The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-12-04

70
his vision, the writer says: THE creed
mongers who have distorted the teachings
of Jesus cannot diminish His grand figure,
itself shadow of the Eastern ssge--of the
gentle, loving Buddha.' And futber, ut
was given to Christ to prepare the right
ground for this seed OF the Light of ASIA
but to make it more fruitful by His teach
ings and life." Certainly this is remarkable
language. and it remains to be seen
whether it is warranted by the evidence adj
duced. II so. no ..creed-monger" is neces-
sary to further diminish the grand figure"
/. of Jesus.
Baron Hickey finds nothing in the
Buddhist scriptures to awaken criticism,
nothing to astound his critical insight.
They are accepted on their face vaiue.
But with respect to the New Testament
records he discovers repetitions, poetic ex-
aggeration, inconsistencies. much that IS
merely legendary. and many other airing
defects. In word, poor copies OF the
Buddhistic original His full acceptance
of the one and unfavorable criticism OF the
other naturally leads to the conclusion OF
partiality for the formers not uncommon
fault among German Sanskrit enthusiast
and partial rejection of the gospel mar
rative.
In answer to Baron Hickey's views, the
Bible student produces arguments showing
that the preponderance Of historic evidence
favors the assertion that there was mo IN
tercourse between Buddhist missionaries
and the people from whose ranks emanateo
Jesus and the New Testament writers.
Scholars of no mean repute in the Greek
and Sanscrit languages fail TO discover the
internal evidence in the sacred writings OF
the nearer or farther East that the one Is
copy OF the other. If Buddhist literature
reached Greece or found footing In
Aiexandria it must have appeared in creek
classical idiom. 1t is notable fact that
the New Testament Greek is almost
wholly lacking with respect to the classical
element, save. perhaps, the writings OF 81.
Paul, and that it is entirely void OF the Al
exandrian idiom and phrases current
among the 'gnostics" OF that day. The
paralielisms only show that the two peo-
pies we're both Oriental and abounded in
tropical language. 1t is even so today.
There is one important feature which
Baron Hichey overlOoks, and which easily
negatives his entire argument founded on
the similarities existing between the two
men and their teachings, and that is the
existence of the Old Testament. To the
biblical student the New Testament is SIM
ply the reiteration of the Old. in thought.
in idiom. and in the recital of the life and
character of its subject. The Old Testa-
ment individuaiizes and itemizes every par
allel discovered by the baron. and it is to
be remembered that the majority of the
writings of Moses and the Prophets" were
old before the day OF Buddha. 1t is not at
all impossible that the ancient Jews pene-
trated India. Indeed, an eminent English
historian, for many years secretary to the
government in India, in writing the
history OF India, asserts that the Afghans
are of Jewish extraction, and the step from
Afghanistan to Hindustan could have been
taken more easily by the Jewish merchant
traveller than the journey from Hindustan
to Alexandria could have been taken by
the Buddhist. And further. il the parallel
isms alone are the foundation OF an argu-
ment of this character. then with respect
to the spiritual conception of God. the use
of ritual. etc., both Buddhist and Chris
tian must give credit to Egypt, and Egypt
to Central Asia and so on until the cradle
OF the race is found.
Let it be borne in mind that the early
Hebrew prophets, with Moses in the lead,
originated the doctrine of brotheriy love,
upon which Baron Hickey amplifes, and
that in their record is first to be found the
idea of a miraculous conception of
heaven-born child having virgin mother.
The very existence of Buddha is matter of
legend, and the native writer's of India,
versed in their own languages and history,
are slow to speak of him as an actual
character. But since the system of Bud
dhism-a reformation against Brahman-
ism-is known to have existed since
500 B. c., and must have had q founder,
let us accept that founder as being
Buddha, and say in his favor, even.
all the elaborate praise of Baron
Hickey and Buddha's more famous
admirer, the author OF the Light of Ash n"
Buddha was great and good man. As
solitary mountain sometimes springs out
of an otherwise level plain and throws its
peak high toward the heavens, that it
might catch the first CLEANS of the rising
sun and reflect its light upon the valley be.
low, so Buddha rose more than five GEN.
turtles above his fellows and, towering alone
in his majestic splendor, caught shafts of
light from the sun of truth, thereby adding
unspeakable blessings TO his people through
the emancipation of the human mind that
ever attends the introduction of truth. But
withaI Buddha was only a man, great
and good man, an inspired man, in sense,
but only q man, seeker after truth and
its goal of escape from the lust OF desire.
A glance at the manner in which each of
these eminent characters estimated him.
self is of value in the argument. Buddha
left his home and sought seclusion in the
wilderness that. unhindered by the noisy
world, he might discover the truth. Jesus
said: Il am the truth" Baron Hickey
accuses Christ of plagiarism, and at the
same time quotes Buddha as saying:
Five hundred years after my death will
appear Maitreya Buddha, the Buddha of
compassionate love-" Jesus declared him.
self 10 stand alone, without predecessor or
follower in his work of salvation.
And finally, on this point, with respect to
the future, Buddhism teaches that the
final goal to be reached, the last reward TO
be offered to the faithful is Nirvana, by
which is meant such q complete absorp-
ton back into Deity as TO destroy individ-
uality, while the Bible doctrine is TO the
end that there is union-not absorption
of the soul with the divine nature, with the
preservation of individual life.
In conclusion, though much remains to
be said on this interesting topic, Bud
ohism has never attracted the Aryan brain,
and is espoused only by the Mongoi ma
tons, while Christianity has deep-seated
hold on the leading races of the world. The
priests of the former are of ali men among
the lowest and most deprsved. while those
of the latter hold the esteem, as body, of