The sun., 1883-09-30
SOME VIEW Booxs.
pe.sH'. view OF CAr,.t,.ni.y.
THE ANTIcHRrsT.


when the new faith first came into violent col
tlsion with tho pugan world incarpated In Moro,
henrs the appropriate name OF pAntechrst NJ.
RRNAN portrays the final years OF Paul's cap
tivity at Rome. his traditional martyrdom and
tho sanguinary prosecutions to which the
Christians we're subjected. the revolt OF Judea.
and the destruction OF Jerusalem by Titus to-
tgother with tho Apocalyptic visions and out
'givngs which the outcome OF the par
ioxysm OF horror and apprehension into which
tho Christian community was plunged by
those tragical events. The author seems
! 70 consider the period embraced by this
book as-next to tho three or four
years OF Jesuss public life and the three or
-FOUR days that followed tho crucilxon-the
most pregnant and extraordinary in the whole
process OF the evolution OF Christianity
'Horein we shall see." he tells u.s. by strange
stroke OF the mighty unconscious artist who
presides over the apparent caprices Of history
Jesus and Nero. the Christ and tho Antichrst
set face to face. confronted. IL may say So
like heaven and hell Hencetorth the educa-
tion Of the Christian conscience ia completed
Heretofore 1t has known little OF anything but
love; the prosecutions by the Jews. although
Rigorous enough. have not availed to rupture
the tie Of gratitude and affection which binds
the heart OF the infant Church to its
mother. the synagogue. from which it Is
scarcely severed. Now the Christian has some-
thing to hate. Over against Jesus looms up a
monster who shall! stand for the ideal OF wick
cdness Just rs Jesus is the idoal OF goodness
Reserved, like Enoch and Elijah. to play a role
in the final tragedy OF the universe. Nero COM
p,etea tho Cbr;s,ion mytbo,o,y in.n;r.s tho
enrlies, sacrod hoo. ~ the nav canon founJs
Nv mn onno,I;rn ,rosso,ro ,,a nr;n,oor - ,hn
Roman Church. and prepares the revolution
which will make of Rome a holy city. II second
Jerusalem. At the same time. by one Of those
tba sunrome crises or name historv I,rrso,on,
ita,,f ia ruin.d tho tnn,n,n dio,,,noars .,,,
Chriu,iopit,, lihor,toa fro,, honi ,,h;,l h,J
hecomo en,barr.ssin,, crews NOR, ,r,, ,,,aro
tboronvb,v emancinn,ed anJ ortsil, IN. ,,,ln
of oornuorad IrJ,;a,, ,,,ra,,. ,h -, -,
10 o,yn dos,invn VI
The nrincinal 4 Documents on which thu ,,r,s-
an, narr,tive ia ho soa ,r. ,ho Inc, E,,;s,,o. 49,
crihod to a. pau tho .nor,moms E,,ia,,a,,,,no
H,brews tho Enistes attributed tn p,tnr md
lanes and tho boot of Reyn,,tion 40 r,uch
for tho inforn,otion fnrnisbod Inv tb. oor,nt'
co, wr;t;nys. hut tbo Eirs, rnistio of cla,,on,
Ron,nnus tnyetbor with tha ,vorts os ,r,citua
and Josenbns have oIsn f,rrishoJ v,iu.Ll,
materio, Tbo outhontioi,,, !, ~ ,h. fo,r pn,,,i,,,
En;st,os 70 which rocourso win NOW ho made
the letters 10 tho pbi,inni,ps 10 rho c,I,.si,,s
n philemon and 70 tba Enhesi,ns-,y,. ,Ii.,
cussed at length in tho authors introIuct,u,
w
this time. that NJ. Renan considers IN, ,h.,c-
lions raised against the rpis,I. +, ,b,
Philippians rs of slight CONSEQUENCE and
that while he does not fail TO rccnru ~
how much grnyer doubt may ~, c,s, u,n,, IN,
Epistles to the Colossians and tho rphn
SLAMS. he is still disposed. upon the whole f.,
regard those writings as directly or inlirer,jv
the work of Paul He pronounces tn. Second
Epistle ascribed TO Peter uno,,estionahly
school in affirming the Tirs. Epstle of Peter to
be genuine. He is also disposed to admit tho
correctness Of the tradition which attributes
the authorship of the Epistle of James to the
brother of Jesus He examines in detail the
controversies occasioned by the so.called
Epistle to the Hebrews. and inclines to con-
lecture that It was written at Ephesus nv
Barnabas to the Judaeo Christian community
: ut Romc-As to the Book Of ReSela ton which
is the most important piece of documentary
evidence here employed M. Renan thinks II
impossible to doubt that il was written shortly
before the destruction of Jerusalem and be 10
convinced that great preponderance of test
mony drawn from internal as well as external
anon,,u,.so '''-' - -'o' 'N0 "o'Ao' " 'ie
Uanardoa no ;o,o =, .;,
preoont yolrr,a 10 ,arho,a ~, -. ,,.,
n, tho ea,,on ,a;tI 49,, T., -, h
.n,ho. -, aa,a..a,.N -. " "n,en III.
tha Ch.;s,,en a.,l., "op'I. 'no ul'.u',on VI
,ro,tod tba, ,his ,,.n.ior -, a. 80 W 70 ~
not ho consao,,tiroI', .ua,s,,,aI e,, ean
that M Englisb vsrs,on ~ - a,iSts rbn oo '',.
tnre OUGHT to bo nreson,od With tho oohnu,. ris
and unity which NJ, Renan bas imnarted 70 II
but the utmost that we can hone 10 do ~
give the reader some concontlon n, the ,uthor,s
Illuminating touches bv renroducino two or
three chapters. or narts Of chonters in
which events OF superlatiyc interest and mo-
ment are recounted In the effort at seloc-
tion and excisio, which ot hest ,nust falI tor
short of tltly exemplifvinp the substantial worth
anu artistic beauty lthe original composition
wo are natura'iy ieu 10 choose as specially
O.itrac.er's'ic Oh the authors method and
s.Sie. % lie account OF inc persecution OF the
Cni's'aahs ~ nome anu tho portrait OF Nero