the unseen world and other essays-第24章

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eet　this　case。　According　to　this　doctrinewhich　was　borrowed　from　the　Zarathustrian　theology　of　Persiathe　Messiah　on　his　arrival　was　to　free　from　Sheol　all　the　souls　of　the　righteous；　causing　them　to　ascend　reinvested　in　their　bodies　to　a　renewed　and　beautiful　earth；　while　on　the　other　hand　the　wicked　were　to　be　punished　with　tortures　like　those　of　the　valley　of　Hinnom；　or　were　to　be　immersed　in　liquid　brimstone；　like　that　which　had　rained　upon　Sodom　and　Gomorrah。　Here　we　get　the　first　announcement　of　a　future　state　of　retribution。　The　doctrine　was　peculiarly　Pharisaic；　and　the　Sadducees；　who　were　strict　adherents　to　the　letter　of　Mosaism；　rejected　it　to　the　last。　By　degrees　this　doctrine　became　coupled　with　the　Messianic　theories　of　the　Pharisees。　The　loss　of　Jewish　independence　under　the　dominion　of　Persians；　Macedonians；　and　Romans；　caused　the　people　to　look　ever　more　earnestly　toward　the　expected　time　when　the　Messiah　should　appear　in　Jerusalem　to　deliver　them　from　their　oppressors。　The　moral　doctrines　of　the　Psalms　and　earlier　prophets　assumed　an　increasingly　political　aspect。　The　Jews　were　the　righteous　〃under　a　cloud；〃　whose　sufferings　were　symbolically　depicted　by　the　younger　Isaiah　as　the　afflictions　of　the　〃servant　of　Jehovah〃；　while　on　the　other　hand；　the　〃wicked〃　were　the　Gentile　oppressors　of　the　holy　people。　Accordingly　the　Messiah；　on　his　arrival；　was　to　sit　in　judgment　in　the　valley　of　Jehoshaphat；　rectifying　the　wrongs　of　his　chosen　ones；　condemning　the　Gentile　tyrants　to　the　torments　of　Gehenna；　and　raising　from　Sheol　all　those　Jews　who　had　lived　and　died　during　the　evil　times　before　his　coming。　These　were　to　find　in　the　Messianic　kingdom　the　compensation　for　the　ills　which　they　had　suffered　in　their　first　earthly　existence。　Such　are　the　main　outlines　of　the　theory　found　in　the　Book　of　Enoch；　written　about　B。　C。　100；　and　it　is　adopted　in　the　Johannine　Apocalypse；　with　little　variation；　save　in　the　recognition　of　Jesus　as　the　Messiah；　and　in　the　transferrence　to　his　second　coming　of　all　these　wonderful　proceedings。　The　manner　of　the　Messiah's　coming　had　been　variously　imagined。　According　to　an　earlier　view；　he　was　to　enter　Jerusalem　as　a　King　of　the　house　of　David；　and　therefore　of　human　lineage。　According　to　a　later　view；　presented　in　the　Book　of　Daniel；　he　was　to　descend　from　the　sky；　and　appear　among　the　clouds。　Both　these　views　were　adopted　by　the　disciples　of　Jesus；　who　harmonized　them　by　referring　the　one　to　his　first　and　the　other　to　his　second　appearance。

Now　to　the　imaginations　of　these　earliest　disciples　the　belief　in　the　resurrection　of　Jesus　presented　itself　as　a　needful　guarantee　of　his　Messiahship。　Their　faith；　which　must　have　been　shaken　by　his　execution　and　descent　into　Sheol；　received　welcome　confirmation　by　the　springing　up　of　the　belief　that　he　had　been　again　seen　upon　the　face　of　the　earth。　Applying　the　imagery　of　Daniel；　it　became　a　logical　conclusion　that　he　must　have　ascended　into　the　sky；　whence　he　might　shortly　be　expected　to　make　his　appearance；　to　enact　the　scenes　foretold　in　prophecy。　That　such　was　the　actual　process　of　inference　is　shown　by　the　legend　of　the　Ascension　in　the　first　chapter　of　the　〃Acts；〃　and　especially　by　the　words；　〃This　Jesus　who　hath　been　taken　up　from　you　into　heaven；　will　come　in　the　same　manner　in　which　ye　beheld　him　going　into　heaven。〃　In　the　Apocalypse；　written　A。　D。　68；　just　after　the　death　of　Nero；　this　second　coming　is　described　as　something　immediately　to　happen；　and　the　colours　in　which　it　is　depicted　show　how　closely　allied　were　the　Johannine　notions　to　those　of　the　Pharisees。　The　glories　of　the　New　Jerusalem　are　to　be　reserved　for　Jews；　while　for　the　Roman　tyrants　of　Judaea　is　reserved　a　fearful　retribution。　They　are　to　be　trodden　underfoot　by　the　Messiah；　like　grapes　in　a　wine…press；　until　the　gushing　blood　shall　rise　to　the　height　of　the　horse's　bridle。

In　the　writings　of　Paul　the　dogma　of　the　resurrection　assumes　a　very　different　aspect。　Though　Paul；　like　the　older　apostles；　held　that　Jesus；　as　the　Messiah；　was　to　return　to　the　earth　within　a　few　years；　yet　to　his　catholic　mind　this　anticipated　event　had　become　divested　of　its　narrow　Jewish　significance。　In　the　eyes　of　Paul；　the　religion　preached　by　Jesus　was　an　abrogation　of　Mosaism；　and　the　truths　contained　in　it　were　a　free　gift　to　the　Gentile　as　well　as　to　the　Jewish　world。　According　to　Paul；　death　came　into　the　world　as　a　punishment　for　the　sin　of　Adam。　By　this　he　meant　that；　had　it　not　been　for　the　original　transgression；　all　men　escaping　death　would　either　have　remained　upon　earth　or　have　been　conveyed　to　heaven；　like　Enoch　and　Elijah；　in　incorruptible　bodies。　But　in　reality　as　a　penance　for　disobedience；　all　men；　with　these　two　exceptions；　had　suffered　death；　and　been　exiled　to　the　gloomy　caverns　of　Sheol。　The　Mosaic　ritual　was　powerless　to　free　men　from　this　repulsive　doom；　but　it　had　nevertheless　served　a　good　purpose　in　keeping　men's　minds　directed　toward　holiness；　preparing　them；　as　a　schoolmaster　would　prepare　his　pupils；　to　receive　the　vitalizing　truths　of　Christ。　Now；　at　last；　the　Messiah　or　Christ　had　come　as　a　second　Adam；　and　being　without　sin　had　been　raised　by　Jehovah　out　of　Sheol　and　taken　up　into　heaven；　as　testimony　to　men　that　the　power　of　sin　and　death　was　at　last　defeated。　The　way　henceforth　to　avoid　death　and　escape　the　exile　to　Sheol　was　to　live　spiritually　like　Jesus；　and　with　him　to　be　dead　to　sensual　requirements。　Faith；　in　Paul's　apprehension；　was　not　an　intellectual　assent　to　definitely　prescribed　dogmas；　but；　as　Matthew　Arnold　has　well　pointed　out；　it　was　an　emotional　striving　after　righteousness；　a　developing　consciousness　of　God　in　the　soul；　such　as　Jesus　had　possessed；　or；　in　Paul's　phraseology；　a　subjugation　of　the　flesh　by　the　spirit。　All　those　who　should　thus　seek　spiritual　perfection　should　escape　the　original　curse。　The　Messiah　was　destined　to　return　to　the　earth　to　establish　the　reign　of　spiritual　holiness；　probably　during　Paul's　own　lifetime　（1　Cor。　xv。　51）。　Then　the　true　followers　of　Jesus　should　be　clothed　in　ethereal　bodies；　free　from　the　imperfections　of　〃the　flesh；〃　and　should　ascend　to　heaven　without　suffering　death；　while　the　righteous　dead　should　at　the　same　time　be　released　from　Sheol；　even　as　Jesus　himself　had　been　released。

To　the　doctrine　of　the　resurrection；　in　which　ethical　and　speculative　elements　are　thus　happily　blended　by　Paul；　the　new　religion　doubtless　owed　in　great　part　its　rapid　success。　Into　an　account　of　the　causes　which　favoured　the　spreading　of　Christianity；　it　is　not　our　purpose　to　enter　at　present。　But　we　may　note　that　the　local　religions　of　the　ancient　pagan　world　had　partly　destroyed　each　other　by　mutual　intermingling；　and　had　lost　their　hold　upon　people　from　the　circumstance　that　their　ethical　teaching　no　longer　corresponded　to　the　advanced　ethical　feeling　of　the　age。　Polytheism；　in　short；　was　outgrown。　It　was　outgrown　both　intellectually　and　morally。　People　were　ceasing　to　believe　in　its　doctrines；　and　were　ceasing　to　respect　its　precepts。　The　learned　were　taking　refuge　in　philosophy；　the　ignorant　in　mystical　superstitions　imported　from　Asia。　The　commanding　ethical　motive　of　ancient　republican　times　had　been　patriotism；devotion　to　the　interests　of　the　community。　But　Roman　dominion　had　destroyed　patriotism　as　a　guiding　principle　of　life；　and　thus　in　every　way　the　minds　of　men　were　left　in　a　sceptical；　unsatisfied　state；craving　after　a　new　theory　of　life；　and　craving　after　a　new　stimulus　to　right　action。　Obviously　the　only　theology　which　could　now　be　satisfactory　to　philosophy　or　to　common…sense　was　some　form　of　monotheism；some　system　of　doctrines　which　should　represent　all　men　as　spiritually　subjected　to　the　will　of　a　single　God；　just　as　they　were　subjected　to　the　temporal　authority　of　the　Emperor。　And　similarly　the　only　system　of　ethics　which　could　have　a　chance　of　prevailing　must　be　some　system　which　should　clearly　prescribe　the　mutual　duties　of　all　men　without　distinction　of　race　or　locality。　Thus　the　spiritual　morality　of　Jesus；　and　his　conception　of　God　as　a　father　and　of　all　men　as　brothers；　appeared　at　once　to　meet　the　ethical　and　speculative　demands　of　the　time。

Yet　whatever　effect　these　teachings　might　have　produ