that no one of his biographers knew positively just when he lived or
where he was born, he would have reason to conclude that because of
this uncertainty on the part of the biographers, he must be more
exacting than he otherwise would have been. That is precisely our
position. Of course, there are in history great men of whose
birthplaces or birthdays we are equally uncertain. But we believe in
their existence, not because no one seems to know exactly when and
where they were born, but because there is overwhelming evidence
corroborating the other reports about them, and which is sufficient to
remove the suspicion suggested by the darkness hanging over their
nativity. Is there any evidence strong enough to prove the historicity
of Jesus, in spite of the fact that not even his supposed companions,
writing during the lifetime of Jesus' mother, have any definite
information to give.

But let us continue. The reports current about a man like Lincoln are
verifiable, while many of those about Jesus are of a nature that no
amount of evidence can confirm. That Lincoln was President of these
United States, that he signed the Emancipation Proclamation, and that
he was assassinated, can be readily authenticated.

But how can any amount of evidence satisfy one's self that Jesus was
born of a virgin, for instance? Such a report or rumor can never even
be examined; it does not lend itself to evidence; it is beyond the
sphere of history; it is not a legitimate question for investigation.
It belongs to mythology. Indeed, to put forth a report of that nature
is to forbid the use of evidence, and to command forcible
acquiescence, which, to say the least, is a very suspicious
circumstance, calculated to hurt rather than to help the Jesus story.