The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1894-11-23
DIR. BRIGGS. WORK.
TIL. Messiah of the Gospel MAD
Public.
Made

The Messiah of the Gospel Made
Public.
NEW YORK, Nov. l9.-The Com
mercial Advertiser publishes a synop-
| sis of the latest work of Professor
Charles A. Briggs of the Union Tneo-
logical seminary, who was declared a.
hereto by the Presbyterian general
assembly. The book, THE Messiah
of the Gospels" is intended to follow
"Messianic Prophecy" which caused
so much comment when published In
1886. 1t was the intention OF DIR.
Briggs to publish the Messiah of the
Gospels" in 1887, but the charges of
heresy were brought about that time
and he was compelled to defer the
publication until now.
The dedication runs as follows:
''To Henry Preserved Smith, true
scholar, faithful friend and brave
companion in holy warfare, this book
is dedicated in sympathy and love.
In his latest book DR.. Briggs has.
entered infinitely into a discussion OF
the second advent. He is convinced.
that the faith of the church of the
day is defective in it's lack of appre-
hension of the reigning Christ and in
it's neglect of the second advent of
the Lord. The chapters upon i'm
maculate conception will perhaps call
for the most criticism. He says:
THE blessed virgin was residing in
Nazareth of Galilee, betrothed to
Joseph of the royal line of David, the
heir of the Messianic promises of the
old testament. The time for marriage
had not yet come. God had a higher
appointment for her to fulfill as the
virgin mother of the Messiah. The
virgin conception of Jesus, as an
nounced by the archangeli is lot to De
interpreted as if it were a miracle in
violation of the laws of nature, but
rather as brought about by God Him
self present in theopany. The words
of the angel imply a theopanic pres
ence. Though it might be urged
that the coming of the Spirit upon
her was an invisible coming after the
analogy of many passages of the old
testament, yet the parallel statement
that the divine power oyershadowed
her cannot be so interpreted.
This a~nnunciation represents the
conception of Jesus as due to a
theophany. 1t does not rotate the
doctrine of of His pre-eXistence, al
though that doctrine is a legitimate
inference. 1t represents an early
stage of New Testament christology.
1t does not go a step beyond the Paul
ism of the epistle to the Corinthians.
1t implies nothing more than the
sending in birth taught by the epis-
ties to the Galatians and to the
Romans. 1t is really more primitive
and more simple ~christology OF con-
ception."
DIR. Briggs makes a special study of
the second advent of Christ, discuss
ing it as a matter of greater import
ance than most theologians have
deemed necessary. He says:
THE hour of the resurrection is
coming. 1t can not be said of it that
now is or that it is at hand How
ever, there is the prediction of three
resurrections, the first spiritual, the
last universal: the intermediate one,
distinct from the first and the last
and impending, being connected with
the resurrection of the Messiah Him
self. Christ first predicts the impair
tation of everlasting life to all who
hear the word of the Messiah and be-
lieve in God. All such have passed
out of death unto life. They will no
more die. They will not come to
judgment. 1t is a spiritual
resurrection impaired by the
word of the Messiah to all be-
levers during the physical life in
this world. 1t is also predicted that
an hour is coming and now is when
the dead will hear the quickening
voice of the son of God and live. The
hour coming points to the future, and.
therefore, indicates a different resur-
rection from the spiritual resurrec-
ton of the previous section, which
was already enjoyed by all who heard
the Messiah's words and believed.
Christ also predicts a universal resur-
rection of the dead at the ultimatum
Judgment in which some will rise to
life and others to condemnation"