The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1870-01-04
Matiuual Republican
; @ - . -
TUESDAY uoRHISon,un n,JANULRr q isO



Rev. DR.. LlllsnthAl in Cincinnati, a few Sab
baths ago. wo rePubllah u at the reques
Of prominent IsrAslltsS Of this city, VIII
think IL gives clearer aud more compre
housive idea OF Judaism aud Its relations Il
Christianity than anything that has appeare'
for some tinei
Iuxr, -Dsul ". g. "For ttA IL yout EisjoH
"a yeas usdsr'iAhdinE Ia The 'J'' Of the "a
On the Sabbath before last discussed TIT
subjsot Of Jewish aud Christian ethics, com
pared. AZ was to be expected heard va
rioua oplnlons as to the validity OF our arKu
mani. Thsy can. however, be summed nj
In tina sentence which an American used Il
a letter Addressed to mel "My Jewish bro
ther, you are Christlan'
The Star IN ne Wesi, published In TIL
cIty. a very liberal aud spleudldly edited
paper, also contained an article on my ser
mon. Speaking In the most nattering termi
OF the discourse, aud granting TO the Jewist
religion all the claims | had vindloated, u
atiif ASSERTS "that we consider 1t so good an
approximation to tho Christian theory, thai
we can overlook the criticism and eau resi-
satisfied with this evidence Of Jewish pro
Kress." The Star IN h West Is so well
pleased with my humble effort, that II con
fers on me the new title Of Broad Church
Rabbi - An honor for which herewith pub
llely return my sincere thanks and aeknoWl'
edgment.
But Il is not the first time that have heard
this significant expression, "a christian
Jaw" have the satisfaction OF being,
since 1851, one Of the Directors OF the CITY
Relief Union. Fully impressed With the
sacred charge lntrusted 10 the Board by the
prlncely llberality Of our fellov-cltiEens, and
striving to emulate the noble example set by
my colleagues, /, too, tried 10 do my duty,
and cheerfully devoted my time and energy
70 the Interest Of the poor aud destitute.
Nv humble services were not uuderyRlued
BY nv fellow-la borers, aud In an open meet
Ing one Of the Directors declared; our Dr..
Liilenthal Is q Christian jew. As he Is a
personal friend Of mine, herewith render
10 him, too, my heartfelt acknowledgment"
But IL 1t not a strange phenomenon that
whenever Jew does his duty as man, o
oltlsen, q member Of society, that his per.
Torrance Ia ascrlbod to the influence Of
Christianity, and not TO that OF Judalsmi
II IL not strange that when q Jew should
expound the lndisputable doctrines OF his
religion, and does not represent them to be
a. much behind the time as they are misin-
t0rpreted TO DO In the various pulpits, that
We are said TO be either coming near Christi.
anlty or to DO Influenced by the spirit Of
Christianity so that Judaism ls never reeog-
nized as being possessed OF doctrinal or
moral code equal to those Of other donomi-
natlonsi
We owe II TO our self.respsct, We owe IL 10
the sacredness OF our religion, to examine
this point more closely. Let us scrutinlzs
the following two POINTS, First, whether the
Jewish religion Is inferior either In dogma
or morality 10 any other denomination; and,
second, whether the civilization and progress
Of our age is really merely religious aud
especially Christian, or whether II IA not
human In the broadest sense Of the word
Tho answer TO these questions Will, hope,
convince our Christian friends that man
must not be q Christian In order to be q man
of virtue, character, aud excellencei and
that the by-words Of Christian civilization
and Christian Jew are mere phAntoms be-
longing to by-gone ages.
And now to the point. Il tho jewish
religion In lie dogmRtlcAl or moral code in.
ferioT to Christianity Is the Arst question.
Let US see and examine 1t fairly and Impair
TALLY. Christianity claims TO teach no
bier and boiler Idea Of the Deity than the
heather religion did. judaism does the
same. Unauthorized and immaculate stands
the noble dotrlns Of Its lndlVlSlble Monothe-
lam. 1t does not allow any alloy Of heather
Ideas 10 be mixed up with the unity Of God.
It does not grant any compromise with ObSO-
lete neurological ideas, for the purpose OF
making propaganda. 1t stapds untsrriaed
10 the Mosaic doctrine, "God Is one" and
10 the words Of the prophets; 81, the Lord,
shall never change" (Isalah xiv, 6;) or,
"ThuS says God, the Lord OF hosts, the King
Of Israel and his Redeemcri am the first,
and am the last, and besides me there Is
NO God"
Christianity teaches there 10 a future life,
the soul Of man 10 immortal and there will
be future reward and punishment. Judaism
teaches the same, W=r5ad in Ecclesiastes,
xili "The DIST returneth to the dust,
Whence v came, and the spirit returns to
God Nio gave It," Tho only difference Ia
that We do not pretend to know anything Of
the details Of the future world, as the secret
things, according TO Moses, belong to our
God. Deuteronomy, XXX, IS "And that
we, therefore, do not bother ourselves very
much about hell and the devil, as we do not
believe In the duAlism, so emphatically
taught In the religion Of Ormuzd and Ah-5-
man.
Christianity teaches man sk-n ..gsd life
Of holiness, and judaism says "You shall
be holy, for l am holy, the Lord your God,
-t,eVitious, XXI Christianity teaches man
IL cfgEEed In the image Of God, and shall try
to Initiate his Maker and Judaism says
"In his image, In the image Of God, He
created them" (Genesis, !, 20, and thou
shalt be perfect, with the Lord thy God"
Deuteronomy Christianity eIacts from
lie followers the practice Of justice and
rightenousnessi and Judaism says "Thou
shalt not corrupt Judgment thou shalt not
respect persons, nor take any gift; ye shall
not do unrghteousness In Judgment, in
m0te, yard, In weight or In measure; right
eousnesS, righteousness, thou shalt follow,
that thou mRyest i've" deuteronomy, xvi,
10, co., Christianity enjolns charity and
beneVolence, Judaism teaches and enforces
n nrNar Of 1aVU
page Of the Mosaic code. Christianity
teaches love to be the supreme command,
or, as Jesus says, (Mark, XII, S0,) "There
10 none other commandment greater than
these" We have shown II In our last ser.
mon, that Judaism taught the very name
doctrine thousands Of years before the birth
Of Josus, aud the old Rabbls time and again
asserted, Glove thy nelghbor as thyself, is
the supreme command Of the law"
These few quotations, this plain compari-
sol. show clearly enough that Judaism Is
not whit inferior to the moral and doc
trinAl teachings OF Christianity that II con-
tains all the rules and principles required for
. life distinguished by moral excellence; and
that the Jew has not to DO a Christian Jew
In order TO do his duty faithfully, thoroughly
and mRnfully. OfcouTse, ''there will always
be q wide interval between practica! and
ideal excellence, as the Rambler says, but
this truth holds as good for Christians as
for Jews, What we wish TO establish Is
only the claim, that while We do not intend to
be considered superior to others, we, as Jew
do not like to be considered and treated as
Inferior, and that merely on account OF our
religion. This prejudice Is q spectral rem
nRnt Of the past medieval theology, Let
the dead past bury Its dead
But now TO the second Questir n. IA IL
true that our civilization, aud al The pro.
Rresa the human race has made Ia due IN
the influence Of the Christian Church Ia
It true that man In ordr TO be counted
among the civilized portion Of the human
race must be Christian > Isn true thai 4
jew, whose claim to civ lization cannot be
disputed, owes Il to hts Christian surround
ings, and that the eIr ,resslon ga Christian
Jew" Is, therefore, ,. proper and correct onei
Inc question, a.. put, Is In itself so anoma
Ioue, SO ridieulo'Is 10, so much In contradiction
with our usua'. conceptions, that II hardly
deserves TJply. But some PreeOnceiVed
notions ar so deeply rooted, some preju
diees ar. so firmly established, they have
eTeP' 20 nIedly into our social, political and