RELIGIOUS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 956, 27 June 1890, Page 6

RELIGIOUS.

A UNITARIAN MINISTER ON MIRACLES. It is a rather unusual thing for a nonJewish writer in this country to utilise the modern history of the Jews for the purpose of illustrating the Gospel narratives. This has just been done, however, by the Unitarian. Professor J. Estlin Carpenter, in his now? book on the origin and relations of * The First Three Gospels.’ Professor Carpenter quotes largely from Mr. S. Schechtar’s inapiring paper on the * Chassidim, which was read at Jews’ College and published in our colums. He draws, or rather suggests, a parallel between the miracles attributed to Israel Baalshem and those that occur in the New Testament. ‘There is no difficulty,’ says Professor Carpenter, ‘in separating Israel’s teachings from his miracles. In the same way, while many of the Gospels narrate with undying beauty the impression made by the personality of Jesus, it will be found that his religion is not involved in the stories of hia mighty works.’ It is not only Unitarians who nowadays speak in this strain, of miracles and their relation to the religions teaching for which they once constituted the strongest sanctioo. As Professor < arpenter well says, one of the moat striking points about mira les is the rapidity with whieh belief in them spreads. It is mainly by a scientific investigation of marvels of mo ern date that the genesis of older forms can be thoroughly ascertained. —Jewish Chronicle. the RELATION OH'jews to othi<r RACES. The Rev. S. Singer lectured at the South Place Institute on* The Relation of Jews to other Rocks.’ The series of lectures on National Life and Thought that is being given at the Institution would certainly have been incomplete without some reference to odo of the oldest, toughest, and most distinctively marked of races. Thanks were due to t-huse who were endeavouring to seek information from Jews themselves on the subject. There was no reason why they should continue to be what Heine had called them ‘a wandering mystery.’ Mißcraoeptions regarding them had too long been ef I the same character as those for which the malignity of Hainan was answerable. After dealing with the treatment of the stranger in ancient Israel, Mr. Singer passed to the period when Jews themselves became strangers in the lands of their dispersion. He pointed to the Talmudic maxim, ‘ The law of the State is binding law for the Jew,’ as toe principle that regulated the relation of Jews toivaids other races. Instances wore given of the tolerant spiritof Jews towards Gentiles. If that spirit was not always manifested, it was because the character of the Jews wa3

inevitably influenced by the relations of othe* races to them. Christianity h? d been mos* un-Christlike in its treatment of the people from whom the founder of the new religion sprang. It was to the French Revolution to which they owed the dawn of a better day for the wronged and persecuted members of their race and faith. All previous attempts to do them justice were partial and abortive. What was most remarkable in the Jewish race was the combination of strong national individuality with the power of adapting itself to its surroundings. Just as monasticism had impoverished Europe by withdrawing many of the best hearts and intellects from the active business of life, so to a great extent had the policy of keeping the Jews at arm’s length.—Jewish World.