Roger Pearse

Gauvin was an atheist apologist, not a scholar. But surely arguments need to be evaluated on their merits, not by claims of authority anyway? On matters of controversy most scholars merely reflect the views of those who control appointments.

This is a reference to the text found in the Universal History of Agapius (published in 4 sections in the Patriologia Orientalis with a French translation). Agapius was an Arabic Christian writer -- one of the earliest of the Christians to write in Arabic. His sources are presumably largely Syriac (he was a Melchite).

Annoyingly none of the Ecclesiastical histories of Christian Arabic exist in English. If I could hire a reliable translator, Agapius would be first on my list, and we could get it online. Sadly at the moment my enquiries for translators mostly produce Arabs with little English who aren't very familiar with Christian Arabic so can't do the job.

The text of the TF as given by Agapius is interesting, but doesn't actually prove anything (the same is true of nearly all the arguments pro and con).

All the best,

Roger Pearse

mountainman

Did Jesus Christ Really Live? - by Marshall J. Gauvin

The Heart Of the Bible - by Marshall J. Gauvin

IIDB Library -Historical Documents - Author Index


Best wishes,


Pete Brown