John, and we shall hereafter show
that it is impossible that the author of the Apocalypse is the
author of the Gospel; therefore, in this way also, Papias is a
witness against the Apostolic origin of the Fourth Gospel [214:4].

This argument however is an anachronism. Many very considerable critics
of the nineteenth century, it is true, maintain that the two works
cannot have come from the same author. I do not stop now to ask whether
they are right or wrong; but the nineteenth century is not the second.
In the second century there is not the slightest evidence that a single
writer felt any difficulty on this score, or attempted to separate the
authorship of the two books. It is true that Eusebius mentions one or
two authors, whose works unfortunately are lost, as using the
Apocalypse, while he does not mention their using the Gospel; and this
negative fact has obviously misled many. But here again the inference
arises from a fundamental misconception of his purpose. I have shown
[215:1] that his principles required him to notice quotations from and
references to the Apocalypse in every early writer, because the
authorship and canonicity of the work had been questioned by Church
writers before his time; whereas it would lead him to ignore all such in
the case of the Fourth Gospel, because no question had ever been
entertained within the Church respecting it. This indeed is precisely
what he does with Theophilus; he refers to this father's use of the
Apocalypse, and he ignores his direct quotations from the Gospel. The
inference therefore must be set aside as a fallacy. Beyond this, all the
direct evidence points the other way. There was indeed a small sect or
section of men outside the pale of the Church, before the close of the
second century, who rejected the Gospel, but they rejected the
Apocalypse also. Moreover they ascribed both _to a single author_, and
(what is more important still) this author was Cerinthus, _a
contemporary of St John_ [215:2]. Thus the very opponents of the Gospel
in the second century are witnesses not only to the very early date of
the two writings, but also to the identity of authorship. On the other
hand, every Church writer without exception during this century (so far
as our knowledge goes) who accepted the one accepted the other also. The
most doubtful case is Justin Martyr, who refers by name to the
Apocalypse; but even Hilgenfeld says that it is difficult to deny the
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