The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-04-05

Easter Sunday ar4 Good Friday which.
together With Christmas cay, constitute
the great cArfs..an amsvsfRar!es. - sess-
srated % days se; apart sse the pzsposs
- long After the events sAsy ,snneDesate
that thy ar ne. positively known to -
accurate - - tie time The early Chris
tiAas - not seem q have set aldo paSeso-
uiAx Gays ~ anssvefsar4ea, ana It vas 81.
most three hsoArsl ysaSs afser The sino
u Christ that fAsy bscaas sssas6.shsd H.
ssfiu,icns
The supernatural event e whidA Eassev
Sunday n the eonmssnorafioa belongs 70
the domain Of Theology: but the death Of
CHRIST - distinctively historical event.
ana tos circumstances leatirs up 70 #.
have AZ interest peculiarly their own snd
may Be commented upoa without tfench.ng
upon religious dogma
The history OF the Jews, n IL bearing
upon Cnrisrs saoriasasl death, began mers
than fss hundred years before his TINA
The expectation Of coming messiah vas
conceived even ioas before. but Il was lost
., times In the sorrows and Hlsappoins-
rsents Of oppression Jeremiah aepiorel
The Shortcomings Of YsrasYs prophets ana
priests. and Ezekiel condemned the people
for their ;dolatriss six hundred years BE-
fore the coming. bat these were directed
TO . spiritual regeneration. Ezekiel prom
.sed also a earthly del'verancs from ne
2oabites. Ammonites and Phiiissines, but
It was not until 81 B. c. that Zechariah
fors;old the coming Of . king who should
be AZ once the nations god and the ruler
Of Judah
The Jews fen under the dominion Of he
Psrrians. men Of the EgypriAna. ana later
Of the Syr.ans. under whom they suffered
such misertes that the idea Of q redeemer
took fresh life. Under Antiochus the tenn
pie was robbed aad Jerusalem plundered.
A deliverer came In the person Of Judas
Maccabeus. who after many victories died,
and his nephew. John Hyrcanus. founded
the AsrnoneAa dynasty. which was fol-
lowed By the accession OF Herod the Great,
An Iduznesn. and the last independent SOW
ereign Of Palestine. Israel was now under
the domination Of Rome. 20 3. c.. although
Hsrod ruled By Its favor. He married ana
afterward murdered the beautiful Mari
anne. and one of his last acts was ire mas
sscrs Of infants for the purpose. scripturai
writer's say. Of destroying the infant OF
whom he had heard.
II was In the midst Of this turmoil thsk
Jesus was reared: the people were looking
for aDothe. Maccabeus who should free
them and restore the glory os Israel The
If las
whsn he was hailed King Of the Jews"
had been one OF spiritual rernonstrance
and promise. but the eager hopes OF the
peopis asked Cor an ear thiy kingdom The
high priest, CaIaphas. representing ortho-
eox religion. was shocked at the claims set
up for Jesus. but turned him over to the
civil authorities. Pontius Plate, rnerci-
isssly as he has bean condemned. was I'M
willing 70 punish him. and said to the
Jews: Take him. and Judge him accord
Ing TO ysur laws" When they insisted.
Plate humorec them and asked. art thou
the king Of the Jewsr' As a Religions,
Jesus would not have been condemned by
Plate. but to claim TO be king was sedi,ion.
Jesus answered: My kingdom 10 not Of
this world" Plate. turning to the Jews.
said; Il ind no faul, In this man: but the
custom IL TO release unto you one man at
the Passover. Shall 1t be her The mob
cried. mo. give Us Barabbaa. the robbsr"
Again did PLATE plead with them to lie,
Jesus 30. but they tainted him. saying:
III thou let this man 60. then thou art not
Caesars friend; We have no king but
Caesar"
And 80 the cr-ic!nxicn took place The
Romans no doubt looked upon Jesus as q
harmless spiritualiss or prophet; the ortho-
dox Jews secuted his claims 70 divine ori-
gin and were probably jealous Of his many
and devout followers; many o. hls own dis
eiples. who wsrs prepared for restoration
Of the royal house. were disappointed al
Jesus denial that his kingdom was Of
earth; and PLATE evidently became
alarmed at tn. political consequence.
should he be too lea.ent with one who was
accused OF pretenslons which might seem
Ike rebsllioa agA,ns, the ernpercrs author
i,y. As a last kindly act Plate permitted
the BODY TO Be taken away secretly and
revesently buried by Joseph Of Arlnathea-
II is a marvellous narrative: Portlus
Plate Is execrstei. although Re ala all IN
his power 70 stand between she cructssrs
and Jesus: and Jesus, humble. unpreteai-
Ing. tisavoN!nr sovereign attributes, cru
city killed. has become TIE er,hosim.nt o.
divinl.y to millions :os two thousand years.
Ths Incidents Of his death have been re-
pesied ard his su1erinEs raraIl.lsd by
martyrs On the cross. In the arena. ana a,
n. stake: ie,s &c die elo-ly. torn by vic
animals. ana burned with exauei,s tor
lures
VIVA; - n. mystery. thsa. sv.n ire
sksptie may ask. BY which this lozvIy Na,.
srsns h.esn. the one stup-ntous exc-p-
,ion from all rs,k.s--os rev.-.neea
n.rely IS Mo--s. or Con.ao'u, Or sataha
sc~ sxtollsi IS rrcphs, OF prophets a. Ma
hs.nei. u, exsliei above all wor.hsrea
as he Son o. Got the R-s-e-aer .. Man
kind. ~. resi- o. ;hs w-e-v. ire er-e-. a.
the forsslsca ard the welcoming ,a,.rcecsr
s--or. ,.e gravel