New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-11-19

Jesus may be said to havo been without sin, be.
cause without the sense Of guilty conflict, defeat,
and recovery"
The reviewer, after presenting lucid analysis Of
the application Of tho mythical theory to the solu-
ton of the problem involved in the narrative OF tho
life OF Jesus remarks GAS we remove the drapery
with which mistaken zeal or fincy-led emotion COW
cred and concealed the simple reality we see how as
the author puts it, tho true form has been disguised
and injured; VIC see how what took for branches,
for leaves for eolors for shape was but the artificial
envelope of parastical creepers. In fact few great
historical characters little known to the
Prophet of Nazareth. While Socrates, his purcst
representative in the Pagan world is seen standing
in the clear air and bright light Of Ahenian culture,
in the pictures drawn of him by Xenophon ard Pla-
TO, Jesus is vailed in the thick, gloomy cloud Of
Jewish superstition and Alexaldrial enthusiasm.
OF the events of his lifo VIC lnow but little. Tho
Christian Church Is no true criterion of The man,
for it reflects not the pure personality Of Jesus, t
the coored light Of hundred foreign agencies. 4
few OF the granite sayings of Jesus words iog all
time, alone remain OF the eloqucnec that chsriled
TO silence countless mutitudcs. But if We loso tho
mythical ornament, 20 DO rot, Strauss contends,
lose with it all historical reality. Tie divine Wis
dom, he continues, Which is IN the world, aud is
emiaentyF inman, was preeminently vi&bIein
Jesus. The idea ofhuman perfection exists ldPcnd-
emily OF Jesus, tstrue but it varies in dieEeltna-
lions and in different individuals. The Roman ideal
of character varied frcu tie Greek; the Hebrew
ideal from that of both tho classical peoples OF anti
guilty; and even the Greek ideal before Socrates
varied from the nobler Greek ideal after Socrates.
Among those who have aided in tho Development o.
humanity Strauss assigns foremost place toJes'is.
lie has elevated our ideal by introducing into IL
characteristics which were at best but partially IN
folded before him; he has limited others Which OBJ
structed its general efficiency; he has by th1 ~ii-
gious spirit in which he has conceived it, g.Ssa II
higher conservation, and by its beautiful personal
realization in his own Life, thrown ovcri the glow
and bloom of the highest vitality. ii for the actve
cInployments, the business relations OF men, u ior
household duties and family obligations; y .og the
Guidance OF the statesman, the artist, the man or
science; if for all that belopgso the noble enjoy
ment OF life, the teaching OF Jesus supplies no in
strneto data, his example no illustrations; yet in
the lessons which no taught and practically exhibit
ed OF patience, gcntlene5s purity Of heart and NE,
and human and divine love, will be found . CON-
pleteness of wisdom which men may turn TO peren-
NAL account II is a mistake, then, shared by PHI
losophers rs well as by their accuscrs, to suppose
that if the historical Jesus had never existed, the
ideal Christ, the eternal Son OF God, the type OF
Humanity, would ever have lived in the minds of
men TO inspire them to action through the love OK
rs own divine beauty
Two separate articles in this number are devoted
to Tennyson and Dickens respectively, presenting
the merits ana defects of tho great English poet
and the popular living novelist IN somewhat
original light. Mr. Tennyson, though less cosno-
potan than some OF tho poets Of all time who have
become the worlds acknowledged fayoritcs, IL al
mitted to have gained the most triumphant success
in the line of composition which may be termed the
family idyll. His ddactic and moAlizing view,
however, is sometimes suicidal TO the accomplish
ment Of his poetic purpose Many Of his poems
eyince a lack of Standardization with every con-
ceiyable form of humanity which is the lfebooa ot
the immortal bard, and with higher development
OF this faculty, in tho opinion Of his critic, he
would be greater poet, and not less persuasive
philanthropist The reviewer Of Mr.. Dickens
recognizes his claim to being man Of genius, in
mary respects highly gifted, but his intellect 10
crushed and dwarfed by his emotional naturr--he il
70 take either an extensive an intensive view 81
any subject-neither grasping it as whole, nor
thoroughly exhsusting any single part-his plots
arc inartifeia his genius of character rude andun-
philosophe, his literary execution oseillating with
toerable evenncss between the intensely vulgar and
commonplace aud passages of the most striking
beauty-doaing too much in accidental maIjfeSta-
tions aud too little in universal principle, he VIII
not live as an English classic. a