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(29) But in one matter, at least, John did not follow the teachings of Buddha; for while the great Hindu (28) Vol. 17, Saered Books of the East, p. 125. (28) Vol. 17, above, p. 100. See Ante., ch. 13, where this mat- ter is treated at greater length. (29) See chapter 10, Life and Teachings of Zoroaster, the Great Persian, by Loren Harper Whitney, of the Chicago bar. 330 A QUESTION OF MIRACLES speaks of ten thousand world systems, John in his gos- pel knows nothing of any otlier world than this one. The transfiguration story which Matthew, and Mark, and Luke mention with much particularity, and which is very strikingly similar to the transfiguration of Buddha five hundred years before, is not even men- tioned by John, although the three other gospel writ- ers are careful to state that John was present on that mountain when Jesus talked to Moses and Elias. (30) Without extending this chapter further, I will only add that the collection of writings now called the New Testament were not held to be holy or inspired until about the year 170 A. D. Then commenced the formation of the church of Rome : and from that date to the present, the old and new testaments have been called, by some people, holy and inspired. (31) (30) Matt. 17, V. 1; Mark 9, v. 28. Burldha's transfiguration, Vol. 11, Sacred Books of the East, p. 81 and 82 and p. 214. (31) Eev. Dr, Davidson's article, "Canon," vol. 5, Br. Ency., p. 7. CHAPTFR XXIX Examination of Luke Resumed. Question. In the last chapter of your gospel, Luke, you say that Jesus, after leaving the tomb, had flesh and bones, and did eat, as other men do; and that he preached to his disciples; and then near the close of chapter 24, in verses 50 and 51, you say he led them out as far as Bethany, a village about two miles from Jerusalem, and lifted up his hands and blessed them; and it came to pass while he blessed them, he was parted from them and carried up into heaven. Answer. Yes, I wrote that. Question. Now, Luke, please tell us who it was or what it was, that carried Jesus up into heaven? Answer. I do not know. Question. Was it a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, such as Elijah had when he went up ? ( i ) Answer. I never heard that Jesus had any chariot, or horses of fire, to take him up. Question. Do you know what the "Acts of the Apostles" say about the ascension? (2) Answer. Yes, it says that when he had spoken to (1) 2 Kings, ch. 2, (2) Acts 1, V. 1 to 10. 331 SZ2 A QUESTIUX OF MIRACLES his disciples "he was taken up and a cloud received him out of their sij^ht." Question. As Jesus went up two men in white gar- ments stood by, did they? Answer. I so understood it. Question. \\'ere they the same two men in shining garments that were at the sepulcher? Answer. Possiblv, but I do not know. Question. It was Jesus' mortal body that went up, was it? Answer. Certainly, it was his crucified body. Question. Luke, did )-ou know when you wrote that gospel, anything about the law of gravitation, whereby all bodies or particles of matter, everywhere in the universe, w^ere and are attracted toward each other? Answer. I never heard of such a thing; there was no such law in Palestine. Question. Luke, you are mistaken. That law was in full force in Palestine, and Jesus' body was com- posed of particles of matter; and his body, like any other body of matter, was held down to the earth by that universal law of attraction of gravitation. How then do you say "he was carried up into heaven, and a cloud received him out of sight?" (3) Answer. It was a tradition among the people of Palestine that "his body went up." I did not witness it, and in the very first verse of my gospel I say, "I write of the things which are most surely believed among us." (3) Acta 1, V. 9. A QUESTION OF MIRACLES 333 Question. Then, Luke, all you really knew about Jesus' ascension, when you wrote, was from a tradi- tion floating about among the people there in Pales- tine, was it? Answer. Yes, it was a local tradition, believed mostly in Galilee. Question. At the period of your gospel, you be- lieved the earth to be flat, and that heaven was just a bit above it, in the sky, did you not ? Answer. Of course, everybody knew that the earth was flat and that heaven was just above it. Question. You did not know, did you, that the earth was traveling through space at an enormous velocity ? Answer. Certainly not; the earth, when I wrote, was stationary and quiet. Question. You mean to say that it had that appear- ance. Answer. What else could I say? Question. Well, suppose I should assert that at the time you say Jesus made his ascension, this earth was flying through space, and that, too, without wings, at a velocity of about sixty or seventy thousand miles an hour, or eleven hundred and thirty or forty miles a minute; what would you say to that? Answer. I would dispute it. I would say that it was impossible. I am sure it did not move then. (4) (4) The reader should notice that as the earth travels 68,000 miles per hour, it flies through space about eleven hundred and thirty-three miles per minute, that being a little more than twen- ty-two miles per second, or twenty-five times swifter than a bullet. 334 A QUESTION OF MIRACLES Question. Now, if heaven is just above the earth, and tlie earth is Hying through space, as I have said, heaven must necessarily speed along with the same velocity, must it not, in order that good people may safely reach it? Answer. In the first place, I do not admit that the earth moves, but if it does move, as you say, then heaven must move also, and must keep pace with it. Question. Luke, did you know when you wrote your gospel that the sun was moving northward to- ward Lyra, and carrying the earth along with it, about three hundred millions of miles each year? Answer. I never heard of such a thing. Question. But suppose, Luke, that this earth does revolve on its axis every day, completely — does heaven revolve around it also, keeping pace with it so that any good people who may happen to die can reach it easily ? Answer. This earth does not revolve on its axis, for if so, all the waters in the rivers, lakes and oceans would spill out and fly ofT and become lost in space. (5) Question. But assume that the earth does revolve on its axis, and that it is rushing rapidly through space, is heaven also rushing along by the side of it for the benefit of the saints? Add to this the movement of the sun and the turning of the earth on its axis, and we are traveling through space more than forty times swifter than the fastest bullet. (5) That was the old argument centuries ago, and held mankind in its remorseless grip for many generations. A QUESTION OF MIRACLES 335 Answer. Well, if the earth moves, as you say it does, then heaven must surely follow close by. Question. Luke, you say that Jesus was carried up into heaven; please tell us who or what carried him up? (6) Answer. I cannot tell how he was carried up, but that was the belief of the early Christians. (7) Question. Do you not know that the atmosphere eight or ten miles above the earth is so excessively cold that if a man could be lifted that high, his breath would become labored and heavy, and the intense cold would freeze him stiff directly? How, then, could Jesus live up there in that worse than arctic region? Answer. If it is, in fact, so bitterly cold up there, I do not see how he could live, or how they can keep warm in heaven. Question. Luke, do you know that you (of all the millions of people who have ever lived) are the only one who says that "J^sus was carried up into heaven?" Answer. That may be so, but the Jewish Christians in my day believed it. Question. Suppose, Luke, that this earth, as here- (6) Luke 24, v. 51. (7) Mark, eh, 16, v. 19, makes only this brief statement: "After the Lord had spoken unto them (his disciples) he was re- ceived up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God." Matthew makes no mention of the ascension whatever. The faith of the world in this matter, therefore, is pinned to the belief of a few ignorant Jews. It must be remembered that careful crit- icism of Mark closes his gospel at the eighth verse of his last chapter, and if that be true then the ascension is mentioned by Luke onlv.