the unseen world and other essays-第25章

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ethical　and　speculative　demands　of　the　time。

Yet　whatever　effect　these　teachings　might　have　produced；　if　unaided　by　further　doctrinal　elaboration；　was　enhanced　myriadfold　by　the　elaboration　which　they　received　at　the　hands　of　Paul。　Philosophic　Stoics　and　Epicureans　had　arrived　at　the　conception　of　the　brotherhood　of　men；　and　the　Greek　hymn　of　Kleanthes　had　exhibited　a　deep　spiritual　sense　of　the　fatherhood　of　God。　The　originality　of　Christianity　lay　not　so　much　in　its　enunciation　of　new　ethical　precepts　as　in　the　fact　that　it　furnished　a　new　ethical　sanction；a　commanding　incentive　to　holiness　of　living。　That　it　might　accomplish　this　result；　it　was　absolutely　necessary　that　it　should　begin　by　discarding　both　the　ritualism　and　the　narrow　theories　of　Judaism。　The　mere　desire　for　a　monotheistic　creed　had　led　many　pagans；　in　Paul's　time；　to　embrace　Judaism；　in　spite　of　its　requirements；　which　to　Romans　and　Greeks　were　meaningless；　and　often　disgusting；　but　such　conversions　could　never　have　been　numerous。　Judaism　could　never　have　conquered　the　Roman　world；　nor　is　it　likely　that　the　Judaical　Christianity　of　Peter；　James；　and　John　would　have　been　any　more　successful。　The　doctrine　of　the　resurrection；　in　particular；　was　not　likely　to　prove　attractive　when　accompanied　by　the　picture　of　the　Messiah　treading　the　Gentiles　in　the　wine…press　of　his　righteous　indignation。　But　here　Paul　showed　his　profound　originality　The　condemnation　of　Jewish　formalism　which　Jesus　had　pronounced；　Paul　turned　against　the　older　apostles；　who　insisted　upon　circumcision。　With　marvellous　flexibility　of　mind；　Paul　placed　circumcision　and　the　Mosaic　injunctions　about　meats　upon　a　level　with　the　ritual　observances　of　pagan　nations；　allowing　each　feeble　brother　to　perform　such　works　as　might　tickle　his　fancy；　but　bidding　all　take　heed　that　salvation　was　not　to　be　obtained　after　any　such　mechanical　method；　but　only　by　devoting　the　whole　soul　to　righteousness；　after　the　example　of　Jesus。

This　was　the　negative　part　of　Paul's　work。　This　was　the　knocking　down　of　the　barriers　which　had　kept　men；　and　would　always　have　kept　them；　from　entering　into　the　kingdom　of　heaven。　But　the　positive　part　of　Paul's　work　is　contained　in　his　theory　of　the　salvation　of　men　from　death　through　the　second　Adam；　whom　Jehovah　rescued　from　Sheol　for　his　sinlessness。　The　resurrection　of　Jesus　was　the　visible　token　of　the　escape　from　death　which　might　be　achieved　by　all　men　who；　with　God's　aid；　should　succeed　in　freeing　themselves　from　the　burden　of　sin　which　had　encumbered　all　the　children　of　Adam。　The　end　of　the　world　was　at　hand；　and　they　who　would　live　with　Christ　must　figuratively　die　with　Christ；　must　become　dead　to　sin。　Thus　to　the　pure　and　spiritual　ethics　contained　in　the　teachings　of　Jesus；　Paul　added　an　incalculably　powerful　incentive　to　right　action；　and　a　theory　of　life　calculated　to　satisfy　the　speculative　necessities　of　the　pagan　or　Gentile　world。　To　the　educated　and　sceptical　Athenian；　as　to　the　critical　scholar　of　modern　times；　the　physical　resurrection　of　Jesus　from　the　grave；　and　his　ascent　through　the　vaulted　floor　of　heaven；　might　seem　foolishness　or　naivete。　But　to　the　average　Greek　or　Roman　the　conception　presented　no　serious　difficulty。　The　cosmical　theories　upon　which　the　conception　was　founded　were　essentially　the　same　among　Jews　and　Gentiles；　and　indeed　were　but　little　modified　until　the　establishment　of　the　Copernican　astronomy。　The　doctrine　of　the　Messiah's　second　coming　was　also　received　without　opposition；　and　for　about　a　century　men　lived　in　continual　anticipation　of　that　event；　until　hope　long　deferred　produced　its　usual　results；　the　writings　in　which　that　event　was　predicted　were　gradually　explained　away；　ignored；　or　stigmatized　as　uncanonical；　and　the　Church　ended　by　condemning　as　a　heresy　the　very　doctrine　which　Paul　and　the　Judaizing　apostles；　who　agreed　in　little　else；　had　alike　made　the　basis　of　their　speculative　teachings。　Nevertheless；　by　the　dint　of　allegorical　interpretation；　the　belief　has　maintained　an　obscure　existence　even　down　to　the　present　time；　the　Antiochus　of　the　Book　of　Daniel　and　the　Nero　of　the　Apocalypse　having　given　place　to　the　Roman　Pontiff　or　to　the　Emperor　of　the　French。

But　as　the　millenarism　of　the　primitive　Church　gradually　died　out　during　the　second　century；　the　essential　principles　involved　in　it　lost　none　of　their　hold　on　men's　minds。　As　the　generation　contemporary　with　Paul　died　away　and　was　gathered　into　Sheol；　it　became　apparent　that　the　original　theory　must　be　somewhat　modified；　and　to　this　question　the　author　of　the　second　epistle　to　the　Thessalonians　addresses　himself。　Instead　of　literal　preservation　from　death；　the　doctrine　of　a　resurrection　from　the　grave　was　gradually　extended　to　the　case　of　the　new　believers；　who　were　to　share　in　the　same　glorious　revival　with　the　righteous　of　ancient　times。　And　thus　by　slow　degrees　the　victory　over　death；　of　which　the　resurrection　of　Jesus　was　a　symbol　and　a　witness；　became　metamorphosed　into　the　comparatively　modern　doctrine　of　the　rest　of　the　saints　in　heaven；　while　the　banishment　of　the　unrighteous　to　Sheol　was　made　still　more　dreadful　by　coupling　with　the　vague　conception　of　a　gloomy　subterranean　cavern　the　horrible　imagery　of　the　lake　of　fire　and　brimstone　borrowed　from　the　apocalyptic　descriptions　of　Gehenna。　But　in　this　modification　of　the　original　theory；　the　fundamental　idea　of　a　future　state　of　retribution　was　only　the　more　distinctly　emphasized；　although；　in　course　of　time；　the　original　incentive　to　righteousness　supplied　by　Paul　was　more　and　more　subordinated　to　the　comparatively　degrading　incentive　involved　in　the　fear　of　damnation。　There　can　hardly　be　a　doubt　that　the　definiteness　and　vividness　of　the　Pauline　theory　of　a　future　life　contributed　very　largely　to　the　rapid　spread　of　the　Christian　religion；　nor　can　it　be　doubted　that　to　the　desire　to　be　holy　like　Jesus；　in　order　to　escape　death　and　live　with　Jesus；　is　due　the　elevating　ethical　influence　which；　even　in　the　worst　times　of　ecclesiastic　degeneracy；　Christianity　has　never　failed　to　exert。　Doubtless；　as　Lessing　long；　ago　observed；　the　notion　of　future　reward　and　punishment　needs　to　be　eliminated　in　order　that　the　incentive　to　holiness　may　be　a　perfectly　pure　one。　The　highest　virtue　is　that　which　takes　no　thought　of　reward　or　punishment；　but　for　a　conception　of　this　sort　the　mind　of　antiquity　was　not　ready；　nor　is　the　average　mind　of　to…day　yet　ready；　and　the　sudden　or　premature　dissolution　of　the　Christian　theorywhich　is　fortunately　impossiblemight　perhaps　entail　a　moral　retrogradation。

The　above　is　by　no　means　intended　as　a　complete　outline　of　the　religious　philosophy　of　Paul。　We　have　aimed　only　at　a　clear　definition　of　the　character　and　scope　of　the　doctrine　of　the　resurrection　of　Jesus；　at　the　time　when　it　was　first　elaborated。　We　have　now　to　notice　the　influence　of　that　doctrine　upon　the　development　of　Christologic　speculation。

In　neither　or　the　four　genuine　epistles　of　Paul　is　Jesus　described　as　superhuman；　or　as　differing　in　nature　from　other　men；　save　in　his　freedom　from　sin。　As　Baur　has　shown；　〃the　proper　nature　of　the　Pauline　Christ　is　human。　He　is　a　man；　but　a　spiritual　man；　one　in　whom　spirit　or　pneuma　was　the　essential　principle；　so　that　he　was　spirit　as　well　as　man。　The　principle　of　an　ideal　humanity　existed　before　Christ　in　the　bright　form　of　a　typical　man；　but　was　manifested　to　mankind　in　the　person　of　Christ。〃　Such；　according　to　Baur；　is　Paul's　interpretation　of　the　Messianic　idea。　Paul　knows　nothing　of　the　miracles；　of　the　supernatural　conception；　of　the　incarnation；　or　of　the　Logos。　The　Christ　whom　he　preaches　is　the　man　Jesus；　the　founder　of　a　new　and　spiritual　order　of　humanity；　as　Adam　was　the　father　of　humanity　after　the　flesh。　The　resurrection　is　uniformly　described　by　him　as　a　manifestation　of　the　power　of　Jehovah；　not　of　Jesus　himself。　The　later　conception　of　Christ　bursting　the　barred　gates　of　Sheol；　and　arising　by　his　own　might　to　heaven；　finds　no　warrant　in　the　expressions　of　Paul。　Indeed；　it　was　essential　to　Paul's　theory　of　the　Messiah　as　a　new　Adam；　that　he　should　be　human　and　not　divine；　for　the　escape　of　a　divine　being　from　Sheol　could　afford　no　precedent　and　furnish　no　assuran