362 AGNOSTICISM AND CHRISTIANITY ix 



theology, hereafter, to take that element into 

 serious consideration ; so Baur, in giving promin- 

 ence to the cardinal fact of the divergence of the 

 Nazarene and Pauline tendencies in the primitive 

 Church; so Reuss, in setting a marvellous example 

 of the cool and dispassionate application of the 

 principles of scientific criticism over the whole 

 field of Scripture ; so Volkmar, in his clear and 

 forcible statement of the Nazarene limitations of 

 Jesus, contributed results of permanent value in 

 scientific theology. I took these names as they 

 occurred to me. Undoubtedly, I might have 

 advantageously added to them ; perhaps, I might 

 have made a better selection. But.it really is 

 absurd to try to make out that I did not know 

 that these writers widely disagree ; and I believe 

 that no scientific theologian will deny that, in 

 principle, what I have said is perfectly correct. 

 Ecclesiastical advocates, of course, cannot be 

 expected to take this view of the matter. To 

 them, these mere seekers after truth, in so far as 

 their results are unfavourable to the creed the 

 clerics have to support, are more or less " infidels," 

 or favourers of " infidelity " ; and the only thing 

 they care to see, or probably can see, is the fact 

 that, in a great many matters, the truth-seekers 

 differ from one another, and therefore can easily 

 be exhibited to the public, as if they did nothing 

 else ; as if any one who referred to their having, 

 each and all, contributed his share to the results 



