The San Francisco call., 1899-07-24

! Of God. I found it was Pauls heroic
qualities which enabled him. despite the
SeYerest persecution from Jew and gen
tile, to surround himself with a large fol-
lowing, not of Jews alone. but of heathens
as well. who became believers in the Jew
iSh God and WOrshiperS of the Jewish
carpenter Jesus, whom they accepted as
the son Of God sent upon earth to save
the human family.
Judaism Sought Not CoDVerts.
Judaism never went out to proselyte
among strangers; its followers had 50
much faith in the truth which it taught
that they patiently waited for strangers
through their own convictions to come of
their own accord and knock for admission
at the doors of Judaism. Not so with
Paul; his idea was to unite the whole hu-
man race under one belief. He soon real
lied however, how hopeless the task,
should he insist upon the observance upon
the part of the heather Of the severe and
rigid ceremOnialism of the Jew. To Paul
the spirit was all in all, the form moth
ing. Not that Paul loved the letter of the
law less, but that he loved the spirit Of
his religion still more. He clearly saw
that the Apostles of Jesus, by their un-
willingness to let one jot or little pass
from the law, would permit the spiritual
wave 10 die out which Jesus had created.
Paul saw a magnificent opportunity to
spread among the millions of heathens the
beautiful truths of Judaism. But he real
lied that this could be done only by ig-
nOring the letter of the Jewish law and
by preaching its spirit. Thus. from
the very beginning do we find that
much which was done by Paul and others
own VOlitiOn. against the manifest spirit
and teachings of Jesus, and for which he
should not be held responsible. No one
deploTes the savage and cruel persecution
carried on in the name Of Jesus to which
for hundreds of years the Jew was sub
jected more than does the intelligent
Christian of to-day, who looks upon the
record of priestly crime and blOodshed, of
religious torture and outrage, as plot
on the fair name Of Christianity ana a
stain on the memory OF the gentle NaZa-
zene.
The Jew of to-day resents the idea of
being held responsible for The crucifixion
of Jesus. The Jew of to-day must not,
therefore, hold the memory of Jesus re-
sponsibe for acts committed by his blind
ed followers after his death, and in Vlo-
lence to his teachings of non-resistance.
magine, if you can, this gentle teacher
in Israel coming back to life and seeing
his Catholic follower burning at the stake
his Protestant follower. all in the name
Of Jesus; or imagine him returned to
earth and finding both his Catholic and
name the members of the faith in which
he was born and lived and died-perSecut-
ing mis- own brethren whom ne loved and
for whom he stood ready to make any
sacrifice. What think you, would be his
feelings? Unless his spirit was very diff
ferent from the one given him by MS as
ciples such scenes would rack and as
tract him. To feel himself the innocent
cause for the shedding of innocent blood
would make him cry out in tne agony OF
his soul and to stretch out his hands in
the attempt TO stop the murderous work
going on in his name. If he could come to
life again and learn of the myriadS of
helpless men and women who, in MS
name, have been racked and tortured and
put to horrible deaths, he would bemoan
the hour that first gave him birth. and
feel himself to have been blighting curse
where he had hoped to be blessing.
Christianity and Judaism are supple
mental to each other. Had there been no
Judaism there COlIi6 have been Chris
tianity. Had there been no Christianity
the message of Judaism could not have
become so speedily uniVersallZed. There
is ample room ir this broad world for the
followers of both beliefs to accomplish.
side by side, most heroic religious and
moral work.
1t is not necessary that Jew shall be-
come Christian, nor that Christian shall
become Jew; each in his own way can be
true to his faith and can continue to OBJ
serve the laws of God as he understands
them to worship his creator in accord
ance with the dictates of his own con-
hscience. Both may continue to live side
by side in peace and in harmony, respect
ing each others beliefs, manifesting the
fullest tolerance for each others religious
opinions, giving each other credit for good
intentions loving each other for their vir-
tues and casting the mantle of charity
over each others failings.
May Jew and Christian continue to seek
out the many beliefs they have in COM
mon and to join hands in working to-
gether for common humanity.
A Liberal Spirit Necessary
May the Christian continue to preach
and to practice the ethics of Judaism
as set forth in the Old as well as in the
New Testament. May he strive to elimi-
nate from Christianity the elements of
paganism grated into it during its earlier
history, and may his doctrines become
still more purified and brought back to
the pure and simple belief taught by the
humble carpenter from Galilee.
May each of us, in our own way, strive
to fulfill the noble teachings of our be-
liefs and 10 aim to live in accordance
with the many lofty and beautiful truths
imbibed at the breast of Judaism by the
Nazarene and by Paul, which they gave
back TO the world clothed in newer and
brighter form.
May we, as Jews, and you, as Chris
tians, In this spirit, learn to truly love
our neighbors as ourselves, and by ex-
ample as well as by precept, become ma
tions of priests and a blessing to the
for