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TheGreatDebateOrRevealingTheTruth, page : 102
Irenaeus - a disciple of Polycarp, the disciple of John - was
living.
2 He did not make any statement to negate those who refused to
accept the book and did not testify that he had heard Polycarp
saying that this Gospel was the book of John, the Apostle. Had it
been the book of John, Polycarp must have known it. It cannot be
the truth that he heard Polycarp saying many secret and profound
things which he related but did not hear a single word about a
matter of such importance.
3 And it is even more unbelievble that he had heard it and
forgot, since we know about him that he had great trust in verbal
statements and used to memorize them. This is evident from the
following statement of Eusebius regarding the opinion of Irenaeus
about verbal statements:
4 I listened to these words with great care by the grace of God,
and wrote them not only on paper, but also on my heart. For a
living.
2 He did not make any statement to negate those who refused to
accept the book and did not testify that he had heard Polycarp
saying that this Gospel was the book of John, the Apostle. Had it
been the book of John, Polycarp must have known it. It cannot be
the truth that he heard Polycarp saying many secret and profound
things which he related but did not hear a single word about a
matter of such importance.
3 And it is even more unbelievble that he had heard it and
forgot, since we know about him that he had great trust in verbal
statements and used to memorize them. This is evident from the
following statement of Eusebius regarding the opinion of Irenaeus
about verbal statements:
4 I listened to these words with great care by the grace of God,
and wrote them not only on paper, but also on my heart. For a