The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-04-24
THE CHURCH OF JERUSALEM AND
THE CHURCH OF THE GEN.
TILE WORLD.
Fourth Lecture of Rev. James c.
Byrne Before the Bible Section of
the CarroIIton Club.

the CarroIton Club.
Of all the sad things in the history
of religion, and there have been very
many, perhaps the saddest is the an
tagonism engendered between the Jew
and the Christian. Theoretically Jul
daism is much more than the founda-
tion of Christianity; Christianity is
much more than a successor of Juda-
ISM Both were built on faith; the
one lived, as the other still lives in
the supernatural order; the one was,
as the other is still, the work of the
Holy Spirit. Judaism with all its
spirituality and divine raptures has
passed into the web and woof of Chris.
tianity, in which the visions of the
prophets are the daily lessons, and
the hymns of Sion, the daily song;
Christianity reaches back into julia
ism for it's divine origin, its history
and it's Christ. Without break or con-
fiict, as type blends into anti-type,
figure into reality, and dawn into full
day, the religion of Abraham, of Moses
and of the Prophets should have I'M
folded and blossomed into the religion
of Jesus Christ. AS a matter of fact
this transition took place, but human
passions swept in and hopelessly set
the great masses of the adherents of
Moses and of Christ in endless con-
fiict. Of this conflict the attitude of
the Apostles was not in any sense
the cause.
Respectful Treatment of Judaism.
The Acts of the Apostles shows how
tenderly the Apostles dealt both with
the persons of the Jews and with their
worship. Those terrible words, which
fear Christians have too long re-
membered and too far extended,
Ills blood be upon us and unon our
children" are never recalled bg them.
On the contrary, when eprtdat Sirst
Pentecost the hearers of Peter HAY
ing compunction said to Peter and the
rest of the Apostles: What shall we
do, men and brethren?" Peter an
swered: do penance and be baptized
every one of you in the name of Jesus
Christ for the remission of your sins
(Acts Ii. 81, 3S). Yet Peter was speak
ing to those, whom he had accused
of actually putting Christ to death.
If such mild terms were held out to
them, how little should be the antip-
athy to the millions, who then had
and since have had no part in the
actual crucifXion of Christ! Had not
the race of the Jews as whole come
IN Cpff1od onnrnNa1 nf what tho
leaders of the nation had once done,
that frenzied prayer of the mob, as of
individuals only, would have been
little needed. Furthermore, in the
beginning the Apostles were as faith
full as the other Jews in observing
the Sabbath, in attending the morning
prayer and sacrifice in the temple,
and in abstaining from forbidden
foods. The venerable rites, which ac-
companied the Jew from the cradle to
the grave, were apparently left intact.
A little reflection will show us how
wise was their conduct, even though
it seemed to favor a Judaizing Church.
Reasons Against a Violent Break With
Judaism.
The Church of Jerusalem after that
first conversion of three thousand on
Pentecost grew by leaps and bounds.
-Four times Acts tells us of the
increase and multiplication" of the
disciples. Nor we're they all from the
unlettered people. We are told that
"a great multitude of the priests
oheyed the faith" (Acts VI. y. These
latter would naturally be inclined to
arrange a Christian service in the
temple or after the fashion of the
temple worship. The words of Zach
ary of Mary, of Simeon, for instance
would parallel the canticles of Moses
and Judith and might be made litur-
gical. But, however these converts
might harmonic or add to the wor-
ship, having given up the hope of a
temporal kingdom for spiritual, they
were opposed to giving up also the
holy ordinances of the Law and sub
stituting Christian rites alone. Theil
opposition was based apparently or
good reason and st. Mathews Gospe
composed for them, in several pass
ages, seemed to favor their contention
For nineteen centuries, period a.
long as the present duration of Chris
tianity, the rite of circumcision hat
been for a testimony of Gods ALI
ance with the children of Abraham
In that long time the word had gradu
ally come to stand for every kind o
cleanness,-legal, physical, mora
Hence the Israelites spoke of ''uncil
cumcised lips ears flesh,
heart" and they looked upon tn
uncircumcised Gentiles as totally ur
clean. For the Pharisee finical ply
sical cleanliness was godliness. Whe,
mind and heart and senses are edl
Gated to the point of fanaticism i
one direction, it is welI-nigh imposs
BILE to turn about at once. For fftee
centuries, likewise, the ordinances {
Moses, written with his own hand, ha
been more or less relgiously followe
They were Gods own mandate. The
were associated with the national Iii
and literature. For them the A
moneans had poured out their bloc