The Light of the Nations

There will be found in this book a new translation of the sayings of Jesus. The ordinary rule in such cases is, not to make a literal render ing of each word by its synonym in the tongue into which it is trans ferred, but, to represent the idioms of one language by those of another. I have departed from that canon, because all who read this book wil! have in their hands the Common Version, which, generally, does that work for them. The translations here furnished differ from those in the Common Version, in being usually almost strictly literal, and they have been purposely made so, that such of my readers as are unacquainted with the original may have an opportunity to compare a literal with an idiomatic version. My renderings from the Greek must be judged by scholars in the light of this statement.

The language employed by Jesus was what is called the Palestinian Aramaic, which is also called Hebrew by early ecclesiastical writers, aocording to Papias, Irenæus, Origen, Eusebius, and Jerome. Matthew's Gospel was written in that language. Matthew may have written also the Greek version of his own Gospel. The books of Mark, and Luke, and John were written in Greek, a language which it is prob able Jesus sometimes employed. The autographs of these four books are supposed to have perished, and so probably have all the copies Imade in the first three centuries. In addition to the usual causes for the disappearance of books, we may mention in this case the thorough manner in which were executed the decrees of Diocletian in the beginning of the fourth century (February, A.D. 303) for the destruction of all the sacred books of the Christians, for the purpose of extirpating "the superstition," as he called it. Notwithstanding the severe penalties which impelled every magistrate to execute those decrees, some copies escaped the flames.

The Diocletian persecution closed A.D. 313. Constantine, the first Christian Emperor, ascended the throne A.D. 324. In A.D. 328 he recalled Eusebius, who had been banished, and, in a letter which Eusebius quotes in his Life of Constantine, the Emperor directed him to cause "fifty copies of the Sacred Scriptures to be written on prepared parchment, in a legible manner, and in a commodious and portable form, by transcribers thoroughly practised in the art." The completion of this work Constantine acknowledged in a subsequent letter to Eusebius

One of those copies, or perhaps the oldest copy of one of them, is the property of the Emperor of Russia. It is called the Codex Sinaiticus, because found in a convent on Mount Sinai, by Tischendorf, a learned German. That copy, being the oldest extant, is the basis of my transla tion. Whenever, therefore, the reader finds any of the words of Jesus in this book different from those in the common version, he will under. stand that he is thereby carried nearer to the fountain-head of the literature produced by Jesus and his utterances.

The difference in the characteristics of the four authors, commonly called The Evangelists, is worthy of note. Matthew was a practical man of business; Mark was an aesthetic observer; Luke had a scientific bias, and John was devoutly metaphysical. We are permitted to see Jesus as he presented himself to four such students of his acts and charOur skill is to be exercised in combining their impressions. It is a great advantage to have a subject placed in so many different lights

acter.

Jesus was the Founder of a Faith. He lived centuries ago. The most diverse claims have been made for his person and his teachings. Almost every saying of his has become the basis of a dogma. It will not be wonderful, then, that historians come upon actions and utterances of his which involve difficulties. Some of these are still difficulties to me. In such cases I have frankly said, "I do not understand this." So would it be, I think, with any other honest student and fair writer. By this candor I cannot lose the esteem of those whose esteem is worth having. But, I have not avoided the hard places. Timid readers may wish I had. Wherever there seemed to me to be an explanation, I have given it. It may satisfy some. It may lead others to discover what is more satisfactory to themselves. In no case, I believe, will unlearned readers of good sense be perplexed, and in no case, I trust, will scholars be scandalized.

There has been no ambition to appear learned. To those who are not acquainted with the languages in which the Evangelists wrote, or the languages in which learned men have commented on these works, I have endeavored to make the way plain by all needed helps. Nor has there been an ambition of originality. Wherever I have used the labors of others I have given credit, so far as I recollect. If any failure on this point has occurred, it has been through inadvertence. To repair that, and to send students to the si urces of my own stream of information,

ume.

I have supplied a list of the books used in the preparation of this vol I have read up in the literature of the subject as well as I could. All writers on this subject have difficulty with the chronology. In this book the terminal points of birth and death, I think, are trustworthy, especially the latter; but many of the incidents in the life have been arranged in an order which I have seen reason to change several times. The result of my investigation is the conviction that it is not now in the power of human skill to arrange a harmony of the facts in this biography, which should be positively asserted to be the precise order in which they occurred. Here and there are some that we know preceded one the other. There can be no doubt as to the order of the Baptism, the Temptation, the Sermon on the Mount, the Transfiguration, etc., but minor incidents puzzle every chronologer. The historical and biographical groupings in this book, as it goes to the printer, are the last result of my most careful study, and have been adopted in no instance simply for picturesque effect. It is proper to say that almost all the spots which Jesus made memorable by his personal presence have been visited by the author during a sojourn of several months in the Holy Land. He has thus had what aid geography can give to history, and so has verified the topographical statements in this book.

In the preparation of these pages I am sure that there has been no ambition of novelty; but I have not been afraid of new things, nor has any opinion commended itself to me because it was old. On the other hand, novelty has been no recommendation and antiquity no disparagement. I have sought to know the truth. When I believed I had found it, I wrote it, and now publish it without stopping to inquire whether these honest opinions will please or displease, or whether they put Jesus at an advantage or a disadvantage. In this I have sought to imitate the spirit and style of the Evangelists. A man would be sadly stupid who should spend some years on a subject which, more than any other, has engrossed the study of thoughtful men, without improving the opinions he formed in earlier life on less investigation. The preparation of this book has been, to me, its own "exceeding great reward."

As far as practicable, I have laid aside all dogmatic prepossessions But in writing this book I have been preparing a Memoir of my Dear est Friend, and if, for that Friend's sake, and in the spirit of that Friend, I have dealt with all the records most honestly, it is also fair te

state that I have treated them with the reverence of manly love; and, whatever may be the final decision of my readers, I conclude this work with a love for Jesus deeper and better than that which I feel for any other man dead or living.

I have a final request. When my readers shall have read the whole book, and have attempted to answer the closing question on the 710th page, they will do themselves and me a favor if they will return to this page and answer this question :

IF SUCH A Case can be MADE OUT BY A RATIONAL EXAMINATION OF THE FOUR EVANGELISTS, ON THE GROUND THAT THEIR MEMOIRS ARE MERELY HUMAN IN ALL RESPECTS, WHO IS JESUS, ON THE FURTHER SUPPOSITION THAT THOSE MEMOIRS ARE DIVINELY INSPIRED RECORDS?

My own belief is that they are inspired. That belief receives fresh confirmation from every examination of these books. On this grave subject I would not have myself misunderstood. It is because I am so thoroughly satisfied in my belief in the inspiration of these records that I have felt so safe in resting the argument of this volume on a basis which does not include that high claim.

CHARLES F. DEEMS

CHAPEL OF THE "CHURCH OF THE STRANGERS,'

4 Winthrop Place, New York.

CONTENTS.

PART I.

THE BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD OF JESUS

[From B.C. 6 to A.D. 8. Thirteen years and a half]

CHAPTER L

PRELIMINARY EVENTS,

The birth of John Baptist announced, 15.-Mary and her genealogy, 17.-The birth of Jesus an

nounced, 19.-Mary's visit to Elizabeth, 20.-Birth of John, 21.-John's early life, 22.

CHAPTER II.