Dr. Westcott,
however, omits to state that I as persistently refer to writers who
oppose, as to those who favour, my own conclusions.
Dr. Westcott proceeds to make the accusation which I now desire to
investigate. He says:
"Writers are quoted as holding on independent grounds an opinion
which is involved in their characteristic assumptions. And more than
this, the references are not unfrequently actually misleading. One
example will show that I do not speak too strongly." [87:1]
Dr. Westcott has scrutinised this work with great minuteness, and, as I
shall presently explain, he has selected his example with evident care.
The idea of illustrating the vast mass of references in these volumes by
a single instance is somewhat startling but to insinuate that a supposed
contradiction pointed out in one note runs through the whole work, as he
does, if I rightly understand his subsequent expressions, is scarcely
worthy of Dr. Westcott, although I am sure he does not mean to be
unfair. The example selected is as follows:
"'It has been demonstrated that Ignatius was not sent to Rome at
all, but suffered martyrdom in Antioch itself on the 20th December,
A.D. 115,(3) when he was condemned to be cast to wild beasts in the
amphitheatre, in consequence of the fanatical excitement produced by
the earthquake which took place on the 13th of that month.
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