the unseen world and other essays-第20节

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anifested　from　first　to　last　a　more　than　Essenian　contempt　for　rites　and　ceremonies；　did　not　come　to　fulfil　the　law　of　Mosaism；　but　to　supersede　it。　Nor　can　any　inference　adverse　to　this　conclusion　be　drawn　from　the　injunction　to　the　disciples　（Matt。　x。　5…7）　not　to　preach　to　Gentiles　and　Samaritans；　but　only　〃to　the　lost　sheep　of　the　house　of　Israel〃；　for　this　remark　is　placed　before　the　beginning　of　Jesus'　Messianic　career；　and　the　reason　assigned　for　the　restriction　is　merely　that　the　disciples　will　not　have　time　even　to　preach　to　all　the　Jews　before　the　coming　of　the　Messiah；　whose　approach　Jesus　was　announcing　（Matt。　x。　23）

These　examples　show　that　we　must　use　caution　in　weighing　the　testimony　even　of　the　first　gospel；　and　must　not　too　hastily　cite　it　as　proof　that　Jesus　supposed　his　mission　to　be　restricted　to　the　Jews。　When　we　come　to　consider　what　happened　a　few　years　after　the　death　of　Jesus；　we　shall　be　still　less　ready　to　insist　upon　the　view　defended　by　our　anonymous　author。　Paul；　according　to　his　own　confession；　persecuted　the　Christians　unto　death。　Now　what；　in　the　theories　or　in　the　practice　of　the　Jewish　disciples　of　Jesus；　could　have　moved　Paul　to　such　fanatic　behaviour？　Certainly　not　their　spiritual　interpretation　of　Mosaism；　for　Paul　himself　belonged　to　the　liberal　school　of　Gamaliel；　to　the　views　of　which　the　teachings　and　practices　of　Peter；　James；　and　John　might　easily　be　accommodated。　Probably　not　their　belief　in　Jesus　as　the　Messiah；　for　at　the　riot　in　which　Stephen　was　murdered　and　all　the　Hellenist　disciples　driven　from　Jerusalem；　the　Jewish　disciples　were　allowed　to　remain　in　the　city　unmolested。　（See　Acts　viii。　1；　14。）　This　marked　difference　of　treatment　indicates　that　Paul　regarded　Stephen　and　his　friends　as　decidedly　more　heretical　and　obnoxious　than　Peter；　James；　and　John；　whom；　indeed；　Paul's　own　master　Gamaliel　had　recently　（Acts　v。　34）　defended　before　the　council。　And　this　inference　is　fully　confirmed　by　the　account　of　Stephen's　death；　where　his　murderers　charge　him　with　maintaining　that　Jesus　had　founded　a　new　religion　which　was　destined　entirely　to　supersede　and　replace　Judaism　（Acts　vi。　14）。　The　Petrine　disciples　never　held　this　view　of　the　mission　of　Jesus；　and　to　this　difference　it　is　undoubtedly　owing　that　Paul　and　his　companions　forbore　to　disturb　them。　It　would　thus　appear　that　even　previous　to　Paul's　conversion；　within　five　or　six　years　after　the　death　of　Jesus；　there　was　a　prominent　party　among　the　disciples　which　held　that　the　new　religion　was　not　a　modification　but　an　abrogation　of　Judaism；　and　their　name　〃Hellenists〃　sufficiently　shows　either　that　there　were　Gentiles　among　them　or　that　they　held　fellowship　with　Gentiles。　It　was　this　which　aroused　Paul　to　persecution；　and　upon　his　sudden　conversion　it　was　with　these　Hellenistic　doctrines　that　he　fraternized；　taking　little　heed　of　the　Petrine　disciples　（Galatians　i。　17）；　who　were　hardly　more　than　a　Jewish　sect。

Now　the　existence　of　these　Hellenists　at　Jerusalem　so　soon　after　the　death　of　Jesus　is　clear　proof　that　he　had　never　distinctly　and　irrevocably　pronounced　against　the　admission　of　Gentiles　to　the　Messianic　kingdom；　and　it　makes　it　very　probable　that　the　downfall　of　Mosaism　as　a　result　of　his　preaching　was　by　no　means　unpremeditated。　While；　on　the　other　hand；　the　obstinacy　of　the　Petrine　party　in　adhering　to　Jewish　customs　shows　equally　that　Jesus　could　not　have　unequivocally　committed　himself　in　favour　of　a　new　gospel　for　the　Gentiles。　Probably　Jesus　was　seldom　brought　into　direct　contact　with　others　than　Jews；　so　that　the　questions　concerning　the　admission　of　Gentile　converts　did　not　come　up　during　his　lifetime；　and　thus　the　way　was　left　open　for　the　controversy　which　soon　broke　out　between　the　Petrine　party　and　Paul。　Nevertheless；　though　Jesus　may　never　have　definitely　pronounced　upon　this　point；　it　will　hardly　be　denied　that　his　teaching；　even　as　reported　in　the　first　gospel；　is　in　its　utter　condemnation　of　formalism　far　more　closely　allied　to　the　Pauline　than　to　the　Petrine　doctrines。　In　his　hands　Mosaism　became　spiritualized　until　it　really　lost　its　identity；　and　was　transformed　into　a　code　fit　for　the　whole　Roman　world。　And　we　do　not　doubt　that　if　any　one　had　asked　Jesus　whether　circumcision　were　an　essential　prerequisite　for　admission　to　the　Messianic　kingdom；　he　would　have　given　the　same　answer　which　Paul　afterwards　gave。　We　agree　with　Zeller　and　Strauss　that；　〃as　Luther　was　a　more　liberal　spirit　than　the　Lutheran　divines　of　the　succeeding　generation；　and　Sokrates　a　more　profound　thinker　than　Xenophon　or　Antisthenes；　so　also　Jesus　must　be　credited　with　having　raised　himself　far　higher　above　the　narrow　prejudices　of　his　nation　than　those　of　his　disciples　who　could　scarcely　understand　the　spread　of　Christianity　among　the　heathen　when　it　had　become　an　accomplished　fact。〃

　　　　　　　　　　　　January；　1870。



IV。　THE　CHRIST　OF　DOGMA。＇22＇

＇22＇　Saint…Paul；　par　Ernest　Renan。　Paris；　1869。

Histoire　du　Dogme　de　la　Divinite　de　Jesus…Christ；　par　Albert　Reville。　Paris；　1869。

The　End　of　the　World　and　the　Day　of　Judgment。　Two　Discourses　by　the　Rev。　W。　R。　Alger。　Boston：　Roberts　Brothers；　1870。


The　meagreness　of　our　information　concerning　the　historic　career　of　Jesus　stands　in　striking　contrast　with　the　mass　of　information　which　lies　within　our　reach　concerning　the　primitive　character　of　Christologic　speculation。　First　we　have　the　four　epistles　of　Paul；　written　from　twenty　to　thirty　years　after　the　crucifixion；　which；　although　they　tell　us　next　to　nothing　about　what　Jesus　did；　nevertheless　give　us　very　plain　information　as　to　the　impression　which　he　made。　Then　we　have　the　Apocalypse；　written　by　John；　A。　D。　68；　which　exhibits　the　Messianic　theory　entertained　by　the　earliest　disciples。　Next　we　have　the　epistles　to　the　Hebrews；　Philippians；　Colossians；　and　Ephesians；　besides　the　four　gospels；　constituting　altogether　a　connected　chain　of　testimony　to　the　progress　of　Christian　doctrine　from　the　destruction　of　Jerusalem　to　the　time　of　the　Quartodeciman　controversy　（A。　D。　70…170）。　Finally；　there　is　the　vast　collection　of　apocryphal；　heretical；　and　patristic　literature；　from　the　writings　of　Justin　Martyr；　the　pseudo…Clement；　and　the　pseudo…Ignatius；　down　to　the　time　of　the　Council　of　Nikaia；　when　the　official　theories　of　Christ's　person　assumed　very　nearly　the　shape　which　they　have　retained；　within　the　orthodox　churches　of　Christendom；　down　to　the　present　day。　As　we　pointed　out　in　the　foregoing　essay；　while　all　this　voluminous　literature　throws　but　an　uncertain　light　upon　the　life　and　teachings　of　the　founder　of　Christianity；　it　nevertheless　furnishes　nearly　all　the　data　which　we　could　desire　for　knowing　what　the　early　Christians　thought　of　the　master　of　their　faith。　Having　given　a　brief　account　of　the　historic　career　of　Jesus；　so　far　as　it　can　now　be　determined；　we　propose　here　to　sketch　the　rise　and　progress　of　Christologic　doctrine；　in　its　most　striking　features；　during　the　first　three　centuries。　Beginning　with　the　apostolic　view　of　the　human　Messiah　sent　to　deliver　Judaism　from　its　spiritual　torpor；　and　prepare　it　for　the　millennial　kingdom；　we　shall　briefly　trace　the　progressive　metamorphosis　of　this　conception　until　it　completely　loses　its　identity　in　the　Athanasian　theory；　according　to　which　Jesus　was　God　himself；　the　Creator　of　the　universe；　incarnate　in　human　flesh。

The　earliest　dogma　held　by　the　apostles　concerning　Jesus　was　that　of　his　resurrection　from　the　grave　after　death。　It　was　not　only　the　earliest；　but　the　most　essential　to　the　success　of　the　new　religion。　Christianity　might　have　overspread　the　Roman　Empire；　and　maintained　its　hold　upon　men's　faith　until　to…day；　without　the　dogmas　of　the　incarnation　and　the　Trinity；　but　without　the　dogma　of　the　resurrection　it　would　probably　have　failed　at　the　very　outset。　Its　lofty　morality　would　not　alone　have　sufficed　to　insure　its　success。　For　what　men　needed　then；　as　indeed　they　still　need；　and　will　always　need；　was　not　merely　a　rule　of　life　and　a　mirror　to　the　heart；　but　also　a　comprehensive　and　satisfactory　theory　of　things；　a　philosophy　or　theosophy。　The　times　demanded　intellectual　as　well　as　moral　consolation；　and　the　disintegration　of　ancient　theologies　needed　to　be　repaired；　that　the　new　ethical　impulse　imparted　by　Christianity　might　rest　upon　a　plausible　speculative　basis。　The　doctrine　of　the　resurrection　was　but　the　beginning　of　a　series　of　speculative　innovations　which　prepared　the　way　for　the　new　religion　to　emancipate　itself　from　Judaism；　and　achieve　the　conquest　of　the　Empire。　Even　the　faith　of　the　apostles　in　the　speedy　return　of　their　master　the　Messiah　must　have　somewhat　lost　ground；　had　it　not　been　supported　by　their　belief　in　his　resurrection　from　the　grave　and　his　consequent　transfer　from　Sheol；　the　gloomy　land　of　shadows；　to　the　regions　above　the　sky。

The　origin　of　the　dogma　of　the　resurrection　cannot　be　determined　with　certainty。　The　question　has；　during　the　past　century；　been　the　subject　of　much　discussion；　upon　which　it　is　not　necessary　for　us　here　to　comment。　Such　apparent　evidence　as　there　is　in　favour　of　the　old　theory　of　Jesus'　natural　recovery　from　the　effects　of　the　crucifixion　may　be　found　in　Salvador's　〃Jesus…Christ　et　sa　Doctrine〃；　but；　as　Zell