The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-12-28

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the Divinity Of Jesus, They Claim
fIima as Their own, and as an In
spired Holy Manof God-.The Purity
OF His Teachiags Acknowledged.
IouIsvt1tR, Ky, Dec. T.-christmas
day was selected by Rabbi Moses as a
fitting time for a discussion Of the char
acter and teachingso OF Jesus, and q large
Congregation at the Temple Adas Israel
heardFthe following discourse:
Our Christian brethren are celebrat-
ing to-day the feaat Of Christmas, the
most eautitu Of all Christmas holidays.
Religion and poetry have through many
centuries, Wed with each otherin max
ing Christmas a well sprin OF joy to the
family, a fountain Of overlooking
charity to the poor, a spring Of
spiritual hopet to tendersouls that yearn
alter the kingdom Of God on earth,
Though we are not Christians, We can
not help rejoicing in the fact that our
brethren in God and humanity are
made today to forget the petty cares
andipersonal sorrows OF life, are taken
ont d, the narrowness OF discontented
seli.loye, and filed above the price
of wealth and birth by q feast, In
tendedtto commemorate the birth OF an
ideal man, who lived not for himself
but the common good Of all, whose love
az God and humankind has made his
lifa d blessing and an inspiration to
countless myrfads Of human beings, q
purifying and uplifting power to men
81 all races and climes. 1t does gladden.
our soul to see so many children OF
man solemnizing with grateful hearts
the birthday of a great teacher OF right
eousness as the dawn OF peace and good
will to all men. And we 1sraelites
have especial reason to rejoice that the
great mortal who Is the spiritual center
and fountain.head OF Chrislendom,
whose singularly beautiful and rich life
islfo innumerable men the ideal type,
UPON which they pattern their own, to
whom well nigh four hundred million
human beihRs look up with awe and
reverence as II no were q God, has been
d OF Israel, blood otour blood and.
spirit Of our spirit, a teacher anda mas
Ter In Israel. II pride OF birth were
ever iustifiable, we might well glory in
the fact that we are children OF that
wonderful and noble race which has
given to the world a Moses and David,
mn Elijah, Isaiah and jeremiah, q Hillel
and d Jesussof Nazareth.
But here a jealous Christian might
interrupt me and cry ont in indlgna-
ton: What right have you Jews to be
proud Of the life and work Of Jesus?
What share have you in his teachings
and his blissful Influences? Have you
not utterly rejected. and do you not
still reject him3 Do you not hate and
blaspheme him daily in your hearts2"
Questions such as these have been put
stoRus in all lands and in all tongues,
and without waiting for an open reply,
without listening to one, they have
been answered by the questioners
themselyesin the form OF bitter denun-
Citations. Would that the truth touch.
ing this grave matter were as well
known to our Christian brothers ash is
TO us Israelites. Though men wiser
and better thanL though great Jewish
diyines and orators in Europe aud es.
pecially in this country repeatedly de-
claredsin public our innermost conyiic-
tons regarding the founder OF Chris
tianity, yetas long as there are doubts
and misgivings in the hearts OF our
GENTLE brothers concerning these
Questions, 1t is the duty OF the least
among us to rise and solemnly bear
witness to the truth again and again.
True, we do, not believe that Jesus wal q
God or the son of God in any other
sense than all men are children of
God. We believe them to have been
the and faithful son Of Godtear-
ing, pure-hearted and Woodworking
Jewish parents. We do not believe
that he came to overthrow and abolish
thereligion Of Irrael, and substitute a
new law and a new covenant. We do
not believe that the religion and mo-
falitysthat hetaught differed in any es-
sential point from thereligion and mo.
faltty 81 the profits and wisest men Of
Israel. We do not believe that the
Jews persecuted him and caused his
death. We do not believe that he rose
from the dead three days after he had
closed his noble life on the cross, to
which he had been nailedby the cruel
Romano. We do not believe in the
Trinity, and are convinced that were
Jesus TO come again he would repudiate
such Q doctrine with all the fervor and
majesty Of his eloquence. On these
points we differ as long as there is
breath in us. And though misery and
persecution and the worlds hatred
were to be the consequence Of this our
difference Of faith We will continue to
cling to Dur conviction, because we can
not helpft
But short Of making Jesus o God OF
endowing his life and death with mys-
teal and miraculous powers of saving
men from sin and its consequences,
you cannot go Tar enough in praise Of
his character and teachings, that we,
his kith and kin, will not gladly 60
along with you. You say: 'eThe char
acter OF jesus was holy, pure, heroic,
the very soul OF true nobility To this
we reply: As far as tits possible for
any human being TO be without fault,
andto pass through life without sin,
We hold Jesus'to have been such a. you
believe him TO have been. Such an ex-
allied view OF Jesus can in no possible
manner conflict with our faith in the
absolute unity OF God as distinguished
from trinitarianistn, cannot initiate
against our belief in one only
God, andnone other beside him. Why
thhn1d there nnt have arisen in IRfaal