Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-12-17
Renan,s Life OF Jesus.

But for little affectionste contempt for the
extreme.smplicity of the Gallilean peasant, which
restores his balance of superiority q historian.
the philosopher would become an enthusiast; and
even with that saving clause. he fingers over the
picture be is making with n kind of half adora-
ton. To account for the influences exercised by
a man of humble station and uncultivated powers,
not only over his own generation but over cen
turies Of distant time and worlds Of alien people.
does indeed require that everything that is most
noble and perfect IN mind and spirit should at
least be allowed to the individual who has occu
pied so singular place in the world. NJ Re
nan accordingly depicts the Author of our re
ligion in the warmest aud brightest colors. So
far from attempting to lessen the beauty of His
character, be sets IL forth, as we have said, with
graceful enthusiasm. celebrating many a charm
ing vignette by the way Of that fair Eastern
landscape, which he conelsdes 10 have impaired
80 much OF It's reflective. calm and pastoral
beauty to the soul of the young Nazarene.
= lie describes 20 in very full detail. what
Jesus knew and did not know, aud the processes
OF thought and growth Of IDEAS in His mind. He
touches lightly. with tender regret, On those
unfortunate moments in which, beguiled by the
wles OF His friends and the necessities OF the
time, this wonderful reformer permitted himself
70 be seduced into thaumaturgical performances
and pretenees OF miracle. By these means-by
N Remains bold. of his personally the enthu-
siasn of His followers. and the Ingenuity Of His
disciples. and the mingled wants and credulity
Of the age--the new biographer OF Jesus of Nsz-
areth does his best to account tor Christianity
We do notat present pause 10 notice the still
more profound difficulties he plunges himself
into-dificuties much darker and uglier than
those which he gets clear of by Ignoring any sort
OF divine agency in the matter We do but
ststethe conditions under which he works and
the nature of the production thus evolved. He
depicts TO us a world busy and full, teeming with
unintelligent creatures. each ofthem profound
secret 10 his neighbors. most Of them unspeak
ably mysterious to themselyes-all running their
heads from time TO time against the dead walls
of Law and order which encompass their blind
existence. vet BY times addressing wistfu looks
toward a sky which TO the poetic souls among
them. looks to have something behind its IN
fathomable depths 1t anyone ever made it. the
unknown Being has retired behind His cloudy
curtains. and left it To its own devices But then
amid the cloud there arises a Man who not only
marks Himself oyerlastingly upon the broad
canvass but affects the lives and fills the thoughts
of myriads of people hundreds of years after
people more enlightened in many particulars than
Himself-aIl this without any sort of influence in
the matter except the ordinary laws of human
inhuence--the power of natural greatness. genius
and truth. This is the. picture NJ. Renan draws,
without. perhaps, quite percevng all its Difficult
ties: and. indeed. it is Do light task for any his
toran TO account Tor n wonderful and continuous
religious movement in world left all by itself
70 its own devices, without any interference on
the part of God.-Blackwood