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Spurts of fanatacism were these, denounced by every decent Jew. Still at this time, even in such an one, stirred the yeast spuming over in such outrages in the vulgar. Over his old type of exclusiveness there had passed on the Jew a change. Exclusive as ever, he was now what hitherto, since at the Return when he rebuffed the Samaritans, he had never been, comprehensive. Formerly shutting door against the Gentiles he had repelled them. But now, in fervor of Messianic hope, eager to multiply his numbers and "make ready a people prepared for the Lord," (Luke i. 17), even the wariest of his number set at least the wicket gate ajar, and under scrutiny of his wisest and best, invited all who would to enter and be at one with him. For "our wise men teach that when a heathen comes to enter into the Covenant, our part is to stretch out our hand to him and to bring him under the wings of God.38 Flinging himself abroad, too, among the hesitating and kindly, he essayed, nor vainly, to coax them to his usages; chiefly to the rest and festivity of his Sabbath. Could he attract them to it and its meanings, idol worship might grow absurd to them, and their prejudice weaken against the religion of Jehovah.

Outwardly he was widely successful. The vaunt of Joscphus, that there was "no city, Greek or barbarian," where the Jewish Sabbath with its "lighting of lamps " was "not observed," is confirmed by the rage of Seneca, that "the (Sabbath) usage of that most villainous race pervades all lands," and that "the vanquished give laws to the victors." 40 "Let us prohibit lighting candles on Sabbath." 41

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Something with me, would you," of a friend, asks Horace ? Yes, but it is the Sabbath; would you affront the Jews?" "No religion of mine, theirs," replies the poet. Response of the other, "to me it is; I am one of the many; pardon me; another time.”42

At Rhodes, Diogenes, grammarian, gavo lectures "every 38 Smith's Biblical Dictionary, Proselytes.

39 Against Apion, B. ii. 40.

40 Lecky's European Morals, i. 248 note 2. 41 Seneca, as quoted by Huidekoper in his "Judaism at Rome," 228. 42 Satires i. 9.

Sabbath day." Coming late, Emperor Tiberius is bidden return the seventh day. Imperially, Roman, in race and sympathy, Rhodes was Greek. And, doubtless, as at Rhodes, through the Greek citics of Asia prevailed every where the Sabbath, a borrow from the Jews.

Aside from the local rites and ceremonies," says Tacitus, "their other institutions (though) tainted with exec.able knavery have been extensively adopted." His anger at their ubiquity stamps the seal of a foe on it as fact.

Less visible than his institutions, secretly spread every where the central idea of the religion of the Jew.

As he had interpenetrated the customs of the Gentiles with his Sabbath, so had he lined their disintegrating idolatrics with his monotheism.

The sprightly gols of Greece were dead. Their clumsy parodies, at Rome officially paraded by the State, to all but the groundlings were puppets in a fares. Every where thoughtful men were on watch for a religion at once of reverence aud

reason.

To their want one sole God, Creator and Providence of the Universe, offered Himself in the religion of the Jew. And before its offshoot, Christianity, came into notice, it had begun to occupy the minds of multitudes.

In high places at Rome its early conversions were not creditable. Never was itself creditable any where when its monotheism was grasped by superstition barely as a dogma.

Of such recipients of it, highest in rank (about 64 A.D.) was Poppea, first, wanton, next, wife, of Nero.45. Vile but beautiful, she charmed Nero into favors for the Jews.46 Josephus" received costly presents from Poppca." He calls her"a religious woman," otherwise a Jewess. He had speech of her through Aliturus, a comedian, by profession infamous," a minion of Nero, and by birth a Jew.

43 Suetonius "Tiberins" xxxii.

45 Tacitus Anuals, xiii. 45. Bohn 344.

History v. 5. Bohn 268.

46 Josephus Life" iii. 2; Antiquities xxviii. ii.

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47 Public opinion branded actors as infamous." Lecky's Rationalism in Europe, it.

287.

Caracalla (211 A.D.) is said to have been suckled by a Jewish nurse. And the beastly Heliogabalus (219 A.D.) hated pork, and had “received the sign of circumcision." 48.

Many such converts in low places as in high, followed the recruiting drums of the baser serjeants of the Jew, affected some of his obscrvances, and mobbed to his standard when pitched, as often it was by his fanatics, as the naked symbol of an unfruitful monotheism. For so, it was but riddance from fear of the gods, and meant atheism and looseness of lifo.

But when, not as soothsayer, imposter, exorcist,49 but apostle, himself exemplified his idea or the Godhead by its attendant moralitics, fail he might to persuade proselytes to the scet of his Supreme, but fail he could not to persuade sincere mon to respect, if only from a distance, a faith whose Divine, he roflected in his human, righteousness.

No convert to Judaism surely was Julius Cæsar. But ho had tested, what Tacitus at his bitterest, concedes, the "faith inviolably observed" by the Jew.50 And despite grudge of Greek and Roman priesthood, Cæsar insisted that in Romo itself there should be equal security for the worship of the Jew as for that of Greece and Italy.51

Such was his admiration of true Judaism, that in his private chapel, among images of other benefactors of mankind, the good Alexander Severus (222 A.D.-235) reared ono to Abraham, and so protected the privileges of his descendants that their effusiveness blessed him as Father of the Synagogue. Adulation this? No. The natural exaggeration of gratitude.

For, except gleams of grace to them as parasites at the Palace, since the ruin of their Capital by Titus, the degradation of more than a hundred and fifty years had been grinding despair into the souls of the children of Abraham, when suddenly an Emperor of Rome consecrates the majesty of their

48 This, possibly, however, as priest of the Syrian sun god, Heliogabalus, whose name be assumed. Milman's History of the Jews, ii. 483, 484.

49 of the low Jews of Rome says Juvenal, "for the minutest corn Jews will sell you any dream you please." Satire vi. p. 60, Bohn. At Rome" the Jews became the principal exorcists." Lecky, European Morals, i. 404.

50 Merivales Rome, vi. 204.

51 Milman's History of the Jews, ii. 484.

great forefather and throws the ægis of Rome in front of their religion.

True that in the imperial oratory, on par with Abraham stood Appolonius of Tyana, Pythagorean heathen, and the Jew's arch heretic, Jesus Christ. True, again, that, confirming the religious privileges of the Jew, the impartial Emperor confirmed also those of the heathen, and worse, the Christian. And still farther true was it, that like his circumcised predecessor, Severus had been priest of the Syrian sun god Heliogabalus, nor ever ostensibly was other than heathen.

But under his sigh of relief from oppression sank out of sight for a while the bitterest antipathies of the Jew. And unless against his slumbering aversion to the Gentile, heathen, or specially Christian, rubbed too roughly, he, once vaunting himself the spiritual paragon of mankind, was content to cower in equality of clientship with those hitherto under foot of his haughtiness. A. G. Laurie.

ARTICLE X.

The Resurrection of the Dead; or an Exegesis of Portions of the 15th of 1. Corrinthians

PART II.

FROM the point in this chapter to which we arrived, in our former article, verse 28 to verse 35, nothing is said by the author that can be of any service to us in our inquiry concerning the resurrection, as presented in this part of Paul's writings. We will, therefore, pass over this portion of the chapter without remark.

Having given a clear and distinct statement of the doctrine of the resurrection, the apostle puts the rest of what he has to say into an answer to a question or questions, which he supposes some one to ask.

But some one will say, How are the dead raised? and with what manner of body do they come? 35.

I. It is generally thought that this passage contains essentially but one question, as if the two clauses related to one and the same process. With this view, to be raised and to come are the same idea. This opinion we do not accept. To one in this world, the resurrection is not coming, but going. Had the author been in the resurrection state, and been writing for the inhabitants of that world, the questions would have been proper ones. How are the dead raised up? and with what manner of body do they come? But as the author re

sided on the earth, and was writing for the benefit of his earthly brethren, he must have intended by being raised an action in one direction, and by coming, an action in the opposite direction It is not difficult, we think, to ascertain what

two actions or processes are here meant.

Jesus said to his apostles, that he was going away to prepare a place for them, and would come again to receive them to himself; that where he was there they might be also. this very chapter Paul had referred to this coming of Christ. "They that are Christ's," he says, "shall be made alive," or raised from the dead, "at his coming." This coming is at the hour of their death; and that, therefore, is the time of their resurrection. Paul believed and taught that Jesus would not be alone when he came for his disciples; that his saints would be with him, 1 Thess. iii. 13. In another place he says that the dead. God will bring with Jesus, 1 Thess. iv. 14. This may be only an inference of Paul from the words of Jesus, relating to another subject, namely, that he would come in the glory of his Father, with his angels; or it may be that he had received direct instructions on this subject. If the saints are to come with Christ, the interrogator in the passage before us would like to ask, With what manner of body do they come? He assumes that they will have entered the body which they are to occupy forever, and will come with it. It is easy to see that this implies a previous resurrection, which could only be coincident with the coming of Christ for his disciples, namely, at death.

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