and all this vouched for by Clement himself!  How reliable must be the testimony of the apostolic Clement!  Tertullian, the Apostolic Constitutions, and Cyril of Jerusalem mention the same tale.  We have already drawn attention to that which was seen by the writers of the circular letter of the Church of Smyrna.  Barnabas loses himself in a maze of allegorical meanings, and gives us some delightful instruction in natural history; he is dealing with the directions of Moses as to clean and unclean animals:  “‘Thou shalt not,’ he says, ’eat the hare.’  Wherefore?  ’Thou shalt not be a corrupter of boys, nor like unto such.’  Because the hare multiplies, year by year, the places of its conception; for as many years as it lives, so many foramina it has.  Moreover, ’Thou shalt not eat the hyaena.’...  Wherefore?  Because that animal annually changes its sex, and is at one time male, and at another female.  Moreover, he has rightly detested the weasel ...  For this animal conceives by the mouth....  Behold how well Moses legislated” (Epistle of Barnabas, chapter x.). “’And Abraham circumcised ten and eight and three hundred men of his household.’  What, then, was the knowledge given to him in this?  Learn the eighteen first, and then the three hundred.  The ten and the eight are thus denoted—­Ten by I, and Eight by H. You have Jesus.  And because the cross was to express the grace by the letter T, he says also Three Hundred.  He signifies, therefore, Jesus by two letters, and the cross by one....  No one has been admitted by me to a more excellent piece of knowledge than this, but I know that ye are worthy” (Ibid, chapter ix.).  And this is Paley’s companion of the Apostles!  Ignatius tells us of the “star of Bethlehem.”  “A star shone forth in heaven above all other stars, and the light of which was inexpressible, while its novelty struck men with astonishment.  And all the rest of the stars, with the sun and moon, formed a chorus to this star” (Epistle to the Ephesians, chap. xix.).  Why should we accept Ignatius’ testimony to the star, and reject his testimony to the sun and moon and stars singing to it?  Or take Origen against Celsus:  “I have this further to say to the Greeks, who will not believe that our Saviour was born of a virgin:  that the Creator of the world, if he pleases, can make every animal bring forth its young in the same wonderful manner.  As, for instance, the vultures propagate their kind in this uncommon way, as the best writers of natural history do acquaint us” (chap, xxxiii., as quoted in “Diegesis,” p. 319).  Or shall we turn to Irenaeus, so invaluable a witness, since he knew Polycarp, who knew John, who knew Jesus?  Listen, then, to the reminiscences of John, as reported by Irenaeus:  “John related the words of the Lord concerning the times of the kingdom of God:  the days would come when vines would grow, each with 10,000 shoots, and to each shoot 10,000 branches, and to each branch 10,000 twigs, and to each twig 10,000 clusters, and to each