EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY, in favor of its divine origin, may be divided broadly into two great classes, namely, external evidences, or the body of historical testimonies to the Christian revelation; and internal evi dences, or arguments drawn from the nature of Christianity itself as exhibited in its teach ings and effects.
Among the earlier Christian apologists were Justin Martyr, Minucius Felix, Tertullian, Ori gen, Arnobius and Augustine. Their work was continued by the schoolmen during the Middle Ages. In the 16th and 17th centuries the influ ences of the Renaissance and the Reformation gave rise to a spirit of inquiry and criticism which developed English deism as represented by Herbert and Hobbes in the 17th century, and Collins and Bolingbroke in the 18th. The gen eral position of English deism was the accept ance of the belief in the existence of God, and the profession of natural religion along with opposition to the mysteries and special claims of Christianity. It was in confutation of this posi tion that the great English works on the evi dences of Christianity of Butler, Berkeley and Cudworth were written. In France the new spirit of inquiry was represented by Diderot, D'Holbach, and the encyclopmdists, who assailed Christianity mainly on the ground that it was founded on imposture and superstition, and maintained by sacerdotal trickery and hypocrisy. No reply of any great value was produced in the French Church, though in the previous age Pascal in his 'Thoughts' had brought together some of the profoundest considerations yet offered in favor of revealed religion, The 19th century was distinguished by the strongly rationalistic spirit of its criticism. The works of such writers as Strauss, Bauer and Feuer bach, attempting to eliminate the supernatural and the mysterious in the origin of Christianity, were answered by the works of Neander, Ebrard and Ullmann .on the other side. The
historical method of investigation, represented alike by the Hegelian school and the Positivists in philosophy, and by the Evolutionists in science, is the basis of the chief attacks of the present time against the supernatural character of Christianity, the tendency of all being to hold that, while Christianity is the highest and most perfect development to which the religious spirit has yet attained, it differs simply in de gree of development from any other religion. Notable among later apologists of Christianity have been Paley ((Natural Theology' ), Chal mers ((Natural Theology)), Mansel, Liddon and others, lecturers of the Bampton Founda tion; in Germany, Luthardt, Ewald, Baumstark and others. The evidence of the miraculous is not so much insisted on as it was; life and con duct and the fruits of Christian grace make a stronger appeal to the age. Consult Bruce, 'Apologetics' (London 1902) ; Burton, 'Our Intellectual Attitude in an Age of Criticism' (Boston 1913) ; Fisher, 'Grounds of Theistic and Christian Belief' (1883, rev. ed., 1902) ; and 'Manual of Christian Evidences' (New York 1888) ; Foster, 'The Finality of the Christian Religion) (Chicago 1906) ; Garvie, 'Handbook of Christian Apologetics) (New York 1913) • Robbins, 'A Christian Apologetic' (London 1902) ; Rowland, 'The Right to Be lieve' (Boston 1909) ; Stearns, 'Evidence of Christian (New York 1891). See APoLocartcs ; CHRISTIANITY; HIGHER CRITICISM.