The New York herald., 1871-02-26
THE ORIGIN OF CHRISTIANITY


Closing Lecture by Rev. DIR. Wise-A jew
ish Relormer's Estimate of Jesus aud ST.
Paul.
A very excellent audience gathered In Steinway
Han lost evening to listen to the closing lecture in
the course delivered by Rev. Dr. Wise OF Cinc;n-
nau, on the Origin OF Christianity HIS first lee
ture related TO Jesus or Nazareth his next to the
Apostles, and last evening Paul was treated Of Few
and far apart said the lecturer appear the stars OF
history. Strike out about one hundred names and
you have no history. The world is q machine
shop, ana every man is making his part
OF the great machine but one mind
combines and puts the parts together
and we call him the master machnst. Such mas
ter mechanic was Paul. In him was resurrected the
spirit OF Jesus. just Jesus the spirit OF John
Baptist was resurected The concentrated desire OF
his mind was toward the
pENATIoNALIzA1 OF THE JEWISH IDEA
OF an exclusive God and peculiar people and the
PRONUNCIATION OF universal faith for all men, The
deoased condition of the Romans, Jews and Greeks
a. the period OF Pauls ministry was described by
the Doctor. They were ready to believe anything,
provided 1t was absurd enough. All whom Paul
met In ms travels were Judaized Greeks
ana Romans, whose minds had been bru-
tallzed by the sensualism OF the Caesars and
Truth had been brought into III repute To this was
added the steady decline of the Jewish state and
the Jewish religion, and in its stead came super
stton. This state of affairs highly favorable 10
Pauls stupeadous enterprise. "Who is PaulYr the
Doctor asked, and answered. by running over the
names given to him in the New Testament the
Talmud and other writings of the day and the
representations of HIM. One of his names signined
his theology because he was the author OF
THE SON OF GcD DOCTRINE
OF Christianity. His early training in the school OF
Gamalie, his character as a jealous Pharisee, ana
other traits were referred to; his vision the way
to Damascus was declared TO be spurious because
Paul himself never refers to it, and it cannot he
proved by history and Is purely the invention Of one
OF ms COMPANIONS, Luxe or Silas or some one else.
his transition lron Judaism 10 Christianity was ac-
Counted Tor Us arising nom the deprayity OF the
Roman courts ana rulers, and the misery and de-
gfauatloA IN winch MS people, his kinsmen accord
ing to the fesh, were heiu. He Iell into mysticism
ana Sought comfort anu peace among the tambs,
declaring taat he mad Jesus, mat he had been
caught up 10 Paradise and heard nnspeakable
ANA ~ his maddened brain and bewiaered mind all
the mysteries oi dcaVen appeared lnteigible The
kapbincai llystics were ike our
MODERN TRANCE MEDIUMS.
They gave elaborate descriptions cf the divine
gorlts, which they declared they had seen or which
hdd been revealed to then. such WAS Paui's mys-
ticlsu de passed from the law school OF the Pharl-
sec to the new scnoo OF Chris lanity, and the
central figure which lie beheld in tue transition he
called the son OF God, whose lame lie went forth to
proclaim. Paul's Jesus corresponds exactly 10 the
Uabaiists image OF Delpnos. 1t was The object of
Jesus TO reconstruct 'the Kingdom OF heaven here,
but was cruclned. 10 raui's mind ne had risen
again. and, therefore, Israel would be saved rom
Roman oppression He seized upon the Jewish
national ioea that the world would come TO one
God and one iath and he came forth from
Israel. He started out with tne idea that all the
world was guilty, and that the Messiah must needs
come. But wnen he went to Damascus he lound out
that the people not ready for his doctrines,
and he mad a narrow escape from capture by Aretas
and his soldiers. who guarded the city. But Paul
let down uy the wall IN basket ike the spies
OF old ana escuped This failure did not discourage
him. however lie was not man TO be discouraged
with difficulties Ii convinced him that
HE WAS YET TOO YOUNG
for the work OF reformation whlcn he had under
taken. He must have been about twenty one years
old at this time. lie then retired to Araoa ana
spent three years in contemplation and study-how
he should uniuri the banner OF TINS new religion TO
The word. In A. ID. SO he appears in Antioch with
his new gospel, aad there his followers were hrst
called Christians and there Christianity was first
founded. Paul tells that he spent fifteen days
in Jerusalem, but he neither consulted nor ADVISED
with any oAe regarding the PRONUNCIATION OF
celved his revelation directly from God. the
| son Of God and Son OF Mary were phrases
| were foreign TO the Jews. Paul therefore started
with doctriue of the resurrection the abro-
CATION OF the laws ol Israel anu tue assertion that
was the last sacrifice. he made a vicarlous atcne-
| ment Tor all. The gods OF the heathens were not
| spirit; nencc Pau's crucifed one was caught up
III the body and sat at the right hand OF God This
doctrine could he easily understood and believed by
men VINO believed that komulus and Caesar nad
also been translated III the body and would return
again. Paul's characteristic doctrines were the
Son OF God, Jesus: the kingdom OF heaven, the
vicarious atonement and the second coming OF his
assembled Messiah. But Paul knew that doctrines
alone would not multiply converts. Hence ne pro-
claimed the
SUDDEN DESTRUCTION OF THE WORLD
and the things that therein and enforced IL with
such eOQuence as to crush 10 the ground his super
sttlous auditors and then he hurled al their sore
heads all the crimes and loll!es Of which they had
numerous travels and trials, ms differences
with the college OF apostles In Jerusalem,
unSil @ aftes'u alter time Peter. James and JOHN,
gave TO MIN the right hand OF Fellowship The rest
OF the apostles never did; they could not forgive
enough TO silence them Little Dy begging money
for the poor saints at Jerusalem He mad changed
their religion and given them new mythology son
of God oil which they had not known They could net
accept his total abrogaton OF the law and consent TO
be led by the pnantoms OF hope love and faith,
against which James argues In his epstle with all
the Iervor OF his soul Tney could not forgive him
OF heaven when they looked Tor Kingdom on earth.
This was
TOO MUCH DISAPPOINTMENT
for them and they could not stand 1t. He was ar.
rested, appealed to Caesar and was sent to Rome.
And while before he had not word TO say against
the Jews or the precepts OF Judaism, he now
launches poleInics from his prison house against
his associates and brethren In Jerusalem, VINO had
not word OF sympathy to oGer They could not
meet his arguments, and hence we have but one
side Of the case presented. and that by Paul. TO
give tne neathen true IDEAS Oh Gou, OF humanity, OF
freedom and ofJustice which must some time break
the cnaln and cmancipa.e man-ths was the
mission Of Paul, Jesus' pure theocracy, Peters
Messianism, Paul's Son of God doctrine and Johns
Logos. These tour systems Of theology have been
gathered and blended into one and Christ has been
adopted instead or His religion II the theocracy of
Jesus must prevail then all creeds and dogmas must
fail and Goo be all III all. i it, said the Doctor,
but not now; l behold 1t, but not nigh. Free
dom and humanity, justice and love in the name Of
God, this Is right religion. TO do this is Chrisuanity
to love 1t is true worship. Men like Jesus and Paul.
IL 10
dents most careful study and research. They are
the grandest types OF humanity.
Thanking the audience, the Doctor closed his
eloquent lecture