Suchimperfectcircumstances，however，ashavereachedourknowledgeconcerningtheincreaseoftheChristiannameinAsiaandGreece，inEgypt，inItaly，andintheWest，weshallnowproceedtorelate，withoutneglectingtherealorimaginaryacquisitionswhichlaybeyondthefrontiersoftheRomanempire。

　　[Footnote152:Themoderncriticsarenotdisposedtobelievewhatthefathersalmostunanimouslyassert，thatSt。MatthewcomposedaHebrewgospel，ofwhichonlytheGreektranslationisextant。Itseems，however，dangeroustorejecttheirtestimony。

　　Note:Strongreasonsappeartoconfirmthistestimony。

　　Papias，contemporaryoftheApostleSt。John，sayspositivelythatMatthewhadwrittenthediscoursesofJesusChristinHebrew，andthateachinterpretedthemashecould。ThisHebrewwastheSyro—Chaldaicdialect，theninuseatJerusalem:Origen，Irenaeus，Eusebius，Jerome，Epiphanius，confirmthisstatement。

　　JesusChristpreachedhimselfinSyro—Chaldaic，asisprovedbymanywordswhichheused，andwhichtheEvangelistshavetakenthepainstotranslate。St。Paul，addressingtheJews，usedthesamelanguage:Actsxxi。40，xxii。2，xxvi。14。Theopinionsofsomecriticsprovenothingagainstsuchundeniabletestimonies。

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