16 NOVEMBER 1991, Page 41

Sir: As the compiler of a collection of G.K. Chesterton's

aphorisms, I was interested to see my friend A.N. Wilson quoting him to the effect that people who cease to believe in God believe in anything, not nothing (Books, 2 November).

This is the most frequently quoted of Chesterton's sayings. Yet I can find no his- torical proof that he ever said it. Can any- one help?

Apropos Andrew Wilson's heretical view of the New Testament, I cannot understand his saying that Jesus never said he was God. There are surely several examples, e.g. 'He that hath seen me hath seen the father'. It was, incidentally, Chesterton who pointed out that the man who made such claims was either a barking lunatic or he was telling the truth.

Richard Ingrams

Aldworth, Reading, Berkshire