puzzling that there should be a whole literature of fraud and forgery
in the name of a historical person. But if Jesus was a myth, we can
easily explain the legends and traditions springing up in his name.

The early followers of Jesus, then, realizing the force of this
objection, did actually resort to interpolation and forgery in order
to prove that Jesus was a historical character.

One of the oldest critics of the Christian religion was a Pagan, known
to history under the name of Porphyry; yet, the early Fathers did not
hesitate to tamper even with the writings of an avowed opponent of
their religion. After issuing an edict to destroy, among others, the
writings of this philosopher, a work, called _Philosophy of Oracles,_
was produced, in which the author is made to write almost as a
Christian; and the name of Porphyry was signed to it as its author.
St. Augustine was one of the first to reject it as a forgery.
[Footnote: Geo. W. Foote. Crimes of Christianity.] A more astounding
invention than this alleged work of a heathen bearing witness to
Christ is difficult to produce. Do these forgeries, these apocryphal
writings, these interpolations, freely admitted to have been the
prevailing practice of the early Christians, help to prove the
existence of Jesus? And when to this wholesale manufacture of doubtful
evidence is added the terrible vandalism which nearly destroyed every
great Pagan classic, we can form an idea of the desperate means to
which the early Christians resorted to prove that Jesus was not a
myth. It all goes to show how difficult it is to make a man out of a
myth.