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rate, an appearance of artificiality in the genealogies of Jesus given by Matthew and Luke.

While, then, it is more than probable that Jesus' disciples often and persistently misunderstood in what sense he was really the promised Messiah, it is, on the other hand, not improbable that many Jews were in his day looking for just such a fulfilment of the prophets as is furnished by the ideal life portrayed in our Gospels. It can scarce be doubted that "there were some among the Jews, even if they were few and uninfluential, who were prepared to receive the true Messiah. They did not probably differ greatly from others in their formal beliefs, but they did as regards the spirit in which they held them, and the features in the conception of the Messiah and his work which most occupied their thoughts. Deliverance of the nation from sin, and the burden of God's displeasure on account of sin, fuller knowledge of the divine will, glad homage to Jehovah, and goodwill to Israel as his chosen people on the part of the nations of the earth, these had been traits in the prophetic description of the times of redemption of Zion. . . . To the hope of these blessings pious hearts turned instinctively, as the good things which they most desired.”1

13. The impartial Old Testament exegete will frankly admit that the best parts of the Hebrew Scriptures fail to apprehend clearly, and in all its details, the mission of Jesus of Nazareth who is called Christ. And indeed the best parts of the Old Testament recognize the fact that there is a certain justice in interpreting their prophecies by their fulfilment, whatever that may be.

1 Stanton's Jewish and Christian Messiah, p. 134.

And it is only as we take advantage of this permission extended to us, that we can call Jesus the Christ of God. But while this is true, it would certainly be to tear the Testaments completely asunder to say that the New Testament Messiah was to save the world by his blood, to become righteousness for his people, to ransom their lives with his. In the sense in which these words are usually understood, they imply a total departure from the Old Testament circle of ideas. And presumably, the New Testament writers, building as they did on the Old Testament, would not have advocated such doctrines. We have already seen that Peter's first sermon did not contain these notions. In

what sense Jesus was a sacrifice, and in what sense he suffered for the sins of the world, will be discussed elsewhere. These are not a part of the Messiah's work, according to the Hebrew Scriptures. The Messianic idea, as we have seen, the rather emphasized the ideas of teacher, preacher, and leader. That this is a fundamental New Testament idea is shown by these words from a learned New Testament scholar. "It is the duty of the Church to use Jesus' educating personality to perfect human nature; to inforce the lesson of his life, and create his spirit, by presenting him, not as one who stood apart from humanity in rank, or as one who mediates between God and man, but rather as one who realized the moral possibility of man, and showed once for all how men should live; and by so living, made himself a vast educational force." Jesus is the world's greatest prophet; and Old and New Testaments combine in calling the Ideal Man the Wonderful Counsellor, Divine Leader, and Prince of Peace.

CHAPTER VI.

BACK TO THE OLD TESTAMENT FOR THE WAY OF SALVATION.

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CHAPTER VI.

BACK TO THE OLD TESTAMENT FOR THE WAY OF

SALVATION.

I. EARLY IDEAS OF SACRIFICE.

1. It is proposed to discuss historically the Biblical doctrine of atonement with a special look-out for facts which will enable us to determine whether the Old Testament doctrine of sacrifice looks forward to Christ; or whether, on the other hand, the New Testament writers, of necessity, used terms which were then in vogue, and for whose meaning we must appeal to the Old Testament, and in some instances to the Jewish Apocrypha.

2. In the period preceding the great prophets we find that the ideas of justification and reconciliation were exceedingly naïve and undeveloped. Moral elements are conspicuously absent, or they are hopelessly wrapped up in ideas of ceremony and ritual. Just as the common life of the tribe is believed to be maintained by virtue of physical relationships, and by virtue of the periodic participation in a common meal, so the common life of the god and his people is believed to consist in the fact that they are physically his sons. He partakes with them at the sacrifice of the common meal. The same animal sustains god and worshippers.

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