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VOL.
XXVII
ALLEGHENY,
P
A.,
MARCH
1,
1906
VIEWS
FROM
THE
WATCH
TOWER
No.5
(67·68)
OHRISTIAN
TENETS
THE
JEWS
MAY
ADOPT
mere
martyrdom
into
a
general
way
of
life,
are
not
in
the
To
find
a
celebrated
and
influential
Jew
advising
his
race
Gospels
urged
and
intended
solely
t.o
save
one's
own
soul,
but
to
(,
follow
the
letter
of
the
Law
in
the
spirit
of
the
Gospel"
also
to
save
others.
The
endurance,
the
self-sacrifice,
are
not
is
a
decidedly
interesting
feature
of
the
religious
situation.
to
be
merely
passive,
but
active.
They
are
to
be
helpful
and
Mr.
Claude
G.
Montefiore,
president
of
the
Anglo-Jewish
As-
redemptive;
through
loving
service
and
sympathy
to
awaken
sociation,
founder
of
The
Jewish
Quarterly
Review
and
a
man
in
the
sinner
the
dormant
capacity
of
righteousness
and
love.
of
light
and
leading
in
British
Jewry,
gives
his
fellows
this
"Lowly,
active
service
for
the
benefit
of
the
humblest
is
counsel
in
the
current
number
of
The
Hibbert
JournaZ
(Lon-
an
essential
feature
of
the
synoptic
religion.
'He
who
would
don.)
Before
giving
this
advice,
he
takes
occasion
to
remark
be
great
among
you
let
him
be
your
servant.'
(It
is
not
the
to
the
Christian
readers
of
his
article
that
some
of
the
doc-
will
of
my
Father
that
one
of
these
little
ones
should
perish.'
trines
which
they
imagine
to
be
distinctively
Christian
were,
and
The
teaching
of
the
synoptics
in
this
matter
seems
to
cluster
are,
Jewish.
The
conception
of
the
fatherhood
of
God
and
of
round
those
three
great
sayings:
(The
Son
of
man
came
not
his
loving-kindness,
for
example,
has
been
paraded
as
Christian,
to
be
ministered
unto,
but
to
minister;'
(I
came
not
to
eall
(.
whereas
to
the
rabbinic,
medieval,
and
modern
Jew
it
wali,
the
righteous,
but
sinners;'
(The
Son
of
man
came
to
seek
and
is,
the
ABC
of
his
religion."
Similarly,
the
doetrinel'
and
to
save
that
which
was
lost.'
"t~at
reconc~lement
with
one's
neighbor
must
precede
rec-
"And
here,
once
more,
we
seem
to
be
cognizant
of
fresh
?ncl1ement
w1th
God,
or
that
the
best
alms
are
those
given
and
original
teaching,
which
has
produced
fruit
to
be
ever
In
secret,
or
that
impure
thoughts
are
evil
as
well
as
impure
reckoned
among
the
distinctive
glories
of
Christianity.
It
deeds,
or
that
there
is
peculiar
joy
in
heaven
over
the
repent-
has
two
aspects:
first,
the
yearning
and
eager
activity
to
save
ant-these
doctrines
and
several
others
are
not
only
rabbinic
and
to
redeem;
secondly,
the
special
attitude
of
the
Master
commonplaces,
but
familiar
.Tewish
maxims."
toward
sinners
and
toward
sin.
The
rabbis
and
the
rabbinic
The
common
Jewish
objections
to
Christianity
are
that
religion
are
keen
on
repentance,
which
in
their
eyes
is
second
some
of
its
teaching
is
"unpractical
and
overstrained,"
that
only
to
the
law;
but
we
do
not,
I
think,
find
the
same
pall
the
ideal
is
so
high
as
to
be
"incapable
of
realization"
that
sionate
eagerness
to
cause
repentance,
to
save
the
lost,
to
'(
if.
some
maxims
were
literally
obeyed,
there
would
b~
a
sub-
redeem
the
sinner.
The
refusal
to
allow
that
any
human
1I0ul
version
of
law
alld
order,
and
universal
confusion,"
that'
(the
is
not
capable
of
emancipation
from
the
bondage
of
sin,
the
tendency
of
the
teaching
is
to
make
a
man
take
a
too
selfish
labor
of
pity
and
love
among
the
outcast
and
the
fallen,
~()
intere.t
in
the
saving
of
his
own
soul"
and
that
it
"point!l
back
to
the
synoptic
Gospels
and
their
Hero.
They
were
hardly
toward
an
ascetic
morality.'"
known
before
his
time.
And
the
redemptive
method
which
In
one
divergence
of
doctrine
between
the
rallbinic
rellg.
he
inaugurated
was
new
likewise.
It.
was
the
method
of
pity
ion
and
that
of
the
synoptic
Gospels,
however,
Mr.
Montefiore
and
love.
There
is
no
paltering
with
sin;
it
is
not
made
less
seems
to
incline
toward
the
latter.
He
says:
odious;
but
instead
of
mere
threats
and
condemnations,
the
«
The
rabbinic
religion
followed
the
prevailing
doctrine
of
chance
is
given
for
hope,
admiration,
and
love
to
work
their
th~
9ld
Testament
in
holding
that,
on
the
whole,
the
right
wonders
within
the
sinner's
soul.
The
sinner
is
afforded
the
prmclple
of
human
conduct,
and
the
great
principle
of
divine
opportunity
for
doing
good
instead
of
evil,
and
his
kindly
conduct,
was
that
of
proportionate
requital
or
tit
for
tat.
I
services
are
encouraged
and
praised.
Jesus
seems
to
have
hall
d?
.not
mea!!
to
say
~hat
other
principles,
;uch
as
that
of
the
a
special
insight
into
the
nature
of
certain
kinds
of
sin,
and
<l!vme
forgIveness!
~ld
lIOt
frequently
cross
the
principle
of
into
the
redeemable
capacity
of
certain
kinds
of
sinners.
He
b.t
for
tat,
but
stIll
1t
seems
true
to
say
that
tit
for
tat
occu.
perceived
that
there
was
a
certain
untainted
humility
of
soul
pIeS
a
very
large
place
in
Jewish
ethics
and
reliO'ion
a
larger
which
some
sins
in
some
sinners
had
not
yet
destroyed,
just
111n('e
than
the
facts
of
life
or
our
highest
ethicai
and
re-
as
he
also
believed
and
realized
that
there
was
a
certain
cold,
ligious
conceptions
can
fully
justify
and
approve.
Now
the
formal,
negative
virtue
which
was
practically
equivalent
to
tf'n~hjng'
of
the
synoptic
Gospels
seems
to
traverse
that
doc-
sin,
and
far
less
capable
of
reformation.
Overzealous
scrupu
trine
in
many
different
ways.
As
between
man
and
man
we
losity,
and
the
pride
which,
dwelling
with
smug
satisfaction
have,
for
instance,
the
teachinA",
'If
ye
love
them
which
love
upon
its
own
excellence,
draws
away
the
skirt
from
any
con·
yOll,
what
thank
have
ye"
and
the
reception
of
the
prodigal
tact
with
impurity,
were
specially
repugnant
to
him.
Whether
son,
an.d
a~
between
God
and
man
the
teat'hingo
seems
more
with
this
sin
and
with
its
sinners
he
showed
adequate
patience
l'mphatIc
stIll.
Not
only
that
the
sun
rises
on
the
evil
as
well
may
perhaps
be
doubted,
but
it
does
seem
to
me
that
his
as
the
good.
but
also,
in
the
parable
of
the
vineyard
'I
will
denunciation
of
formalism
and
pride,
his
contrasted
pictures
give
unto
this
last
even
as
unto
thee.'
.
..
.
,
of
the
lowly
publican
and
the
scrupulous
pharisee,
were
new
.
"Perh~ps
one
r~ason,
tho
not
the
deepest,
why
the
doc-
and
permanent
contributions
to
morality
and
religion.
All
the
trIne
of
tit
for
tat
IS
less
thought
of
in
the
Gospels
is
theh
Jewish
reader
meets
them
in
the
synoptic
Gospels,
he
recog-
rather
pronounced
antagonism
to
earthly
good
fortu'ne
their
nizes
this
new
contribution;
and
if
he
is
adequately
open-
st;ong
sympathy
with,
or
even
partiality
for,
the
wedk,
the
minded,
he
does
it
homage
and
is
grateful."
mIserable,
and
the
poor.
The
only
treasures
of
any
value
SPONTANEOUS
GENERATION
OP
LIFE
are
the
treasures
to
be
attained
in
heaven.
The
treasures
We
see
much
in
the
public
prints
respecting
the
efforts
o~
earth
are
transitory
from
a
double
reason-the
individual
of
chemists
and
biologists
to
produce
life,
and
several
.,
pro-
OICS,
and
the
old
order
is
rapidly
nearin~
its
close.
The
same
fessors"
have
announced
their
success
in
so
doing.
What
are
thoughts
me~t
us
not
infrequently
in
the
rabbinic
literature.
the
facts'
hut
we,
n~te
m
the
Gosp~ls
a
kind
of
passionate
.gl?rification
of
For
centuries
scientific
minds-skeptical
respecting
the
renuncIatIon
and
adverSIty
as
marks
of
true
d,sc~ples1Iip
and
teachings
of
the
Bible
that
God
is
the
author
of
life,
the
Creator
as
the
one.
sure
p~ssport
to
heave~.
This
note
~oes
hey~nd-
of
all
things-have
been
examining
nature
to
see
how
life
has
how
far
rIghtly
1S
another
question-the
rabbmic
(chastise-
its
start.
At
first
it
seemed
that
new
bugs,
worms
and
insects
ments
of
love.'
The
soul
is
a11.
'Adversity
is
the
blessing
were
from
time
to
time
created
independently.
For
instance,
of
the
New
Testament.'
With
incomparable
eloquence
ana
many
have
noticed
that
an
Old,
water-soaked
wooden
pail
power
the
Gospels
disclose
to
us
one
aspect
of
the
ultimate
would
be
lifted
and
an
enormous
roach
found
beneath
it-too
tr~th,
one
fact
of
reality,
to
which
we
can
never
again
be
largoe
to
have
crawled
under,
and
perhaps
of
a
kind
not
pre
vi·
blm~,
even
tho
we
realize
that
it
is
by
no
means
the
complete
ously
seen
in
that
quarter.
realIty,
hy
!10
means
the
only
truth
throuO'h
which
we
must
Further
resear('h
demonstrated
that
there
are
in
the
earth
work
and
lIve,
the
truth,
I
mE-an,
which
Professor
Bradley.
the
air
and
the
water,
microbes
far
too
sma11
to
be
seen
by
with
s?ch
splendid
insi~ht,
has
lately
shown
us
to
be
exhibited
the
naked
ey.e
•.
which,
under
favorable
conditions,
would
pro-
hy
Kmg
Lear,
that
(the
judgment
of
this
world
is
a
lie'
duce
larger
hvmg
creature!!
of
one
kind
or
another,
according
[th.at]
ItS
~oods
whi~h
we
Covet
corrupt
us;
rthat]
its
ill;,
to
the
environments
and
conditions.
whIch
wreck
our
bodIes,
set
our
souls
free':
'the
conviction
Then
came
the
suggestion
that
all
the
lar!!'er
forms
of
being
that
our
whole
attitude
in
asking
or
exPecting
that
goodness
were
mere
evolutions
from
lower
to
higher.
With
this
thought
sh?uld
be
prosperous
is
wrong;
that,
if
only
we
could
see
th,e
learned
of
this
world
have
been
wrestling
for
the
past
thmgs
as
they
are
we
should
see
that
the
outward
is
nothing
fifty
years,
shaking
the
foundations
of
faith
in
the
Bible
for
and
the
inward
is
all.'
"
'
millions.
For
if
the
Bible
be
true
this
theory
is
false
as
And
of
the
Christian
doctrine
of
self-renunciation
to
save
respects
man's
origin.
Instead
of
further
evolution
being
our
others
he
writes:
salvation
the
Bible
points
us
to
our
fall,
to
the
redemption
.
"The
l'enunciation,
the
self-denial.
and
that
daily
carry-
accomplished
for
the
world
by
the
Son
of
God,
and
to
the
mg
of
the
cross,
whereby
Luke,
as
Wellhausen
notes,
changes
coming
deliverance
of
the
groaning
creation
from
sin
and
its
(3731)
Vou. XXVII ALLEGHENY, PA., MARCH 1, 1906 No. 5 VIEWS FROM THE WATCH TOWER CHRISTIAN TENETS THE JEWS MAY ADOPT To find a celebrated and influential Jew advising his race to ‘‘follow the letter of the Law in the spirit of the Gospel’’ is a decidedly interesting feature of the religious situation. Mr, Claude G. Montefiore, president of the Angio-Jewish Association, founder of The Jewish Quarterly Review and a man of light and leading in British Jewry, gives his fellows this counsel in the current number of The Hibbert Journal (London.) Before giving this advice, he takes occasion to remark to the Christian readers of his article that some of the doctrines which they imagine to be distinctively Christian were, and are, Jewish. The conception of the fatherhood of God and of his loving-kindness, for example, has been paraded as Christian, ‘whereas to the rabbinic, medieval, and modern Jew it was, and is, the A B C of his religion.’’ Similarly, the doctrines ‘‘that reconcilement with one’s neighbor must precede reeoneilement with God, or that the best alms are those given in secret, or that impure thoughts are evil as well as impure deeds, or that there is peculiar joy in heaven over the repentant—these doctrines and several others are not only rabbinic commonplaces, but familiar Jewish maxims.’’ The common Jewish objections to Christianity are that some of its teaching is ‘‘unpractical and overstrained,’’ that the ideal is so high as to be ‘‘ineapable of realization,’’ that “*if some maxims were literally obeyed, there would be a subversion of law and order, and universal confusion,’? that ‘the tendency of the teaching is to make a man take a too selfish intere.t in the saving of his own soul,’’? and that it ‘points toward an ascetic morality.’’ _ In one divergence of doctrine between the rabbinic religion and that of the synoptic Gospels, however, Mr. Montefiore seems to incline toward the latter. He says: ‘*The rabbinic religion followed the prevailing doctrine of the Old Testament in holding that, on the whole, the right principle of human conduct, and the great principle of divine conduct, was that of proportionate requital, or tit for tat. I do not mean to say that other principles, such as that of the divine forgiveness, did not frequently cross the principle of tit for tat, but still it seems true to say that tit for tat occupies a very large place in Jewish ethics and religion, a larger place than the facts of life or our highest ethical and religious conceptions can fully justify and approve. Now the teaching of the synoptic Gospels seems to traverse that doctrine in many different ways. As between man and man we have, for instance, the teaching, ‘If ye love them which love you, what thank have ye?’ and the reception of the prodigal son, and as between God and man the teaching seems more emphatie still, Not only that the sun rises on the evil as well as the good, but also, in the parable of the vineyard, ‘I will give unto this last even as unto thee.’ .. . _ ‘‘Perhaps one reason, tho not the deepest, why the doctrine of tit for tat is less thought of in the Gospels, is their rather pronounced antagonism to earthly good fortune, their strong sympathy with, or even partiality for, the weak, the miserable, and the poor. The only treasures of any value are the treasures to be attained in heaven. The treasures of earth are transitory from a double reason—the individual dies, and the old order is rapidly nearing its close. The same thoughts meet us not infrequently in the rabbinic literature. but we note in the Gospels a kind of passionate glorification of renunciation and adversity as marks of true discipleship, and as the one sure passport to heaven. This note goes heyond— how far rightly is another question—the rabbinic ‘chastisements of love.’ The soul is all. ‘Adversity is the blessin of the New Testament.’ With incomparable eloquence and power the Gospels disclose to us one aspect of the ultimate truth, one fact of reality, to which we can never again be blind, even tho we realize that it is by no means the complete reality, by no means the only truth through which we must work and live, the truth, I mean, which Professor Bradley. with such splendid insight, has lately shown us to he exhibited by King Lear, that ‘the judgment of this world is a lie: (that] its goods which we covet corrupt us; [that] its ills, which wreck our bodies, set our souls free’: ‘the conviction that our whole attitude in asking or expecting that goodness should be prosperous is wrong; that, if only we could see things as they are we should see that the outward is nothing, and the inward is all.’ ’?’ And of the Christian doctrine of self-renunciation to save others he writes: _ ‘The renunciation, the self-denial. and that daily carrying of the cross, whereby Luke, as Wellhausen notes, changes [3781) mere martyrdom into a general way of life, are not in the Gospels urged and intended solely to save one’s own soul, but also to save others. The endurance, the self-sacrifice, are not to be merely passive, but active. They are to be helpful and redemptive; through loving service and sympathy to awaken in the sinner the dormant capacity of righteousness and love. ‘*Lowly, active service for the benefit of the humblest is an essential feature of the synoptic religion. ‘He who would be great among you, let him be your servant.’ ‘It is not the will of my Father that one of these little ones should perish.’ The teaching of the synoptics in this matter seems to cluster round those three great sayings: ‘The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister;’ ‘I came not to call the righteous, but sinners;’ ‘The Son of man came to seck and to save that which was lost.’ ‘*And here, once more, we seem to be cognizant of fresh and original teaching, which has produced fruit to be ever reckoned among the distinctive glories of Christianity. It has two aspects: first, the yearning and eager activity to save and to redeem; secondly, the special attitude of the Master toward sinners and toward sin. The rabbis and the rabbinic religion are keen on repentance, which in their eyes is second only to the law; but we do not, I think, find the same passionate eagerness to cause repentance, to save the lost, to redeem the sinner. The refusal to allow that any human soul is not capable of emancipation from the bondage of sin, the labor of pity and love among the outcast and the fallen, go back to the synoptic Gospels and their Hero. They were hardly known before his time. And the redemptive method which he inaugurated was new likewise. Jt was the method of pity and love. There is no paltering with sin; it is not made less odious; but instead of mere threats and condemnations, the chance is given for hope, admiration, and love to work their wonders within the sinner’s soul. The sinner is afforded the opportunity for doing good instead of evil, and his kindly services are encouraged and praised. Jesus seems to have had a special insight into the nature of certain kinds of sin, and into the redeemable capacity of certain kinds of sinners, He perceived that there was a certain untainted humility of soul which some sing in some sinners had not yet destroyed, just as he also believed and realized that there was a certain cold, formal, negative virtue which was practically equivalent to sin, and far less capable of reformation. Overzealous scrupulosity, and the pride which, dwelling with smug satisfaction upon its own excellence, draws away the skirt from any contact with impurity, were specially repugnant to him. Whether with this sin and with its sinners he showed adequate patience may perhaps be doubted, but it does seem to me that his denunciation of formalism and pride, his contrasted pictures of the lowly publican and the scrupulous pharisee, were new and permanent contributions to morality and religion. As the Jewish reader meets them in the synoptic Gospels, he recognizes this new contribution; and if he is adequately openminded, he does it homage and is grateful.’’ SPONTANEOUS GENERATION OF LIFE We see much in the public prints respecting the efforts of chemists and biologists to produce life, and several ‘‘professors’’ have announced their success in so doing. What are the facts? For centuries scientific minds—skeptical respecting the teachings of the Bible that God is the author of life, the Creator of all things—have been examining nature to see how life has its start. At first it seemed that new bugs, worms and insects were from time to time created independently. For instance, many have noticed that an old, water-soaked wooden pail would be lifted and an enormous roach found beneath it—too large to have crawled under, and perhaps of a kind not previously seen in that quarter. Further research demonstrated that there are in the earth, the air and the water, microbes far too small to be seen by the naked eye, which, under favorable conditions, would produce larger living creatures of one kind or another, according to the environments and conditions. Then came the suggestion that all the larger forms of being were mere evolutions from lower to higher. With this thought the learned of this world have been wrestling for the past fifty years, shaking the foundations of faith in the Bible for millions. For if the Bible be true this theory is false as respects man’s origin. Instead of further evolution being our salvation the Bible points us to our fall, to the redemption accomplished for the world by the Son of God, and to the coming deliverance of the groaning creation from sin and its (67-68)
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