The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1883-02-04

--narrativss without autherities. facts vithcut
dates records without names. f..
Attention 10 directed In this book to 4 sianih-
cant circumstance on which great stress has
been laid by rationalistic Interpreters Of the
New Testament. viz. that We vainly scrutinize
the Gospel narratives for CLEAN OF informa-
tion which might assist 40 TO reconstruct In
fancy the outward sembianoe Of Jesus. OF his
llneaments we hear not word not even from
the beloved disciple who Is said TO have lain
upon his breast. But although the sacred text
tells us absolutely nothing upon this subject. II
Ii certain that they who lived nearest to his
contemporaries received very different impress
sions Of his personal appearance from those
impaired to the Imagination after Christian
painting accepted the ideals Of Greek art. The
carly Church conceived its Lords visage and
form ~ more marred than those Of other men,
and believed him to have had no attractions
OF personal beauty. Justin Martyr. for exam
ple IA. ID. 1901. speaks OF him a. without come
illness or charm. and Of mean appearance.
Clement OF Alexandria "A. D. 2O0) describes
him as Of an uninvitIng aspect and almost re-
pulsive Tertullian IA. D. 2l0) says he had not
even ordinary human beauty. far less heavenly.
Origen a. D. $500 went so far as to say that
he was small in body and deformed." as we'll
as low-born. and that his only beauty was
in his soul and life. Again. We do not
know how old Jesus was when he died. St.
Ireu@us "A. D. 1917. one Of the most respected
OF the early Christian fathers tells U.S. on the
authority OF his master. Polycarp. who had the
Information from st. John himself. and from
other old people OF the Roman province OF Asia.
that Jesus was not crucifed at the time stated
In the Gospels. but lived to be nearly nfty years
old. This assertion seems to be confirmed by the
passage in John. WILL. SO. whom the Jews said
to Jesus. Thou art not yet hfty years old. and
hast thou seen Abraham ?" It 10 Furthermore
susceptible Of proof that Annas. or Ananias.
WAS not High Priest until about tho year 4S. A.
D.. whilo on the other hand. there is outside Of
the New Testament an utter absence OF evil
dence In book inscription or.monument that
Jesus Of Nazareth was either scourHed or cru
cincd under Pontius Plate-the allusion in Ia
cltus never having been discovered by the most
indefatigable and anxious Christian apologlsts
before the fifteenth century. And II It was not
discovered the inference seems unavoidable
that 1t did not exist.
The conclusion reached by the compiler Of
Biblical Myths" Is that there are no clearly
defined traces OF the real personality Of
Jesus discoverable on the surface or beneath
the surface Of Christianity. The universal re-
ligous and ethical element Of Christianity has
no inseparabe connection with the actual man
Jesus or with his apostles. with the moral pre-
cepts Of the Gospel which had been previously
propounded. or with tho Gospel story which In
all essential features had been told elsewhere.
That element exists independently Of any per-
son or any narrative. 1t 10 true that by selecting
from the Gospels whatever portions one may
choose. a not uncommon practice among Chris
tian writers. an ideally noble and grand charac-
ter may be depicted. But who was the original OF
that characterp May we not find like idealiza-
lions. with. in two instances at least. a larger
basis OF historical reality. outside OF the Gospels
and before the time Of Jesus-in Confucius In
Gautama. in Socrates2