The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-11-29

~, 1871.
to place tho birth Of Jesus between the years
OF Rome 747-749 instead Of In the year OF
Rome 1853 with which the era In common use
begins. As regards tho controverted length
Of Christs public life, the author points
ont that whilo II may be open TO discuss
sion whether according to tho ,spels thcre
were three Passovers or four In the ministry
Of Jesus. we certainly cqnnot discover one
more than four or one less than three What
ever chronological system be adopted with
reference to Hts public mnlstrations. tho en-
tire life Of Jesus was confined between two
fixed and incontestable dates: He was born
before the death Of Herod. which took place In
the spring OF the year $50 or ISL. and He In
disputably died before PLATE quilted Judea-
that is to say before tho year 30 OF the COM
mon era, In which. as we have seen. there Is an
error Of at least four years.
We should odd that from the view point OF q
convinced and fcrvent Christian the acts OF
Christ and His doctrines are not TO DO fully
comprehended because one can master and
invoke tho whole circle Of auxiliary sciences.
On this point let us listen to tho author NJ this
book. AT every moment" he says. the life
OF Jesus puts to rout what We are pleased to
call our psychology. ethics. philosophy soci-
ology. and anthropoloay. a. well rs our feeble
and timid theodicy. Therefore. whom appeal
to those sciences. 30 far as I am conversant
with them. I have never hesitated TO lift them
up to Jesus. and have never attempted to
conHne Him by them: when He is greater
than they. He docs not destroy but gives
clearness to them. Tho greatest monument
raised by theology to tho glory OF Jesus Is st.
Thomas Aquinas's treatise on tho incarnation.
No intellect has ever explained In more pow
erful synthesis. with stronger reasoning and
moro exact psychology. tho mystcry OF Christ.
Every life Of Jesus should contain the whole
Of It, In order to DO in tho full light OF His doe
trine. I owe to this master all that Ia good in
my attempt to reach what may be called the
Christian philosophy Of this history"
".
To exemplify the quality and. perhaps We
might add. the limitations OF Father Didon's
scholarship. we con hardly do better than note
what he says about the education OF Jesus. q
branch OF his subject which should lead him
to inquire how far Judea and Galiiee had
been Hellenized. and incidentally to answer tho
question whether Jesus spoke Greek. In the
chapter devoted to this topic we are reminded
TINT nothing less resembled the modern meth
DDS Of instruction for the young than those
followed In Palestine in the time Of Herod.
Public schools play . large rart among us.
taking children from the paternal home to
give them over to a master for a period usually
extending from the tenth to the twentieth
year. The system did not yet exist among tho
Jews Jerusalem alone had popular school
which was called Beth. Hassepher." the
House OF tho Book. founded before Christ
by the Pharisee Simon bon Sehetoh. It
became tho model OF the schools which about
the year "a Of our era were established In
all towns and villages by order OF the High
Priest. Jesus ben Gamala- In the time OF
Christ tho jewish child was educated In his
fathers house. in the workshop. and in the
synagogue. In the house he received the pre-
cepts of his father and mother: in the work
shop no learned trade: In the synagogue he
learned to read the Torah Domestic educa-
ton among the Jews was exclusively religious
and patriotic. being concentrated on the law.
morals. and history. Its purpose was to form
the conscience and engravo upon 1t the COM
mands transmitted by God through Moses.
Tho tuition OF children was imposed on par
ents as a sacred duty: tho Hebrew legislator
never ceased TO exhort father to instruct his
son at home. at meals. and in family. In the pre-
cepts and blessings OF God. At the same time
the children are admonished to hear
the instructions OF their father and not to
reject the teachings OF their mother. Tho
characteristic feature Of jewish domestic
morality Is the incubation OF reciprocal duties
and OF reciprocal respect and tenderness. We
may hero mention that Father Didon has no
doubt that the dwelling in which Jesus grew
UP was like that which is still common among
tho sedentary Arabs in Palestine up to the
present date. He is led to this conclusion be-
cause the type OF the Oriental house has not
changed for many centuries. It Is square. OF
brick or stone. and often only Of concrete cover
cd with stiff clay. sun dried. and whitewashcd.
The roof Is q terrace surmounted by Q balus-
trade. and Is reached by a movable ladder or
staircase fixed to the wall On the roof is the
guest chamber and the place OF prayer. and
there during the hot season little hut Of
leaves or reeds is erected for Sleep
Ing in at night The house proper has
but ono or two rooms. and often no other
opening than tho door: in front Is a narrow
court surrounded by wall Of loose stones. In
ono Of the angles Of tho court is the baking
oven. little round structure Of clay closed by
movable cover. The furniture OF the dwell
ing Is primitive: q few stools. a table. cush-
ions strewn along the wall. mattresses and
mats. chandelier. an oil lamp in n corner Of
the wall. a large Golfer for linen and clothes,
meal tub. q few urns. and basalt mortar for
tho grain. The chimney. or. rnther. the
hearth, Is sometimes placed In the middle Of
the room: at the door OF each jewish house Ia
a littlo oblong box. tho Mezuzzsh." enclos-
In. roll Of parchment on which are written
two portions OF the law taken from Deu-
teronomy
y.
The carpenter shop WAS the first and true
school OF jesus There He grew up beside His
father and mother and heard from their
mouths the precepts OF the law and the history
of the people. II. rs Father Dldon says, He
learned Of them to read the Scriptures. 1t was
doubtless In nm Aralnaic version. On this
point the author Is not SO clear as We could
wish. He points ont. indeed. that Arama!c or
AIIIaIa In 4lAxar IL