New-York tribune., 1895-02-17

| This paradox if Renan had frankly said that the
author Of the Book OF Daniel and the author or
the Book of Enoch men imbued with the
snir;t Of the age who sought TO persuade their
co-religionists His controversy with those who
maintain the prophetic character Of Daniel would
have remained as 1t is-that is he would nave
stood as well with orthodoxy as he does now
and he would have escaped the necessity OF lay
ing the whole responsibility for the doctrine OF
future life on Antiochus Epiphanes. AS IL is we
are asked to believe that n people surrounded
by nations that believed in a future life. who
could hear from Egypt about the resurrection
Of the body remained Indifferent to the subject
until cruel king maltreated them that they
could think Of nothing else. What narrow
chance the modern world ran. If Antiochus had
not been troubled with the nsanity'of power the
doctrine of Immortality would have been for
gotten, That Rcnan should advance theory
so inadequate shows clearly how difficult he
found II to work out his Jewish problem to the
solution demanded by his account Of Christian
origins.
But having got his doctrine and his book en-
bodving il out OF the wrong -headedness of Anti
ochus Renan proceeded give one OF MS ue-
lightfl ESSAYS in theoretical criticism. one i
apt to like these portions Of Renans worN al
the better for dsagreeng with them. Inc booN
of Daniel is described as a curious mixture oi III.
sublime and the commonplace. the outcome "
intellectual abasement and of the inoSt %
moral movement that the world mas -.
1t defes rhetorical analysis. disproNes the o',. n
of taste and presents to the world In the peisoi
Of its unknown author an inexpncaD.e pS; the
logical phenomenon re was isno.I," 1Ia had
history which he pretended to unIaNeI i, rie nar
not heard of the disappearance or the AsSy i".'
Kingdom though he knew about NeoutIa." . ~
zar and Babylon. He was not clear apout ,ne
Rut he did not really need much history Ohro
, nology Is as unimportant 10 MN as IL IL ~ a
preacher who tells little stories To prlsn!ei VI, "p
his catechism and to edify his hearers. yer
he was the master of Bossuet. and through
Bossuet 'the philosophy OF history IN ths book
of Daniel has come down To our own uaH, "a.
,oast In France as the basis Of the philosophy
of history officially taught The central idea oi
tho hook is true. There is plan in history,
whether II be outlined by the will OF God ana
.the decree Of the Watchers or by the UNI
versal force the hidden source Of lie ana prog
ress The ha,f-craZy Jew, ADDS Renah VINO
has told us his dreams on TINS matter was id'
inferior TO the Greeks in the quality and culture
of his mind: but religious emotion suggests WHAT
the Greeks almost never had-namey reno"
feeling for humanity. To him the development
Of humanity is drama conducted pN tne
Eternal 10 a certain end. The final goal OF hu-
manty is what he sees; and in TINS ne pronaply
sees the truth" Though his work lacked foini
and was repete with :nconSruli.es. II immeui-
ately became popular. In the first place IL hit
the popular taste OF the time, which ran 10
happened to be of kind politically dangerous
they were circulated in clandestine way from
hand TO hand The Book of Daniel may nave
heen such a book. Much bitterness couid De
read into it respecting Antiochus. AT any rate' IL
was soon translated into Aramac and Greek ac-
cepted as inspired though not prophetic. ana Was
made the model Of a literatur which lasted Tor
400 wears Jesus must have been well redd III
this as we'll as tho Book OF Enoch; from theSe
no took his leading ideas and forms of soeerh'
especially the phrase son of Man Thus the
Book of Daniel may he called the rea bes'h-
ming Of Christianity: ii marks The lne net"een
the Old and New Testament" II introduced the
mythology the divine mpers onations. the anee y
the demons Of whom far too much would he
said later in the Gospels. What strengthened
II above all was that its main prediction caihe
true in a startling way Before the three years
and , half or the 292 DAYS were spent the
Temple was captured by pious men. and the
.dol-the abominaton OF desolaton the
statue of Zeus set up by Antochus)-"was
swept away to the dung-heap outside the walls
of Jerusalem. The author Of the BOOK OF Dame
was no doubt in the band of those VINO made the
assault One likes to think OF him as living IN
the Immediate companionshp Of the Maccaoees
II Renan has any doubts here he betrays none
Whether he is writing historic verities ana
citing page and line by way OF verihcation. or
composing a critical romance out OF his own
head his air Of intense conviction remains the
same II is fine But Is 1t history?