William Paley: Evidence of Christianity - Christian Classics Ethereal Library

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Prefatory Material

Letter to Right Reverend James York

Preparatory Considerations

Part I. Of the Direct Historical Evidence of Christianity, and Wherein It Is Distinguished from the Evidence Alleged for Other Miracles.

Proposition I. That there is satisfactory evidence that many professing to be original witnesses of the Christian miracles passed their lives in labours, dangers, and sufferings ...

Chapter I. Evidence of the Suffering of the first Propagators of Christianity, from the Nature of the Case.

Chapter II. Evidence of the Sufferings of the first Propagators of Christianity, from Profane Testimony.

Chapter III. Indirect Evidence of the Sufferings of the first Propagators of Christianity, from the Scriptures and other ancient Christian Writings.

Chapter IV. Direct Evidence of the same.

Chapter V. Observations upon the preceding Evidence.

Chapter VI. That the Story for which the first Propagators of Christianity suffered was miraculous.

Chapter VII. That it was, in the main, the Story which we have now proved by indirect Considerations.

Chapter VIII. The same proved from the Authority of our Historical Scriptures.

Chapter IX. Of the Authenticity of the historical Scriptures, in eleven Sections

Section I. Quotations of the historical Scriptures by ancient Christian Writers.

Section II. Of the peculiar Respect with which they were quoted.

Section III. The Scriptures were in very early Times collected into a distinct Volume.

Section IV. And distinguished by appropriate Names and Titles of Respect.

Section V. Were publicly read and expounded in the religious Assemblies of the early Christians.

Section VI. Commentaries, &c., were anciently written upon the Scriptures.

Section VII. They were received by ancient Christians of different Sects and persuasions.

Section VIII. The four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, thirteen Epistles of St. Paul, the first Epistle of John, and the first of Peter, were received without doubt by those who doubted concerning the other Books of our present Canon.

Section IX. Our present Gospels were considered by the adversaries of Christianity as containing the Accounts upon which the Religion was founded.

Section X. Formal Catalogues of authentic Scriptures were published, in all which our present Gospels were included.

Section XI. The above Propositions cannot be predicated of those Books which are commonly called Apocryphal Books of the New Testament.

Chapter X. Recapitualation.

Proposition II. That there is not satisfactory evidence that persons professing to be original witnesses of other miracles, in their nature as certain as these are, have ever acted in the same manner, in attestation of the accounts which they delivered, and properly in consequence of their belief of those accounts.

Chapter I. That there is not satisfactory Evidence, that Persons pretending to be original Witnesses of any other similar Miracles have acted in the same Manner, in Attestation of the Accounts which they delivered, and solely in consequence of their Belief of the Truth of those Accounts.

Chapter II. Consideration of some specific Instances

Part II. OF THE AUXILIARY EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY,

Chapter I. Prophesy.

Chapter III. The Candour of the Writers of the New Testament.

Chapter IV. Identity of Christ’s Character.

Chapter V. Originality of Our Saviour’s Character.

Chapter VI. Conformity of the Facts occasionally mentioned or referred to in Scripture with the State of things in these Times, as represented by foreign and independent Accounts.

Chapter VII. Undesigned Coincidences.

Chapter VIII. Of the History of the Resurrection.

Chapter IX. Of the Propagation of Christianity.

Section II. Reflections upon the Preceding Account.

Section III. Of the Religion of Mahomet.

Part III. A BRIEF CONSIDERATION OF SOME POPULAR OBJECTIONS.

Chapter I. The Discrepancies between the several Gospels.

Chapter II. Erroneous Opinions imputed to the Apostles.

Chapter III. The Connection of Christianity with the Jewish History.

Chapter IV. Rejection of Christianity.

Chapter V. That the Christian Miracles are not recited, or appealed to, by early Christian Writers themselves, so fully or frequently as might have been expected.

Chapter VI. Want of Universality in the Knowledge and Reception of Christianity, and of greater Clearness in the Evidence.

Chapter VII. Supposed effects of Christianity.

Chapter VIII. Conclusion.

Index of Scripture References

Latin Words and Phrases