New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-04-06
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
GEsTA CHRISTI; or History of Humane fF1g ,cp
nnSsr Chrisianity Bv CHARLES LoRNG bhAch'
Syo mn 4l6 A. c. Armstrong Son.


modern schools of historic criticism. he instinct
Of strauss and of the prophets of the 1ubingeh
School wastruthful ard directed their blows at ehe
vital point They saw clearly they had 10 DEAL
first of ALL with great body of fact. which uust ne
either successfully denied or explained away.
Even the miracles of Chris ianity's Founder do
mn, come IN the 'front.' IN the discus ion Of evidence
"Itisnot" as hes been truthfully SAID, the mt"cio
that accredts the person, hut the person WHO gives
charact er to the miracle" Throwing out, TOT arpu
ment's sake, the miracles OF Christ, ana 'akhs '"0
other facts of his lite aud person as thew s.n' w
find ourselves, at the end OF the eXamlna'ion' ''"
fronted with Il miracle IN HIS person
These general considerations enter into an esI'-
mate of Mr. Braces valuable book which IS III no
sense controversial. lis point OF view and It's
imethod are alike historic. He aims to answer inc
Questions: WHAT have the example and the
te,cbino Of Christ actually accomplished IN the
.worldY Where NAV His stamp be seen upon the
changes the institutions and the laws OF soc'olyi
the fr,t oart of he work relates 10 the period vi
tbe Roman domination OF the civilized world anu
deal, with the Influence OF the new ialth Oh 'uo
Roman law and on the morals, habits ana pidcVi'o
,of the Roman people ana PROVINCES pin0P"'
difficulty In this portion of the discussion es III '"o
separation of dstnctively Christian lnnuthers i'oi
those of Stoicsm the most elevated and NOBLE sys-
item of philosophy and morals known 10 creek anu
Roman anuqm "
THE second division relates to the Middle Ages,
and deals with questions, some OF when are SUN
under discu Ssion such the exact post on Oh "o-
man in the German tribes, the precise character oi
her tutelage among the Teutonic races whle inc
problem Is compiled ed by the difficulty OF dls
tingushlug the precise influence OF ChriS'ia"'1
from many other moral and material forces.
- tnff ,a hOox n
Of Christianity in mOderu times upon such matters
has slavery. duelling improvements IN international
law. modern charities and the position oil woman
=" Herep observes the author, the weak poht
which strik.s the candid investigator is not that
Christianity has done what it has IN modern times
bat that 1t has not done great deal more lhls'
too, must be considered in the argument"
! II js. of course impossible TO follow Mr. Brace
tbrounb his d cussion of tue facts Of Christian his
tory He begins with the parental relation, "S
illustrated in Roman society and formulated IN no
man jurisprudence. The Roman aud the ieutohc
law alike mt the son under the absolute control OF
the father even to the extent OF committing hh 10
,slayery or adjudgng HIN to death. Under the
sChristan emperors "a idea of personality makes
hts appearance when the son Was recognized as
Itbe child of God and Joint heir with Christ" equal
with his father III the kingdom of the Lord ior
WHOM Christ had died, paternal tyranny couid not
long continue" The le isaton of Constantine ana
his punishment parricide OF iather Ior Kiiihs
This SOB showed the humane forces derived from tue
Cbrstian faith. Under Justlnian the iaiher couid
inact only mOder ate penalties and summon ms
children before the courts, where he would suggest
suen sentence as might be appropriate to domestic
discipline.
In his third chapter Mr. Brace discusses the posi-
zion of woman under Roman law aud the ihnuenoe
.f-,,ar and
shows how the idea of the Gospel gradually under-
mined the ancient principle of tutelage, winch gave
"a woman no power over property or III family gov
ernment or in industrial, commercial or pnblc
affairs and which made her subject in case OF GER
tain offences to the decision of court formed oil
her relatives which put her life at the disposal OF
her husband made her not his equal, but his ward'
and held her as tue sister OF her own chllieh'
sFrom this excessive power of the husband over the
wife the reaction to the excessive laXlty winch
took shape in the institution of free marriage,
more respectable and legitimate form OF concnbin-
age. .
Hoth extremes were affected by Christianity.
The disabilities of woman gradually disappeared
with the growth Of Christian ideas; tie change
first annearing in the law which required the res
toyat;ou of the we's dover her father III case oil
her death, and subsequently, in the guarantee or
dover rights to the widow. The code OF JnsImian
struek at the principle of tutelage, and destroyed
the absolute power of the husband over the WIFE,
made her the .egal tutor of her children ana gave
her full Maternal power in the event oI UNJUST re-
putliation by her husband
In like manner the new faith assaed tho freedom
of divorce which grew out of the free marriage and
(which eliminated in the most demorallzine loose
ness at the close of the Republic. The legislation
of Constantine reveals the struggle Of the new
! .-:.t., h. t,ul,t Iha lanGn
are limited to three The separation OF wife from
n husband without due cause entails punishment
upon her Civil equality between the parties is re-
STORED fidelity to the marriage vow IS impressed
lupon the husband no less than upon the wife :;
.adultery is punished capital crime, aid con
,cubnage is prohb Ell TO the married
Mr.. Brace next takes up slavery the exposure OF
ichdrep charity the distribution Of wealth, theJnd-
'cla duel torture, piracy, popular education, ana I'M
each shows the power OF Christian ideas III eleva-
ing popular conceptions and IN shaping eglsalion'
In his discussion of these topics 1t IS gratifying to
see how firmly the author has appiehended the
Fundamental principle OF Christs method III the
'assanlt upon evil He rrectiy interpIets his ST.
iIence respecting certain cry ng evils Ike slavery
land RIGHTEOUSNESS. Christ struck at such things
not bv denunciation but by the slower and ulti-
iuateIy surer process of lodging HIS principles of
inur,tv i'm the hearts of men. Under the conditions
Iof Roman society in His age to have enforced the
duty of immediate emancipation would have been
Ito inauguraie scene of misery and disaster. The
work was more surely accomplished by the lodg-
ment and growth of the principle that before God
all men we're equal; by the doctrine OF universal
brotherhood. bv the spirit of holy charity.
In his outlook into the future, Mr.. Brace POUNDS
large hopes upon the doc rine of evolution IN ITS
moral aspect The evolutionary currents plainly set
ms he thinks toward perfected race which VIII
tend to supplant the races known to history. The
struggle for existence heredity and the survival OF
the test, must give the final triumph IN the life Of
men to the races of high morality. After hundreds
of generations Of human beings, guided by such
M bave Indicated and in