Dear Dr Laderman,
I think there's a chance, albeit I fear only a slight one, that 'Friend
to Truth' is discussed in C. G. Montefiore's The Synoptic Gospels,
1927. Montefiore's is a hostile commentary on parts of Mark, Matthew
and Luke. (Unfortunately, our set is not to hand.) Have you consulted a
free-thought group?
'The Friend' itself is ESTCT101661. Four copies are reported in
Great Britain. Its text has been reproduced in microfilm: Microfilm.
Woodbridge, CT Research Publications, Inc., 199.7 1 reel ; 35mm. (The
Eighteenth Century ; reel 9487, no. 05).
P. G. Naiditch
On Tue, 26 Sep 2000 02:42:19 -0700 (PDT) Laderman <zita@interport.net>
wrote:
> I have been working on a surprizingly unnoted book, considering its extreme
> position. It is:
>
> FRIEND TO TRUTH[?] : OBSERVATIONS UPON THE FOUR GOSPELS; SHEWING THEIR
> DEFECTS, and how far those defects, together with the writings of St. Paul,
> have misled the compilers of our church services, etc. Thereby evincing the
> necessity of revising the whole by authority. By a Friend to Truth.
> [Translated from the French.] v [3], 350Pp. J. B. Letellier: Geneva, 1789.
> 8o., 21.5 cm. ESTC T101661
>
> I have no problems with it bibliographically. I do have problems evaluating
> it as a religious document. It is clearly not exactly what it purports to
> be. But I have not been able to find any religious or philosophical
> discussion or the expected condemnation of its content and the probable
> actual position of its author both in religion and in philosophy. It is a
> very ungenerous attack on the legitimacy of the Gospels during a period
> when all sorts of religious groups were still clear in attempting to derive
> their authority from their positive interpretations.
>
> Any suggestions of sources of study would be welcomed. The book is uncommon
> enough so that it must often have been overlooked.
>
> Sincerely,
> GAbriel Laderman
>