conjecture, but also the year in which he was born. Matthew, one of
the Evangelists, suggests that Jesus was born in King Herod's time,
for it was this king who, hearing from the Magi that a King of the
Jews was born, decided to destroy him; but Luke, another Evangelist,
intimates that Jesus was born when Quirinus was ruler of Judea, which
makes the date of Jesus' birth about fourteen years later than the
date given by Matthew. Why this discrepancy in a historical document,
to say nothing about inspiration? The theologian might say that this
little difficulty was introduced purposely into the scriptures to
establish its infallibility, but it is only religious books that are
pronounced infallible on the strength of the contradictions they
contain.

Again, Matthew says that to escape the evil designs of Herod, Mary and
Joseph, with the infant Jesus, fled into Egypt, Luke says nothing
about this hurried flight, nor of Herod's intention to kill the infant
Messiah. On the contrary he tells us that after the forty days of
purification were over Jesus was publicly presented at the temple,
where Herod, if he really, as Matthew relates, wished to seize him,
could have done so without difficulty. It is impossible to reconcile
the flight to Egypt with the presentation in the temple, and this
inconsistency is certainly insurmountable and makes it look as if the
narrative had no value whatever as history.

When we come to the more important chapters about Jesus, we meet with
greater difficulties. Have you ever noticed that the day on which
Jesus is supposed to have died falls invariably on a Friday? What is
the reason for this? It is evident that nobody knows, and nobody ever
knew the date on which the Crucifixion took place, if it ever took
place. It is so obscure and so mythical that an artificial day has