It must be evident to anyone who reads the context [62:3] that in this sentence I am stating opinions expressed in favour of the Curetonian Epistles, and that the note, which is naturally put at the end of that sentence, must be intended to represent this favourable opinion, whether of those who absolutely maintain the authenticity or merely the relative priority. Dr. Lightfoot quietly suppresses, in his comments, the main statement of the text which the note illustrates, and then "throws light" upon the point by the following remarks:--
THE TRUTH. | DR. LIGHTFOOT'S STATEMENT. | _Cureton, Bunsen, Böhringer, Ewald, | "The reader, therefore, will Milman, Ritschl_, and _Weiss_ | hardly be prepared to hear that maintain both the priority and | not one of these nine writers genuineness of the Syriac Epistles. | condemns the Ignatian letters _Bleek_ will not commit himself to a | as spurious. Bleek alone leaves distinct recognition of the letters | leaves the matter in some in any form. Of the Vossian | uncertainty while inclining to Epistles, he says: "Aber auch die | Bunsen's view; the other eight Echtheit dieser Recension ist | distinctly maintain the keineswegs sicher." He considers the | genuineness of the Curetonian priority of the Curetonian "in the | letters." [63:1] highest degree probable." | | _Lipsius_ rejects all the Epistles, | as I have already said, but | maintains the priority of the | Syriac. |
Dr. Lightfoot's statement, therefore, is a total misrepresentation of the facts, and of that mischievous kind which does most subtle injury. Not one reader in twenty would take the trouble to investigate, but would receive from such positive assertions an impression that my note was totally wrong, when in fact it is literally correct.
Continuing his analysis, Dr. Lightfoot fights almost every inch of the ground in the very same style. He cannot contradict my statement that so early as the sixteenth century the strongest doubts were expressed regarding the authenticity of any of the Epistles ascribed to Ignatius, and that the Magdeburg Centuriators attacked them, and Calvin declared them to be spurious, [64:1] but Dr. Lightfoot says: "The criticisms of Calvin more especially refer to those passages which were found in the Long Recension alone." [64:2] Of course only the Long Recension was at that time known. Rivet replies to Campianus that Calvin's objections were not against Ignatius but the Jesuits who had corrupted him. [64:3] This is the usual retort theological, but as I have quoted the words of Calvin the reader may judge for himself. Dr. Lightfoot then says: