CHAPTER XII.

THE HIGHER CHRISTIANITY.

THE theological writer who has had by far the greatest influence on English thought in the present generation is a foreigner, Ferdinand Christian Baur. It has been his singular fate to have his main proposition eagerly accepted by the two great parties of a heated controversy. This position is that Christ was an orthodox follower of the Mosaic teachings as interpreted by the dominant party in Palestine in his day.

In St. Matthew, the earliest Gospel in the opinion of most authorities, are certain passages that seem to flatly contradict each other. These have been marshalled with remorseless lucidity by the Tübingen school. Sayings of Christ have been arrayed on one side, to the effect that the laws of Moses were to be considered eternally binding, and that as long as the eternal heavens endured not one jot or tittle could be relaxed; and these have been confronted with other sayings contemptuously alluding to known Mosaic laws, as what was 'said by them of old time," and condemning sacrifice, public prayer, sabbath observance, the lex talionis, and in many other ways going quite counter to the Mosaic edicts.

Then a second class of texts are cited, which announce that Christ's religion was only for the Jews, and in which the Gentiles are likened to "dogs" and "swine." These are confronted with opposing texts to the effect that Christ's mission was also to the Gentiles. Such flat con

tradictions display, it is alleged, not one, but two writers, and indeed two theologies. These are plainly the two opposing schools of Judaism, the Gnostic and the Sacrificial. The question that then arises is: Which are the original teachings of this Gospel, and which have been added by the second writer? The Tübingen school point triumphantly to the famous second chapter of Galatians, which exhibits St. Peter insisting on the rite of circumcision, Jewish exclusiveness, and strict adherence to the works of the law by the new community. This shows, they allege, that the interpolated portions of St. Matthew are the texts relaxing these laws and throwing open the kingdom to the Gentiles. The case would be overwhelming if by the word "law" St. Paul could be proved to have meant the Mosaic law as interpreted by the dominant Jews.

But the Epistle to the Romans proves that this is exactly what he did not mean. "The Church of Rome," says Renan, "was a Jewish Christian foundation, in direct connection with the Church of Jerusalem."1 It was the chief stronghold outside the Jewish capital of the Petrine party. St. Paul, in his Epistle to this community, continues his onslaught on those who would be saved by "works;" and he states explicitly that his own followers in that city were only a "remnant," or minority.2 And the fourteenth chapter allows us to see the nature of the "works" relied on by the majority of Christians in the Roman capital-the Petrine party, in point of fact.

1. They abstained from flesh-meat and were "offended" with those who preferred flesh-meat to "herbs."

2. They forbade the use of wine.3

This proves conclusively that the Petrine party in Rome were observers of the law as interpreted by the Essenes, and not as interpreted by the dominant Jews.

The "Clementines" throws light on this subject. This 2 Romans xi. 4-6.

1 Conferences d'Angleterre, p. 65.

3 Romans xiii. 2, 3, 14, 15, 21.

curious work was originally attributed to St. Clement of Rome, but it is now believed by most scholars to have been written about A.D. 190. It was discredited for some time, but it is now gaining great importance from the fact that, whoever its author, it transmits to us better than any work now extant what we may call the Petrine animus in the great controversy that Baur has conclusively proved to have raged between the historical Apostles and St. Paul. The latter figures as "Simon Magus," and his "visions," as authority for his apostleship, are mercilessly dealt with. Simon Magus and Simon Peter have many arguments together, and the latter boldly cites the text that not one jot or tittle of the law is ever to be relaxed. He gives the words, in fact, in a form slightly differing from those of St. Matthew "The heaven and earth shall pass away, but not one jot or tittle shall pass from the law; "1 but by a system of free allegorising, of the sort so patent in Philo and the early fathers, the Old Testament is made to tell in favour of the higher and not the lower Judaism. Rites similar to those of the Essenes are boldly called the "initiation of Moses." The novice is carried to "a river or fountain which is living water" for this initiation, and there bound by a fearful oath to keep secret the sacred literature intrusted to him, and its revelations. After having " partaken of bread and salt with him who commits them to him," 2 the novice terminates the ceremony.

In these "Clementines" we have a theory about Christ which is quite the mysticism of esoteric Vedism and Buddhism. Christ, it is said, has "changed his forms and names from the beginning of the world, and so reappeared again and again in the world." The seven great Jewish prophets are called the "seven pillars." In the "Pastor" Christ is one of seven angels, but here he is every one of them. The views of "Simon Magus" about the efficacy of the "shedding of blood" constituted evidently his main offence. I quote the quaint way in 2 Epist. Pet.

1 Clem., cap. li.

3 Clem., cap. xx.

which sacrifices are eliminated from the Old Testament by Peter:-" But that he is not pleased with sacrifices is shown by this, that those who lusted after flesh were slain as soon as they tasted it and were consigned to a tomb, so that it was called the grave of lusts.1 He, then, who at the feast was displeased with the slaughtering of animals, not wishing them to be slain, did not ordain sacrifices as desiring them, nor from the beginning did he require them. For neither are sacrifices accomplished without the slaughter of animals, nor can the first-fruits be presented. But how is it possible for him to abide in darkness and smoke and storm (for this also is written) who created a pure heaven and created the sun to give light to all?" 2

Two other facts may be here brought forward :

1. Both Philo and Josephus claim the Therapeuts and Essenes as orthodox and purely Jewish communities.

2. Origen, in a paraphrase in the "Philosophumena," adds this fact to the account given by Josephus of the Essenes Others, again, if they hear any one discoursing of God and his laws, if he be uncircumcised, one stands in watch for such a person when somewhere alone, and threatens to slay him without he consents to circumcision." It is plain that with zealots of this stamp, on the supposition that the early Christians were Essenes, we might expect all the exclusiveness and narrowness exhibited in the second chapter of Galatians.

The advocates of sacerdotal influence, by far the most numerous party in the English Church, gladly accept the theory that the early Christians were orthodox Jews. They fight with the weapons of Baur's armoury, failing to see whither their leader is conducting them. This their calmer opponents see more clearly. If Christ pronounced that the Mosaic edicts, as interpreted by the priesthood, were to be binding on the world for ever and ever, it is patent that he cannot be considered an infallible 1 Numb. xi. 34. 2 Clem., cap. xlv.

teacher. Remission of sins by a blood sacrifice in the Temple at Jerusalem was the keystone of this Mosaism; and the destruction of this Temple by Titus, some forty years after the words were uttered, at once rendered such a process of remission impossible. Also, it is evident to every thinking man that, if Christ belonged to the lower Judaism, he must have been diametrically opposed to almost everything in the famous creed that now bears his

name.

I maintain that Baur has really created many more difficulties than he has removed. The subject, without doubt, is a very difficult one.

Let us first consider the question, Who interpolated Matthew's Gospel, supposing that the Gnostic ideas are the interpolations ?

I answer at once unhesitatingly, that it could not have been Paul or Paul's school.

Summed up in a word, "I will have mercy and not sacrifice," is the keynote of the Christ of Matthew. Mercy plus sacrifice is the keynote of St. Paul. "Without shedding of blood there is no remission." This is the motto of his school. If it be objected that the Epistle to the Hebrews is not his, I point to the same idea in Romans iii. 25. This is one of the four Epistles that the Tübingen authorities sanction.

In point of fact, the gnosis idea and the idea of the bloody atonement are internecine. One belongs to the prophet, who deals almost exclusively with the next world. The other belongs to the priest, who deals almost exclusively with the affairs of this. One is the religion of the individual, and exacts a high standard of purity and spirituality, the other is religion by body corporate. Its duties are state ceremonial, and, according to the unvarying experience of mankind, whenever priestly power attains any great development in a community, that community becomes debauched and brutalised. Paul would "save a man from the consequences of his sins by "propitiation,"