For more than a thousand years, until their fraud was exposed by modern historical criticism, these voluminous and most commodious forgeries formed the groundwork and foundation of some of the most extravagant pretensions of the church and its most potent instrument of establishment and dominion of its monarchical government the Apostolic Constitution, which we have admitted for naivete of invention with respect to the Apostolic Prince Peter and Simon Magnus in their magic contests in Rome, is in fact " a fourth century pseudo-Apostolic collection."It purports to be the work of the Apostles, whose instructions, whether given by them individually or as a body, are supposed to be gathered and handed down by the pretended compiler.[Pope] St. Clement of Rome, the authority of whose name give fictitious weight to more than one such piece of early Christian literature. The Apostolic Constitution was held generally in high esteem and served as the basis for much ecclesiastical legislation. As late as 1563, despite the glaring archaisms and incongruities of the collection it was contended that it was the genuine work of the Apostle, could yet pretend, in an uncritical age to Apostolic origin.[CE,i,636] The Constitution pretending to be written by the Apostles, laid down in minute detail all the intricacies of organization of several centuries later; there being elaborate chapters " concerning bishops, presbyters, deacons, and all kinds of clergy, liturgies, and church proceedings and services, undreamed of by "apostles" or in the "apostolic age" The prescriptions regarding the selection of bishops are quite democratic, and vastly different from present papal practices; the churches, too, are distinctly episcopal and independent. The nature of these provisions, as well as the grossly false and fraudulent character of the whole, a vast arsenal of papal aggression, may be seen by the following passages in the apostolic first person:"Wherefore we, the twelve apostles of the Lord, who are now together, give you in charge those divine constitutions concerning every ecclesiastical form, there being present with us Paul, the chosen vessel, our fellow apostles and James the bishop, and the rest of the presbyters, and the seven deacons. In the first place, therefore, I Peter say, that a bishop to be ordained is to be, as we have already, all of us, appointed, chosen by the whole people, who when he is named and approved, let the people assemble, with the presbyters and bishops that are present, on the Lord's Day, and let them give their consent, and if they give their consent,etc[ Apost.Const.viii,2,iv;ANF.vii,481-482.]: more forgeries;; the holy Conspiration, Pope Sylvester forgery, the donation of Constantine, Symmachian, Decretals, Decretum of Gratian, the EMS revolt, the Saints, Martyrs, Miracles, Specula Sturtorum, Relics, the invention of the Cross, the holy oils, waters, and fetishes, the Agnus DEI, the Mystical Marriage, the apostolic canons, Liber Pontificalis, the conversion of Constantine, the Letter of St.Peter...forgery in christianity by J.Wheless..