Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1910-12-08

The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom
of Cad is at hand" Mark /, 14-15.
In order to understand the life and
work of Jesus of Nazareth. it is nee.
essary that we should glance at the
history of the Jewish people up to his
time and the conditions surrounding
MIN at the time that he began his
ministry. 1t is obviously impossible
TO attempt any extended and search
ing analysis of these in the time we
have. But we must at least glance al
them.
l have spoken before of the social
consciousness of ancient Isarel and OF
the social nature of its religion. The
relation with God was not relation
between the individual devotee and
God, but between the nation and God.
1t was the nation that sinned and the
nation that was responsible. The na
ton and the leaders of the nation
were to see that justice was done in
the land You remember how this Is
reflected in such institutions as the
sabbathical year and the year of jub-
ilees-and we shall see it later re-
hected in Israel's dream Of the 10
Union (kingdom) of God triumpha !.
IN the earth. 1t would be an interest
ng study in psychology IL some one
should attempt to- find out why it IS
hat wherever a ruling class has de-
yeloped, sacradotalism and Journalism
lave tended to dominate religion. For
It is fact that this has happened
1gain and again in history-and SO
It happened in Israel. With the rise
If a definite ruling class the religion
If the country, while 1t kept its social
character in that the relationship was
still between God and the nation. be-
came almost wholly sacradotal and
ritualistic. The temple Journalism
was kept up in magnificent style, bat
the religion of social righteousness
and social justice waned. The poor
were oppressed, injustice was on
every hand, and the commands of the
law in regard to these things were
simply disregarded. 1t was against
CHS condition that the prophets Ill
sected their terrible inyectiye. The
pictures of Amos coming out OF the
desert into the very midst of the mag
nificent services to God, and denounc-
ing the worshippers as bribe-takers.
affiicters of the just and depiryefs
of the needy of their right, and OF
Jeremiah standing in the temple en-
trance and declaring that those who
were entering it, by SO doing made
the house of God den Of thieves, are
characteristic pictures of the proph-
cts Of Israel-and when the nation
fell and the leaders of the people were
carried into captivity, the verdict OF tue
prophets was that it was the punish
ment God inflicted on the nation fos
these many sins. With the fall Of the
nation two very significant changes
took place. One was the development
of the individualistic idea of religion.
The old idea had been that when
righteousness and Justice reigned IN
the land, God rewarded the nation. II
unr,ghteousness and injustice were
abroad in the land, then God punish
ed the nation. out now there was no
nation to be rewarded or punished.
And SO the indiyidualistic idea of re-
l1gion developed Ezekiel repudiated
the idea that had long fOurished in
Israel that when the fathers had eat
en- sour grapes the children's teeth
would be set on edge"-the idea thai
the sins of the father were visited on
the children. He .repudiated the idea
that for the sins of some, all should
suffer. Each man, he declared stood
for himself before God.
] The other idea that began now to
play an important part In the religion
Of the Jew, was that of restoration.
Ezekiel predicted this, as did also the
oabylonian Isaiah. The idea OF the
day of the Lord was an old one IN
Israel-but it now became the very;
center of their religion. During the
Maccabean revolt, and between that
time and the time of Jesus this ioea
of a restoration was the subject OF
the most of the literature produced.
H~can be easily understood what forn-s
this took among the mass OF the peo-
pie. 1t not only meant restoration
of the nation-a nation with respon-
sibilities to the poor and oppressed
But the past was idealized in their
minds and kingdom of righteous
ness and justice was pictured as be
ing borught into being misacuausly Dyl
God himself. Some Of the people,
looked for a deliyerer the anoipted
of God. while others expected only
that God himself would bring it about.
By this means the social idea OF reil.
gion was kept alive in the hearts OF
the masses of Israel. They were, as q
whole, too poor to keep up the sacra.
dotal side Of their religion, and the
struggle of their daily lives prevented
them from observing very strictly the
elaborate legalistic side of it. What
religion they had was an intense be-
lief in coming restoration of things.
God would send his Amounted to de-
liver them. He would establish a
kingdom of righteousness and justice
in the earth. All their woes would
end. They would no longer be de
graded and oppressed. They would
plant vineyards and eat the fruit
thereof. They would build houses and
inabhit them. Tney would not plant
and another eat. They would not
puild and another inhabit."
Among the better class quite the
opposite was the case. They, too.
looked for an ultimate restoration.
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