The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-02-14

Two sermons of peculiar interest
were preached in central city churches
yesterday morning. one was by Rev.
Rogers Israel, rector of St Luke's'
Episcopal church, and the other by
Rev. Dr. James Mcleod, of the First
Presbyterian church.
Mr.. Israel's text was, "Whosoever is
angry with his brother without cause
shall be in danger of the Judgment"
Matthew V: %. He said, in part:
The Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of
lovc-any infringement of the Spirit of
love, therefore, must be of sin. In fact,
we find the worst of sins Uf not alb nave
their origin in the unloving, selfish spirit.
1t is not necessary to sin that we should
hate but simply not to love. So the text
becomes of especial Importance as an ia
lustration of what our Lord himself
taught upon this subject.
The text, with its context, may be
called a troublesome and irritating por-
ton of Scripture to the majority of peo-
pie. 1t is unfortunately, very little un-
derstood. What may be taken in this
connection reads as follows: "Ye have
heard that it was said by them of old
time, thou shalt not kill; and whosoever
shall kill shall be in danger of the judg-
ment. But / say unto you that whose
ever is angry with his brother without
a cause shall be in danger of the judg-
ment; and whosoever shall say to his
brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the
council, but whosoever shall say thou
fool shall be in danger of hell fire."
To understand these punshments
which in proportion to the fault appear
extremely severe. not to say unjust, we
must examine the original of the words
which our translations have given us.
The judgment here spoken of was the
decision rendered by court composed
of twenty-three magistrates sitting for
the punishment of capital crimes. Their
sentences were confined to death by
stranging or beheading. The council
mentioned here is the great Jewish San
hedrin, composed of 72 elders of the ma
tion and in this body alone lay the pow
er to decree death by stoning, most
cruel and painful method.
GEHUMA OF FIRE.
He'll fire, as our translators have seen
best to translate it, is literally "the
gehuma of fire." referring to the Valley
of Humone just outside of, Jerusalem
where the worship of Mooch, the Sun
God, had been carried on. This place Jo-
siah, in the time of his general renova-
tion of the country from idolatry had
polluted with every species of nlth-here
the carcasses of animals We're thrown and
the dead bodies of malefaCtors. To con-
sumo this mass of offal constant fires
were kept burning, thus preventing pesti-
lence and disease which otherwise the
decaying flesh might have occasioned. In
the time of our Saviour the name of that
valley had become the synonym for the
Jewish idea of hell, or the place occupied
by the departed spirits of the wicked.
Jesus was teaching in this sermon on
the mount from which the text is taken
a new and strange doctrine--the doctrine
of self abnegation-of JOY in affiictions.
The law-abidng Pharisees could not un-
derstand how He could teach the liberal
views He did and yet not break the law
and so He goes on to demonstrate and
explain to them that far from coming to
destroy the law or the prophets He had
come to fulfil every jot and little. and
TO illustrate this He gives His definition
of the penalties.
The use of words derogatory to the
character of another was subject to
heavy penalties and fines among some
nations and tribes and the idea of our
Lord seems to be to impress upon these,
His people. the fact that it was not only
the act of murder that would be pun
ished severely, but the thought of evil
eliminating in words against another
which might lead to the taking of life,
that this would also receive it's due con-
demnation. Therefore He says He who
is vainly incensed with his brother will
be in danger of the Judgment" That
is he who is easy to take Sights or neg
lect one who is constantly looking for in
suits. ever ready to take offense, that
such an one is in danger of the Judgment.
of capital punishment by beheading or
strangling.
HE that shall say to his brother Raca,
shall be in daI ger of the council" This
word Raca means empty fellow and per-
haps when more emphatically spoken, a
man empty of all goodness, q rascal.
1t was considered. however, term ex-
pressing great contempt and among one
tribe at least the use of it was punish
able by heavy fine. TO the use of this
word Jesus applies a still heavier pun
ishment which could be imposed only
by the Sanhedrin-death by stoning.
CRIME AND PENALTY.
Note the progression of crime and PEN
atty. First the anger without injurious
word or act accompanied by the easier
| death; then. secondly, the injurious woro
punished by stoning to death and now,
| thirdly, We have but whosoever shall
say thou fool Cor "Moreh') as the orig
| inal is, shall be in danger of "the ge-
huma OF fire." Thou fool gives no def
| mite idea of the word "Moreh." 1t car
ries with it the idea of being the fool
morally-a wicked man-but its meaning
| is still more forci' lie than this and the
stronger form seems to have been re-
| ferred to here, and that is "rebel," an
| apostate from God, than which nothing
was considered more worthy of the Sc
verest punishment among the Jews. The
one committing the crime of Apostacy
was condemned to be burned alive
In the tribe of people above spoken
| of the use of this word, without foun-
| dation, was punished by having thd
| tongue cut out and Il piece of red-hot
| iron, seven inches in width thrust into
the mouth. Such penalties today might
| deprive very large humber of persons
of the power OF speech and give many
| larged mouths. 1t may be interesting to
some to know that the word "Moreh" is
| the very one for the use oI which
against his fellow travellers i'm the desert,
| Moses was prohibited from entering the
promised land. The final penalty to
| which Jesus referred may have been
| simply that contained in the Jewish law
| without any further meaning on His
part such as our commentators have seen
| best to attach to it,
However that may be, for us the in
| struction Is plain and with the under
| standing We have secured from a study
| of the various words used naturally falls
| into three divisions, of which / fear l
| can treat but one this morning. The re-
| sult-First, of anger accompanied with a
desire to do injury to another; second,
expressed contempt; third, hatred and
mortal enmity. AS one has expressed
| the meaning, Christ fulfilled the law
and the prophets by accomplishment of
types by explaining, enlarging and per-