HISTORY OF OUR SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume I, Issue 38, 17 January 1874, Page 13

HISTORY OF OUR SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

By the Abbe J. E. Dxuras.

(Translated from the French for the New Zealand Tablet.) Chapter hi.— Summary. Thb Nativity. The Circumcision Ppesentation in the Temple. The Magi. Flight into Egypt. Massacre oe the Innocents. The bf.turn "from Egypt. Reduciion ov Judea to a Roman Province. Jesus in the midst of the Doctors. § I. — Tee Nativity. -1. — Goepel narkltive of the Nativity "Thb crowd that resorted to Bethlehem, the city of David, was great because all the members of royal descent, gathered together, from the thfferent parts of Judea, went up to be enrolled, according to the terms of the imperial decree. " And it came to pass, that when they were there, her day 3 were accomplished, that she should be delivered. •And ehe brought forth her first born son, and wrapped him up in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger ; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds watching, and keeping the night-watches over their flock. And behold an an^el of the Lord stood by t lem, aud the brightness of God shone round about them, and t.iey feared with <a great fear. And the angel said to them : Fear not ; for behold I briug you good tidings of grW joy, that eh ill be to all the people: For thw day is born°to you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David. And this shall be a sijn unto you. You shall find the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes, a>id laid in a manger. And suidenly there was with the angel a multitu !e of the heavenly army, praising Go«l, and saying : Glory to God in the highest ; and on earth peace to men of good will. And it came to pass, after the angels departed from them the shepherds said one to another : Let us go over to 'Bethlehem, and let us see this word that is come to pass, which the Lord hath shewed us. And they came with haste ; and they found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. And seeing, ' they understood of the word that had been spoken to them concerning this child. And all that heard wondered at those things that -were told them by the shepherds. 'But Mary kept all these words, pondering them iv her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God, ior all the things they had heard, and seen, as it • was told unto them." (1) 2. — The divine magnificence of the stable. The entire world has followed the shepherds to the stable of Bethlehem. Prostrate before the crib, bathing with their tears the ' iiumble straw on which reposes a God, man annihilates himself in an ecstascy of love, adoration and gratitude. Yes, it was thus that a God should be born ! A miserable, vain creature, h-iving to make choice of its cradle, would, doubtless, have placed it on the step 3of a, throne, and have surrourded it with the eager assiduities of a servile crowd ; the ooal of the resoundirg trumpets would have awakened the echoes, to announce to the earth the birth of a new master ; the cottage would 'have thrilled with joy at the expected signal from the palace. What but indigence before' G >d are all the royal. ies of this world ! What but silence to him is the roar of our thunders! What nothingness our grandeuis! All that we call riches is but a borrowed mantle, to cover our native miseries ; what we dignify with the name power, is but the sign of a more glaring servitude ; God, descending to this lower earth could not espouse our delusive pomps. " But the ox knew Ms owner, and the ass his master's crib." (2) The angels visited the plains of the Nativity, as in the days when Jacob led his flocks to pasture there. " The nations, seated in darkness, in the shadow of death " bending under an iron yoke, in the Roman Ergastulum, " saw the great light arise." (3) The decrees of salvation, enregistered from eternity, in the councils of Providence, are accomplished. " The Word was made Flush. Glory to God in the splendors of Heaven ; aud peace to men of good will ! " Shepherds are the first adorers of the immortal king of pe.iee, who is just born; the first fruits of the Divine Shedherd, who will gather together the flocks of human generations, into" the fold of His Church. Mary, the Immaculate ' Virgin, leads' them to the child, whom her hands have wrapped up in swathing • bands; whom she has a right to call her so", and the duty to adore as her God. Joseph, the inheritor of David, contemplates with them, the head promised to Israel, whose reign will have no end. Tho re port of t'.e shepherds circulates amongst the crowd which the edict of Augustus has drawn to Bethlehem. Wonder is excited about the crib, where the infant reposes. Such] pomps alone suited tie Incarnate Word; his divinity shines forth with greiter splendour amidst the nakedness of the stable, and the abasement of the crib ! B. —Modern Rationalism places the birth of Jesus Christ at Nazareth. But, let us study, from an authentically historical point of view, the narration of this "wonderful birth. Besides the divine charm which the sacred text exercises over hearts, there is in each detail, a perfume of truth which it concerns uo to disentangle by a serious analysis, at a time when denial lias sought to intrude itself everywhere. All Europe has read, in these latter days, a ' Life of Jesus,' which commences with these words : " Jesus was born at Nazareth, a small town of Galilee, which before his time had no celebrity." (4) If the writing of a paradox were sufficient to make it be believed, Nazareth should remain invested with the unexpected honor of having been the birth-place of Jesus Christ. But history does not proceed by affirmation, it requires proofs When the question is to know the exact birth-piace of Augustus, we have recourse to tho testimony of Suetonius, Tacitus, Dion and the authors who have transmitted to us the life of that prince. As all of them unanimously agree in saying that Augustus was born at Rome, a emile of pity would be excited on hearing a writer, separated by nineteen centuries from the facts which he relates, taking wpon himself to affirm that this Emperor was born at Messina. Now, the history of Jesus Christ interests tho world, by a better titb than that of Augustus. Of the few Evangelists who have transmitte lit to

us, not one has placed the birth of the Saviour at Nazareth ; they pro* claim that Jesus was born at Bethleham. Apart from their formal text, we have quoted unexceptionable witnesses, establishing the same fact ; consequently the reader has a right to treat with a sovereign contempt the affirmation which has' just' been adduced, sbript, as it is, of all proofs. In by-gone centuries, when the Gospel was a popular text, engraven on all memories, and perfectly understood by all, a loud burat of laughter wimld have done justice to the recent exegesis. We are unwilling to offer -an injury to our epoch by treating these nofel sophisms too seriously. But, at least, we may be allowed to state on this subject, what our fathers all knew, and what their sons, it is to be feared, while learning many other things beeidop, may have generally foi gotten. The text of St. Luke, relative to the birth of Jesus Christ at Bethlebaui, rests not solely on the divine inspiration of the Evangelist. This title to credibility — the highest that a Christian soul could desire— would have been, we conceive, without value iv the eyes of pagans, whom it was necessary to convert ; it is so, still, unfortunately, with regard to modern incredulity, wlvch looks for human proofs, before submittiag itself to the word of Q-od. Now, human proofs superabound. Tiie most direct of these, and the most easily grasped, is that which results from the examination of the G-ospel narrative itself.