the unseen world and other essays-第22节

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　the　Messiah　or　Christ　had　come　as　a　second　Adam；　and　being　without　sin　had　been　raised　by　Jehovah　out　of　Sheol　and　taken　up　into　heaven；　as　testimony　to　men　that　the　power　of　sin　and　death　was　at　last　defeated。　The　way　henceforth　to　avoid　death　and　escape　the　exile　to　Sheol　was　to　live　spiritually　like　Jesus；　and　with　him　to　be　dead　to　sensual　requirements。　Faith；　in　Paul's　apprehension；　was　not　an　intellectual　assent　to　definitely　prescribed　dogmas；　but；　as　Matthew　Arnold　has　well　pointed　out；　it　was　an　emotional　striving　after　righteousness；　a　developing　consciousness　of　God　in　the　soul；　such　as　Jesus　had　possessed；　or；　in　Paul's　phraseology；　a　subjugation　of　the　flesh　by　the　spirit。　All　those　who　should　thus　seek　spiritual　perfection　should　escape　the　original　curse。　The　Messiah　was　destined　to　return　to　the　earth　to　establish　the　reign　of　spiritual　holiness；　probably　during　Paul's　own　lifetime　（1　Cor。　xv。　51）。　Then　the　true　followers　of　Jesus　should　be　clothed　in　ethereal　bodies；　free　from　the　imperfections　of　〃the　flesh；〃　and　should　ascend　to　heaven　without　suffering　death；　while　the　righteous　dead　should　at　the　same　time　be　released　from　Sheol；　even　as　Jesus　himself　had　been　released。

To　the　doctrine　of　the　resurrection；　in　which　ethical　and　speculative　elements　are　thus　happily　blended　by　Paul；　the　new　religion　doubtless　owed　in　great　part　its　rapid　success。　Into　an　account　of　the　causes　which　favoured　the　spreading　of　Christianity；　it　is　not　our　purpose　to　enter　at　present。　But　we　may　note　that　the　local　religions　of　the　ancient　pagan　world　had　partly　destroyed　each　other　by　mutual　intermingling；　and　had　lost　their　hold　upon　people　from　the　circumstance　that　their　ethical　teaching　no　longer　corresponded　to　the　advanced　ethical　feeling　of　the　age。　Polytheism；　in　short；　was　outgrown。　It　was　outgrown　both　intellectually　and　morally。　People　were　ceasing　to　believe　in　its　doctrines；　and　were　ceasing　to　respect　its　precepts。　The　learned　were　taking　refuge　in　philosophy；　the　ignorant　in　mystical　superstitions　imported　from　Asia。　The　commanding　ethical　motive　of　ancient　republican　times　had　been　patriotism；devotion　to　the　interests　of　the　community。　But　Roman　dominion　had　destroyed　patriotism　as　a　guiding　principle　of　life；　and　thus　in　every　way　the　minds　of　men　were　left　in　a　sceptical；　unsatisfied　state；craving　after　a　new　theory　of　life；　and　craving　after　a　new　stimulus　to　right　action。　Obviously　the　only　theology　which　could　now　be　satisfactory　to　philosophy　or　to　common…sense　was　some　form　of　monotheism；some　system　of　doctrines　which　should　represent　all　men　as　spiritually　subjected　to　the　will　of　a　single　God；　just　as　they　were　subjected　to　the　temporal　authority　of　the　Emperor。　And　similarly　the　only　system　of　ethics　which　could　have　a　chance　of　prevailing　must　be　some　system　which　should　clearly　prescribe　the　mutual　duties　of　all　men　without　distinction　of　race　or　locality。　Thus　the　spiritual　morality　of　Jesus；　and　his　conception　of　God　as　a　father　and　of　all　men　as　brothers；　appeared　at　once　to　meet　the　ethical　and　speculative　demands　of　the　time。

Yet　whatever　effect　these　teachings　might　have　produced；　if　unaided　by　further　doctrinal　elaboration；　was　enhanced　myriadfold　by　the　elaboration　which　they　received　at　the　hands　of　Paul。　Philosophic　Stoics　and　Epicureans　had　arrived　at　the　conception　of　the　brotherhood　of　men；　and　the　Greek　hymn　of　Kleanthes　had　exhibited　a　deep　spiritual　sense　of　the　fatherhood　of　God。　The　originality　of　Christianity　lay　not　so　much　in　its　enunciation　of　new　ethical　precepts　as　in　the　fact　that　it　furnished　a　new　ethical　sanction；a　commanding　incentive　to　holiness　of　living。　That　it　might　accomplish　this　result；　it　was　absolutely　necessary　that　it　should　begin　by　discarding　both　the　ritualism　and　the　narrow　theories　of　Judaism。　The　mere　desire　for　a　monotheistic　creed　had　led　many　pagans；　in　Paul's　time；　to　embrace　Judaism；　in　spite　of　its　requirements；　which　to　Romans　and　Greeks　were　meaningless；　and　often　disgusting；　but　such　conversions　could　never　have　been　numerous。　Judaism　could　never　have　conquered　the　Roman　world；　nor　is　it　likely　that　the　Judaical　Christianity　of　Peter；　James；　and　John　would　have　been　any　more　successful。　The　doctrine　of　the　resurrection；　in　particular；　was　not　likely　to　prove　attractive　when　accompanied　by　the　picture　of　the　Messiah　treading　the　Gentiles　in　the　wine…press　of　his　righteous　indignation。　But　here　Paul　showed　his　profound　originality　The　condemnation　of　Jewish　formalism　which　Jesus　had　pronounced；　Paul　turned　against　the　older　apostles；　who　insisted　upon　circumcision。　With　marvellous　flexibility　of　mind；　Paul　placed　circumcision　and　the　Mosaic　injunctions　about　meats　upon　a　level　with　the　ritual　observances　of　pagan　nations；　allowing　each　feeble　brother　to　perform　such　works　as　might　tickle　his　fancy；　but　bidding　all　take　heed　that　salvation　was　not　to　be　obtained　after　any　such　mechanical　method；　but　only　by　devoting　the　whole　soul　to　righteousness；　after　the　example　of　Jesus。

This　was　the　negative　part　of　Paul's　work。　This　was　the　knocking　down　of　the　barriers　which　had　kept　men；　and　would　always　have　kept　them；　from　entering　into　the　kingdom　of　heaven。　But　the　positive　part　of　Paul's　work　is　contained　in　his　theory　of　the　salvation　of　men　from　death　through　the　second　Adam；　whom　Jehovah　rescued　from　Sheol　for　his　sinlessness。　The　resurrection　of　Jesus　was　the　visible　token　of　the　escape　from　death　which　might　be　achieved　by　all　men　who；　with　God's　aid；　should　succeed　in　freeing　themselves　from　the　burden　of　sin　which　had　encumbered　all　the　children　of　Adam。　The　end　of　the　world　was　at　hand；　and　they　who　would　live　with　Christ　must　figuratively　die　with　Christ；　must　become　dead　to　sin。　Thus　to　the　pure　and　spiritual　ethics　contained　in　the　teachings　of　Jesus；　Paul　added　an　incalculably　powerful　incentive　to　right　action；　and　a　theory　of　life　calculated　to　satisfy　the　speculative　necessities　of　the　pagan　or　Gentile　world。　To　the　educated　and　sceptical　Athenian；　as　to　the　critical　scholar　of　modern　times；　the　physical　resurrection　of　Jesus　from　the　grave；　and　his　ascent　through　the　vaulted　floor　of　heaven；　might　seem　foolishness　or　naivete。　But　to　the　average　Greek　or　Roman　the　conception　presented　no　serious　difficulty。　The　cosmical　theories　upon　which　the　conception　was　founded　were　essentially　the　same　among　Jews　and　Gentiles；　and　indeed　were　but　little　modified　until　the　establishment　of　the　Copernican　astronomy。　The　doctrine　of　the　Messiah's　second　coming　was　also　received　without　opposition；　and　for　about　a　century　men　lived　in　continual　anticipation　of　that　event；　until　hope　long　deferred　produced　its　usual　results；　the　writings　in　which　that　event　was　predicted　were　gradually　explained　away；　ignored；　or　stigmatized　as　uncanonical；　and　the　Church　ended　by　condemning　as　a　heresy　the　very　doctrine　which　Paul　and　the　Judaizing　apostles；　who　agreed　in　little　else；　had　alike　made　the　basis　of　their　speculative　teachings。　Nevertheless；　by　the　dint　of　allegorical　interpretation；　the　belief　has　maintained　an　obscure　existence　even　down　to　the　present　time；　the　Antiochus　of　the　Book　of　Daniel　and　the　Nero　of　the　Apocalypse　having　given　place　to　the　Roman　Pontiff　or　to　the　Emperor　of　the　French。

But　as　the　millenarism　of　the　primitive　Church　gradually　died　out　during　the　second　century；　the　essential　principles　involved　in　it　lost　none　of　their　hold　on　men's　minds。　As　the　generation　contemporary　with　Paul　died　away　and　was　gathered　into　Sheol；　it　became　apparent　that　the　original　theory　must　be　somewhat　modified；　and　to　this　question　the　author　of　the　second　epistle　to　the　Thessalonians　addresses　himself。　Instead　of　literal　preservation　from　death；　the　doctrine　of　a　resurrection　from　the　grave　was　gradually　extended　to　the　case　of　the　new　believers；　who　were　to　share　in　the　same　glorious　revival　with　the　righteous　of　ancient　times。　And　thus　by　slow　degrees　the　victory　over　death；　of　which　the　resurrection　of　Jesus　was　a　symbol　and　a　witness；　became　metamorphosed　into　the　comparatively　modern　doctrine　of　the　rest　of　the　saints　in　heaven；　while　the　banishment　of　the　unrighteous　to　Sheol　was　made　still　more　dreadful　by　coupling　with　the　vague　conception　of　a　gloomy　subterranean　cavern　the　horrible　imagery　of　the　lake　of　fire　and　brimstone　borrowed　from　the　apocalyptic　descriptions　of　Gehenna。　But　in　this　modification　of　the　original　theory；　the　fundamental　idea　of　a　future　state　of　retribution　was　only　the　more　distinctly　emphasized；　although；　in　course　of　time；　the　original　incentive　to　righteousness　supplied　by　Paul　was　more　and　more　subordinated　to　the　comparatively　degrading　incentive　involved　in　the　fear　of　damnation。　There　can　hardly　be　a　doubt　that　the　definiteness　and　vividness　of　the　Pauline　theory　of　a　future　life　contributed　very　largely　to　the　rapid　spread　of　the　Christian　religion；　nor　can　it　be　doubted　that　to　the　desire　to　be　holy　like　Jesus；　in　order　to　escape　death　and　live　with　Jesus；　is　due　the　elevating　ethical　influence　which；　even　in　the　worst　times　of　ecclesiastic　degeneracy；　Christianity　has　never　failed　to　exert。　Doubtless；　as　Lessing　long；　ago　observed；　the　notion　of　future　reward　and　punishment　needs　to　be　eliminated　in　order　tha