several chapters,) of the "new Jerusalem ""descending" Yaishooa's ideas of the Messiahship were very different from those of the Jews, - nay, - probably from those of his old master the Baptist.' The Kurios, ("the Kuroslike," or, "the new Cyrus,") the anointed Deliverer or Messias announced by "John" the Baptist, was, without doubt, conceived of by the latter as a mighty and splendid earthly monarch, even though he were, like the first Kuros, semi-Divine in nature. But the profound genius, the tender, conscientious, and melancholy mind of Yai The Baptist's age was doubtless considerably greater than that of Yaishooa. No reliance can be placed on "Luke's" fabulous story of their births. i shooa saw in the Messiah only the humblest, though the best-beloved, of God's sons and servants. His rule would be one of absolute obedience to God. His conception is shown in his washing of the disciples' feet as an example. of humility, and in his making the triumphal Messianic entry into Jerusalem, humbly mounted on an ass. At the period of this entry he appears still to have entertained a hope of the acceptance by the Jews of his peaceable kingdom, and their escaping thus the danger which he foresaw, of destruction by the Romans. But when his proffered rule was scornfully rejected by the haughty people of the Jewish capital,· (the heirs of the "promises,") - he resigned himself to the prospect of death. Yet he believed that his Father's justice would soon set all things right; would triumphantly bring him back from the tomb to assemble his "elect" from the four "winds" or quarters of the earth, (Matt. xxiv. 31,) to judge his judges and men in general,' wreak condign vengeance on the unrighteous and the despisers of his mission, and inaugurate his reign of love, humility and obedience in the eternal kingdom of God and the renovated holy city;- rectifying, above all, the monstrous inequality of human conditions. by condemning the uncharitable rich, — (whom he and his disciples, as well as "John the Baptist," regarded simply as robbers of the poor,)-stripped of their wealth, to the lingering tortures of Gehenna, while the humble, loving, and believing poor should be recompensed for present privation with eternal felicity. (Compare the condemnation of the uncharitable rich in Matt. xxv. 45, 46, and the beatitudes, "Blessed are ye poor," "Blessed are they that hunger and thirst," etc., [in which "in spirit," and "after" or "for righteousness" seem added by an afterthought,] with the parable of "Dives and Lazarus;" also the Epistle of "James," Christ's brother, chap. v. I, etc.;"Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries Yohannan, in his confused way, gives us two of these "judgments;" one to occur within a few years, the other after a thousand years! (xix., xx.). . that shall come upon you; your gold and silver is cankered, and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. . . . Behold, the hire of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. . . . Be patient therefore, brethren, stablish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord" This division of mankind into [Kurios] "draweth nigh.") two grand classes, the "rich" and the "poor," and this attribution to the former of all evil propensities, and to the latter of all good tendencies, shows the undeveloped and inconsequent mode of reasoning of the rude class and age to which Yaishooa belonged. The rich, intrinsically, are, of course, neither worse nor better than the poor, and the remedy for the evils of social inequality must be sought otherwise than through the general "damnation" of the selfish well-to-do, and the glorification of the indigent. On the other hand, his doctrines of the love of enemies and forgiveness of offences against us, are the original emanations of his own pure, gentle, and loving spirit. Nothing could be more completely in contrast with the spirit and practice of mankind, not only in his own period, but in all ages; and especially among modern "Christians," who, in their national capacity, never hesitate in cool blood to arrange and execute the wholesale massacre of so-called public enemies, or opponents of their political designs. These beautiful and noble doctrines are completely in harmony with those of Gautama; and, (unlike those of communism,) are not incapable of being carried into practical effect. CHAPTER XVII. CHRIST'S REAL LIFE AND IDEAS AS DEDUCIBLE FROM A CAREFUL SYNTHESIS OF THE FOUR GOSPELS. In the following synthetical examination of the Gospels, accounts evidently fabulous will be judged upon their own merits. Of others, those resting solely on the authority of a single Gospel will, with certain exceptions, be treated as not sufficiently confirmed. The detailed account in "Luke" of the temptation by the "devil," may be either the original form of the legend, or an amplification on the brief story of Markos, as told in "Mark." "Luke's" story is copied almost verbatim by "Matthew." The story is, of course, unsupported by the testimony of human witnesses. The "retreat" to the desert before the commencement of their careers, is repeated of most Hebrew heroes; of "Moses," "Samson," "David," "Elijah." Paul followed this traditional example. "Forty days," again, is the favorite number, so often allotted to events. Of the completely fabulous nature of this "temptation in the desert," we can have no doubt when we find how closely the tale follows the temptation of Gautama, — who, when he plunges into the desert on taking up his mission, after several days' travel in hunger and thirst, is beset by the Tempter, Manh or Mara, with visions of splendid banquets, which this archenemy or evil-spirit urges him to eat:- then the vision of "the four great continents," over which Mara promises him universal dominion, if he will but give up his projects for the salvation of mankind. On Gautama feeling a longing to see his splendid home again, Mara takes him up into a mountain and causes the world to revolve beneath them, until the gay and brilliant metropolis Kapilavastu comes under their feet, and Gautama is urged to leap down and be at home once more. When he refuses all this, Mara leaves him, but for a time only, and as in the case of Christ, spirits minister to him. The fourth Gospel, written under the auspices of "Andrew" and "John," who were themselves of the number of those disciples whom Yaishooa led away from Bethabara, knows nothing of the "temptation:" - not only so, but it narrates a succession of events occurring from day to day after the baptism, so consecutively, as to leave no space of time in which the "forty days' temptation" could have occurred. On this account I shall here temporarily leave "Luke," which, as the fullest and probably the earliest consecutive narrative, I have, thus far, used as the model for review, and turn to that of "John." The Baptist seems to have formed a strong affection toward his younger relative from Nazareth, to have loved his gentle and unworldly character,' and to have conceived great hopes of him; - even, perhaps, trusting that the mystic prophecy of the Indian seers of thirty years before, might in him be realized. But it is impossible that he could have actually declared him to be the Messiah, as some of our Gospels represent, though he may have cherished a secret hope that he might prove to be; such an open and full declaration of his Messiahship as is reported in our present chapter is incompatible with the doubts. expressed in his subsequent message from prison. The whole appearance and environments of Yaishooa were very different from the ideal of the Messiah which the Jews had generally and for a long period cherished. But there is good reason to believe that "John's" hopes and 1 It seems probable that the epithet "Lamb,” "Lamb of God," was first applied to Yaishooa, endearingly, by the Baptist; not likely, on the other hand, that he identified him with the scape-goat of old, who "took away sin." This feature was an addition of later date. |