the Scripture is true – as I believe it to be – there never appeared a man on earth who had so many followers in so short a time. Caiaphas says Jesus had been preaching three years, and had more followers than Abraham. This causes me to say again that if the New Testament records are true and correct, then the historical items contained in this book must be true; and if these items, or items like them, are not true, then no man at this late time has the authority to outrightly affirm or deny them. They came from the right place. The parchments and scrolls upon which they are written are such as were used in those days; but to assert that these are the same is to say what no man dare to say. The time has been too long and the distance to the place where the records are kept is too great for all men to make their own examination of them. Hence I ask that every reader consider this question fairly.

I invite the attention of the reader to the known histories of this country. Dr. Rashi, D.D., who wrote in Paris in the Twelfth century, notes in Vol. III, at page 190, that in the formation of the ancient libraries there were men appointed called baslie supphoths, which means “book compilers.” It was the work of these men to take the sheets of parchment of the various authors and pin their dates together, bind them in bundles, and have them bound with clasps between cedar boards. This was a trade, and it required the best of scholars to do it.

We find that the works of Philo were compiled by Pseudonymaus Joseph Ben Gorion, A. D. 150; a Jewish Rabbi and Phariscan doctor. Josephus was compiled by Ekaba, another Jewish doctor, at the close of the second century; and so with all the historians who lived near the time of the Christian era.

Josephus was published in book-form by Havercamp, in Amsterdam, in 1729. Now, all he had to guide him was what Ben Gorion had said. So it was with Philo, which was put in book-form by Mangey, in London, in 1742; and all he had to work with was what Ekaba had been pleased to compile in his works, and, because there was deadly hatred at that time beween Jews and Chrisitians, it is reasonable to believe that the compilers would leave everything out that would tend to favor the Christians. It was to their own interest at that time to bury the very name of Jesus Christ in oblivion. And this is the reason why the historians who lived in what was then called “the Orient” and who wrote in those days, were made to say little about Jesus or His followers.

In looking over the histories, we find comparatively nothing written about Jesus Christ the Son of GOD. Such a thing could not be if the New Testament is true. No man could make me believe that such events occurred as are recorded in the Scriptures without accounts them being made in the official State Records and by public writers of that day. Although I have had this thrown in my face so often by infidels, I never saw the reason until I commenced this investigation. If anyone will examine this question, it will become clear that all the sophers, or scribes, were Pharisees; they were all doctors, lawyers, orators, poets, and statesmen of those times. The Hillel and Shammai schools made more scholars than all the rest of the world, during the last days of the Jewish Commonwealth. Almost every nation under the sun patronized these schools.

Now, being satisfied that I was on the right track, the next thing was to find out what had become of the original manuscripts. Had Rothgad, Havercamp, and Mangey destroyed the manusacripts when they were finished with them? This I knew could not be true, from the fact that these parchments were either in the hands of government or individual libraries, and they could not destroy them or even take them away. It was clear that if these parchments had been kept safe until 1754, they must still be in existence. Only a few years ago there were one hundred and twenty-eight volumes of manuscripts presented to the British Museum, which were looked upon with interest; and while I am writing this, there comes to my hand a dispatch from Vienna to the London Times. I will give it in full because I believe it will be beneficial to the reader:

The Dispatch is quoted word-for-word in Message 4 of this series, which immediately follows

To Be Continued….

HISTORICAL RECORDS: Message 2

When Rev. Mahan received the correspondences set forth in Message One, he also received the following document, of which he wrote:

I must confess that, although it is not inspired, yet the words burned in my heart as the word of Christ in the hearts of His disciples, and I am satisfied from the spirit it breathed that it must be true. I am aware that though the Jews were in subjection to the Romans, yet they still held their ecclesiastical authority, and the Romans not only submitted to their decisions, but executed their decrees on their subjects. Knowing there was not such a piece of history to be found in all the world, and being deeply interested myself, as also many others to whom I have read it, I have concluded to give it to the public.

Upon getting hold of this report of Pilate, I commenced to investigate this subject, and after many years of trial and expenditure of considerable money, I found that there were many such records still preserved at the Vatican in Rome, and at Constantinople, that had been carried there by the Emperor of Rome about the middle of the third century. I therefore procured the necessary assistance, and on September 21, 1883, I set sail fo those foreign lands to make the investigation in person.

Believing that no event of such importance to the world as the death of Jesus of Nazareth could have transpired without some record being made of it by His enemies in their courts, legislations, and histories, I commenced investigating this subject. After many years of study, and after consulting various histories and corresponding with many scholars, I received the assistance of two learned men, Drs. McIntosh and Twyman, and went to the Vatican in Rome, and then to the Jewish Talmuds at Constantinople. As a result I have compiled this book, which will be found to be one of the most strange and interesting books ever read. It may appear fragmentary, but the reader must remember that it is the record of men made nearly two thousand years ago.

It was some time in March 1856, that my mind was awakened on the subject of this book, almost incidentally, or it may be providentially, for He sometimes chooses the weakest things to confound the mighty. The reader is referred to the correspondence of H. C. Whydamore and myself, as found in this book. In GOD’s providence, sometimes very great effects are produced in very small causes. Mr. Whydaman told me he had spent five years in the Vatican at Rome, and in looking over old manuscripts he came cross the records of Pilate made to Caesar, and in those records he saw where a man named Jesus was arrested, tried, and executed. He read it carefully and reread it, and then went back and read it again. This was the beginning of my investigation, and this book is the product of that investigation. I will ask the reader to follow me patiently and see how I came to get hold of the matter contained in this book.

I wondered how it was that such historians as Philo, Tacitus, Quintalian, and Josephus had told us nothing, or so little, about Jesus of Nazareth. I asked all the wise men and scholars I met, and they did not know. Then I wrote to many scholars in Europe and they could not tell me. As I could find nothing very definite from the outside world, I began to have my doubts, but came to the conclusion that my question was of too much importance to allow my mind to be fixed without a thorough investigation. I went to our histories – Mosheim, Lardner, Stackhouse, and others. They gave me no satisfaction, and I thought to myself: is it possible that the character of such men as the early Christians, and the wonderful excitement that they created in their day, could have been passed over and no records made of them?! When I remembered, too, that the Roman Provinces in that day were prolific with debaters, historians, and writers on all topics that were brought before them, and that the records of the courts in those days were more carefully preserved than they are now, and that even the trial of Guitau – who was not half as conspicuous to the people of the United States as Jesus was to the Jewish nations – there were hundreds of records made, I came to the conclusion that only Almighty GOD could establish so universally as the Christian religion was established in the hearts if the people of this world, and separate them so completely as the sceptre of Jesus governs this world today, when they had comparatively little or no testimony from the outside world.

I consulted our histories in this country, and one said that these records were burned in the Alexandrian Library. I knew that the Babylonian Talmuds were in this library, or at least most of them were, but I also knew that the Talmuds of Jerusalem were not. I knew that when the Romans conquered the Jews and destroyed their Holy City, temple and all, the sacred treasures were taken by the Romans, and, I supposed, had been preserved.

Another historian says Gregory IX burned all the sacred records. A difficulty I met in consulting scholars on this subject was the claim that the Roman monks had forged many manuscripts regarding Jesus Christ during the Middle Ages. Now, it is true that they may have forged some things to sustain their church; but there is nothing in this book to sustain Catholicism, and if every word of it was forged it would add nothing to that church any more than to any other church. Then, too, I remembered that the Vatican Library was one of the most extensive in the world; it has cost millions of dollars. How did those forgers know that I or any other man would come there and pay them a few dollars to obtain a transcript of those records? It certainly would be very poor speculation.

Another objection was that the manuscripts had been searched for by scholars and could not be found. So I sat myself to work, and after investigating all the authors in this country, and writing to many scholars in Europe, and getting books from the libraries in the old country, thus sparing no pains or expernce, I could not find or even hear of a man who had ever investigated this subject. I found that Dr. Tischendorf made some investigation into these ancient manuscripts, and might have even seen many such things as this book holds and never have noticed them, just from the simple fact that he was not specifically looking for them. He was looking for something else. In the investigation of such subjects a man must have but one thing on his mind, and he must be posted beforehand to know how and where to look, for the field is too large to make his business general. I now challenge any scholar to show me the man who has made this his special business, and made the effort I have on this particular subject. I am sure there is none.

The next great difficulty that I encountered was this: Could such manuscripts exist so long? I found by investigating that Ptolemy, King of Alexandria, presented seventy books to Ezra, which he refused to to place in the Holy Canon, and it came very near bringing on a bloody war. Again, I found that Serenus Samnaticus, who was the teacher of M. Antonius Africanus, son of Gardianus the Great, when he died, left his library, consisting of sixty-two thousand volumes, to his student. This was in 236 A.D. I also remembered that the works of Homer were more than five hundred years older than Christ, and that we had the laws of Shammai, Abtalian, and works of the Hillels all before us. And, if Tischendorf, in the convent of St. Catherine, could find slips and pieces of the Septuagent that were declared at Leipsic to be of the fourth century, I thought there might be a great deal more somewhere in the vast libraries in those old countries that have thousands of years the advantage of America. The literatii could all tell how the manuscripts of the church might be, and were preserved; but the records of its enemies, even the records of the courts and crowns, they could not see into.

To Be Continued…

This is the first in a series of most unusual messages taken from a book written and self-published inthe mid-1800’s by Rev. W.D. Mahan, entitled: HISTORICAL RECORDS CONCERNING JESUS THE CHRIST MESSIAH.

The actual source of the material preserved and written into this work remains to this day a trantalizingly unresolved mystery. The author’s account of how he was able to travel by ship to the Vatican Library in Rome and, with permission, research to find and copy ancient records on file there is exciting beyond words to adequately describe it. Some who knew first-hand about Rev. Mahan’s writings confirm the accuracy of his account, whereas a few others have expressed their view that it was highly improbable that he actually journeyed to the Vatican and was allowed to peruse some of the closely guarded records in the inner sanctum of the Libary; or to have later visited the Library in Alexandria, as he has forthrightly and sincerely claimed.

What appears in this following series of inordinately unusual messages is the text of what Rev. Mahan wrote in detail and published about his experience in having accessed his HISTORICAL RECORDS. We have only the Holy Bible by which to compare his chronicle, which, to say the least, offers an interesting and believable account worthy of consideration. Without further introduction, then, here is Rev. Mahan’s work apparently written in his own words: 

HOW THESE RECORDS WERE DISCOVERED.

Some time in the winter of 1856, while I lived in DeWitt, Missouri, a gentleman by the name of H. C. Whydaman became snowbound and stopped by my house several days. He was a native of Germany, and one of the most learned men I had ever met. I found him to be freely communicative. During his stay, he told me that he had spent five years in the city of Rome, and most of the time in the Vatican, where he saw a library containing five hundred and sixty thousand volumes. He told me that he had seen and read the records of Tiberious Caesar, and in what was called the Acta Pilati – that is, the Acts of Pilate – he had seen an accound of the apprehension, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth; but he said it did not add much to the commonly accepted teachings of Christianity. He told me that he thought a transcript could be secured. After Mr. Whydaman’s departure, I meditated upon what he had told me of those records, and thought that if a transcript could be obtained it would be very interesting, even if it did not add much to the present teachings of Christianity. So, after some months, I set about tracing up Mr. Whydaman, as the following correspondence shows:

DeWitt, Carroll Co., Mo. Sept. 22, 18:56: Dear Mr. Whydaman, Sir:

After you left my house last spring, I kept thinking of your telling me of reading the Acts of Pilate in the Vatican, while at Rome. I want you, if you please, to get me a transcript of those records, if the cost will not be too much. Will you please open a correspondence with some of your old friends at Rome that you can rely upon, and ascertain if it can be obtained; and if so, what will be the probable cost of getting it? I shall be much obliged and will pay you for your trouble and expense. Yours in tender regards, W. D. Mahan

Mr. W. D. Mahan: Dear Sir:

Your letter directed to H. C. Wydaman is received. I will inform you that he has returned to Germany. Your letter has been forwarded. T. C. Vanberger

Westphalia, Germany, March 2, 1857:

It is with the kindest regards that I remembered your hospitality while with you in America. Be assured, anything I can do for you will afford me great pleasure. I have written to Father Freelinhusen, a monk of great learning, at Rome, who is the chief guardian of the Vatican. I have made the request in my own name, as I do not think they would be willing for such a document to go into the hands of the public. When he answers, I will write you again. H.C. Whydaman

Westphalia, Germany, Nov. 27, 1857

Dear W. D. Mahan:

Father Freelinhusen has answered by letter in regard to the transcript you want. He informs me that the writing is so fine, and being in the Latin language, as I told you, and the parchments so old and soiled, he will be obliged to use the glass on most of it. He can only give it in the Latin, as he does not understand the English. He says he will do it for thirty-five darics, which will be in American coin, sixty-two dollars and forty-four cents. If you will forward the amount, I will have the document forwarded to my brother-law, C. C. Vanberger. He will translate it for a trifle. H. C. Whydaman.

Chillicothe, Mo., Feb. 8, 1858:

Dear Mr. H. C. Whydaman: Dear Sir:

Thanks to you for your kindness, and be assured, if I succeed, I shall ever feel under obligation to you for your trouble. Enclosed you will find a check on the Foreign Exchange Bank of New York for sixty-two dollars and forty-four cents. Please have the work done, and urge Mr. Freelinhusen to have it a true copy of the original. Send it to Mr. Vanberger, and have him to translate it into English, and I will pay the charges. He has my address. Yours as ever, W. D. Mahan

Westphalia, Germany, June 14, 1858

Dear Rev. W. D. Mahan:

I acknowledge your draft of $62.44. Will apply as you request. Enc. H.C. Whydaman

Mr. H. C. Whyaman: (copy of letter enclosed)

I hereby forward to you the transcript as it is on record in the Vatican in Tiberius Caesar’s Court by Pilate. I certify this to be a true copy, word for sword, as it occurs there. Peter Freelinhusen.

New York, N.Y. April 26, 1859

Dear Sir; W. D. Mahan:

I am in possession of a document from H. C. Whydaman, with instructions to translate it in English. My charge is ten dollars. I will expect an answer C. D. Vanberger

[The above paragraphs relate the correspondences recorded by Rev. W. D. Mahan and those with whom he was in touch preparatory to his having received documents copied from records reportedly filed in the Vatican Library.

To Be Continued…