Philochristus: Memoirs of a Disciple of the LordAbbott, Edwin Abbott
Religion
Philochristus: Memoirs of a Disciple of the Lord
Abbott, Edwin Abbott
Christian fiction; Jesus Christ -- Fiction
For the space of two days, namely, the second day of the week, and
likewise the third day, Jesus resorted to the temple daily, and taught the
people there: but the more he saw of the temple, and of the priests
therein, and likewise of the Pharisees and Sadducees (who disputed with
him daily in the temple), so much the more his heart loathed the
abominations which he discerned, insomuch that he seemed like unto one
contending against Satan himself, enthroned in the Holy Place; and his
words against the Pharisees in those days were as if he desired that they
should be engraven in fiery letters upon the hearts of all that heard him,
for ever. So hot was the vehemency of his passion against them; yet not
against them, but against the Satan in their hearts, who through them
reigned over Israel. For whatsoever Jesus had noted of evil in the
teaching of the Scribes in Galilee, and whatsoever of blindness and
narrowness, yea, and of persecution and malignity; all this, and much more
did he note in the Scribes of Jerusalem; insomuch that the Holy City and
the temple itself now seemed to him to have become a very source of evil,
poisoning the waters of life for the whole of the people.
At the first, the Pharisees began to lay snares to take him at an
advantage before the face of all the people; but he answered them
according to their folly, proving to all the people that they knew not the
foundations of truth. When they asked him by what authority he did that
which he did, he would not tell them; but they must first tell him whether
the baptism of John were from heaven or no; which question they feared to
answer. As to the giving of tribute, he said that the denarius (which had
on it the image of Cæsar) spake, of itself, that they that used it should
give Cæsar his due. But when he gave back unto the Pharisee the denarius,
saying these words, “Render therefore to Cæsar the things which are
Cæsar’s,” then he paused for an instant, and afterwards added, “and to God
the things that are God’s.” This he said, not as though some things
belonged to Cæsar and not to God; but as though each man, in giving unto
Cæsar his dues, must bear in mind that he was thereby giving to God his
dues also; for a time might come when it might be a defrauding of God to
give Cæsar tribute; but, at that time, to have refused tribute to Cæsar,
would have been to refuse God His dues. So he bade them obey the signs of
the times, yet so as never to defraud God; nor would he lay down any rule,
as they had desired, but pointed to the foundations of righteousness,
which lie in the heart and not in the hands. The like also he did in
saying that the love of God and of man was the chief commandment of the
Law. But concerning the Sadducees and their doctrine, that there is no
resurrection, he said that the second life differeth from the first as
much as angels differ from men; so that the bands whereby we are bound
together here, will not be the same as will bind us together there.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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