192 REV. RICHARD COLLINS, M.A. 
There is, surely, very strong presumption, amounting, I should say 
to demonstration, that Syrian and Persian Christians (often called 
Nestorians, though I doubt whether that term is always correctly 
applied) were busy in the farther East during the very early 
centuries after the Christian era. Pantaenus, in the second century, 
was not the first preacher in that part of India, wherever it was, 
that he visited, for he found a Hebrew, or Syro-Chaldee, gospel of 
St. Matthew, which had already been brought there: this being 
the version used by what has been called the “ Hebrew party” in 
the Church, as distinguished from the “ Hellenic party” ; and is 
the version which we should suppose, if one of the Twelve, or any 
of their immediate disciples, visited India, they would be likely to 
bring with them. 
With regard to the date of the document called the “ Teaching 
of the Apostles,” it was brought to light by Dr. Cureton, and 
placed by him in the Ante-Nicene period. I regret that I cannot 
here give his reasons for assigning this early date to it, as I have 
not been in possession of the book since my return to England. 
The document, annotated if I remember rightly, is to be found in 
the Ante-Nicene Library, vol. xx. 
In particular, I should wish to emphasise most strongly the fact, 
already stated, that I do not quote mere casual coincidences or 
similarities,—though all such, wherever found, must have some 
explanation if it can be reached,—but similarities which are parts, 
and integral parts, of two great wholes, two great systems, both 
aiming at approach to God, and that by a new phase of religious 
faith, the one by steps of absolute perfection, the other by steps 
exactly similar in their main design and intention, but coarse and 
imperfect in their work, laid in rubbish, and running into inaccessi- 
bility. 
A great deal might be written upon similarities in other directions; 
but ina brief paper it is not possible to touch other than salient 
points. Take the instance given by Mr. Boscawen of Merodach, 
the “healer,” “who goes between the gods and men.” I should 
be disposed to claim this as on my side of the question. Why 
should not Merodach be an echo of an earlier revelation ? in which, 
for my part, I most firmly believe. So, with regard to the 
expressions in the document from the Temple of Ammon, which 
are the same with some of the clauses of the Nicene Creed ; they 
may be vestiges of an early Divine worship, some of the very 
expressions of which may have become traditional, and embodied 
in early Christian teaching ; just as the first clause of the Lord’s 
Prayer had been common among the Jews for ages. Christ came 
