Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1894-03-02
A JEWISH Wv OF JEsus.

He Preached . Millennium to Men En-
gagged in CONVENTIONS.
Jacob Voorsanger in Overland Monthly,
II Jesus Of Nazareth has himself ut.
tered the wise maxim that man shall he
known by his fruits. his followers in the
long days Of the dark past produced fruit
that was not OF their teachers plant
ing That. to Jew, is the
unimpeachsble testimony Of history.
Happily that dark past is be-
hind us, and no matter through what Do
tent agencies, the attitude of the church
Is less intolersnt, il too dogmatical to in
sure great sympathy. Whether l am
mistaken or not, attribute the modern
attitude of ecclesiastical authority to the
powerful revolution of the centuries, by
which 1t became reduced to a mere
agency for the dissemination of religious
teachings. When the church, instead OF
holding the scepter of power, simply as
cends the cathedra, and gives utterauce To
the wise words of it's illustrious founder.
Hebrews begin to understand its pur-
poses. And 90 1t has come to pass, not
only that the Jew with hearty good will
turns to his Christian brother, believing
firmly that, as Nathan the Wise SAYS &c
nobiy and SO sagely, what makes the
Christian a Jew makes the Jew q Chris.
tan, but that the character of the Naza-
rene gains in strength and lustre in OK.
actly the same proportion that his follow.
ers make themselves beloved and re-
spected.
This profess, without fear of criticism
or contradiction, Ia the modern Jewish
standpoint. The dogmas Of Christie nity
are still unintelligihle to us. We capno,
understand the intricate scheme OF saliva.
ton that places God 30 far without the
reach OF his creatures that mediation mus
be resorted to. We do not understand thai
to reach the Heavenly Father in simple
child-like prayer, string Of metaphysical
propositions must be purchased or &C
CURED. We understand and feel God oul
Father, the God of all the world, the
Father of all his children. We have
never taken very kindly to metaphysics
When 1socrates, the Greek, witnessed thu
Osirian rites on the shores on the lower
Nile, he wondered much -"If Osiris il
God, why do ye lament his death a
man and If he be man, why do We wor
ship him as God?" The illustriou,
Greeks objections regarding Osiris arr
ours with respect to the metaphysical
Christ
But shorn Of all theological attributes
Invested of his Greek garments, dis
robed and appearing in the strong high
OF history, tie majestic character ans
figure of the Nazarene are intelligihl,
enough to a Hebrew. A son OF hi
people, his heart ahame with grea
intents, his ambition wholly to re-
store the law, his dream that O
the prophets, to bring the kingdom O
heaven to the children Of earth, h,
preached a millennium to men engaged
in quarrels and contentious II h.
failed, il his life paid the forfeit,
was the sorrowful consequence Q
troubled times. But his teachings, Q
they appear upon the face Of bis book
not a. they are interpreted by hair
splitting metaphysicians, his teach
ings are the genuine echoes OF the hol
themes propounded by the old prophets
A life led in harmony with such teach
inRs, the same teachings given to Israe
in the law and the prophets, must need
be pure and holy. This much We under
stand. Why cannot all the world thu
read these teachings, and thus, to quot
the great words of Sir Moses Montefio
remove the title page between the Oh
and New Testament?