Malachi to Christ

It was a saying of Scotus Erigena that whatever is true Philosophy is also true Theology. In like manner, on a large scale, whatever is true History teaches true Religion, and every attempt to reproduce the ages which immediately preceded or which accompanied the advent of Christianity is a contribution, however humble, to the understanding of Christianity itself. The manifold short-comings of this study are a sufficient warning not to indulge so precarious and arduous an expectation. Yet, it is a hope which, having its roots in the memory of a past never to be forgotten, may perhaps carry with it in some shape its own fulfillment.