the unseen world and other essays-第23章

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The　End　of　the　World　and　the　Day　of　Judgment。　Two　Discourses　by　the　Rev。　W。　R。　Alger。　Boston：　Roberts　Brothers；　1870。


The　meagreness　of　our　information　concerning　the　historic　career　of　Jesus　stands　in　striking　contrast　with　the　mass　of　information　which　lies　within　our　reach　concerning　the　primitive　character　of　Christologic　speculation。　First　we　have　the　four　epistles　of　Paul；　written　from　twenty　to　thirty　years　after　the　crucifixion；　which；　although　they　tell　us　next　to　nothing　about　what　Jesus　did；　nevertheless　give　us　very　plain　information　as　to　the　impression　which　he　made。　Then　we　have　the　Apocalypse；　written　by　John；　A。　D。　68；　which　exhibits　the　Messianic　theory　entertained　by　the　earliest　disciples。　Next　we　have　the　epistles　to　the　Hebrews；　Philippians；　Colossians；　and　Ephesians；　besides　the　four　gospels；　constituting　altogether　a　connected　chain　of　testimony　to　the　progress　of　Christian　doctrine　from　the　destruction　of　Jerusalem　to　the　time　of　the　Quartodeciman　controversy　（A。　D。　70…170）。　Finally；　there　is　the　vast　collection　of　apocryphal；　heretical；　and　patristic　literature；　from　the　writings　of　Justin　Martyr；　the　pseudo…Clement；　and　the　pseudo…Ignatius；　down　to　the　time　of　the　Council　of　Nikaia；　when　the　official　theories　of　Christ's　person　assumed　very　nearly　the　shape　which　they　have　retained；　within　the　orthodox　churches　of　Christendom；　down　to　the　present　day。　As　we　pointed　out　in　the　foregoing　essay；　while　all　this　voluminous　literature　throws　but　an　uncertain　light　upon　the　life　and　teachings　of　the　founder　of　Christianity；　it　nevertheless　furnishes　nearly　all　the　data　which　we　could　desire　for　knowing　what　the　early　Christians　thought　of　the　master　of　their　faith。　Having　given　a　brief　account　of　the　historic　career　of　Jesus；　so　far　as　it　can　now　be　determined；　we　propose　here　to　sketch　the　rise　and　progress　of　Christologic　doctrine；　in　its　most　striking　features；　during　the　first　three　centuries。　Beginning　with　the　apostolic　view　of　the　human　Messiah　sent　to　deliver　Judaism　from　its　spiritual　torpor；　and　prepare　it　for　the　millennial　kingdom；　we　shall　briefly　trace　the　progressive　metamorphosis　of　this　conception　until　it　completely　loses　its　identity　in　the　Athanasian　theory；　according　to　which　Jesus　was　God　himself；　the　Creator　of　the　universe；　incarnate　in　human　flesh。

The　earliest　dogma　held　by　the　apostles　concerning　Jesus　was　that　of　his　resurrection　from　the　grave　after　death。　It　was　not　only　the　earliest；　but　the　most　essential　to　the　success　of　the　new　religion。　Christianity　might　have　overspread　the　Roman　Empire；　and　maintained　its　hold　upon　men's　faith　until　to…day；　without　the　dogmas　of　the　incarnation　and　the　Trinity；　but　without　the　dogma　of　the　resurrection　it　would　probably　have　failed　at　the　very　outset。　Its　lofty　morality　would　not　alone　have　sufficed　to　insure　its　success。　For　what　men　needed　then；　as　indeed　they　still　need；　and　will　always　need；　was　not　merely　a　rule　of　life　and　a　mirror　to　the　heart；　but　also　a　comprehensive　and　satisfactory　theory　of　things；　a　philosophy　or　theosophy。　The　times　demanded　intellectual　as　well　as　moral　consolation；　and　the　disintegration　of　ancient　theologies　needed　to　be　repaired；　that　the　new　ethical　impulse　imparted　by　Christianity　might　rest　upon　a　plausible　speculative　basis。　The　doctrine　of　the　resurrection　was　but　the　beginning　of　a　series　of　speculative　innovations　which　prepared　the　way　for　the　new　religion　to　emancipate　itself　from　Judaism；　and　achieve　the　conquest　of　the　Empire。　Even　the　faith　of　the　apostles　in　the　speedy　return　of　their　master　the　Messiah　must　have　somewhat　lost　ground；　had　it　not　been　supported　by　their　belief　in　his　resurrection　from　the　grave　and　his　consequent　transfer　from　Sheol；　the　gloomy　land　of　shadows；　to　the　regions　above　the　sky。

The　origin　of　the　dogma　of　the　resurrection　cannot　be　determined　with　certainty。　The　question　has；　during　the　past　century；　been　the　subject　of　much　discussion；　upon　which　it　is　not　necessary　for　us　here　to　comment。　Such　apparent　evidence　as　there　is　in　favour　of　the　old　theory　of　Jesus'　natural　recovery　from　the　effects　of　the　crucifixion　may　be　found　in　Salvador's　〃Jesus…Christ　et　sa　Doctrine〃；　but；　as　Zeller　has　shown；　the　theory　is　utterly　unsatisfactory。　The　natural　return　of　Jesus　to　his　disciples　never　could　have　given　rise　to　the　notion　of　his　resurrection；　since　the　natural　explanation　would　have　been　the　more　obvious　one；　besides　which；　if　we　were　to　adopt　this　hypothesis；　we　should　be　obliged　to　account　for　the　fact　that　the　historic　career　of　Jesus　ends　with　the　crucifixion。　The　most　probable　explanation；　on　the　whole；　is　the　one　suggested　by　the　accounts　in　the　gospels；　that　the　dogma　of　the　resurrection　is　due　originally　to　the　excited　imagination　of　Mary　of　Magdala。＇23＇　The　testimony　of　Paul　may　also　be　cited　in　favour　of　this　view；　since　he　always　alludes　to　earlier　Christophanies　in　just　the　same　language　which　he　uses　in　describing　his　own　vision　on　the　road　to　Damascus。

＇23＇　See　Taine；　De　l'Intelligence；　II。　192。


But　the　question　as　to　how　the　belief　in　the　resurrection　of　Jesus　originated　is　of　less　importance　than　the　question　as　to　how　it　should　have　produced　the　effect　that　it　did。　The　dogma　of　the　resurrection　has；　until　recent　times；　been　so　rarely　treated　from　the　historical　point　of　view；　that　the　student　of　history　at　first　finds　some　difficulty　in　thoroughly　realizing　its　import　to　the　minds　of　those　who　first　proclaimed　it。　We　cannot　hope　to　understand　it　without　bearing　in　mind　the　theories　of　the　Jews　and　early　Christians　concerning　the　structure　of　the　world　and　the　cosmic　location　of　departed　souls。　Since　the　time　of　Copernicus　modern　Christians　no　longer　attempt　to　locate　heaven　and　hell；　they　are　conceived　merely　as　mysterious　places　remote　from　the　earth。　The　theological　universe　no　longer　corresponds　to　that　which　physical　science　presents　for　our　contemplation。　It　was　quite　different　with　the　Jew。　His　conception　of　the　abode　of　Jehovah　and　the　angels；　and　of　departed　souls；　was　exceedingly　simple　and　definite。　In　the　Jewish　theory　the　universe　is　like　a　sort　of　three…story　house。　The　flat　earth　rests　upon　the　waters；　and　under　the　earth's　surface　is　the　land　of　graves；　called　Sheol；　where　after　death　the　souls　of　all　men　go；　the　righteous　as　well　as　the　wicked；　for　the　Jew　had　not　arrived　at　the　doctrine　of　heaven　and　hell。　The　Hebrew　Sheol　corresponds　strictly　to　the　Greek　Hades；　before　the　notions　of　Elysium　and　Tartarus　were　added　to　it；a　land　peopled　with　flitting　shadows；　suffering　no　torment；　but　experiencing　no　pleasure；　like　those　whom　Dante　met　in　one　of　the　upper　circles　of　his　Inferno。　Sheol　is　the　first　story　of　the　cosmic　house；　the　earth　is　the　second。　Above　the　earth　is　the　firmament　or　sky；　which；　according　to　the　book　of　Genesis　（chap。　i。　v。　6；　Hebrew　text）；　is　a　vast　plate　hammered　out　by　the　gods；　and　supports　a　great　ocean　like　that　upon　which　the　earth　rests。　Rain　is　caused　by　the　opening　of　little　windows　or　trap…doors　in　the　firmament；　through　which　pours　the　water　of　this　upper　ocean。　Upon　this　water　rests　the　land　of　heaven；　where　Jehovah　reigns；　surrounded　by　hosts　of　angels。　To　this　blessed　land　two　only　of　the　human　race　had　ever　been　admitted；Enoch　and　Elijah；　the　latter　of　whom　had　ascended　in　a　chariot　of　fire；　and　was　destined　to　return　to　earth　as　the　herald　and　forerunner　of　the　Messiah。　Heaven　forms　the　third　story　of　the　cosmic　house。　Between　the　firmament　and　the　earth　is　the　air；　which　is　the　habitation　of　evil　demons　ruled　by　Satan；　the　〃prince　of　the　powers　of　the　air。〃

Such　was　the　cosmology　of　the　ancient　Jew；　and　his　theology　was　equally　simple。　Sheol　was　the　destined　abode　of　all　men　after　death；　and　no　theory　of　moral　retribution　was　attached　to　the　conception。　The　rewards　and　punishments　known　to　the　authors　of　the　Pentateuch　and　the　early　Psalms　are　all　earthly　rewards　and　punishments。　But　in　course　of　time　the　prosperity　of　the　wicked　and　the　misfortunes　of　the　good　man　furnished　a　troublesome　problem　for　the　Jewish　thinker；　and　after　the　Babylonish　Captivity；　we　find　the　doctrine　of　a　resurrection　from　Sheol　devised　in　order　to　meet　this　case。　According　to　this　doctrinewhich　was　borrow