the unseen world and other essays-第17节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


possible　that　the　first　gospel　may　have　lent　to　the　words　of　Jesus　an　Ebionite　colouring　in　some　instances；　and　that　now　and　then　the　third　gospel　may　present　us　with　a　truer　account。　To　this　supremely　important　point　we　shall　by　and　by　return。　For　the　present　it　must　suffice　to　observe　that　the　evidences　of　an　overruling　dogmatic　purpose　are　generally　much　more　conspicuous　in　the　third　synoptist　than　in　the　first；　and　that　the　very　loose　manner　in　which　this　writer　has　handled　his　materials　in　the　〃Acts〃　is　not　calculated　to　inspire　us　with　confidence　in　the　historical　accuracy　of　his　gospel。　The　writer　who；　in　spite　of　the　direct　testimony　of　Paul　himself　could　represent　the　apostle　to　the　Gentiles　as　acting　under　the　direction　of　the　disciples　at　Jerusalem；　and　who　puts　Pauline　sentiments　into　the　mouth　of　Peter；　would　certainly　have　been　capable　of　unwarrantably　giving　a　Pauline　turn　to　the　teachings　of　Jesus　himself。　We　are　therefore；　as　a　last　resort；　brought　back　to　the　first　gospel；　which　we　find　to　possess；　as　a　historical　narrative；　far　stronger　claims　upon　our　attention　than　the　second　and　third。　In　all　probability　it　had　assumed　nearly　its　present　shape　before　A。　D。　100；　its　origin　is　unmistakably　Palestinian；　it　betrays　comparatively　few　indications　of　dogmatic　purpose；　and　there　are　strong　reasons　for　believing　that　the　speeches　of　Jesus　recorded　in　it　are　in　substance　taken　from　the　genuine　〃Logia〃　of　Matthew　mentioned　by　Papias；　which　must　have　been　written　as　early　as　A。　D。　60…70；　before　the　destruction　of　Jerusalem。　Indeed；　we　are　inclined　to　agree　with　our　author　that　the　gospel；　even　in　its　present　shape　（save　only　a　few　interpolated　passages）；　may　have　existed　as　early　as　A。　D。　80；　since　it　places　the　time　of　Jesus'　second　coming　immediately　after　the　destruction　of　Jerusalem；　whereas　the　third　evangelist；　who　wrote　forty…five　years　after　that　event；　is　careful　to　tell　us；　〃The　end　is　NOT　immediately。〃　Moreover；　it　must　have　been　written　while　the　Paulo…Petrine　controversy　was　still　raging；　as　is　shown　by　the　parable　of　the　〃enemy　who　sowed　the　tares；〃　which　manifestly　refers　to　Paul；　and　also　by　the　allusions　to　〃false　prophets〃　（vii。　15）；　to　those　who　say　〃Lord；　Lord；〃　and　who　〃cast　out　demons　in　the　name　of　the　Lord〃　（vii。　21…23）；　teaching　men　to　break　the　commandments　（v。　17…20）。　There　is；　therefore；　good　reason　for　believing　that　we　have　here　a　narrative　written　not　much　more　than　fifty　years　after　the　death　of　Jesus；　based　partly　upon　the　written　memorials　of　an　apostle；　and　in　the　main　trustworthy；　save　where　it　relates　occurrences　of　a　marvellous　and　legendary　character。　Such　is　our　author's　conclusion；　and　in　describing　the　career　of　the　Jesus　of　history；　he　relies　almost　exclusively　upon　the　statements　contained　in　the　first　gospel。　Let　us　now　after　this　long　but　inadequate　introduction；　give　a　brief　sketch　of　the　life　of　Jesus；　as　it　is　to　be　found　in　our　author。


Concerning　the　time　and　place　of　the　birth　of　Jesus；　we　know　next　to　nothing。　According　to　uniform　tradition；　based　upon　a　statement　of　the　third　gospel；　he　was　about　thirty　years　of　age　at　the　time　when　he　began　teaching。　The　same　gospel　states；　with　elaborate　precision；　that　the　public　career　of　John　the　Baptist　began　in　the　fifteenth　year　of　Tiberius；　or　A。　D。　28。　In　the　winter　of　A。　D。　35…36；　Pontius　Pilate　was　recalled　from　Judaea；　so　that　the　crucifixion　could　not　have　taken　place　later　than　in　the　spring　of　35。　Thus　we　have　a　period　of　about　six　years　during　which　the　ministry　of　Jesus　must　have　begun　and　ended；　and　if　the　tradition　with　respect　to　his　age　be　trustworthy；　we　shall　not　be　far　out　of　the　way　in　supposing　him　to　have　been　born　somewhere　between　B。　C。　5　and　A。　D。　5。　He　is　everywhere　alluded　to　in　the　gospels　as　Jesus　of　Nazareth　in　Galilee；　where　lived　also　his　father；　mother　brothers　and　sisters；　and　where　very　likely　he　was　born。　His　parents'　names　are　said　to　have　been　Joseph　and　Mary。　His　own　name　is　a　Hellenized　form　of　Joshua；　a　name　very　common　among　the　Jews。　According　to　the　first　gospel　（xiii。　55）；　he　had　four　brothers；Joseph　and　Simon；　James；　who　was　afterwards　one　of　the　heads　of　the　church　at　Jerusalem；　and　the　most　formidable　enemy　of　Paul；　and　Judas　or　Jude；　who　is　perhaps　the　author　of　the　anti…Pauline　epistle　commonly　ascribed　to　him。

Of　the　early　youth　of　Jesus；　and　of　the　circumstances　which　guided　his　intellectual　development；　we　know　absolutely　nothing；　nor　have　we　the　data　requisite　for　forming　any　plausible　hypothesis。　He　first　appears　in　history　about　A。　D。　29　or　30；　in　connection　with　a　very　remarkable　person　whom　the　third　evangelist　describes　as　his　cousin；　and　who　seems；　from　his　mode　of　life；　to　have　been　in　some　way　connected　with　or　influenced　by　the　Hellenizing　sect　of　Essenes。　Here　we　obtain　our　first　clew　to　guide　us　in　forming　a　consecutive　theory　of　the　development　of　Jesus'　opinions。　The　sect　of　Essenes　took　its　rise　in　the　time　of　the　Maccabees；　about　B。　C。　170。　Upon　the　fundamental　doctrines　of　Judaism　it　had　engrafted　many　Pythagorean　notions；　and　was　doubtless　in　the　time　of　Jesus　instrumental　in　spreading　Greek　ideas　among　the　people　of　Galilee；　where　Judaism　was　far　from　being　so　narrow　and　rigid　as　at　Jerusalem。　The　Essenes　attached　but　little　importance　to　the　Messianic　expectations　of　the　Pharisees；　and　mingled　scarcely　at　all　in　national　politics。　They　lived　for　the　most　part　a　strictly　ascetic　life；　being　indeed　the　legitimate　predecessors　of　the　early　Christian　hermits　and　monks。　But　while　pre…eminent　for　sanctity　of　life；　they　heaped　ridicule　upon　the　entire　sacrificial　service　of　the　Temple；　despised　the　Pharisees　as　hypocrites；　and　insisted　upon　charity　toward　all　men　instead　of　the　old　Jewish　exclusiveness。

It　was　once　a　favourite　theory　that　both　John　the　Baptist　and　Jesus　were　members　of　the　Essenian　brotherhood；　but　that　theory　is　now　generally　abandoned。　Whatever　may　have　been　the　case　with　John；　who　is　said　to　have　lived　like　an　anchorite　in　the　desert；　there　seems　to　have　been　but　little　practical　Essenism　in　Jesus；　who　is　almost　uniformly　represented　as　cheerful　and　social　in　demeanour；　and　against　whom　it　was　expressly　urged　that　he　came　eating　and　drinking；　making　no　presence　of　puritanical　holiness。　He　was　neither　a　puritan；　like　the　Essenes；　nor　a　ritualist；　like　the　Pharisees。　Besides　which；　both　John　and　Jesus　seem　to　have　begun　their　careers　by　preaching　the　un…Essene　doctrine　of　the　speedy　advent　of　the　〃kingdom　of　heaven；〃　by　which　is　meant　the　reign　of　the　Messiah　upon　the　earth。　Nevertheless；　though　we　cannot　regard　Jesus　as　actually　a　member　of　the　Essenian　community　or　sect；　we　can　hardly　avoid　the　conclusion　that　he；　as　well　as　John　the　Baptist；　had　been　at　some　time　strongly　influenced　by　Essenian　doctrines。　The　spiritualized　conception　of　the　〃kingdom　of　heaven〃　proclaimed　by　him　was　just　what　would　naturally　and　logically　arise　from　a　remodelling　of　the　Messianic　theories　of　the　Pharisees　in　conformity　to　advanced　Essenian　notions。　It　seems　highly　probable　that　some　such　refined　conception　of　the　functions　of　the　Messiah　was　reached　by　John；　who；　stigmatizing　the　Pharisees　and　Sadducees　as　a　〃generation　of　vipers；〃　called　aloud　to　the　people　to　repent　of　their　sins；　in　view　of　the　speedy　advent　of　the　Messiah；　and　to　testify　to　their　repentance　by　submitting　to　the　Essenian　rite　of　baptism。　There　is　no　positive　evidence　that　Jesus　was　ever　a　disciple　of　John；　yet　the　account　of　the　baptism；　in　spite　of　the　legendary　character　of　its　details；　seems　to　rest　upon　a　historical　basis；　and　perhaps　the　most　plausible　hypothesis　which　can　be　framed　is；　that　Jesus　received　baptism　at　John's　hands；　became　for　a　while　his　disciple；　and　acquired　from　him　a　knowledge　of　Essenian　doctrines。

The　career　of　John　seems　to　have　been　very　brief。　His　stern　puritanism　brought　him　soon　into　disgrace　with　the　government　of　Galilee。　He　was　seized　by　Herod；　thrown　into　prison；　and　beheaded。　After　the　brief　hints　given　as　to　the　intercourse　between　Jesus　and　John；　we　next　hear　of　Jesus　alone　in　the　desert；　where；　like　Sakyamuni　and　Mohammed；　he　may　have　brooded　in　solitude　over　his　great　project。　Yet　we　do　not　find　that　he　had　as　yet　formed　any　distinct　conception　of　his　own　Messiahship。　The　total　neglect　of　chronology　by　our　authorities＇20＇　renders　it　impossible　to　trace　the　development　of　his　thoughts　step　by　step；　but　for　some　time　after　John's　catastrophe　we　find　him　calling　upon　the　people　to　repent；　in　view　of　the　speedy　approach　of　the　Messiah；　speaking　with　great　and　commanding　personal　authority；　but　using　no　language　which　would　indicate　that　he　was　striving　to　do　more　than　worthily　fill　the　place　and　add　to　the　good　work　of　his　late　master。　The　Sermon　on　the　Mount；　which　the　first　gospel　inserts　in　this　place；　was　perhaps　never　spoken　as　a　continuous　discourse；　but　it　no　doubt　for　the　most　part　contains　the　very　words　of　Jesus；　and　represents　the　general　spirit　of　his　teaching　during　this　earlier　portion　of　his　career。　In　this　is　contained　nearly　all　that　has　made　Christianity　so　powerful　in　the　domain　of　ethics。　If　all　the　rest　of　the　gospel　were　taken　away；　or　destroyed　in　the　night　of　some　future　barbarian　invasion；　we　should　still　here　possess　the　sec