The Christ: A Critical Review and Analysis of the Evidences of His ExistenceRemsburg, John E. (John Eleazer)
Religion
The Christ: A Critical Review and Analysis of the Evidences of His Existence
Remsburg, John E. (John Eleazer)
Jesus Christ -- Historicity; Jesus Christ -- Rationalistic interpretations; Rationalism
and union will be permanently established; and every candid man must
admit that the world has not realized the accomplishment of this
prophecy. Again, in the days of Messiah, all men, as Scripture saith,
'are to serve God with one accord'; and yet it is very certain that
since the appearance of him whom Christians believe to be Messiah,
mankind has been split into more hostile divisions on the ground of
religious belief, and more antagonistic sects have sprung up, than
in any historic age before Christianity was preached."
With orthodox Jews the belief in a Messiah is a deep rooted
conviction. For 2500 years there has been displayed in front of the
synagogue this sign: "Wanted--a Messiah." During this time many,
including Jesus, Bar-Cocheba, Moses of Candia, and Sabatai Zevi,
have applied for the place, but all applicants have been rejected,
and the Messianic predictions of the Jewish prophets are yet to be
fulfilled. So, too, are those of the Persian prophet. In the meantime
the followers of Jesus--turning from the Jews to the Gentiles--have
from this borrowed idea evolved a deity who divides with Brahma,
Buddha, and Allah, the worship of the world.
11. The Logos (Word).
The exaltation and deification of Jesus is thus described by the Dutch
theologian, Dr. Hooykaas: "When Jesus was gone, those who had known
him personally insensibly surrounded him with a glory that shone at
last with a more than human splendor. The spiritual blessings which
flowed in ever rich measure from his person and his gospel compelled
the Christians to exalt him ever more and more. The title of Son
of God, which his followers had given him as the future Messiah,
was elastic and ambiguous enough to lend itself very readily to this
process. The idea of his being the Messiah now no longer sufficed; he
was something other and something far more than the Jewish Messiah. The
philosophy and theology of the day were laid under contribution;
and nothing could so well indicate his significance for all humanity
and his unapproachable exaltation as the idea that he was the Word"
(Bible for Learners, Vol. III, pp. 670, 671).
The doctrine of the Logos, or Word, as an emanation or essence of
divine wisdom is very old. It is found in the ancient religions of
Egypt and India. It was recognized in the Persian theology, and was
incorporated into the Jewish theology by the Babylonian exiles. It
constitutes an important element in the Platonic philosophy. It
received its highest development and exposition in the writings of
the Jewish philosopher Philo, a contemporary of Jesus.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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