Morning journal and courier., 1883-06-30
Ranan on the Jews,

From sn article in the Pan Mall Gazstte.l
 ssWhen one works for humanity,'' to use M Renan's own words, cone is almost cer- tain to be robbed, and beaten into the bar gain" But the service of Judaism to the world does not end, according to M. Renan, with the establishment of 8 universal relig- ion. The triumph of free thought and toler- ation which distinguishes the past century is also largely it's work. The revolution which proclaimed ''the rights of reason, the rights of man, the true theory of human society, that the State is neutral and without official doena''-this great movement was led up to bv the Jewish people 'They had prepared the way for it by their past, by their great prophets, these creators in Israel, who had proved the future unity of the human race in law and in right The authors of such movement were in the first place Isaiah, then the sacord Isaiah, that admirable genius of the time of the captivity; next the essenes, those poets who all announce an ideal of peace, of right and of brotherhood. Ancient Christianity was nothing but the continuation of your prophets. Ths glory of Christianity is the glory of Judaism. Yes, the world has become Jewish in becoming converted to the laws of liberty, of equality, and of justice. As for myself, I am convinced of 1t, every Jew is Liberal. He is so by his very essence. The enemies of Judaism are the enemies of the modem. spirit. It would be equally ungracious and inappropriate to bring close critical scrutiny to bear upon that last assertion of all about "every Jew being Liberal" In the sense in which M. Renan uses both subject and attribute 1t IS doubtless true Rather let us quote the last intensely characteristic passage of M. Renan's tour de force: 'FWhat greater homage can be paid to the spirit of Israel than this pro- dioisus labor of modern sxegesls, this wealth of criticism, expended to elucidste, do not say a y,hrase, but every work, every letter, of vour ancient books? Your Bible is so unique 2 thing that every syllable which you have written has become the subject of endless battle. The Hebrew dictionary decides the fate of humanity. When had the honor to be attached to the manuscripts department at the Imperial (now the NationaD Library, I received visit from an Englishman of learning, honorable for the zeal of his re- searches concerning texts. When gave him the papers he wanted to consult, he saw on my table certain book, the Tn aurus of Gesenius' His figure immediately stiffeened, and he said to me, That is an extremely dan, gerous book, full of rationalism and error Next day received from him Rietter or more than ten pages, which preserve relIgiously, written to proye to me that one only needed eyes 10 see the clearest of predictions In the fifEy.third chapter of Isaiah! Here, then, gentlemen, is your glory Fms one chapter ehow many volumes has it not produced
 Our friend, M. Neubauer, has already written at least two as his own contribution. How uucb has not been written about certain nronoun contained in this chapter! What researches, what struggles, to determine the exact sense of that wordl Ought 1t to be taken in the singular or the plural2 These are subtIeties, torments, but at the same time these are just so many tributes paid to the grandeur of your past.